Special Rules

The number of people in the classroom continued to grow, and the sound of them interacting made Sawahara feel somewhat annoyed. The excitement of arriving at a new school made these adolescents quite boisterous.

How nice, these idiots. They have absolutely no need to think about complicated matters the way he does.

From the moment he received his admission letter, Sawahara knew this school was definitely not a good place, though he didn't really have much of a choice anyway.

Sawahara sat in his seat, contemplating his next move, and failed to notice when the classroom had fallen silent.

"Greetings, freshmen. I am Kazuma Sakagami, your homeroom teacher for Class C. I teach mathematics.

This school does not have a class transfer system, which means I will be your homeroom teacher for the next three years. I look forward to working with you all. The entrance ceremony will be held in the gymnasium in one hour. Before that, I will distribute your student IDs and information regarding the special rules of this school."

A middle-aged man's voice rang out, interrupting Sawahara's thoughts. Sawahara looked up and realized the teacher had arrived at some point; no wonder everyone had gone quiet.

The information on the special rules had already been provided when he was accepted. Unlike many high schools in the country, one of the unique aspects of this school is that all students attending are obligated to live in the on-campus dormitories. At the same time, all outside contact is prohibited during the school term unless there are special circumstances.

Even if it is family, contact is not permitted without the school's authorization.

Of course, leaving the school grounds without permission is also strictly prohibited.

On the other hand, to ensure students don't have too difficult a time, the school is equipped with many facilities. Places like karaoke bars, movie theaters, cafes, clothing stores, and so on essentially form a small commercial district. Located in the heart of a major metropolis, the school's vast grounds are said to exceed 600,000 square meters.

Of course, there is one more important item.

"Using the student ID you have just received, you can use all the facilities within the school and purchase goods at shops and the like. It is roughly similar to a credit card, but since points are consumed when used, you need to be careful. Within the school, cough, there is nothing that cannot be bought with points. As long as it is something that exists within the school grounds, you can buy anything."

In the middle of this, for some reason, Sakagami coughed suddenly, as if he were reminding them of something.

Sawahara looked at the student ID in his hand with interest. While called a student ID, it was actually quite similar to a smartphone. It had a full range of functions, though the inability to contact the outside world was a given.

"You can just tap or show it to the machines within the facilities; the method of use is very simple. Also, points will be automatically deposited on the first of every month. Everyone should have received 100,000 points fairly, and each point is worth one yen. That is roughly it."

As soon as Sakagami finished speaking, the students below began to whisper excitedly.

"This is too awesome! 100,000 in pocket money every month!"

"This school is amazing! Not only is there no tuition, but we get so much pocket money every month."

"Let's go shopping after the entrance ceremony. Doesn't the school have clothing stores? And cosmetics..."

Regarding the heated discussion among the students below, Kazuma Sakagami on the podium said nothing, just watching quietly, as if leaving the time to the students.

Sawahara looked at the 100,000 points on his phone, narrowing his eyes in thought.

The points for this month are 100,000, so could there be changes next month? Why would they change, and what is the basis? Points can buy everything; was Sakagami deliberately reminding them of something? Why?

The overly generous conditions...

The deliberate concealment of school rules.

One by one, the clues gradually connected, and Sawahara organized his thoughts.

Why were the school rules explained so concisely? Was it to let the students explore the school's rules themselves? And what was the reason for that? If they didn't understand the rules, they would inevitably make mistakes. Could this be some kind of assessment?

Was Sakagami's reminder for the students' sake? No, a teacher under the teacher's code wouldn't be so proactive. Then it must be for his own benefit. That is to say, the results of the assessment are linked to the teacher's treatment, which would make his behavior logical.

Then, is the target every student? Linking every student to a teacher's evaluation seems unreasonable just based on the amount of data to calculate. Moreover, Sakagami said he would be the homeroom teacher for three consecutive years, so it seems the assessment results are linked to the class.

Points are deposited every month, but there is no fixed amount. It seems highly likely that it will be affected by the assessment results, meaning the assessment scores will affect the income of points. This school... is somewhat insidious. Using this method to reduce school expenditures while also being able to basically see the "true nature" of the students under normal conditions.

Since there is this aspect to the points... then the right to "freely" choose one's career probably isn't available to everyone either. That's not surprising; after all, the government and capital wouldn't waste so many resources taking in useless scrap. Is this the meaning of "recommendation"...

Sawahara speculated as such, and at the same time, he turned his head to see his new desk mate, who was frowning in thought and not as excited as the other students.

He glanced back at that red-haired, delinquent-looking guy, who had a cold sneer on his face. It seemed the other party wasn't just a guy with muscles.

Sawahara silently noted the performance of the people in the class. He felt this class was a bit trashy; there were probably only a few smart people. However, there seemed to be quite a few with good physiques, like that black guy and that group of guys who looked like delinquents.

Was there really an issue with how the classes were divided?

"Everyone!" A girl suddenly stood up from her seat. "We are all partners in the same class from now on. Why don't we take advantage of the time before the entrance ceremony to introduce ourselves according to our seats? That way, we can get to know each other faster and find like-minded friends."

The girl said this, attempting to stir up the atmosphere in the class.

He had expected some high-level insight, but it was just this. It looked like she intended to use this to show off in front of the teacher, and perhaps the teacher would casually appoint her as a class representative later to maintain her status in the class? Sawahara saw through the girl's thoughts at a glance. He felt a bit disappointed. Although self-introductions were indeed somewhat useful, didn't you guys think about more important things? This class really has a bleak future.

"Enough, let the farce end here." Ryuen interrupted the girl. He had had enough of these boring and stupid people. As expected, these guys just need to be obedient.