Goodbye, Yamauchi

To prevent anything unexpected from happening, Lezheng specifically used his authority as Student Council president to obtain Ike's student records.

Name: Kanji Ike

Academic ability: E+

Intelligence: E

Judgment: B+

Physical ability: C-

Teamwork: D-

He's quite a character.

That was Lezheng's assessment of him, so Lezheng arranged to meet Ryuuen.

A private karaoke room.

Ryuuen leaned back on the sofa with his arms spread wide. One of his underlings handed him a glass of grape juice that was almost overflowing.

"Go on. What is it?"

"I'm here to propose a partnership." Lezheng took a sip of juice.

"Oh, you want our class's praise votes?" Ryuuen sat up straight.

"No, I'm here to canvass votes for Kanji Ike from Class D."

"Kanji Ike?" Ryuuen frowned. His underling whispered a few words in his ear. "That loser?"

"Yes. Giving praise votes to a loser is better than giving them to someone capable, don't you think?"

"Hahaha, you really are something. Then wouldn't it be even better if I got Classes C and D to vote for some loser in Class A?" Ryuuen laughed.

"You're welcome to try." Lezheng spread his hands.

"Have you sorted things out with Ichinose?"

"Yes, I've notified her too. She'll cooperate with us."

"But if Class D's praise votes all go to the same person, your plan won't work."

"Don't worry. They're not that united."

The two smiled and clinked glasses.

That night, Lezheng lay in bed.

Karuizawa: "Lezheng, should I give you my extra praise vote?"

Lezheng: "No need. You can vote for Ichinose."

Karuizawa: "Aww, I don't want to vote for her ʕ.•᷅ࡇ•᷄.ʔ"

Lezheng: "The people in your little group can exchange praise votes to raise your scores and keep yourselves from being voted out."

Karuizawa: "Wow! You're so smart (≧∇≦)/"

Lezheng: "Who are you planning to give your criticism votes to?"

Karuizawa: "We haven't decided yet, but I'd really like to vote for that idiot Yamauchi."

Lezheng: "See who the people around you are voting for first, then follow their lead."

Karuizawa: "Okay (^ω^)"

Lezheng turned off his phone and headed for the bathroom.

Voting was open throughout the week, but the results would be announced the following Monday. By the next day, small groups within Class D had already begun canvassing votes.

Within Karuizawa's group, Matsushita suggested that they exchange praise votes to raise their scores and ensure none of them would be voted out. The idea met with unanimous approval.

"Then who should we give our out-of-class vote to?" Sato asked.

"How about Ichinose? She's helped us quite a lot," Karuizawa suggested.

"Yes, let's!" Mori Nene agreed.

"Then let's vote for her," Matsushita agreed as well.

Karuizawa's gaze kept drifting toward Matsushita. Suddenly, she felt as though this good friend of hers wasn't quite the same kind of person as the rest of them.

Who was Lezheng? He stood at the very top of the entire first year. And Matsushita? She was a good friend who spent all day having fun with them. Karuizawa didn't know about anyone else, but she knew herself.

In fact, plenty of people had thought of this method, but Lezheng held such a high place in Karuizawa's heart that she wondered what made Matsushita worthy of coming up with the same idea as him.

On the third day of voting, someone spread the news that Yamauchi was in contact with Hashimoto from Class A and secretly leaking Class D's information. Most importantly, photos had also surfaced.

"Heh, explaining things to you narrow-minded people would just waste my time. I'm about to join Class A, after all! Hahaha!"

Far from explaining his secret meetings with Hashimoto, Yamauchi openly admitted to them and mocked the other students.

"Hey! Yamauchi, don't forget your buddies once you've got private points!" Ike clung to Yamauchi's leg.

"Ike, we don't live in the same world anymore. Don't contact me again." With that, he pried Ike's hands away and strode out of the classroom.

Ayanokoji calmly watched Yamauchi leave. Yesterday, Sakayanagi had approached him and asked him to help spread dirt on Yamauchi. In return, she had offered her faction's praise votes.

He had agreed, because this Special Exam was something Tsukishiro had specifically arranged to target him.

The foolish Yamauchi still had no idea he was a disposable pawn. He was busy recklessly spending his few remaining private points in the cafeteria and the mall.

The luxury set meals he had never been willing to splurge on? He ate them. The game console he wanted? He bought it. He kept going until he had spent all his private points.

"Oh, Ike, you pauper. Do you even remember what a luxury set meal tastes like? Once I transfer to Class A, I'll be getting over two hundred thousand private points every month."

"Yamauchi, you bastard!" Unable to hold back, Sudo stood up and grabbed Yamauchi by the collar.

"Wh-what are you doing? I'm warning you, I'm Lezheng's right-hand man! If you touch me, you're showing Lezheng no respect!"

Yamauchi instantly lost his nerve. He could get away with a few jabs at Ike, but Sudo was a brute who would actually throw punches.

"Sudo!" Horikita called out to Sudo as he prepared to strike.

Sudo forced down his anger and let Yamauchi go.

"Hahaha, weren't you acting all tough just now?" Yamauchi thought Lezheng's name had done the trick.

"What a foolish boy. Truly ugly." Koenji tended to his hair.

"Yamauchi, sit down!" Chasuke entered the classroom just in time.

"Tch! You've only got a few days left to boss me around anyway." Yamauchi sat down resentfully.

Ever since the Sports Festival, Chasuke's desire to rise to Class A had weakened. Powerful opponents, foolish subordinates, and generals who refused to make an effort-he had no idea how he could win.

So he had come to terms with it and no longer held out much hope that Class D would suddenly produce someone who impressed him.

He had originally held two trump cards: the unfathomable Ayanokoji and the equally mysterious Koenji. Unfortunately, after witnessing Class A's strength, Ayanokoji had found an excuse to stop trying, while Koenji simply let everything Chasuke said go in one ear and out the other.

Forget it. Let it all fall apart.

The voting period soon ended, and the results were being tallied.

Class A's praise votes all went to Sakayanagi, as did its criticism votes. Class B's praise votes went to Ryuuen, while its criticism votes went to Komiya. Class C's praise and criticism votes both went to Ichinose.

However, Classes A, B, and C all used private points to waive their students' expulsion penalties.

Class D.

"The highest-scoring student: Kanji Ike. The lowest-scoring student: Haruki Yamauchi," Chasuke announced.

"Huh? I... I got the highest score?" Ike looked incredulous.

"Yamauchi, according to the rules, you're being expelled. Pack your things by noon today. A bus will pick you up this afternoon."

"Hmph, I'm not getting expelled. Hashimoto promised he'd use private points to transfer me to Class A." Yamauchi looked down his nose at Chasuke.

"I haven't received any private points. In other words, you've been scammed."

"Impossible! You're only saying that because you're jealous of me! Hashimoto... Hashimoto, get over here!"

With trembling hands, Yamauchi opened his phone, hoping to see the message he wanted. However, the chat window was empty.

"You must have pocketed my private points, you bitch! It had to be you!" Yamauchi screamed hysterically.

"Idiot." Chasuke dialed the security office.

The security guards rushed to Class D as soon as they received the call and restrained the out-of-control Yamauchi.

Goodbye, Yamauchi.

Ayanokoji coldly watched Yamauchi sobbing on the floor.