April had quietly come to an end amid seemingly peaceful days, and May had officially begun.
For all the students at Advanced Nurturing High School, May 1 held special significance—the school would officially distribute their personal points for April.
Until then, nearly every first-year student had assumed that their monthly living allowance of 100,000 points would continue. They had spent recklessly and without restraint, and many had used up most of their points by the end of April, eagerly awaiting another 100,000 points.
Only Class B had maintained a rare degree of restraint from start to finish.
Thanks to Honami Ichinose's gentle reminders and Ryuji Kanzaki's subtle guidance, most of them had kept their spending moderate. Even without knowing the full rules, they had instinctively held on to enough points and avoided the carefree frenzy that had taken hold in the other classes.
Yoshikage Kira was naturally one of the calmest among them.
He had never believed that something as good as an "unconditional 100,000 points" would be handed out from the start. Advanced Nurturing High School championed merit above all else; it would never offer benefits without a price. The gentler the rules seemed, the more rigorous the system behind them was bound to be.
As soon as morning classes ended, students across the school received a notification from the administration.
Kira took out his tablet. His account balance was clearly displayed on the screen.
April personal points: Issued.
It wasn't 100,000 points.
An uproar erupted in the classroom. It wasn't just Class B—the entire school building was filled with disbelieving cries.
"How come we got so little?!"
"Wasn't it supposed to be 100,000 every month?!"
"How am I supposed to get by this month...?"
Panic, regret, and unease swept through the students.
Compared with the chaos in the other classes, Class B was shaken, but it didn't lose control.
Honami Ichinose looked at her points, surprise flashing briefly in her eyes before she quickly regained her composure. She instinctively watched her classmates, trying to soothe their growing unease. Ryuji Kanzaki remained calm, as if he had expected this. He only furrowed his brow slightly, quickly sorting out the connections between the points in his mind.
Shibata Sou clenched his fists, tension showing on his usually cheerful face. Kobashi Aoi had gone pale, but remained composed, quietly calming her unsettled classmates. Ryuji Kurata lowered his head in silence, hiding his shock without joining the commotion.
And Yoshikage Kira, seated in the back row by the window, didn't change his expression once.
After checking his points, he put away his tablet. He showed no surprise, no anxiety, no hesitation, as if he had received nothing more than an ordinary message.
From the moment Horikita Manabu spoke at the entrance ceremony, Kira had understood—
Everything at this school was directly tied to "evaluation" and "ability."
The confusion persisted for nearly half an hour. It wasn't until the afternoon homeroom began, when their homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya Chie, walked into the classroom with her usual gentle smile, that the commotion in Class B gradually subsided.
"Everyone's checked their points, right? Quite a surprise, wasn't it?"
She spoke casually, getting straight to the question on everyone's mind.
Questions immediately rang out from the students.
"Hoshinomiya-sensei, why did we get so few points?"
"Wasn't it a fixed 100,000 last month?"
Hoshinomiya Chie gave a gentle shake of her head. Beneath her sweet demeanor was the clear-headed reason characteristic of a teacher at Advanced Nurturing High School.
"Nothing went wrong. I'll explain it officially now—the personal points the school gives you are determined entirely by your class points."
She turned on the projector and slowly unveiled the school's most fundamental, most unforgiving rules.
"First, there are two core systems:
Personal points—your living expenses. They're accepted throughout the school and equivalent to real-world currency.
Class points—the core measure of a class's strength. They determine how many personal points you receive, as well as whether your class moves up or down at the end of the school year."
She paused, then continued her explanation, adhering strictly to the original rules.
"The 100,000 points you received during your first month were temporary points for incoming students. Starting in May, they will no longer be issued.
From now on, how many personal points you receive each month will be determined entirely by your class's point ranking."
"Here's how class points are earned or lost—
There are only two ways:
First, winning or losing Special Exams, which can cause large increases or decreases.
Second, students violating school rules, breaking regulations, or disrupting order. Points will then be deducted automatically by the system.
Your attitude in daily classes, attendance, and discipline will affect evaluations during exams, but won't directly cause small increases or decreases in class points."
Hoshinomiya Chie spoke clearly, without exaggeration or adding anything that wasn't there.
"Lastly, about the class system—
Advanced Nurturing High School uses a system in which classes are reassigned at the end of each school year.
Every March, classes A through D are reassigned according to their total class points. There are no midyear expulsions for finishing at the bottom, but your class's standing directly determines your academic opportunities, graduation evaluations, and access to all the resources the school provides."
The classroom fell silent.
At last, everyone understood the school's true system.
No empty promises, no mercy. Everything came down to the class's overall strength.
Hoshinomiya Chie smiled softly and announced the results of the first academic and disciplinary review—in other words, the current class points for the first-year classes.
"Class A: 940 points
Class B: 850 points
Class C: 490 points
Class D: 0 points"
The figures were precise and cold, expressing each class's standing in nothing but numbers.
When the numbers appeared on the blackboard, the students of Class B stared for a moment, then broke into barely restrained cheers.
"850 points... We're in second place!"
"We're only 90 points behind Class A!"
Their unease was quickly replaced by relief.
Honami Ichinose covered her mouth, genuine joy welling in her eyes. They grew slightly moist. All the effort and persistence of the past month, all the unease she had quietly shouldered, had finally paid off. She blinked hard, then managed to smile again, warm and resolute.
Ryuji Kanzaki remained calm, but his tense jaw relaxed a little, and a flicker of approval passed through his eyes.
His judgment had been right. Ichinose's way of leading them was the right one.
Shibata Sou could barely contain his excitement. Kobashi Aoi let out a breath of relief and smiled, reassured. Ryuji Kurata also raised his head, his eyes filled with newfound confidence in the class.
Everyone understood.
It was their self-discipline, harmony, and unity—and the absence of rule-breaking and infighting—that had allowed Class B to earn 850 points in the first review.
Yoshikage Kira watched it all in silence.
His expression remained unchanged, but the faintest ripple stirred in his heart once more.
The peace in Class B wasn't a coincidence.
It came from Ichinose's kindness, Kanzaki's support, and the order everyone in the class worked together to maintain.
And he was simply someone who benefited from that order.
It's only the environment.
Don't develop unnecessary feelings.
He gently reminded himself.
When homeroom ended, Hoshinomiya Chie left the classroom with a few words of encouragement.
The students of Class B gathered together, excited but still orderly.
"It's all thanks to Ichinose!"
"We have to keep this up together!"
Ichinose hurriedly waved her hands, her cheeks turning pink. "We did this together. I hope we'll continue to get along."
The whole class answered her sincerely.
Standing on the outskirts, Ryuji Kanzaki watched Ichinose surrounded by her classmates. A hint of relief passed through his eyes.
He had made the right choice.
In the corner, Kira slowly looked away.
The rules were clear.
The classes' positions had taken shape.
Class A had 940 points and held the top spot. Sakayanagi Arisu had undoubtedly already figured out the system.
Class C had 490 points and sat in the middle. Ryuen Kakeru would surely launch a campaign to take points in the Special Exams.
Class D had 0 points and was dead last, in the most dangerous position, struggling to survive.
The real competition at Advanced Nurturing High School had only begun on May 1.
Kira lightly gripped his pen.
He still didn't want to become a leader.
He didn't want to be caught in the eye of the storm.
He didn't want anyone to notice him.
He only wanted to maintain his own regular, peaceful daily life in the calm world of Class B.
But he also knew—
Ever since Sakayanagi Arisu had set her sights on him.
Ever since he had witnessed the exhaustion beneath Kikyo Kushida's perfect mask.
Ever since he had grown accustomed to this kindness and order.
His absolutely closed-off, perfectly tranquil life had already begun, little by little, to drift from its intended course.
The sun shone brightly outside, its warm light falling across the boy's calm profile.
The Special Exams were coming.
The classes' struggle for dominance was about to begin.
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