After lunch, Kiyomizu made another trip to the supermarket. He had noticed it on the bus that morning—the students around him, like himself, were all traveling light, carrying at most a shoulder bag. No one was dragging a heavy suitcase. The school's notice had simply stated that daily necessities could be purchased at the supermarket, leaving the rest up to the students' own judgment.
So, he spent the entire afternoon on a major shopping trip, buying everything from slippers, toothpaste, and toothbrushes to bedsheets and quilts, from a water heater and power strips to toilet paper.
While browsing the aisles, Kiyomizu was surprised to find that the supermarket also stocked many high-priced items—the latest handheld gaming consoles and high-spec laptops were displayed dazzlingly in a dedicated section. However, the string of numbers on the price tags was staggering; the cheapest items started at 50,000 points.
He rubbed the phone in his pocket but ultimately decided against making a purchase. Although he had a considerable amount of points in his account, splurging on the first day of school could easily lead to a tight financial situation by the end of the month. Moreover, his status in Class D was like a sword of Damocles hanging over his head. Who knew if he would even receive any points next month? If his luck was bad, he might have to live a frugal life for the next three years.
Even though he had carefully selected various budget-friendly items, the small costs added up. When he checked out, the amount displayed on the terminal still stung—a full 5,000 points. Combined with the 1,000 points he spent on lunch, his account balance dropped from 235,000 to 229,000.
The night passed without incident.
...
The next day, at 5:30 AM, Kiyomizu woke up right on time. He rolled out of bed without a moment's hesitation, changed into a loose-fitting tracksuit, and began his routine morning workout. He started with a fifteen-minute systematic stretching session, each movement precise, his joints making soft popping sounds.
Once the warm-up was complete, the real training began. One hundred push-ups, 100 sit-ups, and 100 squats—this basic set was as natural to him as breathing. By the time sweat dripped from his jawline onto the floor, he had already completed three full sets.
At 6:30 AM, Kiyomizu left his room and headed to the school's track. After regulating his breath, he began to run at a steady pace. For the first eight laps, he maintained a consistent speed, his breathing even. On the ninth lap, he suddenly accelerated, and on the final lap, he went into an all-out sprint. His time for the 10-kilometer run today was 39 minutes and 34 seconds.
...
The moment Kiyomizu reached his seat in the classroom, the familiar notification sound chimed in his mind.
[Ding! Today's intelligence has been updated.]
[Intel 1: Second-year Class D student Miki Yamamura is in desperate need of a large number of personal points. She is willing to trade information on some of the S-System's rules with a new student for 30,000 points (her final bottom line is 10,000 points).]
[Intel 2: First-year Class B student Honami Ichinose—after only one day of school, the number of friends in her contact list has already surpassed triple digits, including many upperclassmen.]
[Intel 3: First-year Class D student Kei Karuizawa is currently looking for a "fake boyfriend" to act as her protector.]
Kiyomizu was slightly taken aback. The classroom clock showed exactly 8:00 AM. This intelligence system was more punctual than an alarm clock.
The first piece of intel caught his attention the most. A senior from Class D was willing to trade "S-System rules" for points? The transaction itself was intriguing. On the second day of school, although Kiyomizu had already figured out the class ranking system and the unequal distribution of monthly points, the most critical evaluation criteria of the S-System remained shrouded in mystery. It was like playing a chess game without seeing the opponent's moves.
(The evaluation criteria... for students, the most intuitive measure should be exam results.)
(If I'm not mistaken, Horikita's academic performance should be excellent.)
His gaze unconsciously drifted to his deskmate, Suzune Horikita. As usual, the girl was engrossed in her copy of Crime and Punishment, her long, dark hair falling over the pages.
"I told you to stop looking at me... Raskolnikov."
The sound of the book suddenly snapping shut brought Kiyomizu back to his senses. Horikita was staring at him with her cool, clear eyes.
Raskolnikov?
Kiyomizu's pupils dilated slightly. This unexpected literary reference caught him completely off guard. The protagonist from Crime and Punishment who struggled with a moral dilemma? The memories of cramming classic literature in college to impress a girl from the literature department were coming back to haunt him. The nights he spent poring over Dostoevsky were now unexpectedly paying off.
"I don't believe I've committed murder yet," he replied smoothly, picking up the thread of conversation.
Horikita's eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly. This subtle change in expression confirmed to Kiyomizu that he had successfully met her unexpected literary challenge.
"...You're getting close! I'd say the victim is most likely Haruki Yamauchi," Horikita interjected coldly.
It dawned on Kiyomizu that she was alluding to the incident during the opening ceremony when he had confronted Yamauchi. To describe a classmate as a "victim" in that context... her sharp tongue was truly merciless.
"He said your figure was slender," Kiyomizu recalled, adding the comment casually.
Horikita's body instantly went rigid. A blush spread across her fair cheeks at a visible rate, and her usually calm and composed eyes now burned with the fire of indignation. She shot up from her seat, strode over to Haruki Yamauchi, and looked down at him, her voice so cold it could freeze the air.
"Yamauchi-kun, watch your mouth in the future. Otherwise—I will not hesitate to enact physical retribution." She narrowed her eyes and said, word by word, "If there's a next time, I'll make your left hand unable to hold chopsticks for three months."
Yamauchi's body visibly tensed. His lips parted as if to argue, but when he looked up and met the girl's icy gaze, the words caught in his throat. He ultimately just lowered his head resentfully, shrinking like a defeated dog caught in the rain.
Not far away, Kiyomizu blinked, a strange expression on his face. Wait a minute, isn't that the exact line I used yesterday at the opening ceremony? They were surprisingly in sync. When faced with tasteless provocations, neither of them wasted time with words, preferring to shut the other person up with their fists.
"Horikita-san, if Haruki Yamauchi ever really dies, you'll be the prime suspect."
"You're wrong. Based on your 'brilliant performance' at the opening ceremony yesterday, the police would suspect you first."
-------
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