Mornings in Class B were often tumultuous because the majority of the pupils in this class were anything but studious. They were even rowdier today than usual. The reason for this was brutally evident. We were about to collect our monthly private points.

My school, "Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School," has implemented a revolutionary apparatus known as the S-point system. In a moment, I'll explain.

I took out my school-issued phone, launched the pre-installed school app, and checked in with my student ID and password. Then I tapped "Balance Inquiry" from the menu.

You may accomplish a lot of things from here. You could examine your current personal balance or the total number of points earned by the entire class collectively. You might even transmit points to another student using this feature.

The points were divided into two categories. At the end of one of them, there was a "cl," which stood for "class." These were also known as "class points," because they were not points that a single student had, but rather points that the entire class had accumulated jointly.

Since June, only 680 class points had been earned by Class B. At least for us, it's a significant number of points. Though, I'd be lying if I claimed I didn't anticipate us to save more money. It shouldn't be unreasonable for me to expect us to have more points considering what I did on the first day of school.

The rest of the points were denoted by a "pr" at the end, which meant "private." These were our individual points. They increased the cl points, or class points, by 100 on the first of every month and put the result into our personal point accounts. We bought daily essentials, lunches, and even electrical appliances with our private points. Points are used as a form of payment in this school. They're quite crucial.

We had 1000 class points when we first started here. We would have received 100,000 yen in points each month if we had kept those points. Our class points changed on certain days, which was unfortunate. A variety of factors contributed to a loss of points, such as chatting in class or receiving a poor grade on an exam. As a result, when May rolled around, Class B had lost a total of 120 class points, excluding the 200 class points needed to purchase information about the point system.

The class points were utilized to determine our monthly allowance as well as to assess each class's merit. Class points were used to rank the classes in descending order from A to D. So if Class D scored enough points to overtake Class C, their class would most likely be promoted from D to C for the next month. Furthermore, if we finally make it all the way up to Class A, we'll be able to attend the college of our choosing or acquire the job of our dreams.

When I obtained information from Chabashira-Sensei on the hidden truths of the S-systems, my perspective shifted. When I realized that the school would let me buy confidential information about their school system with both class and private points, I recognized that our homeroom teacher, Chabashira-sensei, wasn't joking when she said, "At this school, you can buy anything with your points."

As a result, holding on to private points meant that you could improve your situation. If you think about it, you could probably buy more than just your personal needs and desires.

The classroom door opened while I was fumbling with my phone, generating a loud noise that resonated throughout the entire room. For a brief while, everyone paused in their conversations to look in the direction of the sound to see who had just entered the classroom. The person in question was none other than Eichiiro.

His hair looked a little unkempt and disheveled today, in contrast to his usual appearance, as some blatant bed hair was visible. He also had small but shadowy and dark circle bags under his eyes, indicating that he might've not gotten enough sleep the night before and seemed to be in a worn-out and troubled state of mind.

Dark circles under your eyes usually happen when the skin beneath your eyes appears discolored. It's not the same as bruising around one eye as a result of an injury or redness and swelling in one eye as a result of an illness.

Though, dark circles beneath your eyes aren't always symptomatic of a medical issue. Fatigueness is the most common cause of dark circles beneath the eyes. What appears to be dark circles under your eyes are sometimes only shadows produced by puffy eyelids or hollows under your eyes that form as a natural part of aging.

Some of our classmates rose out of their chairs and approached him to meet him, but he only smiled bitterly and answered their greetings awkwardly. I got up from my desk and walked over to his table, concerned about his well-being. Something must be bothering him at the moment. Eichiiro rarely behaves in this manner unless he's feeling under the weather.

"Yo," I lift my hand slightly, addressing him. "You seem to be in very low spirits today. Did something happen?" I interrogated.

His cheeks appeared to be fairly crimson on a closer inspection of his face. Not in a typical flustered blushing sense, but rather bruised. As my thoughts went into overdrive, this prompted me to ask more questions.

What caused him to become injured in the first place? Did he get into a brawl with one of our peers? Perhaps a different student? Is it possible that he was being bullied? Was someone starting to harass him? Well, unless it came from his own mouth, I wouldn't know what the grounds was.

He heaved a sigh before responding. "Later, around lunch or after school, I'll tell you about it. Nothing resembling a scuffle took place between me and anyone else, I can guarantee you that much at least. When things calm down, I'll clarify everything." He reassured me with a calm tone of voice.

"I see..." I stroke my chin. "Well if there's anything that's severely troubling you, you know you can come to me or anyone else for help, right?'

"Yeah, I know. Thanks for worrying about me." His demeanor reverted to that of his usual buoyant and effervescent self.

Sudou had just arrived as our talk was coming to its conclusion. As if he were seeking for a needle in a haystack, he looked to be glancing around the room, scrutinizing everyone in his field of vision. I'm curious as to what he's up to...

He was clutching a can of Coca-Cola and a bag of seaweed-flavored potato chips in each hand. He didn't appear to have purchased it for himself, but rather to give it as a present to someone else.

He was ready to approach Eichiiro silently as his eyes met his figure, but he came to a halt when he spotted me standing beside him. He then stroked his chin, as if contemplating whether to keep walking towards us or wait for me to go.

He was obviously keen to speak with Eichiiro based on his body language. I'm presuming the snack and beverages he purchased at the convenience store were largesses for Eichiiro.

I understood his signal and said my goodbyes to Eichiiro while sauntering away from his table. I didn't instantly return to my bench, of course. I tried to eavesdrop on what he wanted to talk about with him by standing near their location.

Sudou regained his focus and ambled up to Eichiiro's desk, standing in front of him, as soon as he realized I wasn't there anymore. On his table, he placed a can of Coca-Cola and a bag of potato chips. Because Eichiiro was only using his phone, he was perplexed by the sudden products that were bestowed upon him. Sudou's abrupt appearance surprised him, and he looked up at him with a puzzled and befuddled expression on his face.

"Uh... Look, man," He scratched his head inconveniently as if he couldn't seem to get the words out.

"I'm really sorry for what I did to you yesterday. I see now that you were merely just attempting to help me the day before. My obnoxious, uncontrollable rage got the better of me, and I retaliated against you because of it. It's fine if you're still angry with me; given yesterday's events, it's penetrable. I'm hoping you'll forgive me and that we can continue to be friends." As a display of true reverence and humility, he bowed deeply.

This is a significant step forward for him, especially considering how much of a time bomb and explosive his attitude was at the start of the year. If it had been the same stubborn guy from a month ago, I'm sure it would have taken him days or weeks to even congregate the courage to approach Eichiiro willingly.

Although his recalcitrant irritable disposition would still be a problem and something that needs to be fixed in the future, this wasn't bad growth for someone like Sudou. His physical prowess and ability will be required for future special exams that may include physical activities or something similar.

"You're overreacting, Sudou." He shaved the top of his head humorously.

"I'm not going to forgive because you have nothing to apologize for in the first place. To begin with, I should've been more mindful of the situation and peril you were thrust into by those Class D thugs. If I were you, I'd also be furious if someone insulted my basketball competency and claimed I didn't deserve to be in the starting lineup, despite the fact that I've worked so hard to earn it and to keep my skills sharp. You're really awesome Sudou. I know very little about basketball, but I can tell you're a very consummate basketball player and athlete." He narrated.

"T-thanks... I've never been acknowledged this much before." Sudou scratched his cheeks, feeling embarrassed by the barrage of compliments Eichiiro was showering him with.

"That's why I'd like to see you play until you graduate, if not longer. The best thing you can do to make up for punching me in the face is to learn to be more patient and avoid pointless conflicts with other people. The sanctions at this institution are exceedingly stringent. If you get into pointless conflicts with violence, the school will undoubtedly penalize you acutely. In the worst-case scenario, you could even be expelled. As your buddy, I'd hate to see something like that happen to you. I'll be satisfied if you can make that promise to me." Eichiiro continued to advise him softly.

"Well... Because I look kind of like a delinquent and have a violent personality, people have always looked down on me and distanced me from them. As a result, castigating everybody who gets in my way has become second nature to me. I'm sort of ashamed of myself as a result of that. I understand that change will be difficult for me, but I will do my best. From now on, I'll make every effort to stay out of trouble."

Sudou made a fist towards him while saying this. Eichiiro, understandably, reciprocated with a fist bump. Before returning to their normal selves, they exchanged a laugh and went on with their days.

It's good to hear that they were able to settle their disagreements amicably. I'm not sure what transpired between them, but I'm guessing the bruise on his face was caused by Sudou, whether by mistake or on purpose.

Having said that, I'm not sure what Eichiiro meant when he mentioned Sudou was put into a predicament because of the Class D lackies. Was Class D attempting to target us right now? Is Ryuen finally about to make his move? He did imply that I'd be a wonderful toy to play with, and he even tried to provoke me into hitting when I was in the cafeteria with Hirata and his harem.

If I said I wasn't expecting this from him, I'd be lying. So, whatever dastardly strategy he has in mind for our class, I'll start making preparations ahead of time to ensure he doesn't succeed in assaulting us. What exactly was he attempting to achieve? To kick one of our students out of the class? To sever our class's bonds of brotherhood and unity? Whatever it is, I'm going to make sure he doesn't receive it.

Ryuen Kakeru, let's see what you've got in store for us.

"Hello, Class B," Chabashira-Sensei entered the room with her customary gloomy expression. She pasted the poster indicating each freshman class's class points without wasting any time.

"Sensei... Isn't it true that our class points have risen?" Horikita inquired, sounding a bit nervous.

"That's right, Horikita. As you can see clearly." After she finished sticking the magnets, Chabashira-sensei touched the blackboard lightly.

"Go ahead and have a look." With her index finger, she specified the poster.

Class A: 1044 cl (+64)

Class B: 771 cl (+91)

Class C: 663 cl (+13)

Class D: 492 cl (+2)

"Let's go! We got the highest amount of points!" Ike exclaimed.

"Clas D only got two points? What a joke." Yamauchi mockingly ridiculed them.

"We'll reach Class A in no time!" Everyone cheered with optimism.

"Congratulations. Your class has bridged the gap between itself and Class A once more." With a delighted smile, Chabashira-sensei commended us.

This morning, we each earned 77,100 private points, a noteworthy increase over the 68,000 points we received in last month. We had discussed it previously in the class group chat and in the classroom, but of course, we haven't gotten around to it yet.

"Your OAA metrics should have been updated by now, in addition to your class points. I'll give you immediate access to the application." Chabashira-Sensei notified us.

I quickly removed my phone from my pockets and entered my passcode to unlock it. Then I went into the OAA app and tapped on my name to see my refurbished OAA data.

As expected, my academic ability rating remains unchanged. After all, I did a fantastic job on the final exam. If I want to keep my SS rating, I'll need to keep getting perfect grades on my upcoming examinations.

My intelligence, cooperativeness, and social contribution scores have also improved, resulting in a one-point increase in my overall ability score. I suppose the school noticed the point transfer among the pupils and deduced that I had purchased earlier exam papers from Kiryuin.

I checked the OAA rankings and saw that I had passed Horikita Manabu in intelligence and was now in first place in that area. Meanwhile, Ichinose's cooperativeness score had only risen by two points, putting me at the top in that category.

I'd also tied in second place with Nagumo Miyabi in the overall rankings. Although I have no idea what the future holds, I am confident that I will soon exceed him and possibly even take first position.

Classes continued as usual, and the bell rang to signify the start of lunchtime after a few hours. A surprising stranger emerged in front of the classroom door just as I was ready to leave.

"Uh... Is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka here?"

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Author's Log

Not much to say about this chapter. I apologize for delaying this chapter for a day. My mental health continues to worsen and make me more unmotivated than I already am.

Also, I might take a bit of a hiatus in February cause of how busy I'll be the next few months. Don't worry, I'll try to upload three to four chapters per week.

Anyways, I made an error in the last chapter of volume 1. It was supposed to be the third month instead of second. I apologize for that.

Hopefully, my mental health will improve soon along with my will to publish more chapters.

Anyways, that's all for today. I'm a bit tired and depressed rn so I won't ramble about things too much.

Also, if I'm mistaken about the date or months, please tell me. That would help me a lot.

That's enough for now.

Sayonara!