What's Coming Will Come Eventually

On the first day of classes in early May, Teacher Mashima walked into the Class A classroom with a slight smile.

"Has everyone received their points?"

"Yeah. Ninety-eight thousand Class Points, just two thousand less than last month."

"That means you only lost two thousand Class Points over the past month. Congratulations." Teacher Mashima clapped. "Even among previous Class A classes, you're the best group I've ever taught."

He hadn't said, "You're the worst class I've ever taught." He'd said they were the best.

Hearing their homeroom teacher say that, many students couldn't help but sit up straighter, proud to be part of the class.

"All right, enough small talk. Let's get down to business."

Teacher Mashima quickly returned to his usual stern manner, took a sheet of paper from his bag, and pinned it to the blackboard.

Class A: 980

Class B: 650

Class C: 490

Class D: 400

The numbers beside the classes were listed from highest to lowest, matching the order of Class A through Class D.

Seeing that, Masayoshi Hashimoto smiled.

It perfectly matched what Toru Hasegawa had told him.

"Since there are some very capable people in your class, none of you have any questions, do you?"

"Teacher, is it true that only students who graduate from Class A can receive the benefits the school promised?"

Those benefits meant an almost one-hundred-percent rate of advancement to higher education and employment. The one who asked was Masayoshi Hashimoto.

"That's right." Teacher Mashima nodded. He hadn't even needed to bring it up himself; a student had already figured it out. It left him feeling a little wistful.

After so many years of teaching, he'd finally had a student steal his lines. He'd never thought he'd live to see the day.

"The numbers below each class represent its Class Points, which are linked to the personal points you receive on the first of every month. The relevant information should now be available on the phones issued by the school, so anyone interested can check it for themselves."

"Also, if a higher-ranked class's Class Points are surpassed by those of a lower-ranked class—for example, if Class A's Class Points drop to 600 next month—then the current Class B will take our place and move up to Class A. Do you understand?"

"As long as you maintain your Class A status until graduation, the school will give you the benefits it promised."

Teacher Mashima had said a lot in one go. Otherwise, he felt he might run out of lines to deliver.

"Teacher, you said earlier that anything in this school can be bought with points, right?" Toru Hasegawa suddenly asked.

"That's right."

"Then how many points does it take to transfer classes?"

Though Toru Hasegawa had already learned the number from Miyabi Nagumo, he decided to ask again in front of the whole class.

"Twenty million."

The number Teacher Mashima gave them caused an uproar.

The students looked at one another, and someone soon raised a question.

"We're already in Class A. Why would we need to transfer?"

"Exactly. It's not like anyone would actually transfer to a lower class, haha..."

It was hard to imagine anyone at this school willingly choosing to move down a class, so it was only natural that they'd think that way.

After this somewhat off-topic discussion, Teacher Mashima took another sheet of paper from his bag and pinned it to the blackboard. It showed their scores on the last quiz.

"Congratulations. If this had been a formal exam, none of you would have been expelled."

Toru Hasegawa nodded to himself. Now that they knew how unusual this school was—and after what he'd said earlier—it was only natural that the students who struggled academically would feel a sense of urgency.

At the mention of expulsion, many students looked shaken. They were the ones with the lowest grades in class.

Incidentally, Toru Hasegawa had scored 80, placing him toward the upper end of Class A, but nowhere near the top.

Honestly, it felt strange to deliberately hold back for the first time...

Toru Hasegawa leaned back in his seat and glanced at Sakayanagi Arisu, who was sitting in front of him. When she gave no indication that she wanted to speak, he reluctantly continued questioning the teacher.

"May I ask what the passing threshold was this time?"

"Thirty-six," Teacher Mashima replied.

That score was very odd. Usually, the passing threshold was 60, and many students in the class had scored even lower than that. Yet the threshold was only 36.

Toru Hasegawa had never felt his mind so clear. As he looked at everyone's scores displayed for all to see, he ran the numbers in his head.

"Half the average score?" he murmured.

Teacher Mashima gave him a surprised look. "That's right. The passing threshold is calculated based on the class average each time. This time, the class average was 72.6, so the threshold was 36.3."

"...Do you round up, or do you simply drop the decimal?" Toru Hasegawa asked, feeling a little exasperated. How had he ended up in the spotlight without even realizing it? He was so sorry...

Seeing the smile on Sakayanagi Arisu's face, Toru Hasegawa knew she already knew the answer. She just wasn't saying anything because she wanted to sit back and watch him handle it.

"We round up." Teacher Mashima picked one of the two options, then continued, "The midterm exams are three weeks away. You made it through this time, but you mustn't let your guard down. I'm sure you can all find ways to avoid failing. Keep working hard."

Though no one in the class had failed, Teacher Mashima left the classroom after those oddly ominous words.

"So, does this mean Class D had only 400 Class Points left, even though they had the same information we did by the beginning of the second week? If they didn't know about it, could it be that..."

Someone had spotted a key detail on the sheet of paper showing the class point totals.

"Zero?"

During the break after Teacher Mashima left, the Class A students began discussing the matter. Naturally, most of their attention focused on Class D.

"Hahaha, this is kind of funny."

"Hey, did you figure this would happen a long time ago?"

Amid this atmosphere, Kamuro Masumi suddenly asked Toru Hasegawa.

"I'm no god. How would I know?" Toru Hasegawa sighed.

Kamuro Masumi put on a casual air and said, "Most people would probably look down on Class D. They already knew the school was testing them, yet they still had only 400 Class Points left. It's hilarious."

That meant Class D must have been incredibly carefree during the first week.

"Maybe, but I doubt many people would say that outright," Toru Hasegawa remarked.

"Are you talking about me?" Kamuro Masumi took the bait. "I was just wondering if you did all this for that girl."

"Do you think I'm that kindhearted?" Toru Hasegawa asked, feigning confusion.

Kamuro Masumi nodded seriously.

At the same time, Toru Hasegawa's phone vibrated in his pocket.

He knew who would be messaging him at a time like this without even looking.

Sure enough, when he checked the screen, Airi Sakura's name appeared.

"She came to see you?" Kamuro Masumi teased with a grin.

Toru Hasegawa shook his head. "She just sent a normal thank-you."

"And? Don't you have any other thoughts?"

"Why would I?" Toru Hasegawa gave her a puzzled look. "Do you want something to happen between us?"

"It's nothing. I was just asking." Kamuro Masumi slumped over her desk, looking lazy.

Toru Hasegawa glanced at the scores above. "Your score wasn't very high either. Want me to tutor you?"

"No, it's a small thing. Don't trouble yourself. I'll ask Sakayanagi."

"Why are you suddenly being so polite?"

"I'm just teasing you."

Just then, Toru Hasegawa's phone vibrated again.