The Truth About the Defective Products and the Top of the Looks Ranking

In other words, this was the school's secret way of evaluating students' overall qualities.

Chabashira Sae held her coffee cup and took a seemingly casual sip, but her eyes had been fixed on the two students answering the questions, especially Tatsuya Sakuya.

She wanted to see what this student, who had scored forty points in every subject on the entrance exam and ranked first in the swimming test, would reveal about his true nature on this test.

A stranger, and no surveillance cameras?

Then B was definitely the answer—keep it for myself.

No, without cameras, the stranger couldn't prove the money was his.

It was obviously money I dropped myself.

Tatsuya Sakuya pondered the first question.

It was a nice thought, but Tatsuya Sakuya ultimately chose D.

Tap.

Less than five minutes had passed.

Tatsuya Sakuya placed his phone on the desk and spread his hands.

"Chabashira-sensei, I'm done."

Chabashira Sae gave him a careful look.

"You were certainly quick."

Tatsuya Sakuya shrugged, answering with complete confidence.

"For multiple-choice questions like these, you just go with your first instinct. After all, there aren't any right answers."

Beside him, Horikita Suzune was still deep in thought, seriously weighing the moral implications of every option. When she heard that Tatsuya Sakuya had turned his in in under five minutes, she glanced at him.

Another five minutes passed before Horikita Suzune solemnly tapped submit.

"Chabashira-sensei, I'm done too."

Horikita Suzune put away her phone, but she showed no intention of leaving immediately.

"Chabashira-sensei, the test is over."

"Now... may I ask you something that has been troubling me for over half a month?"

Chabashira Sae raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead."

Horikita Suzune pressed her lips together, and a trace of long-suppressed resentment surfaced in her eyes.

"My entrance written exam score was in the top three in the entire school."

"Whether it's academic ability or discipline, I far surpass most students in Class 1-D. Even compared to the students in Class 1-A, I'm not inferior in the slightest."

As she said this, Tatsuya Sakuya's earlier words surfaced in Horikita Suzune's mind, and she unconsciously bit her lower lip.

"Why... was I assigned to Class 1-D?"

"Why was I placed together with those hopeless 'defective products'? Wasn't this a mistake in the school's class assignments?!"

"I request that the school disclose its criteria for class placement."

Hearing this question, Chabashira Sae let out a cold laugh, carrying a suffocating cruelty.

She slowly rose from her chair and looked down at Horikita Suzune from above.

"A mistake?"

"Horikita, you overestimate yourself far too much—and underestimate Advanced Nurturing High School far too much as well."

"The school's evaluation system does not make mistakes."

"You think being good at studying makes you excellent? You think scoring high means you can enter Class 1-A? What a joke."

"In Sakura Nation's modern society, people who can only study, lack communication skills, are arrogant and conceited, and cannot cooperate with others... are also nothing more than defective products."

Chabashira Sae's words were like sharp daggers, stabbing viciously into Horikita Suzune's heart.

"There is only one reason you were assigned to Class 1-D."

"That is, in the school's eyes, you are no different from the idiots who sleep in class. You do not meet the standards of Class 1-C and can only remain in Class 1-D with them."

"Class 1-D is specifically where defective products like you are kept."

"As for the exact criteria for class placement, that is confidential school information. I have nothing to tell you."

Click.

Horikita Suzune's expression immediately turned ugly.

The girl's delicate body trembled slightly. Her once-straight back seemed to bear an enormous burden at that moment, the pressure pushed to the limit.

The last time, her deskmate had crushed her with an overwhelming difference in ability.

This time, it was an official verdict from her homeroom teacher.

Under that double blow, Horikita Suzune's proud self-esteem was utterly trampled to pieces.

But she did not lose heart. Instead, she pressed forward in one burst.

"Then I will make Class 1-A my goal, charge toward Class 1-A, and prove that I have what it takes to be there."

Chabashira Sae felt somewhat gratified inside. Perhaps she had seen too many indifferent students in Class 1-D; occasionally encountering a motivated student was not a bad thing.

"This year's Class 1-D has two students with identical scores in every subject."

Chabashira Sae took out the entrance exam score sheet.

"Japanese, history, mathematics... You scored exactly forty points in every entrance exam subject?"

"And you ranked first in the entire school in the swimming test."

"Tatsuya, your resolve is not good enough. Can you explain that?"

"It was just luck. I was only fortunate, that's all."

Tatsuya Sakuya tried to muddle through with excuses about being lucky.

"If you want Class 1-D to rise to Class 1-A, this is someone you cannot afford to overlook..."

Chabashira Sae said to Horikita Suzune.

Click.

The office door suddenly opened.

"My, my, Sae-chan, I didn't hear anything at all."

"I didn't mean to interrupt your conversation. Honestly, I wanted to keep listening."

Hoshinomiya Chie, the homeroom teacher of Class 1-B, had learned everything from the office doorway. While eavesdropping, she had accidentally opened the door.

Holding a can of iced canned coffee, Hoshinomiya Chie cheerfully sidled up to Chabashira Sae. Then her gaze shifted and landed directly on Tatsuya Sakuya, who was sitting in his chair.

At that instant, Hoshinomiya Chie's eyes seemed to flash.

"Wow!"

Without even greeting Chabashira first, she trotted straight over to Tatsuya Sakuya, practically pressing herself against him.

A faint scent of mature perfume mixed with a slight hint of alcohol washed over him.

Hoshinomiya Chie bent down, her beautiful face less than ten centimeters from Sakuya's. Her large eyes sparkled with curiosity as she closely examined his features.

"You're Tatsuya Sakuya from Class 1-D, right?"

"Seeing you in person really is better than hearing about you a hundred times. You're much more handsome in person than in your photo."

Tatsuya Sakuya blinked, leaning back slightly with a very polite smile.

"Hoshinomiya-sensei, while I am indeed dashing and handsome, if you get this close, Chabashira-sensei might think you're trying to seduce a student."

"Pfft, hahahaha!"

Hoshinomiya Chie burst into laughter at Tatsuya Sakuya's familiar yet shameless reply and patted him on the shoulder.

"Not bad, not bad. Nice composure. I like it!"

Horikita Suzune stared blankly at this woman who possessed none of a teacher's dignity, clearly unable to adapt to this sudden shift in atmosphere.

Chabashira Sae spoke coldly.

"Hoshinomiya, mind your identity as a teacher. This is an office."

"Tch, Sae-chan is as rigid as ever."

Hoshinomiya Chie pouted, then gave Sakuya a mysterious wink.

"Sakuya, did you know?"

"Yesterday, the girls in our Class 1-B showed me a ranking list. It was a secret ranking made by the first-year girls for the looks and charm of the first-year boys."

Tatsuya Sakuya asked curiously, "Oh? Then what rank am I?"

Hoshinomiya Chie looked immensely pleased with herself.

"First place!"

"An overwhelmingly first place!"

"Even the handsome guy Satomi from Class 1-A and your Hirata Yousuke combined didn't get as many votes as you."

"The girls all said you have a particularly attractive air of ease and mystery about you. You're so handsome that you make their hearts race."

About the protagonist's appearance. (Immediately press the lower volume button, look at your phone screen, or open the camera and double-tap to flip it.)

At that, Hoshinomiya Chie touched her chin, her eyes carrying a teasing, mischievous gleam.

"My, my, such a high-quality boy was actually assigned to Class 1-D. What a waste."

"Why not consider transferring to our Class 1-B? You only need twenty million Private Points to transfer into our class."

Chabashira Sae snorted coldly. "Hoshinomiya, are you leaking school rules?"

Hoshinomiya Chie stuck out her tongue, completely ignoring Chabashira's warning.

The more she looked at Tatsuya Sakuya, the more pleasing he seemed. She suddenly clapped her hands together, an eager smile appearing on her face as she clearly thought of a brilliant idea.

"That's right, that's right."

"Sakuya is so perfect—good-looking and with such a great personality..."

Hoshinomiya Chie leaned close to Tatsuya Sakuya's ear with a smile and loudly said,

"Why don't you consider dating our Honami?"

"Our Honami is an angel, a really kind girl. You two are practically a match made in heaven."

The moment those words came out.

Chabashira Sae frowned, unsure what to say, while even Horikita Suzune beside her found it difficult to listen any longer.

Just as Tatsuya Sakuya was about to make a teasing remark.

Click.

The office door was gently pushed open once more.