Class Meeting of Class B

The noon dismissal bell rang through the teaching building on schedule, its crisp chime shattering the dullness of the classroom.

The classroom instantly came alive. Students who had been sitting properly through the lesson stretched, packed away their books, and chatted quietly about trivial matters between classes. Only Bai Mu, seated in the last row by the window, remained upright and composed, with not the slightest trace of restlessness.

Before he could even get up to stretch, several figures gathered around him with familiar ease, naturally turning his seat into a small meeting area.

At the head of the group was Class B's central pillar—the class president who had firmly won over the entire class in just a few days since enrollment, Ichinose Honami. Her brows and eyes were gentle, her presence warm and approachable, yet she carried an aura that inspired trust. Whether someone was introverted or outgoing, they were willing to grow close to her and believe in her.

Close behind her was Kanzaki Ryuji. As Ichinose's most reliable lieutenant, he came from a well-off family, had broad vision, a meticulous mind, and a steady manner. He could always pinpoint the crux of an issue, making him the class's most dependable strategist.

There was also Shibata Hayate from the desk in front of Bai Mu. This cheerful, hot-blooded boy had become Bai Mu's number one fan after witnessing him sweep through the major clubs and seeing the confidential intelligence he possessed. Whenever the class held a discussion, he was always the first to come over and listen in.

It was not just the three of them. Several nearby Class B students also gathered around, their expressions serious. Clearly, they intended to use the break to pool their recent intelligence and finalize the class's future survival strategy.

Class B's atmosphere was now completely different from the loose and clueless state it had been in upon enrollment.

Thanks to the core-rule intelligence Bai Mu had revealed in advance, everyone had recognized the brutal truth of Advanced Nurturing High School early on. No one was foolishly clinging to the dream of "a 100% advancement and employment rate" anymore. They all understood that only by maintaining the class ranking and securing a place in Class A could they obtain top-tier resources three years later. Otherwise, three years of their youth would be wasted.

And precisely because Bai Mu was usually cold and solitary, and had repeatedly declined group activities such as class dinners and karaoke, the considerate Ichinose feared that he might become isolated from the class. So every time, she deliberately held the small meetings of class representatives beside his seat. She never forced him to speak or participate, merely giving him a chance to integrate into the class.

Naturally, Bai Mu understood this subtle kindness. Though he would not deliberately try to fit in, neither would he intentionally reject it. He sat quietly in his seat and silently allowed this class meeting centered around him to take place.

Ichinose spoke first, her voice gentle but her thoughts clear as she organized the information she had gathered over the past few days. "I've taken the initiative to talk with students from Classes A, C, and D these past few days, and I've learned quite a bit about each class. The one we need to be most wary of is Class C."

At that, her brows knit slightly, and a trace of apprehension flashed through her eyes. "Class C has an especially bad atmosphere. There's no sense of class unity at all. I heard they maintain control entirely through violence and intimidation. Quite a few students are being bullied and threatened by their own classmates, and the overall environment is extremely oppressive."

Shibata Hayate's heart tightened as he listened, and he hurriedly asked, "Rule through violence? Isn't that a little extreme? This is a legitimate high school. Doesn't the school do anything about it?"

Hearing that, Bai Mu calmly stepped in, his tone carrying a darkly perceptive jab that cut straight to the heart of the matter. "There's nothing exaggerated about it. Within Japan's social structure, Class C is basically a miniature version of the yakuza."

"To put it more plainly, it's a gathering of delinquents and street thugs who hate studying and worship violence. Under normal circumstances, people like that would have dropped out long ago and drifted into society. They wouldn't have had any chance to attend high school. Advanced Nurturing High School is essentially paying to take them in—putting these troubled youths together for containment and reform."

"The school may look like it's turning a blind eye, but it's actually deliberately preserving this ecosystem of brutal competition. After all, this is a school where strength reigns supreme. The weak being bullied and the strong controlling the situation are rules the school itself tacitly permits."

His words were blunt yet crystal clear, instantly waking everyone present up to reality.

Kanzaki Ryuji slowly nodded in deep agreement. Having grown up in upper-class circles, he had seen class hierarchies and struggles of interest since childhood, and he understood society's darker side better than most students. "That's right. This school's true purpose has never been to educate people. It's to select the strong and prepare them for a cruel society. Most of us in Class B are ordinary people who follow the rules and work hard. We value unity, mutual support, and steady growth."

"When these two completely different ecosystems collide, Class C's violent group will most likely see Class B as the easiest target to bully. In future special exams, we'll definitely be singled out."

Ichinose agreed deeply and added softly, "That's what worries me most. Oh, and there's some good news as well. Our class points for this month have already been settled. We received a total of 1.2 million points, which gives us a substantial reserve of class funds."

The students gathered around them all brightened at once.

They had only been enrolled for a short time. No one had yet suffered any point deductions, everyone had behaved themselves, and there had been no rule violations. Receiving such a large sum in class funds undoubtedly laid a solid foundation for Class B's future struggle for survival.

"We have to keep this money as an emergency reserve." Ichinose looked serious as she voiced her concern. "I've always remembered what Bai Mu said about the rules. The school has special exams that force students to withdraw, and the lowest-ranked class will definitely have people eliminated. This money is our trump card for survival."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and the atmosphere immediately turned grave.

At that moment, Kanzaki Ryuji looked toward the silent Bai Mu and asked, "Bai Mu, you said before that twenty million personal points can be used to transfer classes unconditionally. Other than saving up points ourselves, is there any other way to gather that amount quickly? Or can we use these class funds to secure a greater advantage for the class?"

Everyone's gaze instantly focused on Bai Mu, eagerly awaiting this expert's unique insight.

Bai Mu raised his eyes, his expression calm as he slowly gave an answer that overturned their understanding. "Twenty million points aren't just for transferring classes yourself. They can buy people, buy lives, and buy a rise in status."

"The school's point system has no moral bottom line—only rules of interest. As long as we have enough points, we can recruit top talents from other classes at a high price and use resources to bring strong people to our side. To put it even more directly, in future expulsion exams, we could even spend an enormous amount of points to buy students from other classes and have them take the expulsion penalty in place of our own people."

The moment he finished speaking, the entire group fell silent.

Shibata Hayate's eyes widened in shock, and for a long while, he could not say a word. He had never imagined that competition in a high school could be this cruel—that even expulsion penalties could be shifted onto someone else with money.

It was easy to understand. It was like the school launching a barrage of arrows: everyone either had to play a card or lose health. The twenty million was equivalent to buying someone into your class, then choosing that person to take the punishment.

A sharp gleam flashed through Kanzaki Ryuji's eyes as he immediately grasped the strategic value behind it and decisively agreed. "That approach works! We can recruit strong people to reinforce Class B, and in a crisis, sacrifice outsiders to preserve ourselves. Not only does it avoid risk, it also indirectly weakens the combat power of other classes. We get two benefits at once."

But Ichinose Honami gently bit her lower lip, her eyes filled with conflict and reluctance.

She was kind and gentle by nature, with the empathy and softness of someone from a humble background ingrained in her bones. She had always believed in unity, mutual benefit, and moving forward openly. She simply could not accept a method that harmed others for her own benefit.

"Wouldn't that... be too cruel?" Ichinose asked softly, hesitation in her voice. "Using points to buy someone else to take an expulsion in our place would be like personally pushing them into an abyss to secure our own peace. I can't be that selfish."

Her kindness was not weakness. It was the color of her soul, carved into her very bones. Even in this brutal academy of schemes and competition, she still wanted to hold onto her bottom line and preserve Class B's pure original intention of unity.

Looking at their completely different attitudes, Bai Mu sighed inwardly.

This was the truest face of Class B, as well as its greatest strength and weakness. It had none of Class A's calculating cunning and none of Class C's vicious brutality. Everyone was gentle and forthright, joining together in goodwill. Yet it was precisely because they were too kind that, on this chessboard where the strong devoured the weak, they were the most likely to become sacrifices harvested by others.

Kanzaki looked at his conflicted class president and patiently persuaded her. "Honami, this isn't selfishness. It's a survival strategy. The rules of this school are a zero-sum game. If we don't scheme against others, others will scheme against us. Rather than passively watching innocent students in our class be eliminated in the end, it's better to seize the initiative ourselves. That's the most rational choice."

As soon as he finished speaking, she seemed to suddenly think of something. Confusion flashed through her eyes, and she quickly raised the key flaw in the plan. "There's another problem! If expulsion penalties can be offset with money, then a class like Class A, which has remained at the top for so long and has abundant resources, could also pay to cancel out our purchases—or buy people back."

Bai Mu raised his eyes and looked calmly at the confused Ichinose, his tone even as he laid out an even crueler rule. "Whether they can offset it or take someone back doesn't depend on how many points they have. The key lies in Class A's choice."

"They hold an enormous number of points, so the choice is entirely theirs. They can spend money to buy back their own targeted talents and preserve their strength. They can also intercept the outside help we want to recruit, or even use points to interfere with transactions and destroy every reinforcement plan we have."

After a brief pause, his gaze landed on Ichinose. A trace of amusement and chill passed through his eyes as he delivered a lethal move no one had anticipated.

"But if I were the one in control of Class A, I wouldn't even bother competing with us for people or blocking our deals."

"The first thing I'd do would be to spend a fortune and buy you—Ichinose Honami—out of Class B."

His sudden words made the entire group fall completely silent.

Ichinose herself froze, her pupils shrinking as disbelief filled her face. "Buy... me away?"

"That's right." Bai Mu nodded and bluntly broke down the logic behind this decisive move. "You are Class B's central pillar. You are the source of the entire class's cohesion, and the only person who can steady everyone's hearts and lead the whole class forward together. Your kindness, sense of responsibility, and ability to rally people are Class B's greatest trump card—and its only weakness."

"As long as they buy you away, they wouldn't even need to go through the trouble of suppressing us. They could simply force you to transfer or be expelled. Without you, Class B would lose its unity and fall into disarray. Without cohesion or a leader to rely on, we wouldn't need an opponent to target us. We would slowly fall apart on our own and become completely useless."

Bai Mu then revealed the only way to break the situation in the future, his tone calm but every word piercing. "So from now on, Class B's approach to survival has to change completely."

"Simply protecting ourselves and developing steadily is no longer enough. If we don't want to be crushed by Class A's dominance in points and resources, we can't just manage our own scores and rankings. We also have to take the initiative and find ways to curb Class A's momentum."