The Cruel Unfolding of Paradise

The cold voice of Chabashira Sae, like a frigid wind blowing from the Arctic, instantly froze the entire Class D classroom.

"Zero points?"

"Are you kidding me! Why is it zero!"

"What about our hundred thousand points? Are we not getting them this month?"

"The school must have made a mistake!"

The deathly silence lasted less than three seconds before being drowned out by a massive uproar and chorus of questioning. Yamauchi Haruki's face was etched with disbelief and anger. Ike Kanji shouted along with him, as if that alone could make the points materialize out of thin air. Most students wore expressions woven with confusion, panic, and the helplessness of having their dreams shattered.

"A mistake?" The corners of Chabashira Sae's mouth curled into a deeply mocking arc, her gaze like that of someone looking at a pile of non-recyclable trash. "No, there is no mistake at all. If anything, the fact that you managed to squander all 1,000 class points within a single month, leaving absolutely nothing behind, is a record in itself—unprecedented."

"On what grounds can you say that!" Sudo Ken roared irritably, his fists clenched tight.

"On what grounds?" Chabashira let out a cold snort, as if she had been waiting for this moment. She picked up one of the posters she had brought in and, with a "swish," unfurled it before the entire class, fixing it to the blackboard. On the poster was a combination of letters and numbers.

A: 950 points

B: 890 points

C: 490 points

D: 0 points

The scarlet "0" stung the eyes of every student in Class D.

"Do you see it clearly now? This is the 'result' of your hard work." Chabashira's voice lacked a shred of warmth. "Chatting during class, arriving late and leaving early, sleeping in class... the list is endless. Classroom discipline? Do you even have such a thing? If it weren't for the fact that class points don't go into the negative, I truly don't know how far you would have been deducted."

Her gaze, sharp as a blade, swept over the students who had been shouting the loudest: "Now, does anyone still think the school made a mistake?"

At almost the same time, in the classroom of Class A.

The homeroom teacher, Mashima Tomoya, also announced the point rankings. When "Class A: 950 points" and "Class B: 890 points" were clearly displayed before them, the usually composed and confident students of Class A couldn't help but let out a low gasp.

"Class B... is actually that high?"

"Only 60 points behind us? Are you kidding me!"

"How did they manage that?"

An invisible pressure instantly permeated the room. Although they didn't know what these points represented yet, since the homeroom teacher had specifically announced them during the class meeting, it couldn't be simple. Some students had already linked these points to the personal points distributed today. Seeing such a close pursuer behind them, every student in Class A wore a look of gravity and urgency. For the first time, they truly felt that the gap between them and the other classes was not as large as they had imagined.

Mashima watched the students' reactions with a serious expression, though his heart was stirred. Class B... that is the class of Ichinose Honami. He had a premonition in his mind, To raise Class B's points so close to Class A based on just one transaction and one piece of intelligence... That Natsukawa, he didn't even step to the front; he just gave a light push from behind the scenes and almost stirred up the entire first year... This child is definitely not ordinary. I wonder how he was assigned to Class D? Could it be that he has a flaw significant enough to overshadow this talent...

In the corner of the Class A classroom, the doll-like, delicate Sakayanagi Arisu tapped her fingertips against the desk, a glint of intrigue flashing in her purple eyes. "Ichinose... Honami, is it? To be able to lead a class to this extent, she is certainly more interesting than that stone-like Katsuragi." She tilted her head slightly, whispering to Kamuro Masumi beside her in a voice only she could hear: "Kamuro-san, later, go and learn a little about that Ichinose-san's daily life."

Kamuro Masumi nodded with a look of extreme reluctance.

In stark contrast to the gravity of Class A and the despair of Class D, the Class B classroom, after a brief silence, erupted with the relief of having survived a disaster and an indescribable sense of shock!

"8... 890 points?! We're second? Only 60 points away from Class A?!"

"Great! We didn't get too many points deducted!"

"It's all thanks to Ichinose-san!"

Teacher Hoshinomiya Chie's face was filled with joy as she clapped her hands, her voice sweet: "Congratulations, everyone! What a remarkable achievement! You're only one step away from Class A! I've always had high hopes for Ichinose-san, and sure enough, under your leadership, our Class B will surely be able to reach Class A!"

Amidst the cheers, they all looked in unison toward Ichinose Honami, who stood in the center of the classroom, looking happy but mostly relieved.

The intelligence worth one million...

It was so worth it!

This thought exploded like a thunderclap in the minds of all the Class B students who were in the know. Only now did they feel a chill—if they hadn't had that information, they would surely have fallen far behind the top-ranked Class A.

Core members like Kanzaki Ryuji and Shibata Sou also wore joyful expressions, but they could see deep astonishment in each other's eyes. According to the school's method of sorting classes based on so-called "ability," and seeing the arithmetic progression of the other classes' points, it wasn't hard for them to deduce that without that information, their original class points would likely have been around 600. Now, they had soared directly to 890. The gap was significant, and this was even after having points deducted for a week without knowing the rules. If they had known a few days earlier, they might have even been able to sit in the position of Class A.

And that person who provided the information... that mysterious "Friend A"...

Who exactly is he?

An emotion mixed with gratitude, awe, and intense curiosity spread among the people of Class B. He had not only accurately predicted the school's rules but had also seen through everything at the very beginning of the school year. This foresight and capability made them feel, beyond their relief, a sense of reverence: "It is our good fortune to be able to trade with such a person." He was like a chess player hidden in the mist, whose light, casual move had changed the direction of the entire game.

Unlike the harmony in Class B, in the classroom of Class D, The atmosphere of despair was almost tangible.

"From now on... no more points?"

"How could it be like this..."

"We're going to be looked down upon by people from other classes!"

"Damn it!" Sudo Ken kicked a desk violently, making a loud noise as he vented his unreleased anger and humiliation.

"You want to be looked up to?" Chabashira Sae watched all this with cold eyes. "It's simple: just climb up. The rules are simple. As long as your class points exceed Class C, you are the new Class C. Exceed Class B, and you are Class B."

Her words reignited a faint spark of hope in the eyes of some.

"However," Chabashira changed the subject, like a bucket of ice water being poured over them, "the prerequisite for all of this is—"

She took out the second poster she had rolled into a tube; it was the ranking from the last classroom quiz. In front of one name, she drew a thick line with a striking red pen.

"--You must not get expelled." Her tone carried undisguised sarcasm. "If this were a midterm exam, seven people would have already been expelled from this test alone, and school has only just begun. What on earth did you learn in middle school? Or rather, did you actually learn anything at all?"

"What, failing means expulsion? The school never said anything about that!!!"

"Is this for real? We get expelled for failing an exam!!"

The students whose names were marked in red, along with several others whose grades were teetering on the edge, turned deathly pale in an instant, their voices filled with disbelief.

"Listen well," Chabashira's voice was firm and unquestionable. "In this school, if you fail any subject on the midterm or final exams—you will be expelled!"

"If you don't want to be expelled, then show the proper attitude and strength to prove that you are not 'defective products'."

After saying this final sentence, she ignored the wailing and panic that made the classroom feel like the end of the world, turned around, and left the classroom without looking back, leaving nothing but chaos and despair behind for Class D.