3.3

With a time limit of five hours, we reached the final question in about an hour without a hitch. I'm sure many of the students thought that they would be able to complete the last question with ease. Once the last question was completed, the special exam would be cleared and 50 class points would be awarded.

However, if there was one concern, it would be the homeroom teacher's condition.

"Now... then, this... is your last question."

As each question progressed, it was obvious that Chabashira-sensei's complexion was changing for the worse. It was clear to the students that she had finally reached its peak and they were looking pale.

"Sensei, are you okay?"

Even though it was before the question was announced, private conversation was not allowed. However, Yōsuke couldn't overlook it and raised his voice.

"Excuse me?"

"No, it's just that you're obviously not feeling well."

"Is that so? I'm not sure what you mean Hirata."

She didn't seem to be faking it. In other words, she's not even aware that she's not looking right herself. Or maybe I should say that I'm not conscious of it. Anyway, once he was told that this was not the case, Yōsuke had no choice but to back off.

The teacher in the back of the room didn't move either, so the final question would probably begin.

But one thing is for sure, the next question should have a lot to do with Chabashira-sensei's current physical condition.

"I'm about to display the final question. Prepare to vote." Chabashira-sensei held her breath as she touched her tablet.

And so, the final question was displayed in front of us.

[QUESTION FIVE:]

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

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

[Choices:]

For

Against

The last question has only two options, the fewest so far. At first glance, one might think that the fewer the number of options, the easier it would be to come to a consensus. In reality, however, the number of choices does not have much influence. If there are a lot of strangers in the room, or if it's not possible to have a discussion, having a large number of choices can be a disadvantage, but in our class, we can have a lot of discussions. The important thing is always the content of the question.

Expulsion or Class Points.

Here we had one of the worst questions I could have imagined.

The students, who are not allowed to speak, must have been upset when they read the question in their minds.

If they voted in favour of the question, one of their classmates would be expelled. Under normal circumstances, the entire class should have voted

"no" without hesitation. Although 100 class points is not a small number, most of us would prefer not to have one of our classmates expelled in return.

If this were a majority vote, it would probably end with a majority against in one vote.

However, the past four questions have proven that it does not work that way. That's the simple but difficult part of unanimity.

"The... 60-second count will now begin. Students are asked to... begin voting." Chabashira-sensei called out in a shaky voice.

No extra time is given, and the 60-second voting period begins. If the vote is unanimous in favour of the proposal, it'll inevitably lead us down a dangerous path. Again, of course, almost none of the students would want that to happen. 100 class points, because it's not so much a need that must be earned.

If this had been in the third semester of my senior year, with only one or two more special exams to go, I would not be in the same state of mind as I am now. In a close race for one point, the value of those 100 points would skyrocket. At that time, it could have been a battle between two ultimate choices.

However, the situation is different now. This is not a time when almost everyone would hesitate to vote "against".

Still, it is true that there are a number of concerns, including Kōenji.

That's why I took my hands off my tablet and took my time to think.

According to the agreement with Horikita, my role in the first round of voting is to vote for option one, no matter what the issue may be. But if 38 people, including Horikita, are voting against it now, it is better to vote against it without an interval and combine them into 39 votes.

This is an issue that should be finished quickly, without giving any unnecessary space. There is no guarantee that students will not be swayed by the 100 points if you interrupt the discussion even once. I decided that this was the only question where I didn't need an interval.

After close to sixty seconds, I see a notification that all the votes have been cast.

"All... have voted and will be informed of the results."

Despite the obvious anomaly, Chabashira-sensei kept her posture and continued to proceed.

[Results of the first round of voting:]

2 in favour

37 against

Not unanimous, huh? I took my finger off the button and quietly looked at the results.

Chabashira-sensei, who should be reading out the results, remained motionless, staring at the monitor as the students did. The results are surprising, and the votes can't be described as "split."

"Chabashira-sensei. Please proceed."

The teacher cautions Chabashira-sensei from behind, who is dribbling out time, albeit for a few seconds.

"Ah... I apologize. T-the results are... 2 votes in favour, 37 against.

Since the vote was not unanimous, we'll go into an interval."

Two votes in favour?

"Hey, who the hell voted in favour of that? Are you kidding me?"

Sudō's strong gaze was unilaterally directed at Kōenji.

Although Kōenji had made some comments about protection points, he hadn't really stood out much, but the content of this question was probably the only thing that made him stand out.

Of course, that was Sudō's idea, but I'm sure many of the students agreed with him.

"Which way did you vote, Kōenji?"

"Do I have to answer that?"

"If you can't answer, it means you voted in favour, right?"

"Don't be so judgmental, Red Hair-kun. In the first place, according to Horikita girl, you should be allowed to make any choice in the first round of voting. I don't think you have any right to complain about which one you put in, do you?"

Sudō becomes blatantly unhappy after receiving a good argument.

"Even if one vote was Kōenji, that means there's another guy who voted in favour, right?"

Ike focused on the part of the vote that remained even if Kōenji was excluded.

"That's definitely a problem, too. Who the hell is that?" Sudō barked in annoyance, as if he had no idea who the other person was.

"Don't panic. One of the people who voted in favour is Ayanokōji-kun."

"What? Oh, Ayanokōji voted in favour? How can you say that, Suzune...?"

"I've been keeping it a secret up to this point, but before this special exam started, me and him had made a pact regarding voting. Whatever the content of the question , I've arranged it so that the first vote will not be unanimous."

As we reached the last question, Horikita mentioned the contents of our prior meeting. Surely there is no advantage to keeping it hidden when we get to this stage. It's obviously more wasteful to spend time and effort trying to figure out who the one vote is.

"To avoid unanimity on an unexpected choice, yes?"

Yōsuke added a few words to make it easier to understand for the students who didn't fully understand.

"I guess so..."

"What's that about? But if that's the case, you should have told me about it earlier."

"Not so fast. The first round of voting, when you're not allowed to talk, is an important opportunity to get a proper idea of what your classmates want to choose. If they knew that I was planning to prevent the vote from being unanimous from the start, some students might just vote randomly. I wanted to avoid that. It was his role to vote for the first option. I would vote for the second option. That's why only one person actually voted in favour."

Looking around the classroom, Horikita speaks to that someone. "It's a bit of a radical question, but it's up to the individual to decide which way to vote. I don't think it's wrong in itself to vote in favour in order to grab class points.

But I think we should all vote against it as a class. If you have any objections, I would appreciate it if you could raise them here."

Normally, the student who had voted in favour of the proposal would have come forward at this point.

But no matter how long we waited, no one answered Horikita's question.

"How long are you going to keep your mouth shut, Kōenji?"

"Fufu. As I said before, I don't want you to assume that I'm in favour of this.

"What the hell. I know you're just messing around anyway."

Since it's Kōenji we're dealing with, he might have been amused by Sudō's anger, only provoking him for entertainment. If the vote is unanimous in favour, the vote to expel one person from the class will begin.

In other words, someone wants to get 100 class points for expelling one of their classmates. That would attract attention and criticism in a bad way. I really don't want anyone to think that someone is thinking that way.

"I've had enough-"

"Calm down, Sudō-kun. It's only the first round of voting, there's no need to be particularly upset."

"Okay, but still! I don't like that someone actually voted in favour for this option."

"It's your choice to interpret it that way. But we have no proof that it was Kōenji-kun. I also interpreted it to mean that whoever voted in favour of it was sorry for not coming forward. If they vote no on the second ballot, it will be unanimous. That should be enough."

The issue was cleared. Horikita seemed to have decided that there was no need to take extra time. As I was thinking to myself, not pursuing it would be one of the best choices we could make right now.

"There's no need for further discussion on this issue. Come on, let's finish it in the next vote."

Looking at the calm Horikita, Sudō tapped both cheeks once as if to discipline himself. And with a bit of unrelated chit-chat, it was time for us to vote for the second time.

"We will now begin the 60-second voting period."

The 4K UHD screen switches to show the in favour and against buttons. It seemed that the voting was completed in approximately twenty seconds.

"Voting is now complete and the results of the second vote will be displayed."

[Results of the second round of voting:]

2 in favour

37 against

Up until now, the special exam didn't create any strong tension.

However, the moment the results of this second round were announced, the room went silent. Once again, the result was two votes in favour.

This meant that the vote had not shifted even after the explanation given earlier.

This fact was conveyed from an inorganic monitor.

"Wait a minute, what does this mean?"

The person Horikita looked at as she said this was, of all people, me.

Why did you vote in favour for the second time? That was the question.

The students, including Sudō, who understood the explanation, also looked at me.

"I voted against both the first vote and just now, in the second vote."

"What? Ayanokōji was supposed to vote for option one, right?"

"Yeah. But because of the content of the question, I took the liberty of deciding that it would be better to vote for the against option. I didn't tell you that because I didn't want to cause any unnecessary conflict."

If there were two people in favour of the first vote, the upset would increase. Now they can no longer play it off as a joke. Even Horikita, who had carried herself calmly throughout this entire process, was a little distraught.

"So... there are at least two people who think it's in favour of the current question, is that it?" Horikita puts a hand to her lips and thinks. She would probably like to stop and think about it, but the interval is precious. "If you're going to continue to vote in favour of this, could you please tell me exactly why you're in favour of it? As you can see, all but two of the results show that thirty-seven people are against the idea. If you want everyone to vote in favour, I'd like to see a reasonable presentation."

The basis for swaying the vote is discussion. If more people decide that there are greater advantages to voting in favour, the vote will naturally shift.

On the other hand, if there is no discussion, it is not easy to sway votes.

However, the answer to this question was silence from everyone.

"Hey, hey, Horikita-san. It's okay... right? No one is going to drop out of the class, right?" Kushida was worried, but she couldn't stand the silence and asked Horikita that question.

"As I said before, my policy is to not let anyone drop out of school."

Horikita reiterates her determination, but after that, the silence continues. It's easy to utter the first and last compulsion, but...

"I don't know who's against this. But I want you to listen carefully."

Yōsuke stands up and speaks gently but forcefully. "You shouldn't choose to cut off your classmates in order to gain class points. I don't think the points gained from such a choice are worth anything, even if they were 500 or 1000 class points. The most important thing is that there are other ways to achieve class points."

A well-deserved appeal from the man who would suffer the most from such a sacrifice. Thirty-seven out of the thirty-nine of us understood that to some extent, as Yōsuke had said.

They should be willing to let go of 100 class points if the price to pay is a valued classmate. But whether or not that is their true intention is another matter. Even before the first vote, the outcome of the vote was heavily influenced by silent peer pressure.

There must be some students in the class who think that they will never be expelled. In such a situation, it would not be surprising if some of them really thought that they would not mind sacrificing their classmates.

"Very well, it's getting interesting in this special exam. This is quite enjoyable." Kōenji started laughing with amusement and continued. "I thought you were going to vote against me in the second round." Kōenji stated without seeming to take offense.

"So it was you, Kōenji!"

"Kōenji-kun, is that true? I'd like to stop you from becoming the boy who cried wolf here because that would cause a nasty mess." Horikita reaffirmed, prioritizing clarifying whether he was really against it or not first.

"Don't worry, I made sure to vote in favour the first time and the second time."

"Can you tell me why?"

"The answer is simple. You'll get 100 more class points, right? That means you'll inevitably get more private points every month, so there's no reason to vote against."

"You've got to be kidding me. You think class points are more important than your friends?"

"You have a funny way of saying things. You didn't seem like that kind of person when you first came here."

"Shut up!"

"I'm voting in favour, so of course I'll take that into consideration."

"What the hell do you think your friends are...?"

"Friends? I've never thought of any of you as my friends."

"So you're saying you're not going to change your vote to the other side at the next vote?"

"Of course not. I'll probably continue to vote in favour if things 'stay the same'. I'm sure Horikita girl doesn't want to just run out of time, right?"

"Ha. Don't think things will go as you wish, Kōenji. If that's what you're planning to do, we're not going to let you get away with it either, Suzune. Let's all vote in favour and get Kōenji expelled!"

It may have been a spur-of-the-moment answer, but it's also true that this question has a nasty aspect in terms of the "for" choice. We can unite to get rid of the bad guys who say that their classmates should be expelled.

People subconsciously choose what they want to believe and then justify the reasons they chose. "I don't want to expel anyone, but I have to because they're holding back the class." The brain starts to work to justify that the person should be expelled. It also swallows convenient logic, conspiracies, and misinformation.

"I wish everyone would vote in favour. But don't think you can get me expelled for it. Isn't that right? Horikita girl."

If Kōenji came forward as one of the people who voted in favour of the question, it would be natural for people around him to make a fuss about being expelled. There was no way this man didn't understand that.

However, Kōenji was in a different situation than the rest of the students.

"He's right. We can't expel Kōenji-kun."

"What do you mean?"

"I made a promise to Kōenji-kun before the island exam started, remember? I promised Kōenji-kun that if he took first place in the Uninhabited Island exam, I would protect him until he graduated."

I'm sure the students remember that exchange.

"I didn't expect him to get first place either. But thanks to you getting first place in that exam, our class is now all the way in contention for Class B. That achievement is immeasurable."

"Yeah, that's true... but not if you're trying to bring the class down!"

"I'm not sure I'd call it "bringing the class down." I'm just freely choosing the choices that are entrusted to me. You can't assume that voting in favour is bad, can you?"

If the question was, "You may remove one student if you wish," you could argue that voting "for" is just evil. However, in this case, instead of expelling students, they would receive class points. Although it is difficult to put a concrete figure on the value of one student, no one has the right to deny Kōenji's calculation of the benefits of voting yes.

As long as there is a good argument and a promise, there is no way Horikita can cast a single vote for Kōenji's expulsion.

"Fine then. Let's go back on our word! If Kōenji doesn't think of his classmates as friends, no one will be bothered if he gets expelled!"

"I can't. I'm not going to break my promise to him."

"I guess you're right. No one will trust a class leader who doesn't keep his promises. I trust you more than anyone else right now in that sense, Horikita girl."

This is yet another example of Kōenji's troublesome side. Now that this has happened, Horikita must first persuade Kōenji at all costs. But there is still plenty of opportunity to do so. Even if Kōenji believes that Horikita will not betray him, that does not mean that Kōenji is 100% protected. The possibility that Horikita will cut Kōenji loose must be in the back of his mind.

In other words, Kōenji will change his attitude if the seeds of such a move appear. If that happens, Horikita, who is beginning to become aware of her role as a leader, immediately cuts Kōenji, who has responded with results, will affect her status later on.

That choice will be a major hindrance in the future.

"If you're not going to cut Kōenji, then what are you going to do, Suzune?"

"Give me some time to think about it."

That would have been fine if the only one in favour was Kōenji. We can't overlook the part that there is one more person in favour who hasn't come forward.

"I wonder the person who voted in favour, excluding Kōenji-kun, can come forward and tell us."

If we don't know that, we can't move forward. But the only response we got was a long, deep silence.

If you come forward here, there is a fear that you will be threatened and even argued unnecessary as well as Kōenji. Rather, they may receive more frowning upon than Kōenji.

The answer other than silence does not come.

Eventually, time ran out, and the third round of voting would come, whether we wanted it or not. Fortunately, there was no limit to the number of times we could vote. As long as time permits, there will be a chance to make the vote unanimous every ten minutes.

[Results of the third round of voting:]

2 in favour

37 against

As in the past two rounds, two people voted in favour, Kōenji and someone we can't see. For now, many of the students still put more weight on Kōenji's side, but I wonder if they will eventually look in other directions.

It won't be long before we are faced with the reality that there are students who have not come forward and continue to vote in favour of the project with their eagerness and vigilance. We are about to face the danger of anonymity, a danger that we had hoped to avoid the most. But the first priority is to deal with Kōenji.

Unless the votes in favour of the project are reversed, there will be no solution.

"We can't ignore the other person who is voting in favour. I think there are certain beliefs that only the person who is so adamantly in favour of the project has. If that's the case, then I'll speak to Kōenji-kun and anyone else I can't see at the same time." Not wasting any time in passing, Horikita began to gather her thoughts. "Thirty-seven of us will continue to vote against this.

And two of us will continue to vote in favour of it. The worst thing that will happen is that we will run out of time. Even then, we may lose class points, but we won't lose our friends. We can get through this special exam without anyone dropping out. The people voting in favour feel that the class points are a major advantage though, right? Even so, it isn't the end of the world.

We can find other ways to achieve those class points."

Horikita explains the risk of ending the exam in disagreement, citing specific gains and losses. Of course, the unseen one doesn't answer anything, but what about Kōenji?

"Well, if we're going to run out of time, go ahead and vote in favor." Kōenji tells Horikita to vote in favour, as if it were a matter of course.

"It's true that if the vote is in favour unanimously, we can move forward. But what awaits next is an even bigger hurdle: which of your classmates will be expelled. You don't think it'll be easy to get a unanimous vote either, do you?"

"It's your job to put it all together, Horikita girl. Besides, having students drop out isn't such a bad thing, is it?"

"That's not true. We shouldn't have expelled anyone."

Before Horikita could argue with him, Yōsuke told Kōenji.

"I don't get it. You guys seem to be afraid of expelling students, but wouldn't it be easier mentally to see this as a positive? You can discard unwanted students at will. You can even get class points on top of that. If you change your mind a little, you'll see that in favour is really a great choice for the class. The other person besides myself who's voting in favour also knows that."

It's a pointy way of thinking, but it's a good enough reason to cast your vote in favour.

"I don't think that's true, Kōenji-kun. Losing someone from this class is not a positive thing at all." As if in response to Yōsuke, Kushida also said that classmates should be prioritized. Other students, who had not spoken much until now, began to voice their objections at once.

However, Kōenji did not soften his attitude, but only smiled and chuckled. Kōenji, who wanted to get the most out of the vote, did not respond to the discussion, and the fourth voting time arrived.

[Results of the fourth round of voting:]

2 in favour

37 against

After tens of minutes of appeals with no effect, the third interval begins with a signal from Chabashira-sensei.

"What am I supposed to do? Damn, is there any way we could just punch him, knock him out and vote on our own?"

"No, of course not. Let's think about this objectively for once. If we do that, Kōenji-kun's thoughts might change."

As Horikita wanted to avoid just following a parallel path, she was forced to try a different approach.

"What do you mean by objective?"

"I mean, which of the three classes, excluding us, will choose in favour."

"Definitely Ryūen's class, they're going to cut out the right guy, aren't they?" Sudō says without hesitation, crossing his arms at the back of her head.

Many of his classmates seemed to agree with him, letting out mouthfuls of "sure." From the way he thinks and acts, there is certainly a good chance that he will.

"Yes, it's certainly the most probable class, isn't it?"

"On the contrary, Ichinose-san's class will definitely not. I wonder if Sakayanagi-san's class will..."

Ryūen's class probably has the highest chance to vote in favour.

Ichinose's class will surely turn in the opposite direction. And Sakayanagi's class, which has the potential to be either. Coincidentally, the three classes all have different colors, an interesting result shared by the classmates.

In this case, there is almost no discussion about Ichinose's class, which is known to be good natured. The focus of the conversation will be on Ryūen's class.

"I don't like the idea of being outclassed by Ryūen's class. We have a lot of momentum right now, and we're going to be one step ahead of them here, which means Class B, right?"

"That said, the difference won't be huge. Even without the current lead, the difference is 100 class points, and one special exam is enough to regain the lead."

"I know what you mean. But I still have one thing to say." Akito had been quietly participating in the special exam but decided it was time to break his silence. "It's unlikely. But it's also possible that missing these 100 class points might make us regret our choice, right?"

"Miyacchi, does that mean we have to get someone to drop out?"

Spoke up Haruka from her seat.

"Don't get me wrong. I'm clearly against it."

She stared at Akito looking more annoyed than angry.

"I'm of the opinion that the best way to get to Class A is without missing anyone from this class. That's why I think we need to understand the weight of a hundred points, and not take it lightly."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It means that we all need to express our opposition after imagining a future in which this special exam is the turning point when graduation approaches."

It was wrong to vote against it without preparation, that was Akito's opinion.

"Well when you put it that way..."

You have to vote against it without a second thought. The students find themselves in the shadow of such peer pressure and fail to look at the bigger picture.

"Kōenji. I'm well aware of your success in the island exam. Even without your promise to Horikita, I think it's strange that you're choosing the vote to expel someone." In addition to Horikita and Sudō, Akito turns his thoughts to Kōenji as well. "But still, it's not something you can just annoy the class with as long as you want. Class points aren't the only thing that make up a relationship. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Hmm..." Closing his eyes, Kōenji nodded deeply. Then, whether he was thinking about something or not, he opened his eyes and gave Akito a single glance.

"Of course... I have no idea what you're talking about. Think about how this school works. Everything is based on points earned. It has nothing to do with friendship or affinity. It's class points that determine the higher classes, and private points that are your personal assets. It's an inextricably linked evaluation system. I don't see anything wrong with agreeing to make that a top priority."

"You're a bit of an idiot, aren't you? You're the one who hasn't contributed to the class in almost two years! Just because you won first place on an uninhabited island doesn't mean you can act like that all the time!"

"I think you should look in the mirror, Red Hair-kun. I think it's clearer than ever which of us is the better tribute to the class."

In reality, both of them were slow to contribute at the start. No, Sudō's portion is worse if you factor in the fluctuations to class points due to his behaviour.

"Well, it's not the class points that are important to me."

Kōenji's attitude in favour of the project had seemed untenable up to this point. However, Horikita did not miss this statement by Kōenji.

"Class points are not important. Then for you, these 100 class points are not for moving up to Class A, but for private points. That's why you keep throwing your support behind it, isn't it?"

"Exactly. I want to be in favour of it for private point's sake, because in the two previous questions, I chose to halve the amount of private point's transfer for six months. I drank in the tears that it was necessary for you to protect me, but it's not going to happen this time."

"I want class points to compensate for the private points that will be lost." That turns out to be Kōenji's reason for being in favour of it. For some students, they might resent the fact that he is trying to get them expelled for private points. However, Horikita saw this as an opportunity.

"Okay, Kōenji-kun, let's make a deal. It's not a bad deal for you."

"Huh? That sounds interesting, I'd like to hear that presentation."

Kōenji welcomed the proposal without surprise, rather as if he had been waiting for it.

"If you vote against from now on, and then unanimous consent by opposition is granted, I will pay 10,000 private points on behalf of the school every month from now until you graduate. This would be the equivalent of 100 more class points for you, right? That would certainly make it meaningless for Kōenji-kun to vote in favour of it."

"As expected of a Horikita girl, it didn't take you long to come to that conclusion.

"You were in favour of this proposal from the start, weren't you?"

"That's what my vote is worth, you know. It's not impossible to raise the price, but I need the Horikita girl to be a reliable ally. Let's make a deal on those terms, shall we?"

"We don't need to put this in writing, do we? We have Chabashira-sensei here."

"Of course, I don't expect you to go back on your word. The deal is done."

Kōenji's vote of approval seemed to be unmovable. He finally made a move and promised to vote against it. The fact that he dared to continue to vote in favour of the proposal and let Horikita bring it to him was a masterstroke.

This is how the fifth vote went. The fact that Kōenji made it clear that he was going to vote against the proposal must have had an effect on the one person who was invisible. It would not be easy for just one person to continue to express opposition, even if he or she is an anonymous person. In other words, even without persuasion, the vote has the potential to turn against it.

However...

[Results of the fifth round of voting:]

1 in favour

38 against

Kōenji switched his vote from 'for' to 'against,' but there was still one vote to expel a student.

The real battle seems to start here.

An anonymous, absolute in favour vote.

In order to overcome this, we still need to find out who is voting in favour. But that is more difficult than anything else. The tablets are basically impossible to spy on, but if you want to see where you touch with your fingertips, you can. However, the school has anticipated this and the order of the choices is randomized from the beginning. It is impossible to check each other's finger movements because the choices are switched each time the vote is taken. There is no other way but to make do with the repeated intervals.

"Well, well, it looks like things aren't going to be easy."

"As I said, unless you are unanimous in your opposition, the deal you just made is null and void."

"I know, I know. If the vote is unanimous in favour, or if the time runs out, I'll just give up.

As long as it's anonymous, there's no way to prove that Kōenji isn't voting yes except by unanimous consent. He doesn't seem to think that he can get private points for any other option. If they vote for whatever they want here, the good news will disappear.

It would be inconvenient for Kōenji to make an enemy of Horikita. We had about three hours left. Despite her struggles, Horikita is making progress toward a breakthrough with a solid strategy. However, it is also true that we can't continue to be sidelined forever.

We need to get this to a unanimous vote before the remaining time runs out. Until then, I'm just going to sit back and watch this war unfold, but can I give her some support? In between intervals, I coughed a couple of times.

In the midst of all the chatter, no one pays any attention to an unconscious coughing fit.

On the contrary, it is a cough that can be heard if you are aware of it.

"You know what, Horikita-san?"

"Did you say something, Karuizawa-san?"

"This is just a hunch of mine, but maybe you have an idea of who's voting in favour?"

"Huh? Why do you think that?"

Horikita's face showed surprise at the unexpected point made by Kei.

"I just kind of thought so."

The Horikita of the past would have taken it as a mere thoughtful remark. But now that the fact that Kei and I were dating was out in the open, that would begin to change.

"Yes... you're right. You're right Karuizawa-san. I think I might know someone who keeps voting in favour..."

"What the hell, then, get on with it. Who is this guy?" said Sudō as he jumped out of his seat.

"I can't tell you that. This special test is a poll of anonymous names. If you say a name just because you think of it, you'll never be able to take it back if you're wrong."

"But-"

"I know. That's why I think I need to be prepared. We'll have time to vote a few more times. If the number of votes in favour still doesn't reach zero... then I'll have no choice but to speak the name."

"I want you to wait, Horikita-san. I don't agree with you. As Horikita-san just said, there is no way to know for sure who is voting for whom this time. I don't think it's acceptable to name names just because you have an idea. Of course, I'm not talking nonsense just because I don't want anyone to drop out of school, you understand that, right?"

"I agree with Hirata-kun. I don't think it's right to say something without absolute certainty."

Kushida also leaked out anxiously, saying that she agreed with Yōsuke.

The students were filled with anxiety after the two's opinions.

If Horikita misunderstands me in some way and says my name, I will be criticized. If they were told to vote in favour when they were voting against, it would be an untenable situation. If thirty-eight people vote in favour in a hurry to run out the clock, it will be inevitable that the named person will be discussed as a target for expulsion.

"I know, I know, that's why I haven't mentioned the name so far. But we can never just run out the clock. Isn't that right?"

"I know how you feel. I'm not the same person I used to be, and I'm willing to make a choice if I have to. But it has to be one hundred percent."

"Correct."

I try to make a slight change to the situation, which is starting to get heavy.

"Horikita, besides the one you have in mind, is there any student you can think of who keeps voting in favour of this?"

"No, I don't. I don't know, I just can't wrap my head around the fact that there are people who are so adamantly in favour of this other than Kōenji-kun."

Of course, it would be hard for anyone who agrees to openly come out.

As Sudō stated before, if you voted in favour, you yourself would be put at risk of expulsion.

"Even if I can't say the name, I may know who it is. I'd like the person to raise their hand now, so we can avoid conflict." She asked again, as if to remind them. However, there was no response.

"Yōsuke. I know you don't want to suspect anyone, but you have a wide range of friendships with both men and women, is there someone who might vote in favour or something?"

"There isn't. I'm not lying, I really can't think of anyone."

"I see. What about you, Kushida?"

Even though I was talking to her out of the blue, she didn't show any strange reaction.

In fact, Horikita turned her head slightly and showed a somewhat disturbed expression due to the fact I had asked her.

"Umm... I'm sorry Ayanokōji-kun. I'm with Hirata-kun, there's no girl that comes to mind."

"Kushida is the one who understands the class the best. I thought she might know a bit about the students who are unhappy with the class.

Everyone knows that you care about the class more than anyone else, and that you're very accommodating. So if you get any idea, let us know, okay?"

Sure enough, expectant eyes from the class turned to Kushida.

"Umm, hmm... I don't know if there's anything that comes to mind.

But I'll let you know if I realize something."

"Sure thing. I have a feeling that the presence of people like Yōsuke and Kushida is essential for this last special exam."

Without the combined efforts of all of them, it would be difficult to break through this challenge by opposition.

But such cooperation was futile, and the results of the sixth vote were also posted shortly after...

[Results of the sixth round of voting:]

1 in favour

38 against

There was no change. We continued the same discussion.

[Results of the seventh round of voting:]

1 in favour

38 against

[Results of the eighth round of voting:]

1 in favour

38 against

The results continue to be the same, and the conversation becomes more and more silent. The eighth interval begins next. A little more than an hour had passed since the start of this question.

With a loud bang, Chabashira-sensei stumbled and almost fell over.

She pressed her arms against the podium as if she was going to fall down, and managed to prevent herself from collapsing.

"Ah...!"

The discussion was cut and Chabashira-sensei, who had been standing on the podium the whole time, was breathing hard.

"S-sensei!"

"It's alright..." She said, and adjusted her posture as if she was trying to demonstrate she was alright. Chabashira-sensei stared at the students with vacant eyes, wondering what they were thinking. Eventually, she exhales heavily with some kind of determination.

"Teachers are not allowed to guide the students to a particular choice.

Naturally, as for me, I would not do such an act. However, may I tell you an old story? Of course, it would take up a lot of your precious time. If you still don't mind, that is."

"Chabashira-sensei. The teacher's statement itself is not forbidden, but you won't get off scot-free either if you violate the rules. If I decide that you are guiding the class to protect them, you will face consequences...

"Yes. If you see any intentions towards choice induction, I am prepared to be punished."

By answering that she understood, the monitor could only be silenced.

As a matter of course, an unexpected suggestion from Chabashira-sensei who had never intervened in the special exam. It could be taken as a ray of light in this environment that had been at a standstill.

"Right now, we are suffering from this situation. To the extent that it doesn't affect our options, please let us hear what you have to say, sensei."

If there was some way to break the ice, Horikita said, that would be welcome. Of course, if Chabashira-sensei really wanted to talk about it, it wouldn't have mattered what Horikita said.

But under the watchful eye of the monitor, direct interference must be avoided.

"I also attended the Advanced Nurturing High School. And I've taken this special exam when I was a student."

Horikita and the rest of her classmates were surprised at the story being told for the first time.

"Sensei, did you say you also take this unanimous special exam...?"

"Yes, there were five questions, some with slightly different contents, but the last one you're facing right now is the same word for word. You can either drop out a classmate and gain class points, or you can protect your friends and not gain class points."

The students turn to look at Chabashira-sensei's statement that she has experienced the exact same special exam.

"One thing is for sure. That is to give it your all with no regrets. To choose yes, no, or to run out of time. Whichever choice you decide to find a path that will not leave you regretting the outcome. There is still time."

For the first time, everyone listened as Chabashira-sensei spoke to the students with real emotion. She was not guiding them to choose any of the options, nor was she offering any solutions. It was the kind of advice a teacher can give when they are on the edge. The teacher who was listening in the background didn't tell her that she was breaking the rules, and he listened until the end.

I don't know if this will change the outcome.

However, I made sure that I provided the students with the words to face this special exam again.

It's not a good idea to waste the remaining time in the interval, even with unexpected back-up from Chabashira-sensei, in order to increase the odds by even one percent, Horikita needs to stay on track.

"It's getting close to the time when you'll have to make up your mind, but before you do, let me talk to you one more time. I'm not your enemy. I'm on your side."

The name of the advocate must have crossed her mind many times.

Their face, their voice, their eyes, their breath.

Horikita continues to try her best to persuade them, never letting the class know who the specific person is.

She must be asking herself over and over again. "Shouldn't I just tell them the name?" But she still doesn't say anything because she sincerely wants to bring that person over to her side.

It was like a cry of grief.

In response to this, the ninth vote was cast. The result...

[Results of the ninth round of voting:]

1 in favour

38 against

As expected, the vote in favour remained in deadlock. Only one person.

There is one student who is hanging on to the 100 class points.

No... there is someone who is clinging to the right to expel someone.

This is the real truth that only I, or perhaps only two people including Horikita, are aware of. It's safe to say that a certain person's thorough vote of approval continues to linger. However, there is no way to objectively confirm that person's opposition in this situation.

Horikita said that if time ran out, she would be forced to speak the name.

But in reality, no matter how many times the vote is repeated, Horikita will never say the name. Horikita will never ask, "Why are you opposed to this?" Because she knows that such a question is not really meaningful.

Rather, Horikita will lose everything in the future once she mentions the name. Even though there was still some time left, the time limit set for the next two hours was approaching.

That was the deadline for her to make a big decision.