Yukimura closed the distance with such force that it looked like he was about to grab Hirata by the collar.
Clap!
Just as it seemed the two were about to come to blows, Shuichi Kanda clapped his hands. The sharp sound rang throughout the classroom.
"That's enough. We all started from the same place, and the fact that things have come to this is a problem for the entire class. Some people did use up their Class Points, but Hirata is also responsible for failing to bring the class together. Am I wrong?"
As Shuichi Kanda spoke, he stood up.
"Huh? Why should Hirata have to take responsibility for that?"
Before Hirata could say anything, his girlfriend, Kei Karuizawa, jumped in at once to make her presence known, leaving Shuichi Kanda at a loss for words.
"Karuizawa!"
But Hirata Yosuke's stern voice quickly startled Kei Karuizawa. Under his serious gaze, she shut her mouth.
After stopping Kei Karuizawa, Hirata Yosuke turned his attention back to Shuichi Kanda.
"That's right. If I'd used the information we had to persuade our classmates, things might not have come to this."
That was Hirata for you. If it had been anyone else, they would probably have blown up at Shuichi Kanda's unreasonable accusation.
"Sure, I admit it would be difficult to persuade this bunch of idiots. But you chose to take responsibility for class matters from the very beginning, and you chose to become the class leader. So these things should be your responsibility, too."
"Actually, I never intended to lead the class. I don't have the ability to do that, either. Everyone is free to make their own choices, and I don't want to hold them back."
Exactly. That was Hirata now: a nice guy without the nerve to unite the class, content to play handyman and patch things up wherever they broke.
That was why Shuichi Kanda needed to give him a push. Even if it was only one-sided and temporary, he had to put Hirata in that position.
It might not have any practical significance. He wouldn't be able to issue an order like a martial arts alliance leader and have everyone obey, but the symbolic meaning was enough.
Once someone capable showed up, they could put that person in charge instead. By then, the students would have gotten used to the idea of following a leader.
What? You're asking why Shuichi Kanda didn't do it himself?
Come on. There was no way Shuichi Kanda would take on such exhausting work himself.
"Unfortunately, there's no one else who can step up and lead Class D right now." As he spoke, Shuichi Kanda looked around at the students. No one volunteered to take on the responsibility.
There was no need to mention Ike and the other idiots. Their heads were lower than anyone else's. Even Horikita Suzune, who usually thought of herself as an outstanding student, didn't speak up to object.
Wait, what's with that look you're giving me?
You're not planning to offer me up as a sacrifice, are you?
I refuse!
"See? No one can do it. I can't, either. I can't even name every student in the class, so you're the only one who can do this."
Almost everyone had the unspoken thought that someone who couldn't even name all the students in the class didn't deserve to be their leader.
"Yeah, Hirata. I think you're the only one who can lead Class D, too."
Akito!
Perfect timing!
You get me!
Once the first person voiced their agreement, the others gradually followed. In just a moment, Hirata's name rang out throughout the classroom.
Seeing this, Shuichi Kanda smiled and sat back down.
He'd done his part and left without a trace.
He couldn't tell Hirata all this in private. With Hirata's personality, he would surely have tried to persuade Shuichi Kanda to become the leader, while he himself played a supporting role. And the excuse about not knowing everyone's name was complete nonsense.
Only by saying it in front of everyone and stirring up the class could he force Hirata Yosuke to temporarily accept the position.
Listening to his classmates' calls, Hirata had no choice but to steel himself and take on the role.
"Thank you all for trusting me. I still have a lot to learn, but I'll do my best. If anyone has a problem, please come to me. I'll do everything I can to help."
His speech was entirely in keeping with Hirata's character, and it reassured everyone.
"Don't make promises you can't keep. Can you solve the problem of living without points?" Ike muttered under his breath. In the relatively quiet classroom, his words sounded especially loud.
But Hirata's reply left almost everyone in the class stunned.
"As for the points, I'll help everyone. I'd like all of you to stay in the classroom after school. I'll help you sort out your Private Points properly."
Hirata's words left Ike speechless. In fact, it wasn't just Ike and the other boys who had spent all their points—even the girls who were also running low watched Hirata curiously, wondering how he planned to solve the problem.
"As for lunch today..." A rare hint of resolve appeared on Hirata's face. "I'd like everyone without points to eat the Wild Vegetable Set Meal. I'll have it, too. I hope its terrible taste will help us remember this failure."
And so, the matter came to an end, and the class settled down—for now.
At lunch, almost everyone in Class 1-D tried the Wild Vegetable Set Meal.
The verdict was nearly unanimous: it was awful. So awful that no one wanted to eat it a second time.
Had you all gotten that picky after just a month?
The students in the class became even more curious and eager to hear how Hirata planned to solve the problem.
Was there really a way to deal with the class's Class Point crisis?
Was Hirata just bluffing?
Of course, some students firmly believed in him, certain he wasn't the sort to make empty promises.
So after school, even Horikita Suzune and Rokusuke Koenji, who usually kept to themselves and did whatever they pleased, remained in their seats, waiting to hear what Hirata had to say.
Chapter 37: Want Points? Then Come to the Study Sessions!
After school, Hirata did just as he had told everyone that morning. He stood at the front of the classroom and began preparing for the meeting at the blackboard.
After exchanging glances with Shuichi Kanda, Hirata nodded and got started.
"Hirata, just hurry up and tell us what your plan is."
When Hirata took too long to begin, Ike immediately urged him on. Sudo, who was nearby, impatiently chimed in.
"He's right. I've got club activities to get to."
"Actually, my solution is simple. I'll just give everyone points."
Simple? It certainly was.
"But we're out of points, aren't we?"
"Exactly. That's why I'll cover the cost."
"Y-you mean you're going to pay for the living expenses of the whole class? But you must not have that many points..."
Seeing Hirata's unruffled expression, quite a few students in the class looked surprised.
Then Hirata took out his phone and opened the page with his Student ID.
"F-Four hundred thousand Private Points?"
"What?"
"H-How is that possible? How did you get that much?"
"Isn't working part-time against the rules?"
When they saw the amount of Private Points on Hirata's phone, almost everyone in the class gasped. Some even looked resentful.
Why am I already out of points while this guy still has a fortune of 400,000?
"I can't tell you where the 400,000 Private Points came from, but I'm going to use them to help everyone."
Of course, the 2,000,000 points he'd received from Chabashira-sensei amounted to more than just these 400,000. But if he announced the full 2,000,000, it would likely cause a lot of unnecessary trouble.
So the remaining points had been entrusted to Shuichi Kanda for safekeeping. In addition to the remaining 1,600,000, there were also several tens of thousands of Hirata's own living expenses.
"But if you divide the 400,000 points among the students, each person will probably only get 10,000."
"That's way too little."
"Still, it's better than nothing."
Some students focused on the fact that each person would only get 10,000 Private Points. Others were more interested in how Hirata had gotten the 400,000 in the first place, and whether they could repeat what he'd done to get even more Private Points.
"But I don't plan to give everyone these 400,000 points for nothing."
The classroom immediately fell quiet. The decision was in his hands, so they had no choice but to keep quiet. Like someone had just said, it was better than nothing.
Hirata then revealed his real goal.
"In three weeks, we'll have our first-semester Midterm Exam. According to Chabashira-sensei, anyone who fails will be expelled."
"I absolutely don't want that. I don't want to be separated from everyone."
Kushida Kikyo, you're a lifesaver!
Hearing her say that, Shuichi Kanda glanced at Hirata Yosuke, as if asking, Did you arrange this? If not, she's really good at reading the room.
At least her words had come at exactly the right moment, and the timing was crucial.
Most importantly, there was nothing strange about Kushida, the most popular person in class, saying it. That was who she was, so everyone would believe she truly felt that way.
Hirata only shook his head slightly to show that he didn't know, but that didn't stop him from seizing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"So I'm going to organize study sessions after school. Starting next Monday, we'll meet for two hours every day for ten days. Anyone who attends will receive 1,000 Private Points."
"Also, I hope everyone will pay attention in class. Otherwise, I won't hand over the Private Points."
Using Private Points to put pressure on this group of big spenders was the simplest, most direct method. Shuichi Kanda had come up with it as soon as he got his investment from Chabashira-sensei.
It was simple, but effective. Wasn't it?
The study sessions were just a way to raise the class's average academic ability. They happened to have learned that anyone who failed the Midterm Exam would be expelled, so they were making use of that information.
Even without that news, Hirata would have found some other reason to get everyone to work together.
And once the class began cooperating, even if there were a lot of unpleasant moments at first, the class might still change by the end, despite being the sorry bunch it was now.
That was why they needed to choose a class leader. Shuichi Kanda had taken action and pushed Hirata into the role.
Now it was Hirata's turn to make a choice. Even if he didn't want to pressure his classmates, he did it anyway.
Though, come to think of it, it wasn't really coercion. If you didn't want to attend the study sessions, you could simply stay away. You just wouldn't get any points.
"This great guy has club activities to attend. Go ahead and do whatever you want." Sudo stood up and picked up his bag, ready to leave.
Seeing this, Hirata was about to call him back, but Shuichi Kanda spoke first.
"Let him be. He can enjoy his last three weeks of club activities."
"What did you say, you bastard?" Sudo glared fiercely at Shuichi Kanda. Miyake immediately stood up, ready to stop Sudo if necessary.
"Nothing. You can go. Once you get to your club, why not ask your seniors if anyone on the Basketball Club has ever been expelled for failing an exam?"
"Oh, and if you want to hit me, go ahead. I won't fight back. Akito, you don't need to stop him, either. I'm just very frail, so one punch from you might leave me seriously injured.
"Then you wouldn't just be expelled—you might end up in prison, too. So, what do you think? Want to give it a try?"
Shuichi Kanda kept provoking the hot-tempered Ken Sudō.
Sudō only clenched his fists before leaving the classroom. He wasn't going to throw away his future just to vent his anger.
He slammed the door hard on his way out to express his displeasure.
He had no idea that his actions had made his classmates resent him even more.
When Sudo stormed out, Miyake breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hey, Shuichi, you really shouldn't provoke him. If he actually comes at you, I'm not sure I can stop him."
"Don't worry. If he does, I'll turn and run while you're holding him back."
So you were just bluffing, then. How sure are you that I'll help stop him?
"I support Hirata's decision. Is anyone else planning to leave? If you think you have enough points and your academic skills are good enough, then go ahead."
Shuichi Kanda asked the question on Hirata's behalf. The classroom fell silent. At least none of the idiots in Ike's group stood up.
Chapter 38: May 1, Sunny, Friday
Before you continue