"What if?"
Chabashira Sae almost laughed. Her expression was utterly cold. "Then why don't you look at the other classes? They have living expenses! Why do you think they have living expenses?"
"When you enrolled, there were clear differences in the overall abilities of the four classes. But the school gave all four classes the same initial evaluation: 1,000 points each. The school evaluates you all by the same standards, too. Right now, it's simply assessing whether you're qualified students. Yet your class managed to lose all 1,000 points in a single month."
"Who do you think is responsible for that?"
Wah...
So because we'd been so carefree lately, everyone had spent all their living expenses?
"But, Sensei, we can change," Hirata said, standing up under the pressure and pleading for understanding. "So couldn't you make an exception for us?"
His words immediately won the support of a large number of students.
At first, they'd thought there was a problem with the school's finances, which was why they hadn't received their living expenses. Now, it turned out they'd spent all the money themselves.
They couldn't accept that.
"But not everyone gets a chance to change. You can't just change and expect the past to be ignored. Nothing in this world comes that cheap." Chabashira Sae's tone softened a little. "So the class evaluation score has ultimately fallen to zero. You'll have to bear the consequences yourselves."
"That cannot be changed!" Chabashira Sae said.
"H-how can this be—"
But the students erupted.
"Does that mean we'll have no living expenses for a whole month?"
"I still have 56 Private Points. I can't afford anything!"
"Do you think this will only last for one month?" Chabashira Sae laughed. Her smile had a bewitching charm to it, but most of the students didn't seem to notice—apart from Nakano-kun, who was slacking off. They were all too preoccupied with the prospect of having nothing to eat this month.
"On the first of every month, the school will transfer your living expenses based on your class evaluation score, multiplied by 100. Your class evaluation score has fallen to zero this month. How much do you think the school will transfer to you on the first of next month?"
"H-how can this be—"
They hadn't even figured out how they were going to eat this month, and now they had to worry about next month, the month after that, and even the months after those.
"If you have complaints, the solution is simple. Pass these out." Chabashira Sae took a stack of forty sheets of paper from the lesson plans tucked under her arm.
"Sensei, what are those?" Hirata sensed danger.
"Withdrawal applications," Chabashira Sae replied. "If anyone can't accept this, then leave the school as soon as possible. This is an elite school. We don't need trash."
"Nooo!" xN
No one wanted to drop out after only one month of school.
So the students in the front row refused.
"Then are you choosing to stay?"
"We're all staying!" Hirata Yousuke spoke on behalf of the students. "We definitely won't fall behind."
That response shut the door on any other students who might have thought the school was crazy.
"What's he doing?" Horikita found it strange.
"Maybe he's started to feel part of the group and doesn't want to let go. After all, in a month, he could've already made friends with a lot of people." Nakano-kun replied casually, fiddling with his phone. He'd just received a message.
Horikita craned her neck slightly.
[Your class really got zero points? That's hilarious!]
The number was unfamiliar. Nakano-kun hadn't added the sender as a friend, so all he could see was a string of digits.
"This is a student from Class C," Nakano Yuu said. "The one who bought the tip about the expiring points from me."
Oh.
So this was the sucker who'd paid Nakano Yuu 300,000 points after the 80,000-point tip had been deducted.
Horikita Suzune immediately lost interest.
### Katsuragi: Be Wary of Class D! Sakayanagi: Be Wary of a Class with Zero Points?
Although Horikita and Nakano Yuu were distracted, Chabashira-sensei was still laying down the law at the podium.
Thanks to Hirata's promise, Chabashira finally put away the withdrawal applications.
"If news like this is enough to shatter your composure, then perhaps you need to build up your mental resilience."
She continued,
"There's one more thing I can tell you. Your class evaluation score is extremely important. It determines not only your monthly living expenses, but also your prospects after graduation. Only students who graduate as members of Class A can freely choose which schools to apply to or which positions to pursue."
"Only Class A?" The students felt cheated all over again. "But during the interview, the examiner said this school had a 100% employment and university admission rate!"
"That's right. The employment and university admission rate is 100%, because the students in Classes C and D will both be expelled in the end, and their records will be transferred to another school," Chabashira Sae said coolly.
So they guaranteed a 100% employment and university admission rate by expelling anyone who wasn't good enough.
Wow.
It was like saying, "There won't be any failing grades in my class, because I'll just get rid of the students who fail."
Nakano-kun's attention was drawn to the discussion, and he looked over.
"H-how can this be—"
"I want to drop out—"
Some students were already unwilling to accept this.
"You can. Come get a withdrawal application, then." Chabashira Sae spoke coolly, but the student immediately wilted.
"Your one piece of good news is that the rankings of Classes A, B, C, and D can change. If your class evaluation score surpasses that of Class C, then you become Class C, and Class C falls to Class D. So there's a 0.0001% chance you could become a Class A student. And a 1% chance you could call yourself an elite graduate of Ikusei High School."
Then Chabashira-sensei wrote the four classes' current evaluation scores on the blackboard.
The figures showed how far apart they were.
Class 1-A: 836 points
Class 1-B: 710 points
Class 1-C: 503 points
Class 1-D: 0 points
The scores caught Nakano Yuu's attention. In the original story, they'd been different: Class A had 940 points, Class B had 650, and Class C had 490. But now Class A had lost nearly a hundred more points than in the original story, while Class C had scored a little higher thanks to the tip about the expiring points. Ryuuen would definitely have imposed some restrictions as a result.
In other words, taking action really could change things.
But for Class D, there wasn't much difference.
Zero points was still zero points!
Whoever wanted to lead this class could have it!
As the teacher in Class D explained the school's true nature, the teachers in the other classes had more or less finished doing the same.
"When you entered the school, all four classes had the same evaluation score: 1,000 points. Over the past month, points have been deducted for any behavior that didn't meet the standards of a qualified high school student."
"So this is your score."
Class 1-A: 836 points
"This is a respectable score among Class A students from previous years. It's a balanced result. Your class's forty students were evaluated on their conduct over an entire month, and you lost only 164 points. That averages to just over five points a day. That's excellent, and exactly the kind of conduct expected of Class A students."
As he spoke, the Class A homeroom teacher glanced toward the center of the classroom.
A tall, bald man sat there. His name was Katsuragi Kohei. He excelled in every area and had outstanding analytical skills. He was a promising candidate for leadership.
"Then, Sensei, does that mean we'll lose points whenever we do something that doesn't meet the standards of a qualified high school student? Even a lot of points?"
"For example, Totsuka's fight the other day?" A sweet, gentle girl's voice rang out.
She was a petite girl with silver-white hair, fair, translucent skin, and delicate features. She was almost too cute. She was Sakayanagi Arisu, a girl who seemed to have come from another dimension.
A black cane rested by the edge of her desk. She seemed to be in poor health, so frail and delicate that she inspired a desire to protect her.
As she spoke, every student in the class turned to look at the seat in front of Katsuragi.
That was where Katsuragi's follower, Totsuka Yahiko, sat. Totsuka regarded Katsuragi as a dependable big brother. His status as Katsuragi's follower was taken for granted by both the class and even the teacher.
But Totsuka was already sweating.
The homeroom teacher had just explained the true nature of the school. As Class A students, they didn't need to worry about moving up a class. All they had to do was hold on to their place in Class A.
But...
This month's evaluation was based on their conduct. That had been classified information.
Three days ago, the students in their class had suddenly started receiving harassment calls during lessons. Then students from Class C, led by Ryuuen, had brazenly followed them around.
Although Katsuragi had told them not to provoke the other classes, the students from Class C had gone too far. They'd even followed them to the bathroom and made insulting remarks about some of the students.
The class had been outraged.
As Katsuragi's follower, Totsuka had wanted to stand up for his classmates and win more people over to Katsuragi's side. So he'd acted.
When Ryuuen Kakeru from Class C had come straight to their door, Totsuka had punched him.
Now, had his rash actions been judged a violation? At the very least, a qualified student wouldn't go around getting into fights.
That was why Sakayanagi's question had made him break out in a cold sweat.
Had the class been able to avoid losing so many points, if not for what he'd done?
"Your class evaluation score multiplied by 100 determines each student's living expenses, and it also affects your class ranking," Sakayanagi continued.
"I-I didn't mean to—" Totsuka's psychological defenses were crumbling.
"That's enough, Sakayanagi," Katsuragi said suddenly.
Although he'd only learned the school's specific rules today, Katsuragi had never treated it like an ordinary school, even after enrolling.
So even without knowing all the details, he'd already begun bringing the class together. Sakayanagi Arisu had the same idea.
She was the cute, adorable girl with the sweet voice mentioned earlier.
The class had split into the Katsuragi Faction and the Sakayanagi Faction. Having two leaders could be a good thing if they worked together, but Katsuragi knew perfectly well that Sakayanagi Arisu was different. Her personality was unlike his. She cared more about her own interests and was more radical.
Katsuragi didn't like that. He admitted that Sakayanagi was highly intelligent, but he deeply disliked the way she conducted herself.
"Since this is an exam on conduct, Yahiko's actions were certainly inappropriate. We admit that," Katsuragi said. "We won't evade responsibility. But Homeroom Teacher Mashima also said there would be Special Exams every month. This is only one exam. We'll earn back the points we've lost in future Special Exams."
"Katsuragi!"
Seeing Katsuragi speak up for him, Yahiko's eyes instantly welled with tears.
"Heh." Sakayanagi didn't continue the conversation.
But below the podium, Katsuragi took the initiative to lower his voice and speak to Sakayanagi Arisu, who sat beside him.
"For the past few days, we've been harassed by calls during class, then followed by students from Class C, and finally Ryuuen showed up at our door. I suspect they learned about the exam in advance," Katsuragi said. "Just now, someone asked me for 50,000 points in exchange for the source of the information. I paid and found out what it was."
"He got information about this school from a student in Class D four days ago," Katsuragi said.
In other words, the Class A students being harassed during class, followed by Class C students, and Yahiko's outburst might all have been part of a plan by Class C.
They might even have known this was a conduct exam and deliberately tried to lower Class A's score.
"If that's the case, this could be quite interesting," Sakayanagi Arisu said.
"Right. If so, then Class D must be dangerous. The teachers said the four classes had different overall abilities to begin with, but I think there's something strange about Class D," Katsuragi said.
So the homeroom teacher's information might not have been accurate?
Maybe the students in Class A weren't actually the best. Maybe Class D was the strongest after all. Otherwise, how could they have been the first to uncover the true nature of the school?
Had the best students been placed in Class D so they could climb up from the bottom as a trial?
Katsuragi began to think seriously.
Before you continue