Zero Points

Class C.

When homeroom teacher Sakagami Kazuma finished announcing the school rules and mentioned that failing the midterms or finals would result in expulsion, an obvious commotion broke out in the classroom.

"Heh, what are you panicking for?" Ryuuen Kakeru spoke lazily.

"Don't we still have Kaneda and Shiina? If you think you'll fail, then study your ass off. Isn't that obvious?"

"I-I mean, sure, but I really don't feel confident..." Ishizaki Daichi replied nervously.

Ryuuen Kakeru merely shot him a cold glance. Ishizaki immediately fell silent by reflex, not daring to make another sound.

"Anyone willing to study can come to me. I'll take responsibility for teaching everyone," said a bespectacled boy.

He was Kaneda, the one Ryuuen Kakeru had mentioned. His full name was Kaneda Satoru, and he was one of Class C's top students academically.

"Shiina, can you handle the girls who have trouble studying?"

"Huh? Me too? I just wanted to read quietly."

"There are too many poor students in the class. Kaneda can't handle them alone."

"Listen properly in class from now on, too. If you get expelled for failing, that's your own problem."

Ryuuen Kakeru spoke calmly, but those words were meant for the delinquents in the class.

He knew full well that getting this group to sit through an entire lesson quietly was already a rare achievement.

If he had not used violence to make them at least bow their heads on the surface and follow the school rules, Class C probably would not have had 490 Class Points left from the start of the assessment until today.

Sakagami Kazuma had been watching from the side without much expression. When he heard that Ryuuen Kakeru had beaten up his classmates, he had only been mildly surprised. Setting aside his delinquent status, he actually thought highly of Ryuuen Kakeru.

Moreover, Sakagami Kazuma could see the intense ambition in Ryuuen Kakeru's eyes. He genuinely wanted to rise to A Class, and he dared to say so in front of the entire class.

Meanwhile, in Class B.

A Class: 940 Points

Class B: 760 Points

Class C: 490 Points

Class D: 0 Points

Miyama Saku looked up at the blackboard. The rankings of the four classes were written clearly, and the gap between them was obvious at a glance.

When they saw the glaring "zero" beside Class D, nearly everyone in Class B wore slightly complicated expressions.

"Zero? They hit zero in the first month?" The boy beside him lowered his voice, sounding somewhat incredulous.

"That's ridiculous. How did they manage that? Even if they attended classes normally, they shouldn't have gotten every point deducted," another girl whispered.

"I heard someone in Class D got into a fight right after school started. It was apparently a big deal," a student in the front row turned around and gossiped.

"I don't think fighting alone could deduct all their points. What else did they even do?"

"Shh, keep it down. The teacher's still here." Someone beside him jabbed him with an elbow.

Still, a few chuckles spread through the room. Some shook their heads, some shrugged, and some stared at the numbers on the blackboard with strange expressions, probably wondering what kind of monsters Class D was full of.

Miyama Saku did not laugh along. His first thought was that even if the classes were in competition with one another, the school could not have stuffed every outstanding student into a single class.

Among A, B, C, and D, there should have been capable students in every class, more or less.

But reality was right in front of him. Class D had lost all its Class Points in the very first month. Had the capable students in Class D done nothing at all, or was Class D itself already beyond saving?

"Now, I'll announce the results of the previous quiz."

Hoshinomiya Chie, Class B's homeroom teacher, finally spoke.

She pinned the score sheet to the blackboard, then casually dusted the chalk off her hands. "All right, these are the results from your last quiz. Also, let me tell you in advance: anyone who fails the next midterms or finals will be expelled directly."

"What is the standard for determining a failing grade?" Ichinose Honami raised her hand as usual, her voice clear.

Hoshinomiya Chie yawned, speaking vaguely. "Take your average score and divide it by two. That's the passing mark. For example, if the average score on this quiz was eighty, then the passing mark would be forty. Anything below that is a fail."

She drew a neat line across the score sheet with a red pen.

"Anyone below this line failed this exam. If you still can't get over this line in the midterms and finals, you'll be expelled."

Below the red line, one name stood alone—Miyama Saku.

Score: 0.

"Ahem. Miyama, although the previous quiz results won't be included in the assessment, you might get expelled if you keep this up."

The classroom fell silent for several seconds. Some people gasped, some turned to glance at Miyama Saku's seat, while others secretly poked their neighbors under the desks and whispered, "Zero? How did he manage that?"

Miyama Saku stared at that "0" for quite a while.

Oh, right. During the quiz, Teacher Hoshinomiya had said, "It's just a quiz. Don't worry about it."

Then Miyama Saku had not written anything and handed in a blank sheet. Class B's homeroom teacher really was unreliable.

"Miyanomae, that's way too outrageous..." Himeno Yuki, the girl sitting behind him, leaned forward and spoke in a low voice.

"Getting zero is harder than failing." A girl nearby turned around, looking somewhere between amused and helpless.

Miyama Saku was speechless. "Teacher Hoshinomiya said not to worry about it, so I didn't write anything and handed in a blank sheet."

"You believed something Teacher Hoshinomiya said?" The boy diagonally behind him widened his eyes.

Ichinose Honami turned around to speak to Miyama Saku, looking at him with a serious expression. "Miyama, you can't do that for the upcoming midterms and finals. If you don't mind, I can help you study."

"Ah... thanks, but it's fine. I only handed in a blank sheet. I can answer the questions and everything." Miyama Saku waved his hand.

"Really?" Ichinose Honami seemed doubtful and tilted her head slightly.

"Really. Besides, there are quite a few students close to the passing line. Ichinose, you have good grades, so you should help them first."

Ichinose did not answer immediately. She lowered her head and seemed to weigh her options.

At that moment, a girl sitting behind Miyama Saku spoke up. "In that case, I'll tutor Miyanomae one-on-one."

It was Himeno Yuki. Her tone was flat, as though she had casually joined the conversation.

Ichinose looked at her. "Himeno, are you sure?"

"Don't worry. My grades may not be among the best, but I can still tutor a poor student, especially one-on-one." After speaking, Himeno Yuki glanced at Miyama Saku.

Miyama Saku opened his mouth, but in the end only muttered softly, "I just didn't write anything..."

But no one seemed to hear him.

Teacher Hoshinomiya, standing at the podium, seemed not to notice the whispered conversations below. She clapped her hands to draw everyone's attention back. "All right, all right. You've seen the scores. Students who failed should put some effort into it. Now, let's continue class."

Miyama Saku opened his textbook, his eyes fixed on the page, but he did not take in a single word.

Only one thought kept circling in his head: For the next exam, I really have to write something.