The opening ceremony was undeniably boring.
On the stage, one school official after another took the microphone to deliver long, winding speeches about their hopes for the students. No student actually enjoys this part; it is, essentially, a live lullaby.
Katsuragi Ren took this opportunity, while the entire grade was gathered in the gymnasium, to observe the four first-year classes. It was no surprise, just as he had anticipated: the elite, the mediocre, the bottom-feeders, and the defects.
After getting a good look at the four homeroom teachers, Ren slowly closed his eyes, deciding to sleep through the rest of the tedious speeches.
Eventually, the word "dismissed" came from the stage, and the tension in the room relaxed.
"Katsuragi-sama, Honami and the others decided to go out to eat and get to know each other. Do you want to come?" Ryūji Kanzaki approached him to ask.
Because of his bold speech in class earlier, everyone had jokingly started calling him "Katsuragi-sama." He didn't get angry about it, so the nickname stuck.
"Sorry, I have other matters to attend to. Have fun," Ren refused. He had just arrived at the school and still had things to verify. besides, it was time to have some fun of his own.
After leaving the gym, Ren found a convenience store and purchased a thin blanket and a digital voice recorder. He then walked down the street, scanning for a target.
"Hello, Senpai." Ren walked up to a third-year student and greeted him.
"What do you want?" The student saw Ren holding a cheap blanket and could tell immediately he was a first-year, so he replied rudely.
Ren didn't care about the attitude. He stated his purpose directly. "Senpai, would you be willing to sell me the hidden rules of this school?"
"What are you talking about? I don't know anything." As expected, he was refused. This confirmed that upperclassmen and teachers were under a strict gag order.
"Fifty thousand points for the school rules." Ren took out his student ID, displayed his point balance, and named his price.
"What are you... I don't know what you're saying..." The student's voice trailed off. It looked like the senpai was still refusing, but his tone was shaking. The greed was kicking in. This was working. He just needed to sweeten the pot.
"Eighty thousand points. We can make the deal over there. There are no cameras, Senpai." Ren didn't waste time and directly raised the offer.
"Fine. Let's talk over there." The senpai couldn't resist the allure of 80,000 points. He agreed to the deal and followed Ren into a secluded alley, away from the surveillance network.
Ren transferred the 80,000 points immediately to show he was serious.
"Every class has Class Points, which determine your monthly Private Points."
"The 100,000 points given to new students are a one-time allowance. From now on, the points you receive on the first of the month depend on your Class Points. The exchange rate is 1 Class Point to 100 Private Points."
"The school holds special exams, and the results raise or lower Class Points. The first special exam for new students is based on student conduct throughout the month."
"Only Class A receives the guaranteed employment. Other classes just graduate normally; they don't get the 100% employment rate promised in the brochure."
"Your homeroom teacher has more authority than you think."
"It costs 20 million private points to transfer yourself or someone else to Class A."
"That's all." Because Ren had paid so quickly, the senpai spilled everything he knew without holding back.
"I see. Thank you, Senpai."
Seeing the transaction was complete, the senpai turned to leave, but Ren stopped him. "Senpai, please wait!"
"What else?" The senpai was getting impatient. He figured the new student regretted spending 80,000 points after learning they were a one-time windfall. But a deal was a deal. He wasn't going to be nice and give the points back.
"Senpai, you just extorted 80,000 points from a new student. Aren't you going to give me some compensation?" Ren was smiling, but his words were spoken like a devil.
"What do you mean!?" The senpai looked like he'd seen a ghost. Extortion? Ren was the one who offered the deal!
"There are no cameras here. I'm a first-year, and you're a third-year. Me suddenly transferring 80,000 points to you looks very suspicious, doesn't it? Anyone would call that extortion," Ren explained calmly.
"You realize there are no cameras here as well, right?" Seeing that Ren knew there were no cameras and was still trying to blackmail him, the senpai cracked his knuckles, trying to intimidate the freshman.
...
Thud!
"Don't... don't hit me! I was wrong! I'll give you the points back!"
The senpai was lying on the ground, begging for mercy. He couldn't believe this thin-looking kid was so strong. One punch to the gut had nearly made him throw up.
"Then thank you, Senpai." Ren held out his student ID.
(Received: 80,000 points)
Ren looked at the transfer notification and gave a devilish smile. "Senpai, that's wrong. You made a mistake. It was 800,000 points."
"You...!"
Thud!
(Received: 300,000 points)
Looks like these seniors aren't as rich as I thought, Ren mused to himself as he watched the senpai, face twisted in pure pain, transfer every last point from his card.
"Then thank you, Senpai." It seemed the upperclassman was truly terrified. To stop Ren from demanding more, he had proactively transferred even the small remaining change in his account.
Ren reached down and picked up the thin blanket he had used to cushion his fist. He waved it at the student, as if to say, "Nice doing business with you."
As he was about to leave the alley, Ren seemed to remember something. He turned back. "Senpai, don't even think about reporting me for violence. You don't have a single injury on you. I look forward to our next meeting."
"What... of course not! I wasn't thinking that!" The senpai, who had been planning to run straight to the Student Council President, quickly denied it. He really didn't want to get hit again.
When he processed the second half of Ren's words, the senpai was stunned. He quickly checked his body. He checked over and over. He could still feel the sharp pain clearly where he'd been struck, but there wasn't a single mark or bruise.
He was truly terrified now. He would just have to accept his bad luck.
Ren left the alley and scanned the street for his next target. He had to work quickly before the senpai warned his friends. He walked up to a new student, still holding the folded blanket, and tapped him on the shoulder. When the person turned around, Ren gave a friendly smile.
"Hello, Senpai."