Shirogane wasn't just looking to take advantage of Ryuen.
Normally, Ryuen would be just another classmate, and since he was actively gathering information about the school, that made him smart.
But if the methods he used were threats and violence, while they might be effective, they would also bring trouble to their class. That said, getting Ryuen expelled right away wasn't exactly a smart move either.
So, Shirogane and Shiina quietly followed Ryuen.
And sure enough, as soon as Ryuen left the supermarket, he took action. First, he crouched by the roadside for a while, then spotted two upperclassmen and immediately started following them.
The two upperclassmen had just stepped out of a convenience store when they suddenly felt a hand on their shoulders.
They turned around—only to see Ryuen's face, up close.
Ryuen was smiling, but his delinquent-like aura made him incredibly intimidating.
He dragged the two of them into a narrow alley.
"Y-You! What do you think you're doing!? I'm telling you, there are cameras all over this school!" one of the upperclassmen shouted. "They definitely caught you dragging us just now!"
"Oh? And so what?" Ryuen's expression didn't change. "It's just a little fight. What can they do to me? You two, though... it won't be so easy for you."
"Huh? You're a first-year!"
The upperclassman suddenly realized something.
At the freshman entrance ceremony this morning, both the third-year student council president and the secretary had been wearing the same school uniform as everyone else.
Just by looking at appearances, everyone seemed the same.
That meant the school uniform wouldn't change for all three years, and with so many students, it was hard to tell who was a first-year, an upperclassman, or which grade someone was in.
But these two upperclassmen recognized Ryuen as a first-year right away.
Clearly, there was a gap in information between upperclassmen and new students.
So how did Ryuen give himself away?
Ryuen had said that getting into a fight wouldn't be a big deal.
Normally, schools would handle fights, and as long as nothing serious happened, the consequences wouldn't be too bad.
But the two upperclassmen clearly didn't see it that way.
That suggested the school actually had strict rules against fighting—or at least, the punishment for it was quite serious.
"You know I'm a first-year, so hand over the information," Ryuen said. "This school is different, isn't it? You've already figured that out. And honestly… I feel sorry for you."
Ryuen's eyes moved to the shopping bags the two upperclassmen were carrying.
His observation skills weren't bad.
The bags didn't have much inside—just basic daily necessities. But none of the items had price tags, and they all looked cheap.
In other words, they were the free supplies given out by the stores.
"H-Hey, what are you staring at?! What class are you from? You've got to be from Class D or C, right? You'll be seeing hell soon enough!"
One of the upperclassmen shouted.
And just like that, they had let something slip.
It seemed that Classes C and D were looked down upon.
Miyuki and the others had just entered the school, but it was clear that the upperclassmen didn't think much of C and D classes.
Which meant students from those classes had always performed poorly in the past.
But why?
Each year, four classes entered the school together. Did that mean C and D were naturally weaker than A and B?
Shirogane thought about it.
Meanwhile, Ryuen made his next move.
"Barking like crazy in front of me… Looks like you don't know who's in charge here."
In no time at all—
"S-Sorry! We apologize!"
Desperate cries for mercy echoed through the alley.
Clearly, Ryuen had resorted to violence.
"This feels… a little weird," Shiina muttered.
Not far away, she had followed Miyuki's instructions and was recording the scene with her phone.
Normally, if someone saw a fight, they would step in to stop it. But she didn't. Instead, she recorded it.
Because—
Even if they stopped Ryuen this time, what about the next time?
Plus, from both the school and the upperclassmen, they had learned something—if a fight got exposed, the punishment could be harsh.
And Ryuen could end up causing trouble for their class.
Miyuki also turned on his recorder.
But instead of recording Ryuen's fight, he focused on capturing the information the upperclassmen had let slip.
Faced with violence, the upperclassman chose to give in.
This school truly prioritized strength and even guaranteed that graduates could enter their desired universities without exams or get the jobs they wanted with special privileges.
But only students who graduated as part of Class 3-A could enjoy those benefits.
Students from Classes B, C, and D were removed from the school records upon graduation and were no longer considered students of Advanced Nurturing High School. Their future job prospects and further education had nothing to do with the school.
So this was the real reason behind the school's 100% university acceptance rate and high employment rate.
It was practically a scam.
Wasn't it too unfair that only Class A could have a smooth future?
But the school did give other classes a chance since the rankings of Classes A, B, C, and D weren't fixed. The school regularly evaluated each class as a whole.
The exact evaluation criteria weren't clear, but on the first of every month, the school released the class rankings based on the previous month's performance.
When freshmen entered the school, each class started with a base score of 1,000 points. This score changed depending on student behavior—whether they were active or lazy in class, as well as their academic performance.
So even Class A could get careless and be overtaken by another class. If that happened, they would be replaced in the rankings the following month.
There was already a real example of this.
Two months ago, the current student council vice president, Nagumo Miyabi, was originally in Class B. However, he led his class to surpass Class A and take its place.
As long as they maintained their lead, they had a real shot at graduating as the top class.
For new students, the first month was especially important. All four classes started with 1,000 points, but in the first month, the school closely monitored freshmen's behavior and deducted points accordingly. By the end of the month, the initial 1,000 points could change drastically.
"But even if you make it to Class A, if your class score drops, you could still end up in Classes B, C, or D. So in this school, rankings constantly change as long as you're a student here."
"Anyway, why am I even telling you this? Your Class C and D won't stand a chance even if you use dirty tricks to figure out how this school works," the upperclassman scoffed.
"Has there ever been a case where a Class C or D moved up?" a voice suddenly asked.
"There was. Around six or seven years ago, a Class D managed to climb up to Class B. I heard a few students from that year stayed at the school as teachers. In fact, your Class D homeroom teacher, Chabashira-sensei, was one of those students—she was in that Class D that became Class B, and then she…"
"Hmm?"
The upperclassman, who had been answering honestly, subconsciously looked up.
Meanwhile, Ryuen, who had been standing there listening to the rules, suddenly made his move.
He charged straight toward Shirogane and Shiina, the source of the voice.
"Ryuen, you wouldn't want a video of you hitting someone to end up with the homeroom teacher, would you?"
Shirogane's words made Ryuen freeze in place.