I took a deep breath, looked out at the expectant faces of thirty students from various grade levels, and decided to speak from the heart rather than try to fabricate some polished presentation.
"How many of you know what rank I am?" I asked, settling into a more conversational tone than I'd initially planned.
Several hands shot up immediately. A high school girl in the third row called out, "S-Rank!" while a younger boy near the front said, "A-Rank!" with equal confidence.
"Those are both good guesses," I said with a slight smile. "But here's something that might surprise you. When I first got my job via the System, I was an Useless Laborer (F-Rank)."
The classroom went completely quiet. I could see skepticism on several faces, particularly among the older students who'd probably heard plenty of adults claim humble beginnings they'd never actually experienced.
