Shiina Hiyori asked, "What kind of books do you like to read, Kaede?"
He chatted with Hiyori for a bit, and thanks to his approachable nature and way with words, the two quickly grew familiar with each other.
As usual, Hiyori opened with the classic "What kind of books do you like?" question.
"Hmm... I like foreign web novels and domestic light novels. I haven't read much Western classical literature, though," he replied honestly.
"You like classical literature too? Which works? Which books?" Shiina Hiyori's eyes lit up.
"Haha, I'm ashamed to say I haven't read much in that area. The Old Man and the Sea, One Hundred Years of Solitude, The Count of Monte Cristo... probably those. They're classics that pretty much anyone has read."
"Mm... I'm not sure that's true." Her gaze shifted slightly.
Hiyori seemed to mean that quite a few of their classmates in Class C hadn't read those books.
Tennoji Kaede smiled wryly. At a glance, there really weren't many students in class who looked like they read.
Except for one boy with glasses and an unusual face and hairstyle.
He was probably Kaneda Satoru, Class C's top student academically. At that moment, he was the only one in the class reading a book, its title unknown.
Overall, First Year Class C really was the weakest class in terms of well-rounded development. There was no contest.
Come to think of it, Shiina Hiyori was also the face of all the girls in Class C in every respect, academics included.
After chatting with Hiyori for a little longer, the rest of the class gradually arrived, including Ibuki Mio, who sat in front of Tennoji Kaede, and Ryuen Kakeru, who sat to his rear right.
"Hey, hey, another monster! Is he really a high school student?"
The last student to arrive was an international student, Yamada Albert.
Tennoji Kaede sighed inwardly. Yamada really was ridiculously huge. He could stand alongside Kito Hayato, the odd-looking student in Class A, as one of the "High School Dual Monsters."
After Yamada took his seat, Tennoji Kaede clearly noticed Ryuen Kakeru glancing his way repeatedly, with a hint of ill intent.
Heh, Ryuen's already picked his target...
"Quiet down, everyone." A middle-aged teacher walked in. To him, the man looked no less unusual than Kito.
The class fell considerably quieter at once. Students tended to be rather reserved at the start of the school year, though who knew how long that would last.
"I'm Sakamoto Kazuma, your homeroom teacher for the next three years in Class 1-C. I'll be teaching mathematics."
"An hour after homeroom, everyone is to attend the Entrance Ceremony in the gym. For now, I'm handing out the rules and regulations for this school's most unusual system, the S System. Pass these around." After speaking, Sakamoto-sensei began distributing the documents.
Tennoji Kaede flipped through his copy casually. As for which new student knew the most about the S System, he'd dare say he was number one—and aside from one sickly, white-haired Loli in Class A, nobody could claim second place.
Kōtō Ikusei High School provided a completely self-contained education and occupied a vast area. The campus contained all kinds of entertainment and shopping facilities, making it practically a small country within a country. That was one of the most appealing aspects of the Shijiao setting.
"You've already had a look at the rules of the S System, haven't you? You received them with your admission documents."
"Everyone, pay attention to the Student Terminal Device in your hands." Sakamoto held up his own terminal.
"It's the most important device here, and it serves the same purpose as a smartphone in the outside world. At this school, you'll need a currency called 'points' to make purchases. Each point has the same purchasing power as one yen."
Sakamoto paused, then continued, "...You can buy anything at this school with points."
Tennoji Kaede nodded. Their Class C homeroom teacher was making the hint pretty obvious.
As it happened, the homeroom teachers of the other three classes—Classes A, B, and D—had once been classmates in the same Shijiao year.
The homeroom teachers of Classes B and D had some personal grudges between them, and Class D was the worst every year. As a result, its homeroom teacher, Chabashira Sae, tended to do whatever she pleased. To put it nicely, she'd given up.
Unlike Sakamoto-sensei, who was hinting at the school's unwritten rules, she almost never did anything like that.
Sakamoto continued, "...This month, the school has already given each of you 100,000 points. They'll be issued again on the first of every month."
Whether they'd keep getting 100,000 was another matter.
"Whoa!"
"Ishizaki, did I hear that right? We get 100,000 yen worth of points every month? We're loaded! We can buy whatever we want!"
"Heh, coming to this school was worth it. Looks like life here won't be bad. We can make do."
The girls also began chatting excitedly among themselves.
Tennoji Kaede noticed the puzzled look on Hiyori's face beside him.
Of course she was puzzled. The school was supposedly giving every student millions of yen in resources each month. Did they think the country didn't need to make money?
What was interesting was that Sakamoto-sensei seemed to have stopped talking. Instead, he was quietly observing something.
Tennoji Kaede glanced over and immediately saw that he was watching Ryuen Kakeru.
The tyrant was as usual, a sharp, cold smile tugging at his lips.
That wasn't surprising. The homeroom teachers could get all the students' entrance exam data in advance, making it easy to identify the real heavy hitters in their classes.
That was how Ayanokoji had ended up being threatened by Chabashira.
Tennoji Kaede also noticed that Sakamoto-sensei was watching his direction.
After all, counting him, Ibuki in front of him, and Hiyori beside him, there were three people sitting there with expressionless faces. It was hard for anyone at the podium not to notice.
After Class C erupted in cheers, Hiyori quietly leaned closer and asked:
"We really did receive 100,000 points this month. What do you think, Kaede?"
[Detected failing work "Ibuki Mio" at Black House, score: 10] ["Ibuki Mio" has been given a Causal Mark] ["Cause": Ibuki Mio is physically fit, with sharp ears and eyes. She is very interested in your whispered conversation, and she's also a little interested in you, the fairly good-looking boy sitting behind her.] ["Effect": Charisma +5, Leg Development +5, Causality Lock Door +10]
Wait, what? Seriously? You...
Who wanted to get locked in a little black room with someone else out of nowhere?
Ibuki Mio, you've really put me in a bind! Great Gray House, how can you just assign points to anything and everything?!
Tennoji Kaede silently ranted to himself, his face twisted in agony.
"What's wrong?" Hiyori asked, slightly confused. Had her question really been that strange?
Once he'd composed himself, he quickly whispered,
"Nothing... Do you think it's possible for the school to give students 100,000 yen every month?"
Shiina Hiyori and Ibuki Mio both felt the weight of his words. Converted into yen, 100,000 really did sound even more outrageous.
Sure, the school was backed by the government, but could it really give its students such an absurd amount of spending money every year?
Ibuki Mio reached her conclusion even sooner than Hiyori: there was no way.
Tennoji Kaede quietly familiarized himself with the functions on his terminal, staring blankly at the number 100,000.
Sakamoto Kazuma soon finished explaining the rest and left Class C.
There was still more than half an hour before the Entrance Ceremony.
Just as the students in Class C were preparing to disperse and spend their money, a man with a violent aura silently rose to his feet.
Ryuen Kakeru spoke in a chilling voice, like a judge from hell:
"I said, who gave you permission to leave?"
Before you continue