"On the midterm exams at the end of May, anyone who fails even one subject will be expelled. Looking at your grades, I can't wait to see how miserable you all look. Of course, there are ways to get through this exam safely without studying hard. Good luck figuring that out yourselves."
With that, Chabashira Sae left the classroom, looking disappointed.
As soon as she stepped outside, Hoshinomiya Chie greeted her with a beaming smile. "Sae, want to grab a drink together tonight?"
"Get lost."
"Aww, Sae's still so merciless. Don't get so worked up over your students—you'll get wrinkles!" Hoshinomiya smiled warmly, then added in a regretful tone:
"Class B's students are great in every way. They just care about me too much, so I never have to worry about them. Sigh~ Being their teacher is pointless—I can't guide them at all~"
"If you came here to pick a fight, congratulations, Chie. I want to punch your lights out right now."
Chabashira Sae brushed past Hoshinomiya Chie without looking back.
Watching Chabashira Sae's lonely retreating figure, Hoshinomiya Chie was practically bursting with joy.
"Oh, right. I still need to transfer the promised points to Amasawa. It pains me to part with them, but I can't believe she really managed to get Class D down to zero points. I wonder how she did it?"
... ... ...
After school, in the Class D classroom.
"Everyone!" Yosuke Hirata stood at the front of the room. "I think you all know how serious our situation is. At the next exam, some of us could be expelled if we don't do well!"
He looked around the classroom. "So I'd like to organize a study group to help everyone. We'll get through this together!"
Everyone rallied around Hirata as if he were a lifeline, especially the students at risk of expulsion.
"Yeah, Hirata!"
"I'll help too. I can teach everyone!" Kushida Kikyo raised her hand eagerly and volunteered to teach. Naturally, she won herself another wave of admiration.
Of course, some students weren't keen on the study group. The Idiot Trio, led by Sudo, simply bailed. Sudo left without a care in the world. "What a load of crap. This study group's keeping me from playing basketball."
"Sudo!" Ike and Yamauchi hesitated between the study group and their friend, but in the end, they chose Sudo.
Koenji and Tsubaki Yuki got up and left as well.
Hirata looked a little dejected. Two students with excellent grades weren't joining the study group, which would put a lot of pressure on those teaching everyone. For now, all he could do was shoulder the burden alongside Kushida.
At that moment, Kei Karuizawa exchanged a look with her lackey, then spoke to her boyfriend. "Hirata, how about I go talk things over with Tsubaki? Maybe I can change her mind."
"Ah, sure." Hirata was feeling a little down, so he answered without thinking.
"It's okay, Hirata. Horikita, the second-best student in the class, is still here, isn't she?" Kushida Kikyo approached Horikita Suzune, who had been staring blankly into space, lost in her own world since earlier.
... ... ...
"Horikita, are you okay?" Kushida Kikyo's voice pulled Horikita Suzune back from an endless abyss.
Ever since Chabashira-sensei had announced that they were this school's defective products, she had refused to believe it. Or rather, she couldn't bring herself to believe it.
Something had to be wrong. She couldn't possibly be defective.
She had come to this school to follow in her brother's footsteps and earn his recognition.
How could she possibly be defective?
She studied sixteen hours a day. How could she be in the same class as those idiots?
It had to be a mistake. Her being in Class D was a mistake in itself. She had to explain the situation to the teacher.
Maybe all of this was a dream. Yes, if it were a dream, everything would make sense—
Only when Kushida Kikyo's voice pulled her back to reality did she realize that school was already over.
"Horikita, we want to start a study group to help everyone. Your grades are excellent. Would you be willing to teach everyone?"
Faced with the hopeful look in Kushida Kikyo's eyes, Horikita Suzune felt sick.
Why should she teach these defective products?
And Kushida Kikyo—her classmate from middle school—had been bothering her since the start of the school year, trying to be friends with her, even though Horikita hadn't known her back in middle school.
"Sorry, but I'll pass." Horikita refused in a slightly hoarse voice, then got up and left the classroom.
"What's her problem...?" one of the students muttered, displeased by Horikita Suzune's attitude.
Yosuke Hirata gave a rueful smile. "It's okay, everyone. Even if it's just Kushida and me, we'll do our best—"
"Um..." A girl with black twin tails suddenly stood up. She was Wang Meiyu, an international student from China. Her grades were very good, but she was a little shy. "I-I'd like to help Hirata too!"
"Thank you so much, Wang! That's a huge help!"
"Hehe... I-it's okay. Hirata asked me, after all..." Wang Meiyu's cheeks turned faintly red.
... ... ...
Tsubaki Yuki walked along at an unhurried pace, with someone following behind her.
Yuto had just messaged her. Something seemed to be going on in Class A today, so school had let out a little later than usual.
Nine people had failed a test that easy. The idiots in Class D had really managed to surprise her.
Still, since the passing mark was half the average score, her own high score had played a part.
After all, she'd scored 98 points, putting her first in the class and second in the whole school.
If she'd only gotten a passing score, she could have lowered the class average by a point.
Then two more people could have passed. But what did that have to do with her?
If you failed, were you going to blame the class's top student for raising the average too much? Wasn't it still your own fault for not studying?
What bothered her more was going a whole month without points. She knew Yuto would lend her some if she asked, but still...
Borrowing money from him right after confessing didn't make her sound like a very good girl, did it? It made her seem like some kind of rental girlfriend.
Fortunately, she still had about sixty thousand points left from last month. That should be enough to last until next month.
As she thought this, she unknowingly wandered into a secluded corner behind the school building.
The footsteps behind her quickened, as if they'd been waiting for just this moment. A slender hand shoved her against the wall with a sharp slap.
Tsubaki Yuki looked up. A girl with a high yellow ponytail was smiling at her warmly.
"Tsubaki, I'd like to borrow a few points from you. We're classmates, so you wouldn't refuse to help me out, right?" Kei Karuizawa looked down at her. Their position was rather intimate, almost like Kei had pinned her against the wall in a kabedon.
Shinohara Satsuki and Sato Maya stepped up behind Kei Karuizawa. Shinohara Satsuki, in particular, eyed Tsubaki Yuki with open hostility.
"Kei, are you sure this is okay? What if someone sees..." Sato Maya reminded her in a quiet voice.
"It's fine. She's the one who came to such a secluded spot." Though Kei Karuizawa sounded confident, Tsubaki Yuki thought she looked a little uneasy, as if she were forcing herself to stay calm.
Tsubaki Yuki had noticed earlier that day that Kei Karuizawa and the others had approached quite a few girls during break. They were probably asking them for points too.
They called it borrowing, but judging by the way they usually behaved, once the points were in their hands, there was no way they'd ever give them back.
So that was it. They'd set their sights on her.
Before you continue