The Truth About the School

"The S-System continuously evaluates every student across multiple dimensions, including academics, intelligence, judgment, physical ability, and even teamwork. Its external manifestation is what we refer to daily as 'Class Points' and 'Private Points'."

"You should be clear by now that the so-called '100% employment and advancement rate' is not actually available to everyone; its prerequisite is graduating from Class A," Natsukawa emphasized. "All the benefits promised by the school are reserved solely for Class A graduates. Other classes are merely participants, or rather, stepping stones on the path to Class A's ascent."

Ichinose and Kanzaki held their breath. Although they had long suspected as much, having it revealed so bluntly still sent a chill down their spines.

"And right now, in this first month of school, we are in the 'first' special exam under the S-System," Natsukawa continued. "All four classes started with 1,000 Class Points. The school's assessment is to let each class 'grow freely' for a month, under the condition that no one is allowed to actively disclose the existence of this exam. During this period, any behavior that violates school rules or hidden assessment criteria will result in corresponding deductions from the Class Points."

He took out an ordinary notebook and pushed it toward Ichinose: "I have recorded the general assessment content I deduced through observation and reasoning here. This includes classroom discipline, tardiness, leaving early, behavioral norms in public areas, and perhaps even forum posts are under surveillance. While it's impossible to cover everything, 80 to 90 percent of the deduction points should be here."

Ichinose flipped through the notebook impatiently. It listed various potentially penalizing behaviors in a clear and organized manner. The more she read, the deeper the shock on her face became. Many small things they took for granted or didn't even pay attention to in their daily lives could actually serve as grounds for point deductions!

"Then... how are we supposed to advance to Class A?" Kanzaki asked the most critical question.

"There are two ways." Natsukawa held up two fingers. "First, by achieving excellent results in major exams, the school will reward a small amount of Class Points. Second, and this is the primary method, is through 'special exams' like the one currently underway. In every special exam, depending on each class's performance, their Class Points will generally fluctuate drastically, potentially resulting in huge Class Point rewards. As long as your cumulative Class Points exceed those of the current Class A, you become the new Class A."

At this point, Natsukawa pulled his laptop out of his canvas bag and opened it. The screen lit up, displaying a complex interface of code and various data charts.

"Talk is cheap; this is part of the evidence I used to reach my conclusion." His fingers slid across the touchpad, pulling up a data analysis interface. "I scraped and analyzed a large volume of posting data and frequency from the accounts of second-year seniors on the school forum."

He first displayed the data for several accounts marked as "Class 2-A (Suspected)": "Look, these accounts maintain a low and stable posting frequency, both on weekdays and weekends, demonstrating extreme self-discipline."

Next, he pulled up another set of data, a line graph showing the posting records of several "Class 2-D (Suspected)" accounts during their first year.

"The point is here." Natsukawa pointed to a clear turning point on the chart. "This is their data from the first month of their first year. You can see that during class hours—which I have marked in red—there are obvious spikes in forum posting frequency, indicating that someone was using their terminal during class. However—"

His finger swept across the chart, pointing to the data region from the following month: "Starting from the second month, the posting frequency of these accounts during the red-marked class hours dropped sharply, approaching zero."

Natsukawa looked up, his gaze sweeping over the stunned Ichinose and Kanzaki: "Data doesn't lie. For this kind of collective, regular shift in behavioral patterns, the only reasonable explanation is that they were punished for using their terminals in class, and thus learned to follow the rules. This is one of the ironclad proofs of the S-System's invisible hand. As for other more in-depth evidence, it involves my personal affairs and is inconvenient to display."

For a moment, the room fell into a deathly silence.

Ichinose Honami felt a storm raging within her. She looked at the cold yet highly persuasive data on the screen, then at the calm, unruffled boy before her, and an indescribable sense of shock surged in her heart. This was far more than information worth one million; it was essentially giving Class B a chance at rebirth! If Natsukawa hadn't approached her, who knows how many points Class B would have lost after a month? By then, they might have fallen far behind Class A! The value of this information could not be measured by 1,000,000 Private Points!

Kanzaki Ryuji's shock was even more profound. He stared intently at the data charts on the screen, then at Natsukawa, his eyes filled with disbelief. This ability to see the big picture and reverse-engineer the operating laws of a massive system from mere traces was monster-level insight! He considered himself observant, but in the face of Natsukawa's ability to turn information into a blade that struck at the core, he felt like a primitive man holding a wooden stick. The level of terror this Class D boy possessed far exceeded his imagination.

Standing to the side, the silent Mashima was also deeply unsettled. His gaze behind his lenses scrutinized Natsukawa sharply. To have figured out the truth of the S-System and the first month of school in just one week—if even the Chairman hadn't disclosed it to his own daughter, Eris, he would have suspected someone had leaked the answers to him. Such meticulous thinking, such high-level information technology skills, such shrewd bargaining tactics... A student with this level of ability was in Class D? Was there a mistake in the sorting system, or did this student named Natsukawa Sosuke hide even deeper secrets? Regardless, he realized that the Class A he managed would likely face an extremely difficult opponent in the future. However, his professional ethics as a Class A homeroom teacher suppressed all other thoughts—leaking this to Class A? Absolutely impossible. This game had to be played fairly.

Mashima cleared his throat, breaking the silence: "The contract has been fulfilled. If there is nothing else, I will take my leave."

His departure seemed to take the last bit of tension out of the room. The sun was still bright, but in the eyes of Ichinose and Kanzaki, the sky over this school had changed from a false blue to a real color, filled with both opportunities and challenges.

Natsukawa closed his laptop and gently pushed the paper notebook toward Ichinose.

"Transaction complete. I wish you... the best of luck."

"Oh, right. Since we made such a smooth deal, I'll throw in an extra piece of information: remember to prepare a swimsuit for the summer, and remember to watch a few more episodes of Bear Grylls."

Ichinose was stunned by this nonsensical information. The first part was understandable, but what did the second part mean? Could they possibly be doing survival training on a deserted island at school? Nevertheless, she firmly committed Natsukawa's words to memory. After giving Natsukawa a sweet smile, she picked up the notebook from the table and quietly left with Kanzaki Ryuji.

Now, only Natsukawa remained in the conference room, still wearing a calm expression.