The rubble removal work still showed no signs of ending, so the academy declared a temporary school closure.
However, morning assemblies would still be held every morning in the schoolyard to relay important announcements.
On the first day of these assemblies, the vice-principal standing on the stage made an announcement right away.
"Yes! We will now distribute special tickets to everyone!
Please receive the ticket booklet with your own name written on the cover!"
With those words, something began to be handed out starting from the front of the students' lines.
However, the distribution did not reach me, standing at the very back of the line and separated from the group.
The vice-principal continued while holding up a sample ticket.
It was a booklet containing bundles of paper that looked like banknotes with perforated tear lines.
"These are called 'Slave Tickets,' and they are used in pioneer academies!"
Slave Tickets… I had heard of them.
In pioneer academies, once development progressed, currency began to be exchanged, and these seemed to be a type of that currency.
They had a face value like normal currency, but that was only a rough indication of their worth.
The way they were used was "one ticket equals one request."
What kind of request?
"To put it simply, these tickets are 'coupons that let you make someone do whatever you want'!
For example, if you want something, you can give this ticket to the other person instead of bartering!
And if someone asks you for something using this ticket, you have to obey!"
In other words, the moment you handed over a ticket with your portrait on it, you were giving the other person the right to command you once.
However, these tickets had no enforcement power, so it was fine to refuse the command.
If you refused, the ticket's value would drop as a penalty, and its face value would decrease.
If you kept refusing, the ticket would eventually become no better than scrap paper.
If you properly carried out the commanded task, the ticket's value would be maintained.
It could continue to be used as a form of currency.
"Of course, commands that violate the law or school rules are not allowed!
The moment such a command is made, the ticket becomes invalid!"
Depending on how they were used, they might be convenient, but actually using them would probably cause considerable psychological resistance.
After all, even if it was only once, you had to do whatever the other person asked.
In fact, at other pioneer academies, these tickets were apparently rarely exchanged except in special cases.
After finishing the explanation, the vice-principal looked at the ticket booklet in his hand and pretended to be surprised.
"No! The ticket I was using for the explanation belonged to a student from the Special Training Class!
It was practically garbage, so I borrowed it for a moment to use as an example!"
The vice-principal tossed the booklet toward me with a casual throw.
My ticket flew over the heads of the students, and laughter erupted from those who had been looking up.
"Look! That ticket!"
"Wow, the face value is 0! It's already scrap paper!"
"Of course it is! Nobody wants the ticket of a trash guy from the Special Training Class!"
"That thing wouldn't even be good for wiping your butt! Gyahahahaha!"
I picked up the booklet that had fallen at my feet with a rustle.
The ticket, covered in dust, had a single "0" and a portrait of me filled with malice.
"Yes! Starting today, everyone should use these tickets to trade with each other!
Of course, they can also be used to express everyday gratitude, not just for trading!"
The vice-principal suddenly seemed to remember something, said "Ah," and snapped his fingers.
"There is one more announcement for everyone!
Along with the release of the tickets, a new evaluation metric will be introduced!"
A board-like object covered with purple cloth was carried onto the stage behind him.
When the cloth was removed, it was a ranking board titled "Asset Ranking."
However, only the title was there. The spots for first, second, and third place were all blank.
It meant that no classes had ranked yet.
"This 'Asset Ranking' ranks each class by their total assets!
The tickets we just distributed also count as assets, but tickets belonging to oneself or one's own classmates are not counted!"
In other words, only tickets received from people in other classes would count as assets.
"Otherwise, Class 1-11, which currently has the highest valuation, would remain in the undisputed top spot!
Only circulated tickets count as assets!
Go ahead and make various trades to aggressively obtain tickets!"
The vice-principal happily pulled out a catalog from his pocket.
"As promotion, the first class to obtain assets and enter the ranking will receive the 'First Ticket Award'!
This gives you a chance to increase your assets by another ten million Ender!"
"Ooooh!" Cheers rose from the students.
"Furthermore, Monaka-san and Kotone-san, who played a major role in the previous disaster, have been specially given gold-foil stamped tickets!
The student who obtains one of these Gold Tickets first will receive the 'First Gold Ticket Award'!"
The students buzzed at the vice-principal's words.
"Wow, Gold Tickets!"
"That makes sense for those two!"
"The face value must be huge!"
"Of course! If you can command those two, plenty of people would pay any amount!"
"But those two can probably grant any wish even without tickets, right?"
"Yeah, if they use tickets at all, it would probably be as a token of gratitude!"
"Wow, I wonder what kind of person will get a ticket from those two!?"
"Before it would have been Weiss-sama, but he's out now, so it has to be the Hero-sama, right?"
"All right, that's enough chatting!
Morning assembly is now over. Dismissed! Everyone, continue with the restoration work!"
When the vice-principal clapped his hands, two figures burst out from the students' lines as if that were the starting signal.
The two figures ran toward me with such force that their long hair billowed in the wind.
Before I could even ask what was going on, the two girls thrust their entire ticket booklets toward me.
"Please, Le-kun! Take all of my tickets!"
"Please, Master! I want you to make full use of everything I have!"
Both girls had flushed faces and spoke in a rush.
Then, while still holding out the tickets, they quickly lowered their faces at the same time.
It was like a simultaneous confession.
It was like an ultimate choice.
The students, who had been scattering, suddenly unified their voices again.
"Eh… eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!?!?"