The cool morning air brushed against my skin as I ran across the campus. I wore a green sweater and sea blue shorts that went well with my eyes and untied green hair.
I jogged by the second year dorm, arms tucked close to my chest as I regulated my breathing. My hair fluttered like leaves in the wind with the gradual increase in my pacing.
Rounding the corner, I was met with the stretch that led back to the first year dorm, prompting me to go even faster. It was roughly 400m from my current position to building's doorstep, however, I swiftly closed the distance within 48.32 seconds.
Ever since I woke up at 5am I've been running for a total of 49:32.03 without a break. This has been a constant routine for me ever since I began working out at age 7.
Believe it or not, I originally had a weak body prior to that. Though luckily for me that disadvantage became less and less prominent the more I grew.
Returning to my room, I wiped the accumulated sweat off my face and doffed my clothes into the basket.
Today was the first of May. Meaning, exactly a month had passed since my enrollment, that also meant that today was the day we'd be slated to receive our allotment of private points.
The night before, I had exactly 87,520 private points. This morning, it had increased by 65,900 giving me a new total of 153,420 private points.
This solidified my suspicions regarding class points. The amount of private points someone received wasn't determined by the individual but rather the class as a whole. So my decision to make Hirata explain to the class was the correct one.
Seeing as the amount of points we were given this time was a ratio of 1:100 then my previous estimation of each class receiving 1000 class points at the beginning of the semester was spot on.
That being the case, I wonder how much class points the other classes currently possess.
Stepping into the bath, I took a quick shower before donning my clothes, preparing and eating a second serving of breakfast, then heading out.
Making my way down the corridor, I entered the elevator next to a yawning boy with brown hair. I've encountered him quite a few times now during the past month.
He came off as someone who didn't like moving around alot.
The elevator dinged and we exited the metal carrier.
As I approached my classroom, my eyes flitted to the other rooms and silently noted their emptiness before lifting them to find the sign board of my own class. I paused briefly, looking back to the sign-boards of the others.
I expected as much.
Opening the room door, I stepped inside. I was an hour early so no one else was present at the moment.
Walking to my seat, I sat and stared out the window, basking in the rising sun and calm silence. A few minutes later Ayanokoji, and then Horikita came in as well.
The latter seemed to be lost in thought, her brows knitted into a slight frown.
"Good-morning, Ayanokoji-kun, Monty-kun."
I nodded. "Morning." Ayanokoji replied.
Horikita took her seat, her face flashing from momentary irritance to extended confusion. Ayanokoji saw this and asked.
"What's got you thinking so hard?"
She glanced at him, crossing her arms with a sigh, "On my way here, I found something strange. Someone swapped both class D and C's signboards."
I had seen it aswell but I'd be lying if I said I was surprised at the development.
"Swapped? Who would do that?" Ayanokoji monotoned.
"I don't know. It could be a prank, but, the possibility of that being true is extremely low. I don't believe there are people dumb enough to tamper with school property for something so pointless."
"Then, do you think the school might have done it?"
Horikita regarded Ayanokoji as if he'd said something ludicrous.
Most people would share her reaction, afterall, in hindsight, it was a stupid question. However, from my perspective, his words were more than plausible.
'What reason would a school, especially one as prestigious as this, have for them to tamper with the nameplates of their own classes? Why would the school prank their students?'
Is what she's thinking. It seems Horikita was one of many people who don't see beyond the surface level of a topic unless the hidden context was spilled out in front of her.
It was rather disappointing, honestly. Especially since she was one of the few to find our point total suspicious.
I turned in my seat, my eyes glossing over Ayanokoji's face. Relaxed eyes, neutral features; his expression hadn't changed at all since the first day.
I observed him for a while longer before finally, I spoke, "That's quite the leap in judgment. What makes you think the school did it?"
"I'd like to know your reasoning as well." Horikita remarked.
"Nothing in particular. It was only a suggestion."
"Fair enough." The conversation ended there. After half an hour, the class had become a hotspot of ceaseless chatter. The conversations mostly revolved around Hirata's speech two weeks prior.
His decision to inform the class had effectively cemented his position as a trustworthy figure within the class.
Nevertheless, he didn't seem comfortable receiving praise even though his place in the girls' hearts seemed to have been elevated beyond wherever it previously was. I could practically see the hearts forming in their eye sockets.
Unfortunately for them, however, Hirata had already been claimed by Karuizawa a week ago so any advances they were planning to make wasn't happening anytime soon.
My eyes moved to Hirata standing by his desk with Karuizawa Kei latching firmly onto his arm whilst the crowd of individuals gathered around them.
I felt my gaze harden just a bit. Their relationship seemed...incomplete, for lack of a better word.
While Karuizawa was certainly good looking, her attitude wasn't the most pleasant.
She presented herself as a "bad girl" or gyaru type who surrounded herself with a similar crowd of individuals. How did someone as honest and upstanding as Hirata come to date a girl like Karuizawa?
He didn't seem like the type of person to get a girlfriend.
And even if he were to get one, I'd have expected him to be into friendly girls like Kushida and Chiaki or quiet types like Mei Yu Wang and Haruka Hasebe. Even Sakura Airi and Inogashira Kokoro were viable alternatives.
Also, despite being together for a little over a week, they had yet to address each other by their first names. Of course, that could be attributed to them not being ready, but I found it odd nonetheless.
Turning his head towards me, Hirata shot me an apologetic smile. I briefly met his eyes with my own bespectacled orbs of irritation before averting them.
Just then, the bell rang and the classroom door slid open. Miss Chabashira then entered the room with a long tube in her grasp.
"Alright everyone, settle down and take your seats. Homeroom is about to begin." It was barely noticeable but her tone was chipper than usual.
The crowd around Hirata's table slowly dispersed and everyone took their seats.
"Before we start, does anybody have any questions? If so, now is the time to speak." Miss Chabashira said, looking over the class from her position at the teacher's desk.
"Yes, Hondo-kun."
"This morning I checked the signboard and it said Class C, instead of Class D. Why?"
"What, seriously? You sure you aren't seeing things?" Ike asked with a quirked brow.
Hondo reiterated, "Nah, I'm serious. I don't know why, but the sign had a C engraved in it instead of a D."
"Is it a prank?" Yamauchi suggested, "It wasn't us, so maybe some guys from another class did it to get a laugh or something."
Hondo shrugged, "Probably."
Smirking, Miss Chabashira removed a white rolled up poster from the tube she carried before spreading it out on the blackboard and attaching it with magnets.
She stepped back so the class could have a clear view of what she'd done.
Class A (A) - 970
Class B (B) - 880
Class C (D) - 618 ↓
Class D (C) - 659 ↑
"With only a total of 61 absences and late arrivals and 112 instances of talking and phone usage, I must applaud you. As of today, you're all members of Class C." She stated simply, a hint of pride seeping into her voice as she closed her eyes, "I shudder to think what would happen had Hirata-kun not informed you."
"Wait...what?" Ike asked, clearly confused. Most of the class also shared his reaction with some of them whispering to each other to make sense of it.
What she said wasn't anything to be confused about, it was rather straightforward.
As of today, we're now members of Class C.
"Hahaha! Such a rise is to be expected of the room that houses my perfect existence." Koenji's voice boomed with a haughty tone, his legs propped up onto his desk as a large smirk stretched across his lips.
"Chabashira-sensei." Hirata rose his hand.
"Yes, Hirata-kun?"
"If we've become members of Class C, does that mean we could also be promoted to Classes B or A in the future?"
Our homeroom teacher nodded, "Naturally. As you're already aware, this institution evaluates its students based on their true abilities exhibited in specific instances throughout the school year."
"Students are sorted into classes based on their level of excellence. The most capable were sent to Class A while the least capable were in Class D."
"Class D is considered to be a collection of "defects" in the eyes of the school, in other words, the last bastion for failures." She carefully articulated her words to the class, her eyes locked onto Hirata's as he winced.
Horikita's face stiffened, shocked by the school's reasoning. It was logical to separate the superior students from those who were inferior.
To Horikita, who prided herself on possessing exemplary intellect, her being placed in Class D was simply incomprehensible.
Miss Chabashira continued, "Even though that is the case, the school takes on a merit based approach so if your class points change then you will either be promoted, demoted or remain neutral."
"However, do not misunderstand, your promotion from Class D will not revoke your status as defective, that is, not until you have shed those attributes."
Hirata winced, it seems he's finally understood why that boy had addressed the class as "defects" a month ago, "And what are those 'attributes', Chabashira-sensei?"
"Figure it out." Was her cold reply.
Hirata's face scrunched slightly, disgruntled by her way with words. He cupped his chin in what seemed to be contemplation, and, after a short while, posed another question, "Then, how do we increase our points?"
Our teacher paused for a moment, her brow lifting slightly, "In this school, your results are reflected in the points that you receive. Your points cannot be increased by paying attention or coming to class early, but it can be reduced by not doing either of those."
"That means, next month, depending on your performance, you will either receive the same amount of points or less."
"Sensei, you still didn't answer the question. If we can't increase our points or stop them from dropping, then how are we gonna get promoted?" Yamauchi queried.
Miss Chabashira's gaze flickered to Hirata once more, but after seeing his perplexed expression her demeanor changed to one of cold disinterest.
She must have realized that Hirata hadn't picked up on a single one of her hints at all.
She had mentioned that the school evaluates us in specific instances which was synonymous with special exams.
Her talk of class points also confirmed the existence of another currency separate from private points, this was also backed by the reveal of the class rankings.
If Hirata truly was the one to deduce the school's intentions regarding class conduct and private point distribution, clues like those shouldn't have flown over his head. If it wasn't Hirata, then, it had to be someone else within the class that informed him, but who?-is what she's thinking.
She looked around the class briefly, before her gaze stopped in my general direction. The class descended into further chatter, continuing their efforts to get Miss Chabashira to answer Hirata's question but to no avail.
Soon, the bell rang, signalling the end of homeroom. Yet her eyes still hadn't moved from its spot.
"Alright, that's enough." She silenced the class, halting their chatter with an icy glare, "I've something else to discuss with you."
Miss Chabashira's expression hardened as she pulled out another sheet of white paper from the tube and spread it out on the blackboard with some magnets.
It was the results of the surprise test yesterday. The top spot was occupied by Yukimura, Koenji and Horikita who had all scored 90%, tying for 1st place. I came in 2nd at 85% and Mei Yu Wang came in 3rd at 80%. Kushida and Hirata came 4th and 5th with scores of 75 and 70 respectively.
The further down I looked, the worse the scores.
"Judging from these, I can see we have quite a few idiots in this class." Our homeroom teacher said, "What were you all even studying in junior high? If this were a real test seven of you would have been expelled."
The scores had been concentrated on the lower half. Ignoring Sudo who had scored 20%, there were several other students who had managed to score below 40.
"E-expelled??? What do you mean expelled?!" Ike cried. He was in a panic, afterall, he'd only scored 25%, "That's not fair! We weren't told about that!" He continued his protest.
"Well, now you know." Pulling out a marker, Miss Chabashira drew a red line above Kikuchi, "Anyone who scores below the passing mark in the coming Midterm examinations 3 weeks from now will be expelled."
Walking to the door, she slid it open without looking back as she addressed the class one final time.
"Admittance to college is only guaranteed for students in Class A. Every other class will see no benefit." With that, she closed the door behind her.
A few moments of palpable silence passed before the class erupted into noise.
My gaze lingered on the spot our teacher had just been. This school was quite bold.
My theory that they helped only a single class was correct it seems.
After coming here I'd found there were many other instances where they've left things up to our interpretation or conveyed them subtly.
Additionally, they had all of its attendees sign a nondisclosure agreement before coming here, I assume the same goes for the staff as well.
This meant that they wouldn't receive public backlash for intentionally misleading the younger generation because both the government and the students who received the benefits will be inclined to quash any information leakage by any means necessary.
I closed my eyes. At first, I concluded it was to prevent leaking their curriculum to other schools, but I soon discarded that thought after experiencing it myself.
Anyhow as my eyes swept across the noisy classroom I noted that most of our members were currently in a panic about what they'd do for the upcoming midterms except a select few.
Koenji, who had taken his leave earlier after voicing he had a date to attend, Yukimura who fumed about what defect he had that could place him in Class D, Horikita who frowned in her seat, likely also mulling over the reason she was considered defective.
Like Yukimura, she was prideful and refrained from forming relations with people, so I'm not surprised that both of them were unaware of their defect even though it was plain as day.
Lastly, Ayanokoji. Judging by his expression, was unfazed by the development.
He had either found out that the school graded us based on merit last month or he was simply incapable of expressing himself with complex facial movements.
The latter was proven to be true on multiple occasions while the former was still up for debate.
"Everyone." Hirata shouted, taking a stand on the podium and drawing all their gazes, "Our midterms start 3 weeks from now so we have enough time to prepare for it by studying."
"I doubt everyone will make it if they do their own thing which is why I propose we create various study groups where the students who scored well take on the responsibility of helping a few of those who aren't as good academically." Hirata worded his speech so as not to come off as condescending or offensive.
A majority of the class agreed to his suggestion with the only person who seemed defiant being the hot headed Sudo.
"Hey, don't think just cuz you helped us save points means that I'll just suddenly start listening to you." Sudo frowned.
Hirata tilted his head, his face scrunched in slight confusion. "Sudo-kun, studying will benefit the class and, by extension, yourself as well so I don't see why you have a problem with it."
"How are you so sure it'll benefit the class?"
"If we pass the midterms there's a chance we might get an increase in class points."
"I agree with Hirata-kun. We should all try our best to perform well." Kushida interjected, supporting Hirata's argument. A few nods and murmurs of acknowledgement spread through the room.
Sudo, however, remained undeterred in his stance and crossed his arms, "I'm not gonna study. Besides, you don't know for sure how to even get any points. When you figure that out, try talking to me then."
What he said was correct-from his perspective, that is.
As far as I'm aware, no one else outside of myself was privy to the clues given to us by Miss Chabashira. While she didn't explicitly state that we would receive class points, she didn't deny it either.
"I don't think that there's anything particularly wrong with what you said, Sudo-kun. I apologize if I've made you uncomfortable."
Hirata bowed towards the disgruntled Sudo, earning the redhead a few glares from the girls all over the class. "However, Sudo-kun, it's a fact that unless we all cooperate we won't get any more points."
Sudo scoffed, averting his gaze, "...I'll still come to class on time and stuff like that. I just won't study."
He seemed a bit guilty. Likely because Hirata was being so reasonable. But, that guilt was overshadowed by his growing irritation, "So stop botherin' me, got that?"
Why was he so adamant on not studying?
Hirata regarded him for a few seconds before eventually sighing, "Alright. For now, let us focus on those who are willing to be tutored." He said, stepping down from the podium.
The room broke out into an array of conversations, some hushed and some intentionally spoken aloud.
"Sudo-kun can't read the room. Doesn't he understand that studying helps everyone?"
"I know right?"
"In my opinion he's probably jealous he can't be like Hirata-kun."
"I was just thinking the same thing."
"Honestly, I think we'd be better off if he actually did get expelled. He wouldn't contribute anything to the class anyways." Shinohara Satsuki said, loud enough for the red haired boy to overhear the conversation. Her and her clique wasted no time getting on Sudo's case, as most girls usually do.
Shinohara in particular seemed prejudiced towards boys, she didn't waste the chance to berate any of them if they were to slip up.
The only ones exempt from her wrath were those like myself who didn't interact with her and Hirata, to whom she held some degree of respect.
Sudo seemed visibly angered by their comments and snide remarks but he tried not to give them a reaction.
A wise choice. If he lashed out, then he'd just be blamed for loss of points in the end.
My eyes lingered on Sudo for a while before Hirata stepped into my view. I knew exactly what he was going to say without him even needing to begin.
"Horikita-san, Monty-kun, could I have a moment?" He asked, drawing both my and Horikita's gazes.
"Would you be willing to lead a study group?"
Sitting up, I adjusted my glasses with a thumb thrust before closing my eyes with a slight nod of affirmation.
Glancing off to the side, I noticed that Horikita seemed stunned by my decision.
"However, I'll choose who I tutor." I saw no reason to decline his offer. The class was currently behind academically and I was certain that there would be tasks in the future that required a group effort. There was also a possible penalty for expulsion.
However, that didn't mean I'd waste my time on people that would be a nuisance.
Hirata smiled at me, "That's alright, Monty-kun. Thank you." I looked up at him with an expressionless gaze as he turned to face Horikita.
She shook her head and proceeded to speak her mind, "I have no interest in helping anyone else study. They can do so on their own."
Hirata seemed taken aback by her reply and tried to press her on, "Horikita-san, please, could you help your classmates study. I'll only ask this of you for the midterm exams." He tried to persuade her, but she promptly declined once again.
"I refuse. It's a waste of time." She firmly stuck to her stance until the end.
Sighing, Hirata nodded. "Very well, I cannot force you. But, if you do change your mind, I'd appreciate it if you informed us, Horikita-san."
And with that, he went towards Mei Yu Wang and Yukimura who'd also scored quite high.
"I was honestly quite surprised at your decision just now." Horikita spoke, beginning her preparations for the next class, "I thought you disliked inviting needless trouble into your life."
I turned my head lightly so she could meet the corner of my gaze, "That's correct."
"And yet you still chose to accept his request. Isn't that contradictory?" She asked.
Placing my elbow on my desk, I rested my chin on the back of my wrist and averted my gaze to the blackboard, "It would, if it weren't beneficial."
There was a brief pause, I could picture her raising a brow at my words, "What benefits are you talking about exactly?" Horikita continued her questions, her voice tinged with curiosity and slight mockery.
"Aside from preventing expulsion and bringing up the class average, neither of which contributes to the increase of class points, keeping them would most likely lower our point total later down the line."
Closing my eyes, I waited briefly before giving a reply, "That's only an assumption."
Horikita snorted at my remark.
"If that's the case, then, tell me, how are you so sure helping them will be beneficial to the class?" She said.
"Telling you that right now won't make a difference, I assure you." I spoke truthfully.
She laughed derisively, "Monty-kun, I think you're trying a bit too hard to appear aloof." plopping her book on her desk with a light thud, "While I admit, you are capable academically, that doesn't necessarily mean you're more intelligent than I am."
"Are you implying that you're better than me in that regard?" I asked, quirking a brow.
"Of that I am certain." She replied without a smidgen of hesitation. "Though, I suppose you're still better than Ayanokoji-kun who possess neither quality."
"Hey!" Ayanokoji monotoned from his seat behind me, "Don't you think you're being too harsh, Horikita? I might be average at academics, but, that doesn't mean I'm necessarily dumb." He defended himself, using her own logic against her.
"The truth is always a hard pill to swallow, Ayanokoji-kun." Was Horikita's reply to Ayanokoji's seemingly hurt comment.
Ignoring her words, Ayanokoji continued to speak, "Anyways, what Monty said isn't necessarily incorrect is it? If Sudo and the others were to be expelled, who's to say it won't be detrimental to our class later down the line? What if we lose points because of it?"
It seems as though I and Ayanokoji shared the same sentiment. He's asking the right questions, but, unfortunately, if he isn't proven to be reliable, his words will never reach her ears.
"So you're trying to say there's merit in keeping them, even though they're dragging us down, Ayanokoji-kun?"
"More or less." He listlessly replied. Horikita snorted, amused at his words.
"Your words are simply speculation in the end. I have no desire to waste time on this topic, even more so on a bunch of morons."
With those words, the conversation ended there.
I cracked an eye open and peered out the window lazily.
Despite sharing a few similarities, Horikita and I were inherently very different.
She mistakenly believed that she was superior to others. Her pride, mental inflexibility and borderline overconfidence in her abilities, makes her unable to see anything beyond what's given at face value.
Especially when spoken from someone she views as less intelligent or an unreliable source I.e, Ayanokoji.
While she certainly was knowledgeable, possessing a wealth of knowledge could only take you so far.
Afterall, knowledge was simply the amount of information and experience amassed over the course of one's life. Not everyone possessed the same degree of capacity for it.
Even if they were force fed that information from a young age, their differing levels of understanding determined how much of it they would actually retain.
Intelligence, on the other hand, was more complex than that. Having the ability to think, reason and solve problems was needed to apply that knowledge. However, like knowledge, there were varying degrees to it.
For example, if I were given an equation under the heading of Infinitesimal Calculus, the application of the knowledge I'd received would play a huge role in how I approached the question.
I could possess the information needed to answer it, but without the necessary intellect to understand and reason it out, I could not hope to move forward.
But, if I had both the intelligence and knowledge, I could figure out the answer to the problem without much fuss.
Horikita would be unable to do that, however.
Sure, she was certainly an exemplary student. But that's all she was. Exemplary.
My eyes drifted to the long brown haired girl who sat on my right diagonal. She had her bangs swept to the right and cool cerulean eyes that accentuated her apparent cuteness.
Her name was Matsushita Chiaki. She'd scored 60% percent on the surprise test while Ayanokoji had gotten a 50.
Averting my eyes, I closed them again while silently basking in the constant stream of sunlight that flowed in from my window seat.
Time passed and the bell rang. Indicating the start of our first class of the month.