As night deepened, the lights in the dormitory buildings outside gradually came on, illuminating the solemn faces of the four young "intruders" in Room 601.
The warmth of the hot pot had faded, replaced by a clear awareness of their harsh reality—and the calm strategizing that followed.
"Now that we've figured out the basic framework of this game's rules," Mazumi Mami's voice broke the brief silence as he looked around at his three companions.
"The next step is figuring out how to operate within these rules, and even... how to use them. In any case, points are the core driving force—and the 'lifeblood'—of this system."
"Amassing more points—whether Class Points or Personal Points—is the foundation for establishing ourselves at school, developing our position, and even achieving our ultimate goal."
Mazumi Mami said.
"The specific methods boil down to increasing our income and reducing our expenses. In other words, improving from within and competing against others."
Walnut pushed up her glasses, the blue light from the screen reflected in the lenses. Her thinking was clear. "From within, we can raise our Class A Class Points and receive a larger monthly allocation. Against others... theoretically, we could also take their Personal Points directly."
"Take them directly..."
Runa Inoue's violet eyes narrowed as she immediately made the connection. "No wonder Majima-sensei specifically emphasized 'a ban on all bullying and coercion' at the start of the school year... He must have foreseen that the points system might provoke this most direct impulse to 'plunder.'"
"Foreseeing it doesn't mean it can be completely prevented."
Mazumi Mami spoke evenly, with the cool insight of someone who understood the ways of the world. "When a resource becomes essential to survival and enjoyment, and can be transferred, there will always be people driven by greed or pushed to the brink who choose to take a desperate risk. In some people's eyes, violence is often the fastest and most direct way to 'cash in.'"
"So, are we going to 'steal' points next?"
At this, Chisato Nishikigi showed no fear. Instead, her amber eyes lit up, and she leaned forward, visibly eager.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure we leave no trace! When I was getting familiar with the campus this afternoon, I memorized the locations of the cameras in the main areas and roughly where their blind spots are! With our speed and disguises, we won't get caught on camera!" She looked more like she was looking forward to an exciting "game."
Chisato Nishikigi said.
"Chisato!"
Walnut pressed a hand to her forehead, looking exasperated.
"That's a last resort, not an everyday option! Besides, points are transferred through the school system, so every transaction should have an electronic record."
"To take points by force, we'd first have to make the other person 'willingly' transfer them. That would involve coercion, which is extremely risky, and it would leave clues pointing directly to us—the transaction record and any witnesses."
Walnut said.
"We can erase the records!"
Chisato Nishikigi blinked and looked at Walnut, as if it were obvious. "Isn't that what you're best at, Walnut? Hacking into the system and changing the records would be no trouble for us, right?"
"I can erase electronic traces on the internet," Walnut glared at her, annoyed.
"But I can't erase the victim's memories! Nor can I make any potential third-party witnesses forget! If someone reports it and the school launches an investigation, even without direct electronic evidence, they'll become highly suspicious. We'd end up in the spotlight, which is completely at odds with our goal of blending in, keeping a low profile, and investigating in secret!"
"As for their memories... I could give it a try!"
Chisato Nishikigi still wouldn't give up. If anything, she looked even more eager. "My Life Ability has made some new progress lately. I've been researching how to influence the subconscious through fluctuations in life energy and use basic hypnotic suggestion... This would be the perfect chance to find some 'test subjects.'"
Chisato Nishikigi said.
"Your 'hypnosis' isn't some instant, undetectable magic!"
Runa Inoue cut her off calmly, her tone edged with reproach. "You need physical contact and time. During the process, it's easy to put your target on alert or provoke resistance."
"If there are multiple targets, the difficulty and risk of exposure grow exponentially. Using this on a large scale would be no different from announcing to the school that there's an 'abnormal presence' here."
"We need to blend in and achieve our goals without raising suspicion, not use force or abilities to 'go on a rampage' and bring the whole place to heel."
Runa Inoue said.
"Exactly. Takina's right."
Mazumi Mami finally spoke, his tone gentle but decisive.
"Those unconventional, overwhelming methods are our last resort and our safeguard. We mustn't use them unless absolutely necessary. For now, we should prioritize acting within the rules: understand them, adapt to them, and then... use them."
He paused and steered the conversation back on track.
"Since Class Points are at the heart of everything, their increases and decreases must follow some kind of pattern. A well-designed competitive system must have a clear mechanism for rewards and penalties. The enormous gap between the upper-year classes' points is the best proof."
"There must be some systematic way to add or deduct Class Points. Chisato, when you were talking with the older girls, did you hear anything about the specific conditions for gaining or losing points?"
Mazumi Mami said.
Chisato Nishikigi put aside her playful mood and thought for a moment, then shook her head.
"They were vague about the specific rules for gaining and losing points. They seemed hesitant, or maybe the school keeps the information tightly guarded."
"All they would tell me was that Class Points were mainly tied to 'exams': good results earned rewards, while poor ones brought penalties. But they wouldn't say what kind of 'exams' they meant."
"But I have a feeling... they aren't just traditional exams where you sit in a classroom and answer questions. The school has gone to all this trouble to create a jungle where the strong prey on the weak. Measuring 'strength' with nothing but test scores would be... rather narrow-minded."
Chisato Nishikigi said.
"Unusual exams... something the students are tight-lipped about, and something that can create such a huge gap between classes..."
Mazumi Mami tapped his fingers lightly on the table, deep in thought. "It seems we'll need to learn more about this 'exam' system."
"Then let's just take a look at the school's internal database."
Walnut jumped in at once, her fingers flying across the keyboard as code and access logs began scrolling rapidly across the screen.
"Based on the 100,000 points issued to each of us this month, our Class A Class Points should currently be 1,000. Our top priority is to hold on to those 1,000 points and find a way to increase them. It's crucial that we find out what kind of assessment we'll be facing."
Walnut said.
The only sound in the room was the faint tapping of Walnut's keyboard as the other three waited quietly.
A moment later, Walnut slowed down, her brow furrowing as she focused on the screen.
"How's it going? Find anything?"
Runa Inoue asked.
"Yeah... There's a lot of information. The 'exams' from past years have taken all kinds of forms. Some of them look... pretty unusual."
Walnut browsed quickly, speaking faster. "Simulated business competition, survival on an Uninhabited Island, comprehensive athletic festivals, even 'special written exams' with designated projects between classes... There's no way to tell which one we'll face yet. But..."
She pulled up an encrypted file marked "For New Students" and quickly cracked it.
"One thing's certain. Every new student goes through a unified 'Entrance Assessment' during their first month. It's practically set in stone."
Walnut said.
"What is it?"
Chisato Nishikigi leaned closer, curious.
Walnut screenshotted the key parts of the file and shared them in the group chat as she explained.
"It's a month-long 'Comprehensive Assessment Period.' It's not a one-time exam but an ongoing, all-around evaluation of new students' performance at the start of the school year. It mainly has two parts: academic ability and conduct."
She enlarged the relevant section.
"The academic portion is scored through a series of surprise tests, classroom quizzes, homework completion rates, and other measures. Based on the results, the class receives either a reward or a penalty in points."
"As for the conduct portion," Walnut's tone turned more serious.
"It covers everyday behavior, including but not limited to classroom discipline, attendance—being late, leaving early, or skipping class—whether students follow the school rules, whether their behavior in public is appropriate, and whether they do anything that damages the class's image."
"Violations carry very heavy penalties. The database has records of some classes whose points were reduced straight to zero during their first month because of repeated disciplinary problems, leaving the entire class with 'zero income' the following month."
She paused briefly, then added some good news.
"However, this kind of comprehensive, detailed 'Comprehensive Assessment Period' usually only exists during the first month. After that, the assessments become more varied and... more competitive."
Walnut said.
"I see..."
Mazumi Mami nodded in understanding, lightly tapping the table with his fingers.
"That means that during the first month, we'll not only need to do well ourselves; to some extent, we'll also have to 'manage' the other students in our class."
"At the very least, we need to make sure their individual behavior doesn't drag down the entire class's score. That risk is especially high before everyone fully understands how important points are."
Mazumi Mami said.
"Then let's take charge of the class, young master!"
Chisato Nishikigi immediately raised her hand, her eyes shining with enthusiasm. "We'll bring everyone together, avoid pointless deductions, and even try to earn more points! I'll do everything I can to help you!"
"Exactly. Helping you, young master, manage and guide the class effectively is part of our duty."
Runa Inoue said solemnly, determination shining in her violet eyes.
Walnut nodded and looked up from the computer screen. "From another angle, this is also a pretty good 'Micro-Management Experiment.' After all, in the future, we'll need to manage and coordinate far more than a class of forty. We can try it together this time."
Mazumi Mami looked at the three girls, all eager and undaunted. A warm feeling swelled in his heart, and a steady, confident smile appeared on his face.
"You're right. So, our first step is to organize all the information we've gathered about the school rules, the points system, and the 'Comprehensive Assessment Period.'"
He issued his instructions with clarity.
"We'll keep the detailed, in-depth analysis for ourselves as a basis for action. At the same time, we'll put together a concise, easy-to-understand 'Rule Explanation' and 'Initial Survival Guide.' If we want to guide the class, we first need to make them realize how serious the situation is, and reliable information is the most persuasive tool."
A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
"Besides, in an environment like this, information itself is a valuable 'commodity.' We're already far ahead. This 'guide' might not only help us unite the class, but also... bring us our first bit of extra 'point income.' Of course, we'll need to be clever about how we do it."
Mazumi Mami said.
"Yes, young master!"
The three girls answered in unison, their faces serious and brimming with determination.
Night had completely enveloped the campus, but the lights in Room 601 still shone brightly.
A silent contest was about to begin, with intelligence as its weapon, rules as its game board, and all of Class A—and the wider school—as its stage. In the hands of these four "intruders" from another world, it was about to quietly unfold.
They would not only survive here, but also act on their own will to influence—and even change—the rules of the game.