Chabashira Sae's icy voice, like a cold wind blowing from the Arctic, instantly froze the entire 1st Year Class D classroom.
"0 points?"
"What kind of joke is this! Why is it 0?!"
"What about our 100,000 points? Aren't they being issued this month?"
"The school must have made a mistake!"
The deathly silence lasted less than three seconds before being drowned out by a huge uproar and shouts of disbelief. Yamauchi Haruki's face was filled with incredulity and anger. Ike Kanji also chimed in, as if shouting would make the points appear out of thin air. Most students' faces were a mix of confusion, panic, and helplessness after their dreams were shattered.
"Made a mistake?" Chabashira Sae's lips curved into a deeply mocking arc, her gaze like she was looking at a pile of unrecyclable trash. "No, not at all. In fact, for you to completely squander all 1000 Class Points within a month, leaving not a single point, could be considered a record—unprecedented."
"Why are you saying that?!" Sudo Ken roared angrily, clenching his fists.
"Why?" Chabashira snorted, as if she had been waiting for this moment. She picked up one of the poster tubes she had brought in, and with a'swish,' unrolled it in front of the entire class, fixing it to the blackboard. On the poster were several combinations of letters and numbers.
A: 950 points
B: 890 points
C: 490 points
D: 0 points
The crimson '0' stung the eyes of every 1st Year Class D student.
"Did you see clearly? This is the 'result' of your efforts." Chabashira's voice was devoid of any warmth. "Whispering in class, being late or leaving early, sleeping in class... the list is endless. Classroom discipline? Do you even have such a thing? If Class Points couldn't go negative, I truly don't know how low you could score."
Her gaze, like a knife, swept over the students who had been shouting the loudest: "Now, does anyone still think the school made a mistake?"
...Almost at the same time, in the 1st Year Class A classroom.
Class teacher Majima Tomoya also announced the point rankings. When "Class A: 950 points" and "Class B: 890 points" were clearly displayed, the usually composed and confident Class A students couldn't help but let out a low gasp.
"Class B... is actually that high?"
"Only 60 points behind us? What a joke!"
"How did they do it?"
An invisible pressure instantly spread. Although they didn't know what these points represented yet, since the Class teacher had specifically announced them during the class meeting, it wouldn't be simple. Some students had already linked these points to the personal points distributed today. Seeing such a close rival behind them, every Class A student's face showed gravity and urgency. For the first time, they truly felt that the gap between them and other classes was not as large as they had imagined.
Teacher Majima gravely watched the students' reactions, but a storm raged within him. 'Class B... that's Ichinose Honami's class.' He had a premonition. 'With just one transaction, one piece of information, Class B's Class Points were raised so close to Class A's... That Natsukawa, he didn't even step into the spotlight, merely gave a slight push from behind, and nearly stirred up the entire first year... This child is certainly no ordinary person. I wonder how he was assigned to 1st Year Class D. Could it be that he has a flaw significant enough to overshadow this talent?'
And in the corner of the 1st Year Class A classroom, Sakayanagi Arisu, delicate as a doll, lightly tapped her fingertips on the desk, a glint of intriguing light flashing in her purple eyes. "Ichinose Honami? To be able to lead her class to this extent, she's certainly much more interesting than that rock-like Katsuragi." She tilted her head slightly, whispering to Kamuro Masumi beside her in a voice only she could hear: "Masumi-san, later, please try to learn a little about Ichinose-san's daily life."
Kamuro Masumi nodded reluctantly... In stark contrast to Class A's solemnity and 1st Year Class D's despair, the 1st Year Class B classroom, after a brief silence, erupted in a mix of relief like surviving a disaster and indescribable shock!
"8... 890 points?! We're second? Only 60 points behind Class A?!"
"That's great! We didn't lose too many points!"
"Thanks to Ichinose-san!"
Hoshinomiya Chie-sensei's face was beaming with joy. She clapped her hands, her voice sweet: "Congratulations, everyone! What an amazing achievement! You're just one step away from Class A! I've always had high hopes for Ichinose-san. As expected, under your leadership, Class B will surely reach Class A!"
Amidst the cheers, they all looked in unison at Ichinose Honami, who stood in the center of the classroom, also beaming with joy but mostly relief.
Information worth a million... it was so worth it!
This thought, like a clap of thunder, resounded in the hearts of all the informed Class B students. Only now did they belatedly feel a chill—without this information, they would have been greatly distanced from the top-ranked Class A.
Kanzaki Ryuji, Shibata Hayate, and other core members also showed joy, but they all saw deep astonishment in each other's eyes. According to the school's class division based on 'ability,' and given that the Class Points of other classes seemed to follow an arithmetic progression, they could easily deduce that without this information, their original Class Points would probably have been around 600. Now, they had directly soared to 890 points, a considerable difference. Moreover, this was the score obtained after a week of deductions without knowing the rules. If they had known a few days earlier, the position of Class A might not have been unattainable.
And the person who provided the information... that mysterious 'Friend A'... who exactly was TA?
A mixture of gratitude, awe, and intense curiosity spread among the Class B students. Not only did he accurately predict the school's rules, but he also saw through everything at the beginning of the school year. This foresight and capability, while making them feel fortunate, also inspired a sense of reverence: "It's our luck to be able to make a deal with such a person." He was like a chess player hidden in the mist, a casual move changing the entire course of the game.
Unlike the harmonious atmosphere in Class B, in the 1st Year Class D classroom,
The atmosphere of despair was almost tangible.
"From now on... no more points?"
"How could this happen...?"
"Other classes will look down on us!"
"Damn it!" Sudo Ken suddenly kicked a desk, making a loud noise, venting his unreleased anger and humiliation.
"Want to be looked up to?" Chabashira Sae watched all this with cold eyes. "It's simple, just climb up. The rules are simple: as long as your Class Points surpass Class C, you become the new Class C. Surpass Class B, and you become Class B."
Her words rekindled a faint spark of hope in the eyes of some.
"However," Chabashira's tone suddenly shifted, like a splash of ice water, "all of this is predicated on—"
She pulled out the second rolled-up poster, which contained the results of the previous pop quiz. A thick red line was drawn conspicuously before one name.
"—not being expelled." Her tone was unmistakably sarcastic. "If this were a midterm exam, seven people would have already been expelled in this test, right after school started. What did you even learn in junior high? Or rather, were you even studying?"
"What, failing means expulsion? The school never said that!!!"
"Really? Failing an exam means expulsion?!"
...The students whose names were marked with red lines, as well as several others whose grades were precarious, instantly turned pale, their words filled with disbelief.
"Listen carefully," Chabashira's voice was firm and unquestionable, "in this school, if you fail any subject in a midterm exam, final exam—you will be expelled!"
"If you don't want to be expelled, then show the appropriate attitude and ability to prove that you are not 'defective products.'"
After saying this last sentence, she no longer paid attention to the wailing and panic below, which was like the end of the world. She turned around and left the classroom without looking back, leaving chaos and despair entirely to 1st Year Class D.