Byakuya, what exactly are you... (Ayanokoji's perspective)

My name is Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, and I am currently an ordinary student at Kouiku University. Just a moment ago, our homeroom teacher, Chabashira, announced some heartbreaking news. Three students from our class, Sudo, Ike, and Yamauchi, are to be expelled because they failed their midterm mathematics exam.

"Teacher... could you please let me see the answer sheets for Sudo and the others?"

"I expected someone would protest, but even if you look at them, there are no grading errors!"

Chabashira seemed to have brought their math answer sheets with her already, and she handed them over to Hirata.

Hirata immediately began checking the answer sheets, but his expression quickly turned grave.

It seemed that, just as the teacher had said, there were indeed no grading errors.

"That concludes our homeroom session. Sudo, Ike, Yamauchi, come to the faculty office after school. That is all."

Chabashira ruthlessly announced the expulsion of the three. They all hung their heads, muttering, "How could this happen?" It seemed they were now filled with regret.

"...Chabashira-sensei, could I ask you a few more questions?"

Afterward, Horikita asked the teacher about the average scores. In truth, both she and I knew full well that this was merely a slim possibility. In the end, as expected, it yielded no results.

I slowly stood up.

"You, where are you going, Ayanokoji?" Horikita asked.

"The restroom."

After saying that, I walked out of the classroom and headed quickly toward the faculty office. But when I reached the first floor, I saw Chabashira standing in the hallway, staring out the window. It was as if she had been waiting for my arrival.

"Is that you, Ayanokoji? What is it? Class is about to start."

"The school's rules can be overturned, right?"

"What a pity. Sudo and the others must accept their expulsion. At this stage, it cannot be overturned, so you should just give up."

Chabashira's words always seemed to carry a hidden meaning.

"It cannot be overturned at this stage—in other words, there is still a way to overturn it, right?"

"Ayanokoji, I personally admire you. Obtaining the past exam papers was one such correct solution. I think your logical ability to think that far ahead is what is most valuable. I will praise you frankly: you did well."

It seems my actions were exposed even more thoroughly than I had imagined.

I took my student ID out of my pocket.

"What are you planning to do?"

"Please sell me the points required for Sudo and the others to pass their math exam."

Chabashira stared at me with wide eyes, then burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! So you noticed that too, did you? However, you cannot afford to buy that many points at once."

"Then, may I ask what the price is for one point?"

"Let me see... if you can produce 100,000 points for one point right here, it wouldn't be impossible to sell them to you."

"Teacher, you really are mean-spirited."

Since the start of the school year, even if we hadn't spent a single point, we would only have 100,000 points. Calculating at 100,000 points per one point, Sudo and the others would need a total of 600,000 points to avoid expulsion.

Simply put, no student would possess 600,000 points on their own.

"--I will help think of a way, too."

That voice came from behind me. I turned around and saw Horikita standing there.

"Horikita..."

"Heh, you two really are an interesting existence. But how do you intend to come up with these 600,000 points? Right now, here?" Chabashira laughed.

It really was impossible. However, given that Chabashira set such an unreasonable price, she likely never intended for us to save Sudo and the others from the start. If it were only a one-point difference, combining my points with Horikita's might have barely been enough—no, in that case, Chabashira would probably have just set the price at 1,000,000 points per point or something similar.

Unless a miracle happened, it was impossible to gather that many points.

"Horikita, let it go."

I told Horikita to give up on this futile struggle and to think carefully about how to reach Class A now that Sudo and the others were lost.

"Excuse me, do you need some help?"

Just then, a student who shouldn't have been there appeared. I remembered her—it was Ichinose from Class B.

"Oh my, I came here to take a look based on Byakuya-kun's suggestion, but I didn't expect to run into such an interesting scene," Ichinose said with a smile.

"Byakuya..." I muttered, wondering why his name would come up here.

Upon seeing Ichinose arrive, Chabashira wore a look of obvious disgust.

"What, does someone from another class want to interfere in Class D's affairs? Don't tell me you're willing to pay 600,000 points to help Class D avoid an expulsion?"

"That's right. I came here to offer my help," Ichinose said calmly.

Everyone present was shocked.

"What? You're really willing to pay 600,000 points? No, do you even have that many points?" Horikita questioned.

"Of course." Saying this, Ichinose took out her student terminal, which displayed a balance of 4,000,000 student points.

"What do you want? No, what does Class B want?"

I asked her this.

After all, there is no such thing as a free lunch; she must be asking for something in return for doing this.

"Hmm... I suppose you could call it a loan. You can just pay it back once Class D has enough points later. However..." Ichinose paused, glancing at the expressions on my face and Horikita's.

I knew deep down that what followed would be the main point.

"You'll have to pay back an extra 100,000 points every month."

Horikita fell into deep thought.

Currently, Class D has 10 class points, which translates to 1,000 points deposited per student each month. With 40 students in the class, that's a total of 40,000 points. If our class points remain stagnant, this is effectively a loan shark's deal.

If Class D remains at the bottom and can never pay it back, wouldn't her 600,000 points just go down the drain?

She must possess some information that we don't. Unless there is a way to cause a massive shift in class points in the future? Just like in the first month.

If that is the case, then agreeing to her terms might not be such a bad choice after all. After all, we don't even know how many penalty points are incurred for one expulsion, let alone three.

Horikita cast an inquiring look in my direction, and I gave a slight nod.

Afterward, Ichinose paid the 600,000 points for us. Sudo and the others were finally saved from expulsion, but deep down, I felt like something was off, as if all of this had been orchestrated by someone.

It's already too late; it's useless.

For some reason, the words Byakuya said before the midterm exams suddenly surfaced in my mind.

Could this be some kind of hint? A hint that the midterm exam papers had been tampered with?

I remember that Sudo and the other two were tutored by Byakuya in both mathematics and physics.

And the subjects of the tampered exam papers happened to be mathematics and physics—could this be a coincidence? That seems highly unlikely.

If all of this was his calculation, then Ichinose's arrival makes perfect sense.

Byakuya, who exactly are you...