Morning arrived quietly over Shirogane Academy.
Sunlight slid through the tall glass windows of the main academic building, casting long silver reflections across the polished floors. The campus looked calm, almost peaceful.
But inside the classrooms, the atmosphere was very different.
Two hundred students had arrived early.
Most of them had barely slept.
Not because they were nervous.
Because they were thinking.
Calculating.
The first official day at Shirogane Academy had begun.
Inside the largest lecture hall, students slowly filled the seats.
No loud conversations.
No laughter.
Only quiet voices and observant eyes.
Some students already studied the people around them.
Others checked the tablets placed neatly on each desk.
Every device displayed the same message.
"Welcome to the Shirogane Academic Evaluation System."
A moment later, the screen changed.
Numbers appeared.
Student Allowance: 1,000,000 Yen
A faint ripple passed through the room.
Even the most composed students raised their eyebrows slightly.
Then another message appeared.
"Allowance adjusts weekly based on ranking."
Curiosity sharpened instantly.
Just then, the classroom doors opened.
Professor Kuroda Aika entered.
The room fell silent immediately.
She walked calmly to the front of the room, her expression as composed as ever.
"Good morning."
Her voice was gentle, but it carried easily through the room.
"Today, you will learn how this academy operates."
Behind her, the large screen lit up.
A ranking board appeared.
Rows of numbers filled the display.
"Each week," she continued, "students will participate in evaluations."
The categories appeared one by one.
Academic Exams
Strategic Simulations
Research Projects
Collaborative Problem Solving
"Your performance in these areas determines your rank."
The screen changed again.
A number appeared at the top.
Rank #1 — Bonus: 2,000,000 Yen
Some students leaned forward slightly.
More numbers followed.
Rank #10 — Bonus: 1,200,000 Yen
Rank #50 — Standard: 1,000,000 Yen
Rank #150 — Reduced: 700,000 Yen
Rank #200 — Reduced: 500,000 Yen
A quiet murmur spread through the room.
The difference was enormous.
Aika watched their reactions carefully.
"The purpose of this system is simple."
Her gaze moved across the room.
"To reward excellence."
Another slide appeared.
Crown Class — 100 Score Students
Edge Program — 99 Score Students
Aika continued calmly.
"Both groups will receive the same opportunities."
A short pause followed.
"But the way those opportunities appear may differ."
Several students exchanged subtle glances.
They understood.
Competition had already begun.
In the back row, a boy sat quietly with his arms resting on the desk.
His expression remained completely calm.
Sakamoto Ren.
Score: 100.
He watched the screen without any visible reaction.
Around him, other students had already begun calculating possibilities.
Potential strategies.
Possible alliances.
Ren simply observed.
Aika closed the presentation.
"Your first evaluation begins tomorrow."
The students' attention sharpened instantly.
"It will be simple."
She turned slightly toward the screen.
One final message appeared.
Strategic Assessment — Group Formation
The room grew quieter.
"Today," Aika said, "you will choose your teams."
That was all.
But everyone in the room understood what it meant.
Choosing the right teammates could determine their rank.
Choosing poorly could destroy it.
Students slowly began turning toward one another.
Conversations started quietly.
Some approached classmates immediately.
Others waited, watching carefully.
Measuring intelligence.
Confidence.
Composure.
In less than a minute, the calm classroom had become a silent battlefield of decisions.
At the front of the room, Aika watched them.
Her expression remained perfectly composed.
But her eyes held a faint spark of interest.
The system had started moving.
And the students were already beginning to play.