Volume 2 Chapter 1 Part4 (1/2)
The abrupt beginning of turbulent times
It was the worst ti possible
While looking for places to take a selfie, I stumbled upon an incident It was a tense state of affairs The whole thing started a few seconds ago, when a trivial accusation provoked the other party and turned into a fist fight pretty quickly No, saying fist ”fight” is more accurate Three male students were on the floor, covered in injuries A red-haired boy was standing over theht
I saw blood streaks on his right fist fro a real fist fight In ele at each other's clothes and pinching each other, but this was different I could feel the weight of the tense situation
Even though I was afraid, I unconsciously took pictures of the scene The shutter went off silently I thought to ?”, but in my panic, I couldn't think very clearly
I tried to leave the area as fast as I possibly could But s wouldn't do what I told the paralyzed, I couldn't move at all
”Hehe, do you think… things will be over with this, Sudou?”
The boy as barely able to move his upper body desperately tried to resist despite his fear
”Are you trying to o at ain? I won't hold back next time”
Grabbing the collar of the student who had lost his fighting spirit ht the other boy's face a few centi as if he'd devour them at any moment, the defeated boys looked away
”Are you shocked? Did you think you could win if you had more people?”
Laughing through his nose, Sudou-kun dropped hi
As if he already lost interest in the three boys, Sudou-kun turned around and started walking away
That instant, my heart rate shot up Well, it's natural Sudou-kun started walking in the direction ofspot, after all My routes off the rooftop are liet up here Losing the right ti to escape, ets into an accident, I heard that their body tenses up and feels paralyzed, and that was the exact situation I was in right now
”That was pointless Making ive me a break”
The distance shortened He was only a few meters away
”…The one that'll regret this later is you, Sudou”
One of the boys called out to Sudou in a strained voice
My paralysis slowly faded away, as if a curse was being lifted
”There's nothing as sha of a loser No ainst me”
He clearly wasn't bluffing; it was obvious that he had the confidence to back it up After all, Sudou-kun was able to co disadvantage
To to look like summer
Still noton the back of my neck
Without panicking, I decided to leave from my spot quietly
I just have to avoid being seen and getting involved in the situation
If I get involved, only a dark future awaits my calm and tranquil school life
Carefully but quickly, I moved away and left the place behind me
”Is someone there…?”
Unconsciously wanting to escape, the air slightly changed Feeling the change in at just o However, I was able to escape by a hair's breadth
If I was late by one or two seconds, he would've probably seen ure
1
Thewas always lively in class D It was becauseserious
But, today was louder than usual The reason goes without saying It was because ould et some points ever since our entrance ceremony
The school I go to, ”Koudo Ikusei High School”, uses a novel system called the S system I'll explain a bit about it
Taking out the iven to us by the school, I opened the preinstalled school app, and logged in using my school ID and password I then clicked on the ite Funds”
A lot of things can be done froe You can check your own points and the class' points Also, you are able to give other students points from your own account
There are two types of points listed; the one at the end is listed as ”cl” It stands for ”class”, and it lists how many points the class has It isn't what everyone individually has, but rather, the points the class itself has Next to our class, class D, it showed that we had ”0 cl” since June In other words, we don't have any points Another type is ”pr” It stands for ”private”, and it shows our individual points
On the first day of every month, cl times 100 number of points is deposited into our private account
These private points are for us to buy necessities, ood; they serve the role of money and are very important
Because real money can't be used on campus, if we don't have any private points, we are forced to live day by day without any pocket money to use
Since class D's points are 0, we inevitably don't get any private points, and therefore have to make do without any money
However, at the start of the year, our class points were at a thousand
If we kept our points, ould be getting 100,000 yen every month However, our class points fluctuate fro during class contribute greatly to the deduction of points As a result, class D has no points by the time the first of May came around It's sad, but that has continued until today, July 1st
In addition to our monthly allowance, the class points also deter order of points, the classes are ordered from class A to class D
So, if class D got more points than class C, class D would probably become class C for the next month And eventually, if we h education and job opportunities would be fulfilled
When I first heard of this systeht it was ih as possible Saving private points wouldn't help at all
But ht a point on the midterm
On the previous test, I was able to buy a point for Sudou, who had regrettably ree to sell the point, I understood that Chiyabashi+ra-sensei wasn't joking when she said those words
”At this school, there's nothing you can't buy with points”
That is, holding private points eous
If that's the case, it's probably possible to get more than just test points”
”GoodEveryone looks more restless than usual today”
As the bell rang for homeroom, Chiyabashi+ra-sensei walked in the classroom
”Sae-chan-sensei! Do we have 0 points this , I didn't even have a single point!”
”Oh, so is that why you guys were restless?”
”This ot past the midterms… so isn't it cruel to still be at 0!? We weren't late to class, weren't absent, and didn't whisper!”
”Don't go off deciding things on your own Let me talk first Ike, you clearly worked harder than I've ever seen you try We recognize that Naturally, the school understands how you feel too”
After being admonished, Ike closed his mouth and sat back down
”Well then, these are this month's point totals”
The point results were listed starting from class A on the paper she put up on the board
Other than class D, all the classes were pretty close in points, and everyone had been awarded about 100 points
Class A was at 1004 points, slightly above the amount of points everyone started with
”…Not a very pleasing developured out how to reliably increase points?”
My seat neighbor, Horikita Suzune, seemed to be concerned only about the other class' points, but Ike, along with most of the class, didn't care about the other classes To them, is it only important that we have points?
Written next to class D was—87 points
”Huh? Is that, 87… did we actually increase our points!? Woohoo!”
After seeing the points, Ike jumped up and down in excitement
”Don't be so excited already All the other classes increased their points about the saet any closer This looks like a reward for just passing the midterm Everyone was paid about 100 points”
”I see I thought it was strange that ere awarded points so quickly”
Horikita, as ai for class A, looked like she wasn't happy with the points we got, and wasn't s
”Are you disappointed, Horikita? Because the gap has slightly widened”
”It's nothing like that I got so out of it this time, after all”
”What do youout of it?”
Ike stood up and asked Horikita Attracting the attention of the other classmates, Horikita sunk back into silence Hirata Yousuke, after watching the situation unfold, stood up and answered for her
”The deductions we got during April and May… in other words, along hispering and being late to class, there were no other deductions, is what I believe Horikita-san was saying”
The quick-witted Hirata answered without any probleht on the mark, too
”Ah, is that so If there were a lot of deductions, our 100 points would've been 0”
After having understood the easy explanation, Ike raised his arms in celebration
”Huh? Then why didn't we get any points?”
Returning back to the original question, Ike looked at Chiyabashi+ra-sensei
If we didn't get 8700 points, it would be strange
”This time, there's a bit of trouble The points for the first-years were delayed Sorry, but you'll have to wait for a bit longer”
”Eh~, seriously? Because the school is having trouble, shouldn't we get some kind of freebie?”
All the students gruot points, their attitudes co 87 points and no points is a world of difference
”Don't blame it on that The school decided it, not et your points If there are any points left, that is”
Chiyabashi+ra-sensei's words hung in the air
2
Once it was lunchtiet food
Lately, however, I've been thinking that going out with friends during this ti about school life Take Kushi+da Kikyou, for exairls and boys, and is iets invited in person, she also gets invited over eh she has to refuse people at ti out to eat with a lot of friends
On the other hand, people who are unpopular with girls like Ike and Yaroup of boys Sudou and Hondou are part of that group
What I want to say is that I don't have anywhere that I belong
I'm friends with Kushi+da, and also friends with Ike and Yah I would eat with them, it wasn't very frequent Generally, it was a relationshi+p where the other party would approach me and ask, ”Wanna eat lunch” or ”Are you free after school?”
I didn't mind it at the start of the school year Since it was before I made friends, it was only natural that I would be alone since there was no one else that I kenw
But now, it was a strange phenoh I have friends”
This phenomenon… is a really uncoroups for a school trip and I was absent, it would be really likely that I wouldn't be invited by anyone Do they think that I' friend, or is it that only I think of the about our relationshi+p
Feeling restless, I looked towards Ike's group I'aze of selfishness and faint anticipation
And then feeling bad about myself, I reive up and averted aze
These miserable events repeat every day
”You're still not used to it, I see As usual, you're pitiful, Ayanokouji-kun”
My neighbor looked at aze
”…You look like you're co alone”
”I'm fine, thank you”
It was meant to be sarcastic, but she responded frankly
Most of roups, but the nu alone weren't few by any means, so I felt relieved
Koenji also spent ly spending a lot of tirades, but since his points were running low, he started spending more time in the classroom
The only heir of the Koenji Congloest co alone, but rather, was a person that liked himself and held little concern for others
I felt respect for hiuish from loneliness
As usual, he checked his face with a hand mirror, and it looked like he found no faults with his own appearance
Other than hilasses At one point, Ike was interested in her because he was going off about breasts, but since she was plain and didn't particularly stand out, no one had any interest in her afterwards She was always alone, and she never talked
Like every other day, she was eating her bento alone with her back hunched She was one of the few that made her own bentos
And then,it
Lately, Horikita hasn't been going to the cafeteria, and instead, brought homemade bentos
”Don't you need a lot of time and effort to make your own bento?”
Although it's not a luxurious thing to do, but there are relief measures in the cafeteria for students who have used up all their points Since it takes time and costs some points to make your own bento, the free meal seems like the better option
”I don't know The superredients, you know”
”You redients?”
Without denying it, Horikita opened her bento It didn't have a lot of ood
”Are you good at cooking as well? It doesn't really fit with your character”
”Anyone can cook after reading books or looking things up on the internet All the dorms have the necessary tools as well”
Without bragging about her skills, she took out her chopsticks I guess she replied like that because she thought it was obvious
”But why'd you decide to make your own bento?”
”The cafeteria's loud It's a lot calht?”
A lot of students went to go buy bread or otherof the year, but now thatao eat the free meal If you paid attention, only a few people would be left over in the classroom
Is this what Horikita prefers? At any rate, Ike and the others were no longer in the room
”Did I alreadywave…?”
”You always gaze at the ocean, but you don't even have a surfboard nor the resolution to ride the wave Even then, saying that you couldn't get ride the wave… you talk like so shot”
I wish I could argue, but she wasn’t wrong
3
Unlike lunchtime, after school feels more comfortable since there's no need to be worried about personal relationshi+ps
Also, I don't really stand out if I try to go back to the dorht after school since there are quite a few people who do the same
There's so able to disappear into the crowd like a ninja If I stick to the back of a group of friends, I can pretend to be a part of their group
”…How sad”
I was satisfied withthat I had friends, but in the first place, there isn't anyone in this school that cares about who I hang out with
”Sudou I have so to tell you Come to the staff room”
Sudou, as trying to quickly leave the classroom, was stopped by Chiyabashi+ra-sensei
”Hah? What business do you have with me? I have basketball practice now”
Feeling listless, he opened his bag, grabbed his uniform and showed it to Sensei
”I already talked to your advisors You don't have to come, but you'll face the consequences later”
Sudou was on guard after Chiyabashi+ra-sensei threatened him
”What the hell… Is this going to end quickly?”
”That depends on you Just by staying here, we're wasting more time”
With those words, it looked like he had no choice but to follow
After clicking his tongue, Sudou walked behind Chiyabashi+ra-sensei and walked out of the classroom
”I thought he changed, but I guess that Sudou is the same as ever Wouldn't it have been better if he dropped out?”
I don't knoho it was, but I could hear so to themselves
After the last test, I thought that the class had becoroup Souess it was a lie
”Do you think so too? That it would've been better if Sudou-kun was expelled”
While talking toin order to return to the dorms There probably aren't many students that take their textbooks back and forth to review and prepare for the lessons It's a sad thought
”Eh, not really How about you, Horikita? As the only person who helped out Sudou”
”Het”
My neighbor, Horikita, replied with an uninterested voice
When Sudou was on the brink of being expelled, she purposely lowered her own grades, and spent her points to buy a point on the test for him I didn't expect that kind of behavior from her
At the saot up froether I don't knohen, but we started going back to the dor out, it's strange that it beca we had in co back on the saether
”I feel a bit worried About what Sensei said this ”
”About how our points were being delayed?”
”Yea It looks like there was trouble, but is that trouble on the school's part or from our part? If it's the latter…”
”You're overthinking it Lately, we haven't beentrouble She said so herself I doubt class D would've been the only class to not get any points Si, it's the school's issue”
If there was strong concern for worry, all first-years would've been delayed, so the probability that class D is involved is rather low …Probably
”I wish that was the case After all, trouble directly affects our points”
Everyday, Horikita always thinks about hoe can increase our points She doesn't think about her private points, but rather, the class points so that she can reach class A Of course, it's not irasp
However, there's still hope If Horikita is able to find a reliable way of increasing our points, it'll becoe for class D Furthermore, our classmates will trust Horikita more and she'll be able to make more friends A in situation
”Oh, right, you should join the chat You're the only one who hasn't participated”
Taking out roup chat application
After the test, we invited Horikita to the group chat Kushi+da thought that Horikita, who hated interacting with other people, would be able to participate if it was a group chat However, her efforts were in vain, and Horikita hadn't participated at all
”I have absolutely no interest I also keep my notifications off”
”Is that so?”
Well, it seems like she had no intention to participate in the first place She probably didn't delete the app because it'll send notify the rest of the group
Whether or not she participates is up to her, so I didn't pursue the subject I don't really have the right to do so either
”Ayanokouji-kun, you're also more talkative lately”
”Really? I thought I was always that way though”
”It's only a slight difference, but you've definitely changed”
Although I didn'tnoticed otten used to it
Especially, I feel like I get along with Horikita—wait, no, we definitely don't get along, but strangely, I don't feel aard around her If it were soirl, I wouldn't be able to converse normally, and would probably be flustered
That's why I only talk to people close to me
More than anything, I' silent doesn't make the mood worse
”Is there anything that e?”
”I wonder… If I had to coot used to school life andfactor as well”
If it's only a group of boys, then no one really says much and there's a lot of silence in the conversation
If Kushi+da's there, though, soiven time, and the atmosphere feels more lively
”You see with Kushi+da-san Aren't you concerned, especially knowing about her other side?”
”I was surprised when she said that she hated you But it's natural that you'll like and hate sos Even when she's said it explicitly, why do you pretend to get along with her?”
”I see Well, I also hate Ayanokouji-kun, but we still talk normally I don't really mind it”
”Hey…”
What the hell, why say it to my face…
”That's what I' If someone else says that they hate another person, it's fine, but if someone says that they hate you, don't you feel bad?”
”…Were you testing me?”
While saying ”I don't knoas I?”, she started co her hair Completely forced
”I don't intend to bother her, but Kushi+da-san and I are like oil and water I think there's no need to fight with her”
In other words, it probably roup chat with Kushi+da in it
”In the first place, why does she hate you?”
Ever since the start of school, there wasn'tHorikita?
Kushi+da did say that it was her goal to get along with everyone
”I don't know She probably doesn't know much about me either”
Even if that's the case, it looks like there's so in between Horikita and Kushi+da
”Are you that curious? Go ask her yourself”
That's impossible
Kushi+da Kikyou is norirl, but she inadvertently showed me a different side of her
It's impossible to tell from her kind smile and her tone of voice, but I still remember her remarks from back then I don't think Horikita knows either
”No need for that I'm fine with Kushi+da as she is now”
”That's just disgusting, you know?”