Midterm Exam?! Class D's First Clash?! Internal Collapse and Fracture!

The classroom was steeped in deathly despair. The glaring zero on the whiteboard was branded into the heart of every Class D student.

Many had pale faces and hollow eyes, as though they could not accept this sudden, cruel reality.

Just as the oppressive silence was about to swallow everyone whole, Chabashira Sae spoke again from the podium.

A faintly mocking curve touched her lips, while her voice remained cool and calm.

"What? Are you already feeling hopeless?"

She swept her gaze over the dejected students below.

"Don't worry about having no living expenses in the future."

Her words made some students raise their heads, a faint glimmer of hope rekindling in their eyes.

"As long as you can prove from now on that you are not hopelessly inferior students."

"The school will naturally reevaluate your performance and increase or decrease your Class Points accordingly."

"And if you want to transfer classes, you'll need 20 million points."

She paused, as though she had merely remembered some trivial matter, then spoke in a tone of reminder.

"One last reminder."

"The Midterm Exam is coming up soon."

Her voice suddenly turned cold.

"Anyone who fails the exam will face expulsion."

"So."

"How you choose to work from now on is up to you."

As soon as she finished speaking, the bell rang sharply, as though it had been timed perfectly.

Without a trace of lingering attachment, Chabashira Sae picked up her lesson materials and strode out of the classroom in her cold high heels, leaving behind a room steeped in silence.

Expulsion...

Those two words echoed through the silent classroom like the final toll of a funeral bell, striking at everyone's nerves.

No one knew how much time passed. Perhaps only a few dozen seconds, yet it felt as long as a century.

The crushing oppression seemed enough to freeze the air itself.

"Everyone!"

A gentle yet resolute voice broke the silence.

Hirata Yosuke stood up. His face bore its usual friendliness and warmth, but his eyes now held an unprecedented gravity and determination.

"Please don't lose heart!"

He raised his voice slightly, trying to make sure every classmate could hear him.

"Teacher Chabashira said the points can be increased!"

"As long as we work hard from now on, follow the rules, and study seriously, we can definitely earn those points back!"

Kushida Kikyo immediately stood as well, joining Hirata. That sweet, infectious smile full of hope returned to her face.

"Hirata is right! We didn't do well enough this time, but we still have a chance!"

"Class D is a collective. As long as we unite and work hard together, there's no difficulty we can't overcome!"

She waved her little fist, trying to lift everyone's spirits.

"The Midterm Exam too!"

"As long as we review seriously and help each other, nobody will be expelled! I believe in everyone!"

Hirata Yosuke took over, his tone sincere.

"That's right! Starting now, we just need to keep each other on track, listen carefully in class, and follow classroom rules!"

"After class, we can organize study groups. Students with better grades can help those who are temporarily falling behind!"

"As long as we put our hearts and efforts in the same place, Class D can definitely change!"

Their words were like stones cast into a frozen lake. They did not immediately dispel all the chill, but they did stir ripples across the surface.

Karuizawa Kei and her little group began speaking quietly among themselves.

"Looks like... we really need to work hard this month."

Karuizawa Kei sighed softly, though her eyes held a touch more seriousness now.

"Otherwise, forget buying new clothes..."

"Even eating will become a problem!"

Sato Maya also wore a bitter expression.

"Yeah... and we have to worry about being expelled if we fail the exam... It's terrifying!"

Shinohara Satsuki nodded as well.

"Mm! Starting now..."

"I can't keep zoning out in class anymore!"

Wang Meiyu secretly turned around and glanced at the calm black-haired boy in the back.

Akiyama must have known all along, right?

That's why he's been so calm...

She quietly clenched her little fist and made a vow in her heart.

I have to work even harder!

I can't keep dragging the class down!

And I have to... work hard to catch up to Akiyama!

Matsushita Chiaki rested her chin on one hand and muttered under her breath.

"Hmm... this school really does hide things deeply... one scheme after another..."

Hasebe Haruka shook her head with a pained expression and clicked her tongue, her blue ponytail swaying.

"Hehe... I can't believe this! What rotten luck..."

Horikita Suzune turned slightly and whispered to Akiyama Shin in front of her, keeping her voice low enough that only the two of them could hear.

"What... should we do now?"

Akiyama was right about everything!

The points really were reset to zero, and there's going to be a Midterm Exam!

And failing really does mean expulsion!

Akiyama Shin had just been about to say something.

"What kind of joke is this?!"

A furious roar filled with resentment and dissatisfaction suddenly exploded through the classroom, instantly shattering the atmosphere that had only just begun to ease.

Yamauchi Haruki leapt to his feet again, his face twisted with anger as he pointed into the air and shouted.

"Why the hell is this happening?! Why didn't the school tell us these rules when we enrolled?!"

"If we had known the points would all be deducted! If we had known failing an exam would get us expelled! How would we have..."

Ike Kanji joined in, spittle flying from his mouth.

"Exactly! This is fraud! It's entirely the school's fault! Why should we be the ones bearing the consequences?! We should protest!"

Their shouting lit the fuse, and several other students who were equally dissatisfied yet lacked the ability for self-reflection began to chime in.

"Yeah! The school is too underhanded!"

"If we had known it would be like this, who would've come here!"

"Exactly! Why didn't they tell us earlier?!"

The order that had only just been restored in the classroom fell into chaos again. Akiyama Shin looked at Yamauchi and Ike, who were completely shifting responsibility onto the school, and a nearly imperceptible flash of irritation passed through his eyes. Horikita Suzune could not help frowning as well, her cold face filled with impatience toward these fools.

Even Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, who had shown almost no expression until now, faintly furrowed his brow.

Blaming failure on external factors.

That was the most incompetent thing one could do.

"Enough!!"

Another roar erupted like thunder, instantly drowning out all the noise.

Everyone looked over in astonishment. Yukimura Teruhiko had abruptly stood up, his face flushed red, his eyes wide with rage behind his glasses. Normally stiff and serious, he now resembled an enraged lion. He pointed at Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji, his voice trembling slightly with emotion.

"You... you idiots still have the nerve to shirk responsibility here?! Do you know... the reason all our Class Points were deducted... was because of people like you!"

"Because there are too many people like you... who are late to class! Who talk! Who play on their phones! Who do nothing all day!!"

Yamauchi Haruki was stunned by Yukimura Teruhiko's tirade, then immediately shouted in embarrassment and fury.

"Hey! Yukimura! What the hell are you talking about?!"

Ike Kanji craned his neck and retorted.

"Yeah! Why are you only blaming us?!"

Even Sudo Ken, who was sitting nearby, had somehow been dragged into this. He felt that he only slept in class and was far better than Yamauchi and the others, so he immediately became extremely displeased. He shot to his feet and glared at Yukimura.

"Hey, bookworm! What the fuck do you mean by that?! You looking for a fight?!"

Yukimura Teruhiko met his glare without fear, his chest heaving as the anger and disappointment he had suppressed for so long finally erupted.

"What do I mean?! I mean that it's because Class D has defective products like you! Deadweight like you! That we've ended up like this!!"

He was practically roaring.

"In this Midterm Exam, as long as the students who are good at studying perform normally, the class's average passing score won't be low!"

"But you—"

His gaze swept across Yamauchi, Ike, Sudo, and those who had joined in.

"You defective products... you deadweights! If you fail... then hurry up and get the hell out! Stop dragging Class D down!!"

Those words were like the sharpest blades, instantly piercing Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji's pitiful pride.

"You bastard! What did you say?!"

"Are you fucking asking for a beating?!"

Their faces flushed bright red with rage as they rolled up their sleeves and prepared to charge forward. Sudo Ken was burning with anger as well. He felt Yukimura was being utterly unreasonable. He had clearly done nothing too excessive, yet he was being insulted like this.

"You bastard...!"

Sudo Ken growled, shoved aside the chair blocking his way, and strode toward Yukimura Teruhiko. From the look of it, he really intended to throw a punch.

"Stop! Sudo!"

"Calm down... Yukimura didn't mean it like that!"

Hirata Yosuke and Kushida Kikyo reacted quickly and rushed forward. Hirata Yosuke grabbed the furious Sudo Ken, forcefully pushing him back as he anxiously tried to reason with him.

"We're all companions! Everyone in Class D is a companion! When we encounter difficulties, we should face them together! Think of ways to solve them together! If all we do is blame each other and start fighting like this, we won't solve anything!"

He turned to Yukimura Teruhiko, his tone earnest.

"Yukimura, I know you're worried because you care about our class, but it's still wrong to attack your classmates with such extreme words. What we need most right now is unity. Only by standing heart to heart can we get through this together!"

Kushida Kikyo quickly stood in front of Yukimura as well and tried to soothe Sudo Ken, Yamauchi, and the others.

"Yes, yes... Sudo... Yamauchi... and Ike... Yukimura was just being a little too direct. He didn't mean any harm!"

She turned toward Yukimura again.

"Yukimura, let's work hard together from now on. We can organize study sessions and help Sudo and the others improve their grades, okay? As long as we all work hard and help each other, nobody will be expelled! We have to believe in one another!"

Under Hirata and Kushida's all-out efforts to soothe and mediate, the atmosphere on the verge of exploding finally settled down.

Sudo Ken panted heavily and shot Yukimura a vicious glare, but Hirata still pulled him back into his seat. Yamauchi and Ike continued muttering curses, yet neither of them charged forward again.

Yukimura Teruhiko panted, adjusted his crooked glasses, and silently sat back down without saying another word.

A conflict that had been on the verge of erupting was temporarily suppressed, but the deep fracture within the class had long since become plainly visible.

No one spoke again.

Heavy silence descended over Class D once more.

In the end, the students silently began packing their bags and left the classroom in twos and threes, each face filled with complicated emotions.

There was confusion, anxiety, defiance, and the resolve of those who had secretly made up their minds.

And the shadow of the Midterm Exam hung over every Class D student's head like the Sword of Damocles.