Ch-6 Class D's Messiah

[Matsushita POV]

My name is Matsushita Chiaki. 

A freshman in the prestigious Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School. 

And I've already got my eyes on someone. A boy, who had peaked my interest like no other before. 

If anyone else heard about this, they might grin and tell me I have a crush on him. 

But that's not the case. 

I will admit, the boy I'm talking about is indeed very handsome. His name is Kazuki Hikaru, as mentioned earlier by Chabashira sensei. 

But my standards much higher than just a good looking guy. 

For starters, both his appearance and personality should be first class and he should come from a good family background. 

Both of his parents should have received higher education and have good accomplishments. 

I know, I'm a very picky girl. But I believe as a girl from a good, wealthy, family blessed with intellect and appearance, I'm allowed to pick a man that fits such a standard. 

And now that I've arrived here, at Advanced Nurturing High School, I might aim even higher. My goals have already been set. 

I'm going so study abroad after my graduation in a prestigious university and then pick a high class job like becoming an embassy or joining the UN. 

Since most of my future had already been secured, I believe I should just spend my time here enjoying my high school life and if possible, find a life-long partner. 

It was still homeroom and I don't even know the names of any of my classmates aside from two girls, Satou Maya and Shinohara Satsuki, who were both seated close to me, and of course, Kazuki Hikaru himself. 

The man had stood up, wanting to ask sensei a question or two regarding the things she said. He started of small, wanting to know how to prevent extortions and scams, which indicated he was a nice guy. He was worried for his classmates and looking out for them. 

But then he began questioning everything else. His critical thinking skills are extremely high. 

He asked about next month's allowance and the months after that, emphasizing on the fact that our teacher hadn't specified how many points we'll receive next month. He voices his own opinions on the matter and it got me thinking. 

What he's saying does have some meaning on it. 

If I think carefully, then yes, it is absurd. Because 100,000 points per person is a lot of money, especially when handed to mere high school students with seemingly normal repercussions. Especially considering there's 480 students in the school. And that's without taking into account the teacher's salary, staff salary and maintenance, tax money, and everything else that needs payment. 

Even for a government funded school, that much on a yearly basis is too much! 

Unlike most of us, who was drawn in by the freedom and luxury they provided us, that boy thought about things clearly and began asking questions. 

And then he pointed out the cameras, which got me on high alert. What cameras were he talking about ? 

I was one among the first ten people to enter the classroom and I never noticed any cameras, which I did think was odd for a school as prestigious as this one. But now that he pointed them out, I suddenly put my guard up. 

Looking around for a bit, my eyes finally went to the corners of the room. It's hard to notice, but if you focus enough, you'll be able to see the small, inconspicuous camera there. I then looked at the other corners and realised there were cameras on all corners of the classroom. 

I informed my other classmates about this and all hell broke loose. 

Why didn't they tell us about the cameras ? 

Why hide the cameras like that ? 

Would anyone even have noticed them if it hadn't been for Kazuki-kun ? 

My initial evaluation of him was going up with each question he asked. 

He remained silent for a while. He was probably letting everyone understand the situation and possibly calm down before he could continue speaking more. 

He then asked the same questions that came to my mind. Why hide the cameras ? Why not tell us about them ? 

And then, he suggested the crazy possibility of them never wanting us to find out about the cameras. He believed they wanted to observe our true selves and see how we'd act without being observed. 

A cunning ploy, but it made me wonder why exactly they would even do such a thing. 

He talked about our evaluation multiple times already and about how our points are related to our worth. I didn't understand and forts, but the gears in my brain were slowly turning and I was slowly beginning to understand him. 

And then he mentioned something about the entrance exam. 

And Chabashira senseis face fell. Her crumbled face sent ripples of shock through my being. She noticed something! Something that I didn't! 

Kazuki said two things...

1. The class was judged as a whole and not individually and that judgement is reflected in our private points. 

2. The entrance exam and interview meant nothing at all. 

But what did that mean ? 

None of it was ever mentioned by sensei, so did it mean the school his things from us ? Did they want us to find them out by ourselves ? 

But now that I think about, if it is really true that we're being judged based on our merit, then how come every person in the room, who got varying scores on the entrance exam and interview, receive the same amount of points. 

All of the points Kazuki-kun had mentioned already were scarily accurate. He was breaking down sensei's explanation but by bit, it was almost scary. 

But what did he mean by "entrance exam and interview meant nothing" ? What even is the point of them of they don't mean anything ? 

Chabashira senseis reaction implies he's right about something. 

But what ? 

Was it about the first one or the second ? 

The former seems possible honestly, if you think about it hard enough. 

But the latter...? It seems unlikely. 

Why would the entrance exam have no merit ? What even was the point of it then ? Was he saying that even if we failed, we would've gotten in ?

But that makes no sense! 

The whole point to the entrance exam is to gauge the applicants and choose the best ones as students, right ? Same with the interview ? 

What did he mean by clas standing ?

Then Koenji, a haughty rich boy, revealed information that the school knew of our pasts. And this caused a very strong reaction among my classmates. 

I too, was greatly surprised. 

But at the same time, it wasn't too unbelievable. 

It made sense for a school as prestigious as this to want to know of it's student's personal backgrounds so the could evaluate them. 

And also, I didn't really have any reason to be mad. I had nothing to hide. 

But then, Kazuki revealed that there were some students who graduated without the employment guarantee reward. That single sentence reverberated through the entire classroom and my body as well. 

I found myself sitting up straight and staring at him in disbelief. 

What did he say?! 

Did the school lie to us?! 

Why would they do that ? 

It's a government funded school! 

It made no sense for them to lie to their applicants like that! 

Is that why people aren't allowed to talk about the workings of the school ? 

But the Kazuki-kun calmed us down, saying that there were some people that did get that reward. 

That calmed me down a little. 

But still, who did only some people receive that benifit ? 

Were there specific requirements that had to be met ? That seemed plausible to me. 

So I asked about it. I asked him about the status of our monthly allowance as well and he began targetting our teacher, demanding for answers while putting her in the spotlight. 

She was silent for a bit, but then she cracked a smirk. A smirk that turned into a chuckle, which then turned into full blown laughter. 

Chabashira sensei then revealed Kazuki-kun's talents, saying that he acted the entrance exam and interview with a perfect score. 

And now to was my turnt o be shocked! 

How?! 

I agree, the entrance exam wasn't too hard. Most of the questions were pretty simply and doable. But there were some questions that were supposed to be of much higher levels that what we learned in middle school! 

I think there was even a university level question there! 

So how could he ace it ? 

Is he that smart ? 

Did he prepare for things beyond his year, even ? 

If so, then why ? 

In any case, I wanted answers and it seemed like Chabashira sensei was about to reveal everything to us. 

"Alright then, all of you sit down! Kazuki has already figured out the S system, so I suppose I can elaborate on what he said." Chabashira said this, as of suddenly changing her mind. 

Earlier, she was very defensive in not letting any information slip but now, after witnessing Kazuki-kun's talent, she did a complete 180. 

"Kazuki has already explained almost all of it. This school judges people based on their worth. The 100,000 points you all received was not an allowance. It was simply the amount of points that you were judged to be worth for having passed the entrance exam. It's the same for every freshman across all classes." 

So it wasn't an allowance...

Than it truly did mean the amount could vary in the following months. 

"But sensei, why didn't you ever mention it to us ?" 

"What do you mean, Kushida ? I did tell you about it. It's not my fault Kazuki was the only person that noticed the hints I dropped." She suddenly became very happy with Kazuki and praised him yet again. 

"And yes, your private points are based on your overall evaluation. And as Kazuki has established, we evaluate you as a class, not individually. Meaning, just because some of you are more talented than the others, you could still be brought down by your peers."

Oh... 

That's not good...

"You mentioned private points. So I'm assuming you've decided to stop hiding things and tell us everything ?" Asked the confident Kazuki Hikaru. 

"Yes, I will." She answered. 

"In this school, there is a second type of point system called class points, which are directly related to your private points. Every class, at the start of the year, will receive 1000 class points." 

"1000 class points ? Does that mean 1 class point is equivalent to 10 private points, hm ? Is that why we have 100,000 ? Then let's say, our class points dropped down to 500, will our monthly allowance drop down to 50,000 ?" Kazuki asked, once again showcasing how incredible he is at observation and critical thinking. 

"Indeed, Kazuki. You are correct. Those points will be deposited on the first day of each month after you've already been evaluated for you behaviour and worth." 

"And what actions will lower our worth in the eyes of the school ?" He pressed. 

"What do you think ? Talking and using cell phones during classes, not paying attention, abscesses, tardiness, bad grades, bad high school etiquettes, complaints against you, getting into fights, etc. Shouldn't you already know about these things ? Haven't you been taught to not do these things through the several years of education you've all already gone through." 

Her words made many people look away. It seems that many of them were so happy about their freedom that they truly planned on doing these things.

Which would have ended badly for us if it wasn't for Kazuki-kun. 

"As for the class standing, you are all divided into four class from A to D. And your placement determines you ranking." 

"What do you mean, sensei ? Isn't the class placement random ?" Asked a brown haired boy I didn't know. 

"What do you think it means, Ike ? The school judges you based on your worth and sorts you into classes. The superior students were sorted into Class A while the worst students were put into Class D. Do you get it now ? It's like cram school. You're all the worst of the worst. The people that fit the name "defective"." 

Her words sent a massive uproar through the classroom. 

Hearing her, even I trembled a little. 

We... we're defective ? 

I... was defective ? 

No! That's impossible! 

I'm certainly above average, I can't speak for the others though. 

And Kazuki-kun's placement in Class D completely destroys that very concept! 

He scores the highest in the entrance exam and interview, right ? 

And he figured out all of this in under thirty minutes! 

There's no way HE can be considered defective! 

"Damn it! Won't the other classes make fun of us then?!" An angry redhead kicked his desk in frustration. 

"Worried about your dignity, Sudou ? Then work hard to reach Class A." 

Huh ? 

What did that mean ? 

"Are you so stupid as to not understand even after Kazuki explained practically everything ? There's a hierarchy system based on talent in this school, is directly reflected in your private points through your class points. They're all interconnected. If you surpass the other classes in class points, then you'll be promoted to a higher class and they will be demoted." She explained it in simple terms so we could all understand. 

"And as for the employment guarantee reward, as Kazuki mentioned, there are requirements that need to be fullfilled to receive that benifit. Unfortunately for you, only Class A graduates will receive that benifit." 

This caused an even bigger uproar in our class! 

So the chances of us getting that benifit was much slimmer than I thought. 

"But I don't understand, sensei." I stopped up, wanting to clarify something. 

"You said the school judges us as defectives right ? Then what about him ?" I pointed at Kazuki-kun, who had already showcased talent beyond most students. 

He was certainly NOT defective. 

"Are you saying that Kazuki-kun, the person who scored the highest in the entrance exam, is considered defective like us ?" 

How high must be the school standards then ? 

There's clearly something wrong here! 

"And who said your academic ability was the only factor here ?" She replied with a sly smile, making me falter. 

What is that supposed to mean ? 

"What she's saying is, our academics are not the only things that determine our placements. Remember, the school knows our personal background and history. They don't just take people with superior intelligence. Maybe some people are there that aren't smart but are very strong or athletic ? Some people might have gone through something bad in the past which brought down the school's evaluation of them. Some people might have trauma from some incidents or big secrets. Some might have mental or behavioural issues even. Some are just dumb. You get what I mean right ? You may indeed be talented, but you might have one defective quality that acts as a detriment and inhibits your ability to properly function in the school and society." Upon hearing Kazuki-kun's explanation, the entire class fell quite. 

His explanation made perfect sense, so it was a natural and understandable reaction. 

"Not showcasing your full capabilities is also considered a defect." 

This put me on high alert, my body unintentionally flinching a little bit.

Is that why I'm considered defective ? Because I hold back ? But I have a reason for it... 

Moreover, how did he know ? How could he, who has never even seen me before, know about my habit of holding myself back ? How?! 

Was it a coincidence ? 

It has to be, right ? 

"Now do you understand ? Why you were placed in Class D ? Surely you all realise your own defects now, don't you ? And considering how happy your were and how you were planning on throwing away everything to live a life of luxury in this school... Did you really think we'd spoil you lot ? Are you really that naive ?" Chabashira senseis voice held a mixture of amusement and disappointment. 

"So what you're saying is that the class with the most class points at the end will graduated as Class A ?" Asked a raven haired girl sitting near Kazuki-kun. 

"That's correct. And if you managed to maintain your position as Class A until graduation, then you'll graduate with the perks that were originally promised to you." 

"So there are going to be competitions between classes then ? Because of this hierarchy system, we'll have to compete with the other classes so we can reach the top, right ?" Asked Kazuki-kun. 

"Correct again." 

"Thank you, sensei. I have no other questions left to ask you." He smiled brightly at the teacher, who smiled back at him. 

"I'll be expecting to hear some good things from you, Kazuki Hikaru. If that's all there is, I'll be taking me leave now. I hope you all enjoy your time here." 

After she said this, Chabashira sensei grabbed her things and walked out of the classroom, leaving us "defective" students inside.

I then noticed Kazuki-kun making his way to the podium. I'm guessing he has something else to say. 

"May I please have everyone's attention!" He said while tapping the podium a few times. 

It seemed to have worked. 

"Guys, why don't we listen to what Kazuki-kun has to say ?" Said the handsome boy from earlier, whose name is apparently Hirata. 

"Thank you, Hirata." 

"As you all know by know, we are all considered the lowest pf the low in this school. But we can prove them wrong! We have access to information that none of the other classes know! And we should use that to our advantage from here on out. Don't tell anyone from another class about this. You can be friends with them if you want, but don't tell them about the information we just got! We have a lead on them." 

"What do you mean, Kazuki-kun ?" Asked a green haired boy wearing spectacles, who I noticed was very frustrated earlier when he realised he was considered a defect. 

"What I mean is we have a lead that the other classes don't. We should all try to save our class points! The other classes will lose points because they don't know about the S system like we do! We can advance if we behave. We need to show to the school that we aren't defectives! Try to minimize your bad habits like talking in class or coming late or using cell phones as much as possible. I truly wish for all of us to reach Class A together and graduate with those perks." His voice was charming and sweet, that smile of his was innocent and entrancing. It honestly made me blush a little. 

He is definitely handsome and charming. 

"Guys, we should listen to him and try to work together se we can reach Class A. We all want to graduate from Class A, don't we ? Kazuki-kun just wants to make sure all succeed! So please, listen to what he has to say." Hirata quickly took his side. 

Only is he a nice person, but it's clear that he's aware of the importance Kazuki-kun will have for us. 

He'll be the leader. 

"Thank you again, Hirata." 

"It's nothing. Besides, I also want to graduate with everyone else. And I'll do my best to help you out!" 

"So does that mean everyone will listen and help us reach Class A ?" He asked while trying to the entire class. 

"Of course! You can count on me, Kazuki-kun!" Said the excited beige haired girl with crimson-violet gradient doe eyes. 

"I'm not really good at this stuff and all, but sure. I'll help ya' guys with sports and stuff." Said the redhead. 

"Yeah, me too! Reaching Class A sounds really cool." Said the blonde girl sitting next to Satou. 

"Yeah, me too!" Said Satou. 

"Yeah, whatever." 

"If it is to reach Class A, I'll do whatever it takes." 

"So then I assume you'll become our leader, Kazuki-kun ?" I suddenly asked, making everyone look at me. 

Kazuki stared at me with confused eyes. "Whatever do you mean, Matsushita ?" 

"We will be facing off against different classes, so it's best if we have a leader for our class. And I think you'll be perfect. You've already shown your talent and I don't think there's anyone in the school more talented than you, Kazuki-kun. And you don't have any social problems either, so I think you'll be perfect." I voices my opinions and I'm sure most of them shared this sentiment. 

"Yeah, I agree with Matsushita-san! You figure dout the S system so quickly! That alone makes you incredible!" Exclaimed Satou. 

"I'll gladly accept Kazuki-kun as our leader! I hope everyone else does too!" Exclaimed Kushida cheerfully. 

"I also think you would be a great leader, Kazuki-kun! But I still think they final say should go to you. You don't have to become the leader if you don't want to." Hirata said. 

He was happy to have Kazuki-kun as our leader, but he didn't want to force that title on him. What a nice guy. 

Kazuki-kun stayed silent for a minute, which made my breath hitch. Is he going to refuse ? Did I expect too much ? 

But then... He smiled brightly. So brightly that he could heal wounds. 

"Alright. I will gladly bring our class to the top. If you would all allow me, I would be glad to lead you all. I'll accept the responsibility and make sure we all reach Class A!"