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The 'clap clap' of applause drew the attention of Class C students. They saw Sakagami clapping approvingly, but he said nothing, neither confirming nor denying Yukio's analysis.
Many students, seeing their class advisor's reaction, were now certain that Yukio's analysis was correct. The school's surveillance was indeed for 'punishment.'
This realization made the students of Class C more cautious. They glanced at the ceiling camera, their thoughts of dismantling it apparent in their eyes.
"Alright," Sakagami said, perhaps sensing something. "Even I, with a legitimate reason, can't block the camera for long, so don't even think about it."
"As for now, tidy up. It's almost time to attend the entrance ceremony."
Under Sakagami's lead, the students of Class C set aside their complex thoughts and headed to the auditorium. They listened to the brief and efficient speech of the board chairman, Sakayanagi, which was nothing more than the usual pep talk about studying hard and improving every day.
But to the students of Class C, it seemed like there was a deeper message hidden in every word, forcing them to ponder and even causing them to sweat nervously while listening.
Although not fully understanding, the students felt like the chairman's words had hidden meanings, as if hinting at something.
The entrance ceremony was brief. After the chairman's speech, it ended, and the students were dismissed, with official classes starting the next day. The freshmen then engaged in various activities.
However, Class C was particularly disciplined, or rather, they had quickly recognized Yukio's established authority. They only dared to leave after asking Yukio and receiving his permission to engage in free activities.
Some freshmen went to their dormitories first, curious about their living arrangements. The well-funded Advanced Nurturing High School had three dormitory buildings, one for each grade, with mixed-gender living arrangements – girls on higher floors and boys on lower ones.
Other students were eager to spend their 100,000 private points on shopping, coffee, karaoke, and other activities.
Meanwhile, Yukio planned to buy personal supplies as per his schedule. The school had informed the students beforehand that the dormitories were fully equipped, even with cooking utensils.
The only thing students needed to bring was their personal hygiene products, as everyone has different preferences, and the school didn't intend to force everyone to use the same products.
However, Yukio glanced back and saw Ryuen, Ishizaki, Albert, and even Ibuki following him.
The group of five, with their intimidating looks and delinquent aura, caused other students to instinctively make way for them.
If Albert had been carrying a speaker with background music, like something out of a gangster movie, it would have been a comical scene.
Yukio, thinking about these random things, curiously asked, "So, what are you all planning to do by following me?"
Ishizaki, the simplest among them, laughed sheepishly: "Follow Yukio-san! No reason needed!" In his straightforward delinquent worldview, it was natural for the underlings to follow their leader without question.
Yukio was exasperated by Ishizaki's pure old-school loyalty.
Ryuen, however, wasn't as simple: "Don't misunderstand, I'm just scouting the area, gathering information about the school. It's only beneficial."
Yukio appreciated Ryuen's initiative: "Then I'll leave it to you, Ryuen. After you've scouted everything, tell me all the details tomorrow. I won't make the rounds myself."
Ryuen's expression stiffened as he almost choked, taken aback by being treated like an errand boy.
Facing Yukio's smiling face, Ryuen, remembering the taste of water torture, felt a tightening in his throat, his face turning slightly purple: "But, covering the entire school in one day isn't realistic. It's too big."
"Don't worry," Yukio reassured Ryuen, indicating he wasn't a demon and wouldn't expect him to scout every area in a day: "Take a week. Scout after school each day and report to me in class the next day."
Relieved by the reasonable timeline, Ryuen relaxed, thankful he wouldn't have to explore the entire school overnight on his first day, especially when he was physically and mentally exhausted.
Ibuki glanced at Ishizaki and Ryuen, her cheeks flushing slightly. Her usual stern gaze softened, showing a girlish charm: "I'm just here to buy things."
In truth, Ibuki knew she was just like Ishizaki, simply wanting to be around Yukio.
After hearing Yukio's analysis of the school's intentions in the classroom, Ibuki realized a truth.
When it came to outsmarting others, she could never surpass Yukio!
Once she acknowledged this, her course of action was simple: stay close to Yukio. This way, no matter what happened in the future or how the school arranged things, Yukio's intelligence would provide the quickest solutions.
This would spare Ibuki the trouble of worrying.
However, she couldn't directly say this, as it would be too embarrassing for her.
"Albert, you could at least say something, right?" Ibuki, perhaps feeling the atmosphere was a bit awkward, tried to shift everyone's focus by urging the big guy beside her.
But Albert remained silent and uncommunicative, leaving Ibuki disheartened and amusing the other three. This made Ibuki blush and almost wish she could find a hole in the ground to crawl into.
However, when they went to purchase daily necessities, they found various pieces of evidence supporting Yukio's conjecture. For example, lesser-known brands of shampoo and shower gel were available for free, albeit with a limit of one bottle per month.
There were also toothbrushes, towels, and even not-so-great-tasting free instant noodles, all of low quality. Normal use would be somewhat unsatisfactory for most people.
But the mere fact that these items were free was enough to send the students of Class C into a whirl of speculation.
"Indeed, Yukio was right. The school must plan to deduct our private points. Otherwise, it's impossible for there to be free products on the market!"
"Yukio-san must be correct! But, I really want to try the latest PS5 console. Should we start saving our money now?"
Seeing Ishizaki's conflicted desire to splurge and his hesitation, Yukio couldn't help but smile. Such an innocent person like Ishizaki, once disciplined with a firm hand, would completely obey if given a bit of sweetness afterward.
"No worries, go ahead and buy it. You won't be short of private points in the future."