In other words, even the worst class, Class 1-D, had a chance to make a run for Class A. Everything depended on how everyone performed.
After the school year began, each class would be assigned 1,000 Class Evaluation Points. That was why they received 100,000 Private Points in their first month.
But if exams offered a chance to earn points, there were naturally ways to lose them, too.
For example, breaking school rules would result in point deductions based on the severity of the offense, and the class's Class Evaluation Points would pay the price.
Finally, Chie Hoshinomiya revealed one more rule about points: the school encouraged students to save them, since they could buy anything at this school.
As long as they had enough points, they could even change classes or avoid expulsion. The price, however, was an astronomical 20 million Private Points.
After the rules had been explained, Class 1-B's classroom fell silent once more. Everyone was so shocked by what they'd heard that they couldn't speak.
The good news was that they weren't the worst class.
The bad news was that they would face competition far more brutal than at an ordinary high school, and they might even find themselves at risk of expulsion.
As everyone sat in silence, Hashiba Hikaru suddenly sprang to his feet with a thud and asked another question.
"Sensei, will any of the Special Exams involve physical competition?"
"Of course. The school's goal is to cultivate well-rounded students, and physical education is important, too."
"Understood. Thank you, sensei."
After sitting back down, the boy's expression darkened. He hadn't expected the school's Deep Rules to be so outrageous.
Hashiba Hikaru glanced at his System Panel. His Stamina stat of 3 looked especially glaring now.
With his current physique, he'd be utterly hopeless in any exam that tested physical fitness. He wouldn't just drag his class down; if it were an individual competition, he'd be in even greater danger.
I have to get my stamina back to a normal level as soon as possible.
He opened the System's [Trading Shop]. An [Exercise Booster (30 Days)] cost 100,000 and could raise his current Stamina, but it would only take effect after thirty consecutive days of exercise.
Hashiba Hikaru couldn't help glancing at Ichinose Honami, seated beside him. He clearly remembered what had just happened.
The pink-haired beauty had a strong sense of unity and a deep sense of responsibility. He was confident he could raise the stock price of someone like her.
Then he'd start with her.
I'm going all in!!!
[Purchase Ichinose Honami Stock?]
[Ichinose Honami Stock purchased. Position at maximum.]
[Current holdings of Ichinose Honami Stock: 5,000]
After the purchase, he had 50,000 funds left. But just then, two new messages popped up on the System Bar.
[You revealed the school's hidden rules. Ichinose Honami's trust in you has increased. Ichinose Honami Stock has risen by 30 points. Current stock price: 40]
[Your efforts to unite the class with her made Ichinose Honami happy. Ichinose Honami Stock has risen by 10 points. Current stock price: 50]
Whoa!
Hashiba Hikaru stared at the stock he'd just bought. Its price had already shot up to 50. If he sold it all, he'd immediately turn it into 250,000 in system funds.
How should he put it? The way he looked at Ichinose Honami had completely changed.
Was she a beautiful girl?
No. She was a glittering gold mine!
Points Harvesting Plan
After the Deep Rules had been revealed, everyone in Class 1-B fell silent. The school's cutthroat, survival-of-the-fittest approach to education was so shocking that no one knew what to say.
According to Hoshinomiya-sensei, only Class A students in each year were guaranteed to graduate. Students in all the other classes had no such guarantee.
Everyone could easily imagine how fierce the class competition would become. This was no joke.
By all rights, Class B was near the top of the rankings. They only had to beat Class A, the class ahead of them, to claim victory. But according to the placement rules, Class A had the strongest students overall. They wouldn't be easy to overcome.
What's more, the two classes below them wouldn't simply sit back and do nothing. If they wanted to climb the rankings, Class B was an obstacle they'd have to get past.
So if Class B wanted to rise, they'd have to keep their eyes on Class A while also staying wary of the two classes behind them. That was probably the school's intention: to make everyone compete with all their might.
Seated at her desk, Ichinose Honami could clearly sense that the atmosphere in class was off. Seeing that everyone seemed uneasy, the girl's sense of responsibility immediately kicked in. She wanted to step forward and lead the class onward.
But just as Ichinose was about to act, she saw that Hashiba, the student who had just revealed the rules, had already risen from his seat.
"Ms. Hoshinomiya, we don't have class this morning, right?"
"That's right. Once homeroom is over, you can head back to your dorms and rest. Classes following your schedule begin tomorrow."
"Could you wait a little? I'd like to take up some of your time. There's something I'd like to say."
Hearing Hashiba Hikaru's words, Chie Hoshinomiya smiled again and nodded agreeably. "Sure. I can wait until you're done."
"But since you're taking up your teacher's time, you'll have to help me carry some textbooks afterward."
"..."
Hashiba Hikaru fell silent for a moment, then agreed with a grimace.
He might have the stamina of a weakling, but he needed to confirm something with the teacher about what he was about to do. That was why Chie Hoshinomiya had to be there.
"I can help carry the textbooks, too."
Ichinose Honami quickly seized the opportunity. She'd been looking for a chance to have a proper talk with her deskmate for a while—not only because she was curious, but also because she was thinking about Class B's future.
"Sure. Then you two are the ones helping me."
While collecting Private Points earlier, Chie Hoshinomiya had already noticed that, aside from Hashiba Hikaru, Ichinose was also an impressive student.
To have such influence on the very first day of school was remarkable. She was clearly no ordinary student.
"Sorry for the trouble, sensei. I'd like to use the blackboard."
Hashiba Hikaru left his seat, walked over to the blackboard, and picked up a piece of chalk.
At the sight of his actions, the students in Class B perked up and turned their attention to the front of the classroom.
Everyone knew that this Hashiba had just revealed the school's Deep Rules, so they had high expectations of him.
"What I want to talk about is actually quite simple: class competition."
Hashiba Hikaru did his best to make his tone sound serious. He didn't do this sort of thing often, but to raise Ichinose Honami Stock's price, he had no choice.
Just now, after Ichinose Honami Stock's price had risen to 50 points, Hashiba Hikaru had used an item from the [Trading Shop].
The [Stock Analyzer] cost 1,000 funds per unit, and he could buy up to five a month. It analyzed the traits of stocks that had gone live, then offered suggestions for raising their prices and warned him of risks that could lower them.
After he used it on the pink-haired girl beside him, the system provided a detailed report.
[Ichinose Honami Stock]
Stock Information: A girl trusted by her classmates. She is kind and gentle, stands up against injustice, and dares to speak out for what is right. She has a heart of gold and can talk to anyone, but few people have truly gotten close to her.
Suggestions for Raising the Stock Price: Help Class B climb the rankings, unite the class, and prevent classmates from being expelled.
Risks of Lowering the Stock Price: Lying to her, doing things that harm the class, or betraying her classmates.
It was because he understood this information that Hashiba Hikaru had stepped forward first.
"After listening to Ms. Hoshinomiya explain the rules, everyone should understand that there are two things that matter most at this school."
"One is Class Evaluation Points." As he spoke, Hashiba Hikaru wrote on the blackboard, trying to make sure his classmates understood. "The other is everyone's Private Points."
"Our class just paid two million Private Points to learn the school's Deep Rules. That's a heavy price, and it could affect our future class competition."
"Yeah, the class's Private Points have been cut in half just like that..."
"I feel the same way."
Someone spoke up in agreement. Clearly, plenty of students in Class B felt the same way.
Hashiba Hikaru paid no attention to the comments and continued in a clear voice, "So my idea is to make the most of those points and minimize the class's losses."
"Hashiba, do you already have a plan?"
A short-haired, athletic-looking boy asked. His name was Shibata Sou. Hashiba Hikaru remembered that he'd struck up a conversation with Ichinose Honami. He seemed to have belonged to a sports club in middle school.
"Yes. I've named the plan the Phased Harvesting Plan." Hashiba Hikaru wrote the words on the blackboard. "And the way to carry it out is to sell the school's rules."
"Sell the rules?"
Ichinose Honami stared at the boy and questioned him. "Hashiba, are you planning to resell the rules we bought to students in the other classes?"
"That's right."
"But the classes are competing against one another, aren't they? If we sell the rules to other classes, won't we lose our advantage?"
"Of course I'm not talking about simply selling the rules outright. That would be helping the enemy, and I'd never do that."
Hashiba Hikaru wrote the letters A, B, C, and D on the blackboard, then continued his explanation.
"If I'm not mistaken, the advantage of buying the rules will only last one month. Once next month's Private Points are distributed, some classes' point totals will surely change. Then each class's teacher will explain the rules, and our advantage will disappear."
"Am I right, Ms. Hoshinomiya?"
"That's right."
Chie Hoshinomiya had already come to stand beside the podium, leaving the stage entirely to Hashiba Hikaru.
"What we need to do now is use this one-month window to turn our information advantage into the greatest possible profit."
Hashiba Hikaru pointed to the letter A on the blackboard.
"According to Ms. Hoshinomiya, Class Evaluation Points are deducted for breaking school rules—for example, not paying attention in class, daydreaming, or using your phone."
"Looking at the school's placement rules, Class A's students are the best of the best. Even if they don't know the school's hidden rules, I doubt they'll break school rules very often during this month."
"Maybe they'll lose only a few dozen Class Evaluation Points in a month. That won't be enough to put much distance between us and Class A."
"I see. I get it." A purple-haired boy picked up where Hashiba Hikaru left off. "So we can just tell them the rules. Even if they find out, it doesn't matter, because Class B will get some Private Points back."
"Exactly."
A hint of approval appeared on Hashiba Hikaru's face. It seemed that there were sharp students in Class B, too. As the second-ranked class, they probably weren't all that bad.
"Since the class rankings are decided by the final Class Evaluation Points, what we need to do this month is make sure our points aren't deducted. We should minimize the gap between us and Class A, while also earning points."
"What if Class A finds out about the rules and wants to sell them, too?"
Ichinose Honami raised her hand. She'd been able to follow Hashiba's reasoning all along.
"That's why I asked Ms. Hoshinomiya to stay," Hashiba Hikaru said, turning to her. "You mentioned a special method when you explained the school's rules, didn't you?"
"What are you referring to?"
Chie Hoshinomiya already knew what he intended to do. Her impression of Hashiba's sharpness had deepened.
"The Contract. It's a tool the school recognizes as proof of a deal."
Hashiba Hikaru smiled as he explained it to everyone. "When we sell the rules to Class A, we can require them to sign a contract promising not to resell them. If they do, it'll count as a breach of contract."
"That way, we'll have made back the points we spent in the first step."
"So we can really do that?"
"Yeah, does that mean we can get back the points we just spent?!"
As the class began to buzz with excitement, Hashiba Hikaru glanced at Ichinose Honami, then nervously looked at his System Bar.
Sure enough, a new message had appeared on the screen.
[Ichinose Honami approves of your plan to recover the points. Ichinose Honami Stock has risen by 10 points. Current stock price: 60]
So This Is What Maximizing Profits Looks Like
Seeing that his actions had earned a rise in Ichinose Honami Stock's price, Hashiba Hikaru was pleased. He then continued explaining his plan to the students in Class B.
"Of course, this is only a preliminary idea. It doesn't guarantee that Class A will agree to buy the rules from us. We'll need to prepare for the negotiations."
Hashiba Hikaru rubbed his chin. Whether the plan would work depended entirely on Class A's reaction. If they didn't take the bait, things would get awkward.
"I have a suggestion about that."
Ichinose Honami raised her fair hand at just the right moment. After listening to Hashiba Hikaru's explanation, she understood that future class competition would revolve around Class Evaluation Points and Private Points.
So if Class B could hold on to more Private Points, they'd still have a chance to turn things around even if their Class Evaluation Points fell.
Before you continue