Before this chapter kicks off, a few important things to quickly go over. First off, I've decided to just stick with three harem members, any more and I think I'll probably have a migraine. I did think of removing the harem entirely, but I already had it promised for those who clicked on the story initially, so we're soldiering through!
Secondly, why I decided to choose Horikita Suzune as one of the members. To put it as bluntly as possible, it was more or less on a whim. Although I haven't read many COTE fanfics, none of them ever really tried a relationship with Suzune, so my brain was like 'You know what? Fuck it, why not?'. And that's basically it...yeah.
If any of that's a story killer for you, uhh...
Umu!
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"You're finally here, Kurisu!"
"Why are we meeting up here and at this time?" Kurisu couldn't help but ask as she closed the door behind her. Her face showed a look of confusion as she walked over to the others, all of whom were gathered in the main bedroom area. "Kirigiri-san and I will have to go back to our own rooms soon according to the rules."
Sora waved his hand. "Don't worry, it won't take long."
To explain the current situation, Sora had sent a message to everyone within the chat group they created for the class. He wanted everyone to come over to his room to discuss some important matters, obviously in regard to prior topics.
"I figured that we all have things to do during school hours and sometime after, so meeting up at this time before curfew would be best since none of us seem to be doing much of anything at all during this time period."
That was true, since there was a curfew for all students to be back at their dorms after a certain time, a lot of people would just be hanging out in their rooms doing nothing. Well, some were probably playing games and/or studying.
"Couldn't we have just messaged in the chat group?" Kirigiri seemed to suggest as she leaned against the wall next to Ryuga. "It would certainly save the trouble of walking over, not to mention being caught if we go over the curfew."
"Maybe." Sora shrugged. "However, some topics would be best discussed in person just in case."
Kurisu tilted her head. "Just in case."
"He means that there's a chance another person outside of our class may accidentally see our conversations if they happen to get a hold of our phones." Ryuga clarified as he looked toward Sora for confirmation, to which he received a nod in response. "Although unlikely, it's a safety measure."
"Why would we need a safety measure?" Kurisu raised this question, though she was confused when everyone else seemed to understand the reason already. "Am I missing something?"
"We're competing against other classes." Izayoi seemed to declare bluntly as Kurisu gave him a surprised as well as confused look. "I figured something out after dealing with a bunch of seniors at the convenience store, Ryuga was there. The things they said really stood out."
"Those things were?" Kyoko asked with an interested look.
"Well, let's have a look." Izayoi stood up before moving towards the small whiteboard that Sora for whatever reason had decided to buy. Taking a pen, Izayoi began writing on the board. "These are what those upperclassmen said, word for word. Have a look yourself."
● You'll never be able to rise to the next class!
● So, you're from Class D? Then you're just a defect!
● You people are already in for a world of pain!
● Wow, scary! What are you gonna do, hit us? I dare you!
"Considering you wrote down Class D, that means these words weren't said directly to you?" Kyoko questioned as Izayoi merely smiled. "If what you've written is true, then these statements seem to suggest some form of hierarchical system among the classes."
"Not only that." Izayoi chuckled as he then circled the second and third points. "This statements also tell me that Class D is already notorious for being at the bottom of the barrel. In other words, Class D sucks."
"I doubt that those upperclassmen knew exactly what happened within Class 1-D's room, so that means..." Kyoko muttered aloud with closed eyes before pausing. She then opened her eyes before continuing. "They must already be aware of how Class 1-D is treated, and I mean personally."
"What you're basically saying is that they rose up from Class D." Ryuga smiled as he already seemed to understand everything. "That brings forth the first point, not only is it a hierarchical system, it is a system where people can climb up the ranks."
"Yep, just like a competition." Izayoi grinned. "We're probably competing."
"And considering it's a competition!"
Sora, who chimed in with a loud voice, somehow appeared up next to the whiteboard beside Izayoi. Shiro also appeared beside him as well, both of them wearing detective caps that they got from who knows where.
"There must be some kind of incentive for us to actually try and become the top class!" Sora scoffed with a grin as he held the brim of his cap. "Not only that, but there also naturally must be an incentive for vice versa as well. Which means..."
Shiro was the one who finished his words as she pointed her finger forward. "A reason for us to avoid being the bottom class!"
"Exactly!" Sora exclaimed with a snap of his fingers. "Otherwise, what would be the point of such a system? For fun? I doubt it! Unfortunately, we don't know what determines the class standings. Heck, we don't even know where we as Class 1-X even come into the picture!"
"That makes sense." Kurisu nodded before she gave them a weird look. "But... where did you get those hats?"
"Do not question it!"
"Then this brings us to the final point." Izayoi interrupted as he tapped the end of the pen against where the fourth statement was present. "They were actively provoking the student from Class D, as if they were wanting him to commit violence. Not to mention... in the view of a security camera."
"They most likely wanted evidence to get that student in trouble." Kyoko already understood what Izayoi was getting at. "Looking at the nature of the statement you've written, they were quite persistent in the provocation. They already knew about the camera."
"Yep. They wanted to sink that dude even lower than he already apparently was!"
"I see, I think I understand everything now." Kurisu widened her eyes a bit as she listened silently to everyone's conversation. Among her class, she seemed to be the one with the least deductive capabilities, so hearing their conclusions really enlightened her. "Then I want to also add something!"
As she walked over to the whiteboard, Izayoi casually tossed her the marker he used before taking a seat back down where he was sitting before. They all watched as Kurisu began writing, though it wasn't much, just a single statement underneath Izayoi's statements.
● People seem to be struggling with points
"While I was walking around, I noticed something strange." Kurisu began explaining as she stepped aside for everyone to see the board. "I noticed how a lot of people were concerned with the number of points they had. Which struck me as odd considering it's the first day of the month."
"Were they upperclassmen?"
"I think they were."
"Then that explains some things." Ryuga smirked after receiving his answer. "We had our speculations regarding merit and value. That seems to come into play here. Since it's the first day of the month, their points should've been refreshed. However, Makise-san's observations seem to contradict that."
"And I also have my doubts that anyone would be able to spend over a hundred thousand in a day." Kyoko chimed in. "It's not that they didn't want to, it's more likely that it's because they couldn't. They didn't receive a hundred thousand points this month."
"Because of their merit..." Kurisu muttered as Kyoko nodded. "But, how would the school determine how much they would receive? We know that merit and value play a vital role, but at what point would they just not receive anything?"
"That's not a question we can answer, unfortunately." Sora shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "We'd also need to know what actions affect our merit and value, and in what way it's gauged. Until we know that, there's not much."
"Since we're talking about points now, I think it's my turn."
Ryuga pushed himself off of the wall before going over to the whiteboard, nodding in thanks as Kurisu handed him the pen. Ryuga then began writing his own points, to which they all waited before he took a step to the side.
● There are free items at the convenience stores
● A maximum of three items can be taken per student each month
● The free items are all essential everyday items
"Hoh~?" Sora trailed on a bit with an amused grin. "Now that's interesting!"
"Izayoi-kun, you probably already figured out what I'll be talking about. I assume you also saw this?" Ryuga smiled as Izayoi gave a simple smile. "My points solidify the idea of us potentially not receiving a hundred thousand each month."
"But, what if they're free just in case someone happens to break or lose something and don't have the necessary points? Anything could happen really."
"That's the thing, it's highly unlikely from my perspective." Ryuga chuckled as Kurisu seemed confused again. "Let's start with the first and second points. The fact that there are free items anyway is already suspicious, but to limit the amount each student can take just magnifies it."
"How about this question then?" Sora raised a hand to interrupt. Turning to him, Ryuga could see that Sora had a smile on his face, one that already seemed to suggest that he somewhat already knew the answer to his own question. "Why would they limit the amount?"
"Obviously, it's because there are too many who need it." Ryuga crossed his arms as he answered this. "When I first saw it, the number of items that were most likely up for taking had already been reduced to less than half. If students received so many points each month, why would they already be taking free items that are of the lowest quality on the first day if they could just buy something better? Makise-san?"
After some thinking, Kurisu answered. "...Because they can't afford anything."
"Bingo! On top of that, the items listed were all necessary items you'd need in your daily life, nothing fancy or fun to indulge yourself with. They were all the bare minimum of what you'd need to get through the month."
"That part about it being the first day also very much makes your reasoning concrete." Kyoko nodded in understanding after hearing everything. "It wouldn't make sense to take the free items until you've run out of points, that is unless you were preparing in advance or just plain greedy."
"Yeah, the complex psychology of teenagers could totally trash our reasoning!" Izayoi gave a good laugh after hearing the last part of Kyoko's words. "We're saying all this with the idea that the students aren't idiots. If they are just imbeciles who spend too much and put themselves into a corner, our whole conversation about this goes to shit!"
"That would be unfortunate, huh?" Ryuga smiled a bit wryly after hearing that. It all really came down to whether or not the students were idiots or not. "In any case, that's what we've managed to conclude. Does anyone else have anything?"
"Unfortunately, I don't." Kyoko sighed as she said this. "Aside from what everyone's already said, I have nothing to share."
"Sounds like the detective is a bit jealous she had no points!" Izayoi grinned teasingly as Kyoko didn't respond, instead closing her eyes while refusing to respond. Seeing this, Izayoi merely shrugged his shoulders. "So, that's all we have, huh? Not bad, not bad at all."
"Then let's conclude." Ryuga nodded before erasing everything currently on the board and writing a total of four simple sentences. "Here are our conclusions for today."
● The classes run on a hierarchical system
● It is possible to advance to a higher class
● There are most likely more benefits to being in a higher class
● The number of points received each month is not set in stone
"So, that's the end of today's discussion?" Izayoi said before sitting up and stretching his limbs. "If that's the case, then I'll be heading off back to my room."
"That's a good idea, it is getting late." Kurisu nodded in agreement as everyone prepared to head off. "Shiro-chan, where is your room? I can walk back with you if you want."
"Oh, you don't need to worry about that." Sora waved his hand in front of his face. Shiro looked to already be falling asleep on Sora's lap, evident by her tired appearance. "Shiro's going to be sleeping with me in my room."
"Goodnight..."
"Wait... but that's not allowed!" Kurisu exclaimed softly after hearing Sora's words. "According to the dorm rules, females can't visit the male rooms after a certain time, let alone being allowed to sleep the night!"
"That is unless you're caught!" Sora declared as he pointed a finger at Kurisu. "Speaking of rules, I almost forgot to mention one important thing. It so happens that while Shiro and I were reading through the rule book, something stood out. It said that, and I quote... 'Class points can be exchanged for anything within reason'."
Hearing this, the three who were already about to leave and also Kurisu, all seemed to stop before contemplating those words. They looked over at Sora and saw him giving them all a grin, to which they soon then all left the room.
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Over the next couple of days, nothing extravagant really occurred, they just attended whatever classes they had scheduled and the cycle repeated. In any case, they haven't been able to gather much more information regarding their discussed topics.
While they could actively go around and ask the upperclassmen about it, they had noticed how none of them would give them any answers unless points were involved. Since that was the case, there was no need to rush things.
If you were to mention some progress they made though, it'd be that they've all gotten much closer to each other. Everyone was already on a first-name basis, though that was probably thanks to everyone not really caring much about formalities anyway.
"Izayoi-kun, are these tests really necessary?" Kurisu couldn't help but ask with a sigh as they all gathered together after the final class for today ended. "I know you want to know more, we all do, but is it really necessary to potentially destroy some of our merit?"
"I'm getting bored." Izayoi shrugged in response. "In any case, you all have noticed, right? No matter what kind of misconduct I did, let it be using my phone, talking to one of you, or even 'sleeping' a bit, sensei never scolded me."
"In fact, he ignored you entirely." Kyoko added. "If our conclusions were correct, then the school doesn't even try and correct you if you do something that affects your merit and value. They probably only will after the damage is done. Quite ruthless, isn't it?"
"Maybe, but that's only if you're dumb enough to think that you wouldn't be discredited for misbehaving in class." Sora shrugged with a chuckle. "I must say though, we've done a pretty good job avoiding gaining any attention."
What the group have learnt over the past few days is that no one aside from themselves, at least from what they've observed, knew about Class-X. It was as if it was an entirely secret project, at least hidden away from most of the student body.
The teachers obviously knew about them, Karasuma was not the only teacher that taught them, they had a variety of teachers for each subject, including some who were the homeroom teachers of other classrooms.
"Now that you have your answer though, Izayoi-kun." Kurisu turned to the blonde before saying in a serious tone. "Stop misbehaving during class, just in case we all get punished for your misconduct!"
"Loud and clear, Lab Girl."
"I have to agree. We don't know the repercussions yet, so refrain from doing what you've been doing from now on." Ryuga deadpanned a bit as he stared at the blonde who merely shrugged. "Hm? Where are you off to, Sora-kun? Shiro-chan?"
Ryuga noticed how both Sora and Shiro were already heading towards the door, his words prompted the other three to look over as well. Hearing Ryuga's words, Sora and Shiro didn't turn around, instead standing silently at the door for a moment.
The eery silence continued for a bit before Sora eventually spoke, although he didn't turn around to face them, instead continuing to face forward as he and Shiro held one another hand. They had noticed how the siblings would always usually hold hands when moving around.
"Ryuga... do you remember what's happening tomorrow? Shiro and I have to prepare our very best for what's to come, there is much for us to do. Tomorrow is the day my willpower will truly be put to the test!"
"Tomorrow? Prepare?"
"Indeed! I have to prepare myself, especially mentally!"
"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about anymore." Ryuga raised an eyebrow in confusion as he responded to Sora. As far as he could remember, there wasn't anything particularly special happening. "Is there something happening?"
Hearing this, Sora remained silent for a bit longer as the tension in the room grew thicker, making Kurisu shuffle a bit anxiously while the other three just stared at Sora in silence, Izayoi of course keeping his usual smirk on his face.
Eventually, Sora slowly turned his head around, revealing his comically serious face as he soon shouted.
"Swimming lessons!"