Not long after passing through the main gate, I noticed a large crowd of students gathered together. Taking a closer look, I saw that the class assignment list had been posted. I approached and quickly checked my name.

Ayanokoji Aoi: Class 1–D

Class D, huh. Hopefully there will be at least a few fewer incompetents in this class.

My brother seemed to think that once you entered Advanced Nurturing High School, you should try to make friends and enjoy school life. Well, if you fail to make friends, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that three miserable years await you.

But I don’t share my brother’s way of thinking. I intend to build only the minimum necessary human relationships and prioritize connections with people who are on the same level as me, someone with ability. Getting close to incompetent nobodies would only result in conversations that go nowhere and a waste of my precious abilities.

I truly respect and love my brother more than anyone else, but unlike him, I’m not soft.

Before long, a classroom labeled 1–D came into view. This would be my classroom from now on. When I entered, more than half the seats were already filled. After briefly scanning the room, I headed toward the seat where my name tag had been placed.

A seat near the back by the window, an undeniably prime spot by anyone’s standards.

I sat down and observed what my classmates were doing. Since it was still the first day, most were sitting alone reading the materials distributed by the school, while a few were chatting, either because they already knew each other or had quickly become acquainted.

I had already reviewed the school-distributed materials in advance and judging from the girls chatting nearby, none of them seemed even remotely close to being capable individuals. After slowly scanning the room, it appeared that none of the people present met my standards.

Letting out a sigh at the realization that there was no one worth befriending, I decided to take out the unfinished copy of Wuthering Heights from my bag and read.

After turning a few pages, the classroom gradually filled with more students arriving and the atmosphere grew increasingly noisy. As my concentration was disrupted, I sighed and put the book back into the bag hanging beside my desk.

“Hah!”

At that moment, I heard the sound of a bag being set down in the seat next to me. When I raised my head reflexively, I saw the face of the insolent bitch I never wanted to meet again.

“I’m going to have a rough start on the first day. I was already sighing at the thought of meeting you.”

The insolent bitch who picked a fight on the very first day and continued to speak rudely was not only in the same class, but sitting right next to me. Well, there were only four first-year classes, so ending up in the same one wasn’t exactly improbable.

“This time, I’ll say it. If possible, I’d prefer it if you didn’t talk to me.”

“Likewise.”

There’s no obligation to talk just because we’re seatmates. Ignoring her would be enough. I glanced to the side and saw the insolent bitch placing her bag on the desk. It seemed she had no intention of even telling me her name. Fine by me, that kind of useless information isn’t necessary.

Let’s just consider this a bit of bad luck. Surely nothing more irritating will happen.

“This classroom is pretty well equipped. Just like I heard, not bad at all.”

I take that back. Something more irritating did happen. The blond who caused the commotion on the bus was in the same class as me.

Already in a foul mood on the first day, I sharply turned my head away and put my earphones in to block out the surrounding noise.

* * *

After a few minutes, the area around me grew restless, so I removed my earphones. As expected, I heard the bell signaling the start of class and almost simultaneously, a woman in a suit entered the classroom.

She looked to be around thirty, her long hair tied back in a ponytail and she gave off an air of someone who valued discipline. If my guess was correct, she was the homeroom teacher for Class 1–D.

“Alright, new students. I’m Chabashira Sae, the homeroom teacher in charge of Class D. I teach Japanese history. In this school, classes don’t change even as you advance in grade, so I’ll be your homeroom teacher for all three years until graduation. Let’s do our best together.”

Three years? That meant I’d be stuck in the same class as that insolent bitch and the blond for three years. There really could be something even more irritating.

“The entrance ceremony will be held in the gymnasium in an hour, so before that, I’ll distribute materials explaining this school’s special rules. You should have already received them with your admission guide.”

Ah, a familiar set of papers. I’d received them after the acceptance announcement.

The contents were all things I already knew. Mandatory dormitory living and prohibition of outside contact. In exchange, the school offers numerous facilities for student convenience. Karaoke, movie theaters, cafés, clothing stores, as well as convenience stores and kiosks.

And one more thing, the school’s most distinctive and peculiar feature: the introduction of the ‘S System.’

“I’ll now distribute your student ID cards. You can use them to access all facilities on campus and purchase items at places like the school store. Think of it as a kind of credit card. However, you’ll be using points, so be careful. There’s nothing on campus that can’t be purchased with these points. As long as it’s within school grounds, you can buy anything.”

Calling it a credit card made it easy to understand. In other words, cash in society equates to points in this school. By eliminating paper money, it prevents financial disputes between students and also allows monitoring of spending habits through point usage.

“To use school facilities, simply pass this student ID through a terminal or present it. It’s very simple, so you won’t get confused. Points are automatically deposited on the first of every month. Everyone is given an equal 100,000 points. Also, one point is worth one yen. No further explanation is needed, right?”

At those words, the students began to stir. After all, it meant that newly enrolled freshmen were being given an allowance of 100,000 yen.

“Surprised by how much it is? This school evaluates students based on ability. Since you’ve been admitted, you possess that much value and potential. Think of it as an evaluation. So don’t hold back and spend it all. However, all points will be reclaimed after graduation. You can’t convert them into cash, so saving them is pointless. How you use your points is up to you. You’re free to transfer them to someone else if you don’t need them. Just don’t try to extort or threaten others for them. Our school is extremely sensitive about bullying.”

With that, Chabashira-sensei finished speaking and left the classroom, as if she had said all she needed to say.

At the same time, the students’ excitement surged. They couldn’t hide their amazement at the large number: 100,000.

“100,000 is insane! I’ve never even touched that much money!”

“There’s a shopping mall too! Let’s hang out after school!”

“Hey, wanna check out the stores on the way back? Let’s go shopping.”

“Yeah. With this, we can buy anything. I’m really glad I got into this school.”

Everyone was thrilled. A monthly allowance of 100,000. For a high school student, it was practically a dream amount.

But still…

Don’t these people find this situation suspicious at all?

100,000 per month. Just looking at it, it’s obviously suspicious. There are 160 first-year students alone. Including upperclassmen, even accounting for dropouts, there must be at least 400 students.

100,000 points per person for 400 people is 40 million per month. In a year… 480 million.

Even for a government-backed school, 480 million yen annually is an absurd amount. But something else bothered me even more.

That teacher only said that points would be deposited on the first of every month. She never said it would always be 100,000.

In other words, the 100,000 points were simply the amount equally distributed to all students on the first day and could increase or decrease depending on circumstances. This might already be the start of an exam. Depending on how this initial 100,000 is used, future point allocations could change.

With that thought, I decided I needed to carefully consider how I would use my points going forward. I immediately took out my notebook and began writing down various questions and suspicions about the S System.

“Everyone, could you listen to me for a moment?”

At that moment, a voice rang out from the center of the classroom. When I looked over, I saw a cheerful-looking male student wearing a friendly smile. He didn’t look delinquent and his hair wasn’t dyed, giving him the impression of an honor student.

However, his aura as a capable individual was weak. Something about him felt off.

“We’ll be classmates starting today, right? So I thought we could all introduce ourselves voluntarily and get to know each other as soon as possible. We still have time before the entrance ceremony. What do you think?”

I let out a dry laugh. Judging by this, Class D would probably revolve around this boy. From the way he tried to get along with everyone, there were only two possibilities. Either he was hiding some ulterior motive like that two-faced girl from the bus, or he was overly kind to the point of being annoying, unable to leave loners alone.

Either way, he was the type I found extremely unpleasant.

“I’m in favor! We don’t even know each other’s names yet.”

A gyaru-looking girl who clearly didn’t seem very bright lit the spark and even the hesitant students began to agree. The boy who proposed it started with his own introduction.

“My name is Hirata Yosuke. My middle school friends just called me Yosuke, so feel free to do the same. My hobbies are sports in general, especially soccer and I plan to play soccer here as well. Nice to meet you.”

Good looks and soccer. He checked every box of a popular guy. The girl next to him looked like her eyes had turned into hearts. His position as the popular guy of Class D was now secured.

After that, several students introduced themselves in turn. Some froze up from nervousness, while others spouted shameless lies like having competed in inter-high tournaments during middle school.

I planned to just gloss over my own turn.

“Then I guess it’s my turn next.”