Private Points That Weren't Distributed Properly / Every Action Had a Goal

"Don't say things like that. Could you at least spare me a little dignity? Anyway, Raku's score is lower than mine now. Haha—"

Three hundred points... That was my proud score as the person who came in last, the result of getting just sixty points in every subject.

"I got lucky this time, too." Looking at my name printed on the very last line, I sighed. Ichinose, however, didn't seem too pleased to hear that.

"That wasn't luck at all. You must have a complete grasp of how the scores are calculated, Raku."

"I don't think I have that kind of skill. It was just a coincidence."

"Couldn't you take the exams seriously, Raku? If something goes wrong next time... You promised me before the exam that you'd do your best."

"I didn't promise that. I just said I'd try my best."

"And you call that trying your best? Isn't that just bullying?" Ichinose complained, pouting.

"I'm sorry. But I really am being honest. I'm not trying to deceive you."

As long as I didn't get expelled, that counted as doing my best on an exam, didn't it? And don't look at me with such a cute expression. It makes me feel guilty.

Ever since this midterm exam, none of us had thought anyone would be expelled as a result. In other words, we had taken this exam with victory as an absolute given.

Today, after learning the results, the class was filled with joy. Yet that was precisely what confused me.

It was like a war where a billion people fought one unarmed person. Knowing we were certain to win, why did that make us happy?

A win was a win. We'd won without a hint of suspense.

Since we'd won, why should we be happy about it?

No, we were happy precisely because we'd won.

That was how it should be. So why wasn't I feeling any joy? Wasn't it said that smiles spread through a crowd? Then why, surrounded by everyone, did I feel nothing?

And what was the reason? Why were we laughing?

Chaotic and contradictory thoughts battled fiercely in my mind, neither able to gain the upper hand.

It was an evenly matched war. Each side was held back by the other's existence, unable to advance. I knew it could only end with both sides surviving or both sides perishing, but I couldn't accept either outcome.

"But I'm so glad we're all still together." Ichinose quickly came to her own conclusion about what I'd been thinking, a happy smile lifting the corners of her lips.

It wasn't just Ichinose. Everyone but me had reached their conclusions at once. There seemed to be an insurmountable gulf between them and me.

But what was it?

I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to work out the connection, but in the end, I got nowhere.

"Why do you seem even more listless than usual? Did you not sleep well last night?"

"Have you been spying on me? How would you know that?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Most people wouldn't have the slightest interest in spying on you. Even if you became a celebrity one day, the paparazzi wouldn't follow your boring daily life."

"That's harsh. I just wanted to sleep."

"You've got plenty of time to rest today. Go back to the dorm and sleep as much as you like."

"But isn't there a victory party later?"

"Are you actually planning to go?"

"It's a class get-together. I suppose I'll show up..."

"That's not like you. You could've just turned them down."

"Because someone else is keeping an eye on my dinner."

"That sounds rough." Kanzaki gave me a strange smile that could only be described as mocking.

The truth was, I could have brushed it off and refused. Yet for some reason, I'd chosen to go.

And I still couldn't clearly explain why.

Chapter 19: Private Points That Weren't Distributed Properly

[The second- and third-year students received their points as usual. We didn't run into this problem when we were first-years, either.]

[Information timed out and was deleted.]

After confirming that the message had been completely erased from the program, I deleted Senior Yoshii's contact information as well, making sure not to leave any traces. I didn't trust the school's self-developed social media app. Although most of us used it, I was worried someone might be able to snoop on our chat history, so I'd made my own instead.

July 1—the day the Class Points were announced and Private Points were transferred.

After finishing a slightly nerve-racking midterm exam, we'd returned to our usual leisurely routine.

Students in Classes A through D were assigned according to ability. Judging by academic performance, Class B had no trouble with exams, and Class A was presumably the same. I couldn't be sure about the other classes' results, or what their abilities amounted to, but if they couldn't clear such a basic hurdle, there was no point in having them here.

Back to the points: Senior Yoshii had messaged me because, in the early hours of that morning, we hadn't received our Private Points. Class Points weren't reset to zero without reason, and the second- and third-years receiving their points as usual suggested that the school wasn't under an overwhelming financial burden.

The only likely explanation was that some kind of dispute had arisen among the higher-ups responsible for the first-years, delaying the distribution.

"You're late as usual. Can you tell me what you've been doing in your dorm all this time?"

"Nothing special. I just didn't feel like getting here early."

"That's quite an individualistic answer."

"Thanks for the compliment." After finishing my conversation with Kanzaki, I put down my shoulder bag and was about to lie down on my desk and spend the rest of the break that way. Unfortunately, Ichinose interrupted me again.

"Did you get enough rest last night, Raku? You always seem sleepy in the mornings."

"If you don't get enough rest, you could drop dead. As for why I'm sleepy every morning... It's probably a habit. I've been like this for a long time."

"How can that be a habit—"

"By the way, Ichinose, have your Private Points arrived this month? I checked my balance this morning, and it didn't seem to have changed. Is something wrong?" I cut her off before she could start fussing over me like a mother.

"So Raku hasn't received his, either... It isn't just us. None of the first-years have received their points. We don't know what the problem is yet. We'll have to wait until Teacher Hoshinomiya gets here."

As soon as she finished speaking, the bell rang to announce the start of morning homeroom. Teacher Hoshinomiya stumbled in, looking a little tipsy. Her hair was a mess, but at least she was dressed properly.

"Looks like Teacher Hoshinomiya went drinking again last night," Ichinose said with a helpless sigh.

"It's not the first or second time. You should be used to it by now." She had such a strong desire to move up a class, yet she got drunk every night. What a strange person.

"Good morning, everyone. Let's open our textbooks to—"

"Teacher, it's morning homeroom."

"Huh? Oh, right. Sorry, I went to bed pretty late last night, and my head's still spinning. Now then... Come to think of it, I don't think I prepared anything to talk about during homeroom today."

"..."

What a reassuring teacher.

"Teacher, it's already July 1..." Someone weakly reminded her from the side. Only then did Teacher Hoshinomiya notice the poster tube in her hand.

"Ahaha, I was just kidding. I wanted to see if you were paying attention, and it looks like you're all in great shape." Teacher Hoshinomiya nodded proudly and put up this month's Class Points rankings on the blackboard.

Class A—1,004 points

Class B—664 points

Class C—462 points

Class D—87 points

"Our Class Points are only fourteen higher than last month, but Class A's increase wasn't very big, either. I'm sure you can all work hard and catch up. You'll need to think of some ways to do that." Teacher Hoshinomiya was analyzing the changes in the points, but we weren't paying attention. Instead, we were growing even more confused.

"If they're not zero, then why haven't we received our Private Points?"

"The system must be malfunctioning."

"Teacher Hoshinomiya, we haven't received our Private Points for this month. Do you know why?"

"You haven't received this month's Private Points?" Teacher Hoshinomiya asked in surprise.

"That's right. The school should distribute them in the early hours of the day, shouldn't it? But when I checked my account this morning, the balance hadn't changed. It's still the same now."

"Can we know why?"

"How could that be...? Wait, let me check my messages." With that, Teacher Hoshinomiya hurried back to the staff room to find out what was going on.

She was back before long, trotting in, breathless.

"Don't worry about the points. There's been a dispute, so they weren't distributed on time. They'll probably be distributed sometime over the next few days. Keep an eye out for the exact amount."

"Is the dispute with the government?"

"Your teacher doesn't know. The notice only says that distribution has been suspended due to a dispute. The school hasn't provided any details about the cause."

"Will the school give us extra points to make up for the delay?"

"Of course not. I've taught here for years, and the school has never compensated anyone for a mistake. You should also understand the school's difficulties. The government doesn't just hand over money for nothing."

"There's nothing we can do about that. At least the school hasn't swallowed our Private Points." Shibata spoke up from the side, sounding relieved.

"That's true, but you can still look forward to something."

"Look forward to what? Didn't you just say there's no chance of compensation?"

"We won't get compensation, but we might receive a reward, right? For example, if we help the school resolve the dispute. It could be like the club activities I told you about during lunch the other day. Though that doesn't seem very realistic, since we don't even know whether the dispute is internal or with an outside party."

"Actually, forget I said anything. Don't take what I just said seriously. For now, you should focus on Class Points. Your help is necessary for my final evaluation, so let's all work hard and move up to Class A."

Teacher Hoshinomiya quickly moved on from the dispute, and we didn't dwell on it either. The conversation returned to the gap between the Class Points.

"We're a full 340 points behind Class A. Catching up seems way too difficult."

"Even Class D made more progress than us this time. Did we overlook something? Or is it easier to raise your points when you're at the bottom?"

I didn't know whether it was easier to raise your Class Points from the bottom, but I leaned toward no. After all, Class A's increase was also quite substantial.

When Teacher Hoshinomiya had told us the truth about this school, she'd mentioned some of the reasons our points had been deducted. Being late, being absent, leaving class without permission, using phones, and so on. We'd improved on these basic rules of conduct, but I didn't think that could be considered earning points. At least, it wouldn't be the main reason. Class D must have done something significant to gain those 87 points.

The only thing that could have served as a test this month was the midterm exam. Maybe they'd done something special around that time. For example, buying exam papers or buying points...

The discussion in class grew louder. I silently tallied the conclusions I could draw.

First, the S System had a set formula for calculating increases and decreases in points. I'd reached that conclusion based on the uniformity of the Class Points.

Another point was the decrease in Class C's score. We hadn't been surprised that their Class Points had gone down. They deserved the punishment. After all, they seemed to have done a lot of nasty things to students in our class, though I hadn't experienced any of it myself.

I thought I could guess why they'd done it. If I was right, then they had some kind of leader behind them. It was hard to imagine most people in a class without a leader doing things that violated basic standards of decency. Even Class D hadn't done anything that outrageous.

And anyone capable of that must be quite ruthless and self-willed. They'd make use of anything they could until they achieved their goal by any means necessary. Just thinking about someone like that was terrifying.

"I'll let you in on something. Apparently, we might get the chance to spend this summer vacation at a resort on an island in the south." Watching the students discuss things animatedly, Teacher Hoshinomiya smiled happily and let slip something she shouldn't have told us.

"Whoa, seriously? Is something like that really going to happen?"

"Don't get too excited, Okabe. It hasn't been confirmed yet. The school is still considering whether to go ahead with it, but if it does, it'll last for two whole weeks."

"Teacher, didn't you say you used to be a student at this school? Did you get to go?"

"Of course! I went swimming at the beach back then. It was super relaxing. The sun was really strong, and there were quite a few mosquitoes, but overall, it was a great experience."

"Teacher got to go, too? Maybe it's a regular event. That's so great!"

But would this school really be that kind?

I watched Teacher Hoshinomiya's expression from a corner of the room, but I couldn't read anything from it. Her words, like her, had many layers, and she hid her intentions very well.

Chapter 20: Every Action Had a Goal

If someone went onto a battlefield believing they were bound to lose, and the war did indeed end in defeat, then they had still won. Things had gone exactly as they expected; everything had been under control. In that sense, victory had been inevitable.

So, believing I could never find the lost object, I wandered around campus in pursuit of my final victory. But I lost. I lost completely. The small black object I'd lost was right there in my hand.

I hadn't mentally prepared myself to find it, so I stood there, dumbfounded, for quite a while after retrieving it. My mind was full of nerves, like a trap about to spring and expose me.

No prey had been caught. The only thing that had set off the trap was an unremarkable pebble. The feeling of having your carefully prepared trap ruined was probably what I was experiencing now.

Looking on the bright side, maybe they'd done it on purpose... No, that was ridiculous. The whole thing was over, and all this time, I'd been fighting a battle of wits with thin air. It was embarrassing no matter how I looked at it.

I casually brushed off the tiny grains of dirt stuck to the object. After blowing on it and checking, I found it was perfectly intact. It didn't even look as though anyone had tampered with it.

Well, in a way, that was a pretty good outcome.

"Raku?" Just as I was gazing at the distant sunset, Ichinose's voice came from behind me.

"Good evening."

"Good evening... Why are you here, Raku? At this time of day, aren't you usually in the cafeteria with Kanzaki and the others?"