An Expected Failure

To be honest, the results of this exam were indeed somewhat beyond Hoshino's expectations, yet he felt little surprise from them.

"Thank you! Kushida..." "It's all thanks to your past exam papers! I..."

After Chabashira announced the results of yesterday's exam, many people in the class surrounded Kushida, chattering their thanks.

However, the situation did not seem to be going as they had hoped, and Hoshino felt a sense of worry.

Since the passing threshold for the previous quiz wasn't a standard 60%, Hoshino had made a rough estimate; it should have been the class average divided by two. But no matter how he looked at it this time, it seemed someone had failed.

"To be honest, I'm surprised. I didn't expect you all to score so high! I admit you've worked hard! But, you failed, Sudo!"

There was a hint of gratification on Chabashira's face, but it vanished in an instant, replaced by her usual disdain. She walked up to the podium, picked up a red pen from the desk, and drew a line over Sudo's name in the English grade column, her words laced with mockery.

As expected, Hoshino sighed softly.

"Huh? What kind of joke is this? Why did I fail?" Sudo, still his usual "hot-headed" self, pushed his desk away and stood up, his face full of defiance.

"The failing threshold for this midterm exam is 40 points. The average score for Class D was 83.6. If you divide that by two and round to the nearest whole number, the failing threshold is 42 points!"

"...42 points..." Sudo suddenly calmed down, his expression one of shock, his pupils dilated!

"Although the time was short, you worked hard. Please submit your withdrawal form after school..." Chabashira slowly turned her head, her eyes devoid of even a shred of sympathy.

Sudo seemed to fall into a deep state of self-doubt, slumping blankly into his seat.

"Please wait, isn't there any remedial measure?" Hirata, the class's most popular representative, stood up with an urgent look on his face.

"Failing the exam means expulsion." Chabashira remained completely unmoved.

"Is there really no other way? I can't accept Sudo being expelled just like this..." Kushida also spoke up, her expression agitated, though it was unclear if it was genuine or not.

"Rules are rules. Give it up. Sudo, I'll be waiting for you in the office after school." Chabashira walked out of the classroom with a look of contempt, completely indifferent.

Many people in the classroom gathered around Sudo, and after a brief silence, they began to offer him words of comfort.

Watching this scene unfold, Hoshino felt like laughing.

Given that Sudo's attitude had offended everyone just a few days ago, Hoshino didn't believe for a second that these people had truly accepted him so quickly. They were simply relieved that it wasn't themselves facing expulsion.

Still, Sudo was truly stupid; he had the past exam papers, yet he still managed to fail!

At a time like this, there was probably only one path left to take.

"Hey, does everyone really think this is okay? If things go on like this, Sudo is really going to be expelled!" Kushida looked at the crowd with a worried expression.

"Ayanokoji-kun?"

"Sorry, I'm going to the restroom."

Ayanokoji stood up leisurely, pulled open the door, and walked out.

Hoshino watched Ayanokoji's retreating back with a sense of helplessness: he was really treating everyone like fools. Usually, when someone leaves at a time like this, it's because they've thought of a way to solve the problem, right?

Hoshino had a rough idea of what could be done, but a three-point gap! Hoshino didn't believe that a single point could be bought for only 10,000 points!

If 20 million private points could buy a class transfer, then it should also be able to waive an expulsion penalty. By that logic, 100,000 points per point wouldn't even be considered expensive! It was highly likely that the entire class combined couldn't afford Sudo's three points.

He wondered if Ayanokoji had some other approach, or if he could truly drive the price down? Hoshino felt a flicker of doubt.

At that moment, Horikita followed him out.

Hoshino's curiosity was piqued, but he didn't follow them out; after all, the "melodrama" playing out in the classroom was quite entertaining.

Sudo looked dejected, muttering something under his breath. The students nearby were offering advice, though, aside from Hirata, few were likely sincere. But often, it is only at times like these that people's true emotions and intentions are most easily revealed, and Hoshino observed silently.

However, Sotomura, who was sitting next to Sudo, turned his gaze toward Hoshino after his attempts to console Sudo failed, his eyes filled with hope.

Since Hoshino had a way to acquire so many points, perhaps he had a way to save Sudo. As Sudo's friend, Sotomura didn't want to see him expelled like this.

Although he had "worked" with Sotomura for a while, it didn't mean their relationship was good enough for him to help with just anything. Besides, Hoshino had already paid his dues; he owed Sotomura nothing. Hoshino ignored Sotomura's gaze and turned his eyes toward the others.

"Hoshino, can you come out for a moment?" Horikita had returned to the classroom, pulled the door open, and looked at Hoshino with a surprised expression.

It must be that something went wrong with Chabashira! Hoshino couldn't imagine how Sudo's situation could have anything to do with him.

"...Sure..." Although he was puzzled, Hoshino followed her out obediently; it was better to get to the bottom of things early.

"What do you need me for?" On the rooftop, Hoshino looked at Chabashira and Ayanokoji with a puzzled expression. Horikita followed behind and then pulled the rooftop door shut.

"Simply put, we want to buy back the three points for Sudo's English grade. It's 100,000 private points per point. We don't have enough points, and Chabashira-sensei said you have a way."

Horikita walked over, and the three of them fixed their gazes on Hoshino.

"Chabashira-sensei?" Hoshino looked at her with suspicion. What he didn't understand was that Chabashira seemed to want to help Sudo! But that went against her usual behavior!

"Hoshino, do you think it's necessary to save Sudo?" Chabashira turned to look at the sky, a lit cigarette held between her fingers.

"From an objective standpoint, it would certainly be better to keep Sudo." Hoshino thought for a moment, unsure of what game Chabashira was playing.

"...Then, I know you have enough points to keep Sudo!"

"What's in it for me?" With Ayanokoji and Horikita both present, it wasn't convenient for Hoshino to ask about certain things, so he could only address what was currently on the table.

"It will increase the future class points!..."

Hoshino was speechless; he even wanted to ruthlessly roast Chabashira. Her ability to paint a big picture was truly profound!

"That doesn't move me. And Chabashira-sensei, if you really wanted to save Sudo, you could have done it yourself."

As a homeroom teacher, she didn't look like someone who had just started this year, so she must have a substantial amount of private points. A mere 300,000 points wouldn't be hard for her to cover up!

"Show them your points. I can grant you any one request within the scope of my authority!"