In Classroom of the Elite, My Love Stock Market Only Wants a Full Position

A cheer erupted in the classroom, though it was unclear if they were celebrating the lack of class shuffling or the fact that they would have a cute homeroom teacher for the next three years.

"Next, regarding the school rules: this school operates on a completely residential basis. Everyone will live in individual student dormitories, and leaving the school grounds is strictly prohibited unless there are special circumstances."

"Of course, aside from the classrooms, the school is fully equipped with facilities for you all to enjoy," Chie Hoshinomiya said, counting on her fingers with a charming expression. "Whether it's restaurants, shopping streets, karaoke, or cafes, we have it all. I guarantee you won't find yourselves bored."

Immediately after, she revealed an even more surprising rule.

"Also, the school has implemented a special S System," Chie Hoshinomiya said, pulling her phone from her pocket to show everyone. "The phone you received comes with a pre-installed student ID app, where you can check your Private Points."

"Explaining Private Points is a bit complicated, so just think of them as money you can spend at school. One point equals one yen."

"The points will be automatically deposited on the first of every month. You can check your balance on your student ID; these are your living expenses for your time at school."

"By the way, you get 100,000 points."

"What!"

"100,000!!?"

"That's way too much! I've never had that much pocket money before."

The classroom instantly descended into chaos. Every student immediately pulled out their new phones to check, only to find that their student ID clearly displayed: Private Points: 100,000.

For an average high school student, this was undoubtedly a massive sum of money.

Hashiba Hikaru also took out his phone, and the information on his student ID was clear at a glance.

[Student ID]

[Name: Hashiba Hikaru]

[Student ID Number: S01T004617]

[Gender: Male]

[Private Points: 100,000]

"It really is 100,000. Isn't this a bit too generous? Wasn't it said that this school is funded by the government?"

Hashiba Hikaru immediately calculated the terrifying scale of this expenditure. There were twelve classes across three grades in the school, with 40 students per class. If each student received 100,000 per month, that meant paying out 48 million per month.

And that was just for one month. Over three years, it would likely reach over a billion. Was such a massive expense really sustainable?

"There is nothing in this school that cannot be bought with points. You don't need to be too frugal, because the points will be reclaimed after graduation, so please enjoy your high school life to the fullest."

"Of course, you are not allowed to intimidate others into paying you their points. If you do, the teacher will get angry."

Chie Hoshinomiya made a mock-angry face, though whether it was intentional or not, she still looked incredibly cute.

After the rules were explained, Hashiba Hikaru glanced at Ichinose Honami beside him, only to find the girl staring blankly at her phone screen with a strange expression.

Has this girl been stunned by a pie falling from the sky?

Hashiba Hikaru abandoned the idea of striking up a conversation and began to thoroughly review the rules Chie Hoshinomiya had explained, along with the doubts he had about entering the school.

Three years of residential study, a completely enclosed Artificial Island, a rich commercial district inside, and 100,000 Private Points given to students every month.

All of this made Hashiba Hikaru's brow furrow deeper and deeper, as it reminded him of a very unpleasant term: test subjects.

No matter how he looked at it, if they were investing on such a massive scale while still guaranteeing a 100% advancement and employment rate, it meant the school must have its own internal operating rules.

And these rules were definitely not meant to provide everyone with a leisurely life of having money to spend, new phones to use, and individual dorms to live in.

"This school follows a merit-based policy."

The Student Council president's words were like an invisible thread, stringing all of Hashiba Hikaru's questions together from top to bottom.

A hypothesis slowly took shape in the boy's mind, and now he needed to verify it.

From the day he received his acceptance letter, Hashiba Hikaru had decided that he must graduate from this place. Since he had already sensed something was wrong, he absolutely could not begin his school life in a state of ignorance.

Therefore, he raised his right hand.

"Teacher, may I ask a question now?"

Since entering the Class 1-B classroom, Chie Hoshinomiya had actually been secretly observing the students.

This wasn't her first time as the homeroom teacher for Class 1-B, so she was well aware of the overall strength of the students before her.

They could barely be called excellent, but they were still a cut below the absolute peak. Without someone standing above the rest to lead them forward, they would have no chance of challenging for that position.

Seeing everyone lost in fantasies about the affluent life they were about to lead, she naturally wasn't in the best of moods.

Maybe I'm in for another three boring years. Honestly.

However, at that moment, Hashiba Hikaru's words rang out like a thunderclap in Chie Hoshinomiya's ears. Her eyes quickly locked onto the boy in the classroom who had raised his hand.

He had a striking face with a high bridge of his nose and clear, luminous eyes. However, because his lips were thin and the corners of his eyes tilted slightly upward, he didn't look like the gentle, handsome type; instead, he possessed a sharp, refined beauty.

He's the kind of person I might have tried to chat up if I met him outside.

Chie Hoshinomiya immediately put on what she considered her cutest smile and said to Hashiba Hikaru, "Go ahead, the teacher will answer you."

"I'd like to ask, is the 100,000 points definitely deposited automatically every month?"

"That..."

"That question is a bit difficult; the teacher can't answer that for you right now."

Although Chie Hoshinomiya feigned a look of difficulty, she felt her heart begin to accelerate uncontrollably. She stared fixedly into Hashiba Hikaru's eyes, anticipating his next move.

At this moment, the students in the class also realized what was happening after hearing this exchange. They turned their gazes toward Hashiba Hikaru, who was speaking to the teacher, seemingly puzzled as to why he would ask such a thing.

Catching a glimpse of Ichinose Honami looking over as well, Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly and spoke up.

"Then, if we pay the points, can you tell us the answer, Teacher?"

"After all, you just said that there is nothing in this school that cannot be bought with points. The school rules should be purchasable too, right!"

Sure enough, this guy really figured it out!!!

Chie Hoshinomiya's heart began to swell with uncontrollable ecstasy. She was now completely certain that the student before her was an absolute trump card.

A trump card that could completely trample that woman underfoot!

"It can indeed be bought, but can you afford it?"

"I wonder how much you intend to charge?"

"A flat rate of two million Private Points," Chie Hoshinomiya's gaze met Hashiba Hikaru's in the air. "I will tell you everything you want to know."

"..."

Chapter 3: True Meritocracy

Ichinose Honami was a very clever person; there was no doubt about that.

Although she had been momentarily dazed by the school's generous gift of 100,000 points, she quickly reacted. Teacher Hoshinomiya's evasion was, in itself, an answer.

This meant that the school did indeed have core rules that the freshmen were unaware of, and the fact that these rules required two million points to obtain spoke volumes about their value.

Therefore, Ichinose Honami intended to contribute her own strength.

"Hashiba-kun, please wait a moment."

Hashiba Hikaru was waiting for exactly this, so he immediately asked in return, "Oh, does Ichinose-san think there is a problem with what I said?"

"No, I trust Hashiba-kun's judgment. If this school really has hidden rules, then the two million points should be paid by everyone together."

"Indeed, that is also my thought."

Hashiba Hikaru nodded. To scrape together two million, everyone in Class 1-B would have to give up half of the 100,000 Private Points they had just received, which was clearly no easy task.

This was the moment to let Ichinose take the lead. Since the girl had managed to get along with her classmates on the very first day, she would surely be able to influence their decision.

"Then please share your reasoning, Hashiba-kun," Ichinose Honami glanced at the students in the classroom, and all eyes were now focused on them. "I believe that as long as you can convince everyone, gathering the points shouldn't be a problem."

"Alright, thank you for your trust."

After a brief pause, Hashiba Hikaru began to explain his analysis.

"First, there is the information everyone knows: this school advertises a 100% advancement and employment rate. That means the students who graduate from here must be quite outstanding. If the school implemented a high-intensity study plan and grueling training, I could imagine such results."

"But as Teacher Hoshinomiya said, the school has many entertainment facilities for students to pass the time, and it generously provides 100,000 in living expenses every month for everyone to spend."

"If I were the school administration, how would I ensure that all students study hard after receiving the money instead of spending their time on entertainment?"

"After all, 100,000 is not a small sum. Its purchasing power is enough for students to live a quite comfortable campus life. As long as the thought occurs, one will inevitably be tempted to enjoy it; that is human instinct."

Upon hearing Hashiba Hikaru's words, Ichinose Honami felt a sense of realization. After all, they were all teenagers, and only a very few could truly resist temptation.

"Not only that, this school is completely enclosed, which means we will be spending a long time together. Even if there are students with enough self-control to study diligently every day, won't their hearts waver when they see everyone else living a carefree campus life?"

Hashiba Hikaru observed the students' expressions as he spoke. Everyone was pondering this brand-new perspective; this was the effect he wanted.

"Once a situation arises where students want to indulge, how does the school ensure that the 100% advancement and employment rate will not be affected?"

Hashiba Hikaru slowly uttered his final sentence, his voice ringing with impact.

"That means there must be unknown rules at play behind the scenes that act as the deciding factor, capable of overriding all possibilities to ensure the result remains singular."

After the analysis, the classroom of Class 1-B fell into a dead silence.

Standing on the podium, Chie Hoshinomiya witnessed all of this, and she was more than satisfied with Hashiba Hikaru. She had always thought that the students assigned to Class 1-B could only be considered backups, but she never expected a student to appear who could perceive the school's deep rules on the very first day.

In the more than ten years since the school was founded, this was the first time such a thing had ever happened.

Moreover, this student was in the Class 1-B she was teaching. Surely, he would be able to shine brilliantly in the competitions over the next three years.

"How about it, Hashiba-kun? Do you want to pay the Private Points now?"

"I have to wait until everyone understands before I can pay. After all, since we have to pay half of the points we just received, I cannot make the decision for everyone."

Although he said that, Hashiba Hikaru gave a clear wink to Ichinose beside him, signaling that it was her turn to perform.

Although today was the first time Ichinose Honami had met Hashiba Hikaru, she felt a strange sense of trust in him, so she immediately took over the conversation.

"After hearing Hashiba-kun's analysis, I'm sure everyone can realize that this school is not as simple as it appears on the surface. After all, there's no such thing as a free lunch."

Ichinose Honami walked out from her seat and began to work on the students in the class.

"Although 50,000 points is a lot, if that important hidden rule will affect everyone's future advancement or employment, I think it's worth it to pay now."

"After all, if we can understand the rules on the first day of school, won't it be beneficial for the future?"

"This..."

Seeing that some students were still hesitant, Ichinose Honami directly unleashed her final trump card.

"If everyone is unwilling, how about we treat this amount of points as a loan from you all? I will pay everyone back once the new points are distributed."

The power of this statement was astonishing, and students immediately stood up and shouted loudly.

"I trust Ichinose-san, I am willing to pay these points."

"I am willing too. After all, we have to stay here for three years. It's only fifty thousand, and more will be issued later anyway."

"Yes, the remaining fifty thousand is plenty for a month, it's no problem."

Following that, under the organization of Ichinose Honami, every person in Class 1-B paid out half of the points they had just received, and two million was gathered in an instant.

"Thank you for your hard work, Ichinose-san."

Hashiba Hikaru said to Ichinose Honami in a low voice. He hadn't expected this girl to actually dare to propose the idea of borrowing points, and he gained a deeper understanding of her character.

"Class 1-B is a complete collective, and I am willing to sacrifice for the class."

"Alright, thank you."

Hashiba Hikaru did not continue speaking, but instead turned his gaze toward the podium.

After the transfer of two million points was confirmed to be correct by Hoshinomiya-sensei, she revealed the entire truth to the students of Class 1-B.

Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School is a school that truly lives up to its name of meritocracy, and the 100% college enrollment and employment rates advertised by the school are also true.

However, not everyone can graduate from here. Only the students who are in Class 3-A among the students of the same year can enjoy such treatment, while students in the other three classes, B, C, and D, will graduate with the credentials of other high schools.

Not only that, the S System implemented by the school has even deeper rules.

Each class will be divided into Class Evaluation Points and Private Points.

Class points represent the entire class's ranking within the grade. 1 Class Evaluation Point will be equivalent to 100 Private Points, which will be deposited into the student accounts of the respective class on the first of every month.

More importantly, the distribution of classes is not random, but decided after careful assessment and screening. Class 1-A is the most excellent group, and it proceeds in order from there, with the worst group entering Class 1-D.

Of course, the school's goal is naturally not to decide everyone's fate as soon as school starts, but rather to hope that everyone will engage in fierce competition throughout the following three years. As long as good results are achieved in the designated special exams, the Class Evaluation Points obtained will be directly incorporated into the total ranking.