Wait, Sakamoto!

As soon as the homeroom teacher finished speaking,

the classroom instantly grew lively again.

"100,000!? Is that for real?"

"So we can all enjoy a perfect school life every month..."

Even at the current exchange rate, 100,000 yen could be exchanged for about 4,700 yuan—roughly forty-seven "Chairman Maos."

That much cash would be enough for a college student to live very comfortably.

In the corner, Sakamoto gave a slight shake of his head. There was no need to stay any longer. He got up, intending to leave the noisy classroom,

but Hashimoto, sitting in front of him, was chatting excitedly. When he noticed the boy behind him move, he stopped talking to the classmates around him and watched Sakamoto, wondering what he would do next.

Then he suddenly noticed a strange smile at the corner of Sakamoto's mouth, one he couldn't understand at all. Sakamoto sat back down.

Hashimoto: ???

However, from the students' perspective, Sakamoto had suddenly done something strange. Inside, he was also a little delighted.

[Critical story event about to trigger. Please make one of the following choices.]

[Choice 1: Mind your own business and keep your head down—you completely ignore Class A's "cuties" and let them figure things out on their own over the next month. Because you do nothing, the story changes very little. Congratulations, you've earned the [Professional Diver] achievement title. Keep slacking off! You'll live here as an ordinary rich guy.]

[Choice 2: As a powerful male, you must declare your territory—rush over and pick up Sakayanagi Arisu, then boldly announce: "This woman is mine. Who dares touch her!!" You'll shock the entire class.]

[Choice 3: O, changer of the world's fate! Begin your performance—point out the linguistic trap in the teacher's explanation of the school's point system. It must be a perfectly cool and fitting performance!!!! Success will unlock the system's basic functions.]

As expected, as a transmigrator, the system might be late, but it would never be absent.

Sakamoto couldn't help feeling pleased.

Then he noticed the key words in the system's announcement—"Critical story event about to trigger."

Sure enough, after learning they'd be given 100,000 points to spend, which felt like a dream come true to high schoolers, an outgoing boy whose name nobody could remember suggested the class introduce themselves, to give their happy school lives a wonderful start.

Caught up in the cheerful mood, one student after another eagerly stood up to speak.

"Hi, everyone. My name's Sichuan Ryo. I'm looking forward to..."

"H-hello, everyone. My name's Yamamura Miki..."

"My name's Rinaka Satoshi. I'm good at sports..."

The speaker was a very handsome boy. The original novel hadn't described him in detail; he was simply handsome. Soon, he drew the attention and quiet whispers of most of the girls.

Next up was a particularly conspicuous, bald boy.

"Classmates, my name is Katsuragi Kohei. As a fellow student in Class 1-A, I hope to get along well with all of you. I look forward to working with you."

"Whoa, he's bald! What a... unique hairstyle."

"He looks pretty serious, but that bald head is impossible to ignore..."

Once Katsuragi Kohei finished introducing himself, the lively atmosphere in the classroom grew even more animated. Most of the Class A students who hadn't introduced themselves yet were eager to have their turn, hoping to make a good impression on their classmates.

Soon, everyone in the front rows had finished their introductions.

As for Sakayanagi, the elegant young lady, she had introduced herself perfectly as soon as she entered the classroom. Now she sat comfortably in the front row, smiling faintly at her classmates, though she paid them almost no attention.

After all, to her, the entire school was part of her family's business. The students were nothing more than toys of all kinds.

"..."

"I look forward to getting along with you."

Hashimoto, sitting in the second-to-last row, finished introducing himself, then looked toward Sakamoto at the back, waiting for him to speak.

Sakamoto stood up without hesitation, wearing a faint smile as he faced the class.

"Hello, Class A."

With considerable interest, Sakamoto took off the hat on his head, held it against his chest, and gave an elegant bow like a nobleman.

"I am Sakamoto Shunichi."

With nothing more than a simple greeting, Sakamoto drew the whole class's attention. Even Sakayanagi, who had been sitting quietly, secretly turned her attention toward the elegant fellow in the corner of the classroom, whose smile seemed capable of melting a young girl's fluttering heart.

"As fellow students in Class A, meeting you all must be fate. So I've decided to say something that may not be quite so pleasant."

As though they'd heard something momentous, some of the Class A students finally tore their eyes away from his charming appearance.

"You all find it hard to believe that the school is giving each of you 100,000 points, don't you?"

At the mention of the 100,000 points, Hashimoto and Katsuragi seemed to understand what he was getting at. Even Sakayanagi, sitting at the very front, looked as if she'd just spotted "something interesting."

"You might be thinking about how to make those points last through the month. Maybe you'll rush off to some entertainment venues, or spend a fortune on a bracelet or a game. That certainly sounds like a delightful choice."

"But unfortunately, the points won't be deposited quite as regularly as you imagine."

"Sakamoto... What do you mean?" Yamamura, sitting beside him, asked in confusion.

"It's simple." Sakamoto met Yamamura's eyes for a moment, and her pretty face suddenly flushed bright red.

"The points can change. Our teacher, Tomoya Mashima, said that the school would deposit points into the students' accounts on the first of every month. He never said we'd get 100,000 yen every time. For all we know, the next deposit could be zero. There are about 160 students in just the first year at this school, which means the school has to pay out 16 million yen every month. By a rough estimate, there are 480 students in the school, so that's about 500 million yen a year. That's a huge burden for a public school.

"So how would the school deal with that? It wouldn't, and it wouldn't need to, spend vast sums of money to support students who couldn't keep up with its requirements. So some students are bound to be eliminated."

"Eliminated!"

Hashimoto, sitting in front, cried out. For a moment, an emotion called panic spread through the classroom.

Yamamura's pretty face went from red to pale.

Katsuragi remained serious, while Sakayanagi, who was also seated at the front with a view of the class, looked pleased. She wasn't enjoying the panic Sakamoto had deliberately stirred up. Rather, she approved of his indifference toward his peers. This guy hadn't changed at all.

Meanwhile, the person who'd caused the panic was very satisfied with the scene.

[Choice 3 completed. Submitting..., Completion: 100%. System activated.]

Sakamoto didn't deny it. He was supposed to point out the trap in the teacher's explanation of the points, but there were no hard-and-fast rules about how to do it.

And as the performer, everything he'd done was completely in character. In other words, he could do it however he wanted.

In that case, he'd give the unsuspecting Class A students a little warning. No need to thank your thoughtful classmate, Sakamoto.

A tense atmosphere hung over everyone in the classroom. No one could smile in a situation like this.

Some of the more independent students remained skeptical.

Yes, just like that. Tell the Class A students about the pressures of the school system when they're most relaxed and comfortable, and you'll create a trap of anxiety.

Looking at the unease and doubt on his classmates' faces, Sakamoto found it very... very amusing.

Sakamoto left the classroom, no longer filled with laughter and chatter, and walked slowly along the hallway. Behind him,

"Wait, Sakamoto!"