All the chatter that was buzzing in the classroom stopped, and silence reigned.
Everyone looked at Elas Hoeven.
No, it wasn't because of his gloomy appearance, and it certainly wasn't the aura of a 'chosen one' or the 'main character'.
It was because of one question that popped up in everyone's heads:
"Who the fuck is this random guy?!"
Veron shouted the question the entire class wanted to ask.
Facing all these scrutinizing looks from the world's noble heirs, Elas walked with his usual depression to a seat in the back and sat down quietly.
No eye contact passed between us, not even a nod of acknowledgment.
'This is good,' I thought before feeling a gaze fall upon me.
I turned and… it was Liam.
His empty green eyes glared intensely at me. It was clear he was wondering about Elas's presence here. Hell, he was probably wondering how this man was still alive and well.
Which I was aware of.
The chatter returned to the class, and I simply shrugged my shoulders at Liam.
'He shouldn't know. Not now, at least. He'll go mad…'
No one deserves to live the experience of having their reality be fake, and written, to align with a single central figure.
'No one deserves that…'
My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening, followed by the entrance of a beautiful and… handsome girl.
She was one of those women who carried more of a masculine aura around them than some men. Strict and steady, sharp and resilient.
Who could it be but our dear Student Council President?
The marvel of the century.
First in the S Class last year, and probably for years to come.
The one who usurped the presidency seat since her very first year.
"Neter!"
Akane jumped out of her seat and went to hug Neter. Well, she tried. Neter's palm completely covered Akane's face, fixing her in place away from her.
Most of us looked anxiously at Akane, who was squirming while being pulled by her face to the middle of the platform.
"Quiet."
Like her cold and unwavering face, her voice was cold, carrying no trace of human emotion. Her eyes swept the class, looking at every one of us.
Pure disdain showed in her eyes when they fell on me. Disdain that I met with pity, which only amplified the contempt she held for me in her heart.
Thank God she shifted her gaze to someone else when the attention escalated.
'Very good, Louis. Now she'll make an effort to make your life harder here…' I silently complimented myself.
I was just too good at making things worse.
From Akane's previous interaction with Neter, anyone could tell they were close, which wasn't wrong. In fact, everyone here were acquaintances and friends since childhood, given their families' statuses and their 'noble' gatherings. This, of course, excludes Elas and me.
Anyway, it wasn't strange that there were about three people here who knew that I was romantically involved with Neter. It wasn't a secret from the beginning.
I used to accompany my uncle to those meetings. However, I quickly grew to hate them. So I quietly withdrew myself, maintaining contact only with those I liked.
I clenched my fists and let out an inaudible exhale when I felt a disturbance happen within me.
'Damn the past and damn Neter.'
Rightfully so.
If Neter was going to hate me for actions I didn't commit or any imaginary, standardized betrayals happening in her head, then let her. I needed to focus on my present more.
I refocused on the cause of my momentary disturbance to find her in the middle of her statement.
"Failure to participate in club activities will deduct five points from your merit scores. And before you complain about this, remember that you have become a significant part of the Academy's face. You also have other responsibilities to bear."
Some nodded their heads reluctantly.
"Also, a notification will be sent to inform you about the members of your study group. It will always consist of one cadet from Rank S, A, B, C, and D. The D-rank cadets will partially be your responsibility to try and raise their rank. You will lose a member permanently if you lose them."
She gestured to Jalen, who had his hand raised.
"What?"
"I wanted to ask: What is the point of the group other than being babysitters? We might get some points for this, but isn't it excessive?" he said with a frown.
Jalen's question quickly gained the support of the majority of the class.
In truth, the reason for this group system was extremely simple, although it was unexpected to come from someone like Neter.
To be the Student Council President at the Third Grace Academy meant becoming a high-ranking official included in the decisions and procedures implemented by the Academy in general. And this group system was the biggest proof of that, as it was weighed and implemented by Neter herself.
Because she was a fanatic when it came to justice, equality, and equal opportunities…
"And what if I make you a babysitter? Do you object?" An immediate and stern reply, daring you to challenge her authority.
'That's an abuse of power, idiot,' I shook my head, pitying Jalen.
"But to answer your question, yes, besides some commendations, all you get are points. Let me tell you this now: if you contribute to raising a student's rank from D to C, you will get a 5% increase on your points every time you receive some. 10% from C to B, 20% from B to A…"
She paused for a moment to give more weight to the madness she was uttering.
"…50% from rank A to S."
"…"
Silence.
Deadly silence.
We were all sweating in our seats. Some were even rubbing their hands together like some shady street vendors.
And I couldn't blame them. This was too much. Even for these noble mouths.
Minutes passed as Neter laid out some variations in the rules and requirements for us, the S-rank cadets. Most of them were publicly known privileges, but there were several benefits hidden within.
Such as getting a 35% discount on all sellable items in the Academy. This is without mentioning the features we would get when merit points reached a certain threshold.
Merit points were like the achievement bar we see in games, except instead of achievements, we gained an additional privilege.
And vice versa, performing actions that violate the rules would lead to the deduction of merit points, which in turn leads to the loss of these privileges.
On a side note, everyone started with 10 merit points. Without any exception.
Neter paused before leaving the classroom.
From her gaze, I knew she wanted to add something else besides freeing the unconscious Akane, whom she had undoubtedly forgotten and only just remembered.
She ignored the red-faced and suffocating Akane.
"One more thing. If you want to join one of the five essential clubs, you will only need 50 merit points. Of course, there will be another mechanism for operation, but… you get the idea."
She pulled the door and exited.
While I was amused by Neter's cute attempt at recruitment, Akane was still sprawled on the platform, unconscious.
Moments passed before Evette stood up, intending to help Akane.
But…
The classroom door opened again.
This time, it was a young instructor in his twenties. With black hair and deep ocean-blue eyes.
He looked at the unconscious Akane, then Evette who was trying to pull her up by the back of her neck.
He handled the situation very quickly, albeit extremely wrongly.
"10 merit points deducted from you!"
"WHAAAAT?!"
And just like that, Evette lost her 10 merit points.