Tuesday's Kushida

"Ayanokoji-kun, Natsukawa-kun, how was your swim?" Kushida Kikyo's face was overflowing with a vibrant smile, as dazzling as the summer sun.

She wore a standard school swimsuit; though the style was conservative, it perfectly outlined the full curves of her figure. The fabric across her chest was stretched taut, emphasizing her ample bust, while her waist remained unexpectedly slender. Below the swimsuit, her legs were rounded and full, radiating youthful vitality. Droplets of water slid from her short brown hair, tracing paths down her fair neck and collarbone, adding a touch of healthy allure.

"It was fine," Ayanokoji replied, as concise as ever.

"Barely passing," Natsukawa smiled, his gaze meeting Kushida's with calm composure while his brain whirred, shifting into observation mode.

Kushida's smile was impeccable, yet deep in her eyes as she looked at Natsukawa, there was a trace of subtle probing. "Natsukawa-kun, you look quite unfamiliar. Unlike Ayanokoji-kun, whom I met on the second day of school. Where did you go to middle school?"

Here it comes. Natsukawa understood immediately; it was indeed his "unsociable" behavior at the start of the term that had caught the attention of this social butterfly. He was prepared, wearing a look of perfectly timed nostalgia: "A small, obscure private school in the Kansai region. I only came to Tokyo because of my parents' job transfer."

He skillfully employed cold reading, his gaze sweeping seemingly casually over Kushida's habit of unconsciously rubbing her fingers, as well as her bright but watchful eyes. He spoke, "Kushida-san seems to have an obsession with collecting 'friends.' Do you feel that you can only gain enough sense of security by establishing connections with everyone? Or is it that... you were once deeply anxious because you couldn't fit into a certain circle?"

The smile on Kushida's face stiffened for a fraction of a second. Though she recovered quickly, the shock in the depths of her eyes was hard to hide. She let out two dry laughs: "Na, Natsukawa-kun, what are you saying? I just like being friends with everyone..."

Natsukawa knew when to stop. He didn't dig deeper, instead shifting to a relaxed tone: "Just kidding. But it's my honor to be friends with someone as popular as Kushida-san. When I was in middle school, I traveled abroad with my family a few times and saw some interesting customs, for instance..." He threw out a piece of foreign trivia rarely heard in daily life, successfully diverting the topic and piquing Kushida's interest.

The two went back and forth, and the atmosphere gradually livened up. Natsukawa didn't deliberately show off; instead, he guided Kushida to ask questions and then answered them calmly, fully demonstrating his broad knowledge and steady way of speaking, which was completely different from the average high school boy. The look in Kushida's eyes shifted from initial probing to genuine curiosity and interest.

"Natsukawa-kun, you really know so much!" Kushida said sincerely, then turned her gaze to Ayanokoji nearby. "Ayanokoji-kun too—you look slender, but I didn't expect your muscles to be so solid, and you're quite good at swimming."

Just then, Ike Kanji, who had been watching the showdown between Sudo and Koenji, saw Kushida and Ayanokoji chatting happily. He rushed over like a guard dog protecting its food, threw an arm around Ayanokoji's neck, and whispered a declaration: "Kushida is my future target! You guys aren't allowed to sabotage me! Right, Ayanokoji!"

Ayanokoji nodded, his face remaining expressionless, though Natsukawa was certain that internally, Ayanokoji must have been mocking Ike's overestimation of his own abilities.

Watching this sudden farce, Kushida, standing to the side, let out a soft laugh. The sun, the pool, the girl's laughter, and the boys' playful scuffle formed a seemingly harmonious picture of youth.

The noise of the pool gradually faded as the tranquility of night arrived. Natsukawa had just finished his daily evening workout and was walking back to his dormitory. Since the second day of school, he had begun his rehabilitation training; after all, his body was his greatest asset. Just as he wiped the sweat from his brow and returned to Room 403, the personal terminal in his pocket vibrated.

He picked it up to see the sender was Ichinose Honami.

"Natsukawa-kun, good evening. Sorry to bother you so late. Regarding the 'precautions' you gave us today... Class B has discussed it and we have an idea. Can we... share these points that easily lead to point deductions with the students in Class C and Class D? If everyone doesn't know the rules and gets points deducted blindly, or even faces the risk of expulsion, it feels... a bit pitiful."

Looking at the text on the screen, full of kindness and even a touch of naivety, Natsukawa could almost see Ichinose's hesitant yet incredibly earnest face. He smiled, easily imagining how that group of "good people" in Class B had unanimously passed this "altruistic" resolution during their discussion.

He sat at his desk and replied quickly:

"Ichinose-san, is this decision based on your personal kindness, or is it a collective resolution of Class B?"

The reply was almost instantaneous.

"It's my decision, but it's also everyone's shared decision! We all believe that we should help each other instead of watching students from other classes fall into trouble."

As expected. Natsukawa shook his head, lamenting internally how luxurious such purity was in a cruel, competitive environment. He tapped his fingers and replied:

"Should I call you naively cute, or excessively kind? I understand and respect your decision. Since the information was sold to you, how you handle it is your freedom. I have only one requirement—the existence of the 'S-System' and its core operating mechanisms, especially regarding the parts about Class Points and Private Points, must absolutely not be revealed. You can warn them which behaviors are wrong, but you cannot explain the consequences, and you must never mention the existence of Class Points. Can you do that?"

"Of course! We will absolutely not reveal the S-System or anything about you, Natsukawa-kun! We just want to give everyone some kind reminders like friends!" Ichinose's reply carried a sense of relief and lightness, followed by a cute emoticon (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ).

"Reminders like friends, huh..." Natsukawa muttered to himself, a complex smile on his lips. He already saw the outcome, but replied anyway: "Fine. I hope your 'kindness' bears good fruit."

He put down the terminal and walked to the window, gazing at the quiet night outside. Class B's actions were within his expectations, which was one of the reasons he chose to sell the information to Class B rather than other classes—only they would be capable of spreading this information in the form of "kindness." This, in itself, could stir up the situation among the first-years to a certain extent, which was not a bad thing for him.

Days passed, and the daily life of Class D remained a scene of "vibrant, chaotic growth." Whispering in class, openly playing with phones, and even the occasional nap remained common occurrences.

Soon, some rumors reached Class D.

"Hey, have you heard? Those guys in Class B seem to be running some kind of 'Campus Civility' campaign?"

"Huh? Is something wrong with their brains? Paying attention in class, not being late or leaving early, taking care of public property... isn't that stuff even elementary schoolers know?"

"Exactly, acting all high and mighty. Must be that 'good student' syndrome acting up."

"Forget them, let's just do our own thing!"

Ike Kanji, Yamauchi Haruki, and others scoffed at this, even using it as fodder for jokes after meals. Sudo Ken was indifferent; he only cared about basketball practice. Even Kushida Kikyo, though outwardly friendly to everyone, did not put any real effort into maintaining class discipline; her "friendliness" was mostly superficial.

Ayanokoji remained a robot, while Natsukawa enjoyed the peace. He attended classes during the day, exercised after school, and spent his nights perfecting his programs. He needed to refine the program's functions; it wasn't just to deal with the system's costs—if used well, it could make his school life much easier.

Class B's kind reminders were like a pebble thrown into the stagnant pool of Class D, creating only a negligible ripple before returning to its original state. No one bothered to investigate why Class B had suddenly changed, dismissing them as a group of out-of-touch "old fogies." Most of Class D continued as they pleased, immersed in the beautiful illusion of the first month of school, recklessly squandering the "huge sum" they had just received on non-essential snacks, drinks, and games, as if these 100,000 points were a windfall from heaven that would never run out.

Thus, in a strange and starkly contrasting atmosphere, time quietly slid toward the end of April and finally arrived at May 1st.

Early in the morning, the sun was as bright as ever. Many Class D students, including Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki, still carried the fatigue of staying up late playing games or reading manga, but their eyes sparkled with anticipation. They habitually took out their personal terminals, ready to check their "allowance" for the new month, excitedly discussing which long-awaited new game to buy or which new restaurant in Keyaki Mall to feast at.

The atmosphere in the classroom was restless with this anticipation. However, as time passed, the expected notification failed to arrive.

"Huh? Why haven't my points arrived yet?"

"Mine neither... strange. Didn't Chabashira-sensei say it would be punctual?"

"Is the system lagging?"

At first, it was just sporadic confusion, but soon, it spread like a plague. More and more people began checking their accounts, their expressions shifting from anticipation to confusion, and then from confusion to a subtle, creeping unease.

On the podium, the homeroom teacher, Chabashira Sae, appeared right on time. She maintained her usual cold demeanor, but unlike before, she held two rolled-up posters in her hand. Her gaze swept calmly over the restless crowd below, as if she had long anticipated this moment.

Without any unnecessary small talk, she announced clearly in her signature, emotionless voice:

"I will now announce the Class Point settlement results for the month of April."

She paused, her gaze sweeping intentionally or unintentionally over a few students who were still whispering.

"Class 1-D, final Class Points for this month—0 points."

"Therefore, the Private Points received by each student this month—0 points."

"..."

A deathly silence descended upon the entire Class 1-D classroom.