Sakayanagi Arisu: When It Comes to Infighting, You Can't Beat Me

Mm-hmm.

The Class A students sat in their seats with calm expressions. This was a normal result for them. What really came as a shock was being surpassed by Mikage Touji.

Katsuragi Kōhei nodded with satisfaction. Class A's efforts over the past month had been plain for all to see. If they kept up this pace, their lead would become quite secure.

"Class Points will be posted on the notice board shortly. You can go check them yourselves if you want."

"Also, to reward you for your results on this exam, the school has decided to take you on a two-week vacation to a southern island during summer break." Mashima Tomoya dropped another bombshell.

The Class A students, who had taken their scores in stride, visibly perked up. An island vacation was something only a rare few could afford to enjoy.

"Whoa! Really?"

"Yes."

Mashima Tomoya nodded solemnly. "And the school will cover all expenses during the trip."

"Ohhh!" The boys in class were already cheering. Some excitedly thumped their desks, while others had started high-fiving their neighbors.

"Blue skies, the sea, the beach, an island, summer stars... It'll be a dream vacation."

"We'll have to buy swimsuits and learn to swim beforehand," the girls said, already eagerly chatting among themselves.

"Yeah, yeah. It'd be so embarrassing to have to take a floatie out into the ocean."

"I'm going to buy that blue one-piece swimsuit!"

"Polka-dot bikinis are more fashionable!"

A deeply unwelcome voice shattered their happy dreams.

"As expected... a school funded by the government... sure is generous. The last time I saw... the school be this generous was... when Mr. Mashima talked about those 100,000 points..."

The halting words doused everyone's excitement like a bucket of cold water.

Looking toward the voice, they saw its owner awkwardly dodging from side to side in his seat, desperately avoiding the projectiles Morishita Ran was firing at him. Eraser crumbs occasionally fell from his head.

Now that he mentioned it, was this school really so kind?

Everyone eyed Mashima Tomoya suspiciously.

"The Special Exam."

Katsuragi Kōhei, who had been silent ever since Mashima Tomoya began speaking, finally spoke up.

"So far, we haven't taken a single Special Exam. Based on the experience of the second- and third-years, there should be at least one every term."

Katsuragi Kōhei's words settled the matter and thoroughly crushed the last of their hopes.

The entire class focused their attention on Mashima Tomoya, hoping he would give them an answer.

"What I can tell you for now is that you'll take a cruise ship to an island somewhere in the south and spend a week there."

Under the whole class's gaze, Mashima Tomoya remained stone-faced as he revealed the little information he had.

"An island? A training camp? Wilderness survival? A skills competition..."

Mikage Touji kept dodging projectiles as he rattled off a string of possible exam events, like he was reading from a menu.

Mashima Tomoya's expression shifted slightly. "You'll have to figure that out yourselves."

As soon as he finished speaking, the first-period bell rang right on cue, bringing the serious mood in the classroom to an end.

"That's all I have to say. This morning meeting is over."

After quickly running through the remaining notices in a dry voice, Mashima Tomoya gathered his things and left the classroom.

"Mikage Touji! Mikage Touji! What do you think it'll be?"

After missing several times in a row, Morishita Ran reached out and grabbed Mikage Touji by the neck with both hands, shaking him vigorously as she asked, her big eyes sparkling.

"What do you hope it'll be?" Mikage Touji asked, rolling his eyes.

"Deserted-island survival!"

Morishita Ran answered without hesitation. She really was looking forward to it.

"Then that's probably what it'll be. Didn't our PE teacher say they'd teach us to swim before summer break? If it were some other activity, they'd have safety measures in place. This is the only one where they can't guarantee every student's safety."

"But at the end of the day, it's just a guess. We'll need to get more information to confirm it."

When Mikage Touji had rattled off those possible exam events, he had clearly noticed Mashima Tomoya react in a particular way to wilderness survival.

"Um, you know, when the time comes, let's go exploring together!" Morishita Ran had already started planning her deserted-island routine.

"Hey, hey, it's survival on a deserted island. Don't end up turning into some wild animal's buffet together. And it might not even be wilderness survival. There are other possibilities."

"I think it'll be wilderness survival too, and I'll be fine." Morishita Ran proudly puffed out her chest.

"Pardon me for asking, Miss Morishita, but where does all this confidence come from?"

"I watch shows like that online all the time..." Morishita Ran said confidently.

"..."

I watch esports tournaments all the time too, and I still get crushed and end up whining about it.

Meanwhile, in another classroom, Class C.

"Yamawaki, Komiya, I'm afraid you two didn't pass this exam. Pack your things and get ready to drop out."

Class C's homeroom teacher, Sakagami Kazuma, pushed up his glasses and calmly announced the news.

"H-how could this happen, Mr. Sakagami? There has to be some kind of mistake!"

"R-right, we really did study hard. Surely that should count for something..."

The two Class C students who had been told they were dropping out panicked and desperately tried to explain themselves to Sakagami Kazuma.

"I saw how hard you worked, but I'm afraid the rules are the rules. They can't be changed."

Sakagami Kazuma's measured voice landed like a hammer on the two students' hearts.

"And there's no mistake. As your homeroom teacher, I put a hundred and twenty percent of my effort into handling your expulsion. I've gone over your test papers many times and haven't found any errors. Yamawaki got two points, and Komiya got three. I'm afraid you didn't make it over this hurdle."

"You're welcome to look at your papers if you want, but I advise you not to waste your time."

Sakagami Kazuma's calm, suffocating words delivered the final blow. The two students slumped helplessly in their seats.

"D-drop out and go home..." Yamawaki clutched his head in despair, digging his fingers deep into his hair. "My dad's definitely going to beat me to death."

"I finally made it here, and now I have to drop out and go home in the second month..." Komiya covered his face, a choked sob escaping him.

The rest of Class C sat in silence. Whatever else, the two had been their classmates for two months. They might not have known them well, but they felt at least some sympathy for them.

"Hey, hey, could you stop saying such spineless things?" A domineering voice cut in at the wrong moment.

Ryuen Kakeru had propped his legs up on a desk and folded his hands behind his head. He said mockingly, "If you lose, you should just go home. A man should admit defeat without making a fuss, right?"

"Ryuen, you jerk!" Ibuki Mio stood up to defend her classmates. "Komiya and the others are about to be expelled, and you're still saying things like that!"

"Did I say anything wrong? People who can't even understand this school don't deserve to survive here."

"Ryuen, what do you mean by that?" Some students sensed that Ryuen Kakeru was hinting at something.

"Komiya, didn't you say before that you'd rather drop out than let me rule this class?"

Ryuen Kakeru looked at Komiya's bowed head, a cruel smile spreading across his face.

"Then drop out. Trash doesn't deserve to survive at this school."

"Ryuen, are you saying you have a way to keep Komiya and the others here?" Kaneda Satoru put down their test papers and turned to Ryuen Kakeru.

The two students beside him seemed to see hope rekindle in their eyes.

"Yeah, I do. Unlike you useless fools, I can see something so obvious."

"Mr. Sakagami, is that true?" Some of the smarter students turned to Sakagami Kazuma to confirm.

"There is a way, but as your homeroom teacher, I can't tell you what it is."

At Sakagami Kazuma's reply, Ryuen Kakeru threw back his head and laughed, his arrogant laughter ringing throughout Class C.

"Ha ha ha!"

Ryuen Kakeru laughed as he swept his gaze across the class.

"See that, you bunch of useless fools? You can't even figure this out, and you still dream of graduating from Class A."

"Hey, you two. If you still want to keep studying at this school..."

Ryuen Kakeru stood up and walked over to them.

"Kneel down and beg me!"

Chapter 55: Sakayanagi Arisu: When It Comes to Infighting, You Can't Beat Me

The clock on the wall ticked away, enveloping all of Class D in silence.

Class D's classroom was a far cry from its usual noisy self. The students sat rigidly in their seats. Ken Sudō anxiously flipped through the pages of his textbook again and again, the scraping sound grating on everyone's nerves, as if he were trying to make up for all the study time he'd wasted playing basketball. Most of the others kept glancing toward the classroom door, their hopes rising only to fade again.

In the quiet classroom, two voices sounded especially grating.

"Haruki, this exam was easy, wasn't it? I might even get a perfect score."

Kanji Ike sat at an angle facing Yamauchi Haruki, leaning back with only two legs of his chair on the floor as he rocked it smugly.

"Exactly! The Midterm Exam was nothing for an all-around genius like me. All I have to do is review a little and I can get a high score. That's the kind of student I am, you know?"

Yamauchi Haruki rubbed his nose and even imitated Kouenji Rokusuke's tone as he spoke, tossing back his nonexistent long hair with a show of carefree swagger.

"Kanji, do you think that after the school sees how amazing we are at studying, they'll be so impressed that they'll move us up to Class A?"

"No way. Things like that take time, just like leveling up in a game, right?" Kanji Ike waved his hand casually.

Quite a few Class D students furrowed their brows and stared at the two smugly confident boys in confusion.

Their classmates' disapproving looks didn't seem to bother them. If anything, they seemed to be enjoying the attention. They exchanged glances, then burst out laughing together.

The two voices rang out from Class D, carefree and lost in their own world, like people high on some magical Western plant, echoing down the quiet hallway.

Ten minutes later.

The sound of high heels tapping against the floor approached at an unhurried pace, reaching the ears of the Class D students. Soon, Chabashira Sae appeared at the classroom door with a poster in hand and swept her gaze across the class.

"Looks like everyone's here. Good. I'll get straight to the point and announce your Midterm Exam results."

"Bring it on. I'm ready. Just watch and see what Yamauchi Haruki can do."

"Me too, me too! I'm Kanji Ike, and I'm currently looking for a girlfriend. Don't fall in love with me later, okay?"

Kanji Ike gave Kushida Kikyou a stiff wink. Kushida Kikyou, who had just been doing her best to comfort her classmates, froze on the spot.

"You two sure are confident," Chabashira Sae said with a faint smile.

"Not bad, huh?"

"But..."

As she slapped the poster bearing Class D's results onto the blackboard with a snap, their confident laughter abruptly stopped. Chabashira Sae's cold announcement sent them plummeting to the depths.

"Yamauchi, Ike, Sudō. All three of you failed."

Chabashira Sae stood with one hand on her hip and the other braced against the lectern, looking down at the two incredulous boys and Ken Sudō, whose fists were clenched. She smiled faintly and delivered the news as if it were nothing.

"Guess you really are inseparable, even when it comes to getting expelled. Maybe you can all attend the same school after you leave. How nice for you."

"I failed? How is that possible? Little Sae, you're joking, right? Or maybe there's been some kind of mistake. Yes! They must have mixed up the test papers!"

Kanji Ike jumped stiffly to his feet. His chair legs scraped sharply against the floor as he stared at the poster's bright red numbers and forced out a smile.

"N-no... Why is my English score even lower than Sudō's? That's impossible!" Yamauchi Haruki sprang to his feet in panic, cold sweat beading on his forehead as he kept muttering, "I was supposed to get a really high score. We clearly... Someone must be jealous of how talented I am and changed my score."

Unlike the other two, Ken Sudō had some idea of his own ability. He punched the nearest wall, the dull thud ringing through the room, and shut his eyes in anguish.

"Damn it! I still didn't pass?!"

The other Class D students also looked somewhat flustered. They might have spent only two months together as classmates, but if someone was expelled, the Class Points they might otherwise have gained would vanish in an instant.

Horikita Suzune looked grave as she fixed her gaze on the three students' scores on the poster and wrote down each of their subject scores in her notebook.

Something was wrong!

It made sense that Sudō had failed by three points; his basics were weak to begin with.

But why were Ike and Yamauchi so far below the passing mark? One had missed it by eight points, the other by six. This exam had been quite easy. Even with ordinary results, there was no way they should have done this badly.