Date: May 1st
The morning air was unusually crisp. A scent of tension floated in the classroom as students filtered in, murmurs circulating like wildfire.
"How many points did you get?"
"Our class was in the 900s, right? That has to be good."
"Did anyone hear how Class D did?"
Questions ricocheted from one desk to another, anxiety and curiosity tangled in every voice. Yet amid the buzz, Ryota sat at his desk, distant, his mind tuned to frequencies beyond the room. His expression remained still—serene, but unreadable.
"Good morning, Ryota."
Ryota looked up slowly to find Honami Ichinose standing before him, her presence as bright as ever, but her tone carried a note of something heavier.
"So… your theory was right," she said, arms folded gently, her eyes slightly narrowed. "Looks like things are finally about to be revealed."
Ryota nodded, folding his hands atop his desk.
"The curtain always lifts. It was just a matter of when."
Before the conversation could continue, Ryuji approached, slipping into their circle with a casual nod.
"What's this I hear about predictions being accurate again?" he asked with a half-smile.
"Nothing new," Ryota replied. "Only confirmation."
The hum of the class was suddenly interrupted. Not by a sound, but the absence of one. The chatter died as smoothly as it had begun. Without fanfare, Hoshinomiya-sensei entered the room, her usual cheerful aura intact, but her smile… there was something sharper behind it today.
She moved to the podium and stood still for a moment, scanning the room. Her gaze landed on Ryota, lingered just long enough to be felt, then passed.
"So," she said with an airy brightness, "any questions before we start?"
A brief silence.
Then, hesitantly, Chihiro Shiranami raised her hand. Her voice wavered, but her resolve held.
"Um… Sensei. Why did we receive the amount of points we did?"
The tension in the room turned electric. That was the question they all wanted to ask.
Hoshinomiya chuckled softly and raised the manila folder in her hand.
"You all did quite well preparing for what was coming. I'm not surprised though—you have Ryota, our little prodigy, at the helm." She smiled fondly, then added with a touch more weight, "But… not everyone matched his effort. And that is why you're not sitting at a perfect 1000 points."
She opened the folder and clipped a chart onto the board behind her.
A gasp moved through the class like a breeze.
Class A — 980 points
Class B — 920 points
Class C — 630 points
Class D — 0 points
Stunned silence. Disbelief.
"Zero? How can a class fail so completely?"
"Were they even trying?"
Ryota observed the numbers with calm eyes but narrowed slightly at Class D. His thoughts flickered to the previous month's analysis—their unconsciousness, the latent potential buried beneath layers of disinterest.
Or maybe… something darker is holding them down.
Hoshinomiya raised her voice again.
"I assume none of you need an introduction anymore to the true nature of this school. But in case you've forgotten…"
She placed a second folder down and opened it, displaying the written test scores from the prior month.
"Here are your individual evaluations. Remember, that test didn't count for points. But the next ones? They will."
Eyes scanned the list quickly.
Ryota Seki — 100
Honami Ichinose — 87
Ryuji Kanzaki — 84
Most students fell in the 60–80 range. A few scored below. One name sat at the very bottom.
[Haruto Yorozu] — 47
The weight of that number pressed into the room like a stone.
"Overall," Hoshinomiya said cheerfully, "good work! But to those who struggled: you better get it together. Because next time, anyone who falls below the average… may not be here to take another test."
That landed harder than any score.
No more friendly ambiguity. No more shadows.
This was Advanced Nurturing High School, and from this moment forward, everything counted.
As the bell rang and the lesson wrapped up, Hoshinomiya stepped away from the podium with a smile that somehow felt colder now, sharper.
"Welcome, everyone," she said with a giggle, "to the elite school."