Chapter 3

"Like I keep telling you, Ryuji, people already mistake you for an old man. It's no big deal, so don't let it bother you. Just call me Yuyuan like you used to."

"All right, Yuyuan-kun. Thank you again for your help."

"...Whatever. We're friends, after all, and our families are partners now, too. It's only natural. And stop calling me 'you' so formally! Anyway, I should go find my seat."

Even now, he still couldn't quite handle this guy... Yuan Yuyuan felt a little numb. Kanzaki had been like this ever since that incident. Surely some random old man hadn't possessed him? He'd been perfectly normal before that.

"Yuyuan, over here! Your seat's right behind mine (*≧▽≦)ツ"

"Really? Then I'll have to thank whoever assigned the seats."

After sitting down, Yuan Yuyuan looked at Ichinose, who was surrounded by people. She really was an angel. He'd only spent a few moments talking to an old friend, and Ichinose was already surrounded by her followers. But why did those followers (crossed out), classmates keep glancing at him with such strange looks? Could Ichinose actually be God? She'd turned everyone around her into fervent believers in such a short time. This girl really had the power to bewitch people!

Come to think of it, my daydreams aren't so embarrassing after all. But why do these people keep looking at me like that? Do they think I'm stealing Ichinose's maternal love? I'm not trying to steal your mom!

After a bout of wild imaginings, Yuan Yuyuan began observing the classmates around him. To his right was a girl with twin tails and blue highlights, sucking on a lollipop. But why was she staring at Ichinose with dead fish eyes? Was she unhappy about Ichinose's friendship game? He'd mark her down as a Heretic for now. To his left was... an empty seat. Maybe they'd gone to an Ichinose Cult event. Even the seat behind him was empty. It might be best to keep his distance from Ichinose from now on...

### "Everyone, please quiet down."

A gentle voice came from outside the door, and the noisy classroom fell silent. As the sound of high heels clicking across the floor drew closer, a female teacher in a short skirt and a sweet smile stepped up to the podium.

"Hello, everyone! I'm your homeroom teacher, Chie Hoshinomiya."

Hoshinomiya glanced at Yuan Yuyuan and Ichinose before continuing. "Since students at this school aren't reassigned to different classes for all three years, I'll be your homeroom teacher throughout that time. I look forward to studying with you. Now, I'm going to hand out information about this school's special rules. You should have already received it during the earlier orientation, but..."

Unlike most high schools in the country, this school required all its students to live on campus during the school year. All outside contact was prohibited while they were at school. Students weren't allowed to contact anyone without the school's permission, not even their families. They were also strictly forbidden from leaving school grounds without permission. On the other hand, to make sure students didn't have too hard a time, the school had plenty of facilities, including karaoke, a movie theater, cafés, and clothing stores. It was practically a small shopping district. The school was located right in the middle of a major city, and its sprawling grounds reportedly covered more than six hundred thousand square meters. The school had one other special feature: the S System.

"With the student ID cards you've just received, you can use all the facilities on campus and buy things at the shops. They work like credit cards, but since using them consumes points, you should be careful. There's nothing on campus that you can't buy with points. Anything on school grounds is available for purchase. Just tap your card on a reader or show it to the staff. It's simple to use, so I'm sure you'll all figure it out."

The points card was built into the student ID, and on campus, it was as good as cash. At that moment, a boy raised his hand.

"But Hoshinomiya-sensei, how do we earn personal points? Do we have to get part-time jobs at school?"

"This month's personal points have already been deposited into your accounts. And, just so you know, points have the same purchasing power as currency. That means one point can be used like one yen."

"At this school, you can buy anything with points. On the first of every month, the school will deposit the same number of points into each of your accounts."

Some students were shocked to see the large sums in their accounts and cried out.

"O-one hundred thousand? I've got a hundred thousand points in my account!"

"Me too! Isn't the school being a little too generous? They're giving students a hundred thousand in spending money every month!"

"Are you surprised that the school gives out so many points? This school evaluates students based on their abilities. You were admitted because the school recognized your worth and potential. The points represent the school's assessment of you. Don't hold back—use them however you like. The school will reclaim any points you have left when you graduate. Since points can't be converted into cash, there's no benefit to saving them. Once the points have been deposited, you're free to use them as you wish. Spend them however you like. If anyone doesn't think they need their points, they can transfer them to someone else. But don't threaten anyone into giving you theirs. The school takes bullying very seriously."

Yuan Yuyuan was having a hard time believing it. How could something like this be real? Even adults out in the working world didn't all get benefits like this. This was a school, not a charity. Still, points that couldn't be cashed out but could be transferred had potential.

The same number of points would be issued every month, so personal points were probably calculated from Class Points. After all, Class Points were shared by the whole class. That meant breaking school rules wouldn't just let the lower classes catch up; it would also cut into their spending money.

Yuan Yuyuan couldn't help wondering. He knew about this, but the other students didn't, and Hoshinomiya at the front of the class didn't seem inclined to explain. Did that mean the test had already begun? Maybe they'd receive rewards if they lost fewer than a certain number of points. At the very least, losing fewer points would be better. With that in mind, Yuan Yuyuan raised his hand to show he had a question.

"Hmm? What is it, Yuan Yuyuan? Go ahead and ask. I'll answer anything I can."

"You said just now that the same number of points would be issued every month, right?"

Hoshinomiya smiled as if she'd just thought of something amusing. "That's right. They'll be deposited on the first of every month without fail."

"But what you said is obviously ambiguous. By 'the same number of points,' did you mean that a hundred thousand points would be issued every month, or that everyone would receive the same number of points, no matter how many the school issued?"

The students of Class B clearly couldn't sit still after hearing that.

"Is that true, sensei? Will the school reduce the number of points it gives us?"

"Oh, Yuyuan really is a sharp one. But I can't answer that question."

What a pragmatic adult. As soon as he'd gotten to the point, she'd started calling him Yuyuan.

"So you're hiding that information from us. That means the cameras in this classroom, like the ones around campus, are used to monitor us and decide how many points to issue based on our behavior. Am I right, Hoshinomiya-sensei?"

Faced with Yuan Yuyuan's question, Hoshinomiya shrugged helplessly.

"Unfortunately, I can't answer that question.