Self-Introduction

"Everyone, could I have a moment of your time?" The student who spoke looked every bit like a promising young man. He hadn't dyed his hair, either, and seemed like the model of an exemplary student.

"Starting today, we'll all be living together in the same class, so I thought we could introduce ourselves and get to know one another faster. What do you think?"

"Sounds good!"

"That's a great idea."

"Yeah, we don't even know one another's names yet."

After one student took the initiative and voiced his support, the others followed suit, one after another.

Konoe was very much in favor of the idea, too.

"Thanks. I'll get us started, then. I'm Hirata Yosuke, but you can just call me Yosuke. I love all kinds of sports, and I'm planning to join the school's Soccer Club. I look forward to getting to know you all!"

The promising young man introduced himself smoothly. His sunny, cheerful personality drew admiring reactions from those around him.

"Then I'll go next!"

The energetic girl who stood up was the orange-haired girl who had helped the old lady on the bus.

"I'm Kushida Kikyo. My goal is to become friends with everyone here. I want to make all kinds of memories with you, so please don't hesitate to ask me to hang out!"

Kushida's introduction was full of energy and enthusiasm, making a very good first impression on everyone in class.

Konoe, however, felt as though he'd lost money. The more impressive the other person was, the more he felt he'd somehow lost out. His old habit of overthinking things had cropped up again.

The school divided each year into four classes; this information was also in the campus guide. Since this was a closed-campus school, the students who'd traveled to campus together around that time were most likely in the same year. That meant there was a fairly good chance that anyone in uniform on the same bus as him would be in his class.

But Konoe had just wanted to sit down, and the seat he'd chosen was much softer than the others. Since he got a little carsick, that way he wouldn't have to use up too much energy.

"Um... I'm Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. Um... Nice to meet you. Um... I don't have any particular talents. Yeah... I'll do my best to get along with everyone." The next boy's introduction was loud enough, but his tone was listless and flat. The words seemed unfamiliar even to him, making it feel as though this was the first time in Ayanokoji's life that he'd introduced himself.

After Ayanokoji's introduction left the class silent for a few seconds, someone kindly responded.

"Nice to meet you, Ayanokoji. Let's all get along." Hirata spoke gently and warmly.

When it seemed to be his turn, Konoe stood and introduced himself. "I'm Konoe Hirakawa. Nice to meet you."

To the other students, his introduction wasn't memorable. In fact, it barely made an impression at all. Fortunately, his striking looks did make some of them remember him.

"Nice to meet you, Konoe." Hirata replied politely, then shifted his gaze to the next student to save time. But that student glared at him menacingly.

His hair was dyed a vivid red. He kicked a desk with a bang. "What's with all these introductions? Are we children or something? Anyone who wants to do this can do it themselves."

"Everyone, return to your seats."

Before Hirata could respond, a woman in a suit and high heels walked in, interrupting the unpleasant scene.

"I'm Chabashira Sae, the homeroom teacher for Class D. You'll keep the same homeroom teacher until you graduate in three years, and I'll be yours."

"First, I'll pass out the school materials. Pass them back from the front. Our school has its own unique rules. To begin with, this is a closed-campus school. While you're enrolled, your ability to leave campus and contact the outside world will be restricted. But there's no need to worry. The school is fully equipped with every facility you need to meet your daily needs and provide entertainment."

The school's official website mentioned this as well, but Chabashira-sensei only covered a small portion of the information on it. In other words, these were probably the details the School Administration wanted students to know—assuming Konoe wasn't reading too much into it.

"To buy things, you'll use the points stored on your student ID. There's nothing you can't buy with points on campus. Anything available at school can be bought with them."

Rather than a student ID, what the school had issued was more like a smart device—or, to put it simply, a school phone. It served all the basic functions of a phone.

"Points will be deposited automatically on the first of every month. You should each have already received 100000 Points. Does anyone need me to explain anything else?"

"Seriously? 100000 Points?"

The classroom erupted into chatter. You had to hand it to a school backed by the government: 100000 Points a month was a huge amount of money for students.

"Surprised the school gives you so many points? This school evaluates students based on their abilities. You've been admitted because you have corresponding worth and potential. The points represent the school's assessment of you. Don't hold back; use them as you please. The school will reclaim any unused points when you graduate, and they can't be exchanged for cash, so there's no benefit to saving them. You can transfer your points if you don't want to use them, but you must never resort to intimidation. The school deals with bullying very strictly."

"Does anyone have any questions?"

Chabashira-sensei looked around at the students, who still seemed confused. She didn't appear to want to give them time to ask anything, and continued right away.

"It seems no one has any questions. Then I hope you have a wonderful school life."