"From the moment the teacher left the classroom, you couldn't wait to start arguing and shifting the blame. You argued for over twenty minutes without stopping once."
"You people have really opened my eyes."
Chihaya Rei said sternly.
He pointed to several spots around the room and, taking the moral high ground, rebuked them sharply:
"Look at the mess you've made of the classroom."
"You knocked Karuizawa's desk over by the podium, and you threw Hasebe's textbook on the floor..."
Karuizawa Kei: Was he doing this for me?
"And you even tugged Hirata's clothes all out of shape, even though he kept trying to talk you down."
Chihaya Rei paused and glanced at Kanji Ike and the others.
The few who already knew they were in the wrong turned their heads guiltily when they saw how forcefully Chihaya Rei was speaking.
"Class Points were deducted until they hit zero. Everyone here, except for a few people, shares the blame."
"What's the point of arguing over whose actions caused more Class Points to be deducted?"
"I played with my phone during class too, which got Class Points deducted. I'm responsible as well."
Chihaya Rei put himself in the firing line.
Pointing at Hirata and the others, he said righteously:
"The only truly innocent people in this class are those like Hirata, Ayanokoji, and Wang Meiyu, who paid attention in class and didn't break any rules. They're the victims."
Ayanokoji blinked. What do I have to do with this?
"They haven't said anything yet. They haven't even blamed you. What gives you the right to shift the blame?"
"This is ridiculous!"
Chihaya Rei felt he'd gotten a little carried away with the scolding, so he finally paused.
Although some people in Class D couldn't immediately figure out who Chihaya Rei meant by Ayanokoji, they had to admit that what he said made sense. They had no way to refute him.
During the first month, only a handful of people in Class D had followed the rules. They were the victims.
Those were the people with every right to come out and call the rest of them out.
"Hirata, let them go."
Chihaya Rei then rested a hand on Hirata's shoulder.
"Uh..."
A hint of hesitation crossed Hirata Yousuke's face. But he trusted Chihaya Rei, and it seemed the situation was under control, so he let go of Ike and Yamauchi.
"I want to see if they really have the guts to fight."
"If you can't stand each other, why not take advantage of the fact that our Class Points are at zero and teach each other a lesson you won't forget?"
Chihaya Rei's lips curled slightly.
He didn't mind if they really started fighting and beat each other black and blue. Ike and Yamauchi might have a strength advantage over the girls, but Shinohara's side had more people.
"No, please don't fight!"
Hirata's expression turned panicked. He hurriedly stretched his arms out again, intending to stand between the two sides.
But Chihaya Rei had already anticipated Hirata's move and grabbed him before he could act.
"Hirata, I know you're anxious, but don't be just yet."
Chihaya Rei gave him a meaningful look.
Everyone noticed that Ike and Yamauchi, as well as Shinohara and the others, were all standing stiffly in place, unsure what to do.
None of them looked like they had any intention of fighting. Their expressions were a little awkward.
"See? Now that I'm letting you fight, you don't dare."
Chihaya Rei spoke calmly. He'd seen this kind of thing many times: people would shout and curse while someone tried to break up a fight, terrified of losing face, but the moment they were actually told to fight, they'd back down.
Kushida Kikyo came up to them and gently soothed them:
"Chihaya's right. Our Class Points are already at zero. Arguing any further won't do either side any good."
"Please, everyone, make up!"
Kushida Kikyo spoke with an earnest expression. She'd been trying to calm things down earlier too, but her voice had been too quiet and everyone had ignored her.
This was a chance to smooth over the class's conflicts and show off her kind-hearted image. She couldn't let Chihaya Rei and Hirata Yousuke have it all to themselves.
Shinohara took a deep breath and spoke on behalf of the girls. "Sorry... You're right. We shouldn't have shifted the blame."
After Shinohara finished speaking, her friends also voiced their agreement.
Ike and Yamauchi quickly lowered their heads and apologized too, saying they'd acted impulsively.
However, they were also required to apologize to all the girls for discussing their figures and looks in the classroom.
[Torturing Yamauchi Haruki, gained 1860 Torture Points] [Torturing Kanji Ike, gained 1660 Torture Points] [Torturing Shinohara Satsuki, gained 1650 Torture Points]... [Current Torture progress: 59%. Reaching 60% will unlock a reward.]
Torture Points had piled up to 59 so quickly. Aside from what he'd just earned, Karuizawa Kei had contributed quite a lot too by training on the sports field after school every day.
No, he couldn't smile yet.
Chihaya Rei fought to keep the corners of his mouth from rising and said coldly:
"Since that's settled, why don't you think about what to do for the upcoming midterm exams?"
After leaving them with that, Chihaya Rei returned to his seat.
Seeing that the chaos had died down, Hirata breathed a sigh of relief.
A little later, he and Kushida Kikyo suggested holding study sessions, using after-school club time and weekends to help everyone prepare.
He and Kushida could tutor anyone at risk of failing.
Quite a few people who didn't feel confident about their grades decided to join.
Except for Kanji Ike, Yamauchi Haruki, and Ken Sudō.
Hirata had naturally invited the three of them, but they seemed to think they could pass the exams on their own.
During the break,
Hirata Yousuke came to Chihaya Rei's desk and thanked him:
"Chihaya, I really owe you one. If you hadn't stepped in, I don't think I could've stopped them on my own..."
Hirata Yousuke felt a little guilty.
A conflict had broken out among his classmates, and they'd nearly come to blows right in front of him, yet he hadn't been able to stop them effectively.
"You don't have to thank me. I just couldn't stand watching them make so much noise."
Chihaya Rei was a little surprised, but he casually came up with an excuse. Then he continued:
"But, Hirata, you're too gentle in the way you handle things. In the end, that'll only leave everyone hurt."
"Too gentle...?"
Hirata Yousuke paused.
It wasn't as if he didn't know that was just the kind of person he was.
But he couldn't bring himself to criticize everyone as harshly as Chihaya Rei had...
Hirata nodded and gave him a helpless smile.
"Yeah, I understand. Chihaya, that's one of my flaws. Thanks for pointing it out."
[Torturing Hirata Yousuke, gained 1850 Torture Points] [Current Torture progress: 60%. Reaching 100% will unlock the next reward.] [Torture progress requirement met. Reward unlocked.] [Randomly drawing a skill...] [Skill acquired: AI-Level Chess Mastery.] [Description: Master the most advanced AI-level chess techniques currently available. Note: As AI and algorithms improve, your chess skills will automatically improve as well.]
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