After the homeroom teacher explained the school's special rules, Ichinose Honami organized The self-introduction session, then the first-year welcome ceremony.
The transition from the classroom to the hallway was like stepping from a warm, communal dream into the cold, clinical reality of the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School. The echoes of Ichinose Honami and his classmate's laughter faded behind him.
Jin didn't join any of these groups. He stepped alone into the spacious, brightly lit corridor.
The school's interior was a masterpiece of modern architecture—floor-to-ceiling windows dissected the afternoon sun into sharp, golden geometric blocks that rested heavily on the mirror-smooth floors.
The air carried that distinctive, sterile scent of fresh paint, but beneath it, Jin sensed the invisible weight of the school's "rules."
He didn't return directly to his dormitory.
Hoshinomiya Chie's soft words about 'corresponding personal points being issued each month,' especially the 'corresponding' part, along with his clueless classmates swaying in the festive mood, put him on alert.
The material foundation for the next three years had been completely defined by the point system.
The initial 100,000 personal points were not just an abstract number before their true value was understood. It would be better if his 'little angel' classmates also understood this.
"Arima-kun!"
A short-haired brown-haired girl called his name and approached Jin.
Ando Sayo blinked her beautiful eyes and asked with a smile, "Some people in our class are organising a trip to karaoke. Would Arima-kun like to join?"
Before the entrance ceremony, there was some free time for students to socialise.
It was probably during that time that someone arranged to go to karaoke together.
It goes without saying that the only person with such charisma right after the start of school could be Ichinose Honami.
"I have something to do later, so I can't join you, Ando-san." Jin shook his head and politely declined.
"That's a shame," Ando Sayo's pretty brows drooped in regret upon hearing the boy's words. "I was actually here as an envoy to invite Arima-san. If you were willing to come, the other girls would definitely be very happy."
Jin had a face that appealed to both genders. The girls in his class had shown great interest in him after seeing his face and after being exposed by Ichinose Honami earlier, they wanted to get to know him better through karaoke.
Unfortunately, Arima-kun didn't have time.
"Have fun." Jin said, turning away. He offered a casual wave over his shoulder—a gesture that looked like something plucked from a movie, leaving Ando Sayo momentarily frozen in the corridor.
After bidding farewell to Ando Sayo and the other Class B students, Jin went to the club building and found the location of the Shogi Club.
Standing outside the club actively building, Jin didn't rush in. He had carefully read the school parchment previously. Among them, Shogi, Chess, Table tennis, Kendo, Basketball, Soccer, Baseball and Karate Club accept challenges.
To quickly earn Private points, it would be best to challenge these club members. They were upperclassmen and chosen among fat sheep, ready to be sheared.
First, he chose the Shogi and Chess Club. He wasn't relying on luck. For eight years, he had been the sparring partner of Sona Sitri, a woman whose mind was a labyrinth of grandmaster-level strategies.
In the Underworld, Sona was feared for her cold, analytical brilliance. Jin had survived her onslaughts for nearly a decade, maintaining a near 1:1 win ratio. Compared to a devil of Sona's caliber, high school "national-level" players were merely fat sheep.
As for Shogi, due to her best friend Rias's Japanophile tendencies, some of the Japanese culture still rub off on Sona.
From there on, Sona also mastered games like Shogi and Go, and her natural choice of opponent fell onto Jin. Her greatest rival, who often won chess matches against her. This is enough to prove Jin's abilities in this kind of game.
It was a pity that there was no Go Club in Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School. If there is, Jin could sheared some more fat sheeps.
Jin was confident that he would win every single match either Shogi or Chess.
"Now, I can go in."
Jin pushed the door open. The room was quiet, smelling of aged wood. The tatami mats on ground and faint agarwood insence inside the room make it classic Shogi room. Three upperclassmen sat around a board.
Jin's entry inside the Shogi Club's activity room, quickly drawing the attention of the members inside.
"Student, is there something you need?" a Shogi Club member asked curiously.
"I'm a first-year student."
Jin took out his student terminal, displaying his 100,000 points that he hadn't yet spent, "I want to use 100,000 points as a wager to compete with you senpais."
In his impression, apart from the students in Class D in the original work, students in other classes actually had a habit of saving money.
Especially the students in Class A, who, despite having to give Ryuuen Kakeru 20,000 individual points every month, each saved nearly a million points by their second year.
While students in other classes weren't as exaggerated, they should have saved at least 500,000 points, enough to put up 100,000 for a match with Jin.
The room went still.
"Kouhai, do you know what you're saying?"
Hearing that Jin was here to challenge them, the Shogi Club members' expressions turned displeased. "Your teacher should have told you that the school will only deposit points again on the 1st of next month."
"If you lose to us, you won't have any money to spend for the next month."
Jin allowed a calculated smile to play on his lips, "You seniors don't need to worry about that. If I lose, I'll just borrow from my classmates."
"I believe those with 100,000 points wouldn't mind lending me 5,000. If I borrow from ten people, I'll have 50,000 points to spend, which is enough to last until next month."
Jin continued, "When the school deposits another 100,000 points next month, I'll return the borrowed points to them. There's no problem with that."
The reaction was instantaneous.
When Jin mentioned that the school would deposit another 100,000 points next month, he clearly noticed a subtle change in the expressions of the Shogi Club members.
Having been at this school for at least a year, they naturally knew that the school wouldn't issue 100,000 points every month, and that the school was deliberately concealing and deceiving the first-year students.
In their eyes, Jin, still a freshman, was an ignorant fool about the school, and they subconsciously developed a condescending attitude.
And this was exactly what Jin wanted, and his carefully woven trap ultimately caught the prey.
"Since kouhai says so, then we have no problem either."
The Shogi Club member grinned, smiling triumphantly, "But to prevent kouhai from reneging, we'll first need to find a teacher and then sign a contract guaranteed by the school, alright?"
"No problem."
Soon, the Shogi Club found their advisor, and with him as a guarantor, Jin signed a match contract worth 100,000 points with the Shogi Club upperclassmen students.
If Jin won, he would receive 100,000 points from his opponent.
Conversely, if Jin lost, he would have to give his 100,000 points to his opponent.
The contract was finalized quickly. The club advisor looked at Jin with a hint of pity as he stamped the digital document on the school's official portal.
"Don't blame us for being heartless, Arima-kun," his opponent, Tanaka, said. "We are national-level players. This isn't a game; it's our ticket to Class A."
After signing the contract, the Shogi Club members showed confident smiles, "Don't let the fact that our Shogi Club only has three members fool you, we are all national-level high school players."
"The outcome of this match was decided from the start."
Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School's selection process is nationwide.
Students who can enter this school based on their special talents have generally reached the peak level for their age in their area of expertise.
This is precisely why the Shogi Club members so readily accepted Jin's challenge.
The confidence radiating from the third-year Shogi Club seniors was almost tangible—a thick, suffocating layer of pride built upon years of national-level competitions and countless trophies.
To them, Jin was merely a "newly enrolled kid," a freshman who had somehow wandered into their lair with more private points than sense.
They believed their positions were unassailable; an ordinary enthusiast would have been crushed within ten moves by their coordinated pressure.
Unfortunately for their bank accounts and their egos, Jin was anything but ordinary.