Top Five

"Grade B+ already?" I muttered in surprise. I genuinely didn't expect a stellar result, but I would gladly take it. In the midst of jubilation, I needed some serious self-evaluation since there was still room for improvement.

Interestingly, certain subcategories seemed to be more valuable than others, especially regarding Combat Prowess, which was multiplied by four. It was reasonable since becoming a Repulsor primarily needed immense combat mastery to eliminate monsters. People were ranked solely on how strong they would be after all. The school was leniently giving us some leverage to boost our scores.

"Are you pleased with your scores? It was evaluated by cutting-edge technology, alumni, and some veteran Repulsors, so it should be close to flawless. Many subcategories of skills are waiting for you to enhance. Because of that, the school implemented a leaderboard system as to raise competitiveness. Of course, it doesn't apply once you become a Repulsor, but it incites the flame in people that always seek the road to betterment."

It is true that through competition most people improve to become a better version of themselves. Creating an incentive through the nature of competitiveness is a great method. But it shouldn't be mistaken with comparison. No one deserves to be regarded differently because of their differences in skills or talents. Be the wind to the fire, not the water.

"Additionally, you will be rewarded with points based on your rankings. There is no need to explain, right? The higher the ranking, the better the rewards. Regarding its functions, the leaderboard could be categorized in many ways. I will now leave you to discover them yourselves."

I expected a leaderboard system since our grades were converted into video game stats. A score of 80 could shoot me into the top 5 of the first-years if I assumed correctly. I scrolled the screen down to see my current ranking.

[Class Rank: 1st]

[First-Year Rank: 1st]

[School Rank: N/A]

Wow. I was in the lead of the first-years. I didn't expect that whatsoever. Presumably, each class had 25 students if all classes were the same as ours, which meant that each grade had 100 students in total, and I stood at the top.

The school ranking was not available though. As Sensei mentioned, the score would be provisional in three months' time from now, which would destabilize the leaderboard. In other words, we had to wait for three months until we could see our school rank.

I wanted to see the full leaderboard. That tab was only showing the summary of my standing. I navigated my way to the leaderboard. Once I accessed it, I decided to look into specific skill ranking first. Since my combat ability scored the highest, I wanted to see how others performed.

[Leaderboard (Combat Prowess/First-Year)]

[1. Hinode Hiryu (1-B) — 97]

[2. Saiki Kenshin (1-A) — 86]

[3. Otogi Shikimi (1-C) — 85]

[4. Sawaya Katsuo (1-D) — 80]

[...]

Four different people hailing from four different classes. I liked how balanced it was. The school did not categorize people into separate classes. Instead, I presumed they mixed and matched different strengths and weaknesses to create equilibrium.

To confirm my theory, I needed to check other criteria. My next target would be Adaptability - my third-highest score.

[Leaderboard (Adaptability/First-Year)]

[1. Azuma Hiyori (1-B) — 92]

[2. Takara Hikaru (1-D) — 90]

[3. Ishikawa Manami (1-C) — 88]

[4. Fujita Akihiro (1-A) — 88]

[5. Hinode Hiryu (1-B) — 87]

[...]

Though the gap was not as large, it still showed how balanced all classes were. One of my classmates had a higher score than mine. I decided to check her profile later on. For now, I was more interested in the first-year rankings and one other criterion which was Charisma.

Not that I knew what these abilities depicted, but I could somewhat guess by their definitions.

[Leaderboard (Charisma/First-Year)]

[1. Otogi Shikimi (1-C) — 99]

[2. Hinode Hiryu (1-B) — 96]

[3. Hayami Chiyo (1-A) — 93]

I had seen Otogi twice now, so I suspected she would be in the top five of the first-years. To be honest, anyone who scored over 85 in two or more criteria had favorable chances of ranking at the top. Now, for the grand finale, it was time to observe the first-year leaderboard.

[Leaderboard (First-Year)]

[1. Hinode Hiryu (1-B) — Grade B+ (80.8)]

[2. Otogi Shikimi (1-C) — Grade B+ (79.4)]

[3. Hayami Chiyo (1-A) — Grade B+ (77.2)]

[4. Sawaya Katsuo (1-D) — Grade B+ (76.7)]

[5. Takara Hikaru (1-D) — Grade B (74.9)]

It was no surprise that people who scored high in certain categories would likely be listed here. More importantly, the rift between the top five was tightly knitted. I certainly didn't want to be dethroned, but I couldn't say I wasn't satisfied being anywhere in the top five either. Still, I needed to maintain the lead as long as possible.

But the one factor that impressed me the most was that HRA created a balanced environment for everyone. It would help everyone to learn from each other in a more efficient way since each class had different skills and fortes.

"I have to admit, this year's prospects can deservingly be called the golden generation. Promising talents are appearing more every year, and this particular group of students proves it. Our school desires flairs like you to achieve maximum potential. To do that, we aim for a well-balanced framework. It is your mission to aid others and yourself in whatever skills one lacks or be incomplete of."

I got myself a student already, and she exceeded my expectations every time. That would count as a mission completed, right? Even though she lost whenever we clashed, I was proud of the gradual improvement she made.

"For that reason, I would like to appoint someone as class president or leader to oversee the progress of our class. Consider it as being my assistant who would carry some of the burdens," Nakano-sensei said.