Kushida's Request

On the second day of school, everything fell into its usual routine.

The teachers went through one lesson after another, while the students in Class D carried on as they pleased, each occupied with their own affairs. Very few took the initiative to study.

Even when the teachers saw this, they made no effort to urge them on. They simply taught their lessons and left as soon as class ended, without wasting a minute.

Whether or not to study was a personal choice, but it was strange that every teacher acted this way.

After all, this was the top school in the area. If the students and teachers all carried on like this, how had the school achieved its so-called reputation?

There had to be some kind of punishment. They just didn't know what it was yet. Maybe it involved points. That seemed likely.

Mu Tianchen had concluded that points were involved because of the points he'd previously gotten from Ryuen.

Points could be traded! Teacher Chazhu had also said there was nothing at this school that points couldn't buy.

So the school had no reason to spend so much money supporting a class that was doing so poorly. The survival-of-the-fittest principle applied everywhere.

Rather than giving all four classes the same number of points each month, the school could award them based on grades and behavior.

Mu Tianchen didn't believe the school would be so generous to a bunch of slackers!

Considering the free items he'd seen at the convenience store and the upperclassmen's shortage of points, the answer was already clear: the school punished students by taking away points.

But how did the school keep an eye on the students?

Mu Tianchen carefully surveyed the classroom. There had been a camera near the convenience store, and it had been well hidden. Maybe there was one in the classroom too...

Sure enough, he spotted a hidden camera in a corner at the back of the room.

So that was it! His theory made sense.

Mu Tianchen glanced around again. His classmates were still busy with their own things, and there were plenty of people playing on their phones or reading manga.

Ryoji was no different. He seemed to be discussing something with the black-haired beauty sitting next to him.

His deskmate was at least paying attention, though. Once their conversation was over, she began listening to the lesson.

At this rate, there probably wouldn't be many Class Points left next month. Mu Tianchen couldn't help sighing at the thought.

Fortunately, he'd gotten plenty of points from Ryuen earlier, so he could get by. But most of his classmates probably wouldn't fare so well.

Once people got used to a comfortable life, it was hard for them to adjust to hardship.

Still, Mu Tianchen had no intention of warning them before things got worse.

In his view, they would only change after truly experiencing the cost of failure. Maybe the school thought the same way...

The morning passed quickly. When the bell rang, the middle-aged teacher with black-rimmed glasses walked out of the classroom without looking back.

The students gradually left too, mostly in groups. A few cliques had already formed in the first days of school. Laughing and chatting together, they headed to the cafeteria.

Mu Tianchen didn't care. Ever since that incident, he'd preferred to keep to himself. Going alone meant fewer things to worry about and more freedom.

Before long, the classroom had mostly emptied. Mu Tianchen finished his notes and was about to head to the cafeteria.

"You're Mu Tianchen, right...? Is that right?"

Just as Mu Tianchen left the classroom, someone called to him from behind. The voice sounded familiar. He seemed to hear it all the time between classes.

"Yeah, that's me. What do you need?" Mu Tianchen turned around and looked at the girl behind him.

She was a cute girl with short brown hair and a small, cherry-like mouth. Mu Tianchen vaguely remembered her. Wasn't her name Kushida?

During the introductions, she'd declared that she wanted to be friends with everyone, prompting cheers from many of the boys.

He often heard the boys joking around with her between classes, and they privately called her their "little angel."

Still, Mu Tianchen didn't understand why Kushida had called out to him. Could she really want to be friends with him too?

"My name is Kikyou Kushida. Could I ask you for a favor?"

Kushida lowered her head after speaking, occasionally tapping her index fingers together in a shy gesture.

That would certainly make it hard for many boys to refuse, but it could also give her away without her realizing it.

People who were good at pretending often had a specific goal in mind. If you watched closely, her gestures seemed a little unnatural.

Most boys would overlook that because she was pretty, but Mu Tianchen was different. He'd met plenty of pretty girls.

Even back in middle school, pretty girls had approached him to chat without him making the first move. Hirata was like that too, so he didn't just care about appearances.

She's good at pretending to be someone she's not. Mu Tianchen reached his conclusion after a few seconds of thought. But what is she after?

What did she gain by putting on a persona that didn't match who she really was, just to please others?

Still, even if he saw through her, he had to agree to her request. Refusing when most people would find it hard to do so would seem strange.

"Sure." Mu Tianchen gave her his answer.

"I heard you transferred here. Um... I want to be friends with everyone. Could we exchange contact information?"

"No problem." Mu Tianchen took out his phone, and he and Kushida added each other as friends.

"And also... Huh?"

Kushida was just about to explain what she wanted help with when another girl behind her suddenly tugged at her clothes.

"Kushida, come eat with us!"

"Yeah, I'm starving. Can't you talk next time?" another girl chimed in.

They were a few of the friends who often hung around with her between classes. They seemed to have run out of patience, even though hardly any time had passed.

Mu Tianchen found the girls' impatience a little ridiculous.

"But Tianchen is still waiting here," Kushida said, apparently hoping to finish what she was saying before leaving.

"It's fine. We can talk about it next time. Your friends want to eat soon too, right?"

If Mu Tianchen insisted on keeping her there, her companions would surely resent him. He didn't care, but others might.

He didn't want to damage his reputation in class over this, even though he didn't have one yet.

"Mm... All right. Sorry. Let's talk another time."

"Sure."

"You transferred here, right? If there's anything you're having trouble adjusting to, you can come to me. We're friends, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Come on, Kushida!" Her friends urged her again.

"I'll go eat with them for now. Bye!"

"Yeah, bye."

Watching Kushida walk away, Mu Tianchen actually felt a little sorry for her.

Maintaining a certain persona meant sticking to it, even if she hated it deep down. She couldn't let that show. That must be exhausting.

He was still curious about what Kushida had wanted to ask him. He couldn't think of anything he could help her with yet, so he decided to take things as they came...