Chabashira Sae's Card

As soon as Chabashira Sae finished speaking, before the air in the classroom could recover from the shock of the class points, she reached out and pulled another sheet of paper from a poster tube, slapping it onto the blackboard with a crisp, decisive motion that gave no one time to react.

"There is one more piece of regrettable news I must share with you." She pushed up her glasses and swept her gaze across the class. "These are the results of your last quiz."

The moment the words left her lips, the classroom erupted into chaos. Students swarmed toward the blackboard, and even Sakura, who usually avoided such crowds, lifted her head with a hint of nervousness in her eyes.

Shangguan Che remained seated, using his Clairvoyance to see the grade sheet on the blackboard with perfect clarity.

Good grief, most people are hovering around sixty, he muttered to himself, his gaze landing on Sudo's name: fourteen points. This score completely redefined his understanding of "failing."

Next was Ike with twenty-four points—slightly better than Sudo, but not by much. An average of sixty-five. It seems the overall level of Class D really isn't much to write home about.

"If this were an official exam, seven people would already be facing expulsion just after the start of the term." Chabashira Sae's voice acted like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the noise in the classroom.

"Ex-expulsion?!" Ike's voice cracked. He was squeezed at the front of the crowd, staring at his score with a pale face. "What is this? Do we get expelled just for failing a test?"

"This school mandates that failing even a single subject on the midterm or final exams results in expulsion." Chabashira Sae's tone was flat, yet carried an unquestionable authority. "For this specific exam, any student who scored below thirty-two points is subject to expulsion. I hope you understand the gravity of this situation."

"Wha—whaaaaaaat?!"

Ike's panicked shriek was the first to ring out, followed immediately by the other six students who hadn't met the threshold. Some grabbed their hair and paced in circles, while others slumped over their desks in despair. The entire classroom descended into total pandemonium.

Watching the chaos unfold, Shangguan Che felt a jolt in his chest. I didn't realize doing poorly in school was this serious. If this were my old school, the worst I'd get is a lecture from a teacher. I never expected them to go straight to expulsion; that's brutal.

He looked at the grade sheet again, quickly finding the familiar names: Sakura Airi in 15th place, not a high score but steady; Hirata in 5th, a top-tier student as expected; Karuizawa Kei in 26th, perfectly average; and Ayanokoji in 32nd, his score landing exactly on fifty.

Ayanokoji got a fifty? Shangguan Che raised an eyebrow, feeling suspicious. With his ability, how could he only score that much? He must have done it on purpose. That guy is always hiding his true colors; I wonder what he's planning.

As for himself, he was in 6th place. The grade was decent, though Japanese and Japanese History had dragged him down.

Forget it, those two subjects were never my strong suits anyway. Go ahead and cry, you two; I'm not going to coddle you. Shangguan Che made a cold, heartless decision in his mind, with no intention of offering any tutoring.

"Welcome to the world of meritocracy." After saying this, Chabashira Sae turned and left the classroom, leaving behind a room full of students who had yet to recover from the shock.

The classroom remained silent for a few seconds before Hirata stood up, clapping his hands to grab everyone's attention. "Everyone, don't panic. I'll organize a study group. We can review together after school every day, and I'll help everyone catch up on the material they missed."

His words acted like a sedative, instantly calming the emotions of many.

Ike and Sudo didn't immediately crowd around him.

However, the other students with poor grades began asking about the time and location of the study sessions all at once. Karuizawa stood beside Hirata; she didn't say anything, but her eyes showed her support.

Watching this scene, Shangguan Che pondered, Is a study group really that important for me? It mostly depends on the school's stance on obtaining answers in advance. Fortunately, I have Clairvoyance and had already seen the answers to the last quiz, otherwise, I might have been panicking too.

His gaze swept across the classroom: Horikita was holding a notebook, diligently recording the grades and class points from the blackboard, while Ayanokoji watched from the side with an air of indifference, his thoughts unreadable. Hirata was surrounded by students, patiently answering various questions. Although Ichinose wasn't in this class, Shangguan Che could imagine her worrying about the studies of Class B as well.

Whatever, forget them. I should look after Sakura a bit more. Shangguan Che turned to his left. Sakura was rubbing her eyes, her dark circles heavier than they were this morning; she looked like she could fall asleep at any moment.

"Sakura, if you're feeling sleepy, you can take a nap for now," Shangguan Che said in a soft voice. "I'll wake you up when class is about to start."

"Eh? No, it's fine, I'm okay." Sakura shook her head quickly, struggling to keep her eyes open, though her eyelids kept fighting each other.

"Even though the special exam regarding behavioral norms is over, it wouldn't be good if the teacher caught you sleeping in class, right?" Shangguan Che coaxed, pointing to her dark circles. "Look at you, you're almost a panda. If you don't sleep now, you definitely won't be able to pay attention later. Just sleep; I've got your back. If the teacher comes, I'll cover for you."

Sakura hesitated for a moment before nodding, whispering, "Okay, thank you, Shangguan-san."

With that, she rested her head on the desk, and within seconds, her breathing became steady. It seemed she was truly exhausted.

Watching her quiet sleeping face, Shangguan Che felt a sense of relief. He took out his phone and opened the personal points interface. The balance displayed 80,000 points.

With only this many points, I can't even add a single stat point. He sighed, remembering how he had spent his points on improving his diet and buying household items last month, only to end up in the red. How am I supposed to earn points?

He thought for a long time but couldn't come up with any good ideas, so he helplessly shook his head. Forget it, I'll think about it later. I can't become the disgrace of all transmigrators. The most important thing right now is class.

He put his phone away and sat up straight, preparing to listen carefully. After all, he was a "good student."

Not long after, the bell rang for class.

Shangguan Che gently nudged Sakura's arm and whispered, "Sakura, wake up, class is starting."

Sakura lifted her head, dazed, her eyes still unfocused. Seeing Shangguan Che, she gave an embarrassed smile, quickly straightened her posture, and took out her textbook.

Meanwhile, in the teachers' office, Chabashira Sae was staring at her computer screen, which displayed the surveillance footage of the Class D classroom. She watched Hirata organizing the study group, and the corners of her mouth curled upward.

"Hirata actually revealed the secret the school was hiding, though he intentionally altered the information so the students wouldn't know the true extent of the gap between classes." She stroked her chin. "But this carries risks. Just because he doesn't say it doesn't mean others won't. If someone from another class exploits this, the blow to Class D will be devastating."

She thought of the hot-headed students like Sudo and muttered to herself, "They are likely to become the breach that other classes exploit. Since Hirata doesn't want to say it, I might as well say it myself. Using the harshest, yet tolerable, words to make them accept the current situation is better than having someone else expose it."

After finishing her thought, she took out her phone, found Hirata's contact information, and sent a friend request.

Hirata was a trump card in her hand, as was Horikita. As for that Ayanokoji, who was always hiding his true self, he might just be an unexpected wild card.

"This year's Class D is truly not simple. I'll have to make good use of them." Chabashira Sae looked at Shangguan Che, who was studying diligently on the screen, before quickly shifting her gaze away.

This student seems to be nothing more than Hirata's assistant; I'll ignore him for now.