As Class A students, they are all quite exceptional. Before Teacher Mashima arrived, Houtarou had already observed several outstanding individuals.
For instance, the first thing these students did upon entering the new class was to form groups — creating their own small circles. They then revealed information about themselves, showcasing their pride and strengths.
Birds of a feather flock together, and this behavior is very attractive to others.
Among them was Kōhei Katsuragi, who served as the vice president of the student council in both elementary and middle school. Then there's Yahiko Totsuka, a six-time class representative. And the golden-haired, handsome Masayoshi Hashimoto, who's particularly skilled at striking up conversations.
The class composition, therefore, consists of outstanding members from various schools.
However, there are also a few who prefer to keep to themselves.
Take, for example, the tall, long-legged Masumi Kamuro with her long purple hair and two hairpins, or the curly-haired handsome guy Hayato Kitō, whose hair resembles black seaweed.
In Houtarou's view, classmate Masumi's reaction was quite concerning. When everyone was discussing their past written test scores and feeling relaxed, her brow seemed to be constantly furrowed, somewhat agitated. It was as if some troublesome weakness had been mentioned.
And now, as he raised his hand, everyone looked over. Houtarou turned his gaze towards the homeroom teacher.
"Teacher Mashima, will 100,000 private points be deposited into our accounts next month as well? Or will it be more, less, or none at all?" He asked.
Mashima glanced at him, "I cannot answer that question right now."
The surrounding students realized that the 100,000 Points on their student IDs shouldn't be used carelessly.
"When can you tell us about this?" Kōhei, one of the outstanding male students Houtarou had noticed earlier, stood up.
He was bald with a tall, large build. He was level-headed and had shared his family situation before the teacher arrived: his parents had passed away, and he was living with his younger sister. If this school was as good as advertised, he hoped to secure a good job or continue his education.
"I can't disclose that information at the moment." Teacher Mashima replied firmly, "Also, please raise your hand before speaking."
"Sorry." Kōhei mumbled, sitting down dejectedly.
However, one person remained standing, maintaining a questioning stance.
"Teacher Mashima, how many points would it take for you to tell us the truth about this school?" Houtarou pressed, "You said earlier that anything can be bought with points here. So, can't we offset your current inability to tell us by using points?"
Kōhei glanced over, intrigued. The school's benefits seemed too good to be true, making him uneasy. He doubted he deserved such preferential treatment.
"If it's about pooling points to learn the truth, I'm in." A pleasant voice chimed in.
It was Arisu. This clever girl had found the perfect moment to interject.
"I doubt many students would adopt such a strategy on their first day." She said, her voice soft yet persuasive, "Our class might gain an advantage from this."
Arisu's intervention sparked a reaction from everyone.
"Teacher Mashima, I'll contribute points as well." One student said.
"Me too."
"Count me in."
Within moments, the students of Class A accessed their student IDs.
Although 100,000 Points seemed substantial, its value was uncertain if there wouldn't be more next month. Everyone recognized that gathering more information could potentially lead to increased points in the future.
Teacher Mashima rubbed his head, "Two million points."
These Class A students were truly exceptional — unprecedented not only in his teaching career but in the school's history. After careful consideration, he provided a specific amount.
"Agreed." Echoed 40 voices in unison.
With 40 students in Class A, each possessing 100,000 Points, a contribution of 50,000 per person would unlock the truth about the school — a valuable exchange. Everyone transferred the points to the school's public account number displayed by Teacher Mashima.
Houtarou had already taken his seat.
Don't do unnecessary things, simplify what must be done.
To earn the reward of leaving school at will, he needed to complete two tasks: investigating the school and earning 200,000 Private Points. Uncovering the truth about the school had become a priority.
With only one day to accomplish this and earn 200,000 Points, the workload was daunting.
His solution? Simplify everything. Use the most direct method: buy information. It was the most energy-efficient approach.
Once Teacher Mashima confirmed receipt of the points, he revealed the truth to everyone.
This school indeed lived up to its reputation of being merit-based. The advertised 100% rate for further education and employment was genuine. However, there were some caveats.
For instance, in the third year, Classes B, C, and D would be excluded at graduation, receiving diplomas from other high schools instead. Ultimately, only those graduating from Class A in the third year would reap the advertised benefits.
The school's philosophy centered on cultivating talent through frequent testing, using Points as incentives. There were two types of points: Class Points, shared by the entire class, and Private Points, which functioned as currency.
Each month, the school would deposit Private Points into student accounts, equal to the Class Points multiplied by 100. The four classes — A, B, C, and D — were formed based on a comprehensive evaluation of students' abilities, rather than random allocation.
Class A comprised outstanding elites, Class B consisted of corporate worker types, Class C included social gathering types, and Class D was considered the least desirable placement.
This news reassured Class A students, as they realized their classmates were all carefully selected individuals. They felt confident that there would be few, if any, underperforming teammates to hinder their progress.
Despite the differences in student abilities, the school maintained a degree of fairness. All four classes initially received 1,000 Class Points. Throughout the three-year program, class rankings remained fluid — whichever class accumulated the highest Class Points could advance in ranking.
At present, all four freshman classes had an Evaluation of 1,000 points. Class A students felt particularly relieved knowing this information in advance. After all, the prospect of potentially dropping to Class B or C in the following month would have been disheartening.
Having pooled half of the class's Private Points to purchase this information, Teacher Mashima proceeded to reveal two additional crucial details.
First: The initial month of enrollment served as a test of students' observational skills and their ability to discern how this school differed from the outside world. The assessment directly incorporated students' daily conduct and actions into the evaluation.
In essence, even minor infractions like kicking trash cans or fidgeting during class would result in point deductions. These deductions would come from the 1,000 Class Points the school had allocated to each of the four classes.
Second: The school encouraged students to save Private Points, as they could be used to purchase virtually anything within the school system.
For instance, advancing to a higher-ranked class could be achieved by spending 20 million Points. Similarly, avoiding expulsion — should the situation arise — would also cost 20 million Points.
While these two options seemed nearly impossible to attain, they provided ambitious goals for the students to strive towards.
At this moment, Houtarou's gaze fell upon the blue system window before him.
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