If You Know That, Then Don't Do It

There was a long line at the convenience store checkout, but someone at the front seemed to have run into trouble.

"Hurry up up there."

"Shut up. I just forgot my phone."

Ken Sudō let out a frustrated growl. He had just finished picking out his items when, at checkout, he suddenly remembered that he had left his phone on his seat in the classroom. The entire campus was cashless, and without his phone to scan for payment, he had no way to pay. Looking at the pile of items in his hands, he found himself in a dilemma.

No one around him was willing to step forward and help. After all, they had only just enrolled, and no one wanted to front a large number of points for a stranger for no reason. Just as Sudo stood there at a loss, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, who had been silently watching, slowly stepped forward. "I'll pay for you."

That simple sentence immediately got Sudo out of his predicament. He was overjoyed.

But once they had finished paying and Sudo was preparing his instant noodles in the rest area, several students in upperclassmen's uniforms approached with an arrogant air. "Hey, underclassman. Don't you know this spot is ours..."

In short, it was another confrontation.

Kazami Saku had no desire to get involved in the dispute and walked over to Suzune Horikita, who was standing alone in a corner.

Catching sight of him, Suzune Horikita's cool expression shifted slightly. "So you've finally seen the light and stopped hanging around Kiyotaka Ayanokoji?"

Kazami Saku spread his hands helplessly at that. "Uh... Ayanokoji does tend to run his mouth without thinking, but you already hit him earlier. Shouldn't you have cooled down by now?"

It would have been better not to mention it. At the reminder, a vein faintly bulged at Suzune Horikita's temple again. She looked at Kazami Saku, sounding rather exasperated. "So you know he has no filter? And you still think there's nothing wrong with him? No one could put up with those bizarre, offensive remarks."

With that, she said no more. Not wanting to dwell on the earlier farce either, she simply turned and walked straight away without the slightest hesitation.

Watching her leave so decisively, Kazami Saku could not help thinking, She really is a girl with personality.

After the confrontation ended, Ayanokoji helpfully righted the trash can Sudo had kicked over and began cleaning up.

Kazami went over to help too. Once they finished, the two walked side by side toward the student dormitory building. After reaching it without incident, they exchanged brief goodbyes and returned to their respective rooms.

Kazami Saku pushed open his dorm room door and was instantly impressed by the sight before him. The single room was spacious and tidy, with refined, tasteful furnishings. It had everything: a desk and chair, a bed, and storage cabinets, as well as a private bathroom and a balcony with a view. It offered the full living experience.

He looked around and sighed in genuine admiration. "This school is ridiculously rich."

It certainly lived up to the name of Advanced Nurturing High School, which claimed to cultivate elites in every respect. Its accommodations far surpassed those of an ordinary high school and were practically on par with an upscale apartment, completely overturning his preconceptions about school dormitories.

Even his home did not offer such a nice environment. With conditions like these, plus a hundred thousand points every month, he really wanted to keep attending forever. He wondered whether there was a strategy for repeating a year.

For the first two or three days after enrollment, the class still retained some of the reserve expected of new students. Everyone behaved themselves, listened attentively in class, and spoke quietly during breaks. Overall, it was a normal, orderly learning environment that looked especially harmonious.

But Kazami Saku soon discovered that the teachers here could be described as completely hands-off. They did not strictly check attendance, stop students from fooling around, or push them to study. Throughout their lessons, the teachers turned a blind eye and made no effort to keep them in line.

Without any restraints, Class D quickly let loose completely. In just a few days, it had changed beyond recognition, growing more chaotic by the day.

During lessons, disorder was everywhere. Some students bent over handheld consoles and played to their hearts' content. Others spread out entertainment magazines and read with relish. Some openly used their phones, while others gathered together, chatting loudly, laughing, and horsing around as though no one else were there. Being in class did nothing to lower their volume.

The entire classroom was noisy and chaotic, bearing no resemblance whatsoever to what a classroom should have been.

Leaning back in his chair and watching the chaos before him, Kazami Saku could not help muttering inwardly, Is this really okay? Is this actually an elite high school that takes educating students seriously, and not some free-range playground?

Still, occasionally chatting with Horikita and Ayanokoji and watching his classmates' bizarre daily antics was pretty nice. The exams were bound to be a disaster, though.

During a break one day, the class was as noisy as ever. Kazami Saku took out fresh stationery and a fountain pen, then quietly leaned over his desk to write. His focused expression was completely at odds with the clamor around him.

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, who had been silently observing his surroundings, noticed what he was doing. He turned slightly to take a look and asked quietly, "What are you doing?"

"Writing home." Kazami Saku's pen did not stop moving. "Just a letter to my family."

A hint of surprise flashed in Ayanokoji's eyes. "Hardly anyone writes letters by hand these days. Besides, doesn't the school forbid contact with the outside world? You won't be able to send it even if you write it."

"I know." Kazami Saku nodded, his tone casual. "I'll just save them up for three years. Once I graduate and leave, I'll take them all home together. It'll serve as a record of my high school life too."

Ayanokoji looked thoughtful and offered quiet praise. "I see. Recording your life by hand sounds nice. Since you're updating your family on how you're doing, why not take some pictures of the campus to bring home? That would give them a clearer picture."

At that, Kazami Saku immediately stopped writing and firmly shook his head, his gaze turning more clearheaded. "That won't do. Photos contain too much information-the campus surroundings, what my classmates look like, all the details of daily life. One careless slip could expose what my life here is really like."

There was a hint of helplessness in his voice. "If my family finds out what things are really like for me at this school, how I spend every day, and even that I go around with the nickname 'Big Brain' all the time, they might cut off funding for my further education as soon as I graduate. Then I'd really be done for."

As the two spoke, Suzune Horikita, sitting at the desk in front of them, heard every word of their conversation. She turned her head slightly, fixed her gaze on Kazami Saku, and remarked rather sharply:

"If you're that self-aware and know how irresponsible your actions are, then at least make some changes and rein yourself in a little."

Kazami Saku faltered. Faced with Suzune Horikita's clear, earnest gaze, he found himself unable to argue. He understood the reasoning perfectly well, but for the sake of the system's Emotion Points and trait abilities, he had long since become unable to stop walking this path of public humiliation as "Big Brain."

Still, aside from a few people calling him that for fun over the past few days, he had gained very little.

Especially the abilities he had copied these last few times-not merely useless, but utterly without a single use.