"So you really are trying to target Class D."
Dokuho Kouya wasn't surprised by what Chie Hoshinomiya had said.
He remembered that his homeroom teacher and Class D's homeroom teacher had shared some very unpleasant memories.
"Kouya, you're probably wondering why I'm not aiming for Class A, and am targeting the worst Class D instead, right?"
Hoshinomiya's eyes turned cold, and her voice lost its usual cheer. "That's because Sae isn't worthy of moving up to Class A."
She had complicated feelings about Sae Chabashira, Class D's homeroom teacher. It was no exaggeration to say she hated her with all her heart.
Many years ago, she and Sae Chabashira had attended Advanced Nurturing High School and had both been assigned to Class D.
Back then, they had raised their class to Class B through Special Exams, and were just a few Class Points short of Class A.
Then, during their final Special Exam, they faced a malicious Unanimous Special Exam.
The whole class had to answer the school's questions, and they only passed if everyone agreed.
If they failed to complete all the questions within the allotted time, their class would lose 300 Class Points.
The final question they faced was whether to expel one of their classmates in exchange for 100 Class Points.
Someone in her class had volunteered to be expelled.
But that person was Sae Chabashira's boyfriend.
Sae Chabashira couldn't bear to see her boyfriend expelled, so she voted against it every time.
Since the man couldn't be expelled, the class had to find another person to sacrifice.
But after three years of hard work, no one was willing to let someone else take the fall at the very end.
Everyone condemned the others as selfish, endlessly listing reasons why someone else should be expelled. Some even started brawling.
The class, which had finally united in hopes of reaching Class A, immediately fell apart, and they failed the exam.
The class had been only one step away from becoming Class A, but lost 300 Class Points and was sent back to Class D.
Their bonds shattered, too. After graduation, they all cut ties and treated one another as enemies.
But in Chie Hoshinomiya's eyes, there was no doubt that Sae Chabashira, who had voted against the expulsion, was the one to blame.
Her friend had volunteered to be expelled. Why keep fighting it? Wouldn't it have been better to let him go?
"Kouya, I can't tell you the details just yet. Anyway, if you can defeat Class D, I'll do anything for you."
Chie Hoshinomiya grasped the boy's arm, a cool smile on her pretty face.
Anyone else who saw Hoshinomiya-sensei like this might have been frightened.
But Dokuho Kouya, who already knew what the beautiful teacher was really like, didn't so much as bat an eye. He even started thinking about how he could trick... earn 300,000 Personal Points from her.
"If I bring Class D's Class Points down to zero in this month's aptitude assessment, will you give me 300,000 points?"
After thinking it over, Dokuho Kouya made his proposal.
Hearing him, Hoshinomiya's bright eyes gleamed, and she nodded excitedly. "Sure, sure! If you really can bring Sae's class down to zero, I'll definitely give you 300,000 Personal Points."
"And there's something else..." The beautiful teacher's lips curled slightly as she spoke in a sweet voice. "From now on, I'll call you Kodoku."
Hoshinomiya's teasing words didn't stir even the slightest ripple in the boy's heart.
Yeah, right.
As if he cared.
Dokuho Kouya had hoped to get a little more money out of her, but Hoshinomiya was still only offering 300,000.
Maybe the school rules capped how much a homeroom teacher could support a student with at 300,000 Personal Points.
As if she could see the disdain in the boy's heart, Chie Hoshinomiya puffed out her cheeks. "Kouya, since you already know about the aptitude assessment, I'll explain everything."
"After the first month's aptitude assessment, every Class D ends up with only 200 to 300 Class Points. Even the worst Class D will have 160."
"Even if Class D is awful, bringing them down to zero is difficult."
"You won't get my 300,000 points that easily."
The young-at-heart teacher smiled.
Dokuho Kouya frowned slightly. "Is it really okay for a teacher to give me 300,000 Personal Points directly?"
Chie Hoshinomiya chuckled and shook her head. "It's fine. Compared to Class C's homeroom teacher, my support is nothing."
Class C was the class Ryuen Kakeru belonged to.
Judging by what Hoshinomiya said, Ryuen Kakeru must have started using violence to rule his class.
Although Ryuen picked fights where the cameras couldn't see him, Class C's homeroom teacher must have known about it.
Kazuma Sakagami, Class C's homeroom teacher, hadn't reported it to the school. Instead, he'd helped cover for Ryuen and supported his control of the class.
Compared to Sakagami's cover-up, Hoshinomiya giving a student 300,000 Personal Points really was nothing.
Chie Hoshinomiya had originally meant to hint to Dokuho Kouya that something was off with Class C.
But once she finished answering, she realized that Dokuho Kouya had been the one hinting at something.
From what the boy had just said, he was certain he could bring Class D down to zero. That was why he'd asked whether it was okay for a teacher to give a student 300,000 Personal Points directly.
"Kouya, you really are a bad boy. You're so calculating even with your teacher. I bet you'll trick plenty of girls someday."
Once Hoshinomiya understood, she huffed and slapped the boy's thigh.
Dokuho Kouya still didn't dodge. Smiling, he said to the homeroom teacher before him, "Just wait for the good news, Chie-sensei. On the first of next month, I'll definitely bring Class D's Class Points down to zero."
As for how he'd do it?
He wouldn't do a thing!
In Chie Hoshinomiya's view, no matter how awful Class D was, it would still have at least 160 Class Points left after this month.
But Dokuho Kouya, who had read the original story, knew that by the end of the month, Class D's Class Points would drop straight to zero.
And that was only because this exam couldn't make a class's points go negative.
Otherwise, this year's Class D might have started off by putting itself in the red.
Poor Hoshinomiya-sensei thought the student she'd hired would go to any lengths to drag Class D into the abyss.
In reality, even if Dokuho Kouya did absolutely nothing to Class D in the time ahead, the class would bring about its own ruin.
"So this is what getting something for free feels like? It's pretty great."
Thinking about how he'd earned 300,000 Personal Points without lifting a finger, Dokuho Kouya felt wonderful. It was as if the whole world had brightened.
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