Advanced Nurturing High School believed in "merit above all," something Hoshino had already heard Chabashira-sensei emphasize again and again. He couldn't really understand it, though. What exactly counted as being strong?
Name: Hoshino Hoshiya
Class: Class 1-D
Points:
A photo of Hoshino was attached on the right.
Getting a little tired of the teacher's lecture, Hoshino pulled out his student ID and started looking over the information on it. He couldn't help thinking, Would writing anything more make it explode?
The school offered a great deal of freedom. Based on his recent observations, Hoshino had reached that much of a conclusion. Students could play on their phones or read manga during class without anyone stopping them, and hardly anyone in the class seemed to be paying attention.
Hoshino didn't believe the school was so generous that it would simply leave them to their own devices for three years. According to the handbook Chabashira-sensei had handed out, this wasn't a "Spartan-style" school.
But given its unreliable reputation and title, there would definitely be some sort of major punishment. It was impossible that they'd let students do whatever they wanted for three years. Simply arranging things within the school would also go against the purpose behind its founding. He just didn't yet know how the punishment system worked.
"Ugh—this is so boring..." Hoshino sighed to himself.
After all, as long as you did what you were supposed to, you could do well here—or anywhere else. Most people simply couldn't stay disciplined or stick with things.
Students who slacked off at other schools wouldn't suddenly stop just because they'd changed locations. Not unless there was some special reason.
If that was the case, then this school must have some tempting rewards, too! After all, self-interest was what drove people to act.
Judging by the points shown on his student ID, Hoshino was pretty sure the system involved monetary rewards and penalties. He just didn't know the specific rules yet.
Each class had forty students, there were four classes per grade, and 480 students in the whole school. Keeping track of everyone individually would be a hassle and might require more staff than students. The school had plenty of money, but judging from the school rules and what he'd seen around campus, Hoshino couldn't imagine they'd go to such lengths.
That left only one conclusion: each class would rise or fall together! So it really was a "team competition"? That wasn't his strong suit.
"Just take it easy," Hoshino decided after thinking it over for a moment.
If you weren't good at something, you should cooperate with people who were. It was more efficient and wouldn't make everyone uncomfortable. You shouldn't think your halfway-decent skills could match those of someone who'd mastered the field. After thinking it over again and again, he'd come to see that truth was only in the hands of those who pursued it.
At that thought, Hoshino suddenly had a bad feeling. There probably wouldn't be many points left in Class D next month.
After school, Hoshino left the classroom and headed to the nearby shopping mall. He wanted to pick up some furniture and necessities, and maybe a few snacks while he was at it.
But the moment he reached the furniture section, the high prices drove him away. There were a few cheaper options, but none of them appealed to him. Since he probably wouldn't be getting many points next month, Hoshino gave up on buying anything.
After walking around the mall without finding anything both affordable and to his liking, Hoshino decided to leave.
"Hey, you bastards..." A commotion came from nearby.
He looked toward the lounge by the entrance. A red-haired student who looked like a delinquent had grabbed another student by the collar and raised his fist as if he were about to hit him. Two others were trying to break it up. From where they stood, they were probably on the side of the student being attacked. Even though they outnumbered the redhead, they were only making a half-hearted attempt to intervene. They muttered under their breath, but showed no intention of fighting back.
It was fairly easy to tell upperclassmen from first-years; there was a definite difference in their presence. The red-haired student was probably a first-year. Still, students who got into fights right after enrolling could get into this school? Its admissions rules were more surprising than he'd expected.
"Wait, Sudo!" A student with an expressionless face stepped forward and pulled the red-haired boy away. Hoshino thought he looked familiar.
"Hey, it's them..." The red-haired boy still sounded impatient and tried to break free, but couldn't.
"Heh. You Class D morons can bark all you want. You'll find out what hell is soon enough!" Seeing that someone had stepped in, the three upperclassmen straightened their clothes, tossed out a threat, and left.
"..." Hoshino hadn't expected them to be from his class.
"Interesting." Surprised, Hoshino watched the two who remained with interest.
From his build, Sudo looked like he was good at sports. Yet this otherwise unremarkable student had pulled him away with ease. Hoshino genuinely felt that this place was full of hidden talents.
Something else seemed suspicious, too. They were all new students. Even if they were classmates, most people wouldn't get involved in something like this. But that boy had pulled Sudo away. There was nothing about the boy's presence that suggested he was a "nice guy," so he must have noticed something.
It seemed fighting was another offense that cost points. But surely the school wouldn't rely on witness statements to monitor changes in a class's score. That would be inefficient and risk bias or false accusations.
Hoshino thoughtfully looked up and glanced at a nearby corner. A barely noticeable security camera was mounted above the cashier's counter. It was easy to miss, hidden by the decorations and shelving. There were probably cameras like it in every classroom, too.
Thinking this over, Hoshino returned to his dorm, took out his key card, and opened the door.
Inside was a small shoe cabinet, beside the kitchen stove and sink. Across from them was a modest bathroom. Farther in was a small living area with a low table and a few little rugs. A desk stood by the window, and there was a small single bed. The room was mostly white, with the occasional brown cabinet or other furnishing, giving it a minimalist look. Overall, it was quite nice—around thirty or forty square meters, with surprisingly good furnishings.
The first time he saw it, Hoshino really was a little impressed.
After tidying up a bit, Hoshino leaned back in the chair beside his desk, chewing on the snacks he'd just bought as he sorted through the information in his head.
Class D. Hell? Then the class rankings almost certainly went from A to D in descending order. The existence of a reward-and-punishment system meant there had to be competition, so there must be some way for Class D to move up.
If so, it didn't seem likely that students were assigned solely according to grades. After all, a class full of poor students would hardly make for much competition.
Putting that together with his earlier conclusion, individual students' actions could affect their class. There was probably something like a class score, and personal points were tied to it. Exceptional performance might raise the class score, which could then improve the class's ranking.
Still, the idea that they'd placed some outstanding students in Class D right from the start seemed absurd to Hoshino. He wondered if there was some other explanation.
The expressionless student had also caught Hoshino's attention. He didn't know whether the boy was simply strong or was hiding his true abilities, but Hoshino sensed something unsettling about him.
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