"Do you think that once you enter the workforce, someone will hand you a manual listing every social rule and workplace convention, then teach you step by step how to survive?
The fact that you don't explore or think for yourselves, and instead wait for someone else to spoon-feed you everything, is one of the reasons you're called 'defective products.'"
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the faces below—some angry, some ashamed, and some still bewildered. Her scorn only grew more pronounced.
"Still, I really do 'admire' you. In just one month, you managed to burn through all 1,000 of your initial Class Points and bring your total straight down to zero.
(Zero is the academy's limit, not Class D's. If possible, you could even end up with negative points...)
Among all the Class Ds in Advanced Nurturing High School's history, this is an unprecedented 'feat.'"
Her words doused some of the anger that had just begun to rise, replacing it with deeper shame and embarrassment.
Many students lowered their heads, afraid to meet her gaze.
Chabashira Sae continued in her emotionless voice, "The board shows how many Class Points each class currently has. We'll call them CP for short.
For every Class Point your class accumulates, every student in it receives 100 Private Points each month.
When you enrolled, the academy gave every class an initial 1,000 points. You all started on equal footing."
Her gaze swept over the Class D students again. "Why is it that you, of all people, took what wasn't even a bad start and turned it into this miserable situation, with not a single point left?"
An air of despair and regret began to fill the classroom.
Just as everyone hung their heads, seeming to have fallen into an abyss, Hirata Yosuke stood up.
The boy had always tried to bring his classmates together and had seemed relatively clear-headed. Now his face was full of urgency and pleading.
He bowed to Chabashira Sae, his voice trembling slightly with nervousness.
"Chabashira-sensei! Is there... is there anything we can do to earn Class Points now?
We... we'll do our best, no matter what it takes, to earn those points back! Please tell us how!"
Hirata's words were like a faint ray of light cutting through the darkness, prompting many of the despondent students to raise their heads again.
A humble hope kindled in their eyes. They all turned to Chabashira Sae, as though she were their only lifeline.
"There is," Chabashira Sae replied tersely. "In general, if you earn more Class Points than the other classes in the future, you can replace them and move up.
Class D can become Class C. If you're good enough, jumping straight to Class A isn't impossible either."
The spark of hope seemed to burn a little brighter.
"But as things stand now," she continued, bringing the cold reality crashing down again, "the gap between zero and 490 is so wide that you can't even reach the bottom of Class C."
The spark of hope flickered, close to going out once more.
But Chabashira Sae didn't seem intent on snuffing it out completely—or perhaps she needed that spark to drive these "defective products."
She went on, "The midterm exams are your nearest opportunity.
Based on your class's overall average scores, you can earn up to 100 Class Points."
One hundred points! It wasn't much, but at least it meant Private Points might be deposited next month instead of their total staying at zero!
The atmosphere in the classroom eased noticeably. Whispers broke out, and determination returned to many of the students' eyes.
But the hope that had just begun to kindle was stamped out and crushed the very next second, in an even more merciless fashion.
She took out a printed chart and used a magnet to stick it on the board beside the glaring words, "Class D: 0 CP."
"This is the class ranking from last month's in-class quizzes. Take a look for yourselves."
Her voice rose slightly, her sternness unmistakable. "Only a mere... ten people in the entire class passed."
Her gaze moved slowly across the students' faces, which had gone pale in an instant, like a cold blade. She announced the verdict, word by word, with an air of finality that allowed no argument.
"Starting with the next exam—including the upcoming midterms and the final exams after that—any student who fails even one subject—"
She paused deliberately, letting the suffocating fear swell to its peak throughout the classroom.
"Will be ordered to—withdraw immediately."
The words "withdraw immediately" exploded through the Class D classroom like two thunderclaps!
All the noise, all the wishful thinking, all the confusion—every bit of it was replaced by bone-deep fear.
Many of the Class D students shuddered involuntarily, their faces as pale as paper.
At last, they understood with absolute clarity that this prestigious, well-appointed Advanced Nurturing High School was no peaceful ivory tower.
It was a brutal arena of survival, where the strong preyed on the weak and only the fittest survived.
And Class D was standing right at the edge of a cliff, with a bottomless chasm called "expulsion" beneath their feet.
Panic spread through the classroom like a plague.
Only Linmu Fujimiya remained quietly seated.
He had already lowered his raised hand and put his grape-flavored lollipop back in his mouth. Watching the commotion and panic unfold before him, he remained calm. The threat of expulsion?
To him, it was a trivial matter that barely concerned him.
With his psychic powers, passing the exams—or even getting perfect scores in every subject—would be as easy as moving a thought.
He didn't even need to "see through" or "alter" anything. He could easily manage by quickly flipping through and memorizing books with Psychokinesis, or by predicting what would be on the exams.
He looked at his classmates, some panicking, some ashen-faced, and some gritting their teeth and trying to hold on. He felt nothing. He even felt like yawning.
The show was over.
He thought silently, the corner of his mouth twitching almost imperceptibly. It looked like Class D wouldn't be able to coast along as comfortably as before.
The real excitement was about to begin.
As for him, he only needed to remain a quiet bystander and make sure his comfort zone stayed undisturbed when necessary. That was enough.
As for everyone else's struggles, efforts, or downfall?
That was the life they had chosen—or been forced to face.
What did any of it have to do with Lin Mu?
Soon, it was time for class to end. The moment the bell rang, like a drop of water hitting hot oil, the fear, anxiety, and confusion that had been bottled up all lesson erupted at once. The classroom filled with the buzz of discussion.
But one figure had already risen quickly from his seat and strode up to the lectern: Hirata Yosuke.
He was the boy who usually wore a gentle smile and treated everyone with sincerity and courtesy.
Now there was unmistakable urgency between his brows, but his steps remained steady and his posture upright.
Clearly, he had made up his mind the moment Chabashira Sae announced their harsh reality.
He had resolved to shoulder the burden of leading the class and guiding the crumbling Class D out of its predicament. He would become the leader who brought everyone together.
(Event period: May 1 to May 5)
Before you continue