This year's students were different from before. Class D was full of troublemakers, but if used well, those kinds of students could shine even more than the typical Class A or B types.
So even though it wasn't like the old Class C, Class D still had some core students who could be useful—if the problem kids were handled the right way.
But...
She had to find a way to push Ayanokouji to take things more seriously.
Because the next test was going to be different. It would be key to whether Class D could climb upward.
"You all seem to be worried about points,"
Chabashira said as she walked up to the front.
"Sensei, we're already running on empty,"
Hirata had returned to his seat but stood up when he heard her speak.
"Is there any upcoming test where we can earn more class points? We're running out of living expenses."
Well said, Hirata.
The whole class quieted down and paid close attention.
But...
Was there something off about what you said, Hirata?
You're asking about tests to earn more income.
But this is after you failed to collect even 65,000 points for buying test answers.
Do you think if there's more income, your classmates will actually pay up?
You're not really a qualified leader.
But—
Chabashira looked over at Ayanokouji.
Ayanokouji was the class rep that matched what she truly wanted deep down, but even during last month's usual test, he stayed behind Hirata.
In other words, he didn't want to stand in the spotlight.
But now, all the students around her were staring at her.
"No," Chabashira said.
"Ah—"
That instantly crushed the students' hopes, but then Chabashira-sensei added, "However, the issue of your meals has been solved."
"What?"
Around thirty students—
The whole class looked at Chabashira-sensei.
She had the students in the front row pass some papers back.
"This is a consent form," she said.
Chabashira continued, "The school will be organizing a cruise trip for all students. You can think of it like a normal school's field trip. Since this is a fully boarding school, the school will cover all the costs on the ship, including your meals. If anyone doesn't want to go, just sign the form and stay on campus."
"So it's basically a vacation! Isn't that awesome? But… can we really enjoy it?"
A girl said this.
Ayanokouji, expressionless as always, took notice.
This girl often chimed in right after Chabashira spoke.
Even though what she said wasn't always useful—
It was clear she cared about being seen.
Her name was Karuizawa Kei, one of the top pretty girls in Class D. She had formed a "gal group" in class and had apparently gone to see Hirata about something last week.
After last month's exam, when Kushida dropped her phone and Shirogane intercepted it, Ayanokouji didn't just quietly back off.
Instead, he texted Hirata.
He asked Hirata to have someone watch Kushida's dorm door. If Shirogane and Kushida went back together, they were to take a photo.
On the boys' side, Hirata handled it himself.
For the girls' side, the one Hirata assigned at the time was Karuizawa Kei.
And the fact that she was trusted with getting a photo of Kushida meant Hirata trusted her. Plus, being able to take a photo like that meant she was willing to betray Kushida.
But this girl was Karuizawa Kei.
She didn't seem like the type to take orders at all.
That's right.
Karuizawa was the leader of the gal group in class.
Right now, among the boys, the prettiest girl was Horikita, but the most popular one was Kushida Kikyo.
Then there were other girls who looked like gals too but were still willing to talk to them—like Sato Mako and Chiaki Matsushita.
Among the boys, the least popular was Karuizawa Kei. That's because she often yelled at them and mocked them for being obsessed with video games and not even having a girlfriend in real life.
In short, even though Karuizawa was cute, her bad attitude made even guys like Ike and Yamauchi give her low ratings.
Still, she always stood out a lot in class.
"You should understand how you got accepted here. Every year, so many middle schoolers want to get into this school. Even if you're trash like this, you were still chosen, so of course the treatment is different."
Chabashira said.
Even though what Chabashira-sensei said was harsh—she even used the word "trash"—the fact was that Class A had 1094 class points, while their class only had 110. There was no arguing that. And Class C, which had started from about the same level, had already moved up and now had 845 points.
When you compare like that—
They really did look like trash.
But what Chabashira-sensei said also meant that food might be covered now.
"Sensei, how many days does this trip last? Can it be a whole month?"
Someone immediately started daydreaming.
Right now, their monthly living allowance was 11,000 points, which was about 350 points per day. That still wasn't enough for good food, but at least it could cover one meal.
So if they could spend time on the cruise ship, wouldn't that mean they wouldn't need to spend money on food for a while?
Some students even started getting hopeful.
"Sensei, is the ship one of those fancy cruise ships?"
"Like the luxury ones from the Detective Conan anime?"
That came from Sotomura, nicknamed "the Professor," a big fan of anime.
"Are we just getting instant noodles for food?"
That was a more realistic question, asked by Satou Mako, who was in the same group as Karuizawa.
"You idiot, it's a cruise ship, so of course it's going to be a fancy one. The food will be things like foie gras or pasta."
A boy answered confidently.
"I want steak!"
"I hope they have milk tea too."
Finally, more of the girls joined in the conversation.
"Horikita, what do you think?"
All those students were clearly too excited to think straight. Ayanokouji looked at Horikita and asked, "Is this just a regular vacation?"
Even though she had already turned him down twice,
Ayanokouji had realized that Hirata wasn't good at taking charge or making decisions.
He couldn't use him as his "tool."
But—
"..."
Horikita.
*Scratch scratch.*
Horikita Suzune was busy taking notes, acting like she didn't even hear him.
But Ayanokouji was sure the other person heard him.
"You're dangerous. Can you stop bothering me? I won't get in your way."
Finally, Horikita spoke.
"..."
Ayanokouji.
His face still showed no emotion.
But—
He was a bit confused.
Why did Horikita assume he was dangerous? Was it just a feeling? Could she sense some of his ability?
…
The same announcement was also being made in other classes.
In Class 1-B—
"This is the permission form,"
Sakagami-sensei handed out the consent forms for a trip on a cruise ship.
Once signed, the students would leave campus by bus tomorrow afternoon, then board the ship.
Everything on the cruise was free to enjoy.
It would last 14 days.
Even though everything onboard was free, students still needed to bring some personal items, like clothes to change into and other daily stuff.
Once they heard the news, the whole class got excited.
After all—
At 17, most of them had never been on a cruise. The most they'd seen was in anime.
So of course they were excited.
You could really tell how rich and well-funded the school was.
"..."
Ryuen.
He had gotten info from upperclassmen saying there would be a special exam this month—an especially important one.
But now, sensei was saying they were all going on a cruise vacation?
A vacation.
Who would believe that?
"Shirogane? What do you think?"
Sakagami-sensei had left the rest of the time to the students, so Ryuen walked straight over to Shirogane.
"No way,"
Shirogane said flatly. "If it were really a vacation, they wouldn't need to go through so much trouble. So this isn't a break—it's gotta be another exam. At this point, one exam per month is just how it works, right?"
"And also, why make everyone sign a form? You don't need that just to ride a boat."
"Maybe if you don't sign it or don't join, you'll lose points."
Shirogane spoke.
And just as Shiina was turning around, she heard his voice too.
Hmm.
Yeah, that made sense.
The first month had a behavior exam, the second month was the midterm written test. Now it was the third month, so having another test was expected.
But it's only the start of the month and we already have a test?
"Could it be that this one lasts a long time?"
Kaneda had somehow joined the conversation too.
"-sensei said it would last 14 days."
"But since it's on a cruise ship and they mentioned 'enjoyment'…"
"I think there'll be some time to enjoy ourselves too."
"But if it's still called a test,"
Shirogane said,
"I don't think it'll be a normal one."
"You mean it could be two tests combined?"
Ryuen let out a small laugh.
Because if there are two tests in one, the points must be a lot higher too.
"When I was at the student council, I noticed that top students in the higher grades were earning huge amounts of points during tests,"
Shirogane said.
Yeah.
Hearing Shirogane, the students around him went quiet.
Or rather—
Who else could those "top upperclassmen" be? The only higher-grade student in the student council now was the student council president.
And that president didn't seem like someone who'd cheat to get points.
Which means—
"This test might come with big rewards—like a chance to earn a huge amount of points?"
Ryuen said.
"That's possible."
"And all four classes are getting on the same cruise ship together,"
Shirogane added.
"In that case, we can start making some moves."
Ryuen smiled.
"Seems like a good time to put on a show for the other classes."
Even though they didn't know the rules of the test yet, it would be the first real chance for all four classes to face each other.
So it was the perfect chance to set something up.
Ryuen had already come up with a plan.
And Shirogane had made some preparations too.
Since this test could involve a huge amount of points, it was impossible not to be tempted.
This was exactly the kind of test Shirogane wanted to grab onto.
If there's a chance to make points, you take it. Not doing so would mean you're not serious about yourself or this school.
Now that he was fired up, maybe it was time to visit the electronics store and pick up some gear for the plan.
He didn't have enough points before, but now he could afford to buy two.