All the procedures I needed to handle personally are finished, so everything remaining will be done by others.
Girls who are used to a life of luxury.
Boys who have suffered from oppression.
How will they react? All I can do is wait and see.
In truth, the deal with Chabashira wasn't that important. I could have found another way to deliver the documents to the students.
However, having them distributed by the teacher herself would attract attention, no matter the students' behavior.
A teacher is still a teacher—the highest authority in the classroom.
I also considered it a good opportunity to test the rule that you can buy anything with points. We might need that in the future, and I wouldn't have had time to test it then.
So now I know—you can buy anything with points, even services from teachers.
Should I buy better grades in math?
No, that would cost too much.
Honestly, I already feel like I got scammed yesterday.
What matters most now are the results. No matter how much you plan, you'll never know whether it will succeed or not.
The school day ended as usual.
Fortunately, there were no absences today. It seems luck is on our side.
Chabashira-sensei placed some files on her desk, which caught everyone's attention.
"This might be useful."
She began distributing them to all the students in the class, then left the room.
Good work—but the price is high.
Where is the committee for price inflation?
The students grew curious about the sealed files in front of them.
I don't need to open mine to know what's inside.
Points increase and decrease depending on behavior.
All students in the class are evaluated and given the same number of points.
Points change from class to class based on evaluation.
...
All of this is information that will grab their attention. Who wouldn't want to earn more points?
Most of them have already experienced a luxurious life. If they find out they can earn more than 100,000 points, they'll want even more.
If they realize they can earn more than other classes—and that there's a chance to become the best—
that will create enough motivation for them to behave.
I don't know if this will succeed, but it definitely won't guarantee our promotion.
At the very least, it will reduce the damage.
Conversations started spreading everywhere as soon as they understood the contents.
"What is this?"
"I don't know, but it looks exciting, doesn't it?" some girls shouted as soon as they heard.
"Is this even real?"
"Didn't the teacher hand it out herself?"
"Yeah."
"Then did the other classes get the same information?"
Questions started rising everywhere. This needs organization and guidance.
Looks like the ball is in your court, Hirata.
Ironically, he really does play ball.
"Everyone, this looks interesting, doesn't it?" Hirata shouted as he stood up for all to see.
"Well, it would be great if we could earn more points," said a girl with a blonde ponytail.
I've seen her before at the coffee machine.
"Not just that—if we earn more than other classes, wouldn't that make us better than them?" Yamauchi shouted from behind me.
That startled me. My eardrum almost burst.
"Yeah, but is this even true? Will they really evaluate our behavior?"
Several students I don't even know joined the discussion.
"We won't know unless we try, right?" Kushida stood up as well.
Looks like Hirata has already talked to her.
"Yeah, Kushida-chan is right." Ike seemed excited too.
"But did the other classes receive the same files?" a student in front of me asked while adjusting his glasses.
"Hmmm... that's true. But maybe... this is just support from sensei," Hirata began offering reasonable explanations.
"Are you saying special treatment?" Sudō shouted, clearly interested.
"I don't know. But if that's true, then keeping it a secret from the other classes could be an advantage for us," Hirata continued guiding the class.
As expected from the most popular student.
"Hahaha... If that's true, imagine the look on the other classes' faces when we earn more points!" Yamauchi shouted, waving his paper.
All they care about is surpassing others.
How will they react when they find out the class rankings—and that we are the worst?
"But what if this information is false?" the glasses-wearing student asked again.
Why are you more pessimistic than me? Just sit down already.
"We won't lose anything if we follow the rules for the rest of the month. If it's true, it benefits us. If it's false, then you can enjoy your 100,000 points and go back to your usual behavior."
A cold voice cut through the classroom. Everyone fell silent.
Yukinoshita joined the discussion at the perfect moment.
"Yes, Yukinoshita-san is right. There's no harm in trying," Kushida supported her.
"Well, if Kushida-chan says so—"
"Let's show those idiots we're the best!"
"Yeah!"
Three voices shouted at once, and the entire class became even more excited.
"Thank you for your cooperation, everyone. I'll send each of you what we'll do next. I have to leave now for club activities."
Hirata grabbed his bag and rushed out into the hallway.
From the discussion alone, you can tell how bad it was. From the start, it was built on chaos and personal interests.
Sorry, Hirata... but this won't unite them.
Yukinoshita Haruno once told me:
If you want to unite a group, give them a weak enemy.
I won't choose someone to be their enemy.
They will become enemies to each other—
a simple conflict to prove who is better.
I don't know if this plan will succeed or not,
but for my own reasons... I hope it does.
I quickly grabbed my bag and tried to follow Hirata.
At the very least, I should thank him for his effort.
×××
(Narrator – Classroom after everyone leaves)
Everyone gradually left, excited about the new information.
Yukinoshita Yukino remained seated, staring at the paper in front of her.
He still loves to complicate things...
She couldn't suppress a small smile.
Hikigaya didn't tell her his real reason—or whether he even aims for Class A.
But she's glad he didn't hurt himself this time.
She carefully placed the paper in her bag so it wouldn't wrinkle, then stood up to follow him.
But Horikita Suzune approached her.
"Yukinoshita-san, what is this?"
The irritation was clear on her face.
It didn't explain the system—just fragments that served the situation.
And on top of that, the teacher was dragged into it.
To her, it looked like nothing more than a cheap trick doomed to fail.
"Horikita-san, I don't understand why you're upset. In short, someone decided to act instead of standing still and watching—like you."
Yukinoshita avoided mentioning any names.
She had decided from the beginning not to tell anyone unless he wanted to.
"Are you serious? Such a ridiculous idea is meaningless… Do you know who's behind it? Or… was it you?"
"Horikita-san, I don't quite understand your point. But if you don't have a better plan, then there's no reason to object."
Yukinoshita walked toward the door before he disappeared.
"Oh, and as for who's behind it… you can either guess, or assume it's me."
Horikita remained standing there.
No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't imagine who would come up with such a cheap trick.
She couldn't understand its true purpose—or how it worked.
All she felt was that it would definitely fail.
There was another student who hadn't left yet.
He sat quietly at his desk, resting his chin on his hand.
Ayanokōji Kiyotaka.
He tried to figure out who was behind the plan.
Yukinoshita? Her style is too direct—he doesn't think she would use tricks.
Hirata? Kushida?
The only person who always felt strange when talking to him—
Someone who can read your intentions, yet avoid answering directly.
The only one who plays with words.
The only one who would use tricks.
Hikigaya Hachiman.