A Simple Life in the Classroom of the Elite

April. The start of a new school year.

The only difference? This time, we were heading toward one of the most prestigious institutions in the entire country.

Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School.

A mouthful of a name, if you ask me.

A school boasting a 100% employment and university acceptance rate for its graduates. Meaning that every student who walks out of this place is guaranteed a prestigious university spot or a high-paying job.

'Honestly, it sounds like a scam.'

And I say that even though my own father is the chairman.

Not that I have anything against him. He's always been busy, but he does his best for us. It's just like Ishida—my mentor—once told me.

"If something seems too good to be true, it probably is."

"Is that so? What else did Ishida say?"

An amused voice pulled me from my thoughts.

"Hm?" I blinked, turning toward the source—my younger sister.

Arisu Sakayanagi. Petite, silver-haired, and possessing the same violet eyes as me.

We stood on two of the bus's seats, lucky to have them since the vehicle was completely packed.

"It seems the gym has completely taken over your mind." She continued, her lips curling into a small smile. "So much so that you can't even keep your thoughts to yourself anymore."

"No need to be rude about it." I sighed. She wasn't wrong, though. A lot of my time was spent training with Takuma Ishida, my mentor. Not to brag, but because of it I had a body that could put most adults to shame.

'I just hope the school has a decent gym…ah, damn, I'm doing it again.'

Arisu let out a soft laugh. "Looks like I was right." She exclaimed, as if seeing through my thoughts.

"Like always…" I leaned back against the seat, slumping in defeat.

"If you actually focused yourself academically, you'd be the same."

"I don't know…your tutoring is enough." I shrugged. "I always manage to pass, so it's not that big of a deal."

Arisu gave me a cryptic look. "That might not be enough this time."

Her tone made me pause, but I decided to change the topic.

"You seemed pretty excited about this school. Mind telling me why?"

"You aren't?" Arisu glanced at me, amused. "There are bound to be some interesting people here. And speaking of, we would have been there already if you hadn't made us miss the previous bus."

I sheepishly looked away. "Sorry about that. Just wanted to take in the area one last time. We'll be away for three years, after all."

"Right. And my only choice was to take the car." Arisu exclaimed, turning back toward the window.

Something about her words felt off. I started to speak, but a sudden shout cut me off.

"Is there really nobody who can give up their seat!?"

I glanced toward the front of the bus. A girl wearing our school uniform stood beside an office lady and an elderly woman.

I looked around. People either averted their gazes or pretended not to notice.

'Seriously?'

With a sigh, I stood up, drawing attention as I gestured to my seat. "You can sit here."

Meanwhile, I could feel most of the people on the bus staring at me like I was some kind of alien. 'It's not that hard to give up your seat.' I thought, frowning at their looks.

"Really?" Arisu sighed, her expression incredulous.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I raised an eyebrow.

"You of all people should know better than anyone here." My words silenced her, making her turn back toward the window with an unreadable murmur.

The elderly woman took my seat with a grateful smile. "Thank you, young man!"

"It's nothing." I replied casually, slightly embarrassed by her enthusiasm.

"Ah, it's good you stepped in! I was afraid no one would offer their seat." The girl beside her sighed in relief.

"It really wasn't a big deal." I said, wondering why this was such a big fuss—

"It's good to know there are still teens with manners!" The office lady added, shooting a sharp glare at a particular seat.

Until i realized who might've started this whole thing.

"Koenji?" I exclaimed in surprise. 'How did I not notice him until now?'

"Oh, Simplici-ryu!" Koenji grinned, his voice oozing a mix of amusement and arrogance. "Breaking the mold as always, huh?"

I didn't need any more context to piece together what had happened.

"Are you stupid?" I snapped, narrowing my eyes. "I gave up my seat, not invented a time machine." My brows furrowed. "But I'm sure you complained about it until the very end."

Murmurs rippled through the bus. 'Seriously, now they decide to mind other people's business?'

"I wouldn't exaggerate so much. I was simply educating these fine ladies on how the world works." Koenji scoffed, checking his reflection in a small mirror.

'Right, he probably delivered an unnecessarily long and pretentious speech.' I thought, suppressing the urge to roll my eyes. I was already too familiar with such things from the people I've been surrounded with till now.

'Guess that's why Ishida was such a breath of fresh air.' I mused, before Koenji continued.

"Why didn't you give up your seat earlier? Were you just waiting to look like the hero at the last moment?" He smirked.

"I wasn't paying attention to what was going on." I responded, my tone neutral but truthful. I could already feel the suspicious glances from the others around us, reinforcing my belief that they wouldn't buy my words.

"Of course. You can do no wrong, can you?" He nodded sagely.

"After making such a big scene earlier, now you're even verbally attacking him! What's your problem?" The girl piped up, apparently trying to take my side.

"It's fine. He won't stop, so just leave him be." I sighed, already too tired to engage with Koenji any further. He huffed in response, returning to his business.

"If you say so." The girl muttered, but she still shot me a concerned glance. "How could someone like him even enter this school?"

I couldn't help but smile wryly at her words. 'Despite the annoyance, his talents are undeniable.'

…

The conversation died down as the bus rolled toward its destination, and a few minutes later, it came to a halt.

Arisu and I stepped off, walking side by side toward the imposing school building, the campus sprawling with greenery in every direction.

The girl from earlier gave a hasty apology before darting off.

'Must've been too excited.' I thought to myself.

Arisu suddenly broke the silence, her voice cool. "You shouldn't get too close to that girl."

"Huh? Why, is she not up to your standards? I don't need my friends to all be geniuses, you know?" I shot back, though I instantly regretted the sharpness in my tone.

"Hm, I was only offering some advice." Arisu replied, her cane tapping against the ground rhythmically as she continued walking. "In the end, it's your decision."

I nodded, but her words didn't quite resonate. I was already aware of her stance on friendship, and I knew better than to push the issue.

"Better yet, why didn't you join in earlier? I'm sure you could've made Koenji eat his words." I countered, a hint of playful irritation in my voice.

"What could a 'frail girl' like me possibly do?" Arisu raised an eyebrow, feigning innocence.

"You can be pretty scary for a 'frail girl'." I laughed.

"Is that so? Well, I just wanted to see how you'd handle it on your own." Arisu admitted, her smile unfazed by my teasing.

"And the answer is…making a complete fool of myself, with almost everyone thinking I'm some sort of self-righteous jerk." I muttered, letting out a weary sigh.

"Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner." She teased. "See, these are the moments I can truly tell we're related. If only you could be this aware more often." She lamented with a sigh.

"That's how you can tell? Not by our nearly identical appearances?" I gestured to my face, raising an eyebrow.

"That too, I suppose." Arisu grinned.

'If only she could act like this around others. I'm sure she could make friends.' I thought, smiling to myself with a touch of sadness.

"What's on your mind?" Arisu asked suddenly, narrowing her eyes at me with suspicion.

"Nothing. Just wondering how far your class is." I muttered, avoiding her gaze.

"You don't have to accompany me. You'll be late." Arisu shook her head dismissively.

"What are you talking about? You know I'll worry if I leave you alone." I responded, crossing my arms and giving her a determined look.

Arisu didn't answer. She simply turned her gaze to the side, her silence more telling than words.

"If you don't want me to be late, I could always carry you. It'd be faster." I suggested with a smirk, knowing it would get a reaction out of her.

And, as expected, Arisu's face turned a shade of crimson. "No." Her tone was firm, though her embarrassment was evident. "I've told you countless times already. I'm not a child, you don't need to help me."

"Alright then." I sighed, slightly saddened by her words.

We continued walking in silence afte that.

…

'I hope she'll be fine…'

After dropping Arisu off at her class, I hurried down the hallways, hoping to avoid any teachers or staff on my way.

I reached the door to my own class and, in my usual rush, flung it open without thinking. The loud bang of the door echoed through the room, drawing everyone's eyes to me.

'Perfect, the teacher's already here.' I thought, suppressing a groan.

I spotted the teacher—an older woman, black-haired, probably in her early thirties—standing by the podium with an unreadable expression. Dozens of students sat at their desks, glancing at me with varying degrees of curiosity and judgment.

"Sorry for being late, sensei." I muttered, giving a small bow of apology.

The teacher sighed audibly, her gaze narrowing with exasperation. "Take your seat." She said flatly.

I nodded, walking down the aisle between the desks. A few students were still staring at me, their gazes ranging from curiosity to mild amusement.

"As expected of a 'hero', always arriving late." Came a mocking voice from somewhere around the room.

I didn't need to turn around to know who it was. 'Just my luck.'

I found my seat at the back row, next to a black-haired girl who didn't seem to care about my presence at all, and a pink-haired girl who appeared to be doing everything in her power to avoid looking anyone in the eye.

As soon as I sat down, the teacher began speaking.

"Now that everyone is here, let me introduce myself. I am Chabashira Sae, and I'll be your homeroom teacher for the next three years. I teach Japanese history." She said, her tone devoid of warmth.

"The entrance ceremony will be in the gymnasium one hour from now. But first, I'll distribute your student ID cards."

She began handing them out, each one bearing the name of the student it was assigned to. I took mine and studied it for a moment, noticing nothing particularly special about it.

"It functions like a credit card." Chabashira explained, her voice cool. "You can use it to access campus facilities and make purchases at the school's stores. But you must keep an eye on your point balance. At this school, you can use your points to buy anything. Anything on the school premises is available for purchase." She paused, her gaze sharp.

At her words, murmurs spread across the room. It was clear that everyone was eager to learn about this system.

"Points are deposited into your accounts at the beginning of every month. You should have received 100,000 points by now." She continued, her words drawing surprised gasps from the students. "One point equals one yen. Simple enough, right?"

Excitement buzzed through the classroom at her words.

She scanned us with a calculating gaze. One I often saw on my sister, my father, and well, nearly everyone I knew, to be honest.

But something still confused me. 'Why did she say "anything" twice?' Her wording left me puzzled.

It was then that I remembered another one of Ishida's pieces of advice.

...

"If you say something once, it's whatever. But if you say it twice, that means it's important!"

"What if I say it three times?"

"Well, uh…I don't know."

...

I was then taken out of my thoughts as Chabashira-san began speaking once again.

"Shocked by the amount of points you've been given? Everyone here has passed the entrance examination, which reflects your value and potential. The amount you've received is based on that evaluation. After graduation, however, all your points return to the school, as it is impossible to exchange them for cash. Until then, do as you wish. If you don't want to spend your points, you can transfer them to someone else. However, extorting money from your peers is prohibited. This school keeps a very close watch on bullying."

The excitement in the room reached its peak, with nearly every student discussing how to spend their points.

I, however, wasn't as swayed. After all, I had lived in luxury up until now. But that didn't break my sense of money—or at least, I liked to think so.

Still, I knew a hundred thousand yen wasn't a small amount, especially if every student in the school received it.

Rembering my passing thoughts from the bus, my anxiety grew. Was Dad actually running some kind of scam, right under the government's nose?

'Was Arisu aware of this!?' My breath caught in my throat.

'No, I need to know!' My fist clenched in determination.

Noticing that Chabashira-san had grown silent, her thoughts hidden behind a calm expression, I raised my hand high, eager for answers.

"Sensei!"

"What is it, Sakayanagi?" She replied, raising an eyebrow with curiosity.

"Are we always going to be offered this amount of points? And why did you repeat that we could buy anything? Is there something we're not being told?" I asked, wanting to peel away the school's facade.

The class fell silent at my words, all eyes turning to me in surprise—except for a hearty laugh from Koenji.

"Simplici-ryu, you never fail to amuse me." He said, slicking his hair back.

Though he often irritated me, this time, I could tell he was approving of my question.

'So, I'm right?' I thought, only to come to another realization. 'Why would Koenji willingly come here then? Why would Dad send us here if it's just a scam? What kind of scam could it even be!?'

'Maybe Koenji was just laughing at me…' My eyes widened as my confidence began to slip. I wanted nothing more than to lower my hand and sink into the ground.

"Sakayanagi…" Chabashira-san opened her mouth, and I braced myself for a reprimand.

But that didn't come.

"I can't answer that." She said with a small smile, catching me off guard.

"Why not, Sensei?" The black-haired girl beside me immediately asked.

"We aren't allowed to divulge the school's rules." Chabashira-san replied simply, preparing to leave.

"Wait, Sensei!" A boy suddenly stood from his seat.

"Yes, Hirata?" Chabashira-san stopped in her tracks.

"As Sakayanagi-san just pointed out, you repeated that we can buy anything on campus. Does that include the rules?" He asked, hope in his eyes.

Chabashira-san's smile seemed to widen. "Two million points." She said casually, nearly scaring the majority of the students.

"Two million…? So that would be fifty thousand from each of us forty!" The girl from the bus exclaimed in shock.

'She's here too?' I thought, cursing myself for not recognizing her sooner. 'Do I have an attention problem?'

"Everyone, what do you think? Knowing the rules of the school will surely help us!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"We'll each give half of our points, that should be fair for everyone!" Hirata added.

At their words, most classmates agreed, nodding and supporting the idea.

'Seems they've already made a name for themselves.' I noted. They were enthusiastic and sociable types.

"Fifty thousand is way too much!" Another student protested loudly, his opinion shared by several others.

"Like hell you're getting any money from me!" A red-haired boy beside the shy girl added with a scoff.

"Sudo-kun, right?" The girl asked, glancing at his nameplate. "Please help us! If the school is hiding something, it must be important!" Her eyes were pleading, resembling that of a hurt puppy.

Sudo's lip twitched, clearly affected by her words, but he huffed and turned his head away.

"If you're so desperate, why don't you pay for him too?" Koenji interjected, staring at his nails, bored.

"How can you say that? Are you even a man?" A random girl shot back in disgust.

"Hm, I'm not just any man, I am perfection!" Koenji countered, completely unphased by her words.

"Guys, let's not argue! I can pay for Koenji–san, if he doesn't want to." Hirata intervened.

"I–I could pay for Sudo-kun too!" The girl, whose name seemed to be Kushida, from what I could make out from her nameplate, added.

"I don't need anyone to pay for me!" Sudo shouted in anger.

'Then why don't you pay yourself?' I thought, confused by his reaction.

"That's not fair! We give half of our points, and they give nothing!?" Another boy protested, his dissatisfaction shared by several other students.

Now, the class was divided into two sides. To pay, or not to pay, that was the question.

Beside me, the black haired girl's cold gaze swept across the room, her anger clearly evident.

"It seems you've reached an impasse." Chabashira-san spoke again, her voice cutting through the tension. She had been silently observing the class. "You still have time to decide. The entrance ceremony will begin shortly, so I won't take any more of your time." With that, she left the classroom, her smile slowly fading.

The class fell into silence, taking a moment to process what had just transpired.

"What a first day, huh?" I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

The shy girl, Sakura, might have hummed in agreement, but I couldn't quite hear her.

Horikita, however, fixed me with a cold stare. "Why were you so confident that the school was hiding something from us?" She asked, her voice dripping with suspicion.

"Well, I…" My silence stretched, unable to explain the full extent of my reasoning.

Her eyes narrowed at me after receiving no answer.

Fortunately, Hirata intervened. "Everybody! First, I want to apologize for my actions! I shouldn't have asked for such a large sum of money on the very first day! I'm sorry!" He bowed slightly.

"Me too! I just got too excited, and didn't consider everyone's feelings!" Kushida added, stepping in to share the blame.

"You don't have to apologize, Hirata–san!"

"It's alright, Kushida–chan!" Came the responses from most of the girls and boys, who didn't seem bothered at all.

"Thank you!" Hirata smiled sincerely. "And secondly, I hoped we could all introduce ourselves, since we still have some time before the ceremony!" His voice softened, offering a welcoming suggestion.

"Agreed! After all, we still don't know a thing about each other, not even our names." Someone shouted from the back, sparking nods from the others.

"My name's Hirata Yousuke. Back in junior high, lots of people called me Yousuke, so feel free to use my first name! I enjoy sports in general, but soccer's my favorite. I'm planning on playing here, too. Nice to meet you!" He introduced himself effortlessly, and most of the girls were already eyeing him with admiration.

'Well, it's pretty clear he's going to be popular.' That much anyone could figure out.

"Well then, I'd like everyone to introduce themselves, starting from the front. Is that okay?" Hirata suggested, setting things in motion.

The girl at the front seemed startled by the sudden attention. She hesitated, standing up quickly. "My name is…Inogashira, uh–" She stumbled over her words.

'It's painful to watch.' I thought, grimacing as others tried to encourage her, unintentionally making things worse.

"It's okay to go slowly. No need to rush." Kushida chimed in, her voice soft, and somehow her words helped the girl find her confidence again.

'Why would Arisu tell me to stay away from someone like that?' I wondered, although it was already clear to me. Arisu had a tendency to judge people based on how useful they could be to her, rather than making genuine connections.

A quiet sigh escaped me as I thought about it. I couldn't help but feel a little sad at the way she approached social relationships.

As I drifted into my thoughts, the introductions continued. Some students were already done, and I barely registered that Kushida had taken her seat. Hirata glanced at the next student.

"Well then, next would be Sudo-san." He said encouragingly.

"What, are we a bunch of little kids or something? I don't need to introduce myself. Anyone who wants to go ahead, feel free. Just leave me out of it." Sudo scoffed.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I just thought it'd be nice if we all got along." Hirata said apologetically.

The girls sitting nearby were already starting to get upset with Sudo.

"Isn't it normal to introduce yourself?" One of them snapped.

"Yeah!" Another chimed in.

"Shut it. I didn't come here to make friends." Sudo muttered as he stood up and left the classroom. Some students seized the opportunity to slip out as well, including the two girls who had been sitting next to me.

"I'm sorry, it's my fault. I pushed everyone into doing this." Hirata said, bowing his head.

"No way. You didn't do anything wrong, Hirata-kun. Let's just leave those guys be." The girls reassured him.

'Hirata's really popular, huh?' I thought, my mind wandering back to my almost nonexistent popularity with the girls back in junior high. 'Well, I guess that was my fault…'

I snapped out of my thoughts as a brown-haired boy, Ike, finished his introduction. A few of the girls laughing for some reason.

"Excuse me, can you introduce yourself?" Hirata called out, now addressing…Koenji.

Despite everything that had happened on the bus, and the banter we'd shared, he was someone I considered a friend...though that might be stretching it just a little.

"Hmph. Fine." Koenji replied lazily, placing his feet on the desk in a manner that seemed completely unbothered.

"My name is Koenji Rokusuke. I am the sole heir to the Kouenji conglomerate. I shall soon be tasked with guiding Japan's future. I look forward to making your acquaintance, ladies." he said, giving the girls a dazzling smile.

'Could he be any more full of himself?' I thought, rolling my eyes. Though, I noticed the way some of the girls seemed taken with the mention of his wealth. 'I really don't get him. Friends made because of money aren't true friends.'

"Starting today, I will mercilessly punish anyone who makes me uncomfortable. Please exercise caution to avoid this." Koenji continued, only succeeding in annoying me further.

"Do you really have to act like this, Koenji?" I asked, my patience thinning.

"Of course. I'm simply sharing the truth so they can avoid the need for punishment. Or would you prefer I carry it out without any warnings?" He smirked, clearly enjoying himself.

"I'd rather you not punish anyone at all." I said, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Hm, that's impossible. But don't worry, Simplici-ryu. You're safe."

I sighed deeply, turning my head away, not wanting to waste any more energy on him.

As more introductions continued, I tuned out, until it was finally my turn.

Rising from my seat, I glanced around at everyone with a friendly smile. "Hello! My name's Ryuto Sakayanagi. I'm sixteen, and I enjoy sports, movies, games, and hanging out with friends. I hope we can all get along in the future!" I gave a slight bow, keeping my smile bright.

Mumbles of curiosity spread around me.

"Isn't this guy way too big for a sixteen-year-old?" A boy named Yamauchi muttered, jealousy thick in his voice.

'Koenji might be bulkier than me though…and it's not exactly an unattainable physique with hard work.' I thought, brushing it off.

"Is it just me, or is he pretty hot?" A girl's voice reached my ears, and my face flushed slightly.

'Okay, maybe I misheard that last part.'

"I hope we can get along too, Sakayanagi-san!" Hirata smiled warmly, a sentiment echoed by several others.

"You can all just call me Ryuto if you want." I laughed lightly, taking my seat, content with how my introduction had gone.

Finally, only one person remained—the brown-haired boy seated by the window.

"Well then, for the last person, could you introduce yourself?" Hirata asked.

"Huh?" The boy replied, clearly surprised.

The chair creaked as he got up.

"Um. Well, my name is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. And, uh, I don't really have any special skills or anything. I'll do my best to get along with all of you. It's, uh, nice to meet you."

After finishing, he seemed to freeze, the class offering polite applause that didn't feel particularly sincere.

I tried to give him a sympathetic smile, but I couldn't tell if he noticed. He slumped back into his chair, burying his face in his palms.

'It's alright…everyone feels nervous on their first day.' I wanted to reassure him, but I knew doing so would only make him feel more awkward.

With Ayanokouji's introduction, the round of introductions finally came to a close. Most of the students began leaving the classroom, eager to explore the campus.

I joined them, intending to find Arisu and head to the entrance ceremony, but as I walked, an unanswered question still lingered in my mind. 'Was this a scam or not?'

...

Helloo, for anyone already familiar with my other fics...I started a third one, yay...

Anyway, what did you think about this first chapter? I'd appreciate any kind of feedback!