Chapter 4: Chapter 1.2

"Take one of these and pass it along."

Miss Aiko handed a box over to the nearest student, who accepted it.

The girl reached her hand into the box and pulled out a space-gray smartphone.

Hmm. So that's why we weren't allowed to bring our personal one?

After the action was repeated numerous times, I was the last one to receive my phone.

I held it in my hand and observed the device. It looked just like a regular one to me.

I turned on the device by holding down the power button on the left side of the phone.

It booted up normally, then the school logo appeared, along with a message and a space to respond to it.

Please enter your school student ID number.

OK,I'll do just that. In a few seconds, I typed 11992899-4 into the space provided and hit enter.

The school logo disappeared and the home screen appeared.

There were only five applications on the phone.

Camera

Contacts

Grades

Class points

Yodell

Obviously, the two things that interest me the most are Yodell and Class points. I debated on if I should ask a question but decided that I should allow someone else to do that for me.

Miss Aiko sat on the edge of her desk and said, "Those are school-issued cellphones. They have no access to social media besides the school-created app named Yodell. Calls to outside the school are also limited, apart from the 2 contacts that you wrote down on your application form. The same goes for emails. You'll only be allowed to send and receive emails from school-issued email addresses, so attempting to send emails to addresses outside the school will result in an error message. The point of this being that the board of directors wishes to mold you into becoming a more independent individual. "

The entire class looked a bit skeptical, except for Minori. She seemed to be already aware of this situation. 

I curiously tapped on the Class Points application and it opened.

Year one classes (which are currently unranked)

 Class 1-1: Zero Points

 Class 1-2: Zero Points 

 Class 1-3: Zero Points

*Class 1-4: Zero Points

Hmm, a ranking system and points. More importantly, why is there an asterisk next to our class?

So far, I have more questions than answers, and I hate that. You know, when I say it like that, I should just like my adoptive father. 

Maybe when I graduate, I'll pursue the same field as him. Then again, I don't think I am cut out for that kind of work.

*Vibration*

My phone just received an email from the school.

From: Saikoyo Prep

To: Student ID- 11992899-4

Subject: School Rules Guide Book

You are reading story My ‘Simplistic’ School Life at novel35.com

One Attachment

Oh. It's the school rules. I'll skim through it later.

"As some of you may have already noticed, there is an application called Class Points which shows the ranking of your class. That will be influenced by an event that all year one classes participate in called "Class Clashes."

A male student spoke up, "So we're basically completing against other classes?" 

Miss Aiko gave the student a clap and said, "So we do have people who catch on quickly here. This is great."

I do not know if she was being sarcastic or if she was genuinely happy, but I will go with the first choice for $200.

"We have a normal school environment apart from the class clashes that would be held periodically. The class clashes will be the board of directors' creating an environment of healthy competition between classrooms."

So the clashes were basically an excuse to put us against each other so we could all strive for something besides graduation. I wonder who the individual who came up with this intellectual gladiator show was.

She continued,

"Currently, all the first-year classes are unranked, and the system goes from 1st to 4th. 20 points for first place, 15 points for second place, 10 points for third place, and 5 points for fourth place. The class in each year group that has the most number of points after your three years gets first preference when internships, university recommendations/scholarships, and even job offers are being handed out."

Hmm, offering something like that will hook most students because graduating from this school is basically like buying a winning lottery ticket, and getting one of those perks being offered is the equivalent of purchasing a second winning ticket as well. You'll be set for life.

The entire classroom started to murmur excitedly. After all, this is something they have never experienced before. I'll give them a couple of days before the novelty wears off and the shock kicks in.

"Um, excuse me, Miss Aiko, when will the first clash be?" asked Minori, who was sitting next to me.

She seems eager to tackle the idea of engaging in one already.

"That's an excellent question. The first clash could be announced at any time, but right now they are waiting for the students to settle in first."

Oh, I see. In an attempt to keep us on our toes, they withheld the schedules of the class clashes. That sounds fun and stressful, also something I would do if I ran the school.

"One more thing about the clashes you all should know. Classes can wager points, and if they so desire, they can wager on anything else the school approves. Let's say something like an asset. Stealing a classmate from your rivals and adding them to your class would be advantageous. Especially if that classmate is someone who has strong intellectual capabilities. That method is called "raising the stakes," and this is the criteria in order for a wager to be placed. The two wagers must be of equal value, so say twenty-five points for a chance at snagging another classroom's student. It is possible if the values match up. "

Raising the stakes, you say? That has piqued my interest a bit. Hearing that nearly jolted my inner high roller.

Miss Aiko then asked, "Anymore questions?"

No one raised their hands or spoke up. I guess that explanation was good enough for them.

"Good. The school's guidelines have been emailed to your student accounts. Read it to get a fair idea of the rules of the school and avoid getting kicked out for something stupid. Also, the school expects you to solve your issues with other students on your own without physical violence. Unless it is a very serious matter, in which case you may come to us.

Fair enough. As future adults, we do have to solve issues on our own. Hopefully, I can avoid these mentioned issues.

Miss Aiko continued,

"Now let me give you my personal guidelines to ensure none of you bright-eyed and wet-behind-ear kiddies get into trouble because it may reflect bad on me. The school is your home for the next three years. During the school breaks, you may visit your families, but you need to be back at least two days before the next school term starts."

She then, to make sure everyone was actually paying attention, continued again.

The school has a very large campus, so naturally it was built and then improved upon. They added in a larger food court, a few stores that would sell the things you need at a heavily discounted price (you should thank the companies who fund us for that), and even a more extensive library.

Miss Aiko paused when she heard a few students murmur before resuming her breakdown of some of the rules.

"So leaving campus is prohibited unless you obtain written permission from your teacher."

You could see the look of annoyance on her face as she tried to power through the few students who were still complaining about the no social media rule.

After taking a deep breath, she continued once more.

"If you are caught breaking any rules while on school campus, the entire class will be penalized. Even if the fault is on one student, that will constitute a penalty for the entire class, which could affect your chances at the next clash."

She concluded her breakdown with that being said.

 

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