The good times never lasted long. Before we'd had much time to talk, C Class's homeroom teacher, Kazuma Sakagami, walked into the classroom carrying a stack of materials from the school.
The class bell hadn't rung yet, but as soon as the students saw their homeroom teacher enter, they settled down and returned to their seats, stopped talking, and turned their attention to him.
"Welcome to Advanced Nurturing High School, everyone. I'm Kazuma Sakagami, the homeroom teacher for Class C, and I'll be teaching you mathematics.
"One thing that sets this school apart is that you won't be reassigned to new classes next school year like students at other schools. Not just next year, either—you'll be classmates for all three years.
"Unless something unexpected happens, I'll be your homeroom teacher for all three years. We'll study and make progress together, so I look forward to working with you. The entrance ceremony will be held in the gymnasium in an hour. I hope you'll maintain order and not be late on your very first day.
"Before the ceremony, I'm required by the school to hand out these materials. You were given them after your interviews, but I doubt young students would hold on to them for that long. Some of you probably took them home and never even flipped through them. By the time you wanted to look for them again, they were likely nowhere to be found. So consider these a backup copy."
Sakagami's words were blunt, but they meant something to those who knew what to listen for—especially his emphasis on the importance of order and discipline.
Judging by that, the homeroom teachers for Classes A and B had probably discreetly reminded their students to mind their discipline, too. Except for Class D. Things were truly rough over there.
As for the materials he handed out, there wasn't much worth reading. They were mostly pictures and brief introductions to the school's facilities, along with reminders about the school rules.
For example, students were required to live on campus. Unless special circumstances arose, they couldn't contact the outside world or leave school grounds without permission.
I could only shake my head at those rules. They all had loopholes.
"These are your student IDs. I'm sure you're all familiar with student IDs, but please keep these safe.
"You'll need them to pay for anything you buy at the school's facilities. They use a currency called 'points.' Remember, anything available at this school can be purchased with points."
That was a lie. For instance, I couldn't buy Chairman Sakayanagi's life with points.
"Using your student ID is simple. Just hold it up to a machine's sensor or show it to someone else. Also, points will automatically be deposited into your student IDs on the first of every month. Each of you has now been given a fair share of one hundred thousand points, and each point is equivalent to one yen."
If the people sitting in this classroom had been working adults, they could easily have spotted the problem in the teacher's explanation. Students weren't so quick to notice.
After all, students were always most concerned with their studies, while working adults cared about their salaries. If the pay wasn't clearly explained, they'd definitely ask questions.
"Lastly, the school is extremely sensitive about bullying and has a zero-tolerance policy. So make sure the school doesn't catch you bullying your classmates."
Oh? So that was the difference between Sakagami and Chabashira.
In the original story, Sakagami hadn't stopped Ryuen's violence. If anything, he'd hinted at his support.
He'd practically spelled out on the first day that it wasn't bullying as long as you weren't caught. He must have looked over the student records and decided Ryuen was the most likely person to become the class leader and unite the class, so he was giving him the leeway he needed.
"If there are no questions, then—"
After Sakagami finished speaking, the classroom fell silent for a while. Seeing that nobody wanted to ask anything, he was about to wrap things up when he gestured for Ryuen to come up.
"Now that the teacher's finished, it's my turn. Everyone, sit down and listen!"
Ryuen had picked his moment perfectly. He swaggered up to the podium.
"Listen up! The moment not one of you questioned the homeroom teacher, you lost your chance to lead this class!
"I, Ryuen Kakeru, will be your ruler!
"From now on, cancel all those plans you've made to spend your points!
"Starting now, every one of you will hand over eighty thousand personal points to me. We'll start with that guy over there who looks like a bookworm!"
After Ryuen arrogantly announced that he would lead Class C, Sakagami gave a slight nod of approval. To the students of Class C, that gesture meant their teacher approved of Ryuen's actions, too.
What's more, Ryuen had chosen me as the first person to hand over points. Hiyori and I stood up and went to the podium to pay.
Hiyori and I were like the first sheep leaping into the water. The other Class C students who followed us had no choice but to climb aboard our pirate ship and hand over their points.
"I know you're unhappy with me, but unfortunately, you don't have the right to be!
"Let me tell you the truth about this school! Teacher Sakagami, how many points does it cost to buy the specific rules for the conduct assessment during our first month?"
Ryuen swept his hand toward Sakagami, who was standing nearby, turning everyone's attention to him.
"Two million personal points."
Sakagami gave the figure with an air of satisfaction.
"You all heard him, right? Two million personal points. If there's nothing shady going on, why would a simple piece of information cost a full two million points? That's two million yen!
"Now I'll show you why you had no chance of becoming class leader if you didn't ask questions.
"Teacher Sakagami, how many points does it cost to buy specific information about Class Points and the personal points distributed each month?"
Clearly, Ryuen was extracting the value of the teacher's information without paying for it. It didn't matter whether the students could get an answer from him or not.
If anyone observant could use the teacher's help within the rules to confirm that something was wrong with the school, then everything else would be self-evident.
"Four million personal points."
Sakagami was now looking at Ryuen with open admiration.
"You all heard him, right? Four million personal points? That's the combined total of everyone's points in the class! Out of the kindness of my heart, I'll tell you the truth.
"When students enter their first year, the four classes—A, B, C, and D—are each given one thousand Class Points. Every Class Point is equivalent to one hundred personal points.
"In other words, we each received one hundred thousand personal points this first month because our class had one thousand Class Points. Class Points can change according to certain special rules!
"Go check the bulletin boards by the second- and third-year classrooms later. You'll see their Class Point totals for yourselves.
"This first month, the rules that determine changes to our Class Points are based on our responsibilities as students: studying and discipline. I'm not asking you to study exceptionally hard, but I do expect you to at least look like motivated students!
"Being late or leaving early, whispering during class, damaging school property, and things like that—you're not allowed to do any of it unless I give you permission."
Before you continue