Before Hachiman's embarrassment lasted too long, several people in Class B raised their hands.
"You then~~" Hoshinomiya pointed her finger. "Cute Honami-chan, any questions?"
"Teacher," Ichinose stood up, looking confused. "Isn't 100,000 points a bit much? We're just ordinary students. Why would the school be so generous?"
An ordinary high schooler's pocket money is usually less than 10,000 yen. Even including meals and supplies, 20,000 to 30,000 is enough. 100,000 was far too much. With 160 students per grade and 480 in the school, that's 48 million yen a month, nearly 600 million a year, plus the operating costs of Keyaki Mall. They were students who hadn't started working yet. Even with national backing, this was excessive.
"Also, Teacher said points are deposited on the 1st. Does that mean 100,000 points are deposited every month?"
"I agree," someone else chimed in. Kanzaki nodded as well, looking at Hoshinomiya with doubt. Smart people are everywhere; they quickly spotted the issues. Of course, it was possible Ichinose and the others were just exceptionally gifted. In fact, only three people raised their hands: Ichinose, Kanzaki, and the "normie-looking" Shibata.
"Good question." Hoshinomiya pointed her finger proudly. "Since you've asked so sincerely, I shall graciously tell you: how you choose to think about it is up to you."
Are you Musashi (Jessie from Pokemon)? Hachiman complained internally. He would bet Hoshinomiya-sensei definitely didn't have a boyfriend. Hearing her words, the people in Class B actually sighed in relief. The lack of a direct answer clearly implied "No," meaning it wasn't necessarily 100,000 every month. After all, there's no such thing as a free lunch; everyone knew that basic logic.
"In that case, Hoshinomiya-sensei, if the monthly points vary, what causes the difference? And why give us 100,000 points at the start? It's too much. Is it because the school anticipates we will fall into hardship later, so they are prepaying 100,000 personal points? And what does 'buying anything' mean? 'Anything' is a very vague concept. I can't imagine a school with national backing having such a loophole."
Ichinose and Kanzaki fired off several questions in a row, leaving the people around them dazed. Hey, hey. For real? Hachiman was stunned. As expected of a top-tier school, these people were too excellent. They asked questions he hadn't even considered. Hachiman, who was usually confident in his insight, didn't dare underestimate them now.
The key question was: Is it really okay for me to stay here? I feel like I don't make the cut. Seriously, why did this school admit someone who left his exam paper blank? Ridiculous. I want to go home. Hachiman slumped on his desk, watching them perform.
"Stop, stop, stop."
Hoshinomiya crossed her arms over her chest. "Since you have so many questions, I'll answer them one by one." The students looked at her with anticipation.
"Ping-pong!" Hoshinomiya blinked and teased, "The answer is... figure it out yourselves!"
"Alright, business is done. The rest of the time is yours. Teacher is leaving now. Remember to attend the entrance ceremony in an hour."
Before they could react, Hoshinomiya scurried out of the room, only to stop halfway and rush back to the podium. "I almost forgot! There's one more important rule I didn't tell you."
Unlike her playful tone before, she now leaned on the podium with a serious face. "Since the school provides single dorms, 'improper relationships' between men and women are strictly forbidden... but actually, as long as you aren't caught, it's fine! Hehe, actually, as long as you don't have a baby, it's fine. If you have someone you like, tell Teacher, and I'll cover for you~"
Class B fell into a long silence. Speechless. The "important rule"... was this? "Why is everyone so silent?" Hoshinomiya puffed her cheeks, hands on her hips. "This is private intel I'm giving you! You should be excited! Follow me: Heh-heh-oh~!"
"Heh-heh-oh~!" Hoshinomiya waved her fist excitedly.
Awkward. It seemed if no one responded, she would keep doing it forever. Out of options, Shibata and the others exchanged glances and waved their fists in response. For real? Watching the whole class cheer for "improper relationships," Hachiman facepalmed. What is this, a bunch of idiots? He felt his future was bleak. Well, since his dream was to be a house husband, it didn't really matter, it was just awkward. He just felt he didn't fit this class.
"That's more like it! See you later, everyone~" Hoshinomiya left, leaving the dazed class behind. After a while, someone finally sighed, "She's... quite a teacher."
"Indeed..."
"Let's put that aside for now," Kanzaki stood up expressionless. "Hoshinomiya-sensei clearly has reasons she can't tell us. This must be part of the so-called S-System rules."
Quick recovery. Hero Kanzaki, you're so excellent it makes me feel awkward, Hachiman thought.
How much longer is this class meeting going to last? Can I leave now?
"Kanzaki-kun, I think we can discuss that later." Ichinose stood up, hand on her chest, a bright smile on her face. "Although we just met, many of us still don't know each other's names. I suggest we do self-introductions first, then discuss the rules. What do you think?"
Although she said it that way, her gaze was on Kanzaki. After all, Kanzaki had steered the topic toward the rules, while Ichinose wanted to handle interpersonal relationships first. This was essentially challenging Kanzaki's lead.
"No problem," Kanzaki nodded understandingly. "Your judgment is correct. I didn't consider everyone's feelings." Discussing things with strangers would only be awkward; her judgment was more thorough.
"Then shall I start?"
For some reason, Hachiman felt Ichinose glanced at him. That's impossible. We don't even know each other.
"Of course!"
"My name is Honami Ichinose. If you don't mind, you can just call me Honami. I like all kinds of sweets, especially red bean buns. I'm a bit bad at sports..."
Ichinose's introduction was perfect, which made Hachiman recall the past. Back in middle school, when he gathered the courage to introduce himself, he stuttered because he was nervous, causing an explosion of laughter. Someone even shouted, "Let's just move to the next one!" He wanted to die.
To avoid a repeat performance, he took advantage of everyone being distracted by Ichinose and silently stood up to leave. While not something to be proud of, Hachiman was very confident in his ability to be unnoticeable. Even walking on the street, no one would notice him. Maybe it was "Puberty Syndrome."
'Maybe this counts as a superpower.' Hachiman gloated, his mouth curving up slightly, until he accidentally made eye contact with Chihiro Shiranami. Well, since his seat was by the corridor, it was normal to be noticed. But her face turned red, and she quickly looked back at Ichinose, pretending she hadn't seen him. Himeno Yuki also seemed to notice but said nothing. Perhaps it was just a unique kind of kindness to pretend not to see him.
Thinking of this, Hachiman wanted to cry. Forget it. More importantly, he had several questions for Hoshinomiya-sensei. Ichinose and the others asked a lot, but they didn't ask the key questions.