Question

"Hey, hey, should we go check out some shops on the way back? Let's go shopping together!"

"Yeah, since we have these points, we can buy whatever we want. It's so great that we got into this school."

As soon as Chabashira Sae left, the students of Class D began to cheer and celebrate. Clutching the massive sum of 100,000 points, they started calculating how to spend their newfound wealth.

"Everyone, could you listen to me for a moment?" A resonant male voice rang out. The classroom quieted down significantly, and everyone turned to look at the speaker.

"From today on, we'll be living together in the same class. So, I'd like to propose that we start introducing ourselves voluntarily. It would be great if we could become friends quickly. We still have some time before the entrance ceremony, so what do you think?"

"Agreed!"

Many people chimed in from the floor, a chorus of approval filling the room.

"My name is Yosuke Hirata. In middle school, everyone usually called me Yosuke, so I'd appreciate it if you all just called me by my name. I'm interested in all kinds of sports, but I'm particularly fond of soccer. I plan to play soccer at this school as well. I look forward to working with you all."

You've changed quite a bit, Yosuke. Trying to become the center of attention? That doesn't seem like you.

"I'll go next."

"My name is Kushida Kikyo. Since none of my middle school friends came to this school, I'm all on my own. Because of that, I hope to memorize everyone's faces and names quickly and become friends. My first goal is to get along with everyone here. Once the self-introductions are over, please be sure to exchange contact information with me. Also, I want to have fun with all sorts of people after school or on holidays and make lots of memories, so please don't hesitate to ask me out. That was a bit long, but that concludes my introduction."

"I'll be the third. My name is Watanabe Hayabara. I like a little bit of everything, though I might lack persistence. My wish is to find something I can stick with for a long time."

"Did you say your name is Watanabe Hayabara?!"

"Is something wrong, Hirata-kun?" Watanabe Hayabara looked at Yosuke Hirata with a smile.

The surrounding students also looked at Yosuke Hirata in confusion, wondering why he was so surprised.

"It's nothing. It's just that I had a good friend named Watanabe Hayabara back in the day. My apologies, everyone, for the outburst."

"Then I'll call you Yosuke from now on, Hirata-kun. After all, we seem to have a bit of a connection."

"Everyone is welcome to call me Yosuke."

Ayanokoji's eyes flickered slightly. Is it a coincidence?

After the brief interlude, the self-introductions continued. "So, who's next..." Yosuke said.

"Do you take us for kids? There's no need for any self-introductions. Those who want to do it can just do it themselves." A tall, red-haired youth stood up and roared, glaring at Yosuke Hirata.

"I can't force you. But I don't think it's a bad thing to get along with the class. If I've made you feel uncomfortable, I apologize."

Yosuke Hirata lowered his head to show his remorse. At this, most of the girls in the class began to glare at the red-haired boy, clearly defending Yosuke. It was evident that Yosuke's status in their hearts was already very high; he was practically the leader of the class.

Indeed, what girl could refuse a handsome, sunny, and considerate soccer boy? Yosuke Hirata stood in stark contrast to the delinquent red-haired boy before them.

"It's just a self-introduction, it won't kill you."

"Exactly! Exactly!"

The girls in the class began to criticize the red-haired delinquent.

However, this seemed to ignite a fire of jealousy among the male students, led by the red-haired boy.

"Shut up. I didn't come here to play friendship games."

The red-haired boy stood up and kicked over a desk. Several other students followed him out of the classroom one after another, seemingly having decided that there was no need to build relationships with their classmates. Horikita, who was sitting in the seat next to me, also slowly stood up.

Horikita's face turned slightly toward my direction, but upon realizing I wasn't moving, she walked away immediately. Yosuke looked on at their retreating backs with a hint of loneliness.

"It's not their fault. It's my fault for selfishly asking everyone to introduce themselves."

"How could you say that? You didn't do anything wrong, Yosuke-kun! Don't mind those people, let's continue, shall we?"

Some students left the classroom, refusing to participate in the introductions, while those who remained continued. Most people eventually bowed to the mainstream opinion; it was only human nature.

Watanabe Hayabara also followed the flow of people out of the classroom; there was no need to waste time inside.

Before leaving, he glanced back at Koenji, who was still grooming himself, holding a mirror in one hand and a comb in the other, perfecting his hairstyle.

Watanabe Hayabara shook his head.

Once outside the classroom, Watanabe Hayabara headed straight for the staff room.

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Come in." A stern male voice replied.

Watanabe Hayabara pushed the door open to find four desks separated by partitions, occupied by four teachers.

One was tall and stern-faced, one was a sleazy-looking man with square glasses and a balding head, and another was a lovely woman with dark circles under her eyes.

Looks like my homeroom teacher is of high quality.

"Is something the matter, student?" the stern man asked.

"I'm looking for Chabashira-sensei to ask a few questions."

"Speak, Watanabe Hayabara. What is your question?" Chabashira Sae stood up and signaled for him to proceed.

"The school isn't actually going to give us 100,000 points every month, right?"

"I'm sorry, but I cannot give you a definitive answer on that right now."

"In that case, if it's not 100,000 per month, let me guess—is there some kind of assessment? Or does the point distribution for the next month involve an evaluation?" Watanabe Hayabara pushed up his glasses.

Before Chabashira Sae could answer, the cute teacher beside her stood up and hugged Chabashira Sae from behind.

"Little Sae, this is so unfair. Such an excellent child was assigned to your Class D. Give this child to me, won't you, Little Sae?"

"Once classes are assigned, students cannot be easily transferred. Hoshinomiya Chie, stop setting your sights on Watanabe Hayabara."

"Thanks for the tip, teacher. So, it is possible to switch classes. Goodbye, teachers." Watanabe Hayabara waved his hand and turned to leave.

"Wait a moment," the stern man spoke up.

"Is something the matter, teacher?" Watanabe Hayabara asked with a smile.

"I am Mashima Tomoya, the homeroom teacher for Class A. Although you have been assigned to Class D, there is no denying that you are an excellent student. It is indeed as you suspected: the first month's assessment concerns your points. However, this must be kept confidential. Since you have discovered this secret, the school will grant you a certain amount of points as a reward, provided you sign a confidentiality contract."

"May I ask, Mashima-sensei, what exactly is a contract?"

Mashima Tomoya smiled slightly and explained, "A contract is similar to an 'agreement,' only this one is recognized by the school. Furthermore, at least one witness must be present."

"I see." Watanabe Hayabara nodded thoughtfully.

Seeing that he seemed to understand, Mashima Tomoya continued, "If there are no other questions, please sign this agreement." As he spoke, he pulled a document from his pocket.

Watanabe Hayabara took the agreement with curiosity and began to read it carefully. He saw that Party A was required to keep all contents regarding the first month's class point assessment confidential and was strictly forbidden from leaking them. In return, Party B would grant Party A 3,000,000 points as a reward.

In the signature space for Party A, Watanabe Hayabara wrote his name neatly. Then, he handed the agreement back to Mashima Tomoya.

Mashima Tomoya signed his own name in the witness section.

Mashima Tomoya nodded with satisfaction and put the agreement away. He then took out an identical copy, handed it to Watanabe Hayabara, and said, "This is your copy. Keep it safe."

Watanabe Hayabara took the copy, checked the contents once more, and after confirming everything was correct, tucked it into his pocket.