The Uproar Over 100,000 Points

The class bell echoed through the hallway three times, yet Class D's classroom remained as noisy as a pot of boiling porridge.

Orikasa Yuu sat in the middle of the last row, his back against the chair, his deep gaze fixed on the ceiling fan spinning at a steady pace. It was an ideal seat—the middle meant people on both sides could serve as cover, while the last row meant there were no eyes behind him.

Horikita Suzune sat to his left. Since taking her seat, she had maintained an upright posture, her head lowered as she flipped through a hardcover book. The force with which her fingertips pinched the pages made it seem as though she were wrestling with something invisible. To his right sat Sakura Airi. She carefully placed her camera into her desk, folded her hands properly over her knees, and bowed her head. Pink hair fell over most of her face, and even her breathing was so soft it was as though she feared disturbing the air itself. To Horikita Suzune's left, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka sat with his eyes half-closed, looking as though he might fall asleep at any moment. But Orikasa Yuu knew those half-open eyes were silently gathering information on every face in the classroom, like a recorder on standby—seemingly dormant, yet never ceasing to scan.

Four low-energy individuals formed a strange vacuum zone in the last row of the classroom.

"Hey, did you hear? Apparently the dorms at this school are insanely luxurious!"

"Seriously? I read in the handbook last night that there's even a huge shopping mall!"

"If only we could come and go freely..."

The classroom buzzed with noise. Class D's students gathered in groups of two and three, excitedly exchanging information about their first day of enrollment. The waves of commotion from the front rows grew louder and louder. Ike Kanji was wildly gesturing as he bragged about something to Yamauchi Haruki...

Orikasa Yuu took part in none of the conversations.

"—Could I have everyone's attention for a moment?"

A clear voice cut through the din.

Hirata Yosuke stood up. Blond hair, well-defined features, and a smile like one from a model photo printed in a fashion magazine. He clapped his hands, his voice gentle yet carrying a strange power that made people listen without realizing it.

"The teacher doesn't seem to be here yet, so why don't we introduce ourselves first? We'll be classmates from now on, so it would be better to get to know each other. I'll start. I'm Hirata Yosuke. I like all kinds of sports, and I'm planning to join the school soccer club. It's nice to meet you all."

A typical leader-type personality. Energy consumption level: high. Recommendation: avoid deep contact, but maintain superficial friendliness.

With Hirata leading the way, the self-introductions reluctantly began. Kushida Kikyo responded with a smile, her voice sweet enough to belong in a radio drama. Ike Kanji enthusiastically talked about his preferred type of girl, drawing a burst of laughter. Yamauchi Haruki bragged that he had made it to nationals in table tennis during elementary school and had been the star number four batter on his middle school baseball team, leading them into the league—only to be booed by all the girls.

Orikasa Yuu did not join in, nor did he look up. His gaze rested on the desktop as his fingertips unconsciously tapped against its edge, calculating how much longer this round of introductions would consume.

"It's your turn, the student over there?" Hirata Yosuke looked toward the back.

Sakura Airi's shoulders jerked as though she were prey suddenly caught in a spotlight. She opened her mouth, her voice barely louder than a mosquito's buzz. "I-I'm Sakura... Airi... Nice to meet you..." The moment she finished, she immediately lowered her head and buried her face in her camera bag, looking as though she wanted to evaporate on the spot.

Hirata Yosuke froze for a moment, then gave her an understanding smile. "Thank you, Sakura. Nice to meet you too."

Sudou Ken kicked his desk and let out a derisive snort. "Introductions? What a pain. Let whoever wants to talk, talk."

The atmosphere froze.

Hirata Yosuke's smile stiffened for an instant, and Kushida Kikyo hurriedly tried to smooth things over. "Ahaha, Sudou really has quite the personality..."

Horikita Suzune, to Orikasa Yuu's left, gave an extremely soft, cold snort. Her page-turning paused for half a second. Sakura Airi, farther to the right, hugged her camera tighter, her knuckles turning white.

Just then, the classroom door was pushed open. A woman in teacher's attire walked in. She looked to be around thirty, with an attractive face, but her eyes were as cold as though she were looking at a herd of livestock awaiting slaughter. She walked to the podium, took a cigarette from her pocket—not lighting it, merely rolling it between her fingers—and spoke.

"I am Class D's homeroom teacher, Chabashira Sae."

Her gaze swept across the classroom, lingering for a second on Sudou Ken's foot propped atop his desk before moving away as if nothing had happened.

"Congratulations on enrolling. And good luck."

That was all. No welcome speech, no inspirational address, not even a "pleased to meet you."

The classroom fell silent for a moment before whispers rose again. Chabashira-sensei acted as though she had heard nothing. She pulled a cardboard box from beneath the podium and began handing out phones. They were slim smartphones, each bearing the school emblem on its casing.

"These are terminals issued by the school. One for each of you."

Orikasa Yuu took the phone. Its screen lit up, displaying a glaring number.

[100000 PPt]

The classroom instantly erupted.

"100,000?!"

"Seriously? They're giving us money the moment we enroll?"

"What kind of heavenly school is this?!"

"One point equals one yen and can be used at any facility on campus." Chabashira-sensei's voice overpowered the uproar, her tone as flat as if she were reading an instruction manual. "The cafeteria, supermarket, entertainment facilities, vending machines... anywhere you can think of. At this school, points are everything."

"Then doesn't that mean we can buy anything we want?" Sudou Ken's eyes lit up as he leaned forward. "Games, snacks, spend however we want?"

"In theory, yes." A cryptic curve formed at the corner of Chabashira-sensei's mouth. "As long as you have points."

Orikasa Yuu stared at the number on the screen for a second, then switched it off and slipped the phone into his pocket.

He neither calculated how long the money would last nor made plans for what to buy.

An adherent of the Energy-Saving Ideology had a simple rule for spending: use it when needed, leave it alone when not. Planning ahead was itself a form of energy expenditure.

Chabashira-sensei put the cigarette back into her pocket and turned toward the door, the hem of her white coat drawing a cold arc through the air.

"Classes begin officially tomorrow. Don't be late."

The door closed behind her with a dull thud.

The classroom immediately returned to its noisy state. Everyone stared at the phones in their hands, their faces filled with excitement and greed. Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki had already begun discussing where to splurge after school. Karuizawa Kei squealed that she wanted to buy the latest bag, while Sudou Ken grinned as though planning how to blow all 100,000 points in one go.

Horikita Suzune, to Orikasa Yuu's left, looked down at her phone screen with a slight furrow in her brow, as though working through a difficult math problem. Sakura Airi, farther to the right, carefully tucked her phone into her camera bag, her movements as gentle as though she were hiding a precious treasure.

Orikasa Yuu's gaze passed over the two girls and settled on the view outside the window.

Cherry blossoms were still drifting down.

100,000 points.

To him, it was merely a number. If he had it, he would use it. If not, he would save.

Followers of the Energy-Saving Ideology never worried in advance about expenses that had yet to occur.