Watanabe Hayabara watched Sudo's reaction as if it were a joke.
Horikita Suzune frowned. It was obvious that she was thoroughly disgusted by Sudo's behavior.
Most of the class looked dejected. The upcoming exam had been difficult, as expected. Of course, that was true for ordinary students. It had barely affected Watanabe Hayabara. All he needed to do was earn more points and raise the class average slightly, so they could weed out more trash.
When the exam was over, a heavy negative atmosphere filled the classroom, and one student after another sighed.
"Horikita, what did you think of the midterm?" Ayanokoji asked Horikita Suzune tentatively.
"Sakayanagi Arisu from Class A is quite impressive. She's very good at writing exam questions. I managed to answer almost everything except the last two questions, which were the hardest. But this test did require a lot more calculations and thought than the usual practice exams. What did you think, Ayanokoji?" Horikita Suzune spoke at length.
"I should be able to pass." Ayanokoji's reply was flat, revealing no emotion.
"Watanabe, how did you find it?" Horikita Suzune poked Watanabe Hayabara, who sat in front of her. He turned around with a smile, and Ayanokoji looked over as well.
"It was the easiest exam I've ever taken, Horikita. We'll be able to get rid of a lot of dead weight this time." Watanabe Hayabara was clearly saying it for Ayanokoji's benefit. After all, he had already given Horikita a hint earlier.
Ayanokoji's brow twitched slightly, but Watanabe Hayabara caught it.
"Ayanokoji, do you have a problem with what I said?" Watanabe Hayabara's smile was unsettling.
He's dangerous. That was Ayanokoji's assessment of Watanabe Hayabara, but he still replied calmly, "I just don't think a person should be judged solely by their academic ability."
"If they can't even manage something as simple as studying, then they're useless," Horikita Suzune cut in before Watanabe Hayabara could respond.
Ayanokoji shook his head slightly and withdrew from the conversation.
Watanabe Hayabara had nothing more to discuss with Horikita Suzune, either, so he turned around and ended the conversation.
The moment Chabashira-sensei stepped into the classroom, it was as if time had stopped. Her astonished gaze swept across every student like a flash of lightning, as if she were searching for something in particular. The students sensed the strange atmosphere too. Their already tense nerves tightened further, and everyone held their breath, waiting for the midterm results to be announced.
An unusual atmosphere filled the classroom, like the stillness before a storm. It felt oppressive. Chabashira Sae's expression seemed slightly displeased as well. Her brows drew together and her lips pressed shut, as if she were pondering something.
Then Yosuke Hirata broke the silence. He stood up and asked, sounding a little anxious, "Sensei, I heard the exam results will be announced today. When will that be?" His voice rang out conspicuously in the quiet classroom, and the other students all turned their eyes toward him.
Chabashira Sae glanced at Hirata and let a faint smile touch her lips. "Hirata, there's no need to be so anxious, is there? An exam of that difficulty should have been easy for you." Her tone was light, but there seemed to be a deeper meaning behind it.
Yosuke Hirata pressed on. "...When will that be?" His persistence stirred the other students into action, and everyone was eager to know when the results would be announced.
Chabashira Sae seemed to realize how anxious the students were. She paused briefly, then said, "I'm announcing them now. If I waited until after school, we wouldn't have enough time to take care of all the necessary procedures." She turned and walked to the blackboard, then pinned up a large sheet of paper listing the students' names and scores.
The students' attention immediately shifted to the blackboard. They stared nervously at the sheet, searching for their names and scores. Once most of them saw their results, they all breathed a sigh of relief, secretly thinking, Thank goodness I passed. It felt as if a heavy stone that had weighed on their hearts had finally been lifted.
There were no red lines marking the failing scores on the paper. Just as everyone was congratulating themselves, Chabashira Sae took out a red pen and drew a line across the sheet. Below it were three names: Haruki Yamauchi, Ken Sudō, and Ijuin Wataru.
Chabashira Sae's expression was stern. "Unfortunately, three students have failed. Come see me after school to take care of the withdrawal procedures!"
What a shame. Only three?
Ijuin Wataru showed little reaction, merely sitting in silence. He wasn't particularly well known in the class.
Haruki Yamauchi, however, let out a loud cry. "How could this happen?!"
Ken Sudō flew into a rage. He slammed his fist down on his desk with a loud thud, drawing the attention of the entire class. In full view of everyone, he kicked the desk over.
"How could I have failed?! You've got it wrong!"
Chabashira Sae ignored Sudō's behavior. "The rest of you did well. Without a doubt, you all passed. Make sure you work hard to improve yourselves, so you don't fail the final exam. Now, on to the next matter—"
"Um, sensei. Are those three students really going to be expelled? Is there any way to make up for it?" Yosuke Hirata raised his hand to ask.
"That's the reality. If you fail, that's the end of it. They'll be expelled."
"The students who are being expelled should come to the teachers' office after school. That's all." Chabashira Sae announced the result without mercy.
"Chabashira-sensei, may I ask one more question?" Horikita Suzune raised her hand.
"Horikita, this is unusual. You actually raised your hand to ask a question. What is it?"
"If a student is expelled, will it affect our Class Points?"
At least she didn't ask a stupid question, Horikita.
"Of course it will. When a student is expelled, the corresponding class loses a certain number of Class Points as punishment. But you don't need to worry, because your class has zero Class Points. They can't go below zero, so it won't affect the other students. Do you understand, Horikita?"
"I understand, sensei." Horikita Suzune sat down.
"Sensei, is there really no way to make up for it?" Kushida Kikyo stood and asked.
"No." Chabashira Sae's reply to Kushida Kikyo was firm and unequivocal.
"All right." Kushida Kikyo sat back down in disappointment.
You really are trying hard, Kushida. As the one who actually put this into motion, you'd have a hard time dealing with the blame from someone incompetent.
Before you continue