"Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, Natsukawa-kun, how was your swim?" Kushida Kikyo's face was brimming with a cheerful, energetic smile, dazzling like summer sunlight.
She was wearing the standard school swimsuit. Although the style was conservative, it perfectly accentuated her full figure. The fabric across her chest was taut, making her look exceptionally busty, yet her waist was surprisingly slender. Under the *sukumizu*, a pair of round, full, and vibrant legs were visible. Water droplets slid from her brown short hair, flowing down her fair neck and collarbone, adding a hint of healthy allure.
"It was alright," Kiyotaka Ayanokoji replied, concise as always.
"Barely passing." Natsukawa smiled, meeting Kushida's gaze calmly, while his mind raced, activating observation mode.
Kushida's smile was impeccable, but deep within her eyes, when she looked at Natsukawa, there was a trace of subtle scrutiny. "Natsukawa-kun, you seem unfamiliar. Unlike Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, whom I met on the second day of school. Where did you attend middle school?"
It's here. Natsukawa understood internally. Sure enough, his "unsociable" behavior at the start of school had attracted the attention of this social expert. He was prepared, and a look of appropriate nostalgia appeared on his face: "An obscure private school over in Kansai. I only came to Tokyo because of my parents' job transfer."
He skillfully employed Cold Reading, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping over Kushida's unconscious habit of rubbing her fingers and her smiling eyes. He began, "Kushida-san, you seem quite obsessed with collecting 'friends.' Do you feel that only by establishing connections with everyone can you gain enough security? Or perhaps... you once felt extremely uneasy because you couldn't fit into a certain circle?"
Kushida's smile froze for a fraction of a second. Although it quickly recovered, the shock in her eyes was hard to conceal. She gave a dry laugh: "N-Natsukawa-kun, what are you talking about? I just enjoy being friends with everyone..."
Natsukawa knew when to stop, not delving further. He changed to a relaxed tone: "Just kidding. But it's an honor to be friends with someone as popular as Kushida-san. When I was in middle school, I traveled abroad with my family a few times and saw some interesting customs, such as..." He threw out a piece of foreign knowledge not commonly heard, successfully diverting the topic and piquing Kushida's interest enough for her to ask follow-up questions.
The two exchanged banter, and the atmosphere gradually livened up. Natsukawa didn't deliberately show off; instead, he guided Kushida to ask questions and then answered calmly, fully demonstrating his extensive knowledge and composed manner, which was distinctly different from an average high school boy. The look in Kushida's eyes, starting from initial probing, gradually gained genuine curiosity and interest.
"Natsukawa-kun, you know so much!" Kushida said sincerely, then turned her gaze toward Kiyotaka Ayanokoji beside her. "Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, you too. You look slender, but I didn't expect your muscles to be so firm, and you're a really good swimmer."
Just then, Ike Kanji, who had finished watching Sudo and Kōenji's ultimate showdown, saw Kushida and Kiyotaka Ayanokoji chatting happily. He immediately darted over like a dog guarding its food, wrapping his arm around Kiyotaka Ayanokoji's neck and whispering a declaration: "Kushida is my future target! You guys aren't allowed to mess things up! Right, Ayanokoji!"
Kiyotaka Ayanokoji nodded, his face still expressionless, though Natsukawa was certain that internally, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji was ridiculing Ike's overestimation of himself.
Watching this sudden farce, Kushida, who was standing nearby, let out a soft laugh. Sunlight, the pool, a girl's laughter, and boys' roughhousing formed a seemingly harmonious picture of youth.
The noise of the pool gradually subsided, and the tranquility of the night quietly arrived. Natsukawa had just finished his daily evening workout and was walking back to the dormitory. Since the second day of school, Natsukawa had started his recovery training; after all, health was his capital. Just as he wiped the sweat off and returned to Dorm Room 403, the Personal Terminal in his pocket vibrated.
He picked it up and saw that the sender was Ichinose Honami.
"Natsukawa-kun, good evening. I apologize for disturbing you so late. Regarding the 'Notes' you gave us today... our Class B discussed it and we have an idea. Could we... tell the students in Class C and 1st Year Class D about these easily penalized items? If everyone is unaware of the rules and gets points deducted haphazardly, or even faces the risk of expulsion, we feel... it's a bit pitiful."
Looking at the words on the screen, full of goodwill and perhaps a little naive, Natsukawa could almost see Ichinose's face, slightly hesitant yet incredibly serious. He smiled, practically imagining how the group of "good people" in Class B had unanimously passed this "altruistic" resolution during their discussion.
He sat down at his desk and quickly replied:
"Ichinose-san, is this decision based on your personal goodwill, or is it a collective resolution by Class B?"
It was an almost instantaneous reply.
"It's my decision, and also everyone's collective decision! We all believe we should help each other, rather than watch students from other classes fall into trouble."
Just as expected. Natsukawa shook his head, lamenting internally how luxurious such purity was in a cruel competitive environment. He tapped his fingers and replied:
"Should I call you adorably naive, or excessively kind? I understand and respect your decision. Since the information was sold to you, how you dispose of it is your freedom. I only have one requirement—you absolutely must not reveal the existence of the 's system' and its core operational mechanisms, especially the parts about Class Points and Private Points. You can warn them about which behaviors are wrong, but you cannot explain the consequences, nor can you mention the existence of Class Points. Can you do that?"
"Of course! We absolutely won't reveal anything about the s system or Natsukawa-kun! We just want to give everyone a friendly, kind reminder!" Ichinose's reply carried the lightness of relief, followed by a cute emoticon (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ).
"A friendly reminder, huh..." Natsukawa muttered to himself, a complex smile playing on his lips. He already saw the outcome, but still replied: "Alright. I hope your 'goodwill' bears good fruit."
He put down the terminal, walked to the window, and looked out at the tranquil night. Class B's actions were within his expectations; this was one reason he chose to sell the information to Class B rather than the others—only they would likely disseminate the information in the form of "goodwill," which itself could stir up the 1st Year situation to some extent, and that was not a bad thing for him.
Days passed, and the daily life of 1st Year Class D remained a scene of "vibrant vitality and competing growth." Whispering in class, openly playing on phones, and even occasional napping were still common occurrences.
Soon, some rumors reached 1st Year Class D.
"Hey, did you guys hear? Those guys in Class B seem to be running some kind of 'Campus Civilization Standards' campaign recently?"
"Huh? Are they crazy? Pay attention in class, don't be late or leave early, take care of public property... Isn't that stuff even elementary school students know?"
"Exactly, acting like they're so superior. They must be suffering from Good Student Syndrome."
"Who cares about them, let's just do our own thing!"
Ike Kanji, Yamauchi Haruki, and others scoffed at this, even treating it as after-meal entertainment. Sudo Ken was indifferent, caring only about Basketball Club training. Even Kushida Kikyo, while outwardly friendly to everyone, did not put genuine effort into maintaining class discipline; her "friendliness" was largely superficial.
Kiyotaka Ayanokoji remained like an automaton, while Natsukawa was happy to enjoy the peace. During the day he attended classes, after school he exercised, and in the evening, he continuously refined his program. He needed to improve the program's functionality; not only was it necessary to handle the system's cost, but if used well, it could also make his school life much easier.
Class B's kind reminder was like a stone thrown into the stagnant water of 1st Year Class D, creating only a trivial ripple before quickly returning to its original state. No one bothered to investigate why Class B suddenly acted this way, simply dismissing them as a group of inappropriate "old fogeys." Most people in 1st Year Class D continued to act as they pleased, immersed in the beautiful illusion of the first month of school, recklessly squandering the "huge sum" they had just received, buying unnecessary snacks, drinks, and games, as if the 100,000 points were unexpected wealth that would never run out.
Thus, in a strange, starkly contrasting atmosphere, time quietly slipped toward the end of April, and finally arrived silently on May 1st.
The morning sun was still bright. Many 1st Year Class D students, including Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki, still showed the fatigue of staying up late playing games or reading manga, but their eyes sparkled with anticipation. They habitually took out their Personal Terminals, ready to check for the new month's "pocket money," excitedly discussing which long-awaited new game to buy, or which new restaurant at the Keyaki Shopping Center to splurge on.
The atmosphere in the classroom was somewhat restless due to this anticipation. However, as time passed, the expected outcome failed to materialize.
"Huh? Why haven't my points arrived yet?"
"Mine too... strange, didn't Little Sae say they were always on time?"
"Is the system delayed?"
At first, it was just sporadic doubt, but soon, this doubt spread like a plague. More and more people began checking their accounts, their expressions shifting from anticipation to confusion, and then from confusion to a subtle, creeping unease.
On the podium, the Class teacher, Chabashira Sae, appeared promptly. She still maintained her cold, stern demeanor, but unlike before, she was holding two rolled-up poster-like objects. Her gaze calmly swept over the restless crowd below, as if she had anticipated this scene long ago.
Without any unnecessary preamble, she clearly announced in her characteristic, emotionless voice:
"I will now announce the Class Point calculation results for this class for April."
She paused, her gaze seemingly intentionally or unintentionally sweeping over a few students who were still whispering.
"1st Year Class D, this month's final Class Points—0 points."
"Therefore, the Private Points received by each student this month are—0 points."
"..."
A deathly silence blanketed the entire 1st Year Class D classroom.