May's Points and the Revealed True Rules

April's time slipped away amidst a seemingly stable daily routine, and the calendar officially turned to May.

For every student at Advanced Nurturing High School, May 1st held a special significance—this was the day the school would officially distribute personal points for the month of April.

Prior to this, almost all the freshmen had assumed that the monthly living stipend of 100,000 points would continue indefinitely. They spent lavishly and without restraint, with many exhausting the majority of their points by the end of April, fully expecting a fresh influx of 100,000 points.

Only Class B maintained a rare sense of rationality from beginning to end.

Under the gentle reminders of Honami Ichinose and the implicit guidance of Kanzaki Ryuji, the vast majority of students maintained moderate spending. Even without knowing the full extent of the rules, they subconsciously retained enough points, avoiding the restless frenzy that had gripped the other classes.

Yoshikage Kira was naturally the calmest among them.

From the very start, he had never believed in the "unconditional distribution of 100,000 points." Advanced Nurturing High School touted meritocracy; it would never provide such perks without a cost. The gentler the rules appeared, the more rigorous the underlying structure must be.

Just as the morning classes concluded, the entire student body received a notification from the school almost simultaneously.

Kira took out his tablet, the screen clearly displaying the change in his account.

April Personal Points: Distributed.

It was not 100,000 points.

The classroom erupted in noise instantly; it wasn't just Class B, the entire school building was engulfed in cries of disbelief.

"Why is it so little?!"

"Isn't it supposed to be 100,000 every month?!"

"How am I supposed to get through this month..."

Panic, regret, and unease swept through the halls.

Compared to the chaos in other classes, Class B had some commotion, but it did not spiral out of control.

Honami Ichinose looked at her point balance, a flicker of surprise crossing her eyes before she quickly regained her composure. She subconsciously observed the state of her classmates, attempting to soothe the rising anxiety. Kanzaki Ryuji's expression remained calm, as if he had anticipated this; he merely frowned slightly, quickly sorting through the connection between the points in his mind.

Shibata Sou clenched his fists, his cheerful face showing signs of tension; Kobashi Aoi's face turned slightly pale, yet she remained steady, silently comforting the emotionally volatile students around her; Ryuji Kurata lowered his head quietly, masking his shock, and did not join the clamor.

As for Yoshikage Kira, sitting in the last row by the window, his expression had not changed from start to finish.

He put his tablet away after confirming his points, showing no surprise, no anxiety, and no wavering, as if he had merely received the most mundane of messages.

Ever since the moment Horikita Manabu spoke at the entrance ceremony, he had already understood—

Everything in this school was directly linked to "evaluation" and "ability."

The chaos lasted for nearly half an hour. It wasn't until the afternoon homeroom began and their homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya Chie, walked into the classroom with her usual gentle smile that the commotion in Class B gradually subsided.

"Everyone has checked their points, right? Isn't it quite a surprise?"

She spoke lightly, hitting the nail on the head regarding everyone's confusion.

Unsuppressed questions immediately erupted from the seats.

"Hoshinomiya-sensei, why have the points decreased?"

"Wasn't it a fixed 100,000 last month?"

Hoshinomiya Chie shook her head gently, revealing the rationality and clarity unique to an instructor of Advanced Nurturing High School beneath her sweet exterior.

"There is no mistake. I will now officially explain—the personal points distributed by the school are determined entirely by your Class Points."

She lit up the projector, slowly unveiling the school's most core and authentic rules.

"First, two core systems:

Personal Points—your living expenses, usable within the school, equivalent to real-world currency.

Class Points—the core metric for measuring class strength, which determines the amount of personal points and the promotion or demotion of classes at the end of the school year."

She paused, continuing her explanation in strict accordance with the original settings.

"The 100,000 points for the first month of enrollment were a temporary freshman allowance, which will no longer be distributed starting in May.

From now on, the number of personal points you receive each month will be determined entirely by your Class Point ranking.

Regarding the acquisition and fluctuation of Class Points—

There are only two ways:

One, significant increases or decreases based on winning or losing in special exams;

Two, automatic deductions by the system when students violate school rules, commit misconduct, or disrupt order.

Daily classroom attitude, attendance rates, and disciplinary performance will affect evaluations during exam periods, but will not directly cause small-scale fluctuations in Class Points."

Hoshinomiya Chie's tone was clear, without any exaggeration or incorrect additions.

"Finally, regarding the class system—

Advanced Nurturing High School implements a promotion and demotion system at the end of the school year.

Every March, classes A through D are reallocated based on the total sum of Class Points. While there is no mid-term expulsion for being at the bottom, your class status will directly determine your advancement prospects, graduation evaluations, and the allocation of all resources provided by the school."

The classroom fell into a dead silence.

Everyone finally understood the true mechanism of this school.

There were no empty words, no pity; everything was dictated by the comprehensive strength of the class.

Hoshinomiya Chie gave a light smile as she announced the results of the first grade discipline and academic review, which were the current class points for each class in the first year.

Class A: 940 points
Class B: 850 points
Class C: 490 points
Class D: 0 points

Precise and cold, it presented the superiority or inferiority of the classes in pure numerical values.

As the numbers were projected onto the blackboard, the students of Class B were stunned for a moment before an irrepressible murmur erupted.

"850 points... We're in second place!"

"Only 90 points behind Class A!"

Their unease was instantly replaced by a sense of relief.

Honami Ichinose covered her mouth, genuine joy welling up in her eyes as they grew slightly warm. The hard work, persistence, and the silent burden of anxiety she had carried for this past month had all been rewarded in this moment. She blinked hard, once again revealing a gentle yet firm smile.

Kanzaki Ryuji remained calm, but his tense jawline relaxed slightly, and a flicker of approval flashed in his eyes.

His judgment had not been wrong; Ichinose's leadership style was the correct one.

Shibata Sou could hardly hide his excitement; Kobashi Aoi let out a sigh of relief, wearing a steady smile; Ryuji Kurata also lifted his head, his eyes filled with newfound confidence in the class.

Everyone understood.

It was precisely because of their self-discipline, harmony, unity, lack of disciplinary infractions, and absence of internal strife that Class B was able to secure 850 points in the first review.

Yoshikage Kira watched all of this quietly.

He remained expressionless, yet the faint ripple in the depths of his heart began to spread gently once more.

The stability of Class B was no accident.

It was the result of Ichinose's kindness, Kanzaki's support, and the order maintained by the entire class.

And he was merely a beneficiary of this order.

It is just an environment.

Do not develop unnecessary emotions.

He warned himself softly in his heart.

The homeroom session ended, and after leaving a few words of encouragement, Hoshinomiya Chie left the classroom with a light step.

Inside the classroom, the students of Class B gathered together, their spirits high yet still maintaining order.

"It's all thanks to Ichinose-san!"

"Let's keep this up together from now on!"

Ichinose waved her hands hurriedly, her cheeks slightly flushed: "It is the result of everyone's hard work. Please continue to support me in the future."

A sincere response echoed throughout the class.

Kanzaki Ryuji stood on the periphery, watching Ichinose surrounded by her peers, a trace of relief flashing through his eyes.

His choice had not been wrong.

In the corner, Kira slowly withdrew his gaze.

The rules were now clear.

The landscape had taken shape.

Class A, with 940 points, sat firmly at the top; Sakayanagi Arisu must have already seen through the mechanism.

Class C, with 490 points, was in the middle of the pack; Kakeru Ryuen would inevitably launch a campaign of plunder during the special exams.

Class D, with 0 points, was at the very bottom, standing in the most dangerous position, struggling to survive.

The true contest of Advanced Nurturing High School only officially began on this day, May 1st.

Kira gripped his fountain pen lightly.

He still did not want to become a leader.

He did not want to be drawn into the center of the storm.

He did not want to be noticed by anyone.

He only wanted to maintain his own regular and peaceful daily life within the stable world of Class B.

Yet, he was also aware.

Ever since he was targeted by Sakayanagi Arisu.

Ever since he witnessed the exhaustion beneath Kikyo Kushida's perfect mask.

Ever since he grew accustomed to this kindness and order.

His life of absolute seclusion and absolute peace had already, unknowingly, begun to drift away from its predetermined track.

Outside the window, the sunlight was perfect, falling upon the boy's calm profile, warm and bright.

The special exams were approaching.

The struggle between the classes was about to begin.