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Chapter 5 - Episode 4: School Explanation from the Homeroom Teacher

By chance, Sakayanagi's seat was directly to Mamoru's left.

"What a coincidence," she said with a calm smile.

"That's right," Mamoru replied with a polite smile of his own—though internally, he was rattled, wondering if this was really just chance.

It was still early, and only a few students had arrived. But gradually, the classroom filled and the atmosphere grew livelier.

Among the arriving students, Sakayanagi stood out. With her doll-like beauty and delicate aura, she naturally attracted attention. Several classmates quickly approached to strike up a conversation with her.

Since she sat beside Mamoru, a few students also called out to him, likely by proximity rather than intent.

Mamoru exchanged harmless small talk while subtly observing the class.

(For a prestigious school, these students seem pretty average.)

He had expected a room full of high-performing elites, but most of his classmates seemed like regular high schoolers.

Before long, the bell rang, and a man with a commanding presence entered the room. He wore a formal suit, but his solid frame and stern face gave off an unmistakable authority.

"Nice to meet you, new students. I'm Mashima Tomoya, your homeroom teacher for Class A. I also teach English. Since this school does not change homeroom teachers throughout the grade, I'll be with you for the next three years. The entrance ceremony will begin in the gymnasium in an hour, but before that, I'll give you a brief explanation of how this school works."

He distributed a set of documents and continued.

They started with the basics—rules that all students had reviewed before enrollment:

No contact with the outside world for three years.

The existence of a unique S-System developed specifically for this school.

"I'll now hand out your student ID cards. These are not only your identification—they also allow you to access school facilities. Please don't lose them.

Your ID also accumulates points, which function as digital currency on campus. Think of it as a prepaid credit card.

Anything you see on school grounds can be purchased with points."

Mamoru caught the subtle emphasis on the phrase "anything you see on school grounds."

"Each point is equivalent to one yen, and they're deposited on the first day of each month.

To start with, every new student has been granted 100,000 points."

The room filled with surprised murmurs.

"You may be shocked by the amount, but this school evaluates students based on merit. These points reflect your assessed value and potential as freshmen. Feel free to use them however you like. Keep in mind: points cannot be exchanged for real money and will be collected after graduation."

Even skeptical students looked pleased to hear that the 100,000 points represented recognition of their worth. The classroom buzzed with low excitement.

Mamoru, however, frowned.

(So that's how this school operates... In that case, what the chairman told me makes sense.)

"You're free to use your points however you like—save them, lend them, borrow, or give them away. But of course, acts like extortion or bullying are strictly forbidden."

Mashima paused.

"This concludes the basic explanation. Are there any questions?"

There was a moment of silence before Mamoru raised his hand.

"Gojo. What is it?" Mashima called without hesitation, clearly having already memorized names and faces.

"Earlier you said we can buy anything. Does that include non-physical things?"

Mashima raised an eyebrow. "Non-physical? Could you clarify?"

Mamoru hesitated briefly. (I want to ask directly, but it might sound weird to others...)

"For example—privileges. Like private tutoring from a teacher, access to the gym or pool on weekends, or... being excused for being one minute late."

Most wouldn't bother with the first two, as the school had ample facilities. But Mamoru's real concern lay with the third.

(If that's allowed, maybe attendance itself can be bought. That would simplify things.)

"Yes, it's possible," Mashima answered plainly.

"Then... is there a list of these privileges and their prices?"

The question seemed to catch the teacher off guard. Mashima's expression hardened slightly.

"There isn't a fixed list. If you need something, inquire on a case-by-case basis.

Why do you ask?"

"Nothing serious," Mamoru replied calmly. "I just thought having a list would help in emergencies—like illness or an accident—when I might miss class. I'd hate for my absence to lower the class's evaluation."

In truth, Mamoru was thinking about the threat of cursed spirits and whether such absences could be offset with points.

But directly asking to "buy" days off would make him sound irresponsible, so he approached it indirectly.

Mashima narrowed his eyes.

"Class evaluation? Did someone explain this to you before you enrolled?"

Mamoru blinked. "Huh? No. Just what was in the pamphlet."

"Then why did you assume absences would affect your class's performance?"

"From what you just said. You emphasized that these points represent our value. I thought it was logical to assume that evaluations, and therefore future points, might fluctuate based on performance. Was I mistaken?"

Mashima fell silent.

Mamoru glanced around—his classmates looked confused, some even a bit suspicious.

Even Sakayanagi was smiling faintly beside him, as though amused by the exchange.

(Wait... was that a mistake? Was I overthinking this whole thing?)

Mamoru's unease grew as the silence dragged on.

(Oi, oi, oi... why you all give me sudden silence treatment? Seriously, i feel awkward and want to die here)

But in reality—he was right.

What he didn't know was that the school had strict policies forbidding the disclosure of certain systems during orientation.

Mashima couldn't affirm Mamoru's guess, but he also couldn't deny it.

"Even if your assumption is correct," Mashima said cautiously, "why did you think the evaluation would be by class?"

Mamoru immediately understood the subtext.

(So I wasn't wrong... it's just not something we're supposed to talk about yet.)

But since the teacher had asked, he had no choice but to respond.

"Well... this is a school, after all. I figured there would be both individual and group-based evaluations.

Also, on the way here, I noticed that some of the new students seemed a bit... undisciplined.

In contrast, our class seems more composed. I assumed students were divided and ranked accordingly."

Mamoru didn't mention the other reason: the unusual number of cursed spirits he'd sensed on campus. To him, it implied a hidden structure, possibly a hierarchy among students.

His intuition as a sorcerer had kicked in early.

"I see. That's quite an insightful observation," Mashima said at last. "But I need to prepare for the entrance ceremony, so we'll continue later. Feel free to come to me afterward."

"Got it."

(Sorry for the difficult question.)

Mamoru clasped his hands together mentally in apology.

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