Koenji's Information

"So, you knew I was coming?"

Looking at the Branch Cake pushed in front of him and the other's smug, triumphant smile, Katsuya Shinjo finally understood.

"Well, it is one of the most effective trump cards to use on you. Someone who treats sweets as their lifeblood wouldn't miss out on this monthly limited edition, would they?"

Even when facing Shinjo, Koenji continued to groom his hair with a comb, acting entirely as he pleased.

"Regardless, thanks. If it weren't for you, I might have really had to wait another month."

"Hahaha, enjoy the favor I have bestowed upon you to your heart's content."

"So, what do you want from me?"

Koenji was the quintessential synonym for someone who never does anything without a profit. On this point, even Shinjo had to admit he was inferior.

"That is certainly straightforward. But that's fine; I want you to owe me a favor."

The smile on Katsuya Shinjo's face stiffened slightly; a favor from this guy was nothing to joke about.

"Hey... you haven't developed some kind of delusion, have you? You want me to work for you over a mere cake?"

Koenji simply extended a finger and shook it a few times:

"No, no, no. I am certainly not that naive. This cake is a gift. As a condition, I will tell you a piece of information regarding the school. How about that?"

"That depends on how valuable your information is."

Koenji laughed heartily, satisfied. Shinjo was a person who valued profit just like him, so he wouldn't go back on his word over information that would eventually come to light anyway. He spoke slowly:

"Regarding private points, you must have already discovered something, right?"

"Oh my, oh my. Isn't it supposed to be you telling me useful information? Why are you asking me instead? Don't tell me you, the great young master Koenji, are trying to pull a fast one?"

"Heh, you really are as suspicious as ever. Fine, you only need to know that if things continue like this, most of the people in our class will be penniless by next month. Furthermore, private points are far more useful than you think."

Katsuya Shinjo nodded calmly upon hearing this; he had already prepared himself mentally for that much.

Koenji didn't say anything further upon seeing this. Whether the other party already knew this information or not, he wouldn't show any cracks in his expression.

However, since the other party hadn't spoken yet, it meant Shinjo wasn't satisfied with the value of that information.

So, Koenji picked up a mirror to check his reflection and continued:

"The four classes of this school, A, B, C, and D, seem to be arranged according to a certain rule. And our class happens to be ranked as Class D."

As for the details, Koenji was, of course, perfectly clear.

As the saying goes, money makes the mare go. As the only son of the Koenji Family, he could easily exchange promises of future rewards or employment to upperclassmen in return for information or rare resources like private points.

But he had no intention of dumping it all on Katsuya Shinjo at once.

Although there was no change on Shinjo's face, he was inwardly muttering to himself. If Koenji hadn't pointed it out, he truly never would have thought of it in that light.

A, B, C, D—generally, in games or exam results, these reflect Excellent, Good, Average, and Failing.

Coupled with the "merit-based" system Sae Chabashira had mentioned earlier, and the fact that his classmates all had more or less some kind of flaw, it was hard for him not to think in a negative direction.

"Well, let me give you one last hint: the irrationality of this school can be explained by a certain rationality. The fact that the school would admit so many ugly characters is, in itself, irrational. So, how can that be made rational?"

Koenji spoke in riddles, but he had no intention of explaining them to Katsuya Shinjo.

"That is all I have to say. In any case, it is worth a favor from you. I have a date coming up, so goodbye, Odd Jobs Agency~"

With that, Koenji stood up and left the private room.

Katsuya Shinjo automatically ignored the jab, focusing his efforts on organizing the information Koenji had left behind.

It was now known that the assessment criteria for private points were closely tied to daily conduct. His class was the bottom-of-the-barrel existence in the entire grade.

The "ugly" people Koenji spoke of naturally referred to those who had no value and would only drag others down.

If graduates of Advanced Nurturing could freely choose their careers and further education in the future, did that mean these dead weights would also have such opportunities?

No, that was absolutely impossible.

The school's funding came from society and the state; the state would not spend money to raise a bunch of freeloaders.

In other words... the immense rights of graduates upon entry might be something they could never enjoy, or perhaps they might not even be able to graduate at all...

Combined with the gap between A, B, C, and D...

Does that mean the students of Class D are... unworthy?

Having figured it out, Katsuya Shinjo gasped, then quickly exhaled.

"What does that have to do with me? I don't care about free career choices. Once I graduate, won't I have to truly take over that complex and heavy burden anyway..."

As for Koenji's point that private points were far more useful than he imagined, he still didn't quite understand. Besides acting as currency, what else could points be used for?

Surely they couldn't be used to buy things that were invisible and intangible, could they?

Wait...

"Anything inside the school can be bought with points. That's what Teacher Chabashira said back then, right?"

"Anything can be bought"—the weight of those words was truly immense.

Although, a normal person wouldn't really pay attention to that; who would bother nitpicking the wording of a manual?

However, this school seemed to enjoy playing all sorts of word games, either leaving things half-said or hiding the most crucial conditions.

As for the seemingly infinite possibilities of the points, Shinjo's mind began to race. The reason he came to this school was to live a few years of peace; he didn't want to work, didn't want to take risks, and didn't want to get involved in schemes.

But happy days would eventually come to an end, and once he graduated from high school, he would still be unable to escape his future fate.

Yet, a golden opportunity now lay before him. If it were truly possible to use points to buy the right to stay for a fourth or fifth year, as long as he had enough points, couldn't he live in this school for his entire life?!

A lifetime might be pushing it, but then again, who would complain about having too much of a good thing?

"Prepare for a rainy day and prevent trouble before it happens. Regardless of how much power these points actually hold, I should get my hands on them first... But where exactly am I supposed to earn money?"

(But is there a possibility, Shinjo, that the very reason you came to this school was so you wouldn't have to earn money?)