Chapter 7: Classroom of the Elite

On May 1, the morning bell rang for our very first day of class. Soon

afterward, Chiyabashira-sensei strode into the room, holding a rolled-up

poster. Her expression today was even more stern than usual. Had she started

menopause, I wondered? If I made that joke out loud, I think she would have

swung an iron bat at my face with full force.

"Hey, sensei, did you start menopause or something?"

Unbelievably, Ike actually let that joke fly. Honestly, it was more

shocking that I'd thought the same thing as Ike.

"All right, your morning homeroom is about to begin. Before we get

started, does anyone have any questions? If so, now is the time to speak."

Chiyabashira-sensei completely ignored Ike's sexual harassment. She

appeared totally convinced that the students had questions they wanted

answered. Immediately, several students raised their hands.

"Um, I checked my point balance this morning, but I didn't see any

deposits. Points are given on the first day of every month, aren't they? I

couldn't buy juice this morning."

"Hondou, I already explained this before, didn't I? Points are deposited

on the first day of the month. I've confirmed that points were wired this

month without any issues."

"Um, but…nothing was deposited into my account, though."

Hondou and Yamauchi exchanged glances. Ike appeared too shocked

to notice them looking at each other. I'd checked my point balance that

morning as well, but saw that it had remained unchanged from the day

before. No more points had been deposited into my account. I'd simply

thought that the points would be wired later.

"Are you kids really that dumb?"

Was she angry or delighted? I was getting an ominous vibe from

Chiyabashira-sensei.

"Dumb? What?"

As Hondou stupidly repeated her words, Chiyabashira-sensei looked at

him sharply.

"Sit down, Hondou. I'll explain once more," she said.

"S-Sae-chan-sensei?"

Hondou, taken aback by her unusually strict tone, slumped in his seat.

"Points were deposited. That much I know for certain. There is

absolutely no chance that we forgot about anyone in this class. To think so is

ludicrous. Understood?"

"Well, even if I tell you that we understand, we haven't received any

points…"

Hondou, still perplexed, began to look dissatisfied. Supposing that

what Chiyabashira-sensei said was true and that points had been wired to us,

then that meant…

Had there been a discrepancy, then? Did that mean that zero points had

been deposited into our accounts? My vague doubts quickly grew.

"Ha ha ha! I see. So, it's like that then, teacher? I think I've solved the

mystery," Kouenji boomed, laughing.

He propped his feet up on his desk and smugly pointed toward

Hondou.

"It's simple. We're in Class D, so we didn't receive a single point."

"Huh? What are you talking about? They said that we'd get 100,000

points every month—"

"I don't remember hearing that, though. Do you?" Chuckling, Kouenji

boldly pointed at Chiyabashira-sensei.

"While he certainly has an attitude problem, Kouenji is exactly right.

For crying out loud, barely anyone seems to have noticed the hint I gave you.

How deplorable."

In response to this sudden turn of events, the classroom exploded in an

uproar.

"Sensei, may I please ask you a question? I'm afraid I still don't

understand." Hirata raised his hand. He appeared to ask on behalf of his

classmates rather than out of selfish concern. Just as I'd expect of the de facto

class leader. Even now, he took the initiative.

"Can you please tell us why we didn't receive any points? We won't

completely understand otherwise."

That was certainly true.

"A total of ninety-eight absences and late arrivals. Three hundred

ninety-one incidences of talking or using a cell phone in class. That is quite a

few infractions over one month. In this school, your class's results are

reflected in the points that you receive. As a result, you wasted all of the

100,000 points that you should have received. That's what happened."

"I should have explained this all to you on the day of the entrance

ceremony. This school measures its students' true abilities. This time, you

were evaluated as being worth nothing. That's all."

Chiyabashira-sensei spoke in a robotic fashion, devoid of any emotion.

The doubts I'd had since coming to this school were finally confirmed,

though, in the worst way possible. Even though we'd started with the huge

advantage of 100,000 points, Class D had lost it in just a single month.

I heard a pencil moving against paper. Horikita seemed to be tallying

the number of absences, tardy arrivals, and instances of talking in class down

in her notebook, perhaps trying to make sense of the situation.

"Chiyabashira-sensei. I do not recall hearing you explain that to us

before—"

"What? Are you incapable of understanding something unless it's

explained in detail?"

"Of course. There was never any talk about reducing our points. Had

that been explained beforehand, I'm sure we would have avoided being late

or talking during class."

"That is a rather bizarre argument, Hirata. It is certainly true that I

don't recall explaining the rules of point distribution. However, didn't you all

learn in elementary school not to be late or talk in class? Was that not taught

throughout your elementary and junior high schools?"

"Well, that's—"

"I'm sure that in nine years of compulsory education, you learned that

being late and talking in class are bad things. And now you say that you can't

understand this because I haven't explained it to you? I'm afraid your

reasoning is flimsy. If you had simply acted properly, then your points would

not have dropped all the way to zero. This comes down to you taking

personal responsibility."

There was no way for anyone to refute her perfectly sound argument.

Everyone knew that bad behavior didn't pay.

"Having just entered your first year of high school, did you honestly

think you'd receive 100,000 points every month with no strings attached? At

a school established by the Japanese government for the express purposes of

training gifted people? That's unthinkable. Try using some common sense.

Why would you leave it to chance?"

Although Hirata appeared to be frustrated, he looked the teacher

straight in the eye. "Well then, could you at least explain in detail how points

are added or deducted? We can keep that in mind for future reference."

"I cannot tell you. We cannot disclose the methods behind our student

evaluation. It's the same as any other organization. When you enter a evaluates its employees. However, I'm not cruel, and I'm not trying to be

cold. In fact, this situation is so pathetic that I will give you one bit of

guidance."

For the first time, I saw a faint sliver of a smile on Chiyabashira-

sensei's lips.

"Let's say that you stop being late to class and have no more

absences… Even though zero points will be deducted from you this month,

that doesn't mean that your points will increase, either. That means next

month you will still receive zero points. From another perspective, you could

say no matter how times you're late or absent to class, it doesn't matter. So,

you're not really at a loss, are you?"

"Tch…" Hirata's expression darkened. Her explanation was so

counterproductive that it had the opposite effect; some students seemed

incapable of understanding what she meant. The students who thought they

could improve their situation by remedying bad behavior had their hopes

dashed. That was probably Chiyabashira-sensei's, or rather, this school's,

intention.

The bell rang, signaling the end of homeroom.

"It looks like we spent too much time yammering. I hope that you

understood the gist of it. Well, it's about time that we switch to our main

topic."

From the tube she carried, she removed a white rolled-up poster and

spread it out. She stuck the poster to the blackboard with some magnets. The

still-confused students stared blankly at the poster.

"Are these…the results for each class?" Horikita tentatively took a

guess. She was probably right. Class A through Class D were listed. To the

side was a row of numbers that went up to a maximum of four digits. Class D

had zero. Class C had 490. Class B had 650. And at the top was Class A, with

a total of 940. In this case, 1000 points would mean 100,000 yen, wouldn't

it? Every class had apparently lost points.

"Isn't something about this odd?"

"Yeah. The numbers look too even."

Horikita and I had both noticed something strange.

"You've all been doing whatever you pleased this past month. The

school has no intention of preventing you from doing what you want. Your

actions, such as being late or talking during class, only affect the points you

receive. The same goes for how you use your points. How you choose to

spend is entirely up to you. We have not put any restrictions on point usage."

"This isn't fair, though! We can't enjoy our student lives like this!"

shouted Ike, who'd stayed quiet until now.

Yamauchi wailed in incredible agony. He'd already used up all of his

points…

"Look here, morons. Every other class got points. The amount of points

we gave you for the first month should be plenty for you to live on."

"B-but, how do the other classes still have points left? That's weird…"

"I've already told you, there's nothing unfair about it. All of the classes

were scored using the same rules. Despite that, they didn't lose as many as

you. That's the truth."

"But…why is there such a difference in our point values?" Hirata also

seemed to have noticed that the numbers were too tidy.

"Do you finally understand now? Do you see why you were placed in

Class D?"

"The reason why we were placed in Class D? Weren't we simply

accepted into this school?"

"Huh? But classes are normally divided up like this, right?"

Students exchanged glances.

"In this school, students are sorted by their level of excellence. The

superior students are sorted into Class A, the least capable in Class D. It's the

same system you'd find in the major cram schools. In other words, Class D is

akin to the last bastion for failures. You are the worst of the worst. You're

defective. This is just the result of you being defective."

Horikita's face stiffened. She appeared shocked by this line of

reasoning. It certainly made sense to sort the superior students with the other

superior students and the failures with the failures. If you mixed rotten oranges with good ones, the rotten would quickly spoil the good. Inevitably,

the superior Horikita would find this revolting.

I, on the other hand, was glad. This meant I couldn't go any lower.

"However, I have to say, this year's Class D was the first to ever spend

all of their points in a single month. I am impressed by how much you

indulged yourselves. Wonderful, just wonderful."

Chiyabashira-sensei's false applause echoed throughout the classroom.

"So, does that mean that once we reach zero points, we'll always stay

there?"

"Yes. You will remain at zero until you graduate. But don't worry, you

can still have a room in the dorms and free meals. You won't die."

Although we knew that it was possible to get by with the bare

minimum, a lot of students weren't comforted by that fact. After all, we'd

lived a life of luxury this past month. To suddenly restrain yourself after that

would prove seriously difficult.

"Won't the other classes make fun of us?"

Sudou kicked the legs of his desk with a loud thwack. After hearing

that the classes were divided based on merit, everyone else would probably

believe that Class D was full of morons. Despair wasn't unreasonable.

"What? You're still worried about your dignity, Sudou? Well then,

work to make your class into the best one."

"Huh?"

"Your class's points aren't just linked to the amount of money that you

receive each month. They're also indicative of your class rank."

In other words…should we get to 500 points, then Class D would be

promoted to Class C. This really did sound like a company performance

review.

"Now then, I have one more bit of bad news to share with you all."

She stuck another sheet of paper up on the board. It listed the names of

everyone in class. A number stood next to everyone's name.

"Judging from these, I can see that we've quite a few idiots in this

class." As her heels clacked against the floor, she glanced at us. "These are the results of the short test you took a while ago. Your sensei was so happy

after your excellent performance. Come on, what in the world did you all

study when you were in junior high?"

With the exception of a few high scores, almost everyone tested below

a sixty. Even if you ignored Sudou's wonderful score of fourteen points, there

was Ike, scoring a little above him at twenty-four points. The average score

was sixty-five.

"I'm so glad. If this were an actual test, then seven of you would've

had to drop out."

"D-drop out? What do you mean?"

"Oh, what, did I not explain this to you? If you fail on a midterm or

final exam in this school, then you have to drop out. If we applied that rule to

this test, anyone who scored below thirty-two points would be out. You guys

really are stupid, aren't you?"

"Wh-what?!" wailed Ike and the other failures.

There was a red line drawn on the paper, separating the seven people in

question from the rest of the class. Among those seven people, Kikuchi had

scored highest, with thirty-one points. Anyone with a score equal to or lower

than Kikuchi's had failed.

"Hey, don't jerk us around, Sae-chan-sensei! Don't joke about kicking

us out!"

"Frankly, I'm also at a loss," the teacher said. "These are the school

rules. You should prepare for the worst."

"The teacher's right. There do seem to be a lot of morons here."

Kouenji wore a smug grin while he polished his nails, his legs propped on the

desk.

"What the hell, Kouenji? You scored below the red line, too!"

"Pah. Where exactly are you looking, boy? Look again."

"Huh? Kouenji is…huh?"

Starting from the bottom of the page, Sudou scanned upward, and there

he found Kouenji Rokosuke's name. Unbelievably, Kouenji had tied for the

top spot, scoring ninety points. That meant he'd been able to solve one of those super difficult problems.

"I never thought that Sudou was an idiot like me!" cried Ike, a mixture

of wonder and sarcasm in his voice.

"Oh, one more thing. This school, which operates under government

supervision, boasts a high rate of advancement into elite education and

workforce placement. That is a well-known fact. It's very likely that most of

you have chosen a college or future workplace."

Well, naturally. This school boasted the highest rates of advancement

in the whole country. There were rumors that it was possible to get into a

highly competitive school or company just by graduating. Rumors even

suggested that graduation from this school was like receiving a

recommendation to Tokyo University, the most prestigious of Japan's

institutes of higher learning.

"However, nothing comes easy in this world. Mediocre people such as

yourselves would have to be naive to think that you could easily get into the

college or workplace of your choice."

Chiyabashira-sensei's words carried throughout the room.

"In other words, you're saying that if we want to get into the company

or college of our choice, we must, at minimum, surpass Class C?" Hirata

asked.

"You're wrong. To make your dreams of a bright future come true,

your only option is to overtake Class A. This school guarantees nothing for

any other students."

"Th-that's…absurd! We didn't hear anything about that!"

A bespectacled student named Yukimura stood up. He'd tied with

Kouenji for the top score, indicating that there were no issues with his

academic abilities.

"How disgraceful. There's nothing more pitiful than men losing their

cool." As if prompted by Yukimura's words, Kouenji let out a sigh.

"Don't you feel dissatisfied being in Class D, Kouenji?" Yukimura

asked.

"Dissatisfied? Why would I feel dissatisfied? I don't understand."

"Because the school says we're so low that we're basically delinquents

and failures. We've been told that there's no guarantee whatsoever that we'll

advance into higher education or get a job!"

"Pah. Utter nonsense. That's so marvelously stupid that I can't even

find the words." Kouenji didn't even stop polishing his nails or turn to face

Yukimura as he spoke. "The school simply hasn't seen my potential yet. I

pride myself on being great, and I value, respect, and regard myself more

highly than anyone. So, the school arbitrarily placing me into Class D means

nothing. Say, for instance, that I dropped out of school—I would be perfectly

fine. After all, I am 100 percent positive that the school would come crying to

take me back."

That certainly sounded like something Kouenji would say. Was it being

macho? Or narcissism? It's true that if you didn't care about the school's

classification of students, then it really wasn't a big deal. If you considered

Kouenji's impressive intellect and physical ability, it was difficult to imagine

that all of the students in Class A could be better than him. Perhaps he'd been

assigned to Class D because of his personality rather than his ability.

"Besides, I don't care in the slightest if the school does or doesn't assist

me to higher education or the workforce. It's been decided that I will lead the

Kouenji conglomerate group. Whether I'm in Class D or Class A is a trivial

matter."

It was true that for a man whose future was already decided, getting

into Class A was far from a necessity. Yukimura, at a loss for words, simply

sat back down.

"It looks like your bubbles have been burst. If you had simply

understood the harsh reality of the situation from the start, then this long

homeroom period might have meant something. Your midterm exams are in

three weeks. Please think things over, and be careful not to drop out. I have

confidence that you can find a way to avoid getting red marks on your report

cards. If at all possible, challenge yourself to act in a way befitting a skilled

individual."

Chiyabashira-sensei exited the room, closing the door with some force

for added emphasis. The students marked in red were left dejected. Even the

normally proud Sudou clicked his tongue and hung his head in shame.

                                7.1

"If we don't get any more points, what I am gonna do?"

"I used up all of my points yesterday…"

During the break, the classroom erupted into an uproar…or rather,

chaos.

"Forget about the points. What the hell about this class? Why was I put

into Class D?!" Yukimura cried resentfully. A thin layer of sweat covered his

forehead.

"Wait, does this mean that we can't get into college now? Why did we

even go to this school? Does Sae-chan-sensei hate us or something?"

None of the other students could hide their confusion.

"I understand that you're all confused right now, but everyone needs to

calm down." Hirata, sensing the classroom tipping toward crisis, stood and

attempted to rein everyone in.

"How are we supposed to calm down? Aren't you frustrated that she

called us a bunch of failures?!" Yukimura said.

"Even if I was, isn't it better for us to band together so we can turn

things around?" Hirata asked.

"Turn things around? I don't even agree with how we were sorted in

the first place!"

"I understand. However, sitting here whining won't help us right now."

"What did you say?" Yukimura quickly went to Hirata and forcefully

grasped his collar.

"Calm down, you two, okay? I'm sure that the teacher talked to us

harshly so we'd be inspired to do better, right?"

That was Kushida. She slipped between the two and separated them,

gently taking Yukimura's balled fist. Just as anyone would expect, Yukimura

didn't try to hurt her and reflexively took half a step back.

"Besides, it's only been one month since we started here, right? Like Hirata-kun said, it's better if we all do our best together. Do you think that

I'm wrong about that?"

"N-no, it's… Well, I certainly wouldn't say you're wrong, but…"

Yukimura's anger had almost completely vanished. Kushida looked at

everyone in class, and it was almost as if her eyes reflected a sincere wish for

us to work together.

"Yeah, it's better for us to band together. Right? There's no need for

you to fight, Yukimura. Hirata."

"I'm sorry. I lost my cool," Yukimura said.

"It's all right. I should have chosen my words a little more carefully."

Kushida Kikyou's presence brought everyone together. I took out my

cell phone and snapped a picture of the paper with the class point totals.

Horikita, taking notice, looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I haven't been able to figure out how points are calculated yet. You've

also been taking notes, haven't you?"

If I could figure out how many points were deducted by being late or

talking in class, it'd be easier to come up with countermeasures.

"Wouldn't it be difficult to figure out those details at this stage?

Besides, I don't think you can resolve this simply by investigating. Everyone

in our class arrived late and talked too often."

As Horikita had said, it certainly was difficult to conclude anything

based on the current information. Also, Horikita's usually cool, composed

attitude was gone. She seemed rather impatient.

"Are you trying to get into college, too?" I wondered.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, when we learned about the differences between A and D, you

looked shocked."

"But so was almost everyone in this class, more or less. If they'd told

us at the start, that would've been one thing, but to explain it at this stage?

Unthinkable."

Well, she was right about that. There was probably a lot of

discontented grumbling coming from Class C and B students as well. After

all, the school treated every class except for A like leftovers. Trying to get to

the top was probably our best option.

"I think that before we even start talking about A or D or whatever, we

should secure points."

"Points are just a byproduct of our performance, though. Not having

points won't hinder our lives here at school. We have free options at almost

every turn, right?" Horikita said.

If you thought about it that way, it'd be a relief for the students who'd

lost all of their points.

"'Won't hinder our lives here at school,' huh?"

If you wanted to simply get by, this wouldn't be a problem. However,

there were many things you could only obtain with points. Entertainment, for

example. If the lack of entertainment options wasn't a problem, then it'd be

fine, but…

"About how many points did you spend last month, Ayanokouji-kun?"

"Hm? Oh, my points? I spent about 20,000, approximately."

This was tragic for the students who'd used up their points. Like

Yamauchi, who was ranting and raving at his desk. Ike had also spent almost

all of his points.

"While unfortunate, they've simply reaped what they've sown,"

Horikita said.

It was certainly true that indiscriminately spending all 100,000 points

in a single month was a slight problem.

"They baited us into spending all our points over the course of this one

month, and we fell for it."

One hundred thousand points per month. Even though everyone had

thought it too good to be true, we'd been too happy to care.

"Attention, everyone. Before class begins, I want you to listen

seriously for a moment. Especially you, Sudou-kun." The class was still in an

uproar, but Hirata claimed everyone's attention when he stood at the teacher's podium.

"Tch, what is it?" Sudou grumbled.

"We didn't get any points this month. This is a serious problem, and

one that will have an enormous impact on our daily lives moving forward.

It's impossible for us to make it to graduation with zero points, right?"

"You're absolutely right!" shouted one of the female students, her

voice full of despair.

Hirata gave a kind nod in response, sympathizing with her.

"Of course. Therefore, we must earn points next month. To do that, we

all need to cooperate with each other. So, please, take care not to be late to

class or to talk during the lecture. Also, the use of cell phones during class is

prohibited, of course."

"Huh? And why do you get to tell us what to do? Besides, that's

supposing our points will increase. If they don't change at all, then it's

useless."

"As long as we continue talking during class and being late, our points

won't increase for sure. Although we can't go below zero points, disruption

will, without a doubt, count as strikes against us."

"I'm still not convinced. Besides, even if we get serious and work hard

in class, our points won't necessarily go up." Sudou snorted and crossed his

arms in defiance. Kushida took notice of this and commented on it.

"Well, the teacher did say that the being late and talking in class were

obviously bad, right?"

"Yeah, I agree with Kushida-san. It's only natural to avoid doing those

things."

"That's just your own selfish interpretation. Besides, you don't know

how to increase our points. Try talking to me after you figure that out."

"I don't think that there's anything particularly wrong with what you

said, Sudou-kun. I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable." Hirata

bowed his head politely toward the disgruntled Sudou. "However, Sudou-

kun, it's a fact that unless we all cooperate, we won't get any more points."

"Do whatever you want. It doesn't matter. Just don't involve me in it Understand?" Sudou snapped.

As if being in the room made him feel uncomfortable, he left

immediately. I had to wonder: Would he return when class started? Or did he

not intend to return at all?

"Sudou-kun really can't read the room. He's the one who was late to

class the most. Couldn't we still get some points even without Sudou-kun?"

"Yeah. He really is the worst. Why is he in our class?"

Hmm. Until now, everyone had been enjoying their lives of luxury to

the absolute fullest. No one had previously complained about Sudou. Hirata

stepped down from the podium and, strangely, stopped right in front of my

desk.

"Horikita-san, Ayanokouji-kun, do you have a moment? I want to

speak with you about how we can increase our points. I'd like you to join me.

Can you?"

"Why do you want us?" I asked.

"I want to hear everyone's voices. However, if I ask for everyone to

weigh in, I think more than half of the class probably won't take it seriously."

So, he wanted to ask us individually? I doubted I'd be able to come up

with any particularly useful ideas, but I supposed it couldn't hurt to talk. Just

as I was thinking that…

"I'm sorry, can you ask someone else? I'm not particularly good at

discussing things with others," said Horikita.

"We wouldn't force you to speak up. If you could help think of

something, that would be good. Simply being there would be enough," Hirata

said.

"I'm sorry, but I have no interest in something meaningless."

"This is the first trial we're facing together as a united Class D. So then

—"

"I refuse. I won't participate." Her words were stern, yet composed.

While she'd considered Hirata's position, she refused him once again.

"I…I see. I'm sorry. If you change your mind, I'd love for you to join

us."

Horikita had already stopped looking at Hirata, who withdrew

dejectedly.

"What about you, Ayanokouji-kun?" he asked.

Honestly, I'd be glad to participate. I'd thought that most of the class

would be involved. However, if Horikita was the only one absent, then she

might be treated the same as Sudou.

"Ah…I'll pass. I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry for bothering you. If you change your mind, please let

me know."

Hirata probably understood what I was thinking. I hadn't rejected him

strongly. After the discussion ended, Horikita began preparing for the next

class.

"Hirata's a great guy. He's able to get everyone to take action just like

that. People can easily get depressed in these situations."

"That's one perspective, yes. If we could easily solve this by talking,

then that'd be fine. However, if an unintelligent student tries to lead the

discussion, the group will fall further into chaos, to the point where there's no

hope of salvaging anything. Besides, I can't meekly accept my current

situation."

"You can't accept what now? What do you mean?"

Horikita didn't answer my question. She fell completely silent.

                             7.2

Class had ended for the day. Hirata stood at the podium, using the

blackboard to prepare for our big discussion. Because of Hirata's powerful

charisma, almost everyone in our class had shown, with the exception of a

few like Horikita and Sudou. When I looked around, I noticed that they'd

already left the room. I decided to leave before the discussion got into full

swing, as well.

"Ayanokouji!"

Yamauchi suddenly appeared from under my desk, his expression

deathlike.

"Whoa! Wh-what? What's wrong?"

"Hey, buy this from me for 20,000 points. I can't buy anything!" he

cried.

Yamauchi placed the game console he'd purchased the other day on

my desk. Frankly, I didn't even want the thing.

"But if you sell that to me, who am I supposed to play with?" I asked.

"How the heck should I know? Come on, it's good, right? It's special,

so it's a good deal."

"I'll buy it from you for 1,000 points."

"Ayanokouji! Come on, you're my only hope!"

"Why am I the only one? I can't afford it, anyway."

Yamauchi looked at me all teary-eyed, which grossed me out. I looked

the other way. He must have realized I wasn't biting, so he immediately

switched to a new target.

"Professor! Your best buddy has a favor to ask! Buy this game system

for 22,000 points!"

He was trying to get the Professor to buy it and had shamelessly

increased the price.

"Things must be really tough for the people who used up their points,"remarked Kushida as she observed Yamauchi.

"What about you, Kushida? Do you have enough points? Girls have a

lot of necessities, after all."

"I'm okay. For now, anyway. I've used up about half of my points. I

kind of lost control the first month and overspent, so it'll be a little difficult to

hold myself back. What about you, Ayanokouji-kun? Are you okay?"

"It's got to be hard not to spend money when you're so popular. I've

barely used any of my points, to be honest. I haven't really needed to buy

anything."

"Because you don't have friends?" she asked.

"Hey…"

"Ah, sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to offend," Kushida apologized with a

giggle. She was too cute when she did that.

"Hey, Kushida-san, do you have a minute?" Karuizawa asked.

"What's up, Karuizawa-san?"

"Honestly, I've spent way too many points, and I'm seriously running

low. Some of the other girls in class have lent me a few points, but I was

wondering if you could help me out, too. We're friends, right? I only need,

like, 2,000 points from you."

Karuizawa didn't seem all that earnest, laughing breezily while she hit

up Kushida. In such a case, rejection should be the knee-jerk reaction.

"Okay, sure."

Sure?! I repeated silently, but it wasn't my business. This was a

problem for the friends in question. Kushida had decided to help Karuizawa

without even a hint of reluctance.

"Thank you! This is really what friends are for, huh? By the way,

here's my number. Okay, see you later. Ah, Inogashira-san! Hey, to tell you

the truth, I used up too many of my points…"

Karuizawa turned away just like that and went in pursuit of her next

target.

"Are you sure? You know you probably won't get those points back,

right?" I asked "I can't just ignore a friend in need. Karuizawa-san has a lot of friends,

too, so I think it's probably hard for her not to have any points."

"I think using up 100,000 points is kind of her own fault, though."

"Wait, how do you transfer points?" Kushida asked.

"Karuizawa gave you her phone number, didn't she? You should be

able to do it with your cell phone."

"This school really does take great care of its students. It even has a

way to help students like Karuizawa-san."

True, transferring points was a lifesaver for Karuizawa, but was it

really necessary to give her the money? If anything, it seemed a recipe for

disaster.

The loudspeaker came alive with a soothing sound effect, and a robotic

voice issued an announcement.

"Ayanokouji-kun, from first-year Class D. Please come see

Chiyabashira-sensei in the faculty office."

"Looks like the teacher wants to see you."

"Yeah… Sorry, Kushida. Gotta go."

I was sure I hadn't done anything to get me called to the office. Exiting

the classroom, I could feel my classmates' stares drilling a hole into the back

of my head. Timid as a rabbit, I found the faculty office and entered. I looked

all around, but I didn't find Chiyabashira-sensei anywhere. Baffled, I called

out to a teacher inspecting her appearance in a mirror.

"Excuse me, is Chiyabashira-sensei here?"

"Hmm? Sae-chan? Oh, she was just here a moment ago."

The teacher had wavy, shoulder-length hair, which made her look

mature. The way she said Chiyabashira-sensei's name made them sound

close. They were near in age and probably friends.

"She must have stepped away for a minute. Do you want to wait here?"

"No, thank you. I'll wait in the hall."

I didn't like being in the faculty office. I hated attention, so the hall

would do just as well. However, the young teacher unexpectedly followed me.

"I'm Hoshinomiya Chie, in charge of Class B. Sae and I have been best

friends since high school. That's why we call each other Sae-chan and Chie-

chan."

That information seemed kind of superfluous.

"Hey, why did Sae-chan call you? Huh? Huh? Why?" she asked.

"No idea."

"I don't understand. You were called to the office without a reason?

Hmm? What's your name?"

An onslaught of questions. She scanned me from top to bottom, as if

sizing me up.

"My name's Ayanokouji," I said.

"Ayanokouji-kun, huh? Oh, wow, that's a cool name. You're pretty

popular, aren't you?"

What was with this overly friendly teacher? She acted more like a

student. If this were an all-boy school, she would have immediately captured

every student's heart.

"Hey, do you already have a girlfriend?" she asked.

"No… I'm, uh, not especially popular."

I tried to seem reluctant, but Hoshinomiya-sensei kept pushing herself

onto me. She grabbed my arms with slender, delicate hands.

"Hmm? How unexpected. If we were in the same class, I'd never leave

you alone. Perhaps because you're so innocent? Or do you like playing hard

to get?"

She caressed my cheeks. I had no idea what to do. She'd probably stop

if I licked her fingers, but I had a feeling that'd get me expelled.

"What are you doing, Hoshinomiya?"

Chiyabashira-sensei appeared out of nowhere. With a loud thud, she

smacked Hoshinomiya-sensei on the head with her clipboard. Hoshinomiya-

sensei crouched and gripped her skull in apparent pain.

"Ouch! What was that for?" she cried  "For getting involved with one of my students."

"I was only keeping him company while he waited for you, Sae-chan."

"It would have been better if you just left him alone. Thanks for

waiting, Ayanokouji. Let's go into the office."

"The guidance office?" I asked. "Did I do something wrong? I've been

trying to keep a low profile here."

"A good answer. Come."

While I wondered what this was all about, I followed Chiyabashira-

sensei. Hoshinomiya-sensei remained by my side, smiling widely.

Chiyabashira-sensei noticed and turned, her face much like a demon's.

"You stay," she ordered.

"Come on, don't be so cold! It won't be the end of the world if I listen,

right? Besides Sae-chan, you're definitely not the type to give one-on-one

guidance. Pulling a new student like Ayanokouji-kun into the guidance room

out of nowhere… Are you after something, I wonder?"

Grinning, Hoshinomiya-sensei scooted behind me and placed her hands

on my shoulders. I sensed a storm brewing.

"So, Sae-chan, are you looking to be dominated by a younger man?"

Dominated by a younger man? What did that mean?

"Don't say such stupid things. That wouldn't be possible."

"Hee, you're certainly right. It wouldn't be possible for you, Sae-chan,"

Hoshinomiya-sensei muttered, her words laced with a double meaning.

"Why are you following us? This is a Class D matter."

"Huh? I can't go to the guidance room? That's not okay? Come on, I

can give advice, too."

As Hoshinomiya-sensei continued to follow, a female student came up

to us, a beautiful girl with light-pink hair. I'd never seen her before.

"Hoshinomiya-sensei, do you have a moment? The student council

wishes to discuss something with you." She glanced at me, but quickly

returned her attention to Hoshinomiya-sensei.

"All right, you have someone who needs you. Get to it." Slap! Chiyabashira-sensei smacked Hoshinomiya-sensei on the butt with her

clipboard.

"Aw! She'll get mad at me if I hang around any longer. See you later,

Ayanokouji-kun! All right, Ichinose-san. Let's go to the faculty office."

With that, she turned on her heel and left with the beautiful Ichinose.

Chiyabashira-sensei lightly scratched her head while she watched

Hoshinomiya-sensei leave. Soon after, we entered the guidance room, which

stood beside the faculty office.

"So. Why did you call me here?" I asked.

"Well, about that… Before we begin, please come here."

She briefly glanced at a clock hanging on the wall, which gave the time

as nine o'clock, and opened the door. Inside was a small office kitchenette.

She placed a kettle on top of a stove.

"I'm going to make tea. Is roasted green okay?" she asked.

I picked up the container with the tea powder.

"Don't make any unnecessary moves. Shut up and get in here.

Understand? Don't make a sound and stay until I tell you it's okay to come

out. If you don't do as I say, you'll be expelled," she said.

"Huh? What do you mean by—"

She closed the door to the kitchenette without explanation, leaving me

in there. What in the world was she scheming? I did as I was told and waited.

Soon after, I heard the outer door to the guidance room open.

"Ah, come in. So, what did you want to talk to me about, Horikita?" I

heard Chiyabashira-sensei say.

Apparently Horikita was in need of guidance.

"I will be frank. Why was I sorted into Class D?"

"That's quite frank."

"Today, you told us that the school sorted superior students into Class

A. You said that Class D was filled with the leftovers, the last bastion of

delinquents."

"That's true. You must consider yourself to be a superior person." I wondered how Horikita would respond. I'd bet she'd confidently

object.

"I solved nearly every problem on the entrance examination. I made no

substantial mistakes on the interview, either. At the very least, I shouldn't

have been sorted into Class D."

Looks like I would have won that bet. Horikita was definitely the type

to think herself superior. She wasn't excessively self-conscious, either. She'd

tied for first place on the test, as shown in the morning's results.

"You solved nearly all of the problems on the entrance examination,

hmm? Normally I couldn't show the examination results to individual

students, but I'll make an exception in this case. I just so happen to have your

answer sheet here."

"You're incredibly prepared. It's…almost as if you knew I'd come

here to protest."

"I'm an instructor. I understand the mind of a student, at least to some

degree, Horikita Suzune. Just as you said, you did well on the entrance

examination. You had the third-highest test score among the first-year

students and were close to the highest- and second-highest-scoring students.

You did exceedingly well. And you're right: We found no particular

problems in your interview. On the contrary, we evaluated you quite highly."

"Thank you very much. So then…why?"

"Before I answer, why are you dissatisfied with Class D?"

"Who could be happy with an incorrect evaluation? Furthermore, the

class rankings greatly impact our future prospects. Of course I'm

dissatisfied."

"Incorrect evaluation? Perhaps your self-evaluation is far too high."

Chiyabashira-sensei snickered, or rather, laughed outright. "I acknowledge

that your academic ability is excellent. You're certainly very smart. However,

who decided that smart people are categorically superior? We never said

that."

"But…that's just common sense."

"Common sense? Didn't common sense create our current, flawed

society? Before, Japan relied solely on test scores to separate the superior and inferior. As a result, the incompetents at the top tried desperately to kick

down the truly superior students. In the end, we settled on a system of

hereditary succession."

A system of hereditary succession meant that things like social

standing, prestige, and employment were passed down to future generations.

At those words, I groaned unintentionally. My chest hurt.

"You're a capable student. I don't deny that. However, this school's

goal is to produce superior people. If you believe academics alone place you

into a higher class, you are mistaken. That was the very first thing we

explained to you. Besides, think rationally. Would we have admitted

someone like Sudou if we decided superiority based solely on academic

merit?"

"Tch…"

Despite the fact that this was one of the country's leading preparatory

schools, this place allowed students to enroll for purposes other than

academics.

"Furthermore, you may be too hasty in proclaiming that no one would

be happy to be incorrectly evaluated. Take Class A, for instance. They are

under incredible pressure from the school, and also the target of extreme envy

from the lower classes. Competing every day with that kind of pressure

bearing down upon you is far more difficult than you might imagine. There

are some students who are happy to be incorrectly evaluated at a lower level."

"You're joking, right? I can't understand such a person."

"Is that so? I think that Class D boasts some of those people. Strange

students who would happily be set at a low level."

It was almost as if she were talking to me.

"You still haven't given me an explanation. Was I honestly sorted into

Class D? Did anything go wrong with the grading? Please double-check,"

Horikita said.

"I'm sorry, but you weren't sorted by mistake. You are definitely in

Class D. You are at that level."

"Is that so? Then I will ask the school again, at another time."

Apparently, she wasn't going to give up. Horikita had merely determined that her homeroom teacher was the wrong person to ask.

"You'll get the same answer from anyone in a higher position. Besides,

there's no need to be disappointed. As I told you this morning, it's possible

for one class to overtake another. You could conceivably reach Class A

before you graduate."

"I can't imagine it will be easy, though. Forget overtaking Class A;

how in the world could those immature Class D misfits gain more points? I

can't see how it's possible." Horikita spoke the truth. The difference in points

was overwhelming.

"I don't know. You alone get to decide how you head down that path.

At any rate, Horikita, do you need to be in Class A for any special reason?"

"Well…I suppose that's enough for now. Excuse me. But know that

I'm not yet convinced I was sorted correctly."

"Understood. I will keep that in mind."

A chair squeaked against the floor, signaling that the discussion was

over.

"Oh, that reminds me. I've summoned another person to the guidance

room. It's someone relevant to you."

"Relevant to me? No, you can't mean… bro—"

"Come on out, Ayanokouji," the teacher said.

This was a bad time to reveal myself. Maybe I just wouldn't go.

"If you don't come out, I'll have you expelled."

Jeez. A teacher shouldn't casually wield expulsion like a weapon.

"How long do you intend to keep me waiting?"

With a sigh, I entered the room. Naturally, Horikita appeared surprised

and perplexed.

"Were you listening to our conversation?" she asked me.

"Listening? I know you guys were talking, but I didn't really hear

anything. The walls are surprisingly thick."

"That's not true. Voices carry pretty well into the kitchen." Apparently,

Chiyabashira-sensei wanted to drag me into the action. "Sensei, why would you do this?" Horikita noticed that this had all

been planned and was clearly angry.

"Because I deemed it necessary. Now then, Ayanokouji, I'll explain

why I called you here." Chiyabashira-sensei dismissed Horikita's concerns

and shifted her attention to me.

"Well then, if you'll excuse me…" Horikita muttered.

"Wait, Horikita. It would be in your best interest to stay and listen. It

may provide you with a hint on how to reach Class A."

Horikita stopped dead in her tracks and sat back down.

"Please keep it brief," she said.

Chiyabashira-sensei chuckled as she glanced over her clipboard.

"You're an interesting student, Ayanokouji."

"Not at all. I'm certainly not as interesting as a teacher with a strange

surname like Chiyabashira."

"Would you speak like that to every Chiyabashira in the nation?

Hmm?"

If you looked all over the country for another person with the surname

of Chiyabashira, you probably wouldn't find one.

"Well, when I read over the entrance exam's results, your scores

piqued my interest. I was shocked."

On her clipboard, I saw a rather familiar answer sheet.

"Fifty points in Japanese. Fifty points in mathematics. Fifty points in

English. Fifty points in social studies. Fifty points in science. You even

scored Fifty points on the recent short test. Do you know what this means?"

A stunned Horikita looked over my test paper and then shifted her

focus to me. "This is a rather frightening coincidence," she said.

"Oh? You believe that getting 50s all across the board was a

coincidence? He did it intentionally."

"It's a coincidence. There's no evidence that it's not. Besides, what

would I gain by manipulating my scores in the first place? If I were

intelligent enough to achieve high marks, I would've tried to get perfect

scores." As I feigned innocence, Chiyabashira-sensei sighed in exasperation.

"You really do seem like an odious student. Listen. Only 3 percent of

students solved the fifth math problem successfully. However, you solved it

perfectly, and used a complex formula to do so. However, the tenth problem

on the test had a completion rate of 76 percent. Did you make a mistake on

it? Is that normal?"

"I don't know what normal is. It was a coincidence, I tell you. A

coincidence."

"For crying out loud! I respect your frank attitude, but it'll cause

problems for you in the future," the teacher said.

"I'll think about that when the time comes."

Chiyabashira-sensei shot Horikita a glance that seemed to say, What do

you think?

"Why do you pretend not to know?" she asked.

"Like I said, it was a coincidence. It's not like I'm hiding that I'm a

genius or anything."

"I wonder. He may be even more intelligent than you, Horikita."

Horikita flinched. Please don't say anything unnecessary,

Chiyabashira-sensei.

"I don't like studying, and I don't plan to try hard. That's why I get

those scores."

"A student who chose this school wouldn't say something like that.

However, some students may have different reasons for getting in. You, for

example, and Kouenji as well. I think you're fine with being in either D or

A."

This school wasn't the only abnormal thing. The teachers were weird,

too. Moments earlier, Chiyabashira-sensei had upset Horikita with just her

words. It was almost as if the teachers knew every student's secrets.

"What other reasons do you have?" Horikita asked.

"You want me to explain it to you in detail?"

I noticed the sharp gleam in Chiyabashira-sensei's eyes. It was almost

as if she wanted to provoke Horikita. "No, we'd best stop here. Any more, and I might go mad and destroy

all the furniture in here," I said.

"If you did that, Ayanokouji, I would demote you to E Class."

"Wait, there's an E Class?"

"Certainly. Of course, the 'E' stands for 'expelled.' As in, you'd be

kicked out of school. Well, I suppose our conversation has ended. Enjoy your

lives."

What incredible sarcasm.

"I'm leaving, too. It's almost time for the faculty meeting. I'm going to

close the door, so please step outside."

She pushed us into the hallway. Why had Chiyabashira-sensei called

both of us in together? She didn't seem like the type to do meaningless

things.

"Well. Should we head back?" I asked.

Horikita didn't respond, and I walked away. Probably best if we

weren't together right now.

"Wait." Horikita called out, but I didn't stop. If I managed to keep

away from her until I got to the dorms, I'd be home free.

"Was your score…really just a coincidence?" she asked.

"I already said so, didn't I? Or do you have any proof that I got that

score on purpose?"

"I don't, but…I also don't understand, Ayanokouji-kun. You said that

you like to avoid trouble, but you don't seem to be interested in Class A."

"You have an extraordinary fixation on Class A."

"Should I not? I'm simply striving to improve my future prospects."

"Oh, absolutely. You should. It's perfectly natural."

"When I entered this school, I thought graduation was my only goal.

But the reality is different. I'm not even at the starting line."

Horikita sped up and started walking next to me.

"So, why are you aiming for Class A?"

"First, I want to ascertain this school's true motives. Why was I put

into Class D? Chiyabashira-sensei said I'd been deemed a Class D student,

but why? When I discover the answer, I'll aim for A. No, I will definitely

make it to A."

"That's going to be difficult. You'll have to rehabilitate the problem

children. You have Sudou's continued tardiness and class cutting, everyone

else talking in class, and, of course, the test scores. Even if you manage all of

that, you're still at zero points."

"I know that. I still think the school made a mistake with my

placement."

Anxiety had replaced Horikita's previously overflowing confidence.

Did she really know that was the case? The only conclusion I could draw

from today was that "despair" was a two-syllable word. If you followed the

fundamental school rules, you could avoid losing points. However, it was still

unclear how to turn those losses into gains. Class A had had only had a small

number of points subtracted.

Even if we somehow found an efficient way to increase our points, the

other classes might also find a way to do the same. Since we'd started out

with such a substantial difference in points, we'd have to compete hard

against the other classes in a limited amount of time.

"I can understand your thoughts, but I don't think the school will

continue supervising us so carefully. If they did, there'd be no meaning in

competition," Horikita said.

"I see. I suppose you could think that. So, you'll try to take care of this

situation by yourself?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Don't act so proud."

A hand chopped my side. Horikita ignored my pained expression.

"Ow. Look, I understand how you feel, but you can't solve this by

yourself. Think about Sudou. Even if you improve, the rest of the class will

drag you down."

"No. You're right that no lone individual can solve this problem. We

won't even make it to the starting line without everyone's help." "Well, it sounds like we've got a huge problem on our hands."

"We have three major, immediate issues. Tardiness and talking during

class are the first two. Third, we must make sure no one fails the midterm

exam."

"I think we'll manage those first two issues, but the midterms…"

The short test we'd taken had contained a few difficult questions, but

overall it had been pretty easy. Even at that level, some students had failed.

Honestly, their chances of passing the midterm exam were slim.

"I need your help, Ayanokouji-kun."

"Help?"

Horikita glared at me.

"What if I refuse? Like how you refused Hirata this morning."

"Do you want to refuse?" she asked.

"What if I said I'd gladly help?"

"I never would've thought you'd do it gladly, but I doubt you'd refuse.

If you did refuse to work with me, then that would be the end of it. No matter

what I said about our future, I'd be powerless if you refused. So, will you

help me or not?"

I wanted to say what she'd said before, when she'd silenced Hirata…

What was it, again? Well, it wasn't as though I would just bluntly refuse

someone who asked for my help. Then again, if I told her I would help, she'd

probably run me into the ground until graduation. I needed the heart of a

demon.

"I refuse," I said.

"I always knew you'd help, Ayanokouji-kun. I'm grateful."

"I didn't say that! I turned you down!"

"No, I heard the voice inside your head. You said you'd help."

Terrifying! It was like she could read my thoughts.

"I don't even know how I could help you, though." Besides being an

exemplary student, Horikita was incredibly quick-witted. She probably didn't

need my skills. "Don't worry. I don't require your brain power, Ayanokouji-kun.

Leave the planning to me, and act as I tell you."

"Huh? What do you mean by act?"

"Doesn't our lack of points trouble you, Ayanokouji-kun? If you

follow my instructions, I promise you we'll see a point increase. I would

never lie."

"I don't know what you're cooking up, but there are other people you

could count on. If you made friends, they'd cooperate with you."

"Unfortunately, no one else in Class D is nearly as easy to manipulate

as you."

"No, there are several people. Hirata, for example. He's popular and

smart, so he'd be perfect. Besides, he's worried that you're all alone,

Horikita."

If she reached out to him, they'd probably become good friends.

"He's no good. Even if he has some talent and ability, I can't use him.

To use an analogy, think about the pieces in shogi. Right now, I don't need a

gold or silver general. I want a pawn."

So, you just called me a pawn? That's what you called me?

"So, if a pawn were to cooperate, he could become a gold general?"

"An interesting answer, but you don't seem like the type to make that

effort, Ayanokouji-kun. Besides, haven't you been thinking, 'I've always

been a pawn, I don't want to advance,' all along?"

She'd shot me down with precisely the right brand of ammunition. If I

were a normal person, my feelings would've been hurt.

"Sorry, but I can't help you. I'm not suitable for this," I said.

"Well, contact me once you've given it some thought. I look forward to

hearing from you."

Horikita wasn't paying attention to what I'd said in the slightest.