Scapegoat Tactic

Kamio Tatsuya couldn't help laughing.

"You might as well tell the whole class to hand in blank papers. Then everyone gets zero, the average is zero, and no one fails."

The moment Kamio Tatsuya said it, Yamauchi and the other two looked as if they'd just been enlightened.

"R-right..."

"Yeah, right." What the hell was that supposed to mean?

How could they say something like that with a straight face?

Kamio Tatsuya found the three of them amusing.

"That's enough. Do you think I'm not even here?" Chabashira Sae stopped them, then turned to Kamio Tatsuya. "Kamio, is that all you have to say?"

"Yeah. What else would I say?"

"You don't care if these three are expelled?" Chabashira Sae asked, her voice low.

"Chabashira-sensei, I've already told you I'm not interested in moving up a class. So does it make any difference to me whether I abandon these three?"

Kamio Tatsuya understood exactly what Chabashira Sae was getting at.

She was basically saying how foolish it was to abandon his classmates.

It was true that Sudo was athletic. If the next Special Exam involved sports, he might really get a chance to shine.

But so what? Kamio Tatsuya had no desire to move up a class.

I don't want to move up, and saving them won't bring me any tangible benefit. So why should I save them?

And why are you asking me? Ask Koenji!

Do I look like an easy target to you!?

Chapter 63: Scapegoat Tactic

Looking at Kamio Tatsuya's mocking smile, Chabashira Sae felt a headache coming on. Class D could lose students, but if all three were expelled now, the class would have no chance of moving up.

"Um, Kamio, what did you mean by that?"

At that moment, Hirata stood up and asked.

Kamio Tatsuya had a fairly good impression of Hirata, so he didn't mind explaining.

"By now, you should understand that this school doesn't admit students based on academic performance alone, right?"

Hirata nodded.

If admission were based only on grades, Sudo and the others would never have made it in.

"Since it isn't based on grades, there must be other criteria." Kamio Tatsuya glanced at Sudo and the others, who were sitting together. "You might not see any particular qualities in Ike or Yamauchi, but Sudo's are obvious. He was admitted because of his athletic ability."

His words immediately drew angry glares from Yamauchi and Ike, but no one was paying attention to those two idiots.

"If the school admitted Sudo because of his athletic ability, then sports must be one of the things it evaluates.

"This time, we're being tested on written exams. Next time, it might be athletic ability. That could be Sudo's chance to shine, which is why he matters to the class's chances of moving up."

By the time Kamio Tatsuya finished, some of the students seemed to understand how important Sudo could be to the class's chances.

The class fell silent for a moment. Then Hirata asked bitterly, "Even so, is there no way to prevent the three of them from being expelled?"

"Of course there is."

"Then please—"

"But why should I save them? You know why Yamauchi and Ike were suspended, don't you?" Kamio Tatsuya's question left Hirata silent.

"If it were only Sudo, I wouldn't mind offering a suggestion. But unfortunately..."

Kamio Tatsuya glanced at Yamauchi and Ike, and started thinking.

He wondered whether he should save them, and what he would gain from doing so.

Then he thought of something.

Something he'd been overlooking all along.

The fact that students in the upper classes in the years above them—including the Third-Year Class—had been expelled too.

The students in those classes had been judged by the school to be good enough when they enrolled. That was why they'd been placed in those classes.

If students there could still be expelled, then expulsion must be unpredictable.

If that unpredictability ever came for him...

Kamio Tatsuya suddenly felt uneasy. He really didn't want to be expelled.

In that case...

He'd better plan ahead.

Kamio Tatsuya looked at Ike and Yamauchi, then smiled.

"If they're willing to agree to one condition, I might be able to save them."

The moment Kamio Tatsuya said that, the three who had nearly given up perked up and looked at him hopefully.

"W-what condition?"

At Yamauchi's question, Kamio Tatsuya gave him a kindly smile.

"It's simple. If I ever face the threat of expulsion, you agree to take my place and accept the expulsion in my stead. If you agree, I'll save you."

Class D erupted into an uproar.

"W-would the school's rules even allow that?"

Hirata looked at Chabashira Sae, clearly taken aback.

Chabashira Sae furrowed her brow too. She didn't know if it would work either. No one had ever tried anything like this before.

"I don't know."

"You... don't know?"

"This school has thousands of rules. Even the teachers don't necessarily know them all. That's not unusual."

Chabashira Sae said it calmly.

"But I don't think it's necessarily impossible. The outcome of expulsion could also be considered a kind of item. It just isn't a desirable one.

"And if it counts as an item, it can be bought with points."

Kamio Tatsuya raised an eyebrow. "So even if they agree to take my place, I'll still have to spend points to transfer the expulsion to them?"

Chabashira Sae shook her head again. "I don't know. Nothing like this has ever happened, so I'll have to check with the school."

Class D fell silent. The students anxiously waited for Chabashira-sensei's answer.

Whatever the result, Kamio Tatsuya didn't care. If the required points weren't too high, he'd save them.

If the cost was unreasonable, he'd refuse. It was that simple.

The others, especially the Three Fools, felt differently.

Their futures depended on it!

Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long. Chabashira-sensei soon received the school's reply.

"If both parties agree, the outcome of expulsion can be transferred for two million Private Points. But this only applies to expulsions resulting from exams.

"In other words, if you're expelled for breaking school rules, you can't transfer that outcome to someone else."

Two million each didn't seem like much. At least he could afford it right now!

Kamio Tatsuya smiled and looked at the Three Fools.

"I'm fine with that. What about you?"

Just then, Hirata stood up again.

"Sensei, how many points would it take to get the school to withdraw the expulsions of Ike and the others?"

Chabashira Sae smiled.

"Very clever, Hirata. You actually figured out this rule."

The students in the class grew excited at Chabashira-sensei's words, and hope appeared on Ike and the others' faces.

If they could afford the points, they wouldn't have to be at anyone's mercy.

Kamio Tatsuya's expression didn't change. Hirata's idea was sound, but there was no way the whole class could afford that many points.

"Unfortunately, you can't afford it." Chabashira-sensei gave a playful smile, as though she wanted to crush Hirata's hopes. "To cancel one person's expulsion, you need 300 Class Points and 20 million Private Points."

Three hundred Class Points and 20 million Private Points per person meant 900 Class Points and 60 million Private Points for all three. How could they possibly get that many points?

Class D didn't have a single Class Point right now, and 20 million Private Points was an astronomical sum for them.

They couldn't come up with that much even if their lives depended on it. The little hope they'd had quickly vanished.

"Is there really no other way?"

As Hirata spoke, he instinctively looked at Kamio Tatsuya.

Kamio Tatsuya's expression remained unchanged, his smile still in place. "My offer still stands."

"H-how can you do this?"

"That's so unfair!"

"I... I..."

The three stammered, their faces twisted with anger, but Kamio Tatsuya wasn't in a hurry.

"You can either be expelled now or gamble on a slim chance of survival. It's up to you.

"You've seen my grades. They're well above the passing line, so you don't need to worry that I'll be expelled for failing an exam."

Kamio Tatsuya had gone to a lot of trouble to convince the three to sign the contract.

But his words made most of the class dislike him. He was really taking advantage of them when they were down.

Of course, Kamio Tatsuya didn't care what they thought.

Some students were also kicking themselves for not speaking up sooner. If they had, they could have gained an extra life. Maybe they had enough points to buy the three's scores too.

Kamio Tatsuya silently watched the three, waiting for their answer.

He wasn't worried that they'd refuse.

They could be expelled right away, or hold on to a sliver of hope. It was an easy choice.

"I'll do it!"

Sudo Ken was the first to choose. His voice was low, but he agreed.

Good. Just as Kamio Tatsuya had predicted, this guy wouldn't choose to be expelled now—not when he had basketball to think about.

After Sudo Ken agreed, Yamauchi and Ike agreed as well.

Hearing their answers, Kamio Tatsuya smiled. Good, that was three lives secured.

Then Kamio Tatsuya took out a sheet of paper and drew up a temporary contract.

"Chabashira-sensei, could I ask you to witness this?"

Chabashira Sae nodded. She even thought this was for the best. The exams at this school were full of uncertainty, and having Ike and Yamauchi take Kamio Tatsuya's place if he faced expulsion was as good as it got.

"Of course. You can tell us your solution now. I'll bring you a copy of the contract after the first class."

At that, Kamio Tatsuya smiled.

"It's simple, Chabashira-sensei. Please sell me the points they need to avoid failing."

The class fell silent at Kamio Tatsuya's words.

"B-buy their scores?"

"Can you even do that?"

The students all looked expectantly at Chabashira-sensei.

"Haha, that's an interesting idea. I never imagined you'd ask me to sell you their scores. I'd never even thought of that."

Heh. Could you stop pretending already?