Chapter 5 : Ryūen’s Choice

CLASS D, ANOTHER class of 40 students, was beginning to feel the heavy atmosphere. Of course, this was only because of the intense content of the last question that we had arrived at.

[QUESTION FIVE:]

Gain 100 class points in exchange for one classmate being expelled.

(If the vote is unanimously in favour, identify the student who will be expelled and vote for him/her.

[Choices:]

For

Against

[Results of the first round of voting:]

14 in favour

26 against

This is the moment when the voting results were disclosed. Like Horikita's and Ichinose's class, there were against votes. However, compared to those classes, the number of classmates who were in favour of expelling a classmate were considerably larger.

In other words, more than a third of the students felt on first impression that class points should be prioritized even if it means expelling a student.

"So, what are you going to do, Ryūen-san?"

Ishizaki, the first person who asked for instructions after receiving the results asked the class leader, Ryūen...

The flow of events leading up to this question all started with this procedure. Since it is unlikely that the issue will be unanimous after the first vote, they listen to the leader's policy in the first interval and aim for unanimity in the second and subsequent votes.

The sequence of events is similar to that of other classes, but the accuracy is extremely high. The confrontation class in question 1, the protection point relationship in question 3, and the test imposed on my own class in question 4 all resulted in unanimous votes on the choices that Ryūen instructed in just one interval.

The only question he let them do as they pleased was question 2, the decision on the school trip. He let his classmates debate as they wished for about half an hour, and in the end, they were unanimous in choosing the destination with the highest number of votes.

It is obvious to everyone that this last question is different in content, but the method is essentially the same.

All issues that seem to require instructions are decided by a single word from Ryūen.

The students are keenly aware of just which side Ryūen voted for. If he votes in favour, it means that someone will be expelled. An irresistible decision. This is the characteristic of a class that is governed by a dictatorship. Looking at the results and smiling, Ryūen stood up from his chair.

"It's been a boring time up to this point, but I guess the school didn't intend for it to be just a game. Otherwise it wouldn't be so interesting, would it?" He mumbled to himself for all my classmates to hear, and made my way to the podium.

Sakagami, the teacher of Class D, sensed Ryūen approaching and distanced himself.

He knew well that this was where Ryūen would start his stand-up act, as usual. He sat down on the podium as if it was his reserved seat. He took a posture that allowed him to look out over all his classmates and spoke his first words.

"All those who voted in favour, raise your hands."

There was no consideration whatsoever in Ryūen's order, and an intense tension ran through everyone, regardless of whether they agreed or not. In the past, he had never even asked which option we had voted for.

After a few seconds of hesitation, hands started to be raised. Some of them were Nishino and Kaneda, who raised their hands while staring out the window, looking unmotivated.

"So, five people. Well, I guess that's about right. That's pretty good for a first time."

The fact that there were nine students who didn't follow orders and didn't state that they voted in favour.

It was students like Ishizaki, Komiya, and the others who were first surprised to see this.

"Hey, there's nothing to be gained by hiding opinions, is there? It's not like we're going to get mad at you for voting in favour once." Komiya appealed to his silent classmates, hoping that things wouldn't get too messy now. "It's not like you were being told what to do. It was your personal choice to vote for or against, right?" Komiya explains that they can't be blamed for that, and just to be sure, he checks with Ryūen to make sure he's right.

However, when Ryūen didn't respond immediately, it caused a moment of tension in Komiya. If there was a misinterpretation, it could lead to a scolding censure.

"Hurry up and raise your hands before I start getting annoyed!"

Hurrying to change the atmosphere of the place, Ishizaki hurriedly followed up.

Then one student raised his hand apologetically after a delay. This brought the total number of students to six, but the remaining eight students still did not raise their hands.

"It's okay, Ishizaki. Anyone who doesn't want to raise their hand doesn't have to. For now."

"Eh, is it okay?"

"Komiya said it right, that it's up to each individual to agree or disagree. So first of all, each of you should think about what you're going to do on your own. We have a little over eight minutes left, and that's plenty of time to do so."

Checking the time without panicking, Ryūen didn't even try to change his posture or break out of his grin. He only told them vaguely to think about it, and then did nothing.

And for more than two minutes, he remained silent without doing anything.

"Look, don't waste this time. Think about which way you're going to vote."

From here, silence again.

Ten seconds, thirty seconds, a minute passed, but he made no attempt to utter anything. All the questions up to this point had forced him to make a choice in the first interval.

That's why all the students were wondering why Ryūen didn't give them any instructions. However, few students were able to express their opinions, but the more time passed, the more their mouths closed.

"Please, give us some instructions..."

At first, Ishizaki and the others seemed to be able to say so, but then they became downcast. Their upper and lower lips were stuck together and would not open as if they were glued together. The more time that passed, the more they almost lost the will to speak. Eventually, those who wanted to speak up would fade away, and they would shift to hoping that someone else would speak up. When even that passes, people start to hope that the voting time will come soon, even though the remaining time is longer.

The first interval, which seemed long and drawn out, came to an end with the majority of the time spent in silence. This was something Sakagami hadn't expected, and he had lost track of the fact that he had to proceed a few seconds past the scheduled time.

"Sakagami-sensei. Isn't it time?"

He huffed at Ryūen's words once he got off the podium and tried to return to his own seat.

"Yes, it is. We will now have a second round of voting, and you have 60 seconds to cast your votes."

And as soon as everyone had voted for the second time, the results were immediately shown on the monitor.

[Results of the second round of voting:]

10 in favour

30 against

Of the 14 in favour votes, 4 moved to against votes. For the majority of those who did not want to be expelled, this result was generally not a bad thing. With one or two more stern words from the school, the number of in favour votes will decrease further. The result of the second round of voting was such that a unanimous vote against the project could be seen in the near future.

However, Ryūen does not seem to be satisfied with the result.

"Is this the best answer you guys can come up with?

"Is it because the number of affirmative votes is decreasing?" Kaneda asks as he adjusts the position of his glasses. But Ryūen immediately denied it. "Does that mean that... Ryūen-san is voting in favour?" He also denied the point, and laughed once with his nose as if he was dumbfounded. "I'm not sure what's bothering you, Ryūen-san. I don't know."

"Did you guys really reflect your intentions in your votes the first and second time? Only this last issue is clearly different and unusual. That's why I want to know your "true intentions". Don't worry about which side I voted for, just make your choice based on your emotions."

With that, Ryūen left his seat and began to walk slowly through the classroom.

"For the next ten minutes, discuss this thoroughly. Do you want to vote in favour or against?"

With such instructions, the students were forced to debate frantically.

Surrounded by the hectic hustle and bustle, they started talking about whatever they wanted. Ryūen listened to them, occasionally whispering into the ears of his classmates.

He didn't seem to have a particular student in mind.

And the next time he approached Suzuki, he spoke in a whisper in a similar fashion.

"You're free to agree or disagree. Vote for the one you think is right."

Having said that, he also gives an earful to Tokitō, who now sits two seats back from Suzuki.

They continued the discussion as long as time allowed. The time for the third round of voting arrived.

[Results of the third round of voting:]

9 in favour

31 against

The result was almost the same as the second time, and was displayed on the monitor. Sitting down at his desk on the podium, Ryūen decides to express his thoughts during the third interval.

"All those who voted in favour, raise your hands."

After receiving the results, Ryūen again takes a show of hands. Only two people raised their hands, Nishino and Kaneda. The remaining seven people kept their presence a secret and refused to come forward.

Ishizaki was annoyed by the invisible in favour votes, but Ryūen paid no attention to them.

"It looks like you guys voted in favour all three times. Kaneda, what's the reason?"

"To win, I guess. It's never good to have a student drop out, but I think it's more important to get 100 class points."

"Didn't you think that raising your hand would make you a target for expulsion?"

"That's a foolish question, Ryūen-san. If you're useless, you can cut out people you don't need, but you won't kick out people you do need. At least in this class, my value is not 100 class points."

He had weighed his value on a balance sheet and decided that there was no danger of being voted out.

"Well, you're right. Even though he's lacking in looks, Kaneda has a variety of other uses."

"Thank you very much."

Kaneda nodded in satisfaction, not paying any attention to the backhanded compliment.

"Nishino, are you the same as Kaneda?"

"Huh? No way. I just agreed to the quickest way to get more class points. The only reason I raised my hand is because I don't like sneaking around. There's nothing wrong with agreeing with them."

Ishizaki was on edge at the way she spoke, as if she was about to get a glare from Ryūen if she wasn't careful.

"It's time I tell you what you guys care about. Which one I voted for."

"Oh, please tell us!"

They can't start moving on hearing who Ryūen voted for, or in other words, the policy of this class.

Ishizaki hoped aloud as he leaned forward.

"I voted 'in favour' on this question, all three times."

In other words, the current vote, three of the nine votes in favour, turn out to be Ryūen, Nishino and Kaneda.

"So, that means you're going to expel someone from the class... right?"

At Ishizaki's question, Ryūen just smiles and chuckles wryly.

"Don't be so quick to point fingers. I'm just telling you guys how my vote went. I've decided that it's up to you to figure out what you want to do about this issue."

"Oh, we' re going to decide...?"

"Sure, I voted in favour all three times without a second thought."

If the vote was in favour all three times, it was safe to assume that the policy was to expel students from classmates. But since he didn't admit it, Ishizaki is at a loss for words, not understanding the meaning.

"The reason why I agree is simple: if you expel one person, you get 100 class points. In other words, this is an unbeatable option for getting rid of unwanted hindrances and getting class points. In other words, it's a great option that gives you class points in addition to disposing of someone unnecessary. It's a great option that may save you, but it won't hurt you.

However, even after three iterations, the vote was still more against than in favour. In other words, more than half of the class voted "against" to this question. If that's the case, I'm going to respect their wishes and consolidate my vote in opposition."

Ryūen said he decided to give up the class points and to avoid leaving a classmate behind.

"It's settled! You guys don't vote for, you vote against! Ryūen-san's orders!"

Ishizaki looked relieved at the easy-to-understand policy and appealed to his classmates.

"Wait a minute. This isn't like you, is it?" Ibuki, who had been looking bored throughout the special exam so far, voiced her dissatisfaction.

"What do you mean?"

"You're in favour of it, aren't you? If that's the case, why don't you just push through with your approval like you always do? Are you going to play the good guy now and say you're protecting your friends?"

She implied that Ryūen should want to pick up the class points.

"What, you were in favour of it too?"

"I voted against. But it's none of your business what I thought."

"If this hadn't been an anonymous name, I might have let you vote unanimously in favour without reservation. It would have been quicker to just expel anyone who disagreed with my opinion. But unfortunately, this time, it was an anonymous vote test. It's easier to unify the majority of the votes in opposition, since you can't determine who voted for which side."

"So, you're saying you're not confident that you can get the vote to be unanimous in favour?"

"Kuku, it's up to you what you think."

"Yo, don't say unnecessary things, Ibuki. Ryūen-san said to vote the other way around, so that's fine, right? I don't care if it reduces class points, it's still clearing the way."

"Whatever. I was just curious because it's a little out of character for him. Do what you want."

Now that the policy was set, this interval would also have a high percentage of silence.

[Results of the fourth round of voting:]

7 in favour

33 against

Even if the vote was not unanimous, the vote was expected to be almost unanimous against the proposal, but surprisingly, many votes in favour remained. There were only two fewer votes.

"Kaneda, Nishino. Which one did you guys vote for?"

"Against, as instructed by Ryūen-san."

"I'm for it, but I don't want to upset the harmony, so I voted against it."

The two who had raised their hands in favour of the question went to the other side.

And considering the fact that Ryūen had voted against it in the current vote, it would be impossible to pass without at least three less votes in favour.

Moreover, this time, the vote was not a free one, but a forced one with instructions from Ryūen to vote against. In spite of this, seven votes remained in favour. We can't rule out the possibility that there are new supporters, or that one of Kaneda or Nishino are lying.

Ryūen himself voted against, but those around him had no way of confirming that this was even true, and a new sense of anxiety began to spread little by little. In response to the results, Ryūen calmly thinks it over.

Instead of just looking at the number of votes, he tried to detect the flow of votes and anonymity.

"Who's still voting in favour?!"

Ryūen's orders are to cast the "against" vote. Despite the clear instructions, Ishizaki couldn't calm down at the fact that there were seven students who didn't follow them. If Ryūen changed his mind in favour, there would be an expulsion.

"Kuku, don't be so rude, Ishizaki. It's getting more interesting, you know. This is a completely anonymous vote, and no one can know who you voted for. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who are sincerely voting

"in favour".

"But it's a problem if they don't follow Ryūen-san's instructions!"

"I'm not so sure about that. It's not a bad thing to try to gain class points by cutting classmates. It's just that there are seven students who are greedy to get to Class A, right?" As if welcoming the situation, Ryūen clapped his hands in delight. "But as long as we tolerate expulsions, the question of 'who' to expel comes with it. The seven people who voted in favour of this have a clear idea of who they should cut."

"I-is it me..?!" Ishizaki began to panic, wondering if he was the one to be cut.

"It's not impossible to exclude the possibility that there are people who think you're unnecessary, but isn't there anyone who has the courage to come forward? Not anyone else, but someone who wants 'me' to leave the school."

Ryūen challenged him to come forward. But the air was once again filled with silence, and of course, no student spoke up.

"Ha, well, there's no way you're going to puke easily. Kuku, I'll take my time with you."

Thus comes the fifth voting time. This means that we have completed four intervals. Since the beginning of this challenge, they have already spent about 40 minutes on it.

And the results are...

[Results of the fifth round of voting:]

8 in favour

32 against

The result is one more vote in favour, contrary to Ryūen's aim to reduce it.

"What are you going to do, Ryūen? It's been almost an hour, right?"

Nishino sounded depressed and annoyed.

"Don't be so hasty. There's still plenty of time, right?"

"Yes, but there are a lot of people who are voting against you. Isn't this a bad thing?"

The number of affirmative votes clearly symbolized that Ryūen's control was spiralling.

"Yeah, it is. And it's not like we can dismiss the possibility that you're in favour of it."

"What do you...?"

Returning as a counter, Nishino was somewhat surprised, but looked at him and said back forcefully.

"Well, unless I interrogate you, I won't get any evidence, so don't worry."

A difficult test to punish the unsuspecting.

"I have a suggestion, okay?" Yabu Mimi, who had been watching the situation up to this point, made a suggestion.

"Say it."

"How about we make it a unanimous vote in favour of it, and ask the kids who can be expelled to leave the school?"

"Are you sure you're in favour of that?"

"No, I'm not. I've voted against every time so far. But if the for doesn't work, I'm starting to think I can change my policy that way. For example, how about expelling Ibuki?"

Saying this, Yabu gives Ibuki a cold look.

"If you mean, Ibuki-san, then I agree with you, I guess.... Oh, of course, I've always been against it."

As if following Yabu's lead, Fujirika Morofuji also raises her hand in agreement.

"Hey you guys. Since Ryūen-san said he's solidly against it, we'll go with it."

"Wait a minute. I welcome the opinions of these two."

"Oh, is that so?"

"I'm sure it's true from the looks of it that they're so far against it. If we don't get at least two more votes in favour of it on the next ballot, there will be a contradiction. You wouldn't be that stupid, would you?"

Both Yabu and Morofujii answered the question with a strong nod. It is possible that the eight anonymous voters who voted in favour of the proposal will vote against it in the next round, but Ryūen understands that this is a different matter.

"And I even named them as being prepared to vote in favour of it.

Unlike the anonymous eight, you know. And from the looks of it, other than Yabu and Morofu, none of the others look like they want to go along with the idea."

The group of girls who are close to Yabu and the others are at the top of the caste in this class. Ostensibly, it's the opinion of two of them, but in reality, it could be taken as the opinion of the entire group.

"Can you tell us what you think of what we said, Ryūen-kun?"

"In order to expel someone in particular, the basic premise is that there are no votes to support that person. Is there anyone in this class who wants to protect Ibuki even if it means risking their own expulsion?"

He asks the class. But no hands immediately go up.

"Looks like you're in a tough spot Ibuki. Do you honestly accept to be expelled?"

If she accepts, or says she can do as he pleases, Ryūen will move to expel Ibuki without hesitation. That kind of atmosphere stretched throughout the classroom.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not going to let you expel me." Ibuki replies without even looking at Yabu or Morofuji, who had pointed out her name.

"Huh? Wasn't Ibuki-san taking the stance that she doesn't mind if I drop out of school?"

"I don't really care about school, but there are people I want to get revenge on in my own way. Besides, do you really think I'm going to accept this form of expulsion? I'm not going to be conveniently used to line the pockets of people I don't like."

"You just don't care about anything. You're trying to be clear, but you're still scared?" Yabu laughs provocatively.

"Ha. You've grown up, haven't you? You used to be the waist of Manabe. Were you so happy to be the leader of the girls once she was gone?"

As for Ibuki's retort, Ryūen's smile disappeared and he intimidated her with his eyes.

"Hey, Ibuki. You should know your place now. Yabu has a few friends who oppose her expulsion. But you don't have any. And you don't have any kind of attachment to the school, did you?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"It's not that I don't like you, but if you want to quit gracefully and contribute to the class, that's a different story. Regardless of your intentions, we'll eat your blood and flesh if it comes down to it."

"My my, Ibuki-san. You're the only one who thought Ryūen-kun was taking care of you."

"Do you hate me? Ibuki."

"Not really. I never intended to be friends with you in the first place.

You'd do anything to win. I'm not surprised. But I'm not going to drop out."

She repeated her refusal, but Ryūen's tone also became a little harsher.

"It doesn't matter if you intend to or not. I'm going to ask you to bet on whether you're going to make it unanimous in favour or not. Raise your hand if you're willing to put your body on the line for Ibuki. But you have one minute to decide."

In the chilly air, Ishizaki's body trembled slightly. It wasn't fear of Ryūen, but it was time to make up his mind.

"Stop, Ishizaki."

It was Nishino, who had been standing next to Ishizaki for some time, who stopped him.

"Nishino...?"

"We're fighting to win. Your half-hearted camaraderie will only create confusion."

"But, but... Even Ibuki is our..."

"Time is up..."

A minute passed, and not a single student showed up to defend Ibuki in the end.

There were cynical glances from the bushes, pitying glances, and students who were relieved that they were not the target. All sorts of thoughts intersected in the silence.

"Ah, yes. If that's the case..."

Ibuki paused before she uttered her next words. She understood that she, who didn't have a single decent friend, was at a disadvantage in this question. That's why she told people early on that she was voting against. But now that it had come to this, she had no choice but to protect herself.

"Then what?"

Ryūen maintained his silence as he waited for the next words.

"I still have unfinished business with this school."

"Oh?"

"Sorry, but I'm not going to live up to your expectations. Even if the whole class votes in favour, I'll continue to vote against. If you don't get unanimous approval for any length of time, you'll fail this special exam."

"Huh, what? You're going to take the class down with you?"

"That's what I mean."

Ibuki, who had made up her mind, declared herself against and stayed.

"Well, of course you will. Yabu, your change of opinion to agree with me wasn't bad, but you're too quick to name names. If you really want to get rid of Ibuki, you should bring it to unanimous approval first, and then say that name."

"Damn it!"

If she knew she was going to be expelled, there was no way she would vote in favour of it.

"You guys should be quiet and vote against."

Nishino felt a strange sense of discomfort as Ryūen instructed them to do so.

"Why did you have to go through this farce like you just did? Isn't it a complete waste of time?"

Nishino pointed out that Yabu and Ibuki could have stopped arguing earlier, there was no need for a meaningless show of hands, as it was obvious that unanimity by approval would become difficult once the names of individuals were mentioned.

"It's just a way to pass the time. We've got plenty of time to kill anyway."

There was no deeper meaning, Ryūen said, but some students in the class realized that the true meaning lay elsewhere. They understood that the reason why he went along with Yabu's proposal, which would never pass, was to get Ibuki to say that she would never vote for it.

This seemed to be a clever move by Ryūen, and also a painstaking measure born of his impatience that he could not do anything about the situation. The next vote was seven in favour and thirty-three against, and the seventh vote was six in favour and thirty-four against. The seventh vote was six for and thirty-four against. It seemed that the number of in favour votes would gradually decrease, but the eighth vote was seven for and thirty-three against. It was time for the ninth round of voting.

[Results of the ninth round of voting:]

7 in favour

33 against

The remaining votes are still in favour. This was a figure that seemed to show the leadership of Ryūen at the moment. For the sixth through ninth rounds of voting, Ryūen simply sat at the podium for ten minutes without uttering a single word. He just continued to observe with a creepy smile on his face.

However, that situation changed in the interval before the tenth vote began.

"Yo!" Ryūen, who had been laughing silently until now, suddenly turned to the class and called out sharply. The students, who had been carrying on a conversation that was more like a chat than a discussion, hurriedly straightened their postures.

"You guys can't even vote against me without me telling you what to do?"

The students shut their mouths in unison at the obvious change.

"I know you think you won't be scared if you have a certain amount of solid votes in favour, but if it looks like you're just watching the vote for nothing, you're wrong."

He kicked the back of the podium hard with his heel.

"It looks like you're sitting on your knees in anonymity, but it's all on your face, you guys. I've already got a pretty good idea of what's going on. If you do anything more foolish, be prepared okay?"

[Results of the tenth round of voting:]

6 in favour

34 against

With Ryūen's strong words, the vote moved to one for and one against.

However, because the vote in favour has already become six votes once in the seventh vote, it becomes the result that it can be said that there was no effect of fright blackmail practically.

The students noticed that the smile had long since disappeared from Ryūen's face, replaced by a grim expression.

"They're tenacious guys, aren't they? I'm starting to get tired of dealing with them."

We had about four hours left in the time limit, but more than an hour and a half had already passed by the last question.

[Results of the eleventh round of voting:]

7 in favour

33 against

The number of votes in favour of the proposal, which had been reduced at great cost, came back to seven again.

"At this rate, how are you going to get the vote to go against?"

Nishino, no longer trying to hide her frustration, asks Ryūen about his policy.

"I suppose so. Let's get this over with."

"So then..."

"Do you think I've been sitting here watching you guys for nothing?

You do realize that for the sixth through the tenth time, there's a strange vote, right? I'm talking about the asshole who wanders in and out of the vote for and against. Now I'm going to tell you who it is."

Tension runs through the classroom.

Normally, it is impossible to see through complete anonymity.

However...

"It's you, right? Yajima."

"W-what? No, no!"

The one who was named was Mariko Yajima. She hurriedly stood up to deny it, but she was clearly upset and her demeanor was restless.

"Don't think I'll believe you if you deny it just because you're an anonymous name, okay? If that's what I think, then you're definitely in the black. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"No, no... I'm...!"

"If I say it's black, it's black. And if I say it's white, it's white. I'll give you one chance to be the first one. From now on, you have no right to enter

"in favour" without permission. Do you understand? If I find that you don't abide by that, you're out of school for good."

The threats were uncompromising. Even if she continued to vote against this question and failed the special exam, she would be expelled by some heinous means in the not too distant future. She didn't need much time to imagine that.

"I'm not saying all of them, but I have an idea of who's in favour of it.

I'll let you decide in the next vote if you're an idiot like Yajima who needs to be told directly."

And so the 12th vote came.

[Results of the twelfth round of voting:]

5 in favour

35 against

Since Yajima had decided to vote completely against the question, there was no increase in the number of votes in favour. However, even after the final warning, only two people voted in favour of the proposal, leaving five votes. It became clear to Ryūen's classmates that five votes was no longer enough for any kind of threat.

"Five..." After muttering this, Ryūen checked the remaining time and left his seat again.

"I have to admit, he's a bonehead. But even so, I'm not satisfied with it.

If you're not going to give up, then come forward. The five anonymous people here want me to drop out of school. If that's the case, we'll have to make it a unanimous vote in favour. It would be boring to end this with time running out, right? Then make a move. That's how we can fight as equals."

If one of us doesn't achieve unanimity, we won't be able to pass this special exam. Unless we can identify the students, who want to vote in favour, we'll just be wasting time.

It was thought that there would be no one in favour who would show up in this situation, but...

"Oh good, Ryūen. Then I'll come forward. I'm the one who's voting in favour."

At this point, finally, one of the anonymous people who had voted in favour of the question, stood up, determined.

"Tokitō, you bastard! Do you even know what you're saying?!"

Ishizaki jammed as if he was going to jump at him, but Katsuragi grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Stop it, Ishizaki. We're in the middle of a special exam. Are you planning on committing violence here? If you make a bad move, Sakagami-sensei will not tolerate it, and will sentence you to stop the exam, isn't that right?"

"Of course. If that happens, of course, this special exam will end with your disqualification."

"Damn it...!"

"Besides, even though Tokitō confessed, there's still no guarantee that it's true."

Even if you're 99% sure of something, there's no way to make it 100% certain as long as it's anonymous, Katsuragi was saying. It's hard to erase the line that he's pretending to be in favour of it while pitching against.

"It's true, though. I've always wondered if I'd ever get a special exam like this. I can't do anything about a regular special exam, but the moment this question came up, I was freaked out. This is the only time I can get rid of Ryūen."

"Why did you come forward now, Tokitō?"

"Because I've seen eye to eye with Ryūen a few times. You could have guessed that I was in favour of it. I could have come forward sooner, but it was painful to see that the number of people in favour of the project wasn't decreasing left and right."

"That's good, Tokitō. It's not the first time you've been defiant. In fact, I'm honestly glad that you were in favour of it."

"How long can you keep getting carried away? You can't afford to be."

"Yeah. No matter how many times the vote is repeated, the in favour vote will never be lost. I mean, if time runs out, our class will lose 300 points, and I guess it's not a stretch to say that we'll drop out of the Class A race."

"That's right. You are the leader of this class, even if you are not worthy of it. If you fail the special exam, it's not my fault. It's on you. In the first place, you've freely controlled the choices for this special exam. You didn't even listen to the people who said we should fight Ichinose's class, and you forced us to pick Sakayanagi's class as our opponents. Of course, you can take responsibility for losing, can't you?"

"I see. So that's why you, who are rebelling here, have been obediently following the questions up until then."

"It's to show the class that they're wrong. I'm not trying to embarrass the class, I'm just frustrated that you're in charge."

"But here comes a chance to expel someone in particular. So, you decided to bet on it. And? What's your best hope for a good show of defiance?"

"If you want me, or even us, to vote against you, you have to step down as class leader here. If you swear to it in front of everyone, I'm sure you'll get more votes against."

No matter how much he disliked Ryūen, Tokitō knew how difficult it would be to get a unanimous vote in favour of him. That's why he offers a compromise plan.

"Don't be lukewarm about it, Tokitō. Don't you have the confidence to expel me?"

"Don't make me laugh. If the vote is unanimous in favour of the proposal, you're the one who will be expelled, Ryūen."

"May I ask you one question, Tokitō-kun?" While adjusting the position of his glasses, Kaneda raised his hand. "It is true that if the special exams fail, it is logical to nod that part of the responsibility lies with the leader. However, if the vote to expel the student by unanimous approval begins, it will definitely be you who will be expelled, right? In fact, many students continue to vote against as instructed."

Despite Kaneda's calm and collected explanation, Tokitō was unmoved.

"There's no point in voting against it now. Don't tell me you think all the dissenting votes are giving in to Ryūen? It's true that there aren't many people who can openly rebel. But right now, besides my vote, there are four other votes in favour. Even though he repeatedly told me to vote against, there are still four votes left. That's how many strong core people want you to drop out of school!"

"Compared to Yabu and Morofuji, you seem to have a lot of logic, Tokitō." After admiring and applauding, Ryūen continued. "Then don't be shy. Why don't you and I have a little one-on-one fight? Tokitō."

"What?"

"I'll have all thirty-five votes, including the thirty-five I've been voting against, cast in favour of it. Then, just like Kaneda said, they'll start voting on who to expel. Then the rest is easy, you and I will beat each other with our votes."

If the rest of the students weren't up for voting, there was no need to fear a unanimous vote in favour.

"Are you sure? If we eliminate the opposing option here, it's inevitable that there will be expulsions. There's no way for you to survive, Ryūen."

The possibility of unanimity through opposition was left open by Tokitō and Ryūen.

"Everyone wants to avoid running out of time. If that's the case, then it's either you or I. We'll make it a unanimous decision. That would be more interesting for the class, right?"

There was no way he was going to accept Tokitō's suggestion, so Ryūen urged a unanimous vote in favour.

"Humans are selfish, you know. They won't be happy to come forward if there's a risk of being expelled, but if either you or I are going to be expelled, they're going to change their minds, and I'm sure they'll be happy to vote for us if we promise them an extra 100 class points."

"You think the people who are voting in favour now will agree to expel me?"

"Well, I doubt it. If it smells bad, you can vote against, right?"

"Fuck you. It's not me who's getting expelled, it's you, Ryūen!"

"I see. If that's the case, then why don't we just decide to have a face-off?"

The four remaining votes were cast in the name of hiding, and the students who disliked Ryūen but had no choice but to vote against him.

Tokitō was confident that if they repeated the vote to expel Ryūen several times, the number of votes in favour of him would increase as the time remaining decreased.

"Fine, if you're going to go that far..."

Just as Tokitō was about to accept the challenge and agree to the offer, the sound of tapping on the desk echoed through the air.

"Wait, Ryūen. Let me give Tokitō a moment of my time?"

The owner of the sound was Katsuragi. He hurriedly stood up and called out to Ryūen.

"Ah? What do you think you're doing, Katsuragi? I don't remember giving you the right to speak, do I?"

"Nor do I intend to have my say taken away."

Katsuragi replied unperturbed to the instruction to shut up and turned to Tokitō.

"As you say, it's not wrong to think that as long as the number of people who don't follow Ryūen doesn't reach zero, we're safe. However, what Ryūen says is also true. If a decisive vote is held with the restriction that it must be held until either Ryūen or Tokitō leaves the school, the emotions of the students will fluctuate greatly with the time remaining. If that happens, the one who can control the majority of votes, that is, Ryūen, will have an overwhelming advantage."

"I told you. Don't assume an advantage just because of that, Katsuragi.

The truth is that many in the class don't welcome Ryūen. They're just frustrated because they're being held back by force. As time runs out, more and more people will surely stop protecting and defending him. Even if it's the stone dog Ishizaki."

"What?!"

"You once stood up to Ryūen, remember? Remember that rebellious spirit."

"Ah, that was..."

Last year, during the incident on the rooftop, when Ayanokōji had a dispute with Ryūen. The story was that Ishizaki had defeated Ryūen and temporarily took control of the class. Tokitō cited that incident.

"I don't know what happened back then, but you think you'll win in the end?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then let me ask you a question. If Ryūen is expelled, who will organize this class after that?"

"You can discuss it or whatever you want. However, you're the only one who's a stranger, Katsuragi."

"It's true that as an outsider, I may not be an option. But it's also true that if we can't show a clear next leader, we won't be able to make a decision. I can't catch up with or overtake Sakayanagi."

Katsuragi looked at the big picture of the situation and continued to try to persuade him, but Tokitō would not stop.

"So what? If I wasn't prepared to stab this guy in the back from the beginning, I wouldn't have come forward in the first place."

"Kukuku, from the beginning? Yet you waited this long because you knew what exactly you could achieve. That it amounted to nothing."

"Shut up!"

"You're not going to be able to do anything about it unless there are a few like-minded people with you."

Having confirmed that there were several votes that didn't follow Ryūen, Tokitō started to move as well.

"Please, Ryūen. Please give Tokitō a chance."

In response to Katsuragi's words, which he saw as solely in Ryūen favour, Ryūen snapped his fingers once.

"Fine. Tokitō, I'll give you a chance. The next vote depends entirely on your one vote. If you vote in favour, then I will expel you."

"What the hell did you just say to me? Do you really think you can expel me?"

"Yes. In the next vote, all but your vote will go to the against vote. So, it'll be 1 for and 39 against. In other words, if you vote no, the issue will be unanimously resolved."

"Hey, when did the four in favour votes disappear except for me?"

"Kuku. I turned in those four votes during this interval."

"Get your head out of your ass, there's no way you can do that."

In addition to remaining stubbornly in favour of the idea up to this point, Ryūen has spent most of this interval talking with Tokitō. There was no pretense of turning anyone else over.

"Then give it a try. Vote the same way you've always done, and you'll get your answer."

There was less than a minute left in the ticking interval. The air-conditioned room was kept at a comfortable temperature, but Tokitō's back was starting to sweat. A mere threat, a bluff. It was hard to believe that anything had changed in this interval. But what if the votes in favour of the proposal were really changed into votes against? That would indicate that students other than Tokitō were in favour of Ryūen. He could take the same defensive measure as Ibuki by running away to vote against the question before it was unanimously approved, but he could not choose that option because it would expose his disgrace. In any case, a runoff with Ryūen would be inevitable.

If that happened, it would be certain that Tokitō himself would be defeated.

"You're ready to drop out of school, aren't you? Don't hesitate to vote in favour."

"I don't need to be told by you."

Eventually, the time for voting arrived. Tokitō boldly cast a vote in favour.

"Then we'll show the results of the vote."

The results are displayed on the monitor at the same time as Sakagami's announcement.

[Results of the thirteenth round of voting:]

2 in favour

38 against

"Ah!"

Tokitō's heart must have raced more than anyone else's when he saw the results. This was because, as Ryūen had said, all but one of the four remaining votes had gone against.

"Ha, sure, I was freaked out. But hey, it just means there's another student out there who's just as strong-willed as I am! The one who didn't give in even after being threatened to this extent!"

He shouted and let out a roar that was equivalent to declaring himself the winner.

But instead of looking at Tokitō, Ryūen turned his gaze to another student.

"What do you think you're doing? You voted for, didn't you? Katusuragi."

"What?" Tokitō was surprised when the name of a person he hadn't expected was mentioned.

"That's right. If I had voted against, it would have taken the form of one vote in favour and thirty-nine against, as you declared, and it would have been brought to a decisive vote. If that had happened, it would have been impossible to pass this test except by expelling one of us."

"That's the way it was supposed to go. Depending on your answer, you won't get off scot-free either."

"There's one reason. I think that Tokitō is a necessary student for the class. No, it's not just Tokitō. I'm an outsider who came here from Class A.

That's why I've been looking at this class from an objective point of view. As a result, I've come to understand that there is not a single unwanted student."

"You're saying that a timekeeper who doesn't follow instructions is a necessary student?"

"Yes. In fact, I consider him to be a valuable asset. He is someone who can disagree with you without hesitation, just like me, or even more so than me. Of course, the way you did it in this special test is wrong, though. I just don't like the way you put the class in danger, just to drag Ryūen down."

Katsuragi threw a look and a word not only at Ryūen, but at Tokitō as well.

"If you don't like the fact that Ryūen is the leader, then make your case fair and square in a way that doesn't involve anyone else. If that argument is correct, I will side with you without hesitation."

"But... but until just before, four of my friends voted..."

The existence of invisible reinforcements that have pushed Tokitō this far. It was also a source of comfort.

"Such a thing doesn't exist from the beginning. It's just an illusion."

"Illusion, you mean...?"

"To be precise, I should say that it was eliminated in the repeated voting. There were five votes in favour that remained after the excessive filtering. The ones who cast those votes were you and..." Katsuragi circles around, slowly moving his gaze and pointing. "Shiina, Yamada, Ryūen and myself."

With that answer, Tokitō, and none of his classmates could comprehend.

"What the hell are you saying... that Ryūen also voted in favour...?"

"When the number of in favour votes reaches five, there is only one anonymous name vote left. However, that was all blown out of the water when you came forward."

"So during this interval, Ryūen was mocking and laughing at me in his mind..."

"That's not it. I was merely trying to give you a chance. You could have just voted in favour without bothering to challenge me. That way, eventually, the vote would be unanimous in your favour, but the next vote would have just force you out of school."

"So you were just playing mind games to insult and humiliate me!"

"No, I wasn't. I was giving you a chance to not get expelled."

"What the-"

"But you didn't realize the possibility and tried to push forward. I'm sure you didn't think that Ryūen was giving you a chance, even if it was a roundabout way."

"I'm going to-"

"But no matter how much I lecture you, if you won't listen, that's it. I know it's going to take some time, but can you please give Tokitō one last chance? I'd like you to give him one more chance to vote against before we all vote in favour."

"You want me to give him one more chance? I'm not so naive, am I?"

"You're at fault, too. You were too provocative, and you overlooked the thread of salvation. Now that everything has come to light, you've finally given Tokitō a choice."

"And if he doesn't listen, you won't object to his expulsion, will you?"

"Yeah, I have no objection. You can do whatever you want." Katsuragi closed his eyes and crossed his arms. Katsuragi wanted to leave it up to him to decide what to do with himself.

If Tokiyō voted in favour, he knew he would be expelled.

On the other hand, if he voted against, the vote would be unanimous and he could avoid expulsion.

But to vote no meant to give in to Ryūen's way. It would be a serious blow to Tokitō's pride.

"Then we will start the 60 second voting period."

With Sakagami's words, the countdown begins.

Thirty-nine people, except for Tokitō, finished voting within the time limit, but the count still does not stop.

Sakagami looked up once and glanced at Tokitō.

"It's been explained to you in advance, but after sixty seconds, penalty time will accumulate."

Tokitō looks down and stares alternately at the for and against text on his tablet.

"Damn... damn it."

It was supposed to be a full blown counterattack. But halfway through, he found himself alone. Everything was just being made to dance on the palm of Ryūen's hand.

He felt frustrated, embarrassed, and shameful.

All sorts of negative emotions surrounded Tokitō's mind and would not let go. Pride peeked out of his face, saying, "I'm not going to give in to Ryūen at this point." He dispersed gracefully. No, he could deliberately vote in favour of the proposal and buy himself some time; if he continued to vote against the other 38 students, he might be able to make Ryūen's plan a failure...

No, it would only cause a lot of trouble for his classmates and make him even more annoying than Ryūen.

That's not what Tokitō wants.

"Damn you, Ryūen." Said Tokitō under his breath as he cast his vote.

"Everyone has finished voting. Now I will announce the results."

Taking a breath, Sakagami operated the tablet and showed the results on the monitor.

[Results of the fourteenth round of voting:]

0 in favour

40 against

"Since the vote was unanimous, the question has been rejected. This concludes the special exam."

Ryūen's class, which seemed to have a strong possibility of having students drop out, was confirmed with all students remaining.

"Tokitō, you..."

Ishizaki turned around and spoke to Tokitō, who had his eyes downcast and was getting up to leave. However, before exiting, he stopped and looked back one last time.

"Don't get me wrong, Ryūen, I'm not approving of your methods. If I decide that you've done something that prevents our class from moving up to Class A, I'll eliminate you as soon as I can."

"You can come at me anytime. And when you do, I'll take you on without mercy."

"Mmm..." It was complicated for Tokitō to stay here, so he left the classroom quickly.

After witnessing this, Katsuragi walked up to Ryūen's side.

"That was unnecessary, Katsuragi. They thought I was welcoming an expelled student, remember?"

"I suppose half of them were. But the other half of you were exploring the possibility that you weren't, weren't you?"

"Watch yourself, do I look that naive to you?"

"I don't know if you're naive or not, but if your goal was to control the vote completely, then it's important to have students in your ranks who are loyal to you without going the extra mile. However, after the second vote, you gave instructions to Shiina, the main target, while giving an earful to the appropriate students. If you only talk to certain students, they will think you are planning some kind of strategy. Then, through Shiina, you gathered friends who would vote in favour of the plan through repeated discussions.

And I was one of them. The reason for this was because you knew that I would protect Tokitō, right?"

"You're protecting Tokitō? Where did you get that information from?"

"Shiina overheard me and Tokitō talking about you. I wouldn't be surprised if you knew about it from her report."

"I was just misled by the fake in favour votes and carefully selected the ones who would vote in favour. Of course, I had to expel the guy to get the class points. It was a shame."

After Ryūen left the classroom late, Katsuragi turned to the eyes that had been watching them.

He was honestly impressed to see Shiina smiling and chuckling gently.

"So it's possible that it was Shiina's own decision to draw me in..."

But either way, it doesn't change the fact that Ryūen prepared the strings to help Tokitō, and then gave him a chance. When Katsuragi looked at the students who were relieved that no one had been expelled, he was convinced.

Katsuragi was convinced that this class had the potential to defeat Sakayanagi and become Class A. And he knows that he wants to pursue that path together with this class.