The Situation is True

The next day, during lunch break.

Sunlight slanted through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the karaoke booth, casting streaks of light and shadow across the polished floor.

It was the same time as yesterday, but this time, the person present was not alone; it was the core quintet of Class B.

To this end, they had come to the karaoke parlor to discuss the intelligence.

The five of them sat around a long table large enough to accommodate six, with several barely touched lunches placed in the center.

Sitting to the left of the head seat was Chihiro Shiranami. She had only taken two bites of the sandwich in front of her, her mind clearly not on the food.

Her gaze drifted toward the people passing by outside the window from time to time, as if checking for any suspicious individuals eavesdropping.

Sitting opposite her was Yume Kobashi, a girl with short blue hair and a gentle, quiet temperament. Her hands were clasped on the table, her expression calm, yet a hint of seriousness lingered in her brow.

Sitting right next to Yume Kobashi was Asako Amikura, who wore her hair in a high purple ponytail. Her notebook was spread open in front of her, filled with various notes written in a scrawled hand.

To the right of the head seat was Honami Ichinose.

She was dressed neatly in her school uniform today, her long pink-gold hair tied into a low ponytail at the nape of her neck, revealing her smooth neck.

Her posture was as upright and elegant as ever, but upon closer inspection, one could see the knuckles of the hand gripping her water glass turning a faint, imperceptible shade of white.

Sitting directly across from her was Ryuji Kanzaki—his short purple hair was clean and sharp, and his eyes held a steady, piercing quality, like a blade that had yet to be unsheathed but already radiated a keen edge.

The five exchanged glances, confirming that no one else had followed them into the booth, before Ryuji Kanzaki broke the silence.

"Everything has been investigated, right? Everyone."

His voice was neither high nor low, creating a clear echo within the small booth.

The four girls nodded, their expressions varied—some heavy, some complex, and some carrying a lingering trace of fear.

"Then—"

Ryuji Kanzaki's gaze swept over the four of them, "What do you all think now about what Mazumi Mami said yesterday regarding the 'existence of special rules at this school'?"

"Basically... it can be confirmed that this is indeed the case."

Yume Kobashi was the first to speak.

Her voice was gentle and soft, but her tone was firm, "I specifically went to the upperclassmen's school building yesterday afternoon. I walked through every corridor from the first to the third floor and indeed discovered that—on the side wall by the entrance of every classroom, there hung a blackboard about thirty centimeters square."

She gestured to the appearance of those blackboards in her memory.

"It displayed the class name and a fairly large number. I wasn't sure what it was at first, but later, when an upperclassman passed by, I feigned being lost and asked for directions, then casually asked, 'What does the number on that blackboard mean?'—"

She paused: "That senior looked at me, their expression a bit subtle, but they eventually told me—that is the 'Class Points.' They also said that at the end of every month, the school calculates the personal points to be distributed to each student for the following month based on these points. The conversion ratio is—Class Points multiplied by one hundred equals the personal points each student can receive the following month."

As these words fell, the air in the booth seemed to stagnate for a moment.

"In other words..."

Chihiro Shiranami murmured, "If our Class Points don't reach one thousand next month—then none of us will get a single cent?"

"Theoretically, that is the case."

Yume Kobashi nodded, "So, Mazumi Mami's intelligence is true, at least on the two core points of 'Class Points exist' and 'points affect personal income.'"

Ryuji Kanzaki crossed his arms over his chest, his fingertips tapping lightly against his arms: "For us, this is certainly not good news. We reacted too slowly—other classes may have already learned of the existence of Class Points through various channels, while we only heard about it from the Class A leader yesterday."

He looked at Asako Amikura: "Amikura, do you have results regarding the free goods distribution points I asked you to investigate?"

"I investigated."

Asako Amikura opened the notebook in front of her, "I marked all the free supply distribution points on campus on the map. The warehouse next to the cafeteria, the end of the first-floor corridor in the school building, the entrance to the gymnasium, the side door of the library, the public area on the first floor of the dormitory area—there are seven in total."

She used the tip of her pen to lightly tap a few locations on the simple map in her notebook: "And I specifically observed the people queuing to receive supplies. Most of them were upperclassmen, their expressions numb, their movements practiced; they were clearly veterans who had been collecting them for a long time. The length of the lines was also stable; there were about ten to twenty people queuing at each point."

"I also brought back a few samples of the free goods to look at—they are indeed at a 'usable' level. The towels feel rough, the toothbrush bristles are too hard, the toothpaste tastes strange... but they aren't unusable. Honestly, if they weren't truly short on money, I believe most people wouldn't want to use these things."

She looked up, her gaze serious: "The problem is—things of this quality, logically, shouldn't have so many people lining up to get them. The school issues so many points every month; as long as you save a little, who can't afford better quality daily necessities? Unless—"

"Unless their personal points are indeed affected by the Class Points, causing their available points to be severely insufficient."

Ryuji Kanzaki took over, "So they have no choice but to collect these free supplies to maintain their daily lives."

"Yes."

Asako Amikura nodded, "So I believe—these free supply distribution points are the safeguard mechanism after Class Points hit zero. This further confirms that Mazumi Mami's intelligence is true."

"As expected..."

Ryuji Kanzaki closed his eyes and let out a weary breath, "Classes are indeed meant to compete. Class Points are truly the lifeblood of every class."

He turned his head to look at Honami Ichinose and Chihiro Shiranami: "So, Ichinose, and Shiranami—you two investigated from different directions yesterday, did you have any gains?"

Upon hearing this, Chihiro Shiranami's face immediately fell, and she lowered her head with a bit of annoyance and unwillingness.

"...Sorry. I went to find that Chisato yesterday, thinking I could get close to her and maybe pry some useful information out of her..."

Her voice grew lower, "But she didn't give me a chance at all. No matter how I hinted, even using excuses like treating her to a meal or going shopping together to get close to her, she wouldn't take the bait."

"Every time I mentioned topics like 'Class Points' or 'special rules,' she would immediately change the subject, either pretending she suddenly had something to do or laughing and tickling me, cutting my words off directly..."

She looked up at Honami Ichinose, looking aggrieved: "I really tried my best... but she is too cunning; I am no match for her at all..."

"That was also to be expected."

Ryuji Kanzaki had no intention of blaming her, his tone remaining calm. "After all, she is a maid of the Mizuki Family—if she didn't possess sufficient vigilance and adaptability, she wouldn't have been chosen to attend to that young master personally. Trying to pry information out of her is likely no easier than asking Mazumi Mami himself."

Upon hearing this, although Chihiro Shiranami knew Ryuji was trying to smooth things over for her, she couldn't help but puff out her cheeks, looking thoroughly unreconciled.

"My findings were much the same as yours."

Honami Ichinose finally spoke, her voice tinged with a helpless bitterness. "I went to find several Second Year and Third Year seniors yesterday afternoon, hoping to ask them if there were any special exams or trials for us freshmen. As it turned out..."

She shook her head with a wry smile. "Their reactions were surprisingly consistent—first, they would freeze for a moment, then their expressions would turn subtle, and finally, they would speak vaguely, saying things like 'You'll find out about that later' or 'It's not convenient for me to say right now,' before hurriedly making excuses to leave."

"Such reactions point to two things."

Ryuji Kanzaki held up two fingers. "First, there is indeed some kind of special exam or evaluation mechanism for us freshmen, and this mechanism has a crucial impact on the distribution of our future Class Points."

"Second, the school or some school rule prohibits upperclassmen from directly disclosing relevant information to freshmen. That is why they were so evasive."

He lowered his hand, his tone carrying a trace of complex emotion. "And currently, the only person who clearly grasps this mechanism is Mazumi Mami."

"To be able to figure out this hidden rule shortly after enrollment and then precisely cast the bait to lure us in yesterday—he is truly worthy of being the leader of Class A. As the premier noble family, the Mizuki Family is indeed capable of accessing information and resources that we ordinary people cannot at the very first opportunity."

His words caused the atmosphere in the private room to grow heavy once again.

"However, that is all beside the point."

Ryuji Kanzaki steered the conversation back. "The core issue we need to discuss is—should we pay that one million points to purchase information about the special exam mechanism from Mazumi Mami?"

He looked around at the four of them, his tone serious and solemn. "If we pay that large sum of points, the personal accounts of all forty students in our class will be more than half-emptied."

"In the period that follows, we will have almost no room for error, and every non-essential expenditure will need to be carefully calculated. More importantly—if we obtain the information, we will be forced to be beholden to Class A to a certain extent; at least in the short term, we will have no way to launch any form of resistance against Class A."

"Then what happens if we don't pay?"

Chihiro Shiranami blurted out. "We can rely on our own strength to figure it out! If Mazumi Mami could discover the rules, why can't we?"

"Because of time."

Asako Amikura calmly pointed out the crux of the problem.

"Our start is already too slow. Mazumi Mami figured out the rules long ago, while we only just learned that there is such a thing as 'Class Points,' and we don't even know what our current Class Points total is."

"If we refuse to buy the information and choose to figure it out ourselves—can we guarantee we'll uncover the complete rules before the next evaluation begins? If we can't..."

Her tone sank. "We will face not only attacks from Class A but also the watchful eyes of Class C and Class D. If our Class Points truly hit zero, the other classes will absolutely not let this opportunity to kick us while we're down pass them by. By then, we won't just be facing the threat of Class A."

"Asako is right."

Yume Kobashi nodded, her gentle voice carrying a weight of gravity. "Our start is too slow; we are already a step behind. The room for choice left to us is very small—one could say it is almost non-existent."

The gazes of the four girls converged simultaneously on Honami Ichinose.

Chihiro Shiranami looked at her and asked softly, "So what should we do—Honami?"

Honami Ichinose was silent for a moment.

She lowered her eyes, looking at the tea in front of her that had long since stopped steaming, a complex light flickering in her gaze.

A moment later, she looked up and made her decision. "...As I thought, we should still consult everyone's opinion. Such a big matter shouldn't be decided by just a few of us in private. We should let everyone vote—let the entire Class B decide whether we should pay this one million points."

Ryuji Kanzaki's brow furrowed slightly.

"That may be so, but Ichinose—you must understand that you are the leader of our class. As a leader, you should have the resolve of a leader. Once this kind of news spreads, it is very likely to cause panic within the class."

"Not every student can face this fact as calmly as we can. Some might make irrational moves out of fear, and some might lose faith in the class because of it..." Ryuji Kanzaki said.

"But if we make a decision without everyone's consent..."

Honami Ichinose raised her head, her amethyst-like eyes shining with a serious and firm light. "That wouldn't be right."

Her voice was not loud, yet it carried an unquestionable strength.

"I don't want to be that kind of arbitrary leader. I came to this school wanting to spend a happy and fulfilling high school life with everyone. I don't want everyone to be forced to accept a result they don't want because of my decision. Therefore—"

A gentle yet firm smile appeared on her face.

"This matter should be decided by everyone together. If everyone is willing to trust me and willing to walk this path with me—then no matter the result, I will face it together with everyone."

Honami Ichinose said.

"Honami... I knew you were the best!"

Chihiro Shiranami's eyes turned slightly red, her voice filled with emotion.

Although Yume Kobashi and Asako Amikura did not show as much excitement as Chihiro Shiranami, their gazes toward Honami Ichinose were equally filled with deep approval and emotion.

Only Ryuji Kanzaki, looking at Honami Ichinose's face with its gentle smile, felt a deep sense of worry involuntarily surface in his heart.

With a personality like this... as a leader, is there really no problem?

He did not speak these words aloud, merely hiding that flicker of anxiety deep within his eyes.