Chapter 20: I Want to Purchase the Right to Play Games in Class
The appearance of the Class A homeroom teacher did not come as a surprise to the students; after all, it was perfectly normal for the same teacher to be responsible for courses across different classes.
"This teacher looks really strict..." "With that build, is he a wrestler?" "He doesn't look like the type who's easy to talk to."
A few students whispered among themselves.
Mashima Tomonari's gaze, however, passed through the other students in the class and locked firmly onto Katsuragi Keima. From beginning to end, Keima had not lifted his head to spare him a single glance.
Mashima Tomonari had previously heard that Class D had a very special student who possessed academic abilities that even Class A students could not hope to match, yet who harbored an almost pathological obsession with games. This must be the fellow.
Mashima didn't say anything; he simply began the day's lecture. His task was merely to teach the class; Class D was not his own, so he would not interfere with the students there.
As the lesson progressed, the students below the podium gradually became more "indulgent." It started tentatively—closing eyes to rest, whispering to one another, or surreptitiously playing on phones. But after discovering that this teacher did not enforce classroom discipline, they became increasingly blatant, with some even placing their phones directly on their desks to play.
Mashima Tomonari saw all of this, of course, and merely shook his head slightly. He considered himself a serious and responsible teacher; if this were his own class, he would never allow such a thing to happen. But since this wasn't his class, he was just an ordinary subject teacher to them, and he would not overstep by interfering with the students' choices.
Furthermore, no teacher would ever proactively mention the S-System that governed the acquisition of points within the school. Every action of a student would affect the class's overall points, thereby dictating the individual points acquired. The school didn't intentionally hide it, but they wouldn't proactively disclose it either; the purpose was to see if the students could discover the school's rules on their own. It was to make them understand that in this school, merit is supreme.
'It seems this year's Class D students are no different,' Mashima Tomonari muttered to himself.
The class designations A, B, C, and D were actually the school's initial evaluation of the new students; Class D students were those with the lowest comprehensive quality. He himself had once been a student at this school, a classmate of Chabashira Sae and the others; back then, the gap between Class D and Class A wasn't so massive.
But now, that gap was being continuously amplified. Since becoming a teacher, he had seen many Class Ds eventually spiral into ruin. This current Class D was not much different—one could even say they were the worst among all previous Class Ds.
'They haven't noticed anything regarding the S-System. Meanwhile, in my Class A, one student has already begun to figure out the general idea in just a few days. What a pity; there are clearly good prospects in this class, but when all students are placed in the same environment and subject to the same rules, with fairness as the premise, variations in growth are an expected outcome.'
Mashima Tomonari's gaze locked onto Katsuragi Keima.
A+ academic ability, judgment, and intelligence—this was rare in the entire history of the school since its founding. Perhaps he had severe defects in other areas, which was why he was assigned to Class D. As they say, "he who touches pitch shall be defiled"; if he were in Class A, he might have walked a different path.
However, even as a teacher, he had no right to transfer a student. Only by spending 20 million points could one transfer classes. For a Class D student, that was impossible. It was a vicious cycle.
"You, answer this question."
Mashima Tomonari walked up to Katsuragi Keima and lightly tapped on his desk. Beside him, Horikita Suzune tilted her head slightly to look at Keima. Now that the teacher had walked directly up to him, he would surely have to restrain himself.
Keima did not stand up. He remained fully engrossed in his game, yet the answer came straight out of his mouth.
Mashima's brow twitched slightly. His attention had been on Keima the whole time; the boy had clearly been playing his game continuously, yet the answer he gave was correct. Curious, Mashima posed an even more difficult question. Keima still provided the correct answer.
"Sensei, are there any more questions? Please wait until I save my game first."
Keima's eyes remained fixed on the screen as he spoke to Mashima, seemingly finding the interruption somewhat bothersome.
Mashima Tomonari sighed softly. He was indeed a top-tier prospect, but that was all.
"While you do possess impressive talent, I hope you will seriously consider your choices."
Mashima could only offer this much advice.
"Mashima-sensei, by 'choices,' are you referring to me playing games during class? If so, I won't regret it, because the world of games is the most important side to me."
Keima's expression didn't change, but his tone was very firm.
Mashima looked at the youth before him. He clearly hadn't realized the gravity of the situation; playing games in class affected more than just—
"If you're referring to the fact that this behavior might affect the points we acquire later, then I also have a question I'd like to ask you, Sensei."
"What?"
Mashima froze for a moment; for a second, he thought he had misheard. Had the boy before him just stated the rules of the S-System so nonchalantly?
He glanced around. Most of the Class D students were completely immersed in their own worlds; few had even noticed the content of Keima's dialogue. Mashima shifted his focus back to Keima and swallowed hard, his curiosity about this student growing even deeper. If he knew the rules, why was he still doing things that would negatively impact himself?
"Go ahead and ask."
Mashima was curious to see what kind of question Keima would pose.
"Chabashira-sensei said that in this school, you can buy anything with points. So, I would like to ask: can I use points to purchase the right to play games during class?"
Katsuragi Keima put down his handheld and looked at Mashima Tomonari.
Mashima narrowed his eyes, returning the gaze. The look behind his glasses was incredibly serious. Meanwhile, Horikita Suzune, who was listening to their conversation beside them, wore an expression of absolute shock.
'What on earth is this guy talking about?'