April 1st.

the first day of my last year enrolling in Advanced Nurturing High School. The newly enrolled first years would enter this school most of them probably expecting to graduate with the highest acceptance rate, but as for my own experience, that certainly wasn't the whole truth.

When my homeroom teacher explained the point system for the first time, I was ashamed to say that I didn't suspect a single thing about the S-system, well at least not the first week. But of course, just because I didn't have any doubts about the system, doesn't mean I spent all my money instantly. I knew the benefits of saving and how spending could lead to bad habits that could affect me once I graduated from this school.

But week by week I was starting to notice some strange things. First, when I was grocery shopping, I noticed some things were sold for free. Why would the school give out free items when we were given an allowance equal to 100,000 yen? This is where my suspicions started.

Second, I observed my classmate's behavior during lessons. Most of them were mostly well behaved but they would talk with their friends while the teacher was giving us a lecture once in a while, sometimes even openly. Yet, the teacher never seemed to care about it, and unlike any other normal teacher, he simply just let it be.

Third, I saw that some upperclassmen were eating the free vegetable meals instead of the usual deluxe meal or any other food tray with meat on it. I noticed that most of them either came from class D or class C.

With all the information I gathered, I quickly encouraged my class to be on their best behavior. Most of them complied, though some of them didn't agree with me and continued to do as they pleased. When the next month came, we as class A were able to save around 800+ cp. I was glad that our behavior had not been the self-destruction of our class.

Looking back at the past, I have grown greatly compared to the person I was two years ago. I had made new allies, new friends, lost people, and now I would start my third and final year of this school being the reigning student council president.

If I had to say, my biggest regret would be appointing Nagumo Miyabi as Vice President. When I was a second-year running for student council president, Nagumo shocked everyone on how bold he was declaring he was running for president considering he was only a first-year at the time. We had different ideals but the same goal towards improving the school system. When the election was over, I had won most of the student body votes, but it was only by a slim margin.

I acknowledged his leadership skills since he was able to lead his class to class A despite being placed in a lower class. I acknowledged his intelligence and cunningness to devise strategies and his charisma which got him so many votes in the first place. I chose him as my Vice President hoping I could change his way of thinking and bring him to my side so when I leave this school, I would know that there would be someone who would continue what I've built and continue to progress the school while upholding traditional values, but alas, Nagumo never changed.

He wanted to turn this school into a true Meritocracy where only people he deem worthy would be transferred into class A erasing all competition. His influence in the student council also did not go unnoticed as he manage to convince the higher-ups to implement the OAA app or the overall abilities app. It is an app where displays each student's abilities assessment. It is based on school results in which if any student's overall ability score gets lower than the certain baseline, they will receive a penalty.

Sigh...

Well, there's no use reminiscing about past mistakes now. I have a meeting with the higher-ups in around ten to twenty minutes and I wouldn't like to be late. It was surprising considering this meeting wasn't planned nor did they give notice to me before a few hours ago. Whatever they wanted to discuss, it must've been something urgent.

I got up from my bed and went to the table near me to get my glasses. I then walked over to my closet and pulled off my shirt and grabbed my folded school uniform lying in one of the drawers in the closet. Once I finished putting on my uniform, I opened the door and made my way to the student council meeting room.

———————————————————

When I arrived at the front doors of the student council meeting room, I was surprised to see Chabashira-Sensei's presence there. She was having a chat with Tachibana who I assume must have been doing some student council work.

"Ah, President!" Tachibana waved at me. I raised my palm as a sign of greeting and I walked towards to join in on their conversation.

"If I may intrude, what were you two discussing?" I asked them curiously.

"I was just asking her how well class 3-A was doing and asked her about student council affairs," Chabashira-Sensei replied.

"I see..."

"Oh by the way Horikita Ku- I mean... President, why are you here? Didn't you finish your tasks hours ago?" Tachibana questioned me.

"The higher-ups of the school all of a sudden wanted to hold a meeting. I don't know what the will be the topic but it seems very urgent considering they would usually give me prior notice before announcing a meeting." I explained.

"Ah, sorry about that President Horikita. It was me who actually brought up the need for a meeting." Chabashira-Sensei apologized.

"Really? It is unlike you to suddenly participate in a meeting besides if it was a school event or class troubles. And it's suspicious of you to arrange this meeting exactly on the first day of school for the newly enrolled first years. Is the meeting perhaps something related to the first years?" I interrogated Chabashira-Sensei. Did one of the sophomores from her class perhaps cause trouble? I found it quite strange it was Chabashira-Sensei out of all teachers who would organize this sudden conference.

"Oh ho? Perceptive as always I see. While it is related to the newly enrolled sophomores, it's probably not what you think it is. Before I answer your question president Horikita, mind if I question you about something?" Chabashira-Sensei asked.

"If it's to my capabilities then please do not be afraid to ask," I replied.

"What's your honest opinion of the newly admitted first years so far?" Chabashira-Sensei asked.

I pondered the question I was asked for a while before finally deciding to answer, "Most of them mostly had the same behaviors as last year's students did when they first enrolled here. Though, I must say it is quite shocking how disrespectful your class was during the entrance ceremony Chabashira-Sensei. Of course, I'm not saying this to provoke you so don't take it the wrong way." I answered bluntly.

"Although it hurts to hear that from you, I'm not offended really. But is that really all you think of them?" Chabashira-Sensei asked with a smirk on her face. I saw Tachibana had a slightly worried face but I looked at her to assure her that nothing troublesome was going to happen.

"Although I think no different for most of them, there's Koenji Rokusuke from your class but from what I've heard about him, he seems to be a very narcissistic person. There's also Sakayanagi Arisu who tied with Koenji for second in the entrance exams, but we don't know a lot about her besides that she's related to the chairman. Although, one student from your class has certainly piqued my interest." I answered vaguely.

"Ho? Could that person be your sister Horikita Suzune?" When she asked that I could see Tachibana had a surprised face.

"Sigh, so she really did follow me this far..." I muttered to myself. I was hoping that if Suzune were to enroll in this school, I could at least see a bit of development from her character but it appears she hasn't grown at all considering her placement in class.

"Even though she is my sister, I have no interest in someone as defective as my sister is. Please don't associate me with her for the time being." I answered honestly.

"I-isn't that a bit cruel President...?" Tachibana asked worriedly. I stood there silently hinting that I didn't want to be bothered by such questions anymore. Tachibana sensing the mood, stopped her questioning and looked down worriedly.

"If it isn't your sister, I wonder who the person is in a class full of defectives that could intrigue you out of all people?" She asked again.

"If I recall, his name was Ayanokouji Kiyotaka," I responded. Chabashira-Sensei's eyes widened a bit but she quickly reverted her face back to a smirk.

"Oh! Isn't that the student we encountered early in the morning? Wasn't he also the one who scored all perfect marks out of everyone in the entrance exam?" Tachibana questioned.

"Oh? You know about him?" Chabashira-Sensei interrogated.

Although we barely even know each other, he fascinated me. He was an extremely observant person as he could locate where the cameras were in such a short amount of time despite the school doing its best to keep them hidden. I also saw him raise an eyebrow when Tachibana made a blunder when he and that other boy from class D were introducing themselves. It seems he was paying very close attention to me and Tachibana's behavior. Has he perhaps begun to suspect something about the school? If he did, well color me impressed.

"It is natural that I would have heard of the first student in Advanced Nurturing High School to score all perfect marks on the entrance exam. Although, this is one of the first time's that I've questioned the school's decision." I answered her truthfully.

"What do you mean by that last sentence president?" Tachibana asked with a curious expression.

"What I meant was Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's placing in class D. Even if he had a defect, putting someone who made history in one day in class D surely is too extreme. At the least, he deserved to be placed in either class C or class B. I thought that It might've been his attitude that landed him in class D, but, when we first met, he acted politely and showed proper mannerisms greeting his seniors. He also didn't seem to be an unfriendly or uncooperative person as the other boy and he seemed to have a good relationship with each other. His physical abilities might be another reason he was placed in class D, but unless he had a horrible physique and endurance, I doubt that would be the cause considering some intelligent people are in class A even if they had below-average physical abilities. I've tried to find out more about him but I still could not conclude why he was placed in class D. If I may ask, what do you think the reason is for Ayanokouji Kiyotaka to be admitted in the defective class out of all the classes he could've been placed in?"

Of course, I was sure Chabashira-Sensei already knew why he was placed in class D. I don't know his past nor know him personally but he didn't act or seem like someone defective. Maybe it was a facade? I couldn't deny that possibility but even then, I still could not find a reasonable explanation why someone as observant and capably intelligent as him would be put in class D.

"I am not obliged to answer that, am I? But don't worry Horikita-Kun, the meeting might be a clue to the answer to your question." Chabashira-Sensei stated vaguely.

"What do you mean by that Cha-" before I could finish my sentence, a few of the higher-ups had arrived signaling for me and Chabashira-Sensei to head to the meeting room.

"We'll continue this discussion at a later time Horikita-Kun. Let's proceed to the meeting room." Chabashira-Sensei asserted. I just nodded in response and walked my way to the meeting room. I left Tachibana in the hallways and made my way to my seat and sat in an appropriate sitting position and waited for the meeting to begin.

Chabashira-Sensei sat on one of the seats to my left and now contrary to her smirky demeanor a few minutes ago, now had a serious expression. The higher-ups finally seated themselves to the seats in the room and all had a serious face.

"Has everyone arrived here in full attendance?" I asked sternly. Every single person in the meeting room nodded.

I announced.

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Tachibana Akane POV

It's already been an hour since Horikita-Kun entered the meeting room. I was waiting for him outside the student council meeting room hoping to ask what the meeting was about... Or maybe that's what I wanted to believe. Although it wasn't a lie that I was curious about what they were discussing, I honestly just wanted to spend time with Horikita-Kun even if it included extra work or tasks.

Sigh...

I'm hopelessly in love with someone who might not even acknowledge or even have a clue about my feelings. Perhaps it was I who wasn't able to reach my feelings to him properly? Or maybe it was because he was already too busy leading our class while simultaneously being the student council president which could explain why he may not see me as a potential love interest.

I admire Horikita-Kun, and so does the rest of our class. If it wasn't for him, maybe our class wouldn't be where it is today. A lot of us doubted him at first, but as time went on we grew on to believe and put our trust in him to lead us to the best results for our future.

Most of the girls in our year came to like Horikita-Kun, including me. B-but can you really blame us? He was intelligent, he was handsome, he had a well-trained body every guy would kill for, his soft and fluffy hair, his beautiful smile, his dazzling violet eyes that shined brighter than any evening sky...

...

*

I slapped my face with both my hands.

C-calm down Akane... This is no time to be thinking of Manabu- I MEAN HORIKITA KUN! You're in public right now, you must act like a civilized and well-mannered lady.

*

My thoughts were interrupted as the door in front of me opened. The higher-ups of the school and Chabashira-Sensei were exiting the room. I greeted them with a bow and some of them waved back, some nodded, and some smiled back at my greeting.

"It was nice to catch up with you Tachibana," Chabashira-Sensei called out to me.

"Likewise Sensei," I replied to her with a smile.

I then entered the student council room with Horikita-Kun currently sitting on the president's seat with both his hands intertwined with each other resting above his lips. He seemed to be in deep thought so I guess the meeting must've been something very important.

"Tachibana? What are you still doing here? Haven't you finished your student council work hours ago?" Horikita-Kun asked me with a curious yet serious expression.

"A-ah I was just curious what the meeting was about and wanted to ask you a few questions. But of course, if... It's between you and the higher-ups I won't pry any further." I said with a flustered tone.

"I just also wanted to be with you..." I whispered to myself.

"Excuse me, can you repeat that Tachibana? I couldn't quite catch what you were saying?"

"ITS N-NOTHING PRESIDENT!" Ah jeez! I need to calm myself. It's because of the thoughts I had minutes ago that I can't control myself right now.

"I see... Well if you are that curious, please take a seat. This might be a lot for you to take in." Horikita-Kun warned me. He then gestured for me to sit on the chair nearest to him. I quickened my pace and sat down on the right side of the room on a chair. I rested my hands on the table in front of me and composed myself to listen to what Horikita-Kun had to say.

"Apparently... Someone from the batch of newly enrolled first-years has already solved most of the school system..." Horikita-Kun informed me. Ah so it was just that, I thought something might have happened.

...

CHOTTO MATE?!

"Are you serious President?!" I said in a flabbergasted tone. I found it hard to believe that someone had already figured out the school system in such a short amount of time. It even took Horikita-Kun weeks to even suspect the school system!

"I'm not finished yet, Tachibana. Not only did they solve the mystery of the school on the first day but they somehow managed to convince their class to buy information regarding the S-System in exchange for class points." Horikita-Kun revealed more shocking news.

"We can do that?!" I shouted as I couldn't hide my shock.

"I didn't know of it either until it was revealed in the meeting. Apparently, this was the first time something like this has happened in this school's history. Normally, I would've scolded you for shouting loudly in the student council room but considering what you just heard, I'll let it slide this time." Horikita-Kun said to me. That was a relief...

"Amazing... But which class A or class B student did this President? Were you told who their name was?" This was an important question considering they would be a very good candidate to join the student council. We currently had two open positions so whoever this Kouhai was, they must be something special.

"Yes, I was told on who his name was," Ah, so it's a he.

"But here's the strange thing Tachibana... The student who made all these outstanding deductions came from Horikita-Kun replied.

...

Did I hear that right? A class D student?

"President, are you sure you didn't mishear them?" I questioned him curiously. It was hard to believe that a class D student out of every student would be the one to figure out the school and the S-System.

"No, I'm 100% sure what I heard was true," Horikita-Kun confirmed his answer. I couldn't think of anyone from class D who would be able to do something like this. From the entrance ceremony, most of them were blatantly acting very disrespectful with some of them sleeping in public, chatting loudly without shame and guilt, and some of them weren't even paying attention to the ceremony, though I couldn't blame them for the last one. The entrance ceremony of this school was very boring but you get used to it eventually.

It's not like I want to look down on class D students. It's just their behavior and attitude would be unacceptable if they enrolled in any other school. Some of the defective students of my year had me baffled by how bad they were at simple academic topics such as simple algebra. Though, I have come to recognize that some of them can change and I shouldn't be acting arrogant just because I was luckily placed in class A.

I kept thinking and thinking until a certain tall brown-haired boy with brown eyes appeared in my thoughts.

Don't tell me...

"Was it him... President?" I asked him curiously.

"If your referring to the student named Ayanokouji Kiyotaka then yes, it was him." Horikita-Kun finally cleared up my confusion.