Change

Meanwhile...

The atmosphere in Class A, formerly Class B, was like a stream thawing in early spring, more lively than ever.

Though Class B had always been known for its unity, Class A now brimmed with a fresh vitality.

"In the end... it's all thanks to Ichinose."

Quiet murmurs of emotion rose from a corner of the classroom. Several students turned toward the girl by the window in unison.

Some even leaned forward without thinking, their fingertips brushing the back of a chair before quickly pulling away—as though restraining themselves from an embrace.

Morning sunlight streamed through the classroom windows, dancing on the tips of Ichinose Honami's raised hair.

She lightly clasped the edge of her textbook in both hands, her voice as clear as a stream in early spring. "We were only able to rise to Class A this time thanks to everyone's hard work!"

A familiar smile spread across her face, her unclouded, vibrant spirit like the sun breaking through the clouds.

Class A's promotion had come so easily that most students could hardly believe it was real.

There had been no life-or-death special exam, nor any underhanded maneuvering between classes.

For now, the Class A insignia was no more than an illusory glory before the storm.

Excited chatter filled the classroom as everyone basked in the joy of rising in rank—

Only Kanzaki Ryuji leaned against the windowsill, unconsciously tapping his knuckles against the desk.

He knew better than anyone that reaching Class A was easier than forging armor before the storm arrived.

Hoshinomiya Chie lightly tapped the lectern with her fingertips, a smile spreading from the corners of her eyes. "Even though you made it to Class A through the aptitude assessment..."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the students' excited faces. "It's still class time, you know—so don't get too carried away."

A hint of delight she hadn't expected to feel was hidden in the gentle reminder, her voice rising slightly at the end.

—Her first class since becoming a teacher had reached Class A's doorstep in just one month.

The air in Class C held a rare hint of lightness. Though Ryuen Kakeru's iron-fisted rule still weighed heavily on their daily lives, the eyes of these teenagers couldn't hide their relief at having made it through.

The 750 Class Points awarded after the first month were nowhere near as impressive as Class B's, but they had put the class well ahead of Class D, which had completely collapsed.

Ryuen watched the whispering students with cold eyes, the corner of his mouth curling sharply.

Without his thunderous methods, their Class Points would probably have been only two-thirds of what they were now.

A subtle realization spread through Class C. A few students who had once scoffed at Ryuen's strictness were only now beginning to understand why he had cracked down so hard on classroom discipline.

Ryuen leaned against the window, casually tapping the frame with his fingertips.

He swept his gaze over the students, whose eyes had finally begun to show some trust, and let out an almost imperceptible snort.

"Hey, Ishizaki." He suddenly spoke, his voice like a dull knife scraping against sandpaper. "You should go to the bathroom."

"I understand."

After Chabashira Sae left, voices rose one after another in Class D.

A few students stared at their empty account screens, fretting over how to get by with no income this month.

But what worried most of them more was the school's cruel system itself. "Only Class A gets guaranteed college admission and employment. What was the point of getting into this school, then?"

"Are you kidding me? Why should I... have been put in Class D?"

Yukimura yanked off his glasses, his knuckles turning white.

"I understand that everyone's confused, but please calm down first."

Hirata Yosuke stood up to mediate. His almost obsessive concern for the class would eventually become his fatal weakness.

"Calm down? How am I supposed to do that!"

Yukimura took a sudden step forward, his uniform almost colliding with Hirata's chest.

Hirata Yosuke didn't back down. His voice was as calm as a frozen lake. "I understand your anger, but venting here will only make things worse."

"What did you—!"

Yukimura suddenly reached for Hirata's collar, his fingertips barely a hair's breadth from the fabric—when Kushida Kikyo slipped between them like a wedge.

She gently placed her hand on Yukimura's clenched fist. Yukimura clearly didn't want to hurt Kushida either, and couldn't help taking half a step back.

Kushida's words calmed Yukimura down, and afterward, he and Hirata apologized to each other.

Irrational, taking his anger out on others, and practically no athletic ability—it seemed he hadn't been wrongly placed in Class D after all.

Hirata went to the lectern and gave a speech about "working together," urging the students to keep each other in check during class.

The girls voiced their support, but his appeal fell flat with Sudo. When Kushida tried to reason with him, he kicked away his chair and stormed out through the back door, leaving the door swinging and the room in stunned silence. No one knew whether he would come back for the rest of class.

"Sudo really doesn't get it, does he? He's the one who's been late the most. If it weren't for Sudo, we'd probably still have some points left."

That wasn't true—even without Sudo, everyone in Class D would eventually have squandered all their points.

"Yeah... This is awful. Why did I have to end up in the same class as someone like that..."

The students' resentment was building. Even if Sudo really did drop out later, Hirata Yosuke would probably be the only one who truly cared.

After school, Hirata stepped up to the lectern to prepare for the strategy meeting.

The final bell had barely stopped ringing when Hirata Yosuke walked to the lectern, ready to hold a class meeting.

Almost the entire class remained in the room. Seeing how many students had stayed, those who had run out of points seized the chance to take action.

Having run out of points, Yamauchi Haruki began selling off his used game console.

Even more absurdly, he'd bought it for 20,000 points and was now asking 22,000, trying to force Professor to buy it. He was barely human.

Karuizawa Kei went around asking her friends to lend her points, always wearing a carefree smile.

She was only asking each person for 2,000, but everyone knew that money probably wouldn't be paid back.

As a central figure in the girls' social circle, she was effectively pressuring the others by acting this way.

Looking around, it really was no surprise that everyone in Class D had something seriously wrong with them.

The first month's aptitude assessment was over, and each class's points shifted dramatically, like water levels after a storm.

The reshuffling of the class rankings was quietly changing the course of every piece on the board—

Class D sinking to zero, Class A's reversal in rank, the tiny gap between Class A and Class B...

Every crack in the numbers was tearing apart the original story's established course.

Hoshino Kanade leaned toward the window. His reflection in the glass showed his brows slightly furrowed.

At that moment, he understood better than anyone that the tide he'd foreseen had ebbed to the shallows amid this flood of upheaval.

His only remaining advantage was his memory of the exam questions—

And the diagrams of every soul, etched deep in his mind: Horikita Suzune's proud history, pierced by the label "defective product"; Sudo Ken's irascibility, fueled by his inferiority complex; the cracks beneath Hirata Yosuke's perfect mask...

Hoshino Kanade had never intended to guide Class D. Exploring the nature of these "defective products" had long since lost its meaning.

Even if Sudo were expelled in the next exam, that would be his own choice. What did it have to do with him?

If anything, the deeper Class D fell, the less likely anyone was to notice his eyes, hidden in the shadows.

After a gentle musical prelude, a detached announcement rang out through the classroom:

"Class D, first year: Hoshino and Ayanokoji. Your homeroom teacher, Chabashira-sensei, would like to see you. Please report to the faculty office."

The announcement interrupted Hoshino Kanade's thoughts.