On the posted sheet, Sakura had the highest score among the three, with thirty-nine points. A red line had been drawn above it. In other words, anyone who scored lower than Sakura had failed. Ike had the lowest score, with thirty-two points.
The last person was Kei Karuizawa, just as expected.
Actually, by the standards of the original story, everyone would have passed. The culprit behind this outcome was...
"Shinomiya got a perfect score?"
"So he's actually that smart!"
That's right: the culprit behind everyone's failure was Shinomiya Ju Fan. To be honest, aside from the last few questions, this exam had been far too easy. For someone who'd gone through China's exam-oriented education system, it was a breeze.
On top of that, his mind was exceptionally sharp these days, and his pride—shaped by the education in this world—wouldn't let him cheat on an exam. That was how one person had managed to drag up the average. Most of the class had scored below sixty, and only a few had gotten high marks. It was worth noting that Koenji had scored ninety.
Of course, he'd only done this because the exam hadn't mattered. If it had been an exam that could get someone expelled, he wouldn't have minded holding back a little.
"Teacher Sae, don't joke around. Expulsion isn't something you can joke about."
"Even if you say that, there's not much I can do. Those are the school's rules. You'd better prepare yourself."
"Sudo, you idiot. There's no way you passed!"
"Are you picking a fight? I studied seriously."
"I wonder who it was that said he wouldn't get involved in this sort of thing!"
Ike had voiced Ju Fan's thoughts. In a way, it really was a miracle that Sudo had passed.
"Let me add something. This school is run by the state and prides itself on its high university admission and employment rates. Everyone knows that. Most of you in this class probably have goals of going to university or finding a job."
Naturally. Everyone who came to this school would have one of those goals; otherwise, there'd be no point. They said that graduates from here could get into places that were usually hard to get into. There were even rumors that some were recommended to top universities.
"But... there's no such thing as a deal that good. To benefit from the promise of employment or university admission, you have to make it into Class A. The school certainly won't offer any guarantees to students outside of that class."
Yeah, it was practically a scam. Everyone who'd come to this school had been aiming for university or a job, and now they were being told none of that was guaranteed. Who would accept that? Of course, Ju Fan wasn't sure whether Teacher Chabashira had made that up to motivate them to reach Class A. In his previous life, he'd only watched the first two seasons of the anime. He had no idea what happened after that.
"What...? I've never heard of this! That makes no sense!"
"Don't panic. Didn't we make it to Class C in the first month? We'll find a way."
"What makes you think it'll be that easy?"
Yukimura, who'd attended swimming lessons with Ju Fan, seemed especially unable to accept the news. He'd begun to panic.
"That's all I have to say. Shinomiya and Horikita, come with me."
The classroom seemed to have descended into chaos over the news. Meanwhile, Ju Fan and Suzune were singled out by Teacher Chabashira and called outside. Perhaps she had something to discuss with them.
Afterward, Teacher Chabashira closed the door and led them to the roof of the school building. She lit a cigarette, put it to her lips, and took a drag.
"Teacher Chabashira, isn't it a little inappropriate to smoke in front of students?"
"What, Shinomiya? Do you want to try it too? As a boy, you're at the age where you're curious about things like this, aren't you?"
Teacher Chabashira didn't seem annoyed that Ju Fan had tried to stop her. Instead, she offered him the cigarette she'd been smoking, apparently to see how he'd react. To be honest, seeing the mark on the cigarette, Ju Fan felt a little tempted.
"Teacher Chabashira, please don't joke around like that. We're still minors! You're breaking the school rules, aren't you? What did you bring us here for?"
Suzune stepped in front of Ju Fan, her expression sharp as she watched Teacher Chabashira warily. Well, even if Suzune hadn't done that, Ju Fan wouldn't have been tempted by something like this... probably.
"Hmph, I was just kidding. I wouldn't corrupt your little boyfriend."
"L-Little... Teacher Chabashira, if you keep joking like that, I'll get angry! We're just ordinary friends."
At this point, Teacher Chabashira barely seemed like a teacher at all. She was far too frivolous. Then again, it seemed like there wasn't a single normal teacher at this school.
"Enough joking around. You should know why I called you out here, shouldn't you?"
"Isn't it to praise us for what we did and give us a reward?"
"That's one reason, but I have another purpose as well. All right, I'll give you a special deal. For just ten thousand points, I can get you anything you want to buy."
Teacher Chabashira smiled playfully, as if she wanted to see how the two of them would react.
"Isn't it free?"
"Shinomiya, don't be so greedy."
"Then how about becoming my girlfriend, Teacher Chabashira?"
"Ju Fan, don't joke around like that. It's incredibly rude to Teacher Chabashira... I'm sorry, Teacher. He just likes making mean jokes. Please don't take it to heart."
Naturally, Suzune dealt Ju Fan a punch. A small bump had clearly risen on his head; she'd really hit him hard. Thankfully, after all this time, he'd more or less gotten used to it. It was a sad state of affairs.
"Sorry, sorry... Now, here's what I actually want. Teacher Chabashira, sell me the authorization to install surveillance cameras throughout the school."
"No, that's impossible. Let's talk about you becoming my girlfriend instead... Horikita, girls who are too serious aren't very popular. The school can't give you that kind of authorization."
"Then how about selling me the authorization to install cameras in the Special Building?"
Start by making an outrageous request, then offer a condition the other party would be more willing to accept. That increased the chances of getting what you wanted. It was just a little negotiating trick.
"Shinomiya, why do you want something like that?"
"I just feel uneasy because that's the only place in the school without cameras."
"I'll take your word for it. I accept the deal. But you'll have to pay for the cameras yourself... So, Horikita, is there anything you want? Information would be fine too."
"No, Teacher Chabashira. There's nothing I want. If I want something, I'll get it myself."
Horikita turned down Teacher Chabashira's offer with a cool confidence that was so like her. It was just a bit of a waste. Teacher Chabashira was clearly paying for them out of her own pocket. She wouldn't even have refused if Horikita had asked for a laptop. Horikita was too honest; she didn't know how to take advantage of a good deal.
"Suit yourself. I'll throw in a piece of information, too. About the final exams: pay close attention to the upperclassmen. Do your best, and keep an eye on your classmates as well. They could become obstacles to your reaching Class A. That's all I have to say."
"Teacher, since Horikita doesn't want anything, could you give me that authorization instead...? There's something else I want, too."
"No. Each person gets only one chance! Hurry back. Class is about to start."
Sure enough, as soon as Teacher Chabashira finished speaking, the bell rang for class...
Before you continue