In the blink of an eye, it was May 1.
The B Class classroom was already buzzing with activity. The clock on the wall ticked away, and each jump of the second hand seemed to strike the students' taut nerves.
There were only three minutes left until the points arrived at eight.
"Kitagawa-kun, morning."
"Good morning, Kitagawa."
As soon as Kitagawa Kai entered the classroom, many of his classmates greeted him.
Although he rarely interacted with his classmates, Kitagawa Kai was undoubtedly a special presence in the class: one of the few who was both brave and resourceful (with flexible moral boundaries), and had a lazy air about him (ranked first on the Campus Handsome Ranking).
Taking the breakfast Ichinose handed him, Kitagawa Kai mumbled as he ate.
"Everyone's looking forward to today's points, huh?"
"Yeah. We've worked hard for so long, and everyone seems really excited." Ichinose Honami's eyes shone like snowflakes.
"It's almost eight. Hoshinomiya-sensei said the points would arrive promptly at eight on the first of every month."
Before she could finish-
"Ding!"
"School Treasure received: 96,000!"
"School Treasure received: 96,000!"
"School Treasure received: 96,000!"
The entire classroom was instantly drowned out by notification chimes as dozens of terminals lit up at once.
Just then, Hoshinomiya Chie walked into the classroom to the chime of eight o'clock, her uniform skirt stirring up a breeze.
Beaming, she spoke in a soft voice. "Students, did you miss little Chie?"
"Yes!"
The whole class roared.
Hoshinomiya Chie raised a hand and pressed down to quiet them. "Everyone, now I can tell you the detailed rules. The school wouldn't let me talk about them during the first month, but generally speaking, most of them are just as Kitagawa explained before."
"Every class started with 1,000 Class Points when you enrolled. You only lost 40 last month, so you've been awarded 96,000 points this month. That's the school's recognition of you."
"Kitagawa-kun is the GOAT!"
"Kitagawa-kun, you're amazing!"
"Kitagawa-kun, you're so reliable!"
Amid the waves of cheers, Kitagawa Kai stood with his hands in his pockets, as if he didn't know what a rival was.
Ichinose Honami raised her hand. "Hoshinomiya-sensei, how many points did the other classes get?"
"Haha, don't rush. I'll tell you the points for each class right away."
Hoshinomiya turned and swiftly wrote on the blackboard:
Class A: 980
Class B: 960:
Class C: 520
Class D: 0
"Zero?"
"What did D Class do?"
"Does that mean they'll have to live on dirt this month?"
The other classes' scores all looked normal enough, but what on earth was going on with D Class's score?
For the usually honest students of B Class, it was simply incomprehensible.
Hoshinomiya Chie nodded at Kitagawa Kai, clearly very satisfied with his performance.
Kitagawa really did deliver when paid. That million was money well spent!
"Your results are very impressive. You still have 960 Class Points after the first month, and you've also earned a large number of Personal Points from the other classes."
Hoshinomiya turned and drew a wavy line beneath B Class's 960 on the blackboard. Then she pointed at Class A's 980. "But don't let your guard down. Class A lost only 20 points last month, making it the strongest Class A in history."
"More importantly, at this school, the class rankings are determined directly by Class Points. The class with the most points becomes the new Class A and can choose whether to enter the workforce or pursue further education."
"The other three classes can only take responsibility for their own futures, just like ordinary university students."
The classroom instantly grew serious. This wasn't what they'd been told when they enrolled.
Kanzaki Ryūji raised his hand and asked, "Teacher, how can we increase our Class Points?"
Hoshinomiya still looked delighted, as if she'd won the lottery.
"The main way is through the school's Special Exams, which are held at irregular intervals."
"Special Exams?"
The students looked at one another, their faces full of confusion.
"For example, last month's discipline record was one kind of Special Exam." Hoshinomiya Chie blinked. "So you mustn't let your guard down."
"Kitagawa-kun, what do you think we should do?" one student asked, unable to resist seeking his advice.
Kitagawa Kai stood and looked around. The lazy air about him hadn't changed.
"We did very well last month, so let's give ourselves a round of applause first."
As soon as he finished speaking, he started clapping.
Once the applause died down, Kitagawa Kai continued:
"There'll probably be all kinds of Special Exams. They might test your physical fitness, your academic performance, or put you through some strange tests."
"So while everyone in class focuses on their studies, don't neglect physical training either."
In Advanced Nurturing, where classes competed as the core units, the strength of the group was ultimately formidable.
B Class's overall abilities still weren't good enough. They needed to improve.
"We'll do whatever Kitagawa-kun says!" everyone chimed in.
Class A.
If B Class had a relaxed atmosphere, then something seemed a little off in Class A.
Once Mashima Tomoya finished explaining all the rules, Class A erupted.
"I told you we shouldn't have signed the contract. I knew it..." Totsuka Yahiko couldn't help slamming his hand hard on the desk.
"Totsuka, pull yourself together. Don't cost us points." Katsuragi frowned and stood up.
"Our main goal now is to hold on to our position in Class A. We're in the lead for now, but B Class is no pushover."
"Does anyone have any ideas?" Katsuragi looked around the class.
"We need to choose a class leader to bring everyone together!" someone immediately replied. "Everything's a mess right now. We can't deal with the Special Exams like this!"
At that, some of the students glanced at Katsuragi Kohei, then at Sakayanagi Arisu.
Ever since the school year began, the atmosphere in the class had subtly changed, and it had split into three factions.
The Katsuragi Faction, which made up half the class.
The Sakayanagi Faction, which made up roughly a third.
The Neutral Faction, consisting of everyone else.
"Obviously, it should be Big Brother Katsuragi!" Totsuka Yahiko recommended without hesitation.
"What nonsense! It should obviously be the Princess!" Hashimoto Masayoshi immediately retorted.
"Katsuragi..."
"Princess..."
"Katsuragi..."
The classroom instantly turned into a noisy mess.
Katsuragi raised a hand to quiet them, his voice still steady. "Quiet. Classmate Sakayanagi, what do you think?"
"Choose a leader?" Sakayanagi tapped her fingers on the desk. "Class A has never needed to choose a leader. I've always been the one."
Katsuragi's gaze swept across the doubtful faces of several members of the Neutral Faction. "Classmate Sakayanagi, if you can put the class's interests first, I can withdraw from the leadership race."
"Hmph!"
Sakayanagi Arisu raised the corner of her eye, as haughty as a peacock. "Geniuses have their own way of playing. There's no need for you to meddle."
Katsuragi's expression darkened. "Classmate Sakayanagi, infighting will only let B Class benefit. What we need is cooperation."
Sakayanagi Arisu acted as if she hadn't heard him and let out a soft laugh. "B Class is the one challenging us. I won't submit to anyone."
Katsuragi was at a loss. His scalp prickled.
Every time he tried to communicate properly, this was how it ended. Sakayanagi would say things he couldn't understand.