Sorry for the late update, I've been rather busy.
Before this starts though, just a bit of context if you're interested. I did initially consider starting him in Class-B or Class-A, but I realised that the backstory I have for him makes it rather unsuitable for him to be in any class other than Class-D.
As for the reason why I say this, his defect will probably be revealed during the climax of the Deserted Island Arc. His defect will become very apparent then. I may give very subtle hints throughout, but I'm unsure.
I swear I didn't just place him in Class-D because it's typically the easiest one to write about... or did I fuckers?!
I'll try and see if I can make some time to read the novel, since I'm pretty sure that the anime has apparently quite a few things that were covered in the light novel.
Anyway, the update schedule may be very inconsistent, I'm unsure. I've been rather busy as of late with my modeling agency. Yes, I do fashion modeling, if you were curious. In any case, hope you enjoy the chapter!
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'Wow, even more impressive than I thought it'd be.'
Ryuga couldn't help but compliment as he stepped into the cafeteria, glancing around at the rather impressively large space and neatly arranged tables. Just like the rest of the school, it had a very modern and high-end aesthetic.
Although he came here, Ryuga had no intentions on buying any food. After all, he had already firmly decided to cook all of his meals himself instead of eating out.
As for the reason why he was here in the first place, after the morning lessons, he wanted to see if he could confirm his conclusions back in class. Whether his method will work, he won't know unless he tried.
"Holy shit..." Ryuga felt his eye twitch when he looked up at the prices listed above where a bunch of students were lining up to order. 'Thank god I can cook, this place alone will suck your points dry.'
Looking at each of the lines, Ryuga immediately took notice of the rather large number that were lined up in the line that seemed to be heading towards a section distributing free lunches.
'Interesting...' Ryuga's eyes narrowed as he skimmed over each of the students lined up. 'They all seem to be upper classmen. It's barely been past the first day of this month, so why are they getting the free lunch? Are they out of points?'
In Ryuga's opinion, there were two likely explanations.
Explanation one, the upperclassmen had not received any points or were at least on the line of running dry.
Explanation two, they were trying to preserve whatever number of points they had. After all, as seniors of this school, they most likely understood the deeper importance of points unlike the freshmen.
However, just because one of those explanations may be correct doesn't mean the other isn't, both of them could very well be the current situation.
'Well, only one way to find out.' Ryuga smiled slightly before locking his eyes onto the male student who had just left the free lunch line. 'He should be as good as any of the others.'
Walking towards where the male senior was headed, he watched as the latter took a seat with a deep sigh before poking at the tray of food in front of him.
As Ryuga got closer, he was able to get a better look at the food. Unlike the other options, the one in front of this male senior student was obviously incredibly mediocre, consisting simply of vegetables and other mundane items.
Ryuga already had a plan in mind on how he'd go about getting some information.
"Hello, senior." Ryuga gave a simple greeting as he sat down on the seat opposite to the senior student, who blinked in surprise and looked at him in confusion. "A rather poor choice of a meal, no?"
After registering his words, the male student frowned heavily before looking at Ryuga with wariness and a hint of anger. "...What do you want?"
"Very direct, I like it. I suppose it only makes sense for me to reciprocate." Ryuga smiled before his eyes narrowed as he leaned forwards on the table. "Tell me, how do class rankings change?"
"Huh..?" The male senior seemed stunned momentarily as his eyes seemed to widen. "How did you- what are you talking about?"
"It's too late to feign ignorance, senior. That slip up told me that you know something." Ryuga spoke in a hushed tone before he frowned. "I'd like you to answer my question. How do class rankings change?"
"..." The senior student didn't answer immediately, staring nervously at Ryuga's serious yet almost emotionless gaze that seemed to bore into him. "...I won't give it for free. How much are you willing to pay?"
"10,000."
"That's too low, 30,000."
"20,000."
"Still too-."
"25,000. Final offer."
"...Fine." The senior seemed a bit overwhelmed at Ryuga's rapid responses, eventually agreeing to the deal. "Send the points first, then I'll tell you what I know."
Ryuga didn't verbally answer, instead holding out his hand. The senior seemed to understand before handing Ryuga his phone that was now displaying his student ID.
'Oh? He has quite a number of points, not a significant amount, but definitely enough that a free meal isn't at all necessary.' Ryuga smiled inwardly as this seemed to almost confirm his idea of how important points were. "It's done."
"...Okay, good." The senior sighed in satisfaction after confirming the transfer of points from Ryuga. "Before I tell you, absolutely make sure that you tell no-one you got this from me."
'How generous, you just keep confirming more and more for me. Aside from the teachers, even senior students have a gag order. Makes sense.' Ryuga eyes flickered at that statement. "No worries, you have my word."
"Okay..." The senior student glanced around carefully before leaning forwards as Ryuga did the same. "Class rankings are determined by Class Points, the number of points each class has determines their current standing."
'Class Points? So, there is a certain categorization of points? I guess points overall is just an umbrella term.' Ryuga thought to himself after hearing the senior's words. "Do Class Points also determine how many points we get each month? How so?"
If Ryuga was correct, Class Points was the equivalent of the analogy of reputation that he concluded back in class. It'd make sense, the higher reputation, the higher your standing.
"That... I can't-."
"10,000."
"...Fine." The senior sighed and only spoke again after Ryuga once again sent the transaction. "You're right about that, your class is given Private Points equal to your Class Points times a hundred."
With that information alone, it didn't take a genius to figure out the initial Class Points. Considering they received 100,000 at the start, and assuming they all had equal reputation at the beginning, with basic math, the initial Class Points for each class should be 1,000.
Aside from that, it seems that the points they use individually were called Private Points. Unless there were other categorizations, then the points were separated into Class and Private Points.
"Seeing how important points are, if you run out or are given a very small amount, you're pretty much screwed."
"Screwed? You're putting it lightly."
"Sounds like you have experience."
"A veteran essentially." The senior scoffed in both amusement and seemingly self-mockery. "My class were idiots, we lost almost seven-hundred Class Points on the very first month. Life was pretty much hell in our first year."
"You seem to be doing better though." Ryuga commented lightly as he leaned back and rested against the back of his chair. "I happened to see your points while transferring mine over, you seem fine."
"You just don't get it." Senior shook his head with a laugh that didn't reach his eyes. "Every point matters, and you rarely have any that can just be used recklessly."
"I suppose so." Ryuga shrugged. "You collected quite a bit though. And with mine, you reached past the 300,000 mark, you should be thanking me."
"Yeah, right." The senior student scoffed dryly in amusement. "I used to have over 500,000. Do you have any idea how long it took me to get that? If it weren't for the special exams, my class wouldn't be nearly as close to Class-B as it is now. Relying on good behavior and normal sheet exams was just stupid."
"Oh? Which one would you say helped you the most though?"
"I don't know, probably- wait, you..!"
The senior student immediately stopped his words before sitting up straight on his chair, staring at Ryuga with shaking eyes as the latter merely smiled, though a faint shadow seemed to cast over his eyes.
"Thanks for all the info, senior." Ryuga casually stood up from his chair while saying this. "I learned quite a lot from our exchange, you have my deepest gratitude."
The senior student's body shook a bit, almost fearful at what had just happened to him. Ryuga hadn't used any kind of special means, but he managed to get information out of him very easily.
Not through anything beyond basic manipulative speech, but through casual conversation, Ryuga managed to lower the senior's vigilance. He didn't ask any direct questions, instead replying with typical responses that would usually never harbor any suspicion.
However, with that alone, the senior student quickly fell into Ryuga's flow where he unintentionally revealed crucial information that Ryuga really shouldn't know at this point in time.
"Wait!" The senior's loud voice seemed to attract attention to them, and seeing this, he lowered his voice and asked with a sweat on his face. "Who the hell are you...?"
"Hiroshi Ryuga, Class 1-D."
"Class-D..? How is someone like you in a class of defective students like that?"
Instead of responding, Ryuga just smiled before giving a wave as he walked away. Leaving only the senior student to stare as Ryuga headed towards the exit of the cafeteria.
This little trip gave him much more than he he thought he'd get, not only had he confirmed a number of his conclusions, but even learned of how the distribution of points and the hierarchy of classes functioned.
Although a small detail, Private Points, as in the points belonging individually to each student, were also as he assumed. They could buy beyond material items, such as information as seen just now.
Based on the senior student's behavior during their exchange, it seemed that this certainly wasn't the first time he had done such dealings.
This meant that the transaction of points between students may be rather commonplace here, which made Ryuga curious as to what kinds of other transactions were being made.
Not only that, he had learnt of the so-called Special Exams.
It wasn't much, but based on what he had heard, they could very well be the key to classes overtaking others. Not only that, it seems that aside from them, even normal exams can help in that regard.
However, based on the senior's words, relying on that alone to advance was simply unrealistic. If you wanted to overtake the class above you or improve the gap between you and others, then the Special Exams were your way of doing so.
'Just a shame I couldn't squeeze out what kind of exams those Special Exams are.' Ryuga was a bit disappointed, but was ultimately satisfied with what he had gotten so far. 'That last part though... defectives, huh?'
He doubted the senior realised, but that last sentence before he left gave Ryuga some insight into his Class's situation. If the senior referred to them as worthless, stupid, or something similar, it wouldn't have meant much.
Defectives, however, could mean something much more.
The word typically meant something that was faulty or imperfect, meaning there was something about the thing being described that makes it... well, defective. In other words, all the students of Class-D had some kind of defect, and he was no exception.
Whatever those defects were, Ryuga couldn't be certain, but he could think of a few based on a certain number of individuals he had read the information for. The most important thing though was that all of those deemed to have a so-called defect were placed into one class.
He couldn't help but wonder why.
"I suppose I should start then..." Ryuga's smile faded into a frown as he walked through the hallway. "It's time to begin the first step to solidify my place in class."
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Although Ryuga had stated those words, he didn't do anything and instead waited until the final lesson of the day. After seeing the teacher leave the room, Ryuga smacked his hands on his desk once before getting up.
The loud bang caused many of the students to flinch, and those who were about to leave stopped in confusion and surprise. Seeing his desired effect work, Ryuga casually began making his way to the front.
Seeing this rather abnormal action from Ryuga, Horikita and Ayanokoji couldn't help but look on in confusion.
Over the past few days since school started, although only through passing and casual conversation, Ryuga had made a few of his classmates his acquaintances. So, those who were familiar with him, watched in confusion as he walked up to the front.
Ryuga had no intention on revealing absolutely everything he had discovered, but only what was currently necessary in his opinion. For example, revealing the whole idea of hierarchy may cause more issues than it's worth.
"Apologies for the disturbance, I'd like everyone's attention." Ryuga leaned against the wall at the front of the classroom as the entire class looked at him confused yet curious. "Don't worry, it won't take long, and it's rather important."
"Is something wrong, Hiroshi?" Hirata, most certainly popular male student in this class, couldn't help but ask with some concern seeing Ryuga's serious expression. "If you need anything, feel free to ask."
"I appreciate it, Hirata. But, you don't need to do anything. I simply need everyone's attention." Ryuga responded before glancing around the class. "I'm sure some of you have noticed, but our class's level of discipline is, to put it bluntly, abysmal."
After hearing this, no one could really refute it as they knew his words were true. Students texting during class, talking to each other, and even fucking sleeping in the middle class.
"I can't help but be concerned."
"Why does it matter?" Sudo, certainly the most violent and rude individual in this class, scoffed after hearing Ryuga's words. "The teacher doesn't even care, why the hell should we?"
"If anything, we are the ones who should be worried the most." Ryuga responded in a blank tone as they once again looked at him in confusion. "I'm just going to be blunt about this, I doubt we'll getting 100,000 points next month."
This made the entire class silent.
"Um, Hiroshi..." Kushida, probably the most popular girl in this class, spoke up as she stepped forward with an unsure look on her face. "Why do you say that? Didn't Miss Chabashira tell us we would?"
"Yeah, dude." Ike also chimed in after Kushida. "The teacher already told us we'd be getting 100,000 points!"
Yamauchi, who was sitting in front of Ike, also added. "Yeah, you're wasting our time!"
Whether or not these two were arguing with Ryuga because they don't find anything suspicious or if they simply don't like Ryuga, it wasn't clear. Ryuga wasn't too close with his classmates, but he still was relatively popular, so maybe that earned their scorn.
Whatever the case, it didn't matter.
"Calm down, everyone!" Hirata quickly intervened when a number of students already began talking, and once everyone was quiet again, Hirata looked at Ryuga who looked indifferent. "Could you explain, Hiroshi?"
"Well, don't any of you find the fact that they give us 100,000 each month a little suspicious?" Ryuga gently pushed himself off the wall and stood tall. "On top of our class's disruptive behavior, you think they're still willing to do so? I have high doubts about that."
Ryuga picked up the pen at the bottom of the whiteboard before he began writing, everyone watching in silence as only the sound of the pen moving against the board could be heard.
"Miss Chabashira specifically mentioned terms such as merit and value, that which we earned simply by being accepted here. I'm sure you all agree with me on that." Ryuga spoke as he wrote the words 'Merit' and 'Value' onto the board. "However, these two words can also be referred to as reputation."
"Reputation?" Hirata repeated as he pondered over the word. "You mean our reputation directly affects how many points we earn?"
"In a way, yes." Ryuga nodded before continuing. "Reputation is not stagnant, it shifts in response to a person or collective's actions. Just as how we earned reputation, we can just as easily lose it. The lower our reputation, the less we'll be rewarded."
Ryuga paused and allowed the words to sink into everyone's heads, and naturally, this caused quite a few minds to shake. If his words were true, then their previously luxurious lifestyles would come crumbling down.
"This is stupid!" Sudo shouted as he stood up from his chair. "You're totally overthinking everything. This was a waste of time, I'm getting out here!"
"Yeah, we're going too."
"He doesn't know what he's talking about, he's just trying to confuse us!"
Both Ike and Yamauchi seemed to agree with Sudo's words as they too got up lazily from their seats, and naturally their commotion made everyone turn to look at them.
"W-Wait, you three...!"
"Don't bother, Hirata." Ryuga's calm tone, although not a shout, sounded clearly in Hirata's ears. "They'll come to regret their decision sooner or later, don't waste your breath."
"But, shouldn't we try and convince them?" Hirata looked concerned as he saw the three walk out without a care in the world. "What if they use all of their points?"
"That's their own problem." Ryuga spoke a little coldly as he glanced in the direction where the trio left. "Our words will only be treated as air to them. If they refuse to listen, then that's simply it."
Even if they did end up gaining points next month, as long as those three ended up continuing their misconduct in class, they'll most likely earn the scorn of the other students. How they wish to deal with that, it had nothing to do with Ryuga.
Due to the sudden leave of those three, the atmosphere in the classroom became a bit tense as people began whispering to one another. Some even discussing whether to leave as well.
"Hiroshi, why don't we continue?" Kushida, wanting to change the subject, quickly intervened as she spoke. "What will affect our reputation in a bad way?"
"Didn't I already tell you?" Ryuga smiled slightly in amusement. "Our class's discipline is truly abhorred. We certainly haven't painted a good picture for ourselves with how we've been acting, Miss Chabashira probably hates us to be honest."
"But, wouldn't she have told us though...?" Karuizawa, probably the second most popular female, at least in regard to the girls of the class, also spoke up at this time. "I mean, isn't it her job to to tell us not to do any of that?"
"Is it though?" Ryuga rose an eyebrow as he asked this rhetorically. "This is an elite institution, we can't treat it as an ordinary school. They probably expect us to already know how to behave in class, we're not little kids. Like in a job, your boss won't always come to reprimand you, how they see you will be reflected in other ways... like your paycheck."
"Ah, like the points we get each month!" Hirata seemed to understand immediately as he continued speaking with worry in his tone. "If we continue how we are, we'll continue to lose the number of points we could get next month. How many points do you think we will get?"
"How would I know?" Ryuga shrugged. "Though, if I were to hazard a guess based on how everything has been going, I wouldn't be surprised if we hit rock bottom at this rate. In other words, it wouldn't be a surprise if we end up getting zero."
Ryuga was completely honest with his words, even with all of his information, it was impossible for him to truly know how many points they'll get. After all, he had no idea how many Class Points are deducted for each misconduct.
"Zero, is he serious...?!"
"I just bought a bunch of clothes..."
"H-How many points do you guys have?"
This sentence alone was enough to cause the entire class to erupt into talk as many of the students checked their current points, others looked incredibly worried, and much more.
Those who were on the more intelligent side of the spectrum were carefully pondering over what Ryuga has told them, perhaps trying to think of a solution.
With a loud clap of his hands, everyone's voices immediately went silent as they all turned to look at Ryuga. Ryuga gave a small sigh before speaking up.
"I know the situational isn't exactly what you hoped for. However, although I doubt we'll 100,000 next month, we can at least try to earn as much as we can. To do that, I simply ask you to do one thing..."
Ryuga stared at everyone in silence, the blank look of indifference on his face made a majority of them incredibly nervous as they waited for him to continue.
"...Act your age."