"Student, it's your turn."
Hirata Yosuke smiled like a ray of sunshine, bright enough to pierce through the gloom and land squarely on Hachiman Hikigaya, who sat sulking in a dark corner.
There was no escape.
Alas, sometimes reality forces you to act against your will.
With a resigned sigh, Hachiman took a deep breath and started to rise—
"Bang!"
A loud crash echoed as a red-haired boy in the back row kicked his desk and shouted, clearly irritated.
"Why bother with introductions? What are we, kids?"
Did this guy think Hirata was calling him out personally? Or does he just hate happiness in general?
With his turn interrupted, Hachiman sat back down quietly.
Good job, Grumpy Brother!
"Well, I just want everyone to get to know each other better…" Hirata said kindly, keeping his warm tone even under pressure.
Before the situation could escalate—
Click, clack.
The sharp sound of high heels echoed through the room.
A woman in a professional office outfit strode in. Her long black hair was tied into a sleek high ponytail, her expression strict and composed. Yet, the contrast of her fitted blazer and sheer black stockings created an oddly captivating image.
A wild thought suddenly popped into Hachiman's mind:
If she wore a white maid outfit instead, it might be even more impactful.
"Quiet. Everyone, return to your seats," she commanded firmly.
"I am Chabashira Sae, your homeroom teacher. From this day forward, I'll be in charge of Class D here at Advanced Nurturing High School."
"This school does not rearrange classes. I will be your homeroom teacher for the next three years until graduation."
She set down some documents on the podium.
"First, let me explain a few things about our school."
"This is a fully residential academy. During your enrollment, students are prohibited from leaving campus or contacting the outside world."
A few students whispered nervously, but Chabashira continued in the same calm tone.
"However, you don't need to worry. The school's facilities are comprehensive. You can purchase all necessities for daily life—and even entertainment—without ever leaving the campus."
"All of this information is detailed in your student handbook."
Most students nodded, seemingly satisfied.
But as always, there were exceptions.
"Eh?!"
"If we can't go home for three years, my parents will miss me so much!"
"That's right! I'm the main player in my tennis club outside of school—what if they fall apart without me?"
From their earlier introductions, Hachiman recognized the voices of Ike Kanji and Haruki Yamauchi—the class's proud representatives of "abstract thinking." Their current performance was perfectly on-brand.
"This information is public," Chabashira said dryly, ignoring them completely. "Now, I'll explain our school's unique system—known as the S System."
She pulled out a sleek, custom-made smartphone.
"This is your student terminal. It's a device designed exclusively for on-campus use. It functions as your student ID, communication device, and payment method."
"All goods and services within the school must be purchased using this terminal."
"The school will issue each student a monthly allowance in the form of points."
"One point is equivalent to one yen."
Following her instructions, everyone took out their student terminals. A digital interface appeared, displaying personal information—and a line of bright, jaw-dropping numbers.
"Ten… one hundred… a hundred thousand points?!"
"So that's 100,000 yen?!"
"Is this for real?!"
The classroom erupted in noise.
And understandably so—100,000 yen was no small amount for a high school student.
Even Hachiman was stunned.
Even on my birthday, my parents never gave me more than 2,000 yen. And half of that usually goes toward honoring the world's cutest sister.
His disposable income was practically nonexistent.
100,000 yen… that's enough to cover Komachi's entire summer expenses!
"Are you surprised by the large sum of points?" Chabashira continued, her tone faintly amused.
"This school evaluates students based on their abilities."
"The fact that you were accepted here means you were recognized as having potential and value."
I see…
So this was the promised land—the place where high-quality women and the dream of becoming a househusband coexisted in perfect harmony.
But for Hachiman Hikigaya, holding onto that dream was… difficult.
"The number of points you receive reflects the school's evaluation of you," Chabashira explained. "Use them freely."
"At this school, anything can be bought with points."
Her lips curved ever so slightly into a knowing smile. "After all, Advanced Nurturing High School is an institution where meritocracy reigns supreme."
For a brief second, Hachiman could've sworn her tone turned icy when she said those last words.
"The entrance ceremony will be held in one hour at the gymnasium," she concluded. "I wish you all a fulfilling school life."
Like an NPC finishing a tutorial quest, Chabashira Sae turned on her heel and left, her high heels clicking rhythmically down the hallway.
As soon as she was gone, Class D's room exploded with chatter.
Everyone was excitedly discussing what they would buy with their 100,000 points.
Seriously? None of you find this even a little suspicious?
Hachiman's dead-fish eyes dulled further.
Years of painful social experience had taught him one thing—always assume the worst in people and institutions.
Quietly, he pulled out paper and pen. His math skills weren't stellar, but simple arithmetic was manageable.
Let's see… 40 students per class, 100,000 points each—that's 4 million yen per class per month.
There are four classes per year, meaning 16 million per grade.
Three grades total—48 million yen monthly.
Over three years, that's more than 1.7 billion yen.
Even with government funding, no school could sustain that kind of expense just for student allowances.
If this were an elite academy exclusively for geniuses, maybe that would make sense.
But this was Class D.
Do I really deserve that kind of luxury?
Hachiman admitted to himself: probably not.
And looking around at his classmates… neither did they.
During free time, Hirata Yosuke resumed his role as the class's social glue, encouraging more introductions and going out of his way to include even the aloof or difficult students—like Ken Sudo, the red-haired hothead.
Even after being yelled at, Hirata continued to approach him with saint-like patience.
Meanwhile, Kikyo Kushida was living up to her earlier promise to befriend everyone. She cheerfully exchanged contact info with nearly every classmate.
Hachiman, not wanting to get caught in Hirata's warm, sociable orbit, decided to quietly slip out of the classroom.
However, the sound of heels clicking behind him made him pause.
"I refuse."
"There's no need to make friends."
Suzune Horikita had bluntly turned down Kushida's friendly invitation in front of everyone.
Under the stunned gazes of her classmates, she walked past them without hesitation.
Hachiman caught a brief glimpse of Kushida's cherubic smile twitching unnaturally—but she quickly regained control, masking her irritation behind perfect composure.