Soon enough, we entered the building, chatting the whole way as we looked for our classroom, though it was mostly her who kept talking as I listened to her words.
"I can't wait to meet our classmate, what about you, Kokonoe-kun?"
"I don't have too many expectations, but it would be great if we all got along well. It'd be great for everyone if we could spend the year without any problems occuring between us."
"You're right, that's why we should do our best and make friends with everyone." Ichinose said with a bright and hopeful expression and I couldn't help but to let out a small smile at her optimism.
Even though it all started with a collision, I should consider myself lucky that the first person I spoke to in this world seemed to be a good kid. By anime standards, pink-haired girls are often cheery and optimistic or sweet and romantic, and I can see that she belongs to the former, seeing her behavior. I have nothing against that. After all, it's much better than the opposite, being a psychopathic yandere like Yuno or Satou.
That said, this is just my first impression of her. We just met, so I don't know her very well. Perhaps she's some two-faced bitch in reality. Well, let's just hope she's a genuinely nice kid. But if she's really a psychopathic yandere… Well, as long as she doesn't fall for me, it's not my problem. I'm often told that I'm a boring person to hang out with so there's a low chance she'd fall for my personality... It kind of hurt, I admit.
Other than that, I'm a little bothered by the number of cameras I noticed on the way, as I looked around, wanting to familiarize myself with the surroundings since I would be studying at this school for the next three years.
When I was a kid, I always joked with my friends about how schools were actually prisons where captors tried to make us mentally disturbed by cramming useless knowledge into our brains or torturing us with hordes of homework.
Although this was always meant to be a joke, after seeing the cameras I'm starting to have doubts.
Of course, I could rationalize this by thinking that it's to prevent bullying and the like from happening on campus, since I've heard that bullying is very common in Japan. But seeing how they confiscated our phones, preventing us from contacting anyone outside of campus, I'm starting to believe that this school isn't what it seems, that there's more to it than just a prestigious high school. A prison school? Perhaps. In any case, I have a bad feeling about all of this.
Why has my life become so complicated... Oh, there's another one here.
And quickly, we arrived in front of our classroom, seeing the sign with the inscription [1-B] written on it next to the front door.
"Good morning!" Ichinose said cheerfully as she entered the room with a wide smile while I silently followed her, more curious about how the seats were arranged.
Looking around the room, which was not even half full, ignoring the stares of the comrades already present, I noticed that each table had a plaque with its name on it. A little disappointed that we couldn't choose our seat, I started looking for mine and was happy to discover that it was at the very back of the room, near the window.
My favorite seat. I won't have to mind anyone looking at me from behind, I've always hated that feeling when I was forced to sit at the very front of the classroom. Now, it'd be perfect if the person in front of me was a tall guy, that way I would be hidden from the teacher's view... Oh, it's you.
"It looks like I'll be sitting in front of you, Kokonoe-kun." I heard Ichinose say as she placed her bag on her desk, looking at me with a smile while I nodded.
"Sure, but be careful, if I see you sleeping, I'll stab you in the waist from behind." I made a little joke to hide my disappointment, causing Ichinose to chuckle.
"I hope you don't, I'm quite ticklish down there." Ichinose said as she placed her hands on her waist in an attempt to protect them from me, while I smirked.
You just gave me another reason to want to do it. Still, I suppose it's not so bad. At least I have an acquaintance near my seat, so all is well. And now that I'm taking a proper good look at the classroom, it looks like I won't be able to slack off, considering there was another camera in the corner, just above the back door.
This is rather problematic...
"Not many people have arrived yet."
"That's because we arrived a little too early, there's still a good hour before the teacher comes." I answered Ichinose as I looked at the clock placed above the board, seeing the time.
[8:43]
According to the first day schedule written in the brochure, we are supposed to go to our classroom at 10:00 to meet our homeroom teacher who will then give us instructions on school and campus life and then at 11:30 attend the entrance ceremony in the gymnasium before having the rest of the day free.
"I'll go speak with the others."
"Okay, do your best." I said with Ichinose nodding at me before walking towards two girls, smoothly joining in their conversations.
She's good... It's something I won't be able to do no matter what. And honestly, I don't think I'll fit well in the class because, despite having the body of a teenager, I'm mentally an old man compared to them. Somehow, I'm feeling a bit depressed about it.
Seeing that there was no problem on Ichinose's side, I simply sat down in my seat before leaning against it, hands in my pockets. I then looked at the blue sky through the window, staring at the clouds while waiting for the time to pass.
And then, as time went on, I noticed more and more people coming into the classroom because it was getting louder and louder.
They sure are excited about their first day of school. That's youth for you.
"Everyone." I then heard Ichinose speak out loud as she stood behind the podium, looking at all of us with a smile. "Since we still have some time before the teacher arrives, since we will now be classmates, how about we introduce ourselves so we can get to know each other?"
"Sure, it sounds like a good idea."
"Ichinose-san, can you show us an example?"
Looking at my classmates, I was a bit surprised when I saw that many agreed with Ichinose's idea, believing inwardly that they would be more reserved than that. That said, I did notice a handful of them being hesitant or silent, seemingly shy or simply uninterested.
"Of course, since I'm the one who proposed the idea. I am Ichinose Honami and my hobby is to make sweets. I'm not really fond of sports, so I won't be able to help much in PE. It's a pleasure to meet you all."
No sooner had Ichinose finished introducing herself, earning applause from many, than a young boy with blue hair energetically raised his hand in the air.
"Then, I'll go next. My name's Shibato Sō, feel free to call me by my first name! I like playing sports, especially soccer, so I plan to join the soccer club if there's one in this school!"
And so, one by one, everyone started introducing themselves, saying what they liked, didn't like, and their hobbies. Even those who were once hesitant or uninterested joined in, as if trying to fit in with the class. And that was until I noticed everyone looking in my direction, some of them having trouble meeting my gaze, while Ichinose nodded at me, prompting me to get up from my seat and look at my classmates.
"The name's Kokonoe Sora. I like cats and I hate bugs with a passion. My hobby... it would be cooking, I guess. Other than that, I just hope we can spend our next three years in good spirits."
After I finished my little speech, my classmates applauded me as I nodded to them before sitting back down in my seat and noticing the time on the clock, [9:58].
"Ichinose-san." I called out to the girl who looked in my direction before I gestured to the time, causing her to look at the clock and let out a gasp.
"That went by really fast," she mumbled before turning to the class, her usual smile on her face. "Everyone, let's go back to our seats and give the teacher a good impression of us to start the new year off right."
"Right!"
And just like that, all the students who were still standing quickly went to their designated seats and sat down before looking at the front door waiting for the teacher to arrive.
I'm quite amazed how fast Ichinose managed to get them under her thumb, seeing how quickly they listened to her request. I guess, as that person once said, there's nothing cute girls can't do.
And as the bell rang, the door opened to reveal a young woman with long, wavy brown hair standing behind it, wearing a pink t-shirt, before she entered the classroom with a warm smile on her face. She then walked over to the podium where she placed a stack of documents and a huge box before looking at us and humming to herself, seemingly pleased with our behavior.
"It seems like I have some obedient children as students this year, keep it up and your teacher will be really pleased. My name is Hoshinomiya Chie. Everyone, please remember this, because if you don't, I will be very sad." She said as she winked at us, a hint of mischief in her voice, while some students were taken aback by her behavior, which I can understand.
We don't know what to expect from the staff at a prestigious school like this one, so seeing someone like her who seems like an easy-going teacher, anyone would be surprised.
"First of all, unlike other schools, classes don't change from year to year, so you'll all be classmates for the next three years, and as your homeroom teacher, I'll be with you all until you graduate from this school."
It's no different from France where you keep the same classmates for the last two years of high school, apart from the change of homeroom teacher, so I'm not surprised.
"As for what I teach, it's foreign languages and I'm also the school nurse, but I hope I don't see any of you in the infirmary, especially if it involves doing indecent activities, okay?" Hoshinomiya said as she looked at all of us with a small smirk, causing some of the kids in the class to blush while I shook my head, a little exasperated by her antics.
Don't say that to a bunch of kids going through puberty... Is she really a teacher?
"Next, I'll talk about the school regulations. Please pass this on to your classmates behind you, these are the admissions guides." Hoshinomiya spoke as we all received a stack of documents with details about the campus and its various rules, some of which we had already been informed of as well as others we had no knowledge of.
"I'm sure you all already know that you will now be living in individual dorms on campus and that, except for special circumstances, no one is allowed to leave the school grounds. But don't worry, aside from the academic facilities, there are plenty of amenities for you to enjoy, so it's not like you'll be trapped here without any fun for the next three years," she said before she started to cutely count on her fingers, a hint of playfulness in her eyes. "There's a cafeteria, shopping district, karaoke bars, cafes, a theater, sports gyms and... Well, there are enough facilities to make the campus a small city in itself, so you won't be short of ways to entertain yourselves."
Just as the students were digesting her words, perhaps even imagining their future life in the campus, Hoshinomiya opened the large box on the podium from which she pulled out a phone and held it up for everyone to see.
"Now, I want to talk about the most important system in this school, it is known as the S-System. First of all, I will be giving all of you a school-issued smartphone that will not only serve as your school ID card but also as your credit card. I will call your name one by one, so please come here so I can give it to you directly."
And under her guidance, it didn't take long before we all got our new phones and Hoshinomiya to resume her explanation.
"So, to continue what I said, you will find on your new phone a pre-installed feature that will allow you to check your Private Points, which are basically a currency that you can use within the campus. Your new phone can be used simply by swiping the screen through the machine scanner, so it's relatively simple, and by using it, you can access any of the facilities on campus, purchase goods, and so on. As long as it's reasonable; you can buy anything with your points, but don't go buy your classmates' human rights because that's unethical, okay?"
What a morbid joke... That said, I'm quite interested in knowing what can be considered unreasonable, given that people's standards are not the same. Is it from the point of view of society or ours?
"Points are automatically deposited into your account on the first day of every month. You should all have received 100.000 points already, so check them out. And before I forget, do keep in mind that one point is worth one yen, so you should understand their values."
As soon as the last detail left her mouth, the classroom erupted with noises as many students stared at their phones with shock, some of them acting like they just won the lottery given their giddy smile.
That said, I'm not that surprised by their reactions since they just received the equivalent of 100.000 yen for free. I would be too if it were me when I was younger. When I was a teenager, my pocket money and New Year's red envelope combined would never have amounted to this amount.
Still, there's something in her words that bothers me. She only said that we received 100.000 points, not that we will receive 100.000 points every month.
Honestly, it's quite hard to believe that a school, even one funded by the Japanese government, can give all of its students a monthly allowance equivalent to 100.000 yen when you consider that, according to the pamphlet, there are 160 students per grade and therefore 480 students in total on campus.
That would be 48.000.000 yen per month, and there is no way the school would spend such a sum on us, even if it was to train the future leaders of this country.
Is she misleading us? But for what purpose?
"I see you are all shocked by the amount of points you have been awarded and I can't blame you, I too would like to receive that kind of money for free. That said, this school evaluates the talents of its students very seriously. Everyone here has passed the entrance exam, which in itself is a testament to your value and potential, which is what the school is looking for. In other words, you could say that the amount you received reflects your assessment of your current worth."
As I listened to her words, I couldn't help but frown as I pondered over them.
Awarded... Evaluate... Entrance exam... Testament… Assessment?! Don't tell me…
I glanced at the camera with a frown, feeling a sense of foreboding.
"A little tip from me, you don't have to save excessively, because after you graduate, the school will take all your points back, so feel free to spend as much as you want during the following three years. Of course, it's impossible to exchange your points for cash, so don't bother thinking about it. By the way, extorting money from your peers is a big no-no, you hear me." Hoshinomiya said, raising her finger and shaking it in a playful manner. "I'm warning you, this school monitors bullying very carefully, so be mindful of your own actions."
So as long as it's legit, you can steal... I mean, take points from others. Well, as long as I don't cross the law, it should be fine.
Looking at the phone, I finally turned it on and was puzzled when I saw the screen glitching, making me blink.
Is this normal?
And then, just before I could ask the teacher for help, I suddenly got shocked by the phone, making me jolt in pain before letting out a groan as I suffered another massive headache.
"And as your homeroom teacher, I believe I should be the one saying this to all of you so..."
I heard Hoshinomiya say when a transparent blue screen suddenly appeared in my field of vision, which gave me nothing but bad feelings.
[Congratulations, you became the Player.]
"I welcome you all to Advanced Nurturing High School and I hope you have a happy three years."