Vol.10 Chapter 1

[Part 1 Intro]

It was finally the first of March, a few days after the end-of-term exams.

Monday, the day where everyone was anxiously waiting for the results to be announced.

After all, in the case of a failing grade, the only option left was expulsion.

"Sensei, are you gonna announce the results now!?"

Unable to sit still any longer, Ike practically fell out of his seat as he waited for the homeroom teacher, Chabashira, to respond.

"Calm yourself. You'll know in a couple of minutes."

Chabashira, with practiced movements, spread out a large piece of paper she brought in on the blackboard.

This school would usually release our grades digitally, like on our cell phones or on the online forums. However, when it comes to the exams where expulsion was at stake, the teachers would display the results to us like this.

"Are you feeling confident, Ike?"

"O-oh well, yeah, I studied pretty hard, but…"

"You studied hard, huh? Yet you're still so uneasy?"

Chabashira must have found his reply more amusing than surprising, as she gave off a slight smile.

For Ike, who usually gets low scores, it was only natural that he would feel anxious no matter how much he studied.

"Sudō, you always seem to be in the running for the lowest score, so how are you feeling?"

It wouldn't be surprising for Sudō to be the most anxious student in the classroom.

Considering the previous tests, it was no exaggeration to say that Sudō's scores were some of the lowest in almost every subject. Chabashira was probably expecting a reply similar to Ike's, but his response was something far more unexpected.

"…I'm confident at the very least. I absolutely won't get a failing grade."

"Oh?"

Despite the fact that physical prowess was Sudō's only redeeming quality, his expression and tone of voice still managed to hold a distinct air of confidence.

Of course, I suppose he would still be anxious about the results, just like Ike.

However, thanks to the effort he's put in to overcome that anxiety and the experience he's accumulated, he's been able to establish confidence.

This was what Horikita's repeated study sessions had burned into his head. It was different compared to what he was capable of back when his entire strategy for academics consisted of superficially cramming the information the night before. Little by little the seeds of knowledge had begun to grow.

As the teacher who guided Sudō's studies, Horikita's face remained unclouded.

Well, she did seem somewhat displeased with how Sudō was getting ahead of himself.

"Hmm… It's pretty interesting to see how you kids have grown. There's no way to figure out just what you'll accomplish next, and you've all easily surpassed my expectations. Now, I suppose I'll announce the results of your end-of-term exams."

Chabashira began posting test results onto the paper on the blackboard.

And after this, she would draw a red line across the results.

Anyone whose name falls below that line would be forcibly expelled from the school.

"The results this time-"

With a red pen in hand, Chabashira pressed the tip against the paper and drew a horizontal line.

The red line of fate.

And the number of students whose names fell below it was… zero.

In other words…

"Everyone successfully passed the exam. These have been your best results so far."

Chabashira revealed that everyone in Class C passed.

"All right!"

Ike was the first to cry out.

It seemed like he was pretty afraid to hear the results. After all, Ike had the lowest score in the class.

"Well, that wasn't too hard. Hahahaha… That was close!"

Ike spoke, his attention concentrated on his name and the red line directly under it.

"I only studied a little bit the day before and I still managed to pass."

Yamauchi said as much, yet his name was listed right above Ike's.

"Don't lie Haruki, you were studying every day in desperation, weren't you?"

"Is that so? Wahahaha!"

At any rate, both Ike and Yamauchi had successfully managed to pass the exam, so nobody had any complaints.

Chabashira watched over such a scene with a gentle gaze.

Nevertheless, the results were surprising.

Ike came in last, with Yamauchi coming up right behind him. They were followed by Hondō, Satō, and Inogashira.

Sudō's name was right above Inogashira's.

Considering Sudou's results so far, it could be said that he's seen some substantial improvement.

"Sudō. This past year, you managed to improve your grades better than anyone. You seemed confident that you'd pass as well. I'm looking forward to seeing how you'll succeed in the future."

Chabashira appeared to share my feelings on the matter.

"Heh. It's nothing special."

Despite saying that, he looked pleased with how well he did.

On the other side of things, the students taking the positions at the top were pretty much the same as usual.

Coming in first was Keisei, and second place was held by Kōenji. Keisei had been getting good grades from the start, and with how diligent he is with his studies, it was only natural that he'd outrank the rest of the class. However, Kōenji was still as much of a mystery as ever. He was never studying, and he didn't interact with anyone else, either. If he utilized the full extent of his abilities, then he just may have the potential to surpass even Keisei. Because of all the small fluctuations in Kōenji's test results so far, it's possible that, depending on the exam, he's slacking off when he doesn't think it's worth his time. Horikita was ranked third. She usually trailed a bit behind in English, but this time she scored much higher. She had probably gotten a lot better thanks to the time she spent tutoring Sudō.

"Sensei, how did the other classes do?"

"They've all pulled through just like you did. In terms of the average score per class, Class C came in 3rd."

There was no reason to ask which class came in first, second, and fourth respectively.

"As I thought, it seems we'll have to aim higher if we want to overtake the upper classes."

Without a hint of complacency, Horikita started writing down everyone's scores.

The students at the top were just short of perfect scores, so further improvement wasn't an option. In fact, the only option they had left was to focus on improving the scores of the students at the bottom.

"Good job with Sudō. I'm impressed."

"It's the result of his own hard work after all. All I did was thoroughly break down each of his weaknesses until he started to see success."

Just like Horikita, Sudō's weakest subject was English, yet he was still seeing quite a bit of improvement with his scores.

This improvement clearly showed that the two of them had focused their efforts on English during their studies.

"I wonder if he's capable of bumping up his score a bit higher next time. Of course, it all depends on whether or not he can continue to concentrate."

That was a pointless thing to worry about. After all, as long as Horikita was around, Sudō would continue to give it his all.

He was probably beginning to get the hang of studying by now.

He might even be able to squeeze into the upper half of the class soon.

"It looks like Ike-kun and Yamauchi-kun still have a bit of space between their scores and the red line. It was probably the right decision for us to routinely hold study sessions. If a certain you-know-who next to me would actually put in the smallest amount of effort, our class's average score might go up a little bit more, now wouldn't it?"

"This is my limit."

As usual, my scores were neither good nor bad. This time, I came in at 18th place.

"I'm not going to accept that. One day I'm going to make you take this seriously."

"I'll try my hardest in order to live up to your expectations."

In any case, it was great that everyone was able to overcome the exam this time as well.

The students who had just barely managed to pass the exams were all clearly relieved that they were over. Ike and Yamauchi had even already begun joking around with each other.

Chabashira watched over her homeroom class with a tender gaze.

"I have to hand it to you guys. It may be a simple thing to say, but well done."

It was usually pretty rare for Chabashira to praise her own class, but it seemed like it had been occurring more often recently. She probably had a hunch that everyone would pass the end-of-term exams in the first place.

"We did it!"

"Nevertheless Ike, you're getting a bit too excited. Special exams aside, at an academic level, it's only natural for you to pass an exam like this one. And besides, this exam wasn't nearly as difficult as other national-level exams."

Compared to the written exams we had taken so far, the difficulty of this particular exam was definitely higher.

However, the school sets the difficulty of the exams close to the student's current skill level. It seems like it's all for the purpose of maintaining appearances.

"Well, it can't be helped, but now that the good news is out of the way…"

Chabashira cut into the cheerful atmosphere that had been filling the classroom, immediately replacing it with something much heavier.

It was the usual display.

"Most of you were probably already aware of this, but just because you've finished this end-of-term exam doesn't mean that testing has finished for the year. There will be a particularly important special exam soon, and as in previous years, it's scheduled to begin on March 8th."

Chabashira explained what we should expect moving forward.

Speaking of March 8th, that's next Monday, isn't it?

We had just finished with the end-of-term exam, so a final special exam taking place so soon afterward wasn't unreasonable by any means. After all, it was the last thing left on the school's schedule for the year.

Furthermore, third-year students would apparently have to take yet another exam in tandem with the one next week.

"Everyone. This next special exam will be the last one this year. Let's all work together and try our best. If we do, our class should be able to aim for class A without anyone being expelled."

Hirata's encouraging words seemed to spread amongst the class, with many students speaking up to show their support.

Chabashira watched over the scene, revealing a vaguely relieved smile.

"The way things have been going recently, I'm starting to think that all of you might just be able to graduate together two years from now."

With these parting words, Chabashira dismissed class earlier than usual.

"Having sensei give us a compliment like that feels out of this world, doesn't it?"

Ike and Yamauchi began laughing cheerfully.

"But don't get too cocky. Your last exam is only a week away, and by no means will it be easy."

Chabashira spoke up again just before walking out of the classroom, leaving us with this one last reminder.

[End of introduction]

[Chap1 part 1]

There was only a little time left for us as first-year students.

I used the time between classes to take a quick bathroom break.

On the way back to class, I happened across two familiar upperclassmen in the midst of a deep conversation.

The first was the current student council president, 2nd-year student Nagumo Miyabi. He was accompanied by his predecessor, 3rd-year student, Horikita Manabu.

It was probably by sheer coincidence, but Nagumo spotted me immediately.

The moment he waved at me, it seemed like I had lost the opportunity to pretend I hadn't noticed and head back to class.

"Yo Ayanokōji. Did you manage to pass the end-of-term exam?"

In contrast to Nagumo's direct question, the elder Horikita just calmly looked in my direction.

"Somehow."

He had engaged me with a meaningless conversation.

"How cold. I don't think that's the right attitude to have when the student council president is right in front of you."

"…Is that so?"

I straightened up a little bit. I wasn't sure if it was enough for him, but it should be somewhat less objectionable.

"Well, whatever. You've come by at just the right time. There's something I've been wanting to ask you."

Before he continued, Nagumo let show a delighted expression, as if he was glad that the three of us were alone.

"In order to divert attention away from the slander that had been going around about Ichinose Honami, it seems that someone went and posted a bunch of rumors about various first-year students on the school forums. Now, I wonder, just who would do such a thing?"

He was testing me with his words. No, it was entirely possible that he had already seen right through me.

It didn't matter how much information he had, my attitude wouldn't change.

"Well, I have no idea. But at the end of the day, they've caused me nothing but trouble."

"Oh yeah, you were a victim too, weren't you? What happened with that again…?"

"The school's announcement made it pretty clear that we shouldn't be talking about that. I don't think even the student council president is an exception to that."

Due to the warning, this sort of inquisitive behavior should be avoided.

"It's as Ayanokōji says, Nagumo. You should refrain from saying anything too carelessly."

With the elder Horikita backing me up, Nagumo immediately backed down. It didn't seem like he was particularly interested in touching on the subject.

"So, what have you two celebrities been talking about?"

"Just having a little discussion with Horikita-senpai. Ain't that right?"

Seeking confirmation, Nagumo looked to the elder Horikita, who responded with a simple nod.

I was slightly concerned about the location they were holding their conversation. The two of them had gathered in the hallway near the first-year classrooms, so there was a lingering feeling that something was out of place.

"Tomorrow, a step ahead of the other school years, the third-year students will begin a decisive battle that will determine whether Horikita-senpai will successfully graduate from Class A or not. So I wanted to hear about it from him personally. Are you interested too?"

Unlike the rest of the student body, the third-year students still had to take more than one special exam.

The fact that it was starting so soon wasn't that surprising.

I didn't know what Nagumo wanted me to say, but I responded to him honestly anyway.

"I'm not particularly interested. Ultimately, I don't have the time to be worrying about my upperclassmen."

Toward my complete lack of interest, Nagumo let show a somewhat dissatisfied expression.

"How cold. You're acting like that just because you're Horikita-senpai's favorite, aren't you?"

I couldn't remember ever being particularly favored by him.

In fact, over the past year, I could probably count the number of times I had gotten involved with him on one hand.

"Don't delude yourself, Ayanokōji. All that preferential treatment doesn't make you special. You just got lucky with the environment you were placed in. That's right… It's all thanks to that watchful, anxious classmate of yours right over there."

Confused, I looked over my shoulder and saw the figure of Horikita, watching us from a distance.

It was too much of a coincidence for this selection of people to have gathered here by chance alone.

"Are you the one who called her here, Nagumo?"

"It's only natural for me to reach out to the younger sister of my senpai. I'll be leading the younger generations as the student council president next year, after all."

Somehow, Nagumo seemed to have orchestrated everything in order to get both of the siblings to show up here.

I seemed to be the only person who was present by mere coincidence.

"Come here."

Nagumo bluntly called out to the younger Horikita.

"…The one who sent me this email… Was it you, president Nagumo?"

"Well, not exactly, but close enough. You're Horikita-senpai's little sister, right?"

"Yes… my name is Horikita Suzune."

Due to her older brothers presence, Horikita was reserved with her response.

"I didn't expect my predecessor's little sister to get placed in Class D after enrollment. I was surprised."

"What's your goal here Nagumo?"

Without so much as a glance at his sister, the elder Horikita pressed him for an answer.

After all, Nagumo probably had a reason for why he called them here in the first place.

However, Nagumo simply shook his head, as if to claim he had no ulterior motives.

"I just wanted to meet with you and your little sister."

His objective here was probably to evaluate her.

Coming to the same conclusion, the elder Horikita took the initiative.

"I'll say this now just so we're clear, but you had better not be thinking that you can use my sister to force a concession from me."

"Concession? Certainly not! Do you really think that I'd ever make a move on her? Such a cute underclassman and moreover my senpai's precious little sister?"

"For the sake of getting what you want, I think you'd do anything."

Nagumo didn't affirm the elder Horikita's cold words, but he didn't deny them either.

"Even so, you don't have to be so distant do you? If only you had told me about your sister earlier. If you had, I would've been able to invite her to the student council much sooner."

"What?"

Hearing something unexpected, both siblings were surprised.

"If it's my senpai's little sister, I can have her take over as the student council president after I graduate. The fact that she's the sister of a man who's done so much for our school makes her more than qualified enough."

"Don't use blood relationships as a means to evaluate somebody's capabilities. My sister has nothing to do with how well I performed as president."

"…That's right. I am not fit to be a member of the student council."

Horikita rejected Nagumo's invitation to join the student council. She just didn't have the self-confidence to be a part of it, given how her older brother had also dismissed the idea.

After all, when I had alluded to her about joining the student council in the past, her reaction had been just as negative.

Nagumo seemed to see something in Horikita's humble attitude.

"This meeting is just for introductions. I'll invite you again another day."

Whether or not Horikita actually wanted to join the student council was another matter. It was as if Nagumo was declaring that he would be actively involved with Horikita moving forward. By doing something so disruptive, he was probably searching for her brother's weak points.

"…Well then, um, I'm-"

Horikita attempted to get out of the conversation. Rather than wanting to get away from Nagumo, Horikita seemed as though she wanted to get away from her brother.

"The third-years aren't going to be here for very much longer, you know. Don't you think it'd be nice to be spoiled a little?"

"I'm sorry. If you'll excuse me."

Horikita, judging that any further conversation would be uncomfortable for her brother, quickly hurried back to the classroom. Given Horikita's reactions, anyone would've been able to see how bad a relationship the two siblings had with one another.

"It seems the two of you have a wonderful relationship, don't you Horikita-senpai?"

"Are you satisfied, Nagumo?"

No matter what scheme Nagumo was up to, the elder Horikita didn't seem concerned.

"I would cherish the time I have left with my little sister if I were you."

Even though Nagumo was partially trying to get a reaction from him, it was true that Horikita had come to this school to follow after her brother, and yet she had only been able to meet with him a couple of times so far.

"Anyways senpai. Please, do your best to instill a feeling of presence in the student body by graduating as a member of Class A. If you just so happened to demote down to Class B before graduation, even you won't be able to laugh it off, if you know what I mean?"

If that were to happen, he would probably be thought of as a failure. One who betrayed the expectations of the school and the students around him.

He was probably under quite a bit of pressure… No, he isn't the type of man who would be concerned about such a thing.

The elder Horikita sensed that the conversation had reached its conclusion and left without saying another word.

"Good grief. Of course this isn't enough to get him to take me seriously."

It seemed that Nagumo intended to obsess over his predecessor until the bitter end.

"Is it really so important for you to compete with the former president like this?"

During the training camp a while back, in order to deal with the elder Horikita, Nagumo had opted for a shameless strategy that dragged in the rest of the third-years as well.

"Of course. Taking down Horikita-senpai is the only objective I have left at this school."

After all, there are effectively no opportunities for second and third years to face off against each other.

Yet, it seemed that he intended to make it happen regardless of what forcible means he had to come up with.

"Well, what I do will depend on the details of the exam and Horikita-senpai himself."

It seemed that no matter how many enemies he makes, Nagumo intended to make things clear with the elder Horikita before graduation. Despite claiming otherwise, Nagumo would surely be deeply involved no matter what the details of the exam turned out to be.

After all, there was almost no time left for him to settle things with his senpai.

"Will there be any problems with next week's special exam on your end, president Nagumo? I wouldn't expect the second-years to have it easy either."

"Well, I wonder. Just carry on, hoping for my inevitable failure."

As the break was about to end, Nagumo wrapped up the conversation and took his leave.

Shortly after I returned to the classroom, my neighbor Horikita looked over at me.

"President Nagumo and my brother… what were they talking about?"

"If you were interested, you should've stayed until the end."

"That's…"

Well, it was a difficult conversation for her. She becomes docile and meek like a lamb when she's in front of her brother, after all.

"It's unusual that you stuck around and listened to their conversation in the first place. You've sure become someone who's attracting attention from all sorts of people, haven't you? I wonder if it's thanks to that relay race you had with my brother at the athletics festival?"

Her words were beautifully laced with a sarcastic irony. To be fair, it's not like I'm able to predict the future.

Everything doesn't always go the way I expect it to.

"It doesn't seem like there were many chances for you to get closer to your brother this past year."

"…So what?"

Horikita's mood got worse as soon as I brought up her circumstances with her older brother.

That being the case, it would've been better if I didn't get unexpectedly dragged into Nagumo's conversation.

Her concern about what had been discussed earlier with Nagumo was written all over her face.

"Don't you want to try and face him at least once before he graduates?"

"You don't understand anything. There's no way that my brother would look after me. Going out of my way to approach him when I know I would be treated cruelly is just plain stupid."

So you enrolled in the same school, satisfied with just watching over him instead?

"If my brother's interested in anyone… it's unpleasant, but he's only interested in you."

I was about to tell her that she was wrong, but I ended up stopping myself.

At the moment, Horikita wouldn't believe me even if I were to go into the details.

More than anything, it would be meaningless if she didn't have the courage to face him herself.

"Really? Well, maybe you're right."

I responded, cutting the conversation short.

While I think Horikita still had complaints, she didn't say anything else.

[Part 1 end]

[Part 2]

The next day, Tuesday March 2nd.

Morning homeroom.

Chabashira walked through the door shortly after the bell rang.

It was the usual scene that unfolded every morning.

The class was enveloped in an air of relaxation.

It was announced yesterday that we had all passed the end-of-year exam without any problems. There were still a few days to go before the start of the final special exam for the first-years on March 8th, so it was no surprise that there wasn't a hint of nervousness in the room.

However, Chabashira's expression as she stood behind the podium was more grim than usual.

She projected a tense, stinging aura that spread to the students as well.

"Um, did something happen?"

Hirata, always prioritizing the stability of the class, took the initiative to speak up.

Chabashira didn't answer right away, instead choosing to simply remain silent.

The impression she gave off made it seem like she was reluctant to say anything.

Up until now, no matter how serious things had been, she would beat her explanations into us without mercy. So, it didn't take very long for the class to realize that this situation was abnormal.

"…There's something I have to tell you all."

She spoke heavily.

Her expression was as stern as ever, but the sound of her voice made her seem like she was struggling.

"As I told you yesterday, the final special exam for the first-years will begin on March 8th. After this special exam, you will advance to the second year, as per the general convention of our school."

Chabashira turned around, picked up a piece of chalk, and reached for the blackboard.

"This year, however, the situation is slightly different from previous years."

"Different… How?"

Hirata asked in return, having felt a sense of danger.

"Not a single student in your grade dropped out this year, even after the end-of-year exam. Getting this far without a single dropout has never happened before in the history of this school."

"We're pretty awesome when you put it like that, aren't we?"

I thought about how we shouldn't be getting ahead of ourselves, but Ike cut in to do just that.

If it was the usual Chabashira, she'd have probably warned him not to get too carried away.

"That's right, and the school thinks so too. Normally, this would be something to celebrate. Even we, as faculty of the school, hope to see as many students graduate as possible. However, it needs to be said that several problems arise when things don't turn out the way we expect them to."

The way she spoke was strange. Hirata and Horikita both seemed to feel something out of place with her choice of words as well.

"It's as if you're saying you're bothered by the fact nobody's dropped out yet."

"It's not like that at all. But, sometimes things happen that go beyond my expectations."

Even though she was saying something she should be happy about, Chabashira's words were heavy.

In order to dispel that heaviness, Horikita continued to speak.

"Are you implying that there's something wrong with us?"

The content of what Chabashira had to tell us wouldn't change, no matter what questions Horikita might ask. She wasn't the person making the choices here. She was just the employee who had been given the duty of relaying instructions.

"On the basis that there haven't been any expulsions among the first-years, the school…"

Chabashira paused for a moment.

Then, she squeezed out the words that had been stuck in her throat.

"…has decided that, given the extenuating circumstances, you will be undergoing a supplementary improvised special exam starting today."

She wrote down today's date, Tuesday March 2nd, along with the words "Supplementary Special Exam" on the blackboard.

"Eeeh!? What the heck!? Another special exam!? That's so unfair! The school's acting like a stubborn little brat just because none of us dropped out!?"

Chabashira simply glossed over Ike's complaints. Students didn't have the right to refuse.

No, maybe she was the one who didn't have that right. Chabashira was looking less composed than usual today. She didn't seem to be trying to frighten us, so it was highly likely that this really was something that the school decided on in a hurry.

"It seems a little different from what we've done so far…"

Horikita muttered softly, having realized that there was no point fighting against it at the moment.

"Only the students who manage to pass this supplementary special exam will be eligible to take the special exam on March 8th."

Having given a small explanation, Chabashira paused for a moment.

"I never agreed to this! I can't believe we have to be the ones to take another exam!"

"Your dissatisfaction is completely justified. After all, the school has gone and implemented a special exam without any prior notice. Although it's only one more exam than in past years, it will still inevitably be a burden on the students. It's a truth that I, as well as the other teachers, have been taking seriously."

A truth other teachers have been taking seriously? In other words, even though the teachers had been taking it seriously, the school itself had not. The way she had phrased it made it possible to arrive at this sort of conclusion.

Piling up extra special exams would certainly be tough on the students at this point.

For instance, if it's a written exam that tests academic ability, students would have to re-apply themselves to their studies. Even in the case of a physical exam, they would need to work out potential countermeasures.

There would be a lot of pressure on the students, no matter what kind of exam it was.

That said, even if several students were to express their dissatisfaction, the special exam wouldn't just disappear.

Chabashira resumed her explanation.

"The content of the special exam is extremely simple, and the dropout rate is fairly low at less than three percent per class."

A dropout rate of less than three percent.

From what I could infer, it certainly seemed low.

But perhaps, this supplementary special exam was different from the exams we've had up till now.

There was no reason for her to expressly bring up the dropout rate.

She had never brought up that piece of information in the exams we had taken before.

The students who noticed this harbored even further suspicions.

When I briefly directed my gaze toward the girl in the seat next to me, our eyes met by chance as she had already been looking at me.

"What's the matter Ayanokōji-kun?"

"No. Nothing."

"If you keep looking at me without saying anything, it'll just make me feel a bit creeped out, you know?"

"…Yeah."

I turned away, deciding to look out the window for a bit.

In such a confined classroom, I could hear everything that was being said, no matter where I was actually looking.

"I wonder what kind of exam it will be? What will it ask of us?"

"You seem to be feeling anxious about that point in particular, but it's nothing you need to be worried about. This supplementary special exam will have nothing to do with things like academic or physical ability. When the time comes, you'll just be expected to do something so simple that anyone should be able to do it, like writing your own name down on the test paper. If there's ultimately only a three percent chance of dropping out of school, that's definitely low, wouldn't you agree?"

Throughout all of this, she had been trying to avoid touching on the true nature of the problem: the content of the exam.

"…If difficulty is unrelated, then that three percent is pretty scary for us."

"Certainly, it's as you say, Hirata. It's not like I can't understand how you're feeling. However, whether or not you'll be able to lower that percentage will be based on the preparations you make before the official exam comes to pass. As you've probably already imagined, the results of the exam will change depending on your actions."

"Where was this dropout rate derived from? Based on what you've told us, it sounds like we're just drawing lots. Is that the case?"

The chance of someone in this class dropping out of school wasn't laughable.

Although Chabashira had understated the dropout rate, the burden it placed on the students was greater than anticipated.

Hirata, having been the first person to understand it, challenged that point even further.

"Please tell us. What kind of special exam will we be taking?"

"The name of the special exam is The Class Poll."

"The Class… Poll…?"

Chabashira wrote out the name of the special exam on the blackboard.

"I'll now explain the rules for this special exam. For the next four days, you'll be evaluated by your fellow classmates. Then on Saturday, you'll select the names of three students you find worthy of praise, and the names of three students you find worthy of criticism and cast your votes for them. That's it."

Does that mean that we would all be evaluating one another? Thinking about it objectively, students like Hirata and Kushida would accumulate a lot of praise, putting them at the top of the charts. In contrast, it seems like students who are thought of as troublemakers or are holding the class back would accumulate a lot of criticism and plummet to the bottom.

We were shown a glimpse of the urgency the school was facing based on the fact that they were using a Saturday to hold a portion of the exam.

However, based on everything Chabashira had said so far, the students in the upper and lower ranks…

"T-that's it? That's all the exam is?"

"Correct. That's it. Didn't I tell you it was simple?"

"With that being the case, how does the school determine the outcome of the exam?"

"I'll explain that now."

Tightening her grip on the chalk, Chabashira proceeded to write on the blackboard once more.

"The essence of this special exam is the number of praise and censure votes you accumulate on Saturday. The top student… that is, the student who accumulates the most praise votes, will be given a special reward. This special reward will not be private points. Instead, you will receive one point from a new system altogether, Protection Points."

It was a type of point we hadn't heard anything about until now.

Of course, it captured everyone's attention.

"Protection points grant you the right to override an expulsion. Even if you were to fail a test, as long as you have a protection point, you can use it to cancel out the questions you had gotten wrong. However, these points cannot be transferred between students."

It was no exaggeration to say that the moment she said this, a wave of newfound surprise spread throughout the classroom.

"You should all be able to understand how amazing these points are. They're effectively equivalent in value to twenty-million private points. Of course, in the eyes of an excellent student with no reason to fear expulsion, they may not hold as much value."

That would probably never be the case. There was no such thing as a student who wouldn't welcome the right to invalidate an expulsion.

The reward was far too extravagant. No, it was beyond extravagant.

These protection points had the potential to be an outrageously dangerous weapon depending on how they were used.

And it was precisely because of this extravagance that the penalty given to the lowest ranked students would be even greater.

"Does this mean that something bad happens to the three lowest ranked students…?"

Hirata asked, uneasy about the answer.

"No. This time, the penalty only applies to the student who receives the most censure votes in each class. Other students will not be penalized, no matter how many censure votes they receive. After all, the theme of this special exam is selecting who will take the top spot, and then deciding who will take the bottom.

"What kind of penalty is it?"

"The special exam this time is different from the ones you've had so far, with one point in particular being very different. Namely, that this special exam is being conducted to rectify the problem of there not being any dropouts."

Indeed. The detail the students should really be worried about was the reason why the supplementary special exam was being carried out in the first place.

If this exam was being held because there had yet to be any dropouts…

"This special exam is exactly as easy as I told you it was. Even if you lack academic ability or physical strength, you won't be at a disadvantage. But even so, why would the school go out of its way to provide the special reward of protection points? That would be because it's probably impossible for all of you to advance to the second year without leaving one of your classmates behind."

Chabashira turned around and looked at each of us, one by one.

"So, the student at the lowest rank… will be expelled from the school."

If there was a vote, there would be results.

And if there were results, there would have to be a first and last place student.

And then, the person in last place would be expelled.

This outcome would be inevitable.

It would be the same, no matter how superior or inferior the class was.

The only difference would be who would face the penalty.

That was the kind of exam we were dealing with.

The school had set up this supplementary exam simply because they were upset that nobody had dropped out yet. After all, if the supplementary exam took place and no students dropped out, it would've been meaningless for them to implement all of this in the first place.

Still, the face of Sakayanagi's father, the chairman of the school, crossed my mind. While he may not have shown me his true nature during my encounter with him, he still didn't seem to be the type of person who would enforce such an unreasonable exam.

"I-I don't understand what you mean, sensei. T-the person in last place… are you seriously saying that they'll be expelled?"

"That's right. They'll have to face the guillotine. But rest assured, the class itself won't be penalized if someone drops out this time. That's just the type of exam this is."

This was clearly different from previous special exams.

[Chapter end]