Class 1-D

Class 1-D.

Shintō Katsuya arrived at his classroom. Many of his classmates were already seated, and the beginnings of their respective social circles were starting to take shape.

Birds of a feather flocked together. Most of the students chatting in groups shared similar traits.

Of course, not everyone could make connections so quickly. From the distinctive air they gave off, Shintō could tell at a glance which kinds of people in the class would struggle to make friends—and which ones wouldn't have any at all...

What a tangled fate...

Aside from the pair from the bus who had given up their seats, the flying-fish-haired guy and a cold, haughty girl with long, straight black hair had already taken their seats, too.

The adorable girl had quickly hit it off with her new classmates, thanks to her striking looks and sunny personality. As for the other three...

Apart from fellow lunatics, probably no one would enjoy dealing with those three.

Following the nameplate on his desk, Shintō found his own seat and obediently sat down.

As time passed, all forty seats in the classroom filled up, but the teacher was nowhere to be seen. The room remained a noisy jumble of chatter.

"Quiet!"

A stern female voice rang out from the hallway. A woman in a professional outfit and black stockings, her hair tied in a high ponytail, walked in right after.

There was no denying that she was probably every boy's favorite type of teacher: mature, sexy, and beautiful. Her arrival immediately quieted the noisy class.

Then she picked up a piece of chalk and wrote a few words on the blackboard:

"I'm your homeroom teacher. My name is Chabashira Sae."

Her voice held no emotion whatsoever. If she was trying to maintain the dignity of a teacher, she seemed to be taking it a bit too far.

She sounded as if she didn't care at all who was sitting in front of her, radiating an attitude that kept everyone at arm's length.

It was strange, but Shintō didn't dwell on it. After all, she was less a teacher than someone who worked for a paycheck. What was so strange about a numb, middle-aged adult having no passion for her job?

Chabashira-sensei's tone made the students, who had been half-listening, tense up. The already quiet classroom fell completely silent.

Chabashira Sae slowly looked over her class and continued:

"This school doesn't change your class assignments. That means I'll be your homeroom teacher for all three years. Our school is quite unusual. Your tuition and other school fees are waived, but in exchange, you'll have to live on campus for the next three years, and contact with the outside world is prohibited."

"Of course, for your physical and mental well-being and to make life more convenient, we've also opened a large shopping center on campus. You can buy almost any daily necessities and entertainment products there. There are also karaoke rooms, a movie theater, cafés, and all sorts of other facilities."

After explaining all that, Chabashira Sae paused for a moment. She wasn't tired, of course. She was signaling that what came next was important, though she hardly expected anyone in her class to realize it.

"With the student ID cards being handed out now, you can use all the facilities on campus and go shopping. But keep in mind that they work like credit cards, so using them will cost you something called 'private points.'"

"You can buy anything on campus with them. The way they work is very simple, and you can get used to it on your own later. Points are automatically deposited on the first of every month. Each of you should have received one hundred thousand points, which can be converted into one hundred thousand yen."

At Chabashira Sae's explanation, the classroom erupted.

But it was hard to blame the students. Most high schoolers had never handled such a huge sum of money before.

With every kind of entertainment facility and shop available on campus, it was only natural that they were already imagining all the fun they'd have and dreaming about the wonderful life ahead.

However...

Shintō Katsuya was clearly uneasy. He had never believed in anything as convenient as money falling from the sky.

The admission standards at this school seemed remarkably flexible. It would make sense to offer such treatment to outstanding people with the potential to become pillars of society in the future, but...

"Are you surprised by how many points the school is giving you? This school evaluates you based on your abilities. So each of you who managed to get in has value to match. The points represent the school's assessment of you. Feel free to use them."

"If anyone wants to transfer their points to someone else, they can. But don't threaten or intimidate others. The school takes bullying very seriously."

"One more thing: the entrance ceremony will be held in the gymnasium in an hour."

With that, Chabashira Sae strode out of the classroom without looking back.

As soon as their homeroom teacher left, the class grew noisy again. The groups that had already formed were making plans to go on a shopping spree.

Shintō Katsuya stared at the cold one hundred thousand points on his student ID and fell into thought...

They're evaluating us based on our abilities... But my entrance exam results must have been terrible, right? If I got a hundred thousand points anyway, then the students who scored better than me should have received even more.

But there was still too little information to go on, and Shintō couldn't make sense of it. He could only shake his head and set the matter aside for now.

At the front of the classroom, a handsome, sunny boy with short green hair had evidently taken charge of the conversation. He bowed politely to everyone.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Hirata Yōsuke, and I like soccer. Since we've all just arrived in this class, how about introducing ourselves? That way, we can get to know one another better!"

There was no denying that handsome boys and beautiful girls were born with enviable advantages.

So his suggestion quickly won over the vast majority of the class, and they began standing up to introduce themselves.

Just then, the red-haired boy sitting beside Shintō slapped his desk and loudly objected:

"This is ridiculous! Who wants to introduce themselves to you people?! It's a childish little game, and I have no intention of playing along."

With that, he walked straight out of the classroom through the back door.

Most people didn't have strong prejudices against others. But if someone displayed even one trait that fit their preconceived notions, they would heap every prejudice they had onto that person.