The Whole School Shaken

The next day.

The sun was bright, making for a rare, beautiful day.

Xu Nuo was in a very good mood.

He hummed a little tune as he walked out of the Dormitory Building, only to be instantly submerged in the overwhelming noise flooding the streets.

At this very moment.

The tranquility of a typical morning was completely gone.

Along the way.

Students were gathered in groups of three or five everywhere, clutching their phones tightly, their faces etched with disbelief, panic, and a complex mix of other emotions.

"Are you kidding me! All my points are gone!"

"Impossible... I had over eighty thousand before I went to sleep last night..."

"Damn it, I don't even have money for breakfast now."

"Screw this—"

Scattered curses erupted from the crowd, and the air was thick with an atmosphere of anxiety.

One could even see several girls with tear-streaked, miserable faces.

After all.

For girls who were accustomed to a refined lifestyle, losing their points was no different than the sky collapsing.

Furthermore.

Even the students of Class A, who usually paid the most attention to their appearance, couldn't care less about their image at this moment; some had even rushed out still wearing their pajamas.

Judging by the direction they were heading.

Most were likely running to the Student Council to lodge a complaint.

Unfortunately.

One didn't need to look to know that the area downstairs at the General Building, where the Student Council was located, was likely packed with people.

Tsk.

The school administration must be frantic and sweating bullets by now, right?

The corners of Xu Nuo's mouth curled up.

Last night, he had leaped from the roof of the School Building and deployed his Homemade Glider under the cover of darkness.

Relying on the rule that a Searcher never looks up, he had drifted away successfully.

Horikita Manabu and the campus security staff, who had been busy all night, naturally hadn't gained a thing.

However... they should be discovering it by now, right?

Xu Nuo fell into thought.

Suddenly.

His phone vibrated.

No, to be precise, it had been vibrating incessantly.

Xu Nuo took out his phone and glanced at the screen casually—the Line message notifications were already at 99+.

Messages from various groups surged in like a tsunami.

He tapped open a grade-wide group at random; the messages were refreshing so fast that he couldn't even make out the content, only catching keywords like "points," "missing," and "what do I do" flashing wildly across the screen.

Xu Nuo shrugged and continued walking toward the School Building.

However.

The scene along the way became increasingly surreal.

A large crowd had gathered at the entrance of the Shopping Center, unable to swallow the free food they held in their hands.

Everyone looked ashen.

Others were blocking the doors of various shops, arguing with clerks or engaging in heated disputes, trying to buy things on credit.

Looking closely.

Most of them were adorable freshmen.

"Hey, hey, I haven't even had breakfast yet..."

"I'm sorry, student, the school's regulations are very clear; we cannot provide goods without points."

"You can just put it on my tab!"

"Seriously, it's clearly the school's fault, yet we're the ones who have to pay the price..."

The clerks at each shop also looked troubled, but rules were rules, and they could not be broken.

Fortunately, security was nearby maintaining order.

No major chaos ensued.

"What a mess."

Xu Nuo sighed.

Soon.

He arrived at the School Building, where the electronic bulletin board at the entrance displayed a red emergency notice:

[Urgent School-wide Notice]

[Regarding the incident of Private Points abnormally resetting to zero]

[The cause has been identified as a malfunction due to aging system servers. Your points have not been lost. All students and faculty, please remain calm.]

[Repairs are currently underway at high speed.]

It wasn't just here; notifications had been received on mobile phones as well.

However, it was clear.

Such an official response could not quell the crowd's anger, and most students were cursing and swearing.

Without lingering, he looked away.

Xu Nuo quickened his pace and returned to his classroom.

However.

Before he even reached the classroom door, he heard a roar coming from inside that nearly blew the roof off.

"I fucking lent you fifty thousand Private Points just yesterday!" Sudo Ken's roar pierced through the entire hallway. "And now you're telling me it's all fucking gone?!"

Accompanied by a loud "bang."

Clearly, something else had met its end inside.

He pushed open the classroom door.

And saw—

Desks and chairs were scattered haphazardly everywhere.

Sudo Ken was grabbing Yamauchi Haruki by the collar, the two of them red-faced and confronting each other, while Ike Kanji tried to break up the fight only to be shoved aside, nearly knocking over a desk.

It turned out that Master Yamauchi had borrowed money from the two of them last night.

He wanted to show off in front of others.

He had promised to pay them back today, but as everyone knew, the result was the explosive scene before them.

The people around them looked on with disgust.

Furthermore.

The situation on the girls' side was no better.

Several girls who usually loved to dress up were currently denouncing the school with righteous indignation, constantly refreshing their phone screens as if expecting their points to return.

Fortunately, there were still some rational people in Class D.

They were discussing the matter normally.

"Oh, my."

"Why are we worrying about this? The school already sent out a notice; the servers are just old and in need of repair."

"I don't think so. Some people are saying it was a hacker attack."

"Bullshit!"

"Someone saw something happening near the School Building last night. Something definitely happened at the school."

Besides them.

There were a few others completely unaffected by the incident.

Koenji Rokusuke sat with his legs crossed, leaning back in his chair, comfortably clipping his nails while sneering at the class's agitation.

"Yare yare, this is not beautiful at all."

"..."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka still wore his usual poker face, silently observing everything happening in the class.

A Pseudo-Human.

Learning how to become a human.

Seemingly sensing a gaze, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka looked over abruptly, his expression blank.

I've been spotted.

Xu Nuo didn't look away, instead offering him a slight smile.

"..."

Seeing it was him, Ayanokoji seemed somewhat surprised, then gave a slight nod in response.

Quite polite, he thought.

Afterward.

Ignoring the chaos around him, Xu Nuo walked to his seat with a calm and composed expression and slowly sat down.

His gaze shifted slightly.

He saw.

Horikita Suzune, the high-mountain flower sitting next to him, standing alone by the window, her reddish-purple eyes coldly observing the chaotic scene below.

He wondered what she was thinking.

She still wore that icy expression that kept everyone at a distance.

But upon closer observation.

One could see the girl's hand gently tapping against her black-stockinged leg—a small habit she only displayed when anxious—while her phone lay carelessly on the desk.

Looking at the illuminated screen.

Balance: 0

Clearly.

The school server had suddenly malfunctioned at this critical juncture, leaving Horikita feeling immense pressure.

After all.

She was burdened with two million in debt.

She had intended to explain the school's information to Class D today to recoup some points and lighten her load.

She hadn't expected such a thing to happen at such a crucial moment.

How could she not be anxious?

"Quiet!"

"Everyone, please calm down!"

Suddenly.

Yosuke Hirata stepped forward. He went straight to the podium and spoke in a loud voice, attempting to soothe everyone's emotions, but today, even the voice of this "good guy" carried a hint of agitation.

Hearing this.

Most of the boys and girls calmed down slightly.

Seeing this, he raised his volume with a touch of encouragement, "Since the school has identified the source of the problem, it should be resolved soon. Everyone, please be patient."

"It won't take long..."