Chapter 08: Anomaly
"He who understands everything feels nothing." - Hermann Hesse, "Beneath the Wheel"
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[April 3rd︱Early Mourning︱Coffee Shop]
[Third Party POV]
As the students in Class D remained ignorant of the truth behind ANHS's cutthroat system, a certain D class is making a move on ANHS's grand chessboard, quietly yet confidently.
Yamasaki Isao has a meeting with a specific person in mind at 7:00 a.m.
A 1-on-1 meeting with the class 3-C homeroom teacher.
Why?
How?
Only time will tell.
In the meantime...
As the young man strolls confidently yet warily toward the destination, he recognizes the person he requested to meet.
-"Good morning, sensei. Thank you for taking the time to meet me." - Yamasaki commented sincerely.
-"It's alright. It's a teacher's responsibility to answer students' questions." - The 3-C homeroom teacher responded as if it was the norm.
If you are wondering who it is, the person is Class 3-C homeroom teacher Uehara Mitsuru. She teaches social sciences.
Uehara-sensei taught social sciences for Class 1-D yesterday, on May 2.
Now, why did Yamasaki orchestrate a meeting between them?
Only time will tell.
-"Thank you, Uehara-sensei. I understand requesting a meeting with a teacher at such a time is not." - Yamasaki sincerely apologized for not wanting to trouble Uehara-sensei with this meeting even if it is her responsibility as a teacher.
-"That's considerate of you, Yamasaki-kun. But it's fine. It's a teacher's responsibility to answer students' questions. Besides, I was having a hard time sleeping yesterday anyway." -Uehara-sensei reassured Yamasaki that he had nothing to apologize for.
-"In that case, I won't waste any more of your time. I will get straight to the point. There are a few questions I would like to ask." After breaking the tension, Yamasaki immediately brought up the reason he requested a meeting in this coffee shop.
-"Ask. I will do my best to answer." - Uehara-sensei nodded.
-"I would like to buy the contact information of all the first-year students and staff members."
-"W-What?" - Uehara-sensei was caught off guard.
This was not what she expected at all.
-"On the first day, my homeroom teacher said that you can buy anything with points. Contact information falls under the 'everything' category. Am I wrong?" - Yamasaki continued as if he didn't recognize the shift in Uehara-sensei's demeanor.
-"So, you already figured that out, huh?" - Uehara-sensei asked after some thought.
If this boy managed to uncover this much only after a few days. There was no point in playing dumb or denying anything.
-"Would you please answer my question, Uehara-sensei?" - Yamasaki ignored Uehara-sensei's question. He didn't want to give away any unnecessary information.
-"W-Wait, why would you need that? Can't you just ask for the contact details of your peers?" - Uehara-sensei was not oblivious. Even if she was a teacher for only 2 years, she is not naive.
She had a vague idea about Yamasaki's true intent behind that question. She was determined to learn even if it was just a little.
-"It's too troublesome to meet students and teachers one by one and ask the same question. It's too tiresome and awkward." - Yamasaki bluffed. He came up with a reasonable answer on the spot.
Of course, Yamasaki saw through Uehara-sensei's intention. Even so, he refused to play along.
-"Okay. I can accept that. How about the staff? You don't need their contact information." - Uehara-sensei compromised. She wanted to know why he would need the contact information of "all" staff.
Students?
She can understand.
But staff?
Anyone with above-average intelligence would harbor doubts after hearing such a question.
"Let's call it convenience. Is that against the school rules, Uehara-sensei?" - Yamasaki declined to elaborate any further. He wanted to go forward with his agenda as far as possible without deteriorating his relationship with Uehera-sensei.
Even if it may not mean much in the grand scheme of things, he would rather have Uehera-sensei as a neutral third party than inconvenience.
-"No. If that is your decision, I won't say anything. Let me check...", Uehara-sensei removed her school-sanctioned phone from her right pocket, and typed for a few seconds.
A minute later, she answered, "The price is 200.000 points."
[Yamasaki Isao's POV]
Just as I expected...
The "Manual", accounts for possible private point transactions.
As expected, every point transaction is strictly monitored by the school administration.
Otherwise, teachers would have no obligation to adhere to the school rules. Whether it is the teacher's ulterior motives or their respective students' requests, the higher-ups addressed this matter by making a digital footprint for every transaction. Without punishment from the authorities, teachers would have no reason to hesitate to lower the price for nothing.
The guidebook is in the form of an app. The app is termed "ANHS Teachers".
To log in, you have to use your login details: personal ID and password.
Based on Uehara-sensei's typing speed, rhythm, and direction, the password is "Mitsuueha27".
The password is based on the first name, last name first connotations, and a number.
27? I can't arrive at a conclusive answer immediately, but there is a good chance this number refers to the age Uehara-sensei became a part of the ANHS staff.
Whether it is true or false, I can confirm later.
Anyway...
I am not expecting teachers to know the price for every single private point transaction.
The higher authority one has on the school grounds, the more knowledgeable one will be on the S-System.
A second-year student will know more than a first-year student.
A student council president will know more than a secretary.
A chairman will know more than any teacher or staff member.
-"You are alright, Uehara-sensei?- I asked, being concerned for Uehara-sensei's well-being.
-"Y-Yeah. You don't have to worry about me, Yamasaki-kun." - Uehara-sensei commented, putting an end to this matter.
-"Alright. If you don't mind, I wish to proceed with the questions." - Yamasaki asked politely, not wanting to come across as abrasive.
-"It's alright, Yamasaki-kun. Continue." - Uehara-sensei felt the compulsion not to make Yamasaki worry about her.
[Third Party POV]
-"Alright, next question. Does the school have to buy what the student sells, whether it's a test score, information, service, or anything else? If yes, what are the limits?
-"W-W-Why would you ask such a question?" - If things could not get any worse, Yamasaki dropped another bomb.
Disbelief, awe, fear - multiple emotions manifested in Uehara-sensei's eyes in a matter of seconds.
Yamasaki shrugged, "Just curious."
"This boy... who is in the world, is he? How much does he know about S-System?" - Uehara-sensei was utterly flabbergasted. She couldn't process what she just heard.
It was no surprise.
Chairman Sakayanagi - an epitome of authority with ANHS grounds, a person who knows more about the inner workings behind this school than anyone else had the same reaction as Uehara-sensei when Yamasaki revealed an even more shocking revelation on May 2.
Of course, Uehera-sensei knows nothing about that incident.
An event of this magnitude, which involves a transfer of millions of private points, cannot stay secret with only Yamasaki and Chairman Sakayanagi.
Since Yamasaki purchased the right to deny access to a record that describes Yamasaki's findings and a secret deal between him and the school administration. Hence, everyone - students from every year, and teachers, including Chabashira-sensei, are not permitted to access the record. Not to mention, private points are not usable at this time.
Why?
Yamasaki only bought their "silence" from their side.
The students, the teachers. If anyone ever finds out about a contract between Yamasaki and the school administration, nothing is preventing them from learning about it using private means.
However, this will not happen.
Why?
Unlike other transactions between students and teachers, this matter involves the entire school.
Why might that be important?
Yamasaki anticipated this from the very beginning. The school administration would be concerned about the possibility that Yamasaki might report them if they do not make sure they keep the details of the contract to themselves.
If students learned that the school does not adhere to its rules, their authority towards the school, especially on matters like bullying, will be taken much less seriously.
Hence, he was able to save some private points without spending them unnecessarily.
However, unknown to Chairman Sakayanagi and the board of directors, there is another reason why Yamasaki requested to buy his silence.
"If the information we discussed that day is leaked, I will know for a fact that it was a chairman who shared it with a third party. An acting board of directors has no incentive to take a proactive stance in students' affairs as long as it does not affect the school's future or there is some unprecedented event or unforeseen circumstances which would negatively affect the school's reputation and status."
"Therefore, if ever comes a time when a chairman wants to expel me or something worse, I can use it as leverage to expose the information I shared with the chairman to everyone at the school.
But right now, what's not important? At the moment, I should focus on Uehara-sensei's words." - Yamasaki brushed aside his private thoughts, and recomposed himself as he quietly yet attentively listened to Uehara-sensei.
-"W-Well... First of all, in terms of services and information, the transaction can take place amongst students. To confirm the validity of the information, there are many options. The first is to have an audio file that proves the validity of both parties' consent and the information they shared. It is recommended to receive an official contract from the school to have a legal effect, or the deal must be made in the presence of the teacher. Otherwise, the deal is considered void." - Uehara-sensei concisely responded to Yamasaki's question about the possibility of selling information and services to other students regardless of class and year.
Whether or not the information is legit and the person in question will keep their promise is a separate question.
-"As for test scores..." - Uehara-sensei's words trailed, as if she was trying to find the right words to express for thoughts.
After a moment of silence, Uehara-sensei responded, " The truth is...there was never a time when a student requested to sell their test scores. So, technically speaking, this is not against the official school rules. However...wait for a moment. I will double-check."
Uehara-sensei once again scrolled through her phone for a few minutes. Then, she finally responded.
-"Yes, it is within the school rules to sell test scores. However, there are limitations." - Uehara-sensei disclosed that it is within the school rules to sell test scores in return for private points.
That being said, there are conditions.
First, a student is not allowed to sell more than 30 marks of their test scores per class, per test.
Second, if the same person exchanges their or someone else's test scores more than 3 times in a year, they will face expulsion." - Uehara-sensei delineated the words from a "guide" after finding the right clauses to answer Yamasaki's question.
Yamasaki calmly analyzed the rules, the range these rules have on midterms and finals and beyond, and their limits.
"It's nothing strange. If students could employ such a convenient method to garner private points, students would take their studies much less seriously."
Yamasaki nodded, "That makes sense."
-"Very well. Next question, I would like to buy the location of every student in their dorms."
-"W-Why would you need to know something like that?"
Uehara-sensei was astounded one more time.
After all, who even asks such a question?
This question has nothing to do with points, class hierarchy, and evaluation criteria.
The more questions this young man asked, the less comprehensible his existence became in her eyes.
-"Is there something wrong with the question, Uehara-sensei?" - Yamasaki courtly inquired of Uehara-sensei.
-"W-Well, the rules do not mention anything explicitly forbidding buying such information." - Uehara-sensei was continuously overwhelmed with information one after another.
No one could blame her, though.
No teacher could have predicted they would have such a conversation on S-System only a few days after the entrance ceremony.
-"Wait. Just to be sure, let me check one more time."
After half a minute, Uehara-sensei once again looked up at her phone, scrolling for information, and then she looked at me one more time with a serious expression on her delicate face.
-"T-The price is 150,000 private points. You will have to wait for a few minutes. I will need to contact the dorm management to confirm the permission to share this information."
-"Understood. Take your time, Uehara-sensei." - Yamasaki, with a calm tone and understanding gaze, eased Uehara-sensei's anxieties.
After 3 minutes of conversation between Uehara-sensei and the dorm's upper management, the former received an answer.
-"The information was put into a PDF document termed "StudentDorms.pdf". I will need your ID to delegate this document to you." - Uehara-sensei reiterated to Yamasaki to share his ID to complete the transaction.
-"Very well, Uehara-sensei. My student ID is S01T023543."
Uehara-sensei nodded and typed the ID on her phone.
A few moments later...
[Notification]
[File: StudentDorms.pdf]
-"Alright. Next question, I would like to purchase the entrance exam scores and interview review that the school conducted on all first-year students"
"Is he still pushing things forward?! - Uehara-sensei was flabbergasted. She couldn't process what she was witnessing.
-"Is there something wrong with that Uehara-sensei?" - Yamasaki posed a question in a soothing voice and empathetic expression.
-"Technically speaking, no, but why would you ask such a question?" - As with previous questions, Urehara-sensei was curious to learn about Yamasaki's true intentions.
Unfortunately, she won't have her way this time either.
Yamasaki shrugged, "Just curious. So how much?"
Urehara-sensei sighed.
Seeing Yamasaki won't budge, she responded, "It is not that simple, Yamasaki-kun. Advanced Nurturing High School is considered one of Japan's most prestigious high schools. The school places a lot of emphasis on personal information protection. Even if your request does not directly violate the school rules, it still breaches the protection of students' personal information.
Hence, I can only send you their information on their entrance exam results, the review their former middle school homeroom teachers made on their former students, and the interview supervised by an ANHS-sanctioned interviewer. You are not a student from my class. Hence, the price will be much higher compared to the standard price. Is that okay?"
-"Yes, I understand. How much?" - Yamasaki continued with his query.
-"1.000.000 points." - Uehara-sensei divulged the price, far beyond what a normal high school could afford.
-"Alright. I will send the points." - Yamasaki accepted the price immediately.
-"O-Okay. I will send the information in PDF format. I will need your contact information. Wait for a few minutes." - Urehara-sensei simply reiterated her previous words.
Yamasaki simply nodded.
Uehara-sensei explored personal information through her phone.
[Notification]
[File: Y1Students.pdf]
-"I-Is that all?" - Uehara-sensei's mental health was getting weary. Just to keep her attention on this conversation and manage her emotions and fleeting feelings is taking all of her energy.
At this rate, she won't have any for the class.
-"No, I would like to buy your silence, Uehara-sensei." - Yamasaki requested the same as he did the chairman, Sakayanagi, on "that" day.
-"W-Why? I-I won't share this with anyone. I have no reason to. No one would believe me anyway." - Uehara-sensei iterated that she has no reason to tell anyone about today's conversation, whether from a logical or psychological perspective.
-"Thank you for your concern, Uehara-sensei. That being said, I still wish to proceed." - Yamasaki firmly uttered these with silent yet unshakeable conviction in his voice.
-"W-Wait. Let me check again... It would be 10.000 points" For the nth time, Uehara-sensei scrolled through her phone to unearth the answer to Yamasaki's question.
The same amount as Chairman Sakayanagi mentioned earlier. It seems that regardless of the type of questions asked, the price is the system.
As Uehara-sensei lifted her right hand to drink later to take a break from the emotional roller coaster she experienced.
To take a breath, Uehara-sensei took her latte and drank gracefully.
And then...
-"Oh yeah, Uehara-sensei. How much would it cost to remove the homeroom teacher from their position?"
Uehara-sensei started coughing.
Uehara-sensei was having a hard time breathing for a few seconds.
I immediately walked towards Uehara-sensei to help her out.
[Yamasaki Isao POV]
Everything is going exactly as planned.
As Uehara-sensei was coughing, I secretly opened my "other" mobile phone.
In the meantime, I touched Uehara-sensei's phone through her eyesight blindspot, turned the Bluetooth on, then clicked on the [ANHS Teachers] app and pressed all in for 2-3 seconds.
An option [Share App] appeared, and on the left side, a special feature showed up termed [AirDrop].
Then, I smoothly transferred the app [ANHS Teachers] to my "other" phone in a few seconds.
[AirDrop] is a special proprietary wireless ad hoc service that can be used to transfer audio, video files, website links, applications, and documents without complications as long as the devices are within 1-10 meters distance. All you need is Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
And the best part?
The app can be used on both school and non-school-sanctioned mobile phones (assuming they are the same type as school-sanctioned mobile phones).
With this, I gained access to a guide that thoroughly elaborates on teachers' rights and responsibilities, how much they know about the S-System, the clauses for most private point transactions, and how much authority they have over the rewards and punishments of the students and special exams.
This app can answer a lot of questions I had in the past few days.
Can homeroom teachers access their respective class students' private accounts?
Can the student from different classes yet with the same student ID switch classes as long as both sides consent?
Can a teacher from a different class be brought to support the opposing class? (For example, can a Class B homeroom teacher support a Class C attack on the former's class for 1,000,000 private points?)
How much does it cost to bypass the special exam? Does the price depend on the type of special exam?
What is the price to switch homeroom teachers? Do they need a target teacher's consent before making a deal?
Yesterday, after the matter with the second-year student was settled, I went to the electronic store "CIV CAMERA" to buy a mobile phone.
The price was 30,000 points.
If my hypothesis is correct, some transactions are only allowed when the right conditions are met.
Instead of trying to collect the crumbles of the "S-System", I decided to address the source.
After 10 minutes had passed, the meeting, which lasted about 20 minutes, finally ended.
Uehara-sensei went to school to prepare for the homeroom session.
I stayed in a coffee shop to kill time.
ΨΨΨ🅄🄽🄵🄰🅃🄷🄾🄼🄰🄱🄻🄴 🄿🄾🅆🄴🅁ΨΨΨ
[Third Party POV]
The time is 7:45 a.m. The lessons start at 9:00 a.m. Fortunately, there are no students or staff members in the shop.
Yamasaki took his other phone. He opened the [ANHS Teachers] app.
That being said, Yamasaki was cautious.
Just in case, he examined if anyone saw him, or if any unexpected visitors came.
Fortunately, everything is clear.
Hence, with no hesitation, Yamasaki logged into the ANHS official website for teachers, using Uehara-sensei's account.
The application looks like this:
[Introduction]
[School Structure]
[Staff Rights] > [Homeroom Teachers], [Teachers], [Staff], [Non-ANHS staff], [Frequently Asked Questions]
[Staff Responsibilities] > [Homeroom Teachers], [Teachers], [Staff], [Non-ANHS staff], [Frequently Asked Questions]
[S-System] > [Private Point Clauses], [Special Exams], [Year 1], [Year 2], [Year 3], [Student Council], [Frequently Asked Questions]
[Staff Members] > [Teachers], [Campus Staff], [Non-Campus Staff], [Frequently Asked Questions]
[Frequently Asked Questions]
[Help]
[Contacts]
I clicked on [S-System] and then [Private Point Clauses].
[Private Point Clauses] > [Midterms], [Finals], [Positions], [Security Cameras], [Special Exam Clauses], [Clubs], [Classroom], [Campus], [Frequently Asked Questions]
How convenient.
I clicked [Special Exams Clauses]
[Special Exams Clauses] > [Introduction], [Aims], [Objectives], [Previous Special Exams], [Frequently Asked Questions]
Everything is in place.
Today's meeting was very productive.
As I thoroughly studied the manual for the past 40 minutes, I learned a lot about S-System.
1. Homeroom teachers have no authority to superintend over their student's private accounts. The only exceptions are when permission is granted by the school administration or when a homeroom teacher has a student's consensus over the phone.
2. Students who possess identical IDs from different classes are allowed to transfer classes without private points as long as the procedure is executed in front of a teacher. It doesn't matter if a homeroom teacher from one of the two parties or any other teacher.
3. The price to bypass a special exam for one person is 5,000,000 private points. The price is the same no matter the exam type or period.
4. As confirmed by Uehara-sensei, the price to transfer homeroom teachers from the same year is 4,000,000 private points. If a teacher is from another year, 6,000,000 private points. The consent is unwarranted. As long as the "buyer" has enough private points, the consent of a teacher does not matter.
5. As long as the student has enough private points, the transaction between a student and a teacher is considered legitimate even if a student does not have a phone with them. That being said, the agreement will only carry weight if the latter has the former's consent beforehand.
Otherwise, such an act would be considered extortion. As a safety measure, after a transaction is finalized, the student will receive a notification. If they give their consensus, then a notification will act merely as evidence. However, if a teacher does not follow their end of the bargain, a student has irrefutable proof of a teacher violating the school rules.
In addition, throughout my conversation with Uehara-sensei, I got to confirm something I suspected from the very beginning.
Teachers are forbidden to lie directly to students. The rules apply to homeroom teachers and teachers from other classes, including different years. That being said, teachers have some leeway. They can use double-language, vague responses, and half-truth statements, but never outright lie.
if someone were to hear about this they may say, "This is nice and all, but what's the point? Isn't it just redundant information? Isn't uniting the class, improving our abilities, using our strengths, and hiding our weaknesses more than enough to defeat other classes?
From Yamasaki's perspective, personal abilities are not the only vital element to win any war there is another element to win any battle.
Information.
Information is the cornerstone of survival and the foundation for control of one's surroundings. It's what separates the hunter from the prey, the victor from the loser.
Information is power. It allows you to anticipate the outcomes, and manipulate events to your advantage. The ability to gather, evaluate, and wield information with clinical precision.
To me, it's not just a strategy.
It is a part of my very essence.
Personality, goals, unconscious desires, weaknesses, mental state - these are interchangeable elements to understand the behavior of every individual on earth.
I study people, study the system, the rules, and everything I can within the environment I am in. All of that information allowed me to control the surroundings of my design - towards my goals.
Human psychology is much more complex than just 1 and 0, true or false, right or wrong, black and white— there are many shades of grey you are required to take into account to conclude. Just as a computer uses numerous registers of 1s and Os to process information and produce a single outcome, human psychology operates similarly.
Each individual's thoughts, emotions, and experiences can be seen as a complex array of inputs-akin to those binary registers-that contribute to their overall behavior and decisions. While patterns and generalizations can be drawn from human behavior, no two individuals are ever exactly alike. Even identical twins raised in the same environment can exhibit striking differences in personality and outlook. All individuals are always unique from one another, regardless of how insignificant the difference may be.
In the end, the most important element in war is a human one.
ΨΨΨ🅄🄽🄵🄰🅃🄷🄾🄼🄰🄱🄻🄴 🄿🄾🅆🄴🅁ΨΨΨ
「April 3rd︱Mourning︱Class 1-D Classroom
[Third Party POV]
Three days have passed.
And yet, Class D students already show signs of slacking off.
During the second day, the only one who blatantly disregarded school rules was Sudou.
On May 2, he still showed up on time, but during the second half of the first study session, He fell asleep.
Other than a certain teacher, most Class D students at least pretended to follow the lessons.
As the lunch break ended, students started taking it easy.
Talking during classes, using a cell phone, not paying attention to the teacher, and so on.
After all, why would they?
They will be provided with 100.000 points per month.
Teachers don't call out their behavior, either.
So why should they care?
As the Karuizawa group headed towards the cafeteria.
As the group continued with their small talk, a certain brown-haired young man who was with a group led by a white-haired girl with a cane caught Yamasaki's attention.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
He sat in the leftmost column, near the window with the Sakayanagi group. He seems to have a well-proportioned body. He has brown hair, which is styled in the middle part. Her skin is bright white, there are no scars or wrinkles on the skin area that a person can see directly. This young man has a handsome face, but, unfortunately, because of his deadpan facial expression, his good looks are drastically reduced.
To an average person, Ayanokouji looks like your typical inconspicuous high school student, with hopes, goals, and concerns that a typical run-of-the-mill high school boy would have.
However...
Yamasaki's thoughts were different.
[Yamasaki Isao POV]
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
This 15-year-old student emits a strange sensation, an eerie sense of coldness and detachment as if he were some kind of machine.
There is this quiet intensity about him, like a coiled viper lying in wait.
Akin to a snake in the wild - cold, calculating, and undeniably dangerous.
He didn't blink, showed no signs of emotional reaction, and his body language was rigid and controlled almost as if he was some kind of professionally trained child soldier since early childhood.
Even after this time, a normal person would display subtle bodily signs; however, he was static, and cold, and observed everything and everyone intently as if it was an everyday routine for him.
Strange...every observation leads me to conclude that this individual is not normal in the slightest.
It is almost as if he is not aware of his unconscious actions. It is safe to assume he was devoid of social interaction for a very long time, if not for his entire life.
Such a level of self-control is not something one can simply acquire through everyday life experience or the type of events and circumstances a normal person is expected to encounter at least once in their lives...
Even with the teachings, philosophies, and psychological stimulations from any conventional prestigious institutions, that degree of emotional detachment borderline touches on Alexithymia.
Ayanokouji must have undergone some form of mental and physical training since early childhood, enabling him not only to control his emotions to an imperceptible level but also to possess superhuman cognitive abilities.
Hence...an experimental training.
And if it began in early childhood, he must have been involved in such training under an authority figure...
But if it's experimental, there must be regimes, dependent and independent variables, and something to prove a specific objective, funding...,d more test subjects, and years of development.
This leads me to conclude that under the authority figure with no moral and ethical constraints with sufficient influence, resources, and manpower to conduct a long-term experiment to gain political capital in the Japanese political world, using a human being from their earliest childhood, if not from birth, to dictate their future according to experiments aimed at their objectives...
And this reinforces my belief that they would employ more children—illegal and clandestine experimentation, yet supported by powerful figures...
Politicians? Businessman?
They fit the profile of someone who would undertake such actions. But where would they acquire the children...?
Generally speaking, a shady organization of such magnitude would receive children from 3 chief sources:
1. Orphanages.
2. Donated children from influential families involved in the political and/or business world.
3. Black Market.
If that's the case, it only confirms that this was an attempt to create exceptional humans en masse, proving that an ordinary human, given appropriate, strict, ruthless stimulation, and being subjected to constant conditioning, can become extraordinary at the cost of their being devoid of normalcy compared to normal people.
In that case, why would Ayanokouji enroll in this school?
Is he acting under the organization's instructions?
Unlikely.
In that case, is he here on his initiative?
Acting against the decision-maker of the secret organization funded by government officials?
3 things separate ANHS from the remaining prestigious high schools.
1. The promise of 100% entry to any university and work of one's choice.
2. A total seclusion from the outside world.
3. Interpersonal competition between classes.
Scenarios 1 and 3 are easy to cross out. Someone of Ayanokouji's mental abilities would not need Class A privileges, whether as an end goal or things associated with Class A: prestige associated with Class A name, a desire for dominance, popularity among guys and girls associated with displayed abilities and leadership, a desire for competition, et cetera.
Even if Ayanokouji knew ANHS' competitive nature before coming to this school, he couldn't have known that competition would manifest through "special exams" and other classes fighting against each other.
Unless Ayanokouji was informed by the chairman, Sakayanagi... But that was impossible.
From what I evaluated of the chairman's character, he is not the type to do that. I highly doubt a person held captive for his entire life would be influenced to come into contact with the man at the upper Japanese society without attracting the attention of the organization and its investors, he fled away.
Hence, the only possibility that remains is that Ayanokouji intentionally enrolled in this school to avoid contact with the outside world.
Either way, regardless of his true intentions, he is a very troublesome individual.
I just hope we won't have to cross paths ever again...
ΨΨΨ🅄🄽🄵🄰🅃🄷🄾🄼🄰🄱🄻🄴 🄿🄾🅆🄴🅁ΨΨΨ
[Yamasaki Isao POV]
As I headed towards the dorm after saying goodbye to Karuizawa, Hirata, and the others, I couldn't help but ponder the question that had been on my mind since the first day at school.
A question that has been on my mind for the past three days.
What is the founding principle of this school?
I believe the principle that this institution was inaugurated, but nearly all of human history is simple.
"The only path to salvation is through suffering".
No great person and no great achievements were ever the result of anything other than suffering and hardship.
Sakayanagi Arisu, her congenital heart disease has pushed her to her potential to her very limit beyond what she would have been otherwise. Even if her ability to learn was much more developed than her peers, she would not have attempted to make the most of her potential if not for this obstacle.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, even as a 15-year-old student, he already endured things most people would not for their entire lives. Even if we ignore the fact that he was blessed with superior intelligence than most people will ever have, unbreakable mental fortitude and perseverance are not something you are just born with. Only those who face these insurmountable hardships over and over again, whether they face these struggles on their terms or are pushed by external forces, will gain talent and courage.
Horikita Manabu, a man who believes in utilitarianism would torture himself to protect his class, he undoubtedly had many burdens by himself to accomplish his goals.
In comparison, most students suffered very little compared to the ones I mentioned. For that reason, I look forward to special exams with the expectation for my classmates to face and resolve potentially unimaginable suffering in the name of growth.
From my perspective, this school's true objective is not trying to produce over 100 top-tier students a year, or even 40 students worthy to be in Class A. This school's sole aim lies in producing 4-8 truly exceptional individuals worthy of being called "elite" not just by ANHS's standards but by the country as a whole.
And the promise of a 100% guarantee for the workplace of personal choice and entrance to any university in Japan?
Merely a necessary expense in the pursuit of the few that are truly outstanding.
ΨΨΨ🅄🄽🄵🄰🅃🄷🄾🄼🄰🄱🄻🄴 🄿🄾🅆🄴🅁ΨΨΨ