Kei Karuizawa wants to threaten Tsubaki Yuki?

"For the mid-term exams at the end of May, failing even a single subject will result in expulsion. Looking at your grades, I'm really looking forward to seeing your miserable states. Of course, even if you don't study hard for this exam, there are ways to get through it safely. May luck be on your side."

Leaving those words behind, Sae Chabashira left the classroom in disappointment.

As soon as she stepped out, Hoshinomiya Chie greeted her with a beaming smile: "Sae-chan, want to go for a drink tonight?"

"Get lost."

"Oh, you're still so heartless, Sae-chan. Don't get so worked up over your students, you'll get wrinkles!" Hoshinomiya wore a gentle smile, then said with a tone of mock regret:

"The students in Class B are perfect in every way, but they're so considerate of me that I don't have to worry about them at all. Sigh~ I'm such a teacher that I don't even get to play a guiding role~"

"If you came here to pick a fight, then you've succeeded, Chie. I want to punch your head in right now."

Sae Chabashira brushed past Hoshinomiya Chie without looking back.

Hoshinomiya Chie watched Sae Chabashira's lonely retreating figure, feeling absolutely delighted inside.

"Oh right, I still need to transfer the promised points to Amasawa. Although it pains me to part with the points, I wonder how he actually managed to get Class D down to zero points?"

After school, inside Class D.

"Everyone!" Yosuke Hirata stood at the podium. "I think you all know the dire situation we are facing. If we aren't careful during the next exam, someone will be expelled!"

He scanned the classroom. "That's why I want to organize study sessions to help everyone. Let's get through this crisis together!"

Everyone supported Hirata as if he were a life-saving straw, especially the underachievers who were at risk of expulsion.

"Yeah, Hirata!"

"I'll help too! I'll teach everyone!" Kikyo Kushida raised her hand high, volunteering to teach, which naturally earned her another wave of goodwill.

Of course, there were those who weren't very keen on the study sessions. The trio of idiots, led by Sudo, simply quit. Sudo left carelessly, saying, "What kind of bullshit study session is this? It's wasting my time for basketball."

"Sudo!" Ike and Yamauchi hesitated between the study session and their friend, but ultimately chose Sudo.

Koenji and Tsubaki Yuki naturally stood up and left as well.

Hirata felt a bit dejected. With two students who had excellent grades not participating in the study sessions, it would undoubtedly put immense pressure on the students who were teaching. Now, he and Kushida would have to shoulder the burden alone.

At this moment, Kei Karuizawa exchanged a glance with her followers and spoke to her boyfriend: "Hirata-kun, how about I go and have a good talk with Tsubaki-san? Maybe she'll change her mind."

"Ah, sure." Hirata, feeling a bit down, replied absentmindedly.

"It's okay, Hirata-kun. Horikita-san, who is second in the class, is still here, isn't she?" Kikyo Kushida approached Suzune Horikita, who had been dazed and lost in her own world since a moment ago, with a smile.

"Horikita-san, are you alright?" Kushida Kikyo's voice pulled Horikita Suzune back from an endless abyss.

Ever since Chabashira-sensei announced that they were the defectives of this school, she had been unable to believe it—or rather, she refused to believe it.

There must be some mistake. She could never be a defective.

She had come to this school specifically to follow in her brother's footsteps and to earn his recognition.

How could she possibly be a defective?

How could she, someone who studied sixteen hours a day, be in the same class as those idiots?

It had to be wrong. The fact that she was in Class D was a mistake in itself. She had to find the teacher and explain the situation.

Perhaps this was all a dream. Yes, if it were a dream, everything would be explained—

It wasn't until Kushida Kikyo's voice pulled her back to reality that she noticed school had already ended.

"Horikita-san, we want to organize a study group to help everyone. Your grades are excellent; could we ask you to come and teach everyone?"

Facing Kushida Kikyo's expectant gaze, Horikita Suzune felt a wave of nausea.

Why should she have to teach these defective goods?

And this Kushida Kikyo, a classmate from her middle school—she had been pestering her since the start of the term, wanting to be friends, even though they hadn't even known each other back then.

"Sorry, but I must decline." Horikita refused flatly in a slightly hoarse voice, then stood up and left the classroom.

"How could she be like that..." A classmate, dissatisfied with Horikita Suzune's attitude, complained in a low voice.

Yosuke Hirata offered a dejected smile. "It's alright, everyone. Even if it's just Kushida-san and me, we will do our absolute 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, though she was somewhat introverted. "I, I want to help Hirata-kun too!"

"Thank you so much, Wang-san, that's a huge help!"

"Hehe... it, it's nothing. After all, it was Hirata-kun's request..." Wang Meiyu's face flushed slightly.

Tsubaki Yuki walked slowly, someone following behind her.

Yuto had just sent a message saying that Class A seemed to have something going on today, so they would be getting out of school a bit later than usual.

To have nine people fail such simple questions really refreshed her perception of the idiots in Class D.

However, since the passing line was half the average score, it had something to do with her scoring too high.

After all, she had ranked first in the class and second in the entire school with a score of 98.

If she only scored at a passing level, she could drag the class average down by about one point.

That would allow two more people to pass, but what did that have to do with her?

If you fail a test, are you going to blame the top student in the class for pulling the average up too high? Isn't it still your own fault for not studying hard enough?

What bothered her more was the prospect of not receiving points for a month. Although if she asked Yuto, he would definitely lend them to her, how should she put it?

Asking someone to borrow money right after confessing to them didn't sound like something a good girl would do. It felt as if she were some kind of rental girlfriend.

Fortunately, she still had about sixty thousand points left from last month, so it shouldn't be a problem to make it through to next month.

Just as she was thinking this, she unknowingly walked into a secluded corner behind the school building.

The footsteps behind her seemed to time it perfectly, suddenly quickening. A delicate hand pressed her against the wall with a sharp slap.

Tsubaki Yuki looked up to see a girl with a yellow high ponytail wearing a kind, amiable smile.

"Tsubaki-san, I'd like to borrow some points from you. We're all classmates, surely you wouldn't refuse to help with something this small?" Kei Karuizawa looked down at her from above. Their current position was rather intimate, resembling a wall-pin.

Shinohara Satsuki and Sato Maya, who were behind Kei Karuizawa, also crowded in. Shinohara Satsuki, in particular, was eyeing Tsubaki Yuki with a hostile expression.

"Kei, is this okay? If we get caught..." Sato Maya whispered a reminder.

"It's fine. She's the one who walked into this secluded corner on her own." Although Kei Karuizawa spoke with conviction, Tsubaki Yuki felt her expression was somewhat guilty, as if she were forcing herself to stay calm.

Back in the classroom today, Tsubaki Yuki had noticed Kei Karuizawa and her group approaching quite a few girls during the break. She figured they were likely demanding points from them as well.

Even though they called it borrowing, one only had to consider their usual conduct to know that once those points were in their hands, they would likely never be returned.

I see, so they've set their sights on me now.