Conduct Points

Uesugi Hara cast his gaze toward Sakayanagi Arisu.

Did this little girl... intentionally cede the initiative to Katsuragi? Or did she simply feel there was no need to step in personally, preferring to sit back and reap the rewards?

Seeing the faint smile still lingering on her face, her purple eyes remained calm and unruffled, as if all of this had been within her expectations long ago.

As he pondered this, the aimless analysis of the crowd reached his ears, consisting of nothing more than guesses about whether the exam would be a written test or a physical assessment, which Uesugi Hara gradually found tiresome.

He turned his head and nudged Kamuro Masumi's arm with his elbow: "Kamuro, what do you think this exam will be?"

Kamuro Masumi was staring blankly at the balance of Private Points on her Terminal, and she frowned at the question: "How would I know? Aren't those smart people already analyzing it quite enthusiastically?"

Uesugi Hara raised an eyebrow, teasing her on purpose: "So, you're admitting you're not smart?"

"You're the one who's not smart! Your whole family is not smart!" Kamuro Masumi flared up instantly. "I just can't be bothered to waste my brainpower on it—besides, we'll deal with whatever comes our way!"

"Look at you, getting worked up again." Uesugi Hara waved his hand with a laugh. After the playful jab, his tone softened, and he spoke unhurriedly: "I have heard that some schools in China implement a 'Conduct Points' system. Simply put, points are added or deducted based on a student's daily behavior. Good performance earns points, while disciplinary infractions result in deductions, which eventually affect evaluations and the like."

Kamuro Masumi shot him a suspicious glance: "Why are you telling me this? Does it have anything to do with our exam?"

"Hard to say." Uesugi Hara rested his chin on one hand, his other fingers tapping lightly on the desk: "But think about it. Since the school has tied Class Points and Private Points together and stated that the exam will affect these points, this so-called 'Special Exam' might not be a traditional written test."

He lifted his eyes to scan the crowd still engaged in heated discussion in the classroom and continued: "It might be just like those Conduct Points, hidden in every little action we take. For example, classroom performance, student conduct, or even... does the fact that we pooled our points to buy the rules count as a 'test'?"

Kamuro Masumi was stunned, clearly having not thought in that direction: "You mean... the school is secretly observing us?"

"What else?" Uesugi Hara raised an eyebrow. "And after entering the school gates, didn't you see the cameras all along the way? I saw quite a few just on that stretch alone. Perhaps our every move is within the school's surveillance range."

Kamuro Masumi followed his gaze toward the front of the classroom and, sure enough, caught sight of an inconspicuous camera in the corner pointed at everyone. Her heart tightened instantly: "Then... then everything we just said, has it all been seen?"

"So what if it was seen?" Uesugi Hara shrugged indifferently. "We didn't do anything against the rules anyway. Besides, why install so many cameras if not for 'observation'?"

Kamuro Masumi looked at the camera, then back at Uesugi Hara, suddenly feeling a chill run down her spine: "This school... is too creepy, isn't it?"

Uesugi Hara chuckled softly: "Creepy? I actually think it's quite interesting."

Kamuro Masumi frowned and couldn't help but mutter: "It's like a prison..."

Uesugi Hara thought for a moment: "It does resemble a prison in China."

He suddenly stood up and patted Kamuro on the shoulder: "Alright, Kamuro, why don't you tell the others about the 'Conduct Points' idea later? Just say it was your own thought."

"Why me? Wasn't this your idea?" Kamuro Masumi asked with a frown, clearly not understanding his intention.

"Me?" Uesugi Hara stretched his back and swept his gaze out the window: "It's too stuffy in the classroom, I'm going out for a walk." As he prepared to leave, he added: "If you feel it's unnecessary to say, that's fine too; it's just a guess after all. But... having more people thinking about it is better than everyone just sitting around waiting for a notice."

His figure had already disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Left in the classroom, Kamuro Masumi looked in the direction he had left, then glanced at the still-arguing crowd, feeling conflicted.

If she spoke up, she feared she wouldn't be able to explain it clearly and would instead be dismissed as someone spouting nonsense; if she didn't, Uesugi Hara's analysis did indeed have some merit—what if this really was the key to the exam?

She looked at the people in the classroom, each holding their own opinions, and took a deep breath. Just as she was about to speak, she was stopped by Morishita Ai.

"Kamuro Masumi," Morishita Ai's voice was cold, carrying a hint of confusion: "Why do you listen to Uesugi Hara?"

Kamuro Masumi was taken aback and instinctively retorted: "But if I don't say anything, what if this really is the key to the exam?"

"Don't say it's your own idea; say you are speaking on behalf of Uesugi Hara." Morishita Ai's gaze rested on her face, her tone calm but carrying a hint of guidance.

That's right! Why must I cover for him? Why not just say it was his idea?

Kamuro Masumi's heart skipped a beat, and she felt a sudden sense of annoyance—she clearly wasn't stupid, so why had she followed Uesugi Hara's lead and walked into a dead end, nearly becoming his mouthpiece?

She shot a quick look of gratitude and affirmation toward Morishita Ai, cleared her throat, and raised her voice in the gradually quieting classroom:

"Um... Uesugi Hara just came up with an idea and wanted to share it with everyone."

Seeing everyone's attention focused on her, she steadied herself and deliberately raised her volume: "Uesugi Hara went out just now and asked me to tell you all that he thinks this exam might be similar to the 'Conduct Points' system in Chinese schools."

She paused and relayed the guesses Uesugi Hara had mentioned regarding the surveillance and how daily behavior might affect points.

Katsuragi Kohei on the podium frowned, clearly pondering her words seriously; while Sakayanagi Arisu raised an eyebrow, her gaze toward Kamuro Masumi holding a bit more interest.

The discussion in the classroom was heated, and no one paid much attention to Uesugi Hara's departure—perhaps he had just gone to the restroom; no one took it to heart.

Walking out of the classroom, Uesugi Hara wandered aimlessly around the campus. There was still an hour before the opening ceremony, so there was plenty of time; there was no need to rush back.

As he walked, he leisurely admired the campus scenery, but his eyes were not idle, scanning the corners along the way with apparent casualness.

The hardware facilities of this school were indeed top-notch.

But he soon discovered an interesting detail.

Logically, with the current density of cameras in the school, achieving full-area, blind-spot-free surveillance should have been easy. Yet, he specifically checked several relatively remote areas—such as the corners of stairwells, paths behind the teaching buildings, and some shaded areas in small groves—that were surprisingly not covered by cameras, as if they had been intentionally left blank.

Uesugi Hara stopped in his tracks, his fingertips rubbing lightly against his chin.

Was it an oversight?

It didn't seem like it.

The school wasn't short on money; there was no reason for such a lapse in the layout of the surveillance system.

Then, was it intentional?

Interesting.

It seems that beyond the overt rules, this school also hides some under-the-table tricks.

These blind spots in the surveillance are clearly "private plots" intentionally left for the students.

Uesugi Hara took note of these locations to avoid falling into any traps in the future.

Seeing that it was about time, he began to head back.