Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Self-Test

A 100,000-yen monthly allowance was no joke. If students receive them unconditionally, it will surely pose future problems, even for a government as rich as Japan's. That's not even counting the cost of maintaining every top-tier facility inside the campus.

"Shocked by the amount of points you've been given? This school evaluates its students' talents. Everyone here has passed the entrance examination, which itself speaks to your value and potential. The amount you've received reflects the evaluation of your worth. You can use your points without restraint. After graduation, however, all of your points return to the school. Because it's impossible to exchange your points for cash, there's no advantage to saving them. Once points have been deposited into your account, it's up to you how to spend them. Do as you like. In the event that you don't want to spend your points, you may transfer them to someone else. However, extorting money from your peers is not allowed. This school monitors bullying very carefully." Chabashira-sensei finished.

As bewilderment spread among the students, Chabashira-sensei looked over the room.

"Well, it appears no one has any questions. I hope that you enjoy your time here as students-" Before she could turn around and leave, I raised my hand and called for her attention.

"Sensei, may I ask you a few questions?"

The cheering stopped as soon as they heard me. Every single one of my classmates' eyes was glued towards me, even Horikita.

"You're Ayanokouji Kiyotaka-kun, right? Feel free to ask your question. I'll answer anything that I'm permitted to," she replied.

I should probably get used to this by now. If I'm going to establish myself as an exemplary student, attention is a natural outcome.

"Firstly I'm concerned about the mechanic of transferring points. To make sure that no one gets scammed during a negotiation, is there a system that can avoid that?" I asked.

My question rose to a clamor among my classmates.

"I didn't think of that," said one guy.

"It's a good thing he asked that..." said one girl.

This question was a pretty good opener to get their undivided attention. I established a little bit of my practical thinking which would surely make them trust me, even if it's just a teeny-tiny bit.

"There is, actually. If negotiations with complicated conditions ever happen, you can make them foolproof by signing a memorandum. In short, a contract system. Any other questions?" answered Chabashira-sensei.

I predicted that they would at least have that system in place. At this moment, Chabashira-sensei's disinterested expression has changed to that of curiosity. But now that everything's set up, I'll amp it up to my main question.

"Then, can you please explain the details of the point system?" I asked in a neutral yet serious manner.

Once again, my classmates started to murmur. In my peripheral vision, Horikita was especially staring at me with quite an intensity. You could even say that she was glaring at me at this point.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot do that." Chabashira-sensei declined my question, but instead of looking apologetically or angry, she smiled instead.

"Why? Can you please tell us the reason?" I pressed on.

"No. Those are questions that are beyond my authority to answer." She looked at me with a smirk.

It's like she was challenging me to continue. 'Is that all? Make me spill the beans, boy' is what I infer from her expression.

"I see... Then, Sensei, you said that anything inside the campus can be bought by points, right?" I asked with the same neutral expression.

"Yes." That's the final nail in the coffin.

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"Then... can I buy that explanation from you?" 

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That question basically turned the murmurs of my classmates into audible gasps.

Towards those words, Chabashira-sensei's eyes lit up as she chuckled in response.

"Amazing, Ayanokouji— or should I say, 'as expected'?" She acted like a completely different person now. And also; 'as expected'? Does she know something about me?

"Anyway, the answer to your question... is yes." Chabashira-sensei's smirk widened a bit. "However for you to buy that information, mere private points won't be enough."

At this point, my classmates started catching on.

"Mere private points? What are you talking about, Chabashira-sensei?" The handsome guy that I was observing earlier asked with a concerned look.

"As I said, I won't say anything. However, I can give the whole class a choice. After all, this is something that involves everyone." She turned to my confused classmates and asked a loaded question. "Alright, Class D. I can't go into details, but if you were all listening carefully, Ayanokouji-kun here wants to buy some information using points. According to the school's rules, this is permitted. But, without getting specific, this will result in all of you losing a part of your allowance next month."

In an instant, voices of retaliation rang out.

"Hell no! I don't want anything to touch my hundred thousand yen!" The boy who sat in the chair labeled "Ike" yelled.

"The heck? Who cares about that explanation anyway? I wanna get outta here and spend my money already!" The boy that should be named "Yamauchi" cried.

Alongside the two of them, a bunch of fashionista-type girls were also complaining. Because of my previous observations of my classmates, I'd say that this was a predictable outcome. As I thought, my position right now feels really troublesome, but it's not like I can't get out of it. Let's just hope that they have enough comprehension to get what I'll be saying.

"Sensei, can I try to convince my classmates for a brief moment?" I asked.

"Sure. We still have a little over half an hour before homeroom ends," replied Chabashira-sensei.

After nodding, I turned a little bit so everyone could see my face from any angle. All of my classmates' attention shifted back to me. Some looked irritated, and some looked pissed. However, there were many who looked either scared or concerned. That's a good sign, at least.

"First of all, I'm Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. Nice to meet you all." I don't know if introducing myself was necessary, but doing it right now should etch my name into their minds. "All of you should also be wondering, am I right? Is it really possible for a school to unconditionally supply a 100,000-yen monthly allowance for every single student? Surely, some of you are skeptical."

That was a strong first argument for me. Even those who were too happy about getting such a large amount of money should be heading back from cloud nine now.

"Um, I agree with Ayanokouji-kun. Can we all talk about this for a second?" Kushida came to my rescue.

Her intervention is such a huge help in stabilizing the class's mental state. After all, she seemed to already get along with a bunch of our classmates from that short span of time before the first bell rang. As expected of her.

"Thank you, Kushida-san." This is the best payment I can give her; saying her name and making everyone aware of her too.

Although to be honest, it's only a matter of time before she is known by not just my classmates, but also students from other classes. That's a social elite for you.

"This is the first time we've all met. There's no way I can make you trust me fully, and that's fine. However, what Chabashira-sensei said earlier was the real piece of evidence that we needed. 'This will result in all of you losing a part of your allowance next month' she says. Isn't that weird? The system was explained to us like this school was a paradise. However, there's no way we can partake in all those privileges with no strings attached. My point is, firstly, from what she just said, it is indeed possible for our monthly points to decrease. And secondly, why would such a simple explanation fetch such a high price?" I explained.

I glanced at the handsome boy, indicating that I wanted him to take part in the conversation.

"Ayanokouji-kun, are you saying that there are situations that might lead us to lose our points?" he asked.

Nice follow-up, whatever-your-name-is-kun.

"Yes. Think about it. If asking for an explanation takes away points from the entire class, then that information must be pretty vital. I don't know every single one of you here, but I can tell that many of you are planning to spend your points on things involving your hobbies and interests, apart from daily necessities." A lot of them are still skeptical of my words, but almost everyone is putting on a wondering expression.

As usual, the boy named Kouenji was still sitting with his legs on his table, acting like this didn't involve him at all.

"The details of the class system are unknown. If we are unaware of what this point system is all about, we might make the mistake of being in a worse situation. This will be a shot in the dark, but if buying Sensei's explanation is the wrong choice, I am more than willing to compensate with my own points." As soon as I said the last part of my sentence, the uproar started once again.

"Ayanokouji-kun, I don't think you need to go that far..." said the handsome boy.

"Hirata-kun is right. Even I can tell that you're doing this for the rest of the class..." Kushida followed up.

So his name is Hirata, huh? I was thankful for their help because they were extremely useful at that moment.

There's little to no chance that I can convince a bunch of teenagers to appeal to my demand when it's obviously detrimental to them, especially since this is the first time they've ever met me. All I can do to increase my chances is to present them with some sort of evidence that it is more beneficial for them in the long run. Well, that works on my rational, smart classmates. For the slower ones like the boys named Ike and Yamauchi, who would probably think with their emotions, the assistance by Hirata and especially Kushida, was a lot more helpful.

Around this time, Horikita stood up and asked me.

"Ayanokouji-kun, how sure are you about all this?" A simple, but powerful question.

"I'd say about 99%. That's why I want to compensate with my own points if the 1% happens. I don't mind spending all of them each month to make up for each of our classmate's losses. I can sign a memorandum to prove my resolve on this."

I think that should do it. If the majority still decides to pass up on my suggestion to buy this key information, then all I can do is think up some other ways to get it.

"Alright. I'm with you on your decision." Horikita sat back down with her eyes fixated on me.

"Me too. I trust Ayanokouji-kun," followed Kushida.

"Is there anyone who objects?" Hirata asked the class.

With Horikita's strong attitude and Kushida's initial influence, followed by Hirata's question, the class turned silent.

"If... Kushida-chan says she trusts him, then I will too," said a soft-spoken girl.

"If things go wrong, you need to pay! Alright, Ayanokouji?!" Yamauchi shouted.

"I will. Don't worry," I replied.

Shortly after, every single one of them gave in to peer pressure and decided that they would "trust" me on this one.

"It seems like the whole class has come to a decision." Chabashira-sensei's smile was unwavering. "Ayanokouji-kun, consider your purchase complete."