Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School have it's own system. Here, students aren't allowed to bring anything from outside.
Even private mobile phones aren't allowed inside the school. Each and every first-year student was provided with a school-issued personal ID terminal, which can also function as a mobile phone, but the range of communication is within the island where the school is located.
Inside students' custom private ID terminals, there were stored 100,000 private points on the first day of school. This was provided to each and every student, whether it was a student from Class A or a student from Class D.
Students are allowed to buy anything they deem needed in their personal life, whether it's learning materials or a high-end gaming console.
Even inside the dorms, daily necessities like toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shower gel, shampoo, towels, toilet paper, bedsheets and pillow covers need to be purchased personally by students alongside home clothes, and underwear.
Even meals at the cafeteria cost a minimum of 200 private points. Or else one can just eat the unappetizing wild vegetable soup.
To save some private points, students often choose to buy cooking utensils and spend a lot of points at a time.
It was seen as one time investment. If a student cooks for oneself he/she can save a lot of points as fresh ingredients cost approximately half the price charged by the cafeteria.
That's why for every single first-year student, shopping on day one is a must.
"Arima-san, Sakayanagi-san, should we go to the convenience store nearby together later?" Ando Sayo invited.
She seemed to be an outgoing social butterfly, easily inviting newly met classmates.
"I'm sorry, but I've used too much energy earlier, so I'd like to go back to the dormitory to rest first," Sakayanagi Arisu nodded gently, as if apologising.
"I don't have a problem with it."
Although Jin decided to be a lone wolf in class 1-B, that doesn't mean he needs to do the opposite of everything others do. Sometimes cooperation is the better choice.
"Then let's add each other as friends," Ando Sayo proactively took out her student terminal.
After adding the girl as a friend, Jin felt a gaze fall upon him.
He looked down and saw the short white-haired girl looking at him.
"You want to add me too?" Jin asked with amusement, finding Sakayanagi Arisu quite cute like this.
"Then I'll trouble Arima-san," Sakayanagi Arisu's lips curved slightly and she exchanged contact info with Jin.
"This is me," Sakayanagi said, stepping out with a rhythmic thump-tap of her cane. She paused at the threshold, turning back with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Arima-san, about that 'million-point' information... I'll be sure to keep my wallet full. After all, I'm quite curious to see if your 'truth' is worth the price."
As the doors hissed shut, Ando Sayo let out a breath she seemed to have been holding.
"Arima-san... Sakayanagi-san is a bit intimidating, isn't she? Even though she's so small and cute, it felt like she was looking right through me."
"She has a habit of analyzing everything as if it's a piece on a board," Jin replied smoothly, his tone shifting to something more approachable for the Class B student.
"Don't let it bother you. Most people here are just trying to find their footing."
"I suppose so," Ando laughed, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
Jin looked at his Student Terminal, the screen reflecting a balance that would make most upperclassmen pale.
The elevator reached Jin's floor. He stepped out, bidding Ando Sayo a polite goodbye, leaving her with a sense of wonder that bordered on crush-like infatuation.
Once inside his room, the "spirited young man" facade began to melt away. Jin sat at his desk, staring out the window at the sprawling campus of the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School. The lights of the convenience stores and karaoke bars flickered below—a neon trap for the unwary.
He knew that Class 1-A and Class 1-B were already forming their internal structures. Sakayanagi Arisu would undoubtedly consolidate power quickly, using her loss against him as fuel to sharpen her claws.
Meanwhile, the White Room's masterpiece, whom Sakayanagi was so obsessed with, was likely currently trying his best to blend into the background of Class 1-D.
"The Wisdom of Mortals," Jin whispered to the empty room, a cold, genuine smile finally touching his lips.
He hadn't lied to Sakayanagi Arisu. To him, her "genius" was a localized peak, a high point in a very small valley. She played chess within the confines of the 64 squares. Jin, however, was playing with the board itself.
His mind drifted to his previous matches with Sona Sitri. In those games, the stakes weren't points or pride, but something far more metaphysical. Compared to the supernatural calculations of a High-Class devil, Sakayanagi Arisu's "mortal wisdom" was indeed a hobbyist's distraction.
Jin looked around the dorm room allocated to him and recorded the missing daily necessities inside in his terminal's memo pad.
As expected. Everything is missing, even the curtains in the windows are missing. Jin quickly shortlisted everything he needed to buy.
Afterwards, he took the elevator to the ground floor and sent a message to Ando Sayo.
Arima: 'I'm downstairs. Ready to go shopping.'
The reply came after a few seconds.
Ando: 'Sorry, I'm coming down now!'
After a few minutes.
The girl ran down from the stairwell, slightly breathless, sweat glistening on her pretty face.
Ando Sayo wiped the sweat from her face. "There were simply too many people using the elevator. I was afraid Arima-san would wait too long, so I took the stairs down."
Although only about 480 students are living in the school dormitory building, the building provides only two elevators.
If you catch the rush hour, you really have to wait a long time before it's your turn to take the elevator.
"If Ando-san was worried, you could have explained the situation to me first. I can wait."
Jin said softly, "Even if you take the stairs, there's no need to rush so much. If you accidentally fall, it wouldn't be worth the trouble."
Hearing this, Ando Sayo's cheeks flushed slightly, and she smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry, it seems I made Arima-san worry."
"It's fine."
Jin led the girl toward the convenience store near the dormitory building.
Passing through the skywalk, the view suddenly opened up.
A neatly planned, modern commercial street appeared before him.
The street was clean, lined with shops on both sides, and soft LED signs flickered with inviting light.
The air was mixed with the scent of coffee, fruit, and a restlessness called 'consumption'.
Quite a few new students had already gathered here.
Accompanied by the clerk's formulaic welcome, the automatic sensor door slowly opened. As soon as Jin and Ando Sayo stepped into the convenience store, they saw various class D students still lingering around.
Their faces beamed with excitement and curiosity as they streamed into shops in groups of three or five.
The student supermarket was bustling with activity.
Students moved through the aisles, carefully selecting products, their expressions filled with anticipation for their new lives.
The atmosphere was relaxed and leisurely—a rare moment of calm before the storm of class competition.
Small queues formed in front of vending machines.
Jin's gaze precisely scanned the price tags:
● Vending machine mineral water: 60 Private Points
● Convenience store bread: 100 Private Points
● Stationery store basic notebook: 100 Private Points
● Simple meal cafeteria set meal: starting from 200 Private Points
Every item that sustained life and provided convenience was clearly priced.
Suddenly, He caught sight of a plain-looking boy with reddish-brown hair heading toward the convenience store—Kiyotaka Ayanokōji, The protagonist.
The two made eye contact for a fleeting second. No words were exchanged, but in that moment, Jin felt the first spark of genuine interest.
Unlike Sakayanagi Arisu, who broadcasted her intellect like a beacon, Ayanokōji Kiyotaka was a void.
"Interesting," Jin thought, adjusting his collar. "Perhaps I won't have to wait until the next chess match to be entertained."
"Arima-san, what's wrong?" Noticing that the boy's actions were a little strange, Ando Sayo asked curiously.
"Ando-san, how about we split up and buy our own things?" Jin suggested.
"That's fine," Ando Sayo replied, slightly confused. "But all of a sudden, why do you want to shop alone, Arima-san?"
'Could it be that Arima-san didn't want to be seen with her?' Thinking this, the girl felt a little disappointed.
"I considered that Ando-san is a girl, and there might be some items that aren't convenient for a boy to see," Jin explained.
"For Ando-san's privacy, it's better if we separate, or do you want me to see which colour of underwear Ando-san prefers?"
"You! Pervert!" Realizing the boy was actually being considerate of her, Ando Sayo's heart lifted, and her sad mood instantly vanished. "Then I'll see you later."
"See you later."
After the girl left, Jin quickly walked purposefully towards a large general supermarket.