The self-introductions ended just like that.
Kushida Kikyo still wore that same gentle, friendly smile as she chatted with her classmates, getting along with everyone with ease. She could strike up a conversation with anyone. Her popularity was unreal.
She was practically a saint—the kind of person who could even befriend ugly goblins.
She was equally kind to everyone, and could even chat with several people at once, keeping up with any topic they threw at her.
She kept a smile on her face that was like a breath of spring, and every now and then she sprinkled her adorable +9 smile indiscriminately across the room. At this rate, the goblins were all going to "Ooh!" together.
It was only the first day of school, and she was already a social butterfly of the highest order.
"Tsukishima, we're going to check out the supermarket together. Want to come?"
As expected of the saint. She even remembered me. I'm touched.
Tsukishima shook his head. "I'm planning to go after the entrance ceremony."
"Oh~ I see. All right, then."
The saint and her entourage left.
Tsukishima lay on his desk, took out his sketchbook, and started drawing.
It was one of his hobbies. He'd once considered drawing some adult comics to make money, but his skills weren't good enough. He was better at drawing landscapes than people.
Two hours later.
Tsukishima walked out of the gymnasium. The entrance ceremony was over.
Other than the Student Council President, Horikita Manabu, who seemed to be related to Horikita Suzune, there wasn't much worth mentioning.
It was the usual stuff: study hard, don't resort to violence, and so on.
Early the next morning.
Tsukishima came to class with his bag.
"Morning, Tsukishima."
Oh, it was the saint.
"Morning, Kushida."
After exchanging greetings, they each got their things ready for class.
Before long, the teacher arrived. He was a middle-aged man with glasses, and he taught math.
Tsukishima took notes at lightning speed.
The math teacher's teaching ability was very high—about three or four floors high. He explained things clearly and simply, with airtight logic and precise reasoning. He was just a little too much of a one-man show.
He completely ignored the students' little antics.
Tsukishima suddenly raised his hand.
The math teacher visibly paused. "Tsukishima, do you have a question?"
"Sensei, are there other ways to solve the system of equations and formulas you just explained...?"
The math teacher answered without hesitation. "Yes. As for the other methods..."
The bell rang. Tsukishima rushed up with his notebook. "Sensei, I still have a few questions..."
The math teacher gave him a surprised look, then started explaining as he walked.
For the rest of the classes, Tsukishima raised his hand whenever he didn't understand something. It left the teachers at a loss. After all, this was Class D, so everyone knew what to expect.
Tsukishima could sense something from the teachers' expressions and attitudes, but he didn't care. Wasn't the whole point of school to learn?
Besides, he could avoid socializing with the oddballs in his class. It was a fantastic deal!
Speaking of oddballs, he had to mention the two great deities, Yamauchi Haruki and Kanji Ike.
They actually discussed galgames in public. This was Japan, where being labeled a geek meant you'd be ostracized for sure.
Tsukishima could only admire their courage.
The days that followed were fairly ordinary.
Tsukishima chased after his teachers from class to class, while his classmates in Class D gradually grew more outgoing—so outgoing that they laughed out loud during lessons.
Passing notes was old news. They even stretched their necks out two miles in front of the teacher and told each other jokes.
Honestly, Tsukishima had never met anyone whose neck could stretch that far in either of his two lives. Were these guys even human?
Another class ended.
As usual, Tsukishima headed for the staff room.
The math teacher, Tomoya Mashima, smiled. "Back again, Tsukishima? You're really diligent."
Tsukishima cheerfully poured him a glass of water. "The early bird catches the worm. I'm no genius. If Goldbach saw me, he'd probably be amazed that a monkey could talk. So I can only work as hard as I can."
Tomoya Mashima took a sip. "Don't say that. You have a real talent for studying. You can be a little more confident."
He didn't know why the boy had been assigned to Class D, but as a teacher, it was his duty to guide students onto the right path.
Tsukishima smiled. "It's not easy to feel confident at this school. Besides..."
The staff room door suddenly opened.
"Honami, I'm just a lowly teacher, you know. Don't ask me so many questions... Oh, Yuto's here again."
Chie Hoshinomiya cut herself off and bounced over to Tomoya Mashima and Tsukishima like a young girl. "Wow, your notes are so neat! You're such a diligent, well-behaved student."
"I'm so jealous of you, Mashima. You've got such a hardworking student in your class. I'm terribly jealous."
Tomoya Mashima said, "Tsukishima's a student in Class D."
Chie Hoshinomiya paused, her eyes narrowing unconsciously. "Oh, so you're one of Chabashira's students~"
She drew out the last syllable, her gaze drifting toward the corner of the staff room—where Sae Chabashira, the Class D homeroom teacher, had her desk.
"It's amazing, really. Chabashira actually has students who like studying?"
She leaned forward and spoke in an exaggeratedly affected voice. What a master of the cutesy act.
He paused, then glanced at the girl standing behind Chie Hoshinomiya. She had pink hair and a gentle smile, and looked like the perfect model of a "good student."
She looked like the ideal wife and mother at first glance.
"Besides what?" Ichinose Honami asked curiously, picking up on the words Tsukishima hadn't finished.
"Besides, this school seems pretty suspicious. I can't relax unless I work hard."
Tomoya Mashima's hand paused as he held his glass, and his eyes drifted over.
Chie Hoshinomiya also fell silent.
"Suspicious?"
"Yeah. If they give every student 100,000 points a month for free, how much does that add up to? They may not care about the money, but a conglomerate's nature is to see not making a profit as a loss. They wouldn't do something so thankless."
"I don't think they're giving us the money for nothing. There's probably a system for deducting points, like for poor grades or breaking the School Rules. Once your points hit zero, you might get expelled. They might even chase you down for tuition afterward."
"A 100% graduation rate? Get rid of the students who don't meet the standards, and of course it's 100%."
In fact, you only had to look at the classes to see that Class A was the best and Class D the worst.
Ichinose Honami stared at him in surprise, her eyes widening slightly. "So that's why... No wonder the school gives us so many points."
She lowered her head, seeming to take it all in. Then she looked up and regarded Tsukishima seriously. "Thank you for telling me. I'll remind my classmates to be careful."
Tsukishima's gaze swept past her unintentionally—cough, Class B had some nice perks.
"Don't mention it. Even if I hadn't said anything, the teachers would probably explain it next month. Judging by how Class B is doing, you'll be fine. Actually, aside from my Class D, everyone else should be fine."
Ichinose Honami froze, a worried look appearing on her face. "But... if that's true, doesn't that mean everyone in Class D is in danger?"
She paused, seemingly trying to find the right words, then asked cautiously, "Um... Even if you think your classmates are a little... well, you're still in the same class. If you know the rules, couldn't you at least warn them?"
Tsukishima thought of the assorted deities in his class and sighed. "Honestly, I'd be happy to see those weirdos get lost."
Especially the trio with Kanji Ike. They were like toads sizing up frogs—ugly, but always up to no good.
Ichinose laughed at his tone. "You're funny, Tsukishima... Oh, I'm Ichinose Honami from Class B. I hope we get along."
Tsukishima nodded. "I know. You're pretty famous."
"Huh?" Ichinose blinked. "Famous?"
"Your name's on all kinds of rankings." Tsukishima kept a straight face. "Though I didn't vote."
Ichinose stared for a moment, then realized what he meant. Her face turned bright red. "T-those kinds of rankings..."
"Don't worry, I only care about the academic rankings." Tsukishima waved the workbook in his hand.
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