I got off the bus and stood before a gate formed from natural rocks, students dressed in school uniforms passing through it.
Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, or ANHS for short, was created by the Japanese government to develop future leaders for Japan. They had a unique system where students were made to compete in special exams to achieve the said purpose.
Akira looked at it for a while before taking the first step. This would be the place where he would live for the next 3 years.
Akira couldn't help but feel a little excited; after all, this high school was so much fun! It was the original allure of special exams and class battles which made him read the light novels. He was disappointed when the novel slowly turned into something of a harem novel.
After finding the classroom, he quietly entered through the back door and found the seat that bore his nameplate. He looked to his left, and there she sat—Suzune Horikita. She was reading a book titled Crime and Punishment, a story debating whether it was correct to kill someone for the sake of justice.
Akira would personally never read such a book. He thought about introducing himself to her but decided against it considering her cold and distant personality. It'd instead be better to let her approach him.
The first bell rang, and instantly a woman wearing a suit walked into the classroom.
"Ahem, good morning, new students. My name is Chabashira Sae, and I am in charge of Class D this year. I teach Japanese history. This school doesn't rearrange the classes every year, so over the next three years, I hope I get to know all of you. Best regards. Although the entrance ceremony will be one hour from now in the gymnasium, I will now distribute the list of special rules of this school and the matriculation guide."
Akira received the school guide but didn't bother with it. He knew most of the rules already.
Once all the guides were distributed, Chabashira-sensei continued with her explanation.
"I will now hand out student ID cards. With this card, you can buy anything from any of the shops and facilities around campus. It works like a credit card. However, be careful of how many points you use. There's nothing you can't buy at school. If there's something on school grounds, it's purchasable."
Akira received his ID card. It looked different from the one he saw in the anime and had a much simpler design.
"Student cards can be used by swiping them on the machines. Using the machines is really easy, so you won't have any trouble with them. The points will be automatically credited on the first day of the month. Everyone should already have 100,000 points on their card. Also, 1 point is worth 1 yen. Any more explanation is unnecessary."
Instantly, the classroom erupted.
100,000 yen per month allowance for students back in 2014? It was outrageous. Of course, Chabashira hadn't mentioned anywhere that they'd receive 100,000 points every month, but her wording made it so that everyone assumed it to be true.
"Shocked by the amount of points you've been given? This school evaluates its students' talents. Everyone here has passed the entrance examination, which itself speaks to your value and potential. The amount you've received reflects the evaluation of your worth. You can use your points without restraint. After graduation, however, all of your points return to the school. Because it's impossible to exchange your points for cash, there's no advantage to saving them. Once points have been deposited into your account, it's up to you how to spend them. Do as you like. In the event that you don't want to spend your points, you may transfer them to someone else. However, extorting money from your peers is not allowed. This school monitors bullying very carefully."
As bewilderment spread among the students, Chabashira-sensei looked over the room.
"Well, it appears no one has any questions. I hope that you enjoy your time—"
Right when she was about to leave the class, a lone hand rose from the back of the class.
Akira knew very well that his presence would cause many events to change, and eventually, the story would be completely different. Therefore, it's best to utilize his advantage as early as possible.
"Is there something you don't understand, student?" Chabashira asked him, not knowing his name.
All eyes in the class instantly turned towards Akira.
A few audible gasps broke the silence—not from his question, but from his appearance.
"You previously mentioned that the amount we've received is a reflection of our worth. Isn't it rather inhumane to measure people's worth in terms of money?" Akira was smart enough to know very well that he couldn't directly start divulging information about the S System. If he did that, then the school would suspect he received information from the outside. So he decided to approach things in a roundabout way.
Chabashira, on the other hand, was rather amused by the question.
"Inhumane?" her voice echoed, as if mocking him. "This school's system is built to prepare students for the real world. And in the real world, your value is determined by your actions—what you do, what you produce—is how you're perceived."
Akira leaned back slightly and decided to approach from a different angle.
"Do all the other classes also receive 100,000 points each month?"
Chabashira paused momentarily before replying. "They've all received the same amount."
"And what about the upperclassmen? Do they receive that much too?"
This time, she paused.
Then, her gaze flicked toward the surveillance camera in the corner of the classroom.
Akira followed her gaze and naturally understood what she was trying to say.
"I am afraid I can't tell you that information," she replied before asking a question of her own. "What's your name?"
"Akira Kazama."
Chabashira gave the class one final glance before taking her leave.
In the original novel, everyone in Class 1-D had gotten restless over the points they had received. It was, after all, a dream come true for them. But now, a part of the students had the feeling that they were being sold.
This was all thanks to Johan's charisma. Akira intentionally used words such as 'inhumane' and 'worth,' making them instead feel dispirited by the fact that their worth was only 100,000 points.
"Everyone, can you please listen to me for a moment?"
After a few minutes of silence and occasional mumbling, an upstanding young man stood up and faced the class. This was Yousuke Hirata, one of the best first-year students according to Akira. If you exclude students such as Ayanokoji or Koenji, there were few who could match him. He was placed in Class D due to his past, but this was odd—people like Ichinose and Ryuen also had a past, but they were placed in better classes.
"Starting today, we're all going to be classmates. Therefore, I think it'd be good for us to introduce ourselves and become friends as soon as possible. We still have some time until the entrance ceremony. What do you say?"
Hirata had effortlessly lifted the class's mood, changing the topic to introductions. Voices of approval came from around, following which the students started introducing themselves.
"My name's Hirata Yousuke. Back in junior high, lots of people called me Yousuke. Feel free to use my first name! I guess my hobby is sports in general, but I especially like soccer. I'm planning on playing soccer here too. Nice to meet you!"
"My name is Inogashira… Kokoro. Um, my hobby is sewing. I'm pretty good at knitting. I-It's nice to meet you all."
"I'm Yamauchi Haruki. I competed in table tennis during elementary school, and in junior high I was the ace player on our baseball team. I was number four. I got hurt during the inter-high school championships, though, and I'm undergoing rehab now. Nice to meet you."
After a few minutes of waiting, the moment he was waiting for was finally there.
"Well then, I'm next, aren't I?"
The girl said as Akira activated Aphrodite's Eye.
[9%]
Compared to the office lady, this was 13% lower, which did make sense. Not everyone is a sucker for looks.
"My name is Kikyou Kushida. None of my friends from junior high made it to this school, so I'm alone here. I'd like to get to know all of your names and faces right away and become friends as soon as possible!"
Most people's introduction would've ended right there, but Kushida continued to talk.
"My first goal is to become friends with everyone. So, after we're finished with introductions, I'd love for you to share your contact information with me!"
"So, after school or during vacations, I want to make all sorts of memories with lots of people. Please feel free to invite me to lots and lots of events! Anyway, I've talked for a long time, so I'll end my introduction here."
Kikyou Kushida—a two-faced attention seeker. As far as Akira could tell, Kushida was a girl who seeked validation from the outside. She wanted to be the center of attention everywhere she went. He had a plan for her, but now was not the time.