During middle school, Ichinose Honami had once taken a leave of absence and shut herself away at home for a while because of something that happened. It wasn't until she enrolled at Kodo Ikusei Senior High School that she decided to start a new life.
Yet even after letting her studies slide that badly, the girl had easily scored second in the entire year on the entrance exam, behind only the reincarnated cheat, Aragaki Shun.
That showed just how high her academic talent was. She was far better than certain people who spent over ten hours studying every day yet could only barely rank near the top of their year and never managed to break into the top three.
Talent was simply that unreasonable.
Given Ichinose Honami's ability to connect with people, Aragaki Shun also believed that anyone she tutored would earnestly respond to her efforts. So it would be easy enough for the whole class to pass through a simple group study session.
After all, the passing grade at Kodo Ikusei Senior High School was only half the class's average score.
In other words, even if every student in Class B were a top student scoring close to perfect, the lowest-ranked students would only need to get above 50 to pass.
That was the highest possible passing threshold, and it was still far below the normal passing grade of 60 in Aragaki Shun's eyes.
In reality, Class B couldn't possibly consist entirely of top students. The passing threshold within the class would probably be around 35 to 40.
If someone couldn't even manage that, Aragaki Shun felt that either their attitude was the problem or they simply weren't cut out for it.
Either way, he'd have to consider whether to just let them drop out.
Someone at that level could never be a Class B student. He deeply suspected the school had deliberately dumped them there to drag everyone down.
Otherwise, if they had to fish people out every midterm and Final Exam, even Class B's resources wouldn't be enough to keep them afloat!
Pressed Ichinose Again
All in all, Aragaki Shun believed that Ichinose Honami could help everyone in Class B pass the midterm and Final Exams by organizing study sessions.
But he still bluntly rejected her suggestion.
"Proposal rejected!"
The class's second-in-command parted her lips slightly, her eyes widening a little.
It wasn't because Aragaki Shun had turned her down. It was because when she'd wanted to offer Class C and Class D some advice before, the boy had been just as decisive, and his words had been exactly the same both times.
Had she done something wrong again?
"I know you're kindhearted, Ichinose, and don't want anyone in the class to fall behind. That's why you want to organize study sessions yourself and save everyone the money they'd otherwise spend on tutoring."
"But are you planning to tutor every classmate who needs help all by yourself? Or are you expecting the students with the best grades to help you organize the sessions?"
Ichinose Honami looked confused. She didn't understand why Aragaki Shun was asking her that.
Everyone in the class was so eager to help. Was there anything wrong with doing it this way?
And even if the others were busy, she could divide the afternoons and evenings into time slots and groups. If she tutored three or four people at a time, she should be able to manage on her own.
"Honestly, you only ever think about other people. Can't you think about yourself for once?"
Aragaki Shun sighed helplessly.
Ichinose herself didn't treat her selflessness as anything special. She took it for granted that spending a great deal of time and energy every day tutoring her classmates for free was perfectly normal. What could he, an outsider, say to that?
The problem was that her influence was frighteningly strong. She always affected the others in the class without even realizing it.
If Ichinose really did organize study sessions, he was certain that plenty of the top students would be willing to tutor their classmates whose grades were in danger.
"Then I'll be blunt!"
Aragaki Shun fixed his sharp gaze on the pink-haired girl, whose cheeks had grown noticeably red.
"Organizing study sessions and having students with good grades tutor those at risk isn't a bad idea. But why should the top students have to sacrifice their own time and energy for it? Don't they have things they need to do themselves?"
"I..."
The flush in Ichinose Honami's cheeks faded a little.
She had only thought that it was normal for classmates to help one another. It had never occurred to her that some people would have to make sacrifices to help others.
She was willing to give up her free time so no classmate would be expelled. But if the others had things of their own to do, she certainly wouldn't deliberately disturb them.
"Take a good look at the influence you have in this class, Ichinose!"
Aragaki Shun spoke frankly. "Given how everyone sees you, if you ask them, most people will eventually agree with you no matter what they really think—even if it leaves them feeling troubled!"
"H-how could that be?"
Ichinose Honami stared in disbelief, but Aragaki Shun met her gaze without backing down, proving that he wasn't joking.
The girl stiffly looked around, trying to find out what her friends thought. But the classmates she regarded as warmhearted, helpful, honest, and kind all turned their heads and looked away.
Me? That can't be right! Someone like me! How could a sinner like me...
"Have I... caused everyone in the class a lot of trouble?"
Just as Ichinose murmured unconsciously, a sharp voice cut off her self-reproach.
"Of course not! Everyone's always stuck with Honami-chan because they trust her. Isn't that what friends do?"
It was Shiranami Chihiro, who hurried over in a fluster to comfort Ichinose.
"That's right. We all know how kind Honami-chan is, and how gentle she is with everyone. How could we possibly feel troubled?"
The girl who came over and gently hugged Ichinose was Amikura Mako. Her ponytail bounced high, and she radiated youthful energy. She was also one of the most beautiful girls in the class.
"Um, I do think Ichinose spends too much time socializing. She doesn't need to organize a get-together every other day."
Seeing everyone in the class comforting Ichinose, Himeno Yuki thought for a moment, then looked up at Aragaki Shun and seized the chance to say what she'd been hesitating over for a long time.
As expected, the twin-tailed girl immediately drew the attention of most of the class. But she remained unfazed as she continued, "It's not that I dislike this about Ichinose. But if possible, I'd like a little more time and space to myself."
"All right, everyone, settle down!"
Aragaki Shun motioned for everyone to return to their seats. After sensing the heavy atmosphere in the class, he spoke in a much gentler tone.
"What I said earlier wasn't because I dislike you, Ichinose. On the contrary, just like everyone else in this class, I really admire everything you do for it."
"But public matters are public, and private matters are private."
"Of course you're free to organize study sessions after class. If others choose to help you, that's a reflection of your ability to connect with people. I have absolutely no objection."
What Aragaki Shun said left everyone confused. It felt as though he was contradicting himself.
Only Kanzaki Ryuji, hearing the phrase "public matters are public, and private matters are private," had a thoughtful look in his eyes.
"But those can only be your personal actions. As the leader of Class B, I can't make a decision that requires the top students in the class to tutor the weaker students for free."
"No one should be expected to make sacrifices. According to the details of our class rules, if an exam requires some students to make sacrifices so that Class B as a whole can achieve the greatest victory, then we should take some money from the class fund to compensate those who have to make them for all their losses."
"So if I were to decide to organize study sessions, I'd require the students receiving tutoring to contribute some money to the class fund. Then the class treasurer would use that money to compensate the top students who sacrificed their free time."
Aragaki Shun laid out a somewhat convoluted plan.
Everyone thought it over. Though it sounded a little unreasonable, their common sense told them that it was the right thing to do.
As the boy had said, the top students had never been obligated to tutor their struggling classmates for free.
Likewise, if a student simply wanted to improve their academic ability, they could always take their questions to a teacher.
Doing that once or twice would be fine. But going to a teacher for extra tutoring outside of class every time without paying would be incredibly inconsiderate.
Three Tiers of Growth Goals
Seeing everyone in the class fall into thought, Aragaki Shun went straight to the blackboard and displayed the three tiers of goals he'd planned.
"You can organize study sessions among yourselves if you want, but I'm definitely setting up tutoring classes. This isn't just to help the students whose grades are at risk pass the midterm and Final Exams. It's also about the growth of every student in Class B."
"I hope that three years from now, when all of you graduate from Class A, you'll each be able to reach the first tier listed here."
Aragaki Shun pointed at the first-tier goal on the blackboard. Except for a few people, the rest of the class nearly died of fright.
What did it mean to get into the school you wanted and land the job you wanted entirely on your own, without a recommendation from the school? Wasn't that just a pipe dream?
"If you can reach that goal, then the school's promise won't matter. After you graduate from Kodo Ikusei, you'll only need to treat it as a calling card, then use its connections to help build your future."
A crowd below the platform was speechless. It was a great goal, just a little too idealistic.
So they'd better take a look at the other two tiers.
Then they saw the explanation of the second-tier goal on the blackboard: their abilities wouldn't quite be enough to achieve their dreams on their own, so they'd need a school recommendation, but they'd be fully capable of handling their ideal university or career.
"This second tier is for students who have ability but aren't quite at the top. If things go normally, they can get into the prestigious school they want. But if they have bad luck on exam day, someone else might take their place."
"Reaching this level means that graduating from Class A will help eliminate the chance of an unexpected setback. Their abilities will be up to standard, and they'll have a good chance of adapting to a new environment in the future."
Aragaki Shun guessed that this second tier was probably the highest standard the school expected of its Class A graduates.
Graduates at this level, recommended to prestigious universities and companies, would be accepted by them ninety-nine times out of a hundred rather than getting a bad review.
After all, even if students at this level had to compete against everyone else outside the school, they'd still have a sixty- or seventy-percent chance of getting into a prestigious university or company on their own.
They simply wouldn't be considered top-notch. They'd have to compete with too many people, and if their luck ran out, someone else might take their place.
After hearing Aragaki Shun's explanation, the people in Class B felt that reaching this goal would be rather difficult. But it did seem like something they needed to strive for.
Otherwise, suppose someone in the class wanted the school to recommend them to the medical school at the University of Tokyo and actually got in. What if, after a while, the other students and coursework shattered their confidence?
That sounded terrifying!
But if that was the second tier, what was the third-tier goal?
The people in Class B looked down at the explanation of the third tier: Their abilities were somewhat lacking, but they had a good attitude, were diligent and responsible, and understood their own limitations. They could therefore choose prestigious universities or companies with less demanding initial requirements that would give them more time to grow.
"I hate to say it, but I have to admit that plenty of people in this world use special connections to reach high positions despite lacking ability. Treating Kodo Ikusei Senior High School's promise as one of those connections is certainly an option."
Aragaki Shun paused, and then his voice suddenly turned as sharp as a blade.
"But if this is all you're aiming for, I hope you'll be honest with yourselves and look for easy jobs with little work and high pay. Don't take on work that demands high ability and carries heavy responsibilities. Otherwise, you'll hurt yourselves and others—and don't you dare say you came from the same class as me!"
A chill ran through everyone in Class B. As if a cold wind had swept over them, they instinctively avoided Aragaki Shun's gaze.
Aragaki's presence really did seem to grow more imposing by the day.
Although this third tier lowered the ability requirements, it placed more restrictions on one's ethics and character. It was hard to say which goal was more difficult to reach: the second or the third.
After all, for high school graduates full of youthful ambition, if the school promised to help them get into any prestigious university or company they chose, they'd naturally try every way they could to make a big splash. How could they be willing to spend their youth in an easy job, living as if they'd half-retired?
"As for those who can't even reach the third-tier goal, I don't need to spell it out, do I?"
Aragaki Shun's voice was calm, but his words held nothing back. "Someone with neither ability nor a good attitude must have been placed in Class B because the school was blind."
The people below responded enthusiastically.
"Of course! Class B is one whole. We can't leave anyone behind!"
"Don't worry, Aragaki. Our class would never have the kind of weirdos you see in Class C or Class D."
"Everyone's a good person. At the very least, we can definitely reach the third-tier goal."
"..."
After everyone in the class had spoken up, Aragaki Shun nodded.
"Looks like everyone's confident! But talk is cheap. I'll see whether you have the ability to back up that resolve!"
"As for your concern, Ichinose, about the risk of expulsion during a Special Exam and wanting to save up Twenty Million Personal Points as soon as possible..."
Aragaki Shun looked at the pink-haired girl, who seemed no different from usual. "My position is still the same. I'll take responsibility for the trust everyone in Class B has placed in me. If anyone follows my instructions and still ends up at risk of expulsion, then that's my responsibility!"
"I won't let a single person in Class B fall behind. If one of you is expelled because of a mistake in my decision, then I'll take the school's place and help her achieve her dream!"
This was the second time Aragaki Shun had emphasized the power and responsibility he held in Class B.
Even though everyone had heard those words a week ago, hearing the boy's promise again still filled them with a deep sense of reassurance.
Even though none of them thought they'd ever need to rely on that promise, they had no reason not to give their all when they could advance toward Class A together with everyone in Class B under such a leader!
"As expected... I really am an idiot."
Looking at the spirit in everyone's faces, Ichinose Honami suddenly laughed, then raised one hand high along with the others.
"Yeah!!!" Everyone cheered.
"Let's move forward together!"
"Class B is the best!"
"No one's getting expelled!"
"I can't wait!"
With everyone's blood running high, Aragaki Shun promptly began assigning tasks.
First...
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