"Quiet. Everyone, return to your seats." A cool voice came from the doorway.
A moment later, a woman in a professional outfit and black stockings walked in.
She carried a stack of student handbooks. With each step, the high ponytail tied from her dark brown hair swayed gently.
She casually picked up a piece of chalk and wrote her name and phone number on the blackboard in one smooth, practiced motion.
"My name is Chazhu Zuo Zhi, and I'm your homeroom teacher. This school has a three-year program, so I'll be your homeroom teacher for all three years."
She paused, pointed to the blackboard, and continued, "That's my contact information. You may add me if you like, though preferably, no one will."
With that, she handed out the student handbooks.
Hoshida No began reading as soon as he received his handbook. Its contents were more or less what he had already learned.
Students may not contact the outside world while at school, and are forbidden from leaving campus. Living on campus is mandatory. The campus has comprehensive facilities and dedicated commercial facilities, including everything for entertainment. On the first of every month, the school will deposit Personal Points into each student's Campus Core Management App account. (One Personal Point ≈ one yen) ...
Just as Hoshida No's fingertips closed the student handbook, two complaining voices came from the seats by the windows along the hallway. Everyone was drawn to the sound and turned to look.
"Why do we have to live here for three years? Can't we go home for a break each semester?"
The boy who spoke first knitted his brows. He had an ordinary face and a prominent chin. He slapped his handbook onto the desk, his voice full of resentment.
"If I'd known we'd be here this long, I would've brought my game console and manga from home!"
"Exactly!" someone immediately chimed in from behind him. Hoshida No looked toward the voice and saw a short-haired boy with unruly, sticking-up ends. His face was on the round side, and his eyes were full of panic.
He scratched his head and patted the underside of his desk with a troubled look. "I only brought two changes of clothes, and I didn't even pack all my toiletries. How am I supposed to get by?"
Their complaints were like stones thrown into water, instantly stirring up a sense of shared frustration among many of the new students.
A few girls in the front row began talking quietly, some worrying that they hadn't brought skincare products, others complaining that the dorm rules were too strict. The classroom, once tense, gradually filled with a chorus of grumbles.
Hoshida No wanted to complain. How can this class be so chaotic? Has nobody read the student handbook?
He looked at the noisy class, then at Chazhu Zuo Zhi on the podium, who seemed completely unconcerned.
"So this is the homeroom teacher for Class D? Her answers are perfunctory enough, but she doesn't even seem to have any intention of stopping the students from making a scene."
His keen gaze picked out a few students who stood out. "First, the two beside him. Neither of them showed any reaction.
"The boy with medium-length blond hair in the middle of the front-right section was holding a mirror. He stood out sharply from the students around him.
"Then there's the girl directly in front of him, with long, wavy, light brown hair. She hasn't reacted at all."
"Looks like not everyone blindly follows the crowd."
Chazhu Zuo Zhi leaned against the edge of the podium, her brownish-yellow eyes sweeping over the restless students before finally settling on the corner.
Hoshida No and the two students beside him sat upright, their expressions calm. Their composure, as if they were detached from it all, held her gaze for two seconds before she slowly looked away.
When her gaze landed on the two boys who had started the commotion, the detachment in her eyes was instantly replaced by disdain, as if she were inspecting two worthless pieces of trash.
Her previously perfunctory tone suddenly rose in volume. "Are you idiots? The student handbook makes it perfectly clear that you can use campus points to buy necessities. If you can't even be bothered to read such basic rules, what are you doing at school?"
The two boys she had scolded looked bewildered. Their eyes widened, clearly not expecting their homeroom teacher, who had seemed indifferent just moments earlier, to suddenly lash out at them.
The ordinary-looking boy was the first to recover. His brows furrowed, and he instinctively opened his mouth to argue.
Perhaps he wanted to explain that he hadn't understood the handbook, or perhaps he wanted to complain that the rules weren't clear enough.
But before he could get half a syllable out, Chazhu Zuo Zhi's next words cut him off.
"If you don't want to study here," she said, her voice utterly flat but resolute, "you can take your things and get the hell out. No one's begging you to stay."
When the words "get the hell out" landed, the air in the classroom seemed to freeze. Her icy tone reached every student in the room.
Everyone present had seen how luxurious the school was: the spacious dormitories, the comprehensive facilities, the generous living conditions. No one wanted to be thrown out just after stepping through the gates, before they'd even had a chance to experience any of it.
The murmurs that had been building up vanished completely. Even their breathing grew cautious.
The classroom of Class 1-D fell instantly silent. With the student handbook held between her fingers, Chazhu Zuo Zhi swept her gaze over the faces filled with confusion and curiosity, then slowly explained the school's key rules.
Her tone was cool, with little variation.
When she reached the final page of the handbook, she finally stopped speaking. She looked up to meet the eager gazes of the entire class and revealed what everyone was most eager to know: "This month's 100,000 points have already been deposited into your student accounts."
The moment she finished speaking, a chorus of sharp intakes of breath rippled through the classroom. She paid it no mind and continued, "From now on, the school will deposit the same amount of points on the first of every month. You can buy anything with points here."
She raised her wrist and glanced at her watch. "You have twenty minutes to ask questions. Raise your hand if you have one. Once time is up, you're free to do as you like."
Among the students in the front row, a boy with deep yellow hair had already raised his hand high. His hair had a naturally tousled look, and he sat upright.
He wore a warm smile and looked toward the podium with clear eyes. "Chabashira-sensei, I'd like to ask why the school gives us so many Personal Points."
"You must be Hirata Yousuke." Chazhu Zuo Zhi's gaze fell on the raised hand. There was no particular emotion in her eyes as she stated his name plainly.
A flicker of surprise crossed Hirata Yousuke's eyes. He then nodded politely. "That's right, sensei."
Chazhu Zuo Zhi gave a slight nod and turned to face the class. She lightly tapped the podium with her fingertips. Her voice wasn't loud, but everyone could hear her clearly.
"I'll use this question to explain why we give out Personal Points. Our school follows the principle of meritocracy. In other words, those of you who passed the entrance examinations and earned admission already have value."
As soon as she finished speaking, a low rustling spread through the class.
Many students could no longer contain their curiosity and excitement. They took out their phones and opened the student app.
Their fingers swiped across the screens. When the number "Personal Points Balance: 100000" came into clear view, some let out quiet gasps, while others gripped their phones, disbelief and barely concealed excitement swirling in their eyes.
That string of digits meant that their wealth at this school was truly in their hands.
Unlike the others, Hoshida No had once again heard the phrase "meritocracy." His eyes lit up.