In Classroom of the Elite, Ichinose You Will Regret This

If you support my plan, you will continue to earn the trust of your Class B classmates and keep being happy friends with them.

If you oppose my plan, you will be betraying the interests of everyone in Class B for the sake of other classes, though you could still remain friends with them.

However, if Class B ultimately fails to graduate as Class A, will your conscience be able to handle it?

Support me, and I can strike at the other classes; oppose me, and the prestige you have worked so hard to build will collapse.

I don't lose either way.

Choose to support me, or...

"No, I do not agree with this plan."

The voice of Ichinose echoed throughout the classroom. She suddenly lifted her head, which had been bowed, and stared directly at Uesugi Gen with a determined gaze.

Uesugi Gen looked calmly into Ichinose's blue eyes and asked softly, "Ichinose, you should know that if you don't strike first, the other classes will strike at our class, right?"

"I know," Ichinose replied with a firm tone.

"You know that students have dropped out of every class in the second year, right? Even if you stop me now, they will still drop out one day."

"I know," Ichinose's tone remained unchanged.

"You know that this school is a classroom where merit is supreme, right? If they really drop out, they can only blame their own lack of ability."

"I know," Ichinose did not waver at all.

Uesugi Gen couldn't help but raise his voice, "If you know all that, then tell me why you oppose this plan!"

"Graduating as Class A means qualifications for higher education and employment, a bright future."

"As the class representative of Class B, they chose you precisely because they believe you can lead them to Class A."

"And yet, as their representative, you are leading the opposition to a plan that could propel us to Class A in one fell swoop."

Uesugi Gen watched Ichinose's calm eyes silently, then pointed at the Class B students, suppressing his emotions, "Look around you. Thirty-nine classmates—Shiranami, Amikura, Kobashi—which one of them didn't cast their vote for you?"

"I know that forcing a dozen people to drop out is a difficult decision."

"But you are carrying the future of those thirty-nine people on your shoulders."

"If they don't graduate as Class A in the future."

"If one day, the penalty of expulsion falls upon a Class B student."

"Ichinose, you will regret it!"

Uesugi Gen's voice reverberated through the classroom, leaving the hearts of everyone in Class B in turmoil.

Facing Uesugi Gen's questioning, Ichinose left her seat, walked straight up to Uesugi Gen, and said softly, "Then what about you, Uesugi-kun?"

"What about me—"

"Didn't you also cast that vote for me?"

Uesugi Gen's entire body shuddered.

"I carry the future of thirty-eight people, but yours is the only one I do not carry."

"If forcing someone to drop out is a difficult choice for others, wouldn't it be even more difficult for you, the one who came up with this plan?"

"I know Uesugi-kun wants to lead our class to Class A."

"But if this plan is truly implemented."

"Facing a Class A that hasn't been completely defeated, facing the desperate Class C and Class D, and facing the resentment of those dozen classmates and friends."

"Uesugi-kun, as the one who proposed this plan, you will become the target of everyone's focus in the special exam."

"How will you live in this school for the next three years? By continuing to play games in the dormitory?"

"Perhaps in some future special exam, they will unite to deal with you and force you to drop out."

"If that day really comes, then I might never be able to see you again."

"Uesugi Gen, I will regret it!"

Ichinose's earnest and firm voice rang out through Class B.

Uesugi Gen was silent for a moment before saying, "Then we'll drag Class A in to share the pressure as well. In any case, Class C and Class D are the main focus of this exam, so we can deal with Class A next time."

Uesugi Gen used his final tactic, hoping to deceive Ichinose with it.

From the very beginning, Uesugi Gen knew this plan carried risks, though not for Class B, but for himself.

Uesugi Gen himself did not care about these risks, but that did not mean the others in Class B felt the same.

When Ichinose stated this reason, Uesugi Gen knew he had already lost.

After all, if they didn't promote to Class A, it wouldn't matter how many points the lower classes deducted; it would only benefit Class A, who hadn't done anything at all.

More importantly, once the students of Class B learned of the risks involved in this matter, they would never agree to it.

Watching the silent Uesugi Gen, Ichinose spoke up, "I know that Uesugi-kun is incredibly smart, possesses unparalleled talent, and can easily come up with plans that I could never think of."

"But, Uesugi-kun, don't underestimate me!"

"Class B isn't just you alone; if there is a sacrifice to be made, it should start with me."

Ichinose declared the failure of his plan to Uesugi Gen with a resolute tone.

The entire classroom was silent.

Shibata stood up in a panic, "I—I don't agree. I absolutely will not agree to this plan of Uesugi's."

Kanzaki sighed, "I didn't even think of this layer, but I also oppose this plan. Sacrificing one's own friends to achieve success is not my style."

Himeno Yuki gritted her teeth and raised her hand, glaring fiercely at Uesugi Gen, "I take back my support from earlier. I will oppose that bastard to the end."

Immediately after, Shiranami Chihiro: "Um... Uesugi-kun, why don't we just call off this operation?"

Hamaguchi Tetsuya: "Uesugi, let's just let it go this time. There will be plenty of other opportunities to beat the other classes."

Ninomiya Yui: "Uesugi-san, although it's inappropriate to say, let's just drop it."

Beppu, Sumida, Watanabe, and Tokito, the students of Class B, stood up one after another to persuade him.

"You could have obtained everything you wanted by risking just one person, yet you chose to give it all up."

Uesugi Gen stood on the podium, looking at all the students of Class B who had risen, and sighed helplessly, "This is what you decided yourselves. When you can't graduate from Class A later, don't blame me; blame yourselves."

"I understand."

"Isn't there still Uesugi-kun?"

"Let's just work twice as hard over the next three years."

"Do whatever you want."

Uesugi Gen threw out these words, turned around, and left the classroom.

What a bunch of naive guys; no wonder they were all placed in the same class.

Looking at Hoshinomiya leaning against the classroom door, Uesugi Gen whispered to her with an apologetic tone, "I'm sorry, Hoshinomiya-sensei. The plan to take down Class D failed this time. I'll help you beat them next time."

Hoshinomiya stepped forward and hugged Uesugi Gen, saying softly, "It's okay, it's okay. I know Gen-chan has already worked very hard."

"The one who should be saying sorry is me. As your teacher, I didn't even notice my own student's intentions."

"There are many opportunities to beat Class D, but I only have one favorite student."

"And I believe that Gen-chan will definitely lead our class to graduate from Class A."

As expected, I'm not good at writing emotional scenes; I've been stuck all night and couldn't write it.

Chapter 27: Fleecing a Sheep

"So, you came to vent your frustration on me?"

Sakayanagi Narimori rubbed his temples, looking with a headache at the student who was leisurely drinking tea in front of him.

Yes, after his proposal was rejected, Uesugi Gen was full of fire with nowhere to vent.

So, he decided to recycle his failed plan and vent his frustration on the school administration.

That's right, if he was rejected, it must be the school's fault.

If the school hadn't come up with such a special exam, he wouldn't have thought of this plan.

If he hadn't thought of this plan, he wouldn't have brought it up to be rejected by Ichinose.

In summary, the school must be held responsible for this.

"This isn't my problem; it's that the questions the school set this time are too lousy. So, Chairman, you wouldn't want a dozen first-years to be expelled all at once, would you? That wouldn't be a good thing for the school."

Indeed, if a dozen first-year students were expelled directly, the entire development plan for Kōiku would be scrapped. With only two classes, A and B, remaining, healthy competition would be impossible, and cultivating excellent talent would be out of the question.

In the past, the expulsion programs carried out by the school were essentially designed to remove impurities from each class while providing motivation to the students; they were never specifically targeted at any one individual.

Not to mention that the students expelled often included many who excelled in sports, as Kōiku would never bring a student into the school without a purpose.

But the problem is that no one before you had ever come up with a plan like this.

"Speak, what conditions do you want this time?"

Sakayanagi Narimori sighed helplessly; as the chairman, he had no good way to deal with a student like this.

Fundamentally, the occurrence of this situation was a problem with the school's own test design.

The person who created the test clearly had not anticipated that such a student would appear.

Faced with this situation, Sakayanagi Narimori himself could not tell whether he should feel fortunate or unlucky.

Since the situation had already arisen, if one could not solve the problem, one could only prioritize solving the person who raised the problem.

"Hmm, for the moment, I don't think I want anything in particular."

Uesugi Gen raised his hand to rub his chin, then immediately thought of something.

"Right, write me a formal note stating that 'Uesugi Gen will not have class points deducted for sleeping in class.' Ever since they learned the truth about the S System, those guys have been looking at me with such strange eyes. Remember to stamp it with the official school seal."

"Why don't you just take my position as chairman while you're at it?"

Sakayanagi Narimori's face was covered in black lines; what was he thinking, asking for a formal note with an official seal?

"That's impossible. Choose something else. If I were to actually issue you a note like that, the credibility of Kōiku would suffer a severe blow."

"Then let's take a step back. I will persuade the students of Class B, and you will not deduct points from me; that way, the students in other classes won't know."

Skilled at using the door-in-the-face technique, Uesugi Gen immediately took a step forward.

"If it is only about not deducting class points for your daily behavior, the school can accept that."

After all, for a single student, no matter how many points were deducted, it wouldn't amount to much. Besides, based on his investigation over the past month, the most he ever did was doze off at school and then return to his dormitory to play games.