Cote: Elite in Action

The School of Merits: A New Beginning

The school has unique rules that make it stand out. All students must reside on campus and are completely isolated from any external contact, including with their close family members. Additionally, leaving the campus under any circumstance is strictly prohibited.

Despite these restrictions, the campus is equipped with numerous facilities to compensate for the isolation. There are karaoke bars, theaters, cafés, and shops, giving it a small-town atmosphere in the middle of a big city. With over 600,000 square meters, the campus is vast and self-sufficient.

A distinctive feature of the school is the S system. The teacher continued explaining:

"Now I will give you your student cards. These cards work like a credit card within the campus. With them, you can buy anything at the campus stores and facilities. I advise you to manage your points carefully, as you can acquire anything available here. If it exists on campus, you can purchase it with your card."

Did she just say that I can buy everything?

"To use the student cards, you just need to swipe them at the payment machines, which are very easy to use. At the beginning of each month, points will be automatically credited to your cards. Each of you already has 100,000 points in your account. It's worth noting that 1 point is equivalent to 1 yen. There's no need to go into more detail about how the system works."

A murmur of amazement swept through the class at the amount of points awarded. Hoshinomiya-sensei continued:

"Are you surprised by the amount of points you've received? The amount of points reflects the merit and value of those who passed the entrance exam. The school assesses the abilities of its students through this allocation. Use them according to your needs and desires. Once you graduate, all points will be withdrawn as they cannot be converted into money. Therefore, they can only be used within the school. If you think you won't use some of your points, you can transfer them to others, but harassment for points is strictly prohibited. The school has a very strict policy against bullying."

"And a piece of advice: be careful not to spend all your points at once," she added with an enigmatic tone.

"Any questions?" Hoshinomiya-sensei asked.

I needed to reflect on all this information. This school is undoubtedly different from any other. The implementation of a proprietary monetary system is surprising. We are assigned a substantial amount of points monthly, but with 100,000 points a month, it seems excessive. I doubt that merely being here justifies such an allocation. After all, nothing in this world is truly free.

To clear up my doubts, I decided to ask: "Sensei, what will our allocation be next month?" Some might consider my question silly, but I needed to be sure.

"Osawa-kun, unfortunately, I can't answer that question," replied the teacher, though with a slight smile.

"Does 'can't' mean that the school forbids you from answering?" I asked, as my classmates watched us with curiosity.

"One could say that," she replied, still smiling. "If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to answer them," she added with a wider smile.

"No, that will be all for now," I responded.

I checked my phone and saw that the number of points was labeled as "private points." At first, I thought they would simply be called points, nothing more. But mentioning "private" suggests there must also be "public points." What would be the difference between them?

They also mentioned that the amount of points reflects our merit and value. According to that, for the school, new students who passed the entrance exam are worth 100,000 points.