novel volume 8-10

by flametornadohd

this is volumes 8 - 10 of y1 picks up after season 3 of the anime

57. Chapter 57

to any calls for debate after that point.

The time then came for the fourth round of voting.

Round 4 Voting Results: For: 2 Votes, Against: 37 Votes

After so much time spent on appeals that didn't have any effect whatsoever

on the results, Chabashira signaled that we had now entered the third interval

period.

"Seriously, what the hell do we do, man?" huffed Sudou. "Dammit, ain't there

a way we can like, punch his lights out and then just vote for him or somethin'

once he's out cold?!"

"Of course not," said Horikita. "Let's try thinking about this objectively for a

moment… If we do that, even Kouenji-kun might change his mind."

Horikita was essentially forced into trying out other approaches as she

wanted to avoid a situation where we never came to a resolution.

"Whaddya mean, 'objectively'?" asked Sudou.

"I mean asking ourselves what the other three classes will choose."

"That's, well… Well, no doubt in my mind that Ryuuen's class is gonna just go

ahead and get rid of any rando without a second thought," Sudou immediately

replied. He took on a casual stance, crossing his arms and resting them behind

the back of his head.

Many of our classmates made comments here and there agreeing with him.

Considering the actions and thinking that people in Ryuuen's class had exhibited

so far, there was a good chance it would happen that way.

"Yes. His class may be the most highly likely to choose that option," said

Horikita.

"On the other hand, there's no way Ichinose-san's class is going to do it,"

remarked Yousuke. "But as for Sakayanagi-san's class… I'm not sure."

Most of the students in Ryuuen's class were expected to be in favor of the

issue. Most of the students in Ichinose's class were expected to be opposed.

And it seemed that Sakayanagi's class could go either way. All of our classmates

came to the interesting revelation that, coincidentally, all three classes had

different trends. In this case, there was almost no argument whatsoever about

Ichinose's class, who they expected to vote against the issue. The focus of the

discussion then landed on Ryuuen's class, as expected.

"I definitely don't like the idea of Ryuuen overtakin' us," said Sudou. "They

got a lotta momentum right now, and if they just get a little bit of a push, they

can become Class B, right?"

"Even so, the difference wouldn't be significant," said Horikita. "Supposing

even if they were to get a slight lead here, they'd only be getting ahead by 100

Class Points. Just one special exam would be more than enough to make up for

that gap."

"I understand what you're trying to say. I'd just like to add one thing, though."

The person entering the conversation was Akito. He had been quiet throughout

the special exam so far, but he broke that silence now and began to speak up.

"The chances are low, but there is still a possibility that missing out on these

100 points might come back to bite us one day, right?"

"The hell, Miyake?" said Sudou. "Does that mean you wanna expel

somebody?"

"Don't get me wrong. I am clearly against the idea," said Akito, shooting a

look at Sudou that seemed to convey dismay rather than anger. "I think that it's

best for us to shoot for Class A without anyone from class getting left out, but

that's exactly why we've got to understand the weight of this decision. We

should not take these 100 points lightly."

"Whaddya mean?" asked Sudou.

"It means we have to consider a future where this special exam is actually an

important turning point as we're approaching graduation, and with that in

mind, we all need to express our opposition to this issue."

Akito's opinion was that it would be a mistake for us to simply vote against

the issue without truly thinking about what it meant.

"I-I definitely hadn't thought about that…" said Sudou.

We had to vote against the issue, and without hesitation. The students in the

classroom were well aware of the looming specter of peer pressure.

"Kouenji, I know you did a lot for us in the uninhabited island exam. I would

think that it'd be ridiculous if people in favor of this issue voted to expel you,

even if you didn't have that promise with Horikita." Akito was expressing his

thoughts not only to Horikita and Sudou, but now to Kouenji as well. "But even

so, you can't just keep on making trouble for the class forever, doing as you

please. Class Points aren't the only thing that make a relationship work. Do you

understand what I'm saying?"

"Fu fu fu…" Kouenji closed his eyes and nodded deeply. It wasn't clear if he

was thinking about something or just going through the motions. Then, he

opened his eyes and glanced over at Akito. "Of course I…don't. Not at all."

"Tch…" tutted Akito.

"Think about the system by which this school operates," said Kouenji.

"Everything is ruled by points. It has nothing to do whatsoever with friendship,

or affection, or anything of that sort. Class Points determine whether you

ascend in the class hierarchy or not, and Private Points function as personal

assets. It is a two-sided value system. I do not think there's anything bad about

voting in favor of the issue to prioritize points."

"God, you're so up your own ass, just spouting total bull!" yelled Sudou. "You

never ever contributed to the class in all this time until now! Just 'cause you got

first place in the uninhabited island exam doesn't mean you can just mouth off

like this all the time, you jerk!"

"I think you'd best look in a mirror, Red Hair-kun. I think if the question is who

has contributed more to this class, you or me, the answer is quite clear."

Sudou was getting increased recognition now, but when he started at this

school, he was a problem child on par with Kouenji. Well, actually, no—if you

factored in the fluctuations in our Class Points, then Sudou was even the worse

of the two.

"Still, though. It's not the Class Points that are important to me," said Kouenji.

His stance of being in favor of the idea still seemed entirely outlandish to

everyone by this point.

Horikita, however, did not fail to catch what he just said.

"Class Points are not important to you," she repeated. "Meaning that these

100 Class Points aren't so that we can move up to Class A, but for Private

Points. That's why you keep voting in favor of the issue, isn't it?"

"Exactly," he replied. "I wish to vote in favor of the issue for Private Points.

Because of two issues prior, we chose the option of cutting our monthly deposit

of Private Points in half for six months. I accepted it without complaint because

I deemed it necessary if you were to protect me. However, I'm afraid, I'm not

backing down this time."

Kouenji wanted Class Points to compensate for the Private Points he was

going to lose. That was his reasoning for voting in favor of this issue. Some

students might take offense at the fact that he was trying to get a student

expelled for Private Points. Horikita, on the other hand, saw this as an

opportunity.

"I understand, Kouenji-kun," she said after a pause. "Let's make a deal. One

that isn't bad for you at all."

"Oh? Intriguing. Sure, I'll listen to your offer." Kouenji wasn't surprised by her

words in the slightest. In fact, he seemed to welcome Horikita's proposal with

open arms, almost as if he had been waiting for it.

"If you vote against the issue right now, and what follows is that the class is

unanimously opposed, then I will personally pay you 10,000 yen's worth of

Private Points every month from here onwards until graduation. That would be

the same as gaining 100 Class Points for you, wouldn't it?"

"Ssurely that would make it pointless for Kouenji-kun to vote in favor of the

issue then, in that case…" said Kushida.

"Bravo, Horikita Girl. It didn't take you very long to come to that conclusion

after all."

"Should I take it to mean that you've been voting in favor of the issue because

you were trying to get me to make this proposal to you from the very

beginning?" asked Horikita.

"It means that my one vote just has that much value. Perhaps I could have

continued raising the price, but I needed to make you into a reliable ally,

Horikita Girl. So, let's commit to the deal then, with those terms."

"There's no need for us to put this in writing, is there?" said Horikita.

"Chabashira-sensei is right here too, after all."

"Of course not, it's fine," said Kouenji. "I don't expect you to go back on your

word. And with that, the agreement is decided."

And so, Kouenji's vote, which we hadn't expected to be swayed, would

change. By striking that deal, Horikita had gotten him to promise that he'd vote

against the issue. I guess I should say that it was rather expected of him to

deliberately vote in favor of the issue over and over in order to get Horikita to

come forward with a proposal like that. And so, we had now gotten to the fifth

round of voting.

Kouenji's declaration that he would now be voting Against surely must have

had an effect on the unseen other. It wouldn't be easy for just one person to

continue voting in favor of the issue, standing in opposition to everyone else,

even if it was anonymous. In other words, it was possible that whoever it was,

they could change their vote now, even without overt attempts to persuade

them.

However…

Round 5 Voting Results: For: 1 Vote, Against: 38 Votes

Kouenji had switched sides, but there was still one vote in favor of the issue.

While some of us might have wanted to feel like there was a weight taken off

our minds by one vote having changed, it also felt like the real battle was just

about to begin. Someone else was absolutely committed to voting in favor,

anonymously. If we were going to push ahead, we would need to uncover who

exactly that someone was.

Unfortunately, that was going to be more difficult than anything else. It was

basically impossible to get a look at anyone's tablet screen, but if you wanted to

try and judge what someone voted for by the position of their fingertips against

the screen, you could do that… However, the school had anticipated that, and

the order of options on our screens had been randomized from the very

beginning. It was also impossible to check via finger movements because the

options were arranged differently every time there was a vote. There was no

other method for working it out except by repeatedly making use of the interval

periods.

"My oh my, it would seem that things won't be so easy after all, hm?" mused

Kouenji.

"As I stated before, unless the class is unanimously opposed, the deal we had

just made will be null and void," said Horikita.

"I understand," said Kouenji. "If the situation ends with a unanimous decision

in favor of the issue or if time runs out, then that means I'll be forced to give up

on our deal."

Since it was anonymous, there was no way to prove that Kouenji wasn't still

voting in favor of the issue other than the results showing a unanimous decision

in opposition. From the way he sounded, Kouenji didn't seem to think he could

get those Private Points by making any other choice, after all. If he voted

selfishly now, then that tantalizing deal would go up in smoke. More

importantly, though, it would be inconvenient for Kouenji to make an enemy

out of Horikita. He just wanted to make things easier for himself.

We had about three hours left. Despite our struggles, Horikita showed that

she was making clear progress toward a breakthrough with a solid strategy.

However, I couldn't just stand on the sidelines and watch forever. I needed to

bring the class to a unanimous decision before the time we had left ran out. I

simply intended to sit back and quietly watch the battle unfold until the time

came for that. I wondered, though, if I could offer some small degree of

support.

During the interval period, I coughed a couple of times. Just two light coughs.

No one paid any attention to unconscious acts like coughing amidst all of the

chatter. Even if someone were aware of it, they would just hear a simple cough.

"Hey, um, Horikita-san?" asked Kei.

"What is it, Karuizawa-san?"

"So, um, this is just a simple hunch on my part, but do you maybe have an

idea of who is voting in favor?"

"Huh? Why…? What makes you think that?" Horikita was surprised at Kei's

rather unexpected observation.

"Just a feeling, I guess. That's all," Kei replied.

Not long ago, Horikita would've likely interpreted what Kei just said as a

thoughtful observation. However, now that the fact that Kei and I were dating

was public knowledge, things were beginning to change.

"Yes, I suppose… What you say is true, Karuizawa-san. I think I might have an

idea of who keeps voting in favor."

"What?" said Sudou. "In that case, come out and say it. Who the hell is it?"

"I can't," Horikita replied. "This special exam is designed around anonymity. If

I say a name just because I think I have an idea it might be them, I wouldn't be

able to take it back if it turns out I'm wrong."

"But!" wailed Sudou.

"…I understand. Which is why I think I need to be fully prepared to do it. Let's

go through the vote a few more times. If we still don't see the votes in favor go

down to zero, then… If that happens, then I'll have no choice but to say the

name out loud."

"I'd like you to hold off on that, Horikita-san," said Yousuke. "I can't agree to

this. As you just said, we have no way of knowing for sure who is voting for

which side. However, I don't think it's permissible to come out and name

someone just because you have a hunch. Of course, I'm not just throwing this

out there because I don't want anyone to be expelled, though. You understand,

yes?"

"I agree with Hirata-kun on this," said Kushida anxiously. "I don't think you

can say who it is without absolute certainty."

After those two voiced their stances, the class was wrapped up in anxiety. If

Horikita were to make some kind of mistake and throw someone's name out

there, that person would be criticized. And if the class started shouting at them,

asking why they were voting in favor, that person would feel betrayed and

forsaken by everyone. Then, if thirty-eight students ended up panicking about

time running out and voted in favor despite already being opposed, it would be

inevitable that whoever had been named would be brought up in discussion as

a target for expulsion.

"I understand that… I understand," said Horikita. "Which is why I haven't

mentioned their name yet. But we cannot let time run out, can we?"

"I understand how you feel," said Yousuke. "I am not the same as I used to be

either. If I had to make a truly necessary choice, I would feel like I would be

prepared to make it. However, I would have to be 100 percent sure."

"Right…" Horikita agreed.

I thought I should try to introduce a few changes into the situation, since

things had started to get a bit heavy.

"Aside from Horikita, are there any other students with an idea of who is

voting in favor?" I asked.

"Nope," said Sudou. "I mean, if the question's like 'If there's anyone out there

other than Kouenji who'd be so stubbornly in favor of the idea,' I've got no

clue."

Sudou probably wasn't the only person in class who had those doubts. It

would have to be someone who could approve of a situation where someone

would be getting expelled.

"If someone here has an idea of who might be voting For, even if we can't

name any names, then our thinking might still change a little," I said. I wanted

to try to give the class a little push. "I'd like anyone who has even the slightest

hunch of who it might be to raise their hand."

However, not a single one of them seemed to have any idea of who it was. No

one followed up on what Horikita said earlier.

"Yousuke, I know you don't want to suspect anyone, but since you have such

a wide circle of friends, both guys and girls, surely there's someone who comes

to mind, right?" I asked.

"There isn't," he replied after a pause. "That's not a lie. I really can't think of

anyone."

"I see… In that case, what about you, Kushida?"

Even though I was suddenly addressing her, Kushida didn't appear out of sorts

at all. Rather, Horikita turned to me, somewhat shaken and upset, almost as if

she were silently asking me, "What are you going to say?"

"Who do you think is voting in favor?" I asked.

"Hmm… I'm sorry, Ayanokouji-kun," she replied. "Like Hirata-kun, there isn't

anyone who comes to mind for me either."

"You know the class best out of anyone, Kushida," I told her. "I thought you

might know a little about which students are feeling dissatisfied. Everyone

knows that you care about the class more than anyone, and you're always there

to offer friendly advice. I want you to try and think hard."

After I had said those words, the class's eyes turned to Kushida with looks full

of anticipation.

"U-um… I don't think…anyone is really coming to mind," she said. "But if I

think of anything, I'll be sure to let you know."

"Thanks. We're counting on you. I have a feeling that people like you and

Yousuke are indispensable for this special exam."

Without everyone's combined efforts, it would be difficult to break through

the opposition in this issue. However, those discussions proved to be in vain, as

the results of the sixth round of voting showed…

Round 6 Voting Results: For: 1 Vote, Against: 38 Votes

The results hadn't changed. We discussed it again and again.

Round 7 Voting Results: For: 1 Vote, Against: 38 Votes

Round 8 Voting Results: For: 1 Vote, Against: 38 Votes

There still wasn't any change in the results. Our conversations were marked

by more and more silence. Now, we were about to enter into the eighth interval

period. A little over an hour had passed since we started this issue.

CLACK!

With a loud rattling sound, Chabashira suddenly toppled over, losing her

balance. She managed to prevent herself from falling over completely by

holding her arms out against the podium. In the position she was in, it was like

she was bowing before us.

"Huff… Huff…" As our discussion continued, Chabashira, who had been

standing up at the podium this whole time, started breathing heavily.

"S-Sensei?!" shouted Yousuke, worried.

"I-I'm all right…" she replied, adjusting her posture, as though she were trying

to rouse herself.

The students stared at Chabashira with wide, vacant eyes, wondering what

she was thinking. Eventually, she exhaled deeply, sounding as though she had

finally come to a decision about something.

"We teachers are not allowed to guide students toward any particular

choice," she said. "So, naturally, I won't be doing anything of the sort. However,

may I tell you an old story? Of course, by doing so, it means I'll be taking away

your precious time. But if you don't mind, I'll share it with you."

"Chabashira-sensei," the monitor interjected. "While teachers are not banned

from making statements, if you violate the rules, you will not resolve this

matter with a simple apology. If it's determined that you are trying to induce a

decision, to protect the class, then…"

"Yes, I understand. I am prepared to receive punishment should the school

see what I say as an intentional effort to guide the class into making a certain

choice."

Now that Chabashira had said she understood, the monitor had no choice but

to fall silent. It was a totally unexpected proposal from Chabashira, someone

who never meddled in special exams as a matter of course. This could be seen

as a single ray of light being shone upon us while we were stuck in this

standstill.

"We are really struggling with this current situation," said Horikita. "As long as

what you say doesn't influence what option we'll choose, please share your

story with us, Sensei."

Horikita figured that if what Chabashira said could offer some way of breaking

through this situation, we should welcome the opportunity. Of course, if I was

going to be honest, I would've liked to see momentum driving us to oppose the

issue, but while we were under the watchful eyes of the monitor, direct

expressions had to be avoided.

"…I also attended the Advanced Nurturing High School," Chabashira told us.

"And when I was a student here, I took this same special exam."

Horikita and the rest of her classmates were surprised. This was the first time

they had heard about this.

"Sensei, you took the Unanimous Special Exam too…?" asked Yousuke.

"That's right. There were five issues. Some of the issues back then were

slightly different from the ones you've voted on, but the final issue, the one

you're facing now, is the exact same as the one I experienced. Word for word.

Either you can get Class Points in exchange for expelling a student, or you can

protect your classmates and not gain any Class Points."

The students all turned their attention to Chabashira's story. They hung onto

her words as she told them how she experienced this same special exam.

"There's one thing for certain," she said. "You have to give it your all with no

regrets. Whatever choice you decide to make, whether For or Against, or to let

time run out… Seek a way forward that will leave you with no regrets about the

outcome. There's still time left."

All of the students listened intently as Chabashira spoke to them with real,

genuine feeling for the very first time. She wasn't guiding the students toward a

particular option, nor was she presenting us with a concrete solution. It was

simply clear advice, just barely within the lines of what she was allowed to give

us, as a teacher. The other teacher listening from the back of the classroom

didn't announce that Chabashira had violated any rules and simply listened

quietly until the end.

I didn't know whether this would change the outcome or not, but those were

most definitely words that would help students face this special exam.

Even with the support from Chabashira, though, it wouldn't be a good idea to

waste the time we had left in this interval period. Horikita kept struggling to

increase her chances, even if only by a single percent.

"The time when we'll need to make up our mind is coming… But before we

get to that point, please let me say something to you, just one more time. I am

not your enemy… I am on your side," said Horikita, addressing the person who

voted in favor.

I was sure that the name of this person had likely crossed Horikita's mind

many times over. That person's face, their voice, their eyes, their breathing.

Horikita was trying her best to persuade herself into not revealing to everyone

else who this specific person was. I was sure she must have been telling herself

that over and over.

I personally thought she should just come out with it and say that person's

name, but the reason Horikita didn't do that was because she truly, genuinely

wanted to be on this person's side. Horikita's appeal was something akin to a

tragic, grief-stricken cry.

But in response to that, the ninth round of voting had come. And the results

were…

Round 9 Voting Results: For: 1 Vote, Against: 38 Votes

That one vote in favor hadn't been swayed after all. It was just one person.

One, single student who seemed to be clinging to those 100 points for as long

as it took. Well, it was more like…they were clinging to the right to have

someone expelled. That was the real truth that only I, or perhaps just Horikita

and I, knew.

It was safe to assume that this certain someone was going to continue voting

in favor of the issue without exception. At the same time, there was no

objective method to confirm whether that person was opposed to what was

happening right now or not. Horikita said that if time were to run out, she

would have no choice but to give a name. However, in reality, no matter how

many times the vote was repeated, Horikita still hadn't said it. She was likely

thinking, "Are you actually against the idea of this?"

Horikita knew that there wasn't actually any use in asking such a question.

Rather, the moment that Horikita uttered that person's name, she would lose

everything going forward. Even though we still had a bit of a grace period, the

time limit was approaching us. We had about two hours remaining until our

deadline to make the choice.

Chapter 5:

Ichinose Honami's Choice

BEFORE THIS SPECIAL EXAM began, there was one class that every teacher

thought was going to pass it for sure, without question. On the other hand,

though, while they were expecting this class to make it through the exam

without any difficulty, at the same time, they feared that this class might fall

behind in the competition to reach Class A in the future.

And that class was Ichinose's Class B.

ISSUE #5: In exchange for expelling one of your classmates, gain 100 Class

Points.

(In the event the class is unanimously in favor, a vote will be held to choose

the student to be expelled.)

After reaching the final issue in a short amount of time, Ichinose and the

other students in her class finished entering their votes and were now waiting

for the results. There were no signs of anyone feeling anxious or upset…except

for one person.

Kanzaki prayed as he stared at the thirty-nine other people in class who

already voted. He strongly hoped that the results of the vote would show that

there was a split, even if only slight.

"…Well then, I'll now show you the results," announced Hoshinomiya,

sounding somewhat dejected as she tapped on her tablet.

As everyone watched, the results were displayed…

Round 1 Voting Results: For: 1 Vote, Against: 39 Votes

After confirming that this was the worst possible outcome, Kanzaki closed his

eyes once more. It wasn't a surprise, of course, that the overwhelming majority

of students in Class B voted against the issue. They had no doubts that the class

would be unanimously against it, believing that was just how it should be. They

didn't even suspect anything regarding the fact that someone had entered a

vote in favor of it.

"Hey, who the heck voted For?" said Shibata. "You pressed the wrong button,

dude."

Shibata didn't sense any danger from the results. He simply turned and

looked around behind him from his seat. Exactly—he didn't even consider the

possibility that one person could have voted in favor of the issue on purpose.

It wasn't just Shibata, either; everyone in class had the same assumption.

Kanzaki understood this well, and that was why he felt an uncontrollable

anger welling up inside of him. Up until now, he had quietly helped his

classmates as much as he possibly could, taking their wishes into consideration.

However, it wasn't as though he could continue this farce of fighting only to

protect his friends, no matter what situation they were in. Because of Kanzaki's

position as an adviser of sorts, he felt these concerns more strongly than

anyone else.

"Welp, I'm sure we don't need to really discuss anything anyway, so let's just

take things as they come in the next vote and…"

There was no sense of urgency. Just a mindset that no student should ever

prioritize Class Points over their own classmates. After having seen these

attitudes so clearly in his classmates, Kanzaki could no longer continue to be

silent.

Kanzaki interrupted Shibata. "Please wait a minute… Sure, we could come to a

unanimous decision and oppose this issue. But can we really say with certainty

that continuing to choose to protect our classmates is the right thing to do?"

Though Kanzaki continued to speak calmly, he forcefully slammed his hands

down on his desk as he stood up.

"I can only assume that every one of you is trapped by normalcy bias if none

of you find it unusual that all thirty-nine voted against this issue, without any

doubts, without any hesitation at all."

The normalcy bias he referred to was a tendency to not pay attention to

unfavorable events, information, and so on and thus not recognizing danger.

"If our class is going to win in the future, we're going to have to make new

decisions. We're already on the edge of a cliff here, at a critical juncture. Don't

you think that you're all making light of the threat we face and that we're going

to fall over that cliff eventually? If we don't chase after Class Points more

greedily, then moving up to Class A will simply be a pipe dream."

Kanzaki wanted them to understand those things, but he knew he wasn't very

good at making speeches.

The eyes of his classmates were filled with composed indifference as they

looked at him.

"What are you talkin' about, Kanzaki?" Shibata turned to him. "Does that

mean you're the one who voted in favor of the issue?"

Before, Shibata didn't seem convinced that Kanzaki hadn't simply entered his

vote in favor of the issue by mistake. No, it wasn't just Shibata. Hamaguchi,

Andou, Kobashi, Amikura, Shiranami too—a lot of people in class were looking

at him in the same way.

"That's right," said Kanzaki. "I admit that yes, it is important to protect your

classmates. However, our class has been slowly losing points from the time we

started here at this school. And if the classes below us prioritize Class Points

over their classmates, then this special exam will result in us dropping down to

Class D."

The only person who was probably listening to Kanzaki's plea and hanging on

his words intently was Hoshinomiya, the instructor in charge of the class.

However, being a teacher, she couldn't say anything that would sound

sympathetic to his appeal.

"That's true, but… Well, there isn't anyone in class who'd be willing to be

expelled," argued Shiranami immediately, signaling to him that there was no

room for debate.

"…I understand that. I do," said Kanzaki.

"You say that we're going to fall down to Class D, but I can't imagine expelling

somebody for only 100 Class Points," said Shibata. "Well, if we're talkin' 'bout

Ryuuen, I'm not so sure. But in this special exam, the condition is we gotta

come to a unanimous decision, by way of anonymous vote, with the entire

class. I don't think that the rest of the classes would choose to expel someone."

If they anticipated that the other classes would vote unanimously against the

issue, then the gap between classes wouldn't widen.

"It's certainly true it wouldn't be easy for any class to make the decision to

eliminate one of their fellow classmates. But it's the mechanism here that I'm

attaching importance to. Isn't it only natural that, if not half, at least some

students here would think that they should prioritize their class as a whole over

their friends?" asked Kanzaki.

"You mean you wanna argue this issue? Even though it's pretty much a given

that we're going to vote unanimously against it?" asked Shibata.

"It's…not a given," Kanzaki said. "There's still room for debate, to settle on a

unanimous decision in favor of the issue."

"No, wait, hold up," said Shibata. "That doesn't make any sense. It's because

we have friends that we want to work hard, to make sure that we don't lose

anybody. Right? There's absolutely no reason for us to abandon anybody."

Class Points and classmates. If it were a simple choice between which of those

two options was more important, Kanzaki would have no doubts whatsoever.

However, the situation had changed dramatically since he first started at this

school. He started in Class B, but now, their class and the classes below were all

neck and neck in Class Points. In the first semester of their first year, they had a

substantial lead over the bottom two classes. If they had only maintained that

lead, then he wouldn't be feeling so disgruntled right now as his classmates

preached to him about how their friends were so precious.

"Isn't there anyone…anyone at all out there who has an opinion on the issue,

past simply voting against it?" asked Kanzaki, looking around at his classmates.

He wanted to believe in that possibility, but he was on the verge of giving up.

As it was, not a single student showed any sign that they agreed with him.

Supposing even if there were some who agreed with him inwardly, even partly,

there wasn't anyone who could put it into words. Everyone believed, no, rather,

expected that the second round of voting would result in a unanimous decision

against the issue.

"I'm sorry, but I… I do not intend to let it come to a unanimous decision of

Against," muttered Kanzaki. Despite the heavy pressure, he still intended to

fight.

Ichinose had been quiet up until that point, but now she spoke up to ask

Kanzaki about his true intentions. "Does that mean…you'll be voting in favor in

the next round?"

He paused momentarily. "…Yes."

"But Kanzaki-kun, our thinking hasn't changed, you know?" said Ichinose.

"Sacrificing our friends to gain Class Points… We would never want our class to

turn into something like that."

"Yeah, Kanzaki," Shibata agreed. "No matter how you look at it, this issue is

like a challenge from the school. Or like a trap or somethin'. Sacrificing your

classmates for Class Points in the short term. If we start thinkin' like that, then

we're going to suffer the same kinda pain in the battles to come."

"But if we can gain Class Points, even if it means throwing away our friends,

we can get closer to Class A," Kanzaki said. "And if chances like that come again

and again, it would be all the better. On the other hand, if we only choose to

protect our friends, we will be overtaken by the other classes."

"I don't think it'd be that easy to sacrifice so many people," Shibata argued.

"And besides, I don't know how a class like that would even keep winning. Like,

seriously? A class where people protect and believe in their friends—that's the

class that'll win in the end. Don't you think so?"

Almost everyone in class nodded in unison at that.

"Look at the reality we're facing, Shibata," said Kanzaki. "The situation we're

in is significantly different from how things were last year. We are in a crisis.

We've lost a lot of Private Points because we chose the path of not letting

anyone get expelled. On the other hand, the three other classes have all lost

classmates and are doing quite well."

"It's not going to last forever," said Shibata.

"What proof do you have, that you can state definitively it won't?"

"Okay, let me turn it around then. What proof do you have that it will?"

"Just look at the current situation. We're in second place now, but we're in

danger of falling into fourth," said Kanzaki.

"You're the one who should look at the current situation, Kanzaki. Right now,

we're Class B. Whether we've got a lead of one point or a hundred points, the

fact remains we're still Class B, right? Besides, even if we do drop a little, we can

come back eventually."

In the past, Kanzaki let himself be pushed around by the expectations of those

around him. But now, with this issue, he was trying his absolute hardest to

stand his ground. He was fighting desperately to make everyone question this

line of thinking.

"Kanzaki-kun," said Ichinose. "I understand that you want to have a variety of

options to win. However, there are some choices that you should never make.

And I feel like this choice, this issue, is one of them. It's not because we'd be

getting too few Class Points in exchange for someone's expulsion, either. It's

because it's wrong to weigh your friends against Class Points."

Ichinose's statement solidified the resolve of their classmates—or rather, they

had already been firm in their determination to prioritize their friends, but now

they were even more so. Kanzaki felt deeply disappointed by that. This class

had often been the envy of the other classes. They were an ideal group of

students: they were kind, cheerful, and fair, and they were well-balanced in

both academics and sports. That was an advantage that came from their leader,

Ichinose. But on the other hand, it was also a major drawback.

Her presence easily attracted followers and created an environment where

people didn't pay attention to messy things. Even if they were told with

absolute assurance that if they expelled someone they'd get to Class A, the

class would still prioritize friendship. It was an obsession that made them say,

"I'd rather be in Class B then abandon my friends."

Once again, Kanzaki was reminded of this fact—of Ichinose's single, but

significant, shortcoming.

"Yes… You're probably right. Maybe I am wrong," he said.

In order to bring that shortcoming under control, to surmount it, Kanzaki

knew and accepted the risks. He was willing to take drastic measures. Although

he knew that he wasn't the one suited for this job, he had no choice but to do

it, as no one else was qualified either.

"What if I continue to vote in favor of the issue until the end? One vote has a

lot of power in this special exam. I can continue to vote in favor over and over,

while ignoring the intentions of the thirty-nine of you."

"Uh, no, you couldn't?" said Shibata. "If you we run outta time and fail, that

means we'll get 300 points taken away. And if that happens, then we really

won't be able to compete with the other classes, would we?"

There was no way anyone would choose to do something like that, to let time

run out. That was common sense.

"It's the same either way," said Kanzaki. "If we don't sacrifice someone here

and get those 100 points, I don't think we'll graduate from Class A. So, whether

it's 100 or 300 points we're talking about here, it doesn't matter. The number

of points lost is a trivial matt—"

"All right, that's time. We'll have to stop discussion there as it's time to begin

voting," said Hoshinomiya, interrupting Kanzaki. She then began the sixtysecond timer for the voting period.

The display on the students' tablets changed, and now there were buttons

labeled For and Against.

Kanzaki quietly stared at the buttons. The class stopped moving and a hush

fell over the room. There was a certain feeling in the air that seemed to tell him

that the thirty-nine others in the room finished voting in less than five seconds.

In truth, they really had finished voting. Hoshinomiya started moving at the

same time that Kanzaki made up his mind and pressed a button.

"All right. Now then, I'll show you the results since everyone finished voting!"

said Hoshinomiya.

Round 2 Voting Results: For: 1 Vote, Against: 39 Votes

Kanzaki's desperate attempt to persuade his classmates had been in vain. The

results were completely unchanged from the first round. Of course, the same

was true for the one vote in favor of the issue, which came from Kanzaki.

"You've got to be kidding me…" muttered Shibata.

"Kanzaki-kun, did you really vote in favor?" asked Ichinose.

Kanzaki's classmates, Ichinose included, were more stunned than angry, as

evidenced by their responses. However, the carefree vibe in the room was

gradually changing bit by bit thanks to Kanzaki's firm will.

"Yes. I voted For on purpose, for the second time in a row. I want us to be

unanimously in favor of this issue."

Even though the interval period had just started, the class went completely

quiet at Kanzaki's response.

"If I keep voting in favor of the issue, after a few hours pass, you'll have no

other choice but to unfreeze your stopped thought processes and think. You'll

have to debate whether voting against this issue really is the correct thing to

do."

He was telling them that he was fully prepared to use the remaining three and

half hours they had remaining in this special exam.

"There's only one way for you to break free of this situation, and that's to

change your opinion on the matter. You should vote unanimously in favor,"

declared Kanzaki.

"What are you saying, Kanzaki-kun?" Ichinose said. "That's—"

"'That's not realistic,' right?" he said, interrupting her. "Because, as you have

all said, none of you had any intention of sacrificing your classmates from the

very beginning. No one did, except for me. Still, that said, I will not budge. I will

keep voting in favor." Kanzaki didn't stop his resistance and continued to speak.

"In that case, then there's really only one option. You choose to vote in favor of

the issue, and then you expel me."

He wanted to change this class, even if it meant sacrificing himself. He

expressed his will out loud, for everyone to hear.

"If you don't have the courage to take a step forward in this special exam,

then you won't be able to make it to Class A," he went on. "And if that happens,

you'll spend the remaining half of your days here at this school in vain, for no

reason at all. If that's the case, then I'd rather drop out of school and find

another path."

It sounded like a strange plan, but it was also the only way that Kanzaki could

actually do anything. There was no way that this class, one that sheltered the

weak, could take action that would result in them having to choose someone to

expel. That being said, when faced with the serious penalty of expulsion, they

wouldn't rely on methods where they'd just leave things to chance.

Kanzaki continued to resist—they repeated the vote three more times, with

intervals between them. And then, even after taking the vote five times, the

results were still one For and thirty-nine Against. The same screen showed the

same results, over and over again; not a single vote had been swayed.

"All right, we'll have another interval period," announced Hoshinomiya.

Perhaps it was because she was getting fed up with the stalemate, but

Hoshinomiya didn't try to hide her annoyance. Even so, the other teacher

assigned to monitor the class from the back of the room didn't have any

problem with a teacher acting that way. The monitor's assigned role was only to

maintain fairness and that was all. It didn't matter if the students were fooling

around or if the teacher wasn't motivated—those were all behaviors allowed

within the scope of the rules.

More importantly though, another thirty minutes had passed. Meaning, in

other words, there had been three further rounds of voting, and the same

results came every single time. The unchanging tallies were shown back to the

class every time, deadlocked.

"It's already been over an hour, y'know?" said Shibata. "And just for the final

issue."

"But there's nothing we can do about it," Ichinose said. "We can only wait

until Kanzaki-kun changes his vote."

The thirty-nine who voted Against were hoping that Kanzaki would eventually

run out of patience and change his vote. At first, the students were

accommodating and tried to reason with him in a friendly way. Then, they

moved onto admonishing him with a firm tone. They tried so many methods,

but Kanzaki simply kept single-mindedly voting the same way over and over

without a word.

At last, Hoshinomiya, who had been watching over her class this whole time,

opened her mouth to speak.

"Hey, listen, everybody. I'm getting a little bored with this silence, so do you

mind if I tell you all a story? Oh, if anyone isn't interested, you can feel free to

ignore me, okay?" said Hoshinomiya. "You see, to tell you the truth, I actually

went through this same experience when I was a student here too. What do I

mean by that, you ask? I mean I also took the Unanimous Special Exam. And the

issue you're voting on now is the exact same one our class voted on back then."

"It's rather unusual for you to talk about your high school days, Sensei," said

Ichinose. "This is the first time you've brought it up with us, isn't it?"

The students in Ichinose's class had a good relationship with Hoshinomiya,

and they knew early on that she attended this same school. More than a few

students tried asking her about her days as a student after finding that out, but

it was safe to say that there hadn't been any opportunities to get into serious

conversation about it.

"I remember our class being stuck on this same issue for a long time too, like

you are," she said, "although our situation was completely different from

yours."

She wore a somewhat pained smile on her face as she recalled those days.

"It was the ultimate decision: would we choose the Class Points, or would we

choose our friends? So, we fought, and we fought. Some of the guys in class

were even grabbing each other by the collar."

"I-isn't that going a little too far?" said Shiranami, meekly.

The students in this class probably couldn't imagine a situation where they'd

be grabbing each other. Shiranami chuckled awkwardly, exchanging looks with

the other girls in class.

"Well, we took the exam at a different time in our academic career too," said

Hoshinomiya. "In our case, it was the third semester of our third year. At a time

like that, you'd go all out for just a single point. Still, if there was talk about a

specific person being expelled, even if only a rumor, then their friends would

speak up to cover for them as a matter of course. But sometimes…you just have

to let go of somebody if you're going to win, right? If you were in a situation

where you only needed a hundred more points to get to Class A, would you be

as firm in your decision as you are right now?"

Hoshinomiya understood very well what Kanzaki had wanted to ask the class

too, and she put it into words, directly.

"We can't expel anyone. We'll just try our hardest to make up for it in the

next special exam and—"

"And what if there is no next time? Suppose this special exam is the last one

before graduation? Let's say that at that time, you all reached Class A, which

you hoped for dearly. But let's also say that the gap between you and Class B is

only a few dozen points. If you prioritize protecting your friends in that

situation, you'll go back to being Class B. So, what do you do? Of course, the

class below you in that situation, the one in B, wouldn't have a next time either,

right? They'd take the points, even if they had to get rid of someone."

No matter how many good-natured people were in your class, you would

have to give that matter some thought. If you protected your friends in that

situation, then falling back down to Class B was almost a complete certainty.

"Would you vote unanimously against the issue, like you are right now?" said

Hoshinomiya. "Would you try betting everything on a fairy tale that the class

below you in that situation would decide to give up on Class A themselves?"

The students who initially only argued against the idea were now starting to

speak less and less.

"I know these are mean-spirited questions," admitted Hoshinomiya. "To tell

you the truth, that's not the kind of situation you're in now at all. But still, one

thing is for certain—if you want to move up to Class A, a time will come that

you'll need to be in favor of an idea like this. Even if it means you have to decide

over rock-paper-scissors or some other means. Letting time run out would be

absurd."

"Sensei, what… What choice did you make, back then?" asked Shiranami.

"Me? Well… As for me, personally, I choose to abandon unnecessary people.

Because in the end, what's important is yourself, even if people are talking

about friends or best friends. I'm sure that all of you voting against the issue

right now feel similarly, right? Deep down, you're thinking that it'll be fine as

long as you yourself are saved."

Everyone was aiming to get to Class A and then graduate. That's what

everyone wanted. Still, many people understood, deep down in their heart of

hearts, that such thoughts were idealistic. What was more important: friends?

Or self-preservation? When the students were asked that, they couldn't find

the words to answer.

"We're being closely monitored by the other teacher at the back of the room,

so I cannot tell you anything more than that," Hoshinomiya said. "I will respect

you all, no matter what option you choose. But you absolutely cannot just make

a throwaway, noncommittal decision about this. If you are only friends on the

surface, then don't worry about it and prioritize Class Points. You've all known

each other for only a little over a year and a half now, you know? They say that

the sting of losing friends will heal in time. Think about this: the three other

classes have had students get expelled and they've already put it behind them,

haven't they? But know that if you can't make it up to Class A in the end, that is

going to stick with you for a long, long time. However, if you truly value your

friends more than anything else, you must put them first."

Hoshinomiya hadn't advocated for the students to choose either option. She

avoided the monitor's glare as she finished saying what she had to say. She

merely spoke as a teacher, informing her students that there were advantages

and disadvantages to either option.

The next round of voting came just as Hoshinomiya finished her speech.

Everyone started to feel a strange sense of discomfort as they looked at the

For and Against buttons on their tablets. It took some time for the results of the

vote to come, but they still showed one in favor and thirty-nine against. Just like

every time before it, not a single vote had been swayed. Hoshinomiya in

particular wasn't surprised by this. If anything, it was like she had been shown

the composition of the class.

"Hey, come on, Kanzaki-kun. Can you just knock it off already?" asked

Himeno. She sounded exasperated and spoke up as soon as the voting period

ended and the interval period began. "Look, I completely understand what

you're trying to say, Kanzaki-kun. And after hearing what Hoshinomiya-sensei

had to say too, I understand it even more. But still, it's just, I don't think it's

going to end up with everyone else voting in favor of the issue right here and

now. That fact's probably not gonna change, even if we run out of time."

The class was going to let time run out if it meant protecting their friends.

That was the view that Himeno and most of the other students in class had.

Ichinose then spoke up, sharing her own thoughts on the matter. "I can

understand very well what you're saying, Kanzaki-kun, and what Hoshinomiyasensei told us as well. But still, I'd like to say something about what you were

talking about before, when you asked what we'd do if we were put into a

situation like that. I understand how everyone's hearts and minds can be

swayed, and I don't think that's a bad thing necessarily. But…if I were put in

that kind of situation, I wouldn't think there would be any meaning in reaching

Class A by expelling my friends. So, what can we do to get to Class A still? I think

what will be important then, in order to avoid a situation like that from even

happening, would be to get Class A within our grasp while making sure we avoid

putting ourselves in a scenario where we have to make such unreasonable

choices."

"That's…idealistic," said Kanzaki. "Putting ourselves so far ahead that we'd be

an overwhelming Class A with no one being expelled? How many Class Points

would we even need to collect to make something like that a reality…?"

"We may not be good enough to pull it off right now," Ichinose replied. "But

that's the kind of class I'd like for us to be."

Their classmates listened intently to Ichinose. It was a story that could have

only been interpreted as a fairy tale, but they nodded repeatedly after hearing

it. Kanzaki's resistance wouldn't have any meaning anymore. As Himeno had

said, even if he continued to vote in favor of the issue, they would simply let

time run out.

"Let's do our best together, Kanzaki-kun," said Ichinose.

"…I understand," he replied.

The one person standing alone against the rest had been preyed upon and

devoured by those who didn't know fear.

"I wanted to change the class, in my own way, even if I had to force it

somehow," he said. "But it would seem that I'm not qualified to do that… No, it

seems like I even lack the ability to do it."

Enough time had passed to convince Kanzaki that this class was not going to

change. He didn't know if they would be Class B or even Class D in the end, but

he knew they'd never reach Class A. There was absolutely no vitality in

Kanzaki's facial expression as he decided to change his vote, though it was

unlikely anyone would notice. The time for voting came again, as though there

had been no disputes or anything since the beginning. And the answer that the

forty students had come to was…

Round 10 Voting Results: For: 0 Votes, Against: 40 Votes

The class had chosen to throw away the Class Points and protect their

classmates instead.

"Well then, now that you've come to a unanimous decision on the final issue,

that means that this special exam is now over," announced Hoshinomiya.

"Hey, it's all right, Kanzaki," said Shibata. "We're gonna get fifty points as a

reward."

It had taken them roughly three hours to finish. They had to leave the school

building and would now have free time.

"By the way, it sounds like Class A already completed their special exam as

well," said Hoshinomiya.

"Whoa, for real? Guess that makes sense, being Sakayanagi's class and all,"

said Shibata.

"I guess that means Ryuuen-kun and Horikita-san's classes are still taking the

exam," noted Shiranami.

"All right, everyone. If you're going to chitchat, you'll have to leave the

building," said Hoshinomiya. "The other classes are still in the middle of the

exam, so please don't disturb them. We'll lead you out now, so please get up

from your seats quietly."

While the rest of the class expressed their joy after finishing the special exam,

Kanzaki emotionlessly got up from his seat.

Chapter 6:

Ryuuen Kakeru's Choice

THE UNANIMOUS SPECIAL EXAM began at one o'clock in the afternoon.

Class D was another class of forty students. The classroom was becoming

enveloped by a thick, heavy atmosphere, and this was, of course, due to the

intense nature of the final issue they had finally arrived at.

ISSUE #5: In exchange for expelling one of your classmates, gain 100 Class

Points.

(In the event the class is unanimously in favor, a vote will be held to choose

the student to be expelled.)

Round 1 Voting Results: For: 14 Votes, Against: 26 Votes

This was the moment when their voting results were revealed. Like in

Horikita's and Ichinose's classes, the majority of voters were opposed to the

issue. However, in contrast to those two, there were more than a few students

in favor of expelling someone. In other words, it meant that one in every three

students felt, at least at first, that they ought to prioritize Class Points, even if

they had to expel someone.

"Wh-what do we do, Ryuuen-san?" grumbled Ishizaki.

After seeing the results, the very first person that Ishizaki turned to for

guidance was Ryuuen Kakeru, the leader of the class. Ishizaki had done the very

same thing after every other issue. Since the probability of coming to a

unanimous decision in the first round of voting was low, the class used the first

interval period to hear the leader's policy on it, and they aimed for unanimity in

the second round of voting and beyond. The sequence of events in this class

was similar to that of other classes, but the degree of precision in this class was

extremely high.

In the first issue of selecting another class to face off against, the third issue

where they voted on the matter of Protect Points, and in the fourth issue where

they voted on test conditions, they had come to a unanimous decision on the

matter after only one interval period. In those cases, they chose the answer

that Ryuuen ordered them to. The only issue where Ryuuen let his classmates

vote as they pleased was the second one, regarding where they wanted to go

for the school trip.

Ryuuen let his classmates debate for roughly thirty minutes about where they

wanted to go, and in the end, they voted unanimously in favor of the

destination that had the highest number of votes by that time. It was obvious

now to everyone that while the content of the fifth issue was different from

that one in essence, it would still work the same way. Every issue that seemed

to need direction was settled by just a few words from Ryuuen.

The students were only deeply conscious of how Ryuuen voted on issues. If

Ryuuen was in favor, that meant it was an absolute certainty that someone was

going to be expelled. His decisions were absolute. That was the peculiarity of

this class—students here were held together by a dictatorship.

Ryuuen stood up from his chair and stared at the results with a smile on his

face. "Well, it's been boring as hell so far, but guess the school wasn't gonna

just let things end on an easy note after all. If they did, things wouldn't be so

interesting now, would they?"

Though he muttered those words to himself, he said it loud enough for all of

his classmates to hear. He then proceeded to the podium. Sakagami, the

teacher in charge of watching over the class, sensed Ryuuen approaching and

moved away. He was well aware of the fact that this was where Ryuuen's

showboating act was set to begin.

Ryuuen sat atop the podium as if it were a seat specially reserved for him. He

leaned forward so that he could look out over all of his classmates. "Raise your

hand if you voted in favor."

His order didn't show a hint of consideration for anyone. There was incredible

tension in the air for everyone, regardless of how they voted. Ryuuen hadn't

directly asked everyone what they voted for in any of the previous issues. After

a few seconds of hesitation, scattered hands began to rise. Among them were

Nishino and Kaneda, who raised their hands while staring out the window, as if

they were somewhat unwilling.

"…Five of you, huh," said Ryuuen. "Well, that ain't bad for the first time."

The truth was that there were nine other students who had voted in favor of

the issue who didn't obey Ryuuen's order and weren't coming forward.

Students like Ishizaki and Komiya were surprised to see this.

"Hey, come on now. You know no good's gonna come from tryin' to hide it?"

Komiya appealed to his silent classmates. "It's not like people are gonna be mad

at you for voting in favor for this one time or anything."

After all, if they spoke up now, there wouldn't be any trouble.

"Besides, it's not like we were ordered to vote one way or another," he

added. "We're each free to vote either For or Against, right?"

This was also Komiya's way of checking with Ryuuen that he had his facts

correct though, just in case.

When Ryuuen didn't answer right away, Komiya immediately started feeling

nervous. If there was a difference in their interpretation of the situation, it was

possible it could lead to a reprimand.

Ishizaki, not liking this change in the air in the classroom, immediately

panicked and followed up on what Komiya said. "Come on!" he said, flustered.

"Get your hands up in the air before you get us in trouble!"

One more student raised their hand, fearfully and apologetically, bringing the

total to six. That meant that the remaining eight students hadn't budged and

left their hands down.

"It's all right, Ishizaki," said Ryuuen. "If they don't wanna raise their hands,

they don't gotta. For now, at least."

"Huh? R-really?" asked Ishizaki.

"Komiya said it himself. Everyone's free to vote For or Against. So, first of all,

each one of you should think about what you yourself are gonna do. We got a

little over eight minutes left. That's plenty of time."

Ryuuen checked the clock leisurely. He didn't relax his posture, and the smile

never once left his face. He had only vaguely told the other students to think

about it, that was it. He remained completely silent for more than two minutes,

not doing anything in that time.

"Listen up now," he said at last. "Don't waste this time. Think about what

choice is the right one."

There was another period of silence. Ten seconds. Thirty seconds. Even after

another minute passed, he didn't say another word. In all of the issues so far,

Ryuuen had forced them to come to a decision after the first interval period.

Because of that, the only thought going through the students' minds right now

was, "Why isn't Ryuuen giving us instructions?"

However, there weren't many students who could just speak up and voice

their opinions like that, and the more time that passed, the more their mouths

felt like they were sealed. Ishizaki and others like him were among the first

you'd expect to say something like, "Please give us an order!" However, even

they kept their heads down. Their lips were pressed together as if they had

been fixed in place with glue.

The seconds ticked by and the more they felt like they were almost losing the

desire to speak at all anymore. Eventually, those who wished to say something

would stop speaking up, shifting instead to hoping that someone else would say

something on their behalf. And when even more time passed, students began

hoping that it would be time to vote again soon, even though they had a lot of

time remaining. The first interval felt incredibly long and drawn out, and it

ended with the majority of time spent in total silence. Even Sakagami hadn't

expected that, and he ended up forgetting to transition to the next round, when

they were a few seconds over the scheduled interval time.

"Sakagami," Ryuuen said suddenly as he hopped off the podium and headed

back to his seat. "It's time, ain't it?"

"…Yes, you're right," said Sakagami. "We'll now begin the second round of

voting. You'll have sixty seconds."

As soon as everyone finished putting in their votes for the second round, the

results were displayed up on the monitor.

Round 2 Voting Results: For: 10 Votes, Against: 30 Votes

Four of the fourteen votes in favor of the issue in the first round had been

swayed to the other side. For the majority of students in the class who didn't

want anyone to be expelled, this result was, generally speaking, not a bad one.

One or two more sternly worded warnings from Ryuuen would reduce the

number of votes in favor. And, in the not-too-distant future, they would see the

class vote unanimously against the issue.

The results of the second round indicated that to those students, but at the

same time, Ryuuen didn't seem satisfied.

"Is this the answer you came up with?" he said. "I don't believe it."

"Because of the small reduction in votes For, you mean?" asked Kaneda,

adjusting the position of his glasses.

Ryuuen immediately denied that supposition.

"So, does that mean…that you're voting in favor of the issue, Ryuuen-kun?"

asked Kaneda.

Ryuuen denied that as well, letting out an exasperated but amused snort.

"Wh-what in the heck is up with you Ryuuen-san?" Ishizaki wailed. "I just

don't get it!"

"Did the votes in the first and second round really reflect what you truly

think?" said Ryuuen. "Your will? This last issue is obviously unique, it's the only

one like this. And that's exactly why I wanna know your true intentions here.

Don't worry about what I voted for. Vote how you honestly feel."

After saying that, Ryuuen got up from his seat once again and slowly walked

around the classroom.

"For these next ten minutes, talk about it," he ordered. "Intensely. Whether

you want to vote in favor of it or vote against it."

With those instructions, the class was unavoidably forced to debate the issue.

The students began talking as much as they pleased, and the classroom was

filled with a hurried, panicked commotion. As Ryuuen listened in on what the

others had to say, he would occasionally lean in close to a student and whisper

something in a quiet voice. He said something to Nishino and Shiina, then

Yoshimoto and Nomura—he didn't seem to be especially choosy about which

students he talked to. Then, he approached Suzuki, and whispered in a similar

manner as he had before.

"You're free to vote for or against. Vote according to whatever you think."

When Ryuuen said those words to Suzuki, however, Tokitou overheard him

from two seats away. Although some students wondered why Ryuuen

deliberately went out of his way to say things to some students, the discussion

continued for as long as time allowed.

Then, it came to be time for the third round of voting.

Round 3 Voting Results: For: 9 Votes, Against: 31 Votes

The results on the monitor were hardly any different from those of the

second round.

Ryuuen took a seat upon the podium desk again and decided to offer his

thoughts during the third interval period.

"Raise your hands if you voted in favor," he ordered.

Once more, after seeing the results, Ryuuen ordered everyone to raise their

hands. Only two people raised their hands this time: Nishino and Kaneda. The

remaining seven refused to step forward, keeping their presence hidden.

Ishizaki was visibly annoyed by these unseen supporters of the issue, but

Ryuuen didn't pay them any mind. Instead, he turned his attention to Nishino

and Kaneda.

"You two voted in favor three times now," he said. "What's the reason,

Kaneda?"

"To win," Kaneda replied. "While it's not good by any means to have students

be expelled, I think it's important to get those 100 Class Points."

"Didn't you think that if you raise your hand, you'd be a candidate for

expulsion?" asked Ryuuen.

"That's a stupid question, Ryuuen-kun. You would dispose of people you can't

use—people who are unnecessary. But you wouldn't dispose of someone you

need. At the very least, in this class, 100 points doesn't match my worth."

Kaneda had measured his own value and confidently determined that he was in

no danger of being thrown aside.

"Well, looks aside, you're a lot of use to me," replied Ryuuen.

"Thank you very much." Kaneda nodded in satisfaction, conveniently paying

no attention to the remark about his physical appearance.

"Nishino, you the same as Kaneda?" Ryuuen asked.

"Huh? No way. I'm just voting yes because it's a quick way to get more Class

Points, that's all. I raised my hand because I don't like being all sneaky. There's

nothing wrong with voting in favor."

Ishizaki was even more nervous than Nishino herself because he knew that

Ryuuen was likely to glower at anyone who talked to him like that if they

weren't careful.

"All right, I figure it's about time I tell you all what you've been wonderin'

about. What I voted for," said Ryuuen.

"P-please tell us!" Ishizaki loudly voiced his wishes and pitched forward as he

spoke.

Things couldn't officially start until the class heard what Ryuuen's vote was.

Or, in other words, what the class's policy would be.

"All right. For this issue…I voted in favor of it. All three times."

As the results currently stood, that meant that three of the nine votes in favor

had come from Ryuuen, Nishino, and Kaneda.

"S-so, basically, this means…someone's gonna get expelled from class, right?"

Ishizaki asked meekly.

Ryuuen smiled ominously. "Don't jump to conclusions," he said. "I'm just

tellin' ya how I voted, that's all. I already decided that in this issue, you all gotta

figure out what you want to do yourselves."

"U-us…you mean?" Ishizaki stammered.

"That's right. I voted in favor three times now without hesitation."

If Ryuuen had voted in favor three times, then it was safe to assume that his

plan was for one of their classmates to be expelled. However, since Ishizaki

didn't approve of this plan of action, he didn't understand what this all meant.

He was at a loss for words.

"The reason for voting in favor is simple," Ryuuen told the class. "If we get rid

of one person, we get a hundred points. Or, putting it another way, this is a

golden opportunity to take out the trash and get Class Points for it. It's the best

possible choice. It's one that's gonna help us and not hold us back. But, even

after votin' three times now, there're still more votes Against than For. Meanin'

that over half of the class voted against the issue, basically. If that's the case,

then I'm gonna respect their wishes, and change my vote to Against."

Ryuuen was giving up on the Class Points and setting a plan of action where

they'd hold onto their classmates.

Ishizaki looked relieved after hearing this easy-to-understand plan. He

appealed to his classmates to follow along. "I-it's settled! Everybody, don't vote

in favor! Vote Against! Those're Ryuuen-san's orders!"

"Hold on a minute," said Ibuki, sounding dissatisfied. She had looked bored

through this entire special exam so far. "This isn't like you."

"What do you mean?" asked Ryuuen.

"You're in favor of the idea, aren't you? In that case, you could just force

things ahead and make everybody vote For like how you always do. But now

you're trying to act like the good guy and say something like how you're gonna

protect your friends?" Ibuki was implying that Ryuuen would always go for the

Class Points in front of him.

"What, so you voted in favor too?" asked Ryuuen.

"I voted Against," Ibuki replied. "But my intentions are none of your

business."

"If this thing weren't anonymous, then yeah, I might've let it come to a

unanimous decision in favor, without a second thought," Ryuuen said. "It

would've been quicker if I just drove one of the people who defied my opinions

toward expulsion. But unfortunately, this time they're doin' this exam by way of

an anonymous vote. As long as I can't be sure who voted for what exactly, it'd

just be faster to get everyone to vote Against since that's already got over half

the votes."

"So, you're saying that you're not confident that you could get a unanimous

decision in favor?" asked Ibuki.

"Ku ku, you can think whatever you want," said Ryuuen.

"Y-you shouldn't go overboard with what you say, Ibuki," Ishizaki cut in.

"Ryuuen-san said to vote Against, so isn't that good enough? If we'd be losin'

Class Points, that'd be one thing, but we're not. We're just gonna finish the

exam."

"Whatever," huffed Ibuki. "It's just that this is all a little out of character for

him. I was curious, that's all. Do whatever you want."

Now that a plan had been set in place, a great deal of the interval period was

spent in silence. And when the fourth round came, the results were…

Round 4 Voting Results: For: 7 Votes, Against: 33 Votes

The students had expected that, if it wasn't a unanimous decision, then

almost all the votes would be against the issue. However, there were a

surprising number of votes in favor. In fact, there were only two fewer votes

than last time.

"Kaneda, Nishino, what did you two vote for?" asked Ryuuen.

"I voted Against, as you had instructed, of course, Ryuuen-kun," said Kaneda.

"Well personally, I'm still for the idea, but I voted Against because I felt like

that would've messed up the harmony we were going for, y'know?" Nishino

said.

The two people who had raised their hands before and indicated they were in

favor had changed their votes. And considering the fact that Ryuuen had

changed his vote as well, there was no way he'd accept these results unless he

saw that the number of votes in favor had gone down by at least three. On top

of that, he had given the other students an order and told them they weren't

free to vote how they wanted. They were now being coerced into voting

Against. Despite that, though, there were still seven votes in favor. Ryuuen

couldn't rule out the possibility that either one person switched their vote to be

in favor, or that Kaneda or Nishino was lying to him.

Ryuuen himself had voted 100 percent against the issue, but there was no

way for the others around him to confirm that was true either. And so, a new

sense of unease gradually began to spread across the room. Ryuuen calmly

thought about the results. Instead of simply looking at the number of votes, he

decided to try detecting the flow of votes to see through the anonymity.

"Who's still voting in favor?!" screamed Ishizaki.

Ryuuen's orders were to vote against the issue. Ishizaki couldn't calm himself

down when he saw that seven students didn't do as they were told, even

though they were given clear orders. If Ryuuen changed his mind and voted in

favor of the issue, then that meant someone would be expelled.

"Ku ku, all right, don't scream your head off, Ishizaki," Ryuuen said. "Actually,

things are gettin' more interestin', I'd say. This exam is completely anonymous;

there's no way that anyone can find out exactly who voted for what. That

means there's more than a few people out there really in favor of the idea and

are votin' for it."

"B-but people not followin' your orders is a big problem, Ryuuen-san!"

complained Ishizaki.

"Nah, not really. Nothin' wrong with tryin' to get Class Points at the cost of

our classmates. Actually, if anythin', this means that there are seven students

here greedy enough to shoot for Class A. That right?"

Ryuuen clapped his hands with delight, as though he welcomed this

development with open arms.

"But if we're gonna say it's okay for somebody to get expelled, then there's

the question of who," he added. "I bet the seven people who voted in favor

have a clear idea of who it should be."

"W-wait… You don't mean, like, me, do ya?!" Ishizaki started to panic,

wondering if he was going to be a target.

"Well, can't rule out the chance that there're people who think no one needs

you," Ryuuen replied. "But is there anybody who has got the guts to come

forward and say it? The kind of person who wants me of all people expelled, not

anybody else?"

Ryuuen issued a challenge to those students, like he was ordering them to

come forward. However, the classroom once again was enveloped in a still

silence, and, of course, that meant there wasn't anyone ready to speak up.

He sighed. "Well, guess you aren't gonna spill your guts that easy after all,

huh. Ku ku, then I guess we'll do this nice and slow."

With that, the fourth interval period had come to an end, and it was time for

the fifth round of voting. The class had already spent about forty minutes on

this issue.

For this round, the results showed…

Round 5 Voting Results: For: 8 Votes, Against: 32 Votes

There was now one additional vote in favor of the issue, contrary to Ryuuen's

goal of decreasing those votes.

"What are you gonna do, Ryuuen?" said Nishino, sounding depressed. "It's

already been almost an hour now, you know?"

"Don't be in such a rush," Ryuuen told her. "We've still got lotsa time, right?"

"But there's still a lot of people going against your wishes and voting for this

thing. Isn't that, like, bad?"

The number of votes in favor clearly showed that Ryuuen's dominance wasn't

complete. He wasn't able to control everyone.

"Yeah," he said. "And I can't rule out the possibility that you're still voting in

favor either."

Nishino was somewhat surprised by Ryuuen's comeback, but she met his gaze

and responded with firm intensity.

"…Maybe," she shot back.

"Even if I hound people about it, it's not like I'd get any proof unless the

person in question admitted it themselves."

This was an exam where it was difficult to punish those under suspicion.

Having watched the situation unfold up until this point, Yabu Nanami spoke

up. "Can I make a suggestion?"

"Speak," replied Ryuuen.

"What if we just vote unanimously in favor of the idea and then find someone

who'd be fine with getting expelled?" said Yabu.

"I take it that means you voted For?" asked Ryuuen.

"No. I voted Against every time. But I'm starting to think that if the people in

favor aren't budging, then maybe it'd be a good idea to just change our plan of

action instead. For example…what if we expelled Ibuki-san?" She shot Ibuki an

icy glare.

Following Yabu's lead, Morofuji Rika spoke up in agreement. "If Ibuki-san's

who we're choosing, then I think I could agree to it too… Oh, but just to be

clear, I've been voting Against this whole time, okay?"

"Hey, come on you guys," said Ishizaki. "Ryuuen-san said that we're voting

Against, so that's what we're doing."

"Hold on," Ryuuen said. "I welcome their opinions."

Ishizaki blinked in surprise. "H-huh? Really?"

"From the looks of it, I'd say it's probably true they've been voting Against

this whole time. If there aren't at least two votes added to the side in favor,

then that means there's a contradiction. You two wouldn't slip up like that,

would you?"

Both Yabu and Morofuji responded to Ryuuen's question with a resolute nod.

Of course, the possibly couldn't be discounted that one of the eight anonymous

voters who voted in favor might change their vote in the next round couldn't be

discounted, but Ryuuen was well aware that was a separate issue.

"Besides, these two were so prepared to vote in favor that they even offered

a name," Ryuuen went on. "Unlike those eight anonymous people. Judging by

the looks on their faces, there are probably more people out there aside from

Yabu and Morofuji who are on board with this idea."

The group of girls made up of Yabu and her close friends occupied the highest

rung of the social ladder in the class. Although Yabu's and Morofuji's opinions

were ostensibly their own, what they said could be taken as a sentiment shared

by the group as a whole.

"We'd like to know what you think about our suggestion, Ryuuen-kun," Yabu

said. "Could you tell us your thoughts?"

"The biggest prerequisite for gettin' a particular person expelled is making

sure there wouldn't be any votes in support of that person," said Ryuuen. He

addressed the class as a whole. "Who in this class wants to protect Ibuki?

Who'd be willing to risk their own expulsion over it?"

No hands were in the air after he asked that question.

"Well, there you have it then, Ibuki. Would you accept being expelled from

school?"

Everyone was sure that if Ibuki answered that she accepted it, or if she told

Ryuuen to just do whatever he wanted, then Ryuuen would set Ibuki's

expulsion in motion without hesitation.

"Sorry, but I don't have any intention of letting myself get expelled," Ibuki

responded. She didn't so much as glance at either Yabu or Morofuji, the people

who nominated her.

"Oh?" said Yabu. "I thought your stance was that you didn't particularly care if

you got expelled, Ibuki-san. Wasn't that right?"

"I don't really care about this school or whatever," she replied. "But there is

someone here who I want to get my revenge on in my own way. And besides,

do you honestly think I'd accept getting expelled like this? I'm not gonna

conveniently let myself be taken advantage of by people I hate."

"You just don't want to be expelled, no matter what the reason is," said Yabu.

She smiled, trying to provoke Ibuki further. "You're trying to act tough like it

doesn't bother you, but I bet you're scared, aren't you?"

"Hah," Ibuki scoffed. "You've become quite the big shot, huh? Even though

you used to be Manabe's flunky, hanging all around her. Does it make you that

happy to have become the leader of the girls the second that she was gone?"

Hearing Ibuki's comeback, Ryuuen's smile faded, and he glowered at her with

intimidating eyes.

"Hey, Ibuki," he warned. "Be aware of your position right now. Yabu has

friends who'd be against her getting expelled, but you don't have a single

person to cover you. Besides, you never really had any kind of attachment to

this school anyway, did you?"

"…So what?" snapped Ibuki.

"I don't hate you, but if this means we can get you to contribute to the class

by bowing out gracefully, then I'm afraid that's a different story. It doesn't

matter to me what your intentions are, 'cause we're the ones who're gonna

feast on your flesh and blood."

"Serves you right, Ibuki-san," sneered Yabu. "You thought you were Ryuuenkun's one and only favorite, huh?"

"So, do you resent me, Ibuki?" asked Ryuuen.

"Not really. But I never cared one bit about trying to be friends with you in the

first place. I know you'd do anything to win, so I'm not surprised. But like I said,

I have no intention of getting expelled."

Ibuki repeatedly indicated that she refused to accept the situation.

Ryuuen's tone was growing somewhat scathing in return. "It doesn't matter

whether you've got any intention or not," he said. "I'm gonna ask you one more

time. The stakes here are that we're gonna see what happens if there's a

unanimous decision in favor of it. Raise your hand if you're willin' to put

yourself on the line for Ibuki. But you gotta decide within one minute."

Ishizaki started trembling slightly in the midst of the tense, stinging

atmosphere. It wasn't out of fear of Ryuuen, but it was because the time had

come for him to choose, to make a decision.

"Don't do it, Ishizaki."

The person who stopped him was Nishino. She had come up next to Ishizaki

and stood beside him without him even noticing she was there.

"Wh-what, Nishino…?" he sputtered.

"We're fighting to win," she said. "Your half-assed idea of friendship is only

gonna cause confusion."

"B-but, I mean, Ibuki's, I mean, she's our—"

"…Time's up," said Ryuuen.

A minute had passed, and in the end, not a single student had come forward

to say they would protect Ibuki. All sorts of thoughts and feelings ran through

the students' minds in that still silence. There were scornful stares of Yabu and

her friends, pitying looks from other students, and feelings of relief yet other

students had over not being targeted themselves.

"Oh. I see. In that case…"

Half in desperation, Ibuki was about to give her answer. But then, she

suddenly stopped, her words sticking in her throat. She understood that she

was at a disadvantage in this issue because she didn't have a single true friend.

That was exactly why she announced early on that she had voted Against.

However, now that things had come to this, she had no choice but to try and

protect herself.

"In that case, what?" asked Ryuuen.

Ryuuen maintained total silence in the room after asking that, as if he were

waiting for what Ibuki was going to say.

"I still have unfinished business at this school," said Ibuki, after a pause.

"Oh?"

"Sorry, but I don't intend to go along with whatever you're hoping to do. Even

if the rest of the class votes in favor, I'll vote against it. If we don't come to a

unanimous decision, then that means we're gonna fail this special exam."

"H-huh?" said Yabu. "Are you planning on forcing the class's hand for your

own sake?"

"That's exactly it." Ibuki had made up her mind, declared her intention to vote

against the issue, and was standing her ground.

"Well, it's obvious you would do that," said Ryuuen. "Yabu, your idea of

changing to vote in favor wasn't bad, but it was way too early for you to name

names. If you really wanted Ibuki gone, you should've waited until after we got

a unanimous decision on the issue and then brought it up."

"Gr…!"

If someone knew that they were going to be expelled, they would never vote

in favor.

"Just settle down and vote Against."

Nishino felt like there was something strangely off when Ryuuen gave them

those instructions.

"Wait, why did we even have everyone go through that whole charade just

now?" she asked. "Wasn't it just a complete waste of time?"

There was no need for Ryuuen to ask for a pointless show of hands. Yabu and

Ibuki's arguing could've been stopped much earlier—it was obvious it would've

been really difficult to come to a unanimous decision once someone was

nominated out loud.

"I was just killin' time," Ryuuen answered. "We got way more time on our

hands than we know what to do with anyway."

Despite his claim there was no deeper meaning, there were some students in

class who realized Ryuuen had another purpose in doing all of that. They

realized that the reason why Ryuuen went along with Yabu's proposal, even

though it was never going to pass, was so he could get Ibuki to say that she'd

never vote in favor of the issue. By doing this, he was indirectly showing

everyone the fact that a unanimous decision in favor would be difficult to

obtain. To those students, this seemed like a skillful and composed move on

Ryuuen's part…but at the same time, it may have been a desperate measure

born out of impatience and not having been able to do anything else in this

situation.

In the sixth round of voting, the results showed seven votes For and thirtythree Against. The seventh round showed six votes For and thirty-four Against.

Little by little, the number of votes in favor was decreasing, but in the eighth

round, there were seven votes For and thirty-three votes Against again. The

results had gone back to how they were before.

Eventually, the time came for the ninth round of voting.

Round 9 Voting Results: For: 7 Votes, Against: 33 Votes

The votes in favor of the issue remained steady. This figure also seemed to

represent Ryuuen's leadership at this current point in time. From the sixth

round through the ninth rounds, he simply sat at the podium for ten minutes

during each discussion period, not uttering a single word. He just watched

everyone before him with an unsettling grin on his face. The situation only

changed during the interval before the tenth round of voting began.

Ryuuen had been smiling up until that point, but now, he suddenly called his

class out with one short word.

"Hey."

The students who had been engaged more in simple conversation rather than

actual discussion on the issue came to attention in a panic.

"You people can't even vote against this thing yourselves without me givin'

you an order?" asked Ryuuen.

Every student immediately shut their mouth in response to the clear change

in the classroom's atmosphere.