Entrance Ceremony

The announcement for the entrance ceremony echoed through the hallways. Coupled with the overwhelming shock of receiving one hundred thousand points, the Class 1-D classroom instantly erupted into celebration.

"Hey, once the ceremony's over, wanna go to Keyaki Mall? I heard they even sell the latest Nintendo Switch!" Led by Ike Kanji, the boys displayed an eager desire to spend.

"I want to buy that cosmetics set I've wanted for ages. Let's go as soon as the ceremony ends." The girls around Karuizawa Kei had similar shopping plans.

Although Class 1-D's destination was the athletic field, most of their minds had already flown to the mall counters.

Tatsuya Sakuya did not move.

He sat leisurely in his seat, even idly spinning the fountain pen in his hand.

There would definitely be too many people at the stairs right away. No one would be able to move for a while, and they could only squeeze together. Going now would be nothing but a waste of time.

When most of the classroom had emptied, Sakuya turned his head and looked at Horikita Suzune beside him, who had likewise remained seated and unmoving from beginning to end.

Horikita Suzune was quietly reading the copy of Crime and Punishment in her hands, seemingly undisturbed—or rather, she simply did not care.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who dislikes this sort of meaningless gathering."

Sakuya was the first to break the silence between them.

Horikita Suzune stopped what she was doing, snapped the book shut, and casually placed it on her desk.

"I simply think that waiting here until the crowd clears before moving is the more efficient choice."

Her voice carried a coldness that kept others at arm's length.

"Also, please do not arbitrarily classify me as your kind."

"Is that so?"

Sakuya did not pursue her words, and the quiet between them returned to its previous state of mutual noninterference.

After establishing that perfectly measured sense of distance, Sakuya left the classroom at the very last moment for the entrance ceremony assembly.

On the athletic field of Advanced Nurturing University, the freshman formations of the four classes had already lined up neatly.

Sakuya stood in the rear of Class 1-D's formation, discreetly surveying the entire field.

At the very front of Class 1-B stood Ichinose Honami. With a gentle smile, she spoke softly with the classmates around her. That natural affinity of hers had already made her the unquestioned core of the class on the first day of school.

His gaze shifted and landed on Class 1-A's formation. There stood the stern, bald Katsuragi Kohei, and beside him was the silver-haired girl Sakamayanagi Arisu, leaning on a cane.

Class 1-C's formation, meanwhile, was an entirely different scene.

A boy with dark red hair had somehow acquired a chair and sat upright at the very front of the formation.

Ryuen Kakeru.

He propped his cheek up with one hand, arrogance written all over him.

Around him, not a single student from Class 1-C dared speak.

He sat there upon his "throne," because to him, a king only needed to sit upon his throne and quietly wait for prey to deliver itself.

Finally, Sakuya's gaze turned to his own class's formation.

Ike Kanji was pulling Yamauchi Haruki along while pointing at girls in the distance and snickering. Sudo Ken stood with his arms crossed, yawning, while several girls in the back row were even taking out mirrors to touch up their makeup. The entire formation was crooked and disorderly, a complete mess.

"Silence, everyone. Next, the Student Council president will deliver a speech."

The noise across the athletic field vanished in an instant.

A boy wearing gold-rimmed glasses strode onto the podium with composed ease.

Horikita Manabu.

The absolute ruler of Class 3-A, and the most imposing Student Council president in Advanced Nurturing University's history.

"I am the Student Council president, Horikita Manabu."

There was no fluctuation in his voice.

"Advanced Nurturing University is one of the finest institutions of higher learning in the country. It was established to provide society with exceptional talent. Here, ability is everything. Superior resources will only be allocated to those of value, while the incompetent... will be ruthlessly eliminated."

It was a brief speech, yet one with tremendous impact.

Sakuya paid no attention to the speech on the stage. Instead, his gaze fell on Horikita Suzune, who stood not far from him.

The girl who was always cold and aloof had slightly straightened her back, her eyes locked tightly on the stage.

As long as he grasped this bond called an older brother, using this deskmate however he wished in the future would become effortless.

After the entrance ceremony ended, huge numbers of freshmen surged into Keyaki Mall in the school's central district.

Sakuya strolled through the mall's spacious, brightly lit corridors, taking in everything around him.

The café was filled with girls enjoying expensive afternoon tea. Outside the electronics store, Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki danced with joy after getting their hands on the newest handheld console. In the clothing section, freshmen were swiping their cards without hesitation.

Sakuya did not join the crowds in any of the high-end areas. Instead, he headed straight for the underground supermarket in the mall's farthest corner.

On row after row of shelves that hardly anyone paid attention to sat toothbrushes, towels, shampoo, and other toiletries without any fancy packaging, along with all kinds of daily necessities.

On the price tags for these goods was a striking number: [0 points].

Sakuya calmly picked up a shopping basket and began selecting the free daily necessities in an orderly fashion.

Without changing expression, Sakuya tossed another bottle of shampoo into the basket.

How could an elite school that championed strength above all else possibly give students one hundred thousand points every month with no strings attached?

If students truly never needed to worry about survival, then this area of free supplies would have no purpose at all.

The answer was obvious. The one hundred thousand points were startup funds meant to test the freshmen's self-control.

Only when those fools who squandered all their points had nothing left would they realize the value of these free supplies.

After checking out and packing an entire basket of free goods, Sakuya carried the plastic bags in one hand and turned toward the supermarket exit.

The moment he stepped into the corridor outside, a familiar figure approached him.

Ichinose Honami.

The instant they saw each other, both of them froze slightly.

"Ah, you're the student from the bus. If I remember correctly, you're Tatsuya Sakuya, right?"

Ichinose was the first to react.

"What a coincidence. Did you come here to buy things too? Do you remember me? I'm Ichinose Honami from Class 1-B."

Sakuya nodded slightly. "It is quite a coincidence, Ichinose. I remember you."

Ichinose's gaze finally fell upon the large, bulging plastic bag in his hand, printed with the logo of a cheap supermarket. A trace of curiosity appeared in her eyes.

After all, freshmen throughout the mall were spending points like mad. At a time like this, there were not many people carrying a huge bag of free zero-point supplies.

"Tatsuya..."

Ichinose's tone carried an undisguised note of probing.

"The things you bought all seem to be from those free shelves. The school gave us one hundred thousand points, so why did you specifically come here to take these things?"

If it were an ordinary boy, being directly called out by such a stunning school-idol-level beauty for taking "free junk" would probably have left him so embarrassed he would want to crawl into a crack in the ground.

But Sakuya's expression did not change in the slightest.

He did not deliberately try to be mysterious. Instead, he spoke with the rational tone of someone discussing an objective principle.

"I don't think there's such a thing as a free lunch. For an ordinary college student, one hundred thousand points per month is a little too much."

Sakuya looked toward the freshmen in the distance who were still squandering their points. "Since the school has established this minimum safety net, I believe it must have a deeper purpose. And I think points should be spent where they matter most."

"Tatsuya, just how far ahead can those eyes of yours see?"

She took out her smartphone from her pocket and proactively held the screen out before him. "If we discover anything new in the future, we can exchange information."

Looking into the girl's clear eyes, Sakuya did not refuse. He calmly scanned the code.

"Ding."

Looking at the cute pink kitten avatar newly added to his contacts, Sakuya saved her as Ichinose Honami.

Ichinose waved, then walked briskly toward the supermarket.

"Make sure to keep in touch, Tatsuya."