In Classroom of the Elite, Ichinose You Will Regret This

"Uesugi, do you want to go to karaoke with us? Ichinose said that to celebrate us becoming classmates and to get to know each other better, we should hold a class party."

Shibata excitedly extended an invitation to Uesugi Gen.

"No, I plan to head back to the dorms first to take a look, and there are some things I'm a bit concerned about."

Uesugi Gen waved his hand with black lines on his face, signaling his refusal.

You were standing right behind me just a moment ago, where did you even hear that from?

"Then I'll go with Kanzaki. Oh right, let's exchange LINE contacts. I'll send you the address, so if you change your mind, you can still join us later."

Shibata said with a hint of regret.

Uesugi Gen made an OK gesture, then looked at Kanzaki Ryuji, who was preparing to go along, and said with some surprise, "Kanzaki, you're going too? You don't look like the type who enjoys socializing."

After all, that guy Kanzaki always maintained the appearance of a stoic, cold-hearted god.

"Although I don't like socializing, I don't resist building good relationships with my classmates."

Seeing this, Kanzaki also took out his phone to exchange numbers with Uesugi Gen and asked curiously, "Is the thing you're concerned about related to the question about the 100,000 points from earlier?"

"If you really can't figure it out, you could relax a bit; a party is a great place to build connections. Uesugi, think about it again."

Kanzaki's reaction surprised Uesugi Gen. Could it be that this guy is a cold-hearted god on the surface but actually a warm-hearted person behind the scenes?

"Fine, if I have time after checking out the dorms, I'll go."

Uesugi Gen didn't refuse outright, instead giving an ambiguous answer.

After all, it seemed that if he didn't go, these two might keep pestering him, and if things went on like this, they might not even make it to the party themselves.

Uesugi Gen bid the two farewell and strolled lazily toward the dorms.

On the way, Uesugi Gen bought a cola from a vending machine, walked to a secluded spot, sat down, and sipped his drink slowly.

5 minutes...

10 minutes...

20 minutes...

For a full 20 minutes, other than Uesugi Gen, there wasn't a single soul in sight.

However, There were cameras in a place like this, and two hidden ones at that.

What is the point of doing this?

Uesugi Gen pondered quietly while drinking his beverage as if nothing were amiss.

First, rule out the school installing them for safety reasons; a few broken trees and a bench aren't worth more than two cameras.

Secondly, if it were for the safety of the students on campus, a single normal camera would be enough to cover this area; there would be no need for two hidden cameras.

Excluding these, only the most basic function of a camera remains.

Observation and recording.

Furthermore, the school went a step further by installing hidden cameras.

It is clearly to observe the students better without letting them notice the existence of the cameras.

Just like a lab mouse, if it sees a camera, it might become anxious and act differently than usual, causing the experiment to fail.

By the same logic, The school's purpose in doing this must be to observe the students' daily actions as authentically as possible.

What is worth observing about students?

Combined with what Hoshinomiya said earlier, the answer is obvious—value.

Uesugi Gen stood up from the bench, tossed the empty can into a trash bin, and walked slowly back to the dorms.

Where does a student's value lie? Academic background, physical fitness, judgment, moral character, and so on.

But apart from academic background, none of the above can be judged concretely.

As such, there must be something to quantify these indicators, otherwise, it would be impossible to distinguish the level of specific value.

In the end, the indicator the school has derived is likely—

—Points.

The 100,000 points issued earlier represent the value of the students.

Uesugi Gen arrived at the boys' dormitory, requested his room key from the dorm manager, and headed toward his room.

Judging from the words of the Class D students earlier, the points issued to their class were also 100,000.

In other words, in the eyes of the school, the value of all students is 100,000.

But on the other hand, the school has also divided students into four classes—A, B, C, and D—based on assessments of student aptitude and other background investigations.

This is the crux of the problem.

In the eyes of the school, every student currently has a value of 100,000; everyone's value is identical.

However, the school has also definitively divided students into four classes—A, B, C, and D—based on their value.

A single student cannot have two different values at the same time.

Thinking about it this way, there is only one possibility: this value is dynamic in the eyes of the school.

In other words, these values change based on the words and actions of the students as perceived by the school.

Initially, all students have a value of 100,000, but after being observed through the school's cameras and other means, the students' class value will shift into the A, B, C, and D rankings established by the school after a period of time.

At the same time, since there is a ranking between classes, there must be competition, just like the game the school conducted this time. Through the competition of student values, the classes form the result of the four classes A, B, C, and D.

The results of this game are distributed to students in the form of points at the beginning of every month based on their value.

To cultivate more excellent students, the school divides them into four tiers and forces them to compete, using a "survival of the fittest" method to determine the most outstanding class.

This is the truth the school has been covering up.

Ding. The elevator doors opened, carrying Uesugi Gen slowly upward.

However, If the school's true goal is to cultivate more excellent students, There is a fatal flaw in this logic—the lack of an incentive mechanism for competition.

Competition requires rewards; expecting the ox to run without letting it graze is unrealistic.

Point rewards should only be a part of it, not the whole.

After all, as long as they don't pursue a high quality of life, students can simply slack off to the end. They won't starve to death in this school, and the school can't do anything about them.

Uesugi Gen thought for a moment, then pulled out the pamphlet the school had just issued, looking at the 100% college entrance and employment rate printed on it.

I'm afraid this is the key to how the school manipulates the students. The 100% employment and college entrance rate must be the reward for the final victors.

160 people, all entering prestigious universities and major corporations—no matter how you look at it, that's too exaggerated.

Although I don't want to say it, if those guys from Class D just now waved the school's recommendation letters and ran to work at my company, I'd probably kick them out with one foot, blacklist this school forever, and turn it into a school of the dead.

What kind of status is that, working at the same company as me?

Uesugi Gen scratched his head and muttered to himself, "I just feel like this school is a bit boring!"

Forget it, never mind that. There are more important things right now.

Uesugi Gen looked at the room number in front of him: Room 404. What a forbidden room.

Opening the door, Uesugi Gen scanned the room. It wasn't large, only about 14 cubic meters, but it was fully equipped with everything one might need.

Uesugi Gen looked around the room with a bit of excitement.

Three years. For the next three years, this place will belong to me. No matter what I do, no one will come to bother me.

I can play games all night until I'm sick of them, go to sleep whenever I want, and eat whatever I want.

Yes, the wish of a 16-year-old boy is just that simple and unadorned. Compared to a boring student cultivation plan, saving the world in another dimension is much more suitable for me.

Hehehe, forget about moral tests or proof of value; a beautiful, happy life is beckoning to me.

New book launch, begging for data, thank you all readers, please have some tea (respectfully).

Chapter 4: The Good Guy Senior

"You guys are first-years, right? Get lost quickly, this is our turf."

"What do you want? I was here first. You guys are an eyesore, get out of here."

Sudo Ken felt like everything was going wrong today.

Not only was he forced to introduce himself by some blonde guy in his class, But because he didn't bother to learn the school rules on the first day, he couldn't pay at the convenience store.

And now, he was being picked on by second-years.

Are you kidding me? Why should he let second-years look down on him?

As long as he practices basketball hard, he will definitely become a professional basketball player in the future. The guys in front of him would absolutely be trampled under his feet one day.

With that in mind, Sudo Ken didn't hesitate to resist the trio of second-years.

"Did you hear that? He said get lost. Looks like a pretty arrogant first-year has arrived."

Listening to the second-years' provocation, Sudo Ken suddenly stood up and slammed his half-eaten cup of instant noodles onto the ground, scattering soup and noodles everywhere.

"Whoa—so scary. Which class are you in? No, let me guess. It's Class D, right?"

"So what if I am!"

"Did you hear that? He said Class D! Just as I thought! The true colors are finally showing."

"Huh? What do you mean by that! Hey!"

After Sudo Ken gave that reply, all the upperclassmen immediately looked at each other, and after a brief moment, they suddenly burst into laughter.

"Did you hear that? He said Class D. Just as expected! Their true colors are finally showing."

"Huh? What do you mean by that! Hey!"

"We'll leave this place to you poor 'defective products' for today, let's go."

"Are you trying to run away!"

"Go ahead and bark, keep barking! You'll be seeing hell soon enough anyway."

The three of them walked away, laughing loudly.

Oh my!

It seems I've just overheard something quite extraordinary, haven't I?

Uesugi Gen, who was eating noodles and watching the commotion from the side, revealed a meaningful smile.

"Hahaha, I'm really looking forward to it, seeing that 'defective product' from earlier experience what hell looks like."

In a secluded alleyway, the trio of second-years walked along while discussing the red-haired first-year from earlier.

Whenever the discussion reached an exciting point, they would occasionally show exaggerated smiles on their faces.

"His expression just now was truly hilarious, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, this school is really quite interesting, isn't it, seniors? However, I have a few questions I'd like to ask you seniors, and I'm sure you'll be willing to enlighten this junior, right?"

A gentle voice rang out abruptly from behind the second-year trio, startling them and causing them to spin around sharply.

They saw a very handsome young man smiling as he walked slowly toward them, his hands slightly raised—one palm open, the other holding a phone—to signal that he meant no harm.