Results

As the sky gradually darkened, the two in the library naturally set off back to the dormitories.

"I never thought there would be a kindred spirit among the new students." Shiina's lips curved into a lovely smile.

"I'm happy to have met someone in my year too." Lezheng smiled back.

"I still don't know which class you're in, Lezheng."

"Class 1-A."

"Class A? I'm in Class C."

"Then our classrooms aren't far apart."

Shiina had originally intended to ask about Lezheng's earlier symptoms, but it seemed a little impolite to ask now...

The two returned to the dormitories as they chatted and agreed to meet at the same spot in the library the next day.

The next day, the instant Lezheng stepped into the classroom, the Class A students who had been animatedly discussing something all fell silent in unison. They kept glancing between Lezheng and another student, finally seeming to reach some sort of decision.

Lezheng returned to his seat looking puzzled and curiously asked Kamuro, who was busy on her phone beside him, "Did something happen?"

"Tch... look for yourself." With a look of disdain, Kamuro held her phone out in front of Lezheng.

"First-year popularity poll... wait... I'm in first place?"

"Tch... whoever put you on there has terrible taste."

"But I see someone voted for me too."

"I tapped the wrong one!!!" Kamuro quickly snatched her phone away.

"Then I'll vote for you too." Lezheng took out his phone and returned the favor by voting for Kamuro in the girls' category of the poll hosted on the School Forum.

"Hmph..." A soft huff came from his left.

Watch that smile, Miss Thief.

"By the way, is there a prize for coming first in this?" Lezheng tapped a certain someone's desk.

"What are you talking about?" Kamuro looked as though she had seen a ghost.

"All right, I was getting ahead of myself."

Lessons remained dull and tedious. Some students let their minds wander, some stared into space, and more listened attentively, but two people fell into none of those categories.

Perhaps because of their bickering before class, Kamuro kept busy passing Lezheng notes even during the lesson. As for why there were some strange animals on those notes, that remained unknown.

The morning lessons soon passed, followed by lunch and the midday break. Unlike other schools, Advanced Nurturing did not require students to bring their own lunches. It provided food all day, though students could of course prepare their own.

Lezheng had little talent for cooking. His repertoire consisted of just two dishes: egg fried rice and rice fried eggs. Naturally, he went to forage for food in the school cafeteria.

Lezheng had originally wanted to invite Kamuro along, but unfortunately, Sakayanagi called her away as soon as class ended. Fortunately, Yamamura was still there to accompany him.

Under the influence of hormones, adolescent creatures would want to interact with the opposite sex. Males would think of showing off their muscles and strength, while females would display their beauty. Humans were no exception.

But Lezheng suspected that the person before him had an excess of hormones, because he saw him leading people into the grove every few days, looking positively menacing. He had not expected to run into him again today.

A distinctive group stood on the wooded path. Their leader had shoulder-length red hair and a victor's smile on his face. To his left was a black guy, and to his right was a boy with a sharp, short haircut. Behind him were several boys supporting one another.

Bits of grass still clung to their school uniforms, and a few had gauze wrapped around their faces.

The red-haired leader paid no attention whatsoever to the curious looks from those around him. He continued doing as he pleased, leading the others toward the cafeteria with both hands in his pockets.

"Lezheng, that student looks... so scary." Yamamura gave Lezheng's sleeve a gentle tug.

"Yeah, he looks a bit like a thug." Lezheng nodded.

"That was Ryuen Kakeru from Class 1-C, wasn't it?" one passerby asked another beside him.

"That's right. He went off to bully his classmates again," the other replied.

Class C, Ryuen Kakeru, bullying.

After picking out some useful information from the students whispering nearby, Lezheng slowly left with Yamamura.

A month soon passed, and Mr. Mashima walked slowly into Class A with a briefcase in his hand.

"Today is the first day of your second month at Advanced Nurturing. I will now announce each class's results in this Special Exam." As he spoke, he turned and wrote the classes' results on the blackboard.

Class A: 920 points

Class B: 640 points

Class C: 490 points

Class D: 0 points

"I won't waste words. This Special Exam was scored by observing your classroom conduct over the past month. The maximum score was 1,000."

"In other words, your classroom conduct still had flaws." Mashima glanced toward Lezheng and Kamuro.

"Mr. Mashima, do these so-called points have any bearing on our Private Points?" Katsuragi raised his hand to ask.

"Yes. Those on the blackboard are Class Points. Their ratio to Private Points is 1:100." Mashima nodded.

"One more question. If our Class Points fall below Class B's..."

"Then you will become Class B. Moreover, the school's supposed one hundred percent employment rate applies only to Class A."

At those words, everyone in the classroom exchanged looks.

"Mr. Mashima, do Class Points and Private Points have upper and lower limits?" Lezheng stood up.

"The lower limit is theoretically zero. There is no upper limit."

"Will future Special Exams also take place without notice, like this one?"

"Who knows what the future holds?"

"I understand. Thank you, sir." Lezheng sat down thoughtfully.

What puzzled him was that Sakayanagi, who usually enjoyed showing off her intelligence, was simply resting her head on her hand and smiling as she studied everyone's reactions.

"What the teacher just said... does that mean there will be more Special Exams?" Kamuro frowned.

"Pretty much. Otherwise, who would give you Private Points every month for no reason?" Lezheng replied.

"Tch, what a pain."

"There isn't much of a gap between Class B and Class C. How did Class D manage to get zero points?"

"Maybe they're all prodigies. Why don't you go ask around?" Kamuro looked at Lezheng with a somewhat mischievous gaze.

"Isn't this exactly where your talents could shine?" Lezheng retorted.

And so the two began their daily bickering again.

"Ding!" The bell rang, signaling the end of class.

"Katsuragi, what do you think about the Special Exam..."

"Classmate Sakayanagi..."

Looks like those two have already become the class's two leaders, Lezheng thought as he packed his things, taking the opportunity to observe his classmates.

However, not everyone had gathered around Katsuragi and Sakayanagi. A few people looked at Lezheng as though they wanted to say something but held back, and of course, there were loners too.