The morning light of May 1 had just crept over the eaves of the dormitory, and the air still held the lingering warmth of late April.
The wind swept cherry blossom petals across the athletic field and onto the freshly cleaned windowpanes, as if quietly sticking a pale pink label on the first day of the new month.
Water rushed from the tap in Room 506 of the dormitory.
Uesugi Hara wiped his face with a towel as he casually opened his Terminal. Most of the messages on the screen had to do with points, filling the display in a dense jumble.
Katsuragi had sent a long message, full of reflections on the fluctuations in points. Karuizawa Kei's question followed, her tone tinged with confusion as she asked why the school hadn't issued any points. Kushida Kikyo had simply sent a voice message, her clear voice carrying a hint of indignation as she questioned the school's failure to issue points.
None of that mattered, though. They would soon see just how cruel this school could be.
He scrolled up a little, then stopped at Sakayanagi Arisu's message. It was only a short line, but he could almost picture her expression as she spoke: "Well, well~ Uesugi-kun guessed right~" The tilde at the end was a dead giveaway of her barely concealed provocation.
"Tch." Uesugi Hara hung the towel on its hook, his fingertip pausing over the Terminal screen. Sakayanagi's message was still glowing there. He straightened his bangs in the mirror, already plotting: I need to find a chance to teach that brat a lesson.
When he arrived in class, the students didn't seem particularly excited about the change in points. After all, they had analyzed the relevant rules right after the school year began.
With Katsuragi and the others keeping things in hand, they'd also been especially careful about the things that could cost them points, such as attendance and assignments. As a result, they'd lost far fewer points than in the original story.
Although the number of points issued hadn't increased, the stability was enough to put Class A at ease.
Mashima Tomoya walked in carrying a book. His steps were lighter than usual, though they still had their brisk, precise rhythm.
His expression was as stern as ever, but he couldn't quite hide the slight upward curve of his lips. He was clearly struggling to contain his excitement.
He stepped up to the lectern and tapped the desk twice with his fingertips. As the quiet rustling in the classroom gradually faded and everyone's eyes turned to him, he cleared his throat. "First, let's begin with a class meeting."
He started by writing a series of figures on the blackboard:
Class A: 981 Class B: 650 Class C: 490 Class D: 0
"First of all, congratulations. You passed the school's evaluation in your first month's assessment, not only holding on to your position in Class A, but also achieving results that would rank among the best in the history of Class A."
He paused and looked around the class, his tone turning more solemn. "This is proof of your self-discipline and ability. As your homeroom teacher, I'm proud of you."
As soon as he finished speaking, he led the applause. The sound of hands clapping rang especially clearly through the quiet classroom. "Congratulations, everyone."
When the applause gradually died down, he continued. "Next, I'll explain some of the school's rules."
"The April assessment evaluated your understanding of the rules and your ability to manage yourselves by observing your everyday behavior."
"Will we continue to have this kind of assessment?" Katsuragi asked, watching the lectern attentively.
"Of course." Mashima Tomoya tapped the edge of his lesson plan with a fingertip. "If anyone skips class, arrives late, leaves early, or talks privately during lessons, the class will still lose points. However, the deductions will be much smaller than they were in the first month. Though I doubt anyone would want to see their class points deducted for no reason, right?"
His final words came as a gentle reminder. As his gaze swept across the classroom, he paused especially on a few boys who often let their attention wander.
Mashima Tomoya went on to explain the remaining rules: what the numbers on the blackboard represented, the rules for class assignments and changes, the 100% graduation rate, the employment rate available only to Class A, and this month's midterm exams.
Katsuragi's fingers unconsciously tightened around his notebook, his knuckles turning white. Nearly every rule the teacher explained matched what Uesugi Hara had told him. A position in Class A was never the finish line; it was ground they had to hold, one careful step at a time.
He glanced at Uesugi Hara, seated diagonally behind him. Uesugi Hara was gazing out the window, his profile somewhat blurred by the sunlight. Katsuragi suddenly felt that he must have figured out these rules long ago.
But Uesugi Hara wasn't paying much attention to the lecture. His fingertips traced the edge of his textbook as his thoughts wandered back to the Class D storyline in the original novel.
Whenever he thought of that bizarre Chabashira Sae, he couldn't help sighing inwardly. Good thing I wasn't assigned to Class D. Just dealing with that teacher's "hands-off guidance" would have been a hassle.
As he thought about this, Uesugi Hara took his Terminal from his pocket and quickly tapped at the screen. First, he transferred 50,000 points to Karuizawa Kei, then he sent the same amount to Kushida Kikyo.
Two notifications popped up in the message box: "Points received." He immediately typed: "Don't reveal where the points came from. Keep helping me gather information. Spend them carefully."
He added a line to the message for Kushida: "Also, please keep an eye on Airi. She's gentle, so don't let anyone in Class D with bad intentions bully her. Tell me right away if anything happens."
After that, he glanced at Mashima Tomoya, who was explaining things clearly at the lectern, then looked around at his classmates sitting up straight. He suddenly felt that Class A's atmosphere was, in fact, much less troublesome than he'd expected.
Mashima Tomoya finished explaining everything he needed to cover and patiently answered the last student's question. Then he gathered up his lesson plan and left the classroom.
The door closed softly, loosening the tension of the earlier, serious atmosphere and leaving everyone deep in thought.
But before the quiet could settle, the classroom's back door was gently pushed open. The subject teacher walked in with a textbook, setting it on the lectern with a soft clack.
"Okay, take out your notes from last lesson." The teacher spoke while flipping through the book, their voice not loud but naturally authoritative.
As soon as the bell rang to end the first class, the teacher gathered up their lesson plan and walked out. Katsuragi immediately stood up. Instead of organizing his notes as usual, he went straight to the lectern and cleared his throat.
The classmates, who had just been about to get up and stretch, stopped and looked toward the lectern. Katsuragi swept his gaze across the class, his voice clear and steady. "After school this afternoon, we'll hold a class meeting to discuss our plans and development going forward."
A few quiet voices of agreement sounded around the classroom. Some students had already taken out their planners and marked the afternoon. After all, this concerned the class's future, and no one dared take it lightly.
Sakayanagi Arisu sat in her seat, her fingertips resting lightly on her cane as she watched Katsuragi at the lectern. When he finished announcing the meeting, a faint smile curved her lips, and she gave the slightest nod. Her gaze held a hint of approval.
Sunlight streamed through the glass window and fell on her hair, making her smile stand out even more. She said nothing, only turning her attention back to her cane and slowly tracing the patterns on its shaft with her fingertips, as if she had already begun considering what they would discuss at the afternoon meeting.