Ichinose Honami: Can You Convince Sakayanagi? / Sakayanagi Arisu: Are You Asking Me on a Date?

Hashiba Hikaru looked at his girlfriend, Ichinose Honami, and immediately understood what he was thinking.

"Ichinose, how many Private Points does our class's secret stash have right now?"

"Let me see, please wait a moment."

The pink-haired girl stood up from her seat and glanced at her Student ID on her phone screen. The Private Points recorded there were currently over 40 million, an absolute record for the highest Private Points held by an individual in the school.

There are a total of 43,625,600.

The girl stated the specific figures, the majority of which was the balance of the class's savings fund, while the remainder was her own money.

"Wow, there are so many? You guys are amazing!"

Chie Hoshinomiya, who was standing to the side, originally only had a vague guess about this matter and did not know the specific amount. Now, after hearing it, she realized that Class A's vault was indeed terrifying.

"This money is what everyone has been saving up since the start of the semester. Thanks to our hard work, we've received many rewards in every Special Exam, which is why we've achieved such fruitful results."

Hashiba Hikaru gazed at the students in the classroom, her tone calm.

"Since the school has proposed such a strict exam, there's really only one solution: agree in advance on who will receive the majority of the Criticism Vote, and then use 20 million Private Points to avoid expulsion. Everyone should be able to figure out this plan."

"Yes, it's really hard to accept handing over 20 million like this."

Shibata pursed his lips. After Chie Hoshinomiya announced the rules, everyone understood that no matter how much they struggled, it was useless; they had to choose one person to end the exam.

"That's right, we didn't do anything, but the school insisted on designing this kind of exam. It's outrageous!"

"Regardless of the circumstances, this cannot be changed. After all, the school's goal is for us to select a student to drop out, whether it's to make an example of someone or to reinforce everyone's respect for the rules. We have no other choice."

"..."

After listening to Hashiba Hikaru's explanation, the students in Class A remained silent.

The rules are set, and there's really no way to stop it; trying to break the rules is impossible.

"However, compared to us, the other three classes must be in a much more chaotic situation right now."

Hashiba Hikaru glanced at everyone's displeased expressions and continued speaking.

"Having been in this school for so long, you should all understand the situation in the other classes, right? Feel free to guess what it might be about."

"I think if it's Class B, Sakayanagi will definitely choose one of the Katsuragi Faction students to drop out."

Kanzaki Ryuji stood up. He could roughly follow Hashiba Hikaru's train of thought and knew that what he said was definitely not just a casual remark.

"That's right, I think so too. Although the Sakayanagi Faction in Class B has taken over the majority, there are still... maybe six or seven people left who follow Katsuragi?"

As a member of the sports club, Shibata had a wide circle of friends, so it wasn't difficult for him to know such things in this closed-off school.

"Yes, I believe everyone understands my thoughts. Our Class A has two unique advantages in this exam."

"First, we have a large Private Points treasury, so we don't have to worry about anyone being expelled and losing a member of our group."

"Secondly, our class is very united, so there's no need for students to think about who to Criticism Vote for, which could lead to distrust among classmates."

Hashiba Hikaru snapped her fingers, a playful smile playing on her lips.

"Just like they said, if the Sakayanagi Faction in Class B wants to completely crush the Katsuragi Faction, they will definitely call on everyone to Criticism Vote for the Katsuragi Faction members, and they might even directly choose Katsuragi."

"This gives us the opportunity to take action."

"Classmate Hashiba, have you come up with an idea?"

Seeing the expression on the boy's face, everyone couldn't help but feel excited, because once he put on this kind of expression, it meant he was about to start scheming against others.

"Of course, since we have to pay the price of 20 million Private Points, wouldn't it be a waste not to find a way to recoup our losses?"

Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly. Without keeping him in suspense, he raised his hand and pointed to the words on the blackboard. These were the Additional Exam rules that Chie Hoshinomiya had just written. The boy moved his hand to the last rule.

"Does Classmate Hashiba mean... that Praise Vote that can be cast for a student in another class?"

Ichinose Honami reacted instantly.

"That's right!"

Hashiba Hikaru's face showed a serious expression.

"Since the students in the other three classes cannot achieve the same level of unity as us, they will definitely worry about being chosen as the target of Criticism Vote when this Additional Exam begins."

What will be the consequences of this?

He looked at the students in Class A, expecting them to provide the answers to his questions.

"I think... everyone would want to get Praise Vote from other classes, because Praise Vote can offset Criticism Vote!"

A smile appeared on Kanzaki Ryuji's face.

"That's it, everyone understand?"

Chapter 580 Ichinose Honami: Can you convince Sakayanagi?

"According to the rules of this exam, each student has one Praise Vote that can be cast for students in other classes, which makes a total of one hundred and sixty Praise Vote."

"Our class has forty Praise Vote available. What would happen if we all cast them on one person?"

Instead of providing a direct explanation, Hashiba Hikaru continued to guide everyone's thinking through questions, as the upcoming arrangements required everyone's full participation.

"I know!"

Shibata smiled broadly. "Because each person cannot fill in the same name repeatedly when filling out the Criticism Vote, that means even if someone is hated by everyone in the class, they can only receive a maximum of thirty-nine Criticism Vote."

"That's right, which means that if our class pools our Praise Vote for students from other classes, it's like giving those students a protective charm—a guarantee they won't be expelled!"

Hashiba Hikaru smiled. After he told the class about it, they immediately understood the meaning of the word "break-even" that the boy had just mentioned.

"Does Classmate Hashiba mean we can find a suitable buyer and exchange Praise Vote for Private Points?"

Everyone quickly understood this point: although they wouldn't get as much as 20 million, breaking even would be a great achievement.

Ichinose Honami looked at her boyfriend standing on the podium, her mind racing as she considered what he had said. If that was all, she felt it didn't fit Hashiba Hikaru's usual way of planning.

"Of course it's not that simple. Forty Praise Vote can bring in a substantial return on investment, but if that's all there is to it, wouldn't it be a waste of this opportunity?"

A cruel smile crept across Hashiba Hikaru's lips, instantly reigniting everyone's excitement.

"Whether it was the VIP Exam before, or the Sports Festival and the Forest Training Camp later, although we won, the other classes also got a lot of Private Points. These Private Points were scattered in their hands, and if you put all that money together, it would definitely not be a small amount."

Hashiba Hikaru recalled the results of the VIP Exam; the other classes had received millions of Private Points, which couldn't possibly have been spent so quickly.

"What does Classmate Hashiba plan to do?"

Kanzaki Ryuji was greatly encouraged and looked at the boy's face with some excitement.

"It's very simple: focus on one thing at a time and wait for the right price."

Hashiba Hikaru uttered eight words and slowly explained her thoughts to everyone.

"First, I want to remind everyone of something. What I'm about to say is a secret within our class, and no one is allowed to leak it. Do you all understand what I mean?"

He spoke with utmost seriousness, and the students in Class A, united as one, responded loudly.

"Please rest assured, Classmate Hashiba, we will absolutely not leak this information."

"That's right, I won't tell!"

"I will never betray my class!"

Seeing everyone's show of loyalty, Hashiba Hikaru nodded in satisfaction. Everyone in Class A cared a lot about the collective honor, and he said this specifically to reinforce his authority.

"Alright, since that's the case, let me share my thoughts first. We can discuss any issues that arise."

Hashiba Hikaru turned around and wrote the letters BCD on the blackboard, then turned to look at everyone.

"Just as Shibata and Kanzaki just said, the current situation in Class B is quite clear: the Sakayanagi Faction is powerful, while the Katsuragi Faction is weak. Given this situation, how do you think Katsuragi will face this exam?"

"He will seize every opportunity to influence everyone's thinking, and he can't let members of his faction be expelled!"

Shibata Sou immediately realized this; Katsuragi Kohei's subordinates were already few in number, and if they were targeted again, it would be really troublesome.

"That's right. No matter what, they are Class B, and each of them definitely has a lot of Private Points. The Sakayanagi Faction will think the same way. They will definitely want to seize the opportunity to strike at the Katsuragi Faction. If they know that someone is selling Praise Vote, they will definitely be tempted."

Hashiba Hikaru explained her thoughts slowly and deliberately, making everyone understand the key points.

"Then there's Class C. The current class representative for Class C is Ryuen Kakeru, and he likes to control the class through violence and intimidation. This exam is anonymous. What do you think the Student Council in Class C who don't like him will do?"

"Secretly casting Criticism Vote against Ryuen Kakeru to force him to drop out of school?"

"But I think if everyone is afraid of Ryuen, they might not dare to vote for him, right?"

Some people raised different opinions, but Hashiba Hikaru quickly responded.

"That's because everyone needs a trigger, like our familiar Ibuki."

Hashiba Hikaru said with a smile, "Ibuki really dislikes Ryuen's style. She only lost to him because she lost the vote. If she were to try to persuade everyone in private, do you think anyone would still dare to vote?"

"I understand. This will also cause internal strife in Class C, and in that situation, Ryuen Kakeru will definitely want to seek support from other classes."

"That's right. Although he has three choices, Class D has been attacked by Ryuen Kakeru multiple times, and as for Class B... I'm confident I can get them to reject Ryuen Kakeru. That way, his only option will be us."

"Are you confident you can persuade Classmate Hashiba -Classmate Sakayanagi?"

Ichinose Honami suddenly spoke up. For some reason, after hearing her boyfriend's plan, the memory of the silver-haired girl giving Hashiba Hikaru chocolates on Valentine's Day immediately came to mind.

"Of course we are confident that by completing the communication and cooperation among all parties, we can secure the greatest benefits."

"What about Class D? What do you think is the best way to deal with Class D, Classmate Hashiba?"

As Hashiba Hikaru's good friend, Shibata Sou immediately spoke up to help him change the subject, which shows the tacit understanding between men.

"As for Class D, I think they can easily complete the plan because they can't trust each other."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly. He had the most confidence in Class D because both Horikita Suzune and Kushida Kikyo were influential figures within the class and could easily sway everyone's judgment.

"What should Classmate Hashiba do?"

"Besides trading Praise Vote, resources can also be exchanged,"

Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly, "Leave the specific negotiation work to me. Everyone else has other tasks to handle."

What is it?

Upon hearing the boy's words, the students perked up; if this were a collective effort, everyone wanted to help.

"You can use your connections in other classes to secretly pass on a message that our class has sorted out the voting issue and wants to sell the extra Praise Vote. If anyone is worried about receiving too many Criticism Vote, they can make an offer, and we'll collect them here later."

"Understood."

"Everyone, remember to be careful and don't be too conspicuous."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled. With his current power and status, this Additional Exam was an excellent opportunity.

This can help him master the entire first grade.

Chapter 581 Sakayanagi Arisu: Is she inviting me on a date?

The new Addition Special Exam inevitably caused a huge stir among the first-year students. Regardless of their class, everyone was thinking about how to get through the exam safely, since being surrounded by Criticism Vote meant certain expulsion.

Regardless of everyone's complaints about the school's inhumanity, the class advisors of each class explained the core of this exam in a very serious tone. No one could escape it. They gave everyone four days to think about it, and the specific list would be given on the voting day. This was a foregone conclusion.

On the day the rules were announced, Hashiba Hikaru went to the Student Council to handle her work as usual. The proposal for the new department was completed, and she was going to submit it to the Chairman today, taking advantage of the fact that he hadn't left the school yet.

The boy aligned the documents on the desktop, picked them up, and prepared to leave the Student Council office. However, just as he reached the corridor, he heard the sound of a cane tapping the ground behind him.

"Classmate Hashiba, please wait a moment."

What reached her ears was Sakayanagi Arisu's calm and gentle voice, making it impossible to discern her true thoughts.

"What's wrong?"

Hashiba Hikaru slowed her pace and turned to look at her face.

"This exam was really malicious. Has your class decided on a countermeasure yet, Classmate Hashiba?"

The silver-haired girl, leaning on her cane, tried to keep up with him. Once she got closer, she placed her left hand directly on the boy's arm.

"Yes, we discussed it briefly during the class meeting and then decided on a specific solution."

Hashiba Hikaru did not object to physical contact with Sakayanagi Arisu; he stretched out his right arm so that Sakayanagi Arisu could hold on to him more easily.

"If I'm not mistaken, your Class A is planning to pay 20 million Private Points to avoid expulsion, right?"