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ArabicClassroom of the Elite: Surviving with the Intel System — Chapter 20
Chapter 20: I Don’t Want to Be a Blood Bag, Better Work Hard to Earn Private Points
There was an old saying: “Once you enter Class D, it’s like sinking into the deep sea.”
Before Shimizu Akira learned the truth about the S-System, he had naively assumed that as long as he maintained decent grades by the end of the month, securing thirty to fifty thousand Private Points would be child’s play, even if the full hundred thousand was out of reach.
Now, he finally understood. He had been far too optimistic.
The harsh reality that Private Points were forcibly bound to Class Points hit him like a bucket of ice water.
He glanced around the room. The sight before him made his chest tighten.
It was only the afternoon of their second day at the Advanced Nurturing High School. Their homeroom teacher, Chabashira Sae, stood at the front of the class, yet several students were already hunched over their desks, blatantly tapping away on their phones.
Up in the corner of the ceiling, a sleek surveillance camera silently recorded every infraction.
‘They wouldn’t manage to drain all our Class Points by the second day, would they…’A cold realization washed over Akira. In this classroom, the strict school rules weren’t the primary threat. The real enemy was this very group of oblivious, self-destructive teammates.’So that’s how it is.’
The deeper meaning behind Chabashira Sae’s cryptic warning to “spend sparingly” finally clicked into place. The School Administration had deliberately obscured a rule that should have been entirely transparent.
He watched as another student swaggered through the door, unapologetically late. The newcomer lacked even a shred of basic urgency.
Right now, Akira faced a choice. Should he make this critical information public?
He thought about the ten thousand Private Points he had just spent to buy this intel. Handing it over for free to a room full of ignorant slackers left a bitter taste in his mouth. It gave him the distinct, unpleasant illusion of being a fresh corporate hire whose hard work was being leeched by lazy senior colleagues.
He had been treated as a blood bag enough in his past life. He absolutely refused to repeat the experience in this one.
Thinking it through, warning them probably wouldn’t change a thing anyway.
If this were Class A or Class B, those elite students would immediately correct their behavior and coordinate to protect the class’s collective interests. Even if they remained ignorant of the hidden rules, their natural discipline meant they wouldn’t bleed many points to begin with.
But this was Class D. A dumping ground for problem children who couldn’t adhere to the most basic standards of discipline.
It was only the first period of their second day. The moment the teacher tacitly allowed a few students to sleep and play on their phones, the rest took it as a green light to let loose and treat the classroom like a playground.
Class D really was just a glorified vocational school.
Just picturing the scenario made his temples throb. If he stood up and explained the rules, these idiots wouldn’t believe a word of it. Half of them would probably look at him like he was insane.
Playing the good Samaritan yielded zero benefits, and it carried the very real risk of turning him into a laughingstock. Was this the inevitable fate of a good person in Class D? It felt like a vicious, downward spiral.
He wouldn’t take such a losing gamble even if he had completely lost his mind.
‘What a dismal number…’
Akira silently crunched the numbers from the senior student’s intel. The current second-year Class D received less than thirty thousand Private Points a month. That translated to less than three hundred Class Points.
Spread across daily expenses, they couldn’t even afford a standard hearty lunch. They were surviving on the bare-minimum vegetable set meals.
And that was after unlocking various exam bonuses later in the year. It painted a grim picture of just how desperate Class D’s situation truly was.
‘Class Points? Distant water can’t quench an immediate thirst.’
He stared at the open textbook on his desk, his mind focused entirely on pragmatic survival.
Rather than praying for his classmates to experience a miraculous awakening and fight for collective glory, it was far more efficient to secure his own independent income. In a cutthroat academy where the weak were preyed upon by the strong, the only capital that truly mattered was the Private Points held firmly in his own hands.
Class Points were simply too ethereal to rely on right now.
The moment the dismissal bell rang, Akira swiftly packed his bag.
He planned to check out the first gymnasium before the lunch break ended. The school broadcast had specifically instructed students interested in club activities to visit the facilities.
‘Club activities… this might be the opening I need.’
He recalled another piece of the senior’s intel. Ordinary students could earn Private Points by joining clubs. Exceptional performance yielded extra subsidies from the coaches, and the School Administration even issued direct rewards for tournament results.
It was an infinitely more reliable path than banking on Class Points. Club rewards were tied to personal honor, paid out entirely in Private Points.
A faint, sweet scent of citrus drifted past his shoulder.
“Shimizu-kun~”
Kushida Kikyo leaned in slightly, her hands clasped behind her back. “Take out your phone. While you were gone yesterday, I already exchanged contact info with most of the class.”
Akira didn’t pause his packing, merely giving a brief nod. “Sure.”
Kushida produced her phone, the contact screen already glowing brightly.
They tapped their screens together, finalizing the exchange.
“Horikita-san… if you don’t mind…” Kushida turned her sweet, radiant smile toward Horikita Suzune, who was standing a few desks away.
“I don’t want to add you.”
Horikita didn’t even break her stride. The cold, clipped rejection hung in the air as she vanished through the classroom door in the blink of an eye.
“Sigh~ rejected by Horikita-san again.” Kushida let out a soft, airy sigh, then immediately forced an even brighter smile, pumping her small fists in front of her chest. “Looks like I’ll just have to try harder next time!”
Watching from the sidelines, Akira remained entirely unreadable. He knew better than anyone the true face lurking beneath that sugary exterior. The contrast only made her current performance feel all the more dangerous.
How much psychological pressure did a person have to endure to maintain such a flawless, bubbly smile immediately after being publicly shot down?
‘Come to think of it… how exactly does she vent all that stress? She isn’t watching weird stress-relief videos in her dorm, is she?”I could really use some stress-relief recommendations right about now.’
Burdened by the crushing reality of the S-System, Akira was feeling the pressure himself.
“Speaking of which,” Kushida suddenly pivoted back to him, tilting her head with an expression of innocent curiosity. “Shimizu-kun seems to be able to communicate with Horikita-san just fine.”
“It’s just basic deskmate small talk. Besides, I don’t have her contact info either.” Akira shrugged, dismissing the observation.
He had never bothered to ask. Given Horikita’s icy, standoffish nature, she wasn’t the type to hand out her number to anyone, let alone him.
“Right, right! Shimizu-kun didn’t get a chance to introduce yourself yesterday, did you?” Kushida’s eyes lit up with renewed enthusiasm. “Let me help introduce you to everyone!”
Japanese high schools always dismissed early. It wasn’t even four in the afternoon yet, and the sunlight streaming through the windows was still warm and bright.
With over an hour to kill before five, Akira had plenty of time to linger in the classroom and network.
It aligned perfectly with his current goals. He needed to build his social media connections anyway.
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”