Chapter 2.4 - Factorial Zero

Time flew by in the blink of an eye. It was already Friday. Our midterm exam was finally upon us. The study group were held everyday for the entire week. Horikita took the active role of teaching the curriculum to all. Now, it was only a matter of time until the results would be clear as day.

"There are no absences today. It appears everyone is present."

Chabashira strode through the classroom with a bold smile on her face.

"That's the first hurdle for you leftovers. Are there any questions?"

"We've studied diligently these past few weeks. I don't think that anyone will fail."

"Oh my. You sound quite confident, Hirata."

Everyone wore a confident look, even Sudou. Even a actually attended the study groups for the remaining days. There was no mistaking that he at least tried to study. But will that be enough?

The teacher promptly took up the test papers and passed them out.

"If anyone stumbles here, the other tests will be an uphill battle, quite frankly. You'll take this midterm and the final exam in July. If no one fails either test, you'll be rewarded with a vacation during your summer break."

"A vacation?"

"That's right. A dream vacation on an island surrounded by the brilliant blue sea."

That was a good joke, until they turned it into full fledged special exam.

"Everyone. Let's do our best!"

"Yeah!" Ike howled along with our classmates.

"Yeah!" I mustered some strength to my voice too cause why not?

"Pervert." Horikita glanced at me.

"What can I say? I'm a normal healthy boy in adolescence."

"If I were to voice my opinion, you are anything but normal."

"How rude."

"I am just stating the facts. That's all." and so I ignored her thereafter.

Before long, everyone had their test papers. On the teacher's signal, everyone began. I held off on starting for a moment and looked at Sudou. With everything h'd learned, could he avoid failing?

We held study sessions whenever we could with the intention of reaching maximum efficiency. Sudou joined the group from time to time. Though he would show his club activities as his jail free card, he was not completely ignoring us which was a good sign. But, will he be okay though?

Oh, I wonder what would happen.

The next second I finally turned my paper. Sure enough, the questions were exactly the same as expected. To tell you the truth, the exam paper was a bit odd.

I've read the curriculum for the first years. Granted, the majority of the questions were within the syllabus. However the paper also contained numerous questions from not only the second and third years level, but also from the college level.

During my fifteen years of studying, I've never seen such an unique selection of questions, ever. But there was nothing to worry about as I was pretty sure that most the students would copy and paste from what they've memorized from the paper distributed by someone who was 'not me'.

I slowly started answering the questions myself, one by one. It was only a matter of time until the results would come out.

But really, at this point whether Sudou sank or swim was entirely up to fate.

•••••

The tests had ended. We all circled around Sudou.

"Hey, did you do okay?" asked Ike, anxiously.

Sudou was on the verge of losing his cool. One thing's for sure, he was not confident about his performance.

"I don't know... I did everything I could, but I have no idea how well I did..."

"Don't worry. You studied as hard as you could. I'm sure you did well." I comforted him.

"Damnit! Why didn't I read the English papers carefully!" Sudou fidgeted, clearly frustrated himself. I, then pushed Horikita in front of him.

"Sudou-kun."

"What is it, Horikita-san?" it was truly a sight to see the two of them talk like civil citizens.

"It was certainly your fault for not reviewing the old test's final section. However, as you said, you did everything that you could with the time that you had. You didn't cut any corners or give up. Considering how much effort you put in, I think you should hold your head high and feel proud."

"What is this? Are you trying to comfort me?"

"Comfort? I'm speaking the truth. When I look at how far you've come, I understand how hard studying is for you, Sudou."

She was genuinely praising him. Seeing her like this was not a bad sight at all. I guess even Horikita can be cute sometimes.

"Let's wait for the results."

"Yeah... Okay."

"Please, excuse me. I'll be leaving now."

Horikita's expression was the same as always, but she bowed her head to Sudou. After doing so, Horikita left the room.

"Hey, did you just see that? Horikita was actually being nice to you!"

"I can't believe it!"

Ike and Yamauchi were both completely stunned. Kushida was as well. Best I could do was to just deadpan at them.

Horikita had acknowledged that Sudou had done his best. A dumbfounded Sudou, still seated at his desk, looked after Horikita as she walked through the classroom door. Soon after, Sudou, put his right hand over his heart and looked at us.

"O-oh, no... I... I think I might be in love with Horikita..." I almost smirked upon hearing those words.

Before long, Chabashira strode into the classroom with a long paper folded in her hands. Everyone was clearly anxious, holding their breath in anticipation of the test results. Suddenly she glared at me, her eyes were full of disappointment. I immediately shrugged and avoided eye contact. However, my eyes landed... somewhere.

Just at a glance, I could see two giant reasons why our homeroom teacher was the best in the entire school.

[Author: Yes, 'Ecchizaki' is real]

"Sensei. We were told that the results would be announced today, but when?"

"There's no need for you to get so worked up, Hirata. You should have passed quite easily."

"So, when will the results be released?"

"Well, if you'd like, now is as good a time as any. If we waited to do it after class, we wouldn't have enough time for other procedures."

Some of the students visibly reacted to the words "other procedures."

"What...do you mean by that?"

"Don't get flustered. I'll tell you now."

She stuck a large, white sheet of paper with everyone's names and test scores onto the blackboard.

"Honestly, I'm impressed. I didn't think that you'd score so-"

The moment she stuck the results in the blackboard, I had already started analyzing it. Instead of searching for my results, I searched for the other's results. It was a matter of time until my eyes came across my targets. Ike, Yamauchi, Sakura, all of them had managed to pass the exam by a long line. But Sudou... well... he's results were...

"Exactly as I engineered." I said to myself

Sudou failed the midterm, securing a score of forty-two points in English. Exactly one point away from the red line.

"We showed you, sensei! When we really try our best, we can do anything!" Ike wore a smug, confident look.

"Yes, I recognize that. You all did very well. However-" Chabashira held a red pen in her hand.

Sudou unintentionally let out a "Huh?"

She drew a red line right above Sudou's name.

"Wh-what is that? What does that mean?"

"You failed, Sudou."

"Huh? You're lying, right? Don't give me that crap! Why did I fail?" he cried.

Silence fell over the classroom as despair fell upon the arrogant boy.

"Sudou, you failed the English exam. That's all."

"Don't screw with me! I got more than thirty-two points! I passed!"

"When did anyone say that thirty-two points was a passing grade?"

"No, no. You said so, sensei! Right, everyone?" shouted Ike.

"Say whatever you want, it won't matter. This is the undeniable truth. You had to score at least a forty-three to pass the midterm exam. In other words, you were just one point short. You were so close."

"F-forty-three?! You never told us about this! I won't accept it!"

"Should I tell you how we determine the passing grade?"

Chabashira wrote a simple formula on the blackboard: 86.8 divided by 2 equals 43.4

"We set a passing grade for each individual class, just as we did for the last test. We calculated that number by dividing the average score by two.

That's how we arrived at our answer."

"I provided proof that you failed. That is all."

"No way... So... Does that mean I'm going to be expelled?"

"Although your time here was short, you struggled valiantly. You'll be asked to fill out a withdrawal form after class, but you will need to have a legal guardian present when you do so. I'll contact them for you. As for the rest of you, good work. You all passed without any issues. Work hard so that you can pass your final exam as well. Well then, next-"

I was thoroughly impressed by how casually she swapped topics. It could be that she simply didn't care about anyone. Or, it could be related to the deal that we made.

"S-sensei. Is Sudou-kun really being expelled? Is there no way to save him?"

Hirata was the first to show concern, even though Sudou hated him and had lashed out at him verbally.

"He's being expelled. He got a failing grade."

"Could we possibly see Sudou-kun's answer sheet?"

"Even if you look it over, you won't find any grading mistakes. I was expecting that you'd protest."

She took out Sudou's English answer sheet and handed it to Hirata, who immediately looked over every problem. His expression turned dark when he reached the end.

"There...are no mistakes."

"Well, if you're all in agreement, homeroom is over."

There was not the faintest bit of sympathy in her voice. She did not give him a second chance nor a single word of comfort. Ike and Yamauchi, stayed silent as their friend cried in hopelessness. Hirata remained quiet, too.

"Sudou, come to the faculty room after class. That is all."

The homeroom ended as Chabashira exited the classroom.

•••••

Sudou, still struggling to wrap his head around this new reality, looked over at Horikita. She had purposefully lowered her grades as far as she could, all to stop Sudou's expulsion.

"I'm sorry. I should have tried to lower my score just a little more," she muttered.

"Why? You said that you hated me," Sudou said.

"Don't misunderstand. I did this for my own sake. It was all for nothing, though."

Horikita slowly glanced at me.

I slowly got up from my seat, also signalling towards Ayanokouji. He simply nodded.

"Wh-where are you going, Levent?"

"Toilet."

With that, I exited and quickly made my way through the hallway. It wasn't long before we reached the rooftop. As expected, Chabashira was standing there smoking. It was as if she was waiting for someone.

"Ayanokouji, hmm? Class will begin any minute, you know," she said without looking back.

"It's Levent." I shortly replied.

"Oh. It's you, huh?" she sounded seemingly disappointed.

"You sure seem disappointed."

"I won't deny that. So, what brings you here, Levent? I'm sure you're not here to spout nonsense, are you?"

"Sensei would be okay if I were to ask you this one question?"

"One question? Is that why you went to the trouble of chasing me here?"

"There's this question that has been lingering deep in my mind."

"Great. First it was Horikita, now you. What in the world is it?"

"Which one do you think is better? Nature or nurture?"

"That's an interesting question. Such a sudden one too. Is there a special meaning behind it?"

"That depends. In any case, what's your opinion?"

"If you are seeking for my personal opinion, then I would say nature. There is nothing comparable to what was given to you by birth."

"I see. I share similar feelings to some extent."

"Is that so?"

"But at the same time, I think nurturing is also a necessity. Suppose that you have a high grade iron ore in front of you, the best kind in the world. But if you fail to polish it into a usable material, then it'll remain a useless chunk of metal. We need nurturing to in order to grow. Nature does not go above nurture, nurture does not go above nature."

"You're statement is becoming more and more paradoxical. Did you chase me all the way just to ask that question? If that's all then I'll be going."

"On our first ever homeroom when you briefed us about the school and S-system, you told us that in the school almost anything is purchasable with points. Was that correct?"

"With limitations, yes. I did say that. And your point is?"

"I want you to sell one point for Sudou's English test."

I took my student ID card out of my pocket.

"..."

Chabashira's eyes widened. And then she laughed loudly.

"Hahahaha! You're an interesting student, aren't you? I'd never imagined you'd try to buy points."

"It should be eligible. Though it's tempting, I'm not trying to buy your soul, nor your body. What I'm trying to buy is something that should be buyable. Capitalism was always there in the modern society. And always will be. In that regard, I'm should be allowed to buy this, correct?"

"I see, I see. You certainly could have it that way. However, do you even have enough money on hand to afford it?"

"Well, how much does one test point cost?"

"Now, that's a rather difficult question, isn't it? I've never been asked to sell test points before. Let's see... Seeing as how this is a special occasion, I'll sell a test point for the exceptional price of 100,000 points."

"I'll accept this deal."

I tapped on the phone a few times.

"I've sent 100,000 points on your account."

Chabashira fell silent. Her expression was like a doll, but confusion was seeping through her poker face.

"Well that was fast. Did you seriously give up the majority of your points?" she asked

"Let's get to the part where you keep your side of the agreement, sensei."

"Of course. You can go ahead and tell your friend to be rest assured." Chabashira took a box out of her pocket and snuffed the cigarette.

The deal was already done. I had nothing more to do. When I was on my way back, I stopped.

"And one more thing. I believe that you will keep this deal with me anonymous."

"Oh? And what will you do if I didn't?"

What will I do, you say?

"You want your class to reach the top. That's a fact. But the question is, is it something regarding the competition between the teachers? Or is it something that had happened in the past?" her expression stiffened ever the slightest.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Someday, I will tell you a story regarding a girl who dragged an entire class down with them."

"....." she went silent, her fists starting to clench. "And what is your point exactly, Aozaki?" She called me by that name.

"Still don't get it? Well, in that case I'll let you know that, even though we're currently aiding the class, it wouldn't take too long to change our mind. Sabotaging an entire class is not that big of an ordeal. You should very well know what I'm talking about, huh,?"

"Aozaki!"

"Don't worry sensei. All you have to do is just cooperate with us. That's all."

"And what happens if I decide not to cooperate with you?"

"Take a guess."

That was all I had to tell her. After I was done with the rooftop, I walked down the stairs. After a few steps, Horikita was standing next to the wall. Seeing her face, I waved at her.

"Yo."

"What exactly did you do there?"

"I'm just making you worthy of having that superiority complex of yours."

"Was that supposed to be an insult?"

"Depends on how you look at it..." I shrugged.

"Either way, what would you do to save Sudou-kun?"

"Don't worry. I've already done that."

"What! How?" Horikita shouted before I pushed my finger on top of her lips.

"Shh... Stop screaming. Either way, I've already secured Sudou's residence. Now it's time for you to go there and announce it to them. Just like I told you."

"R-right." for some reason her cheeks were slowly turning red.

.....

....

......

Oh..So it's like that, huh?

Stockholm Syndrome, an emotional response. It happens to some abuse and hostage victims when they have positive feelings toward an abuser or captor. It's not a psychological diagnosis, it's simply a coping mechanism of the victim.

Usually they end up harboring sympathy, fondness or sometimes romantic feelings towards their abuser. While it's not necessarily the best outcome, there are times when the victim and the captor end up forming a bond. This helps the victim get kindness treatment from others.

I honestly want to see my forcefulness upon Horikita as a form of abuse. But facts are facts. The normal response I was initially hoping for would be something along the lines of my victim garnering hatred towards me. Or least I expected her to show resistance more. However...

Am I being overly self-conscious, or did she really form romantic feelings for me?

To test my theory, I slightly pressed and circled around her lips before I took them off. As a result some of her saliva got in my finger. I honestly didn't know what to think of it.

"Keh!" as expected she gave me a flustered reaction.

No, anyone would be flustered by that. Forming speculations over inaccurate methods like this would only cause confusion. It's better if I observe everything slowly.

I pulled my arms and started walking as if nothing happened.

"W-what was that Levent-kun!" she shouted while glaring at me.

"What exactly?" I feigned ignorance.

"The thing you just did!"

"Ah, right. I told you not to shout, didn't I? Can you even do a single thing right, Horikita?" I joked.

"You! Grr..."

"Hey, we received a total of eighty-seven class points all because of me. You should be thankful."

I decided to step it up and walk faster...

"Hey! Wait! Do you really want me to take credits for your efforts?"

"I don't see there being any problem doing that. Do you have one?"

"Yes. I can't jus-"

"Well it doesn't matter. Let's go back to the classroom before the class begins."

"S-sure." a dejected Horikita followed along. Was she perhaps feeling guilty?

"There's no need for you to feel guilty, Horikita. I don't do anything that doesn't have any benefit for me. The more credible you are, the perfect of a cover you will become for me."

"I really dislike you, Levent-kun."

_____________________________________________________

"Cheers!" Ike shouted joyfully and toasted with a can of juice.

All of us grouped in Ayanokouji's room. They were all overjoyed that no one had been expelled. Everyone smiled... well except for Horikita and Ayanokouji.

"I don't particularly mind that you're holding a celebration party, but why are you in my room?"

"Mine's a mess. So are Sudou's and Yamauchi's. And we can't go to a girl's room, right? I mean, yeah, I would've loved going to Kushida-chan's room. But your spectacularly plain and empty room is the best option."

"But Levent is here too." he looked at me.

"I think this place is just fine. It's simple, nice and clean." I defended myself.

"Right? From now on this is going to be our hang out spot. Hahahaha!"

"All things considered, though, that midterm was dangerous. If we hadn't put the study group together, I would've been fine, but Ike and Sudou would have definitely gotten kicked out." Yamauchi stated.

"You were close to getting expelled, too, you know."

"No, no, I could have gotten a perfect score if I were serious about it. Really."

.....

Yeah, I believe you.

"Everything was thanks to Horikita-san's efforts. She tutored Ike, Yamauchi, Sakura and Sudou."

Oh, did I mention that Sakura was also there. She sitting beside me, silently listening to our conversation. There's no need to tell how uncomfortable she was being there.

While the others drifted into their chattering, I paid attention to Sakura.

"Hey, are you okay?" I whispered so that no one could hear me.

"Huh? Eh? Umm... yes, I'm o-okay."

"Are you perhaps uncomfortable being here?"

"N-n-no! I-It's fine, really. I'm enjoying this haha."

"Is that so? In that case I will not pry into it anymore."

"Thank you."

I looked forward again.

"Horikita-san is something else. To think that she would manage to save Sudou-kun so easily. Amazing, isn't she?" Ike crowed.

"You should've seen how passionate she was while taking to the teachers." I said.

"Wha-?"

"Oh! You serious?"

"Yes. She was practically arguing with the teachers about how important Sudou is for our class."

"Wait!"

"Horikita, did you really do that? For me?"

Horikita glared at me, I shrugged it off.

"Don't misunderstand. I did it for my own sake. If someone had been expelled, Class D's evaluation would've worsened." for some reason she sounded oddly tsundere-ish.

"Just say that you didn't want us to get expelled, even if it's a lie. We'd like you better."

"It'd be fine with me if you didn't."

Seriously, what do I do with this woman?

The group continued to savor the freedom they had temporarily received. As they drowned themselves in trivial conversation, I was suddenly hit by a flashback. A memory of the past.

"Why do I remember it now?" I muttered.

"Levent." Sudou's sudden call brought me back to life.

"You also went there with her to talk to sensei, didn't you?"

"Yeah. Although I couldn't do anything but watch her do all the work."

"It's fine. At least you tried to help me, didn't you? Thanks bro. I really appreciate it."

.....

....

.....

......

But Sudou, I was the reason why you were in the predicament in the first place.

Yes, it was not you who failed the test. I was the one who stabbed you from behind. I intentionally gave you the paper in the very end. I had also manipulated the answers of that paper too. I made sure to perfectly screw you over only to pretend to save you in the very end.

Don't thank me, for I was the one who pushed you off the cliff. So don't blame yourself, Sudou, you did exactly what I wanted you to do.

Prove yourself worthy enough of my protection, or else you inevitably face me in the near future.

Current Class Ranking:

Class A ----------------- 1004 CP (+64)

Class B ----------------- 662 CP (+12)

Class C ----------------- 492 CP (+2)

Class D ----------------- 307 CP (+87)

Current balance: 632, 901 ¶¶