Might Makes Right

May finally arrived, and the students sat quietly in the classroom, awaiting Chabashira-sensei's class meeting.

If they could earn 100,000 points today, Hirata's standing in the class would plummet, but that was impossible. The points had already been equally deposited into every Class D student's terminal.

11000.

First, it was confirmed that points were indeed distributed on a class-by-class basis. The atmosphere in the classroom grew somber as the points dropped from 100,000 to 10,000.

This number surprised Konoe. He hadn't expected that despite Hirata's persistent persuasion efforts from the very beginning, they still couldn't reach 30,000 points.

Konoe understood that he had been too optimistic before.

Chabashira-sensei walked into the classroom carrying a poster tube, her expression more serious than usual. The students' expressions were much the same.

"We'll begin the class meeting now, but before we start, do any of you have questions? If so, ask quickly." Her tone suggested she was confident someone would.

"Sensei... why did we only receive a little over 10,000 points this month? We can't live like this," Ike asked, standing up.

"Will every month be like this from now on?" a girl with expensive accessories asked.

Most students looked grim, and Hirata seemed particularly dejected.

"What foolish students."

Konoe felt Chabashira-sensei's aura change, shedding her usual indifferent demeanor and exuding a chilling presence.

"Ike, sit down. I won't say it a second time."

Ike immediately complied. He had never heard Chabashira-sensei speak with such a tone. The other students were also taken aback.

"Isn't it obvious enough? This means Class D will only receive 11,000 points this month. I'm astonished that even with someone in the class leaking information beforehand, you still only managed to acquire this many points," Chabashira-sensei said with a cold laugh.

"Sensei, may I ask a question?" Hirata already knew everything, but he still raised his hand to ask, for the sake of the anxious classmates.

"Please tell us the reason why we were only distributed 11,000 points..." Hirata asked, feeling pained in his heart.

"A total of 48 instances of tardiness and absence. Private conversations during class, using mobile phones in class, 151 times. In this school, a class's performance is reflected in its points. Rather, it's quite good that you managed to retain 11,000 points given your abilities. I said this when you enrolled: this school measures students by their abilities. You've simply received an evaluation that corresponds to your capabilities."

Far from his expectations, Konoe felt disheartened. At this moment, he recalled that a month ago, he could have directly purchased the exact information about the assessment.

If he could have presented concrete evidence to the class, even if each person only kept half their points, twenty-five people would have... Not to mention that information with proof could be exchanged for points with other classes.

But when that opportunity arose, he only had 100,000 points, and he didn't want to go through the trouble of finding another 700,000. It was no wonder Ayanokoji thought it was worth buying.

'What must Ayanokoji be thinking right now?' Konoe curiously glanced over.

Horikita's face was contorted with anger at Chabashira-sensei's ruthless evaluation. Ayanokoji, sitting next to her, looked calm. This guy must have a lot of points left.

Hirata followed up with the question he truly cared about: "Please tell us the detailed requirements for point adjustments... as a reference for the future."

"That's impossible. It's the same as a personnel assessment. If you entered society, joined a company corporation, would they tell you every detail of their review content during an interview or internship?" After answering Hirata's question, Chabashira-sensei looked towards Konoe.

'Trying to trick me out of my points again? Things I've already lost have no value in being repurchased.' Konoe averted his gaze.

"I'll tell you one good thing as a special favor." Chabashira-sensei gave a slight smile.

"Even if you improve your discipline starting now, and no one breaks the rules again, your points won't increase. Simply put, next month's deposit will be the same amount, provided no one actually breaks the rules. But think about it from another angle: for a mere 10,000-plus points, you can afford to be late and absent as much as you want if you give up. What do you say?"

Even Hirata's expression darkened at such a statement, as it might cause students who wanted to improve their discipline to give up directly.

Konoe suddenly thought: 'What if I just give up on the points and drag everyone from the other classes down with me?' But he shook his head. The assessment was already over; doing something like that would likely result in immediate expulsion from the school.

Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of the class meeting. However, Chabashira-sensei's real class meeting hadn't even begun.

"It seems we've talked for too long. It's time to get to the main topic."

Chabashira took a thick white sheet of paper from her poster tube, unrolled it, and attached it to the blackboard with magnets.

'Is this the class points table?'

It listed four classes: A, B, C, and D, with numbers next to them. Class D had 110.

Class A: 940.

Class B: 850.

Class C: 590.

The close gap between Class A and Class B was likely the result of Konoe's intelligence. However, the fact that Class B, knowing the information, could act so cohesively surprised Konoe greatly.

After all, they had known the information on the first day, told Hirata on the second, and it was conveyed to everyone in Class D by the morning of the third day, and Class D still only had 110 points.

"The school doesn't object to you living your lives as you please, but in the end, it only reflects back on yourselves. Points are the same. How you use what you possess is the freedom of the owner, and the school won't impose any restrictions."

"But I can't live like this!" Yamauchi and Ike wailed. Someone only had 11,000 points this month...

"Idiots, do you understand why you were chosen for Class D?"

"Weren't we just randomly assigned to Class D?" Hirata only knew there was competition with other classes, but he probably guessed it when he saw the results.

"This school divides students based on their excellence. The most outstanding students are in Class A, and the useless ones are in Class D. This is common in society. Simply put, Class D is a trash can... My apologies. In short, you are all the worst flawed products. The school has confirmed the results, and this outcome is consistent with the fate of flawed products."

Konoe quickly looked at Horikita. As expected, she was stunned, as if struck by a blow.

Horikita had strong pride and excelled in both academics and sports, making her a well-rounded talent. It was inevitable that such a result would shock her.

"Although you are also terrible for getting such a bad result even with advance knowledge of the information, thanks to the intelligence, you at least didn't end up with zero points," Chabashira-sensei said, clapping deliberately, the sound echoing through the classroom.

"So, does this mean we'll be looked down upon by everyone else from now on?" Sudo slammed his fist on the desk, recalling the scene at the convenience store.

"So you care about appearances too? Sudo, then work hard to climb up the ranks."

"Huh?"

"Class points aren't just tied to the monthly distribution; they directly reflect your class ranking. This means if Class D has 600 points, Class D naturally becomes Class C."

Chabashira-sensei then taped a paper to the blackboard, listing all the students' names with numbers next to them.

"These are the results of the last pop quiz. It seems our Class D is truly full of talent. I'm very happy, sensei. Have you never encountered something like a textbook before? If this were a formal test, seven people would be facing expulsion right after school started."

"Ex... expulsion? What's going on?"

"Didn't I tell you? This school's rule is that failing even one subject in the midterms or finals results in expulsion. Based on these scores... all students below thirty-three points are to be expelled. You are truly foolish."

Immediately, the classroom erupted in groans, especially from the Idiot Trio.

"Let me add one more thing. This school is known for its high college admission and employment rates under official management. I'm sure most of you in this class have goals for further education or employment, right?"

"But... you can't expect things to fall into your lap. Society isn't so simple that flawed individuals like you can have smooth sailing."

"Do we need to be promoted to Class C or above to achieve employment and college admission?"

"Hirata, that's also incorrect. If you want this school to fulfill your future wishes, the only way is to be promoted to Class A. This school offers no guarantees to students outside of Class A."

"H-how can this be? I didn't hear about this before enrolling! This makes no sense!" A bespectacled boy stood up to protest. He was Yukimura Teruhiko, who had achieved a good score of 90 in the pop quiz, tying with Kogenji and Horikita for second place.

"How unsightly. A panicked man is the most pathetic sight," Kogenji sighed.

"Kogenji, aren't you upset about being assigned to Class D?"

"Upset? Why should I be upset? In the end, this is just the school's evaluation. It only proves that the school cannot measure my abilities and potential. I recognize, respect, and revere myself more than anyone else, and I consider myself a great person. Even if the school expels me, I wouldn't care, because the school will be begging me afterward, one hundred percent."

Kogenji's arrogant words spread throughout the classroom. While Konoe didn't care about being in Class D either, he certainly didn't possess the same level of confidence or narcissism as Kogenji.

"Besides, I don't need to worry about any employment or college admission issues. I am destined to inherit the Kogenji Zaibatsu. Whether it's Class A or D, it makes no difference."

Possessing what most people desired, the needs of the majority were indeed unsuitable for a man like Kogenji.

Yukimura could only sit down dejectedly, momentarily speechless.

"It seems you've understood your situations. Then, the time wasted on you today might have had some meaning. There are three weeks left until the midterm exams. Think carefully, and then strive to avoid expulsion. If you want to change the school's evaluation, show your true strength and take action to challenge it."

Chabashira-sensei firmly closed the door and left the classroom.

The students who had failed hung their heads in dejection. Even Sudo, who was usually reckless, was subdued.