I walked into class with a plain expression on my face. Looking around the classroom, I walked toward the seat that bore my nameplate. It was at the back of the room, near the window. A good place to sit, generally. As I looked around, I saw that the room was already halfway filled with students. The others were either immersed in their class materials or already talking with other people. Perhaps they’d all been friends beforehand or had only recently gotten acquainted. Well then, what should I do? Take action during this free time and try to meet someone? In front of me, a rather rotund boy sat at his desk, hunching over. Perhaps it was my imagination, but he appeared lonely.

The boy exuded an aura that seemed to shout, “Please, someone be my friend!”

Mustering up my courage, I opened my mouth and was about to call out to him when he started to talk with another classmate.

I sighed heavily. Seems like I got beaten to the punch.

Then, a girl settled on the seat beside mine. She had a stern expression on her face and had long black hair that grew to her waist. I recognised her as the girl who had sat across the aisle of my seat when I was still seating on the bus.

Shooting me a glance, she placed her bag on her desk. Apparently, she wasn’t going to tell me her name. Lacking any interest in the classroom, the girl simply sat upright in her chair like a model student.

I considered my options. Should I try striking up a conversation with her? If so, how would I do that? Or should I just simply ignore her like how she was ignoring me? That was a rather depressing choice, as that would mean I had lost my chance of having a good impression on her. People generally like others who are able to start and continue a conversation.

With that thought, I opened my mouth and said, "Nice to meet you. I'm Kiyotaka Ayanokoji."

She turned her head slightly and glanced at me, as if thinking, 'was this idiot talking to me?'

For the first time, I got a good look at her face.

Wow. She was cute. Or rather, she was beautiful. Even though we were in the same grade, I’d have believed it if you told me she was a year or two older.

Such a calm, cool beauty.

I continued staring at her as she stared at me.

Finally, she sighed. "Suzune Horikita. Nice to meet you." But her tone stated otherwise.

I pondered on how to continue this conversation.

Before I could say anything else, the boy who'd quarrelled with those woman in the bus sauntered into the classroom.

This troublemaker had been placed in Class D with us. Without seeming to notice our presence at all, he went over to the seat labeled “Kouenji” and sat. I wondered if such a person had ever considered even the idea of friendship. I tried observing him for a little bit. Kouenji put his feet on top of the desk, took a nail file from his bag, and hummed while he treated his fingernails. He acted as though he were completely alone.

Apparently, the rude comments he’d made on the bus had been an accurate reflection of his opinions. Within ten seconds, more than half the class had begun drawing away from Kouenji. His imposing nature dominated the space.

Looking over, I saw that Horikita’s gaze had lowered, and she seemed to be reading one of her own books. Oh, shoot. I’d forgotten that conversational back-and-forth was one of the basics of maintaining interest. I’d squashed one of my chances to become friends with Horikita. Leaning down, I glanced at the title of her book: Crime and Punishment. Now that was interesting. A story that debated whether it was right to kill someone, so long as it was done for the sake of justice.

Perhaps Horikita’s taste in books was reflected in her personality. Well, at any rate, we’d introduced ourselves, so perhaps we could at least become neighborly.

After a few minutes, the first bell rang. At that precise moment, a woman entered the classroom. When I first saw her, my initial impression was that she firmly believed in discipline. If I had to guess, I would have placed her age at thirty. She wore a suit and had delicate features. Her hair seemed long, and she’d tied it into a ponytail.

“Ahem. Good morning to you, students. I’m the instructor for Class D. My name is Chiyabashira Sae. I usually teach Japanese history. However, at this school, we do not change classrooms for each grade. For the next three years, I will be acting as your homeroom teacher, so I hope to get to know all of you. It’s a pleasure to meet you. The entrance ceremony will be in the gymnasium one hour from now, but first, I will distribute written materials with information about this school’s special rules. I will also hand out the admissions guide.”

The students in the front seats passed back the familiar documents I’d received after being accepted.

This school differed from the multitude of other Japanese high schools in a few key ways. Here, all students were required to live in dormitories located on school premises. Also, except for special cases, such as studying abroad, students were forbidden to contact anyone outside the school. Even contact with your immediate family was forbidden without authorization. The main reason why I'd chosen to come here.

Naturally, leaving school grounds without permission was also strictly forbidden.

However, the campus also came equipped with many excellent facilities. With its own karaoke spot, theater, café, boutique, and more, you could easily compare this school to a small city. The campus spread over more than 600,000 square meters.

This school boasted another unique feature: the S System.

“I will now hand out your student ID cards. By using your card, you can access any of the facilities on campus, purchase goods from the store, and so on. It acts like a credit card. However, it is imperative that you pay attention to the points that you spend. At this school, you can use your points to buy anything. Anything located on the school premises is available for purchase.”

Our points, loaded onto our student ID cards, acted as a kind of currency. The lack of paper money would prevent many students’ financial troubles. However, students needed to keep a watchful eye on their spending habits. At any rate, the school provided these points free of charge.

“Your student cards can be used simply by swiping them through the machine scanner. The method is simple, so you shouldn’t get confused. Points are automatically deposited into your account on the first of every month. You should all have received 100,000 points already. Keep in mind that one point is worth one yen. No further explanation should be necessary.”

The classroom erupted.

In other words, we had received a 100,000-yen monthly allowance from the school upon admission. I’d expect nothing less from a massive institution run by the Japanese government. 100,000 yen is a rather large sum of money for a high schooler.

“Shocked by the amount of points you’ve been given? This school evaluates its students’ talents. Everyone here has passed the entrance examination, which itself speaks to your value and potential. The amount you’ve received reflects the evaluation of your worth. You can use your points without restraint. After graduation, however, all of your points return to the school. Because it’s impossible to exchange your points for cash, there’s no advantage to saving them. Once points have been deposited into your account, it’s up to you how to spend them. Do as you like. In the event that you don’t want to spend your points, you may transfer them to someone else. However, extorting money from your peers is not allowed. This school monitors bullying very carefully.”

I listened closely to whatever she had said.

"Something doesn't seem right," i muttered to myself.

As bewilderment spread among the students, Chiyabashira-sensei looked over the room.

“Well, it appears no one has any questions. I hope that you enjoy your time here as students.”

"Wait a moment, sensei," I raised my hand, speaking in a loud, clear voice.

The celebrating students immediately grew quiet.

Chiyabashira sensei raised an eyebrow. "What is it, Ayanokoji-kun?"

Although she kept her cool and stoic expression on, I could sense a little... Excitement under her mask.

"I have a question. Are these points really going to be deposited into our account next month?"

"Huh? What does he mean?"

"I want to go enjoy school life already, just hurry up, you jerk!"

"Wait... Could it be..."

I heard various different kinds of reactions to my question, which I purposely made unclear. This was to analyse the different types of reactions. Those who were average or dumber would not understand the question. Those who only cared about their own enjoyment would look at me in negative light. And finally... The ones I was looking out most for. The smarter than average ones would be able to catch onto what I'm saying and have some sort of reaction - widening of eyes, for example, or an understanding mutter which would not escape my sharp ears.

I could then conclude that Kushida, the handsome boy at the front, Horikita who was sitting beside me and a cute girl with brown hair and blue eyes were the sharper students.

Chiyabashira-sensei smirked. "Care to clarify?"

"What I mean is, will the number of points we receive each month change due to, say, our behaviour in class?"

"I'm afraid that I am not able to tell you the answer," she said.

"I see. And can I clarify another thing?" I said, not daunted in the slightest.

Chiyabashira-sensei nodded.

"We are allowed to buy anything with our points in this school, right?" I asked.

She nodded once again. The excitement I sensed in her started getting more obvious.

"Then, sensei, may I buy that answer you refused to give me from you?"