Soon, it was evening.
Yamauchi Haruki looked at the message on his phone and arrived at the agreed-upon meeting place with Sakayanagi Arisu—the school's KTV.
He carefully pushed the door open, and what greeted him was Sakayanagi Arisu and Kamuro Masumi sitting on the sofa.
"Today, uh... Kamuro-chan is here too."
Yamauchi Haruki's gaze swept over Kamuro Masumi.
[Kamuro-chan is undoubtedly a beauty too, and her figure... tsk tsk tsk... But for now, Sakayanagi-chan should definitely be the main target!]
"Sorry, I still feel a bit embarrassed about going on a date alone..."
Sakayanagi Arisu deliberately lowered her head, avoiding Yamauchi Haruki's gaze, pretending to be very shy.
"N-no, it's totally fine! Just being able to go on a date like this makes me happy!"
Yamauchi Haruki quickly shook his head vigorously.
[I really want to be alone with Sakayanagi-chan! Now would be the perfect time to confess! I'm sure my confession will succeed, and once we become a couple...]
In Yamauchi Haruki's mind, images of him marrying Sakayanagi Arisu and having children had already formed.
"Yamauchi Haruki-kun, are you okay with this special exam?"
Just as Yamauchi Haruki began to fantasize, Sakayanagi Arisu's voice pulled him back to reality.
"Huh?"
Yamauchi Haruki was momentarily stunned, then quickly replied,
"Y-yeah, I should be fine..."
[If Sakayanagi finds out I'm at risk of being expelled... wouldn't that make me seem useless?]
"No, if you're fine, that's good. It's just..."
She deliberately paused for a moment.
"If you were to be expelled, we wouldn't be able to meet like this anymore. I really don't want that to happen."
[This is Sakayanagi's game... it's really... kind of nauseating...]
Although Kamuro Masumi was Sakayanagi Arisu's subordinate, she felt deeply uncomfortable with such tactics.
"I... I hate that too!"
Yamauchi Haruki said very seriously.
"We feel the same way, then."
Sakayanagi Arisu deliberately let out a long sigh, then continued,
"If there's anything troubling you, I'll discuss it with you!"
Sakayanagi Arisu slightly narrowed her eyes, her gaze sharp as a blade, piercing through Yamauchi Haruki's heart.
"But—"
[But Sakayanagi and I aren't in the same class... though... if I end up with Sakayanagi, maybe she'll help me transfer to Class A! If it's Sakayanagi, she could easily save up enough points!]
Yamauchi Haruki began to fantasize again.
"Technically, we're enemies, but this exam is different. There's no element of competition between classes, right?"
"That's true..."
"And, perhaps I can even help you."
"Help how?"
Although Yamauchi Haruki wanted to hide his predicament in class, his expression still betrayed his inner panic.
"For example, I'll give all my praise votes to you, Yamauchi!"
Sakayanagi Arisu clasped her hands together, looking incredibly cute.
Yamauchi Haruki couldn't help but swallow hard upon hearing this.
Even just one vote from another class would be something he'd want to secure.
"Y-you're really willing to give me your praise votes?!"
"If you're in trouble, of course I'll help you!"
[I'm the happiest man in the world!]
Yamauchi Haruki's body almost trembled upon hearing Sakayanagi Arisu's words, but he tried his best to appear calm.
[I absolutely can't let Sakayanagi see me panicking! And I can't let her know about my poor grades or being at the bottom of the class... that would be so embarrassing.]
"I... actually, I think some people in class are jealous of me. After all, I'm the only one Sakayanagi-chan values so much. I'm worried they might vote against me."
Yamauchi Haruki scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed.
"Jealous?"
Sakayanagi Arisu pretended to be concerned.
But in reality, Sakayanagi Arisu was struggling to hold back her laughter.
[Jealous of you? You really have the nerve, Yamauchi. With no talent, no ability, and a personality that's downright repulsive, how can you shamelessly claim that people are jealous of you?]
Not just Sakayanagi Arisu, but even Kamuro Masumi, who was sitting nearby, couldn't help but twitch at Yamauchi Haruki's words.
Yamauchi Haruki had no idea that his background had already been thoroughly exposed by a few people in Class A. To them, Yamauchi Haruki was nothing more than a clown performing.
"Only I can meet Sakayanagi-chan like this..."
"That's right. I'm not interested in other boys at all."
Sakayanagi Arisu played along.
"I see. Then, let me share a secret strategy to save you."
"A s-secret strategy?"
"Yes. Please gather about half of your classmates and persuade them to join your side. Then, target one person and force them to drop out."
"N-no... but if I do that, I might be targeted too...!"
"That's true. Everyone is afraid of taking the lead. If you're not careful, you might end up gathering criticism votes instead."
Yamauchi Haruki nodded in agreement.
"That's why I'll help you."
"How?"
"I have about twenty allies in Class A. I'll ask all of them to give their praise votes to you."
"Wow!"
Yamauchi Haruki's eyes lit up.
"Some of your classmates will probably give you praise votes too, right? If you add those, even if you gather over thirty criticism votes, they'll mostly be offset, and you shouldn't be expelled."
"Y-you're serious?"
"Of course—but even with twenty votes, you can't let your guard down. That's why I want you to take the lead and push one student to the brink. If someone else gathers criticism votes, they'll likely be the one expelled, right?"
"W-who should I target?"
"Let me think~"
Sakayanagi Arisu extended a slender finger, gently tapping her lips.
"Yamauchi-kun, is there anyone in your class you particularly dislike?"
"Someone I particularly dislike... Kushida, maybe?"
The thought of Kushida Kikyo's cold expression made Yamauchi Haruki shudder.
"Kushida Kikyo?"
For the first time, Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes showed a hint of confusion.
In her understanding, regardless of Kushida Kikyo's motives, she was undoubtedly a highly popular student, well-liked by others.
Someone like Yamauchi Haruki should have easily been drawn to Kushida Kikyo.
Why would he dislike her?
Was he rejected when he confessed? That shouldn't be the case.
"May I ask, what's the conflict between you and Kushida-kun?"
"I... I'm not sure. At some point, Kushida suddenly became hostile toward me... her gaze was full of killing intent."
Yamauchi Haruki stammered.
Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't quite figure out the reason, but since Kushida Kikyo wasn't on her target list, she decided to look into it later.
"Any other candidates? After all... Kushida-kun is very popular. It's not realistic to focus criticism votes on her."
Sakayanagi Arisu asked.
"Other candidates..."
Yamauchi Haruki's mind raced, thinking about which other students had annoyed him.
[Sudou yelled at me, Ike argued with me on Valentine's Day... wait, that guy is the most annoying!]
In Yamauchi Haruki's mind, a certain name surfaced.
"...What about Saiki?"
Yamauchi Haruki said.
"Saiki-kun? I've heard of him..."
Sakayanagi Arisu pretended not to know much about him.
[This is progressing even smoother than I expected. I originally planned to have Kamuro steer the conversation toward Saiki, but it seems that's unnecessary.]
"Uh... he's a guy with no presence. How should I explain it..."
Yamauchi Haruki rubbed his chin.
"Could you elaborate?"
Sakayanagi Arisu asked curiously.
[That damn Saiki, for some reason, he's really popular with the girls... it's disgusting. And he always acts so aloof... yeah, that guy!]
"That guy seems really aloof, but actually, he's got some shady relationships with the girls in class. I've called him out on it before, but he never changes. And he's really jealous of me for being able to meet Sakayanagi-chan... so I think he's a good candidate."
Yamauchi Haruki quickly said.
"That seems contradictory to him having no presence, doesn't it?"
Sakayanagi Arisu suppressed the urge to laugh and continued.
"Never mind, he might be a good target. You're not particularly close to him, are you?"
"Of course not! He's just a classmate!"
Yamauchi Haruki quickly distanced himself from Saiki.
"Then let's make him the sacrifice. Even though you're a kind person, Yamauchi-kun, and it must hurt to abandon a classmate no matter what, don't think too deeply about it. Just think of it as something Class A decided, and you're just following through."
As Sakayanagi Arisu spoke, she leaned slightly toward Yamauchi Haruki, as if about to rest on him.
"Next Monday, after the exam—can we meet alone? I have something important to tell you."
"Ah!"
Yamauchi Haruki was momentarily stunned, and a certain thought crossed his mind.
[Could it be... could it be... could it be! Is Sakayanagi-chan going to confess to me?!]
Yamauchi Haruki knew that, no matter what, he absolutely couldn't be expelled in this exam.
"Then, please tell me who might be Saiki-kun's supporters. It's best if the information doesn't reach his ears, and he quietly drops out."
"O-okay."
"But I must warn you, Yamauchi Haruki-kun."
"A warning..."
"Please don't tell anyone that we're giving you praise votes. If you carelessly reveal it, you might be hated by your classmates."
"That's true..."
"Uh, I'm not doubting you or anything... but are you really willing to give me your praise votes?"
"Do you want some kind of written proof?"
"Well, I'm still a bit unsure..."
"Are you saying I'd betray you? I gain nothing from doing that. But if you really can't trust me... let's just forget about it. If you can't even trust a simple promise, then I'll have to reconsider our meeting next week..."
"W-wait! I believe you, I believe you!"
Yamauchi Haruki quickly said.
"Sorry for doubting you... I absolutely trust you, Sakayanagi-chan!"
"It's okay. I understand your anxiety."
Sakayanagi Arisu smiled gently and gave Yamauchi Haruki her final warning.
"As long as you trust me, Yamauchi-kun, I'll do everything I can to help you~"
Sakayanagi Arisu smiled.
Like a hunter eyeing its prey.
...
After their conversation, Yamauchi Haruki finally left the KTV. As he walked away, his face was filled with excitement, and he practically skipped as he walked.
Meanwhile, Sakayanagi Arisu and Kamuro Masumi remained behind, chatting.
"How do you think my plan went?"
Sakayanagi Arisu asked the girl beside her with a smile.
"How do you mean..."
Kamuro Masumi asked.
"What do you think of Saiki as a student?"
"Like I said before, I think Saiki is a very ordinary student... including the last incident, I think it was just a coincidence. Maybe Saiki didn't do anything at all, and that Ayanokoji guy was just making things up..."
"No, if Ayanokoji said it, then Saiki must be someone special..."
Sakayanagi Arisu's smile carried a hint of deeper meaning.
"I sincerely hope that Saiki is an opponent I might not even be able to defeat."
...
A few dozen minutes later, in the boys' dormitory, Saiki had just returned to his room.
[Let's expel Saiki!]
He heard this thought.