Classroom of the Mediocre Supremacist

Hah. The good mood I'd built up this morning teasing A-Sho and Katsuragi was completely shattered in an instant.

As the bell for class rang, Class 1-D's homeroom teacher, Chabashira Sae, walked in. Her expression was more serious than usual.

But the classroom was still noisy and chaotic; no one paid her arrival any mind.

"Hey, teacher, you're not still on your period, are you?"

Ike Kanji even cracked a crude joke at her, one that bordered on [***] harassment.

Compared to his remark, what Hoshino En had said to Sakayanagi Arisu was practically nothing.

But his joke didn't even break through Chabashira Sae's armor.

"We'll start the homeroom meeting now. But before that, you should have questions to ask, right? Better ask them now while you have the chance."

"Teacher, didn't you say that on the 1st of every month, everyone gets 100,000 Private Points deposited? Why did we only get 3,000 this month?"

The speaker was a guy named Hondo, one of the boys who usually hung around Ike and Yamauchi. As a result, he was generally despised by the girls in the class, ranking only slightly above them in status—along with the hot-tempered Sudo Ken, who was even closer to them than he was.

"A month ago, what I actually said was: 'Points are automatically deposited on the 1st of each month. 1 point is worth 1 yen. Your student IDs should have already received this month's 100,000 points.' I never said that 100,000 points would be deposited every month."

"Huh? B-But..."

"In other words, the school originally evaluated our Class D as being worth [100,000 PPT], but after last month's assessment, the school now thinks we're only worth [3,000 PPT]. Isn't that right, Teacher?"

The one who spoke without the teacher's permission was Koenji Rokusuke. He was one of the students who hadn't panicked at all before, and even now, knowing the truth, he remained completely unfazed. He even had his feet propped up on the desk, just like on the first day of school.

Hoshino En really couldn't stand such a self-centered person, but he didn't feel any particular animosity toward Koenji Rokusuke's behavior—as long as he didn't provoke him or cause him any unnecessary trouble, he wouldn't hold a grudge, even if his actions harmed the collective and, by extension, Hoshino's own interests.

"Koenji's attitude is problematic, but what he said is indeed correct. To be honest, when one of you noticed the exam on the second day, I actually had some expectations. I never thought the result would be like this. Rather, the fact that you could come up with answers like that even knowing there was an exam is far beyond my expectations."

When Chabashira Sae brought up the [Behavioral Norms Exam] that Kushida Kikyo had mentioned to the whole class on the second day of school, everyone in Class D fell into an unspeakable silence.

Most of them hadn't even taken it seriously until today, continuing to do whatever they wanted and breaking the rules. And now, this was the result they got.

The classroom was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Only Chabashira Sae's sarcastic remarks and the occasional cold laugh echoed through the silent room.

"It seems you have no more questions. Then let's officially begin the homeroom meeting."

With that, Chabashira Sae pulled a sheet of paper from the documents she'd brought and fixed it to the blackboard with a magnet.

On the paper were the names of each class, along with their scores.

[Class 1-A: 950 points]

[Class 1-B: 700 points]

[Class 1-C: 490 points]

[Class 1-D: 30 points]

Aside from Class D, every class had a clear three-digit number. The slightly recessed position of Class D's score stood out glaringly to everyone in the room.

"How you choose to spend your time at this school is entirely up to you. The school won't interfere. But whether it's being late to class or using your phone in private, the consequences will eventually come back to you. The class's performance will ultimately be reflected in your [Class Points]."

"Oh, and one more thing: while the school will deduct points for poor behavior, it won't add points just because you follow the rules. So even if you perform well from now on, your Class Points won't increase."

The moment Chabashira Sae said this, Class D erupted. Because it meant that for the next three years, they would likely have to survive on just 3,000 Private Points a month.

"I've never heard anything like this before! How are we supposed to live like this?!"

Ike Kanji, who had been silent until now, finally exploded.

Even though his reputation was terrible, there was no denying that he had just voiced what most people were thinking.

In response, Chabashira Sae just let out a snicker, almost gloating as she [bragged].

"How could you not survive? The school's dorms are free, with water and electricity included. The convenience store has a monthly limited supply of free goods. The cafeteria has a free vegetable set meal. There are free water dispensers in the vending machines everywhere... How exactly can't you survive?"

Her words were harsh, but the logic was sound. Life might be a bit harder, but at least no one would starve.

Hoshino En had been through much tougher times before, so he didn't see this as a big deal. If anything, having a free place to stay was already pretty good.

But most of Class D couldn't stand it.

They had enjoyed a whole month of lavish living. Now, being forced to [go from luxury to frugality]—wasn't that pure torture?

Especially for people like Ike and Yamauchi, who had already blown through all 100,000 Private Points from last month. Just yesterday, they were mocking the upperclassmen who could only eat the free vegetable set meal. They never thought they'd be in the same position today.

First Semester of First Year:

Chapter 54 / Chapter 050: What Do You Do When You're Pushed to the Forefront? Fight Back, Of Course!

"Teacher, why is there such a huge gap in Class Points between the classes?"

At that moment, Yosuke Hirata raised a new question.

When he'd heard Hoshino En's analysis yesterday, he'd found it hard to understand. Under the same evaluation rules, how could the top three classes leave Class D so far behind? Especially Class A—only losing 50 points in a month? That was insane.

But because of his own earlier remarks, he hadn't been able to ask Hoshino En for clarification. Asking the teacher now was perfect.

"That's the second thing I was going to talk about—you didn't think the school's class assignments were random, did you?"

Seeing the shocked expressions on most of the class, Chabashira Sae's cold smile grew even more [radiant].

"W-What does that mean...?"

"Usually, aren't class assignments random?"

The students stirred again. This time, it wasn't just those who normally spent money without limits—even the ones who usually performed "excellently" showed signs of chaos, like Horikita Suzune, who always boasted that she would "surely achieve great things in the future."

"This school divides classes based on student merit. The best go to Class A, the worst are thrown into Class D. In short, Class D is a gathering of defective products, and the points you've earned perfectly match the fate of such defects."

With that, Chabashira Sae clapped her hands, as if celebrating their realization of their "defective" status.

This person is absolutely a psychopath!

Hoshino En had suspected as much since the first day of school, when she deliberately led students into spending, but now, seeing her bright smile at the twisted expressions of the so-called "honor students," he was even more certain of his judgment.

The gag order was lifted now, but as Class D's homeroom teacher, she kept putting them down, even taking pleasure in it, with no hint of encouragement... Though Hoshino En didn't think these people deserved praise either, as their teacher, she was definitely failing in her duty.

Could it be that she had some kind of psychological trauma in the past, and now she's here as a homeroom teacher, amusing herself by tormenting students?

Just then, Hoshino En noticed Chabashira Sae looking his way, her smile growing more meaningful.

Damn, this is bad!

"Oh, right—about the remaining 30 Class Points you have—those were actually awarded to Hoshino alone for returning lost money and indirectly helping the school catch a hidden criminal. Class D's original 1000 Class Points were already deducted long ago."

"In other words, your actual value is [0]!!"

With that addition, Class D's students grew even more dejected, and this time Hoshino En had no choice but to share their sentiment—because her outburst had dragged his presence into the spotlight.

The others in the class turned to look at him in his corner, sizing him up like a monkey in a zoo.

Does she really hate seeing others do well?

Hoshino En could almost foresee his future trajectory in the class—

First option: The others in the class feel grateful for his actions, Hirata takes the chance to pull him into the class's leadership core, and to avoid unnecessary trouble, he has no choice but to [accept], getting dragged into class competition and even bigger headaches.

Second option: The others think he was just "lucky" and start targeting him—the obvious "lowest rung" of the class who stole the spotlight. Hirata, to "protect him," pulls him into the leadership core, ending up the same as the first option. The only difference is that this time, he'll be resented by most of the class, and even if he helps them, the credit will be forcibly attributed to Hirata by the girls who admire him.

Based on his analysis of Class D's students, the second option had at least a 70% chance.

"Huh? No way Hoshino would do something like [returning lost money]! Teacher, you've got it wrong!!"

Sure enough, after Chabashira Sae's explanation, Yamauchi Haruki was the first to jump out and attack him.

They'd had a falling out before, but since Hoshino En usually kept a low profile, Yamauchi had never found a chance to target him. Now that he finally had something to make a fuss about, he looked very excited.

Ah—trouble!!

Why are there so many idiots who think they're clever in this world?

Disgusting... annoying... infuriating!!!

The Starry Eyes hidden behind Hoshino En's bangs were shrouded in layers of gloom.

"The school's review and judgment are fine, Yamauchi..."

"Yamauchi, instead of questioning my actions, you should reflect on yourself first."

Hoshino En cut off Chabashira Sae's reply, staring straight at Yamauchi Haruki.

"At least I brought 30 Class Points to the class, so everyone has something to spend this month. But you? In the past month, what have you brought to the class?"

"I..."

Hoshino En shifted the topic to contributions to the class. At that, the others turned to look at Yamauchi Haruki with disgust.

Though everyone had basically "contributed" to the class's point deductions, Yamauchi Haruki's achievements in that area were unmatched, unrivaled.

"And Chabashira-sensei, please stop belittling Class D."

Hoshino En didn't forget the one who had dragged him into this either.

"No matter how much you say Class D is worthless, it doesn't matter to us—what's done is done, as long as we don't repeat the same mistakes in the future. I think everyone in the class isn't so fragile that they can't get back up after one defeat."

First, he united all the classmates on the same side, gave them verbal encouragement (incitement), and cut off any path of "retreat or compromise."

At this age, boys and girls fear not their own failure, but being looked down on by others.

Sure enough, at his words, almost everyone's eyes blazed with fervent fire. No one wanted to admit they were "fragile."

"On the other hand, you've been putting down Class D the whole time. That makes me curious—if Class D is a gathering of defective products, then out of all the teachers in this school, why are you the one assigned as Class D's homeroom teacher?"

Next, he shifted the focus, redirecting the students' attention from the "class's problem" to the "teacher's problem."

"This is a school that values merit above all. Since even classes are divided by 'ability,' then the homeroom teachers for each class should be assigned by a similar standard, right?"

Finally, he took her own argument and turned it against her, transforming the "difference in students" into a "difference in teachers," attacking the "heretic" (Chabashira Sae) who stood apart from the majority (the students).

With that combo, Chabashira Sae fell silent.

The smile on her face vanished, as if he had struck a nerve.

Seeing her reaction, the class stopped their condemnation of Yamauchi Haruki.

They stared blankly at Hoshino En, who had just confronted their teacher, then at Chabashira Sae, now at a loss for words.

What Hoshino said actually made sense, and Chabashira-sensei didn't refute it... Could it be that she's the same as [us], a "defective product"?

First Semester of First Year:

Chapter 55: Chapter 051 Strategy Fails, the Takedown Turns into a Pep Rally

"Chabashira-sensei, I was just guessing. Don't take it so seriously."

Watching Chabashira Sae's increasingly grim expression, Hoshino En smiled with full goodwill, easing the atmosphere that was about to plunge to freezing point.

A little pushback was enough; the days ahead were long, no need to rush things.

Besides, he had no intention of getting involved in class competition. If he got targeted by others in the class because of this and was swept onto the stage by their "public opinion," that would be real trouble!

So here, he needed a "celebrity" from the class to divert attention for him.

"Hirata, you probably have other things to ask, right? After all, the school seems to have hidden a lot from us. Maybe even that so-called '100% employment and advancement' has issues."

However, Chabashira Sae really did seem to have some problems. He wondered if he'd find a chance later...

Hoshino En's inquiry was like dropping an atomic bomb into a calm lake; everyone's gaze immediately shifted to Hirata Yosuke, whom he had mentioned.

Because this speculation was too explosive, Hirata Yosuke didn't even mind being used by Hoshino En and instead took the opportunity to ask Chabashira Sae.

"Chabashira-sensei, is there really something wrong with that?"

Chabashira Sae: "..."

If she had brought up this issue herself, the "elite students" of Class D would probably have shown very interesting expressions; but now that they brought it up on their own, the impact on them would be greatly diminished. Their subsequent rebound wouldn't be ideal either, and the final effect might not even be as good as directly encouraging them.

Tch, this Hoshino En really was a thorny student.

But for the sake of her own goals, she still explained.

"Our school is a special institution supported by the government, naturally cultivating the outstanding talent society needs. The '100% employment and advancement' benefit is real, but only the most excellent students in Class A can enjoy this right."

Hearing this, a chorus of groans erupted in the class. Didn't that mean their Class D had already lost this right?

"But that doesn't mean you have no hope."

Seeing them start to lament, Chabashira Sae quickly added a follow-up.

"Class rankings can change, and this is also reflected in Class Points—as long as your Class Points surpass Class A, your class will become the new Class A."

But this injection didn't work well, because—

"Class A is at 950 points now, and we're at 30. That's a gap of 920 points. How are we supposed to close such a huge gap?!"