Most of the students in Class D wore expressions of delight, excitement, and disbelief.
Many fumbled for their Student Terminals and hurriedly tapped the screens. When they saw the glaring "100,000" in their account balances, cheers, gasps, and excited chatter burst out without restraint!
Some waved their fists in excitement. Others had already started eagerly discussing with their deskmates what treats to buy at the supermarket, while a few were making plans to visit the school's entertainment facilities...
The anxiety and oppression they had felt over the school's restrictions just moments ago were swept away in an instant by this "windfall."
The classroom was filled with a cheerful atmosphere, as if the holidays had arrived early.
Lin Mu leisurely took out his own Student Terminal and tapped the smooth screen a few times to open his account page.
Sure enough, his balance showed exactly one hundred thousand points.
Yet his face showed none of the unbridled joy the other students displayed. Instead, his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, and deep suspicion and wariness rose in his heart.
In two lifetimes, he had never seen or heard of a legitimate school giving new students money as soon as they enrolled, let alone handing out such a large amount every month.
It made no sense. There was no such thing as a free lunch.
Behind such lavish "benefits," there had to be complicated rules and ulterior motives.
Was the school running a charity? Where did it get the money to hand out points so freely?
His thoughts raced, and he recalled another thing that didn't add up:
From receiving his acceptance letter to enrolling, he didn't seem to have paid any application fees or tuition. He hadn't even seen any notices about them.
This was far too strange. Free admission, and they paid you on top of that?
There was definitely something wrong!
The more Lin Mu thought about it, the clearer his mind became. There was far more to this Advanced Nurturing High School than he had imagined.
Behind its polished facade of elite education, the school was probably running on an exceptionally unusual, perhaps even brutal, set of rules.
"Tch, what a hassle." He clicked his tongue inwardly, somewhat displeased.
All he wanted was a quiet place where he could laze around. How had he ended up caught in a vortex of complicated rules?
Should he use his "Super Intelligence," a power comparable to a supercomputer, to analyze things based on what he already knew?
(Super Intelligence is telling me to use my superpowers...)
The thought had barely appeared before he dismissed it.
Why take the long way around? He already had the "Book of Answers" at his disposal—time to use his superpower.
With that thought, Lin Mu subtly adjusted his posture. He still seemed to be lounging lazily against the back of his chair, a fresh lollipop between his lips, but his attention had quietly focused.
Across half the classroom and the noisy crowd, his gaze settled on Chabashira Sae, the expressionless homeroom teacher of Class D, standing at the lectern.
Telepathy activated, seamlessly followed by memory reading. His ability brushed against the surface of Chabashira Sae's consciousness.
Chabashira Sae didn't notice a thing. She maintained her stern expression, arms crossed, silently watching the Class D students below as they reveled in the excitement and chaos brought on by the one hundred thousand points.
Her mind, however, was like a cold mirror, clearly reflecting her true thoughts:
(As expected, Class D is Class D. A mere one hundred thousand points is enough to make them lose their composure. They're impulsive, lacking foresight and self-control. No wonder they were placed at the bottom.)
(They're probably still dreaming that this money is a free benefit. How naive. Points are never a free handout. They're bait, tied to strict evaluations.
(The amount deposited each month depends entirely on the class's overall evaluation and each student's individual assessment.
(If they fail to meet the standards, they won't get a single point, let alone one hundred thousand. They could even have points deducted, all the way down to zero.)
(The academy's "meritocracy" is no mere slogan.
(The omnipresent evaluation system records your every move—classroom performance, test results, conduct, club activities, even private interactions with other students... Everything is quantified and scored.
(And then there are the "Special Exams" that crop up without warning. Those are what truly determine a class's fate and whether an individual gets to stay.)
(Class D... is where students with problems, flaws, or "untapped potential" are gathered.
(Climbing out of here to Class C, B, or even A? It's an uphill battle.
(For most Class D students, even making it to graduation is uncertain. My job is simply to follow the rules and carry out the school's instructions.
(Those who remain are "survivors" who have made it through one round of screening after another. As for those who can't stay... There's no need to waste any more thought on them.)
(...These noisy fools will soon learn how the real world works.)
In just a few seconds, it was as if Lin Mu had flipped through an open book. Chabashira Sae's understanding of the academy's core rules, her opinion of Class D,
and her almost detached professionalism all flowed into his mind as clear information.
(The modern working stiff's condition: here comes the slacking.)
He even "saw" fragments of memories: hazy images of past Class D students suffering crushing defeats in evaluations, having huge amounts of points deducted, and even being forced to withdraw.
The ability quietly withdrew.
The lollipop was still sweet in Lin Mu's mouth. His expression remained placid, and his eyes didn't waver in the slightest. It was as if he'd merely zoned out for a moment.
He had gotten ahead of every other first-year student and become the only person who knew the academy's cruel rules and the truth behind how it operated?
(One Who Knows All)
Oh, now he knew. So what?
Knowing everything brought Lin Mu no excitement, nerves, or sense of urgency.
What did it matter if he was ahead of everyone else? No matter how complicated the rules or how strict the evaluations were, they were nothing more than irrelevant background details to him.
His goal had always been to laze around, coast through school, and graduate in peace.
With his superpowers to fall back on, no subject test, conduct evaluation, or Special Exam could pose any real threat to him.
Psychokinesis could let him breeze through any physical task or delicate operation;
X-ray vision and precognition could help him sail through written tests and Special Exam scenarios;
And if he really couldn't be bothered, he could always use a little psychological suggestion on key people. (Though he thought that might cross a line, so he wouldn't use it unless necessary.)
As for points? As long as he had enough, that was all that mattered. If he spent his hundred thousand carefully, it would easily cover his lollipops and basic needs.
If something easy came along that let him earn a lot of points with a snap of his fingers—or a flick of his superpowers—he might join in.
(Activity period: May 1 to May 5)
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