"Feeling refreshed. Is it already four?"
That was one of the most satisfying afternoon naps Ju Ji had ever taken. The bed was so soft and comfortable. As expected of a prestigious school—even the bedding was top-notch.
Now that he'd had enough rest, it was time to think about what to do next.
First, he'd use the 1,200 Friendship Points he'd earned. After careful consideration, he chose the [Medical Mastery] skill, worth 1,000 Friendship Points. Just like that, he was back to square one.
But it was worth the price. It covered both Western and Chinese medicine, and deepened his understanding of the human body. Combined with the [Clairvoyance Lv1] skill, it was practically another version of Transparent World.
With Medical Mastery, he could now easily defeat his former self. It was an all-around improvement.
Next, he needed to find someone to go sightseeing around the school with him and look for evidence about the S-System. It would affect his life from now on, so of course he wouldn't let Class D end up with no Class Points left after a month, like in the original story.
There were four people he could ask: Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Yosuke Hirata, Kikyo Kushida, and Horikita Suzune. Of course, they were also the only people in his contacts for now. The best choice was obviously Ayanokoji. He was a bona fide genius, and if Ju Ji could get his help, this would surely be easy to resolve.
The moment he thought of it, he acted.
"Shinomiya, what is it?"
A voice devoid of the slightest hint of emotion came through the phone. It was Ayanokoji.
"Ayanokoji, I'm looking for someone to come tour the school with me. Do you have time right now?"
"Ah, that's unfortunate. I'm dealing with something troublesome at the moment, and I can't get away."
Just as expected, he was turned down. With Ayanokoji's intelligence, he'd surely guessed what Ju Ji was thinking. He believed in keeping out of the limelight, so naturally he wouldn't take part in something so conspicuous. No matter. There were still three others.
Next was Hirata. As the most popular person in class, if he was the one who found the evidence, plenty of people would surely believe it.
"Who's Yosuke?"
"Sorry. I'm glad you invited me, Shinomiya, but I'm talking something over with someone right now. Ask me again another time."
Ju Ji thought he could hear a girl's voice in the background. If his memory was right, Hirata and Kei Karuizawa had become a couple on the first day of school. He might be caught up in that situation right now.
No worries. There were still two more, so he wasn't panicking at all. Next was Kikyo.
"Sorry, Ju Ji. I'm out having fun with a friend right now. How about tomorrow?"
"No worries. There's still Horikita. This time it'll definitely work. After all, she doesn't have any friends."
At that moment, Ju Ji was like a gambler who'd lost his entire fortune. His eyes were red with excitement as he shut them and dialed Horikita's number with all his might.
[Beep... Click.]
She hung up the moment the phone rang. It seemed she had no intention of answering at all. But he couldn't give up just like that. This was his last hope.
"Beep... I refuse... Click!"
At least she answered the second time, but she immediately refused and hung up. He hadn't even made his request yet.
"Shinomiya, what do you want from me? I don't have time to chat with you."
At last, on the third try, Horikita was willing to actually listen to Ju Ji. So he didn't waste any time and got straight to the point.
"Horikita, do you want to know the truth about this school? It judges students by their abilities and divides them into four ranks: A, B, C, and D. Those ranks correspond to the class names. We were assigned to Class D, which means the school considers us the worst."
Things were moving forward. Horikita didn't say anything, but she hadn't hung up either. Clearly, she'd noticed quite a bit over the past few days and believed what he was saying.
"If I'm not mistaken, you want to move up to Class A, right, Horikita? I'm unhappy about being placed in Class D, too. But if things continue like this, there's little chance of Class D making it to Class A. Let's work together.
"This afternoon, we'll look for information about the S-System. I'll tell you everything I know then. How about we take a tour of the school, too?"
Ju Ji knew what Horikita wanted, so he began by offering her just that. Reaching Class A was how she intended to prove herself, and it was an irresistible temptation she couldn't refuse.
Then he brought up his own modest request. It was a simple tactic, but the most effective way to negotiate.
"So you've finally decided to tell the truth? All right, I'll come with you. When and where?"
At last, he'd found someone to tour the school with him. Looking back on the whole ordeal, it had been unbelievably difficult. Horikita, you said you didn't have any friends—sorry about that.
The two of them agreed to meet at the entrance downstairs. Before long, Horikita arrived downstairs in her uniform. Her expression made it clear that she was in a terrible mood. It would be best not to provoke her and get stabbed again.
For their final stop, the two of them went to the small bulletin board displaying the second-years' scores and used their phones to record the information.
"Horikita, what do you think about the Class Points posted here?"
"The gap between Class A, Class B, and Class C is still reasonable, but the gap between Class C and Class D seems far too large. And earlier, in the cafeteria, some people were eating luxurious meals, while many others were getting free relief meals. Even if people had been spending their points recklessly, the points couldn't have run out so quickly. It's too strange. It's almost as if..."
As Horikita explained her thoughts, she pondered the matter. During their tour earlier, Ju Ji had lingered in certain spots on purpose, so Horikita must have noticed what he wanted her to see.
People were more likely to believe conclusions they reached themselves than answers given to them by someone else. That was basic psychology. If she came to her own conclusions, she'd be more likely to trust Ju Ji when he explained the information.
"Almost as if Class D never had many points to begin with, right? Just like the question I asked Teacher Chabashira earlier. The school's S-System really is evaluating the students' worth.
"The fact that there are cameras all over campus proves it. Teacher Chabashira also said earlier that as long as we act like proper students, there won't be any problems.
"So, by the same token, being late to class, using our phones, sleeping in class, skipping class, and so on might all count as reasons to deduct points.
"Given how lax our class is right now, our Class Points could all be deducted within a month. I can only do so much on my own, so I need your help, Horikita Suzune. Please, work with me to reach Class A."
Ju Ji stood on a step above Horikita, held out his right hand, and offered it to her. The evening sun lit up his handsome face, making him look especially charming.
The time, the place, and even where they stood had all been carefully chosen. He'd also used [Hypnosis Lv1], whose effects were unpredictable. He'd made use of every advantage he could. If he still couldn't convince Horikita Suzune, he could only laugh at himself...
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