Time flew by, and April passed in the blink of an eye, like a shooting star. Before anyone knew it, May had arrived. The morning sun streamed through the classroom windows as the bell rang to announce the first day of classes in May, like a messenger of time urging the students to begin a new chapter of learning.
Before long, the classroom door was gently pushed open, and someone slowly walked in. A closer look revealed Chabashira Sae, holding a poster tube. Her steps seemed heavier than usual, a stark contrast to her usual light-footed gait. Her expression was unusually stern, too, with her brow faintly furrowed and her lips pressed together, making everyone feel a little tense.
"Teacher, you wouldn't happen to have missed your period, would you?" Kanji Ike blurted out. The whole classroom fell silent. Everyone stared at him in shock, as if they couldn't believe he'd actually said something like that.
Watanabe Hayabara's lips curled slightly into a faint smile. He couldn't help thinking that Kanji Ike really had a death wish, joking like that in front of the teacher.
However, Chabashira-sensei wasn't affected by Kanji Ike's remark at all. Her expression remained calm. She gave a light cough and said in a cold, stern voice, "We'll begin our morning homeroom shortly. But before we do, I'd like to ask if anyone has any questions. If there's anything on your mind, now would be the time to bring it up."
Before long, several students raised their hands at once, signaling that they had questions.
"I made a point of checking this morning, and what I found really shocked me. The points haven't been deposited! Weren't we supposed to get them on the first of every month? This is really strange! I was in a hurry to buy juice this morning, too. What am I supposed to do now?" Ryotaro Hondo said anxiously.
Haruki Yamauchi, beside him, chimed in. "Yeah, I heard you say before that the points would be deposited on the first of every month. This month shouldn't be any different, should it? So why haven't they come through?"
The two exchanged glances, seeing confusion and unease in each other's eyes.
Kanji Ike, however, seemed completely unaware of the problem. He looked at Ryotaro Hondo and Haruki Yamauchi in surprise, as if he found their discussion baffling.
"What are you talking about? Aren't the points automatically deposited on the first of every month? I've never had this happen before." There was a hint of confusion in Kanji Ike's voice.
Ryotaro Hondo and Haruki Yamauchi glanced at each other, wondering if this guy really cared so little about his points.
Just then, a jarring voice suddenly cut into their conversation. Everyone turned in surprise and saw Chabashira Sae standing there with a cold expression, her gaze aimed straight at the students who had been talking.
Chabashira Sae's face was utterly expressionless. Only the unmistakable disdain in her eyes was impossible to miss. Her voice was icy and sharp, as if it could pierce their eardrums. She made no attempt to hide her contempt as she said, "You students really are a bunch of idiots!"
Her words boomed like thunder in the students' ears, leaving them stunned. Some looked incredulous; others were furious and seemed ready to argue back, but Chabashira Sae's cold gaze cowed them.
In the end, they were nothing but a rabble.
"The points have been deposited. There's no doubt about that. The school deposits your points on the first of every month, on time." Chabashira Sae's face was impassive as she spoke in a chilly voice.
But the students weren't having it. They started shouting over one another. "But the points definitely haven't come through!" "Yeah, that's right!" The classroom descended into chaos.
Just then, a deep, powerful voice rang out. "That's because our points this month are zero!" The words boomed through the classroom, leaving everyone stunned. It was Watanabe Hayabara who had spoken.
"How could they be zero? Weren't we supposed to get a hundred thousand points every month?" The words exploded through the crowd like a thunderclap, sending shockwaves through the room. The students looked at one another, disbelief written all over their faces.
"Right, didn't they say we'd get a hundred thousand every month?" someone echoed, their voice tinged with despair. But the cruel reality was right in front of them, impossible to avoid.
While everyone was still reeling in shock and confusion, Watanabe Hayabara suddenly spoke up. "That's exactly why you were placed in Class D." His words doused the last flicker of hope in the students' hearts.
Just then, Yosuke Hirata raised his hand. His voice trembled slightly, but he spoke with conviction. "Teacher, may I ask a question? Please tell us why we weren't given any points. Otherwise, we can't accept this."
Chabashira Sae looked at Yosuke Hirata without changing her expression. Her voice was cold and mechanical, devoid of emotion. "You were late or absent a total of ninety-eight times. You talked during class and used your phones 391 times. Given your performance, there's nothing surprising about receiving a score of zero at a school that believes in merit above all."
"Chabashira-sensei, I don't remember us being told about anything like this..."
"Can you not understand unless someone explains it to you?"
"Of course not. We'd never heard that the points we received could be reduced. If someone had explained it, everyone would've stopped coming late and whispering in class."
"Hirata, what you're saying is truly astonishing. I certainly don't remember explaining what rules would determine how many points you received. But don't be late to class, and don't talk privately during lessons—didn't you learn those things in elementary and middle school?"
"Well..."
"You should remember it yourself, shouldn't you? That's right. Throughout your nine years of compulsory education, you heard 'being late or talking in class is bad' so often you must have grown sick of it. And now you insist you can't accept this because no one explained it? That's completely unreasonable. If you'd simply done the things you were supposed to do, you wouldn't have ended up with a score of zero. This is entirely your own fault."
"You've only just started your first year of high school. Did you really think you could spend a hundred thousand every month without any restrictions? And at a school established by the Japanese government to educate outstanding talent, no less? It wouldn't make sense if you applied common sense. Why did you keep ignoring the obvious questions?" Chabashira Sae's words struck each student like a heavy blow.
"Then at least tell us the details of how points are added and deducted... so we can use that as a reference in the future." Yosuke Hirata looked at Chabashira Sae.
"That's not possible. Personnel evaluations—in other words, the detailed assessment criteria—can't be disclosed under this school's rules. It's the same in society. Even if you enter the workforce and join a company, it's up to the company whether to tell you the details of its personnel assessments. Still... I'm not being this cold because I hate you. This situation is just too pitiful, so I'll tell you one useful thing."
For the first time that day, Chabashira-sensei wore a faint smile.
"Even if you improve and stop being late or talking privately... let's say you bring your deductions down to zero this month. Your points won't decrease, but they won't increase either. Simply put, the points deposited next month will still be zero. On the other hand, you can be as late or absent as you like. How's that? It won't hurt to remember."
Had Chabashira Sae-sensei given up on them completely?
"It's about time we got to the main topic." Chabashira Sae coughed, and the whole class turned to look at her.
Chabashira Sae unfolded the thick poster in her hands, spread it out, and fixed it to the blackboard with magnets. The students hadn't even had time to understand what was happening; they just stared at the paper in bewilderment.
"Here are the Class Points for each class after the first month's evaluation. Every point in Class Points corresponds to one hundred individual points distributed to you, a ratio of 1:100."
Class A 940bp
Class B 650bp
Class C 490bp
Class D 0bp
"This month, you've been free to do whatever you like at school, completely without restraint!" Chabashira Sae said expressionlessly. Her voice echoed through the classroom, making sure every student heard her clearly.
"The school has no intention of condemning this carefree way of life," she continued, her tone calm and firm. "Whether you're late or talk privately during class, your actions will have consequences, and you alone will have to bear them. It's as simple as that."
Chabashira Sae paused briefly, seemingly giving the students time to think about what she'd said. Then she continued, "The same applies to how you use your points. How you spend the points you receive is entirely up to you. That's the freedom of the person who holds them. The school won't place any restrictions on that."
After saying this, Chabashira Sae surveyed the classroom, meeting the students' eyes. Her gaze was sharp and stern, as if she could see straight through each of them. Finally, she emphasized once more, "This is my final warning. I hope you'll act accordingly."
"So, do you understand why you were placed in Class D now?" Watanabe Hayabara said with a chuckle.
Before you continue