Part 1
With the early arrival of the first of May, many students were excited at the thought of getting their allowance again. Even though it was an amount of 100.000 yen for each and every student, the majority of our class already managed to spend all of it.
It will also be the day when my theory will be confirmed. According to that, I will correspondingly decide whether I should actually try or just keep lazing off in the back of my class.
...I would probably keep lazing off anyway, but trying to convince myself that I actually cared is at least a step in the right direction, right?
"The first of May is coming."
Just like me, Ayanokoji stared out of the window, watching the birds chirp on the twig of a tree.
"I guess. We'll see then if I was right with my theory or not."
"Horikita also wondered about that."
"I see. Judging by the fact that all exceptional people like the student council president, Itoshi Sae and Michael Kaiser are in class A, there is probably another reason behind Class A. I also heard that they have a genius in class A."
"Like a ranking you mean? And why did you mention Itoshi Sae and Michael Kaiser?"
His expression darkened for a moment. I always notice small changes in his face or behaviour, but I can never put my finger on what exactly changed. It's almost like I'm reading the plot of an empty book.
"Yea, like a ranking. After the incident at the club conference, I was curious about why the soccer club wanted them in their team so badly. It seems like they are geniuses in soccer or something and according to other rumours, their intelligence doesn't seem to be bad either."
"It must be quite nice to be athletic, good-looking and intelligent, huh?"
"I'm not sure whether you're serious or just trying to praise yourself."
Ayanokoji's expressions barely changed whenever he was making a joke, so it was quite hard to notice the distinction. I'm still not entirely sure if he just has some issues with introspection or is just joking about his 'averageness'.
Either that or my judgement of him was wrong. There is always the possibility that I'm wrong, but that's it. It's only a possibility and I am rarely ever wrong.
"I don't know what you mean."
Ayanokoji however, reacted unfazed as he always does. I probably shouldn't overthink this too much. Especially when judging humans there are too many variables I can't calculate or reason by using logic, so I won't ever come to a conclusion regarding this topic.
"It's...nothing..."
Releasing a light sigh, I shook my head.
"I'm just failing to distinguish fiction and reality, I guess."
Right, there was no reason why Ayanokoji would hold back. Considering that how he would do in this school would affect his future, holding back in such an environment would be senseless. This isn't some kind of fictional story or something. I should stop considering such silly possibilities.
DING DONG
The ringing of the bell signalled the start of the next period. Third period, history.
Chiyabashira-sensei's class. Walking in, she immediately distorted her face at the notice that our class still wasn't preparing for class. They were lazing around and chatting as if we were still on a break.
"Everyone, be quiet— Today's class will be more serious."
"What do you mean~ Sae-chan-sensei~"
I cringed. What a nickname to give to a scary-looking person like her. If she would glare at me, I would probably fold and avert my gaze under that pressure.
"It's the end of the month. We will have a short test. Pass these to the back."
She handed out papers to the first row. Eventually, I also got the test. The test was constructed with different questions on the 5 major topics.
"Eh~ I didn't hear anything~. I don't wanna take it~"
"Calm down. This test is only for future reference. It will not be reflected on your report card. There's no risk, so be at ease. However, cheating is naturally prohibited."
A majority of the students released a relieved sigh at the mention that it won't be reflected on our report card. However, instead of feeling relieved, I was bothered and my mind was occupied by a single question.
Why?
Was it to measure our current capabilities? That might be the case, but for what reason would she measure our capabilities? She doesn't seem like the type to care about us, so it was probably instructed by the school. Considering that and the timing, it made me feel like this test had something to do with the approaching first of May.
Well. not like I can change anything about that. Let's just flow with the situation then.
The test started. 20 questions, 4 per section, and 5 points per question for a total of 100 points. Though the difficulty level of this test was a little underwhelming. Probably even easier than the entrance exam.
At least that's what I thought at first. About 3 questions of the exam were a little more annoying than the rest. Not because of the difficulty, because I could solve that question with a single glance, but because of the complex formula which is required to explain how I solved that question.
Unnecessary paperwork.
"No... Why are these problems so hard..."
It seems like the others had a hard time with this test. Though I wondered if that was just because it was hard or if they were just really stupid. If I were to take a look at their behaviour from this month, both possibilities would make sense.
Chiyabashira-sensei was monitoring the students as she walked around the classroom. I was already finished with the quest, so I started wondering how Sakura and Ayanokoji did.
Unfortunately, both of them sat behind me, so taking a look would be rather difficult. Even so, Ayanokoji sat behind me, so I could at least roughly measure how he was doing by carefully listening to the sound of his pen.
Suspiciously, he took exactly the same time for every question. No matter how the questions varied in difficulty, he always took 30 seconds to solve them....No, I'm probably mistaken. That wouldn't make any sense.
And so, I decided to just watch birds outside the window to kill the rest of the time. Seriously, it was hellish. It felt like I was stuck in here for years until the enlightenment in form of a ringing bell came.
Part 2
The morning bell for the first school day of May rang. Soon after, Chiyabashira-sensei walked in, holding a poster rolled into a tube. Immediately by the way she was walking in with a grim expression and the fact we only got 1000 points this morning, I could tell my theory was correct.
What a shame. Sometimes, I wished that I was just needlessly overthinking things.
"Sensei~, are you in menopause?"
Ike really asked. What a disrespectful question to ask your teacher. The fact students like him managed to pass the entrance exam sometimes makes me wonder if this school really was government-funded.
"Alright, morning homeroom is starting. Are there any questions before we start? If there's something on your mind, feel free to speak up."
Chiyabashira-sensei completely ignored Ike and continued to talk. From the way she talked, it seemed like she had already expected questions. Rightfully so, as immediately a few hands shot up.
"Um, I checked my point balance this morning, and only 1000 points were deposited. Weren't 100.000 points supposed to be provided on the first day of the month, every month?"
"Hondou, I explained it before, didn't I? Points are wired to student's accounts on the first day of the month, every month. They were wired without any problems this month as well."
"Uh, but... I didn't get all the points."
Hondou and Yamauchi exchanged looks. Ike was too surprised to notice their looks.
And here comes the explanation. I wonder what the reactions of my classmates would look like. Surprised? Angered?
No matter what would happen, they deserved it. Acting this way in school while fully knowing that we were being monitored by the cameras on the ceiling is just plain stupid.
"... Are you guys really that stupid?"
She said out loud what I had just thought.
"Stupid? What?"
Chiyabashira-sensei had a sharp glint in her eyes as Hondou repeated her words.
"Sit, Hondou. I'll explain it again."
"S-sae-chan sensei?"
Surprised by her strict tone, Hondou slumped down into his seat.
"Points were deposited. Without fail. The likelihood that this class was left out is very low. Do you understand?"
"No, even if I say I do understand, we haven't received our points...
Hondou had a dissatisfied expression on his face.
"Hahaha, I see, it was like that, teacher. I've understood this riddle now."
Koenji said in a loud voice while laughing. Putting his feet on the table, he pointed at Hondou with his usual arrogant attitude.
"We didn't receive more points because we're in class D."
"Hah? What's that supposed to mean. They said we'd get 100,000 points every month..."
"I don't remember hearing that. Right?"
Without consideration for the teacher in front of us, class D started rambling again. The fact that the class was talking without letting our teacher finish, built up frustration inside me, causing me to chime in.
"It's because of our behaviour during the month. As far as I can remember there were around 98 total absences and tardies and 391 incidences of talking or using cell phones in class during this month."
"But how does that correlate to our point deposit, Hirano? How would you know that it's because of that? It's absurd!"
Before I could say anything, Koenji interrupted, defending me.
"No, no, no, Hondou boy. You shouldn't act so harshly towards a fair lady. Kitty girl is right after all. You should try to use your brain a little more."
Tapping his forehead, Koenji confidently closed his eyes while forming a smirk. Even when defending me, he phrased it in an arrogant way. How unsurprising. More importantly though...
...did he just call me 'kitty girl'..?
"What is that supposed to mean, Koenji!? Are you calling me stupid!"
Koenji did not answer. Instead, he raised his arm, pointing his finger at Chiyabashira-sensei.
"Your attitude has some problems, Koenji. However, Hirano and Koenji are on the precisely right."
She paused for a while, glancing at me for a moment, before closing her eyes.
"Almost frightenly so. Other than that...not many people seem to have noticed my hint. How sad."
The classroom erupted in uproar and confusion.
"... Sensei, can I ask a question? I still don't understand."
Hirata raised his hand. It didn't seem like he was doing it out of his own volition, but a responsibility he felt for his worried classmates. Like a natural leader, I'd say.
"Please tell me why we didn't get any points. If that's not possible, we can never understand."
"Didn't you listen to Hirano? 98 total absences and tardies. 391 incidences of talking or using cell phones in class. I counted every infraction. In this school, your class performance is reflected in the amount points received. As a result your behaviour, the 100,000 points you could've gotten went down the drain. That's all that happened.
I explained this all on the day of the entrance ceremony. That this school measures the abilities of its students. This time around, you guys were valued to be worth 1. There's nothing more than that."
She said that text as if she was an ai reading a script, without ever changing her expression or tone.
Silence filled this class, only interrupted by the scribbling of a person. I couldn't see who it was but judging by the direction the sound came from, it was most likely Horikita.
Well, at least there was something good in her words. I didn't discount.
"Chiyabashira-sensei, I don't remember ever hearing that explanation before..."
"What? Are you people incapable of understanding without any explanations?"
"Naturally. There was no mention of reducing the number of points transferred to us at the beginning of each month. If it was explained before, I'm sure that we would've tried not to be late and not to talk during class."
"An interesting argument, Hirata. I also don't remember explaining the rules about the points received at the beginning of each month. However, haven't you guys learned not to talk in class and get to class on time since elementary school?"
"That is..."
"I'm pretty sure you guys have learned. In the 9 years of compulsory education, they've always told you that such things are frowned upon. Talking in class and being late to class is bad. Also, did you say that you couldn't understand because I didn't explain it? That excuse doesn't fly. If you behaved as a student should, your points wouldn't have dropped to 1000. It's your own self-responsibility."
It was common sense to at least question the system at this school, especially if it is supposed to be some sort of elite school. Though one could argue that the students didn't think about it, as they were too caught up in their 'preferrential treatment'.
"After becoming first-year high schoolers, did you really think that you would get 100,000 points every month without any restrictions? In this school created by the Japanese government to train excellent people? That's impossible, just use your common sense. Why leave doubts as doubts?"
Even though that message seemed to hit Hirata hard, he soon got back up, deciding to fight against the unshakeable wall called 'Chiyabashira-sensei'.
"Well then, can you at least tell us the details about how points are increased or decreased? We will always try to do our best from now on."
"That's not possible. We are not allowed to divulge the details of how we assess merit to the students. It's the same as the real world. When all of you enter society, and find work in some kind of business, they probably won't tell you how you're assessed—that's up to the company, though. However... I'm not trying to be cold, nor do I hate you guys. This is such a pitiful sight that I'll tell everyone here one thing."
Chiyabashira-sensei formed a smile. Though I doubted that it was one of pity. To me, it seemed more like she was mocking us in her own twisted way.
"For argument's sake, if we say that everyone stopped being late and stopped talking in class... your deduction would be one, but that doesn't mean you'll get more points.
In other words, next month's allowance is also 1000 points.
Not being late or not talking to class won't help you get back up from the bottom.
Keep that in mind—it'll help you."
"..why the one point then? From what you've said, wouldn't our class get 0 points?"
"Normally, it would. After all, more than 15 of you have never submitted a single assignment during this month. Not even once. However..."
Chiyabashira-sensei paused, forming a small smile on her face. Even without having the ability to see into the future, I knew what she was going to say.
"..there was someone who tried to compensate for your laziness."
She then pointed to me, causing me to avert my eyes. I wasn't good at maintaining eye contact with people like her. She just seemed intimidating to me.
"For every missed assignment, Hirano had written another one, using completely different methods and solutions to the problems and tasks. And each and every single one of those extra assignments she had written was perfect. A single girl had managed to compensate for every 'defect' in this class."
"What?"
"When did she even have the time to do that?"
Gasps of surprise and confusion spread throughout the room and slowly but surely, the centre of attention in this class shifted to me. I could feel all the eyes being directed at me, causing me to tense up a little.
I didn't have problems with talking, but such a situation would make even me a little nervous.
"Did you really do all of this, Hirano?"
As the representative of the class, Hirata had asked me the question every single one of my classmates had in mind.
"Yeah...To be honest, I already had suspicions about the system from the beginning..."
"Then why didn't you tell us?! We would have changed then!"
"Yeah! Are you trying to make yourself look better or something?"
"I-"
"That's so selfish of you!"
Even though I tried, I couldn't finish talking.
A majority of the girls started attacking me, interrupting me in the process, while the boys of the class just silently glared at me. Exactly this was the reason why I refrained from telling them and trying to solve it by myself instead.
"Tsk. It's because you idiots act like this. Be honest. Would you really change if she had told you that? I doubt it."
Unexpectedly, it was Horikita who came to defend me. Unbothered by the rest of the class, she stated her honest opinion.
"I agree."
Ayanokoji, who usually never said anything, also choose to chime in, defending me. I had expected him to stay quiet as he dislikes trouble but seeing him stand up for me made me a little happy...I think.
"Me too! It's our fault we acted like this, so we shouldn't blame Hirano for that!"
"...yes! I..I think Sia h-has her own reasons for that!"
Kushida and surprisingly Sakura also joined in, combating the disapproval of the class. While Kushida was something in the realms of possibilities, I didn't expect Sakura to also defend me. Humans are really unpredictable, huh?
"Yes, I apologize for our behaviour, Hirano. Could you please explain to us why you decided to help us like this?"
And my last line of defence was made of the impenetrable wall, Hirata, shutting anyone, who even dared to go against me, up.
"It's okay. Everyone's probably upset because of the current predicament. The reason why I helped you guys is actually a selfish one. I judged that the probability of you guys listening to me was close to zero, so I tried to compensate for it by doing the work for everyone, Even if I wasn't sure if my theory was correct, it didn't hurt to be safe. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to be enough..."
Trying to convince everyone just sounded too bothersome and the assignments weren't hard anyway. Even without trying very hard, I at least wanted to ensure that I got myself enough points to live comfortably, even if it required me to put in a bit more effort.
"That's true. Even though there seems to be an exceptional student in this class, in the real work it won't be as easy as this. By doing their work for them you just enabled their behavior, Hirano."
"Yes, Chiyabashira-sensei."
Although her voice was harsh, a genuine smile was on her face, as she talked to me. However, that smile soon turned grim when she proceeded to talk.
"But being so irresponsible that somebody has to take over your job and then attacking the person, who helped you, is unacceptable behaviour and won't be accepted in society."
The whole class stayed silent, not being able to refute any of Chiyabashira-sensei's words.
The silence was then soon broken by the ringing of the bell, signalling the end of homeroom.
"Looks like we had too much idle chit-chat. Hopefully you understood. Anyway, let's move onto the main issue at hand."
She spread out the white poster that was rolled into a tube. Taking a magnet, she stuck it onto the board. Grunts of confusion filled the room as the next problem approached immediately after.
I involuntarily let out a deep sigh, already having considered the possibility that this would happen.
"Is this... the results of each class?"
With a doubtful tone, Horikita tried to examine the paper. And she was right. Although it is pretty obvious, so there's no reason to sound so unsure.
Classes A to D were listed on the paper, with numbers right next to them.
Class A: 965
Class B: 650:
Class C: 490
Class D: 1
Judging by these numbers, the conversion rate between these points and our private point is probably a thousand. If we assume that we all started off with 1000 points, everyone seemed to have lost some points. Though the difference between Class D and C alone was strictly terrifying.
The numbers seemed to be strangely clean though. In my head multiple formulas, which would allow the school to subtract exactly 999 points by using our data, formed in my head, but none of them were the confirmed way, so I chose to be quiet for now.
"For the first month, all of you have been doing as you please. Now, the school's not saying that this is prohibited. Your actions, such as talking during class and being late to class, just affects the number of points you get. It's the same with how you use points. You have the freedom to use points how you want. We haven't restricted how you use your points."
"This isn't fair! We can't lead a normal school life like that!"
Ike, who had stayed quiet until now, shouted out.
Yamauchi was also crying out in agony. Rightfully so, as that idiot duo belonged to the people who had already used up their points.
"Look carefully, you stupid kids. The amount of points you guys have should still be plenty enough to last for a month."
"H-how do the other classes have any points left? That's strange..."
"I'll tell you, but it's not like this is some kind of fraud. For this past month, all the classes were judged by the same rules. Nevertheless, they didn't lose as many points as you guys did. That's a fact."
"How... how is there so much difference in points between the classes?"
Hirata also seemed to have some suspicions about the numbers.
"Did you guys finally understand? Why you were put in class D."
"The reason we were put in class D? Isn't that because we were appropriate for this school?"
"Eh? That's how ordinary classes work, you know?"
Everyone exchanged glances.
"In this school, all the students are divided into classes by merit. The best students are put in class A. The worst in class D. Well, it's a system that's found in major cram schools. In other words, class D is the collection of leftovers. That also means that you are the worst students, the defective products of this school. This is really an outcome worthy of defective students."
The suspicion that I had about the distribution of the classes was soon confirmed. I wonder if I was put in class D due to my inconsistent entrance scores? Well, not like I care anyways. At least I met Ayanokoji and Sakura.
"After hitting 1 point, does that mean we will always stay at 1000 points forever?"
"Yea. Your points will stay at 1000 until graduation. However, be at ease, since you can still use your dorms, and there are free meals in the cafeteria. You won't die."
"... Will we be made fun of by the other classes now?"
Sudou kicked his desk with a bang. What vulgar behaviour. I think it is not even worth thinking about why he was put in this class.
"What, you're still holding onto your pride, Sudou? Then do your best and try to make the worst class the best class."
"Huh?"
"These class points aren't just linked to the amount of money you get each month. It's also indicative of the class rank."
What she said was contradictory to what she had said previously. Her words imply that we could gain these so-called 'class points', which indicate our class rank. However, she also told us there was no way to increase our points, but then told us we could become the best class, meaning that there was a way to rise up in rank.
However, if there was no way to gain points, but a way to rise up, would that mean that we had to drag the others down? What would happen if every class had 0 class points then? Or was she just lying due to her not being allowed to tell us about the advanced school rules?
"All right, I have one more piece of bad news I have to tell you guys."
She put one more piece of paper onto the blackboard. The names of all the classmates were listed. Next to everyone's name was a number.
"From looking at these numbers, I came to understand that there are a lot of idiots in this class."
She glanced at the students as her heels clacked against the floor
"These are the scores from the test a few days back. Sensei was glad after seeing your wonderful performance. Seriously, what the hell did you guys study in middle school?"
I winced when I saw the results. Almost everyone had a score below 60 with the lowest being Sudou with 14 points. Was the test really that hard or is he just that stupid?
"If this test was actually recorded, seven of you would already have to drop out of school. Good thing it wasn't, right?"
"D-drop out? What do you mean?"
"Why, did I not explain? If you get a failing mark on either a midterm or a final exam in any subject, you have to drop out of school. On this test, that would be everyone who got below a 32. Man, you guys are really foolish and stupid."
"W-whaaaaat!?"
On the paper, there was a red line separating the rest of the class and the seven people, the highest of which was Kikuchi with a score of 31 points, meaning that everyone after that failed.
"Don't fuck with me Sae-chan-sensei! Don't joke about dropping out of school!"
"I'm also at a loss for words. It's the school's rules, so prepare for the worst."
"As the teacher said, there seem to be a lot of fools here."
While polishing his nails with his feet on the desk, Koenji had a smug smirk on his face.
"What's that, Koenji!? Your marks are in the red too!"
"Fu. Where are your eyes looking at, boy? Look carefully."
"H-huh? Hey, Koenji's name is... huh?"
Koenji's name stood somewhere on the top, tying with Yukimura for 90 points. They both were in second place.
"Wh-what?! How did Koenji get such a score?!"
"Don't be foolish, boy. I am the perfect being after all. Though there is someone in this class who might have earned my respect a little."
Koenji pointed at the top of the list, more specifically at a familiar name. Even more specifically, my name.
Hirano Sia 100 points
"H-Hirano?! Are you a genius or something!?"
Again, roars of surprise erupted, as the people noticed my score. It wasn't very surprising and I had already expected this reaction but the situation is still embarrassing nonetheless.
"I'm..a little smart, I guess..?"
"What do you mean with a little smart?! You scored full po-!"
Ike couldn't finish his sentence as he was interrupted by Chiyabashira-sensei who seemed to not have finished talking yet.
"Quiet down. I still have something to say. This school, which is under the control of the country, boasts a high percentage of alumni going to higher education and a high employment rate. That's a well-known fact. Most likely, many people in this school will go on to college or find work at a company."
It is commonly rumoured that graduating from this school means a guaranteed good career, but looking at this situation right now I could already theorize what was coming next. Whatever it was, it is probably not good for many of the students.
"But... things aren't that easy in the world. People like you guys, who are of a really low level, will probably have trouble getting into college or getting a job.
Chiyabashira-sensei's words echoed in the classroom.
"In other words, in order to make our dreams of getting a job or getting into college a reality, surpassing class C is probably a minimum."
"That's also slightly incorrect, Hirata. There's no way to achieve your dreams except for surpassing class A. The school doesn't guarantee anything for all the other students."
"T-that's... that's something I never heard about! This is absurd!"
Seeing that Yukimura was having an outburst, I decided to chime in before he did anything that could endanger our class. Who knows? Negative class points could exist.
"Sit down, Yukimura. It's no use to get upset about it now."
"Well said, Hirano. There's nothing as pitiful as boys making a commotion and panicking"
Koenji agreed with me. This time, however, he had referred to me by my name. Whether this was a good or a bad thing was something only time could tell.
"... Hirano, Koenji, do you guys not feel any resentment from being in class D?"
"Why would I? If the school judged us to be at this level, then it's our fault entirely, right? The only thing we could do is prove them wrong. Besides, Koenji will probably lead the Koenji Conglomerate in the future anyways, so I doubt he cares."
"What impressive deduction, Hirano. You're right. The school just haven't seen my full potential yet. In the end, no matter what I do, the school will come crawling back to me, when they realize how perfect I truly am."
Big words, but judging by his physical and intellectual capabilities, it was a statement I couldn't refuse entirely.
Without any words to retort, Yukimura sat back down.
"Looks like your happy mood has been dampened. If you guys understood the harsh environment you were put in from the start, we wouldn't have need this long homeroom. The midterm is in three weeks, so please avoid getting kicked out of school. I'm sure everyone here can survive without getting any red marks. If possible, please challenge your situation with a behavior appropriate for a capable person."
Closing the door for emphasis, Chiyabashira-sensei walked out of the classroom.
What a way to ruin the mood, huh? Immediately after she left, I took out my phone and checked the balance of my points again.
92,836 points
Still more than enough to survive this month. However, it seems like I have to spend some of it soon. I looked over to Ayanokoji and Sakura, spotting his usual expressionless face and her worried one.
I couldn't ruin their future just because I don't care about mine.
Releasing a sigh, I pinched the bridge of my nose.
"Haaah...it seems like I have to make some preparations soon..."