"Alright everyone, we're going to jump right into the next video," Eve announced to everyone.
Everyone in the room shared confused looks as this had never happened before, Eve usually gave them a five minute break after the video finished showing but now she immediately announced the video would be live soon.
"Um… Eve?" said Ichinose as she stood up.
"Yes, Honami-chan?"
"Is there something wrong? Before you always gave us five minutes off, but now you don't," says Ichinose.
"Ah, about that. Actually when I think about it, the break was a waste of a lot of time. Even though your life span has not decreased in this place, I have not eliminated your need to eat, drink and sleep. I have seen that some of you are sleepy and tired, therefore I am removing the break from now on."
Indeed, some of the students were already showing their tiredness because it was getting too late. Since this was a closed room and moreover they were now in another dimension, no one knew how to determine day and night other than the room's wall clock.
"What do you two think, Sakayanagi-chan, Ryuuen-kun?" Eve asked the two people with absolute power in their class.
"It's whatever you want to do, as long as it doesn't interfere with my enjoyment."
"Fu fu, same."
Sakayanagi and Ryuuen gave almost identical answers, Eve was satisfied with their answers then turned the question to Ichinose.
"What about you, Honami-chan?"
Ichinose didn't answer right away and turned to her friends for their opinions. As for Ichinose herself she actually agreed with Eve because time would be more efficient and they could get enough rest.
But before that she must listen to the opinions of her friends first before expressing her own opinion.
"Her reason makes sense, but after this we'll get some rest right?" Shibata asked Eve.
"Of course, there's no way I'm going to let you guys tire out. There's still a lot I want to show you."
"In that case, okay."
All of Ichinose's friends also agreed that like Shibata, they have no problem with not having a break while watching. Kanzaki gave a nod to Ichinose, the class B leader returned the nod with a smile.
"Alright, we agree," Ichinose said.
With the class agreeing with Eve's decision, everyone then turned their attention to the class that had yet to make a decision. Class C.
Horikita could feel everyone's gazes on her, but she wasn't focused on them but on her own classmates. As the class leader, it is certain that she will make decisions for her class.
Horikita watched all of her classmates and she could see that no one had any objections to Eve's decision, therefore she too was able to make her decision.
"No complaints from me," Horikita said.
"Very well. Then it's decided. Let's move on to the next video," Eve announced cheerfully.
The Beginning
"The Beginning…?"
"What does it mean?"
"Who knows."
The students try to guess what the title of the video they are going to watch means, it has become their habit now that every video starts.
"Fu fu, please pay close attention. This one is my favourite," Eve said with amusement, surprising everyone.
"Eh!? Eve's favourite?" said Ichinose in surprise.
"This is the first time she's said that," said Amikura who was just as surprised as Ichinose.
"Ku ku, favorite huh. I hope it will be fun and contain something important," Ryuuen said chuckling.
"He he, don't worry about that. The video this time will be the climax for tonight's session, of course the content won't be boring," said Eve giggling. But her words brought confusion to others.
"Wait, climax? Wasn't that the midterm exam before?" Nishikawa asked confused.
"Of course not, it's too boring. There's nothing tense in that part," Eve argued.
"Then I can assume that there is something 'tense' that you mentioned in the video this time?" asked Sakayanagi.
"Yup~. Now no more questions. Continue watching," Eve said leaving no one else room to speak.
Hence, everyone turned their attention back to the screen.
Chabashira-sensei strode into the classroom, looking around at the students in surprise. Everyone was clearly anxious, holding their breath in anticipation of the test results.
"This is the day of the announcement of the test results," Himeno mused.
"Hmm, I wonder who gets a perfect score," said Minamikata as she crossed her arms.
"I'm sure an honor student like Horikita-san can do it," Andou answered.
"Do you think Ayanokouji-kun will get a perfect score, Honami-chan?" asked Amikura.
Ichinose shakes her head, "I don't think so. Kiyotaka-kun wants to stay under the radar as much as possible."
"Too bad."
"Putting that aside, I'm more worried about Ken-kun's situation."
"Sudou-kun?"
Ichinose nodded, "Last time we saw him having trouble with his English exam. Ken-kun is weak in academics, I'm afraid he's in trouble this time."
"Yes, he did fall asleep at that time. But that doesn't matter right? Look, he's in this room with us, that means he passed."
"I hope so," Ichinose said in disbelief. Granted, Sudou was in this room with them, but Ichinose still felt something bad was about to happen.
"Sensei. We were told that the results would be announced today, but when?"
"There's no need for you to get so worked up, Hirata. You should have passed quite easily."
"So, when will the results be released?"
"Well, if you'd like, now is as good a time as any. If we waited to do it after class, we wouldn't have enough time for other procedures."
Some of the students visibly reacted to the words "other procedures."
"Other procedure…?"
Some of the students in the room were also wondering what Chabashira meant by other procedure. The Class C students didn't have much of a reaction since they already knew about it, except for Sudou who winced because he was the cause of the Other Procedure.
"What…do you mean by that?"
"Don't get flustered. I'll tell you now."
As usual, she revealed the details simultaneously and collectively. She stuck a large, white sheet of paper with everyone's names and test scores onto the blackboard.
"Honestly, I'm impressed. I didn't think that you'd score so well. Many students tied with perfect scores in mathematics, Japanese, and social studies. More than ten of you, actually."
"Wow, look at those grades."
"Lots of perfect scores."
"I still can't believe they got such good grades."
"If I don't know the reason, maybe right now I'm dreaming of seeing defectived people get high marks."
Students outside of class C expressed their admiration and envy when they saw students who were supposed to be at the bottom get high scores.
Some of the students shouted in joy and delight when they saw the 100s lined up on the results sheet. However, some weren't smiling. The only grade that truly mattered was Sudou's score in English.
"Ah right, his grades is the concern now," said Hashimoto looking at the screen intently.
"Surely there's nothing to worry about. After all, he will pass too," Kamuro said boredly.
Then—
We saw Sudou's test scores. He had scored sixty points in four of the five main subjects, which was considerably high. He'd scored thirty-nine points in English.
"Is that enough?" Hamaguchi asked curiously.
"No need to ask that again, right? There's no red line like before," Shibata said.
"Yes!" Sudou leapt up and shouted with joy. Ike and Yamauchi stood and cheered, too. There was no red line to be found on the results sheet. Kushida and I shared a glance and sighed in relief. Horikita didn't smile or cheer, but she did appear relieved.
Some students outside of Class C who were soft-hearted were relieved to see such positive results, even though they were in opposite classes but they were glad that Sudou and his friends efforts were not in vain.
"We showed you, sensei! When we really try our best, we can do anything!" Ike wore a smug, confident look.
"Yes, I recognize that. You all did very well. However—"
Suddenly the previously cheerful atmosphere turned tense upon hearing Chabashira's words.
Chabashira-sensei held a red pen in her hand.
Sudou unintentionally let out a "Huh?"
She drew a red line right above Sudou's name.
"…Huh?"
The room froze with audible gasps of gasp. They were too surprised that Sudou failed, indeed he had problems with English but they never thought that he would fail since he was still in this room with them.
"Wh-what is that? What does that mean?"
"You failed, Sudou."
"Ken-kun… failed?" said Shiina dumbfounded.
"If he fails, then..." Komiya didn't finish her words and looked at Sudou who was in Ayanokouji's line in confusion.
Just like Komiya, the other students were also looking at Sudou in confusion and wondering why he was still here with them when his on-screen self failed.
"What's going on here?" Ishizaki asked confused.
"I don't know dude, I don't understand either. Sudou failed, right? Why is he still here?" said Kondou who was just as confused.
Ryuuen narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, he was so sure that Sudou would be expelled, there was no way the school would be merciful by giving Sudou a second chance. School is not that soft.
So what made Sudou survive in this school?
It didn't take long for Ryuuen to find the answer, his gaze then landed on a certain person. If there was someone who could make Sudou stay in this school then it was this person. The only person who can give fear to him.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
Ryueen grinned, he understood now why this video was Eve's favorite.
"Ku ku, how are you going to save that idiot, monster?"
"Huh? You're lying, right? Don't give me that crap! Why did I fail?" he cried.
Of course, Sudou was the first one to protest this. In response to Sudou's failing grade, the entire classroom did a complete one-eighty. We stopped our delighted cheering and erupted in confusion.
"Sudou, you failed the English exam. That's all."
Many did not like Chabashira's cruel and heartless remarks.
"Honami-chan, do you know about this matter?" Kobashi asked.
Ichinose shakes her head, "I don't know, this is the first time I know about this," Ichinose says worriedly because her bad feeling is actually happening.
"I don't know what happened anymore," Amikura said rubbing her head in a headache.
"Hey, is it possible for them to pay 20 million points?" Shibata asked.
"It is impossible. Even a class A student wouldn't be able to collect 20 million points in 2 months time," argued Hamaguchi.
"I guess you're right," Shibata said with a sigh, before long an idea popped into his head again, "How about the school give Sudou a second chance?"
"That is also impossible. After being in this school for a year, do you still think school is that gentle?" Hamaguchi asked raising his eyebrows.
"Hey, I'm just trying to guess, okay?"
"We better keep watching, there's no point in trying to guess when we can know the results soon enough," said Kanzaki.
"Well, it was actually for fun but alright," Shibata said scratching his head before looking back at the screen.
"Don't screw with me! I got thirty-two points! I passed!"
"When did anyone say that thirty-two points was a passing grade?"
"No, no. You said so, sensei! Right, everyone?" shouted Ike.
"Say whatever you want, it won't matter. This is the undeniable truth. You had to score at least a forty to pass the midterm exam. In other words, you were just one point short. You were so close."
"That was a near miss," said Hashimoto grimacing, he couldn't imagine being in Sudou's position.
"Yeah, he is only one point short. That must be really painful," Kitou said.
"Humph, if only we could buy exam points things would be easier," Kamuro said.
"Buying exam points, huh," thought Sakayanagi thoughtfully, then suddenly she gasped, "Wait, buying points!?"
Sakayanagi was silent for a moment while thinking, soon a small smile formed on her face.
"So that's how Ayanokouji-kun saved him, he was able to find the school system very quickly and took advantage of it. You are awesome as always, Ayanokouji-kun."
Sakayanagi smiled satisfied with the result of her own thoughts, even though there was no proof that Ayanokouji was involved in this but she was very sure that the brown haired boy would do something. Sakayanagi then turned to Kamuro which made her bring up that thought.
"Fu fu, you are very useful sometimes, Masumi-san."
"Huh?" said Kamuro raising her eyebrows in confusion but Sakayanagi had already turned her attention to the screen.
"F-forty?! You never told us about this! I won't accept it!"
"Should I tell you how we determine the passing grade?"
Chabashira-sensei wrote a simple formula on the blackboard: 79.6 divided by 2 equals 39.8.
"We set a passing grade for each individual class, just as we did for the last test. We calculated that number by dividing the average score by two. That's how we arrived at our answer."
In other words, anything at 39.8 or lower was considered failing.
"39.8? That means the passing grade is rounded up to 40?" Shibata said wonderingly.
"Yeah, it looks like it," said Hamaguchi nodding.
"Couldn't they just round it down? It must be painful for Sudou to see his passing grades being determined by the will of the school."
"There's nothing to be done about it, the school has already made a decision and once they make a decision it can't be changed," said Kanzaki.
"Ugh, that really sucks."
"Yeah, but that's our school."
"I provided proof that you failed. That is all."
"No way… So… Does that mean I'm going to be expelled?"
"Although your time here was short, you struggled valiantly. You'll be asked to fill out a withdrawal form after class, but you will need to have a legal guardian present when you do so. I'll contact them for you."
"Chabashira-sensei really heartlessly said all that, to be honest I don't like her," Andou said with a frown.
"Well, we are lucky enough to have the cheerful Hoshinomiya-sensei," said Minamikata.
As we witnessed the scene unfold, the teacher rattling off the information as if she were casually giving a report, we finally realized that this was actually happening.
"As for the rest of you, good work. You all passed without any issues. Work hard so that you can pass your final exam as well. Well then, next—"
"S-sensei. Is Sudou-kun really being expelled? Is there no way to save him?"
Hirata was the first to show concern, even though Sudou hated him and had lashed out at him verbally.
"He's being expelled. He got a failing grade."
"Could we possibly see Sudou-kun's answer sheet?"
"Even if you look it over, you won't find any grading mistakes. I was expecting that you'd protest."
She took out Sudou's English answer sheet and handed it to Hirata, who immediately looked over every problem. His expression turned dark when he reached the end.
"There…are no mistakes."
"Well, if you're all in agreement, homeroom is over."
Chabashira-sensei had heartlessly announced Sudou's expulsion without offering him a second chance or the faintest bit of sympathy. Ike and Yamauchi, knowing that words of comfort would probably have the opposite effect, stayed silent. Hirata remained quiet, too. Sadly, some of the students appeared relieved by this. Were they happy that a nuisance like Sudou was being removed from the class?
The students in question flinched as their relief on the screen was noticed, they timidly peeked at Sudou, fortunately for them Sudou didn't show any reaction.
Sudou himself was currently pouting as he looked at the screen, he already knew his old self was an asshole and so he wasn't surprised to see people happy about him being kicked out.
"Sudou, come to the faculty room after class. That is all."
"Chabashira-sensei. May I have a moment of your time?"
Though she'd stayed silent until that moment, Horikita raised her slender arm in the air and spoke. Thus far, Horikita had never voluntarily made any remarks. Chabashira-sensei and the rest of the class appeared shocked by this abnormality.
"Well, this is unusual, Horikita. Why?"
"Earlier, you said that the previous test had a passing grade of thirty- two points. You arrived at that number by the same formula you showed us today. Were there no mistakes in calculating the passing grade for the last test?"
"There were no mistakes."
"Then, that raises one more question. I'd calculated the average score for the previous test to be 64.4 points. If I were to divide that by two, I would get 32.2 points. In other words, higher than 32 points. Despite that, the passing grade was set at 32. That means that you left off the decimal. That contradicts what you did this time."
"Th-that's right. If you follow what you did last time, the passing grade for the midterm should be thirty-nine points!"
In other words, Sudou's overall grade should have meant that he just barely passed.
"I see. Did you anticipate that Sudou would just barely pass, then? You only scored exceedingly low in English, after all."
At that time almost all the students widened their eyes, they finally noticed a huge difference in Horikita's test scores where she got perfect scores in all subjects except English which only got fifty one points.
Even though Horikita's character is annoying, they admit that Horikita is one of the smartest students in the academic field. So there's no way she'd get a low score in the test unless she reduced it herself.
"I see, Suzune-san deliberately reduced her score to help Ken-kun," said Ichinose smiling affectionately seeing Horikita's character development.
"Yes, she's even willing to skip to get perfect scores in all subjects," said Amikura who also smiled.
"But even if she did that, Sudou-kun still can't be saved," said Kobashi gloomily.
Ichinose's face darkened after hearing that, she still didn't expect Sudou to be kicked out. After seeing Sudou's past, Ichinose could tell that this school was Sudou's greatest hope for achieving his dream. Seeing Sudou kicked out of his dream school naturally saddened Ichinose.
But that sadness quickly turned to confusion when she saw that Sudou was still here with them, which meant Sudou had managed to escape expulsion. At first she was confused by the situation, but it only lasted a while because she realized there was someone who could save Sudou.
Just the thought of that person dispelled Ichinose's gloom and she subconsciously smiled.
"He he, I wonder what Kiyotaka-kun will do."
"Horikita, you…"
Sudou had realized something. The other students gasped as they also realized what had happened. Horikita had gotten perfect scores in four of the five main subjects, but she'd gotten an exceedingly low score of fifty-one points in English. Her English stuck out from her other scores.
"You really—"
Sudou noticed what she'd done. In order to lower the average score for the English test, Horikita had purposefully botched her own grade as far as she could.
"If you believe that my thinking is incorrect, could you please tell why the calculation differs between this test and the last test?" she asked.
The last ray of light. Our final hope.
"I see. In that case, I'll explain in more detail. Unfortunately, your calculation is off. We didn't simply omit the decimal when we calculated the passing grade. We rounded the numbers up or down. On the last test, we rounded down to thirty-two points, and on this, we rounded up to forty. There's your answer."
"Tch…"
"Truly hopeless huh," said Ishizaki seeing the situation Sudou was in.
"It seems so," said Ibuki crossing her arms.
Shiina wasn't so sure things would end up like this since Sudou was still in this school. And just like everyone who knows Ayanokouji's true abilities, she believed that Ayanokouji would do something that would save Sudou.
"You should have noticed that we rounded the numbers, but to hold on to that possibility… Well, too bad. At any rate, first period will be starting soon. I'll be going."
Horikita had nothing left to counter with, so she remained quiet. She couldn't contradict anything Chiyabashira-sensei had said. Horikita's last resort had been eradicated. The classroom door slammed shut, and silence enveloped the room.
Sudou, still struggling to wrap his head around this new reality, looked over at Horikita. She had purposefully lowered her grades as far as she could, all to stop Sudou's expulsion.
"I'm sorry. I should have tried to lower my score just a little more," she muttered.
"I should have lowered my score too, sorry Ken," said Yukimura feeling guilty. The old Yukimura wouldn't have been able to do that because his friendship with Sudou didn't exist, but now their friendship is so close that it makes Yukimura regret his past actions.
"Why are you apologizing? I'm the one at fault here, I stupidly fell asleep at an important time," said Sudou self-deprecatingly.
"Enough, what's important now is that Kenchin is here with us," said Hasebe.
"I wonder how Ken-kun can survive…" muttered Sakura.
"I think…"
Hasebe didn't finish her words and glanced at Ayanokouji, everyone also turned to Ayanokouji. If there was anyone who could save Sudou from this hopeless situation, they were pretty sure it would be Ayanokouji.
Ayanokouji who could feel the gazes of his friends could only sigh, it seemed like this would be a troublesome task where he had to explain every action he took.
But he has a more effective way.
"Keep watching, soon you will see the truth," said Ayanokouji. Yes, leaving everything to the screen was a shorthand way for Ayanokouji to give explanations to those who asked him. Well, although not completely because there are some things that must be explained directly.
His friends only chuckled at his actions before turning their attention back to the screen.
Horikita slowly sat back down. However, Horikita's 51-point score on her English test was already considerably low. If she'd scored in the 40-point range, she could have run the risk of expulsion herself.
"Why? You said that you hated me," Sudou said.
"Don't misunderstand. I did this for my own sake. It was all for nothing, though."
I slowly got up from my seat.
"Finally!"
Simultaneously everyone who knew of Ayanokouji's abilities excitedly thought that as if they had been looking forward to it for a long time.
"Wh-where are you going, Ayanokouji?"
"Bathroom."
"Huh? He just left?" Andou asked surprised.
"Doesn't he feel sad to see his classmate expelled?" said Shibata dumbfounded.
Ichinose's other friends are also starting to show their displeasure at Ayanokouji's nonchalant attitude, of course Ichinose won't let that continue.
"Everyone, keep watching. It is too early for you to assume that."
Ichinose's friends looked at her in surprise even more when they saw Ichinose's excited expression.
"What do you mean, Ichinose? Do you know something?" Kanzaki asked.
Ichinose shakes her head, "No, I don't know. But I have an idea of what will happen," Ichinose continued with a smile, adding to the confusion of her friends.
With that, I exited and quickly made my way toward the faculty room. I wondered if Chiyabashira-sensei had already arrived. As I thought that, I caught her staring out the window into the first-floor hallway, almost as if she were waiting for someone.
"Why did he meet Chabashira-sensei?" asked Onodera tilting her head in confusion.
"No idea, and didn't he say he wanted to use the toilet?" said Mori raising her eyebrows.
"Maybe that's just an excuse so that other people don't know his true purpose," said Matsushita.
"Why? Aren't more people better? I thought talking to Chabashira-sensei would be pointless after all, she's blocking all ways to save Sudou-kun," Shinohara said with a sneer.
"That... I don't know, I don't know either," said Matsushita unsure. She actually agreed with Shinohara that there was no point in talking to Chabashira after all the rejections the teacher had made.
But… after seeing Ayanokouji on the screen. Matsushita believed that there was still a loophole that could save Sudou from that hopeless situation.
Meanwhile Satou remained silent while her friends were talking, her attention focused on the screen and never distracted. She didn't want to miss any of the actions Ayanokouji was about to take.
"Ayanokouji, hmm? Class will begin any minute, you know," she said.
"Sensei. Would it be all right if I asked you one question?"
"One question? Is that why you went to the trouble of chasing after me?"
"I'm curious about something."
"First it was Horikita, now you. What in the world is it?"
"Do you think that today's Japanese society is fair?"
"Huh!?"
Confusion swept over the students after hearing Ayanokouji's question, they hoped that Ayanokouji would beg Chabashira to help Sudou but in reality he didn't. Instead he asked something completely unrelated.
"Huh!? Why is he asking that at a time like this?" Ibuki asked with raised eyebrows.
"Shut up Ibuki, you're noisy. I want to listen to this quietly," said Ryuuen who suddenly snapped at her.
Ibuki glared at Ryuuen and wanted to snap back, but she stopped when she saw Ryuuen's serious gaze directed at the screen. She knew what that look meant, it meant that what was happening right now was a serious matter. She could also see Shiina staring at the screen with the same gaze as Ryuuen.
"Tch!" Ibuki could only click her tongue and angrily stare at the screen.
"What an incredible change in topic. So sudden, too. Is there some special meaning behind this question?"
"It's very important. I would like your opinion."
"If you're asking for my personal opinion, then, no, of course not. The world isn't fair, not even the slightest bit."
"I see. I feel the same way. I think that equality is a fiction."
"So, did you chase after me merely to ask that question? If that's all, then I'll be going."
"One week ago, when you told us that the test's material had changed, you also said something like 'I forgot to inform you.' Because of that forgetfulness, we were notified of the change one week after the other classes had already been informed."
"Yeah, that's so unfair," said Nishimura with a frown.
"As a result we fell behind the other classes," said Azuma who also expressed displeasure.
"Yes, I said as much back in the faculty room. What of it?"
"Every class got the same questions, the points were reflected in the same way for everyone, and every class faced the same threat of expulsion. However, Class D was compelled to test under unfair conditions."
"Are you saying that you can't accept what happened? But it's an excellent example of how unfair the world is. In fact, you could call it a microcosm of our unfair society."
"Certainly, society is not equal, no matter how idealistic you try to be. However, we are human beings, living things that can think."
"What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying that we should strive for equality. At least a little."
"I see."
"Whether or not you truly forgot to tell us, or if it was an intentional slip, isn't really the issue. The fact remains that one person is now being expelled from this school because of those unfair conditions."
"So, what do you want me to do?"
"That's why I'm here. I would like to undertake the appropriate steps to meet with the school, the direct cause of this inequality."
"To tell them you disagree?"
"I just want to confirm with the appropriate people that they believe the school made the correct judgment."
"That's unfortunate. What you've said isn't wrong, but I can't allow you to do that. Sudou will be expelled. That decision cannot be overturned at this stage. Give up."
The students once sighed because after all Sudou's decision to be expelled from school was irreversible. But there were some sharp-minded students who caught that there was a hint implicit in Chabashira's words.
Matsushita is one of those students.
"'At this stage'? So there really is still a way to save Sudou-kun!?" thought Matsushita in surprise, even though she still didn't know how but that thought was enough to satisfy her.
Now all she needed to do was wait for action from Ayanokouji to satisfy her curiosity.
"Ku ku, the teachers of this school like to play on their words," Ryuuen said with a chuckle.
"Yes, for that we have to listen carefully to their every word," Shiina added.
Ryuuen looked at Shiina with slight displeasure, "I already knew that. You don't need to tell me about that, Hiyori."
"He he, I just wanted to say," said Shiina with a smile. Ryuuen just snorted before looking back at the screen.
She'd ignored my point, but her words remained logical. As I'd anticipated, her words always held some hidden meaning.
"Hidden meaning…?"
The 'ordinary' students tilted their heads in confusion as they didn't understand Ayanokouji's words.
"What does it mean?" Miyamoto asked frowning.
"I don't know," Hondou answered with a shrug.
"Rather than that, I'm more curious when Horikita will appear. She's the one who saved Ken, right?" Ike said to his friends.
"Ah that's right, I almost forgot about that," said Hondou.
"You said it 'cannot be overturned at this stage.' Which means there may be a way to overturn the decision."
The students widened their eyes at Ayanokouji's words.
"Eh? Is it true?" said Amikura surprised.
"It seems so, Chabashira-sensei can't say that without any meaning," Ichinose said, then her eyes narrowed and looked suspiciously at Chabashira on the screen, "It looked as if she was baiting Kiyotaka-kun."
"But what does that mean? I have absolutely no idea," Shibata said confused.
"I don't know, I don't have a clue. For now only Kiyotaka-kun knows."
"Let's keep watching," said Kanzaki. His gaze never left the screen, he wanted to see how Ayanokouji would solve this problem.
"Ayanokouji, I personally hold you in rather high regard. I've thought so since assigning this test. Obtaining the old test problems was certainly one correct solution. Such a notion goes beyond the range of what many would have considered. Furthermore, you distributed the old test problems to everyone in class and raised the average scores. I have to praise such a logical decision. Honestly, you did very well."
"Eh? Sensei knows about the old test?" said Ishikura surprised.
"Somehow I'm not surprised anymore, maybe he found out through the security cameras? Remember, security cameras are everywhere including our class," Ichihashi said flatly.
"I guess that makes sense."
"Kushida was the one who obtained the problems and distributed them. I didn't really do anything."
"I understand why you don't want word to get out, but don't forget that there are senior students, too. I already know that you contacted a third-year student."
Apparently, my actions were more conspicuous than I'd thought.
"However, despite your bold move in obtaining those questions, you made a mistake in the end. That's why your plan failed. If Sudou had memorized the material more thoroughly, he wouldn't have failed in any subject, right? Honestly, why don't you just give up and let Sudou get tossed out? Wouldn't things be easier in the future?"
"Honestly, you're probably right. However, I decided to lend a hand. I suppose it's too early for me to give up. I've one thing left to try."
Several people straightened their bodies and stared fixedly at the screen to see what Ayanokouji was going to do.
I took my student ID card out of my pocket.
"What are you planning?"
"Please sell me one point that I can apply to Sudou's English test."
"…"
"…"
Silence fell in the room, all the students were silent and they eyes widened like Chabashira's expression on the screen after hearing Ayanokouji's words.
It took them a moment to digest what they were hearing and when they did, a furor erupted.
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?"
The rhythmic shouts of the students resounded in the room, Ryuuen and Sakayanagi laughed in satisfaction at what they saw, meanwhile Kouenji was looking at the screen with his usual smile but there was a hint of interest in his eyes. The only ones who weren't surprised among the students were Ayanokouji and Horikita.
"B-Buying test points," Ike stammered.
"What the hell! Is that possible?" said Miyamoto frowning.
"I-I don't know dude, Ayanokouji might be crazy," Hondou said stunned.
An uproar broke out among the students as they talked about what was going on.
"Hey Kamuro, you guessed right again. He really bought the test points, you really are good at this," said Hashimoto grinning.
"Yeah, that's surprising. You've guessed right several times," Kitou said nodding.
"Hmph, nothing special about it. Besides, we don't know yet whether Ayanokouji's plan will work or not," Kamuro said resting her head on her hand.
"Come on, I'm sure it will work. The princess just praised you because she thought the plan would work, didn't you, princess?" said Hashimoto as he asked Sakayanagi.
"Fu fu, it's like you said Hashimoto-kun. Apart from paying 20 million private points, this is the only way to save Sudou Ken-kun from expulsion in such a short amount of time," said Sakayanagi with an amused smile.
"Who exactly is this Ayanokouji? He has taken advantage of the school system several times that not many people know about," Kitou wondered.
"This is only part of his prowess, there are many other extraordinary things he will do at this school," said Sakayanagi proudly, making her followers curious.
"That reminds me Princess, what is your relationship with Ayanokouji? You look like you know him very well," said Hashimoto who couldn't pass up an opportunity like this. He had been curious about Ayanokouji and Sakayanagi's relationship for a long time.
"Fu fu, if you are that curious, just keep watching this video. Perhaps you will find the answer."
"Can't you tell us now?" Kamuro asked frowning.
"Then where's the fun?" Sakayanagi replied with an amused smile.
Kamuro didn't ask further and looked back at the screen, as did Hashimoto and the others. They knew very well that there was no point in asking anymore because once Sakayanagi made a decision it couldn't be changed.
In Class B, a conversation also occurs like the other classes.
"M-Man, buying test points? Ayanokouji's idea is really crazy," Shibata stammered.
"Yeah, if the plan is successful and known to everyone, each student's test scores will increase drastically," said Hamaguchi stunned.
"I don't think it's that easy, it all depends on what price the school charges," said Ichinose shaking her head.
"Yeah, I'm sure it won't be cheap," Kanzaki said in agreement with Ichinose.
"Eeeh? Really?" said Shibata groaning in disappointment.
"I think that makes sense, if the price is cheap, students with low academic ability will definitely focus more on accumulating private points rather than improving their academic ability," said Hamaguchi.
"Yeah, that causes their will to study to disappear. The school definitely doesn't want that," said Kanzaki.
"Hmm, I wonder how much 1 test point costs," said Amikura wonderingly.
Ichinose is also curious about that but there's no point in them talking about it if the outcome isn't known.
"Let's keep watching," she said.
Her friends nodded and they returned to continue their spectacle.
Meanwhile in the line of teachers, Chabashira was currently smiling very contentedly seeing the flabbergasted reactions of her fellow teachers, especially seeing Hoshinomiya's reaction who looked very envious.
Chiyabashira-sensei's eyes widened, and then she laughed loudly.
"Ha ha ha ha ha! That's a rather interesting idea. You really are a different kind of student. I never imagined you'd try to buy points."
"I also didn't expect that you would do that, Kiyotaka," said Yukimura with a sigh.
"Yes, Kiyopon did something that no one expected," said Hasebe admiringly.
"But did the plan work, Kiyotaka-kun?" Sakura asked.
"To be honest the plan wouldn't work if I was the only one involved," said Ayanokouji, shocking all of his friends except Horikita.
"Huh? What does it mean?" Sudou asked confused.
"Keep watching, you'll understand in a moment," Ayanokouji replied to everyone.
"You said so the day we were admitted, didn't you, sensei? You said that we can buy anything with our points. The midterm test is just one more 'thing' at this school, after all."
"T-That… Geez, so that's also a hint? I didn't know that at all," Shinohara said in surprise.
"Me too. I remember getting too excited about getting so many private points that I don't remember Chabashira-sensei's words at all," said Satou, "Well, even if I do, there's no way I'd be able to figure out the clues."
Meanwhile Matsushita was contemplating what was happening right now.
"It can't be denied that Ayanokouji-kun's abilities are extraordinary. He's essential to getting us up to Class A, but the only problem is that he doesn't like the attention and prefers to hold back. I don't know if he will still hold back after this or not. I should probably get some information from Satou-san after this."
Summing it all up, Matsushita looked back at the screen excitedly.
"I see, I see. You certainly could view it that way. However, do you even have enough money on hand to afford it?"
"Well, how much does one test point cost?"
The students especially those with low academic ability straightened their bodies and stared intently at the screen, this information was very important to them because it could increase their test scores.
"Now, that's a rather difficult question, isn't it? I've never been asked to sell test points before. Let's see… Seeing as how this is a special occasion, I'll sell a test point for the exceptional price of 100,000 points."
"100.000!?"
Everyone simultaneously shouted that and were flabbergasted by what they heard.
"Very expensive!" Ike whined.
"100,000 private points for 1 exam point? Dude, that's really expensive," said Hondou flabbergasted.
"And here I think we can get a high score," said Miyamoto shaking his head in annoyance.
"Looks like there's no such thing as a shortcut to make things easier for us," muttered Sotomura sagely.
"You're cruel, sensei."
Everyone at this school had spent at least some of their points. Absolutely no one had 100,000 to spare.
After hearing that, everyone was again reminded of something important.
"That reminds me, how are you going to pay for it, Kiyotaka-kun? Do you have enough points?" Kushida asked, the others also looked at Ayanokouji curiously.
"My points are insufficient, even if I skimp it's impossible for me to prepare 100,000 personal points in such a short time," Ayanokouji replied.
"Huh? So how do you pay for it?" asked Karuizawa.
"Like I said earlier, if I'm the only one involved then I won't be able to help Ken," said Ayanokouji deliberately not giving a direct answer.
"That means there is someone helping you?" said Hirata, Ayanokouji nodded.
"Who?" Sudou asked a little forcefully, he had to know about that person so he could express his thanks.
"Well, who do you think? I thought you knew," said Ayanokouji.
"Huh?" Sudou frowned but then he flinched as he recalled Ayanokouji's earlier words, he then turned to Horikita.
"Let's just keep watching, eventually we'll all know who that person is, right?" said Hirata with a smile.
Everyone complied, even though they now knew 'who' the person in question was.
"I'll pay, too," someone said behind me. When I turned, I found Horikita standing there.
"Horikita/Horikita-san!"
Class C students simultaneously called out their class leader's name.
"Suzune, you…" Sudou said flattered.
"I told you, right? Your gratitude is not misplaced," said Ayanokouji.
"Yeah, you're right," said Sudou as he rubbed his nose in emotion, then he smiled, "Thank you, you two. Without you guys I definitely wouldn't be in this school anymore, I don't know how to repay your kindness."
"Actually, Ken-kun. There is one way for you to return the favor," Horikita said suddenly.
"Huh? What is it?"
Instead of answering, Horikita took out her smartphone. Sudou raised his eyebrows in confusion.
"You can return the favor by making up for the points I wasted to save you," Horikita said.
Sudou immediately paled, "Y-You're kidding, right?"
"That's an interesting idea, Suzune. I also want my points back, Ken," said Ayanokouji who also took out his smartphone.
Sweat started to trickle down Sudou's pale face, "W-Wait a minute, does that mean you guys want to ask me for 100,000 private points? It is impossible!"
"Are you asking us to forget it?" Horikita said.
"H-Hey, you two just pulled off a spectacular save. Wouldn't it be a shame if you asked for your money back?"
"I don't care/I don't care," Ayanokouji and Horikita said simultaneously.
"Ugh!" Sudou flinched when he saw his escape route failed, in the end he sighed and gave up, "But Suzune… I don't have any points right now."
"It's okay, you can pay it in stages."
"After all, didn't you just win a bet from Akito and Haruka?" said Ayanokouji.
"T-That… gaaah, alright damn it. Ugh… you guys are really mean," said Sudou whining while giving Ayanokouji and Horikita 10,000 points each.
Kushida and the others laughed at the conversation while Sudou lamented over his dwindling private points.
"Horikita…" I said.
"Heh. Just as I thought. You two are interesting."
Chiyabashira-sensei took my student ID card. Then she took Horikita's.
"Fine. I accept your deal. I'll sell you one point to apply to Sudou's test, taking a combined total of 100,000 points from you both. As for the matter of Sudou's expulsion, you can inform the class that's no longer the case."
Several people breathed a sigh of relief especially Sudou's close friends.
"So that's how Ken was saved," Ike said as he leaned back in his chair.
"Yeah, to think of all the people it was Ayanokouji who actually saved him," Hondou said rubbing his head.
"Is that okay?"
"You promised to pay me 100,000 points. There's nothing more to be done." Chiyabashira-sensei seemed simultaneously exasperated and amused. "Horikita, do you understand how talented Ayanokouji is? At least somewhat?"
All the class C students thought about their homeroom teacher's question. At first they thought that Ayanokouji was just a normal moody student, but now they had to abandon that thought.
"A loner Student, anti-social, I even think he's also a pervert. That's what I thought of him at first, but I didn't think his real self was far from that. He's a gifted student," said Shinohara expressing her honest thoughts.
"I also didn't really pay attention to him at first, until he showed off his talent at the sports festival," said Satou.
"And that's where you started to like him, right?" Shinohara asked with a small grin.
"He he, yes," said Satou scratching her cheek in embarrassment.
"Maybe it's not a coincidence that Ayanokouji-kun was chosen," said Matsushita suddenly.
"What do you mean, Matsushita-san?" Satou asked confused.
"Don't you suspect why Ayanokouji-kun of all people was chosen by all the class leaders?"
Shinohara and Satou widened their eyes, they were reminded of the strange feeling they had when the class leader chose Ayanokouji.
"I was really surprised and confused at that time," said Shinohara frowning.
"Yeah, me too," said Satou nodding.
"Well, now after seeing these videos, we can say that Ayanokouji-kun is a talented person. So, what if the leaders already know of Ayanokouji-kun's talents and decide to choose him?" said Matsushita, making the eyes of her two friends widen.
"So you're saying that people like Ryuuen-kun and Sakayanagi-san know of Ayanokouji-kun's talent?" Shinohara asked surprised.
Matsushita nodded, "Yes, what other reasons would they have for that? Remember what Ryuuen-kun said earlier, he would rather die than witness a boring person."
Shinohara leaned back in her chair after receiving the information, she sighed before looking at Satou.
"Do you know something about this, Satou-san?"
Satou shook her head, "Kiyotaka-kun didn't say anything, but he did say that he does a lot of things behind the scenes."
"Doing a lot of things, huh," mused Matsushita, "That means there are still a lot of Ayanokouji-kun's actions that we will see through these videos."
"I think so. I wonder what he has done to catch the attention of the class leaders," said Shinohara wonderingly.
"Then let's continue watching," said Satou ending their discussion.
"I wonder. When I look at him, all I see is a disagreeable student."
"What do you mean, 'disagreeable?'" I asked.
"You get low scores on purpose when you could easily score higher. You were the one who came up with the idea of getting the old test problems, but you gave Kushida-san the credit. You were even crazy enough to buy test points. I don't think that you're special or just deviate from the norm. I think you're disagreeable."
"I'm amazed how Ayanokouji manages to hold back on getting credit for everything he does," said Komiya.
"Yeah, if I were in his position, I would not have done that," said Ishizaki.
"Same. I will definitely get that credit for myself," said Kondou with a snort.
So, she'd heard how I got the old test questions, too.
"Perhaps the pair of you really can reach the higher-level classes," Chiyabashira-sensei said.
"I don't know about him, but I most definitely will."
"No one from Class D has ever been promoted before. The school has already labeled you defective and will coldly toss you aside. How will you accomplish your goal?"
"If I may, sensei?" Horikita unwaveringly returned Chiyabashira- sensei's gaze. "Honestly, maybe the students in Class D are defective. However, that doesn't mean they're trash."
Class C students stared at the screen with wide eyes. How come? Horikita originally really disliked her position in Class D and looked down on each and every one of them. But now Horikita stood up and defended them.
The members of Ayanokouji's group looked at Horikita with smiles on their faces.
"Is there any problem?" asked Horikita frowning, feeling uncomfortable with her friends' sudden actions.
"Nothing. We're just happy about your growth," Kushida said with a smile.
"But I don't think that's a big growth at all."
"Who cares about that. Growth is still growth, no matter how small it is," Hasebe denied.
Horikita just sighed "Okay, I understand."
"What's the difference between a defective product and trash?"
"The difference is paper thin. However, with repairs, a defective product may become a superior article."
Ike and his friends rubbed their noses in tears at Horikita's words, Ike then stood up and faced his friends.
"We won't let you down, Horikita-chan! Right, guys!?" shouted Ike.
"YEAHHH!" they shouted simultaneously and raised their fists up.
"Ugh..." Horikita groaned at the sight. She was glad that they were excited but she wished they had behaved more respectfully.
"I see. When you say it like that, Horikita, I admit it sounds oddly persuasive."
I shared that opinion, and found Horikita's words to be quite meaningful. Horikita, who had previously looked down upon others and thought of them as baggage, was changing. Of course, nothing was that simple. Though you could just barely glimpse the change from the outside, it was actually a major transformation. A faint smile appeared on Chiyabashira- sensei's lips, as if she also had noticed it.
"You seem very happy, Sae-chan," said Hoshinomiya with a smile.
"Of course. I'm so very happy," Chabashira replied with a smirk, deliberately emphasizing the words just to irritate her friend.
"Tch!" Hoshinomiya clicked her tongue before looking back at the screen.
Mashima silently sighed listening to the two female teachers' conversation and wondered when they would be able to leave their private battle behind.
"Well, I look forward to seeing what you do next. As your homeroom teacher, I'll be sure to watch over you with great attention and care."
With that, Chiyabashira-sensei headed toward the faculty room, leaving the two of us in the hall.
"Well, let's head back. Class will be starting soon," I said.
"Ayanokouji-kun."
"Hmm? Oof!"
"Ouch!"
Several people grimaced at Horikita's actions towards Ayanokouji.
Horikita chopped me in the side.
"What was that for?"
"For whatever."
"If you're happy you just say it, Suzune," said Hasebe grinning.
"I don't know what you mean," Horikita argued.
"Pretending to be stupid, right? We know all about you, you know?"
Horikita grimaced, slightly regretting telling them her past.
She left me as I clutched my sides in agony. Jeez, what a bothersome classm…bothersome person. With that thought, I decided to chase after her.
Video ends.
Everyone finally caught their breath, it turned out that they had subconsciously straightened their bodies during Ayanokouji and Chabashira's talk. But that can't be blamed because the content of their conversation is very important and interesting, now they understand why this video is Eve's favorite.
After a while, they then looked ahead to hear Eve's announcement.
Thanks for reading!
We are nearing the end of volume 1, there is still one more chapter in that volume but as far as I can remember there is nothing important there. I should probably re-read it to be sure before making a decision whether or not I should make a reaction about that part.
I also plan to make future reactions about their second year, it's about 2-3 chapters and only takes the important parts before we get into V21Y. But that's still a plan, I still haven't made a decision.
That's all I want to say for now. Sorry if there are mistakes in words, repeated words, or language errors during writing.
See you in the next chapter.