Chapter 037: Ryuen: 0 Class Points, 0 Private Points, and Now a Written Exam!
Similar notifications were being delivered in the other classes.
First, Class A.
Class A's comprehensive strength was superior to Class B's. Having paid one million points on the very first day to purchase the truth of the school, they listened to their teacher's routine lecture and immediately understood that this month's special exam was a written test.
A written exam?
The corners of several students' mouths curled upward as they exchanged knowing glances. They didn't fear such a test. In fact, they hoped for more written exams; if the lower classes had a massive wave of expulsions due to failing grades, weakening their overall strength, it would be even better.
However, for Class C, the atmosphere was entirely different.
"Why the hell is it zero points?!" Ryuen Kakeru's roar exploded in the stifling classroom. He slammed his fist onto the desk, making his pencil case jump. At this moment, he wasn't even fixated on the upcoming written exam, but on that glaring "0" for Class 1-C.
According to the intelligence he had gathered from the upperclassmen, previous Class Cs usually ended the first month with 400 to 500 points—even at their lowest, they had over 300.
And yet, his class was currently at zero? Actually zero?
He didn't believe it!
The homeroom teacher for Class C was a tall, thin man with glasses named Sakagami Kazuma.
Sakagami-sensei pushed up his glasses, a complex look in his eyes behind the lenses, but he still looked at Ryuen.
"I must admit, your ability is surprising.
In a very short amount of time, you united a Class C that was originally a heap of loose sand. Your subsequent arrangements for the students to maintain conduct during class showed you were putting in effort. You clearly hoped Class C would retain most of its points. However, it's a pity."
Sakagami-sensei shook his head, his tone growing heavy.
"The major, widespread deductions... were still concentrated on the fighting incidents."
Ryuen remained silent.
'So Class A really did report us.'
They reported to the Student Council. Although the Student Council didn't issue an immediate punishment, the fact that Class C had engaged in multiple brawls was made known to the school, resulting in point deductions.
Since "fighting and brawling" was a specific deduction item within the code of conduct, they had run straight into the muzzle of the gun—and came out bloodied.
Sakagami-sensei continued, "Then there is the Student Council's response to Class A's previous reports. Originally, there were to be additional class point deductions, but since our class score is already at zero and cannot be lowered further, the punishment has been transferred."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the boys in the room who had participated in the fights and were currently hanging their heads.
"Since all the boys were involved in fighting, every one of you will receive a formal reprimand on your record."
"And as the person with the highest frequency of fighting, Ryuen, you are sentenced to a one-week suspension." As he said this, Sakagami-sensei walked down from the podium, came to Ryuen's side, and patted his shoulder.
As the teacher of Class C, Sakagami knew very well that Class C was a class the school had essentially given up on from the start; no Class C had ever truly risen.
A student like Ryuen, who had the charisma and audacity to forcibly gather a fragmented class in just five days, was a rare find.
Ryuen was smart. He knew that seizing control through violence, collecting private points from students, and establishing authority through fear carried huge risks, so he had tried to avoid them as much as possible.
But he had been one move short. In the process of taking over the class, even though Ryuen had specifically avoided the obvious cameras, he was still caught by other classes—especially Class A.
Someone had even played footage of Class C fighting directly under a camera's view. Faced with such ironclad evidence, the school could not ignore it.
In this regard, Sakagami was powerless.
"Next is this month's special exam, which is a written test—" Sakagami-sensei returned to the podium and raised his voice, trying to pull the students' attention back.
However, most of the Class C students were still mired in the massive blow and humiliation of the "0 points." Like eggplants hit by frost, very few could actually concentrate on what the exam would cover. A thick air of near-hopeless frustration filled the room.
Because...
Since they were at zero anyway, if they hadn't compromised with Ryuen from the start and had resisted his violent rule, maybe they could have collected a few stray points for themselves? They wouldn't be left with absolutely nothing like they were now. Eyes flickered as hearts began to waver.
For the past half-month, they had been strictly managed by Ryuen's iron fist, playing the role of "good students" with fear and trembling. In the end, they received no reward, and the boys even ended up with reprimands on their records.
As for the girls of Class C, they had also been forced to hand over their precious phones. As a group of delinquent girls used to being lazy and free, they had played the role of "good girls" for half a month for nothing. This month, even their basic living expenses had vanished into thin air.
It was equivalent to suffering for half a month for nothing; life was even worse than it would have been without Ryuen as "class representative."
Dissatisfaction finally erupted.
"I only have a few thousand points left!" a boy shouted, slamming the desk.
"I... I have nothing left!" another voice cried out, sounding tearful.
"Ryuen! This isn't what we agreed on! The class got nothing! What did we get?" Voices of discontent rose one after another. Someone stood up directly and pointed at Ryuen, questioning him.
The commotion in the classroom was like water about to boil. Accusations against Ryuen began to fly.
In the face of these accusations...
Ryuen stood up abruptly. He slammed the desk hard again, the loud crack replacing the noise with instant silence.
"All of you, shut up!" His sharp gaze swept over the crowd.
"The points I collected from you earlier... there are still about 200,000 left. After homeroom, I'll have Kaneda distribute them equally among you."
"Understood. I will handle it immediately after homeroom," replied the boy named Kaneda. He wore glasses and looked unremarkable, but possessed an A-grade academic ability. He stood up and accepted the task.
"The points... are being given back?" The students, who had been furious a moment ago, were stunned.
"Since... since you're giving the points back... then... then we'll trust you one more time."
Because this class was united through violence, trust was as thin as paper. But hearing that Ryuen was willing to return the remaining points from last month was an unexpected move that made everyone look at each other. Consequently, the restlessness temporarily subsided.
"This is a truly terrible situation." Sitting in her window seat, Shiina Hiyori—the literary girl with silky silver hair—gently closed the paperback book in her hands.
Her delicate brows furrowed slightly as she looked out at the grey sky. She felt this situation was even worse than what Hikigaya-kun had described.
While everyone else was still angry, depressed, or confused about the 0 points, she had keenly caught Sakagami-sensei's subsequent words: failing this month's written exam meant mandatory expulsion.
And in this Class C, the "academic failure" rate was a full 70%. Any written exam would be a challenge.
She had just arrived at this school full of opportunity and challenge, only to be placed in this abyss-like Class C—no money, no points, let alone any grand ambition of rising from Class C. Even worse, were her classmates about to face a brutal culling? She sighed silently, her fingertip unconsciously brushing the edge of the page.
That was the situation in Class C.
As for Class D, they were in a state of pure despair.
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