Ichinose Honami beamed with relief and pride as she nodded to everyone around her. Kanzaki Ryuji's tense shoulders relaxed, too. He pushed up his glasses, his eyes gleaming with reason as he was clearly already calculating how to make the best use of these points.
Toudou Shizuya smiled along with everyone else, understanding that Class B's unity and stability had earned the school's initial approval. Sixty-five thousand points, added to the nearly 300,000 he already had—200,000 in hush money from Chabashira plus his original savings—made for a very comfortable personal fund.
[Class C: Evaluation Grade B]
[Class C: 490 Class Points]
[Base Points: 49,000 points per person]
Discontented jeers and complaints rang out from the Class C area. "Only 49,000?" "Why did we get so much less than Class B?" "Ryuen Boss, what's going on?"
[Class D: Evaluation Grade D]
[Class D: 0 Class Points]
[Base Points: 0 points per person]
"Zero?!"
"You've got to be kidding!"
"Not a single point?!"
The Class D area erupted! Incredulous cries, angry roars, and despairing wails mingled together like a powder keg going off. The enormous gap doused the Class D students like ice water, leaving them stunned.
Toudou Shizuka's gaze passed through the window and settled on the Class D Classroom opposite. He could imagine the chaos unfolding there.
Horikita Suzune pressed her lips together, her face livid, humiliation and fury burning in her eyes;
Hirata Yousuke was doing his best to calm his agitated classmates;
Karuizawa Kei looked utterly bewildered and frightened;
Ken Sudō pounded his desk in anger;
And Ayanokouji Kiyotaka... Toudou Shizuka searched with his eyes, finally spotting him in a corner. He still showed little emotion, merely gazing calmly at the "0" on his Personal Device as if it were an insignificant number. But the instincts he'd gained from his S-Rank Fighting Style detected something beneath that placid surface: a trace of coldness, so subtle it was like the chill of an abyssal pool.
Just then, the door to the Class D Classroom was yanked open. Chabashira Sae stepped out, her face expressionless. The click of her high heels against the floor rang especially harshly in the silent corridor.
She seemed to be holding something. When she reached the classroom door, countless furious, despairing, pleading gazes fixed on her. She suddenly flung her arm upward!
Whoosh!
A large handful of pristine, blank sheets of scratch paper—each representing "0 points"—flew like icy snowflakes as she hurled them onto the floor outside the Class D Classroom with a mercilessly indifferent air! The cards scattered everywhere, silently mocking Class D's failure.
[Target Scan: Chabashira Sae (Status Refreshed)]
Aura Intimidation (Teaching Profession): A-Rank (Active, Peak)
Rule Enforcement (Ruthless): A-Rank (Active)
Emotional State: Cold Fury / Applying Pressure (Hidden)
[Affection: -15 (High Alert) → -10 (Wary, but acknowledges the "efficiency" of her pressure tactics)]—Toudou Shizuka understood why she had thrown down the cards: to provoke Class D and use extreme humiliation to awaken their will to survive.
(The original was much the same. They'd given up before, and she hadn't really tried to manage them.)
The entire Teaching Building seemed frozen by that silent act of flinging the cards. The other classes' discussion abruptly stopped, leaving only the heavy breathing and stifled sobs from the Class D Classroom.
Teacher Hoshinomiya's sweet voice broke the silence, carrying just the right touch of "sympathy" and an unmistakable reminder of the rules. "Oh, what a shame for the Class D students.
"But remember, everyone, this is what the survival-of-the-fittest system looks like!
"A low starting point isn't something to fear. Giving up on trying is!
"As long as you prove yourselves in future Special Exams and through your daily conduct, your class rank and points can improve!
"On the other hand..." Her smile remained, but the chill in her words made everyone tense. "If your performance continues to be poor, then next month, the other classes could also face a reduction in points—or even have them wiped out!
"So please, cherish the points you have, mind your conduct, and work hard to bring honor to your class!"
"Mind your conduct" and "bring honor to your class"—those words were invisible shackles that immediately weighed on every student's heart.
The students in Classes A and B, whose points were especially high, looked at the numbers ticking upward on their devices and felt, for the first time, just how fragile those seemingly generous points were—and how much they depended on the whole ship of their class staying afloat.
The atmosphere in the Class B Classroom grew solemn, too. The earlier excitement gave way to an overwhelming sense of crisis and responsibility.
"Sixty-five thousand points are a guarantee, but they're also a spur!" Ichinose Honami was the first to stand. Her voice rang clear and strong, her A-Rank leadership charm on full display. "Everyone saw what happened to Class D. They're a warning to us!
"If we let our guard down, if cracks form within our class, if we can't prove Class B's worth in the next Special Exam, then next month, we could be the ones standing by the door, suffering the humiliation of a 'zero'!
"These 65,000 Private Points aren't for us to squander! They're a symbol of our unity as Class B, and the capital we'll need for future battles!
"I propose we form a point-management committee, led by Kanzaki, to develop a sensible plan for spending and saving, making sure every point is put to good use as we prepare for the challenges ahead! Does everyone agree?"
"Agreed!"
"We support our class leader!"
"We support Kanzaki!"
Without a moment's hesitation, the whole class approved the proposal. The crisis prompted by the enormous gap in points had brought Class B's cohesion to an unprecedented high.
Kanzaki Ryuji immediately stood up and pushed up his glasses. His voice was calm and firm. "Thank you for trusting me.
"I'll work with Shiranami as soon as possible to review the prices of In-School Resources and estimate what we might need to spend in the future, such as Special Exam Supplies, Learning Resources, and necessary club expenses. We'll draft a detailed budget and submit it to the class for discussion.
"Also, I propose we establish a 'Class Reserve Fund' and set aside a fixed portion of our points each month to prepare for emergencies and major opportunities."
His proposal was well organized and far-sighted, earning a wave of approval. Shiranami Chihiro was already taking notes at speed.
Toudou Shizuya sat quietly, his expression as solemn and approving as everyone else's. He glanced at the System Interface:
[Ichinose Honami Affection +2 (Highly recognizes her Leadership Role in a moment of crisis and her Class Cohesion). Current: 38 (Friendly) → Target: 50 (Close).]
[Kanzaki Ryuji Affection +3 (Highly recognizes his Rational Planning Ability and sense of responsibility). Current: 43 (Neutral) → Target: 45 (Acknowledged).]
[Shiranami Chihiro Affection +2 (Participating in core planning work has increased her sense of value). Current: 37 (Neutral) → Target: 40 (Close).]
[Simulation Points +15 (Successfully guided the class through its first point crisis, establishing Crisis Awareness and a planning mechanism). Current: 40 points.]
Before you continue