May 1st

"Do you need an answer?"

"Eh? An answer, you mean?"

"Usually, when someone confesses, they hope to hear a response from the other person, right? Whether it's acceptance or rejection."

"Then... then I don't want to hear Yuto's answer."

"Why?"

"I just feel like if Yuto says something like that, it's already a precursor to a rejection. I don't want to hear something that heartbreaking."

Amasawa Yuto remained silent.

"If the ending of a story is happy, do you think the process in between is important, Yuto?" Yuki suddenly asked.

"If one could be certain from the start that the destination is happiness, I think the process in between would be bearable. But the vast majority of people either give up early because they can't confirm the future, or they lose to their own sloth during the long journey."

"Is that so?" Yuki held her spoon, lost in thought. "Then tell me, do you think there are people who would still move forward without hesitation, even knowing the ending is destined to be tragic?"

"Then they must have some kind of firm conviction, much like the countless failed insurgent armies in history—leaving the sacrifice to themselves to pave the way for eternal peace. Or perhaps they simply enjoy the process, like the audience who watches Titanic knowing full well it's a tragedy."

"I see." Yuki nodded thoughtfully, returning to her usual smile as if the heavy atmosphere from a moment ago had never existed. "Regarding the answer from just now, could you keep it on hold for a while, Yuto?"

"What do you mean by 'on hold'?"

"It means I hope you can give me some time to process things, and I also hope you can think it over before giving me your answer. If you feel you've made up your mind, you can tell me anytime."

"I agree."

"Thank you, Yuto."

On May 1st, during class, Mashima Tomoya, the homeroom teacher for Class A, walked up to the podium.

Everyone in Class A had only received 94,000 points today, and they were all waiting for the teacher to explain.

"I believe you have all noticed that the points you received are lower than last month. This is the meaning of the 'evaluation drop' that Katsuragi mentioned previously. Next, I will explain the true rules of this school to you."

He projected a sheet of paper onto the screen, which displayed the remaining points for each class after one month.

Class A: 940 points

Class B: 920 points

Class C: 460 points

Class D: 0 points

"We're only 20 points away from Class A!"

The students of Class B were in high spirits, and Hoshinomiya watched them with a smile on her face.

For Hoshinomiya, this was a double celebration. She was even happier about Class D, led by Chabashira Sae, scoring a big fat zero than she was about her own Class B achieving their best results in history.

She was definitely going to hit the bar for a drink after work tonight!

Ichinose looked at the mere 20-point gap between her Class B and Class A, the corners of her mouth curling up involuntarily. It was everyone's hard work that had allowed Class B to maintain such a strong performance in only their second month.

Now that Class B was only 20 points behind Class A, it was by no means an insurmountable chasm.

She also had Amasawa to thank. Regardless of what his initial motives were, Class B had ultimately received tangible benefits.

Should she send him a message to thank him?

Ichinose hesitated. With the gap between Class B and Class A so small now, would it be misinterpreted as Class B trying to provoke them?

No, Amasawa wouldn't think that way, surely.

Actually, from Ichinose's perspective, she hoped to give Amasawa some substantial compensation, such as the 500,000 points he had helped Class B save.

However, her classmates might not agree. After all, everyone should be high-spirited and eager to seize the throne of Class A right now.

"For a first month, you've done quite well as Class C, better than in previous years."

Class C's homeroom teacher, Sakagami Kazuma, wore a smile. He was thin with gloomy features, so his smile always carried a sinister air, though what he expressed at this moment was undoubtedly satisfaction.

"What the hell is up with Class D? How could they burn through all 1,000 points in the first month? How pathetic!" A few of the delinquent girls in the class burst into ruthless laughter at Class D's results.

Leading them were Manabe Shiho and Yabu Nanami. Since Shiina Hiyori, the girl with the highest academic ability in the class, remained indifferent to worldly affairs, Manabe Shiho was currently the leader among the girls in Class C.

It certainly lived up to her imposing name, "National Treasure."

"Stop laughing, Manabe. If I hadn't kept you lot in check, would you have fewer absences than that trash in Class D?"

Ryuen suddenly stood up from his seat. The noise in the classroom came to an abrupt halt. Even Manabe Shiho, who had been laughing loudly just a moment ago, fell deathly silent after being called out by Ryuen.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the tyrant.

Ryuen walked slowly to the podium with his hands in his pockets. Without the slightest regard for the fact that their homeroom teacher, Sakagami Kazuma, was still present, he sat down right on top of the teacher's desk.

He slowly scanned the students of Class C, like a king looking down upon his subjects.

Strangely, despite such a disrespectful act, Sakagami Kazuma didn't say a word, and there was even a hint of approval in his eyes.

As long as he could lead the class effectively, Sakagami Kazuma did not care about the methods used. Previously, he had turned a blind eye to Ryuen's violent behavior within the class.

He knew full well that for a class full of underachievers to compete with Class A and Class B, they could only rely on a ruthless tyrant like Ryuen.

"Sakagami, aren't you going to explain the details of the point deductions?" Ryuen addressed his homeroom teacher by his full name without a hint of hesitation.

"According to school regulations, that information is confidential, Ryuen."

"Hmph, so we're supposed to guess? I was wondering why there hadn't been any punishments despite all the violence and property damage lately. Turns out it was all being deducted from our class points. How interesting. Does that mean as long as we pay with class points, we can get away with skirting the rules?"

Ryuen muttered to himself while leaning on the teacher's podium; naturally, no one below dared to make a sound.

He was deep in thought.

It seems that forcing these underachievers in Class C to restrain themselves after observing the suspiciously high behavioral similarity between Class A and Class B was the right choice.

Two weeks after the start of the school year, having noticed that the students in Class A and Class B were unusually well-behaved, Ryuen finally realized the meaning behind the statement that points represent evaluation. He had forcibly issued orders to his classmates in Class C to keep everyone in check.

Otherwise, their current point total would likely look even worse.

However, now that he knew there was a gap between the classes, why were Class A and Class B so close in points? Didn't that mean there was a problem with how the school sorted the classes?

No, it wasn't that A and B were close; it was that Class B was suspiciously high.

It seemed that this year, there might be someone interesting in Class B.

Ryuen flashed a sinister smile. "You all know the goal: Class A. Only by graduating from Class A can you enjoy the privileges of graduation. If you don't want to waste your time, then climb up step by step, you ants."