The morning bell rang, and the students of Class C, Section 3 slowly filled the room. Everyone was anxious—this was the day they would receive more detailed information about the school's point system, something that had been looming over them since they arrived.
Waskuruni sat quietly by the window, his eyes scanning the classroom with his usual detached expression. To his left, Sayuri Matsui was already seated, occasionally glancing toward him. In the far corner, Maria Nina, the Russian girl, was chatting with another student. The class was buzzing with energy.
As the room filled, the students exchanged nervous glances, their points rapidly draining faster than expected. It wasn't long before their homeroom teacher, Miss Ai Matsuba, walked into the room, her demeanor calm and composed, carrying a tablet in her hand.
"Good morning, students," Miss Matsuba began. "Today, we will talk about something crucial to your life at Bangladesh Metro Political and Science Academy: the point system."
The class grew quiet. Everyone had been waiting for this moment.
Miss Matsuba tapped her tablet and the point totals for each class flashed on the board:
Class A: 508 points
Class B: 378 points
Class C: 50 points
A wave of murmurs swept through the class. Class C was at the bottom.
Miss Matsuba continued, "Points here are everything. They are your currency, your lifeline. With points, you can purchase anything you need—food, clothes, books, even privileges. However, once your points run out, you will have no access to these resources until the next monthly distribution."
Waskuruni remained silent, processing her words. He had already predicted as much. A system designed to push us to the edge, he thought. But why?
At the back of the class, Haruka Haruto, another first-year student, raised his hand. "Miss Matsuba, you said points can buy anything, but what happens if we run out of them? How do we earn more?"
"Good question," Miss Matsuba replied, her eyes scanning the room. "Points are distributed monthly based on the behavior, performance, and contributions of your class. You can also lose points for breaking rules or performing poorly. So, if you want more points, focus on excelling in your studies, your conduct, and extracurricular activities."
The room fell silent again. Many students had already used up a significant portion of their points on luxuries, and now it seemed clear that they had been careless.
Miss Matsuba then added, "I want to make one thing clear. You all start on equal footing, but what you do with your points will determine your future here."
Waskuruni's gaze drifted to the window. Equal footing, he thought sarcastically. This system is designed to create inequality.
---
After the class ended, Waskuruni decided to head to one of the school's shops. As he walked through the aisles, he spotted Sayuri at the counter, purchasing something small.
"500 taka?" Waskuruni remarked as he walked over to her. "You could afford something better with the points you have left."
Sayuri looked up, slightly surprised. "I don't want to waste points on unnecessary things. I'm trying to save what I can."
Waskuruni nodded. "Smart. But don't assume the points will always come so easily."
Sayuri seemed to ponder his words for a moment but said nothing more. As Waskuruni walked away from the store, his thoughts raced. There's something larger going on here. They want us to think these points are just about survival. But they're about control.
---
That evening, back at the dorms, Waskuruni sat in his room on the 8th floor, staring out of the window at the distant city lights. The school's dormitories were located a kilometer away from the campus, giving the students a sense of independence but also isolation. Every student had their own room, but the vastness of the building only made the place feel emptier.
Just then, a message buzzed on his phone from Haruka:
"Let's form a group. We need to figure out how to handle this point system. We can't just sit around and let them control us."
Waskuruni stared at the message for a moment. He already knew that navigating this system alone would be difficult. Forming alliances, however, was a risk in itself.
Everything in this school is a game, he thought. And I need to be careful about the pieces I move.
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