Chapter 1
A low hum of chatter fills the classroom. Some students are already forming groups, laughing loudly. Others sit quietly, observing. On each desk sits a small, pristine white nameplate. The one on the desk in front of Elvis reads 堀北 鈴音.
The classroom door slides open with a quiet shhhh.
A woman with long, dark brown hair tied in a loose ponytail steps inside. Her movements are precise, economical. She wears a standard faculty suit, carrying no warmth. She walks to the teacher's podium, her heels clicking against the linoleum floor with methodical rhythm.
The room falls silent.
She places a binder on the lectern, its pages filled with neat, dense text. Her eyes, sharp and devoid of sentiment, scan the faces before her.
"I am your homeroom teacher for the next three years. Chabashira Sae."
Her voice is flat. She picks up a piece of chalk.
"This school operates on a unique system. You will not use currency. Instead, every month you are allotted points. One point is worth one yen."
She turns and writes on the blackboard. The chalk scratches out the numbers with stark finality.
100,000
"This month, you have each been given 100,000 points. They have already been deposited into your student terminals."
A ripple of excited whispers breaks the silence.
Chabashira's face remains impassive.
"The school provides everything you might need. Anything can be purchased with points."
She places the chalk down, a thin layer of white dust coating her fingertips. She brushes them clean.
"That is all. I trust you will not cause any problems."
