Katsuragi Kohei said in a low voice, "Yahiko, that's not what he meant."
At the same time, Sakayanagi Arisu offered an unusually friendly reminder. "This 'you can buy anything' might include everything at the school."
Totsuka Yahiko froze for a moment, then gradually came back to his senses, his mouth growing dry.
"Sakayanagi, don't tell me you bought that information from upperclassmen with Private Points?" Katsuragi Kohei asked.
"Heh, I didn't have to pay out of pocket. There's no shortage of fools in this world." Sakayanagi Arisu drawled, then glanced at someone with mild displeasure. "Suzuki, is that all you have to say?"
Suzuki Toru turned to Kamuro Masumi, who looked back at him in confusion.
"Why are you looking at me?"
"What was the answer to my question last time?"
"Gross."
Kamuro Masumi tugged at her skirt as if she were repulsed. Her lovely legs had the fairest skin, along with just a little softness.
I'm not asking to see your panties. Suzuki Toru looked at Kamuro Masumi in exasperation.
Perhaps she realized it belatedly. Kamuro Masumi looked away and said irritably, "Fine, fine, you guessed right. I asked our homeroom teacher. He said that if you spent Twenty Million Personal Points, you could get one person promoted to Class A and grant them the rights of a graduate. But a graduate's rights were tied to Class A, and there had never been a case in the school's history of buying them separately."
As she spoke, she started bouncing her leg. Was she worried she wouldn't graduate with the class?
The classroom was quiet, and everyone was watching them, so the others had naturally heard Kamuro Masumi's words.
"Two million points to get promoted to Class A? That's an astonishing price." Katsuragi Kohei fell into thought.
"Hmph. Even if you earned a hundred thousand a month, you couldn't save up that much in three years without eating or drinking. It's nothing to worry about!" Totsuka Yahiko had been shocked at first, but he quickly relaxed and scoffed at the idea.
Hashimoto Masayoshi's eyes gleamed. This seemed like a decent option, too.
"Hehe. If you can even buy your way into Class A, think carefully—what else couldn't you buy?" Sakayanagi Arisu said with a smile.
"Could you buy your exam results, too?"
"Could you even buy erotic stuff?"
"Can you buy Class Points?"
Inevitably, Class A erupted into heated discussion.
"Looks like I don't need to explain anything else," Suzuki Toru said. "In short, at some point, Private Points might become our weapon. For instance, we could spend a certain number of points to force a particular student to drop out."
For some reason, the entire classroom fell silent.
Every voice abruptly stopped.
After a short while, Sakayanagi Arisu was the first to break the silence.
"Hehehe. Suzuki, you're unexpectedly ruthless. I didn't see that coming."
Suzuki Toru ignored the many looks directed at him and calmly continued, "It's only an extreme measure, and it might not even work. But if it was for the class, I'd do it without hesitation—even if it meant I had to drop out."
As expected, the moment he said this, everyone's expressions shifted from uncertainty to shock and admiration.
The girls in particular were easily swayed by the self-sacrificing, supposedly kind-and-handsome-guy persona. It was the one advantage good looks gave you.
"You don't have to do that, Suzuki!" someone said, working up the courage to speak.
Suzuki Toru glanced at her. Her name seemed to be Nishikawa Ryoko. She didn't seem to have any particular desires; she was just a background character.
Despite thinking that, he still gave her a smile. She blushed slightly and hurriedly lowered her head.
"Tch. Think you're all that just because you're handsome?" Totsuka Yahiko ground his teeth in envy.
Sakayanagi Arisu kept the discussion from straying too far. Smiling, she said, "To prepare for the competition ahead, I think we should use Private Points to buy a guide from Mashima-sensei. It's important for us to learn some of the rules in advance."
Her proposal quickly won the support of quite a few students. Even some of the people beside Katsuragi Kohei seemed interested.
"No. I understand how you feel, but I don't think the school would reveal anything to us. If it told us the key rules, the competition itself would lose its meaning," Katsuragi Kohei said in a low voice.
The school hadn't deliberately hidden anything from the first-years. It laid everything out in the open, as if to say, "If you're interested, think about it."
It was like the school had planted apple trees all over a mountain, then shown the new students everything there was to see—yet they'd somehow ignored the apple trees right in front of them. It felt strange.
Katsuragi Kohei had thought of the same thing as Sakayanagi Arisu, but their ideas differed.
They both knew what the key rules were: how the school assessed classes and students, and how it controlled the increase and decrease of Class Points.
In other words, Sakayanagi Arisu wanted to know the questions in advance, while Katsuragi Kohei didn't believe the school would sell the students the questions themselves.
That was why the school let them see the apple trees but didn't point them out.
"Hehe. How will we know if we don't try?" Sakayanagi Arisu said. "By my count, Mashima-sensei should be arriving soon."
As she finished speaking, footsteps sounded outside the classroom. A moment later, Mashima Tomoya appeared in the doorway.
As soon as Mashima Tomoya entered the classroom, he sensed something was off.
It seemed everyone was watching him with complicated, expectant looks.
" Mashima-sensei, how many points would it take to learn the rules of this school?" Sakayanagi Arisu asked first.
Katsuragi Kohei immediately added, "Could you tell us how Class Points are gained and lost, what form the upcoming assessments will take, and how we can avoid expulsion?"
A flash of surprise crossed Mashima Tomoya's eyes. Still, by the standards of previous Class A students, this year's class had caught on quickly.
"Sorry, I can't tell you," he said calmly. "The school has established thousands of specific rules governing how Private Points can be used, including a strict ban on teachers selling exam rules."
His words left many students deeply disappointed.
Mashima Tomoya quickly changed their minds.
"However, as an individual, I can sell you some common sense—the kind you'll need to survive at this school."
After saying this, Mashima Tomoya glanced at the camera in the corner.
Eighteenth Chapter: Class A's Two Leaders
"After spending a week here, I think you've gotten at least a little familiar with this school," Mashima Tomoya said. "As long as something doesn't violate the school rules and both parties agree to the transaction, Private Points can buy anything. That's the first thing I wanted to add."
Mashima Tomoya looked over their expressions, pausing for a moment on Katsuragi Kohei and Sakayanagi Arisu.
"So, my price is five hundred thousand Private Points. I can't guarantee it'll be worth what you pay. Can you accept that?"
The school wouldn't allow teachers to reveal too much. Most things could only be touched on briefly.
This was also to ensure fairness between classes. After all, if a teacher from one class let personal feelings sway them and said even a little more than the others, it could give their class a huge lead.
Katsuragi Kohei was surprised, because the price was so low. Split among everyone, it would come to just over ten thousand each, and he couldn't help feeling tempted.
But before he could say anything, Sakayanagi Arisu smiled. "Please let me pay. After all, it was my suggestion."
Katsuragi Kohei froze. She had five hundred thousand Private Points all by herself?
When had that happened?
"No way. Everyone only got a hundred thousand Private Points. How could you have five hundred thousand?" Totsuka Yahiko didn't believe Sakayanagi Arisu had that much either.
"Hehe. I just happened to have them." Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't move around easily, so she handed her phone to Hashimoto Masayoshi and had him take it to Mashima Tomoya.
Mashima Tomoya took a look and said expressionlessly, "All right. The deal is done."
"No way. She really has five hundred thousand Private Points?!" Totsuka Yahiko couldn't help shouting.
His question was on everyone's mind.
"There's a school forum on your phones. Open it and see for yourselves," Hashimoto Masayoshi said, clearly exasperated.
Soon, most of them saw the bounty post Sakayanagi Arisu had put on the forum. It was practically unbeatable.
That settled the matter. The students looked at Sakayanagi Arisu with even greater admiration.
Katsuragi Kohei managed to keep his composure, though Totsuka Yahiko continued muttering under his breath.
"Quiet. I won't repeat what I'm about to say," Mashima Tomoya said. "First of all, as Class A, you undoubtedly have the highest evaluation. But that's all it means. This school believes in the supremacy of ability, and your evaluation will match your abilities."
"Over the next three years, you'll face countless challenges. I can't tell you the specifics, but they'll be a little more unusual than the exams you're used to."
"Those without the necessary abilities will usually become sacrifices—that is, they'll be expelled. To avoid expulsion, either work hard to improve your abilities or contribute to your class."
"You should know what being in Class A means, so I won't elaborate. There are many ways to earn Private Points, whether through club activities or private transactions, but Class Points can't be traded."
"As for how Class Points rise and fall, I think you already know. Like exam scores, in the end, it depends on you, not the school."
There was nothing particularly surprising in what he'd said. After Sakayanagi Arisu and Suzuki Toru's explanations, anyone who gave it a little thought could have guessed as much.
Mashima Tomoya was essentially confirming their suspicions and telling them they'd guessed correctly, so they could rest easy.
That was why he'd charged five hundred thousand Private Points.
Finally, Mashima Tomoya looked around the room and said slowly, "As a personal recommendation, no one should try to go it alone. The power of cooperation is far greater than you imagine."
Mashima Tomoya had figured it out. He'd keenly sensed that there were two students in the class suited to being its leader.
How could a class have two leaders?
Perhaps Class A's first test would be learning to cooperate.
Yet Sakayanagi Arisu had kept smiling the entire time. This was exactly the effect she wanted.
If nothing unexpected happened, the students' opinions of her were now rising, while their opinions of Katsuragi Kohei were plummeting.
After today, she'd have a firm lead over Katsuragi Kohei.
Well, she wouldn't crush him right away.
There was still more fun to be had. Before the main course arrived, you had to have some appetizers.
Katsuragi Kohei said in a low voice, "Mashima-sensei, are we already taking an exam?"
At present, all four classes had the same number of Class Points, so there was no way to determine their rankings.
Unless their ranks became clear next month.
Before you continue