Heroes from Every Corner Join Forces

As Mashima Tomoya went on at length, Mikage Touji's ears zeroed in on the number 100,000.

He sat up a little straighter, swiftly opened his phone, casually shoved aside the guy behind him who was having the time of his life playing a little-pick game, and swiped across the screen.

[Name: Mikage Touji

Student ID: S01T004788

Gender: Male

Class: Class 1-A

Personal Points: 100,000 pr]

After waiting a while, no one in the class raised a hand, so Mashima Tomoya continued, "In terms of purchasing power, one point at this school is equivalent to one yen outside. So 100,000 personal points are equivalent to 100,000 yen. You'll also need points to pay for necessities, meals in the cafeteria, entertainment, and so on. If there's something you want, you can buy it with points."

As soon as he finished speaking, several faint gasps rose from different seats. But the students seemed to realize that making a fuss wasn't appropriate, and quickly fell silent.

100,000 yen...

Mikage Touji stared at the number on his screen and frowned.

"The points will be deposited on the first of every month."

His brows knitted together completely.

Every month... Hey, was this school planning to harvest his kidneys or something?

Why not just give them money? Why go out of their way to create a system of points? Was there something special about them?

Mashima Tomoya had explained the rules clearly on the surface, but some of his wording still felt off. No, "vague" was a better way to put it.

"That concludes my explanation of the school rules. If you have any questions, raise your hand." As he spoke, Mashima Tomoya looked around the classroom.

Several students, including Mikage Touji, shot their hands up.

So he wasn't the only one who'd noticed something was off.

Mashima Tomoya gave a faint smile and casually picked someone. "You there."

"Yes." A deeper, more resonant voice than Mashima Tomoya's rang out.

Mikage Touji's eyes widened. Was this guy really fifteen?

The student who stood had a gleaming bald head. The classroom's fluorescent lights reflected off its incredibly smooth surface, catching Mikage Touji right in his newly widened eyes.

Holy crap! Cheap shot!

Mikage Touji raised a hand to cover his eyes.

"Pfft..." A merciless snicker came from behind him.

That's enough! Morishita Ran, I've put up with you for long enough!

Mikage Touji turned his head—and saw Morishita Ran's impassive face.

What?

Morishita Ran blinked her big eyes at him.

Nothing...

Mikage Touji turned back, helpless.

The bald student's burly build matched his voice, but he gave off a remarkably steady impression.

"Teacher, may I ask what we're expected to do in exchange for the 100,000 personal points the school gives us? Or what goals we need to achieve?" Clearly, he didn't believe the school would so readily hand out 100,000 yen to everyone.

"This school measures students by their abilities. You've been admitted successfully, which means you have a certain amount of value and potential. Your task is to continue maintaining that value."

Mashima Tomoya's expression didn't change. He was as stiff as a robot, giving no hint of what he was thinking.

Why did that explanation sound so strange? Value? Potential? Was he trying to imply something?

Some students in the class looked thoughtful, others seemed confused, and a few didn't care at all.

"Then can personal points be exchanged for yen?"

"When you graduate, the school will collect any points you have left. Until then, they can't be exchanged."

The steady bald guy thought for a while. "I have no more questions."

Mashima Tomoya nodded, indicating that he should sit down.

After the bald student finished asking his question, several others lowered their hands. Only one remained raised high.

Mashima Tomoya nodded toward Mikage Touji. "You there."

Mikage Touji stood and got straight to the point. "Teacher, when you said, 'The points will be deposited on the first of every month,' did you mean that 100,000 personal points will be deposited into our accounts every month?"

Mashima Tomoya paused. "Why did you think that?" He clearly hadn't expected Mikage Touji to ask that.

Following the order of his earlier statements, "100,000 personal points" and "deposited on the first of every month" naturally formed a single logical statement.

Mikage Touji was blunt. "Because you singled out that sentence. Otherwise, you could've just said something like, 'You'll receive 100,000 points every month' at the beginning."

Anyone who'd written an essay or read a report knew that the last sentence was the key point.

Mashima Tomoya considered his answer for a while, then said vaguely, "That depends on your value."

As soon as he said this, the atmosphere in the class turned subtle. Thinking about it, Mashima Tomoya had already given them their answer: they wouldn't receive 100,000 personal points every month. The amount would change.

"What's the standard for evaluating our value?" An impatient student called out from their seat.

"The school has a special system for evaluating you. You'll find out when the time comes."

Had he reached his limit?

Mashima Tomoya looked like he was avoiding the question. Mikage Touji understood that he wouldn't get anything else out of him, so he nodded to the teacher and sat back down.

Giving the students points to use as living expenses each month while keeping the evaluation standards secret made sense. The school probably just didn't want them tailoring their behavior to fit a set of criteria.

But... was it really that simple?

Mikage Touji had looked up reports about Advanced Nurturing. There was hardly any information about its teaching methods. If that really was all there was to it, why not just come out and say so?

"This school is pretty weird, huh?"

"It's a little—"

Mikage Touji froze, then turned around helplessly.

Morishita Ran sat up straight at her desk, gazing at the blackboard. She'd apparently put away her crime weapon.

"Please pay attention and don't disrupt the class." She kept her eyes on the board, like a model student listening attentively, while speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"..."

Seriously, I'm such an idiot. Why did I turn around and fall for her trick?

"Pfft—"

A girl beside him, with a beauty mark at the corner of her eye, a headband in her hair, and long, flowing blond hair, was amused by the exchange.

She covered the corner of her mouth with one hand and held out the other to Mikage Touji. Her voice was gentle. "I'm Shiraishi Asuka. What's your name?"

"I'm Mikage Touji."

Their hands met.

"I look forward to getting along with you." Shiraishi Asuka's eyes curved into a smile.

"Likewise."

Seeing that no one else had their hand raised, Mashima Tomoya spoke up.

"If there are no more questions, that concludes the orientation. Remember to go to the school gymnasium in an hour for the entrance ceremony. You're free to do as you like until then."

With that, Mashima Tomoya left the classroom briskly, carrying his notes.

### Not long after Mashima Tomoya left, the students began introducing themselves of their own accord.

Tsk...

Mikage Touji clicked his tongue. Every other student was sitting properly at their desk. Not a single one seemed to want to make a run for it like he did.

No, maybe there was one.

Mikage Touji slowly turned his gaze toward the back...

"You can't keep staring at my face. If you like me, say it out loud."

Mikage Touji closed his eyes, filled with regret.

I'm sorry. I was too naive. I actually thought I could keep up with this person's train of thought.

"Mikage," Shiraishi Asuka said from the desk beside his, "do you not like introducing yourself?"

Mikage Touji scratched his cheek. "It's not that. I'm just not used to this kind of atmosphere."

"Then..." Shiraishi Asuka touched her fingertips together and tilted her head, thinking for a moment. Then she smiled. "How about you and I go together?"

An angel!

At that moment, Shiraishi Asuka seemed to glow.

"Let's go!" A voice cut in forcefully.

Morishita Ran sat at her desk, one leg already out from under it, ready to leave at any moment.

Mikage Touji's eyes widened. You didn't answer when I called you just now!

Did you call me just now? Morishita Ran answered with a look of her own.

"..."

Mikage Touji let out a long sigh. "It would've been fine at the beginning, but now I can't."

The introductions had already reached the students near Mikage Touji. With everyone watching, running away now would be rude.

"Yo, I'm Hashimoto Masayoshi..."

At the lectern, a boy with a flashy blond hairstyle tied in a ponytail and earrings introduced himself in a flippant tone.

Hey, hey. Does a name as upright as that really suit your look?

He might have looked like a delinquent, but he had to be given credit: he was poised onstage and spoke clearly. When he stepped down, the applause was enthusiastic.

Next came another student. Name, hobbies, goals, nice to meet you...

So tacky!

So predictable!

So utterly unoriginal!

Mikage Touji felt a mischievous urge stirring inside him. Should he give his new classmates a little shock?

For example, he could suddenly clutch his right hand with all his strength as he walked up, veins bulging, then stumble backward several steps. He'd lower his head and struggle to control his expression. When someone came over, he'd warn them in a low voice: "Stay back! The Force Black inside me... Stop... It's not time yet!"

The next second, he magnificently abandoned the plan.

Kito Hayato lived up to his name. With his head bowed, his back hunched, and his nose hooked and sharp, he was a man with a fearsome visage. Long, seaweed-like hair hung on either side of his face.

When he walked up, the classroom seemed to grow several degrees colder. He had the air of someone bringing his own domain with him.

He was even better equipped than Mikage Touji, with a pair of black gloves that radiated darkness.

The difference between Kito Hayato and Mikage Touji was probably the difference between Three-Sword Style Zoro and Three-Sword Liu Zoro.

Kito Hayato's voice was frighteningly deep. When he stepped down, he received only a sparse smattering of applause.

Mikage Touji applauded him. For that lost chuunibyou speech of his, it was a reward the victor deserved.

Most people kept their introductions brief. After all, they had to finish within an hour, and the students were considerate enough to keep theirs under a minute and a half.

Mikage Touji figured he'd only need about twenty seconds.

He rolled his neck, held his head high, and strode toward the lectern.

Some of the girls in the class saw Mikage Touji walk up and their eyes suddenly lit up. They instinctively tidied their appearances.

The other students' gazes gathered on him, too. Everyone had witnessed his earlier question, and it couldn't hurt to get on good terms with someone like him.

"I'm Mikage Touji. My hobbies are watching TV dramas and movies. I look forward to getting along with you over the next three years." His introduction was perfectly ordinary, with no particular highlights or flaws. It probably wouldn't cause a stir in Class A, where all kinds of impressive people had gathered.