Waking up to the sound of my phone's alarm, I could only groan into my pillow, with only one thought on my mind.
I don't want to go to school...
After quickly turning off the alarm before getting even more upset hearing it, I stretched my body as I felt sore all over from yesterday's workout.
I wouldn't say it was hard, because the quest didn't stipulate that I had to do it all at once, so I had no trouble doing 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, and 100 squats by taking a break between each session, even with my lanky body. However, the most troublesome thing was the 10-kilometer run, which proved to be difficult with my lack of stamina.
I never liked to run long distances in the first place, so it was quite a trial for me. Well, as long as you persevere, you can succeed.
The Preparation To Become The Strongest: [1/7]
I smiled slightly when I saw the small results of my efforts displayed on the quest page before getting up and heading to the bathroom to wash my face.
In comparison, the other quest was easier to accomplish because the term 'Gain Knowledge' was more literal than I expected as I already cleared the daily task before I knew it.
The Discipline To Become Enlightened: [1/7]
It seems that as long as I learn something new for a certain amount of time, the system takes it into account. Well, as long as I gain new knowledge everyday, I shouldn't have to worry about that quest.
After cleaning my face and brushing my teeth, I wore my school uniform before I glanced at my reflection on the body mirror in the closet.
Since our behavior is being monitored, I should probably wear my uniform properly. And my earrings too...
I thought as I looked down at the earrings on the desk, deciding not to wear them for the meantime, and went to prepare breakfast.
Better get some energy first or I'll end up sleeping in class.
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Letting out a yawn as I left the dorm for school, I couldn't help but already wish that tomorrow was Saturday already, not wanting to study or even taking exams in the future.
"Kokonoe-kun, good morning!" I suddenly blinked when I heard a familiar voice calling me from behind. Glancing back, I saw Ichinose coming out from the dorm. She ran in my direction with a beaming smile on her face, so much so that I wanted to squint at her radiant expression.
"Good morning, you seem full of energy today." I said, a little surprised as I didn't knew we were placed in the same dorm.
Well, I never asked so it can't be helped.
"Of course I am. After all, I think it's best for us to start the year in a good mood if we want to have a fulfilling school life, and I thought it'd be great if I could share that mindset with the others."
"Yeah, I suppose you're not wrong about that."
I've heard that a good academic mood generally has beneficial effects on cognitive processing and studying. Therefore, it's better to live in a relaxed and positive atmosphere rather than a stressful and anxious one, which could be good for the class if they want to strive for the top.
"Still, I'm a bit surprised that you're dressed properly today. Are you trying to turn over a new leaf?" She asked as she looked at my attire while I nodded, affirming her words.
"You could say that." I'm literally having a fresh start, with a new identity, so it's not really a lie.
"And also because I don't want to get into trouble for not respecting the dress code, if we happen to have one. With our behavior being monitored, I don't want to take any risks." I whispered to Ichinose after glancing around, trying to spot any eavesdroppers, but seeing none.
Ever since I've met the Student Council President yesterday and how he jumped at me from nowhere, I feel like I'm slowly becoming paranoid.
"If you're that cautious, I guess you must have learned something important yesterday when you explored the school alone."
"Something like that. It's not something I want to openly talk about though."
If people knew that the classes were competing, there would be a risk of animosity between students, and if this happened, it might arouse suspicion from other classes, which would be a problem for our own class.
So I think for now, the less people that know about the competition, the better it is.
"In that case, you don't have to tell me then." Ichinose said and, to be honest, I was a bit surprised by her words as I thought she would be curious enough to ask.
"Really?"
"I think there's a good reason you don't want to share what you've discovered since I don't believe you're the kind of person who is willing to hide information. I mean, yesterday, after you asked Hoshinomiya-sensei if we were evaluated, you went your way to explain to all of us your train of thoughts when Kanzaki-kun asked for an explanation, giving us a good aspect of the hidden aspect of this school when Hoshinomiya-sensei wouldn't." Ichinose said as she looked straight into my eyes, a small smile on her face.
"It may sound weird and sudden for you, but I want to believe that you're keeping quiet about it for our own good."
I have to admit, she's right. It sounds really weird and sudden to me, to be told from a girl I just met a day ago that she trusts me.
Aren't I supposed to have low charisma, be somewhat annoying, or make people slightly uncomfortable? So, why is she saying this?
Either she's an angel, the type that is kind to everybody and trusts people easily, no matter who they are, or a seductress who is really good with words and manipulates people before placing them under her thumb.
In both cases, she seems dangerous in different ways.
"Now, I'm a little troubled."
Honestly, I'm not sure what's the smartest choice to do here. I'm no smart person, so I'd like to have another brain to work with me, and she seems smart. Ultimately, it'd be great if I had someone who could compensate for my own flaws, a slave... I mean, an accomplice.
But the question is, whether I should trust her or not… Alright, I made up my mind.
"Since you trust me so much, I'm willing to do the same. However, I'll ask you to wait until after school is over. This isn't the best place or time to talk about this." I asked Ichinose who stared at me for a moment before she nodded with a small smile on her face, seemingly happy that I shared her trust.
"I don't mind at all. So, where do you want to talk?"
"I haven't thought about it yet. Well, I don't really care about the place, as long as it's somewhere private."
"In that case, I found a nice cafe with the girls when we went shopping yesterday, why don't we go there together?" Ichinose asked with a hopeful expression, to which I responded with a nod.
Being a complete recluse in my previous life, I had never been to such a place before, not even Starbucks, so I'm a bit interested. And since I'm in Japan, I wonder if they have those famous neko café on campus. I should really explore the island from top to bottom soon.
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As I heard the bell rang, announcing the end of the first day of class, even if it was our second day of school.
We spent most of the morning running over the course objectives and received some textbooks, so there were no lessons whatsoever, which was great.
"Ah, everyone, before you go, I have a few things to tell you." Hoshinomiya said as she stood behind the podium with an adorable smile, prompting us to stay on our seats and wait for her words.
"Thank you, I love obedient children. So, first of all, I want to inform you that at 5 p.m., the student council will be holding a student club fair in Gymnasium Number 1. So, if you are interested in joining a club, you should gather there by that time." She said, causing several students to speak out, all already wanting to join a certain club in mind.
"Kokonoe-kun, are you planning to join a club?" Ichinose asked, looking at me from her seat while I shrugged, not having considered the idea.
"Not really. I'll probably change my mind later at the fair once I see something that interests me."
"Now, the second thing I wanted to talk about... Sora-chan!"
I blinked my eyes when I heard Hoshinomiya shout my name, causing me to look at her in confusion.
What? I've done nothing bad yet.
"I heard from the Chairman that you did something quite interesting yesterday. He was very impressed."
Yesterday... I guess she must be talking about my deal with the president, but how... Oh right, the camera. Either that, or Horikita informed him himself. Perhaps it's both, with the Chairman calling Horikita to his office for more information.
"What did you do, Kokonoe-kun?" Ichinose asked me while I scratched my head in annoyance when I saw everybody in the class staring at me.
"Nothing really. I just happened to meet with the Student Council President and made a deal with him."
"You met the Student Council President?!" She exclaimed in surprise, a reaction that was shared by many, while I nodded before I looked at Hoshinomiya who had a wide smile on her face, as if she enjoyed seeing me in distress.
"So, Hoshinomiya-sensei, is there something wrong with what I did with our dear president? As far as I recall, I didn't break any of your conditions. I didn't ask him for help, we simply exchanged information under a legitimate contract, nothing more." I asked and she shook her head, her smile not leaving her face.
"No, there's nothing wrong. In fact, I'm quite happy to see you're working hard to honor our verbal agreement. That's why I'd like to formalize this with a contract." She said this as she took a piece of paper from her binder, waving it in the air as if asking me to come and get it.
So, I stood up from my seat and walked to the podium where I took the contract from her hand and read its content.
During the following hour after the contract is signed,
As a condition for lowering the price of all details regarding the S-System, namely 2.000.000 Private Points, Kokonoe Sora will answer six questions posed by Hoshinomiya Chie.
For each question successfully answered, the price will be lowered by 250.000 Private Points.
Kokonoe Sora is forbidden from getting help from anybody other than himself.
This contract is only available on April 2nd from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
Violating this contract would result in the school issuing the harshest possible punishment, dismissal from school.
Hoshinomiya Chie
"It looks like I won't be able to postpone this to a later date."
"Sorry, but it's an order from the Chairman. I can't disobey him, or he'll take away my salary." Hoshinomiya said, looking at me with a distressed look while I could only sigh as I attracted the attention of a troublesome person.
I just hope he doesn't make my life at this school a living hell just because I managed to get a head start on everyone else.
"Kokonoe-san, can I see the contract?" Kanzaki asked, walking towards me. I nodded and handed him the contract to read, with Ichinose and some other classmates surrounding him as they took a look at the contract in his hand.
"Can you do it?" Ichinose asked me with a worried gaze while I scratched my head, not really confident, but I then nodded as I had no choice in the matter.
If I refuse, I'll lose a golden opportunity to lower the price of the information, of everything that I'm lacking about what I already know for only 500.000 Private Points, meaning 12.500 points per person if I can have Ichinose convince everybody into helping.
"I'm going to give it my all, so I must ask all of you to remain silent for now. If I hear anyone accidentally whisper the answer to a question, it will be as if you have helped me, which would mean a breach of contract and I'll be expelled as a result."
Hearing this, Ichinose quickly nodded before turning to everyone in the class and spoke out.
"Alright, everybody, you heard what he said, so let's be quiet for a moment."
"Okay!"
"If Ichinose-san says so."
As they all listened to her words, I took the contract from Kanzaki and signed it, then handed it to Hoshinomiya who was waiting for us.
"Hoshinomiya-sensei, I'm ready whenever you want me to be."
"Perfect, then let's start." She said as she looked at me with a neutral gaze, giving her a completely different atmosphere from her usual one while I took a deep breath, ready to take on her questions.
"First question, what is the ultimate goal of the school?"
The ultimate goal of this school? Obviously, it should be about educating and nurturing talented students, but I don't think it should be that simple when you consider the ranking system and the penalty for underperforming students, which is expulsion.
This school is not just an academic institution, it is an arena where only the strongest survive, a survival game where we have to live with a salary befitting our position in the social ladder.
I have to say, it reminds me a lot of the working world, with classes being businesses competing with each other in the same business and students being employees... That's it!
"It's to create a competitive environment that mimics the working world, where only the strong survive," I said, causing many of my classmates to look at me in shock. Hoshinomiya simply smiled, seemingly not intending to validate my answer just yet.
"Second question, why do students start with 1000 points but end up with varying amounts over time?"
By 1000 points, she must be talking about the Class Points. I already know that they determine both our position in the class ranking and the number of Private Points we earn each month. And that certain actions also affect them, such as our behavior in class or our good results in exams, as the President confirmed to me yesterday.
"Because Class Points are influenced by student performance, behavior, and possibly exams. The school is deliberately creating an initial 'equal' stage before letting the students themselves determine their own place in the competition with their own actions."
Upon my reply, I noticed that some students wanted to speak, but they quickly refrained from doing so, much to my gratitude.
"Third question." I heard Hoshinomiya say as I turned my attention back to her.
"What is the purpose of the Class Ranking system?"
I already know that only Class A gets special benefits, like the 100% admission to higher education and employment rate. So, with that as the prize, the administration created this system to encourage students to excel by putting them in competition where only the best will win it all.
"It's to force students to adopt a competitive mindset where only the best will receive special benefits, while those who fail to rise will be left behind. It simulates the corporate and political world where status determines opportunities."
"Fourth question, what is the role of teachers in this system?"
When I heard her question, I blinked in surprise as I didn't expect that they had a specific role, aside from teaching us. No, I suppose I already saw some hints since yesterday.
Although she dodged our questions when we asked her about the S-System, she's willing to bend the rules, using deception and manipulation in order to help us, to guide us to what we want.
However, I feel like that they aren't here to do just that as they are also here to judge us on our potential.
"The role of teachers in this system is to act as overseers, not protectors. Their role is to guide, without interfering, so that we, students, can determine our own future without direct help."
"Fifth question... Sora-chan, if you had to choose between saving your class or securing your own future, which would you pick?"
I couldn't help but sneer when I heard her question, my back growing cold as I felt the eyes of all of my classmates on me.
Damn... Fortunately, I don't have to be truthful about this or I'll get lynched by everyone for saying I want to secure my own future. Well, the optimal answer to this question should be...
"I'll pick both. As long as I make the class reach the top, my future will be secure, so I don't need to choose at all."
"That's greedy of you."
"You're right, but I still want everything. That's my answer."
"I see... I understand." She said with a small smile, unlike any she showed us until now before she kindly looked at me.
"Sora-chan, this is my last question. Would you accept the role of class representative?"
By class representative, does she mean being the leader of the class? I'm not sure why, but I feel it has nothing to do with the S-System. Still, even if it was...
"I refuse!" I adamantly refused her offer, much to her and everybody's surprise as they looked at me with wide eyes.
"Why is that, Sora-chan?"
"Well, for one, I don't believe I'm leader-material, so it's better for everyone I don't take up the role."
And because it sounds like trouble more than anything.
"Also, there is already someone who fits the role perfectly in the class. Am I right, Ichinose-san?" I said, letting out a small smile when I saw Ichinose shyly point her finger at herself, as if saying 'M–Me?' before I looked at all my classmates and spoke to them.
"Everyone, even though it's only been a day since we met, I'm sure you all agree with me that someone like Ichinose-san, who is kind and cheerful, extremely outgoing, and able to make friends with anyone willing to talk to her, is the only person in the class we can trust to become our class representative. Am I right?"
Hearing my words, a large majority of the students nodded in unison, showing their agreement, while the minority showed no rejection to the question.
Well, I took their silence as an agreement as well.
"That's why I won't take up the role, Hoshinomiya-sensei. But if you need me to do something for you, feel free to call me. I'm willing to help you for a little price." I said, looking at our dear homeroom teacher, who was wearing a wide smile that didn't reach her eyes as they were narrowed at me, if not glaring at me.
"You're really a very bad child, Sora-chan... A very bad one."