It was the second day of the second month of the new school term. Two big things suddenly happened for the first-year students.
One of them happened in Class 1-B. The back door of their classroom was locked.
When all the students of Class 1-B arrived in the morning, they saw a boy with red hair parted in the middle sitting at the front entrance.
He didn't stop anyone from coming in through the front door, but when someone tried to leave, Ryuen raised his leg to block them.
What the hell.
What is Ryuen trying to pull?
Ryuen wasn't trying anything complicated. He just wanted to make use of the 40-minute homeroom period.
Even though the school only announces the rules for each month's special exam on the 1st, there are still daily homeroom sessions. Usually nothing happens during them, so students are free to do whatever they want as long as they show up in the classroom.
It's basically self-study.
That's also why other classes, like Class D, lost a lot of points during the behavior exam in the first month.
Because no one was watching them, so they acted however they liked.
Now it's the second month after enrollment, and the behavior exam is over.
So some students started leaving the classroom during homeroom even if they were present.
Ryuen also stopped controlling his classmates, so now the class was pretty free.
But—
"Get back in your seats, all of you. I'm running this homeroom today," Ryuen said with a scowl.
Damn.
That's why Ryuen is so annoying.
So, the students sat down with a mix of fear and hatred toward him.
"Ryuen, I don't think your way is right." Of course, there's always one who speaks up. A student still standing at the classroom door, not inside yet.
Tall, pretty fit, probably a B- in physical ability, and C+ in academics.
He's one of the few students in the class who isn't a delinquent.
His name is Yuya Tokimasa.
Seems like he has decent stats.
But there was a reason he ended up in Class C.
"Shut up. If you don't want to listen, go to Class D. I haven't asked yet, but climbing up is tough—falling down is easy."
"So maybe you could apply to move to a lower class."
"Or maybe…" Ryuen looked amused. "If we ever have to make someone drop out, if the class is forced to lose someone, would you be willing to drop out yourself for the class?"
"I—I never said that!" Yuya Tokini quickly grabbed his bag and went inside.
See? Tokini backed down right away.
He kind of gives off a Masayoshi vibe, but he doesn't have the guts. He's the type who gets angry but can't do anything.
And…
When something unexpected happens, people like him are often the least reliable.
"Well then, since everyone's here—"
"Let's get started."
Ever since Ryuen blocked Tokini at the door and they argued, the class had felt a bit tense.
Even the girls were looking this way nervously.
That's when Shirogane stood up.
He walked over to the blackboard.
Ryuen didn't move, but it was pretty clear he had handed the stage over to Miyuki Shirogane.
He didn't say anything, but you could tell from his lips what he meant.
Probably something like:
["Go ahead and start your big speech."]
While the narrator's voice echoed in his head, Shirogane focused his thoughts.
"Yesterday, Ryuen said that after the first month, our class had earned 735 class points. That's enough to cover living costs."
"But he wants to start collecting protection money."
"The amount is 25% of the monthly allowance everyone just got."
"That means each of us has to pay over 10,000 points," Shirogane said.
"W-why?!"
As expected.
The moment he said it, people reacted.
Voices of protest.
But Tokini, who had stood up to Ryuen earlier, wasn't one of them now.
"But I personally don't agree with him," Shirogane suddenly added.
And that statement shut down the protests.
Because…
Huh?
Shirogane is against Ryuen? That's right—he did say a few days ago that there was still hope. If everyone worked hard on exams and earned more class points, they could get a huge payout even if they never reached Class A.
"And even though Ryuen is harsh, he actually listens to reason."
"That's why we ended up drafting a special agreement together."
"And now, we're handing it out to everyone."
"Take a close look," Shirogane said.
But actually…
Neither Shirogane nor Ryuen had helped write the agreement.
But Shiina and Kaneda, who were sitting below and had written it, knew exactly what Shirogane was doing—he was asserting his leadership.
It's great to have many talented people in a class, but someone still needs to be the leader.
That role is necessary.
So Shiina and Kaneda began handing out the agreement.
The students in the front row quickly started reading through it.
About the Class Unity Plan
Everyone knows the school operates based on class units, and how united a class is plays a big role in its success.
This is the opening statement.
It sounds pretty reasonable.
Special exams happen every month, and preparing for them takes both people and money. So, students who sign this agreement will give 30% of their monthly living points from the school to the class on the first of each month.
In other words, after all the nice talk and logic, it becomes clear — they want money.
Some students instantly felt annoyed.
But then they kept reading.
The 30% taken won't be pocketed by anyone. It will be fully used for things like preparing for the special exams, paying regular salaries to the strategy team, and giving support to students who end up getting expelled.
Note 1: Of the total 30% collected, 5% goes to the strategy team as salary.
Note: Support for expelled students will be handled equally. The minimum is 1 million points. If the class has enough points saved, and someone leaves school for the sake of the class, the support can be increased — even up to 2 million points.
"..."
After reading this part, even the students who were about to get angry suddenly calmed down.
Because—
Huh.
The money we give can actually be used as a support payout if we get expelled, and the amount is quite generous.
With the class's current rating at 735, each student makes about 70,000 points a month. So getting to 1 million points would take over a year — and this plan gives it in one go.
And if someone chooses to drop out for the class's sake, they could even get 2 million private points?
You can spend points from your phone like money. It's not real cash, but you can still shop with it, even buy expensive stuff before you leave school.
So basically, you could leave school with a load of money.
Even if you get kicked out, walking away with that kind of cash would still feel like a win.
So the students who were angry before now suddenly started smiling.
And the ones who thought this through were clearly the ones who deep down thought they might not make it.
And in this class, there were quite a few people with that kind of self-awareness.
"..." Ryuen.
Ryuen watched silently.
Shirogane was making promises at the front of the class, and now, clearly, the students were starting to waver. But to be fair, the plan itself wasn't bad.
The goal was still to collect points from students.
And after gathering those points, Ryuen's plan would be the same — use them to handle exams, pay the strategy team, and of course, leave some for himself.
But compared to demanding protection money, this method was obviously more acceptable.
"..." Ryuen.
Shirogane originally joined the student council as vice president through a bet with the president, but now, Ryuen was starting to think this guy might actually be cut out for this.
Same goals, same results, but the way Shirogane does it — he gets people to pay up willingly.
This guy… might really have the talent to be a politician.
And just like Ryuen thought—
The students didn't like the idea of paying every month, but when they imagined they might be the one getting expelled — especially with the next exam coming and no clue how to pass it — they started to hesitate.
Maybe they'd be gone this month.
So in the end, signing the agreement seemed like the smarter choice.
Even though they were giving up 30% of their monthly income, there was a chance to earn even more. And even if they didn't, they could still live off what they had.
That was already way better than Class D.
Since yesterday, they had seen the students from Class D, who were also first-years, complaining while being forced to eat the free but awful cafeteria meals.
So yeah—embarrassing, bad-tasting, who would want to live like that?
And so—
Looking further down—
[It obviously makes no sense to only take and never give, so we've decided to introduce a rewards system.]