The principle of causality

(This book is set in a fictional world. All characters appearing in it are adults.)

It was April, and the start of another school year had come around.

Takahashi Ren got out of the vehicle and stood at the gates of Advanced Nurturing High School, looking over the place where he would spend the next three years.

The moment he stepped through the gates, Takahashi Ren's mind wandered off. Whether he was deep in thought or simply spacing out, he remained completely detached from what was happening around him.

He followed the crowd to his classroom and glanced around, finding the seat with his nameplate at the very back by the window. After sitting down, he returned to that vacant, faraway look.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with Takahashi Ren. His attention had simply been seized by the virtual interface that had suddenly appeared before his eyes.

[Causality Principle System]

· Causal Deduction (limited to two uses per month; unused uses can accumulate).

Module one: deduce the outcome based on the cause and conditions.

Module two: work backward to determine the cause based on the outcome and conditions.

Module three: derive the conditions required based on the cause and outcome.

· Eye of Insight (limited to two uses per month; unused uses can accumulate)

Obtain data on the target's current state.

Those few brief lines of introduction sent enormous waves through Takahashi Ren's heart.

A "system"? He had seen this sort of setup in webnovels while attending middle school in Dragon Country. He had always thought it was merely a fictional cheat dreamed up by Dragon Country's webnovel authors. He had never expected it to actually exist.

But... why does this system's first ability seem a little useless?

Use it to cheat on exams? I don't need that.

But after thinking it over, he felt it might not be so simple.

A few ideas gradually took shape in his mind, waiting to be tested in practice.

A little while later, the bell announcing the start of school rang. A man with a somewhat stern expression walked into the classroom.

"I am Mashima Tomoya, Class A's homeroom teacher and your mathematics teacher. I hope to spend three unforgettable years of school life with all of you. I look forward to working with you."

He paused, then continued, "The entrance ceremony will take place in the gymnasium in one hour. Before that, I would like to reiterate a few of this school's special rules."

As a dream school boasting university admission and employment rates of nearly 100%, Advanced Nurturing High School naturally had its own distinctive features.

First, all students were required to live in the dormitories while enrolled. Except under special circumstances, all contact with the outside world and leaving campus were prohibited. Even contacting family required prior permission from the school.

However, to ensure students' quality of life, the campus included a small shopping district. It had everything from karaoke venues and a movie theater to cafés and clothing stores. Almost all their everyday needs could be met there.

The most distinctive feature, however, was the "S Points" system the school had introduced.

Their student IDs functioned much like credit cards. They could buy anything on school grounds by spending points.

Next, Mr. Mashima had everyone take out their school-issued phones and taught the students how to check their points.

Besides checking their balances, they could also transfer points directly to other students. Apparently, more features would be introduced later.

"Points will be deposited automatically on the first of every month. Right now, everyone has received an equal amount of one hundred thousand points on their cards. Incidentally, one point is equivalent to one yen."

In other words, they had received one hundred thousand yen in spending money from the school as soon as they enrolled.

"Seriously? Am I dreaming?"

"A hundred thousand? Every month?"

"Applying to this school really was the best decision."

A low stir ran through the classroom. Some checked their phone screens repeatedly, afraid they had misread the number; others excitedly confirmed it with their neighbors; still others looked doubtful, feeling there was no such thing as a free lunch.

"Are you surprised?" Mr. Mashima seemed to see through the students' concerns. "This school judges its students on ability, and the points represent the school's assessment of you. You are free to use them however you like. If you feel you have no need for them, you may transfer them to someone else. For further details, refer to the materials you were given during the enrollment briefing."

"Also, failing even one subject in either the midterm or final exams will result in expulsion. Please keep that firmly in mind."

So there is a price after all. Still, for top students, that price is far too easy to pay.

As he reflected on this, another question arose in Takahashi Ren's mind: Did the other classes receive the same number of points?

Just then, Mr. Mashima looked around at the students and asked, "Does anyone have any questions?"

A student immediately raised a hand and asked the very question on his mind.

The teacher's answer was, "The same."

So classes A, B, C, and D were simply assigned at random?

No, I can't jump to conclusions before I've figured everything out.

"Sir, will we receive one hundred thousand points every month?" another student, this one bald, asked.

Mr. Mashima wore the hint of a smile. "What, are the first month's hundred thousand points not enough for you?"

The student was clearly dissatisfied, but he also knew he would get no answer from the teacher. He continued pondering it after sitting down. Several others in the class looked similarly thoughtful.

Seeing that there were no further questions, he said, "You have free time until the entrance ceremony." With that, he left the classroom.

This school really does have quite a few mysteries, Takahashi Ren thought.

Mr. Mashima's words, however, did not cause much of a stir.

After the teacher left, the atmosphere in the classroom gradually grew livelier. Quite a few students gathered in twos and threes, chatting animatedly.

"Everyone, why don't we take this time to introduce ourselves?" a student stood up and suggested.

"Sure!"

"Agreed." Quite a few others quickly voiced their support.

Sure enough, every class had a few outgoing students who took charge of livening things up.

But can it really go that smoothly? With something like this, a few students who refuse to cooperate could easily crop up.

To his surprise, however, the introductions actually proceeded smoothly.

Although some students merely gave their names, at least no one openly undermined the proceedings.

Three of them left a particularly strong impression on him: Sakayanagi Arisu, who remained elegant despite using a cane, drew attention like a princess; the "brilliantly bald" Katsuragi Kohei made one question at first glance whether he was really a high school student; and there was the distinctive-looking Hayato Kito, who might be a nice guy?

Before long, it was Takahashi Ren's turn.

The key to using the system lay in information, and the most effective way to obtain information was to build connections.

A humorous self-introduction could lower barriers, bring people closer, and make it much easier to make friends.

But I refuse.

He did not want to change his true nature because of the system's existence-he would just let things take their course.

Nor did he want to deliberately seek out friends. He would let everything happen naturally.

Takahashi Ren rose calmly and said, "My name is Takahashi Ren. I usually just read and space out. I hope to spend these next three years peacefully with everyone. I look forward to getting along with you."

A few scattered claps rang out. The response was lukewarm, but he remained perfectly calm inside.

Showing his truest self was enough.

He would leave the rest to fate.