"If Class D still had any hope, do you think Kamio would sell this information to us as a Class D student?"
Of course he wouldn't. If Class D still had any hope, Kamio Tatsuya definitely wouldn't just hand this information over to Class A.
But after observing the class for the past few days, Kamio Tatsuya had already given up. There were forty students in the class, and fewer than ten paid attention in class.
Besides, Kamio Tatsuya felt that even if he announced the Behavioral Ethics Exam, most people would probably think he was crazy.
And when the news came out in May, they'd surely complain that Kamio Tatsuya hadn't tried harder to convince them.
To avoid that disgusting scenario, Kamio Tatsuya had decided to say nothing from the start.
You didn't notice anything, so wasn't it perfectly normal that I didn't notice either?
"There's one more question. How do you know the Behavioral Ethics Exam he mentioned is real?"
At that, Sakayanagi Arisu smiled faintly. "Of course I know it's real."
The day after completing the deal, Sakayanagi Arisu and Katsuragi Kouhei held a meeting with all of Class A, announcing the information and collecting 3 Million Private Points along the way.
"Everyone, please spend this month behaving as students should. If you lose points despite knowing about this exam, that would be truly unacceptable."
Even though they knew about the exam, Sakayanagi Arisu and Katsuragi Kouhei had no intention of using this information to lead students from other classes into making mistakes.
That was because doing so carried risks.
One slipup could expose their true intentions and leak the information, leaving them worse off than before.
Since Kamio Tatsuya, an anomaly in Class D, had turned up, Katsuragi Kouhei was also worried that someone in another class might be able to see through the rules, just like Kamio Tatsuya.
They knew what was going on in Classes B and C. At this rate, even Class B, whose overall abilities were second only to Class A, would probably lose more than 200 Class Points.
So Class A didn't need to do anything unnecessary. They only had to do their own work properly and wait quietly for next month to arrive.
### At lunchtime, Kamio Tatsuya received 3 Million Private Points from Katsuragi Kouhei as soon as school let out.
They'd said the transfer would be made by Friday after school, but it was only Thursday at noon. Class A really was efficient. Kamio Tatsuya was very satisfied.
Then he looked at the bunch in Class D, and the corners of his mouth twitched.
Seeing the seven-digit balance in his account, starting with a 3, Kamio Tatsuya's mood brightened again.
Now, barring any mishaps, he had enough to cover his living expenses for all three years.
Well, he had to thank Miyabi Nagumo for the gift.
Although he didn't like the atmosphere that guy brought with him, perhaps he was unexpectedly a good person... Had Kamio misjudged him this time?
But he quickly dismissed that thought.
The school's Behavioral Ethics Exam in the first month was enough to show that this wasn't an ordinary school.
Well, he meant that its exams were definitely unconventional.
So honest, straightforward people wouldn't be able to handle the exams perfectly. And the fact that Nagumo had led Class B up to Class A already proved he wasn't a simple person.
It would be far too rash to judge someone based on only some of their actions.
So Kamio Tatsuya decided to reserve judgment.
Just as he was thinking this, the most popular man in Class D, Hirata Yosuke, stood up from his seat and said this to the rest of the class.
"Uh, I'm heading to the Student Cafeteria. Does anyone want to come with me?"
A group of girls immediately rushed over to him. Quite a few signed up.
"Me, me, me!"
"I want to come too!"
In the end, Hirata Yosuke, the class heartthrob, was dragged out of the classroom, leaving behind a group of boys gazing after him enviously.
Only after Hirata Yosuke left did Kamio Tatsuya get up to go find something to eat.
He had more than 3.1 million Private Points on hand. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him the richest first-year student.
The confidence those three million points gave him made him feel full of strength even as he stood up from his seat.
But as he was about to leave the classroom, he noticed Horikita Suzune, sitting to his left, take a small package out of her desk drawer.
When she unwrapped it, the contents were revealed.
It was a homemade lunch!
The dishes looked rather simple, but they were arranged beautifully. It was obvious she'd put a lot of care into making them.
Horikita Suzune, who was about to eat, seemed to notice Kamio Tatsuya's gaze. She turned her head and met his eyes.
"What are you looking at?"
"Your lunch. I didn't know you could cook."
"Are you making fun of me?"
Kamio Tatsuya's surprised tone made Horikita Suzune's voice grow cold, and her gaze turned hostile.
No, I just wanted to mess with you as if you were Japanese.
Well, you are Japanese.
"Heh." Kamio Tatsuya chuckled, then looked toward Ayanokoji Kiyonaka, who was sitting beside Horikita Suzune. "Ayanokoji, want to go eat together?"
Kamio Tatsuya had only invited him casually, but Ayanokoji Kiyonaka immediately accepted.
"That's great. Someone invited you to eat with him. Maybe you can use this chance to make a friend."
As Ayanokoji Kiyonaka passed Horikita Suzune, he heard her say that, and it left him feeling awkward.
Kamio Tatsuya had already reached the doorway, so naturally he hadn't heard Horikita Suzune. Otherwise, he would definitely have come back to tease her a little more.
But now there was a new problem.
He'd invited Ayanokoji Kiyonaka to eat with him on a whim, but now they were walking to the cafeteria in complete silence.
The atmosphere was painfully awkward.
"By the way, Ayanokoji, why did you choose to apply to this school? Was it also because of the 100 percent college advancement and employment rate?"
Since they had nothing to talk about, they could only make conversation.
"Yeah, more or less. What about you, Kamio?"
"I was only interested in the free room and board. I'm not expecting much else."
The two chatted here and there, and soon they reached the cafeteria.
At the free meal counter on the first floor, Kamio Tatsuya spotted the third-year student he'd gotten information from.
It seemed the other guy really was short on points. Otherwise, he wouldn't keep eating that poorly reviewed free meal.
But what could he say about it?
Kamio Tatsuya thought it was pretty good. There was no meat, but at least the chef hadn't done anything weird while cooking. The seasoning was just a little light, which brought out the original flavor of the mountain vegetables.
Once you got used to it, it was fine.
"You seem interested in the free meal. Or do you know someone here?"
Ayanokoji Kiyonaka noticed Kamio Tatsuya's gaze and asked curiously.
"Yeah, sort of. It's free, so it makes you want to try it."
Kamio Tatsuya wasn't exactly lying. He really had tried it out of curiosity.
"Want to try it, then?"
Ayanokoji asked.
Kamio Tatsuya thought about it, then tried to persuade Ayanokoji. "Why don't you try it first? Give me a preview?"
Ayanokoji Kiyonaka was at a loss for words and suddenly didn't know how to respond.
Actually, Kamio Tatsuya was doing Ayanokoji a favor. Given the financial means of most Class D students, they'd basically end up relying on free meals.
Getting him used to it early was for his own good.
Kamio Tatsuya did his best to convince himself of that.
After thinking for a while, Ayanokoji Kiyonaka actually nodded seriously and walked over to the free meal counter.
Wait, he actually went?
A few minutes later, the two met up in an unoccupied corner of the cafeteria.
Kamio Tatsuya had ordered the fried chicken cutlet set for 350 points, while Ayanokoji Kiyonaka had gotten the Mountain Vegetable Set, which was free.
"How does it taste?"
As soon as Ayanokoji Kiyonaka took his first bite, Kamio Tatsuya eagerly asked him.
He'd thought Ayanokoji would complain bitterly, but Ayanokoji Kiyonaka only frowned slightly before swallowing.
"It really isn't very good."
Man, your reaction was so bland.
How boring.
Kamio Tatsuya shook his head to himself, then picked up his chopsticks and started eating his fried chicken cutlet.
Mmm, delicious!
Meanwhile, Ayanokoji Kiyonaka's heart skipped a beat. Had his reaction been wrong just now?
Everyone else eating the Mountain Vegetable Set had reacted the same way he had.
Ayanokoji Kiyonaka couldn't figure out what he'd done wrong.
If Kamio Tatsuya could hear his thoughts, he would definitely tell him: They're used to eating it, but this is your first time. You should look a lot more disgusted, man.
### A week passed, and Kamio Tatsuya figured Class D's Class Points should be almost completely deducted by now.
After a week, the students in Class D still didn't seem to have noticed the Behavioral Ethics Exam. Most of them continued to do whatever they pleased.
For instance, just then, Kamio Tatsuya had barely reached the back door of the classroom when he overheard a very juicy topic.
A few boys led by Kanji Ike were discussing which girl in their class was the cutest.
To be honest, Kamio Tatsuya was very interested in the topic too.
They were teenage boys, after all. It was perfectly normal for them to be interested in this sort of thing. There was no shame in it.
But couldn't they at least watch where they were doing it? The girls were looking over here.
But they seemed completely absorbed in their own world and hadn't noticed at all.
A boy nicknamed "Doctor," whose real name was Sotomura Hideo, took out the laptop he'd bought for 50,000 points and set it on his desk.
Then he opened a spreadsheet listing all the girls in the class.
At that moment, Ike noticed Kamio Tatsuya and called out to him. "Hey, Kamio."
I really wish you wouldn't call out to me right now. People are going to hold a grudge against me.
"What is it?"
"Actually, we're trying to guess which girls have the biggest breasts."
That's so damn out of line.
Not that what they were doing was inherently out of line.
It was only natural for teenage boys to be interested in this sort of thing. After all, reproduction was one of humanity's survival instincts. I wasn't going to blame you for discussing it.
But was it really appropriate to announce it so openly in the classroom?
People were people because they followed rules, had manners, and knew how to feel shame.
You could say whatever you wanted behind someone's back—that was your freedom. The person involved wouldn't know, anyway. But to announce it so openly in the classroom right in front of the girls—were you crazy?
Weren't you trying to find a girlfriend in this class?
Before you continue