The School's Reward

Horikita Manabu suddenly realized he had underestimated the younger student before him. The boy was far more perceptive than he'd expected.

"Why did you ask me that? I'd like to hear your thoughts."

Rather than answer Hashiba Hikaru's question directly, he posed one of his own.

"It's simple." Hashiba Hikaru shrugged and explained, "This school claims to place ability above all else, so the Student Council—which oversees the students—must wield considerable power."

"That power can extend to every aspect of daily life at school, and might even affect the competition between classes."

"And then?"

Horikita Manabu folded his arms across his chest, curious to hear what kind of analysis the boy would offer.

"But when all is said and done, the Student Council's power isn't unlimited. Its authority comes from the school rules, and above those rules are the school's leadership—or, to put it another way, the School Board."

"Since you said I was the first person in over ten years to discover the Deep Rules, the school must have learned about it as soon as the teachers received the points transferred from our Class B."

"My guess is that since the school designed the puzzle, it would naturally offer some kind of reward to whoever solved it. That would fit with how a school operates."

"I see."

After listening to the boy's explanation, Horikita Manabu nodded slightly, then asked, "So you think I'm here on behalf of the school to reward you, and that the reward is an invitation to join the Student Council?"

"Yes."

Hashiba Hikaru nodded. It was the answer he'd come up with in the shortest time possible. After all, the Student Council President wouldn't normally seek out a first-year student. If the school had sent him, inviting Hashiba to join made sense.

"Was I right?"

"Unfortunately, despite how convincing your reasoning sounds, you're wrong."

Horikita Manabu fixed the boy with a sharp gaze and replied, "The decision to invite you to join the Student Council was mine, not the school's."

"..."

"If I got it wrong, could you explain the answer to me, Horikita-senpai?"

Hashiba Hikaru met Horikita Manabu's gaze without the slightest hesitation.

"Certainly. Let me tell you one more thing. The Student Council's authority does come from the school, but the Student Council President's power isn't limited to that."

"The school did decide to reward you for your outstanding performance. But I'm the one who wants you to join the Student Council."

"The school's original reward was to add 100 points to Class B's Class Evaluation Points and transfer a sum of Private Points to you. But I held it back." Horikita Manabu adjusted his glasses, his tone calm. "That's the answer you wanted."

"I see."

Hashiba Hikaru nodded. He quickly weighed the risks of antagonizing the Student Council President, then spoke again.

"Then, could I ask you to give me the reward I was originally promised, Horikita-senpai?"

A cold glint flashed through Horikita Manabu's eyes. "You're not interested in joining the Student Council?"

"That's right. If I had more free time, I'd rather spend it on myself than devote it to my fellow students for the school's sake."

"Very well. I'll give you the entire reward today."

Horikita Manabu gave Hashiba Hikaru several long looks, then turned to leave without another word.

But just then, the boy called out behind him, "Horikita-senpai, if I wanted to join the Student Council, what would I need to do?"

"..."

Horikita Manabu paused, then turned and glanced at Hashiba Hikaru.

"You're more greedy than I thought. Still, in this school, that isn't necessarily a bad thing."

"I can't help it. I want too many things, and I'm not very good at resisting temptation, so I've gotten into the habit of thinking this way."

"To join the Student Council, you can write an application and submit it to the Secretariat."

With that, Horikita Manabu strode away, leaving Hashiba Hikaru behind to ponder.

"The Student Council, huh?"

He rubbed his chin and murmured, "There was something strange about Horikita-senpai's attitude. If he really wanted me to join the Student Council, why test me?"

"If I'd agreed to join, could he really have withheld the reward?"

Unable to make sense of it, Hashiba Hikaru shook his head and muttered, "Looks like I still know too little about this school. For now, I'll have to keep this question to myself."

He bought a bottle of water from the vending machine and took a few swallows, then returned to the track to keep running. After all, he hadn't completed his hour of exercise yet.

Meanwhile, after returning to the Student Council Activity Room, Horikita Manabu stepped inside and was immediately greeted by a purple-haired girl with two cute little buns on her head.

"President, did you finish your morning workout early today?"

"Yes."

Horikita Manabu handed her his towel, then picked up the backpack on the table. He needed to return to the dorm and shower too.

"Did you meet Hashiba, the student you mentioned yesterday?"

The purple-haired girl was named Tachibana Akane. Like Horikita Manabu, she was in Class A of the Third Year, and currently served as the Student Council's secretary.

"I did."

"What did you think of him?" Worry showed on Tachibana Akane's face. "Can he measure up to Nagumo?"

"Heh." Horikita Manabu gave a quiet laugh, then looked at the girl beside him. "Do you think Nagumo could have discovered the school's Deep Rules on the first day of classes?"

"Well..."

"Though we only spoke briefly, I've confirmed his ability." Horikita Manabu paused, as if the boy's words were still echoing in his mind. "If he goes up against Nagumo... I can't rule out the possibility that he'll win."

"Really?"

Surprise immediately showed on Tachibana Akane's face. After all, the Nagumo they were talking about had brought together every Second Year student and controlled enormous resources. Even Horikita Manabu, the Student Council President, couldn't afford to ignore him.

"Let's wait and see, Tachibana."

"Keep an eye on the Secretariat's applications to join the Student Council. If you see his application, notify me at once."

"Yes, President."

After finishing his morning workout, Hashiba Hikaru was drenched in sweat. He wiped his face, then stared at the System Bar before him.

[Exercise time has reached 60 minutes. Exercise record complete.]

[Exercise Booster active. Exercise goal progress: 1/30.]

"At least I've made a good start."

Hashiba Hikaru gulped down some water, drained the plastic bottle, then brushed the hair blocking his vision over to the right before heading back to his dorm.

By the time he finished showering, it was already eight o'clock. Hashiba Hikaru considered going to the cafeteria for breakfast, but decided to grab some bread from the vending machine instead.

He still needed to adjust to his new exercise routine—not only the schedule, but his body's rhythm as well. It would take perseverance to shake off more than a decade of lethargy from his frail body.

Munching on bread, Hashiba Hikaru entered the Class 1-B classroom and found it surprisingly full. Only a few seats were empty.

As soon as the boy appeared, everyone looked over. Boys and girls alike began greeting Hashiba Hikaru.

"Morning, Hashiba."

"Hey, Hashiba."

"Good morning, Hashiba."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled and returned each of his classmates' cheerful greetings. But when he reached his seat, he found them already gathered around him.

"What's going on?"

The boy was completely baffled. He had no idea what was happening.

His desk mate Ichinose explained, "It's because of the plan you mentioned yesterday, Hashiba."

"You mean the Point Collection Plan?"

"Right. After we parted yesterday, everyone in class started asking what we'd discussed." Ichinose Honami looked a little embarrassed. She hadn't told Hashiba Hikaru beforehand. "I couldn't fend them off, so I took it upon myself to tell everyone about your plan."

"Yeah, Hashiba! A great plan like that should include all of us!"

"I'm willing to do my part to keep our classmates from getting expelled. Let me join too, Hashiba!"

"That's right. We're all one Class B, and we have to face everything together!"

The classmates crowded around him, loudly voicing their support. Every one of them looked ready to refuse to take no for an answer, leaving Hashiba Hikaru stunned.

Hashiba Hikaru's original plan had been to recruit the popular students in class into his own group, then use their influence to reach the rest of the class and further consolidate control over Class B. Finally, Ichinose Honami would take the lead in proposing the plan to collect everyone's points.

But he hadn't expected the entire class to approve of this "absurd" plan already. It seemed they'd reached an understanding among themselves and were just waiting for him to make the final decision.

"Are you all really willing to trust me?"

Hashiba Hikaru's expression grew serious. His gaze swept across the classroom as he slowly said, "Two million points is no small amount. If you join, you'll have far fewer points to spend from now on."

"We've already made up our minds. If Hashiba and Ichinose are in charge of the class, we'll all trust you."

"Yeah. With Hashiba's help, I'm sure Class B will have an advantage in the class competition in the future."

"If I have to give my points to Hashiba, I don't mind scrimping and saving every day."

The speaker was a playful-looking girl. She stared intently at Hashiba Hikaru and even winked at him.

"Don't turn down their goodwill, Hashiba."

Seeing that the boy was still silent, Kanzaki Ryuji spoke up from beside him. "For the next three years, everyone in Class B will be tied to the same boat. If everyone trusts your ability, then go ahead and do it."

"Kanzaki's right," Ichinose Honami added. "If none of us wants anyone to get expelled, we'll collect points faster by working together, right?"

Seeing how determined everyone was, Hashiba Hikaru thought it over for a while, then finally nodded.

He'd hesitated because the plan involved collecting some of his classmates' points. Was it really that easy to take money from someone else's pocket?

But since everyone seemed so eager, he might as well go along with it. If a problem came up, he could figure out a solution then.

"All right, I agree. Since that's settled, we can use the group I created as the class group. Let's add everyone so we don't have to make a new one."

"From now on, we can use the group chat to communicate about anything, making it easier to share information with each other."

"Great, let me in!"

"I want in too!!!"

Just like that, everyone in Class B joined the group Hashiba Hikaru had created the day before. He changed its name to Class 1-B Communication Group, but Ichinose thought it sounded bad, so she changed it to Class B Family instead.

Once everyone had happily joined the group chat, it was just about time for their first class, which was taught by Chie Hoshinomiya.

When the young teacher, still dressed in her fashionable style, walked into the classroom, everyone saw the bright smile on her face.

"Looks like Hoshinomiya-sensei is in a good mood. Did something nice happen?"

A student struck up a conversation with her. After spending time with her the day before, they all knew their beautiful homeroom teacher wasn't very strict and was easy to talk to.

"Oh, something wonderful did happen—and it has to do with Hashiba."

Chie Hoshinomiya looked once more at the boy sitting in the middle of the classroom. When he heard that, a knowing expression immediately appeared on his face. It seemed he'd already met with the Student Council President.

"Huh? It has to do with Hashiba?"

"What happened?"

The students turned their attention to Hashiba Hikaru again. Beside him, Ichinose Honami looked at him just as curiously.

In response, the boy had no choice but to stand and explain, "It's probably the reward from the school."

"A reward?!"

"What kind of reward?"

The students in Class B grew even more excited at the word. Curious expressions filled their faces as they looked at the boy, eager to hear the answer.

"Teacher Hoshinomiya, stop keeping us in suspense and explain it to everyone," Hashiba Hikaru said with a shrug. "I don't know exactly what the reward is either."

"Sure."

The smile on Chie Hoshinomiya's face didn't fade as she explained to the class.

"Since Hashiba helped everyone uncover the school's special rules yesterday, the school has decided to give both Class B and Hashiba a special reward."

"Really?"

"Class B gets a reward too? Could it be... Class Evaluation Points?"