After finishing lunch, Shimizu Akira coincidentally crossed paths with Ichinose Honami again in the hallway as she handed the beer to her homeroom teacher.
Walking toward the second-year classrooms, Ichinose suddenly asked: "Shimizu-kun... if I remember correctly, you're the one who nearly fought a classmate during orientation, right?"
"That was me." Shimizu admitted frankly, though inwardly surprised. He hadn't expected the incident to be noticed by other classes.
"Really?!" Ichinose's voice brightened. "That Yamauchi-kun was saying awful things to the girls. You were completely justified! Though..." She tilted her head with a kind smile, "as high schoolers, maybe we could consider solutions beyond physical confrontation?"
Shimizu was secretly astonished.
It was only the first day, yet Ichinose knew Class D's internal affairs so thoroughly. Was this coincidence... or calculated?
He reassessed the radiant girl before him. Unlike Horikita Suzune's icy aloofness, Ichinose Honami seemed born to weave social networks, mastering every nuance effortlessly.
Her approach was masterful—affirming his stance before gently suggesting alternatives. Neither offensive nor pushy, yet effectively conveying her thoughts.
A textbook example of emotional intelligence.
"You're right." Shimizu nodded.
"Really?" Ichinose chirped. "Shimizu-kun, let's exchange contacts! We might need to reach each other someday."
The suggestion came so naturally, as if trivial. Just like that, Shimizu gained his third contact.
Arriving at Class 2-D's door, Shimizu had mentioned the senior's name during their walk. Only a few students remained during lunch break.
"Oh? Ichinose-kouhai?" A female senior greeted them warmly.
Before Shimizu could react, the very "Yamamura-senpai" he sought stood before them.
With seamless grace, Ichinose facilitated a private conversation in a secluded hallway corner, then excused herself with a nod—vanishing as smoothly as she'd appeared.
Shimizu checked his phone.
Twenty minutes since encountering Ichinose.
Minus the beer delivery, she'd located his target in under ten minutes.
(This social efficiency is terrifying...)
Her polish surpassed typical high schoolers. Without prompting, she'd intuited the need for privacy—helpful yet unobtrusive.
(Almost like mind-reading...)
Watching her leave, Shimizu truly grasped what "effortless social artistry" meant.
But business came first.
His gaze subtly noted the senior's meager lunch. "Senpai... this month's class points aren't enough, are they? Interested in a transaction?"
Yamamura's fingers stiffened. "You're... just a freshman? Understanding the point system by day two? Are you from Class A?" Her voice mixed shock and wariness as she scanned for observers.
Noticing her tension, Shimizu reassured: "No one's nearby."
"It's not just people..." Yamamura whispered. "The school's surveillance is everywhere. If caught, our class points get deducted."
"Class points?" Shimizu feigned ignorance perfectly.
Yamamura lifted her chin. "Want details? Transfer 30,000 personal points first."
"10,000."
"I'm taking risks here! At least 20,000!"
"10,000."
"...Damn freshman." She finally relented. "...Deal. Payment first, then everything I know."
The intel Shimizu obtained distilled into five core rules:
Class Ranking System
Dynamic class promotion/demotion based on accumulated points
Example: If Class D surpasses Class C, they swap rankings
Dual-Point Conversion
Class points convert to personal points at 1:100 monthly
Initial Allocation & Penalties
All classes start with 1,000 points
Monitoring penalizes tardiness, absenteeism, misconduct
Earning Opportunities
Exams/events offer bonus points (though D班 rarely competes)
Information Control
Disclosing S-system rules to freshmen is prohibited
Violators lose class points if caught by surveillance
Desperate D班 students often risk black-market info trading