That morning, when Kushida shared the news, everyone in the class was stunned.
A lot of people didn't believe it at first, but when Kushida presented the evidence, they slowly came to accept it.
Kushida stood at the front and said warmly, "So, for the rest of our school life, let's pay attention in class and work hard together, okay~"
"Yeah!"
The class answered her.
But one voice didn't fit in.
"Little Kushida, if I study hard, what reward will you give me?"
"Huh?"
Kushida looked at Yamauchi Haruki in surprise, unsure how to respond.
Before long, the girls and boys in the class started ganging up on Yamauchi, threatening to beat him up if he didn't pay attention in class.
But Yamauchi was the sort to argue back on the spot.
And so...
Yamauchi ended up bruised and battered, cowering and trembling alone in a corner.
Eighty percent of those injuries came from Bai Ye, who had hit him in the chaos.
The others were already in a bad mood, and this guy Yamauchi had conveniently jumped out to draw their ire. Who else were they supposed to beat up?
Of course, they weren't going to seriously hurt him. They were just letting off a little steam.
Once they'd vented, their bad mood faded away.
"Hmph! I'm going to report you to the teacher!" Yamauchi covered his reddened eyes and ran out, crying.
"Hey, are you okay? What if Chabashira-sensei gets mad..."
"It's fine, it's fine. Someone like him deserved to get beaten up. I've been sick of him for ages. If he dares complain, we'll all ostracize him. Let's see if he dares go against us!"
Kanji Ike, sitting in the corner, trembled as he listened to his classmates. He wondered if he should keep his distance from Yamauchi from now on.
If everyone else ostracized Yamauchi, he'd do the same. No, he'd definitely do the same!
Meanwhile, in the teachers' office, Chabashira Sae listened calmly to Yamauchi's tearful complaint, her expression completely blank.
She was even thinking about something else.
Now that the class knew about the matter, everything she'd done had been pointless.
She had wanted her students to experience the despair of having no points to spend so they'd awaken a drive to improve themselves. All her efforts had gone to waste.
Still, perhaps this was for the best. Discovering the rules on their own showed their ability, which meant this class was even better than her own class—the one that had nearly made it to Class A.
As for Yamauchi...
She didn't even consider herself a good teacher. She only wanted to raise her class's standing; she wasn't especially interested in educating and nurturing students.
Besides, this student kept calling her "Little Sae." Did he really think she was someone he could push around?
Still, she had to say the appropriate things.
"Enough. I'll report this to the school. You can go back now."
"Please stand up for me, Sensei... Sob... You really are the best, Sensei. I shouldn't have commented on your legs like that. Marry me, Sensei!"
"Get out!"
Chabashira kicked him out.
At her desk, Kushida turned her chair around and leaned her upper body against Bai Ye's desk.
She grinned. "Jingu-kun, I'll treat you to coffee this afternoon... and invite Horikita too."
"What's this about?"
"Of course, I want to thank you both, and..." Kushida winked with her right eye. "You know."
She probably wanted to set him up with Horikita. The fact that she'd help with something like that showed she was in a pretty good mood.
In the row behind Bai Ye, two girls sat side by side, whispering to each other.
"Maya, look, they're at it again. Do you think they're together?"
"Probably not. Kushida denied it herself, and she said she didn't want to date..." Sato Maya tilted her head slightly and looked at Shinohara Satsuki's gossipy face.
"Doesn't it bother you? The guy you like is always flirting with other girls, and I heard he and Horikita are together."
"What do you mean, the guy I like?" Sato blushed slightly and gave her a little smack. "I only said he was really good-looking. I never said I liked him."
"Then why are you always staring at him and spacing out? And you say you don't like him?"
"Am I...? Maybe I'm just curious."
"I once heard that when a girl gets curious about a guy, that's the beginning of her falling for him."
"You're dead!"
Sato playfully scratched her, making Shinohara beg for mercy.
"All right, all right. I'm done teasing you. Maya, let's go get coffee this afternoon. I'll help you see if there are any other good-looking boys at this school, so you can forget about him for good."
"You're at it again. I told you it's not like that, and I don't fall for someone just because he's good-looking."
"So you like more than just his looks? What else is there? His vibe? His personality?"
"..."
Sato had no answer to her teasing. She could only lie face-down on her desk and cover her face with a book, pretending to be dead.
By the afternoon...
Those who were in clubs went to their club activities. After class, everyone else either went home to do their homework or wandered around the shopping district.
The school café was a popular hangout for girls, while most of the boys preferred to spend their time somewhere more athletic, like the gym, burning off their youthful energy. Gradually, the café had become a place for girls to chat and eat together. Even the few boys who came were accompanied by girls.
A group seated at a table in a distant corner stood out.
All three of them were good-looking, and quite a few first-year girls recognized one of the boys at a glance.
"Isn't that the guy who ranked first on the first-year handsome-boy list? Who are the two people with him?"
Sato and Shinohara happened to hear this as they walked into the café together, so they looked over.
The other girl, dressed like a gyaru with a high blonde ponytail, only glanced over before impatiently finding a seat and sitting down.
"What are you two getting?"
"The usual." Sato and Shinohara sat down after watching for a moment. Only then did Shinohara turn her attention to the blonde girl. "Karuizawa, how are things with Hirata?"
"Hirata... Fine."
Karuizawa bit down on her straw and answered listlessly.
Sato asked, "Didn't you say last time that you might start dating him? What happened? You haven't talked to him lately."
"We were never close to begin with. What's there to talk about?"
Karuizawa answered nonchalantly, her eyes drifting toward the corner.
She rested her head in her hand and thought for a moment. "Maya, what do you think they're talking about?" She pointed toward Bai Ye's table.
"How would I know..." Sato copied her and laid her head on the table.
Karuizawa said, "Weren't you two just talking about how Maya likes that guy? Why'd you stop now?"
"I told you I don't like him." Sato stared at her blankly. "If you like him, go after him yourself. I'll support you."
"Forget it. I don't like players like him. He's having coffee with two girls."
Shinohara consoled her. "He can't help being good-looking. It's normal for him to have a thing with a few girls... Besides, I doubt there are many girls in our class who'd turn him down if he asked them out."
"Does that include you?" Karuizawa scoffed.
"Well, me..." Shinohara blushed. "I care more about personality and whether we click, but if he insisted on dating me... I could give it serious consideration."
"After all that, you'd still be an easy catch." Karuizawa curled her lip. "If I were him, I'd use you from head to toe, inside and out, then toss you aside like a rag."
"That's too much. I'm not buying you coffee next time."
"I've bought you presents before. We're even."
"Karuizawa, if you're fighting with Hirata, go take it out somewhere else. Don't take it out on me." Shinohara glared at her, clearly annoyed.
"I told you I have nothing to do with him. Why are you so annoying?" Karuizawa glared back.
"All right, all right. Don't fight." Sato took both their hands and calmed them down.
"I wasn't trying to start a fight... Fine, my bad. Karuizawa, I shouldn't have brought up Hirata." Shinohara thought it over and guessed what had set Karuizawa off.
Though she was usually like this anyway.
"Yeah, I was out of line too. Sorry." Karuizawa lowered her head slightly.
"Let's talk about me instead." To make peace between them, Sato steered the conversation toward herself. "Since Shinohara keeps saying I like him, let's say it's true... Do you think I have a chance?"
"No."
"No."
They answered in unison, and Sato's newly kindled fighting spirit instantly sank.
She thumped her head hard against the table.
"I want to die..."
"Haha!" The two of them laughed and patted her head, but she swatted their hands away.
Before you continue