The Quarreling Crowd

"Tea... teacher." Kushida slowly raised her hand.

"Speak."

"Um, what do you mean by expulsion?"

"Hmph. It seems you really are hopelessly stupid. You still haven't figured out the school's rules. At this school, failing even one subject on a midterm or final exam gets you expelled. As far as this exam goes, every student who scored below thirty-two points will be expelled."

"Ah—" The seven students who had scored below thirty-two let out cries of shock.

"Teacher Chabashira, you're joking, right?" Ike was the one who spoke. With his outstanding score of twenty-four, he'd started calling her Teacher Chabashira instead of Saeda.

Loud, grating laughter suddenly erupted in the classroom. Rokusuke Koenji leaned against the window, golden-brown hair falling over his forehead as he twirled a pen with careless ease. "Scores worse than an elementary schooler's. Getting expelled is only natural, isn't it?" He sneered at Sudo and Ike, undisguised contempt in his eyes. "After all, trash shouldn't be allowed to stand alongside a perfect person like me."

Sudo kicked his chair aside. Its metal legs scraped sharply across the floor. "Who are you calling trash, you bastard? Say that again if you've got the guts!" The veins in his neck bulged, and his clenched fists trembled with anger. Ike's face flushed as he jumped to his feet, his voice edged with desperate defiance. "What's it to you? If you've got the guts, stop sitting there making snide remarks!"

"I'm saying you're garbage, not even fit to tie my shoes." Koenji leisurely straightened his cuffs, a cruel smile curling his lips. "Look at how worked up you are. As expected, you're an uncivilized, lowly life-form." He drew out the words deliberately, each one like a poison-tipped dagger aimed straight at everyone's most fragile pride.

"You're dead!" Sudo roared and swung at him, but Koenji nimbly sidestepped. He caught Sudo by the wrist, the joints cracking with a sickening sound. "That's all the strength you've got? You couldn't even tickle me." Then he suddenly let go. Sudo stumbled into a desk, sending books scattering across the floor.

"That's enough!" Chabashira Sae shot to her feet and stamped her high heel against the floor. "Putting on a farce in front of me? It seems you're not only stupid, but utterly lacking in self-awareness." Her eyes swept over the two red-faced boys, a derisive smile on her lips. "Keep arguing. At this rate, we can add a few more names to the expulsion list."

A heavy tension hung in the classroom. The seven students facing expulsion huddled pale-faced in their seats, their fearful, angry gazes shifting between the three. Takahashi Shinma sat quietly in the shadows, his fingers absently tracing the edge of his book as he took in the whole farce. At this school, where strength came first, the law of the jungle had only just bared its sharp fangs.

Only after the sound of Chabashira Sae's heels had faded completely down the corridor did the silence in Class D finally break. Hirata Yosuke stood first, trying to keep his voice calm. "Everyone, please stay calm! Things are bad right now, but we can figure out a way to earn some points together..."

"How? Is there anywhere left at school to earn points?" A girl's voice trembled with tears. "We can barely afford even the necessities..." Her words plunged the classroom into silence again. Only the stifled sobs of a few students echoed through the air.

Sudo slammed his fist on the desk, making the books jump. "Whatever happens, I'm not getting expelled! I'll do whatever it takes to pass next month's exam!" His words made several classmates who had been hanging their heads look up, a glimmer of hope rekindling in their eyes.

As everyone hotly debated what to do, Rokusuke Koenji's languid voice drifted from the back of the classroom. "How ridiculous." Propping his chin on his hand, he casually surveyed the agitated crowd. "You think a bunch of losers can change things just by trying hard? Whether I'm in Class A or Class D makes no difference to me. Points? Expulsion? Those ridiculous rules are nothing but shackles the school uses to restrain you."

"You bastard!" Ike's face reddened with anger. "Easy for you to say! If you've got a better idea, then help everyone!"

"Why should I help you?" Koenji raised an eyebrow, a mocking smile curling his lips. "To me, you're no different from weeds by the roadside. Whether you're trampled or wither away, it makes no difference to me." His words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly dousing the courage that had just begun to stir in the classroom.

Takahashi Shinma had been quietly listening to everyone's conversation. Now he narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched Koenji's arrogant display. He was an anomaly. In this school filled with lies and schemes, any anomaly could become a key piece in changing the game.