Sendoh had heard this voice before. It was heard when the crowd dispersed at the sports field, when some students were blocking the way.
"Get lost! Don't make me beat you up!"
It was something like that.
It sounded fierce and arrogant.
The owner of that voice was a first-year Class C student, just like Sendoh.
Although the classes hadn't formally introduced themselves yet, the students' names were displayed on their desks. Sendoh remembered that person's name...
'That's Ryuuen,' Sendoh thought. 'His name is Ryuuen Kakeru.'
At that moment, Shiina spoke, not realizing it was poor timing.
"Even though I don't know him personally, I've heard about his reputation," said Shiina. "They say he was the leader of a gang in middle school, beating people until they submitted."
"Now that he's in Class C with us, the situation becomes difficult," Shiina continued.
'Shiina-san is worried that Ryuuen will bring his violent tactics to Koudo Ikusei High School,' thought Sendoh.
Having a student who uses violence in the class was indeed troublesome.
"Do you know any information about Ryuuen?" Sendoh suddenly asked.
"Huh?" Shiina blinked slowly, folding her arms, looking confused.
'Didn't I just tell you everything I know?' Shiina thought.
But Sendoh wasn't asking Shiina.
[Ryuuen, a person who advocates violence. Basically unconquerable.]
[He's proud and arrogant, using violence to unite Class C. Many students don't dare to speak up.]
[Using violence to oppress the class and underhanded methods to fight other classes, bringing unprecedented results for Class C.]
'As I suspected,' thought Sendoh. 'The narrative system knows some information.'
This information wasn't about the present or the past. Class C had just entered school, they weren't united yet.
'So, does the narrative system know the future?' thought Sendoh.
After knowing this system was "alive," Sendoh thought hard. 'Could the system be from the future? Otherwise, it would be impossible to know what will happen.'
But such things didn't make sense, especially since Sendoh was bound to this narrative system.
'This is no longer scientific,' thought Sendoh.
"..."
"Miyama-kun?" Shiina's voice, full of concern, reached his ears.
'Shiina-san is worried?' thought Sendoh.
Understandable. Sendoh had suddenly started talking to himself, chatting with something Shiina couldn't see.
'If this continues, not just Sakayanagi-san will think I'm sick, but Shiina-san too,' thought Sendoh.
Sendoh didn't want to be expelled from school.
"I was just thinking," said Sendoh. "If Ryuuen uses violent methods, he might be able to take Class C as far as he wants."
"Then, how far can we go?" Shiina looked curious.
From the current information, Shiina agreed with Sendoh that although the school provided 100,000 points per month, next month or thereafter, the points would surely decrease.
The reduction could be announced directly by the school.
But Sendoh doubted it was that simple.
'How could the school recruit students, waive fees, and promise graduates university admission or employment without exams?' thought Sendoh. 'That's only for the elite.'
There were serious students like Sendoh and Shiina in Class C, but also rough students like Ryuuen, or other troublemakers.
Shiina wasn't sure the school wanted all students to receive special treatment. Graduating from Koudo Ikusei High School indeed opened many doors, but not everyone deserved it.
'There must be a screening process,' thought Sendoh. 'If we're being screened, why were we recruited?'
As Shiina pondered this, Sendoh continued, "Even though I don't know much about our classmates, Ryuuen might be able to unite Class C through harsh methods."
"In fact, his voice might become the only one in the class, uniting everyone."
"The teachers and Student Council President said this school prioritizes strength. The Student Council President also said graduates receive privileges, like university admission without exams or easy employment. That might be true."
"But it's impossible for everyone to receive such treatment."
"Perhaps upon graduation, students compete based on their abilities."
"And our homeroom teacher, Sakagami-sensei, said the classes and homeroom teachers won't change from the first year to the third. That's an unusual approach."
"So, students who receive special treatment might be determined based on their class."
"The school didn't recruit so many students without reason."
"Strength is everything. Besides individual ability, class, lessons, and experiences at school will surely change students over three years," said Sendoh.
Shiina nodded. She agreed that Sendoh's hypothesis about selection based on class made more sense.
She initially thought Sendoh was sociable, but now felt they were very close. Both were intelligent and could understand each other without communication barriers.
'Miyama-kun is wiser than I thought,' thought Shiina.
Shiina felt that students like Ryuuen, who liked violence, had no hope. But Sendoh was more tolerant, believing the school had expectations for all students.
If the school truly evaluated based on class, it was a subtle strategy. Point reduction wasn't only controlled by the school, but perhaps based on student performance.
'The strong get more points, the weak get few,' thought Sendoh.
That made sense. At the supermarket, they found some free items.
'If everyone has 100,000 points, why are there free items?' thought Sendoh. 'Maybe if your strength is weak, your points are very few.'
"So, what should we do now?" asked Shiina.
"Follow Ryuuen," answered Sendoh. "Ryuuen is a rough person, and he just learned that points can be used as money. He must realize this school is different. Regular schools don't treat students this well."
"He's also smart."
"He might explore the differences of this school."
"Most people would investigate on their own, but Ryuuen is different."
"He might cause trouble with seniors, using coercion or violence to get information," said Sendoh.
"So, we should stop him..." Shiina shook her head. "No, we should follow him and listen as he threatens seniors to get information?"
'Getting free information from Ryuuen?' thought Sendoh.
"This is complicated," said Sendoh. "But knowing school information first is good. Ryuuen's behavior is excessive, bullying seniors as soon as he enters school. If I report him, he might be expelled."
Shiina nodded slowly.
'So, we get information from Ryuuen, then report him for expulsion?' thought Shiina.