All eyes were drawn to the coin in Amane's hand.
"Is everyone ready? If you are, I'm throwing it now."
Amane pointed toward the back of the classroom.
Class D wasn't very large—the race would stretch from the first row of desks to the last.
A distance like this favored those with a quick burst of speed, while those better at long-distance running would find no advantage here.
As it happened, Ichihashi excelled at sprinting.
If the game was confined to the classroom, there was no doubt she stood the best chance of grabbing the coin.
A confident grin spread across Ichihashi's face.
Beside her, Sakura watched Amane with uncertainty. She was terrible at sports, especially running.
Even though it was just from the first row to the last, Sakura held little hope in her own physical ability.
"I'm ready."
Ichihashi struck a sprinter's pose, looking every bit the pro.
"I'm ready too."
Sakura offered a faint smile, but her body remained relaxed, almost too casual—enough to make anyone suspicious.
Kushida's gaze shifted between Amane and Sakura. She had a feeling Amane's unusual behavior today was tied to Sakura—maybe even outright favoritism.
But then, for this final, decisive game, Amane had chosen the one that gave Ichihashi the biggest advantage.
That didn't add up. Judging by Ichihashi's expression, she was completely off her guard.
If the game proceeded normally, Ichihashi was sure to win. But what if…
Seeing how relaxed Sakura looked only deepened Kushida's suspicions about Amane and her.
"Amane, could I be the one to toss the coin?"
Kushida knew she'd just been put in her place by Horikita.
Now, here she was, asking to handle the coin that would decide who'd avoid expulsion—even though she'd opposed this game from the start. It looked like she was trying to twist the rules to help her own candidate win.
Anyone watching would call it shameless.
Still, Kushida stepped forward, hoping to boost Ichihashi's odds.
Amane didn't speak, simply tossing the coin to Kushida.
"Don't worry, I'll throw it fairly," Kushida said with a smile, moving to the aisle on Ichihashi's side.
Because this was a race for the coin, nearly everyone seated nearby—except for Kōenji, who hadn't budged—cleared the way to widen the aisle, making room for both runners to start at once.
"Ready———!!!"
No sooner had Kushida called out than she flung the coin.
Not only were Ichihashi and Sakura caught off guard, even Horikita and Hirata looked stunned.
Wasn't she supposed to say "go" before throwing?
Why toss it after just "ready"?
Ichihashi reacted first. Without waiting for a signal, she bolted forward.
Only then did Sakura seem to snap out of a daze, realizing the final game had started.
But she stayed rooted to the spot.
Had she given up?
Horikita frowned.
Amane had gone to such lengths to secure this chance, and now Sakura was wasting it.
Ugh.
She felt a surge of irritation, but seeing Amane standing there calmly, not saying a word, a smile still on her face,
she held her tongue.
Within seconds, an excited cry came from the back of the room.
"I got it, I got it!!!"
Ichihashi waved the coin triumphantly.
"As expected of Ichihashi," Kushida said, clapping while shooting a smug glance at Horikita.
It seemed the matter was settled. But the class fell into an eerie silence.
Many looked toward Amane. Would she keep her promise—hand over the 50,000 points so Ichihashi could buy one protection point and avoid expulsion?
Or would she refuse to pay, angered by Sakura's apparent surrender?
Kōenji narrowed his eyes. He had a feeling that girl with the fake-smile was about to deliver a surprise no one saw coming.
Then, a rhythmic clapping broke the silence.
Amane beamed and applauded for Ichihashi.
The whole class was baffled.
Only Ichihashi seemed to think Amane had been on her side all along. She rushed over and hugged her tightly.
"I knew you wouldn't really want me expelled," Ichihashi said, her words sounding like a casual remark after victory, but they also probed Amane's true intentions.
"How could I ever want you expelled? I'll transfer the points right now."
Still smiling, Amane began operating her device to send the points.
When Ichihashi saw her balance increase by 50,000 points, she grinned from ear to ear.
"Thank you so much, Amane! Ahh, I was so scared earlier. Good thing I managed to win. If there's a next time, I really don't want another heart-pounding contest like that."
Ichihashi laughed as she complained, but her eyes drifted toward Sakura Airi.
"Don't worry, there won't be a next time."
Managed to win? Heart-pounding?
Sakura hadn't even moved during the race.
Where was the "managed" or "heart-pounding" in that?
"I'm heading out," Horikita said, shooting an annoyed look at Kushida and Ichihashi before turning to Amane. With a brief nod, she left the classroom.
"Ichihashi, if you don't hurry and buy that point from Ms. Chabashira, you might run out of time," Amane kindly reminded her.
Only then did Ichihashi realize she still had to purchase the point herself. She immediately dashed toward the faculty office.
Once Hirata saw the issue was resolved, he announced the dismissal.
Seeing how things had turned out, many wore strange expressions—especially those who'd sided with Amane.
They never imagined Amane and Ichihashi were on the same side.
Even the final game seemed tailored to Ichihashi's strengths, and Sakura hadn't even tried—she'd just given up.
They felt like Amane and Kushida had played them.
Those two had always been on good terms. Maybe they'd teamed up to expose who in the class had ulterior motives. A clever move—it had flushed them all out into the open.
The days ahead were going to be tough.
As everyone dispersed, lost in their thoughts, a tall figure approached Amane.
"You must have a backup plan, don't you? If your goal was merely to round up the noisy fish, this method seems unnecessarily elaborate."
Kōenji looked down at Amane from his height.
Just as Amane was about to respond,
Ayanokōji walked in through the door.
"Didn't expect you'd wrap up faster than I thought."
He seemed surprised to find only Amane, Kōenji, and Sakura left in the classroom.
"Never mind that. Did you get the thing?"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.