Interview

(There's been a lot of feedback, so I'll respond to it all here. First, I couldn't find anything in the original explicitly saying that students weren't allowed to work. Second, I said in Chapter One that I'd be changing some details to make the story more logical. I even used Japanese prices. Finally, this is fanfiction.)

(I hope everyone will stop saying that working isn't allowed in Classroom of the Elite. Later on, some of the point totals just don't add up unless you make a few adjustments.)

Knock, knock, knock~

Dongfang Yi slipped his phone, with the voice recorder running, into his pocket, stepped forward, and gently knocked on the door.

"Come in."

A deep male voice came from behind the door marked "Manager's Office."

Dongfang Yi opened the door and saw a middle-aged man in a suit. The man's gleaming bald spot confirmed Dongfang Yi's guess about his age.

It wasn't as if there were characters like Katsuragi everywhere.

"Hello."

Dongfang Yi nodded slightly, then sat across from the man at the meeting table.

"Could you introduce yourself?"

The middle-aged man pretended to take out a blank notepad and place it on his lap. He even pulled out a ballpoint pen, as if he were about to start scribbling.

"Dongfang Yi. Male, eighteen years old, a new student in First Year Class A. I'm good at cooking and baking, and I'm applying for a server position."

Dongfang Yi's introduction was brief and to the point.

"Mm-hm, all right." The middle-aged man nodded perfunctorily. He was about to ask another question when he suddenly realized what Dongfang Yi had said. "Hm? A new student? Class A?"

Wait, you're a newly enrolled Class A student applying for a job like this?

He instinctively widened his eyes in disbelief, but seemed to think of something and quickly concealed his expression.

The middle-aged man swallowed. "My name is Fujimoto Itsuki. I'm the current manager of this café. May I ask why you want to work part-time, Dongfang?"

"This is my own way of exploring campus life. Can you understand what I mean, Manager Fujimoto?"

Dongfang Yi kept a straight face as he parried the question. He'd expected this.

Besides, there was no need for him to act humble. This was just a simulation at the school, not a real job interview.

How could a school that claimed to simulate society not have a quintessentially Japanese scenario like part-time work?

Otherwise, what were students supposed to do when their Class Points hit zero?

If they really had to eat dirt, they'd starve to death.

"Dongfang, I think I understand what you mean, but I'm still a little puzzled." The manager had grown curious about the young man before him. "You've only just enrolled. Have you already spent all your one hundred thousand points?"

"Not yet. I haven't found an opportunity to spend a large number of points, and I don't need that much for my daily expenses."

"Then are you applying for this job because you're... interested?"

"That's only half the reason. As for the other half, why don't you take a guess, Manager Fujimoto?"

"Dongfang, during an interview, applicants should answer every question honestly. That's their responsibility."

"Is that so? Unfortunately, I don't see it that way, Manager Fujimoto." Dongfang Yi remained unmoved, speaking at his leisure. "For me, Palette is certainly my first choice, but it isn't my only one. For you, though, I'm the only one who can satisfy your curiosity right now, aren't I?"

"..." Manager Fujimoto fell silent.

"Whenever you take something, you have to give something in return. If you agree to hire me, I'll answer your questions. It's a fair exchange. Besides, reporting on the students is part of your job, isn't it? The reward must be pretty good."

"Fine. I have the authority to hire you, and I can do it right now." Manager Fujimoto made him an offer.

"What's the hourly wage?"

"Three hundred points."

"That seems a little too low, Manager Fujimoto. As far as I know, the average part-time wage in Tokyo is around 1,200 yen an hour."

"But this school provides free housing and utilities, and gives you points every month. Besides, there are only a limited number of part-time positions."

"Ah, I see. But I'm still not satisfied with that wage. How about this: I work four hours after school every weekday, for one thousand points an hour." Dongfang Yi named his price.

"I admit you have a very appealing image, Dongfang, and the other conditions are fine. But the hourly wage you're asking for is far too high. Four hundred points."

"Nine hundred. I can come down a little."

"Five hundred. That's as high as I can go."

"Eight hundred. I assure you I'm worth the price."

"Six hundred. I can't offer more; that's my limit."

"Eight hundred. I can also help out in the kitchen when necessary."

Manager Fujimoto's expression shifted as he wrestled with the decision, apparently calculating something. In the end, he agreed.

"Can you answer my question now?"

"The cafeteria provides free food. And if I'm not mistaken, the students eating there look very different from one another."

"Different how?"

"Some students look pale and listless, as if they haven't been getting enough meat and protein for a long time. They seem to prefer a free meal called the Seasonal Vegetable Set. Others look healthy and full of energy, as if they take good care of themselves, and don't even glance at that set meal."

Dongfang Yi made it up on the spot. In truth, he'd only taken a quick look at the Seasonal Vegetable Set during lunch, noticed it didn't have any meat, and left. He hadn't observed the students nearly as carefully as he claimed.

"You really are observant. But you're applying for a job based on that alone..." Manager Fujimoto abruptly changed tack. "You're applying for a job based on that alone?"

"That's more than enough, isn't it? Why ask when you already know the answer, Manager Fujimoto?"

"Know what?"

"That the points the school gives out aren't fixed." Dongfang Yi spread his hands, as if he were only mentioning something trivial.

Fujimoto Itsuki couldn't help showing his shock.

As a school employee, Fujimoto knew the school's hidden rules well. But hearing this from a student who had enrolled less than a day ago still shook him.

Could anyone really be that perceptive?

Dongfang Yi had no idea what was going through his mind. If he had, he wouldn't have minded explaining.

He didn't know how ordinary people would fare, but a little thing like this couldn't fool someone who had the script in hand.

Even so, kindhearted Dongfang Yi matched the manager's expression at just the right moment and nodded. "I thought so. The school must have some kind of evaluation system to determine how many points to give us next month."

Manager Fujimoto realized he'd given himself away. "I... I didn't say anything."

"Exactly. You didn't say it out loud, but your face said it all. And given how careful you're being, the school must have issued some sort of gag order. But an ordinary prohibition wouldn't be enough to make people keep their mouths shut. Does breaking it lead to punishment, such as expulsion or being forced to withdraw?"

When you knew the answer, solving the problem was easy.

Dongfang Yi only needed to offer a seemingly reasonable explanation to make people believe he'd figured everything out through deduction—and to convince them of his abilities.

"..." Manager Fujimoto covered his face with both hands and tried to compose himself.

That was right. Too right.

Aside from a few minor details, the student before him had deduced almost everything correctly.

He'd seen right through the school's initial malice toward its new students.

Manager Fujimoto smiled, shook his head, rose to his feet, and held out his hand.

He no longer underestimated the young man before him. "Congratulations, Dongfang. You've passed my interview."

Dongfang Yi naturally reached out and shook his hand. "I should be thanking you for giving me the opportunity, Manager Fujimoto."

"I wouldn't go so far as to say that. This was a fair exchange. Your abilities truly impressed me."

"Thank you again for placing your trust in me. I look forward to learning from you over the next month."

"One month? I see. A student as capable as you wouldn't spend too long on something this trivial."