After the revelation of the hidden rules, a heavy silence settled over Class 1-B. The school's ruthless academic system had shocked everyone to the point of rendering them speechless.
According to Hoshinomiya-sensei's explanation, only Class A would officially graduate. The other classes had no such guarantee.
It was easy to imagine how fierce the competition between classes would become. This was no simple joke.
In theory, Class B was well-positioned in the rankings. All they had to do was surpass Class A to claim victory. But based on the distribution rules, Class A consisted of the most talented students in their year. Overtaking them would be no small feat.
Moreover, the lower-ranking classes wouldn't stay idle. If they wanted to climb, they'd first have to surpass Class B.
Thus, to advance, Class B not only had to keep an eye on Class A but also guard against the classes below them. Clearly, this was the school's intention—to push everyone to give their all.
Sitting at her desk, Honami Ichinose could clearly sense the tense atmosphere. Seeing the collective unease, her sense of responsibility immediately kicked in. She wanted to take the lead and guide the class.
But just as she was about to act, she noticed that Hashima-kun had already stood up.
—"Hoshinomiya-sensei, we don't have class this morning, right?"
—"That's correct. After this meeting, you're free to return to your dorms. Classes will officially begin tomorrow according to the schedule."
—"In that case, could you spare us a little more time? I'd like to discuss something briefly."
Hearing this, Hoshinomiya smiled again and nodded kindly:
—"Of course, I can wait."
—"But since you're taking up my time, you'll help me carry some textbooks afterward."
Hikaru paused before reluctantly agreeing.
Even though he wasn't physically strong, he needed Hoshinomiya's presence to confirm a crucial point.
—"I can help carry the textbooks too."
Honami seized the opportunity. She had been looking for a chance to talk with her neighbor, both out of curiosity and for the sake of Class B's future.
—"Perfect, then it's settled—you two will help."
Hoshinomiya had already noticed during the point collection that Honami was just as exceptional as Hikaru, especially in social skills.
Being able to rally the entire class on the very first day proved she was no ordinary student.
—"Thank you, sensei. May I use the blackboard?"
Hikaru stood up and picked up a piece of chalk.
At this gesture, the students of Class B straightened up, their eyes fixed on him.
Everyone knew he had uncovered the school's secrets and placed great hope in him.
—"What I want to discuss is simple: the inter-class competition."
Hikaru adopted a serious tone. This wasn't his usual demeanor, but to raise Honami's "stock," he had no choice.
After Honami's stock had risen to 50 points, he had used an item from the [Exchange Shop]:
[Stock Analyzer] (1,000 points, 5 uses/month)
This tool analyzed the traits of a person's "stock" and provided advice on how to raise it or avoid risks.
The analysis of Honami had revealed:
[Ichinose Honami's Stock]
*'A trustworthy girl, gentle yet willing to stand against injustice. A heart of gold, easily talks with everyone, but few truly understand her.'*
**Ways to raise stock:**
*Help Class B advance, unite classmates, prevent expulsions.*
**Risks of decline:**
*Lying to her, harming the class, betraying classmates.*
Armed with this information, Hikaru had taken the initiative.
—"After Hoshinomiya-sensei's explanation, you've all understood the two key elements of this school."
—"First, class evaluation points." Hikaru wrote on the board for clarity. "Second, personal points."
—"We just spent 2 million points to learn the hidden rules. That's a huge sacrifice that could hurt our future competitiveness."
—"Yeah, our points were cut in half..."
—"I agree."
Several voices chimed in. Hikaru ignored them and declared:
—"My idea is to maximize the utility of these points to minimize our losses."
—"Do you already have a plan, Hashima-kun?"
A sporty boy with short hair, Sata Shiba, asked the question.
—"Yes." Hikaru wrote these words on the board: *Sell the school's rules.*
—"Sell the rules?"
Honami looked at him skeptically:
—"You want to resell the rules we bought to the other classes?"
—"Exactly."
—"But we're competing against them. If we give them our advantage, we'll lose it."
—"Not if we do it right. I wouldn't make the mistake of strengthening the enemy."
Hikaru wrote the letters A, B, C, and D on the board.
—"In my opinion, our advantage will only last a month. Once the new points are credited, the teachers will reveal the rules. Our advantage will disappear."
—"Isn't that right, Hoshinomiya-sensei?"
—"Absolutely."
Hoshinomiya had moved closer to the board, letting Hikaru lead the discussion.
—"Our goal, then, is to use this month to turn this informational advantage into maximum profit."
He pointed to the letter A.
—"According to Hoshinomiya-sensei, losing evaluation points means breaking school rules: chatting in class, getting distracted, etc."
—"But Class A consists of the top students. Even without knowing the rules, they won't commit many infractions in a month."
—"They'll only lose a few points, which won't widen the gap with us."
—"I get it," interjected a boy with violet hair. "We can sell them the rules. Even if they learn them, we'll recover some points."
—"Exactly."
Hikaru smiled, satisfied. Class B had sharp minds as well.
—"The final ranking will depend on evaluation points. This month, we must avoid losing points while closing the gap with Class A."
—"But what if Class A resells the rules?" Honami asked, following his reasoning perfectly.
—"That's why I asked Hoshinomiya-sensei to stay." Hikaru turned to her. "You mentioned a special tool."
—"Which one?"
Hoshinomiya already knew where he was going. Her admiration for him grew even more.
—"Contracts. They're official documents validated by the school."
Hikaru explained with a smile:
—"We'll make Class A sign a contract forbidding them from reselling the rules. Otherwise, it'll count as a violation."
—"That way, we'll recover our initial investment."
—"Is that really possible?!"
—"We can actually get our points back like that?!"
As the class buzzed with excitement, Hikaru stole a glance at Honami before anxiously checking his system interface.
A new notification appeared:
[Honami Ichinose approves of your plan. +10 points. Current stock: 60]