"Does anyone in Class C not know how to swim? Please raise your hand bravely. It's nothing to be ashamed of," the swimming instructor called out.
One after another, fewer than a dozen people in the crowd raised their hands. There were more girls than boys.
"Understood. You can put your hands down. Those of you who can't swim don't need to worry. I promise I'll teach you this useful skill in no time."
"Before we officially begin the lesson, those of you who can swim have the option of taking part in a competition."
Seeing that everyone was interested, the instructor continued, "We'll have separate groups for boys and girls. I'll award 5,000 points to the winner of each group."
Quite a few skilled swimmers in Class C were tempted. Five thousand points didn't seem like much right now, but it was still enough to pique their interest.
Tennoji Kaede understood even more clearly what lay behind the competition's reward.
Holding a swimming class a week after the start of school wasn't very common at other schools. It was actually connected to the upcoming Deserted Island Survival Exam. Swimming would come in handy there.
Although the School Administration had already made the deserted island safe, the fact was that every year, quite a few people who couldn't swim drowned in shallow water. The danger of not knowing how to swim absolutely couldn't be ignored.
Come to think of it, handing out points as a reward for this competition was yet another blatant hint that a Hidden Rule existed.
Everyone could obtain points from other people through means other than the monthly allowance distributed at the beginning of each month.
"Those who want to compete, line up by gender now. The rest of you, please take a seat to the side and watch. This is also a great opportunity to learn~"
Tennoji Kaede decided to stay and compete. Ibuki Mio, who was naturally athletic, did the same.
He'd expected Hiyori not to compete, but he hadn't thought Ryuen would choose to watch, too. There was no way he wasn't an excellent swimmer.
Perhaps the Tyrant didn't need to get involved in such a minor contest.
Besides, Ryuen had already collected most of his underlings' points. It must feel pretty good to have them work hard to earn money for him.
This gave Tennoji Kaede a glimpse of what lay ahead. Once May began, Ryuen's tyrannical and exploitative behavior would actually help him win a fair amount of respect.
Compared to the sewer-like Class D, the contrast in points would be dramatic!
Class C was currently storing a large number of points with Ryuen. Looking back after May, it would be like putting their money in a fixed-term bank deposit. Not a bad deal at all!
The girls' competition started first. There were fewer than ten participants, so the instructor had them compete all at once.
"On your marks, get set... Go!"
Ibuki Mio took first place without a hint of surprise. She won outright.
There were a few more participants in the boys' group, so they split them into two races. In the end, the winner would be determined by time anyway.
Tennoji Kaede was in the next race. For now, he watched at his leisure.
"Feng boy~ Come on!"
A huge black guy came up and spoke to him. He was an international student named Yamada Albert.
[Detected a failing grade on a Black House assignment: "Yamada Albert"]
[The Causal Mark has been applied to "Yamada Albert"]
["Cause": Yamada Albert wants to invite you to an exciting showdown]
["Effect": Charisma +5, Combat Mastery +5, Kinetic Dynamics +5, English Proficiency +50]
"Yamada, you're in the second race too... Okay, got it. Let's compete, then."
"God boy~"
Albert's Japanese wasn't bad. He just liked to toss out a few colorful phrases from his homeland every now and then.
Believe it or not, a lot of people in Class C couldn't understand even those simple English phrases.
Kaede suddenly wondered whether Ryuen could understand them... Ahem. It wasn't wise to joke about the Tyrant with dark humor.
Not long after Albert left, the first boys' race ended. The winner was named Suzuki Hideoshi, and he looked like a student with exceptional athletic ability.
Tennoji Kaede got ready and stepped forward.
The people from Class C who were watching let out gasps—not because of him.
Kaede couldn't help rolling his eyes. With Albert's huge frame standing beside the little pool, people had to wonder whether he'd compress all the water out of it when he jumped in!
Tennoji Kaede felt Ryuen watching him with keen interest, as if he were waiting for a good show.
Ryuen Kakeru rested his chin in his hands, a smile on his face. Kaede guessed his chin must have been itching again and felt sincerely sorry for him.
Shiina Hiyori sat alone in a corner of the back row, giving him an encouraging look.
Kaede nodded to her and made a subtle gesture that only the two of them could understand.
As for Ibuki... She was like a proud peacock. She'd won a small competition, and her chin was practically in the clouds.
"You three, ready? All right... Begin!"
The swimming instructor lowered his hand and gave the signal to start.
Tennoji Kaede was determined to win the 5,000-point prize.
Once he got those 5,000 points, he'd finally be able to cure his obsession with having a million points.
So, without hesitation, he used five percent of his strength!
"Whoa~~! He's way too fast!" The onlookers erupted.
"Ishizaki, what do you think?"
"I think I'm sitting down. And shut up already, before you ruin the fun for Ryuen!"
"Tennoji's pretty handsome, actually. Too bad he only hangs out with those two gloomy girls and the violent maniac. Hmph!"
Ryuen Kakeru sat high on a raised platform, looking down on everyone, surrounded by a crowd of underlings.
He knew that all Tennoji had shown so far was his superior physical ability. This bunch of useless idiots couldn't see what was truly frightening about him.
"The race is over. The winner of the boys' group is Tennoji Kaede."
The swimming instructor came over with a beaming smile. After transferring the points, he said to him:
"Your form is excellent, Tennoji. You're every bit as good as a professional athlete." The instructor enthusiastically patted him on the shoulder with his big hand.
"Would you be interested in helping me teach the others to swim? I'll reward you with 1,000 points for every person you help me teach. How about it?"
"No problem. Helping you and my classmates is the right thing to do," Kaede agreed readily.
"Haha, very good... Everyone, come over. It's time to start the lesson!"
After school, Tennoji Kaede, whose Private Points had climbed back above one million, invited Shiina Hiyori to go shopping at Keyaki Mall.
Kaede knew very well that Hiyori preferred to stay in the library and read, being a quiet, beautiful girl. That was nice, but she should still get out and go for a walk now and then.
To be honest, he had a certain degree of affection for Shiina Hiyori. There was no reason to deny it.
If you liked someone, you should take the initiative and pursue her.
Dating at this school was perfectly normal, after all. No matter how you looked at it, Gao was a high school in Japan.
As long as you didn't treat your romantic partner like a textbook, it was fine...
That said, dates did have a way of getting interrupted by unexpected circumstances.
"Kaede? Long time no see... Who's this with you?"
While they were shopping, Kaede and the others ran into an unwelcome visitor:
Kushida Kikyo from First Year Class D.
"Hello, I'm Shiina Hiyori from First Year Class C... May I ask how you know Kaede?"
Tennoji broke into a cold sweat. Hiyori's words sounded a little ambiguous, but she really didn't mean anything by them.
But judging from the "Effect" reported by the Haigoku System, Kushida Kikyo was quite unhappy...
Before you continue