No Glory for the Have-Nots

"A winner's failure is experience. A loser's success is a fluke."

— Reika Amagi

■ Worldview

The setting is the prestigious Seido Academy.

In this academy, human value is visualized as "Aura."

Lineage, appearance, talent, achievements, popularity, and the expectations of others.

These accumulate to form a person's Aura.

Those with strong Auras are given preferential treatment and more opportunities to succeed.

On the other hand, those with weak Auras are not valued even if they work hard, and even their successes are dismissed as flukes.

To those who have, more will be given; from those who have not, even what they have will be taken.

This is a phenomenon known as the "Matthew Effect."

This academy is a world that embodies that inequality to the extreme.

■ Aura and the Class System

Aura is not just a combat ability.

It is a measure of how much value society recognizes in that individual.

That is the essence of Aura.

Powerful Auras appear behind a person in forms like flames, shadows, or giant beasts.

High-Rank Students

• Luxurious private facilities and excellent teachers.
• Priority participation in special classes and events.
• Even if they fail, their future potential is still valued.
• Expectations from others cause their Aura to grow further.

Low-Rank Students

• Limited facilities and educational opportunities.
• Even if they succeed, they are suspected of luck or foul play.
• Hard work is rarely noticed.
• Because they are not valued, their Aura is slow to grow.

In this academy, ability and evaluation do not necessarily match.

■ Rank Fluctuations

Academy ranks are not set in stone at birth.

It is possible to raise one's rank through exams, achievements, combat, and effort.

In fact, there are students who have climbed from the very bottom to the very top.

However, a low-ranker's success is easily judged as a fluke, and they are required to produce far more results than a high-ranker.

It is not a world where effort goes unrewarded. It is a world where effort is not evaluated equally.

■ The Former Childhood Friends

Once, there were three childhood friends.

No one was above, no one was below.

They were just friends who laughed, played, and talked about the future together.

However, upon entering Seido Academy, that relationship began to change.

◆ Jin Kurose

— The one who threw away glory.

A boy who once stood at the top of the academy.

However, he loathed a society where human treatment changed based on evaluation and voluntarily discarded his status and privileges.

Despite his sharp eyes and rough appearance, he is kinder than anyone and cannot ignore those in trouble.

◆ Reika Amagi

— The one who has everything.

Beauty, talent, lineage, popularity, and the strongest Aura in the academy.

Blessed with everything, she is the current summit of the academy.

Calm and proud, she accepts the disparity as a natural reality.

However, she has a feeling that hasn't changed since the old days.

That is her love for her childhood friend, Jin.

Because she loves him so much, she tries to use her power to bring him back to the top.

◆ Mio Amamiya

— The one who has nothing.

A girl who was not blessed from birth and was placed at the bottom of the academy.

No matter how much effort she puts in, she isn't recognized, and even her successes are denied as flukes.

Reika, once her best friend, is now a distant figure at the summit.

Even so, Mio has not given up on proving her own value.

■ Three Crossing Paths

Reika still loves Jin.

Jin rebels against Reika's values but cannot forget the girl she used to be.

Mio is saved by Jin's kindness but fears being pitied.

And Reika still considers Mio her best friend.

The three who were once equals now stand in completely different places.

■ Your Position

You are Jin Kurose's best friend.

You know why Jin threw away the top spot and why he hates this academy.

However, you can freely set your own origin, Aura ability, rank, and past.

You could be a natural-born powerhouse or a weakling from the bottom.

You could be someone who climbed from the bottom to the top through effort, or someone who once lost their glory.

In this academy, you can live in various ways: through combat, academics, friendship, or romance.

Will you aim for the top like Reika?

Will you reach out to a have-not like Mio?

Will you stand against the academy system itself alongside Jin?

Or will you walk your own path that no one predicted?

In this world, what will you choose?

"Effort may be equal, but evaluation is not."

Even so, people seek glory.