True Meritocracy

A burst of cheering filled the classroom. It was hard to tell whether everyone was celebrating not being split into different classes or having a cute homeroom teacher for the next three years.

"Next, I'll explain the school rules. This school is fully residential. Everyone will live in a private student apartment, and unless you have a special reason, you're not allowed to leave campus."

"Of course, besides the classrooms, the school has plenty of facilities for you to enjoy yourselves." Chie Hoshinomiya counted them off on her fingers, a playful smile on her face. "There are restaurants, shopping streets, karaoke rooms, and cafés. I promise you won't get bored."

Then she told them a rule that was even more surprising.

"Also, the school has introduced a special S System." Chie Hoshinomiya took out her phone and showed it to the class. "The phones you've received come with a Student ID app, where you can check your Private Points."

"Private Points are a little complicated to explain, so just think of them as money you can spend at school. One point equals one yen."

"Your points will be deposited automatically on the first of every month. You can check them on your Student ID. This is your living allowance while you're at school."

"By the way, you've each got 100,000 points."

"What?!"

"100,000?!"

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

The classroom immediately erupted into a hubbub. Every student pulled out their new phone to check, and soon they saw the same thing beneath their Student ID: Private Points: 100,000.

For an ordinary high school student, it was an enormous sum.

Hashiba Hikaru took out his phone too. The information on his Student ID was clear as day.

[Student ID]

[Name: Hashiba Hikaru]

[Student Number: S01T004617]

[Sex: Male]

[Private Points: 100,000]

"So it really is 100,000. Aren't they being a little too generous? I thought the government funded this school."

Hashiba Hikaru immediately worked out how staggering the expense was. The school had three grades with four classes each, and forty students per class. At 100,000 points per student each month, that came to 48 million a month.

And that was only for one month. Over three years, the cost would probably reach billions. Could they really afford an expense that large?

"There's nothing at school that you can't buy with points. You don't need to be too frugal, because your points will be reclaimed after graduation. So go ahead and enjoy your high school years."

"Of course, you're not allowed to intimidate someone into paying your points for you. Otherwise, your teacher will get angry."

Chie Hoshinomiya pretended to look angry, but whether she meant to or not, she still looked adorable.

After the rules had been explained, Hashiba Hikaru turned to glance at Ichinose Honami beside him. He found her staring blankly at her phone, looking a little strange.

Had she been knocked silly by the windfall?

Hashiba Hikaru gave up on talking to her and began reviewing the rules Hoshinomiya-sensei had described, along with the questions he'd had since arriving at the school.

Three years of residential study, a fully enclosed Artificial Island, a well-equipped commercial district, and 100,000 Private Points given to each student every month.

The more Hashiba Hikaru thought about it, the more deeply his brow furrowed. It all brought one very bad word to mind: test subjects.

No matter how he looked at it, the school had invested on such a massive scale, yet still managed to guarantee a 100% rate of advancement to higher education and employment. That could only mean the school had rules governing how it operated.

And those rules certainly weren't there to let everyone enjoy a carefree life with plenty of spending money, brand-new phones, and private dorm rooms.

"This school follows the principle of meritocracy."

The Student Council President's words were like an invisible thread, tying together all of Hashiba Hikaru's questions.

A theory slowly took shape in the boy's mind. Now he just needed to verify it.

Hashiba Hikaru had decided on the day he received his Acceptance Letter that he would graduate from this school. Since he'd already noticed something was off, he couldn't begin campus life without finding out what was going on.

So he raised his right hand.

"Teacher, may I ask a question?"

Ever since Chie Hoshinomiya had entered the Class 1-B classroom, she'd been secretly observing the students.

This wasn't her first time serving as Class 1-B's homeroom teacher, so she knew the overall ability of the students in front of her very well.

They were fairly good, but still a cut below the very best. Unless someone stood above the rest and led them forward, they had no chance of reaching the top.

Seeing everyone lost in dreams of the comfortable life ahead, she couldn't say she was in a very good mood.

Looks like I'm in for another three boring years. Honestly.

But then, Hashiba Hikaru's words rang in Chie Hoshinomiya's ears like a thunderclap. Her eyes immediately locked onto the boy who had raised his hand.

He had an exceptionally handsome face, with a high nose bridge and clear light shining in his eyes. But his lips were on the thin side, and his eyes tilted slightly upward at the corners, so he didn't look like a gentle, handsome type. Instead, his good looks had a sharp edge.

If I ran into him outside school, I might go over and strike up a conversation.

Chie Hoshinomiya immediately put on what she considered her cutest smile and said to Hashiba Hikaru, "Of course. Your teacher will tell you."

"I wanted to ask: are the 100,000 points definitely deposited automatically every month?"

"Well..."

"That question is a little difficult. I can't answer it right now."

Chie Hoshinomiya put on an expression as if she were in a difficult position, but she could feel her heart racing out of control. She stared intently into Hashiba Hikaru's eyes, eager to see how he would respond.

The other students had caught on after hearing their exchange. They all turned to look at Hashiba Hikaru, apparently wondering why he'd asked.

Noticing Ichinose Honami looking his way too, Hashiba Hikaru smiled faintly and spoke.

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

"After all, you just said there's nothing at school that you can't buy with points. That should include the school rules, right?"

He really figured it out!

Chie Hoshinomiya could barely contain her delight. She was now completely sure that the student before her was a trump card.

A trump card who could completely crush that woman!

"You can buy it, but can you afford the price?"

"How much are you planning to charge?"

"Two million Private Points, take it or leave it." Chie Hoshinomiya's gaze met Hashiba Hikaru's. "I'll tell you everything you want to know."

"..."

True Meritocracy

Ichinose Honami was a very smart person. There was no doubt about that.

Although the school's extravagant 100,000 points had left her a little dazed, she quickly realized that Hoshinomiya-sensei's refusal to answer was itself an answer.

It meant that the school really did have core rules the new students didn't know about. And the fact that those rules cost two million points to learn spoke volumes about their value.

So Ichinose Honami decided to do her part.

"Hashiba, wait a moment."

Hashiba Hikaru had been waiting for her to speak, so he immediately asked, "Oh? Ichinose, do you think I'm wrong?"

"No, I trust your judgment. If this school really does have hidden rules, then the two million points should be paid by everyone together."

"That's right. I was thinking the same thing."

Hashiba Hikaru nodded. To raise two million points, everyone in Class 1-B would have to give up half of the 100,000 Private Points they'd just received. That was obviously no easy task.

This was where Ichinose could step in. Since the girl had already managed to get along with the class on the very first day, she was sure to have some influence over their decision.

"Then, Hashiba, please explain your reasoning." Ichinose Honami glanced around the classroom, and everyone's attention turned to them. "I believe we can raise the points as long as you can convince everyone."

"All right. Thanks for trusting me."

Hashiba Hikaru paused, then began explaining his analysis.

"First, we all know that the school publicly boasts a 100% rate of advancement to higher education and employment. That means the students who graduate from here must be exceptionally capable. If the school had a demanding curriculum and subjected us to brutal training, I could understand how it achieved those results."

"But as Hoshinomiya-sensei said, the school has plenty of places for students to relax. It also generously gives everyone 100,000 points in living expenses every month."

"If I were running the school, how would I make sure that every student studied hard after receiving the money instead of spending their time having fun?"

"After all, 100,000 is no small amount. It has enough buying power to give the students a very comfortable life at school. Once they got the idea, they'd find it hard to resist indulging themselves. That's human nature."

After hearing Hashiba Hikaru's words, Ichinose Honami understood a little better. They were all teenagers, after all, and very few of them could truly resist temptation.

"Besides, this school is fully enclosed, which means we'll be spending a long time together. Even if some students have enough self-control to study seriously every day, could they really stay unaffected when they saw everyone else enjoying a carefree school life?"

As he spoke, Hashiba Hikaru studied the students' expressions. Everyone was considering this new angle he'd brought up. That was exactly what he wanted.

"If students started wanting to enjoy themselves, how would the school make sure it could still maintain its 100% rate of advancement to higher education and employment?"

Hashiba Hikaru slowly delivered his final point, each word landing with weight.

"That means there must be rules we don't know about, rules that play a decisive role behind the scenes. They'd have to overturn every other possibility and ensure there was only ever one outcome."

By the time his analysis was complete, Class 1-B's classroom had fallen utterly silent.

After witnessing everything, Chie Hoshinomiya was more satisfied with Hashiba Hikaru than she could have imagined. She'd always thought the students assigned to Class 1-B were merely backup material, but on the very first day of school, one of them had already noticed the school's Deep Rules.

In the more than ten years since the school was founded, this had never happened before.

And this student was in her own Class 1-B. She was sure he'd shine in the competition over the next three years.

"Well, Hashiba? Are you going to pay the Private Points?"

"I'll wait until everyone has had a chance to think it over. We'd be giving up half the points we just received, so I can't make that decision for everyone."

That was what he said, but Hashiba Hikaru clearly gave Ichinose a look, signaling that it was her turn to step in.

Although Ichinose Honami had only met Hashiba Hikaru that day, she already felt an unusual sense of trust in him. So she immediately picked up where he'd left off.

"After hearing Hashiba's analysis, I'm sure everyone can tell that there's more to this school than meets the eye. After all, money doesn't just fall from the sky."

Ichinose Honami stood up and began talking the class through it.

"Five million points is a lot, but if the important hidden rules affect our future education or employment, I think paying now is worth it."

"Besides, wouldn't it be better to understand the rules on the first day of school?"

"Um..."

When she saw that some of her classmates were still hesitating, Ichinose Honami went straight to her last resort.

"If you don't want to pay, how about treating it as a loan from me? I'll pay everyone back once we get our next points."

Her words had an incredible impact. One student immediately stood up and called out,

"I trust Ichinose! I'm willing to pay."

"I'm willing too. We'll be here for three years, and it's only 50,000. We'll get more later."

"Right. We'll still have 50,000 left, which is plenty for a month. It's fine."

Soon, with Ichinose Honami organizing the effort, every student in Class B paid half of the points they'd just received. They quickly raised the two million.

"Thanks for all your effort, Ichinose."

Hashiba Hikaru spoke quietly to Ichinose Honami. He hadn't expected her to offer to loan the points, and he'd gained a deeper understanding of her character.

"Class 1-B is one united group. I'm willing to do my part for the class."

"All right. Thank you."

Hashiba Hikaru said nothing more and turned his gaze toward the front of the classroom.

After Chie Hoshinomiya confirmed the transfer of two million points, she revealed the whole truth to the students of Class 1-B.

Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School truly was a school based on meritocracy, and its advertised 100% rate of advancement to higher education and employment was real.

But not everyone could graduate from the school. Only the students in Class 3-A could enjoy those benefits. Students from the other three classes would graduate with the credentials of other high schools.

That wasn't all. The S System had even more Deep Rules.

Each class had Class Evaluation Points as well as Private Points.

The class score represented the class's ranking within its grade. One Class Evaluation Point was converted into 100 Private Points and deposited into the accounts of that class's students on the first of every month.

More importantly, the classes weren't assigned at random. They were determined through careful evaluation and selection. Class 1-A was made up of the best students, with each class after it ranked in descending order. The least capable students were placed in Class 1-D.

Of course, the school's aim wasn't to decide everyone's fate as soon as classes began. It wanted the students to compete fiercely over the next three years. If they got good results in the designated Special Exams, the Class Evaluation Points they earned would be added directly to their overall ranking.