Chapter 205
In other words, classes below Class B have no value.
Of course, she is also confident that she can, to some extent, achieve the future she desires on her own.
However... graduating below Class B will become a stumbling block—you'll likely be labeled with the troublesome tag of "[a student who failed to graduate from Class A]".
If such a thing were to happen, it would be absolutely terrible for a young woman who values stability.
The next miscalculation was that she wasn't assigned to Class A, but rather to Class D. This meant she was carrying a very heavy burden.
However, the girl wasn't particularly anxious when she first started school. It was that carelessness that sealed her fate.
In the blink of an eye, a month has passed, and the situation in the first year has changed so drastically that it is unimaginable. Under the leadership of that Aragaki classmate, the original Class B easily made a comeback against the Class A, and even took control of the finances of the Class C and Class D through a contract.
Perhaps since that time, Class D, which had been reduced to being completely dependent on others, had lost all hope of making progress.
No, that's not right. Thinking about it carefully, this is probably the third miscalculation—if someone had been able to completely unify the class back then... they probably still had a chance of winning, right?
Looking back now, it seems there were quite a few people in this class with hidden talents.
Students like Wang Meiyu and Horikita Suzune, who have already joined Class A, and Koenji and Ayanokoji, who voluntarily went to Class B, are all students recognized by the two higher-ranking classes.
In addition, Karuizawa Kei, who stayed in Class D to serve as the representative of Class A, has certain leadership skills; Yosuke Hirata and Kushida Kikyo are both able to coordinate interpersonal relationships inside and outside the class; Yukimura Teruhiko's academic performance is also among the top in the grade; and Miyake Akito has a special talent in archery.
Looking at the four who have already been expelled, the two fools, Yamauchi Haruki and Kanji Ike, can't see it, but Ken Sudō's strong physical ability and Sotomura Hideo's mechanical skills are commendable.
Looking at it this way, the potential in their class is simply frighteningly high.
Not to mention, she herself should also be included.
Although she didn't want to say it out loud, the girl felt that she was an outstanding person in the whole grade—she should be able to easily secure a place in the top 10%, at least on par with Ayanokouji, who was also keeping Ayanokoji.
Nevertheless, she did not stand out in Class D. Instead, she chose to conceal her strength and remain low-key in the middle, maintaining a state of neither dragging the team down nor being particularly conspicuous.
The reason was that the group she got along well with consisted mostly of children with lower skill levels.
Here, if one were to casually display their abilities, they would be envied by others, or become excessively relied upon, thus getting involved in all sorts of trouble. This is what the girl wants to avoid.
So she decided to play the role of an ordinary hot girl to fully immerse herself in the character.
Good news, she played the role very successfully, and no one doubted her hidden talents.
The bad news is, she acted too successfully; no one doubted her hidden abilities!
Who would have thought that in order to maintain Class A's status, Aragaki Shun would actually launch a strategy of poaching students from other classes, causing her to miscalculate yet another time.
"Giving up now seems a bit too early. Didn't you see Hui Du proactively sign up for tutoring classes? Her grades aren't better than yours, but she still has a high chance of getting into Class A. Actually, we're not without hope."
Feeling somewhat depressed, Matsushita Chiaki could only look at her close friends, who were still frowning, in order to distract herself from her bad mood.
As it turned out, this approach was indeed effective. Sato Maya, Mori Nene, and Shinohara Satsuki all showed subtle expressions at this moment, gritted their teeth, and reached out to grab the exercise books on the table.
"... Megumi seems to have earned 1 million Private Points during the VIP Exam. Sometimes, Aragaki -san will transfer some funds to her. She's living a much more comfortable life than any of us."
As she turned the pages of the book, resting her chin on her hand, Shinohara Satsuki couldn't help but utter a sour remark.
To this, Sato Maya could only respond wistfully, "What's there to say about luck?"
During the VIP Exam, in order to achieve result one, Class A rewarded all students who voluntarily cooperated with 50,000 Private Points. If they were willing to offer their VIP status, this reward could be increased to 1 million points.
As it happens, Karuizawa Kei is one of the three VIP in Class D; she can become rich overnight simply by stepping forward and saying her name.
What should they say?
"Actually, it's not just luck; Hui's greatest strength is probably her drive and initiative."
Matsushita Chiaki shook his head, disagreeing with both of their statements.
She had always known that her close friends weren't entirely convinced of Karuizawa Kei's leadership position.
After all, it's normal for people to compare themselves to each other within small circles.
In the eyes of Shinohara Satsuki and the others, Karuizawa was just an ordinary gyaru (a type of girl with a lot of energy) like them. Her grades were average, her physical abilities were poor, and she wasn't particularly smart. The only reason she was able to be at the top of Class D was because she was lucky enough to get close to Aragaki Shun at the beginning of the school year.
Matsushita Chiaki sometimes thought this way too, but upon calming down and reflecting carefully, he realized...
The fact that he was able to approach the Leader of Class A immediately after the Behavioral Standards Exam and openly become the leader's spokesperson in Class D, thereby enhancing his own class status and proving his worth through class leadership... this level of action is truly frightening.
To put it bluntly, Karuizawa Kei was absolutely the biggest contributor to extinguishing Class D's hopes. It was because she took the initiative to get closer to Aragaki Shun that most of the students lost their motivation to compete with Class A.
"Then there's Wang Meiyu. Her efficiency is frighteningly high. I can't understand why, after Aragaki Shun only asked for a few words, she dared to move all the supplies from the Uninhabited Island to Class A in front of the whole class."
Matsushita felt that what he lacked most was the ability to act decisively once he made up his mind.
Even if you know it's wrong, some things you've become accustomed to aren't easily changed.
As someone who dislikes taking responsibility and hates trouble, she really didn't think she had the courage to backstab someone like the two of them, risking being bullied by the whole class.
However... although she didn't want to reap the rewards without sowing, she really wanted to graduate from Class A.
If possible, the girl wants to take an easy route to steer the future towards stability.
Therefore, I must start demonstrating sufficient strength from now on.
"..."
Hearing Panasonic's emotion, Sato Maya hesitated to speak.
Is it possible that you're just overthinking things?
Where exactly does this sense of action come from? Karuizawa clearly just wants to find a backer, while Wang Meiyu is simply love-struck, isn't she?
If this counts as initiative, then I think I can do it too.
Why didn't she stumble upon such a wonderful opportunity: becoming a leader in Class D, having endless points to use, and enjoying Class A benefits simply by dating a handsome guy?
She exchanged glances with Shinohara Satsuki and Mori Nene, and all three could see what the other was thinking.
Putting Wang Meiyu aside, Karuizawa's situation was purely a matter of first come, first served. It felt like anyone who approached Aragaki Shun to recommend themselves would become his representative in Class D.
Ugh~ All this studying is pointless.
The rules for all three classes have been standardized, so even if someone wanted to follow those two and sell Class D, there's no chance now.
Or perhaps we should follow Shiina Hiyori and directly target Aragaki Shun himself?
I wouldn't mind dating the most handsome, richest, best fighter, and most athletic boyfriend in the whole school.
281. Kamuro's performance was less than ideal; the suppression of Miyabi Nagumo must be resolutely implemented.
A week passed quickly amidst the intense review period for all first-year students.
The results of the Small Test are out. Hoshinomiya-sensei posted all the students' scores on the blackboard and began to group the students in Class A according to the school's requirements.
"In short, the rules are what you deduced: the first-place winner in the Small Test will team up with the last-place winner, the second-place winner with the second-to-last, and so on."
"Everyone's scores are on the blackboard, and the rankings are also marked, so it's easy to find your teammates."
As she spoke, Chie Hoshinomiya clapped her hands and took two steps to the side to avoid blocking some people's view.
Aragaki Shun looked up and memorized everyone's rankings and pairings at a glance.
First place: Aragaki Shun.
Second place: Ichinose Honami.
Third place: Shiina Hiyori.
Fourth place: Sakayanagi Arisu.
Fifth place: Wang Meiyu.
Sixth place: Kanzaki Ryuji.
Seventh place:...
No. 48: Kamuro Masumi
Upon seeing this, Aragaki Shun subconsciously turned his gaze to a girl with long, straight purple hair.
Coincidentally, Kamuro Masumi also turned to look.
The moment their eyes met, the girl's face flushed red, and she stiffly turned her head back to her original position, staring intently at the blackboard at the front.
Well, for her, being announced as the last in the class in front of everyone must have been incredibly embarrassing, right?
However, in the data card that the school made for Kamuro, his academic performance was only C, his intelligence was D+, and his average score in each subject fluctuated between 50 and 70... This would be fine in other classes, but it seemed a bit backward in Class A.
On the other hand, the girl's judgment is B-, her athletic ability is as high as B+, and she has no other obvious flaws. Her thieving habit has never been caught, so it is quite normal that she was initially assigned to the original Class A.
Incidentally, Aragaki Shun, having used his Student Council privileges to review so many Advanced Nurturing student profiles, can now roughly estimate the specific range of each evaluation level.
If we use a 100-point scale, then an A rating is an excellent student with a score of 90 or above.
A score of 70-90 (B) is considered good.
C is 50-70, which is the average level of most ordinary people.
A score of 30-50 for D is clearly a failing grade.
Finally, E simply refers to those under 30, who are either mentally immature, physically weak to the point of being unbearable to look at, or completely lacking in social skills. The three representatives are Ken Sudō, Sakayanagi Arisu, and Horikita Suzune, respectively.
To be honest, getting an E rating in Advanced Nurturing is actually harder than getting an A. After all, even Yamauchi Haruki's academic ability is E+, and his intelligence is an unexpected D.
"Kamuro, your grades aren't very good."
After class, Aragaki Shun found the purple-haired girl's seat, tapped on the table, and made a teasing remark in a playful tone.
Kamuro Masumi gave her a disgusted look, crossed her arms, and said with a disgruntled expression, "I know, I'll catch up as soon as possible."
It's unbelievable. How come the overall academic level of this class is so high? As a result, she took the last place after transferring to this class.
She has her pride too, right? She was invited into Class A with Twenty Million Personal Points, considered a top talent, but how did she end up being at the bottom of the class?
Fortunately, she was assigned to do a lot of work during the Sports Festival, which counts as making a contribution; otherwise, she would probably be so embarrassed she'd explode on the spot.
"Haha~ Good luck then! Since you're teamed up with me for this Special Exam, you don't need to worry about being expelled."
"However, such good luck won't come every time, so it's best to improve your grades."
Hearing the joking voice of the Leader of Class A, Kamuro couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth slightly.
Her academic ability was only average; she wasn't one of those academic failures who couldn't even reach half of the class average. Whether it was the midterm Final Exam or this Paper Shuffle, she wouldn't be expelled for failing grades.
After all, she was only last in Class A. She used to be ranked in the lower-middle range in Class B. If she were in Class C or Class D, she might be considered in the upper-middle range and become the team's carry.
The fact is, I'm already a member of Class A, so it's not appropriate to be satisfied with my current grades.
Therefore, although the girl was somewhat upset, she still accepted Aragaki Shun's statement and promised to study hard in the future to catch up with the progress of Class A as soon as possible.
Seeing this, Aragaki Shun stopped teasing the other person and turned to look at Wang Meiyu.
"Xiao Mei, how's the test paper production Exam Question Committee?"
"Don't worry, Aragaki-kun. We've already completed half of the 400 questions for the eight subjects. We should be able to finish the rest in about a week. We can use the extra time to fill in any gaps in our knowledge."
Wang Meiyu flashed a sweet smile and, under Aragaki Shun's gaze, enthusiastically made her promise.
She was just an ordinary girl, Aragaki-kun not only brought her from Class D to Class A, but also loved and trusted her so much. She certainly couldn't let her lover down.
It's just a matter of creating a difficult exam paper; watch me solve it with ease!
Satisfied with the girl's confident demeanor, the Leader of Class A turned his gaze to Ichinose and Kanzaki.
"Very good, this is good progress, but have you checked the difficulty of the test paper?"
Somewhat surprisingly, when Aragaki Shun raised this question, several members of the Exam Question Committee showed somewhat indescribable expressions.
They exchanged a glance, and in the end, Kanzaki Ryuji stood up first, touching his forehead with his fingers as if recalling some painful memory.
"The difficulty of the questions is not the problem; in fact, it could be said that they are excessively difficult."
"Before this, my Classmate Sakayanagi and I were responsible for reviewing the completed part of the test paper, so we did a draft of the test paper. As a result, we could only get around 70 points within the time limit."
This is quite surprising. These two are both top students in Class A, and their Final Exam. How could they suddenly drop so much?
"If even you guys think it's difficult, then it certainly seems like there's no problem."
There are far fewer top students in Class B than in Class A, and among them, Aragaki Shun can only think of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Sakayanagi, who can surpass Kanzaki and Koenji Rokusuke in all subjects.
But the key to this PaperShuffle assessment was not these academically outstanding students, but rather those students who were on the verge of passing.
It would be ridiculous if one or two groups in Class B faced expulsion because they failed to meet the passing grade.
"There's no way around it; many of the questions here don't require a lot of knowledge, but rather push your imagination and mindset to the limit."
"For example, this is the first time I've ever discovered that a single exam paper can cover three subjects across different disciplines—it's absolutely outrageous!"