Chapter 2 Introductions And Taking Advantage Of Them.

Recalling those memories, she struck a remarkable balance between being cold, calm, and cool, almost akin to a model. In the past, she had a touch of cuteness, often getting flustered and angry when I called her, teasingly, "Manabu-chan" for obvious reasons.

And then, there was that moment.

"This seems to be a rather well-equipped classroom, living up to people's expectations, hmm?" remarked the boy who had previously quarreled with those women on the bus—Koenji Rokusuke.

"This certainly is bad luck," she sighed.

"I agree," I nodded in agreement.

This troublemaker had been assigned to Class D alongside us. Without acknowledging our presence, he confidently headed to the seat labeled 'Kouenji' and nonchalantly placed his feet on the desk. He retrieved a nail file from his bag and began grooming his fingernails, as if he were completely alone.

After a short while, the sound of the door opening interrupted the silence, coinciding with the first-period bell. At that very moment, she gracefully entered the classroom. I feigned ignorance, pretending not to recognize her at all. Once she reached the podium, she instructed us to take our seats and proceeded to enlighten us about how the school operated.

With just a glance, it was evident that she was uncompromising when it came to discipline, a quality I could relate to. After all, where there is discipline, there is freedom. She was clad in a sharp suit, boasting delicate features. Her hair, elegantly long, was neatly tied into a ponytail, just like in an anime. She continued her briefing without the slightest change in her expression.

"Ahem. Good morning to you, students. I'm the instructor for Class D.My name is Chabashira Sae. I usually teach Japanese history. However, at this school, we do not change classrooms for each grade. For the next three years, I will be acting as your homeroom teacher, so I hope to get to know all of you. It's a pleasure to meet you. The entrance ceremony will be in the gymnasium one hour from now, but first, I will distribute written materials with information about this school's special rules. I will also hand out thead missions guide." The students in the front seats passed back the familiar documents I'd received after being accepted.

This school differed from the multitude of other Japanese high schools in a few key ways. Here, all students were required to live in dormitories located on school premises. Also, except for special cases, such as studying abroad, students were forbidden to contact anyone outside the school. Even contact with your immediate family was forbidden without authorization. Naturally, leaving school grounds without permission was also strictly forbidden. However, the campus also came equipped with many excellent facilities. With its own karaoke spot, theater, café, boutique, and more, you could easily compare this school to a small city. The campus spread over more than 600,000 square meters."

This school boasted another unique feature: the S System.

"I will now hand out your student ID cards. By using your card, you can access any of the facilities on campus, purchase goods from the store, and so on. It acts like a credit card. However, it is imperative that you pay attention to the points that you spend. At this school, you can use your points to buy anything. Anything located on the school premises is available for purchase."

Our points, loaded onto our student ID cards, acted as a kind of currency. The lack of paper money would prevent many students' financial troubles. However, students needed to keep a watchful eye on their spending habits. At any rate, the school provided these points free of charge.

"Your student cards can be used simply by swiping them through the machine scanner. The method is simple, so you shouldn't get confused. Points are automatically deposited into your account on the first of every month. You should all have received 100,000 points already this month. Keep in mind that one point is worth one yen. No further explanation should be necessary."

The classroom erupted. In other words, we had received a 100,000-yen monthly allowance from the school upon admission for their view per month. I'd expect nothing less from Chabashira-sensei fooling us like this.

"Shocked by the amount of points you've been given? This school evaluates its students' talents. Everyone here has passed the entrance examination, which itself speaks to your value and potential. The amount you've received reflects the evaluation of your worth. You can use your points without restraint. After graduation, however, all of your points return to the school. Because it's impossible to exchange your points for cash, there's no advantage to saving them. Once points have been deposited into your account, it's up to you how to spend them. Do as you like. In the event that you don't want to spend your points, you may transfer them to someone else. However, extorting money from your peers is not allowed. This school monitors bullying very carefully."

As bewilderment spread among the students, Chabashira-sensei looked over the room.

"Well, it appears no one has any questions. I hope that you enjoy your time here as students."

I raised my hand.

Now I had already thought of a good plan. I will ask the question about S-system in a way those idiots won't call me an idiot.

"Yes Ayanokouji, right?" She asked being a bit happy.

As after that I could see a faint smile on her face as her lips curved up a little.

"Yes Ma'am." I said.

"So, what's your question Ayanokouji?" She asked.

"Well you just said that the school evaluates it's students' talents, correct?" I asked.

"Yes." She answered this as it was natural.

"So does that thing and the thing up there has got any connection?" I asked her.

"By up what do you mean exactly?" She asked me not oblivious about it.

"I mean the

CCTV cameras up there surrounding us by all four sides. Which means it can cover all area, I was just curious about the connection as well as the need to do this."

"What?"

"Where?"

"But why?"

Several murmurs rippled through the room in response.

Some of the more astute individuals may have already caught onto my subtle hint, though I doubted there were many.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not permitted to answer that question," she replied, as expected.

"I see. Thank you very much."

Following that, the classroom seemed to return to its own world, with most of my classmates dismissing my inquiries. However, a select few couldn't help but be intrigued, their surprise evident at the substantial points they had received.

Switching to a third-person perspective...

After Ayanokouji posed his question, a handful of students began pondering why he had asked it, attempting to solve the mystery but ultimately coming up empty-handed. Meanwhile, others brushed it off as unnecessary or insignificant.

One girl who fell into the former category couldn't resist asking Ayanokouji, "Hey, Ayanokouji-kun, why did you ask that question?"

"Well, even though you act clever, it seems you're not," he retorted, trying to gauge her reaction.

"If you're referring to the fact that the school evaluates us through those CCTV cameras, I'm already aware of it," she responded, her tone tinged with irritation.

Ayanokouji then adopted an enigmatic expression, reminiscent of Uchiha Madara during his conversations with the Five Kage. "So, that's your level, huh? Sorry, but you only got one point right."

"Why don't you share the rest of the points then, since you seem to know everything?" she challenged, her mocking tone concealing a hint of curiosity.

"Sigh! I don't know everything, but I'm privy to a bit more information than you," he admitted, trying not to come across as all-knowing.

This earned him an irritated look from the girl, though she quickly relaxed and surprised Ayanokouji by asking, "I bet you're good at academics, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am," he confessed nonchalantly.

"Did you already know about this school system?" she inquired, sensing Ayanokouji's momentary lapse in composure when the S System was mentioned.

'I might have let that slip,' he admitted, attributing it to his facial expressions. "But, for your information, I often have that expression during such events."

"I hope you're not lying. You do seem rather intelligent," she mused.

"Haha, yeah," Ayanokouji responded.

Just as the conversation seemed to settle, another boy seized everyone's attention.

"Everyone, can you please listen to me for a second?" he announced.

"Starting today, we're all going to be classmates. Therefore, I think it'd be good for us to introduce ourselves and become friends as soon as possible. We still have some time until the entrance ceremony. What do you say?" He proposed.

His words had an incredible impact, leaving the majority of students lost in thought, unable to speak up. "Agreed! After all, we still don't know a thing about each other, not even our names," someone shouted. With the ice broken, the previously hesitant students began to speak.

"My name's Hirata Yousuke. Back in junior high, lots of people called me Yousuke. Feel free to use my first name! I guess my hobby is sports in general, but I especially like soccer. I'm planning on playing soccer here, too. Nice to meet you!" Hirata introduced himself flawlessly, exuding an air of bravery that instantly boosted his popularity.

"Well then, I'd like everyone to introduce themselves, starting from the front. Is that okay?" He asked, to which almost all agreed.

Although the girl at the head of the class looked a little bewildered, she quickly made up her mind and stood, spurred on by Hirata's words.

"M-my name is... Inogashira Ko-Ko..." She stuttered, and the class erupted in cheers and encouragement.

"Do your best!"

"Don't panic! It's okay!"

"It's okay to go slowly. Don't rush."

"My name is Inogashira... Kokoro. Um, my hobby is sewing. I'm pretty good at knitting. I-It's nice to meet you all." She finally introduced herself.

Now, onto the next introduction, which contained a rather significant falsehood.

"I'm Yamauchi Haruki. I competed in table tennis during elementary school, and in junior high, I was the ace player on our baseball team. I was number four. I got hurt during the inter-high school championships, though, and I'm undergoing rehab now. Nice to meet you." Yamauchi shared, but some sensed insincerity in his words.

"Well then, I'm next, aren't I?" Kushida spoke.

"My name is Kushida Kikyou. None of my friends from junior high made it to this school, so I'm alone here. I'd like to get to know all of your names and faces right away and become friends as soon as possible!" She said.

There was a hint of truth in her words, but a deeper motive lingered.

"My first goal is to become friends with everyone. So, after we're finished with introductions, I'd love for you to share your contact information with me!" She continued, revealing her true intentions.

"So, after school or during vacations, I want to make all sorts of memories with lots of people. Please feel free to invite me to lots and lots of events! Anyway, I've talked for a long time, so I'll end my introduction here."

"Well then, next up is..." Hirata was saying when suddenly a boy with red hair interrupted.

"What, are we a bunch of little kids or something? I don't need to introduce myself. People who want to do that can go ahead. Just leave me out of it." He said.

"I can't force you to introduce yourself, of course. However, I don't think that getting along with your classmates is a bad thing. If I've made you uncomfortable, I apologize." Hirata apologized.

Hirata's apology earned him supportive glares from some of the girls in the class.

"Isn't it fine to introduce yourself?" one of them snapped.

"Yeah, yeah!" Another one chimed in.

"Shut it. I don't care. I didn't come here to make friends." The red-haired boy stated firmly.

Sudo then got up from his seat, confirming his lack of interest in getting to know anyone. Several other students followed suit and left the classroom together. Horikita got up and briefly glanced my way. When she realized I wasn't moving, she started to walk out the door. Hirata looked a little lonely when he saw Horikita head out.

"They're not a bad bunch. It's my fault. I was being selfish and made people do this." He said.

"No way. You didn't do anything wrong, Hirata-kun. Let's just leave those guys be, okay?" A girl spoke, then it was the turn of another legend in our class.

"I'm Ike Kanji. I love girls, and I hate pretty boys. I'm currently in the market for a new girlfriend. It's nice to meet you! All the better if you're a cutie or a beauty!" He boldly declared.

The room was filled with a mix of awe and amusement at his audacious introduction.

"Wow. You are so cool, Ike-kun," one girl deadpanned, the insincerity in her voice unmistakable.

"Seriously? Seriously? Oh, man. I mean, I thought that I wasn't bad or anything, but...heh heh," Ike responded, clearly flattered by the sarcastic compliment.

"Oh, wow. He's cute, huh, everyone? He's looking for a girlfriend!" Oe chimed in, playing along with the jest.

"Excuse me, can you introduce yourself?" Hirata asked, attempting to steer the conversation back to introductions.

"Hmph. Fine." Ike smirked arrogantly, maintaining his impudent attitude.

"My name is Kouenji Rokusuke. As the sole male heir to the Kouenji conglomerate group, I will soon be tasked with carrying Japan into the future. I sincerely look forward to making your acquaintance, ladies." He introduced, directing his remarks exclusively at the opposite sex.

"Starting today, I will mercilessly punish anyone who makes me uncomfortable. Please exercise proper precaution so that you may avoid that," Kouenji continued, raising eyebrows with his cryptic warning.

"Um, Kouenji-kun. What exactly do you mean when you say, 'anyone who makes me uncomfortable'?" asked Hirata, who appeared uneasy about the prospect of punishment.

"I meant exactly what I said. If asked to give an example, well... I would say I hate ugly things, for instance. So, if I saw something ugly, I would do just as I said," Kouenji responded with an air of haughtiness.

"Ah, thank you. I will be careful then," Hirata replied cautiously.

"Well then, time for the next person. Can you please introduce yourself?" Hirata finally turned to me.

The chair clacked as I stood up, ready to make my introduction.

"Well, first of all, my name is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. You can call me by any name or even some nicknames, just make sure it's not too embarrassing," I began, adding a touch of humor that elicited a few chuckles from the audience.

"Anyway, guys, to be honest, this is the first time I'm attending a traditional school. Before this, I was homeschooled due to my strict parents. So, I hope you guys can teach me anything I might be oblivious to. I consider myself a little above average in almost everything. And that's it; it's nice to meet you all. I hope we have a fun and joyful three years ahead." I concluded my introduction with a warm and welcoming smile.

It seemed to be one of the better-received intros, but I tried to keep it balanced, not seeking too much attention, especially from one gender.

"Nice to meet you too, Ayanokouji-kun. I also want to enjoy our students' life. Let's both do our best," Hirata responded warmly.

The room erupted in applause and admiration, with both boys and girls joining in. Of course, not everyone may appreciate the attention I garnered, but I aimed for a good balance. Soon after, a few others introduced themselves, and it was time for the entrance ceremony to begin.

After the entrance ceremony, the crowd dispersed, having received some general information about the campus. About 70-80 percent of the students headed towards the dormitories, while the rest quickly formed into groups. Some opted for a visit to cafes, while the more spirited ones chose karaoke. Meanwhile, I decided to head for the convenience store.

As I entered the store, I had an unexpected encounter with Horikita once again. Although it wasn't entirely unintentional, it did seem like quite a coincidence.

"Come on, there's no need to be so hostile. Did you need to buy some basic goods or perhaps some necessities?" I asked, trying to break the ice.

"Yeah, so tell me, Ayanokouji-kun, what are the other crucial points about the S system?" She got straight to the point, always focused on the task at hand.

"For now, nothing particularly important. But hmm? Truly interesting," I said, my curiosity piqued as I glanced toward a specific section of the store.

"Care to elaborate?" She inquired.

"Don't you find this strange?" I asked her.

"What?" She asked once more.

"There are three grades and four classes with forty students each. So, including all years, there must be at least 480 students if no one drops out. And we receive 100,000 points every month. One point equals one yen, so for a month, it amounts to 48,000,000 points for all classes, and for a whole year, it totals 576,000,000 points. It doesn't feel real to me at all," I explained, my mind grappling with the sheer magnitude of those numbers.

"I see. You do have a point," she conceded, and I couldn't help but picture her in a chibi form, deep in a comically serious monologue.

"Not only that, look over there, Horikita-san." I pointed toward another section of the store.

"What? Free?" She found it odd.

"Even after deducting one hundred thousand points per month, they still offer this. Three items per month, it seems," I said, adopting a tone reminiscent of Ryueen.

After pondering this for a while, she suddenly exclaimed, "Hey, shut it! Just wait a sec! I'm looking for it right now!"

"Come on, hurry up. You have a line of people waiting on you!" someone urged her.

"Oh, yeah? Well, if they have any complaints, they can take it up with me!" She responded, showcasing her assertive personality.

"What's going on here?" I asked, trying to understand the situation.

"Huh? Who are you?" the person initially scowled at me. As expected, he seemed to think I was an outsider.

"My name's Ayanokouji. I'm from your class. I just asked because it sounded like there was trouble," I reassured him.

At my explanation, he appeared somewhat mollified and lowered his voice a little. "Oh. Yeah, I remember you. I forgot my student ID card. Forgot that it pretty much acts as our money from now on, too."

"I can pay for you. But I want a favor in return someday within our three-year period," I politely proposed.

"Alright. And to go there and bring it, it'd be absolutely annoying. Thanks," he said, indicating that it would indeed be troublesome to go back and forth for the student card.

"My name's Sudou," he introduced himself. "Thanks for helping me out. I owe you. I will definitely help you if you need something."

"Don't mention it. I can at least do this much for a classmate. Plus, I've gained you as my ally," I said with a friendly smile, displaying my welcoming demeanor.

Then Sudou handed me a cup of ramen from the ones he had bought, and I placed it in my plastic bag. After observing our short exchange, Horikita sighed in apparent disbelief.

"You're acting like a pushover right from the start. Do you intend to become his servant? Or are you doing this to make friends?" she asked, her curiosity evident.

"I didn't care about making friends. I just wanted to help. No big deal," I replied, trying to downplay my actions.

"You don't seem to be afraid," she noted, her question falling in line with my expectations.

"Afraid? Why? Because he looks like a delinquent?" I inquired.

"A normal person would try to keep someone like him at a distance," she reasoned.

"I guess, but he doesn't seem like a bad person to me. And you don't appear to be scared either, Horikita," I pointed out.

"It's mostly defenseless people who stay away from those types. If he acted violently, I could rebuff him. That's why I don't withdraw," she explained, giving insight into her character.

"Let's finish our shopping. We'll be a bother to the other students if we dawdle," she suggested.

We wrapped up our shopping and presented our student ID cards to the machine at the register. Since we didn't have to deal with small change, our transaction was speedy.

"It really works like money…" I mused aloud.

My receipt displayed the price of each item and the remaining amount of points. The payment had gone through without any problems. With that sorted, it was time for another mission.

"Are you really going to eat here?" I asked Sudou.

"Of course. It's just common sense," he replied matter-of-factly, leaving me somewhat perplexed.

Horikita, seemingly exasperated, chimed in, "I'm going back. I'll be stripped of my dignity if I spend more time here."

"What do you mean, 'dignity'? We're just high school students. We're ordinary. Or, what, are you the high-born daughter of some noble family or something?" Sudou retorted.

Horikita didn't flinch at Sudou's harsh tone. Seemingly irritated, Sudou set his noodle cup on the ground and stood up.

"Huh? Hey, listen to people when they're talking to you! Hey!" he called out.

"What's his problem? He just suddenly got angry," Horikita remarked to me, disregarding Sudou. However, this seemed to be too much for Sudou, who began shouting.

"Hey, get over here! I'll smack that smug look off your face!" he yelled.

"Look, I'll admit that Horikita has a bad attitude, but you're taking this too far," I attempted to intervene, following the course of action any decent person would take.

Clearly, Sudou's patience had reached its limit, and he expressed his opinion. "Huh? What was that? She has a bratty, obnoxious attitude. That's bad, especially for a girl!"

"For a girl? That's rather outdated thinking. Ayanokouji-kun, I would advise you not to become his friend," Horikita advised, turning her back on Sudou.

"Hey, wait! You, you...!" Sudou couldn't control his anger and attempted to grab Horikita.

"Calm down," I intervened again, holding Sudou back as he made an aggressive move towards Horikita.

She continued walking toward the dorms without stopping or glancing back.

"What the hell is her deal? Goddamn it!" Sudou shouted in frustration.

"There are many different types of people, you know," I tried to offer some perspective.

"Shut it. I hate those stuffy, too-serious types."

Sudou's frustration was evident, and he continued to glare at me. He grabbed his noodle cup again, tore off the cover, and started eating. Just a little while ago, he had fought in front of the register as well. It was clear he had a short fuse. Then, I immediately decided to take action.

"Hey, you guys first years? This is our spot," one of the upperclassmen said.

As Sudou slurped his ramen, three boys approached us, all of them seeming to have come from the same store and carrying the same brand of noodle cups.

"Who are you? I was already here. You're in the way. Get lost," Sudou barked in response.

"You hear this guy? 'Get lost,' he says. What a cocky little first-year punk," one of the upperclassmen tried to provoke Sudou further.

The three of them laughed in Sudou's face. Sudou shot up, slamming his noodle cup against the ground, causing the broth and noodles to splash everywhere.

"'First-year punk,' huh? You tryin' to make fun of me, huh?!" Sudou clearly had a very short temper. If I had to judge, he seemed like the type to immediately threaten anyone or anything that crossed him.

"You're awfully mouthy, considering we're second-year students. We already put our bags here, see?" A guy proceeded with their doomed plan and put the bags in our place.

With those words, the second-year upperclassmen students put down their bags and guffawed loudly.

"See, our stuff's here. Now, beat it," one of them said.

"You got a lot of guts, asshole." Sudo cursed them, but his tone was still threatening, indicating he was ready for anything.

Sudou didn't back down, unfazed by being outnumbered. It looked like fists were going to fly at any moment.

"Oh, wow, scary. What class are you in? Wait, never mind. I think I know. You're in Class D, aren't you?" And now came the crucial part.

"Yeah, so what?" Sudou snapped.

"Hahahaha! You hear that? He's in Class D! I knew it! It was a dead giveaway!" The idiot senpai once again commenced their foolish act.

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean? Hey!" Sudo, being himself, continued with his tantrums.

"Aw, you poor things. Since you're 'defective,' we'll let you off the hook, just for today. Let's get going, guys." A senpai apparently decided to spare us.

"Hey, don't run away! Hey!" Sudou shouted after them.

"Yeah, yeah, keep on yapping. You guys'll be in hell soon enough anyway." Once again, a senpai made a blundering comment.

"Ah, damn it! If those had been nice second-year students, or cute girls, that would've been great. Instead, we had to deal with those annoying morons," he said in a very obvious angry tone, and kicked a dustbin nearby before heading his way.

Sudou didn't bother to clean up his mess. He thrust his hands into his pockets before heading back. I looked at the wall outside the convenience store and noticed two surveillance cameras.

"This might lead to problems later," I muttered to myself.

Reluctantly, I bent down, picked up the cup, and started cleaning up the mess.

Afterward, I discreetly followed them, waiting for the right moment to confront them.

"Hey, senpais. Back then, what did you mean by 'hell' exactly?" I inquired.

"Back off, it's none of your business," replied Random 1, sounding defensive.

"I see. Thanks for the hint," I said with a knowing smile.

They appeared uneasy and began to distance themselves from me.

"Not only did you discuss something you shouldn't have, but you also attempted to extort points from that guy. Your plan was to provoke him into hitting you, and then you'd use the surveillance cameras as evidence since they probably don't record sound. Am I right?" I interrogated them, maintaining my calm demeanor.

Random 3 chimed in, "Since you know that much, you should also know that without any evidence, you can't do anything. Besides, you must be from either Class A or B, right?"

"Again, thanks for the hint. But I don't need to worry about that part. Listen carefully," I said, making a gesture, then pulled out my phone and started recording.

"Hey, you guys, first years? This is our spo..."

I paused the recording at a strategic moment.

Random 2 asked cautiously, "What do you want in exchange for deleting both audio recordings?"

"Let's see, half of all your points, an agreement to keep this matter secret at any cost, and a few favors from you later on," I demanded confidently for my new project.

"What! You must be kidding..." exclaimed Random 1, clearly taken aback by my request.

"Moshi! Moshi! Is this the student council?" I pretended to make a call on my phone.

"Wait, we agree to your terms," one of them reluctantly conceded.

"You should have agreed from the start," I remarked.

After securing my demands, I received the promised points from them, and we parted ways...

These guys, don't they know anything about private files and copy and paste?

(AN Sorry for being a bit late and this being a bit lengthy. Anyway here is chapter 2, nothing new. If you like this, please support me in anyway you can...

Peace. ✌️)