None of My Business

"Do you really think that once you enter society, someone will write down every social rule and unspoken workplace convention in a manual, hand it to you, and teach you step-by-step how to survive?

Refusing to explore or think for yourselves, and simply waiting for others to spoon-feed you—that is one of the reasons why you are called 'inferiors'."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the faces below—some angry, some ashamed, others still blank—and her tone grew even more mocking:

"However, I must say I 'admire' you. To have managed to burn through all 1000 of your initial Class Points in just one month, bringing your total to zero.

(Zero is the school's limit, not Class D's limit; if possible, it could even drop into the negatives...)

Such a situation is an 'unprecedented feat' among all the previous iterations of Class D at Advanced Nurturing High School."

These words were like a bucket of ice water, extinguishing the anger that had just begun to rise in some, replacing it with a deeper sense of shame and embarrassment.

Many lowered their heads, not daring to meet her eyes.

Chabashira Sae continued to explain in her emotionless voice: "What is displayed on the whiteboard are the current Class Points held by each class, abbreviated as CP.

For every 1 point accumulated, every student in the class receives 100 private points each month.

Upon enrollment, the school grants every class an initial 1000 points. Everyone started on the same playing field."

Her gaze swept over the students of Class D once more. "Why is it that you, of all people, managed to take a starting hand that wasn't half bad and play it into this miserable, zero-point state?"

An atmosphere of despair and regret began to permeate the classroom.

Just as everyone hung their heads, as if they had fallen into an abyss, Hirata Yosuke stood up.

This boy, who had always tried to unite his classmates and remained relatively clear-headed in Class D, now had a face filled with urgency and pleading.

He bowed toward Chabashira Sae, his voice trembling slightly from nervousness:

"Chabashira-sensei! May I ask... is there any way to earn Class Points now?

We... we will definitely work hard! No matter what, we will earn the points back! Please, tell us!"

Hirata's words were like a glimmer of light in the darkness, causing many students who had fallen into despair to lift their heads once more.

Hope flickered in their eyes as they looked at Chabashira Sae in unison, as if she were their only lifeline.

"There is," Chabashira Sae replied concisely. "In general, as long as the total Class Points you earn in the future exceed those of other classes, you can replace them and move up.

Class D can become Class C; if you are outstanding enough, it is not impossible to leap directly to Class A."

The flame of hope seemed to brighten slightly.

"But for now," she shifted her tone, and the cold reality came crashing down again, "with the gap between 0 and 490, you can't even reach the tail end of Class C."

The flame of hope flickered and threatened to die out.

But Chabashira Sae didn't seem to intend to extinguish it completely—or perhaps, she needed this flame to drive these "inferiors."

She continued: "The midterm exam is your next opportunity.

Depending on the overall average score of the exam, the class can earn up to 100 Class Points."

100 points! Although it wasn't much, it at least meant there might be private points coming in next month, rather than a complete zero!

The atmosphere in the classroom loosened significantly; whispers broke out, and determination began to re-form in the eyes of many.

However, this spark of hope was immediately crushed and pulverized by Chabashira Sae in an even colder manner.

She produced a printed table from somewhere and used a magnet to stick it next to the glaring "Class D: 0 CP" on the whiteboard.

"This is the class ranking table for last month's pop quizzes. Take a look for yourselves."

Her voice rose sharply, carrying undisguised severity. "In the entire class, only a measly... 10 people passed."

Her gaze, like a cold blade, slowly sliced across every pale face in the room as she announced, with the finality of a verdict that brooked no argument:

"From the next exam onward, including the upcoming midterm and the final exam thereafter, any student who fails a single subject—"

She paused deliberately, letting the suffocating fear swell to its limit within the classroom.

"Will be immediately ordered to—expelled."

The word "expelled" hit the Class D classroom like two thunderclaps!

All the noise, all the wishful thinking, and all the confusion were replaced in that instant by bone-chilling fear.

Many students in Class D shivered instinctively, their faces turning as pale as paper.

They finally realized with absolute clarity that this Advanced Nurturing High School, with its seemingly glamorous benefits, was never a comfortable ivory tower.

It was a naked, brutal arena of survival of the fittest.

And they, Class D, were currently standing on the very edge of a cliff, with the bottomless abyss of "expulsion" beneath their feet.

Panic spread through the classroom like a plague.

Only Lin Mu remained sitting quietly in his seat.

He had already lowered his hand and returned to sucking on his grape-flavored lollipop, watching the clamor and panic before him with a detached expression. The threat of expulsion?

To him, it was nothing more than a trivial matter.

With his Psychokinesis, let alone passing an exam, even getting a perfect score in every subject would be nothing more than a mere thought.

He didn't even need to "see through" or "alter" anything; simply by using his Psychokinesis to flip through books and memorize them quickly, or by predicting the scope of the exam, he could handle it with ease.

He looked at his classmates—some panic-stricken, some ashen-faced, others gritting their teeth to hold on—and felt nothing, not even a ripple of emotion; he almost wanted to yawn.

The show was over.

He thought to himself silently, the corners of his mouth twitching almost imperceptibly: from now on, Class D would likely find it impossible to coast along as "comfortably" as they had before.

The real chaos, it seemed, was about to begin.

And for him, it was enough to remain a quiet observer, ensuring his own comfort zone remained undisturbed whenever necessary.

As for the struggles, efforts, or downfalls of others?

Those were lives they had chosen or were forced to face.

What did that have to do with him, Linmu Fujimiya?

The end of class arrived quickly; the moment the bell rang, it was like a drop of water hitting boiling oil, instantly igniting the panic, anxiety, and confusion that had been suppressed throughout the lesson, filling the room with a buzz of discussion.

However, one figure had already risen swiftly from his seat and strode toward the podium: Hirata Yosuke.

This was the boy who usually wore a gentle smile and treated everyone with sincerity and courtesy.

At this moment, there was obvious urgency gathered between his brows, yet his gait remained steady and his posture upright.

It was clear that the moment Chabashira Sae had announced the cruel reality, he had already made up his mind.

He was determined to shoulder the responsibility of leading this crumbling Class D out of the mire, deciding to become the leader who would unite them all.

(Event Period: May 1st to May 5th)