章 5: Ch-5 Misunderstandings... Already ?
[Kazuki's POV]
"I see. Well then, I also wanted to ask about the cameras-"
"Huh ? Cameras ?"
"What are you talking about, Kazuki-kun ?" Kushida suddenly questioned.
Chabashira was staring at me with a expression of surprise, but I couldn't understand why she would do that. Then she grinned. She's weird.
"How very perceptive you are, Kazuki Hikaru."
Why are you congratulating me ?
"Wait... Guys, he's right. It's hard to see, but if you focus enough, there are cameras in this class in every corner of the room." A beautiful girl with brown hair swept towards one side and a beautiful blue eye, spoke.
"Huh ?"
"Holy shit..."
Wait hold on... What cameras are they talking about ? On the room corners ?
I looked and finally noticed that there really were cameras there!
...
I guess that answers my question.
The truth is... I wanted to question why there weren't any cameras, but they all misunderstood me.
Not that it matters. Now I don't look like a fool in front of everyone. That's good.
Don't forget! I never said I was a genius. I'm not! I'm just slightly above average. Yeah. That's all.
I stayed silent for a while, contemplating what just happened. I had to say something or they'll get suspicious. Okay... Just..
Roll with it.
"Why are the cameras placed like that ? Wouldn't it be better to just tell us about them ? Without those cameras to keep an eye on us, most people would slack off or try not to take things seriously during class. Unless... You don't want us to know we're being monitored." I decided to press on, using whatever knowledge I have to come up with a hypothesis.
"And why do you think we would do that ?"
"In order to punish us, probably. If the students were informed about the cameras beforehand, everyone would behave well. But nobody knew that, so they would have not cared how they acted. In such a scenario, by hiding the existence of the cameras, you would be able to discern how students truly act and evaluate the based off it, right ?"
Chabashira opened her mouth to say something but-
*SNAP!*
I snapped my fingers before Chabashira could talk and raised a finger up.
"I'm not done."
This action of mine surprised my fellow students, who wondered if I was a madman to interrupt my teacher in such a rude way. But Koenji laughed and secretly praised me for it, and himself at the same time.
Chabashira blinked a few times, a little taken back by my sudden action. But she never made any notion to stop me and silenced herself, allowing me to continue talking.
"You said we were all judged based on our merit right ? Then why do we all have the same money, hm ?" This question of mine struck a chord that reverberated within the smarter students in the class.
"I don't quite get what you mean."
"You said we will all be judged based on our own personal merit. Our worth. You said the money we just received based on the evaluation of our entrance exam scores. Then why do we all have the same allowance, despite the vast diversity of scores everyone would've gotten ? That's suspicious if you ask me."
And it really was.
If it really was based on individual merit and our entrance exam scores, then everyone should have received a different amount of points. Those that did well in the exam and the interview would've gotten a higher quantity and those that didn't would've gotten much lower.
That would've made sense. But it didn't.
So why didn't it ?
That is the next question.
Why is it that despite the varying scores and talents, every single student of the class received the same number of points.
"I can only think of two possible reasons for this. The first being that we are not all judged equally and are instead judged together, as a class. Which means everything that affects a student will affect everyone else in the classroom. Or, entrance exams and interview don't mean anything at all."
When I said that last part, what I meant to say was that the entrance exam and interview did not account to the point appointment. But what I saw from my teacher was something I'd never expect.
Utter disbelief.
Chabashira seemingly calm and slightly happy face completely broken down, revealing nothing but shock. Her eyes were widened, lips quivering, her jaw slacked. This reaction was not one I'd expected. At all.
Her reaction implies that I was right about something. Something I, as a freshman in this school, should not be aware of. But I just said it. It's one of the above two options, but I'm leaning more into the latter.
Because I did not specify what exactly I meant, it left room for misunderstandings. Additionally, I don't really think figuring out total class-based evaluation is really surprising. So I'm leaning towards the second option.
"The entrance exams and interview don't mean anything at all."
Those were my words. And now that I re-evaluate my statement, yes. It can definitely be interpreted in a completely different way then what I was thinking.
But wait... If it can be interpreted in a different way, then I can also think of that. Perhaps... She took my words in a literal sense ?
That would mean the entrance exam and interview had absolutely nothing to do with the point allocation. No... Not just that. My words can be taken as me saying neither of them matter at all.
She could have assumed I meant to say, "The entrance exam and interview are all useless and have no real meaning. They serve zero purpose and even if you fail, you'll probably still get in."
My words could be interpreted that way.
But... If that is the case then... Chabashira's reaction to my words imply that I'm right.
But then... What...?
I need answers. And the answer I need is right there, in front of me.
So I decided to press on and try to force an answer out of Chabashira.
"What's with that reaction, sensei ? Does that mean I'm right ?" I asked her, the corners of my lips tugging against my face to form a smile.
One of pure amusement.
This managed to utterly shake Chabashira Sae, who stumbled at her words, not knowing what to say. It's like she had no way of answering me. Or perhaps, she didn't expect any questions such as that.
Was she reading a script ? Was she prepared for certain questions and answers ?
Even as a joke, I'd honestly consider that as an available option.
"H-How... How do you k-know about..." Chabashira fumbled her words, unable to formulate a proper answer to my question; or rather, my assumption.
"So I am right!" I suddenly exclaimed.
Even I don't know why I did that.
All eyes were trained on me, some were confused, some were thinking deeply about my words, some were focusing purely on my as if trying to evaluate me.
"But if that were really true, then how are we admitted here ? If the entrance exam and interview truly have no merit, then what decided our placement ?"
"Hahahaha!!"
A sudden burst of boisterous laughter filled the previously tense air, leaving me to sigh as I immediately recognised the owner of that voice.
It was Koenji.
"Anything you'd like to share, Rokusuke ?" I asked him, turning my face towards his.
He placed his mirror down while grinning eye to eye, except that his eyes were closed. So I was right after all. The only thing he could look at without cringing was himself.
And me, of course.
"Actually, I do! The school would go interview and conduct a research in our middle schools and our personal history. In other words, the school likely knows our past!"
This words sent a wave of unpleasant surprise throughout the room. Like the crackling sound of a roaring storm, a thunderous strike of information struck the people present here.
Myself included.
I could feel my face becoming sharper, my gaze intensifying. Slowly, I lost that smile I had on my face and all that was left, was a nihilistic shell. That's what I assumed I looked like right now.
I looked around and noticed specific notable reactions I might need to remember in the future.
Everyone reacted to Rokusuke's words, but these ones stood out more than the rest of them.
The first, was Hirata. He looked completely distraught. A very stressed look on his handsome face that did not at all match his vibe. He's a nice guy, but I have a feeling he's gone through something bad too.
The second, was a girl in the second seat of the column to the right of mine. A girl with long blonde hair and a pretty cute face with beautiful blue eyes. Her expression, which was a mixture of confusion and happiness earlier, suddenly broke apart and morphed into one of pure despair. I noticed a swirling darkness in her eyes that shouldn't be seen in a normal high school student. Her eyes held back fear, melancholy and anguish. Like she just lost something very important to her.
The third, was actually Kushida. She didn't give as strong of a reaction as the others and still kept up a face of innocence. Her doe eyes are very misleading. But I noticed her hands gripping onto her thighs tightly, as of she's feeling anxious or frustrated. And it was clear she was trying to hide it the best she can. The only reason I was even able to see that was because I was standing, otherwise I would've missed it completely.
And then there was Ayanokouji, the anomaly himself. That man remained as stone-faced as ever, not the slightest change in his expression. Everyone had at least some reaction to Rokusuke's words, but not him.
But I noticed something. Something others wouldn't be able to normally see. I assume I only managed to do so because he was conveniently seated right behind me, allowing me to get a very clear look at his face close up.
It was his eyes. His eyes suddenly began sharper. I'm not sure exactly how to describe it, but he was definitely reacting just as strongly as the rest. His natural poker face helped him hide his true feelings on the matter, but the eyes are a reflection of the soul. Through it, the truth can be seen.
And I can see it clear as day, this man has not lived a normal life. His eyes were to dark to be considered normal. No shine. No life. No hope. Just pure, dread and horror. Eyes liked that cannot just be copied by anyone.
It was a truly intense gaze. Nobody else managed to catch sight of it because they were all looking at me, and because I was blocking his face from being seen by standing up.
Looking back at Chabashira, I came to notice how vulnerable she was at this moment. This was the perfect opportunity to strike.
I wasn't about to give her the luxury to recover from the initial shock.
"So what does that mean, Chabashira sensei ? How are we admitted in here ? What does it determine ?"
She didn't reply.
"You know, unlike most misguided fools that come to this school, I actually conducted my research beforehand. I've noticed that quite a few people get expelled. But that's not the main issue here. It's the fact that there have been cases of graduates not being granted a guaranteed employment pass. Is there a reason for that ?" I'm pretty sure I had a very cynical face on right now.
"Wait, what?!"
"What does that mean ?"
"Does that mean we won't get the 100% employment guarantee?!"
"Then what even is the point of this school!"
"I can't believe we got scammed!"
Hearing these people complain gave me a big headache. I'm trying to brainstorm here and those uncivilized mierdas are being too loud to let me think. It's frustrating.
"No you Imbécil's! It's a government funded school so I doubt they'll scam us. And besides, I have also seen people that did get the employment guarantee, so that completely nullifies those accusations." I immediately turned to the rest of my class and shut them all down, making them all slowly quiet down.
"Then why is it that you say some people don't gain such a reward despite graduating from this school ?" A boy with glasses and a sharp scorned looked asked me. He appeared to be one of the sharper students in this classroom.
"Because I believe that only certain people are allowed this privilege." I answered him.
"And what makes you say that ?" Questioned the raven haired girl sitting next to Ayanokouji, the same one I confronted earlier today.
"You just have to think a little, that's all. Let's starts with the school's name Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School! The key word being "nurturing". This school is responsible for producing elites, but that doesn't mean all students that are accepted are automatically superior to the others. The school is supposed to take some people and slowly help them mature and nurture them so they may lead the nation in the future. How are they supposed to nurture teenagers like us by giving us a monthly allowance of 100,000 yen, absolute freedom and protection to do whatever we want for three years without repercussions and a luxury life ? If anything, it sounds like the school wants to spoil us."
With my words, as I spoke more, I could visibly see the gears turning in the heads of a lot of people in this room. Good. It seems that I'm having a positive effect which is a really good thing.
"Wait um..."
It was that same brunette from earlier, the very pretty one that stood out compared to the other girls in terms of beauty. She was one of the more perceptive people in the class, from what I could tell.
"Kazuki Hikaru." I introduced myself.
"Kazuki-kun. Are you trying to imply that we won't get the same points next month and the months following ? And from what I can comprehend, you're also saying there are certain conditions to be fulfilled in order to actually receive the benifit of employment ?" She's a very smart woman, I'll say that much. I can already tell she'll be important to me in the future.
I'll get her name later.
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. This will likely be done in the form of competitions and not just written exams. But remember what I said earlier ? It's been pretty much established that we are judged based on our merit and said evaluation is down by taking our class as a whole. If that's the case, then they definitely can't make us compete amongst each other, right ? So that leaves two options. We either overcome challenges thrown at us by the school itself, or there will be inter-class competitions to decide our standing."
I don't know why, but when I finished the word "standing", Chabashira freaked out.
I guess that means I guessed something else.
"What do you mean standing ? Kazuki Hikaru, please elaborate on the matter." Chabashira, despite being filled with shock, seems to have calmed her nerves enough to make her voice stern again.
"I don't know. What do you think I mean." I gave her a confident grin while saying this.
I actually have no clue what it means...
I'm just trying to get Chabashira to drop another hint so I can figure it out.
Chabashira stayed silent for a while before suddenly cracking a smile and laughing. At first, it started with a simply giggle but soon turned into a full blown cackle. It surprised me at how excited she seemed.
Her eyes gleamed with hope. Hope that she seemed to have been longing for. It looked like the eyes of someone who finally found a way to achieve their dream. Her ambitious eyes were set ablaze and they never left my own.
"You are really something, Kazuki Hikaru! As expected of the man who aced the entrance exam and interview with a perfect score!" She suddenly praised me out of nowhere, and revealed my entrance exam scores to the entire class.
I don't know why exactly she did it, but it happened. And now the entire class burst. The commotion increased even more, people were whispering and some were even yelling.
But I decided to take advantage of this situation. I didn't understand why it happened, but Chabashira's behaviour is actually beneficial.
"So then sensei, why don't you clarify to the others exactly what I mean ? You know, about the class standing, I mean. And whatever else is left over."
I have came to the realisation that the "standing" she was talking about might have been individual or class standing. It's an outlandish hypothesis but like all the previous cases, I cannot afford to ignore it.
But with no more things left for me to exploit over, I had to shift the attention to Chabashira. I had already broken down majority of the S system. I hoped that Chabashira, who now believes that I know everything, would reveal the rest to the class under the guise of them being to dumb to understand my words.
If there was a class standing, then there must have been a ranking system or hierarchy system. That would directly correlate with the inter-class competitions and maybe even our monthly allowance. But I had no way of proving the existence of a hierarchy system as I haven't observed any other class or anything outside this classroom for that matter!
If there is a hierarchy system, them that would put us at the lowest. Since there are four classes from A to D, with D being the lowest. But then how are the class placements actually decided. What makes a student superior or inferior. And moreover, what is used to decide our monthly allowance exactly ?
Let's test this out.
"And also explain the remaining. Superior students. Inferior students. Class placement and rankings. The possibility of another kind of points, as outlandish as that may seem. I couldn't rule that out without evidence. Us being the lowest. Come on. Answer it!"
So all that's left, will depend entirely on Chabashira.
I deliberately left these words of mine extremely vague so as to not give her the wrong idea and allow her to interpret my words in her own way.
So... what will it be Chabashira Sae ?
Will you just leave after all this ? Or are you going to clarify whatever's left ?
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