A Crucial Turning Point and the Hand Behind the Scenes

The air in Class D's classroom seemed to have solidified into lead, weighing heavily on everyone's hearts.

The class had descended into complete chaos. Everyone was like an ant on a hot pan, anxiously searching for an outlet—and that outlet was the classmates around them.

Panic spread like a virus, and the shadow of expulsion loomed over Class D.

Kushida Kikyo stood amid the crowd, her face wearing an anxious, helpless expression.

"Everyone, please calm down! Arguing won't solve anything!" Her sweet voice seemed especially powerless at this moment, instantly drowned out by the noisy accusations.

"Solve it? How are we supposed to solve it? Go on, tell us!" Yamauchi Haruki's face reddened as he shouted, spittle flying. "You talk a better game than anyone, but you don't have a single point left this month either!"

"Exactly! You always act like everyone loves you. Is that useful now? Can you make the school give our points back?"

The cutting words stabbed at Kushida Kikyo like knives.

The smile on her face froze. Her lips trembled slightly, and her eyes swiftly filled with tears, making her look as though she might burst into tears at any moment.

The irritation and disgust in her heart nearly broke through that "angelic" mask.

These idiots.

A bunch of hopeless trash.

Just as the class stood on the verge of completely falling apart, a loud bang stunned everyone.

"Bang!"

Horikita Suzune slammed her palm against the podium, her cold gaze sweeping over every panicked face.

"Shut up. All of you."

Her voice was not loud, yet it carried an unquestionable authority that instantly silenced the chaotic classroom.

Everyone's eyes focused on her.

"Bickering and blaming each other are the wails of losers," Horikita Suzune said coldly. "If you still want to remain at this school, then listen carefully."

Her composure stood in sharp contrast to the panic around her.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka sat in the corner, watching the scene expressionlessly.

Late last night, his phone had received an anonymous email.

The email had no greeting, no signature—only a few cryptic sentences.

"Anything is possible within the rules."

"The assistance offered by advanced classes is not free."

"Search for the S System's 'hidden shop.'"

These fragmented pieces of information were like several keys, instantly unlocking the deadlock in his and Horikita Suzune's thinking.

"You have a way?" Hirata Yosuke stepped forward. He was one of the few people in the class who could still remain rational.

Horikita Suzune nodded. She turned her gaze toward Ayanokoji, and only after receiving an almost imperceptible nod did she continue. "The school rules contain a special clause for 'class cooperation.' We can get through this crisis by purchasing points from Class A or Class B."

"Purchase them? What are we supposed to buy them with? We don't have a single point left!" Ike Kanji immediately objected.

"By using our future personal points as collateral."

Horikita Suzune's words struck the ground with force.

"Isn't... isn't that just taking out a loan from loan sharks?"

"Yes." Horikita Suzune did not shy away from it. "But this is our only choice. Either take on debt and stay, or pack your things and get out of this school right now."

Her logic was clear and cruel, leaving everyone speechless.

Then, she presented a second plan—one Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had refined to the utmost degree.

"Also, I reviewed the detailed school rules. We can earn extra points by completing 'special tasks' issued by the school. We can even 'purchase' a one-time exemption to offset the points deducted earlier."

She explained the complex regulations in the simplest, most straightforward terms.

With every sentence she spoke, a little more of the despair vanished from the Class D students' faces, replaced by shock and hope.

Those obscure, incomprehensible rules became clear paths to survival in her mouth.

The classroom fell silent.

Everyone was won over by the leadership and intelligence Horikita Suzune had displayed.

They did not know that most of this nearly flawless reasoning came from the ordinary-looking boy behind her.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had perfectly given Horikita the credit, while continuing to play the role of an inconspicuous bystander.

And Natsume Yu, sitting at the other end of the classroom, took in all of it.

He closed the book in his hands, feeling a hint of approval at Horikita Suzune's growth.

This blade is getting sharper and sharper.

Good.

"I agree!"

"I agree too! As long as we don't get expelled, I'll do anything!"

"Horikita, we'll all listen to you!"

The mood of the class shifted instantly, and Horikita Suzune became everyone's pillar of support.

A crisis that could have torn Class D apart had been resolved just like that.

Sakura Airi hid behind the crowd and let out a long breath.

Her tightly wound nerves finally relaxed, and she realized her back was drenched in sweat.

She instinctively looked toward Natsume Yu.

That boy still sat there quietly. It was as though even the sunlight outside the window favored him, outlining him in a soft glow.

He seemed not to have done anything at all.

Yet Sakura Airi had a powerful intuition that the class escaping this crisis had to be connected to him.

The figure who had saved her in the hallway slowly overlapped in her mind with the quiet profile before her.

He was her lucky star.

As the bell rang, the students of Class D erupted into cheers as though they had survived a disaster.

They high-fived one another, their faces filled with the joy and relief of having escaped a heavy burden.

The tense atmosphere that had been suppressed for so long was finally released completely at this moment.

"This is great! We don't have to get expelled!"

"Horikita is practically a god! She actually found a way like this!"

"Ayanokoji helped quite a bit too, didn't he? He usually keeps quiet, but he's reliable when it matters!"

Talk, laughter, and cheers mingled together, filling the entire classroom.

Natsume Yu sat by the window, his calm gaze sweeping across the noisy crowd.

Watching his classmates dance with joy over their temporary escape from danger, the corner of his mouth curved slightly.

This is only the beginning.

The voice in his heart was low and certain.

His chess pieces had yet to realize that they had only just stepped into the maze he had carefully designed.

Kushida Kikyo had also resumed her "angelic" façade.

She moved through the crowd, soothing every classmate with sweet smiles and gentle words.

"This is wonderful! When everyone works together, there really is no problem we can't solve!"

A perfect smile hung on her face, but she snorted coldly inside.

A bunch of idiots.

If that ice queen Horikita Suzune hadn't suddenly figured things out, who knows how long the chaos would have lasted.

But that was fine too.

She continued maintaining her image of being well-liked within the class, which gave her a false sense of control.

Natsume Yu's gaze paused on her for a moment.

He saw the fleeting disgust and impatience deep in her eyes.

That Two-faced Cat was still doing her best to perform.

What he wanted was for her to expose herself completely.

To tear off that disguise entirely and become a blade in his hand.

But the time was not yet ripe.

He picked up the pen on his desk and wrote several lines on the last page of his notebook.

"Class D, point crisis resolved."

"Horikita Suzune, leadership position initially established."

"Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, abilities beginning to show, remaining behind the scenes."

"Kushida Kikyo, continue observing, wait to close the net."

He closed the notebook, a trace of amusement flashing through his eyes.

This game had only just begun.

Class D's future was already unfolding step by step along the path he had envisioned.

Natsume Yu watched the Class D students rejoice at having survived the crisis, an imperceptible curve appearing on his lips.

"This is only the beginning, my chess pieces. The real show is still to come."