Reality

Returning to the dormitory, Onizuka pondered the words of Hoshinomiya alone.

Twenty million points?

That is truly a staggering amount; if one were to rely on conventional means, it would likely be impossible to save up that much in a lifetime.

Fortunately, he is not a person who enjoys the conventional.

Time flew by, and soon it was the third week of the school term.

Aside from the fact that the vast majority of the boys in the class were planning to have a meal together in the cafeteria, today was no different from any other day.

The third period was Sae Chabashira's social studies class. In the past, she would never bother with the noisy state of the classroom, simply lecturing from the textbook on her own.

But today was different.

"Everyone, be quiet!"

Sae Chabashira suddenly shifted into a 'majestic state' that the students had never seen before, and in an instant, the classroom fell silent.

"What's wrong, Sae-sensei~" some of the more lively students in the class asked.

"The school will be holding a quiz at the end of the month, but please rest assured, the results of this test will only serve as a [reference] and will not be reflected on your report cards."

"However, cheating is strictly prohibited!" Sae Chabashira added, as if she had just thought of something else.

Soon, the test papers were handed to Onizuka. He took a brief look; they were all simple questions, so simple that even the idiots in the class who never studied should have been able to answer them.

However, there were three questions on the back of the paper where the difficulty spiked instantly. There was no transition in between, as if the school didn't want anyone to get them right at all.

But, of course, that couldn't stump Onizuka.

He finished the paper quickly, handed it in early, and returned to the dormitory to rest.

Presumably, this test paper was also one of the criteria for determining the points distributed to their class in the future, right?

Judging by their daily study habits, the number of people capable of achieving good results was likely few and far between.

Onizuka couldn't wait to see the look of despair on their faces once they learned the truth.

...Ring, ring, ring...

The first bell of May rang out.

As per tradition, this first period was the 'homeroom time' presided over by the homeroom teacher.

Soon, Sae Chabashira walked into the classroom carrying several rolled-up sheets of paper.

Her face was stern, even more so than during her previous 'majestic state'.

The students of Class D, who usually liked to mess around, restrained themselves upon seeing her expression.

Seeing that the students had quieted down, Sae Chabashira placed the roll of paper on the podium.

"This is homeroom time. Before I talk about important matters, if you have any questions, you had better ask them now."

Hearing the teacher say this, the students began to whisper among themselves, and finally, Yosuke Hirata asked the question.

"Teacher, may I ask why our points for this month haven't arrived yet? Many students don't have enough points left for lunch."

Sae Chabashira let out a cold, mocking laugh.

"I already emphasized this at the start of the term: unless there are any unforeseen circumstances, points will be deposited into your student cards on the first of every month as scheduled."

"Clearly, this month is no exception."

Ike Kanji, sitting to the side, couldn't sit still any longer.

"But teacher, there really hasn't been an increase in points on our student cards!"

"Heh heh heh heh, you really are stupid. I have never encountered such incompetent students as you!"

Sae Chabashira erupted instantly, and that gloomy aura pressed down so hard that Ike Kanji, who had just stood up, collapsed back into his seat.

"Now, everyone sit down and return to your seats!"

Hearing this, Ike Kanji hurriedly righted the chair he had knocked over and sat back down.

"Good. You aren't so stupid that you can't even understand simple speech. I will emphasize this one more time: this month's points have been deposited into your student cards without error!"

'It's just that the points are zero.'

"It's just that the points are zero."

Onizuka's thoughts echoed Sae Chabashira's words.

The students below the podium erupted into chaos.

"Why? Didn't the school say they would give us 100,000 points every month?"

"What do I do, what do I do? I even borrowed 50,000 points from a second-year student, and we agreed I'd pay them back today!"

"This isn't right, is it? How could something like this happen!"

Listening to the buzzing noise below, Sae Chabashira finally lost her patience and slammed her hands onto the podium with a loud "bang."

"I never once said that the school would [guaranteed] give you 100,000 points every month!"

"The current tragedy is entirely of your own making. It's truly an eye-opener; to have squandered your class points in the very first month of school, you really are 'talents' without precedent."

Sae Chabashira then used a magnet to stick a piece of paper onto the blackboard.

"These are the mistakes you have made over the past month. If you have any questions regarding the school's point deductions, feel free to come up and check after class."

"But for now, sit down!" she roared as she watched the students begin to stir again.

"Look, these are your class points. Take a good look and see the gap between you and the other classes."

Sae Chabashira then posted several more sheets of paper on the blackboard, each listing classes A through D with numbers marked beside them.

Class A stood at 940, Class B at 650, Class C at 490, and Class D, as expected, was at zero.

"Every class point is multiplied by 100 and distributed to your accounts as private points."

"By the way, don't think that good behavior will increase your class points. Aside from certain [Special Exams], this process is irreversible."

"Furthermore, these are your test results from the end of last month."

Sae Chabashira posted another sheet of paper on the blackboard and drew a red line at the 32-point mark with a red pen.

(Onizuka: That blackboard is huge!)

"You are truly lucky. If this had been an official exam, our class might have lost seven people in one fell swoop."

"What do you mean by losing seven people?" Haruki Yamauchi couldn't help but shout out from the side.

"What a fool. Doesn't 'losing' just mean expulsion?"

Without a doubt, the only person other than Sae Chabashira who would dare say such a thing at a time like this was him—Rokusuke Koenji.

"What do you mean by that, you bastard!"

"Quiet!!" Sae Chabashira, who had stopped the argument in the classroom, pressed her hands against the podium.

"How do you think this school maintains a 100% advancement rate? By weeding out trash like you, naturally, only the elite remain."

"Don't think that there is any such thing as a free lunch at this school. If you're just looking to coast through, get out now!"

With that, Sae Chabashira slammed the door shut and left the classroom.