May First

On the first day of May, just as the morning bell rang, Mashima Tomoya walked into the Class A classroom carrying a folder.

"We will now begin the morning meeting, but before that, I assume you have many questions. You may raise your hands now, and I will answer them one by one." He stood at the podium, his gaze sweeping across the entire class.

As soon as he finished speaking, several people in the room raised their hands. Mashima Tomoya looked around and called on a few representative students.

"Katsuragi, what would you like to ask?"

"Mashima-sensei, was the evaluation for the first month based on our individual conduct?"

"To be precise, it was 'individual conduct as a student'," Mashima Tomoya explained. "Points are deducted if behavior does not meet the standards of a normal student; for example, tardiness, absences, or private conversations during class will result in a deduction of class points. The class points remaining at the end of the month, multiplied by 100, are the private points issued to you."

"Since there are deductions, are there any actions that result in bonus points?" Katsuragi pondered for a moment before following up.

"Yes, but very few in your grade have managed to do so," Mashima Tomoya said. "For example, picking up litter left by others or proactively helping a teacher carry materials. Furthermore, these bonus points were only valid for the first month; after this, class points can only be increased through special exams."

"Will those deduction-worthy behaviors continue to result in point losses in the future?"

"Of course they will, though the weight of the deductions will decrease significantly."

"Thank you, Mashima-sensei. I have no more questions." After Katsuragi sat down, Mashima Tomoya turned and wrote a few lines of data on the blackboard:

- Class A: 964

- Class B: 650

- Class C: 490

- Class D: 0

"These are the final class points for each class for the first month." He put down the chalk and looked at everyone.

Uesugi Hara stared at the "0" on the blackboard, thinking to himself: Just as Ayanokoji said. As for Class A, he was likely the one who contributed the most to the deductions; it seemed he needed to let his mind wander less during class.

...Class D must be quite lively right now, right?

He had drifted off again.

"Sakayanagi, do you have a question?" Mashima Tomoya looked toward Sakayanagi Arisu, who had her hand raised.

"Mashima-sensei, you said last time that the quiz results would not be reflected on our report cards, which implies they are related to the next exam, am I correct?" Sakayanagi Arisu's tone was calm but carried a sense of certainty.

"Hmm, a very sharp analysis." Mashima Tomoya nodded. "The midterm exam will take place this month, which will also be your first official special exam. The results of the last quiz are for your reference. It is important to note that any student who scores below the passing line on the midterm exam will be expelled."

"Expelled?!" The classroom erupted in an instant, with some people unable to stop themselves from gasping out loud.

Mashima Tomoya ignored the reaction of the crowd, pulled a sheet of paper from his folder, and fixed it to the blackboard with a magnet: "The passing line is the class average divided by two. Fortunately, no one in our class is below the passing line, but a few students are close to it and need to be extra careful." He then read out a few names and pointed out their relatively weak subjects. "I will now explain the scope of the next exam..."

After finishing the scope, Mashima Tomoya asked again: "Does anyone else have questions?"

The room was silent; no one raised their hand, but everyone was waiting for him to provide an explanation regarding "expulsion."

"Regarding expulsion, it was already emphasized at the entrance ceremony. This school measures students by their ability; those who lack capability will be eliminated during exams. This is the school's rule."

"But Mashima-sensei, we never heard about these rules." Katsuragi frowned and spoke with difficulty.

"Katsuragi, the school cannot tell you everything from the start. Some information must be gathered by yourselves. You could infer these things just by looking at the upperclassmen."

"I understand."

"I will add a few important pieces of information." He cleared his throat. "First, class points are not only linked to individual conduct but also determine class ranking—if Class B's class points exceed ours, Class A will be demoted to Class B, and the original Class B will rise to become the new Class A. Second, the graduation benefits promised by the school can only be enjoyed by students who remain in Class A at the end."

He paused, his tone becoming more serious: "Although your results for the first month were good, do not let your guard down."

"You were able to enter Class A because you are indeed excellent students," Mashima Tomoya said, "but do not underestimate the other classes—as far as I know, the current second-year Class A rose from Class B."

"So, do not take things lightly because of the first month's results." Mashima Tomoya packed up his folder. "There are three weeks left until the midterm exam; I hope everyone makes good use of this time."

With that, he turned and walked out of the classroom, leaving behind a room full of students with various thoughts.

Just as I thought. The winner takes all, and the loser eats dust. Uesugi Hara looked at the cold 1.2 million points on his terminal, pondering to himself.

But Mashima Tomoya had said that everything in this school could be bought with points, and the school's benefits were naturally no exception. However, the points required for that must be astronomical, and his own million-plus points were likely far from enough.

At this moment, Katsuragi walked to the podium and asked: "Does anyone have any thoughts?"

When Uesugi Hara heard this question, two thoughts immediately flashed through his mind: either the whole class works together to strive for the honor of Class A, or everyone looks out for themselves and collects as many private points as possible.

At this, someone replied: "Of course, the first priority is to find a way to get through this midterm exam."

"I think we should first elect a class leader; working together will improve efficiency," a boy wearing glasses stood up and said. "After all, Class A's goal is to always stay in the lead. With a leader's unified command, we can better arrange tasks and allocate resources, whether for the midterm exam or subsequent special exams."

"I agree," another girl echoed. "And although our class is currently in the lead, we cannot be careless. If we are surpassed by other classes and demoted to Class B, it will be troublesome. Having a leader can urge everyone to study, maintain class order, and avoid point deductions."

Katsuragi nodded after hearing everyone's input. "What everyone says makes sense. So, who do you think is suitable to serve as this leader?"

The classroom suddenly went quiet. Everyone looked at each other, seemingly contemplating this question.

Uesugi Hara was calculating in his heart. He had no interest in being a leader; to him, he was here to enjoy life, not to be a babysitter for others.

Moreover, he felt that most of the students in Class A had their own ideas, and it would not be easy to choose a leader that everyone would be convinced by.

"I think you, Katsuragi, are very suitable." Suddenly, a voice broke the silence. Uesugi Hara looked up and saw that it was a boy sitting in the back row. "You have good grades and a sense of responsibility. You also showed strong analytical skills when asking questions earlier. If you lead our class, there will definitely be no problems."

"But I think Sakayanagi-san would also be a very suitable leader!" Someone in the crowd suddenly spoke up, breaking the atmosphere that was leaning toward Katsuragi.

Uesugi Hara followed the voice and saw Sakayanagi Arisu still sitting quietly in her seat. The smile on her face was no different from usual, as elegant as ever, as if she hadn't heard the discussion at all.

But Uesugi Hara saw the determination in her eyes.

Was she also going to compete for this position? Uesugi Hara turned his head to look at Katsuragi, who also seemed interested.

Among the people around them, it was clear that more supported Katsuragi; after all, he usually acted with composure and held considerable prestige within the class.

"Uesugi Hara, do you support Sakayanagi Arisu?" Morishita Ai, sitting in front, suddenly turned around and asked, her tone flat yet tinged with curiosity.

"Me? I'm neutral." Uesugi Hara stretched, leaned back against his chair, and put on an indifferent expression as if the matter had nothing to do with him.

"But you seem to be quite close to Sakayanagi-san lately." Morishita Ai stared at him, her eyes filled with a hint of scrutiny.

"That's because she approached me; I didn't go out of my way to get close to her." Uesugi Hara raised an eyebrow in rebuttal, then countered, "Morishita-san, which side do you support?"

"I support Uesugi Hara. I think you are very suitable," Morishita Ai said, her face expressionless.

Uesugi Hara was stunned for a moment, then mimicked her tone and said with a straight face, "Then I support Morishita-san as well. I think you are even more suitable than I am."

Morishita Ai: "..."

The increasingly thick atmosphere of tension in the classroom did not disturb the two of them.

If you can't find the book by its title, try searching for the author; perhaps the name has simply been changed!