“So, what was that ‘small matter’ you mentioned?” Mamoru spoke to Arisu as they walked down the hallway.
The entrance ceremony had finished, and it was now after school.
They were on their way to the faculty room to meet their homeroom teacher, Mashima.
“Well, you saved me this morning, Mamoru-kun, so I simply wanted to treat you to tea as a token of my gratitude.
You did say visiting sweet shops was a hobby of yours, right?” “I did say that, but…
what’s your real motive?” With absolute certainty that tea wasn’t her only goal, Mamoru questioned her back.
“My, how cold.
Are you implying that I am plotting something, Mamoru-kun?” “At the very least, I’m pretty sure it’s not out of pure goodwill.” As a jujutsu sorcerer, one couldn’t help but run into people who approached with ulterior motives.
Mamoru, in particular, hailed from one of the Three Great Families—a prestigious lineage—which made such interactions even more frequent.
Besides, the absolute prime example of a shady, untrustworthy individual happened to be a close relative of his.
“That is a bit hurtful.
I merely wanted to deepen my friendship with someone who seemed like a promising prospective friend.” ‘Smells shady as hell to me.’ Looking at her gentle smile, that was the thought running through his head, though saying it directly felt a bit much.
‘The Chairman asked me to look out for her, but having her stalk me around is going to be a hassle.
Should I just press a bit harder even if she ends up disliking me?’ While contemplating his options, he suddenly heard Arisu chuckle beside him.
“Fufu, my apologies.
I teased you a bit too much, didn’t I?
Since you already seem to have realized, Mamoru-kun, let us drop the roundabout talk and speak frankly.” “…That was abrupt.” “I can tell from your expression that you harbor doubts about me.
However, since this promises to be a long conversation, let us save the details for later.” “…Alright.
We’re almost at the faculty room anyway.” ‘My work is going to be delayed a bit, but it can’t be helped.
Sorry, Chairman.
If you have complaints, take them up with your daughter.’ In his mind, Mamoru raised a hand in a brief, casual apology toward the Chairman.
In truth, all the Curses he had confirmed on campus so far were low-grade spirits below Grade 4.
Starting his hunt a day or two late was unlikely to cause any major catastrophe.
Before long, the two arrived in front of the faculty room.
Knocking gently, they opened the door.
“”Pardon us.”” They spoke in unison as they entered.
Looking around the room, Mashima was nowhere to be seen, so Mamoru called out to a nearby teacher.
“Excuse me.
Is Mashima-sensei here?” “Eh, Mashima-kun?
I think he was here just a moment ago.
Maybe he went to the restroom?” “I see, thank you.” Mashima surely knew they were coming.
Deciding he would return shortly, Mamoru prepared to wait.
However, after glancing at Arisu for a second, he addressed the teacher once more.
“…Excuse me.
Since we’ll be waiting a moment, is there anywhere she could sit down?” Arisu directed a glance mixed with slight surprise toward Mamoru.
She was likely taken aback by his sudden display of consideration.
Given their earlier exchange, she must have understood that he was suspicious of her, making it unexpected that he would still extend a polite kindness.
“Sure thing~!
My desk is close to Mashima-kun’s, so she can sit there and wait.” “Thank you very much.” “Thank you very much.” Arisu added her thanks a beat after Mamoru.
“You two are from Class A, right?
I’m Chie Hoshinomiya, the homeroom teacher for Class B.” “Yes, I’m Mamoru Gojo from Class A.” “Likewise, I am Arisu Sakayanagi from Class A.” Upon hearing Arisu’s name, the teacher named Hoshinomiya looked at her in surprise.
“Ah, so you’re Sakayanagi-san!
You’ve been quite the hot topic among the teachers, you know—scoring exceptionally high marks on the entrance exam.” “Is that so?
Hearing that is a bit embarrassing, I must admit.” Despite her words, she didn’t look bashful at all.
If anything, a quiet confidence oozed from her, as if such praise were only natural.
“Huh.” Mamoru, however, turned an appreciative look toward her.
Having taken the same entrance exam, he knew firsthand how difficult it was.
Hearing that she had scored high enough to be remembered by the faculty was genuinely impressive.
“Are you two…
dating, by any chance?
You were looking out for her so naturally just now—you really look like a cute couple~” Hoshinomiya peered at them with amused eyes as she spoke, but Mamoru shot down the comment without missing a beat.
“No, we aren’t.
Please think of me as merely her escort.” Though she seemed like a friendly teacher, she was still an authority figure, so Mamoru maintained a polite tone.
Seeing his swift response, Arisu exaggeratedly slumped her shoulders with a theatrical sigh.
“How cold.
Rejecting it so instantly makes me lose a bit of my confidence as a woman.” “Oh my~, Gojo-kun, that’s a no-no.
You shouldn’t hurt a girl’s feelings like that!” ‘Ah, great.
Putting these two together creates a total nightmare combo.’ Even in this brief moment, it was obvious that both of them enjoyed teasing others.
Naturally, that meant the sole male student in the vicinity—Mamoru—was designated as their target.
“Haah…
My apologies, then.” Feeling inwardly exasperated, Mamoru offered a dry, expressionless response, knowing that showing annoyance would only invite further teasing.
‘Mashima-sensei, please come back fast.’ His prayer was answered: at that exact moment, the door to the faculty room opened and Mashima stepped inside.
“Oh, come on, Mashima-kun, back already?
I wanted to talk to them more~!” “Hmm, Hoshinomiya?
What are you doing with my students?” Mashima noticed Mamoru and Arisu right away, stepping closer to address them.
“I was just keeping them company until you got back!” “I see.
My apologies for keeping you waiting.
I had a few things to verify.” “Things to verify?” “Don’t worry about it.
It’s an internal matter.
Now then, Sakayanagi is here too, I see.
Your business is regarding homeroom earlier, correct?” “Yes.
Questions arose among the students during homeroom, so I have come as a representative to consolidate them.
I have written them down on this sheet, so please review it.” With that, Arisu retrieved a sheet of paper from her bag and handed it to Mashima.
The paper listed various questions raised by the students: Would point distributions fluctuate?
If so, what were the evaluation criteria?
If class rankings existed, were there penalties involved?
Numerous doubts were compiled neatly on the page.
Curious about the exchange, Hoshinomiya leaned over from her nearby desk to glance at the paper in Mashima’s hands—and immediately let out an overtly shocked gasp.
“Wait, Mashima-kun, what is the meaning of this?!
Did you break the rules?!” Her loud outburst instantly drew the attention of other staff members in the room.
“Calm down, Hoshinomiya.
That is not something you should say in front of students.” Realizing her slip-up, Hoshinomiya gasped and quickly clapped a hand over her mouth, shooting a look at Mamoru and Arisu.
It was already too late, however.
That reaction alone was enough to confirm to both Mamoru and Arisu that their deductions during homeroom had been correct.
“And I swear on my honor that I did not break any rules.
If you doubt me, check the classroom footage later.” “Then why…?” It was clear that a gag order regarding the school system was currently placed on the teaching staff as well.
Mindful of the two students standing right there, Hoshinomiya struggled to find her words.
“You will understand once you check the footage.” Leaving it at that, Mashima turned back to face Mamoru and Arisu.
“Now then, while you two have likely formed your own conclusions by now, allow me to state this clearly: I cannot answer any of the questions written on this paper.” “None of them at all?” Arisu asked back.
“None.
I will neither confirm nor deny any of these questions.
That is our official stance.” His words were firm and absolute.
The hesitation he had displayed during homeroom was completely gone.
‘I see.
Saying ‘our official stance’ means he was delayed earlier because he was confirming how to handle this with his superiors.’ “Is that so?
Understood.
In that case, I shall inform the rest of the class myself tomorrow morning.” “Please do.
Gojo, are you fine with that as well?” “Actually, my apologies, sir.
I came to ask about something I couldn’t get answered during homeroom.” “Hmm?
What is it?” Mashima visibly tensed up.
Having been put in a tough spot during homeroom, he seemed on edge around Mamoru.
“Well, I never got an answer on how much it costs to purchase attendance days.
Or is that something you can’t speak on either?” “Ah…
That was what you were concerned about, wasn’t it?
Hmm…
No, if it’s strictly regarding the cost, there is no issue in telling you.
It costs 5,000 points per class period.
If you wish to take an entire day off, it is 35,000 points.
That will classify your absence as an officially excused leave.
However, if an evaluation test is held during that time, there will be no makeup exam—it will be scored as a zero, so keep that in mind.” A standard school day consisted of six class periods, but an entire day’s package was priced slightly higher at 35,000 points, likely because it covered home period and other administrative time as well.
At 35,000 points a day, their current 100,000 points would only cover two days and a few hours off.
Mamoru made a mental note not to waste his points recklessly, keeping them saved for emergencies.
“Understood.
Sorry, but may I ask just one last thing?” “There’s more?” “My apologies.
This is truly the last thing I’d like to ask.
Hypothetically, if a student were to face expulsion, how many points would it cost to overturn it?” Back during his meeting with the Chairman before enrolling, Mamoru had been bothered by how specifically the Chairman mentioned expulsions.
Expulsions at this school likely possessed a unique nature compared to ordinary high schools, but if he were somehow expelled and unable to complete his mission, it would be a major problem.
As a safeguard, Mamoru wanted to verify this single detail.
Yet, for some reason, upon hearing this question, Mashima pinched the bridge of his nose as if trying to hold back a headache.
Beside him, Hoshinomiya’s eyes went wide.
“…You really didn’t receive any advance information about this school, did you?” “Huh?” “No, never mind.
The answer is: ‘I cannot answer that.'” That response raised a brand-new question in Mamoru’s mind.
‘He can’t answer?
Even though he just gave me the exact cost for missing classes?’ Since Mashima hadn’t explicitly said it was impossible to buy off an expulsion, the act of doing so was presumably possible.
Yet, if he couldn’t state how much it cost, there was only one logical conclusion.
‘It means something other than regular points is required to do it.’ “…Understood.
Thank you for your time, sir.” “Think nothing of it.
Answering student inquiries is part of a teacher’s duty.” When Mamoru bowed politely, Arisu stood up from her chair and bowed as well.
“”Excuse us.”” With that, the two departed from the faculty room.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Author’s Note: Since the situation has gotten a bit complex, let me summarize the current status: Student Side: 1.
Virtually certain that individual point distributions will fluctuate.
2.
Virtually certain that classes will compete against each other based on merit.
3.
Completely unaware of the existence of Class Points.
Teacher Side: 1.
Prohibited from explaining that points fluctuate based on academic performance or conduct.
2.
Due to 1, prohibited from explaining the existence of Class Points.
3.
Due to Class Points being involved, prohibited from explaining how to overturn expulsions.
This was the state of affairs, but because Mamoru-kun asked about 3 in this chapter, he has effectively put the discovery of Class Points into checkmate.