Teacher-Student Q&A

The first day of school... no, the second day. It was just the first day of classes.

Since it was the first day of class, everyone had arrived fairly early. Some students had even bought seat cushions, coasters, and little bags to hang from the sides of their desks. Though it was only the second day, the most basic circles of acquaintances had already formed. Several small groups in the class chatted away noisily, making Shiraishi Makoto, sitting alone at his desk, seem somewhat out of place.

"Shiraishi, how was your day yesterday?" Hamaguchi Tetsuya, who had just entered the classroom, took the initiative to greet him.

"Pretty good. I took a look around the school and got a general idea of the place." Shiraishi Makoto replied with a smile, but his gaze was fixed on the classroom entrance. The person he wanted to find had arrived.

"Excuse me for a moment." Noticing that Hamaguchi Tetsuya wanted to continue chatting, Shiraishi Makoto raised a hand to stop him, then stood up and walked straight toward Ichinose Honami.

"Uh... huh?" Hamaguchi Tetsuya stared at Shiraishi Makoto's actions in a daze. But when he saw Shiraishi Makoto approach Ichinose Honami, his expression immediately became rather colorful.

However, he soon saw Shiraishi Makoto call over Kanzaki Ryuji as well, and his interest in watching a show instantly vanished.

"Thought there was going to be something good." Though somewhat curious, Hamaguchi Tetsuya did not dwell on it. He turned and joined the other students instead.

"So, what did Shiraishi want to talk to us about?" Ichinose Honami asked softly as she followed behind him.

Kanzaki Ryuji said nothing. His gaze shifted between the two of them before settling quietly on Shiraishi Makoto, clearly waiting for an explanation.

"I want to ask Hoshinomiya-sensei about a few things. I hope the two of you can serve as witnesses." Since they were in the hallway and students from other classes were nearby, Shiraishi Makoto did not say much.

The three arrived at Hoshinomiya Chie's office, but with class about to begin, several other teachers were still there.

Was Chabashira Sae in this office too? Knowing the history between the two women, Shiraishi Makoto considered it for a moment, sent Hoshinomiya Chie a message through his student terminal, then turned and headed for the infirmary.

Before long, Hoshinomiya Chie arrived with a key in hand.

"Oh my, a student has come to have a heart-to-heart with his teacher on the second day of school already?" Hoshinomiya Chie's voice was unusually cheerful. She seemed cute without coming across as affected. But Shiraishi Makoto knew about Hoshinomiya's "dark history," so his expression remained unchanged as he merely said, "Could you please open the door quickly, Sensei? There doesn't seem to be much time before class."

"Impatient boys don't get girls to like them, you know." Hoshinomiya Chie pouted in mock displeasure, though her hands moved efficiently. After opening the infirmary door, she led the three of them inside.

Shiraishi Makoto gently shut the door and got straight to the point. "Hoshinomiya-sensei, I have a few questions."

"First, I noticed that upperclassmen do not seem to have a very good attitude toward lower-ranked classes, whether those classes are in their own year or below them. Does the A-B-C-D ranking represent a class's status, or some similar relationship?"

"Second, there are notices posted on the upperclassmen's floors showing Class Points, and the amount of Class Points seems related to a class's ranking. I would like to confirm whether there is a direct connection between the two."

"Third, both the cafeteria and convenience store have free items. Does that mean the points distributed by the school each month can change, or even be reduced to zero?"

The three questions came out in rapid succession. Shiraishi Makoto stared into Hoshinomiya Chie's eyes, waiting for her response.

Since he already knew the answers, he did not particularly care how Hoshinomiya Chie replied. His purpose was to expose Ichinose Honami and Kanzaki Ryuji to the school's rules.

"Oh?" Hoshinomiya Chie's tone noticeably deepened, and her lips pressed together slightly. "Little Shiraishi has so many questions. But I can answer all of them."

"The Class Points of upperclassmen are related to their class rankings, Private Points can also change, and A-B-C-D does indeed represent the students' level of excellence to some extent." Hoshinomiya Chie smiled. "Now that Little Shiraishi knows all that, do you have any more questions?"

"What exactly is the difference between Classes A, B, C, and D? And what would happen if our class had more points than the current Class A?" Shiraishi Makoto threw out his next two questions.

"Little Shiraishi really did notice~ The difference between the four classes is that the preferential treatment you know about—including guaranteed admission to prestigious universities and famous companies—is only available to the most outstanding Class A. But if your Class Points surpass Class A's, you will become the new Class A and enjoy those benefits." Hoshinomiya Chie blinked. "Congratulations, Little Shiraishi. You found the hidden boss."

"Then... forget it, I'll just say it." Shiraishi Makoto noticed that Ichinose Honami and Kanzaki Ryuji's expressions had changed significantly. They were clearly surprised by the questions and the answers they had received.

The intelligent pair had surely realized the next truth that could be inferred from those answers.

"Class Points and Private Points should be linked. Based on comparisons with the second- and third-year students, the ratio should be one to one hundred. That means our initial Class Points should be one thousand, and the same should apply to all four first-year classes." Shiraishi Makoto paused before continuing. "And since Class Points represent class rankings, gaps will sooner or later emerge among the four classes, A through D. I do not think the school will wait long to reveal the truth. It may even happen next month."

"In other words, have we already begun the first round of our 'exam'?" Ichinose Honami, who had silently listened until now, spoke without thinking. Shiraishi Makoto turned to look at her. Her usual gentleness had vanished as she turned toward Hoshinomiya Chie. "Hoshinomiya-sensei, is that true?"

"Little Honami is very smart too~" Hoshinomiya Chie's eyes narrowed into crescents. "So then, can you guess what the exam is about?"

"Maybe it's the monthly exam?" Kanzaki Ryuji finally spoke. "The results could be used for evaluation, with the class that scores best gaining points and the class that scores worst losing points?"

"It could also be conduct and discipline." Seeing that Hoshinomiya Chie offered no hint, Shiraishi Makoto guessed that the school rules prevented her from saying more, so he continued, "This exam has not been given any defined scope, so we can only start from our identity as 'students.' Test scores, classroom behavior, and discipline within the school could all be part of the assessment."

Ichinose Honami and Kanzaki Ryuji nodded, acknowledging Shiraishi Makoto's speculation.

Hoshinomiya Chie, meanwhile, broke into a brilliant smile. "Little Shiraishi is amazing. Sensei is starting to admire you too~ As far as I know, since this school was founded, no one has discovered these rules so early."

"I only observed and thought a little more." Shiraishi Makoto checked the time and exchanged glances with Ichinose and Kanzaki. "Hoshinomiya-sensei, class is about to start, so we'll head back to the classroom first."

"Remember to come visit Sensei more often when you have time. It's so lonely for Sensei all alone in the infirmary~" Hoshinomiya Chie made a tearful expression. After watching the three leave, an unusual light flickered in her eyes.