Sudden Decrease in Class Points

The May wind, carrying the island's unique moist saltiness, blew away the last traces of April's lingering laziness. The sunlight on the artificial island was still bright, yet it seemed to have lost some of last month's carefree spirit, gaining a barely perceptible, crisp chill that marked the start of a new phase.

Shimiya Kuki sat by the window, his fingertip gliding across the smooth screen of his personal terminal. The screen clearly displayed his point transaction log from last month. That hefty expenditure of 15,000 points for the refrigerator stood out like a vivid brand, stamped at the end of April. He had deliberated for a long time over this "luxury item" that could store fresh ingredients and improve his quality of life, but ultimately, he had brought it home. Following that, a steady weekly consumption of about 2,000 points for ingredients, plus other miscellaneous daily expenses—necessary stationery and some basic daily necessities—had added up to nearly another 3,000 points. Watching his points steadily decline from the initial 100,000, careful calculation had become an instinctive habit.

At exactly seven in the morning, a crisp prompt tone rang out on time, cutting through the classroom's stillness. The Monthly Personal Points had arrived.

Shimiya Kuki habitually glanced at the screen, and his gaze froze.

The number that popped up on the screen wasn't the expected six-digit figure, but a glaring: 65,000 points.

Almost simultaneously, the air in the classroom seemed to be squeezed by an invisible force, then erupted into louder exclamations and incredulous murmurs.

"Hey hey hey! You gotta be kidding me! How come my points are only sixty-five thousand?!"

"Mine too! Sixty-five thousand! Is the system broken?"

"Who doesn't have sixty-five thousand? Xiao Qiao, what about you?"

"Wah... I've got sixty-five thousand too... Didn't they say we'd get a hundred thousand personal points every month?"

"Right! Didn't Hoshinomiya-sensei say it was a hundred thousand personal points per month! And this is only the second month!"

"Shibata, how many do you have?"

"Damn! I've got sixty-five thousand too! What the hell is going on!"

Confusion, dissatisfaction, and panic, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirred up huge ripples in Class B's classroom. Kanzaki Ryuji furrowed his brow, quickly pulling up his own point records and the Class Directory, as if rapidly confirming whether the whole class was affected. Ichinose Honami stared at the shrunken number on her terminal; her usual gentle smile had completely vanished, replaced by deep worry and bewilderment. Shibata Kaede irritably scratched his hair, glaring at his terminal screen.

Shimiya Kuki closed his screen, calmly putting his terminal back into his desk. There was little turmoil in his heart, only a cold sense of finality: "Just as I thought." A hundred thousand points every month? For three years? This highly autonomous school, steeped in competition and rules, how could it possibly be so charitable? Three grades, twelve classes, nearly five hundred students—if they were truly paid in full every month, it would be an astronomical figure. Last month's seemingly "harmless" End of Month Quiz, along with certain people's "rule-breaking" behavior, had a cost that likely went far beyond Hoshinomiya-sensei's casual mention of it being a "reference." This sudden decrease in points was the most direct, the most resounding alarm bell.

Just then, the classroom door slid open with a click.

"Good morning, everyone~!" Hoshinomiya Chie-sensei's signature voice, sweet as melted honey, rang out. She was holding a folder, stepping in with a light, cheerful gait, her face still wearing that flawless Perfect Smile. "Looks like everyone's got a little 'surprise' with the new month's points, huh?" As if she had already anticipated the classroom's atmosphere, her tone carried a hint of playfulness as she walked straight to the front of the podium.

"Sensei! The points!" Shibata Kaede was the first to lose it, standing up and pointing at his terminal, his voice loud and urgent. "Why is it only sixty-five thousand this month? Didn't you say it was a hundred thousand every month? Is there a mistake?"

"Yeah, sensei! We all only got sixty-five thousand!"

"What's going on?"

Questions rained down on the podium like rapid fire.

Hoshinomiya-sensei's smile didn't waver. She gently pressed her hands down, signaling everyone to quiet down. "Mm-hmm, sensei is here specially to answer that question for everyone~. In today's morning meeting, let's talk about this 'points' issue." She picked up a piece of chalk, turned around, and wrote several large characters on the blackboard:

Personal Points = Class Points × 100

"See clearly?" She turned back, her smile still in place, but her eyes had become serious. "The personal points everyone receives each month are not a fixed hundred thousand. They are determined by Class Points! For every 1 point increase in Class Points, each student gets an extra 100 personal points per month. Conversely, if Class Points are deducted, everyone's personal points will decrease accordingly."

She paused, looking at the students below, whose expressions had shifted from sudden understanding to even greater tension.

"Unfortunately," she tilted her head slightly, showing a slightly apologetic expression, but deep in her eyes was a clear, scrutinizing gaze. "In last month's class comprehensive evaluation, our Class B's Class Points... were deducted quite a bit." She opened her folder, pulled out a printed sheet, and read in a clear voice: "This is the settlement of Class Points for each class as of 24:00 on April 30th."

She showed the sheet to everyone, or more accurately, to the students in the front rows who could see it. Kanzaki Ryuji immediately squinted, trying hard to make out the numbers.

● Class A: 940 points ● Class B: 650 points ● Class C: 490 points ● Class D: 0 points

"Whoa--!"

"Class A has 940?!"

"We only have 650?"

"Class C has 490? Then their personal points are only forty-nine thousand?"

"Wait... Class D... 0 points?!"

Exclamations rose and fell. Class A's high points made some envious, Class C's low points were bad enough, but that 0 for Class D struck like a bolt of icy lightning, shattering everyone's understanding!

"0 points?!" Shibata Kaede's voice was full of disbelief. "Then the people in Class D... didn't get a single personal point this month?!"

"That's right." Hoshinomiya-sensei nodded affirmatively, her smile seeming to fade a little. "With Class Points at zero, it means all students in Class D received zero personal points this month. Without points, they can barely move an inch within the school. They can't buy anything at the convenience store, can't use any facilities that require points, and even..." She paused, leaving a suffocating suspense. "Under certain circumstances, even their basic living necessities might become a problem. For example, they might not be able to purchase meals and would have to rely on the school's most basic survival support—which usually isn't a pleasant experience."

The classroom fell into an instant, dead silence. The students who had just been complaining about "only" having sixty-five thousand points now truly understood the cruelty of the Class Points system. The situation of Class D's students weighed heavily on everyone's hearts like a massive stone.

"How did it get deducted so much?" a girl asked quietly, with a sense of lingering fear.

"Yeah, what did we do to get hit this hard? And what happened to Class D?" another boy pressed.

Hoshinomiya-sensei put down the paper and resumed her sweet tone, but her words were merciless: "As for the specific deductions... hmm, for example, some students openly used their personal terminals to play games during class, and not just once." Her gaze precisely swept over Shibata Kaede's direction.

"Unauthorized tardiness and early departures have also been popping up from time to time!"

"And... well, certain individuals left designated areas without permission during non-free activity hours, in other words... skipping class." When she uttered the words "skipping class," the temperature in the room seemed to drop a few more degrees.

The students who were called out, especially Shibata Kaede, flushed red again. He stood up abruptly and gave the teacher and the whole class an even deeper bow:

"I'm... I'm sorry, everyone! Playing games and skipping class, that was mostly me! I... I never thought it would make the whole class lose so many points! And drag everyone down to get so much less money this month! I didn't realize Class Points were this important! I, Shibata Kaede, swear! Starting today, I will absolutely correct my ways! If I touch my terminal in class again, I'm a dog! And I will never skip class again! Please, everyone, keep an eye on me! I'm really sorry!" His voice was loud, carrying an unprecedented seriousness and regret.

The other students who were called out also bowed their heads and apologized.

Hoshinomiya-sensei looked at Shibata Kaede, a look of encouragement returning to her face. "Shibata-kun, being able to deeply recognize your mistake and being willing to correct it makes sensei very happy! A mistake acknowledged is half corrected~." She looked around the classroom, her tone becoming a bit more serious. "Everyone should take this as a warning. Class Points are a treasure we all maintain together, and they affect each and every one of our survival and development in this school! The actions of every individual are extremely important."

Just as the heavy atmosphere was beginning to ease, Ichinose Honami raised her hand. Her face still held worry, but her eyes had gained a determination to seek a solution. "Hoshinomiya-sensei, I understand that violations deduct Class Points. So, may I ask what we need to do to increase our Class Points?" Her question voiced the desire in everyone's hearts. They knew about deductions, but what about additions? How could they escape the shadow of Class D, or even achieve high points like Class A?

Hoshinomiya-sensei's smile instantly grew even brighter, as if she had been waiting for this very question. She lightly clapped her hands: "An excellent question, Ichinose-kun!" Her eyes curved into crescent moons, shimmering with an almost childlike anticipation, "As for ways to increase Class Points... the main method is through the school's irregularly held—Special Exams!"

"Special Exams?" A murmur of puzzled whispers rippled through the classroom.

"That's right!" Hoshinomiya-sensei's voice carried a hint of excitement, "These exams come in many forms, with various objectives. They could be direct competition between classes, special tasks requiring teamwork, or even some... well, very interesting, very challenging projects!" Her tone was laden with implication, "Achieving excellent results in Special Exams, or reaching specific goals, can earn the class a large amount of Point Rewards! That's much more 'efficient' than just avoiding deductions!"

Her words were like a shot of adrenaline, instantly igniting a spark of hope in the eyes of some students. So there was a chance to make big money after all!

"Of course," Hoshinomiya-sensei shifted gears, her smile unchanged, but a flicker of an elusive glint passed through the depths of her eyes, "The difficulty and risk of Special Exams are usually proportional to the rewards. If you fail, it could lead to Class Points being deducted, or even... paying other unexpected costs." She gently set down her folder, as if about to wrap up the explanation, but then, as if remembering something, she playfully raised one finger, "Ah, right! Special Exams won't start for an uncertain amount of time, but—" She deliberately drew out her words, her amber eyes sweeping across the class with a hint of smugness, "There are still other ways to increase Class Points!"

Her words immediately captured everyone's attention. Besides avoiding deductions and the unknown Special Exams, there were other avenues?

"For example," Hoshinomiya-sensei said with a beaming smile, as if sharing a sweet little secret, "like the upcoming Midterm Exams. If everyone can achieve good grades in this exam, it can earn our Class B extra Class Point rewards! So, everyone needs to study hard in daily life and not slack off!"

The purpose of the morning meeting's Q&A had been achieved. Hoshinomiya-sensei looked contentedly at the students below, their expressions varied: some were still digesting the harsh reality of Class D's Zero Points, their faces showing lingering fear; some were excited by the possibility of Special Exams, eagerly ready; others, upon hearing that Regular Exams could also earn points, clenched their fists in secret, resolved to work harder; a few like Shibata Kaede were full of regret, but also ignited with determination to make up for past mistakes. Ichinose Honami wore a contemplative expression, as if calculating how to organize everyone to progress together.

"Alright!" Hoshinomiya-sensei clapped her hands, her sweet smile once again brimming with energy, her voice rising a few notches with an undeniable charisma, "Everyone understands the points situation now, right? Class D's current state is an alarm bell, Class A's lead is our goal! A new month has already begun, whether it's to avoid deductions, prepare for Special Exams, or strive for good grades in the midterms and finals—"

Her gaze swept across every face, finally settling on the front of the classroom, as if she wanted to brand this resolve into everyone's hearts.

"It all requires everyone to unite as one and work together from now on!"