Chapter 168 June—Class Points for First-Year Class D
Just like that, a few more days slipped away quietly, and the first day of the first week of June arrived.
Last Friday, Chabashira-sensei had announced the exam results for Class D. The class average was 88—perfectly respectable. Since the old exam questions had been introduced as early as the first week of the second month, not a single person in the class failed a subject. This result was expected; after all, given four full weeks to chew through those materials, anyone who still couldn't reach the passing mark probably wasn't cut out for academics.
Knowing from the previous month that points usually arrive at 7:00 AM, Shimizu Akira held his phone early, waiting silently for the system notification. However, 7:00 turned to 7:30, and the official transfer message from the school remained nowhere to be seen.
'Hmm?!'
Shimizu's heart skipped a beat. His first thought was: 'Did Class D screw up again and get all their points deducted?'
But on second thought, that seemed unlikely. They started with 530 class points, plus the 88 points they should have earned from the midterms, bringing the total to over 650. It was unrealistic for the school to deduct over 600 points all at once.
'If something has gone wrong, my debt collection plan is going to be affected.'
That was Shimizu's real concern. According to their prior agreement, the students of Class D were supposed to transfer a total of 1.26 million private points to him. If an accident occurred, Class D wouldn't be the only ones losing out; his personal savings would take a hit too.
The most urgent task, however, was to get to the classroom.
He had just received a notification in the class group: Chabashira-sensei was calling another homeroom meeting. Every month, on the morning of the first day of the first week, Chabashira Sae would hold a meeting to announce important matters and the current class points. Shimizu guessed that the homeroom teacher would have something significant to declare.
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By the time he finished breakfast and reached the Class D classroom, the other students were already complaining loudly.
"Did your points arrive?"
"Nope!"
"You too? Me neither."
It seemed it wasn't just a glitch with his phone; the points for the entire Class D had failed to arrive on schedule this month. As Shimizu pondered this, the clock struck 8:00 AM, and his Daily Intel refreshed right on time:
Sakura Airi of First-Year Class D has a hidden identity as the gravure idol "Shizuku." Kushida Kikyo of First-Year Class D has been in a foul mood lately because she wasn't elected class representative. She frequently goes to the rooftop door to kick it, and has even kicked a hole through a pair of shoes. Ryuen Kakeru of First-Year Class C mentioned the name 'Shimizu Akira' during a class meeting last night.
Sakura Airi was a secret idol?
Her looks and figure were certainly top-tier, so being an idol fit the criteria. Shimizu wasn't too surprised; he had sensed last month that she was hiding something—especially those non-prescription fashion glasses, which screamed "disguise." The camera she was holding when they bumped into each other was likely for taking her own promotional photos.
As for the second piece of intel... well, that was also somewhat expected. But he hadn't realized she was angry enough to wreck a pair of shoes. It seemed her frustration at losing the election was far deeper than she let on.
The final piece of intel was the most intriguing. His name had appeared again, and this time, Ryuen Kakeru had actively mentioned him.
'Why would he mention me? Could he have discovered my true identity?'
The thought flashed through Shimizu's mind, but he quickly dismissed it. He had thoroughly bluffed Shiina Hiyori last month. Since Hiyori—the person Ryuen tasked with the investigation—no longer believed he was the one controlling the surveillance, it was unlikely she would lead Ryuen to that conclusion.
Was it for another reason? Or just a casual mention? Perhaps Hiyori mentioned her "assistant" was Shimizu, or perhaps Albert Yamada mentioned a new member named Shimizu Akira had joined the boxing club. It was most likely that Ryuen heard the name from one of those two.
Still, hearing your name from Ryuen Kakeru was never a good sign. The man was like a venomous snake hidden in the shadows—persistent and dangerous.
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Soon, as the morning session was about to begin, Chabashira Sae entered the classroom.
"Chabashira-sensei, why haven't our private points been issued yet?"
"We worked really hard these past two months, didn't we?"
"Yeah! We were killing ourselves memorizing those past questions. I even memorized the English letter by letter!"
"Well, considering you were just memorizing old questions, it counts as 'hard work' for you lot," Chabashira replied dryly.
"Hard work usually pays off. Your class average last month was 88, so your class points have increased by 88."
"That's great! Everyone made it through safely, and we gained 88 points!" Kushida Kikyo said with a light, relieved tone.
"It's just a shame about that math question—I don't know who messed with it, but changing a question like that was a dirty move! Otherwise, everyone would have aced math!"
"I wrote 'First-Year Class D' as my answer!"
"But when the teacher gave the papers back, the 'correct' answer was revealed to be 'First-Year Class C'."
"It has to be those Class C people! They did it on purpose to drag down everyone else's average!"
"Think about it. Ichinose-san from Class B wouldn't do that. Sakayanagi-san from Class A is even less likely—she gave us the old questions for free last month. Only Class C has the motive!"
The classroom erupted into a cacophony of accusations. Ever since the graded papers were returned, the students had been bitter about that bizarre midterm question. Because of it, almost everyone in the class had lost ten points. Across five subjects with a total of 500 points, those ten points accounted for 2% of the total, effectively lowering the class average by 2 full points.
While 2 class points didn't seem like much, the nature of the question was infuriating. It asked which class would graduate as Class A. Anyone with an ounce of school spirit would answer with their own class, only to be marked wrong in favor of "Class C."
D-Class students were now convinced that Class C was behind it, using the modification to mock the other classes and drag down their averages. But was it really Class C?
Shimizu didn't think so. Ryuen Kakeru wasn't an idiot.
He would know better than anyone that setting the "correct" answer to "Class C" on a public exam was a moronic move—it was the equivalent of taunting the other three classes to their faces. Class C was nowhere near becoming Class A yet. Even if Ryuen wanted to gloat, he would wait until they actually reached the top. At this stage, where steady growth was
needed, publicly antagonizing the other classes for a measly 2 points was all risk and no reward.
The answer was obvious: someone was intentionally framing Ryuen. It was almost certainly the work of "Miao Miao Cat."
This realization brought another point to light: Miao Miao Cat had only changed one question. Since five questions cost a total of one million points, a single question only cost 200,000 private points. In other words, the culprit had completely trashed Class C's reputation for a mere 200,000 points. It was a masterstroke.
Currently, Class D was already harboring deep resentment toward Class C. If Shimizu recalled correctly, Class B had also been harassed by Ryuen's thuggish behavior last month. The relationship between B and C was likely already in the gutter. As for Class A's stance, it was unclear, but between B and C, the "affinity meter" was probably starting at -20.
"Quiet down, I'm not finished. You can discuss those questions after class. For now, I will announce the current class points," Chabashira coughed and pulled a slip of paper from her pocket. "Class A: 1035 points. Class B: 870 points. Class C: 710 points. Class D: 590 points."
"Wait, we had 530 last month. If you add 88, it should be 618. Why is it only 590?" a student asked immediately.
"Because several students were caught sleeping or playing with their phones during class. These are the corresponding deductions. Other classes lost points for similar reasons as well; it's unavoidable," Chabashira explained expressionlessly.
"I see..."
"Even Class A lost points? I guess that's acceptable then."
The excuse was reasonable. Compared to major infractions like skipping class or being late, occasionally nodding off or checking a phone was something everyone could relate to—especially after a carb-heavy lunch.
Shimizu opened his notebook and compared the numbers:
Month 2: A: 950 | B: 790 | C: 640 | D: 530 Month 3: A: 1035 | B: 870 | C: 710 | D: 590
Compared to last month, the growth was: A (+85), B (+80), C (+70), D (+60). Every class was progressing, but Class A was pulling away, having broken the 1,000-point barrier. Their lead was nearly double that of Class D.
A 60-point increase looked like steady progress, but in a horizontal comparison, it showed a lack of momentum. The 85-point jump from Class A was like a widening chasm. At this rate, it
was a certainty that Class A would graduate in the top spot. But the school wouldn't let this stagnation continue.
'This month and last month's exams were non-competitive. It's natural for Class A to hold the advantage.'
Non-competitive exams—those testing academic ability and basic skills—favored Class A. If the other classes wanted to catch up, the steady study-and-test model wouldn't cut it. The only chance would be through a "zero-sum" Special Exam—one where points must be taken directly from Class A.
The question was: when would the school hold such an exam?
Chabashira continued: "By the way, regarding why your points haven't arrived yet. There has been a dispute, so the points for all first-years will be delayed.
This is the school's decision; my authority as a homeroom teacher is limited. Once the dispute is resolved, the school will issue the points. However, whether the class points will still be the same amount at that time... I cannot say for sure."
With that ominous parting word, Chabashira announced the end of the meeting.
'A dispute?'
Whenever a dispute was mentioned, Shimizu's first thought was the Student Council. In this school, they handled such matters. And Chabashira's emphasis on her "limited authority" was a clear hint that the Student Council held the reins.
If he wanted to know the truth—and since his 1.26 million points were on the line—he needed to find out.
He turned his head and asked his neighbor: "Is your brother free after school today?"
Horikita Suzune—sister of the Student Council President, Horikita Manabu—was startled. "I don't know."
While her relationship with her brother had softened slightly after her visit to the Student Council last month, they only exchanged a few messages a week. Her brother never shared his schedule, and she didn't have the courage to ask.
However, after a moment, she caught the implication: Shimizu thought the Student Council was handling the dispute and that it involved her brother.
"...I just asked. Your brother is free after school," Shimizu added nonchalantly.
Suzune felt a surge of annoyance.
'Why does her brother reply instantly to his messages when it takes her two or three hours to get a response?'
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