Class 3-C.
Ryuen sat on the podium.
His sharp gaze swept over the people below.
[Question 5]
[A: Select one dropout; reward 300 Class Points.]
[B: Select two dropouts; reward 600 Class Points.]
[C: Select three dropouts; reward 900 Class Points.]
[After the selection is completed, the dropout(s) will be chosen.]
17th vote.
Option A: 37 votes; Option B: 0 votes; Option C: 1 vote.
Class C still failed to reach a consensus.
Furthermore.
In three years.
Although it was only by a tiny margin.
Class C had also failed to save twenty million private points.
The private points harvested monthly from Class A were roughly around twenty-two million, but a quarter had been fleeced by Hikigaya in the first year.
The remaining portion.
Was merely the private points issued monthly by the school.
Moreover, monthly consumption was not low; Ryuen had only a bit more than 17 million in his hands.
This sum of money was not small.
After all.
This was the private points collected by Ryuen alone over three years.
As long as Class C could scrape together another three million, this exam would not be very difficult for Class C.
Unfortunately
It couldn't be done.
The remaining 38 people could not scrape together three million private points.
Among them, Ibuki Mio, Shiina Hiyori, and Kaneda together could contribute 1.5 million, but the remaining 35 people could not scrape together 1.5 million.
However.
This was merely a subtle difference of less than three hundred thousand.
The direct cause.
Ryuen was unable to coordinate the class's private points.
Violence cannot dominate everything.
When there are benefits, everyone is naturally willing and has no choice but to listen to Ryuen's instructions, but when it involves personal interests, violence naturally cannot be effective.
Ryuen also disdained doing so.
Just like during the Sports Festival when he used Kinoshita to scheme against Horikita Suzune.
He still needed to pay Kinoshita five hundred thousand private points as a reward.
This is the way Class C operates.
The result.
Is that Ryuen was unable to, and disdained to, coordinate the class's private points.
Those who could save private points through self-discipline were a very small minority; the rest were not much different from Class D.
In three years.
Class C is the class with the smallest growth rate among the four classes.
One could even say there was no growth at all.
The reason is naturally simple.
Ryuen, as the tyrant, took everything upon himself.
He knew how to use the pawns under him perfectly, but he would never guide everyone to grow.
Even...
When testing academic ability, they participated in exams by taking shortcuts; when testing physical fitness, they used their own specialties to play clever tricks.
As long as there is absolute obedience, he can lead everyone to Class A!
In fact.
Ryuen did indeed use his own wit.
Achieving several victories!
In the Sports Festival, the first-year event selection exam, and the second-year theme project exam, Ryuen used his own methods to achieve results.
The result.
Is that Class C now has 900 Class Points, only about 150 points behind Class B, and not far from Class A at the top.
Keen insight.
Excellent decisiveness.
Outstanding leadership.
And the most important sense of responsibility for a leader.
Ryuen is indeed excellent.
Although his evaluation at school is poor.
But.
By his own strength alone.
He led this group of mediocre people to contend with the monsters of other classes.
He is very cool.
Extremely cool.
So cool it's ridiculous.
However.
To some extent.
Ryuen's existence suppressed the growth potential of everyone in Class C.
Just being obedient is enough, just being submissive is enough.
When it was time for study sessions, they went to put pressure on other classes, so naturally, there was no time for study.
Naturally, there would be no growth to speak of.
It was just a few hundred thousand private points short.
Before the exam started.
Ryuen had naturally made preparations.
If the exam failed because of a few hundred thousand, that would be far too despairing.
Therefore.
Ryuen discarded his pride and privately asked Katsuragi and others for a loan.
Knowing that his own reputation and credit were extremely poor.
The bargaining chip was naturally that contract with Katsuragi, which allowed him to collect nearly eight hundred thousand private points from Class A every month.
In terms of the time remaining until graduation.
Even if cut in half, the value of this contract would still be worth five million.
If five million wouldn't work, one million would be fine too!
However!
To the current Katsuragi faction.
Eight hundred thousand private points per month was just a drop in the bucket.
Katsuragi, who wished Ryuen would die sooner, chose to refuse without hesitation. Did you expect me to lend you money to help you pass the exam?
Do I look like a fool to you?
This is also the price Ryuen needs to pay for disregarding others' feelings until now.
Of course, the biggest reason was still Hikigaya's new system, which greatly diluted the value of this contract.
Eight hundred thousand.
Was no longer a number that would make a class feel pain.
Under the wave of the times, individual strength is not worth mentioning.
In short.
Borrowing money failed.
Ryuen and the others were forced to take the exam.
"Kaneda."
Ishizaki grabbed Kaneda's collar, lifted him up, and scolded:
"Ryuen-san already said to vote for A. It must be you, this guy, who has been casting the outlier vote, right?"
"Wait, it's not me."
With his feet off the ground, Kaneda was a bit flustered, yet his mouth remained stubborn.
"Think with that brain of yours that's full of muscles, do I have any reason to cast an outlier vote?"
"Ha? Who else could it be besides you?"
"How should I know..."
Kaneda's head really hurt.
Talking to a combat-oriented idiot like this was truly mentally exhausting.
With his academic grades.
Anyway, the one dropping out couldn't possibly be him, how could he possibly cast an outlier vote... isn't that just asking for trouble?
God knows which idiot cast it.
But.
Given Ryuen's style of doing things.
It wouldn't be surprising at all if someone wanted to go against Ryuen.
But it really wasn't him who voted.
He wasn't so stupid as to lose his mind over a little emotion.
"Ishizaki, let go..."
"But... Ryuen-san, if this continues, the exam will fail..."
"I told you to let go..."
Ryuen said in a cold voice.
Damn it.
As if I don't know such a simple thing.
If the exam fails.
The Class Points will also drop to 600. If Classes A and B can pass this exam, the gap will reach 0 points.
A despairing number...
"If I find out who the person has been casting the outlier vote, you should know what the result will be, right?"
Ryuen looked around at everyone below with a cold gaze.
But in his heart, he couldn't help but feel a bit of emotion...
In the last Unanimous Special Exam, Ayanokouji and Horikita Suzune were actually able to make such rational choices, which was truly impressive...
Unfortunately.
Knowing what the most correct choice is, yet being unable to do it oneself...
The person casting that outlier vote was precisely himself...
The reason a tyrant can become a tyrant is precisely when power can bring benefits to the group.
If subordinates must be sacrificed to rise to Class A.
Then he wouldn't even count as a tyrant.
Hiding and casting the outlier vote was only to avoid the decline of dominance brought about by fear.
Even if someone had to drop out.
The first person to drop out would definitely be himself.
Ryuen was already prepared for defeat.
If it fails, it fails.
As long as he wins it all back afterward.
Although it's difficult.
He will surely be able to do it...
Whether for good or for bad.
A tyrant must always stand in front of everyone!
However.
What Ryuen didn't know.
Was that it was precisely because of this unique persistence that Ryuen's unique charm was formed, allowing him to gain the support of Ishizaki and others.
Yet.
Precisely because of this unique persistence, it suppressed the growth of others, to the point of reaching this stage.
He couldn't even borrow a few hundred thousand private points.
As an autocratic tyrant.
Ryuen was still unwilling to discuss with others...
Those who could understand.
Were only a few people like Ishizaki who were relatively close to him.