"Yep! They roll over," Hoshinomiya confirms. "But keep in mind, when you graduate, all your points return to the school. You can't exchange them for real cash when you leave. So there's really no point in hoarding them forever. Use them while you can!"
She spreads her arms wide and looks around at the excited faces of the students.
"If you want to give your points to a friend, you can do that too." Hoshinomiya says, waving a hand playfully through the air. "You can transfer them using your phones."
She leans over the podium and rests her chin in both hands. She puffs her cheeks out in a childish pout.
"But you guys have to promise to be super good students for me, okay? I'm going to be so, so sad if my lovely new class gets a bad reputation. The school watches out for bad behavior very closely. Fight as a team and help each other. Let's show everyone how amazing Class B is!"
Renjiro stares at the chalkboard. Then he looks around.
The school watches out for bad behavior very closely.
Upon hearing those words, he immediately tried to find something. Security cameras. But he cannot find one.
If the school watches us very closely, there should be cameras around the classroom. I spotted a lot across the campus the moment I entered the gate.
He got this uneasy feeling from the moment he entered the gate.
"This school is pretty crazy, isn't it?" Mako leans over, whispering loudly in his ear. "We can buy anything we want! I'm going to get that fancy strawberry crepe from the cafe after the ceremony."
"You will probably gain weight."
"Shut up, Renji. I run track. I burn it off." She playfully shoves his shoulder.
Renjiro just looks away. He feels a heavy sense of exhaustion settling deep into his bones. He just wanted a quiet, simple life where he could sleep in a comfortable dorm room. Instead, he landed on a very strange school.
And on top of all that, Mako is sitting right next to him.
The absolute worst-case scenario.
"Alright, that's enough boring talk for now!" Hoshinomiya suddenly claps her hands again, instantly cutting through the rising chatter. She stands up straight, grabbing her pink folder from the podium.
"We have about forty-five minutes before we need to line up for the entrance ceremony," she announces, her bubbly voice filling the room. "You guys can use this time to introduce yourselves! Make some friends! Exchange contact info! It's super important to build a good class environment."
She walks toward the sliding door.
"I have to go to a quick staff meeting, but I'll be back to get you guys soon." She stops at the door and turns around. She flashes a massive, blinding smile and throws up a peace sign.
"Be good, okay? Bye-bye!"
She winks one last time, slides the door open, and steps out into the hallway.
The heavy wooden door clicks shut behind her.
The silence lasts for around two seconds.
Then, the classroom erupts.
Students stand up from their desks. Chairs scrape loudly against the floor. Groups begin to form instantly in the aisles. The noise hits Renjiro like a wave, forcing him to shrink back into his chair.
"Hi! I'm Shibata!" a loud boy yells near the front, waving his hand in the air. "I play soccer! Nice to meet you all!"
"I'm Ichinose Honami," the pink-haired girl says, standing up in the center of the room. A small crowd already gathers around her desk. She smiles warmly at everyone. "Let's all get along and make Class B the best class in the school."
People gravitate toward her naturally. She radiates a bright, welcoming energy that makes her the obvious center of attention. Even the serious boy with the black hair gives her a polite nod of acknowledgment.
Renjiro watches the social hierarchy form in real time. It is exhausting just to look at.
He slowly lowers his head until his forehead rests flat against the cool, hard surface of his desk. He closes his eyes.
If he just stays perfectly still, maybe they will ignore him. Maybe he can blend into the background like a piece of the furniture.
A sharp finger pokes him hard in the ribs.
He flinches, keeping his head down on the desk.
"Wake up," Mako says, her voice loud and entirely too close to his ear. "We have to go introduce ourselves to Ichinose-san. She looks super nice."
"I am asleep."
"Your mouth is moving."
"I talk in my sleep."
"Get up, Renji." She grabs the back of his uniform collar and pulls hard. "You can't be a loner on the very first day. It ruins your social standing for the rest of the year."
Renjiro sags against her grip like a dead weight. Fighting her physical pulling requires too much effort.
The three-year nightmare officially begins.