"Zzz..."
Morning. In a room at the student dorms of Advanced Nurturing High School, Saitō Tsugumi was fast asleep. A faint light from a gap in the drawn curtains illuminated the hardwood floor.
Suddenly, the smartphone on his bedside table began to vibrate.
"Mmm... ugh, so sleepy..."
The screen of his blaring phone read "AM 6:30."
Given that it didn't take long to get from the dorms to the school building, it was rare for a student to wake up this early.
"Mmm... haah."
Saitō stretched as if to shake off the drowsiness, then headed to the bathroom to take a shower. This was his morning routine.
Bare-chested, he wiped his still-damp hair with a towel, which he then draped around his neck. After brushing his teeth, he opened the door of the built-in refrigerator. Not many students, including himself, fully utilized the luxurious 150-liter fridge, which was excessive for a single person.
"Seriously? I'm out of eggs..."
He grumbled but was already mentally planning his breakfast menu. If it were just him, he could have just eaten whatever was around, but unfortunately, that wasn't an option.
Just then, the doorbell rang. Saitō checked the clock—it was exactly 7:00 a.m. He smiled wryly, thinking how punctual his guest was, and opened the door.
"...I've told you before, haven't I? You should stop walking around your room without a shirt on. It would be quite a shock for anyone else to see."
"Yeah, but the only person who comes to my room at this hour is you, Arisu-chan. Come on in."
"...Very well."
Sighing in exasperation, his guest—Sakayanagi Arisu—entered the room. The first thing she saw was two pairs of shoes neatly lined up at the entrance. One pair was a casual sandal, and the other was a well-kept, rather expensive-looking sneaker. The locker next to them was empty.
"Your room is as impersonal as ever."
"Well, you don't like it when things are messy, do you, Arisu-chan?"
Saitō's words, as if he were prioritizing her, made Sakayanagi's heart flutter for a moment. However, that was a separate matter.
"...That may be true, but this is a bit too much."
After muttering that, Sakayanagi boldly stepped further into the room.
Inside, there was a bed with cushions on it that served as a sofa, a moderately large dining table, and a small bookshelf holding textbooks provided by the school. The built-in desk and chair were disassembled and placed in the closet.
"I don't watch TV, and I read e-books now, so it's not inconvenient. Here, I ran out of eggs, so we're having Japanese food today," Saitō said, already wearing a shirt. He brought over plates of food, a simple but classic breakfast of white rice, miso soup, seasoned seaweed, and grilled salmon. He set the two plates side-by-side and sat down next to her. This was their routine, so Sakayanagi didn't say anything.
"Thank you for the meal," they said together, clapping their hands. It had been about a month since they started this routine, a part of Saitō's daily life.
----------
"Starting today, I will come to your room at 7 a.m. every morning, so please prepare breakfast. I'll cover the cost of the ingredients.""...Uh, half is fine, but isn't that a lot of trouble for you?""Tsugumi-kun, your cooking is a masterpiece. This much effort is nothing.""...Well, if you put it that way."
(She's really attached to me, isn't she?)
Looking at Sakayanagi eating politely in front of him, Saitō smiled fondly and gently stroked her small head.
"...We're in the middle of a meal."
"Oh, sorry, sorry."
How did it feel for him, who, including his previous life, was being scolded by a girl less than half his age? There was no way to know.
After finishing their meal, they headed to school a little earlier than usual. Although they usually went to school at a set time, there was a reason for the early departure today.
"Speaking of which, it's May. How about you, Arisu-chan? How many points did you get this month?"
Yes, today was May 1st. If the school's explanation was correct, it was the day 100,000 points were supposed to be deposited. However, the two of them, having done their own investigations over the past month, knew that wouldn't happen.
"I received 94,000 points. How about you, Tsugumi-kun?"
"Zero. Well, it's just as we predicted, but... you look like you're having fun, Arisu-chan?"
Hearing Saitō's words, Sakayanagi smiled happily.
"Indeed. I am very, very curious to see what this world of meritocracy will bring me."
"I came here to live an easy life without paying tuition... I don't know how things got this way," Saitō complained, but no one was there to answer him.
----------
The chime for the first class of May rang. Soon after, Chabashira-sensei came in, holding a poster tube. She always had a stern expression, but today it was even more so.
"Sensei, did your period stop or something?"
Ike-kun is as insufferable as ever.
"We will now begin the morning homeroom. But before that, are there any questions? If you have something on your mind, you'd better ask now," Chabashira-sensei said, completely ignoring Ike-kun's harassment. Her tone suggested she was sure there would be questions from the students. And indeed, several students immediately raised their hands.
It's so much of a setup, it's almost funny.
"Um, I checked this morning and my points weren't deposited. Weren't they supposed to be given on the first of every month? I panicked this morning when I couldn't buy a drink."
"Hondo, I already explained this before. That's correct. Points are deposited on the first of every month. I can confirm they were deposited without any issues this month."
"Huh? But... no one got any points, right?"
Well, a sharp student would have remembered what I said on the first day. But the question is whether they can accept the reality of having zero points.
"...You really are a foolish bunch of students."
"Foolish?" Hondo-kun asked blankly. Chabashira-sensei's gaze sharpened.
"Sit down, Hondo. I won't say it twice."
With her sudden change in tone, Hondo-kun flinched and awkwardly slid into his chair.
"The points were deposited. That is a fact. The delusion that this class was forgotten is not a possibility. Understood? I believe a student asked me a question a month ago; you wouldn't tell me you forgot, would you, Saitō?"
So now it's my turn. What a pain.
"I'm sure you have an idea why the points weren't deposited, don't you, Saitō?"
At that, the entire class's attention turned to me. Now, what should I say?
The most unbelievable option is that I knew from the beginning. That's out of the question. If I did, some people would complain about why I didn't tell them. So I have to pretend that I just figured it out.
"...They were deducted to zero...?"
"What, you just realized that? ...Well, it's pathetic that only a few of you figured it out with that much of a hint."
"...Sensei, may I ask a question? I can't wrap my head around this," Yōsuke-kun raised his hand. Knowing him, he was asking not out of a desire for his own points but to alleviate the class's anxiety. He didn't seem like the type to waste money, either.
"Please tell us the reason why the points weren't deposited. Otherwise, we can't accept this."
Indeed, the details of why the points weren't deposited were completely unknown.
"A total of 80 absences and tardies. 380 instances of private conversation or using phones during class. You've really outdone yourselves in a single month. In this school, a class's performance is reflected in its points. As a result, you've used up all the 100,000 points that should have been deposited. That's all there is to it. I explained it on the first day of school. This school evaluates students based on their abilities. And this time, you received a score of zero. That's all."
They really went all out. The points might have been a little less had I not asked that question, but as long as they didn't know for sure that points would be deducted, it probably wouldn't have made a difference.
"What?! I thought points were only deducted for bullying or violence!"
Here we go. I'm sure he knew that, but he probably didn't expect tardies, absences, or talking on the phone to be a reason.
"Chabashira-sensei. We don't remember being told any of that..."
"What? You can't understand unless it's explicitly explained?"
"Of course! We were never told that the points would be deducted. If you had explained it, no one would have been tardy or talked during class."
"That's a strange thing to say, Hirata. It's true I didn't explain the rules for how points are decided. However, haven't you been taught in elementary and middle school not to be late for school or talk during class?"
"Well..."
"You know it's true. For nine years of compulsory education, you were told countless times that being tardy and talking were bad. And now you're telling me you can't accept it because it wasn't explained to you? That logic doesn't hold. If you had done the obvious things, your points wouldn't have gone to zero. This is all your own responsibility. There were even some students who noticed something was off and asked questions, but what good did that do when the whole class is like this?"
Why does she keep bringing me into this? It's giving me a headache. I really hope she stops. I don't want to be the one to calm down a class that's turned into a living hell.
"Did you honestly think you would be given 100,000 points every month without any strings attached, you who have just entered high school? At a school established by the Japanese government to educate outstanding individuals? That's common sense. Why did you leave your doubts as they were?"
"Then at least tell us the details of the point deductions... We'll use it for future reference."
"That's something I cannot do. The details of the performance review—the specific criteria—are not to be disclosed by the school's rules. It's the same in the real world. If you were to enter a company, it's up to the company whether or not they tell you the details of their performance reviews. However, you know... It's not like I'm treating you coldly because I hate you. This situation is so pathetic, I'll give you one piece of good news."
Chabashira-sensei showed a faint smile for the first time today... No, that's definitely not good news.
"Even if you correct your tardiness and talking... and even if you manage to keep the deductions at zero this month, your points won't increase. In other words, next month's points will also be zero. Inversely, it doesn't matter how many times you are late or absent. How about that? It's good to know, isn't it?"
Wow, I knew it, but that's brutal. To throw that at students in their moment of despair.
The chime rang, cutting off her speech and signaling the end of homeroom.
"It seems I've wasted too much time. You all have a general idea of what's going on, don't you? Let's get to the main topic."
She took a thick, white paper from the tube she was holding, unfolded it, and stuck it to the blackboard with magnets. The students, still in a daze, stared at the paper in confusion.
"Is this... each class's score?" Horikita-san asked, half-convinced. That's correct.
The names of classes A through D were listed, with a number of up to four digits next to each. Our D class had 0. C class had 490. And the highest, A class, had 940. If these were points, then 1,000 points are worth 100,000 yen, just as a senior told me. As expected of A class. I'm so jealous.
"Don't you think something's strange?"
"Yeah... it's a little too perfect."
Horikita-san and Ayanokōji-kun in front of me looked puzzled. It seemed they noticed the odd scores.
"For the past month, you've lived your lives however you wanted. The school doesn't intend to deny that. All your tardiness and idle chatter will eventually come back to haunt you. The same goes for how you use your points. How you use what you've earned is up to you. We haven't placed any restrictions on that, have we?"
"This is too much! We can't live like this!" Ike's cry echoed.
"Look closely, you idiots. Every class except D class had points deposited. More than enough points to live comfortably for a month."
"Why... is there such a huge difference in points between classes?" Yōsuke-kun also noticed the mystery of the posted paper. The point difference was almost too neat. This meant...
"Are you starting to understand? Why you were chosen for D class?"
"Why we were chosen for D class? Isn't it just random?"
"Huh? I thought that's how class divisions were made?"
The students looked at each other's faces. How much better it would have been if that were true...
"In this school, students are divided into classes based on their excellence. The most excellent students go to A class. The worst students go to D class. It's a common system in large cram schools. In other words, this D class is a last resort for dropouts. You are, in other words, the worst kind of defective product. And this result is perfectly fitting for defective products."
Hmm. I think I got a pretty good score on the entrance exam... So why was I put into this class? Is it because of "pimping"? ...No, there's probably no other reason.
"However, you are the first D class in history to use up all your points in a single month. I'm impressed by how spectacularly you've managed to do that."
At the same time, a question that I had was answered. Why would they make students of different skill levels compete against each other? Given the school's high selectivity, there would be many students with a decent potential, even if not on the level of A class. So why did they create such an overwhelming difference in skill?
The answer is simple. Everything is contained in her words, "defective products."
Being a "defective product" means you have the potential to become a quality product if you fix your flaws. The school's purpose is probably to make students with different strengths compete against each other and use that friction to foster growth... So, does that mean I was put in D class because I'm bad with women? I really don't want to believe that.
"So as long as these points are zero, we'll stay at zero, right?"
"Yes. These points will continue until you graduate. But don't worry, you can use the dorm rooms for free, and there's free food. You won't die."
Good thing I saved up. And I'll mooch off Arisu-chan for food money. Finally, a chance to show off my skills as a freeloader.
But still... zero income is tough. I can't buy books, and I hope the points will be in the positive by the time the seasons change, but I need to buy clothes, too... Alright, I'll get an allowance from a senior. If they're in A class, they must have a huge income every month. I'll just borrow a little bit from them.
"—Tsugumi?"
While I was thinking about how to mooch off a senior, it seems the conversation had moved on quite a bit. I snapped out of it and looked up to see Ayanokōji-kun in front of me.
"Oh, sorry. What is it, Ayanokōji-kun?"
"Just that the results of the pop quiz we had the other day are posted. You got first place. That's amazing."
"Really? Wow, you're right."
I got first place with a score of 95. There were some questions that weren't usually in the high school curriculum, but I guess I still remembered some knowledge from when I studied for my university entrance exams in my past life. Or maybe it was because Arisu-chan forced me to study with her. If I had the choice, I would've rather been moving my body, but I guess I have to be grateful for this.
"I'll add one more thing. This school, managed by the state, boasts a high rate of acceptance into universities and employment. That's a well-known fact. I'm sure most of you in this class have a target university or job."
Many students probably enrolled for that purpose.
"But... the world isn't that kind. The world isn't sweet enough for people of your low caliber to get into any university or job they want."
"Does that mean we have to get into a higher class, like C class or above, to receive the benefit of getting into our desired university or workplace?"
"That's not it, Hirata. If you want this school to guarantee your future, the only way is to get into A class. This school will guarantee nothing for students in any other class."
"No way... I never heard that! That's insane!"
The student who stood up was Yukimura-kun, a bespectacled student. He always gave off an intelligent vibe, and he was a brilliant student who tied for second place with Kōenji-kun on the pop quiz. I haven't talked to him much, but he probably wanted to get into a good university. It's a good thing my ambitions are low. I have no complaints about this... My dream is to be a freeloader, after all.
"This has gotten... pretty serious," Ayanokōji-kun muttered next to me. Contrary to his words, he didn't seem to be in a panic.
"Are you okay, Ayanokōji-kun? Don't you have a future path you want to take?"
"Well... I don't have any particular preference. I just don't want to lose my points. More importantly, are you going to be okay?"
"What do you mean?"
Ayanokōji-kun sounded concerned. I had a rough idea what he meant, but I asked him anyway.
"I'm talking about Yukimura, who's in the middle of a shouting match. And Ike and Yamauchi. They're probably going to ask you why you didn't warn them."
"No, I just found out myself. I've been living my life seriously. It's not my place to tell them what to do."
I'm sorry, that's a huge lie. I actually know about the class struggle. But the latter half is 100% true. They wouldn't have listened to me even if I did warn them in April.
"It seems your blissful ignorance has been dispelled. If you've understood the harshness of your situation, then this long homeroom was not a waste of time after all. You have three weeks until the midterms. Take your time to reflect and find a way to avoid expulsion. I am confident that there is a way for you to pass without a single red mark. If possible, I hope you will approach this with the dignified conduct of a truly capable person."
With a loud slam of the door, Chabashira-sensei finally left the classroom.
============
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