Early Month and Private Points

[Purchase Talent: Pain Attenuation (Minor)? Consume 80 Simulation Points.]

Confirm! A cool, mint-like subtle current instantly flowed through the nerve endings of my entire body, bringing a strange numbness and elevated threshold.

The extreme pain from countless deaths in the Virtual Training Ground seemed to slightly fade with this coolness. (There is reward for effort; what you gain, you must pay for.)

[Simulation Points: 95 → 15.]

Investing in myself to face future challenges is always the right choice. As for that little flower and its owner... Toudou Shizuka glanced at the name "Sakura Airi" in his contact list.

"Troublesome as it may be..." he muttered to himself, turning off the device screen. The rain outside continued to fall. A new round quietly began in the silent dormitory, accompanied by the sound of rain and the coolness of the new talent within him.

Time flowed by, interwoven with the unique tension and daily life of Kōdo Ikusei High School. Toudou Shizuka was like a precise clockmaker, methodically tightening the springs of "Toudou Shizuka."

The Sanda Club's training ground became his excellent cover for honing his S-Rank Fighting Style. In Kirihara Takeshi's eyes, this first-year Class B freshman was progressing at lightning speed (a "lightning speed" carefully controlled by Toudou Shizuka), with a solid foundation, a willingness to endure hardship, and great resilience.

His affection steadily increased to [Kirihara Takeshi Affection: 12 (Recognizes Potential)]. His occasional "unintentional" displays of curiosity about past "Special Exams" for senior students allowed him to glean fragmented information from the members' casual conversations, adding pieces to his intelligence puzzle.

Class B's daily life was the main battlefield.

Toudou Shizuka combined [Thought Acceleration] with his initial grasp of [Infectious Vitality B-Rank] to efficiently assist with class work. When Shiranami Chihiro was organizing the complex process of club fund applications, he would "happen" to pass by, offer a cup of warm coffee (bought at the school cafe with points), and "casually" suggest classifying them based on application amount and club rank. When Kanzaki Ryuji was struggling with the division plan for the class study group, he would "unintentionally" mention the distribution of academic strengths and weaknesses revealed in a recent pop quiz, providing data support. His presence remained low-key, but each appearance precisely solved a problem, earning him efficiency.

[Shiranami Chihiro Affection +3 (Continually Recognizes Value of Assistance and Efficiency Improvement). Current: 35 (Neutral) → Target 40 (Approaching).]

[Kanzaki Ryuji Affection +2 (Continually Recognizes His Pragmatism and Information Value). Current: 40 (Neutral) → Target 45 (Acknowledged).]

[Ichinose Honami Affection +1 (Satisfied with Overall Class Efficiency Improvement). Current: 36 (Friendly) → Target 50 (Familiar).]

[Simulation Points +10 (Continuously and Efficiently Completing Class Collaboration Tasks). Current: 25 Points.]

Sakura Airi's contact was like a quiet tributary. She would occasionally gather the courage to send a newly taken photograph late at night—dewdrops condensing on the library window lattice, the silhouette of birds flying over the playground after the rain cleared, or even just a uniquely shaped fallen leaf.

No text, only images. Toudou Shizuka's replies were always brief and sincere: "The light and shadow are beautiful," "The composition is unique," "It has vitality." (I really don't know how to describe girls' photos (╥╯﹏╰╥)ง)

Simple affirmations, yet like sweet dew, they nourished Sakura's parched soil of self-confidence. Her affection slowly climbed through silent image exchanges [Current: 48 (High Gratitude and Trust) → Target 60 (High Trust)]. The photograph of the little flower in the rain was gently attached to the wall by his desk with a magnet, becoming the only decoration in his dormitory.

The [Pain Attenuation (Minor)] talent proved significantly effective in the Virtual Training Ground. When simulating high-intensity combat or social scenarios again, the residual nerve-level stinging sensations from "death" or "failure" were greatly reduced, and mental recovery efficiency improved, allowing him to endure "internal competition" for longer periods. Although his points were again at rock bottom, the value of his investment was becoming apparent. (Skills already acquired can be used for further simulated training to familiarize oneself.)

Beneath the calm, undercurrents surged. All the first-year students held their breath, awaiting a moment—the beginning of each month, the day the Basic Private Points were distributed. This was the school's most naked declaration of "Survival of the Fittest," the first public judgment of class rankings.

On the distribution day, the morning air carried an unusual tension. In the corridors, in the classrooms, students gathered in small groups, whispering, guessing, filled with unease. Toudou Shizuka sat by the window in Class B, seemingly calmly flipping through a book, but in reality, his [Thought Acceleration] was at full throttle, capturing every fragment of information drifting in the air.

He could hear the subtle sound of Kobashi Yume nervously biting her nails in front of him, feel Kanzaki Ryuji adjusting his glasses more frequently than usual, and even Ichinose Honami, usually gentle, had her fingers slightly curled under the desk.

Teacher Hoshinomiya entered the classroom precisely as the bell rang, her face still wearing that overly sweet smile, but a hint of imperceptible seriousness lay deep within her eyes.

"Good morning, everyone!" Her voice was as clear as ever. "I'm sure you're all eager, right? That's right! Today is the day you will officially receive your private points for the first time since enrolling!"

The classroom fell silent instantly, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. All eyes focused on Hoshinomiya.

"According to the school's rules," Teacher Hoshinomiya raised a finger, her smile unwavering, but her words pierced everyone's nerves like ice picks, "your Initial Class Evaluation Rank, as well as your comprehensive performance over the past month since school began—including Classroom Discipline, Assignment Submission Rate, Club Activity Participation, Overall Class Appearance, and so on—will be converted into scores, ultimately determining the amount of Basic Points each student in each class will receive!"

She paused deliberately, creating a suffocating suspense.

"Now, announcing this month's class evaluation ranks and basic point distribution standards!"

A huge electronic screen lit up behind her, clearly listing:

[Class A: Evaluation Rank S]

[Class A: 940 Class Points]

[Basic Points: 94,000 Points/Person]

"Whoa—!" A huge gasp of amazement and envy instantly came faintly from the direction of Class A. A collective intake of breath echoed in the Class B classroom. Ninety-four thousand points! In one month! This was an astronomical figure for the vast majority of students!

[Class B: Evaluation Rank A]

[Class B: 650 Class Points]

[Basic Points: 65,000 Points/Person]

"Sixty-five thousand!" Kobashi Yume couldn't help but exclaim softly, followed by relieved and excited chatter. "That's great! It's A-rank!" "Honami! We did it!"

(Note: The school distributes a certain amount of points to students each month, which can be used for on-campus consumption, etc. For example, each new student receives 100,000 points upon enrollment, equivalent to 100,000 yen. Class points are also related to personal points; every 1 point of Class Points corresponds to 100 personal points distributed monthly.)