"Everyone, could I have your attention for a moment?"
Chang Shui Jing had been about to head out and gather information, but Hirata, the green-haired, easygoing guy, had raised his hand as soon as the school year began and invited everyone to introduce themselves.
He seemed like a genuinely nice guy, so Chang Shui went along with the mood and stopped without thinking.
"Great idea! We should at least learn each other's names."
"My name is Hirata Yosuke. I've loved soccer ever since middle school..."
In short:
Yamauchi Haruki and Kanji Ike were sex-crazed perverts who thought about nothing but girls; Ken Sudō was a red-haired gorilla; Kushida Kikyo was a social butterfly; Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was an expressionless, ordinary student; and Horikita Suzune was a haughty, long-haired beauty who had her sights set on Class A. Chang Shui couldn't remember the rest.
"Chang Shui Jing. I like working out and reading. I have somewhere to be, so I'm off. That's all."
Chang Shui slipped away as soon as he finished. Kushida had just been about to say something, but one of the girls nearby struck up a conversation with her. By the time she looked around, Chang Shui had disappeared.
The cafeteria was spacious and bright. As soon as Chang Shui pushed open its heavy glass doors, the rich aroma of food wafted over him. The smell of freshly made curry, fried chicken, and hot miso soup made his mouth water.
One line was especially long, and it caught Chang Shui's attention.
[Free Dishes: Healthy Vegetables]
Chang Shui walked over and saw those words posted above the serving window.
This school is surprisingly generous. They give away vegetables for free? Eating these would save me a fortune while cutting weight.
Chang Shui silently nodded and looked at the older students in line.
They don't look too good. They're still trying to lose weight despite looking so pale. Does this school give skinny people special treatment? They'll even starve themselves sick for it. The people here are certainly interesting.
He marveled at the school's oddities.
While wandering around, he stepped into the convenience store. It still had free everyday necessities, and they didn't even have labels.
Who the hell would use these? They're full of chemicals. The other products here cost the same as they do outside, though. Nothing more to learn here. The opening ceremony's about to start, so I might as well go listen.
Chang Shui headed to the nearby gymnasium. After finding Class D's group, he quietly surveyed his surroundings.
Since it was the new students' opening ceremony and he'd likely be dealing with these people for the next three years, Chang Shui took a good look at them.
This school really is laid-back. All kinds of hairstyles and hair colors. They're making me want to dye my hair blond.
The opening ceremony dragged on forever. Horikita Manabu, the Student Council President and a third-year student, spoke from the stage. The president emphasized this, the president pointed out that, the president considered the other...
The only thing Chang Shui remembered was that joining the Student Council meant you couldn't join a club. Who came up with such a bizarre rule? Being a club member in name only wouldn't interfere with anything. What a pointless rule.
"Dismissed!"
As soon as the last words were spoken, the crowd scattered. Chang Shui was finally free.
Next, he needed to stock up on supplies. He could buy quite a lot. If he cooked everything himself and watched his spending, he could last four months. The school was in Tokyo, not out in the countryside. One wild boar would feed him for ages. I miss you, Bear Grylls.
Note: 100,000 yen is about 4,800 yuan.
"Oh? Isn't that Ayanokoji and Horikita? I didn't expect you two to get close so quickly."
On his way to the convenience store, Chang Shui ran into two familiar faces.
"Don't act like we're friends. Are you trying to be a social butterfly too?"
Horikita answered in her usual icy, cutting tone. Chang Shui was more curious about how Ayanokoji had managed to befriend her.
"Hello, Chang Shui. You seemed really energetic during your introduction today."
Ayanokoji spoke without changing his expression.
"Likewise, Ayanokoji. Are you two going to buy everyday necessities? Want to go together?"
"Do whatever you want!"
Looking at the vicious Horikita, Chang Shui thought Ayanokoji was in for a rough time.
"Hmph. Defective products from Class D," someone muttered softly from a short distance away.
Hey, hey. Someone just insulted me with a wide-area attack. I can't pretend I didn't hear that, kid.
Chang Shui thought to himself.
"Excuse me."
Chang Shui said goodbye to the pair and headed toward the one who'd started it.
"Hey. You were talking trash about me just now, weren't you, you rude little punk?"
"Huh? We're the same year. Why are you calling me a little punk?"
"You haven't joined a club yet, have you, kid? Interested in the Sanda Club? I'd love to join with you and spar."
Chang Shui stared straight at Totsuka Yahiko, looking ready to go down fighting.
"So not everyone in Class D is defective. I'm Katsuragi Kohei from Class A, and this is Totsuka Yahiko. I'll take back what Yahiko said."
"Big Brother Katsuragi."
"That's enough. We're leaving."
Katsuragi ordered his underling Totsuka in a tone that left no room for argument.
After the two students from Class A left, the pair remained nearby, quietly watching the show come to an end.
"Class A's pretty weak. Whatever. I'll have plenty of time to get back at that smug kid later."
Chang Shui declared victory.
"That was pretty cool, Chang Shui. You made someone from Class A back down without much effort."
Ayanokoji commented without changing his expression.
"I've got something to do. You two go on ahead."
Chang Shui changed his mind and headed toward the track, where he began his warm-up.
"Could Chang Shui be the same kind of person as Sudō?"
Horikita compared Chang Shui's behavior to Sudō's in her mind.
"Who knows?" Ayanokoji said.
A one-kilometer run, a hundred push-ups, fifty pull-ups, and a hundred crunches. Why not run ten kilometers? Because cardio made you lose muscle.
His enthusiasm caught the attention of an upperclassman from the Track and Field Club. A new face, probably a freshman full of energy.
"Hey, freshman! Want to join the Track and Field Club?"
"Sorry, senpai. I've already joined the Sanda Club."
Chang Shui used the Sanda Club as an excuse.
"What a shame. What a shame."
The upperclassman didn't know that when someone from the Sanda Club had invited Chang Shui, he'd said he'd already joined the Track and Field Club.
His dorm room was luxurious, a single with a bathroom, a kitchenette, and a comfortable bed. That would cost at least thirty thousand points outside. Just lying around earned him a thousand points a day. He'd never be able to repay the school for its kindness.
As expected of Tokyo, boys and girls lived in the same building, separated only by upper and lower floors. They'd run into each other on the elevator on the way to class.
It was so easy for boyfriends and girlfriends to visit one another. Had any babies been born in the school's history? Probably not. After all, the students here weren't fools.
All right, time to figure out this phone.
Before long, the second day of school arrived. Small groups began to form in class: the Three Idiots, the Three Gals, the Two Loners, and so on.
What group did Chang Shui belong to? The Go-Home Club.
"Um, Chang Shui, could I add you on Line? I want to be friends with everyone."
Kushida spoke to him. The friendly girl had been eager to make friends ever since school started.
"I'd be happy to."
"Me too, me too, little angel!"
Ike and Yamauchi chimed in. Their constant chatter grated on Chang Shui's nerves. It wasn't jealousy over them getting close to a pretty girl; he simply had a natural dislike for people he didn't get along with. Even Koenji just made him feel exasperated, not annoyed.
Could I have the potential to be gay? He quickly shoved the thought away.
School had barely started, and Yamauchi had already blown all his money. A single game console had cost him ninety thousand points. He must have been silently thanking the kind school for giving him so many points. The school's kindness would keep compounding with interest.
Chang Shui couldn't wait to see the innocent, bewildered look on their faces when they broke down. It would be hilarious.
The two fools beside him were carefree. In a way, being a goldfish was great. No memories meant no worries, and depression was out of the question.
The smarter you were, the more troubles you had. Your thoughts always raced ahead of your body, which could lead to your physical collapse.
Just like Nietzsche, who fancied himself the sun but eventually went mad.
Chang Shui opened his browser and searched for ebooks to pass the time. After looking for ages, he found that they all cost money.
Damn this world of legitimate books. Every book cost money. Couldn't they let you read first and pay later? It wasn't like he wouldn't pay.
He still hadn't visited the school library. He'd have to go sometime.
Will the school really give us a hundred thousand points? Chang Shui wondered.
During break, he asked some upperclassmen to confirm. Every single one of them wanted money, and they all kept their mouths shut. Their resistance to his probing was already an answer.
Everything at this school cost points. Would it really be so generous as to give them that many?
If I were running the school, I'd only give out ten thousand points. Then I'd send everyone to work on an assembly line.
The only ways to get points quickly are to steal or swindle them, but it's not the right time yet. Keep a low profile, and you'll make a fortune.
[Information Available to the Public]
[Advanced Nurturing High School provides every new student with a personal phone. It can be used to make quick payments with points and download simple agreements from the official website. Students may have any number of phones, but only one personal phone.]
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