Open Moves, Hidden Moves

A spacious tea room had been set up inside the classroom. It was decorated very simply, mainly using wood and bamboo. Apart from a few calligraphy and landscape paintings hanging on the walls, there were basically no other decorations. Four senior female students were sitting inside, and the one who asked the question was one of them, who seemed to be the leader of the four.

"I'm Kitagawa Ryo, Hiyori's friend. I've always been interested in the Tea Ceremony. I heard that Hiyori joined the Tea Ceremony Club, so I came to check it out. I also want to thank the senior students for taking care of her."

Kitagawa Ryo bowed as she entered the tea room, distributing some pre-made snacks to the four upperclassmen. These were all kinds of snacks suitable for tea tasting, but Kitagawa Ryo's homemade ones were much more exquisite than those from convenience stores, which made the upperclassmen's eyes light up and their attitudes immediately improved.

Adding to Kitagawa Ryo's impeccable manners and outstanding looks, the senior students exchanged glances and then smiled, saying:

"It's alright, it's alright. Hiyori is smart and quick-witted, she learns very fast."

After closing the door, Shiina Hiyori bent down and re-entered the tea room. She knelt down next to Kitagawa Ryo and whispered:

"I've only been learning for two days, and I'm not yet proficient in many techniques."

"Then I'll demonstrate again. After watching this, Hiyori, try making a cup of tea for Kitagawa-kun yourself?"

The senior student standing nearby kept glancing between the two with a gossipy look in her eyes. She stood up with a smile and began to do some preparatory work.

Watching the other person take out a new tea caddy and teacup from the cupboard, and then bring hot water to wash the tea scoop and tea whisk, the former being a tool for taking matcha powder from the tea caddy, and the latter being a cylindrical bamboo brush made by cutting bamboo into fine brush shapes, used for mixing pastes and preparing tea.

Japan Tea Ceremony is mainly divided into two types: Tea Ceremony) and Tea Ceremony). It seems that the other person's school of thought is Tea Ceremony.

The way of drinking Tea Ceremony evolved from the Tea Ceremony of the Song Dynasty in China. However, the Song Dynasty used compressed tea, which required grinding and roasting, while Japan directly uses matcha powder for processing.

Shiina Hiyori seemed to think that Kitagawa Ryo didn't know much about this, so she quietly gave him an introduction. Although Kitagawa Ryo himself knew a little about the Tea Ceremony and had even taught Horikita Suzune related knowledge in a simulation, he didn't want to interrupt Shiina Hiyori's gentle words, so he listened attentively.

To Kitagawa Ryo's surprise, Shiina Hiyori herself seemed to have a good understanding of the history of China Tea Ceremony.

"Actually, I've always wanted to go to China. I'm very interested in things like the Great Wall."

Shiina Hiyori clasped her hands together, revealing a serene smile.

Just as the two were having an intimate conversation, the senior student from the Tea Ceremony Club finally began the formal tea preparation.

Add water, mix the paste, and brew the tea.

As expected of a senior member of the Tea Ceremony Club, his movements were highly proficient, and in almost no time, a cup of tea was placed in front of Kitagawa Ryo.

Kitagawa Ryo thanked him in a low voice. After receiving the teacup, he slightly rotated it so that his mouth would not touch the front of the teacup. This was to express the guest's respect for the host and was considered a basic courtesy.

After taking two sips, Kitagawa Ryo put down his teacup and praised it.

The upperclassman who was making tea nodded, and then turned her gaze to Shiina Hiyori:

"Let Hiyori give it a try too."

Shiina Hiyori gave a soft reply, stood up, took out a new teacup, and began to work with a serious expression.

First, use a tea ladle to scoop a spoonful of matcha powder from the tea caddy. Then, use a bamboo ladle to slowly pour hot water of about 80 degrees Celsius from the kettle into the tea bowl. As the boiling water is poured into the tea bowl, it quickly releases steam and aroma, filling the nose and making one feel refreshed and relaxed.

Even though it's the same matcha powder and the steps are similar, Kitagawa Ryo always has a strange sense of anticipation.

Shiina Hiyori deftly picks up the tea whisk and carefully stirs it in the bowl, a process generally known as mixing the matcha with water.

With her head slightly lowered, a few strands of Shiina Hiyori fell beside her face, but she didn't seem to care. Her purple eyes were fixed on the teacup without blinking, and she gently pursed her lips. Her overly focused expression made Kitagawa Ryo chuckle softly, and he calmed down a lot.

Once she felt it was about right, Shiina Hiyori poured water again and stirred it until the tea soup had just started to foam slightly before stopping.

The next step was to serve the tea to the guests, but Shiina Hiyori seemed a little unsure because it was her first time brewing tea. She took a small sip herself first, and only after confirming that there was no problem did she approach Kitagawa Ryo.

"Cold."

Shiina Hiyori handed the teacup to Kitagawa Ryo, her eyes clearly indicating that Kitagawa Ryo should drink it all, since this was the first time she had ever brewed tea for someone else.

Kitagawa Ryo accepted the teacup. Shiina Hiyori, being new to this field, actually tasted somewhat inferior to the previous senior student, but Kitagawa Ryo certainly wouldn't say it outright. He reached out and patted Shiina Hiyori's head.

"It tastes great."

To prove this point, Kitagawa Ryo drank the entire bowl of tea, sip by sip, before finally setting it down under Shiina Hiyori's satisfied gaze.

Shiina Hiyori has always sought this tranquil atmosphere, whether it's reading or the Tea Ceremony.

"Kitagawa and Hiyori are really good friends."

"You can come visit often in the future."

"The snacks Kitagawa-kun brought were delicious. Did you make them yourself?"

After watching the entire interaction between the two, several senior students started chattering. Sure enough, when it comes to gossiping about relationships, even Tea Ceremony Club that adheres to the principles of "harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility" cannot escape the temptation.

"I made the snacks myself. If any of you senior students are interested, I'll have Hiyori each time she comes over."

Kitagawa Ryo responded with a smile, saying that if a few sweets could secure the Tea Ceremony Club's favor towards Shiina Hiyori, he would accept such a deal ten times over.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Kitagawa Ryo made an excuse to take his leave. After all, this was someone else's club, and as an outsider, he shouldn't stay any longer.

Shiina Hiyori and saw Kitagawa Ryo out of the clubroom again. She seemed to want to tiptoe and pat Kitagawa Ryo's head to get revenge for being patted on the head earlier, but Kitagawa Ryo was prepared and tiptoed as well, so Shiina Hiyori's outstretched hand just waved in front of Kitagawa Ryo's nose.

It has a refreshing tea aroma.

Chapter 45: Open Chess and Hidden Chess

"Class Points... Private Points... class assignment is not random but based on students' overall qualities."

"Ayanokoji, can you guarantee that everything you just said is true?"

In a small private room inside a restaurant at the Keyaki Mall, Katsuragi Kohei stared in shock at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had just made such a startling statement.

"If you want to verify, you can go directly to our homeroom teacher, Chabashira. She said at the beginning of the semester that points can be used to buy everything in this school, so the answer to your question is naturally within the scope of what you can buy."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka responded confidently, and Katsuragi Kohei, seeing the other's certainty, believed him to some extent. This also explained the unusual situations and vague unease he had noticed in the past few days since enrolling.

He first told his friend Totsuka Yahiko the news, indicating that he should go to their homeroom teacher, Chabashira Sae, to verify it, and ask him for more points if he didn't have enough.

About thirty minutes later, Totsuka Yahiko sent an affirmative reply, mentioning that Chabashira Sae was very happy, but only symbolically accepted 10,000 Private Points from him, since she had only answered "yes".

"We should tell the rest of the class this news right now."

"If we can find out about these things in advance and prepare accordingly, our position in Class A will be quite secure."

Katsuragi Kohei patted Ayanokoji Kiyotaka on the shoulder with great delight. There was one more thing he didn't say: with this information, he should be able to solidify his leadership position in Class A.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka naturally understood the hidden meaning in the other person's words, and he said:

"I don't have many friends in my class, so it's more convincing if Katsuragi comes forward."

"In fact, I would prefer that Katsuragi omit my name and simply say it was his own discovery."

Katsuragi Kohei gave Ayanokoji Kiyotaka a strange look, then after hesitating for a while, he suddenly blurted out:

"Does Ayanokoji also want to become a Kage-level user?"

Having grown up in White Room Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had no idea what Katsuragi Kohei meant. However, looking at the other's expressionless face and his usual solitary demeanor, Katsuragi Kohei nodded with an "I understand" expression.

"Don't worry, since Ayanokoji wants to stay behind the scenes, I will do my best to help her cover it up."

Although he didn't know exactly where the other party's intentions had gone, the outcome was roughly the same, so Ayanokoji Kiyotaka nodded in agreement.

"What does Katsuragi plan to do in this less than a month?"

"If I'm not mistaken, the school will release this information no later than the first of next month when they distribute the points. In other words, if we make good use of this month, we can establish a significant advantage."

Even if you say that, Ayanokoji, I still don't know the specific method for increasing or decreasing Class Points.

Katsuragi Kohei scratched his bald head. He was a rather steady person by nature, and his first reaction upon hearing the news was to solidify Class A's position.

In fact, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka himself was not quite clear about the specific formula for calculating Class Points. He learned that winning Special Exam would earn him a certain number of Class Points during the Cultural Festival, but since the start of the school year, the school had not made any Special Exam public.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka narrowed his eyes; he had considered another possibility.

The Special Exam may have already begun.

According to his understanding, each student in each of the four classes (A, B, C, and D) was given 100,000 Private Points. Although the exact exchange rate between Private Points and Class Points was unclear, the fact that each class had the same number of Private Points meant that on the first day of school, which was also the first day of the month, the Class Points for each class was actually the same.

If Class Points, how were Class D pre-assigned?

Why is the school so certain that the Class Points of the four classes will be in descending order one month later?

Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School has been established for over a decade. If the system hasn't changed, it means that the selection method has always been effective and has never gone wrong.

I recalled the man's description of the characteristics of the students in Class A that he had told me before I came to this school.

[Decentralized, highly self-disciplined, able to respond positively and act quickly to orders from superiors]

Combining what he had seen and heard in Class A over the past few days with the information he had gathered about other classes, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka finally got closer to the truth.

Since enrollment, all four classes have been attending regular classes. Therefore, the way to differentiate them must be in the classroom. The students in Class A can maintain a high level of enthusiasm for learning and proper classroom discipline even in a relaxed classroom atmosphere. This confirms the man's point of view and makes the answer obvious.

"It's about classroom discipline and behavior."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka explained his reasoning to the somewhat puzzled Katsuragi Kohei. His rigorous logic quickly convinced Katsuragi Kohei to accept Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's perspective, though he soon rubbed his temples, looking somewhat troubled.

"If everything you said, Ayanokoji, is correct, then Class A might not be able to guarantee an absolute lead this year."

"Because in terms of classroom discipline and behavior, there is a completely negative person present."

Katsuragi Kohei, with a worried expression, recited the person's name:

"Koenji has no intention of studying seriously at all."

Koenji Rokusuke is indeed an anomaly in Class A.

Especially after hearing Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's explanation, Katsuragi Kohei himself became curious about how Koenji Rokusuke had ended up in Class A. After all, his carefree attitude didn't fit the overall vibe of Class A at all. Hashimoto Masayoshi, while also appearing quite frivolous, was a model student in class, never late, skipping, or sitting with his legs crossed while looking in the mirror during class...

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's usually calm gaze finally flickered, and he subtly tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Ultimately, it was he who personally signed Koenji Rokusuke into Class A, representing intelligence—

[Queen].

However, since the deed has already been done, all that can be done now is consider what to do next. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka quickly used the matter of Koenji Rokusuke as his bargaining chip and argument, saying:

"Since the start of the semester, people have been trying to persuade Koenji, but basically none of them have been able to do so."

"Yeah. He won't listen to reason, and if we try to force him, it seems like no one in the class can control him. Besides, fighting is never a good thing."

Katsuragi Kohei gave a wry smile. He had tried to communicate with Koenji Rokusuke, but the latter would close his eyes every time he saw his bald head, and would completely ignore whatever he said, occasionally even making a sarcastic remark.

"Therefore, Koenji must have lost a lot of Class Points class performance."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka naturally knew that Koenji Rokusuke alone could not exert such power. Class A's Class Points would indeed decrease, but they should still be able to maintain their leading position among the four classes, since the other three classes had more problem students than Class A.

However, in order to trap Katsuragi Kohei, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka deliberately exaggerated the seriousness of Koenji Rokusuke.

Katsuragi Kohei's expression was indeed solemn. He hesitated before speaking:

"Then I'll try to persuade them tomorrow..."

"Perhaps Katsuragi could try a different approach."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka shook his head, his golden eyes fixed on the other person as he spoke:

"In class competition, there are generally two ways to gain an advantage."

"The first is to improve ourselves, which is Katsuragi's idea: to get rid of the unstable factor of Koenji Rokusuke in order to improve Class A."

"But the second method is sometimes good too."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka lowered his voice:

"That's just suppressing others. If other Class Points, doesn't that indirectly mean our Class A's Class Points increase?"

"Regarding the points, there's no such thing as a free lunch. I don't think the school would be so generous as to give every student 100,000 yuan a month."

"The teacher just mentioned that points can be used to buy anything at this school, so I'd like to get specific information about points."

"This should be within the scope of purchase, right?"

"Sure."

On the first day of school, Karuizawa Kei speedrunner on her second playthrough, began her performance. With the deliberate cooperation of Hoshinomiya Chie, the Class B- class teacher eager for revenge, the students of Class 1-B raised one million Private Points to obtain all the information about Class Points, Private Points, class division rules, and even the Special Exam on classroom discipline in the first month.

Fortunately, I was in Class 1-B. The biggest characteristics of Class B are moderation and unity. Most students are best at following the class atmosphere. Even if a few students have their own ideas, they will temporarily suppress their thoughts under the class atmosphere.

So although a few students were somewhat resistant to exchanging 20,500 points each for information right away, no one ultimately objected.

Karuizawa Kei was the first to offer her opinion, was naturally appointed as the class representative of Class B by Hoshinomiya Chie. Having served as a homeroom teacher for two terms at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, she naturally knew about the other party's potential, so she did her best to cooperate in various matters, expressing her hope, both openly and secretly, that she would see Class B promoted to Class A.

"In short, everyone should pay close attention to their behavior over the next month. The classroom surveillance cameras should be operating 24/7, so don't take any chances."

This is the action plan that Karuizawa Kei has set for Class B for the first month.

Karuizawa Kei knew very well that she should use her foresight to narrow the gap between Class A and Class B in the first month of school, but she also clearly understood that it would be difficult to sabotage Class B given their overall character.

After all, not every class is as martial as Class C. Class B is almost entirely composed of well-behaved children. Perhaps a few have slightly lower academic performance, but their personalities are impeccable. Shibata, the strongest and most physically fit boy in the class, is similar in personality to Ichinose Honami. Therefore, although Karuizawa Kei devised some plans targeting Class A, she couldn't find an opportunity or suitable candidates to execute them.