"Goodness~ It seems you still haven't grasped the situation, Classmate Katsuragi~"
The girl sat not far in front of Toru Hasegawa. The corners of her mouth curved ever so slightly, and her lustrous silver hair just brushed her shoulders. Her gray-violet eyes held a composure far beyond her years.
But most striking of all was the light-gray cane resting against the leg of her desk.
< src="https://e1.kuangxiangit./uplos/chaptersnew/964/264132/250324/1742811742-100434764-113148323.jpg" alt='Arisu Sakayanagi'>
Although students weren't allowed to bring any personal belongings into this high school, called Advanced Nurturing High School, the girl was already carrying a cane just after the start of term. That alone showed how frail she was.
Even so, she had just challenged another classmate for the position of class leader.
From their introductions, Toru Hasegawa had learned that the silver-haired girl was named Sakayanagi Arisu.
"I think I did a pretty good job back in middle school. If you don't mind, why not let me give it a try first?"
Though Katsuragi Kohei phrased it as a question, there was no hint of doubt in his expression. His tall, imposing figure, along with one rather unusual feature, drew plenty of attention.
He and Sakayanagi Arisu had one astonishing similarity: Katsuragi Kohei had alopecia, and his shiny, gleaming bald head was the real source of everyone's attention.
< src="https://e1.kuangxiangit./uplos/chaptersnew/964/264132/250324/1742811810-100434764-113148323.jpg" alt='Kohei Katsuragi'>
"Unfortunately, this school is fundamentally different from the make-believe school life you're used to~ If you keep acting with the same mindset as before, you'll regret it later~"
Silver-haired girl versus bald giant!
It should have been the sort of scene that inexplicably got the blood pumping, but Toru Hasegawa couldn't help looking above them—
There was something there he'd never seen in his everyday life before.
[10/100]
[60/100]
The first number was above Sakayanagi Arisu's head, and the second was above Katsuragi Kohei's.
Below each number was what looked like a treasure chest, though it was locked. It seemed to be telling him that once the progress bar was full, he'd get a reward~
But Toru Hasegawa still couldn't make heads or tails of it.
He was a transmigrator.
In his previous life, he'd been hit by a truck. When he opened his eyes, he'd arrived in this world.
At first, he'd thought he was lucky to have retained his memories from his previous life because he hadn't drunk the tea of oblivion. But then he realized he couldn't understand what the people around him were babbling about. Was it Japanese?
Then he realized even the date was wrong. How had he been reborn in the past?
Once he finally understood what had happened, he didn't try to act like a genius. Instead, he kept his grades around the middle of the pack.
Did anyone really think they could become a genius just by starting over? Surely not.
Knowing his own abilities, Toru Hasegawa had expected to live an ordinary but happy life. Then came the turning point.
At twelve, he became an orphan.
His father died in a car accident while away on a business trip. His mother remarried, and his stepfather couldn't stand having him around. He was left to live alone, with a meager monthly allowance that barely kept him from starving.
So he began to show a little of what he could do. He hadn't wasted those years. After entering middle school, he seemed like a different person, taking first place in every subject. The news caused a small stir, and he secured every scholarship for low-income students that he could.
After all, this was only a battle among middle schoolers. It was a piece of cake.
Just before he graduated from middle school, his school recommended Advanced Nurturing High School to him.
A one-hundred-percent college placement rate and a one-hundred-percent employment rate, plus an exemption from all tuition and other fees—those conditions seemed too good to be true. Without official backing and his middle school's recommendation, Toru Hasegawa would have thought it was a scam.
After getting into the school with surprising ease, he discovered that numbers had appeared above everyone's heads.
Could this be the perk I got for transmigrating? Why did it only show up now? And what do these numbers mean?
There hadn't been enough time or information for Toru Hasegawa to investigate. He'd soon been led to the Class 1-A classroom, where he found his seat.
The Class A homeroom teacher, Mashima Tomoya, soon arrived. As he handed out the materials, he explained the school's unusual rules: all students were required to live in the school dormitories, and they were forbidden from contacting the outside world or leaving campus without permission.
Of course, everyone had already learned about the rules during the orientation. Teacher Mashima was only emphasizing them again.
He then handed out student cards loaded with 100,000 personal points, which could be used to pay for various facilities around the school.
The students asked a few inconsequential questions, like "Can we really use the points however we want?" and "Are the prices the same as outside?" Teacher Mashima confirmed that they were, then left.
The classroom descended into a noisy mess, though at least everyone had finished introducing themselves.
And then came the scene Toru Hasegawa was facing now.
Most of the numbers above people's heads ranged from 40 to 70. This was the first time he'd seen anyone with a number as absurdly low as 10.
He didn't know exactly what the numbers meant, but this girl, Sakayanagi Arisu... was clearly abnormal!
"Come on, it's only the first day. Why get so hung up on who becomes class leader? We barely know each other yet. Why not wait a while before deciding?"
A boy stepped in to smooth things over.
He was exceptionally handsome, the sort who would obviously have girls flocking around him.
But Sakayanagi Arisu didn't seem remotely swayed by his looks. She only chuckled.
"I'm not after a position like class leader, but... I'll let it go for now."
"I was thinking the same thing."
Once Satoshi Satonaka stepped in, the two backed down at the same time and began talking with the other students.
On that front, though, Sakayanagi Arisu was at a disadvantage compared to Katsuragi Kohei. She remained in her seat, unable to move around like he could, which greatly limited her range.
Sigh. It feels like the peaceful school life I'd imagined has fallen apart before it's even begun.
Toru Hasegawa couldn't help sighing as he worried about the school life ahead.
It wasn't just the tense confrontation between the two that had him uneasy. It was also the very idea of the school giving them 100,000 yen worth of personal points every month, as their teacher had just explained. There was something absurd about it.
What kind of school gave its students that much money every month for free? Wouldn't it go bankrupt?
As for restricting their freedom and forbidding contact with the outside world...
Toru Hasegawa thought, Is that all?
The school didn't charge for room and board, and he had no one outside to keep in touch with. Those restrictions were practically meaningless to him.
"You've been staring at Classmate Sakayanagi this whole time. Don't tell me you like her?"
Just as Toru Hasegawa was lost in thought, the girl beside him suddenly struck up a conversation.
He turned to his right. A girl with absurdly long purple hair came into view. Even sitting up straight, the ends of her hair still hung below her chair.
"No, I was just daydreaming."
Toru Hasegawa shook his head, flatly rejecting the ridiculous idea she'd suggested. Then his eyes shifted slightly upward, toward the space above her head, which should have been empty.
[50/100]
A thoroughly average progress score.
Kamuro Masumi clearly didn't notice his strange gaze. Instead, she continued with a teasing grin.
"Daydreaming while looking at her? Wow..."
She looked like she thought Toru Hasegawa had been imagining something inappropriate while staring at Sakayanagi Arisu.
"You can question my character, but not my taste! I would never like a flat-chested character!"
Toru Hasegawa absolutely couldn't allow the girl sitting next to him, someone he'd have to spend the next three years with, to misunderstand him on the first day. So he gave what he thought was an airtight reason.
He wasn't a lolicon.
"...Are you serious?"
"Absolutely."
After looking away from the strange number he hadn't yet gotten used to, Toru Hasegawa's gaze gradually lowered and lingered for a brief moment on Kamuro Masumi's chest.
Well, clearly, when it came to natural assets, the girl in front of him had Sakayanagi Arisu beat.
His gaze continued downward as if nothing had happened. Her smooth, pale thighs stood out against her black thigh-highs, making for a striking contrast.
The flesh of her calves bulged slightly beneath the tight stockings. It looked healthy, and formed a lovely curve.
< src="https://e1.kuangxiangit./uplos/chaptersnew/964/264132/250324/1742811870-100434764-113148323.jpg" alt='Masumi Kamuro'>
Although Toru Hasegawa had been quick about it, girls in Sakura Country seemed naturally sensitive to that sort of gaze.
She'd ignored him staring at the empty space above her head, yet somehow noticed his scrutinizing look, honed through years of practice.
"Fine, fine. I believe you."
Kamuro Masumi had caught Toru Hasegawa's gaze completely. She gave him an unmistakably disgusted look and turned away, though she didn't start talking to anyone else, even though there were other girls nearby.
Seeing the disgust in her eyes before she turned away, Toru Hasegawa's mouth twitched.
No, he really had only looked without thinking. He didn't mean anything by it!
And why did she believe him just like that? At least argue back!
Realizing he'd messed up, Toru Hasegawa sighed silently and hoped he hadn't sunk to the level of trash in her eyes.
"...Wait, what's going on?"
Toru Hasegawa had been about to turn and make friends with the students around him when he suddenly noticed that the number above Kamuro Masumi's head had changed for the first time!
[45/100]
It was the first time the number had changed, and it had gone down.
But change was a good thing!
Could the number show how much other people like me? Then why does that guy have one too?!
Before you continue