Almost at the same time, Class D was taking a quiz too.
Horikita Suzune frowned as she looked at the test paper she had been handed. It wasn't because the questions were too difficult; she simply didn't understand.
"Chabashira-sensei, I have a question."
At the sound of Horikita Suzune's voice, Chabashira Sae lazily turned her gaze toward her student.
"What is it?"
"What's the point of this test?" Horikita Suzune asked. "You said earlier that it would be a reference for the future. What exactly will it be used as a reference for? Class Points?"
As though she had expected this question, Chabashira Sae sighed deeply. "Horikita, you really do ask a lot of questions. But don't worry. This test won't have any real impact. Just do the best you can, whatever your level."
Horikita Suzune considered her answer, then asked, "I'd like to know whether the other classes' scores will be announced after the test."
Chabashira Sae rarely smiled, but now a faint smile appeared on her face. Horikita might have been a little slow on the uptake, but she did have some ability. She was starting to think about how her opponents were doing.
"The scores for every class will be announced. Of course, only the averages—not individual scores."
"I see. When will the actual exams begin?"
Horikita Suzune was about to continue questioning her when she saw the utterly exasperated look on Chabashira Sae's face.
"Sorry, but I'm not obligated to answer every question you ask. Stop wasting time, Horikita."
As if she'd tell you the answers with the cameras watching.
"Hahaha, don't mind her, Sae-chan! Just watch me today—I'm definitely getting a high score!" Kanji Ike shouted.
"I don't have any expectations of you," Chabashira Sae replied evenly.
"Hey, that's too harsh!"
Listening to them, Horikita Suzune silently studied the test paper in her hands, her expression unreadable.
Not long ago, Hirata Yosuke had asked Chabashira Sae to confirm what she'd said in front of the class. She had confirmed it, but hadn't mentioned anything about the rules.
She hadn't even told Class D that they could spend two million Private Points to buy information, as if she'd never expected them to have that many points to spare.
At first, Horikita Suzune couldn't understand it at all, but she was gradually beginning to see.
Getting this class to climb the ranks was going to be difficult.
Their homeroom teacher, Chabashira Sae, seemed to have given up from the start. As for the students in Class D, there was even less hope.
Apart from a few students who couldn't accept it, the rest were a little disappointed and frustrated, but quickly accepted reality.
After all, a hundred thousand Private Points a month was an enormous amount.
If they could coast through all three years like this, they didn't mind the school's arrangement.
That was what everyone thought. Hirata Yosuke couldn't do anything about it; he would only go along with the majority.
Kushida Kikyo didn't care, and Karuizawa Kei was even less interested. She was focused on cultivating her own social circle.
They were the most influential students in Class D, so it was easy to imagine the state the class was in.
Thinking about it, Horikita Suzune clenched her fists. She didn't mind fighting alone; she was already used to being on her own.
"Hey, Sae-chan, how many Private Points will we get next month~?"
Now and then, she could still hear flippant remarks like that. They didn't take the test seriously at all, grinning and joking around.
What, lose points?
As if! They had a thousand points, just like Class A. Even if they lost some, they'd still have seven or eight hundred left!
Even if they did lose points, they could slowly catch up!
With the quiz over, May arrived before long.
During this time, Class C remained inactive. Perhaps they were waiting for an opportunity.
Suzuki Toru didn't care what Ryuen Kakeru was thinking. If it didn't work out, he'd just replace him. There was nothing more to it.
[Private Points: 148,500]
[Class Points: 940]
At six in the morning, the long-awaited Class Points were finally updated. A deposit of Private Points came in at the same time, bringing Suzuki Toru's balance back above one hundred thousand.
However, according to their earlier agreement, he had to transfer half of the Private Points he received this month to Morishita Ai's account.
So Suzuki Toru merely glanced at the figures and put his phone away without a second thought.
"They deducted sixty points. What on earth went wrong?"
Not long after arriving in class, he noticed someone anxiously going over what they might have done wrong.
Others were trying to figure out what last month's test had been. Judging by their everyday routine, it was impossible to tell what the school had been testing them on.
Points had been deducted, but for what?
Suzuki Toru had just sat down when Sakayanagi Arisu gave him a faint smile, as if to tell him that his peaceful days were about to end.
Before long, Mashima Tomoya appeared at the classroom door, carrying several poster-like sheets.
As he walked in, the entire class found their eyes drawn to him. Katsuragi Kohei and Sakayanagi Arisu were among them.
"This is our regular morning meeting. Judging by your expressions, you probably already know what I'm here to discuss." Mashima Tomoya didn't show much emotion. He hung one of the posters on the blackboard. "These are the results for your year group this month. The process and outcome were exactly as expected."
Suzuki Toru looked up at the blackboard and saw the rankings of the four classes clearly displayed.
Class A: 940
Class B: 770
Class C: 550
Class D: 0
Tch. The results couldn't have been clearer.
A low murmur spread through the class. Totsuka Yahiko stared at Class B's score and gritted his teeth. "Damn, they've closed the gap that much!"
But he quickly started grinning.
"This is hilarious. The idiots in Class D actually managed to lose all one thousand of their Class Points! Hahaha!"
Totsuka Yahiko wasn't the only one who couldn't hold back. Almost everyone wore a strange expression when they saw Class D's zero.
Suzuki Toru clicked his tongue, wondering whether Horikita Suzune would be devastated when she saw the results.
Things had gone more smoothly than he expected. Since they knew there would be an exam, shouldn't they have taken things a little more seriously?
Did they think they had so many Class Points that they couldn't possibly lose them all?
"Mr. Mashima, can you tell us the details of the exam now?" Katsuragi Kohei asked gravely.
To be honest, that was what Class A most wanted to know right now.
Mashima Tomoya pondered for a moment. "The first month's test was simple. The school wanted to see how you'd behave without being given any information, including your classroom conduct and your behavior in daily life."
"Behavior in daily life?" Katsuragi Kohei asked, confused.
"There are cameras along the roads. If you've done anything immoral, the cameras will record it," Mashima Tomoya explained. "In other words, this test looked only at your individual conduct. A person with exceptional ability should naturally have the character to match."
Katsuragi Kohei considered this. The exam tested not only the students' character, but also their self-control.
After all, from the very first day, the teachers here had never told them to pay attention to classroom discipline or anything like that. They'd acted as if it were up to them whether they listened or not.
Class A hadn't lost many points because they were already used to following the rules.
"Still, don't get too comfortable. If you break classroom rules from now on—for example, by arriving late, leaving early, or zoning out in class—you'll lose Class Points all the same. I think those are common-sense rules at any school."
So that was what had caused Class D's downfall.
Mashima Tomoya's words didn't provoke any particular reaction from Class A.
"When will the next exam be?" Katsuragi Kohei asked.
Mashima Tomoya gave a wry laugh. "If I could tell you that, I would've done so from the start, Katsuragi."
Katsuragi Kohei thought about it and changed the question. "Will future exams also be like this, with no rules explained to us?"
"That depends on the exam. Having no rules is a rule in itself. You could say the rules are simply one way the school keeps you in check."
Did that mean they could do whatever they wanted as long as the rules didn't forbid it?
It was the first time Suzuki Toru had seen a teacher hint that his students should use any means necessary against their enemies. It suddenly made him curious about Mashima Tomoya's past.
At that moment, Sakayanagi Arisu spoke up impatiently.
"Mr. Mashima, we're short on time. Could we get to the point?"
The girl wore a smile, as if she'd known in advance that today's main topic wouldn't just be Class Points, but something else of particular importance.
Mashima Tomoya looked at her in surprise, then put another poster on the blackboard. One name after another appeared before the class.
It seemed to show the results of the earlier quiz. Each student's name was followed by their scores in the various subjects.
Suzuki Toru spotted his own name on the list too. He ranked ninth—a rather unlucky number.
Aside from the students who had done especially well, most of the class had averages around eighty.
That said, some students weren't very good at studying. Kamuro Masumi, for example, had only managed a pitiful score just above sixty.
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