Ordinary Enrollment Day (4)

"Now this is the important part. Each class has something called Class Points, and every class currently starts with 1,000 points. Here's a little extra knowledge for you all to remember: if your Class Points are overtaken by another class, you'll be replaced."

Teacher Hoshinomiya paused, then continued:

"It's like a promotion and demotion system. Suppose your Class Points fall below D Class's; then the original B Class drops to C Class, and D Class moves up to B Class. For now, the classes are ranked by overall evaluation—at least before enrollment, your evaluation was higher than C and D Class students—but that doesn't mean it'll stay that way forever. You all need to be careful; this kind of thing absolutely cannot happen."

For some reason, I felt her last sentence carried a hidden meaning.

"So how do Class Points increase or decrease?"

I asked.

For an instant, I felt many eyes on me. Had I asked what everyone wanted to but didn't dare?

"The school has dedicated staff for that; even I don't know, so you'll probably have to figure it out on your own."

I skimmed through the handout materials. Aside from some basic common sense, it detailed various special school rules—no class changes for three years, a three-year boarding system, no contact with the outside world, and so on.

"All spending on campus requires something called Personal Points. Personal Points are automatically deposited into each person's account on the first of every month. This month, you all have a full 100,000 points—that's like each of you starting with 100,000 yen in pocket money. And in this school, there's nothing points can't buy, so I hope you'll plan your spending wisely."

"Oh, and if you think you don't need to use your Personal Points, you can transfer them to others. But don't go provoking the school's rules for the sake of Personal Points, okay? You should all live together harmoniously as classmates."

Of course, there was also the most important thing the teacher mentioned: S Points.

S Points are class-based, just like Teacher Hoshinomiya emphasized earlier. Each class starts with 1,000 Class Points.

And this month, they're handing out 100,000 Personal Points. No matter how I think about it, it feels excessive.

There's no such thing as a free lunch. If we're enjoying such superior facilities at this school, we must be paying back something the school considers equivalent.

What could it be...

On the surface, a school's duty is to educate students and cultivate talent.

And since this school has government backing, I can set aside any bad thoughts for now and think a bit more positively.

Whether it's the "nearly 100% advancement and employment rate" at enrollment or the 100,000 yen worth of pocket money given to all students as Personal Points right from the start, for a student's life, that amount of pocket money is way too huge.

I can't help but wonder:

Is this really an amount high school students can freely manage?

But if it's just about cultivating talent, there's no need to let students blow 100,000 yen a month.

Could this really be a pure student paradise?

If one person can freely spend 100,000, then just three grades would cost the school 48 million yen a month (100,000 * 40 students * 4 classes * 3 grades). That's not even counting the construction and operation of the commercial district or staff salaries.

Since Personal Points are directly issued by the school, even if the commercial district turns a profit, the income is just the points the school itself distributed.

But whether it's food and drink, or clothes and cosmetics, the shops give students things equivalent to all consumer goods in the outside world.

It all feels more like the cool, carefree sea breeze before a tsunami hits.

And then there's what Hoshinomiya just said: if you think you don't need to use your Personal Points, you can transfer them to others.

Chewing on that a few times, it feels more and more pointed.

"Does anyone have any more questions? If so, feel free to ask—I'll answer you all seriously."

Teacher Hoshinomiya swept her encouraging gaze around the room, asking with a cute smile.

The students around me started whispering to each other, but most of what I heard was excited talk about having pocket money and what they wanted to buy.

At this age, suddenly getting unexpected income really is hard to calm down over.

Ichinose thought for a moment, then raised her hand.

"Teacher, will the school's Personal Points be deposited on the first of every month and always stay at 100,000 points?"

Teacher Hoshinomiya touched her cheek and smiled:

"Everyone's treated fairly. It'll be deposited on the first of the month—no one gets special treatment. Let's put it this way: getting into this school isn't easy for any of you, so it's not unreasonable that you'd get treatment beyond what other schools offer. Consider it the school's recognition of you."

She didn't address the core of the question at all, yet still came off as caring.

Ichinose seemed a bit dissatisfied with this answer and was about to press further.

I gently tugged at her hand hanging by her side.

She was interrupted and looked down at me, a little confused.

I shook my head lightly and pulled her to sit down.

She spoke softly.

"Why can high school students have this much pocket money? Is it really like the teacher says?"

"No matter how you think about it, it's unbelievable."

I let go of her hand.

"Teacher Hoshinomiya has already given us a lot of help. Things like Class Points aren't in the handbook, but she told us everything. She's probably under some pressure to toe the line."

"I think you can understand that feeling, Ichinose."

Ichinose propped her chin on her hand and nodded.

"Yeah, I really need to change this mindset of getting things without effort."

"If possible, it might be better to cut back on expenses a little. You never know what the future holds."

Ichinose sat quietly in her seat for a moment, as if lost in thought.

"Hajima-kun is surprisingly steady and calm, even though we're the same age."

"Ichinose-san noticed that too, didn't you? If everyone calms down and thinks it through, it's pretty obvious."

Ichinose let out a soft laugh and didn't respond further.

The questions that followed were mostly about everyday matters. I swept my gaze across the classroom and couldn't help wondering if I was just overthinking things.

I guess the atmosphere at enrollment was a bit strange, but since school had just started, there was no need to jump to conclusions just yet.