Aragaki Shun wore a thoughtful expression. If there was a profit to be made, trading with other classes was an option, so he asked curiously:
"Tell me your reasoning first."
"Didn't we all have the free lunch set at noon? It really didn't taste very good. Most of the time, the second- and third-year seniors in Classes C and D can only eat that, so they seem to have a pretty hard time. I was wondering if we could let the students in first-year Classes C and D keep more of their Class Points..."
By the end, Ichinose had lowered her head so far that her face was hidden. She looked terribly embarrassed.
"I-I'm sorry, but even if we have to compete, can't we still be friends?"
Aragaki Shun: "..."
He rubbed his forehead, at a loss for words. He'd wondered what reason the girl had, but it turned out she was thinking about it from this angle.
Most importantly, he could tell she truly meant it. There wasn't a trace of pretense in her.
"I'm rejecting this proposal!"
Seeing that the others seemed moved for some reason, as if they were about to stand up and agree with Ichinose Honami, Aragaki Shun decisively waved his hand to put a stop to it.
The pink-haired girl opened her mouth. She looked a little disappointed, but didn't insist. She only gave him a helpless look.
She had probably known there was an eighty-percent chance this would be the outcome.
Aragaki Shun wasn't swayed by her pitiful expression. He simply reiterated:
"I'll say it again: I don't care if you make friends with students from other classes, but please don't harm the interests of the class as a whole!"
"Ichinose, if you're worried that your friends are having a hard time, you can lend them some points in private. You can even give them supplies for free if you want. But don't make the entire class pay for your kindness!"
The boy's voice was cold and resolute. He didn't show the class's angel any consideration.
"Only graduating from Class A can give everyone a chance to pursue the future they want. If something goes wrong, Ichinose, can you take responsibility for that?"
15. Aragaki Shun's Promise to Everyone in Class B
Ichinose, can you take responsibility for that?
The boy's challenge from the podium immediately crushed the pink-haired girl's overflowing kindness.
Ichinose Honami still wore her lovely smile, but the shadows had already fallen over her delicate eyes. In a daze, it was as if she had been locked away once again in those days when she had dropped out of school and stayed at home.
Nothing had changed. She could never escape this in her entire life. The scene before her was still that dusk when she had knelt with her mother to atone for stealing something.
Could she take responsibility for the future of the thirty-nine classmates whose prospects might be ruined because of her?
If the price of stealing a single hair clip had been to prostrate herself in front of the public, how could she atone for stealing the futures of thirty-nine people?
The pink-haired girl lowered her gaze, looking haggard. Remembering how she had just self-righteously offered to help Classes C and D for free, she could hardly breathe. She was too ashamed to face the classmates who trusted her.
Ichinose Honami, you're such a despicable woman. All you do is be generous with other people's money, and you're always hurting those around you!
"Honami-chan..."
Seeing Ichinose Honami sink into despair, the boys and girls in class who were close to her looked over with concern.
Shiranami Chihiro, whose seat was even closer to her, glared angrily at Aragaki Shun up front, then hurried over to comfort the pink-haired girl.
Feeling her friends' gazes, Ichinose Honami finally realized how she'd let herself go. She quickly adjusted her expression so that her emotions wouldn't affect the mood of the whole class.
"Sorry. I'm just ashamed. Everyone's working hard for the future of the whole class, but I was making grand statements and shamelessly trying to drag you all into it."
"Aragaki-kun was right. What we need to do now is make sure Class B gets the school's recommendation three years from now. We haven't even made it into Class A yet, but I was already thinking about helping the students in Classes C and D. I was too presumptuous!"
Seeing how remorseful Ichinose Honami was, her classmates hurried to reassure her, saying it wasn't a big deal.
"Not at all, Honami-chan is just too kind."
"Honami only doesn't want to see her friends in other classes struggling."
"Aragaki-kun just didn't agree with us harming the class's interests. We can still be friends with students from other classes. If our friends run into trouble, we can all invite them to dinner."
With her friends' comfort, the girl swallowed all her sorrow. Even for the sake of the classmates who cared about her, she couldn't stay down any longer.
"Thank you, everyone. I'm fine. Really, I'm fine."
Seeing the familiar smile return to Ichinose's face, her classmates all breathed a sigh of relief.
With the class's two central figures suddenly at odds, Class B's mood had fallen to freezing point. They hadn't known what to do.
"I'm sorry, Aragaki-kun. I was too naive!"
Aragaki Shun had watched the class's reaction coldly. Only after Ichinose Honami had pulled herself together and bowed in apology did he continue in a voice so rational it was almost indifferent:
"Looks like you've thought it through, Ichinose. That's good. With so many people in the class, everyone can just speak up if they have different opinions. As long as it's for Class B, I think everyone will understand."
What he meant was that if it wasn't for Class B, she shouldn't bring up all that irrelevant talk here.
You're so kind. Wouldn't it be better to use some of that kindness to ask if any of your classmates are having trouble?
"I hope that three years from now, every one of us will graduate from Class A together!"
Aragaki Shun looked around at his classmates in Class B, who were listening quietly. His voice was calm, yet it carried an unwavering conviction that inspired their faith.
"Last night, I asked about the number of students in each of the twelve second- and third-year classes. I also sent the list to the class group chat."
"You should have seen it by now. Apart from Class A of the Third Year, can you find a single class that's full?"
"At this school, losing the competition really does mean being expelled. Do you think the school is joking?"
Aragaki Shun's sharp gaze swept across the classroom. All the boys and girls held their breath. No one dared meet his eyes.
Perhaps it was just her imagination, but Ichinose Honami felt that Aragaki Shun had looked at her particularly pointedly. The pink-haired girl lowered her head, filled with guilt.
"Tell me, you all came to Advanced Nurturing Senior High School from all over the country, dreaming of getting into the school or company you want three years from now. Are you willing to leave with nothing? Or be expelled halfway through, leaving a special note on your record for the rest of your life?"
"Absolutely not!"
"I want to graduate from Class A with everyone!"
"There are forty of us in this class. We should all graduate together!"
"With Aragaki-kun and Honami-chan here, we can definitely beat the other classes!"
The whole classroom came alive again. Everyone eagerly voiced their determination.
Without a doubt, as high schoolers of the same age, none of them would admit they were worse than students from other classes.
And in a society where social classes were rigidly fixed, the promise from Advanced Nurturing Senior High School that students could choose any prestigious school or job was almost the only chance most of Class B would ever have to rise above their station and realize their dreams.
If they really missed this precious opportunity, they wouldn't even know how to face their parents and families when they went home three years later.
Aragaki Shun raised his hand, signaling for everyone to quiet down. Only after the classroom fell silent again did he continue:
"Don't put so much pressure on yourselves. First of all, we're already the class closest to Class A."
"And we've already found the answer to this Behavioral Standards Exam."
"Whatever the school's criteria for assigning classes may be, at least we're still starting on equal footing with Class A. Passing them isn't that difficult!"
"Of course, being ahead or behind for now doesn't mean much. We'll spend three years at Advanced Nurturing, and the only winners are those who graduate from Class A in the end!"
As he spoke, Aragaki Shun met the eyes of his classmates one by one, imprinting their expressions and appearances in his mind.
Earlier, I asked Ichinose Honami whether she could take responsibility if something went wrong.
The pink-haired girl's smile finally turned strained after he twisted the knife again.
She thought he was about to single her out for criticism again, but the boy didn't pursue the matter. Instead, he chose to take everything upon himself.
"At the same time, this is something I have to face myself: can I live up to the trust of everyone in Class 1-B?"
"My answer is: yes!"
"Here and now, I make this promise to everyone in the name of the Aragaki family: if everyone in Class B works together and follows my lead, but still can't graduate from Class A, then I'll take full responsibility!"
"When that happens, I'll provide you with well-paying jobs and support you as you continue to pursue your dreams!"
16. Class B's Sudden Surge of Passion
Power and responsibility went hand in hand!
Aragaki Shun wanted to gather Source Power at Advanced Nurturing, so he had chosen to take control of Class 1-B. That meant he had to take responsibility for the class competition over the next three years.
He could use his power however he liked and leave others to bear the responsibility. That was certainly an option, and it was even the prevailing tendency in society.
But the boy didn't consider himself a good person, yet he still had some basic principles.
The benefits of graduating from Class A meant little to Aragaki Shun.
But for most students at Advanced Nurturing, they were the most important turning point of their lives. If they missed it, they might never find a better opportunity to rise above their current station.
He was only wagering three years of playing a game. Class B, on the other hand, was entrusting him with what could be their entire lives.
In that situation, what kind of cold-blooded, heartless person would trample on the trust of the entire class and cast it aside like trash when everyone had placed their faith in him and was ready to follow his orders?
"You should have heard about my background from Kanzaki."
"I've made this promise to everyone in Class B in public. There are security cameras from Advanced Nurturing Senior High School on the ceiling, and the heir to Kanzaki Heavy Industries is here to vouch for me. You don't need to worry that I'll break my word if something happens three years from now."
"Compared to this promise, which would cost me at most thirty-nine well-paying jobs, the credibility of me, the heir to the Aragaki Family, is clearly worth more. Does anyone have any doubts?"
It seemed that Aragaki Shun's assurance had stunned them. When the boy asked, everyone reflexively shook their heads to show that they had no problem with it.
Come on. Not many high schoolers here paid special attention to politics. Compared to the Aragaki Family, major companies known for their wealth, like Kanzaki Heavy Industries and the Koenji Conglomerate, might be more famous.
But anyone could easily learn just how valuable the boy's guarantee was by looking him up online.
Anyway, they didn't think Aragaki Shun had any reason to deceive them about this.
Or, if things really came to the point that the heir to the Aragaki Family had to stake his reputation to help a group of high schoolers, wouldn't that be an honor in a way?
While the class sat in dead silence, it was Kanzaki Ryuji who suddenly stood up and broke it.
For some reason, the normally calm and detached boy seemed fired up.
"Since Aragaki has already made such a promise, I'll add another guarantee."
"Just like Aragaki, if Class B loses the competition three years from now and fails to receive the employment and university placement opportunities promised by the school, then any of you interested in working for Kanzaki Heavy Industries can come to me. I'll make sure you get respectable jobs."
Now it wasn't just the students in the class who were dumbfounded. Even Chie Hoshinomiya, who had somehow made her way to the classroom door and had been quietly observing the class meeting, was clicking her tongue in amazement.
What was with this year's first-years?
Had the school's higher-ups gone crazy? Why had they assigned these two big shots to Class B? Did they think the pressure on this year's Class A was too light?
Wait, wasn't Chairman Sakayanagi's daughter in Class A, too?
In that case, never mind...
"Sorry, but I have to interrupt," Ichinose Honami said, taking a deep breath. Her eyes wavered, yet held an inexplicable determination as she looked at Aragaki Shun. "Getting into Class A should be something everyone in Class B works toward together. H-how can you put it all on yourselves?"
"Besides, the information about the school's hidden rules was gathered by you, Aragaki-kun, Kanzaki-kun, and Shibata-kun. You've already contributed more than enough."
"I'm willing to follow Aragaki-kun's lead, and I believe he'll be able to guide everyone in the class into Class A. Whether we succeed or fail, this is the choice I've made of my own free will. Please don't shoulder the responsibility all by yourself. If the worst happens, let me share it with you!"
Ichinose Honami stared straight at Aragaki Shun, her expression utterly serious.
Hearing her speak seemed to snap the others out of a dream. One after another, they shouted their impassioned thoughts as if caught up in a fever.
"Honami-chan's right! Everyone in Class B should work together for our future. How can we let Aragaki and Kanzaki bear the consequences alone?"
"That's not fair! Aragaki, fine, but Kanzaki, why are you showing off too?"
"Let's all get into Class A together. Even if we fail, we can still get into college on our own. Three years without tuition or living expenses—that's already a huge win!"
"Aragaki's the best! Honami-chan loves him best! Being in Class B is the best!!"
"Ahhh~ I'm fired up!!!"
Shouts and enthusiasm filled all of Class B. Even though Chie Hoshinomiya sensed something was off and closed the door, the neighboring classrooms could probably still hear them. Someone was probably already wondering why everyone in Class B had suddenly gone crazy.
Aragaki Shun looked at his classmates, who had suddenly become so fired up, with some bemusement. He felt the youthful energy of their school days for the first time in a long while.
He could only say that, after living another life, he had indeed brought too much of a desire for personal gain with him.
For these high schoolers, who hadn't yet been thrown into the great dye vat of society, practical matters like future salaries, jobs, and social status might have been important, but they certainly mattered far less than what they valued most at this age: youth, passion, pride, and friendship.
In fact, after Aragaki Shun and Kanzaki Ryuji had made their promises one after another, what the boys and girls in class cared about most wasn't their backgrounds. It was how they could be so cool!!!
Shouldering the future of all Class B on his own—that was insanely cool!
It was so awesome!
When would I get a chance to show off like that to everyone?!
As for seriously considering the jobs the two had promised...at least for now, hardly anyone in Class B was taking them to heart.
After all, once Aragaki Shun gave them the information about the Behavioral Standards Exam, no one had any real sense of how difficult the class competition would be. They all felt like getting into Class A would be a breeze.
Before you continue