Rey’s Journey in the Classroom of the Elite

Whispers from his classmates filled Rey's ears, growing louder as soon as the teacher left the room.

"This school isn't as strict as I imagined," one of the students said.

"Yeah, it's actually pretty laid-back," replied another.

"I was worried it would be really strict, but now it feels so nice!"

"This is awesome, we get 100,000 points every month."

"I think this school has a lot of malls, I wonder if they have arcades."

"Hey, how about we go check out the shops after this? Let's go shopping!"

"Yeah, with all these points, we can buy whatever we want. Getting into this school was totally worth it!"

Everyone was focused on their bright futures. The school's rules—mandatory dorming, no leaving campus, and no communication with the outside world—seemed irrelevant now. They were prepared for these restrictions when they first arrived. The school provided free points and facilities, with no tuition fees. To them, it felt like they were already winning.

The main draw of this prestigious school was its near-perfect graduation and employment rates. It was run by the government, which offered comprehensive guidance and support for students to pursue their dreams. The school heavily promoted this fact, and many graduates had gone on to become well-known. Unlike other schools that specialized in specific fields like sports, music, or computer science, this school allowed students to follow their passions in any field they desired.

However, hearing his classmates' conversations, Rey couldn't help but question the authenticity of the school, and the value of his classmates' perspectives.

'Are they pretending, or do they genuinely think this way? Don't they understand what the teacher just said?'

'Does no one question the 100,000 points?'

'Don't they wonder if they really deserve this kind of treatment?'

'Is something wrong with me? Does this country have unlimited funds?'

'Or did they use some mind control to brainwash all these students?'

'It seems like I've stepped into a very unusual school.'

Whether his classmates were pretending or simply ignorant, Rey knew it would become clear after some time. For now, he just needed to fit in.

After the teacher left, the classroom descended into chaos with students talking all at once. Then, a model student—a boy who looked charismatic—stood up and caught everyone's attention.

"Hey, everyone, could I have your attention for a moment?" he said in a friendly tone.

"Starting today, we'll be in the same class," he continued. "So, I think we should start by introducing ourselves. It would be nice if we could all become friends. We still have an hour before the entrance ceremony, so how about we do this now?"

His words were polite, and they didn't feel forceful in any way. He seemed to genuinely care about others' opinions. Confident and easy to talk to, he was the kind of person who was popular and useful in any situation. Rey observed him carefully. "Sounds good," Rey thought. "Talking and getting to know each other is a good idea. It would be awkward if we don't even know each other's names."

Once one person started, there was little chance anyone would refuse. One by one, the students began to introduce themselves. Rey thought it was normal for everyone to agree to introduce themselves in this setting.

"My name is Hirata Yousuke," the boy said smoothly. "Back in middle school, people usually called me Yousuke, so feel free to call me that. I'm interested in all kinds of sports, but my favorite is soccer. I also plan to play soccer here in this school. Thanks for listening."

Hirata Yousuke, looking very popular, introduced himself without a hitch. His confidence was obvious, his body looked strong, and his speech was clear and expressive. With a bright, handsome face, it was clear that if he wanted, it wouldn't take long for him to find a girlfriend. Rey couldn't help but think so. Already, he could see the girls around Hirata staring at him with hearts in their eyes.

"If possible, I hope we can all introduce ourselves one by one... How about it?" Hirata asked respectfully.

With Hirata's encouragement, Rey's classmates began introducing themselves, one after another. Now, it was Rey's turn. He stood up, and immediately, many eyes turned to him. It was probably because of the earlier incident with Yamauchi Haruki and Kushida Kikyo.

"Uh..." Rey hesitated. "My name is Rey. I don't have anything in particular that I like or dislike. I just hope we can all get along well."

He introduced himself in a very casual manner, without much emotion. Of course, his introduction was rather lackluster. His classmates clapped politely, almost as if applauding his courage for introducing himself. After all, many of them were still too nervous to speak. Not everyone is a social butterfly.

"I'm Yamauchi Haruki. When I was in elementary school, I made it to the national table tennis competition, and in middle school, I was the ace pitcher for the baseball team, number 4. But I got injured during the high school league, and I'm currently recovering. Thank you," Yamauchi Haruki introduced himself confidently.

Rey listened carefully to each introduction, trying to figure out if anyone was hiding something or if they were all just pretending to be clueless. Even Yamauchi Haruki introduced himself again, and his words were exactly the same as before.

'Although I don't remember Yamauchi's name,' Rey thought. 'I clearly remembered what he just said.'

He was confused because earlier, Yamauchi had mentioned the middle school league, but now he was talking about the high school league. Was he joking? Rey slowly realized that perhaps it was just a joke.