"Everyone at zero…"
Looking at the diary, Horikita Suzune murmured, a faint light flickering in her eyes.
That's right… that's right!
If class points can't go negative, then why not drag the other classes down with us?!
Why didn't I think of that?
The realization hit her like a spark.
If that had happened, the gap between Class D and the others wouldn't be hundreds of points—it would've been reset to zero across the board.
What once seemed like an impossible burden…
Would've turned into a fair starting line again.
And more importantly—
For certain people she had once suspected…
This kind of strategy would actually suit them perfectly.
"…But it's already too late."
She pressed her lips together, the light in her eyes fading.
It was already mid-June.
The behavior evaluation exam had ended over a month and a half ago.
Class D was no longer at zero.
Even if their points were pitifully low, they had regained something.
And those who had once lost everything—
Would never willingly throw it away again.
Unless…
Just like the diary suggested—
They were forced back to zero by an external threat.
By someone like Ryuuen.
If that happened—
Their broken class might unite again under pressure.
Their lost points could transform into hatred—fuel to stir chaos across the entire first year.
It was… an almost perfect opportunity.
…But no.
After thinking it through, Horikita gave up on the idea.
The more she thought about it, the more appealing it seemed—
But in reality, it was a strategy limited to April.
Only during that month had the rules clearly ensured no negative points.
Only then had deductions been significant enough to wipe out entire classes.
In other months, deductions were minor.
Class D had only lost 20 points in May.
Even Class C had only lost 98 at most.
No matter how hard they tried—
They couldn't drag Class A or B down from 900 points in a single month.
And if it couldn't be done in one month—
Then mutual destruction wouldn't work.
The school wouldn't leave such an obvious loophole unpatched.
So, regrettably—
This brilliant tactic belonged to the past.
…Even if she had a second chance, she might not have thought of it.
Let alone convinced her classmates to carry it out.
Most people weren't that radical.
They'd cling to what little they had left.
"…Still, Sakayanagi Arisu and Ryuuen fought—and it ended in a draw?"
Continuing to read, Horikita frowned slightly.
"A recorder arms race… why is Class D 'irrelevant'? I'm part of it too…"
She puffed her cheeks a little, feeling faintly wronged.
She understood that Class D was often dismissed—
But she was still stuck in it.
Being lumped together like that didn't feel good.
"…Forget it."
Letting out a quiet sigh, she picked up her pen and began writing down her analysis.
She still had to send it to Kushida Kikyo later.
...
While Horikita carefully analyzed everything—
Kushida Kikyo, who would receive her thoughts, opened her diary a moment later.
"Hmm~ hmm~ hmm~"
She hummed cheerfully.
Ever since she had relaxed her attitude toward the diary, her mood had improved significantly.
The diary barely mentioned her anymore.
Even if it occasionally insulted Class D—
Well, Class D deserved it.
As long as she didn't take things too seriously, the diary itself was incredibly useful.
Just having it justified her actions.
That alone was already a powerful effect.
Not to mention the skill upgrades from accumulated reading points.
As for the information?
That was the least important part.
As the diary itself had said—
This school was a joke.
Its selection system.
Its special exams.
Its class competition.
The more you understood it—
The more absurd it felt.
Kushida no longer cared much about competition.
If she didn't need to maintain her persona, she wouldn't even look at it.
She didn't care about graduating from Class A.
Didn't need its privileges.
Didn't want to drag Class D upward.
Thinking about it—
Wasn't this school actually pretty comfortable?
Fully enclosed, yet expenses covered.
Expenses covered, yet you could earn points.
Basic needs guaranteed. No tuition.
Facilities complete. Life easy.
As long as there were no exams—
It felt like a vacation.
Even academically, she didn't need to try too hard.
In Class D, there were always worse students.
Even minimal effort kept her looking competent.
Not bad at all.
"Let's see…"
She skimmed today's entry.
"Mm-hmm…"
"Sakayanagi vs Ryuuen…"
"Mm-hmm…"
"Using recordings…"
"Mm-hmm…"
"So Class D could've dragged everyone down…"
"Mm-hmm—Recorder Arms Race officially begins~"
Smiling, she twirled her pen.
She was going to leave a message.
She had thought about tricking Horikita into asking for her before—
But gave up.
Not because it was wrong—
But because…
She didn't want to rely on someone else anymore.
This time—
She wanted the answer for herself.
...
"…Mm."
Shiina Hiyori sighed softly.
She had come with excitement—
And left disappointed.
She loved reading the diary.
It brought color to her quiet life.
Stories. People. Words.
Anything that made her smile—
Made the day worthwhile.
But today's entry…
She already knew everything.
As a member of Class C, she had heard it all firsthand.
If she had read this on the day it happened, it might've been interesting.
But now…
It felt lacking.
"Reading complete. +1 point."
The notification sounded—
But she didn't close the diary.
She wanted more.
More stories.
More emotions.
More thoughts.
"…Please."
She picked up her pen.
...
"You have a new message."
"You have a new message."
Tossing his reward item casually, Asakusa Toru ignored the notifications.
At this point, messages weren't that interesting anymore.
Everyone had grown cautious.
They knew messages could be exposed.
No one spoke freely anymore.
It defeated the purpose.
But it couldn't be helped.
They didn't want to embarrass themselves—
And he couldn't allow them to freely insult him either.
Still…
Someone would always need it.
Like today.
"…Too little."
Looking at his reward, Toru frowned slightly.
[Name: Black Paint]
[Type: Item]
[Effect: Spray adhesive paint]
[Note: "Perfect for covering cameras"]
…Very ordinary.
So ordinary it barely deserved even a D rating.
Compared to other D-tier items—
This one felt especially useless.
He could buy spray paint anywhere.
Its only advantage was portability inside the diary.
Toru reflected for a moment.
His mood had been good.
He had expected something decent.
But the result was lacking—
Probably because he wrote too little.
Just some commentary on Sakayanagi and Ryuuen.
Plus an outdated zero-point strategy.
If he were the system—
He wouldn't give a high score either.
"…Maybe I should revive the 'Campus Legends' series?"
One legend per day. Rewards flowing in.
…No, too frequent.
Better compromise—
Whenever something interesting happens, append a "Currently Available Information" section.
Having adjusted his plan, Toru finally opened the diary to read the messages.
The first message—
A question.
[Everyone is assigned to a class for a reason. Then why were Asakusa Toru and Ichinose Honami placed in Class B?]
His name—
Written plainly.
For a moment, he almost deleted it.
But stopped.
It was a natural question.
He had brought this upon himself by emphasizing that everyone had a reason for their placement.
Besides…
Kushida had asked him the same thing before.
And now—
She had written it here.
Even including Ichinose.
…Truthfully, even he wasn't entirely sure.
But he had guesses.
Ichinose, under his influence, never committed theft.
Never developed trauma.
By all logic—
She should've been in Class A.
Yet she was in Class B.
The simplest explanation—
Influence.
Sakayanagi's father placing his daughter in Class A.
Leaving no room for Ichinose.
But that felt too cynical.
Even if power played a role—
There had to be a justification.
So if he had to pick one—
Perhaps it was their shared past.
Being reported to the police together.
A "blemish" in their records.
Enough to drop them to Class B.
As for himself—
He could fit anywhere.
B, C, or D—
All plausible.
"…Alright."
He wrote his reply.
Then looked at the second message.
A request.
[If possible, please share more of your life, your emotions, everything you know—as a reader's request.]
"…."
Greedy.
Endless curiosity.
Readers were like that.
They never wanted the story to end.
Never wanted the next page to stop.
Even at the final page—
They wished for more.
Toru understood that feeling.
He was a reader too.
So—
He wrote his response.
Shiina Hiyori—
Until you grow tired of it,
I'll keep writing.
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