The Odd Jobs Agency, sitting pretty and confident, heard someone call his name from the podium and quickly replied:
"What is it, Teacher Chabashira?"
"I heard you got this year's exam questions from upperclassmen?"
Shinjo could tell that Chabashira simply wanted him to save Sudo. If that was the case...
"Uh, that's right. But really, it was my fault. An upperclassman had tried to sell me the exam questions even earlier, but they were asking for as much as fifty thousand points. I just couldn't afford that... If I'd had fifty thousand points, maybe Sudo wouldn't have..."
Sae Chabashira's eye twitched.
You really are asking for a fortune... But fine. As long as you help the class, fifty thousand points is nothing.
"I understand. This isn't your fault, Shinjo."
Though she said that, Chabashira also gave Shinjo a solemn nod, signaling that she accepted his price.
Well, then. The deal is done.
Suddenly!
Shinjo slapped his forehead, as if he'd remembered something important, and quickly stood up again.
"I've got it! Teacher!"
Sae Chabashira watched Shinjo put on a show on the spot, her face expressionless.
"Sudo! I've found a way to keep you from getting expelled!!"
"Really?! Shinjo?!"
The person who reacted most strongly wasn't Sudo, but Hirata, who had just been feeling a little down.
This guy really cares about his classmates. Sudo has embarrassed him in public several times, but he's still willing to go this far... That's admirable.
"I remember Teacher Chabashira saying that at this school, you can buy anything with points, right?!"
"Points? But what does that have to do with...?"
Fortunately, there were still clever people in the class. With just a little prompting, Horikita immediately figured out what was going on.
"You mean we can use points to buy the point Sudo is missing?!"
The moment she said that, the whole room erupted.
They clearly hadn't thought points could be used that way, but it did sound reasonable.
"Teacher Chabashira! Can we really do that?!"
Hirata hurriedly asked Chabashira to confirm, while Sudo, who had just fallen into despair, instantly had a spark of hope in his eyes.
Sae Chabashira replied with feigned disdain:
"In theory, yes. But if you want to buy the one point Sudo is missing, it'll cost one hundred thousand private points. Can you afford that?"
Sudo's spirits sank again. His emotions had been on a roller coaster, rising and falling over and over. How could he possibly come up with that many points?
But why should he have to worry about that?
Hirata quickly put his influence in the class to work:
"Everyone! Let's help Sudo! I hope each of you can pitch in a few points to help him get through this. We're all in this together!"
Kikyo Kushida also spoke up in Sudo's defense:
"Hirata's right! Sudo is one of our Class D classmates. And he's really changed from the way he used to be! The Sudo of today is hardworking and serious. He's an indispensable member of our class!"
With the two core members taking the lead, many classmates offered to lend Sudo the points.
Horikita and Ayanokoji were especially generous, each contributing thirty thousand points.
"Um... Sudo, Kei and I used our points to buy the exam questions and answers, so..."
Shinjo tactfully explained that he was short on funds, and Karuizawa, who was beside him, quickly abandoned her idea of donating a few thousand points.
After all, everyone had seen how much those two had contributed, so no one would say anything if they didn't donate.
Instead, Sudo kept thanking Shinjo. Without him, Sudo wouldn't have passed his other subjects, let alone come up with the solution that had saved him.
"Shinjo, and Karuizawa, you've already done so much for me. How could I ask anything more of you? Thank you! Thank you so much!"
"And thank you, Ayanokoji and Horikita. You actually spent so many points on someone like me... And Hirata, Kushida, and everyone else... I... I really... Don't worry. I won't cause trouble for the class again, and I'll pay everyone back as soon as I can!"
They said a man shouldn't cry easily, but that he just hadn't reached a moment of heartbreak.
Seeing his classmates set aside their grievances and contribute money for him, Sudo felt something deep inside him stir.
Sae Chabashira looked at Shinjo, who hadn't contributed a single point, and clicked her tongue.
That kid gets all the benefits, and Sudo even has to be grateful to him...
Before long, they had crowdfunded the hundred thousand points, and Sudo successfully stayed in Class D.
Seeing that everything had finally settled, Shinjo breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Fortunately, nothing unexpected had happened this time.
For the simplest example, if he could buy back the point Sudo had lost, didn't that mean someone else could buy Sudo back into failing?!
Maybe the point wouldn't cost a hundred thousand if they did that, but it wouldn't be absurdly expensive either. If Ryuen really showed up and was willing to spend a huge sum just to get Sudo expelled, that would be a real problem.
"Um, since we made it through this close call, should we have a..."
"Oh! We really should have one~"
Have what?
A huge celebration, of course~!
After class, the members of Horikita's study group gathered again to discuss the celebration.
Kikyo Kushida suggested it, and Ike and Yamauchi chimed in. Sudo felt he had to celebrate making it through in one piece. Horikita flatly refused, saying she didn't have time, while Shinjo said that since he'd been invited, he supposed he had no choice.
(Ayanokoji: So what do I think?
Everyone: That doesn't matter at all!)
"Cheers!!"
Since they couldn't drink alcohol, they might as well drink fruit juice to their hearts' content!
"So why are we having the celebration in my dorm room?"
Ayanokoji couldn't understand it. More importantly, how had these people barged into his room without his permission?
"But if not your room, then where? You're not thinking of going to a girls' dorm, are you? Just so you know, the three of our rooms are so messy they're impossible to look at. Even if we cleaned them up, there's no way we could finish in a day."
"Then why not Shinjo's place? He probably keeps his dorm room tidy, right? He has a girlfriend, after all."
Shinjo spread his hands helplessly.
"Why would you assume a girlfriend would definitely do the housework for you? Besides, my room isn't that messy, but it definitely isn't as spacious as yours."
Because he had a habit of buying all sorts of strange and unusual things, Shinjo's room was also piled high with cardboard boxes.
Before you continue