As soon as Chabashira-sensei finished speaking, before the classroom had even recovered from the shock of the Class Points announcement, she reached into the poster tube and pulled out another sheet of paper. She slapped it onto the blackboard with a swift, decisive motion, giving no one time to react.
"There's one more disappointing piece of news I have to tell you." She adjusted her glasses and swept her gaze across the class. "These are the results of your last quiz."
The instant she finished speaking, the classroom erupted. The students crowded around the blackboard, and even Sakura, who usually avoided the commotion, lifted her head, a hint of nervousness in her eyes.
Shangguan Che stayed in his seat. Thanks to his Clairvoyance, he had already gotten a clear look at the score sheet on the blackboard.
"Good grief, most of them are hovering around sixty." He grumbled to himself, his gaze settling on Sudo's name. Fourteen points. That score had completely reset his understanding of what it meant to bomb a test.
Next came Ike, with twenty-four points. Better than Sudo, but not by much. "The average is sixty-five. Looks like Class D really isn't that strong overall."
"If this had been a regular exam, seven of you would already be facing expulsion, and the school year has only just begun." Chabashira-sensei's voice was like a bucket of cold water, instantly quelling the classroom's uproar.
"E-Expulsion?!" Ike's voice cracked. Pushing to the front of the crowd, he stared at his score, his face turning pale. "What's going on? You get expelled if you do badly?"
"This school's rules state that failing even one subject on the midterms or finals results in expulsion." Chabashira-sensei's tone was calm, but carried unquestionable authority. "As for this test, every student who scored below thirty-two points would be facing expulsion. I hope you understand the situation."
"W-What?! Aaaaaah?!"
Ike's panicked cry rang out first. The six other students who'd failed to make the cutoff quickly panicked, too. Some clutched their hair and spun in place; others slumped over their desks and wailed. The entire classroom was in chaos.
Watching the scene unfold, Shangguan Che's heart gave a lurch. "So doing badly in school is that serious? At my old school, the worst that would happen was getting yelled at by a teacher. I can't believe they'd just expel you here. That's harsh."
He looked at the score sheet again and quickly found the names he knew: Sakura Airi was fifteenth, with a modest but steady score; Hirata was fifth, just as you'd expect from a top student; Karuizawa Kei was twenty-sixth, right in the middle; Ayanokoji was thirty-second, with exactly fifty points.
"Ayanokoji got fifty?" Shangguan Che raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "How could he only get that much, with his abilities? He must've done it on purpose. That guy's always hiding what he can do. Who knows what he's planning?"
As for Shangguan Che himself, he'd come in sixth. Not bad, though he'd been dragged down by Japanese and Japanese history.
"Whatever. Those two subjects were never my strong suit. Go ahead and cry, you two—I'm not comforting you." He made the heartless decision in his mind, with no intention of studying to improve.
"Welcome to the world of the survival of the fittest." After saying that, Chabashira Sae turned and left the classroom, leaving the students behind to grapple with what they'd heard.
The classroom fell quiet for a few seconds. Hirata was the first to stand. He clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Don't panic, everyone. I can organize study sessions. We can review together after school each day, and I'll help you catch up on anything you've missed."
His words were like a reassurance, instantly calming many of the students.
Ike and Sudo didn't immediately go over to join them.
But the other students who hadn't done so well began asking all at once when and where the study sessions would be. Karuizawa stood beside Hirata. She didn't say anything, but her eyes showed her support.
Watching them, Shangguan Che mused, "Does a study group really matter to me? It mostly depends on how the school feels about getting the answers in advance. Still, luckily, I have Clairvoyance. I saw the answers to the last quiz ages ago, or I might've panicked, too."
His gaze swept around the classroom. Horikita was taking notes on the scores and Class Points written on the blackboard. Ayanokoji watched from nearby, looking indifferent; no one could tell what he was thinking. Hirata was surrounded by classmates, patiently answering all their questions. Ichinose wasn't in this class, but Shangguan Che could imagine she was busy worrying about Class B's studies, too.
"Forget them. I'd better look after Sakura." Shangguan Che turned to his left. Sakura was rubbing her eyes, her dark circles even heavier than they'd been that morning. She looked like she could fall asleep at any moment.
"Sakura, if you're sleepy, you can take a nap now." Shangguan Che lowered his voice. "I'll wake you up when class is about to start."
"Huh? No, it's fine. I'm okay." Sakura hurriedly shook her head and tried to open her eyes wide, but her eyelids kept drooping.
"Even though the Special Exam on behavioral rules is over, it wouldn't be good if the teacher caught you sleeping in class, right?" Shangguan Che coaxed her, pointing at her dark circles. "Look at you—you're practically a panda. If you don't sleep, you definitely won't be able to pay attention in class later. Go ahead and rest. I've got you. I'll cover for you if the teacher comes."
Sakura hesitated, but eventually nodded and said softly, "Okay. Thanks, Shangguan."
Then she lay down on her desk. Within seconds, her breathing had evened out. She really must have been exhausted.
Looking at her peaceful sleeping face, Shangguan Che felt relieved. He took out his phone and opened his personal points page. His balance showed 80,000 points.
"With this little, I can't even add a single attribute point." He sighed, remembering how he'd spent all his points last month without noticing, improving his meals and buying some household supplies. In the end, he'd even had to pay extra. "How am I supposed to earn more points?"
He thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a good idea, so he could only shake his head helplessly. "Forget it. I'll think about it later. I can't let myself become a disgrace to all transmigrators, can I? For now, class is what matters most."
He put his phone away, sat up straight, and prepared to pay attention. After all, he was a "good student."
Before long, the bell rang.
Shangguan Che gently nudged Sakura's arm and whispered, "Sakura, wake up. It's time for class."
Sakura drowsily lifted her head, her eyes still unfocused. When she saw Shangguan Che, she smiled awkwardly, quickly sat up straight, and took out her textbook.
Meanwhile, in the teachers' office, Chabashira Sae was staring at her computer screen, which showed the surveillance feed from Class D's classroom. Watching Hirata organize the study group, the corner of her mouth lifted slightly.
"Hirata actually revealed the secret the school had kept from them, while deliberately changing the information so his classmates wouldn't learn the true gap between the classes." She rubbed her chin. "But that carries risks. His silence doesn't mean others will keep quiet. If students from another class take advantage of it, the blow to Class D could be severe."
She thought of Sudo and the other hotheaded students and mused, "They're likely to be the weak point the other classes exploit. Since Hirata doesn't want to tell them, perhaps I should say it myself. I'll put it in the harshest terms they can still stomach, so they accept the situation. That's better than having someone else spring it on them."
After thinking it over, she took out her phone, found Hirata's contact, and sent him a friend request.
Hirata was one of her trump cards. Horikita was another. And Ayanokoji, who was always hiding what he could do, might be an unexpected wild card.
"This year's Class D really is something. I'll have to make good use of them." Chabashira Sae looked at Shangguan Che, who was paying attention in class on the screen, then quickly shifted her gaze away.
That student seemed to be nothing more than Hirata's assistant. For now, she'd ignore him.
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