Change

Meanwhile...

The atmosphere in Class A (formerly Class B) was like a stream thawing in early spring, more vibrant than usual.

Although Class B was always known for its cohesiveness, Class A now exuded a new kind of vitality.

"In the end... it's all thanks to Ichinose-san."

Soft murmurs of appreciation echoed from a corner of the classroom, and several students looked towards the girl by the window.

One even unconsciously leaned forward, his fingertips brushing the back of his chair before quickly retracting—like a restrained gesture of embrace.

Morning light streamed through the classroom windows, dancing on the tips of Hoshinomiya Chie's hair.

She lightly clasped the edge of her textbook, her voice clear as a spring stream, "This promotion to Class A is thanks to everyone's joint efforts!"

A familiar smile bloomed on her face—a smile free of any gloom, like the morning sun breaking through the clouds.

Class A's promotion came so easily that it made most students feel a sense of unreality.

There were no life-or-death special exams, nor any undercurrents of inter-class competition.

The Class A badge at this moment was merely an illusory glory before the storm arrived.

The classroom was filled with cheerful clamor, everyone reveling in the joy of their class advancement—

Only Kanzaki Ryuji leaned against the windowsill, his knuckles unconsciously tapping on the desk.

He knew better than anyone: what was more difficult than reaching Class A was forging armor before the storm hit.

Hoshinomiya Chie tapped her fingertips on the lectern, a smile spreading from the corners of her eyes, "Although we were promoted to Class A through the aptitude assessment..."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the students' jubilant faces, "But it's still class time now—don't get too carried away."

In the slightly rising cadence of her admonishment, there was a hint of joy she herself hadn't anticipated.

—Her first class since becoming a teacher, and it had touched the door of Class A in just one month.

A rare hint of lightness floated in the air of Class C—though their daily lives were still suppressed by Ryuen Sho's iron-fisted rule, the eyes of these teenagers couldn't hide their relief at surviving.

The 750 class points from the first month's settlement, while far from the glory of Class B, had already left the completely collapsed Class D behind.

Ryuen watched the whispering students with cold eyes, a sharp curve pulling at the corner of his mouth.

If not for his thunderous methods, their current class points... would likely be only two-thirds of what they were.

A subtle realization permeated the Class C classroom; some students who had previously scoffed at Ryuen Sho's strictness were now slowly digesting the deeper meaning behind his iron-fisted approach to classroom discipline.

Ryuen leaned by the window, his fingertips idly tapping on the window frame.

He scanned the increasingly convinced gazes in the classroom, letting out an almost inaudible snort from his nose.

"Hey, Ishizaki," he suddenly said, his voice like a dull knife scraping sandpaper, "You need to go to the restroom."

"Understood."

After Chabashira Sae left, discussions erupted in the Class D classroom.

A minority of students stared at their empty account interfaces, worrying about how to cope with zero income this month;

But what caused more anxiety for the majority was the school's cruel rules themselves—"Only Class A gets guaranteed progression and employment, so what's the point of us enrolling?"

"Are you kidding me? Why... was I assigned to Class D?"

Yukimura yanked off his glasses, his knuckles turning white.

"I understand everyone's confusion, but please calm down first."

Hirata Yosuke stood up to mediate, his concern for the class, almost an obsession, would eventually become his fatal weakness.

"Reason? What reason do you expect me to have!"

Yukimura took a sudden step forward, his uniform collar almost brushing Hirata's chest.

Hirata Yosuke didn't retreat but advanced, his voice as calm as a frozen lake, "I understand your anger, but venting your emotions here will only make things worse."

"What are you—!"

Yukimura's hand suddenly reached for Hirata's collar, his fingertips mere millimeters from the fabric—Kushida Kikyo inserted herself between them like a wedge.

She gently placed her hand on Yukimura's clenched fist. Yukimura, not wanting to harm Kushida, involuntarily took half a step back.

Kushida's persuasion calmed Yukimura down, and he later apologized to Hirata.

Unreasonable, prone to misplaced anger, and with almost no athletic ability, it seemed being assigned to Class D wasn't unfair.

Hirata stood on the podium and delivered a speech about "working together," urging classmates to supervise each other during class.

Although he received support from the girls, he hit a snag with Sudo. Faced with Kushida reasoning with him, he chose to kick over a chair and storm out the back door, leaving behind a swinging door and a room of stunned silence. No one knew if he would ever return to this class.

"Sudo-kun really doesn't understand the situation, does he? He's the one who's been late the most. If it weren't for Sudo-kun, we would have had some points left, right?"

The answer was no—even without Sudo, Class D would have squandered all their points in the end.

"Yeah... it's just terrible. Why am I in the same class as someone like that..."

The classmates' dissatisfaction was accumulating. Even if Sudo were to be expelled later, it was likely only Hirata who would truly care.

After school in the afternoon, Hirata stood on the podium, preparing for a strategy meeting.

As soon as the after-school bell rang, Hirata Yosuke walked onto the podium, ready to convene a class meeting.

Almost all the classmates remained in the classroom. Seeing the large number of participants, those students who had run out of points seized the opportunity to take action.

Having run out of points, Yamauchi Haruki began selling his used game console.

Even more outrageous – he listed the device, which he had originally purchased for 20,000 points, for 22,000 points, attempting to force it upon his classmate Hakase. He wasn't acting very human.

Karuizawa Kei went around borrowing points from friends, always with a relaxed smile on her face.

Although she only borrowed two thousand from each person, everyone knew deep down that this money was unlikely to be returned.

As a central figure in the girls' circle, her actions were subtly pressuring others.

Looking around, it was clear that everyone assigned to Class D truly had their own peculiar issues.

The first month's performance assessment was settled, and the points for each class fluctuated wildly like water levels after a storm.

The reshuffling of class rankings was quietly altering the trajectory of all the pieces on the board—

Class D's zero points at the bottom, Class A's reversal in ranking, the minuscule gap between Class A and Class B...

The cracks in each number were tearing apart the predetermined track of the original story.

Hoshino Kanade leaned against the window, his slightly furrowed brow reflected in the glass.

At this moment, he understood better than anyone: in this torrent of drastic change, the waves he had foreseen had receded to shallow waters.

The only remaining advantages were the memories of the exam questions—

And the internal struggles of each character: Horikita Suzune's wounded pride from being labeled a "flawed product"; Sudo Ken's explosive temper stemming from his inferiority complex; and Hirata Yosuke's fragility beneath his perfect facade...

Hoshino Kanade had never intended to guide Class D—the exploration of the true nature of these "flawed products" had long lost its meaning.

Even if Sudo were expelled in the next exam, it would merely be his own choice, what did it have to do with him?

Rather, the deeper Class D fell, the less likely his eyes, hidden in the shadows, would be noticed by anyone.

After the gentle introductory sound effect finished, an emotionless broadcast announcement spread throughout the classroom:

"Class D first-year student Hoshino, and student Ayanokoji, your homeroom teacher Chabashira has something to discuss with you. Please come to the teacher's office."

The broadcast voice interrupted Hoshino Kanade's thoughts.