May Arrives

April passed like a film on fast-forward, quietly slipping away on the stage of Kouyoku High School.

During this time, the atmosphere in Class A underwent a subtle shift.

It was no longer the loose collection of individuals from the start of the term, but had quietly split into two factions.

Between the two groups, there was no open conflict, but the coldness and distance they showed each other were clearer than any argument.

Kazehara Tetsu drifted outside these two whirlpools.

Although others in the class assumed he leaned toward Sakayanagi Arisu, he hadn't offered her any assistance either.

His life was quite neatly divided into several parts.

Aside from class, he spent most of his time in the library.

The "Eidetic Memory" ability he'd acquired let him absorb knowledge at a terrifying efficiency.

History, economics, law... the breadth of his reading had long surpassed what an ordinary person could manage.

Sometimes, he'd run into Shiina Hiyori, who came to borrow books, and the two would find a quiet corner to discuss some novel's themes for a long time.

That Class C girl's gaze toward him had shifted from initial "shared interest" to something close to reverence for a "mentor."

When he had free time, at Sakayanagi Arisu's invitation, he'd play a few games of International Chess with her.

Their chess matches had become an unspoken form of communication between them.

With his Master Level skill, Kazehara Tetsu won more than he lost, but occasionally he'd deliberately leave an opening, letting her scrape out a narrow victory after a hard fight—though Sakayanagi Arisu always saw through it.

The nights belonged to Kamuro Masumi, who appeared sporadically.

Since that night, she'd become a regular visitor to his room.

In the dead of night, she used her taut body to fulfill what she considered her "repayment."

Their relationship was known to no one but themselves.

In class, Kamuro Masumi remained the same solitary girl.

Notably, since the "Shannei Haruki False Accusation Incident," her standing among the class girls had undergone a strange reversal.

She'd become a tragic figure—"framed by a despicable man, but strong enough to pull through."

The girls who'd previously kept their distance now actively approached her, inviting her to lunch together.

Faced with this sudden goodwill, Kamuro Masumi seemed at a loss; most of the time, she responded with silence.

But this was interpreted as self-protection—"unwilling to trust others easily after being hurt"—which only stirred up more sympathy from the girls.

In the last week of April, a surprise quiz descended without any warning.

The test covered five main subjects, with questions two levels easier than the entrance exam, mostly extensions of middle school material.

For Class A students, who were already quite strong academically, it was more like a light warm-up.

But the final three questions were on a completely different level of difficulty from the ones before.

They seemed beyond what someone their age should be able to solve.

Kazehara Tetsu finished all the papers in less than half the allotted time. To him, these questions were still too simple, even the last three.

Time quietly arrived at May 1st.

A day that would decide the fate of all new students, though the vast majority of them still had no idea.

During the morning class meeting, most students in Class A stared at their Mobile Terminals, at the glaring number on the screen.

"Ninety-two thousand? What's going on? Weren't we supposed to get a hundred thousand every month?"

"Mine's ninety-two thousand too... Is the school system bugged?"

"Eight thousand points short. It's not much, but there should be an explanation."

The murmurs were quiet, but they carried clearly to every corner of the classroom.

Katsuragi Kouhei's brow was furrowed. He sat upright, his finger sliding repeatedly across his phone screen, as if searching for clues in the system notifications.

On the other side of the classroom, Sakayanagi Arisu looked far more composed, a faint, intrigued smile at the Corner of her Mouth.

Kazehara Tetsu leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest, lounging as he gazed Outside the Window. He didn't look at his phone. He seemed utterly unconcerned about the change in the number—or perhaps, he had expected it all along.

The bell for class rang right on time, silencing all the chatter instantly.

Majima Tomoya walked in precisely with the bell.

He still held that black folder in his hand, his face still wore that eternally stern expression.

"It seems most of you have already noticed the change in your Personal Points."

Majima Tomoya's gaze Swept Over the Full Court, his voice steady and firm. "Before I explain the reason, I'll first announce last week's quiz results."

He taped a sheet of paper to the blackboard, showing the quiz scores.

[Class A Average: 87.3]

That was a fairly high score, since it meant quite a few people in the class could solve at least one of the last three questions.

However, everyone's eyes were quickly drawn to the single, unique name and number at the top of the Report Card.

[Kazehara Tetsu: 100]

The only perfect score.

A perfect 100 that only one person had achieved.

"Whoa—"

The classroom finally couldn't hold back, erupting in gasps and murmurs.

"A perfect score?! Is this guy a monster?"

"I always see him spacing out, doesn't seem like someone who studies well..."

Facing the attention of the entire class, Kazehara Tetsu acted as if nothing had happened. He didn't even change his posture, just yawned, as if that 100 had nothing to do with him.

Majima Tomoya waited for the chatter to settle slightly before continuing. His voice drew everyone's focus back to the podium.

"That's enough about the scores. Now, back to the original issue—the Personal Points you received this month."

He picked up a piece of chalk and wrote a few characters on the blackboard.

"In this school, the sole standard for measuring a class's value is Class Points. At enrollment, all classes start with 1,000 Class Points as a baseline. On the first of every month, the school multiplies your class's Class Points by 100 and distributes that amount as Personal Points to each student in the class."

"In other words, the reason you only received Ninety-Two Thousand Points this month is..." He turned and wrote a number on the blackboard.

920.

That was Class A's current score.

"Over the course of one month, your class had a total of 80 Class Points deducted due to various rule violations."

Majima Tomoya recited a string of numbers and reasons with a blank expression.

As for why there were 20 fewer points compared to the original work, you'd have to ask a certain someone who often drifted off during class.