"My meaning is clear. This exam concerns not only the expulsion of our classmates, but also competition within our grade." Ayanokouji stared directly at Chabashira Sae. "Whether intentionally or not, you delayed telling us about the changed exam scope by eleven days. For Class D, this exam was unfair. It was precisely because of that unfairness that some students sought out Archived Exam Questions, resulting in three students facing expulsion."
"So that's what you mean." Chabashira Sae nodded, not disputing Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's argument. "And then? What do you want me to do?"
"I want the school, which caused this inequality, to provide appropriate compensation for this unfair incident and rescind the decision to expel those three students."
"What a shame. What you said earlier was indeed correct. But expelling those three is also stipulated by school regulations. At least at this stage, it cannot be overturned. Give up on such a simplistic idea." Chabashira Sae shook her head.
"If it can't be overturned at this stage, then there are other methods, right?" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka did not seem surprised.
"Then, how many points would it take to buy the grades of those three?"
"Hahahaha." Chabashira Sae burst into laughter.
"You really are a strange student, thinking you can ask me to sell you grades."
"Teacher, you said this on the first day of school. 'At this school, there is nothing points cannot buy.' Even Midterm Exam grades are something within this school." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka ignored Chabashira Sae's laughter and laid out his reasoning.
Horikita Suzune, who had been following behind Ayanokouji, showed a stunned expression.
She had never realized points could be used this way.
No, she should have realized it long ago. Why else would Class A and Class B, which had earned over nine hundred Class Points, still live frugally? Why else would Class Points be tied to Private Points?
"Correct. I can indeed sell you grades, but the price is something you two cannot afford."
"Could you tell us the exact number of points? We'll find a way." Seemingly having grasped a lifeline, Horikita Suzune spoke urgently.
"Hmm... This is my first time selling grades. Let me think. How about one hundred thousand points per point?"
The two of them had both noted the three students' scores earlier. After carefully checking, the three were short by a total of ninety-eight points across five subjects. At that price, saving them would require 9.8 million points.
Forget Class D, which had received nothing in the second month—even Class A and Class B, which had consistently stayed near full marks, could not produce that many points.
"That much... How could we possibly get it?" The deadline for the three students' expulsion was today. To gather such an astronomical sum today, they would probably have to collect the Private Points of the entire first year—and even that was impossible.
"Teacher, I'll say it again. The school did not treat Class D fairly in this exam, so at the very least, compensate us when it comes to purchasing grades."
"That does sound reasonable. Fine, then. Ten thousand points per point. That's the absolute minimum."
In that case, they would only need 980,000 points. It no longer seemed completely unacceptable. She had some points herself, and their classmates should have some too... Hearing this, Horikita Suzune immediately wanted to return to the classroom and notify everyone, but Ayanokoji Kiyotaka held her back.
"Teacher, let me ask one more question. At ten thousand per point, can we buy down the passing line?"
"Oh? You thought of that too?" Chabashira Sae smiled. "Of course you can."
"In that case, we should lower the passing line first, then make up the difference. The three of them will only need 470,000 points." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka calculated the price.
"That's right. If you want to save them, bring it to me before six this afternoon." Leaving those words behind, Chabashira Sae departed down the hallway.
"Horikita."
"What?" Horikita Suzune looked at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. He felt unfamiliar to her, impossible to read.
"Now it's your turn." Leaving those words behind, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka returned to the classroom.
Horikita stood rooted to the spot, her mind in turmoil.
My turn? What am I supposed to do? Persuade the class?
This was undoubtedly a difficult problem, but Horikita Suzune realized it was something she had to do.
Before, she had not found a way to save her classmates, so she could ignore everything that was happening. But now, the solution stood right in front of her.
"Yes, I have to do it." Her older brother's cold warning that night and Shiraishi Makoto's relentless pressure flashed through her mind, scene after scene.
"I won't give up. Just watch me." Horikita Suzune took a deep breath and entered the classroom through the front door.
"Everyone, there's something I want to tell you."
Standing at the front of the room, Horikita Suzune emotionlessly informed the entire class of the rescue method she had just learned from Chabashira Sae. But as soon as she finished, classmates immediately voiced their objections.
"But why should we pay out of our own pockets to save them?"
"Exactly. They've never contributed anything to the class, and now we have to use our points to save them? What kind of logic is that?"
Standing at the podium, Horikita Suzune's hands and feet gradually turned cold. The Idiot Trio had an atrocious reputation in Class D. They were usually lazy and undisciplined, and almost no one was willing to sympathize with them. But in her heart, this was not merely a matter of class mutual aid. This was an attack Shiraishi Makoto had launched against her, and she did not want to give up resisting.
"Even if Sudo, Ike, and Yamauchi haven't done very well before, we are a whole. I don't want them to be expelled because of this." Hirata Yosuke's expression was grave, but he still stood up and spoke for the three when the entire class was coldly rejecting them. "I still have twenty thousand Private Points. I'll contribute all of them."
This is bad. This is aimed at me!
From the moment Horikita Suzune stepped up to the podium, Kushida Kikyo had felt that something was wrong, and the more she listened, the worse it felt. It was only when Hirata Yosuke spoke that she understood why she had found it so unsettling.
No wonder Shiraishi Makoto had been so generous, handing over fifty thousand points without hesitation. She would never believe Shiraishi Makoto did not know points could buy grades.
"I... I still have some points." She hurriedly stood up. "I'm responsible for this too. If they hadn't listened to me, they wouldn't have memorized Archived Exam Questions instead of studying. I also know many students from other classes, as well as some upperclassmen. I'll go borrow points."
Seeing that the other students still had not reacted, Horikita Suzune grew anxious and instinctively looked toward Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. Yet Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had been staring out the window the entire time, seemingly unconcerned with what was happening in the classroom.
He could figure out these rules, yet he handed this directly to me. Why?
Why does he think I can do it? Did I overlook something again?
Since the start of school, it felt as though she had seen everything, yet noticed nothing. Thinking of this, Horikita Suzune began recalling every piece of information she could remember.
Right... That's it!
"Everyone, although I know you don't think highly of these three students in ordinary times, and I feel the same way, I believe now is not the time to abandon them." Horikita Suzune slapped the desk, drawing everyone's attention to her.
"The Midterm Exam is undoubtedly an exam aimed at academic performance. Students who fail to meet the standards must be expelled according to the rules," Horikita Suzune said. "But poor grades do not mean someone is entirely useless. If this school only cared about grades, then Koenji, Yukimura, and I should be in Class A."
"Sudo is an excellent basketball player and possesses tremendous athletic ability. If the school plans to hold exams through events such as sports festivals, then he will be our class's ace."
"Yamauchi and Ike may not show any outstanding qualities right now, but there will definitely be times when they can be useful in the future."
"I hope that if everyone still has even a little hope for the future, if you still want to rise to Class A, then you won't abandon them."
Before you continue