The Great Detective Akiyama Shin?! The Reasoning Mode Under Deep Thought?!

Akiyama Shin left Class D's classroom without pausing, heading straight for the First-Year Faculty Office.

In his mind, he had already roughly constructed the outline of this school's operational model. What he needed now was key confirmation and more information to fill in the gaps.

He stopped in front of the office door, raised his hand, and knocked three times with a measured force.

"Come in."

A calm female voice came from inside—it was Chabashira Sae. Akiyama Shin pushed the door open and entered. The office was very quiet, with only Chabashira Sae present.

She sat in her office chair, leaning back slightly, a slender cigarette held between her fingers.

Thin wisps of smoke curled upward, adding a touch of haziness to her stern features.

When she saw that it was Akiyama Shin entering, her fingers holding the cigarette paused almost imperceptibly. A flicker of surprise passed through her eyes, quickly masked by her usual indifference.

"It's you."

She exhaled a smoke ring, her tone flat and unreadable.

"You're quick to act."

Akiyama Shin didn't respond. His gaze swept quickly across the office interior.

The furnishings were simple.

A few desks, filing cabinets, and—his eyes stopped on a vertical whiteboard in the corner of the office.

The whiteboard was divided into four sections, clearly labeled A, B, C, and D.

Behind each letter was a number—1000.

A: 1000

B: 1000

C: 1000

D: 1000

All four classes had the exact same starting points, 1000 each. This matched a certain speculation he had made in an instant.

Chabashira Sae naturally noticed that Akiyama Shin's gaze had landed on the whiteboard. She said nothing, simply watching him quietly, curious to see how this seemingly unusual student would react next.

However, Akiyama Shin's next move completely exceeded her expectations.

Expressionless, he pulled out the terminal phone he had just been issued, unlocked it, aimed it at the whiteboard in the corner, and smoothly snapped a clear photo with a click.

Then, his fingers tapped quickly on the screen, seemingly activating the recording function.

Finally, he put the phone back into his pocket, the entire process as natural as if he were photographing notes from a blackboard.

Chabashira Sae froze, even forgetting to smoke.

In all her years of teaching, this was the first time she had encountered a student so blatantly taking photos for evidence in a faculty office.

She frowned, stubbed out the half-smoked cigarette in the ashtray, and spoke with displeasure.

"Student Akiyama, it's best not to take random photos in the office."

Only then did Akiyama Shin turn his gaze to her. He walked over to her desk and stopped less than half a meter away.

His dark red pupils, half-hidden by his black hair, looked down at Chabashira Sae. There was none of the fear or tension that adolescent boys often showed before a stern teacher.

Only an unfathomable calm.

Then, he spoke.

In that flat, emotionless tone, he threw out a question that would make any teacher's face change color.

"Teacher Chabashira, how many points would it take for you to sleep with me for a night?"

The air seemed to freeze.

The cold expression on Chabashira Sae's face shattered instantly, replaced by a mix of shock, absurdity, and even a hint of offended anger.

She was stunned for a full two seconds before she squeezed out a voice, as if confirming she hadn't misheard.

"Huh?"

She leaned forward slightly, her sharp eyes fixed on Akiyama Shin, as if trying to find any trace of a joke or provocation on his face.

But she failed.

On that handsome face was only an expression of earnest inquiry, as if he were genuinely asking about the price of a commodity.

"Student Akiyama Shin..."

Chabashira Sae's voice turned cold, carrying a clear warning.

"I think you might need to get a few things straight. First, I'm not the kind of woman you imagine. Second, don't think that just because you've discovered points can buy everything, you can do whatever you want and insult others at will. Third."

She emphasized her tone.

"Even if points really could buy something beyond the ordinary, with your measly hundred thousand points, you're far from catching my eye. Don't be so full of yourself."

Akiyama Shin's action was, of course, deliberate—a shockingly audacious probe.

The first thing he needed to determine was the exact boundary of the school rules' authority within this closed academy.

Common sense dictated that school rules could not override national law.

But on this isolated island, the actual enforcement and scope of those rules were what truly mattered.

What he really wanted to uncover was how much flexibility and tacit leeway the rules allowed.

Chabashira Sae's reaction—especially her line about "even if you could buy it, ten thousand points aren't worth my time"—had already revealed several key pieces of information.

1. The purchasing power of points, their upper limit, and scope of use largely depended on the other party's willingness and the school's tacit approval.

Not everything had a clear price tag; it was more like a form of equivalent exchange under unspoken rules.

2. "Not worth my time" meant the price was too low. Conversely, if the points were sufficient, could such gray-area transactions actually be possible?

Even...

Had something similar happened before?

3. The school likely didn't completely prohibit behavior that skirted the edges of law and morality. Instead, it turned a blind eye—as long as things didn't blow up or cross legal boundaries, they could operate in the shadows under the points system.

This probe carried extremely high risk, but the information gained was invaluable.

It had begun to sketch out the more naked and brutal operating logic hidden beneath the beautiful surface of Heaven Academy.

Faced with Chabashira Sae's cold rebuke, Akiyama Shin showed no panic or intention to apologize.

He simply listened quietly, as if analyzing every piece of information her words revealed.

Watching Akiyama Shin's unflappable demeanor, Chabashira Sae felt a flicker of something strange beneath her irritation.

This student.

Too calm! Calm enough to not seem like a high schooler at all!

The question he'd asked definitely wasn't for some cheap thrill—it was more like a... test?

She suppressed her emotions, regained her composure as a teacher, and decided to steer the conversation back on track.

She leaned back in her chair, folded her hands on the desk, and fixed Akiyama Shin with a sharp gaze.

"Alright, enough pointless probing."

"You didn't come here to ask stupid questions. Just say it—how far have you figured things out?"

She meant his understanding of the school's rules.

Hearing this, a faint glimmer passed through Akiyama Shin's dark red pupils.

Time to show his worth.

And gain more information.

Instead of answering directly, he responded in a calm, assured tone, as if he had already seen through everything.

"You know."

Those three words.

Vague in meaning.

But heavy with implication.

Chabashira Sae was taken aback for a moment.

She knew? Knew what?

But the next second, she suddenly caught on.

What Akiyama Shin meant might be...

Everything she knew about the core rules... he already knew it all? How was that possible?!

He'd only been enrolled for less than an hour!

Just from a few clues and the shock of ten thousand points, he could deduce this much?!

A surge of intense shock washed over Chabashira Sae, making her forget to maintain her cold expression. Her pupils contracted slightly, and her lips unconsciously pressed together.

But Akiyama Shin keenly noticed that her reaction wasn't just shock—it was mixed with more complex emotions: a hint of conflict, a trace of anticipation, and a barely perceptible restlessness.

No...

Akiyama Shin's mind raced.

The competitive relationship was already set in stone.

Logically, as a homeroom teacher, her goal would naturally be to lead her class to Class A. That likely tied directly to her performance reviews, salary, and bonuses.

But Chabashira Sae's reaction to his deduction should have been suspicion or an assessment of his ability—not this blend of anticipation and restlessness. That kind of reaction was more like someone carrying a heavy burden who had just glimpsed a faint hope. She... might have a reason she needed Class D to reach Class A. And that reason might be far more important than salary or performance.

A bold hypothesis formed in Akiyama Shin's mind.

He needed to probe further, verify this guess, and firmly seize the initiative.

So, while Chabashira Sae was still stunned and unable to fully organize her words, Akiyama Shin leaned forward slightly. His red pupils seemed to possess a magnetic pull, locking onto her eyes as he delivered his promise—or rather, his declaration—in a clear, powerful voice.

"I can lead Class D to Class A."

Chabashira Sae's body visibly stiffened.

Those words exploded like a thunderclap in her ears.

She stared blankly at the black-haired, red-eyed youth before her, momentarily unable to speak.

Take Class D to Class A?

How many years had it been? She had heard countless naive or arrogant dreams from Class D students, but never once had anyone spoken with such calm, such certainty as Akiyama Shin did now, as if it were a foregone conclusion rather than an unattainable goal.

The shock within her was beyond words.

Expectation, doubt, a sense of absurdity, and the deeply buried resentment all churned together in that moment.

It took several seconds before she barely managed to find her voice, tinged with hoarseness and hesitation, as she asked.

"Then, what do you plan to do?"

She didn't outright deny him or mock his overestimation of himself; instead, she asked how—this in itself was a tacit acknowledgment, a silent confirmation that class rankings were indeed tied to the ABCD labels and could change. This fully validated Akiyama Shin's initial guess.

Akiyama Shin understood in his heart that the breakthrough had been made. He no longer held back and began to clearly lay out his reasoning, both to demonstrate his ability and to extract more details from Chabashira Sae's reactions.

"One class has 40 people, one grade has 160, and three grades total 480."

His tone was steady.

"On the way to this school, I was thinking: with free room and board on campus, yet so many entertainment and consumption options set up, how is the circulation system for the currency maintained?"

"What's the total monthly Personal Points distributed to all three grades? Assuming everyone starts with 100,000, that's 48 million yen. That's just one month's expense. What about a year? Three years? Add in staff salaries and facility maintenance, and those costs are astronomical."

"The so-called 100% advancement and employment rates feel more like a semantic trap."

"Only by meeting certain conditions—like advancing to Class A? Or... eliminating underperforming students before graduation to ensure only qualified ones remain—could a 100% rate be achieved on paper with ease."

"And when I saw the division into four classes—A, B, C, D—combined with my speculation about the currency, I was already fairly certain that competition between classes, or even grades, must exist within the school."

"The 100,000 points we just received practically spell out that competition outright."

"Moreover, receiving points every month doesn't mean we get 100,000 each time, does it?"

He paused, his gaze shifting to the fluorescent board in the corner.

"And on that board, the uniform 1000 points behind all four classes—that's the key."

"I suspect there are two point systems."

Akiyama Shin held up two fingers.

"One is Personal Points, what we just got, used for spending."

"The other is Class Points."

"Class Points are likely directly tied to the amount of Personal Points distributed each month."

"So, the starting 1000 Class Points correspond to 100,000 Personal Points."

"Then, daily behavior, regular exams, special events—all of these should be factors for evaluating and adjusting Class Points."

"And this school, to me, feels more like a miniature society."

"The evaluation criteria aren't just academic or physical data on paper; they probably cover leadership, teamwork, social relationships, and even the ability to perceive and exploit rules... these so-called soft skills...?"

Chabashira Sae listened silently, her expression shifting from initial shock to a complex solemnity.

She didn't interrupt or confirm, but deep in her sharp eyes flickered an indescribable light.

This Akiyama Shin... his insight and logical reasoning were terrifying!

With just these scattered clues, he had nearly pieced together the outline of the truth!

After Akiyama Shin finished, a brief silence fell over the office.

Chabashira Sae took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. She looked at Akiyama Shin and finally spoke in an ambiguous tone.

"Maybe you're right."

She couldn't directly reveal the rules—that was her duty's limitation—but this "maybe you're right" was, for Akiyama Shin, equivalent to the most direct confirmation.

Akiyama Shin naturally understood her position immediately.

He hadn't needed Chabashira Sae to admit it outright anyway.

His reasoning was already rigorous enough; what he needed now was something more practical.

Yet, his next question caught Chabashira Sae off guard once more.

He looked at her very seriously and asked.

"Then, Teacher Chabashira, how many points does the Verification Right cost?"

Chabashira Sae froze again.

Her mind even went blank for a moment.

Ver... Verification Right?

She had already hinted to this extent—why did he still insist on her admitting it outright? Couldn't he see she was bound by the rules and couldn't speak plainly?

But then, an even more terrifying, bolder thought pierced her mind like an icicle, sending a chill through her.

Akiyama Shin purchasing the Verification Right might not have been because he wanted her to personally confirm anything for him.

Instead, he intended to use some official or authoritative method to verify the correctness of the rules.

He wasn't seeking an answer from her!

He was paving the way!

After all, if verification was impossible... it would mean Akiyama Shin could only hold onto the information in his hands... and would have to inform the students of Class D... relying solely on teamwork.

And Akiyama Shin's goal, from the very beginning, wasn't just to understand the rules and adapt to them.

He wanted to use the rules to directly target his competitors—he wanted to take the initiative and go after the other classes?!

Chabashira Sae looked at the black-haired youth before her, whose expression was calm but whose eyes were as deep as an abyss.

For the first time, she truly understood what it meant to be shaken, along with a faint chill and a hint of anticipation.

Class D...

This time, they might have really gotten a terrifying monster...