Walking into the cssroom was a young, beautiful teacher with slightly wavy hair. Her slender arms were filled with a stack of documents.

  "It seems this year's css is very well-behaved. You're already seated and waiting for me before the lesson even starts! That makes me so happy," she said, showering the seated Css B students with praise.

  The teacher's compliments brought an eerie silence to the cssroom.

  "My name is Hoshinomiya Chie," she continued, "I'll be teaching math, and I'm also the school's health teacher. Since your homeroom teacher won't change for three years, I'll be responsible for you all during that time. Please take care of me!"

  Hoshinomiya-sensei wrote her name on the chalkboard with a pyful fir as she introduced herself. Her tone was lighthearted and even a bit cheeky.

  No—rather than a teacher, it'd be more fitting to call her an uppercssman. If it weren't for the faint smell of alcohol mixed in with her perfume, Uesugi Gen might have thought she was an excellent educator.

  Seriously? Did she go drinking before css? Is this even allowed?

  Looking at the faint blush on her otherwise pale face, Uesugi couldn't help but question her professionalism.

  "The entrance ceremony will take pce in an hour in the gymnasium," she announced. "Before that, I'll be distributing some materials about the school's special rules."

  As Hoshinomiya-sensei handed out the documents, Uesugi's mind lingered on her words: special rules.

  He hadn't forgotten all the oddities he'd noticed since arriving at this school.

  It was precisely because he'd been too focused on investigating these peculiarities that Ichinose had taken advantage of the situation and wormed her way into the css.

  Uesugi clenched his fists in frustration at his desk.

  When the documents were passed to him from the row ahead, he muttered a quick "thank you" and began flipping through them silently.

  The materials resembled a student handbook, detailing the school's various rules and facilities.

  Advanced Nurturing High School, located in Tokyo, boasted a 99.9% employment rate for its graduates, unmatched educational resources, and cutting-edge teaching equipment.

  In terms of its overall appearance, the school was less like a campus and more like an artificial isnd city. In addition to academic facilities, the school grounds included karaoke bars, cinemas, cafes, clothing stores, and other amenities—essentially a small commercial district. According to the handbook, the campus spanned at least 600,000 square meters.

  Most of the content consisted of a general introduction to the school, which Uesugi skimmed through quickly without stopping.

  Then, his fingers froze as he turned to a short section titled "The S-System."

  The segment contained only a few lines:

  "A competitive evaluation system used by the school to assess students."

  Uesugi's eyes narrowed as he reread the brief description, a glint of interest fshing across his face.

  "Now, I'm handing out your student IDs, which also double as smartphones," Hoshinomiya-sensei announced cheerfully. "Here, they're referred to as terminals. You'll use them for purchases, meals, entertainment, and other transactions. Just scan or tap it wherever it's needed. It's really simple! I'm sure all of you are smart enough to figure it out."

  Her compliments flowed freely, making a few students blush in embarrassment.

  "But keep in mind," she added, her tone suddenly serious, "using it will deplete your points, so don't go overboard with your spending!"

  Her sudden shift in demeanor caught everyone's attention.

  "In this school, there's nothing you can't buy with points. As long as it exists on campus, you can purchase it—anything at all."

  That st sentence seemed almost unnecessary. Or perhaps, the teacher wasn't allowed to say certain things outright, so she was deliberately hinting at something.

  Uesugi rested his chin on his hand, studying the childlike yet oddly cunning teacher on the ptform.

  Anything?

  If "anything" referred solely to physical items, there would've been no need for the school to invent a points system to repce yen. They could've just used regur currency.

  It was like a game's in-world currency, which could only be used for specific purchases. The points likely followed the same principle: they could buy things that yen couldn't.

  If the school went out of its way to emphasize that anything could be bought, it might mean that even abstract concepts—like rules—were on the table.

  The more Uesugi thought about it, the more questions piled up. What was the school's goal in pouring so much money and effort into such an eborate system?

  "If you lose your terminal, it will cost you additional points to repce it," Hoshinomiya-sensei continued. "All your daily expenses at this school will be covered by the institution. On the first day of each month, points will automatically be credited to your account."

  Uesugi opened his terminal and checked the points section.

  100,000.

  "Now, please check your accounts," Hoshinomiya instructed. "You should all have been credited with 100,000 points. One point is equivalent to one yen. If there's any discrepancy, let me know immediately."

  "One… one hundred thousand?!"

  "That much?!"

  "Seriously?! A hundred thousand?!"

  The cssroom erupted into murmurs of excitement. For students, 100,000 yen was no small sum. In Tokyo, many white-colr workers earned around 4 to 6 million yen annually—this was nearly two months' pay for an average adult.

  Though the Css B students were thrilled, they were still mindful enough not to shout, whispering excitedly instead.

  Uesugi leaned back in his chair, bancing on its back legs, and called to the student behind him.

  "Shibata, I'm not too familiar with this stuff. How much is your usual monthly allowance?"

  Shibata scratched his head, a bit confused by the question but still answered.

  "Uh, around 5,000 yen a month? Sometimes my family gives me a bit more, but that's about it. Why do you ask?"

  Uesugi ignored the question, instead following up with another.

  "Shibata, have you ever pyed games?"

  "Games? When I was little, I pyed stuff like Pokémon, but I stopped once I started focusing on soccer practice."

  "When you pyed, there was always that one part, right? Where the vilge elder or guide gives the protagonist some starter funds at the beginning of the game so they can get by?"

  "So… you're saying these 100,000 points are like starter funds? That after this, we might not get much—or anything—ter?"

  "Exactly. After all, Hoshinomiya-sensei never said we'd get 100,000 points every month. She just said points would be credited at the start of the month."

  Uesugi nodded toward the smiling Hoshinomiya on the ptform.

  "That… makes sense. It's the most reasonable expnation," Shibata admitted.

  A cold, firm voice interjected.

  "Then we should confirm it with the person in charge."

  The voice belonged to the student sitting next to Uesugi—a sharp-looking boy with short purple hair, a striking face, and a tall, lean build.

  "Who are you?" Uesugi frowned. "It's rude to eavesdrop, you know."

  The boy extended a hand across the aisle with a friendly smile.

  "Kanzaki Ryuji. Nice to meet you."

  "Uesugi Gen."

  Seeing Kanzaki's amicable demeanor, Uesugi let the matter slide.

  "If we want to verify, let's just ask directly," Kanzaki suggested, raising his hand.

  At the same time, Ichinose—seated in front of Uesugi—raised both hands.

  Hoshinomiya, one hand on her hip, casually pointed.

  "Go ahead. My csses are super id-back. Just follow the rules, and everything will be fine!"

  Ichinose stood confidently and got straight to the point.

  "Sensei, I understand this school has government backing, but providing 100,000 points to 40 students in each css—160 per grade—every month, with no strings attached, seems excessive. Frankly, I don't see how we could provide the school with enough value to justify that."

  Hearing Ichinose's bold question, Uesugi raised an eyebrow.

  Huh. I thought she was just some airheaded beauty, but it turns out she's sharp.

  After Ichinose finished, Kanzaki stood and added, "Hoshinomiya-sensei, are these 100,000 points a one-time thing, or will we receive them every month? If it's just for the first month, I could understand it as startup funds for our future expenses. But if it's every month, I agree with Ichinose—it's hard to see how we're worth that much."

  Hoshinomiya nodded, smiling approvingly.

  "Just as Kanzaki said, the 100,000 points won't be credited every month. Instead, the amount you receive will be determined by your value."

  Value?

  Uesugi's eyes narrowed, instantly honing in on the key term.

  "And what's the standard for evaluating that value?" Ichinose pressed further.

  "That's cssified," Hoshinomiya replied, crossing her arms in an exaggerated "X" gesture.

  Hearing this, both Kanzaki and Ichinose lowered their heads in thought.

  "Alright, alright," Hoshinomiya said, attempting to lighten the mood. "You'll understand everything in time. Just get used to the system first!"

  The students, sensing they wouldn't get more answers, refrained from pushing further.

  Kanzaki turned to Uesugi.

  "What do you think?"

  "Me? I think I'll just sit back and watch for now. There's too little information to draw any conclusions. Let's wait and see what the school reveals."

  "Fair enough. That's probably the best course for now," Kanzaki agreed.

  Uesugi observed the exchange quietly, choosing not to intervene.

  It was clear Hoshinomiya had been instructed by the school not to divulge certain details. Even if they pushed her, they wouldn't get much. And if they did, it might cause trouble for her.

  It was also apparent that Hoshinomiya wanted to give them answers but was limited by the school's restrictions. Otherwise, she wouldn't have shared as much as she had. Uesugi decided not to make things difficult for his new homeroom teacher.

  As for gathering intel, there were plenty of ways to do that.

  The easiest method? Send Shibata to hang around the bathrooms for second- and third-years and eavesdrop. Older students would surely know something. After all, guys love sharing secrets while "taking care of business."

  Still, doing so felt like cheating. For now, Uesugi decided to py along and see what surprises the school had in store.

  "Remember, the entrance ceremony will take pce in Gym 1 in an hour. I have some meetings to attend, so I'll leave this time to you. Use it however you'd like!"

  With a sweet smile, Hoshinomiya left the cssroom.

  "Alright! Since we're going to spend the next three years together, let's start with some simple self-introductions!"

  Ichinose, now standing energetically at the podium, cpped her hands together enthusiastically.

  Wait. When did she even get up there?

  Seeing Ichinose somehow "teleport" to the podium, Uesugi sighed, too drained to comment.

  This woman's social skills were maxed out—absolutely terrifying and impossible to defeat.

  ---

  T/N: i expect some danzo hiruzen type retionship >:)