Classroom of the Elite, Oh No, I've Become a Stand-in

Amidst Mashima Tomoya's long-winded speech, Mikage Touji's ears precisely captured the number 100,000.

He sat up slightly, deftly unlocked his phone, casually pushed away the person behind him who was having a blast playing with a pop-it toy, and swiped the screen.

Name: Mikage Touji
Student ID: S01T004788
Gender: Male
Class: First-Year Class A
Personal Points: 100,000 pr

After waiting a while, with no one in the class raising their hand, Mashima Tomoya continued, "In terms of purchasing power, 1 point in this school is equivalent to 1 yen outside. Thus, 100,000 personal points are equivalent to 100,000 yen in the outside world. You will need to use these points to pay for daily necessities, cafeteria meals, and entertainment expenses within the school. As long as it is something you want, points can buy it."

As soon as he finished speaking, a few faint gasps of surprise emerged from the seats in unison, though they quickly quieted down as if realizing such behavior was inappropriate.

100,000 yen, huh...

Mikage Touji looked at the number on the screen and frowned.

"Points will be deposited on the first of every month."

His frown deepened into a scowl.

Every month, too... Hey, hey, is this school planning on harvesting my kidneys or something?

Why not just give us cash? Why go through the trouble of creating these "points"? Is there something special about them?

Mashima Tomoya explained the rules clearly on the surface, but there was something off about his phrasing—no, rather than "off," "vague" would be more accurate.

"That concludes the explanation of the school rules. If you have any questions, please raise your hand." With that, Mashima Tomoya scanned the entire classroom.

Along with Mikage Touji, several students in the classroom shot their hands up.

It seems he wasn't the only one who realized something was wrong.

Mashima Tomoya wore a faint smile and pointed casually at one of them: "That student there."

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

Mikage Touji's eyes widened. This guy is 15?

The student who stood up had a gleaming bald head. The incandescent light from the classroom hit it and reflected off with blinding intensity, catching Mikage Touji right in his widened eyes.

Damn it! An ambush!

Mikage Touji raised a hand to cover his eyes.

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

That's enough! Morishita Ran, I've been putting up with you for a long time!

Mikage Touji turned his head and saw Morishita Ran's cold, indifferent face.

Something the matter?

Morishita Ran blinked her large eyes.

Nothing...

Mikage Touji turned back, feeling helpless.

The bald student's sturdy physique matched his deep voice, though he gave off a rather composed impression.

"May I ask, teacher, what do we need to do to earn these 100,000 personal points the school gives us? Or rather, what goal must we achieve?" Clearly, he didn't believe this school would just hand out 100,000 yen to everyone so easily.

"This school measures students by their ability. You possess the corresponding value and potential to have been successfully admitted; all you need to do is maintain that value."

Mashima Tomoya's expression remained unchanged, as rigid as a robot; it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Why does this explanation sound so awkward? Value? Potential? Is he implying something?

Some of the other students in the class looked thoughtful, some were confused, and others didn't seem to care at all.

"Then, can personal points be converted into yen?"

"The school will reclaim any remaining points upon graduation. Before then, no conversions will be made."

The composed bald student thought for a moment. "I have no further questions."

Mashima Tomoya nodded, signaling for him to sit down.

After the bald student finished his inquiry, the other students lowered their hands one by one, leaving only one hand still held high in the classroom.

Mashima Tomoya nodded toward Mikage Touji. "That student."

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

Mashima Tomoya was taken aback. "What makes you think that?" He clearly hadn't expected Mikage Touji to ask this.

Following the order of the sentences just now, 100,000 personal points being deposited on the first of every month was a logical conclusion.

Mikage Touji said bluntly, "Because you specifically singled that sentence out. Otherwise, you could have just said '100,000 points will be deposited every month' at the beginning."

Anyone who has written an essay or read a report knows that the final sentence is where the essence lies.

Mashima Tomoya deliberated for a moment before answering vaguely, "That depends on your value."

As these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the classroom became subtle. Thinking about it on this basis, Mashima Tomoya had actually already given them the answer; that is to say, it wasn't 100,000 personal points every month, and this figure would fluctuate.

"May I ask what the criteria for the value assessment are?" An impatient student asked directly from their seat.

"The school has a specialized system to evaluate you, and you will know when the time comes."

Have we reached the limit?

Mashima Tomoya appeared to be avoiding the topic. Mikage Touji understood that nothing more could be asked, so after signaling to him, he sat back down.

Issuing something called points as a monthly living allowance without telling the students the criteria for the evaluation was, in fact, justifiable; it was nothing more than not wanting students to answer based on a standard answer key.

But... is it really that simple?

Mikage Touji had checked reports related to Advanced Nurturing, and information regarding its teaching model was extremely scarce. If it were truly just like this, wouldn't it be better to just announce it openly?

"This school is strange, isn't it?"

"It is a bit—"

Mikage Touji froze, then turned his head back helplessly.

Morishita Ran was sitting upright in her seat, her gaze fixed on the blackboard, and the tool of her crime had been tucked away somewhere unknown.

"Please listen to the lecture carefully and do not disrupt classroom discipline." She stared straight ahead, looking like a model student listening intently, yet she spoke words that only the two of them could hear.

"..."

Really, I am such a fool; why did I turn around and fall for her trap?

"Pfft—"

Beside him, a girl with a tear mole at the corner of her eye, wearing a headband and sporting flowing golden hair, was amused by this scene.

She covered her mouth with one hand and reached out toward Mikage Touji with the other, saying in a soft voice, "I am Shiraishi Asuka. What is your name?"

"I am Mikage Touji."

Their hands clasped together.

"Please take care of me from now on." Shiraishi Asuka's eyes curved into crescents.

"Likewise."

Mashima Tomoya saw that no one else was raising their hand.

"Since there are no more questions, the orientation is now concluded. Remember to head to the school gymnasium in one hour to attend the entrance ceremony. The remaining time is yours to spend as you please."

After saying this, Mashima Tomoya took his lecture notes and left the classroom decisively.

Chapter 3: Heroes from All Walks of Life Gather

Not long after Mashima Tomoya left, the students in the class began to introduce themselves spontaneously.

Tsk...

Mikage Touji clicked his tongue, discovering that all the other students were sitting properly in their seats, and not a single one of them wanted to bolt like he did.

No, perhaps there was one.

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

"Staring at my face constantly won't do; if you like it, please say it out loud."

Mikage Touji closed his eyes, filled with regret.

I'm sorry, I was too naive to even attempt to keep up with this person's train of thought.

"Mikage-kun," Shiraishi Asuka at the next desk chimed in, "do you dislike self-introductions?"

Mikage Touji scratched his cheek, "That's not it, I just feel a bit unaccustomed to this kind of atmosphere."

"Then..." Shiraishi Asuka touched her fingers together, tilted her head in thought for a moment, and smiled, "Shall we leave together, Mikage-kun?"

An angel!

At that moment, Shiraishi Asuka seemed to be coated in a layer of light.

"Let's go!" A voice forcefully interjected.

Morishita Ran was sitting in her seat, one leg already extended out, ready to leave at any moment.

Mikage Touji widened his eyes. I called you earlier and you didn't respond?

Did you call me earlier? Morishita Ran returned the look with her eyes.

"..."

Mikage Touji let out a long sigh, "It would have been fine at the beginning, but it's not possible now."

The self-introductions had already reached the vicinity of Mikage Touji, and under the watchful eyes of everyone, it would be impolite to run away now.

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

On the podium, a boy with a flashy, delinquent-style golden hairstyle, a ponytail, and an ear stud introduced himself in a flippant tone.

Hey, hey, with a look like that, is it really okay to have such a righteous name?

Although he looked like a hoodlum, it had to be said that his stage presence was steady and his articulation clear; as he stepped off the stage, the applause was enthusiastic.

Immediately after, another student followed: name, hobbies, goals, please take care of me...

Tacky!

Formulaic!

Completely unoriginal!

Mikage Touji felt an itch in his heart, wondering if he should give his new classmates a little shock.

For instance, upon taking the stage, he could suddenly clutch his right hand with all his might, veins bulging, then stagger back a few steps while struggling to control his expression, only to snap in a low voice when people gathered around: "Don't come any closer! The... Force Black Peat... inside me... stop it... it's not the time yet!"

The next second, he magnificently abandoned this plan.

Kito Hayato, this student was just like his name suggested: head bowed, hunched back, sharp hooked nose, with seaweed-like hair draped over both sides of his cheeks—a man possessing the appearance of a demon.

When he took the stage, the temperature in the classroom felt like it dropped a few degrees; he brought his own domain aura with him.

He was even better equipped than Mikage Touji, with a pair of pitch-black gloves that fully displayed an aura of darkness.

The gap between Mikage Touji and this guy was probably the difference between Three-Sword Style Zoro and Three-Sword Liu Zoro.

Kito Hayato's voice was terrifyingly low, and there was only sparse, scattered applause when he stepped off the stage.

Mikage Touji clapped for him; for the sake of that chuunibyou speech he had just abandoned, this was a reward the victor deserved.

Most people's self-introductions were very concise; after all, since they had to finish within an hour, the students were very self-aware and compressed their time to under a minute and a half.

However, Mikage Touji felt that 20 seconds would probably be enough for him.

He loosened his neck and strode confidently toward the podium.

Some of the girls in the class saw Mikage Touji walking up to the podium and their eyes suddenly lit up, subconsciously adjusting their appearance.

The gazes of the other students also gathered; Mikage Touji's performance earlier was plain for all to see, and it wouldn't be a bad thing to get on good terms with a classmate like this.

"I am Mikage Touji, my hobbies are watching TV dramas and movies, please take care of me for the next three years." It was a mediocre speech, without any highlights, but also without any flaws; thrown into this Class A where heroes gathered, it shouldn't stir up any waves.