Chapter 329

"Don't worry too much, it's not a difficult task. Even you flawed students from Class D could complete it. In fact, it's your duty."

After a slight pause, Asakusa Toru smiled and snapped his fingers for the fourth time.

"--Snap."

The crisp sound echoed in the classroom, contrasting with the nervous expressions of the students below.

"Yes, that's right, it's just causing trouble," he said.

"Isn't that practically a delinquent student's calling?"

Asakusa Toru opened his hands and spread his arms.

Perhaps it was because I had listened to Asakusa Toru say so much, or perhaps it was because his face was so deceptively attractive.

In short, after Asakusa Toru collected the money, he returned to the podium.

A few female classmates began to muster up some courage.

I wanted to strike up a conversation, to get the other person's attention. Although I didn't think I could compare to Kushida Kikyo and Horikita Suzune, it was just my nature.

"Um..." Wang Meiyu raised her hand, "Specifically, what does it mean to do this?"

"Late, leaving early, skipping class... and things like that?"

Perhaps because someone spoke up, and Asakusa Toru smiled at the girl without showing any particularly hostile attitude, it created the illusion that the atmosphere had eased somewhat.

After Wang Meiyu, someone else spoke up.

"I think 'everyone' shouldn't just be from our class," Sato Maya said softly.

'Everyone got zero points'

This is the goal proposed by Asakusa Toru, the name of the plan, and more importantly, the goal they are striving to achieve.

Obviously, it couldn't be limited to just their Class D.

"So, we... are going to harass other classes?"

Only after being reminded did the other students realize this fact.

"That's right," Asakusa Toru said. "Use your talents to thoroughly muddy the waters. The specific task is naturally—everything."

"As long as you don't get expelled, you can do whatever you want without any restrictions."

Asakusa Toru raised a finger and began to give examples.

"For example, yes, the opening ceremony is coming up soon, right? We're not going, everyone's absent," he said. "The three classes, A, B, and C, can each choose their favorite letter, and we'll go play in their class."

"We can't go too far, because the ultimate goal is to deduct points, not to create a mess that gives people an excuse to drop out."

"So, male students should stick to playing with other male students, and female students should stick to holding hands with other female students."

After pondering for a moment, Asakusa Toru turned around and continued writing a few lines of text on the blackboard with chalk.

"Games I personally recommend for reference."

"One of them is 'musical chairs,' Advanced Nurturing have very precious seats, and empty tables only appear after someone drops out."

"Given that schools are relatively sensitive about bullying and violence, but do not explicitly restrict students' personal actions, theoretically, most actions are permitted as long as they are not extremely excessive."

"Of course, every action comes with a price, and for first-year students, the price of playing 'musical chairs' is actually surprisingly low."

"It's just a score, yes, just a score. It's just a deduction of points, just a reduction in the school's evaluation of the class, and it won't even affect the individual."

"With such lenient terms, how can one not be tempted to play games?"

"The rules of the game are as described in the title: just grab a chair, sit in someone else's seat beforehand, and then hold onto it."

"Yes, you didn't do anything special. You just went to the wrong classroom slightly, sat in someone else's seat, and stubbornly insisted that it was your seat."

"As for the poor souls whose seats were taken... although it's frustrating, we can only ask them to find another suitable place to sit."

"If all else fails, standing during the lecture is also an option."

"I just don't know, standing and listening to lectures, or standing and walking around freely in the classroom... does that count as violating the school's code of conduct?"

"As for forcibly dragging you off your seat..." Asakusa Toru chuckled, "Isn't that perfect? Roll around, scream, he used 'violence' on you, you have to demand an examination, you have to complain that he went too far!"

"This is your legitimate right."

The large, clear characters were written on the highest blackboard, as if they were really playing a game, almost like someone was announcing the rules of Special Exam.

Asakusa Toru introduced it with a smile.

"Musical Chairs" is the first activity, so it's clear that what he wants to talk about and recommend to the people in Class D is not just this one activity.

So, after a brief pause to give them some breathing room, Asakusa Toru picked up the chalk again, turned around, and began writing on the blackboard once more.

"Games I personally recommend for reference."

"Secondly, in the Whisper Game,' every word is worth recording and every word is worth listening to, especially in Advanced Nurturing environment."

"Logically speaking, Voice Recorder should be an essential item for everyone, but unfortunately I don't have one on hand this time. Buying one would be quite costly, so I won't be providing one for you."

"However, the principles are the same: personal privacy, personal space, social distancing... these theories... you probably wouldn't understand, so I won't go into them."

"What I want to say is that Advanced Nurturing does not have a clear rule that talking in class will result in expulsion, nor does it require students not to eavesdrop on others."

"At most, we'll just deduct a few points from your conduct."

"However, as I said before, these scores are completely irrelevant to us."

So listen, read, and pass on the message.

"The rules of the game are simple: listen attentively. You don't need to listen to the teacher on stage; just pay attention to the people around you. They want to chat; they want to have a conversation. Just stay quietly and listen."

"Then just say it out loud."

"This is the 'Whisper Game'."

Perhaps because he had talked too much at once, Asakusa Toru suddenly felt a bit thirsty.

Before he could even speak, Sakura Airi, who had been sitting in the back row but had been watching him ever since he entered the class, seemed to understand what he meant and quickly ran out of the classroom.

With a clanging sound, she returned, panting heavily, her body once again weakened.

In her hand was a bottle of mineral water she had just bought from the vending machine next to her.

Taking the water bottle from the girl's hand, Asakusa Toru gently patted her head as encouragement, then gulped down the water.

While he waited for Sakura Airi to return and for him to get some water, the other classmates weren't idling either.

They were still immersed in what Asakusa Toru had just said.

Musical chairs and Whisper Game.

A very simple name, very ordinary logic, but... devilish game rules.

Yes, the only word to describe them is "devil".

Even with their limited minds, they could imagine and feel how terrible this torture was.

Musical chairs?

They refuse to get up and sit down, seizing any opportunity for the other person to get up to take their seat. If the other person tries to drag them away by force, they will turn the tables and start faking an accident.

Whether the staged accident succeeds or not is not important; the important thing is that they started making noise, forcing the school to take action to deal with the situation.

He's an absolute scoundrel.

What can students from other classes do? Can they only watch as these students take their seats, while they stand and listen to the lesson, hoping the school won't deduct too many points from their evaluations?

Even those whose seats weren't taken away had to be extremely cautious and mindful of every time they left their seats.

What if someone takes my seat the moment I stand up...?

The feeling, the intense tingling sensation, it was simply amazing.

Musical chairs are merely a physical torment; it simply means taking someone else's seat and preventing them from sitting down.

They could take turns sitting, sit on the floor, or sit directly on the table.

It just means points will be deducted; that's the purpose of their Zero Point Plan for everyone.

But compared to "musical chairs," "Whisper Game" is even more insidious and psychologically damaging.

Anytime, anywhere.

People always want to talk about all sorts of things alone with people they are close to.

These are things you can talk about with friends, family, or your loved one.

But you absolutely cannot yell it out like a megaphone so everyone can hear it.

This is not just a privacy issue.

There is also the issue of the boundary between the individual and the boundary of the public.

While not everyone will pay attention to every word you say, if there's someone beside you who amplifies and shouts out everything you say...

Aren't you worried that a thoughtless, offhand remark you make might turn you into public enemy number one?

Even a seemingly ordinary sentence might be just idle chatter to an unsuspecting person, but to someone who is paying attention...

That's the most straightforward and obvious expression of your attitude.

The relationship will fall apart.

That's terrifying.

They couldn't imagine what the environment would be like if someone actually did that.

Don't offer simple, easy answers like "just keep an eye on the people around you."

It's simply impossible.

Do you need to be wary of everyone?

Do you need to be on guard for 24 hours straight?

Do you have to cautiously glance around before speaking, whispering like spies making a rendezvous?

Don't you think this will make people more suspicious of the 'gossip' you share with others?

Even though only two recommended games were mentioned, a chill ran down the spines of everyone in Class D.

Do we... really have to do this?

The hesitation that had arisen was erased when he saw the Personal Terminal that Asakusa Toru was flipping up and down in his hand.

They have no chance of turning back.

Ninety percent of this month's points have already been handed over to Asakusa Toru. If, as he said, no one will receive a single cent next month, then the 'guarantee fund' he mentioned will be their only hope for survival in the future.

Since it's a fund... it should go up, right?

It is indeed a bit strange to expect that the money you hand over will be saved by someone else.

However, no one doubted Asakusa Toru's abilities.

Joke.

On the first day of school, before everyone had even fully understood the materials the school had distributed or what the homeroom teacher was saying, this God-man rattled off a whole bunch of shocking information, pointed out the homeroom teacher's thoughts, and openly insulted the homeroom teacher, completely crushing everyone in the class with both force and words.

Such a person...

They had no choice but to comply.

Do they really expect the school to do anything? Do they really expect a school where even the homeroom teacher is so silent and playing dead?

If the school were really that good, they wouldn't have been assigned to the so-called Class D.

"Alright." Setting down the water bottle, Asakusa Toru picked up the chalk again.

"Let's continue. I have some 'good projects' I can recommend to you."

Side Story: Classroom of the Elite 6 - Everyone Scores Zero

Asakusa Toru, chalk in hand, turned around, intending to continue illustrating his perfect drawing to his classmates after the brief break.

But before his chalk could even fall...

Finally, a sound emerged from behind the incredibly silent and oppressive atmosphere.

"--Okay."