May

In the blink of an eye, time arrived at May 1st.

Class B's classroom was already buzzing with noise; the clock on the wall ticked away, each second hand jump striking the students' taut heartstrings like a drumbeat.

Only three minutes remained until the eight o'clock point distribution.

"Kitagawa-kun, good morning."

"Good morning, Kitagawa-kun."

As soon as Kitagawa Kai entered the classroom, many students greeted him.

Despite having little interaction with his classmates, as one of the few in the class who possessed both courage and cunning (with flexible moral boundaries) and a languid aura (Campus Handsome Ranking first place), Kitagawa Kai was undoubtedly a special presence.

Taking the breakfast from Ichinose, Kitagawa Kai mumbled vaguely while eating.

"Everyone's really looking forward to today's points, huh."

"That's right. After working so hard for so long, everyone seems pretty excited." Ichinose Honami's eyes sparkled like snowflakes.

"It's almost 8 o'clock. Hoshinomiya-sensei did say that at 8 o'clock on the 1st of every month, the points arrive on time."

Before the words faded—

"Ding!"

"School Treasure received: 96,000!"

"School Treasure received: 96,000!"

"School Treasure received: 96,000!"

The entire classroom was instantly flooded with notification sounds; dozens of terminals lit up simultaneously.

Right at that moment, Hoshinomiya Chie stepped into the classroom on the stroke of eight, her uniform skirt swishing with a gust of wind.

Her face beamed with spring warmth, her voice soft and syrupy: "Classmates, do you have a little Chie for me?"

"Yes!"

The whole class howled.

Hoshinomiya Chie raised her hand to gesture for quiet: "Classmates, now I can tell you the detailed rules. The school didn't allow it in the first month, but overall, most of it matches what Kitagawa-kun analyzed before."

"Each class started with 1,000 Class Points upon enrollment. You were only deducted 40 points last month, so the points you receive this month are 96,000. This is the school's recognition of you."

"Kitagawa-kun, you're the GOAT!"

"Kitagawa-kun, amazing."

"Kitagawa-kun is so reliable!"

Amid the waves of cheers, Kitagawa Kai stood with his hands in his pockets, not knowing what it meant to have an opponent.

Ichinose Honami raised her hand to ask: "Hoshinomiya-sensei, what about the other classes? How many points do they have?"

"Hahaha, don't rush. I'll tell you everyone's points right now."

Hoshinomiya turned and scribbled on the blackboard:

Class A: 980

Class B: 960

Class C: 520

Class D: 0

"Zero?"

"What did Class D do?"

"Then aren't they going to be eating dirt this month?"

The other classes looked normal enough, but what was Class D's score even doing?

For the usually honest Class B students, this was simply incomprehensible.

Hoshinomiya Chie nodded at Kitagawa Kai, very satisfied with his performance.

Kitagawa-kun really delivers when paid—that million was well spent!

"Your results are very impressive. In the first month, you still have 960 Class Points left, and you've earned a large amount of personal points from other classes."

Hoshinomiya turned and drew a wavy line under Class B's 960 on the blackboard, her fingertip pointing to Class A's 980: "But don't let your guard down. Class A only lost 20 points last month, making them arguably the strongest Class A in history."

"More importantly, in this school, the Class Points ranking directly determines the class grade. The class with the highest Class Points becomes the new Class A and can freely choose their employment or further education path."

"The other three classes can only take responsibility for their own futures, like ordinary university students."

The classroom instantly turned serious—this was different from what they were told at enrollment.

Kanzaki Ryūji raised his hand and asked: "Sensei, then how do we increase our Class Points?"

Hoshinomiya still looked extremely happy, like she'd won the lottery.

"The main method is through the school's irregular Special Exams."

"Special Exams?"

The students exchanged glances, their faces filled with confusion.

"For example, last month's disciplinary performance was one form of Special Exam." Hoshinomiya Chie blinked. "So everyone must never let their guard down."

"Kitagawa-kun, what do you think we should do?" A student couldn't help but ask for help.

Kitagawa Kai stood up, scanned the room, and that lazy air about him hadn't changed at all.

"We did pretty well last month. 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:

"The Special Exam will probably come in many forms—it might test physical ability, academic performance, or some strange and unusual exams."

"So while focusing on studies, don't neglect physical training either."

In an environment like Advanced Nurturing, where class-based competition is central, collective strength is ultimately formidable.

Class B's quality wasn't enough yet; it still needed improvement.

"Whatever Kitagawa-kun says, we'll do!" The crowd echoed.

Class A.

If Class B's atmosphere was relaxed, then Class A felt somewhat off.

As soon as Mashima Tomoya finished explaining all the rules, Class A erupted.

"I knew we shouldn't have signed that contract, I knew it..." Totsuka Yahiko couldn't help but slam the table hard.

"Totsuka, pull yourself together. Don't lose face." Katsuragi frowned and stood up.

"From now on, our main goal is to hold onto Class A's position. We're ahead for now, but Class B is no pushover either."

"Does anyone have any ideas?" Katsuragi scanned the class.

"We need to pick a class leader to unify our strength!" Someone immediately chimed in. "It's chaos right now—there's no way to handle the Special Exam like this!"

At those words, some students glanced at Katsuragi Kohei, then at Sakayanagi Arisu.

Ever since the start of the term, the class atmosphere had shifted subtly, splitting roughly into three factions.

The Katsuragi Faction, comprising half the class.

The Sakayanagi Faction, about a third.

The Neutral Faction, the rest.

"Obviously it should be Katsuragi-aniki!" Totsuka Yahiko recommended without hesitation.

"Are you kidding? It should clearly be Her Highness!" Hashimoto Masayoshi immediately retorted.

"Katsuragi..."

"Her Highness..."

"Katsuragi..."

The classroom instantly turned into a boiling pot of noise.

Katsuragi raised a hand to gesture for silence, 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 one."

Katsuragi's gaze swept over the hesitant faces in the Neutral Faction: "Classmate Sakayanagi, if you can prioritize the class's interests, I'll withdraw from the leadership race."

"Heh!"

Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes sharpened at the corners, proud as a peacock: "Geniuses have their own way of playing. I don't need your input."

Katsuragi's face darkened: "Classmate Sakayanagi, internal conflict will only let Class B take advantage. What we need is cooperation."

But Sakayanagi Arisu acted as if she hadn't heard, letting out a light laugh: "Class B is the challenger. I will not bow to anyone."

Katsuragi was out of options, his scalp prickling with frustration.

Every time he tried to communicate properly, it ended like this—Sakayanagi spouting words he couldn't understand.