It all depended on how the person in question chose to sell their story and negotiate.
In any case, I might as well use this as an excuse to do something.
"I understand. I'm sure you all have plenty of questions right now."
"Anyone with a question, raise your hand. I'll answer selectively, going from top to bottom and right to left, based on the actual content of each question."
Rustle, rustle. In an instant, more than a dozen hands shot up across the class.
Following the order, Chabashira Sae called on students.
"Kanji Ike."
Kanji Ike stood up and said irritably, "Teacher, I'm asking the same thing as before. Why didn't you tell us something this important?"
An R-card was indeed just cannon fodder.
She turned her gaze toward the last, expressionless boy.
"Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, you answer this question."
Called on, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stood up, his thoughts in turmoil.
I just want to get through three years of school peacefully. Why me? I haven't stood out.
There were at least twenty others who hadn't raised their hands.
Was this random?
No.
"I think it's perfectly normal."
"Why is it normal?"
"If the teacher didn't tell us something this important, then it must be because the school required it."
That one sentence killed the question. Kanji Ike gave an awkward laugh and sat down.
Fewer students raised their hands after that.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka sat down and wondered what he'd done wrong.
But having grown up in the White Room, he clearly couldn't realize that his lack of some basic knowledge of the outside world had exposed him too soon.
"Hirata Yosuke."
"I'd like to know how the class's points are awarded and deducted."
He was a little better than an R-card, but not by much.
He didn't feel like an SR at all.
Whatever. Since he'd helped clear things up earlier, I'd give him a little guidance.
She casually pointed at something.
"What is this?"
"A classroom."
"Be broader."
"A school."
"What are you?"
"A student."
Chabashira Sae picked up a piece of chalk, turned around, and wrote three words on the blackboard: student, class, school.
"Do you still need an answer?"
Hirata Yosuke suddenly understood and sat down, somewhat embarrassed.
After all, it had been a rather stupid question.
With those two questions answered, only three hands remained raised.
Clearly, they all had the same question.
"Horikita Suzune."
"I paid points yesterday, so why was I assigned to Class D?"
Horikita Suzune, who considered herself outstanding, didn't care what anyone else thought and chose her words without the slightest consideration.
She'd been assigned to Class D, yet she still hadn't reflected on herself.
No, she couldn't even figure out what her shortcomings were.
What a shame. This year's SRs were a bit disappointing.
"Tanaka Yukishin, you answer this question."
"Teacher, do your own job. Don't tell me you're really unfit to be a teacher."
Tanaka Yukishin threw the Three Stooges' earlier complaints about the school and the teacher back at her.
"Fair enough. I'll pay you ten thousand points."
The amount was a little insulting to his status, but Chabashira Sae didn't mind. She was just testing the waters.
The move was far too obvious, and Tanaka Yukishin couldn't help laughing.
"Not enough? Then how about a hundred thousand? Tanaka Yukishin, Koenji Rokusuke. I'll give each of you a hundred thousand points. Answer Horikita Suzune's question."
Tanaka Yukishin and Koenji Rokusuke exchanged a glance and reached an agreement.
"For a hundred thousand points, I suppose it's worth giving everyone a little lesson."
"Everyone here is a student, and you've all lived for more than a decade. You should be familiar with the term 'model student.'"
"Hirata, tell us: what's the definition of a model student?"
The sudden call caught Hirata Yosuke off guard.
But he quickly gathered himself.
"A model student would have perfect grades and be good at every sport, right?"
"Very good. Thank you for your answer."
After giving a perfunctory response, Tanaka Yukishin stopped talking.
For only a hundred thousand points, he'd been put on the spot. That was enough of a gesture.
Seeing this, Koenji Rokusuke stood up.
"Though this may be a little out of place—"
"Allow me to introduce myself first."
"Koenji Rokusuke, only son of the Koenji Conglomerate, and a man destined to shoulder Japan's future. Any lovely young ladies are welcome to come find me. Oh, Tanaka-kun can come too."
Most of the students here came from reasonably well-off families. Their pocket money might not have been plentiful, but they hadn't suffered much hardship.
Even the few who had suffered weren't inclined to gamble on someone else's goodwill.
They'd only just woken from the dream that was Advanced Nurturing High School. Why would the heir to a conglomerate spare them a glance if they had nothing to offer?
So Koenji Rokusuke's introduction served to explain his attitude.
It brought no tangible benefit.
Perhaps it would take until their second or third year for some students to realize the weight of his identity.
"If that's all there is to being a model student, Horikita obviously won't agree."
"So, using her as an example, I'll broaden the definition a little."
"For instance, social skills."
"Yesterday, I only caught a brief glimpse of her. We didn't speak."
"But the impression Horikita left on me was of a pretty face, a body trained through exercise, and an air of cool reserve."
"I'm sure her seatmate, Tanaka-kun, and Ayanokoji at her side have already realized that Horikita Suzune isn't easy to get along with."
"Would that count as a shortcoming or a flaw?"
Horikita Suzune's expression shifted slightly, but she still wasn't convinced.
Her brother had brought up similar issues before, but the criteria for a model student clearly went beyond that.
Looking at only this one point, she still couldn't accept the fact that she was in Class D.
"It counts, but it isn't enough."
"Okay, I have a question for you."
"Go ahead."
"Is your academic ability now due more to talent or effort?"
"Effort. What, do you look down on me, young master? You were assigned to Class D too."
"No, no. Being willing to work hard is a talent in itself. But effort alone can't put you on the same level as someone with natural talent."
It was simple addition and subtraction: effort + talent (good) versus effort + talent (average).
Horikita Suzune said nothing. She sat down, her frustration building inside her.
Now only one hand remained raised.
"Matsushita Chiaki."
"If that's the case, why were Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Tanaka Yukishin, and Koenji Rokusuke assigned to Class D?"
Hahaha, Matsushita Chiaki, well done.
Chabashira Sae was delighted. As a teacher, she couldn't exactly step in herself.
At most, she could skirt the rules in secret and drop a few hints.
That was why she'd just singled out those three without explaining anything.
The points-for-information deal might have been a little too direct, but where were they?
Advanced Nurturing High School. It was perfectly normal for her to favor students with ability.
It would be best if someone caught on. If not, she could try again another way next time.
Now a fellow student had drawn the class's attention to the three of them. She couldn't have asked for anything better.
"I didn't single them out on purpose. It was simply preferential treatment for outstanding students."
To deflect blame, Chabashira Sae tossed out another hundred thousand points.
"Whoever can give Matsushita Chiaki a satisfactory answer will receive the same hundred thousand points. Anyone interested can raise their hand."
The others grew eager, but first they glanced at the Big Three. Only after seeing that none of them made a move did they raise their hands.
Looking at the N, R, and SR cards, Chabashira Sae naturally chose the SR.
"Horikita Suzune."
"Why did you pick her, teacher? You should've picked me, since it's my turn."
The Three Stooges started making a fuss again.
"Students are answering students now, so we're no longer following the order I gave earlier."
Chabashira Sae offered a casual explanation and ignored the Three Stooges.
"Answer one: like me, these three have obvious shortcomings or flaws in certain areas."
"Answer two: the four first-year classes are in competition. If the gap between them is too wide, then one side is just along for the ride, not truly competing. That makes them seeded players."
...Everything was going so smoothly. How much longer did I have to live?
Chabashira Sae was a little shaken. Yesterday, she'd been worrying about how to get them under control.
Today, she'd casually made her move, and everything had fallen into place.
The intense sense of disorientation reminded her of something a student who played games had once said while pulling a card: "Lucky Sturgeon have very short lifespans."
Before you continue