Rules

After the bus drove through the school gates, the scenery outside the window underwent a fundamental change.

The main road was absurdly wide, lined with neatly trimmed trees whose crowns intertwined to form a green arcade overhead. In the distance, one could see red-brick school buildings, a Gothic clock tower with a sharp spire, and vast lawns glistening under the April sun. Further out, several commercial facilities were scattered about, their glass curtain walls revealing a dazzling array of goods inside.

A town enclosed by high walls. This was Advanced Nurturing High School.

Kanzaki Toru leaned against the bus window, watching a few upperclassmen walk by the roadside. They were laughing and chatting, their expressions relaxed—a stark contrast to the tense, stiff-faced freshmen on the bus. The bus pulled to a stop near the entrance of the school building, the doors opened, and the April breeze surged in, carrying flower petals with it. Students began to stand up and file out one after another.

He didn't move immediately. Only when the aisle cleared a bit did he take his bag down from the luggage rack. The girl in the hat in the row ahead was still standing there—not because she didn't want to leave, but because she was blocked by the flow of people. If she wanted to push through, she would have to force her way into the crowd or even speak up and ask people to move. Her fingers were gripping her bag strap so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.

"Let's go."

As Kanzaki Toru passed her, he tossed those two words out casually, then stepped directly into the aisle, using his body to carve out a narrow path for her through the crowd. He didn't pull her, nor did he look back. Two or three seconds later, the sound of light footsteps followed behind him.

She was following. That was enough.

The two of them stepped off the bus one after the other. As the sunlight hit his face, Kanzaki Toru squinted. The air smelled of flowers and fresh grass, so pleasant it almost made one forget about that three-meter-high wall.

A fair number of freshmen had already gathered in the small plaza, chatting in twos and threes as they exchanged names and classes. The Class D emblem on their left breast pockets, red letters set against a white background, was quite conspicuous.

"Class D, over here!"

A loud voice rang out from the crowd. The boy with light brown hair from the bus was greeting everyone with practiced familiarity. When his gaze swept over Kanzaki Toru, his expression shifted for a moment before he looked away, pretending not to see him. Kanzaki Toru ignored him as well.

He scanned the area, found a relatively empty spot to stand, and turned around. The girl in the hat was still following behind him, stopping two meters away. She clutched her bag straps with both hands, head bowed, the brim of her hat obscuring most of her face.

"What's your name?"

Silence. After about ten seconds, a voice came from beneath the brim.

"...Sakura."

It was so soft, as if it were coming from somewhere very deep.

"Sakura?"

"...Airi. Sakura Airi."

After saying this, she lowered her head even further, as if stating her name had exhausted all her strength.

"Kanzaki Toru. Also in Class D."

Sakura Airi didn't respond, but the brim of her hat lifted slightly. At least she had heard him.

After waiting for about ten minutes, the Class D freshmen were led into the school building by a young female teacher wearing glasses. The classroom was at the end of the third floor, with "Class D" written on the doorplate. Pushing the door open, the smell of fresh paint from the new classroom hit them. The desks and chairs were brand new, the blackboard was clean, and the large windows offered a view of students strolling on the lawn outside.

Kanzaki Toru sat down in the back row by the window. Sakura Airi hesitated for a moment before choosing a corner against the wall in the row ahead—a position where she could see the door while having a wall at her back. Avoiding gazes, protecting her back, observing her surroundings. This was a seat chosen only by someone accustomed to being on guard.

Students filed in and took their seats. Their homeroom teacher, Chabashira, stepped onto the podium and began her explanation in an emotionless tone. Her briefing was brief.

"Each of your student ID terminals should now show 100,000 private points. This is the living allowance provided by the school to every student, and the same amount will be distributed on the first of every month."

A wave of hushed murmurs rippled through the classroom. Some were excitedly discussing what they wanted to buy. Kanzaki Toru looked down and opened his terminal; the screen clearly displayed—

Private Points: 100,000 points

Class Points: 1,000 points

Chabashira continued, explaining that there were no strict restrictions on attendance or classroom conduct; sleeping, talking, or playing on phones during class would not be penalized. Another stir went through the classroom. Such a degree of freedom was practically indulgent.

"Additionally," Chabashira adjusted her glasses, "the increase or decrease of class points will directly affect the private points distributed each month. Specifically—the amount of private points distributed is equal to the class points multiplied by one hundred."

Kanzaki Toru's finger froze on the terminal.

Class points multiplied by one hundred. In other words, the 1,000 class points Class D currently held corresponded to 100,000 private points per month. If the class points dropped to zero, the points received the following month would be zero. Conversely, if they could rise to Class A—

He did a quick mental calculation. In the original story, Class A's points were around 940... No, that was later data. For now, he only needed to know one thing: class points determined private points, and private points were equivalent to all the resources for survival in this school.

Chabashira offered no further explanation, simply stating that "detailed rules will be explained gradually during future special exams," and left the classroom after handing out the materials. Before leaving, she dropped a final note: "Classes start as normal tomorrow."

Students began to stand up one after another. Some were already forming groups to go explore the school's commercial facilities. Kanzaki Toru remained seated.

He flipped through the terminal several times. 100,000 points—not a lot, but not a little either. It was enough for a high schooler to live comfortably for a month. But if the class points changed, this number would change accordingly. The school used this method to tie every student's interests to the class—if you want to live well individually, you have to make the whole class better; if the class rots, you rot with it.

Brilliant.

He turned off the screen and looked up. The classroom was nearly empty. Sakura Airi was still sitting in that corner, her posture identical to how it had been on the bus—head bowed, shoulders hunched, hands resting on her knees.

"Sakura."

Her shoulders gave a slight tremor, and she looked up. Those purple eyes hidden behind the hat brim and lenses looked at him with unease.

"Going to the store? Let's check the prices."

Sakura Airi hesitated for a few seconds, then gave a very slight nod.

When the two of them walked out of the classroom, the sunlight in the hallway was perfect. A few unfamiliar Class D students passed by, discussing which restaurant to visit that evening. Their laughter echoed through the bright corridor, sounding carefree.

The store was not far from the school building, housed in a three-story commercial complex. The first floor held a convenience store and daily necessities, the second floor had electronics and a bookstore, and the third floor was for restaurants. The facilities were new, the lights were bright, and the shelves were fully stocked.

Kanzaki Toru picked up a bottle of mineral water and flipped it over to check the price tag. Two hundred points. Roughly two hundred yen. The cheapest bento was 350 points, while expensive ones were 800 or 900. Snacks, stationery, and daily goods were priced similarly to the outside world.

He put the water back on the shelf. The prices were normal; 100,000 points were sufficient. That meant the issue wasn't with daily consumption. The issue lay elsewhere. Class points. Special exams. Everything the school had revealed so far pointed in one direction—this school would use some method to force classes to compete with each other, and the results of that competition would directly determine how many resources each student received.

And this competition, in all likelihood, would not be gentle.

"Um... Kanzaki-kun."

Sakura Airi's voice came from behind him. It was very soft, but this was the first time she had taken the initiative to speak.

Kanzaki Toru turned around. She was standing in front of the stationery shelf, holding a notebook with a red border that matched the color of her glasses. However, her gaze was not on the notebook, but on the entrance of the convenience store.

Three upperclassmen stood at the door, their uniforms bearing second-year badges. They were scanning each freshman who walked in. One boy with a buzz cut let his gaze linger on Sakura Airi for a moment before moving on, exchanging a meaningful look with his companions. It wasn't the look one gave a girl; it was something else—colder, more calculating.

"They're observing us," Sakura Airi whispered. "Not just us, but all the freshmen. It's like they're evaluating something."

Kanzaki Toru glanced at her.

Beneath the brim of her hat, those purple eyes, while still uneasy, were much clearer than they had been on the bus. She was observing, making judgments. This girl, who seemed timid to the point of fragility, was not without a brain.

"You noticed, too."

Sakura Airi nodded slightly.

Kanzaki Toru walked over and naturally positioned himself between her and the upperclassmen, as if browsing the items on the shelf.

"Buy the notebook and let's go. Try to come during the day from now on; it's too crowded at night."

Sakura Airi froze for a moment, then hurried to the checkout counter to pay.

When they stepped out of the store, the sky had already darkened. The streetlights flickered on, bathing the lawn in a warm yellow glow. In the distance, the sounds of students laughing and music playing could be heard; everything looked like an ordinary, pleasant evening on campus.

Sakura Airi followed behind Kanzaki Toru for a long stretch. As they neared the fork in the path toward the dormitories, she suddenly spoke up.

"Thank you for earlier."

Kanzaki Toru did not stop. "It was nothing."

After a few more steps, Sakura added, her voice even softer than before: "Kanzaki-kun, do you think... this school is really as good as they say?"

This time, Kanzaki Toru stopped. He turned to look at Sakura Airi. The light from the streetlamp hit her from the side, the shadow of her hat obscuring half her face, revealing only a slender chin and tightly pressed lips.

"What do you think?" he countered.

Sakura Airi was silent for a moment. Then she said, "Earlier, Chabashira-sensei said that class points determine personal points. But she didn't say how class points are increased or decreased. She also didn't say why Class D has 1,000 points, or how many the other classes have."

She spoke in fragments, her voice small, but her logic was clear.

Kanzaki Toru watched her for two seconds, a faint curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Starting tomorrow, try not to move around alone. At least for the first week."

Sakura Airi looked up, a flash of surprise in her eyes beneath the brim of her hat. Then, she gave a very slight nod.

"Okay."

At the fork in the path to the dorms, Sakura Airi hesitated, bowed slightly to him, and then hurried toward the girls' dormitory. Her pace was much faster than it had been when she got off the bus.

Kanzaki Toru stood where he was, watching her small, thin silhouette disappear into the shadows beyond the reach of the streetlights. Then, he turned and headed toward the boys' dormitory.

His terminal vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out to take a look. A notification from the school popped up on the screen, brief and consisting of only one line—

"Instructions regarding the April special exam will be released during tomorrow's homeroom."

A special exam.

He put the terminal back in his pocket and looked up at the silhouette of the high wall faintly visible against the night sky. It stood there in silence, completely isolating this "paradise" from the outside world. Three years, one thousand and ninety-five days. No leaving, no contacting the outside. One hundred thousand points a month, but they could turn to zero at any moment. Class points were like a noose around their necks; whether it tightened or loosened was entirely up to the school.

And tomorrow, he would learn what the first rule to tighten that noose was.

Kanzaki Toru pushed open the doors of the dormitory building and walked into the brightly lit lobby.

Interesting. This cage was more interesting than he had imagined.

And Sakura Airi—that girl who seemed timid, yet could see through the meaning behind the upperclassmen's gaze at first glance—was also more useful than she let on.