SPOILER ALERT: This chapter contains major plot developments and class-shifting theories from the Light Novel Year 3 Arc. If you aren't caught up with the latest volumes, proceed at your own risk.
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Chabashira Sae stands near the front podium, her sharp eyes looking the room as she delivers the final lines of her orientation speech.
"After graduation, however, all of your points return to the school. Because it's impossible to exchange your points for cash, there's no advantage to saving them. Once points have been deposited into your account, it's up to you how to spend them. Do as you like."
A violent thrill shoots up my spine. My fingers dig into the hard edge of my desk, white-knuckling the wood to keep my hands from shaking. I clamp my teeth together. A small, suppressed grin threatens to break across my face.
This is it. The famous 100,000 point trap. Hearing the words read from a paperback novel in my cramped apartment is one thing. Standing in this immaculate classroom, breathing in the scent of the room and fresh uniforms while a real, breathing Chabashira delivers the absolute foundation of the S-System, is pure euphoria.
I look around the room. Dozens of teenagers sit with their mouths hanging open. Ike Kanji stares at his plastic student ID card like it is made of solid gold. A girl two rows over whispers something to her friend, her eyes wide with disbelief. Entirely clueless.
They see an endless allowance and they probably picture convenience store runs, karaoke nights, and brand-name clothes. They have no idea they are already bleeding class points by whispering, fidgeting, and ignoring the teacher right in front of them.
Lowering my gaze, I stare at the thick plastic card resting flat on my palm. One hundred thousand points. A small fortune for a high school freshman.
My initial placement in Class 1-D is actually a big disappointment. I spent the entire morning hoping to see my name listed under Class 1-B or even Class 1-C. Those environments offer a challenge.
Placing me in Class D feels like a waste of my specific talents. Anyone who has read the Light Novel up to the latest releases knows exactly how this timeline plays out.
Class D is destined to claw its way up. By the end of the Second Year arc, they will inevitably reach Class A.
I possess the ultimate weapon. I know the future and I have memorized the plots, the betrayals, the hidden VIPs, and the shifting point balances. I have analyzed every single special exam a hundred times over in my bedroom.
Here in Class D, that knowledge feels almost redundant. Why bother sweating over the details to help a class that is already guaranteed to reach the top? I can just sit back, eat my lunch, and let the plot carry me to graduation.
That sounds like a miserable way to spend the next three years. I finally made it to the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School. I intend to wring every drop of entertainment out of this place.
I lean back in my chair and stared up at the white ceiling. Two distinct routes stretch out in front of me.
The first route is the classic shadow mastermind approach. I can mimic Ayanokouji. I can sit in the back, pull invisible strings, and hoard a massive mountain of private points by exploiting early exams and betting on guaranteed outcomes.
I will stay completely off the radar until the beginning of Year 3. According to the timeline, Ayanokouji plans to transfer out of Class D on the very first day of the third year to fight them from the outside.
When that day comes, I can finally step out of the shadows. I will use my hoarded wealth and future knowledge to lead Class D against whatever class he chooses to inhabit.
I am still considering this route.
My eyes drift toward the front of the room. Chabashira leans slightly against the podium. I catch the faintest hint of a smirk touching the corner of her mouth.
That's the iconic Chabashira's smirk.She knows exactly what kind of garbage dump this class is about to become.
I shift my focus to the side of the room.
The second route is far more demanding. I will become the leader of Class D right from the start. I will take total control, squash the infighting, and drag these defective students to victory through sheer force of preparation.
And please, don't give me that pathetic "we'll reach Class A with the power of friendship" crap.
Hirata and Kushida can keep their naive little speeches. I will forge this garbage dump of a class into a weapon. They won't even realize they are being wielded until my boots are already resting on the throne.
Once I secure the throne, I will go on the offensive. I will crush Ryuen Kakeru's violent dictatorship before it gains momentum. I will dismantle Ichinose Honami's naive pacifism. I will outmaneuver Sakayanagi Arisu's smug, arrogant genius.
And finally, I will expel Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.