Just a few days ago, Kikyo had surpassed Ju Ji in Tai Chi. She'd literally pinned Ju Ji to the ground and rubbed him into the dirt.
Deeply aware of his own shortcomings, Ju Ji had decided to rely on his talent and hard work—that is, his 2,000 Friendship Points—and exchange them for Tai Chi (Grandmaster) from the system. It cost twice as much as the Mastery-level skill, but it was well worth the price.
However, the secrets of Tai Chi in the system differed from traditional Tai Chi. They mainly consisted of two aspects: Yin-Yang Harmony and Borrowing Force to Strike, both taken to the extreme. Ju Ji could even make use of gravity now. In short, when it came to close-quarters combat, he no longer feared anyone at the school. Not even Ayanokoji.
Even if he were outnumbered, Ju Ji was confident he could just barely win against ten people or fewer. Any more than that, and he'd probably be exhausted to death.
Thanks to all this, the Friendship Points he'd worked so hard to earn had dwindled to fewer than 500. But if nothing unexpected happened, he'd get a large number of points again today.
The reason was that today was the first day of May, when the previous day's test results and the Class Points earned in the first month would be announced.
"Have your points been transferred this month?"
"They have, but there are a lot fewer than last month. But it was a good thing we listened to Shinomiya's advice back then, right?"
"If Yosuke and Kikyo hadn't talked me out of it, I wouldn't have believed him either. Anyway, Teacher Chabashira should explain things today."
By the time Ju Ji entered the classroom, the class was already discussing the points that had been transferred into their accounts.
"Morning, Ayanokoji. Morning, Suzune."
"Morning, Ju Ji."
"Morning, Shinomiya."
By the time Ju Ji reached his seat, Suzune and Ayanokoji were already there. Of course, Ju Ji wasn't late. He'd arrived at his usual time. It was just that his classmates had come in especially early today.
Soon, the bell rang to signal the start of the first day of May's classes. Before long, Teacher Chabashira walked into the classroom, holding a poster tube. Her expression was even more serious than usual, like someone suffering from menstrual irregularities.
But Class D's results should've been better than in the original story. Or did Teacher Chabashira always look like that, and Ju Ji only think otherwise because of his preconceived notions?
"Teacher, are you on your period?"
Ju Ji had already thought Ike was an idiot, but he hadn't expected him to say something like that right to her face. Was that really why he couldn't get a girlfriend?
"We're about to begin the morning assembly. But before we do, does anyone have any questions? If there's anything you're concerned about, it's best to ask now."
Teacher Chabashira was surprisingly tolerant, even ignoring Ike's sexual harassment. Maybe Ju Ji could speak more freely around her from now on. Unlike a certain someone, who'd get violent with Ju Ji whenever he said something they didn't like.
"Um... Teacher, it seems like we got a lot fewer points this month. Weren't we supposed to get 100,000 points on the first of every month? Is there something wrong with the system?"
"Hondo, I did say that points would be transferred every month, but I never said you'd get 100,000 every month. You're only first-years. Did you really think you could spend 100,000 points every month without limits? It should be obvious that's impossible. There's nothing wrong with the system. Understood?"
It was only natural for Hondo to ask. He'd been one of the students who hadn't believed Ju Ji at the time. After hearing Teacher Chabashira's answer, he should've realized how important Ju Ji's advice had been.
"...Teacher, may I ask something? There's something I don't understand. Please tell us why our points were reduced. Otherwise, we can't accept it."
Just as in the original story, Hirata raised his hand to ask a question. The information Hondo had received wasn't enough to convince everyone in the class.
"Being late, being absent, chatting during class, or using your phones. At this school, a class's performance is reflected in its points. I told you directly during the entrance ceremony that this school measures students by their abilities. If the school judges that a student's qualities have declined, it's only natural for the points they receive to decrease. School regulations prevent me from giving you the details."
Teacher Chabashira answered Hirata's question with a well-practiced, fluent explanation, as if she'd prepared it in advance. This dispelled the doubts of some students.
"It seems none of you have any more questions. Then let's get to the main topic."
The teacher took a thick sheet of white paper from the poster tube and spread it out, using magnets to pin it to the blackboard.
"Are these the results for each class?"
The sheet listed Class A through Class D, with numbers beside them. It looked about the same as the figures Ju Ji and the others had shown earlier.
At the bottom was Class D (Ryuen) with 490 points, Class C (Ju Ji) with 600, Class B with 650, and, highest of all, Class A with 940. If the ratio between these Class Points and the points they received was ten to one...
Then the points shown for Class D clearly didn't match what they knew.
"Teacher, as far as I know, 60,000 points were transferred to our Class D this month, but this says 490. Even if the ratio is one to a hundred, that clearly doesn't add up."
Suzune was right. The points they'd received didn't seem to match the figures on the sheet.
"Very observant, Horikita. That's right, the points you received don't match these figures. That's because these aren't the points you received. And I must say, you've truly surprised me. Congratulations on successfully overturning the school's evaluation of you. From now on, you've been promoted from Class D to Class C. In this school's history, you're the first class to advance after just one month. You have every right to be proud."
For the first time, a smile appeared on Teacher Chabashira's face. Ju Ji could tell it was genuine, a smile straight from the heart. It seemed Teacher Chabashira was happy that their class had advanced, too.
"But don't get too excited just yet. Let me explain why you were placed in Class D in the first place. This school assigns students to classes according to their merit. The most outstanding students go to Class D, while the useless ones go to Class D. This system is very common in large organizations. But it seems you're not quite as bad as that. Still, your last test results disappointed me a little... I really wonder what you learned in middle school."
Giving someone a smack and then a sweet date was an old routine, but Teacher Chabashira had turned it around.
Another sheet of paper was pinned to the blackboard. It listed everyone's names, with their test scores written beside each one.
"These are the results of your last quiz. If this had been a formal test, three of you would've been expelled right at the start of the school year."
"Expelled?"
"Didn't I tell you? At this school, if you fail even one subject in the midterms or finals, you'll be expelled. For this test, everyone who scored below forty is subject to expulsion."
"What?!"
The first to cry out was Ike, one of the three students. Ju Ji was truly sorry for having mistaken him for an idiot all this time. He was a bona fide super-idiot.
Surprisingly, Sudo had passed this time. In the original story, he'd been the only one who failed...
Before you continue