Unimportant

He sat down just in time as the bell rang, and homeroom teacher Sae Chabashira strode briskly to the podium from the back, slapping her lesson plan and exam papers onto the desk. She looked over the students before her, her gaze finally settling on Kiyotaka Kiyotaka with a probing glint, while Beihai beside him was completely ignored—an unremarkable figure, only needing occasional caution to prevent any erratic behavior.

Of course, today's main task was about yesterday's exam.

"Not bad. I thought you'd all sink into despair, but surprisingly, you scored high. However, Sudo and Yamauchi failed."

It turned out the May exam wasn't based on individual scores. Since the four classes were in competition, with even the entire class's performance fluctuating, the exam averaged everyone's results. Despite Suzune Horikita deliberately scoring low to control the average, Beihai had gone all out this time, dragging down Sudo and Haruki Yamauchi to failure.

The most anxious wasn't Sudo himself—he only managed to stammer out a "why"—but Yosuke Hirata, who couldn't hold back and stood up first. He didn't want anyone in this class to face trouble, nor did he want grudges to form among them.

"Isn't there any way to make up for it?"

D Class's Little Angel, Kikyo Kushida, seeing Yosuke Hirata grab everyone's attention, eagerly began pleading for Sudo as well. But the answer she got was far from satisfactory.

"Failing is a fact. Sudo, Yamauchi—come to my office later and get this settled."

Her tone brooked no argument, much like Class A's homeroom teacher. As an instructor, she couldn't personally offer any solutions, at most dropping hints, but mostly had to handle things by the book. Just like on the first day of school, she spoke with authority, but the verbal traps were ultimately for the students to uncover the so-called truth themselves.

After announcing this fact, Chabashira left the classroom. The moment she stepped out, Kiyotaka followed under the pretense of going to the bathroom. Suzune Horikita narrowed her eyes, watching the two leave one after the other—how could she not guess Kiyotaka's intentions? Though she didn't know the exact method, following to check was the right call. She became the third person in the class ready to chase after them, but paused briefly in front of Beihai.

Beihai was intently studying his exam paper, jotting down wrong answers. His rigid mindset was too obvious—he looked like a total bookworm, even a bit inflexible. How could someone like that be useful? Yet Suzune had to admit that what Beihai said to Kiyotaka by the vending machine had some merit. She found herself ridiculous—that day, Kiyotaka must have been steering the conversation. Realizing this, she set it aside and hurried out of the classroom.

After she left, Beihai lifted his head slightly, his panda eyes behind his glasses uncertain. Had that girl been staring at him just now? Must be his imagination. With his cursed constitution, anyone else would have dropped dead long ago. Now, fully focused on studying and using his brain, his body functions were only held together by the system.

Beihai had no idea what those two were discussing with the homeroom teacher. He only knew that Chabashira returned to the classroom and canceled both students' expulsions. Not only that, but the Black Long Hair had latched onto the Expressionless Guy again. Eavesdropping nearby, Beihai caught fragments of their conversation and pieced together the gist—they must have used points to resolve the expulsion issue.

"What's with the points on your terminal?"

"I don't seem to have to answer you, or rather, I have no obligation to. Just knowing the problem is solved is enough."

Chabashira tapped the podium to call for silence, inwardly confirming that guy really had ability. Maybe this time, Class D could rise to Class A. But thinking about the leaders in other classes, Class D still lagged far behind. At least for now, Class D didn't even have a leader—any decision-making would instantly split into several small factions. Comparing gaps, Class C could casually pull out 2 Million Points, while asking Class D to chip in some points for the same amount felt like taking their lives—they'd never give. Worse, Class B was the biggest headache this year, striking twice with completely different methods. Luckily, neither time targeted Class D. If they had swapped the exam papers, this year would've ended early, and the school's higher-ups would have stepped in directly. Even Chabashira wondered if Class B's leader had some kind of split personality. But she quickly dismissed that absurd thought—if someone were that twisted, they wouldn't be in Class B. They'd be in her class, which would be a blessing, but that was just wishful thinking.

After a day of classes, Beihai walked back to his dorm, with Airisu Sakura beside him, fiddling with her camera. Descending the stairs to the corridor, he saw the class points board. To his surprise, the original Class A had dropped. The May exam hadn't changed their points at all—no increase, no decrease. That was strange. After all, controlling scores with one or two people was enough; it couldn't be a whole group, could it? Meanwhile, the original Class B had climbed up a rank, gaining over 1,000 points, overtaking to become the school's Class A in just the second month.

Just then, Beihai's terminal buzzed.

Honami Ichinose: [Hehe, it worked.]

Looking at the message, then at the class points, how could Beihai not understand?

[Impressive. You actually went through with it. How many personal points did it cost?]

Honami Ichinose: [Having the homeroom teacher swap the file bags was a real bloodbath, but it was all worth it today. By next month, everyone will have over 110,000 Points. The exam's over, and it's only two days until next month. Thanks for this.]

[No need. But even I didn't expect you'd really use this trick.]

Beihai sent the message. He hadn't thought the Little Angel would turn a bit cunning so soon, going after the other class. Sure enough, this school was destined to forge little demons.

Honami Ichinose: [Not at all. I thought about it for a long time. For Class B's sake, and because of this school's deadly rules, it seemed like the only path. I think after this, I can take it easier.]

It seems Little Angel wants to go on the defensive, with no intention of launching a fierce attack.

If anyone else had taken the lead, they'd be itching to crush the rest completely, but Honami Ichinose wouldn't.

In this regard, it's just like swapping out Class A's exam papers.

If that thug from Class C knew about this, he'd absolutely go all out against everyone.

And now, after defeating all opponents, she's directly switching to a defensive stance and not fighting anymore.

But for Beihai, it makes no difference. As long as she studies hard and genuinely improves her learning ability and thinking skills, nothing else matters more.