"But won't that make other people misunderstand? Someone like me being friends with Aoyama and Kamuro."
"Are you saying we're not worthy of being friends with the adorable Yamamura?"
"Eh!?"
Yamamura stared at him wide-eyed. Her petite face turned bright red in an instant. It was probably the first time someone her age had complimented her like that.
"You're even more shameless than I thought." Kamuro rolled her eyes, then stepped in front of Yamamura, who was flusteredly trying to explain that it wasn't like that.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Aoyama smiled and continued toward the school cafeteria. Following the crowd, they soon came upon the bright, clean dining hall.
The many food counters offered an assortment of set meals at clearly marked prices. At the far end, there was a line for a counter with a blank sign.
The upperclassmen in line for food didn't look particularly eager to eat.
"I don't need you to treat me." Kamuro tossed the words over her shoulder and joined the shorter line.
Aoyama glanced at the sign above Kamuro's counter. It was one of the most expensive meals in the cafeteria, but it was well within reach for first-year students who had just received 100,000 Personal Points.
"Let's go to this counter too."
Aoyama smiled at Yamamura, who seemed uneasy now that it was just the two of them, and stood behind Kamuro.
Then, before either Kamuro or Yamamura could pay for their meals, he had the staff scan his phone's payment code.
Before the first class of the morning, their homeroom teacher, Mashima, had handed out the school's custom-made phones. Each student's Personal Points were deposited into their phone account.
"I told you, you don't have to treat me."
"I think the least a person can do is keep their word."
In response to Kamuro's complaint, Aoyama led the two girls to a table near an upperclassman. He remembered seeing her in line at the counter with the blank sign.
On the tray in front of her sat a vegetable meal that looked unappetizing and barely contained any meat.
"During the opening ceremony, what were you looking around at?"
Faced with a delicious-looking meal, Kamuro didn't immediately pick up her chopsticks. Her beautiful violet eyes fixed on him.
The Body Doesn't Lie
"I was looking at how many students there were in each upperclassman's class."
"And I noticed something. Other than Third-Year Class A, all seven of the other classes had fewer than forty students."
Aoyama didn't make her guess. He satisfied Kamuro's curiosity.
Almost at the same time, both girls fell into thought. Then their expressions gradually shifted to surprise.
One or two classes having students drop out wouldn't be unusual. But this was seven classes—almost every upperclassman's class had lost students.
That couldn't be a coincidence.
"You think students drop out of this school pretty easily?" Kamuro looked surprised, but not at all worried.
"That's my guess. Getting 100,000 Personal Points every month can't come without a catch."
Aoyama picked up a fragrant piece of braised beef and put it in his mouth. Its rich, tender flavor spread across his palate.
It was no wonder the meal cost over a thousand Personal Points.
He would never have ordered it in the outside world. He couldn't afford it.
He had graduated from college in his previous life not long before a heavy truck on a national highway sent him into a new life. Then he'd found himself in a situation where everything was already going wrong.
Poverty had been his constant companion until he entered this school.
"I didn't expect you to be so smart. But your speech during self-introductions made you sound like an idiot."
"I just didn't want everyone crowding around to ask me questions. Besides, I am incredibly handsome."
"Add one more thing to the list. I didn't expect you to be so thick-skinned." Kamuro's eyelids drooped, her face openly displaying her disdain.
"You're not exactly lacking in that department yourself."
In Japanese society, students generally used honorifics when addressing one another at a new school. Yamamura, for example, called him Aoyama-san.
Kamuro, on the other hand, called everyone "you" from start to finish. She didn't even try to hide how little she liked people, which made her seem a little haughty.
Honestly, Aoyama found it pleasant to spend time with a girl as straightforward as Kamuro.
"I'm done." Kamuro picked up her now-empty tray and left without a moment's hesitation.
Of the three of them, only Miki Yamamura hadn't finished eating.
She hadn't joined in their conversation, and she ate more slowly than the two of them. There was still a little food left on her tray.
Now that they were alone, she noticeably sped up.
"I'm not in a hurry. Take your time and eat at your own pace." Aoyama offered a gentle reminder, then pulled out his phone and started browsing the school forum.
Just as he'd expected, there were no posts mentioning that the four classes in each year were rivals.
More important than Personal Points, Class Points determined the ranking of each class—and those, too, were hidden from view.
That was one of Kouiku's long-standing practices.
During the first month after new students arrived, teachers and upperclassmen kept the school's deeper rules hidden.
For example, the fact that the four classes competed against each other, that Personal Points were distributed at one hundred times the class's Class Points, and that breaking school rules would deduct Class Points. Students wouldn't be told about those key details until May 1.
Any new student who could figure out these rules would be able to give their class an advantage.
"I'm done... Aoyama, I'm sorry." Yamamura lowered her hands beneath the table and dipped her head.
"Do you remember what the upperclassman beside us was eating, Yamamura?"
Looking at the girl who was apologizing for making him wait, Aoyama put away his phone and started guiding her.
Every step counted. Yamamura's inconspicuous nature could be of great use to him.
"I'm sorry, I didn't notice."
"She had a meal with no meat in sight, just vegetables. It's the first day of school, so you'd expect people to treat themselves a little. And today's the day we receive our Personal Points."
For a high school student with little self-control to eat a meal that looked so unappetizing on the day Personal Points were handed out—it just didn't make sense.
"My guess is that some upperclassmen aren't as well-off as we think. In other words, they didn't receive 100,000 Personal Points today."
He tapped his fingers on the table, drawing Yamamura's attention away from her thoughts.
"I'd like you to help me test my theory. You just finished a meal I treated you to, didn't you?"
"Eh!?"
Yamamura's deep blue eyes widened in an instant. A dumbfounded look crossed her delicate face. It was adorable.
Aoyama knew that Yamamura was timid and generally had trouble refusing requests from her classmates. Still, he'd done it out of sheer mischief.
The adorable reaction he got made it worth it.
Afternoon.
The dismissal bell rang. Aoyama picked up his bag and slowly left the classroom alone.
There was one thing he really liked about this school: every student had a private dorm room, complete with its own bathroom and kitchen.
Naturally, the rooms had air conditioning, and water and electricity were free.
Once he bought some personal hygiene products at the convenience store, the dorm would feel almost like home—just a little smaller.
Eighteen that year, the after-party, standing around like a nobody—
Humming to himself, he headed for the small convenience store near the dorms. Lots of other first-years had the same idea, and a line had formed at the register.
On the shelf directly across from the register was a shopping basket.
Beneath a sign that read "Free" were the words "Limited to one per month." Inside were daily necessities like body wash and shampoo.
The school gave new students plenty of hints, but the first-years, newly flush with 100,000 Personal Points, clearly weren't paying attention.
Save where you should, spend where you should.
He went straight to the basket and picked up a bottle of two-in-one shampoo and body wash. A girl who had quietly followed him—he had no idea for how long—noticed.
"Didn't everyone get 100,000 Personal Points from the school?" asked the girl, her long ponytail tied with a green hair tie. Her tone was rather forceful.
"Come with me."
Aoyama turned and saw that Kei Karuizawa was alone. He put the bottle back where it belonged and headed outside without another word.
More urgent than buying daily necessities was dealing with Karuizawa. This concerned his special ability, after all.
"Who are you?"
"How do you know my name?"
"Trying to be mysterious will just make me hate you."
She followed him behind the dormitory, where there were no people or security cameras. Karuizawa's manner was forceful, and she looked angry.
She guessed that the boy was around 180 centimeters tall. He was as handsome as a movie star and exuded a powerful presence. She was certain he hadn't been one of her classmates in middle school.
But why did he know her secret? Even her middle school teachers hadn't known.
"I just want to be friends with you. I'll only charge you 50,000 Personal Points a month as a friendship fee."
So, 50,000 Personal Points would make her trouble go away? That wasn't unacceptable.
But if she agreed too quickly, he might try to extort more.
Feeling a little calmer, Karuizawa decided to pretend to hesitate before answering. But he'd gone to all this trouble for more than just 50,000 Personal Points.
"Then you'll do things for me." Aoyama placed a hand on Karuizawa's pale cheek. His tone left no room for argument.
Of the four first-year classes, Class D had the most problem students. That made it the easiest one to get involved in.
Karuizawa, whose secret he held over her, was the perfect tool.
"Do things for you?"
"That's right. You'll do things for me, and I'll make you the leader of the girls in Class D."
There was a vending machine behind the student dormitory, with a two-meter-long metal bench beside it.
Aoyama took the bewildered Karuizawa by the arm and led her to the bench, where he sat her down like a puppet. Then he slowly explained the rules the school was still keeping hidden.
The most important ones were that the four classes were in competition, and that the first-years were already taking part in the Special Exam.
During the first month of school, the teachers would be extremely strict about things like tardiness and using phones in class. Every violation would cost the class Class Points.
"But the teachers never said anything about that. They haven't even stopped anyone." Karuizawa's expression immediately turned uneasy.
Before you continue