Shit... what's with all these headaches today?
As I stroked the eyebrow between my eyes, trying to nurse my headache, I could only stare in disbelief at the translucent screen that floated in my vision, its appearance reminding me of a status window from a RPG.
Name: Kokonoe Sora
Lvl: 1
EXP: 0/100
STR: 9
DEX: 9
CON: 9
INT: 9
WIS: 9
CHA: 9
Gold: 2500 G
Skills: /
Feats: /
Damn my life is getting weirder and weirder... Let's ignore that for now, I have better things to focus on right now.
As I tried to clear the window with my thoughts, I was relieved to see it disappear before deciding to raise my hand, attracting Hoshinomiya's attention to me.
There's nothing wrong with a student asking his teacher a question, right?
"It looks like you got something to ask, Kokonoe-kun?" Hoshinomiya asked, giving me a cute smile that didn't suit her apparent age.
"Yes. Hoshinomiya-sensei, are we really going to receive 100.000 points next month?" I said and even though I didn't see any change in her expression, I couldn't help but feel that Hoshinomiya's gaze towards me had subtly changed.
"Why are you asking that? Didn't Sensei say we are going to receive 100.000 points every month."
"No, she did say that points are automatically deposited into your account on the first day of every month but she didn't specify the amount."
As whispers spread out in the class, Hoshinomiya simply looked at me before she cutely shrugged her shoulders.
"Who knows?" She said with a kind smile and I blinked at her answer, not expecting her to respond that way. However, the majority of the class frowned, as if they couldn't believe her words or that they didn't satisfy theù. But before they could question her, Ichinose quickly raised her hand and called for her attention.
"Sensei, what do you mean by that?"
"Like I said, who knows… Ichinose-chan, was it? It means just as it means, I don't know."
Her answer left Ichinose speechless as she stared at her with perplexed eyes while I raised my hand once more, catching her attention.
"Sensei, I'd like to ask another question."
"I don't mind, I hope I can answer that one."
"Hoshinomiya-sensei, did the administration instruct you not to reveal anything related to next month's points... No, is there anything you're still hiding from us, other than what you've already revealed to us?"
Once I asked my question, I saw Hoshinomiya's smile widened as she looked at me with narrowed eyes.
"You do know that if they did instruct me, I won't be able to answer."
"That's true, but the fact that you don't answer my question directly is enough to make me doubt that things aren't as simple as they seem. May I ask another question?"
"Of course, this is your right as students to do so."
"In that case, I want to know if we are being evaluated right now." I asked and this time, Hoshinomiya's smile faltered for a moment before returning to normal, however, it didn't reach her eyes at all as they stared at me from where she stood.
"Kokonoe-san." When I heard my last name being called, I saw a boy with blue-purple hair, Kanzaki Ryūji I believe, stand up from his seat and look at me with curiosity in his eyes, just like the other students. "Could you explain to us why you think so?"
"Sure, but it's only a conjecture, so take it with a grain of salt."
Once he nodded, I cleared my throat before deciding to share my thoughts to the rest of the class.
"Hoshinomiya-sensei said earlier that the 100.000 points we just received reflect our assessment of your current worth by the administration. Or, in her words, our value and potential for being able to pass the entrance exam and being selected as one of the 160 students to enroll in this school." I began to talk with Ichinose and my classmates who were listening intently to my words, seeming to encourage me to continue as they stared at me in silence.
"And so I thought. If it was getting into this school that awarded us these points. Then what about next month? What kind of criteria or tests will they use to determine how many points they give us next time?"
"Couldn't they just give us those points for free?" I heard a girl with a ponytail ask but before I could answer her, Kanzaki first as he shook his head.
"No, that idea is too naive. I don't believe the school would do such a thing, especially when it is dedicated to nurture elites. As the saying goes, there is no such thing as a free lunch so there must be something going on behind all of this."
"That's what I thought," I said with a nod before I resumed my thoughts to the others. "We don't know how the amount of points is determined and Hoshinomiya-sensei is refusing to explain because of the administration's order, making me believe that what she told us about the S-System is only the tip of the iceberg. Now, considering that the school seriously evaluates our talents, I believe that they are expecting something from us, even if we are in the dark."
"Expecting something from us? Like what?"
"For example, it could be our grades or even our behavior. Just like we proved ourselves in the entrance exam and obtained 100.000 private points as a result, we must show them proof that we deserve to obtain private points awarded by the school next month." I said this, gesturing toward the camera in the corner of the classroom, which prompted my classmates to look at it with watchful eyes.
"But why our behavior?"
"Perhaps they want to see how we would behave after receiving a huge sum of money, without knowing that we might receive less next month. I mean, if you were told that you would receive 100.000 yen per month for free for the next three years and that you would graduate with a 100% college acceptance or employment rate, how would you react? For my part, I won't be able to resist the temptation to live a carefree and lazy life with all the points provided by the school while doing the bare minimum to graduate from this school." I said, using how my younger self would behave in this kind of situation as an example.
Yeah, I wasn't never the serious kind as a student.
"That's kinda bad..."
"Yeah..."
"I thought of doing the same thing..."
"Anyway, once the month is over and we receive our points, everything Hoshinomiya-sensei has been hiding from us will be revealed and she will have to explain the process behind it. That's why I think that during this entire month, we will be evaluated by the school on our behavior in class or perhaps on campus."
"But in the end, this is nothing but a conjecture, right? Maybe you're mistaken about all this." I heard my neighbor ask, a girl with a ponytail, Amikura Mako, I think her name was, and I hummed, agreeing with her.
"That's right and I have no way to prove what I said. But there's a way to do that," I said before I looked at Hoshinomiya and smiled at her. "Sensei, I would like to know something. How much should I pay you to tell us everything about the school and the S system, including the parts the administration is trying to hide from us?"
"What?"
"You can do that?!"
"Now that I think about it, Hoshinomiya-sensei did say that we could buy everything with points, as long as it's reasonable but is it really?"
As whispers spread among the students once more, Hoshinomiya looked at me with a warm expression that, for some unknown reason, sent chills down my spine as I shivered in my seat.
What's this feeling...?
"Koko... No, I will call you Sora-chan from now on, the information you're trying to buy are quite pricey, you know? You might not be able to afford it even if you save up your points for a year."
"I don't care. It simply means that the information is that important."
"If you say so..." Hoshinomiya said with a small sigh before she looked at me straight in my eyes and gave me her price. "2.000.000 Private Points and I'll open my mouth for you."
"I wish you'd drop the innuendos..." I couldn't help but retort to Hoshinomiya's words as she chuckled.
"She's right, there's no way he can afford that kind of money, even if he gets 100,000 points per month..."
Just as I heard a classmate mutter, Ichinose suddenly stood up from her seat, surprising many of us.
"It's true that he can't afford that price alone, but if we all chip in by paying 50.000 each together, that's a different story." She said as she looked at me with a nod, as if saying that she'll support me.
"I'm not sure about this..."
"I mean, it's basically half of our points..."
However, it seemed like some of our classmates were against her suggestion, which I expected. After all, our points are our livelihood on campus. It's not something we can spend carelessly or on a whim.
"Everyone..."
"Wait, Ichinose-san." I quickly stopped Ichinose when she tried to convince our classmates, prompting her to look at me with a questioning gaze and I shook my head at her, silently telling her she doesn't need to continue. I then turned to Hoshinomiya who was observing us, a smirk on her face.
"Sensei, I'd like to make a deal."
"A deal?"
"That's right. Since you and the school are keeping a lot of information from us, I'd like to try to find them myself, and depending on what I discover, I'd like you to lower the price accordingly."
"Hehe... I don't mind, it sounds interesting. However, I have my own conditions before accepting this... deal, as you call it. For one, you have to have irrefutable proof of at least one hidden piece of information, and I'll lower the price. After all, knowing something and proving it are two different things." She said as I nodded, her words making sense to me.
"The second is that you are forbidden from asking students from outside our class for help. I want you to work either alone or with your classmates only."
Hearing this, I frowned my eyes at her, a bit dubious about her second condition.
Is there some kind of reasons I shouldn't bring this up to other students outside our class? I don't understand... Is it to hinder me, not letting me get as much help as I wished? No, since she's letting my classmates help me, I don't believe it's the case, so... is it perhaps related to the hidden rules of the system? That cooperation between classes could be a problem for us? Damn, I got so many questions with no answers, and that bothers me...
And I think that she'd included the students from the upper grades as well. That said, I'm sure that, just like her, they were silenced by the administration if they went through something similar to us when they enrolled, so there's no chance they'll speak if I ask.
"And finally, I don't want the other classes to know of our deal, so no gossip, okay."
She really insists on not involving the other classes... Now I can't help but believe that there might be something hidden regarding the classes, but what exactly? I'll keep that in mind once I start my research.
"Understood."
"Good. In that case, all I can say for now is good luck, Sora-chan. If there are no further questions, I will leave first. There's still at least a quarter of an hour before the entrance ceremony begins, so you can do whatever you want for now. Just don't be late, or I'll get mad." She said with a pouting face, which made it hard for us to take both her threat and her seriously, before we saw her leave the room with a satisfied smile on her face.
Well, I guess I'll have to play the detective game.
"Kokonoe-kun." I blinked when I heard Ichinose call my name, looking at her as she approached me with a serious expression. "I'll help you look for clues, I'm sure you'll have trouble on your own."
"Thanks, I'll be counting on you." I said, nodding at Ichinose who gave me a kind smile.
"Hey, don't count only on her. I'll help too!"
"Me too!"
As if following Ichinose's example, many of our classmates shouted as they got up from their seats one by one expressing their intention to help before they gathered around us, creating a noisy crowd.
Honestly, I can't say I'm really comfortable being around a bunch of excited teenagers.
"So, what do you think we should do, Kokonoe-kun?" Amikura asked as all eyes turned to me while I just wanted to ask 'Why me?' before I let out a grunt and spoke what I had in mind.
"What we need most right now is information so, obviously, we should look for clues that might shed light on the hidden details of the S-System that Hoshinomiya-sensei refused to share. What I propose is that once the entrance ceremony is over, since we have the day off after that, we should explore the entire campus in small groups. If possible, I invite you to note anything that seems strange, and to take photos and videos of anything that might be useful. However, please remember that we mustn't let other classes discover what we are doing, so be mindful of your own behavior. Just be natural. It would be bad for us if Hoshinomiya-sensei decided to cancel the contract if the other students found out what we're doing."
"That said, I wonder why she was so insistent on not involving the other classes. It would be much easier to gather information if we enlisted their help." A boy with short blue hair wearing glasses complained about Hoshinomiya's conditions, a thought that some shared seeing how they nodded at his words, but Ichinose shook his head at them.
"Maybe there is a reason behind all this. After all, she's our homeroom teacher and while she may act without a care in the world, I don't think she would do anything that wouldn't benefit us, so I say we should trust her on this."
"I… If Ichinose-san says so…" The boy muttered with a small blush and I wanted to whistle when I saw his reaction.
Looks like someone is weak to cute girls...
"If it's decided, I think we should head for the gymnasium now. I think it will be bad for us if we arrive late at the ceremony, if Kokonoe-san's conjecture about us being evaluated on our behavior is right." Kanzaki said, looking at the clock, looking a little worried, which prompted us all to leave the classroom for the gymnasium, not wanting to get in trouble on the first day of school.
As I walked with my classmates, reminding them to not say a word of what happened in the class, I couldn't help but blame Sora for choosing this school, as I felt the future would only be full of problems.