I'll give double

"Sigh—how boring!" Mu Tianchen had thought that, given this school's style, the opening ceremony would have something interesting, but in the end, it still disappointed him.

First, the principal held the opening ceremony, then the leaders gave speeches one after another... It didn't seem any different from the elementary and middle schools back home.

However, the white-haired chairman who had just stepped onto the stage looked somewhat familiar to Mu Tianchen.

"As expected, it's Uncle Itagaki!" Mu Tianchen observed carefully and identified him at a glance as Uncle Itagaki. When he was little, Mu Tianchen had often visited his home with his father.

"Could it be that Father went out to see Uncle Itagaki back then?"

Mu Tianchen couldn't help but suspect this, considering his performance in the entrance exam had been only mediocre at best.

If Father had gone to Uncle Itagaki to "pull strings," then it would make sense. But if he had already pulled strings, what was the point of taking the entrance exam?

Mu Tianchen couldn't quite figure it out. Could it be that class placement was still based on actual performance, even with connections? Or maybe Father and Uncle Itagaki had deliberately arranged it?...

A flood of questions surged into Mu Tianchen's mind. With the information he had now, it wasn't enough to prove anything, so he waved his hand and decided not to dwell on it for now.

Still, since Uncle Itagaki worked here, did that mean Arisu had also come to this school?

If Arisu really was here, then if class competition ever came up, she would probably be a formidable opponent...

After all, based on Mu Tianchen's understanding of Itagaki Arisu, she was definitely not easy to deal with. As a child, she had already far surpassed her peers in intellect, and she also had a talent for leadership. Now, she would only be stronger...

After enduring the long ceremony, it was almost time to be dismissed.

Some of the new students had already formed small groups, heading off to eat, go to karaoke, or shop at the mall. The rest mostly returned to their dorms.

Mu Tianchen had originally planned to go to the library to read for a while, but then he suddenly remembered he hadn't bought all his daily necessities yet. So, he changed his mind and headed to the convenience store to stock up on essentials.

After walking around the convenience store, he found the prices reasonable. It didn't take long for him to pick out everything he needed.

Mu Tianchen was usually quite frugal, buying mostly mid-range items. He couldn't be too greedy for bargains—he knew well enough that cheap goods were no good.

Just as he was about to check out, he noticed an area that seemed different from the other merchandise.

Occasionally, he saw a few students who looked like upperclassmen simply grab things and leave without even glancing at the price tags. Curious, he walked over.

When he got closer, he saw that those items were marked "free." No wonder the upperclassmen didn't bother checking the prices.

But this also proved the contradiction in what Teacher Chazhu had said earlier about monthly point distributions.

Daily necessities weren't that expensive. If the points given weren't extremely low, those upperclassmen shouldn't have been unable to afford better items, right?

Just as Mu Tianchen was thinking this, it sounded like an argument had broken out at the store entrance.

"As expected, it's a Class D moron! Hahahaha!"

Mu Tianchen followed the sound and saw three upperclassmen mocking a red-haired boy across from them.

This red-haired boy looked familiar to Mu Tianchen. He seemed to be the one who had kicked the door open during the self-introductions earlier—clearly the hot-tempered type.

"What do you mean by that! You want to fight, don't you!"

The red-haired boy roared as he stood up, raising his fist and swinging it at the upperclassman who was laughing the loudest.

"Calm down, Sudo." Just as the punch was about to land, a expressionless boy grabbed his fist in an instant. Though his build looked slender, his strength seemed considerable.

Mu Tianchen recognized this boy. It was Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, who had stolen his template during the self-introductions. Beside him stood a girl with long black hair, wearing the school uniform. Mu Tianchen remembered she was Ayanokouji's deskmate.

Although she was quite pretty, the vibe she gave off was just like Teacher Chazhu's—cold and hard to approach.

"But they started it! How am I supposed to calm down! I have to teach them a lesson!"

The restrained Sudo seemed unwilling to back down, snarling fiercely.

"Can fighting solve anything? It's only the first day of school, and you're already picking a fight with upperclassmen. You really are stupid."

The black-haired girl also tried to persuade him, but her tone felt more like mockery?

Sure enough, Sudo immediately turned his anger on her upon hearing that. "Who are you calling stupid!"

"Who else? You, of course."

Mu Tianchen couldn't bear to watch anymore. Good thing he had only been watching from a distance and hadn't gone over to help him—otherwise, he'd be embarrassed to death.

But the real reason he didn't want to step out was that he had noticed a camera in the corner of the wall nearby, fixed on them.

The camera's color blended in with the wall, making it hard to spot without careful observation.

If Ayanokouji was really the person from that room, he must have stepped in because he noticed the camera, right?

Fighting would definitely come with penalties. But then again, even if Sudo did fight, what did it have to do with him? Or had Ayanokouji noticed something...

"Hahaha, now you're even fighting among yourselves. As expected of Class D. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll leave this place to you. Next time we meet, you won't be so lucky!"

The upperclassmen had had their fun, but they were still a bit worried that Sudo might lose control and actually attack, so they started to retreat.

"Stop right there!"

Seeing them about to flee, Sudo glared and shouted. He didn't want to let it go that easily, but Ayanokouji was holding him back, and he couldn't break free for the moment, so he could only yell to stop them.

But the three upperclassmen weren't fools. They walked off toward the back of the convenience store without looking back.

Mu Tianchen stopped thinking and quickly followed after the ones who had just left.

From Sudo's outburst, he didn't believe this was just a normal conflict between classmates.

After following for a while, he saw the three upperclassmen stop in a secluded corner.

One of them carefully looked around, and after confirming no one was there, signaled the others and started discussing.

Mu Tianchen was positioned on the other side of a wall from them, which happened to block their line of sight, so the seniors didn't notice him.

The wall was very thin, and he could clearly hear their conversation.

"These new freshmen are way too easy to squeeze points out of. Just put on a little act, and the points come rolling in."

"Yeah, right. I was almost out of points for meals. No way I'm eating that mountain veggie set every day—it's disgusting."

"But that red-haired punk from Class D is really hot-tempered. He almost hit me."

One of the smaller, scrawnier guys recalled the red-haired guy's attitude and still felt a bit shaken. If he'd actually been hit, it would've been a loss.

"What's there to be afraid of? If you get hit, just go to that first-year from Class C and get reimbursed. And from what they said, getting hit might even mean a bigger payout."

"True..."

"Class C?" Mu Tianchen seemed to catch something interesting.

From their words, it was clear that Class C had bought them off with points. So he could use the same method in reverse. Although the way he'd originally thought of to earn points wasn't this, a little extra income on the side didn't sound bad.

Having made up his mind, Mu Tianchen walked out directly, deliberately making his footsteps heavier.

One of the seniors with sharp ears heard the footsteps and immediately stopped his companions from talking.

They all looked toward the sound and saw a slender, good-looking young man standing there.

Seeing them turn to look, Mu Tianchen spoke: "I heard every word you just said. Should I report it to the school?"

The three were a bit stunned that their conversation had been overheard. One tall, burly guy, seeing how small and weak Mu Tianchen looked—like an easy target—charged straight at him.

"What did you say, kid? Get lost!"

The burly man wanted to teach him a lesson. As soon as the words left his mouth, his fist swung toward Mu Tianchen's stomach.

The spot they'd chosen was carefully selected—no cameras around—so they dared to use force directly.

Just as the fist was about to land, Mu Tianchen quickly sidestepped to the right, dodging easily. He grabbed the man's swinging arm, twisted it, and with the momentum, flung him hard to the ground.

"Dammit, kid, you look weak but you've got some strength. What are you standing around for? All of you, take him down!"

The man gritted his teeth, got up with difficulty, and called to his two "comrades" who had been watching the show.

"Huh?... Fine... let's go."

The two watching hesitated. The strongest among them hadn't even lasted one round. They'd probably just get beaten too.

But after considering the consequences if the school found out, they gritted their teeth and rushed in together.

Not long after...

"Boss, please let us off. We had no choice—we didn't have any points for food. Eating that mountain veggie set every day was unbearable. Please let us go this once. We won't dare do it again."

The three men, bruised and battered, knelt on the ground begging Mu Tianchen for mercy.

When Mu Tianchen was very young, he had trained in martial arts with his father, who had also invited many famous Island Nation martial arts masters to coach him. He'd achieved no small success in past competitions. For him, dealing with three high schoolers was like child's play.

"Talk! Who from Class C sent you to cause trouble?" Mu Tianchen's tone carried a hint of threat.

"Well... we don't know. We just took the points and did the job. All we know is that someone from Class C ordered it."

The three still clung to a sliver of hope. If they ratted out the mastermind, they'd lose future business.

"Is that so? How many points did they give you? I'll double it!"

Mu Tianchen could have just threatened them, but to avoid any resentment that might lead to leaks, he figured buying them off was safer.

"It was Ryuen from Class C."

The three had expected Mu Tianchen to threaten them into handing over all their points. Instead, he was willing to pay double. Why not take it?

Lose one employer, find another later. Who would turn down points right in front of them?

Mu Tianchen sneered. People really would sell anyone out for a bit of profit. He'd been betrayed and framed before. He wouldn't let that happen again.

"Ryuen, huh? Any proof?"

"I've got his transfer records and his friend contact. But the guy who came to us before was named Ishizaki or something."

The burly man who'd been beaten the worst frantically pulled out his phone and showed Mu Tianchen the transfer records.

"Alright. Send me that evidence, I'll give you the points. Also send me Ryuen's account info."

"Okay."

The records showed that Ryuen had indeed paid them 30,000 personal points.

After confirming, Mu Tianchen transferred 60,000 to them. Under his watch, they deleted all the transfer records completely, recorded a statement proving Class C had ordered them, and then left.

Carrying the daily necessities he'd bought from the convenience store, Mu Tianchen walked back to the dormitory. He glanced at his student ID:

Name: Mu Tianchen

Class: First Year Class D

Points Balance: 35,000

He'd spent quite a few points, but he'd earn them back soon.

Mu Tianchen then pulled up the account info the senior had provided and tapped to send a friend request.