Classroom of the Elite, A Hypocritical Gray Life

"How, how much?!" A male student couldn't suppress the agitation in his heart and stood up to ask in disbelief.

It wasn't just him; even I was stunned by this figure.

"You heard that correctly, student. Each of your accounts has been credited with 100,000 points. Just to clarify, one point here is equivalent to one yen."

"There's... there's... 100,000 yen in our accounts!"

"The school will deposit points into your accounts on the first of every month. There are no restrictions on how these points can be used, so you are free to spend them as you please."

"100,000 points of income every month, and no spending restrictions..."

Hearing Teacher Hoshinomiya's introduction, the entire class instantly erupted into a frenzy, and students who had previously had no connection began chatting with one another.

I scanned the classroom. Forty people in one class, 160 in a grade, and 480 across all three grades. If it's 100,000 per month, that's an expenditure of 576 million per year. And that's not even considering the capital flow in the commercial district...

How should I put this? It truly lives up to being a school backed by the national government.

"That really is a massive number, isn't it?" Ichinose responded to my internal monologue as if she had read my thoughts.

"Do you think this is really possible, Luomu? Giving us 100,000 in income every month for no reason."

"...I'm not entirely sure."

"True. Teacher Hoshinomiya didn't seem to mention any costs or conditions at all."

Exactly. Even with the backing of the state, this is still far too exaggerated. There must be some hidden secret behind this.

"Alright, alright, settle down now~"

"I know everyone is very surprised, but this is the strength of our school. Furthermore, we measure students based on their individual abilities. Therefore, these 100,000 points are the value you are entitled to."

Measured by ability... value...

"Additionally, these points will be reclaimed after graduation and cannot be converted into social currency for use, so please do not be stingy with your spending. Don't worry about any hidden costs or anything like that, because there are none."

No spending restrictions—this means the school cannot forcibly control the points remaining in a student's account to reclaim them upon graduation.

So, is there really no cost for having such a high amount of points? Or rather, what is the condition?

I was still pondering the potential dangers while the students became even more boisterous.

"Stop, stop. Everyone, don't get so excited! Now, please check if the point balance in your accounts is correct." Teacher Hoshinomiya went to great lengths to suppress the students' enthusiasm, and we eagerly accessed the login interface.

I opened my student account as instructed:

Student Name: Luomu

Academic Ability: C- Intelligence: C

Judgment: C+ Physical Ability: B-

Teamwork: C

Birthday: 11/28

Points Held: 100,000

Ah, ah, these are data points that are mediocre to the extreme. Doesn't this mean I don't have a single specialty? This is just too pathetic!

I blinked my eyes hard, trying to open my data panel in a different way, but I failed—both mentally and in reality.

After confirming the point balance, I began to record the data I could observe from those around me, hoping to find some numbers that would comfort my soul.

And so—

Student Name: Ichinose Honami

Academic Ability: B+ Intelligence: A

Judgment: B Physical Ability: C

Teamwork: A-

Birthday: 7/20

Points Held: 100,000

Damn it, as a guy, I can only narrowly beat Ichinose in physical ability? I'm really losing face for all men.

I rested my head on the desk, feeling a little bit of a tantrum coming on.

"Everyone has confirmed it, right? Any questions?"

"No."

"There really is 100,000 yen!!!"

"This is just—amazing!"

Teacher Hoshinomiya nodded at us with a professional smile. "Since no one has any questions, let's move on to the next segment."

"Oh, right, I should specifically remind you all. Remember this: as long as the items you want to purchase are within the school's regulations, you can buy anything."

"Haha, isn't that just stating the obvious?"

"I suppose the teacher is just trying to bond with us, so she's saying that as a joke." The students didn't react much to Teacher Hoshinomiya's remark, brushing it off as a mere jest.

I silently tucked that piece of information into the back of my mind.

Although I wasn't sure what the true meaning behind it was, since she had gone out of her way to mention it, there must have been some deeper significance.

Teacher Hoshinomiya tidied up the remaining documents in her hands, then clutched them to her chest, making a gesture as if she were about to leave.

"There is still a little time left before the entrance ceremony. In principle, this time is meant for you to move about freely. However, if possible, I would like you to get to know your classmates. After all, you will all be spending the next three years together."

"I have some meetings to attend to, so I won't disturb you any further. I'll come back tomorrow to get to know everyone properly." With that, Teacher Hoshinomiya flashed us a sweet smile and vanished.

At that moment, the classroom fell into silence; it seemed no one felt comfortable enough to speak up.

"Everyone, could you spare a moment to listen to me?"

Ichinose, who was sitting in front of me, suddenly stood up, radiating the aura of a natural moderator.

In this environment, the students who had been flustered by the massive sum of money finally settled down.

Is this the kind of control a class representative should have?

How impressive.

"From now on, we will be living together in the same class. So, why don't we follow the teacher's advice and introduce ourselves voluntarily? If we can become friends, I'm sure our life here will go much more smoothly."

Ah, that damnably energetic speech.

The students nodded one after another, agreeing with Ichinose's point. This synchronized bobbing of heads gave off a sense of harmonious family unity.

"Then I'll start with my own introduction. My name is Ichinose Honami. I hope to get along well with everyone and work hard together. Also, if you run into any trouble, please feel free to ask me for help. Although my abilities are limited, I will still do my absolute best to assist you."

As Ichinose spoke, a gentle atmosphere enveloped the entire classroom, and a sense of reassurance began to spread. However, perhaps because this atmosphere was almost too comfortable, no one responded even after she scanned the room.

Then, her gaze landed on me.

"..."

Even if you didn't look at me with those 'please, I'm counting on you' eyes, I would have been the second one to speak anyway.

Sigh~ women really are dangerous creatures.

I slowly stood up from my seat. There was no helping it; I had to give it my all, pushing my energy-conservation philosophy to its absolute limit.

"My name is Luomu, and I believe in energy conservation. As for hobbies, I enjoy tea ceremony and calligraphy, though I haven't achieved much in either. Please treat me well."

After I finished, Ichinose nodded at me with a smile, and I sat back down.

"Mm, very good. Who's next?"

"I'll go," the purple-haired student sitting next to me stood up. "My name is Kanzaki Ryuji. I don't have much to talk about, but I do consider myself to have fairly strong athletic and academic abilities. As for hobbies, they're a bit dull, so I'll skip them. Please treat me well."

"Next, it's my turn. My name is Shibata Sou. I was really into soccer in middle school and even won first place in a school tournament. I definitely plan to play soccer at this school as well. Please treat me well."

Just like that, under Ichinose's guidance, the class successfully completed the introductions, and for reasons unknown, the atmosphere quickly began to turn pleasant and harmonious.

It was then that I realized that for someone like Ichinose, failure might not necessarily be the only option. Because looking at her now, she was clearly an incredibly capable human being.

"If it's alright with everyone, could we exchange contact information? I'd like to create a class group chat so we can all get to know each other faster."

The sunlight spilled wantonly over Ichinose, a radiance I didn't even want to gaze at, even while squinting.

Chapter 5: I'll Be Taken for a Pervert

"Luomu, aren't you leaving yet? The entrance ceremony is about to start, you know."

Time spent lost in thought always passes unexpectedly fast. Just as I was meticulously counting the leaves on the tall trees outside the window, Ichinose suddenly whispered in my ear.

"Ah, sorry, I was just spacing out."

"Hmm, the classroom is so lively, yet you don't feel like you're part of it... By the way, Luomu, you haven't added my contact info yet, have you? Even though you're sitting so close, you didn't even try to talk to me?"

"I don't think I possess the ability to 'charge in and out seven times'..."

Although I knew Ichinose would be popular, this was my first time witnessing such terrifying behavior; it was almost on par with those fanatical cultists of the Omnipotent Sect I'd encountered before.

Only in terms of their fanaticism, of course.

"Then let's do it now; I'm about to set up the class group chat." Ichinose smiled and handed over her phone, and I performed the operation without hesitation.

"Also, thank you so much for helping me get the class moving."

Get the class moving? She must mean my willingness to introduce myself.

"I just fulfilled Ichinose's request; it was nothing special," I said dismissively.

"Mm, but it was still a choice you made. At that time, no one in the class dared to speak up. It's a good thing you did."

"Even without me, things would have naturally progressed on their own."

Even if you thank me like that, I won't be happy.

"By the way, what's this about energy conservation?"

"I've heard of egoism, hedonism, materialism, and escapism before, but I've never heard of energy conservationism. Is that a new generation of literary belief?"

"It's not that dramatic. Simply put, I'm just afraid of trouble."

"In other words, you don't like doing unnecessary things that would lead to a waste of your own energy—is that how I should understand it?"

So strong!

"I'm truly impressed that Ichinose could understand so quickly."

"Eh, but that doesn't really match the impression I had of Raku."

"Because it's the start of the school year, there's no way to avoid troublesome matters. After this, Ichinose might discover my true nature."

"Can I ask a question?" Ichinose looked at me with curious eyes, sending waves of ominous distress signals through my heart.

"As long as it isn't anything too private, that should be fine."

"Then I'll ask just a little. Um, if you believe in energy conservation, would talking to me right now be considered a troublesome matter for you, Raku-kun?"

"..."

That was a good question.

"I'd say it falls somewhere in between; at the very least, I consider conversing with others to be necessary."

"Phew, that's a relief." Ichinose let out a long sigh.

No, no, no, it is not a relief at all. Please don't make that "thank goodness, there's still hope" expression. I'm simply afraid of trouble, that's all.

"However, if you run into any trouble later on, Raku-kun, don't hesitate to ask for my help."

"If it becomes necessary, I will." I nodded in response.

"Then let's go, the entrance ceremony is about to start." Ichinose held out her hand to invite me.

If I hadn't met Ichinose on the bus beforehand, I definitely wouldn't have ended up in this situation. There were two girls at the classroom entrance; if I remember correctly, they were Shiranami Chihiro and Kobashi Yume. I could tell they had intended to invite Ichinose, but they gave up the moment they noticed my presence.

I wonder if I've been labeled with some strange tag without even realizing it.

This made me feel a bit of a headache. I had originally intended to stay under the radar, but it seems that will be difficult now that I'm involved with Ichinose. But there's no helping it; for now, I'll just have to take things as they come.

I let out a heavy sigh and followed Ichinose's departing footsteps.