Pooper Scooper, This Is the Big Leagues!

Mashima Tomonari has served as the homeroom teacher for Class A at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School for four terms, and all four Class A have graduated as Class A students. However, Mashima Tomonari does not take all the credit for himself, because the inherent advantages of Class A allow them to be in a superior position from the very beginning.

Therefore, as a teacher at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, Mashima Tomonari initially couldn't quite understand the school's so-called "Classroom of the Elite Studio" teaching policy. In his view, the premise of competition is rules that everyone agrees on, and the premise for rules to be agreed on is relative fairness, but Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School didn't seem to have achieved either.

The students in Class 1-A have a huge initial advantage. If the competition between classes is likened to playing cards, the best students are just a small joker. However, under the special rules that the school deliberately set for Class A in the first month, Class A will get the big joker called [Class Points] after the first month.

In every previous year, Class 1-A would gain a significant lead after the first month, with their Class Points consistently above 900. It would take lower-ranked classes an entire year just to catch up with the gap created in the first month. It seemed like an unfair game.

Therefore, Mashima Tomonari often felt that he hadn't played a significant role. He wasn't just the English teacher for Class 1-A, but was responsible for teaching English to the entire First Year. As a result, he could often notice students in other classes who were particularly attentive.

Before becoming a teacher, Mashima Tomonari had already decided to take every student seriously. However, the system at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School indirectly tied homeroom teachers to the school, making them the representatives of a particular class. In the later stages of intense competition, not only were there infighting among the students, but even among the homeroom teachers themselves.

Some were after the huge bonus they would receive for becoming the homeroom teacher of Class A, while others hoped that their favorite students could have better futures. But Mashima Tomonari always felt that this did not align with his initial vision of the teaching profession.

Chabashira Sae was notorious for slacking off before this year; Mashima Tomonari even witnessed her arguing with students from her own class in the office. Hoshinomiya Chie seems to have a good relationship with Chabashira Sae, but whenever Class D has a glimmer of hope, she always ruthlessly crushes it, showing little concern for whether her class can be promoted to Class A. Sakagami Kazuma, on the other hand, is overly concerned about his class, even deliberately concealing violent incidents within the class in order to help it advance, and even covering them up and assisting in their resolution.

It was only after becoming the homeroom teacher of Class D that Mashima Tomonari noticed these things that he had previously overlooked.

Not only the students, but even the homeroom teachers have been distorted by the system of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School.

"Well then, that concludes today's class. Final Exam are just around the corner, so please study hard, because summer vacation is just around the corner."

After tidying up the lecture notes on his desk, Mashima Tomonari left Class 1-D. Since the Midterm Exam, the learning atmosphere in Class 1-D could barely be considered a normal class.

The deterrent effect of the six expulsions and the Matoba of even Sudo studying diligently made many ordinary students in Class D begin to adjust their mindset. After all, since the start of the semester, they hadn't found a second way to increase their Class Points besides passing exams; all they could do was grind for the Final Exam. Although most of them had indeed given up hope for Class A, being expelled in disgrace was still a difficult thing to accept, and having it recorded in their files would have a significant negative impact on their future lives.

Besides, nobody wants to eat bland and tasteless vegetable meals all the time.

However, as news spread that Kitagawa Ryo Drama Club won a competition and received Private Points as a reward, the students in Class 1-D who had been tormented by Private Points suddenly saw hope. The students in Class D who joined various clubs suddenly became incredibly motivated, as if they had been injected with adrenaline. Although it was uncertain whether this was just a passing fad, things were definitely moving in a positive direction.

Just as Kitagawa Ryo once said to Ken Sudō, Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School is an excellent platform. Even if you can't use it to advance your studies, it's definitely worthwhile to learn more there.

"So Ryo has been planning to keep Class D's points at zero all along?"

Horikita Suzune stopped writing and looked up to ask Kitagawa Ryo.

"Do I look like the kind of person who can manipulate Class Points at will?"

Kitagawa Ryo answered, turning around to ask:

"Is the situation in Class D really that bad right now?"

"It's not that it's terrible, it's just that we're all on the fringes."

Ichinose Honami took over the conversation; she was probably the one who understood the psychology of the students in Class D the best among those present.

"It's only the second month yet, and everyone still has 100,000 points left from last month, so we're barely managing to get by."

"Next month should be fine, but things will get worse the month after that."

Ichinose Honami sighed and said:

"If we had known it would be like this, it would have been better to have the school distribute the 100,000 points in four installments of 25,000 each time."

"The contrast is indeed too great."

"I remember Liang said there would be Special Exam this summer vacation, right? If possible, it would be best to increase the Class Points then."

"Then why not just increase Private Points?"

Kitagawa Ryo countered that he did indeed have a way to make Class D the absolute winners in the two Special Exam — the Uninhabited Island and the VIP —but in his view, Class Points were a burden.

The only purpose of Class Points is to provide class members with a fixed number of Private Points each month and to rank the class. However, apart from being promoted to Class A in one go, it is basically useless for completing a transformation from D to C, and it doesn't mean that the teaching resources or classroom environment will be better.

"That's true."

Ichinose Honami then realized what was going on, which was understandable, since the school had been instilling the concept that "Class Points are the most important" in every new student since the rules were introduced. But if you think about it from a different perspective, it doesn't seem to be entirely true.

"Come to think of it, I've never been to Uninhabited Island before."

"Although it's called Uninhabited Island, since they dared to use it for Special Exam for students, they must have already taken care of things internally. So it's not really about 'survival in the wilderness.' It's more like a tourist attraction with a relatively good ecological environment."

Horikita Suzune, standing to the side, calmly said that, in fact, as Student Council member and having an older brother who Student Council President, she had also been exposed to some information, both overtly and covertly:

"So just relax, there's no need to be so nervous."

As Horikita Suzune spoke, she kept an eye on Sakayanagi Arisu's expression. She had just seen the exemption application submitted by the other party a few days ago. As a student in the same class, Horikita Suzune herself had also confirmed that Sakayanagi Arisu's situation was true. Therefore, she was well aware that the other party was most likely to miss this Special Exam.

Perhaps because the emotions in her memories have influenced part of her reality, Horikita Suzune now sees Sakayanagi Arisu with a subtle sense of sister-in-law. Since they are family, she will intentionally or unintentionally take care of Sakayanagi Arisu's feelings.

Ichinose Honami noticed Horikita Suzune's gaze and, considering her physical condition, didn't continue the conversation, causing the atmosphere to become somewhat somber.

"It's done!"

Sakura Airi slightly excited remarks broke the awkward atmosphere. Having wasted two years of her studies, she had managed to pass the last Midterm Exam by doing a lot of practice questions, and now she was sprinting towards the Final Exam, the big boss.

What were you talking about just now?

With a puzzled look on her Sakura Airi was becoming more and more like the most student-like person in the whole room.

A student's duty is to study!

Oh, so everyone else here is a top student in the grade. Oh well, that makes sense.

"Nothing much, just wanted to discuss the current situation in Class D."

While skillfully correcting Sakura Airi's test paper with a red pen, Kitagawa Ryo casually replied:

"Did Airi make any discoveries?"

"Class D, huh..."

Upon hearing Kitagawa Ryo's question, Sakura Airi tried hard to recall what had happened in the past month:

"It seems like nothing's going on in Class D, but there's a lot of news from the other classes. For example, Class A has a really bad atmosphere lately, with lots of arguments, and Class B suddenly made someone named Kanzaki Ryuji their vice class representative, and things like that."

Sakura Airi's social network is actually quite comprehensive, but she's usually too lazy to manage it. Her status as a former well-known professional idol is enough for her to easily gain the favor of a large number of high school students. She doesn't even need to actively try to get information out of them; she hears all sorts of rumors every day.

At this point, people actually stop caring about Sakura Airi's status as a member of Class D.

Just like when Kitagawa Ryo saw Koenji Rokusuke dominating the entire grade and even the upperclassmen in the simulation, no one cared whether he was in Class D or not, let alone call him a "defective product".

While it's not impossible that some fools might actually see the four classes (A, B, C, D) as some kind of caste system, thinking that being in Class A makes them Brahmins or something similar, Kitagawa Ryo remembers that Totsuka from Class A seemed to have this kind of tendency.

Thinking about it carefully, without Sakayanagi Arisu's presence, Katsuragi Kohei is currently riding high in Class 1-A. In that case, Totsuka Yahiko might be even more brainless than before, and we might be able to take advantage of him in the future.

"I'm sorry, but I probably won't be able to go to the Uninhabited Island Exam this time."

Just after Sakura Airi finished speaking, Sakayanagi Arisu, who hadn't said much until now, finally spoke up. Her tone was as calm and even as ever, without any emotional fluctuations.

"Considering that Ryo might have some plans, I'd like to let you know in advance."

"Please exclude me from the plans when you're setting up the venue. There might be other consequences, such as penalties if I don't participate. Being flexible is also important."

For some reason, Sakayanagi Arisu's words gave off a fleeting, ethereal quality, like the first snow.

I will participate.

Kitagawa Ryo silently said this in his heart.

Moreover, you will become the undisputed leading lady that time.

This stage was set up from the very beginning.

Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, First Year Office.

After experiencing the most unexpected and chaotic first month since the establishment of ANHS School, the First Year students were much more well-behaved in the second month. Except for Class A, who had to swallow their anger, all the classes passed the Midterm Exam peacefully on the surface. The first three classes passed peacefully, and Class 1-D dropped out of school peacefully.

Although the school had assigned the cheating method of "buying answers" in advance, it seemed that all four First Year classes ignored or failed to notice this shortcut, and the result was not surprising.

After six students dropped out due to failing the Midterm Exam, Class 1-D now has only thirty-four students left, and the Class Points remains a solid zero.

However, considering that this is Class 1-D, it seems somewhat understandable.

Homeroom teacher Mashima Tomonari stared at the glaring zero with a bitter face. After the Midterm Exam, each class received at least 100 Class Points as a reward from the school for the freshmen who passed the Midterm Exam. However, for Class D, with six students dropping out, it was impossible to retain even that amount of points.

As a teacher who has taught here for many years, Mashima Tomonari well aware that before the Special Exam in July, there are almost no ways for First Year to increase their Class Points. In other words, all the students in Class 1-D will have to spend the rest of the semester with zero Class Points.

Just as Mashima Tomonari and worried about the students in his class, Chabashira Sae, the homeroom teacher of Class 1-A, suddenly walked up to him.

"What's up?"

Mashima Tomonari a little puzzled. After all, Chabashira Sae had completely devoted herself to Class 1-A since becoming their homeroom teacher. Originally, he, Chabashira, Hoshinomiya were quite close and would often get together for meals whenever they had free time. But now, apart from necessary work-related communication, the three of them hadn't had any private contact for a long time.

Each of the three harbored their own anxieties, and their relationship naturally cooled down.

Just as Mashima Tomonari was wondering if Chabashira Sae had come specifically to show off Class A's Midterm Exam results, Chabashira Sae took a deep breath and handed a document to Mashima Tomonari with a rather conflicted expression.

Mashima Tomonari some curiosity, then suddenly looked up in shock, his pupils slightly constricting as if he had seen something unbelievable.

How could such a thing possibly happen?

Chapter 79: Pooper Scooper, This is a High-Level Game!

"So tired..."

Kitagawa Ryo rolled over in bed, burying his face in the soft pillow and letting out a weary sigh.

With difficulty, Kitagawa Ryo reached out his right hand and fumbled for his phone on the bedside table. He glanced at the time, then put the phone down with a sigh of relief. He hooked the blanket that he had kicked off the bed halfway in the middle of the night with his foot, casually pulled it up to cover his stomach, and then closed his eyes again.

The effects of the simulation on Sakayanagi Arisu were more severe than Kitagawa Ryo had imagined. Every morning when she woke up, she felt uncomfortable all over, and her thinking seemed to have become much slower.

Thinking about it this way, if Sakayanagi Arisu first try like Horikita Suzune, then [Heavenly Jealousy] would be retained as a fixed talent...

However, while the negative effects of [Heavenly Jealousy] are quite severe, the positive benefits are also quite significant. Kitagawa Ryo, who had spent over a decade researching congenital heart disease in Horikita Suzune's simulation without any results, achieved his final results in less than five years with the blessing of [Heavenly Jealousy]. Although his experience over the previous decade also provided assistance, the most crucial step was indeed completed with the blessing of [Heavenly Jealousy].

For a long time, congenital heart disease, or heart disease in general, was considered an incurable illness, so much so that heart-related surgeries were a medical taboo for a long period after the advent of surgery.

"To perform heart surgery is a desecration of the art of surgery, and anyone who attempts to do so will end up disgraced."

Kitagawa Ryo murmured these words, which were the evaluation of heart surgery once made by Theodore Bierroth, the Austrian physician revered as the "father of surgery."

At first glance, it sounds like a rather old-fashioned and conservative argument, but that's not entirely true.

Without life support, without extracorporeal circulation, without comprehensive postoperative care... heart surgery is nothing short of murder.

That's why Kitagawa Ryo chose [Heavenly Jealousy]. He didn't consider himself a genius in the medical field. His purple talent [Physician] was enough to make him a professional doctor, but not enough to completely cure Sakayanagi Arisu's congenital heart disease.

Based on the achievement [Healthy Heart] obtained after the simulation, the solution I developed should be effective.

Thinking about this, he felt a surge of energy returning to his body, and Kitagawa Ryo did a somersault:

"Get up!"

Startled by her Pooper Scooper's sudden outburst, Hotaru peeked out from her nest. This was a cat house that Horikita Suzune and Kitagawa Ryo had built together sometime last month using a model as a base, and a small flag was still fluttering on the roof.

"Meow."

Shaking its head, Ying climbed out of its nest and nimbly jumped onto the windowsill to feel the warmth of the sunlight. Today should be a nice day.

Meanwhile, Kitagawa Ryo, who had already gotten up, didn't waste any time. He quickly changed into his school uniform and started washing up in front of the mirror.

It must be said that the feeling of being able to take care of oneself can only be truly appreciated after experiencing it once.

Just thinking about those days when he ate, drank, and relieved himself all on one bed and was taken care of the whole time made Kitagawa Ryo shudder, and he brushed his teeth even more carefully.

Ying felt that her Pooper Scooper acting very strangely lately, often waking up early and giving herself a strange smile in front of the mirror.

It wasn't like this several times before...

Ying, unable to think of a suitable adjective, pawed at the windowsill for a long time before finally giving up trying.

The cat sighed.

If Ying could speak, she really would like to have a proper talk with her Pooper Scooper about what happened after the last incident.

Thinking about this, Hotaru couldn't help but shudder, just like Kitagawa Ryo.

Meow meow meow meow meow.

Kitagawa Ryo, of course, had no idea what Hotaru was thinking. He looked at Hotaru, who had been calling him incessantly since early morning, with some curiosity, patted her head, and said uncertainly:

"This is a..."

"Meow!"

Hotaru gave Kitagawa Ryo's hand a paw-prick punch without any hesitation. The cat immediately Kitagawa Ryo and jumped back into its den, only showing a wary look in its eyes.

"I wish I could draw a talent that allows me to communicate with animals."

Kitagawa Ryo, watching the cat's huge reaction, stroked his chin thoughtfully. Ever since discovering that Hotaru had participated in every simulation, his curiosity about Hotaru had skyrocketed these past two days.

However, the [Firefly] talent is already at the highest level of gold, so it seems that cat-eared girls and the like still don't exist.

Sensing the Malice glare from her Pooper Scooper, Ying shrank back into herself.