From Luxury to Greater Luxury

On the way to the supermarket.

Uchiha noticed that the ruins in the plaza had already been cleared away.

The horizon was filled with crimson clouds, as though the violent storm from half a day ago had never existed.

He followed behind upperclassman Tachibana Akane, and neither of them spoke along the way.

So he distractedly called out to the system:

"System bro, can you check the campus strength rankings?"

[Ding, yes.]

[Would you like to spend 1,000 Passion Points to view the Top 10 Peak Rankings?]

"What the hell is this?! So expensive?? Why don't you just rob me?!"

"System, get over here! I'll beat the shit out of you!!!"

[Ding, includes information on the top three.]

"Ahem, I've got over four thousand Passion Points anyway. Spending a thousand for some fun is fine. Small bets are good for the mood; big bets ruin families. I'm doing it!!"

Uchiha stared intently at the panel as a golden ranking slowly appeared.

[First Place: Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.]

[A perfect product cultivated by the White Room. He has no weaknesses in intellect or physical ability, can handle multiple experts and adults at once, and is the undisputed ceiling of this work.]

[Second Place: Koenji Rokusuke.]

[A naturally gifted super-elite. His stats are close to max across the board, with astonishing strength and exceptional learning ability. He is the only one capable of contending with Ayanokoji through instinct alone.]

[Third Place: Horikita Manabu.]

[The current student council president. Accomplished in both academics and martial arts, seventh-dan karate, with exceptional insight. He once saw through Ayanokoji's disguise, and both his physical ability and intelligence are among the best.]

[Fourth Place: Unknown.]

[Fifth Place: Unknown.]

[...]

[Tenth Place: Unknown.]

Uchiha subconsciously touched his kidney. It no longer hurt, but the memory lingered vividly.

Ayanokoji, who sat at the top of the rankings—just how had you kicked me into the school building with one kick?!

Even now, he still could not figure it out.

As for Koenji, that blond Jiahao... he must have let his guard down and failed to dodge, which was why my sneak attack landed. It definitely wasn't because he was weak.

Next was President Horikita. Accomplished in both academics and martial arts, seventh-dan karate?!

He was strong!!!

Sparring with him would definitely help me improve!!

"System, why are the other rankings listed as unknown?"

[Ding, insufficient data. Unable to provide an accurate answer.]

[Ding, how about spending another two thousand to unlock more information?]

Uchiha: "..."

He was in a terrible mood.

It felt like buying a game for 100, then realizing halfway through that he had to pay another 200 to unlock the next stage.

Just then.

The purple-haired girl with twin buns walking ahead suddenly spoke:

"Uchiha, haven't you noticed anything special about this school?"

The masked boy answered honestly:

"The moment I stepped through the gates, I discovered its secret."

Tachibana Akane turned back in surprise. "I underestimated you. I never expected your powers of observation to be this strong?!"

As expected of the genius the president had taken a liking to. He really had some skill!!

The next second.

Her face darkened.

"Upperclassman, I discovered that this school..."

"There are especially many girls with huge boobs."

"In other words, I don't lack wives."

Tachibana Akane: "???"

Were we even on the same wavelength just now?!!!

Why were we talking past each other like a chicken and a duck?!!!

What the hell did he mean, he didn't lack wives?!

Did he think the academy was some harem garden?!

Trembling, she raised a thumbs-up. You were something else!!!

Tachibana Akane sighed deeply. "Can you be serious?"

Uchiha instantly turned solemn:

"Understood. There are especially many Jiahaos this year."

"..."

"Is that wrong? Then I'll start talking nonsense again."

As he walked, Uchiha rubbed his chin and brought up a strange point:

"Not counting the hidden ones, there are already four cameras in plain sight in my classroom alone. The academy has installed so many cameras, so they must have another purpose. Let me think..."

Tachibana Akane's eyes lit up. "Right, right, keep deducing. Your logic is very strong. Keep it up."

She breathed a sigh of relief. At last, she had steered the conversation back on track.

This underclassman's thinking might be a little erratic, but at least he was someone she could communicate with normally.

Uchiha suddenly understood inwardly, though his expression remained calm:

"The chairman is a voyeur."

"..."

Tachibana Akane: "???"

Forget it. Communication was impossible.

She should just let him fend for himself.

Tachibana Akane shook her head and discarded the thought of giving up.

Maybe he was focusing on the wrong things, but he was actually very smart. Should she give him another hint?!

"You're a mere freshman, yet you received one hundred thousand points on your first day. Don't you find that strange?!"

Uchiha nodded. "It is strange."

"After all, one hundred thousand is just pocket change. Invest in a few sunset stocks and it'll be gone in no time. Besides, if the capital isn't enough, doing business is difficult too."

"I think everyone should be given two hundred thousand instead. That way, I'm confident I can turn it into one million before tomorrow's market close."

"Of course, one million two hundred thousand isn't impossible either."

"..."

Before they knew it, they had reached the supermarket entrance.

Tachibana Akane entered with a dark expression, while the hooded boy shrugged and followed her inside.

Just as she gave up on talking to him, Uchiha seemed to suddenly come to his senses:

"The cameras are used to monitor students. The academy should have a system for evaluating student behavior, with rules similar to adding and deducting points?"

He walked over to the most conspicuous freebie section, picked up a bottle of shampoo, and examined it closely:

"It says here, 'three free items per month,' and there are also unlimited vegetable boxed meals. I imagine there must be people in every grade whose points aren't enough, right?"

"With the freshmen included, there are four hundred and eighty people in the school. That means handing out forty-eight million a month, or five hundred and sixty million a year. Japan's economy is practically collapsing already—could the country really afford that? It's impossible when you think about it."

"So I deduce that the one hundred thousand points are only available in the first month. After that, either they gradually decrease, or the amount of points distributed is determined through competition..."

"Otherwise, why does everyone jokingly call this place a school where strength reigns supreme?!"

"Hmm?! Upperclassman?!"

"Upperclassman, are you listening? Hey, your drool's about to fall."

Just kidding.

Tachibana Akane fell for it and instinctively wiped the corner of her mouth.

"Underclassman, are you teasing me again?!"

This guy was foolishly clever. If she ignored the nonsense from before, his analysis of the academy's rules was remarkably thorough.

Finally recovering her senses, Tachibana Akane stared fixedly at Uchiha:

"So, how many points do you plan to allocate for this shopping trip?"

Uchiha: "Zero."

"?"

Uchiha: "All in."

"??"

Her face was full of exhaustion. For the first time, Tachibana Akane felt that... talking was tiring.

Horikita Suzune, who was passing by, chimed in:

"Uchiha, although I can't order you around, I advise you not to spend money recklessly."

"Because once you become accustomed to extravagance, it will be painful to live frugally afterward."

"It's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go from luxury to frugality. Surely you understand that."

Uchiha looked expressionlessly at Horikita Suzune until she began to feel uneasy.

"What? Was I wrong?"

The masked boy shoved both hands into his pockets:

"What you said is very convincing, but it doesn't apply to me."

"It's simple. I can just go from luxury to even greater luxury."

"Would a stock god like me lack points?"

Horikita: "..."

Tachibana Akane: "This?!"

Ayanokoji maintained his usual poker face: "."

Just then, a fierce argument suddenly broke out at the supermarket entrance.

Sudo Ken roared furiously, every word sharp and clear: "I'll fuck your mother!!"