Choices and Consequences: The Actor! Part 1 (Continued)

Their efforts paid off, and some students came to their senses afterward.

Indeed.

Constantly scraping together money is not a good solution.

We managed to raise the money the first time.

But what about the second time?

This time it was so difficult, we almost couldn't raise the money, and this is only the second-grade exam! What about the third grade? Should we keep trying to raise money?

Can they still scrape together that much money?

So.

Kindness has its limits.

It's good for a class to be united, but we can't be blindly united, because everyone's goal is still to graduate from Class A, right?

Thinking this way.

He saw the earnest and trusting look in Shibata's eyes.

This caused Kanzaki to close his eyes in pain.

Then open your eyes again.

It was as if they had made up their minds.

"Um," Kanzaki said. "I promise you."

"Mhm!" Shibata nodded, patted Kanzaki on the shoulder, and then followed the class line ahead.

Kanzaki watched Shibata's retreating figure.

He promised Shibata that he would save the 20 million points, and then he would have to make changes.

However, he also assured that Shibata would definitely not be the one to drop out of school.

Half an hour before the exam begins.

The students have been arriving at the classroom one after another.

The teachers are also preparing to take action.

Chabashira sat at his desk, organizing the materials he would need for the upcoming exam.

However, there's no need to go to the classroom yet.

We can stay a little longer.

But.

"It's finally starting, Sae." At that moment, a female teacher walked in from outside the corridor and greeted her.

This is Chie Hoshinomiya.

A former classmate. Her best friend.

"...It's Chie." Chabashira said, somewhat confused.

"Ah..." Chie Hoshinomiya remained cute. "You've been like this since this morning. Were you thinking about the Special Exam yesterday and didn't sleep well?"

Although Chie Hoshinomiya looks cute and pretty.

At the same time, he is very popular.

The two became best friends during high school.

But.

Chabashira knew that her insistence on getting 300 points near graduation caused the class to lose the opportunity and ultimately graduate as Class B.

At that moment, Chie Hoshinomiya grabbed her collar, unable to understand her actions.

They might even break off their friendship because of it.

I never expected that we would meet here again after I went on to further my studies and even after graduation.

Then Chie Hoshinomiya seemed to have forgotten the past and became friends with her again.

However, this statement now sounds like a mockery.

Yes.

Because the exams that students are taking now are very similar to those taken by their graduating class.

She, as the homeroom teacher, also knew about the last of the five questions, so... this year's students are about to face the same situation they did back then.

Then it reminded Chie Hoshinomiya of what happened back then.

Or rather, the other party hasn't forgotten.

"This class has nothing to do with me now. Whether the students can easily pass the exam or not is irrelevant," Chabashira said. "It's all up to their own fate. Whatever choice they make, I will fairly fulfill my duties as their homeroom teacher." Chabashira used rather official language.

But.

Chie Hoshinomiya glanced at her.

"Is that so? Although you don't seem to be able to distinguish them that clearly."

"Otherwise, you wouldn't have..." She paused for a moment. "...have asked me to take a picture for you and then send it to Hachiman, right?"

"And everything proves, Chabashira, how obsessed you are with class rankings."

"How much I want to be promoted to Class A."

"But," Hoshinomiya added, "Don't forget Sae, you're not even qualified to aim for Class A."

Chie Hoshinomiya let out a voice that made no attempt to conceal the hatred within it.

"I can't forgive what you did back then, so I'm sorry," Hoshinomiya said. "I took pictures and recorded the Matoba and actions of you asking me to take pictures for you and then sending them to Hachiman."

"So."

"I can report this kind of thing, you know."

In other words, is Hoshinomiya going to betray Chabashira?

Indeed.

Sending photos to students privately as a homeroom teacher is very indecent, and if it gets exposed, Chabashira will be punished.

"Whatever." But Chabashira said in a rather direct tone, then turned and left.

There was no indication of yielding or indicating a desire not to do so.

In other words, just as Sakagami said, Chabashira really did want to resign.

Hoshinomiya Megumi stood still, watching the departing figure of the Chabashira.

Her left hand grasped it.

"So... how exactly did Chabashira find release?"

"I'm still stuck in the exams from back then, but she... is truly completely free."

"Even the guilt that once existed towards us has disappeared."

"I don't understand at all!"

With that, Hoshinomiya took the exam materials and left the office.

"There seemed to be a very dangerous atmosphere over at Hoshinomiya and Chabashira just now." Meanwhile, in the same classroom, the other two homeroom teachers had also arrived at the scene.

Sakagami-sensei said to Majima-sensei.

"Um."

"I'm going to proctor the exam now." Majima-sensei picked up the materials needed for the exam and went out.

That leaves only Sakagami.

"..." Sakagami.

Really.

Not only Hoshinomiya, but even Majima doesn't really pay attention to him anymore.

Just you wait and see.

His class will definitely rise to the top.

But this time, it probably won't work.

For this exam, he has already received five questions. One of them will limit the students' score.

In this way.

In addition to the students, the teachers were also present.

"Then, the Special Exam for all candidates this month will begin."

"Although that's what I meant to say, given the long exam time, let's go to the restroom now while we still have 10 minutes left."

"You won't be allowed to leave during the exam," said Sakagami-sensei, standing at the podium.

He was also somewhat surprised to find that the students' seating arrangements had changed.

That is, the new student Hachiman Hikigaya, has moved to the left of Daichi Ishizaki has changed positions.

Daichi Ishizaki moved his desk to the back, while the cute girl with straight silver hair Hiyori Shiina, sat in Daichi Ishizaki's original spot.

This makes it so that Shiina is to Hachiman's left and Ryuen is to his right.

Both Ryuen and Shiina were students in his class who were good at using their brains.

Speaking of which...

Sakagami-sensei didn't have high hopes for the last Uninhabited Island Exam, but the result surprised him.

The students in the class not only gained a lot of points, but even... the class evaluation score was an astonishing 525 points, which was like a record.

And all of this... is because Hachiman Hikigaya transferred here.

So.

Ryuen had been losing all the time, and then Hachiman Hikigaya. It wasn't because buying an opponent would reduce the number of opponents, but because... Hachiman Hikigaya was actually brought in so that he could carry the class to victory?

Indeed.

The opposing class flew over the Chabashira.

Let's see how Hachiman handles this exam.

Thinking this way.

The students who went to the restroom gradually returned.

"So..."

Sakagami-sensei glanced at the clock hanging above the podium. 9:59.

"Bite--"

Arrive at 10 o'clock.

Exam time is up.

"Then without further ado, let's get into the exam."

Sakagami-sensei turned on the display screen that served as a blackboard.

"First, communication devices such as mobile phones cannot be used, and then..."

"Each of you take one of these tablets. The content displayed on the tablets is the same as that on the blackboard."

"To facilitate the statistics, please answer on the tablet."

Because the exam is anonymous, the tablet does not need to be linked to the student's information.