"Hey, Mahiro-kun, do you know about the school's two-course system?"
"I know. It refers to the different teaching management for First Course Students and Second Course Students. The difference is essentially the presence or absence of an instructor and whether one can receive personal guidance from a teacher."
This was also the main source of the rift between students in the school.
Those with the eight-petaled emblem are First Course Students, while those without it are Second Course Students.
The two are assigned based on grades, which gave birth to the high-and-mighty "bloom," and the "weed" who are trampled upon and looked down on.
"So Mahiro-kun, do you have any different views on this system?"
"I don't really have any special views."
Facing Mayumi's inquiry, Mahiro said bluntly, "It's nothing more than putting honor students and inferior students out in the open."
"Eh?"
A completely unexpected answer.
Mayumi couldn't help but ask urgently, "Can you elaborate on that, Mahiro-kun?"
She really wanted to know what this junior in front of her was thinking.
Since becoming the Student Council President, the Student Council and the Disciplinary Committee have been dedicated to improving the conflict between First Course Students and Second Course Students.
To the point where they had forgotten what the most basic root conflict was.
"There's actually not much to say." Mahiro shrugged. "First, let's confirm one thing. Senior Mayumi, everyone enrolled at First High should be an elite, right?"
"Yes, that's right," Mayumi nodded in agreement.
It was more than just being an elite.
First High only has two hundred enrollment spots each year, but the number of people who take the exam is far more than two hundred.
Two thousand people would not be an exaggeration.
Therefore, those who could pass the admission exam and enter First High were truly the elite of the elite among magicians.
Basically, they were all from the Tendo Main Family and branch families of the Ten Master Clans, the Eighteen Auxiliary Houses, or the Hundred Families' offshoots, the Lost Numbers, and other major families.
There were no ordinary people at all.
Or rather, magicians, who valued bloodlines, could not possibly be ordinary people.
"Since everyone is an elite, I don't think this two-course system is so bad."
Under Mayumi's almost audibly astonished gaze, Mahiro explained, "Actually, the school's purpose in doing this is nothing more than to motivate those students with slightly worse or bottom-ranked grades to strive upwards."
"And doing so also benefits students who already have excellent grades."
"By the way, Mayumi-senpai, do you know why catfish are put in a tank after tuna are caught?"
"I'm sorry, Mahiro-kun, I'm not quite sure." Mayumi shook her head. She didn't understand what this had to do with the two-course system.
"Heh heh." Mahiro chuckled, "Actually, I didn't understand at first either, but then someone told me that only when catfish are put into the tank can the tuna remain in a state of constant excitement and tension."
"This is like the two-course system; First-Course Student are the tuna, and the weed are the catfish."
"The 'unwillingness' of the weed stirs the fishpond, thereby stimulating the pride of the First-Course Student."
"And the weed, by constantly striving upwards, also have the chance to turn from catfish into tuna."
"So I say, there's no problem with such a system; in fact, apart from the titles, there's actually no difference."
They still participate in club activities and use school facilities.
The only differences are the subtle variations in their uniforms and receiving "individual guidance in practical magic."
The former is inconsequential, and the latter, for students from various families, is inherently harmless.
Therefore.
"The only problem is the people themselves…."
That's right, the problem lies with the students themselves.
Mayumi was also very clear.
The weed forgot that they, too, had entered First High as elites, and "willingly" resigned themselves to being weed, believing they were merely backups for the First-Course Student.
And those First-Course Student, with an arrogant and condescending attitude, called themselves the coronas.
The environment that should have fostered mutual competition had instead become stagnant.
"Mahiro-kun, what you said makes a lot of sense, but…."
Mayumi pondered for a moment, then sighed softly and shook her head, saying:
"If this argument were applied to ordinary people, there would be no problem, but magicians are different; in the world of magicians, talent determines everything."
Talent is determined by innate bloodline.
So, in the end.
A catfish will always be a catfish, and a tuna will not change at all.
The identities of both are determined by their entrance exam scores.
"This is a deficiency in the system."
Mahiro spread his hands, smiling as he looked at Saegusa Mayumi, "As I said before, those who can enter First High are originally elites, right?"
"And the reason the weed are weed isn't because they are inherently bad; it's mainly due to the assessment system!"
"Their talents are not suited for the entrance exam, which is why they ended up as weed."
"I believe that even now, there are quite a few talented individuals among the weed."
Mayumi was silent.
Indeed, many of the students among the weed possessed talent.
For example, Mibu Sayaka from the second-year Kendo Club, nicknamed "Kendo Beauty," was a true kendo genius.
Her swordsmanship had reached the "Inka" level, surpassing even Watanabe Mari, the Disciplinary Committee Chairperson.
She also inherited her family's "Weight-Enhancing Blade" magic, making her a complete combat-oriented talent.
"And also, Mayumi-senpai."
Seeing that Mayumi seemed to be in silent thought, Mahiro continued nonchalantly, "Among this year's new students, there are also quite a few talented individuals."
"Oh, is Mahiro-kun referring to himself?"
The Student Council President, whose thoughts had been interrupted, then gave a knowing smile to the junior two years her junior, the corners of her mouth curving into a mischievous arc.
"How could that be? What kind of talent am I?"
Mahiro smiled and waved his hand, denying it.
But in Mayumi's eyes, this was merely a humble statement.
How could a magician from the Ten Master Clans be mediocre?
"I'm talking about my landlord, Shiba Tatsuya. He and I are both new students. He's clearly very skilled in magical engineering, proficient in developing and debugging CADs, yet he ended up as a weed."
"Eh? Shiba Tatsuya… are you talking about that Shiba?"
Mayumi blinked in surprise, then nodded slightly, understanding dawning on her.
She had heard about it from the teachers.
His sister, Shiba Miyuki, served as the new student representative, entering with the highest scores, while her brother, Shiba Tatsuya, scored an average of ninety-six out of a hundred on the entrance exam, with seven subjects.
Especially in magic theory and magical engineering, he even achieved an unprecedented perfect score!
Yet, because he was at the bottom of the practical magic assessment, he became a weed.
Thinking of this, Mayumi suddenly discovered a blind spot.
"Wait, landlord? Mahiro-kun, are you renting a place to live now?"
"Yes."
Mahiro froze for a moment, then sighed helplessly.
Thinking that he had found a chance to severely badmouth Maya, he put on a wronged expression and said:
"I'm not like you all. Although I bear the Yotsuba surname, I'm actually a roadside weed casually discarded by the Yotsuba Family."
"The head of the Yotsuba Family, that heartless old woman Yotsuba Maya, kicked me out of the Yotsuba Family's door, telling me to go rent a place outside, and even my living expenses I have to earn by doing odd jobs."
"You see, I can't even afford a CAD yet…."
It was true.
Mayumi carefully scrutinized Mahiro, and indeed, she found that he didn't even have a CAD.
This made her feel a pang of sympathy for Mahiro, while also feeling as if she had discovered some great secret, filled with astonishment.
Was the Yotsuba Family really so heartless?!
After all, the exorbitant price of a CAD was simply unaffordable by doing odd jobs.
Not to mention the subsequent debugging fees!
Even though the Yotsuba Family had a CAD company under its wing, even if they really kicked him out of the family, they should at least give him a magical device for self-defense!