Chapter 91 – Chaos in three classes

Under the flickering lights of the KTV, Horikita and the others were silent, overwhelmed by the torrent of critical information Yukio had just revealed, leaving them momentarily unable to respond.

When they finally collected their thoughts, Katsuragi bitterly said, "So, is this why you've been aggressively using contracts to extract personal points from our classes?"

"Huh?" Yukio didn't expect such a confused question. He glanced at Ryuen before continuing to drink his beverage, feeling today's Katsuragi wasn't up for a logical conversation, his mind too cluttered with nonsensical questions.

Ryuen, somewhat reluctantly, took it upon himself to respond, honestly too uninterested to address such inquiries.

But with Yukio dismissing the current state of Katsuragi, it was up to him to step in: "Katsuragi, you really should rest."

"Yukio already mentioned, didn't he? After the special exam for the privileged students, our promotion to Class A is guaranteed. Why would we need two thousand to transfer to another class?"

"Class B and lower-ranked classes naturally aspire to overtake those above them, but which higher-ranked class actively seeks to drop down? Extracting points is just part of another plan, oh, right, your class is an active example of descending towards the lower-ranked ones."

Katsuragi, taunted by Ryuen, turned visibly more upset. Their Class A, from its lofty position, had plummeted.

Although they still had many class points left, giving them a certain advantage over other classes, not being in Class A meant all their elite cultivation was for naught.

The most fatal part! Such a mistake occurred under his leadership!

Why was Katsuragi's mind so muddled today, acting so out of character? Wasn't it because he had sincerely apologized to the Class A students, promising to win back what was lost?

But now? Not to mention winning back, they had even handed over their minimum status as Class A! The immense guilt, shame, and frustration weighed heavily on his spirit, making Katsuragi perform so poorly today.

Yet, what Yukio and Ryuen said wasn't wrong. All the information combined washed over his thoughts; he shouldn't have asked such a foolish question, but he didn't know what else to say and could only dejectedly shake his head, leading the Class A students away.

Horikita's expression was particularly grim: "I don't think all of this was necessary for you to take the risk of losses just to probe the school's rules."

"If our Class D can't afford to pay, we naturally can't fulfill the contract, much like a bankrupt company is only pursued up to its creditors, not the entire collective."

"Doesn't matter," Yukio put down his beverage, his face the epitome of a tycoon's indifference: "Discovering even one rule is worth it, it's just a loss of a few hundred thousand, which is small change to us now."

This extravagant statement turned Horikita's face a shade of livid purple, akin to a liver! Small change? Was this really considered a small amount? Listening to this, was this even human speech?

For the financially strapped Class D, a few hundred thousand was a significant sum!

When conversation fails to align, further discussion is futile. Horikita couldn't understand why Yukio was so fixated on probing the school's rules. Even if all were uncovered, at best, it would only allow for exploiting minor loopholes.

In Horikita's view, Yukio's efforts to probe and study how to counter the school's surveillance were meaningless, whereas the information about the twenty-million-point class transfer caught her serious attention.

Thus, she had no desire to stay longer and promptly left.

Ichinose was the only outsider left, and she was easy to speak with. Saying she needed to calm her own class members and after congratulating Yukio and the students of Class C, she too departed.

The remaining students of Class C naturally fell into a wild celebration. They had thought Yukio was capable of leading them to Class A.

But they never imagined he would be this effective, especially just after one summer of the first semester! In just one summer break, they had easily reversed their standings, dethroning Class A and taking their place!

The excitement was palpable, with everyone joyously engaging in an all-nighter, though Yukio, Ryuen, Shiina, and Ibuki, among others, opted to rest early and didn't stay up too late.

While Class C's students were in the midst of full-blown celebration, the other three classes were the picture of gloom, drained of spirit.

Class A's students surrounded Katsuragi, not even retreating indoors but confronting him on the deck, like angry villagers collectively interrogating a village chief who had harmed their interests.

"So you're saying, we shouldn't have kept silent from the start? The whole 'Outcome Two is our Class A advantage'? Bullshit! Now we're not even Class A anymore!"

"Katsuragi, you bear the responsibility this time! Don't you have anything to say?!"

Katsuragi, facing the pressing crowd of classmates, seeing their anxious expressions, knew he had indeed erred this time.

Although unclear on how Yukio utilized the rules to identify all privileged students, his failure to notice this was undoubtedly his fault.

Thinking this, he took a deep breath, bowed deeply again, and thought to himself with self-deprecation that he hadn't expected to bow twice to his classmates in such a short period: "After we return, let Sakayanagi lead our class."

"Whether it was the deserted island special exam or the privileged student special exam, it was because I failed to see the big picture and allowed Yukio to exploit the rules, causing our class to lose its Class A status."

"I plan to apply for withdrawal to take responsibility for these two failures, but I still hope everyone can give me a chance to atone for the class over the next three years."

Katsuragi's words were heavy, even mentioning voluntary withdrawal, influenced perhaps by cultural norms, where public apologies and resignations are commonplace on TV, embodying a popular way of taking responsibility.

Hearing this, the classmates were deeply moved. They were angry but not to the extent of demanding Katsuragi's expulsion. Ultimately, they decided to return and consult Sakayanagi for a decision on how to deal with Katsuragi.

In Ichinose's class, things were stable. Ichinose invited everyone out for a late-night snack, quickly lightening the mood with laughter and jokes. Initially saddened, seeing Ichinose's earnest effort made them smile reluctantly.

Only Kanzaki sat alone in a corner, silently eating, gazing at the merry class, and questioning himself if continuing this naiveté was really okay. Wouldn't it lead the entire class to slide down to Class D?

Class D was the most contentious, with some blaming Horikita for achieving nothing, suggesting they should continue to follow Hirata's leadership to guide the class.

Others worried about the class points accumulated through hard work up to the midterms and the deserted island, nearly wiped out in this privileged student exam. How would they manage life ahead, especially with the debt owed to Yukio's class each month?

Seeing such dissatisfaction, the ever-amicable Hirata stepped in to calm everyone, managing to quell those displeased with Horikita, though many in Class D still voiced their complaints.

Clearly, the conflict was irreconcilable. If Horikita fails to produce results, Hirata might not be able to keep things under control next time.

At this time, Karuizawa also stepped in to calm the class. Having earned some extra points, she wouldn't be living too harshly and even mentioned she had saved a little money, offering to lend a bit to those in need, thus winning over more support.

The celebration of one class led to chaos in the other three.

***

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