Volume 1 - Chapter 1: Admission to Kurohana Academy

Professor Emiko Tanaka announced it was time to head to the welcoming ceremony, and the first-year students began filing in. There were one hundred and forty of them: the one hundred and twenty new students plus the twenty who had repeated.

The stage was carefully set up, with a cold elegance that reflected the meticulousness of Kurohana Academy.

Sayuri Akurisawa watched calmly, not enjoying the event; she found the mere act of waiting tedious. As the principal gave his speech, his words echoed in the hall:

"Hello everyone, I am the principal of this school. I hope you are excited, as you could be the future pillars of the world..."

Sayuri looked to her side. There stood Kaori Hasegawa, listening intently, focused, as if she wanted to absorb every word and become a role model.

Farther behind, Kaito Yamamoto was distracted, completely ignoring the speech, and Sayuri sighed, not understanding how someone like that had gotten into the academy.

When the ceremony was over, Sayuri returned to her room: 401. She would have preferred a lower floor. The room was almost clinical: a bed, a small kitchenette, and a window overlooking a park, all functional and with no room for chaos. She sank down onto the bed, thinking that barely half a day had passed, but it felt like she'd lived a whole month.

Three hours later, a knock on the door woke her. It was Kaori, with her usual serenity, inviting her in for tea. Sayuri accepted, and together they set off for Kurohana Inner City, a complex simulating a small city with shops, cafes, and a movie theater, but without real money: just Kurei.

As they walked, Kaori looked at the display cases.

"I guess they want us to learn how to behave like adults," she commented.

"It's not an educational exercise," Sayuri replied, without taking her eyes off the digital menu. "It's an experiment."

Kaori didn't insist; she knew when to stop.

Inside the cafe, students were spending recklessly. Haruto Fujimoto was surrounded by admirers, casually maneuvering conversations, while Akari Fujita organized a group, proposing to create a cooperation network.

Kaori ordered two coffees, and Sayuri nodded, accepting more out of harmony than necessity.

An argument caught Sayuri's attention: Daichi Okabe was arguing with the cashier, having spent almost his entire balance.

"This is absurd! They gave me 100,000 today! How did it go so quickly?" The employee replied calmly:

"Your transactions are recorded, Mr. Daichi. The system is automatic."

Kaori frowned.

"It hasn't even been half a day since they gave it to us..."

"Exactly," Sayuri whispered. "And already someone owes us."

She took a sip of coffee. It was too perfect, artificial, like everything at Kurohana. Every smile, every rule, every apparent freedom had a purpose.

Kaori watched her.

"You also knew this would happen, right?"

"No," Sayuri lied. "I just imagined it."

Still, she knew that this system would measure not only economics, but also morale, alliances, and what each student was willing to sacrifice.

As they walked back to the dorm, Sayuri watched her classmates buying unnecessary things: designer clothes, decorations, expensive food. The satisfaction on their faces was evident; the naiveté of the illusion wouldn't last long.

And, deep down, she admitted she wanted to see how quickly it would crumble.

Around eight o'clock at night, Sayuri finally returned to her room. For the first time, the silence wasn't awkward; it was liberating. She had spent years under the watchful eye of teachers, tutors, and observers. Here, she could decide what to do, when, and with whom. An illusion of freedom, but hers.

She turned on her cell phone: the balance showed 100,000 Kurei, shining blue, like a prize. To her, it was just another variable in the system.

"One hundred thousand... a comfortable amount for anyone who doesn't understand how the controls work," she murmured.

The academy manual warned:

"Personal resources are subject to monthly evaluation. The administration is not responsible for losses resulting from misuse."

Everything was clear: they were given conveniences and expected to reveal their weaknesses in return.

Sayuri dropped the manual on the table and lay back on the bed.

The white ceiling was empty, without history, and for the first time in years, she smiled slightly. Not out of happiness, but because she understood the game from the beginning.

Everyone else would think it was paradise; to her, it was a chessboard, and the first move had already begun.

💰 Article 4 — Relationship between Points and Kurohana Credits (Kurei)

Class points determine the monthly budget allocated to students, delivered in Kurohana Credits (Kurei), the official internal currency of the campus.

Class Performance Monthly Bonus Resource Level

10,000 pts Credits +30% High

9,000 pts Base Credits Medium

≤ 8,000 pts Credits −30% Low

Kurei can be used in Kurohana Inner City, which offers:

Private restaurants and shops.

Internal transportation.

Clubs, gyms, and recreational areas.

Housing, medical, and educational services.