Cerulean Academy, Part 6

(Dazai Crowley's POV)

Cerulean Academy, Present Day

"Right, any other questions?" asked Gwein.

The next person to raise their hand was Emmel.

As such, as if to say she was annoyed, Gwein sighed before acknowledging him.

"Yes?"

"If I remember correctly, Principal Garcello said that the four classes will be competing against each other soon. When that time comes, we will be "expected" to win each and every one of them that comes our way. My question is, aside from losing out on our points, are there any other consequences for failing to uphold that responsibility?"

It took a moment for Gwein to think about his question, but soon enough, she had an answer.

"No, not necessarily. Let's say, hypothetically, that Class D lost in every exam, games and competitions the school would prepare. The only thing you would lose out on would "most likely" be the opportunity to increase Class D's Set Amount and whatnot."

As if figuring that was the case, I noticed Emmel's lip perk every so slightly up into a small smirk.

"In that case, then, if we were to put aside the points itself, what exactly is our motive as Class D to even try in the first place? What's stopping us from not even caring about the competitions themselves?"

A bold question.

Gwein sighed.

"Nothing."

Huh?, comments of that nature were softly uttered.

"Absolutely nothing. Although the school highly encourages you to participate in our games to some degree, it's not like there is some law in place that prevents you, or any of the other classes, from outright giving up. That's why, if any of you decided to give up and not put in the effort to win, then certainly we would have no way to stop that."

—This was an unexpected answer, even by my standards. Usually, under the circumstances given, you would think this school, the same school who pursues the idea of ambition, would enforce some sort of harsh rule that would punish the quitters.

And yet, to all of our surprise, they were unexpectedly lax in that respect.

Of course, naturally, to people like Roy and Judette, this non-existent rule came much to their pleasure.

"However—"

Hmm?

Suddenly, Gwein grabbed our attention yet again.

"It's true. If this class was to disregard everything and give up, that would certainly be the end of it all. However, I highly doubt that the class as a whole would dare take such a drastic course of action."

"What makes you say that?"

She smiled slightly.

"It's simple really. Although, like I said, it's true that there are no rules that forbids quitting, there is a special "motive" in place that would convince most of you into not outright giving up the fight entirely."

But just before anybody could ask what it was—

"—Because what person would dare give up on their one chance to fulfill their one and only dream?"

"....What are you talking about?"

Puzzled, many students asked that question.

"Oh? You mean guys haven't realized it by now? Hah, no wonder you all were placed into Class D. Take a good look at the chart and use your brain for a minute. I want you to really consider all of the facts. Maybe, just maybe then, you'll realize the truth and just how truly fucked Class D's position really is."

As Gwein said that in a mocking tone, she pointed to the diagram she wrote on the board yet again.

Class A — 1500 CP

Class B — 900 CP

Class C — 750 CP

Class D — 500 CP.

The truth behind our current situation, and the special "motive" that would stop Class D as a whole from quitting entirely. Somewhere within this chart lies the answers to it all. It makes me wonder who will be the first to understand it.

"Oh, I get it."

Suddenly, from one corner of the room, one woman uttered those words aloud. Curious, the students turned to face them. It was Esmes Montoya. Her expression spoke as if she realized something.

"The Class Points. They aren't being used as a special system to reward the students for their efforts. But rather, they are the factors used to determine who and who is not in first place."

"...The ranking of places?" said one student, puzzled.

"Certainly. Look at the chart closely. More specifically, how the points are distributed. If you think of it in terms of how a race works, you could almost say that Class D is in 4th place and onwards."

She's absolutely right. In short, depending on the number of points each class has, we can use that to determine the general placement of each class.

Having walked down to the board, Esmes grabbed a piece of chalk and wrote the following:

Class A — 1st Place ( Most Amount of CP )

Class B — 2nd Place ( 2nd Most Amount of CP )

Class C — 3rd Place ( 3rd Most Amount of CP )

Class D — 4th Place ( Least Amount of CP )

Writing down the diagram in this manner alongside the one Gwein wrote, some things started to click.

The Class Point System that they introduced us to was a hint in itself. A hint to the greater truth.

"It's a race to get more points…"

As Ryoku suspected that, she immediately stood up and threw an accusatory look at our teacher.

And where there is a race, there is a prize.

"Mrs. Gwein. Are there any specific privileges that only the students of Class A are allowed to have?"

She nods.

"Isn't it obvious? It's the privilege of being granted one wish of their choosing upon their graduation."

There it finally was. The dreadful truth and the crushing reality of our situation.

Upon hearing those words, the rest of the clueless students became even further confused. Hell, even though it's possible they may have suspected as such, even Ryoku and Esmes were surprised.

"Wait a second! What about us in Class B and below!? Don't those privileges apply to us as well!?"

"No."

There was not a drop of hesitation or uncertainty in her voice.

"This isn't what we were told!!"

Complaints of that nature were loudly voiced. With so many crying out in disbelief, it only took mere moments for our class to descend into pure chaos.

"I don't see why all of you look so surprised. We told you in the rulebook, didn't we? Those who pass with "flying colors" will be granted the right to have their wish fulfilled. "Flying colors", in other words, nothing short but perfection. Otherwise, it's not worth it."

"B–but…!!"

"Come now, surely you seriously didn't think that we would grant the wish of EVERY student in school simply because they graduated right? Sure, Cerulean Academy is smaller in scale compared to your average highschool, but the number of our student body easily reaches around a hundred or so. That's a lot of wishes to fulfill. And, while Cerulean Academy may be powerful, we aren't omnipotent. So, there was no way you actually thought we would advertise the idea of fulfilling the wishes of nearly a hundred people without there being some sort of catch. Oh, wait….You did. And you wonder why you kids were placed in Class D of all places."

Gwein's words were as true as they were hurtful. Which is precisely why, with one simple flurry of words, she cut through the chaos and silenced the class without remorse. Leaving us no other choice but to reflect a little on our poor judgment.

"—It appears I have been bested by my lack of insight yet again. How utterly troublesome."

As Ryoku chewed her thumb for a bit, she scoffed a little at herself under her breath.

"This is bullshit. I didn't come to this school just for this. Fuck this, I'm out." said one angry student.

Undoubtedly, there were many others who rallied behind that statement. Some even gathered their bags in hopes of leaving. However, instead of silencing them like she did before, Gwein surprisingly took a completely different approach.

"That's fine by me. If you want to, please, feel free to walk out of my class."

"Huh?"

"Yes. If you want to leave, I can simply file your dismissal later today and take you off the record. By doing so, you will be able to retry again next year."

"Seriously!?"

"Indeed."

From the scornful came a new sense of hope.

—However, that hope was about to be crushed.

"Unfortunately though, I'm not very merciful. You see, I despise quitters and would very much like to keep them out of my school if at all possible. I also don't believe in second chances either. That is why, I will warn you once, and only once. If you so much as take a step out of that door right there, I will treat this as an act of unforgivable and compulsive behavior and have you expelled right on the spot."

"W-what!?"

"Y-you can't do that!"

"Oh really? Care to put that to the test?"

Shink. Like a hot knife through butter, Gwein's glare cut right through their last line of opposition. Her words were not a threat. It was a warning of a certain possibility's inevitable result. In other words, if they tested her wrath, even by a little bit, the outcome would end exactly the way she first stated.

Understanding, (or atleast forced to realize), the fact that they held no power over a teacher in the first place, the rioting students knew this all too well.

Even if they disliked the situation that they were in, they atleast still had a chance to fulfill their dreams. All they would need to do is simply apply a little extra elbow grease then most of the other classes.

However, not even that opportunity awaits them in the face of expulsion. With one document, Gwein could shut their hopes and dreams down for good.

They were forced to accept their current reality.

As such, all signs of rebellion were utterly crushed.

In the meantime, I wonder if the other classes have realized this truth as well. And if so, I'm a little curious as to how they are handling this situation.

—Well, I suppose those of Class A would be fine, if not, ecstatic seeing as how they were able to start the year off with an overwhelming advantage.

For us in Class D though, we got some catching up to do…