It was a somewhat unexpected question, and her answer was just as direct.
The orange-haired senpai flatly refused.
Kageya Shinjitsu didn't seem disappointed by the refusal. He simply continued laying out his deductions, his gaze fixed on the senpai's face.
"Since you won't tell me, senpai, let me guess. You probably get twenty thousand a month. If you have even slightly higher expenses, you have to go get the free stuff the school provides, right? That's especially tough for girls. It's a really tight budget."
"You can get ten thousand for a score of 100. The school probably wouldn't bother with some weird number-base conversion, since that wouldn't serve much purpose. And the school likely wants new students to figure things out for themselves, which is why it left the scores for each year on the blackboard..."
"Based on the scores of all the classes in the second and third years, along with the points we new students received, a base-100 conversion seems like the most reasonable explanation. By that calculation, we new students started with a score of 1,000, so we got 100,000 points. Whether we can keep getting 100,000 points every month depends on what our score becomes, right?"
"Am I right?"
By the time he mentioned twenty thousand, her expression had already turned a little unnatural. She also looked as if she felt he'd seen right through everything.
Still, she maintained her senpai-like composure.
"That's impressive, but I can't tell you anything, senpai. You'll have to figure it out yourself."
"Are you in Class 1-A, underclassman?"
There really were monsters in every year. It was awful to feel like her intelligence was being crushed every time she spoke to someone like this. The orange-haired senpai sighed.
She hadn't admitted anything, but her attitude made it obvious enough.
She also glanced at the security camera above the podium. It had probably recorded everything they'd said.
It wasn't as if she had let anything slip.
"You can't tell me, huh? Thanks for the hint, senpai. If the information is kept secret from first-years, then it must be about the exams for each year. If a teacher or an upperclassman leaks anything, the student—or even their whole class—gets punished."
"Is that how it works?"
Kageya Shinjitsu muttered to himself.
"Stop, stop! Don't say any more, underclassman."
"I didn't tell you anything. You're just making wild guesses."
"Don't go saying things like that, and don't thank me."
It wasn't just the orange-haired senpai who couldn't take it. She kept waving her hands at him.
Even the other students from Class D nearby were getting annoyed.
So what if he was smart and good at making deductions?
"Looks like it's the class that gets punished."
"If I do something reckless, our class will get punished too."
"So that's why you're not allowed to change classes. And the same goes for you. It's a punishment system, huh?"
Kageya Shinjitsu's words made the senpai cover her face. She'd completely given up.
It was so uncomfortable having everything laid bare. If he kept going, it felt like he'd see right through her underwear.
"If you're done, just leave. We don't know anything."
"Of course I came here for a reason. I still have plenty of questions. Why don't you tell me everything, senpai?"
He'd finally found someone easy to bully. How could he not fleece her for all she was worth? But the third-year Class D students had already made it clear he wasn't welcome. They hurried over and blocked his way.
Then they started driving him out.
"Underclassman, if you're done, leave. Our class has things to do."
"This isn't your class, so don't just barge in. Hurry up and go, underclassman."
Even when the other Class D students came closer to keep him away, Kageya Shinjitsu still managed to pick up some clues.
He kept talking here and there, getting the unfriendly upperclassmen to listen to him.
Only after he was sure there was nothing more to learn did he decide to leave.
"Thanks for the pointers, senpais."
"I hope you get a better score on the next exam."
"If we ever get the chance to work together, I'll come find you."
Gradually piecing together his "hundred thousand whys," Kageya Shinjitsu waved goodbye under the watchful eyes of the third-year Class D students and left.
If you ignored the hostile stares from everyone behind him, he looked like a cute little underclassman who'd just stopped by for a visit.
"You little brat, don't come back."
"Don't come back, you damn first-year."
"Who wants to work with you, you annoying little punk?"
After such a brief encounter, the third-year Class D students already hated this underclassman. Nobody liked feeling as if someone had seen right through them, especially when they'd already said they didn't want to talk and the other person kept pressing them and making guesses.
The worst part was, the damn kid had guessed right...
The third-year Class D students rejected their dear little underclassman. If he came back, he probably wouldn't even get through the door. They'd shut it the moment they saw him and weld it closed.
As for Kageya Shinjitsu, he'd already learned plenty. He didn't mind.
After confirming the direction of the Student Council, he headed there.
The Student Council Office.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Come in."
Only after hearing the invitation from inside did Kageya Shinjitsu open the office door and enter.
The Student Council President he'd seen earlier in the gymnasium was the first person he spotted.
I think his name was Horikita Manabu.
I wonder if he's related to Horikita Shizune, the girl I met earlier.
Kageya Shinjitsu didn't care that he kept getting people's names wrong. He just thought to himself.
"You're a new student, right?"
"What brings you to the Student Council?"
Sitting beside the desk, Horikita Manabu adjusted his glasses as he spoke.
It was rare for a new student to visit the Student Council on the very first day of school.
Most people would have gone out to spend the fortune they'd just received.
"Student Council President, senpai, I have a few questions to ask. And, of course, I also want to report some students for their conduct."
The strange form of address came from Kageya Shinjitsu's mouth, followed by his explanation.
"What?"
"Report a student?"
It was perfectly normal to have questions.
But was he really going to rat out his classmates on the first day? Or was he talking about students from another year?
Horikita Manabu was a little surprised.
"Here's what I wanted to ask you, Student Council President, senpai."
"The points new students receive each month probably aren't a guaranteed 100,000, right? Are they connected to our daily conduct?"
"For example, if we behave badly, our score goes down. Say we have 1,000 points now and can get 100,000 school points. If our score falls below 1,000, the number of points we get later will decrease too. Something like a one-to-one-hundred ratio between our score and the points we receive."
Kageya Shinjitsu paid no attention to whether Horikita Manabu minded. He laid out all of his guesses.
"..."
After hearing so much, Horikita Manabu paused and studied the new student closely.
He hadn't expected a first-year to figure out so much on his first day.
But he had no intention of explaining things in detail.
He could say what he was allowed to say. He couldn't possibly reveal what he wasn't allowed to.
"You should ask your homeroom teacher about those things. The Student Council doesn't handle them."
"If you have questions about the school's rules, you can ask your homeroom teacher."
But that answer made it obvious enough.
"Looks like I guessed right. I already asked some other senpais, and none of them would tell me. My homeroom teacher was evasive too, so the school must have sealed off the information."
"This is a test aimed at us new students, right? Every year's new students have to go through it?"
"Does the school want students to spend points to buy information? Or does it want them to figure it out for themselves?"
"If I remember correctly, school points can be used to buy anything the school offers, right?"
"Then this kind of information counts as something the school offers, doesn't it? How many points would I need to buy it?"
Kageya Shinjitsu stood in front of Horikita Manabu's desk and spoke to him face-to-face.
"You'll have to ask your homeroom teacher about those matters. But I can tell you one thing: school points can indeed be used to buy anything the school offers, whether it's an item or information. Even if you want to change classes, get your expulsion penalty waived, or avoid another school penalty, you can do it as long as you have enough points."
Horikita Manabu didn't disappoint, even with an underclassman peppering him with questions.
There was also a cute girl about 155 centimeters tall in the Student Council Office. She had short, pale-purple hair styled into two buns on top of her head, and she watched in surprise while Kageya Shinjitsu spoke with Horikita Manabu.
"Looks like points are even more useful than I thought."
Kageya Shinjitsu considered it.
He was starting to think about saving up points.
At the very least, he couldn't afford to get expelled, right?
And getting an expulsion penalty waived sounded expensive.
"Could I ask how many points it takes to get an expulsion penalty waived?"
"And how much does it cost to change classes?"
"Twenty million points, whether you want to change classes or get an expulsion penalty waived."
Horikita Manabu answered without hesitation.
"Twenty million. That's a difficult goal. It's no small amount. Is this supposed to encourage class unity? One person can't possibly save up that much alone, can they?"
Kageya Shinjitsu looked disgusted.
He hated things like class pride and teamwork.
"That's right. No student has managed it so far. Even students who used methods like fraud still failed. The ones who came close usually did it as a class."
Horikita Manabu explained.
"This school is interesting. The points must be transferable between people, right? Between upperclassmen and us, or even to the school staff."
"You can transfer them freely, can't you?"
Kageya Shinjitsu asked.
"That's right. Points are transferable. And, underclassman, you really don't hold back. You have far too many questions."
Horikita Manabu had never met anyone so familiar who asked him question after question.
Even some third-years were afraid to talk to him much.
Was a new student like this a social menace?
"That's just how people are. The more you know, the more questions you have. You have to find a way to solve them, right? Sorry for the trouble, Student Council President, senpai."
"I have one more question. Does the school punish individuals or the whole class? If I do something bad, will our class be punished too?"
"There are all kinds of penalties. You'll have to ask your homeroom teacher about the specifics."
Horikita Manabu, Closing in on the Truth
Before you continue