There's an old saying: 'Once you enter Class D, it's as deep as the sea.'
Before Akira learned about the S-System, he naively thought that as long as he got good grades at the end of the month, even if he couldn't get 100,000 points, 30,000 or 50,000 would surely be within reach.
Now he understood—he was still too young.
The reality of private points and class points being forcibly tied together was like a basin of cold water poured over his head.
He subconsciously looked around, and the sight before him made his heart clench.
It was the third period on the afternoon of the second day of school, and it was even homeroom teacher Chabashira's class, yet several students were already secretly playing on their phones in the classroom.
And in the corner of the classroom, a conspicuous surveillance camera silently recorded everything.
'They wouldn't have deducted all the class points on the second day of school, would they?'
Akira suddenly realized that in this class, perhaps the biggest enemy wasn't the strict school rules, but this group of teammates who were completely oblivious.
'So that's it.'
Akira finally understood the deep meaning behind Chabashira's phrase, "Spend sparingly."
This kind of rule, which should have been open and transparent, was deliberately obscured by the school authorities.
He then watched a classmate swagger into the classroom late, without even the slightest sense of urgency.
Now he faced a choice: should he make this information public?
But the thought of sharing information he'd spent ten thousand points to acquire with these oblivious classmates for free brought a rare sense of speechlessness.
It inexplicably gave him the illusion of being taken advantage of by lazy seniors when he first entered society in his previous life.
Being treated as a resource to be drained happened enough in his last life. He absolutely didn't want it this life.
Thinking about it carefully, even if he spoke out, it probably wouldn't change anything.
If it were Class A or Class B, those excellent students would surely adjust their behavior immediately and collectively protect the class's interests.
Or rather, even if they didn't know these rules, they might not lose many points.
But this was Class D—a gathering place for problem students who couldn't even follow basic discipline.
On the second day of school, during the first class, after the teacher implicitly allowed some students to sleep or play on their phones, some people seemed to let loose and started making small movements in class.
It turned out Class D was the real vocational school.
The thought of Class D students not believing him after he revealed the rules, some even looking at him with eyes as if he were an idiot, made his temples throb.
It's bad enough that being a good person brings no benefits, but there's even a chance of becoming a laughingstock.
Is this the current state of being a good person in Class D? It feels like an increasingly vicious cycle.
He wouldn't do such a losing business even if his brain was damaged.
'What a dismal number.'
Akira silently calculated the information revealed by Yamamura—Class D in the second year had less than 30,000 private points per month, which translated to less than 300 class points.
On average, that's not even enough for one hearty lunch a day, only enough for a vegetable set meal.
This was even after various exam bonus points were available later, showing how difficult Class D's situation was.
'Class points? Distant water can't quench a nearby thirst.'
He stared at the textbook spread open on his desk, his gaze focused on more realistic problems.
Instead of hoping his classmates would suddenly awaken and bring glory to the class, it was better to first secure his own private point income.
After all, in this dog-eat-dog campus, the private points held in hand were the true capital belonging to oneself.
Class points were still too vague and elusive for him.
The moment the dismissal bell rang, Akira quickly packed up his textbooks.
He planned to go to the first gymnasium. Before the end of lunch break, the campus broadcast had specifically announced that students interested in club activities could go and visit.
'Club activities... perhaps an opportunity.'
He recalled the information revealed by Yamamura: ordinary students had the chance to earn points by participating in clubs, and if they performed exceptionally well, they could even receive extra subsidies from the coach, and the school authorities would also issue rewards.
This was much more tangible than relying on unreliable class points.
Of course, this kind of reward was for personal honor, and all the rewards were private points.
A faint citrus scent wafted over.
"Shimizu-kun~" Kushida put her hands behind her back, leaned in slightly, and said, "Please give me your contact info."
Akira didn't stop his movements, merely nodding briefly. "Alright."
Kushida pulled out her phone, the contact information interface already displayed on the screen.
Their fingers tapped lightly on the screen, completing the exchange.
"Horikita-san, if possible..." Kushida looked toward Horikita not far away with a sweet smile.
"Don't want to add." Horikita didn't even pause her steps, three cold words escaping her lips, and in a blink of an eye, she disappeared out the classroom door.
"Oh~ I was rejected by Horikita-san again." Kushida sighed softly, then immediately put on an even brighter smile, clenching her fists in front of her chest in a cheering gesture. "It seems I'll have to keep trying next time!"
Akira, standing nearby, silently watched this scene. He knew better than anyone the true nature hidden beneath that sweet smile—and precisely because of that, it felt even more terrifying.
How much pressure must one endure to maintain a perfect smile in the face of such obvious rejection?
'By the way, how does this classmate usually relieve stress? Does she watch stress-relief videos?'
'Can you recommend some good ways to relieve stress?'
Akira was currently under a lot of stress after learning about the S-System and desperately needed to relieve it.
"Speaking of which," Kushida suddenly turned to Akira, tilting her head with a curious expression, "Shimizu-kun seems to be able to communicate normally with Horikita-san."
"Just normal communication as deskmates. By the way, I don't have her contact information either." Akira was momentarily stunned, then spread his hands.
Although he'd never actively asked, with Horikita's aloof personality, it was impossible for her to easily give out her contact information.
"Oh, right! Shimizu-kun didn't get a chance to introduce yourself yesterday, did you? Let me help you introduce yourself to everyone!" Kushida offered with a bright smile and enthusiasm.
Japanese schools usually finish early, and it was barely past three in the afternoon, with the sunlight still bright outside the window.
There was still more than an hour until five o'clock, so Akira could completely stay in the classroom and socialize with his classmates.
This was exactly what Akira wanted. He was thinking of adding a few friends to his social accounts.
"Then I'll leave it to you."