Points Zeroed Out! Class D's Economic Crisis! The Rules Revealed!

Time slipped by like sand through our fingers, quietly passing amid what seemed like ordinary days.

That lazy weekend spent with Kushida Kikyo felt as though it had happened only yesterday, yet before we knew it, half a month had passed.

The calendar had quietly turned to May 1.

The atmosphere on campus was completely different from what it had been at this time last month.

The general excitement and anticipation that had felt almost like a holiday were gone. In their place was a faint restlessness and unease, especially in Class 1-D.

The morning classes passed under a strange, oppressive gloom. As time went on, the moment arrived when Personal Points had first been issued the previous month.

Many students in Class 1-D kept checking their terminals, but the expected numbers never appeared on their screens. Whispers began to spread through the class like an epidemic.

"Hey... have your points come in?"

"No... what about you?"

"Nothing for me either..."

"That's weird... it's already this late..."

During the break, their unease quickly grew. The students of Class 1-D soon learned some even more alarming news from friends in the other classes: Classes A, B, and C had all received their points on time!

However, the amounts issued to each class seemed to differ. Rumor had it that Classes A and B had received close to a hundred thousand, while Class C had gotten somewhat less. But one thing was certain: only Class D had not received even a single point!

Panic washed over the hearts of most of the students in Class 1-D like a cold tide.

Before the final homeroom period had even begun, the classroom erupted into chaos. The clamor, accusations, and complaints threatened to lift the roof.

"What the hell is going on?!"

"Why are we the only ones who didn't get points?!"

Yamauchi Haruki was the first to jump to his feet, slamming his desk with an irritated, impatient look on his face.

"Did something go wrong with the school system?! Or did they forget about Class D?!"

Kanji Ike joined in, his voice shrill.

"Exactly! Why does every other class get points except us?! This is so unfair!"

Ken Sudō folded his arms, his brow furrowed. He wasn't shouting like Yamauchi and the others, but his tone was just as displeased.

"Tch. What a pain..."

"How are we supposed to get through the month without points?"

The girls were just as unsettled.

Karuizawa Kei, Sato Maya, and Shinohara Satsuki had gathered together, all of them looking anxious and disgruntled.

"How could this happen..."

"I had my eye on a new skirt..."

Sato Maya pouted, her disappointment plain to see.

Shinohara Satsuki frowned too.

"Right? Without points, we can't even go to the cafeteria for a meal..."

Karuizawa Kei seemed calm on the surface, but there was a hint of worry in her eyes. She was used to a certain standard of living, and the sudden loss of points had thrown her plans into disarray.

"What on earth is the school doing...?"

Hasebe Haruka propped her chin on one hand, twirling a pen with the other.

Her blue ponytail swayed gently with the movement. She wasn't complaining much; instead, she murmured thoughtfully.

"Looks like this school... isn't as simple as it seems. We're the only ones who didn't get any... That's a pretty obvious difference..."

Wang Meiyu sat timidly at her desk, nervously twisting the hem of her clothes with her small hands. Watching the chaos around her, she didn't dare make a sound.

Yukimura Teruhiko pushed up his glasses, looking serious. He seemed to be trying to work out the reason logically, but without any key information, all he could do was furrow his brow.

Hirata Yosuke and Kushida Kikyo, as the class's peacemakers, were doing their best to maintain order.

"Everyone, please calm down!"

Hirata Yosuke raised his voice a little, trying to be heard over the clamor.

"We don't know exactly what's going on yet. I'm sure Teacher Chabashira will explain when she gets here!"

Kushida Kikyo chimed in with her trademark sweet smile, trying to soothe everyone.

"Right, right... There's no need to panic... Wild guesses won't solve anything, so let's trust Teacher Chabashira!"

However, their attempts to calm the class seemed powerless against the overwhelming anxiety.

Horikita Suzune sat at her desk, her cool gaze passing over the noisy crowd and settling on the back of the black-haired boy sitting quietly in front.

She felt no surprise, only the cold confirmation that things had gone exactly as expected.

Zero...

Akiyama Shin had predicted this long ago.

As she watched her classmates remain immersed in complaints and confusion, she felt utterly helpless.

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji remained like a quiet fixture in the background, seated in the corner. He, too, was far from calm inside.

During the half month since enrollment, his extraordinary powers of observation had led him to realize that there was some kind of competition at this school, mainly between classes.

The issuance of Personal Points might also be tied to the class's overall evaluation. Even so, he hadn't expected Class D to perform so badly that its Class Points had dropped all the way to zero...

That was absurd.

He watched the chaotic scene before him and silently took note of everyone's reactions.

Just as the commotion in the classroom was reaching its peak, the door clicked open.

Chabashira Sae entered, still dressed in her tailored black business suit and walking steadily in her signature high heels.

Her face was expressionless, her eyes as stern as ever. She had barely stepped up to the podium before the students, unable to hold back any longer, began shouting over one another as if they had finally found an outlet.

"Teacher Chabashira! Why didn't we get any points this month?!"

"Every other class got theirs!"

"Was there a mistake?!"

"The school can't do this!"

Yamauchi Haruki and Kanji Ike shouted the loudest, almost rushing up to the podium.

Chabashira Sae's cold gaze swept across the room, lingering for a moment on Yamauchi Haruki and Kanji Ike. She had just raised her hand to signal for quiet when a voice, unmistakably scornful and mocking, rang clearly through the noisy classroom.

"Oh~"

"You all look so ugly right now~"

In an instant.

Every sound stopped, as though someone had pressed pause.

The entire class turned toward the source of the voice in unison: the blond boy at the center of the classroom, who stood out like a crane among chickens—Koenji Rokusuke.

As always, he nonchalantly toyed with a small, exquisite mirror, admiring his flawless face in its reflection. He didn't even raise his narrow eyes.

It was as if he hadn't been the one to say the words that had silenced the entire room.

In the dead silence, he continued in his distinctive, unhurried drawl.

"Does this mean that aside from Akiyama Boy and myself, there isn't a single person in this class with even a little bit of intelligence? How disappointing~"

At those words, Akiyama Shin's mouth twitched uncontrollably, and a few metaphorical black lines seemed to appear on his forehead.

This guy... he's at it again!

Why does he have to drag me along every time?!

Is he trying to make me a target for everyone on purpose?

He could feel a number of gazes landing on him at once, filled with suspicion, curiosity, and even some resentment at being dragged into this. But Akiyama Shin maintained his composure and said nothing in his own defense. He simply made a mental note to get even with that bastard Koenji.

Chabashira Sae looked at Koenji, then glanced at Akiyama Shin, who remained expressionless. The corner of her mouth lifted in the faintest, barely perceptible smile. She didn't comment on Koenji's remark, instead taking the opportunity to pick up the conversation.

"Quiet."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried with an authority that brooked no argument. The classroom fell completely silent, and every student looked at her expectantly, waiting for an answer.

"I know you have a lot of questions."

Chabashira Sae looked around the room and spoke slowly.

"I'll answer them one by one."

She began with the most pressing question.

"First question."

"Why didn't Class D receive any points this month?"

She paused, looking at the anxious faces below. A smile that was almost cruel appeared on her face.

"The answer is simple. This month's points were actually issued a long time ago."

"The school didn't delay the issuance, nor did it leave out Class D by mistake."

"Rather, Class D used them in advance."

"Used them in advance?!"

Yukimura Teruhiko was the first to react. He shot his hand up, his face full of confusion and disbelief.

"Teacher Chabashira, I don't understand!"

"I didn't use any points in advance! I'm sure many of the people here didn't either! Please give us a clear explanation!"

His words reflected the thoughts of many well-behaved students. Chabashira Sae wasn't surprised by Yukimura's challenge. She nodded and continued.

"That's right. You didn't use your personal points in advance."

"But the class did."

Her gaze swept over to Akiyama Shin in the back row once more, carrying a subtle hint.

Akiyama Shin sighed inwardly. He knew someone had to step forward and spell it out now. He didn't think the timing was quite right yet, but the situation had already reached this point. Slowly, he stood up from his seat.

In an instant, every gaze in the class focused on him like a spotlight. Facing the looks of confusion, expectation, and displeasure, Akiyama Shin spoke calmly, his voice carrying clearly through the silent classroom.

"Because this is a school where ability comes first."

His words were like a stone tossed into a still lake, stirring up wave after wave.

Many students looked bewildered.

"Ability comes first...?"

"What does that mean?"

Akiyama Shin didn't keep them guessing. He explained directly.

"During the first month, every class received a hundred thousand Personal Points. That was our starting fund."

"It was a gift from the school."

"But that gift didn't come without conditions. What we had to offer in return was what's expected of us as students: obeying the rules and studying hard."

"Because too many students in Class D broke the rules repeatedly and behaved carelessly last month, the class received a poor evaluation. As a result, our Class Points were all deducted this month, and our Personal Points dropped to zero too."

"Broke the rules?! Behaved carelessly?!"

Yamauchi Haruki was the first to jump up and argue, his face red as he pointed at Akiyama Shin.

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

"What rules did we break? How exactly were we undisciplined?! Explain yourself!"

Chabashira Sae gave a cold laugh at just the right moment, then continued, her voice icy as she recited a series of numbers.

"Last month, Class D was late, left early, or skipped class a total of 98 times! There were 391 instances of misconduct during class, including whispering, using phones, and reading unrelated books!"

"The school has a clear record of every single one of these incidents!"

"Each of your careless actions added up, directly causing Class D's points to drop to zero this month! Do you understand now?"

The string of specific, shocking figures fell on the hearts of every student in Class D like a hammer of ice.

Ninety-eight absences... 391 classroom violations...

Many students who hadn't thought much of it before now turned pale. Only now were they beginning to realize that their little actions, which they had once considered harmless, had accumulated into such a terrible consequence.

The classroom fell utterly silent. Not a pin could be heard dropping.

Their earlier anger, complaints, and confusion had now turned into shock, shame, and a trace of panic.

Just then.

Chabashira Sae turned to the equipment on the podium and switched on the electronic whiteboard at the front of the classroom.

The names of the four classes and the corresponding numbers appeared clearly on the board.

[Class A: 1100 (formerly Class B)]

[Class B: 940 (formerly Class A)]

[Class C: 490]

[Class D: 0]

"Whoa—!!!"

They had been mentally prepared, but when the glaring zero appeared beside the vivid numbers of the other classes, the contrast was unmistakable.

The classroom in Class D still erupted in irrepressible cries of shock and despair.

"Zero... It really is zero..."

"Class A has 1100 points? How did they do that?!"

"Class B has 940 too!!"

"Even Class C has 490!!"

"We're the only ones at zero... Just us..."

Yamauchi Haruki and Kanji Ike sat slumped in their chairs, mouths hanging open as though their souls had been drained from their bodies. They couldn't say a word.

Ken Sudō slammed his fist hard against the desk. The dull thud echoed through the room. His face was filled with indignation and anger, but he didn't know who to take it out on.

Karuizawa Kei and her group exchanged glances, each seeing disbelief and panic in the others' eyes.

Hasebe Haruka stopped twirling her pen and stared at the numbers on the whiteboard, her gaze deep in thought.

Hirata Yosuke's expression grew grave. The smile vanished completely from Kushida Kikyo's face, leaving only worry.

Horikita Suzune closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Reality had arrived in the cruelest way possible.