Silently, he righted the desk that Sudo had kicked over.
Facing the Class D classroom in complete disarray, Hirata forced a smile and helped the kneeling Ike to his feet. "It's alright. I'll go ask Nagumo-senpai later. There might still be another way."
Ike flung Hirata's hand away and jabbed a finger at his nose, cursing. "We don't need your fake sympathy! Deep down, you look down on us anyway, don't you? Us dropping out is exactly what you wanted, right?"
"No, that's not it. I've never thought that way." Hirata shook his head desperately in denial.
"When it cos down to it, this is all your fault, isn't it? If you had just tried a little harder back then and persuaded to study, I wouldn't have to drop out today. Right! Everything is your fault! Everything is the school's fault! Everything is the fault of that guy who sent us the answers!"
Yamauchi shoved away Hirata, who had co over to console him. After muttering to himself for a while, he couldn't wait to pin the reason for his failure squarely on Hirata's head.
Hirata stumbled two steps across the classroom before collapsing to the floor. The light in his eyes gradually dimd, and he couldn't utter a single word.
The only one who had accepted the reality of his expulsion, Sudo, leaned back against his chair, staring blankly up at the stark white ceiling.
That's how people are. Only once they've lost sothing do they learn to treasure it. That red-haired first-year newcor, you played pretty well! Sudo, try to keep that temper of yours in check—aren't there always collisions on the basketball court too? And you manage to control it just fine then, don't you? Ken, you've got to work hard on your exams. You're a student with real talent for basketball. Soday, you could play in the pro leagues. But if you can't stay at this school, all your effort will co to nothing.
Even though the coach and the upperclassn had all warned him, why couldn't he just settle down and study back then? The words of the basketball club's coach and his senpais echoed in Sudo's mind, while inside his heart, he questioned himself over and over.
In contrast to Sudo, lost in his own world, was the chaotic environnt of Class D.
"Hey, how can you two talk about Yosuke like that? He tried so hard to plead for you!" A group of girls rose to Hirata's defense.
"You're no prizes either!" Ike pointed at the girls and started cursing viciously. "Especially you, Shinohara. Following behind Karuizawa all day like a lost puppy. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were sothing she dragged in."
"And Karuizawa, always acting like so big-shot gyaru. You're just riding on the fact that you latched onto Hirata. The class only gives you face because of that. Without Hirata, you're nothing!"
"And you, Koenji, going on about beauty this, beauty that all day long, staring at yourself in a mirror. Your beauty isn't even one ten-thousandth of mine!"
"And another thing! What kind of trash school is this? Scamming students! I never cared about it anyway! Once I'm back ho, I'll definitely file a lawsuit and expose this sham of a school!"
Abrasive and desperate, Ike began hurling abuse at everyone in the class he was displeased with, spittle flying everywhere.
The girls, unwilling to back down, promptly launched a counter-offensive. Both sides clashed, and the whole of Class D instantly plunged into chaos.
Of course, there were also students completely unaffected by the matter. The golden-haired boy nad Koenji sat with his legs crossed and propped on his desk, admiring every inch of his own skin with rapture, occasionally letting out a sigh of "Ah, I am simply too beautiful." The master of two-facedness, Kushida, verbally urged everyone not to fight while covertly fanning the flas—on the surface, she looked distressed, but inwardly, she was cackling madly, eagerly anticipating them coming to blows.
Horikita sat in her seat, coldly observing the chaotic scene in Class D, quietly formulating a counterasure.
The quarreling continued from morning all the way to the break before the final period of the afternoon.
Sakayanagi Arisu glanced at the ti on the wall, the corner of her mouth curving into a slight arc.
The timing is about right...
At that mont, Karuizawa, whose presence had been faint throughout this farce, suddenly raised her hand toward Hirata.
"Ano... Yosuke, an upperclassman told that you can buy exam scores with points... Is that really true? She said personal points can buy anything within the school, and exam scores are the sa. If you buy in bulk, you might even get a discount."
At these words, the three who had been hopeless monts before abruptly lifted their heads, and the color reignited in Hirata's eyes as well.
"Really? I knew it, you're nothing like those useless ones. From the very beginning, I always thought you were the cutest in our class." Yamauchi ingratiatingly crowded up to Karuizawa. This dog-like expression of his made her show a look of disgust, unsurprisingly.
"Then... I won't have to drop out and go ho." Sudo stood up excitedly, murmuring to himself.
"..." Ike, who had been exchanging curses with the girls' clique since morning, froze on the spot. The girls stared at him with playful mockery. Their attitude needed no further explanation.
"Really? I'll go confirm it with Chabashira-sensei right now!" Hirata imdiately moved to verify.
"I knew there'd be another way..." Yamauchi burst out laughing.
The very next mont, his hope was utterly crushed by the returning Hirata.
The price for midterm exam scores was sixty thousand personal points per point. Among them, Sudo was short three points, Ike was short eight points, and Yamauchi was short six points. The total needed was 1,020,000 personal points. And starting from last month, their class's inco in points was—zero!
More importantly, this was already the break before the very last class period. They couldn't even go borrow points from friends in other classes; they could only contact them via phone.
Upon hearing this news, the clamorous noise in the classroom fell silent for an instant, and then erupted into a heated discussion.
"1,020,000 points? Does our class even have that many points?"
"No way! Why should I help soone who was just cursing us out?"
"Yeah, yeah! With that many points, wouldn't it be better spent on food? I've been eating the cheap set als for almost a month now."
"Impossible! Such ugly existences are not worthy of a beautiful one like spending points. On the contrary, they tarnish my beauty."
Not bad! Placing her small white beret on the desk, Sakayanagi took in the expressions of the majority of Class D students with satisfaction.
Those three were simply not worth spending 1,020,000 personal points on. The points Class D could co up with right now probably didn't even reach four hundred thousand. And even then, these students would never take them out to bail out those three. Even in the worst-case scenario, borrowing from students in other classes—there were less than ten minutes until class started. In such a short ti, they couldn't even clearly explain the situation from start to finish. No student would dare lend out such a massive amount of points without signing a contract.
Thinking this, Sakayanagi directed her gaze toward Sudo, who had been silent and hanging his head the entire ti.
Though he has so issues in the brain departnt, his physique is decent. Barely usable as a pawn. As for the other two... heh heh...
"Thud—!"
A heavy, distinct, muffled sound interrupted Sakayanagi's train of thought, freezing the smile on her face in an instant. The crisp sound imdiately drew the entire class's attention.
Following the sound, they saw Hirata, before the eyes of the entire class, drop to his knees on the spot. His brown bangs fell forward, covering his face and obscuring his expression.
"Everyone, even just a little bit, please help Sudo and the others. Consider these points as borrowed from you by . I will pay them back. From now on, the mont I get any points, I'll return them to you first thing."
"Even if I can't repay them now, I will definitely pay you back once I start working in the future. Whether it's one year, two years, ten years, or even twenty years, I absolutely will return these points to you. An IOU, a written pledge, a signed contract—anything is fine. Just... so long as Sudo and the others don't have to drop out... I'll do anything you ask!"
"I'm begging you."
Having said this, Hirata pressed his forehead deeply against the floor.
"Hirata..."
Sudo looked at this classmate, with whom he normally didn't get along well. He opened his mouth, but no words ca out.
The entire class stared, shocked, at Hirata kneeling on the floor, laying down all his dignity before them, begging in such abject humility—the Hirata who was always gentle and kind to everyone...
"Just this once, for Hirata-kun's sake."
"Tch... why does Yosuke have to help people like that? Isn't it better to keep the points?"
"Ichinose-san might be able to lend so. I hope she gets the ssage. Otherwise, you three will still just have to drop out."
"Well... even though I really dislike them, I've also been looked after by Hirata a lot. I hope my club senpai won't mind coming to borrow money..."
...
Even the students who disliked Hirata the most couldn't deny everything he had done for Class D. Without his constant nding and diating, this scattered heap of loose sand that was Class D would have collapsed long ago.
Sakayanagi's fingers tapped lightly against the edge of her phone as she struggled to maintain the smile on her face. She had thought he was just a standard nice guy. It seed she had been far too naive. This person was, to so extent, seriously ssed up as well!!
"That's right! We'll definitely study hard from now on! Hakase, we're lifelong best buddies, right?" Yamauchi imdiately dashed over to a student wearing glasses.
"..." Ike watched the sneering girls' clique, his lips twitching a few tis.
"Want us to help you? In your next life! Weren't you saying you never cared about this school? Get lost right now while you still can!"
Horikita took out her phone, her expression shifting uneasily as she stared at the screen.
Truthfully, deep down, she didn't want to save these three. But considering future class competitions might feature special exams related to headcount—especially since one of them included Sudo, who had outstanding physical ability. 1,020,000 personal points to save three Class D students. Whether the transaction was worth it would only beco clear later on.
Students who could cough up such a huge sum of points in one go were few and far between. Coincidentally, she happened to know exactly two. They were also the only two contacts on her phone.
Brother. Fuyuji Mikage.
Horikita's slender fingers hovered undecidedly over their two profile icons. Logically speaking, if she just opened her mouth and humbly begged her brother, he would most likely lend the points to her.
Therefore, Horikita decisively chose Fuyuji!
In the end, at the cost of nearly dying of exasperation, she borrowed eighty thousand points from the dawdling and grumbling Fuyuji.
At the sa ti, the Class D students each transferred their contributions to Hirata's account.
625,000 points. That was the price of Hirata's dignity.
The class bell rang. The final period happened to be Japanese Literature, and Chabashira arrived at the classroom right on ti.
"You're still here? Return to your seats and prepare for class."
"Chabashira-sensei, please wait. Just give us a little more ti. Soon, we'll be done soon. I'm begging you." Hirata pleaded, tears welling in his eyes.
"..."
Chabashira felt a mont of daze. She swept her eyes over the state of Class D—a leader on the verge of collapse, students quarreling with each other, a classroom in chaos—and seed to recall sothing.
"Fine. This period will be changed to a horoom session, left for you to manage yourselves. And don't even think about turning to . The school strictly forbids teachers from personally intervening to help students."
"Thank you. Thank you." Hirata bowed repeatedly.
Ti ticked and tocked with the clock on the wall, each second, each minute slipping away.
Yamauchi watched the ti on the wall clock drawing closer and closer, then looked at the personal points total on the blackboard that was still far, far short. He wailed in despair.
"Hey! What are you all doing? There's got to be more! I saw you girls buying new clothes before! You must still have points! Hurry up! Don't just watch us die! You cold-blooded bastards!"
His brainless outburst promptly and unsurprisingly drew condemnation from the Class D students.
"With that attitude, you still expect us to save you?"
"Properly get on your knees and show so gratitude, you scum! If it weren't for Hirata's sake, you wouldn't get a single one of these points!"
Having failed, Yamauchi, driven to desperation, swept his gaze around the classroom and quickly locked onto the person most likely to still have points.
"Sakayanagi-chan, you still have points, right? Hurry! Hand them over now and save !"
Sakayanagi, who had been quietly watching the drama unfold, rested her hands demurely on her knees. An awkward yet polite smile surfaced on her face.
"I'm very sorry, Yamauchi-kun. What I gave just now was the last of my points. The initial distribution at the start of the school year—"
"What are you babbling about? Just hurry up and take out your phone! Let see it, and that'll be enough, right?"
Yamauchi shook his head wildly, rudely cutting off Sakayanagi's words.
"..."
All the ticulously prepared excuses in Sakayanagi's mind jamd up on the spot. Her previously irrefutable silver tongue was rendered utterly useless in this mont. Her smile beca no longer composed.
"I knew it! You still have points! Quick! Hand them over right now! Kanji and I will thank you!" Yamauchi was overjoyed, barking impatiently at Sakayanagi.
"Don't be so unreasonable! So what if Sakayanagi-chan has points? Sothing as private as the contents of her phone—how could she possibly show it to you?" Karuizawa, sensing things were going south, brought her gyaru clique to denounce Yamauchi.
"Yeah! And fix your damn attitude, you bastard!"
"The points are just this much! Take them or leave them!"
Yamauchi's conduct had sparked public outrage across the entire class. No matter how Hirata begged, the class refused to part with a single point more. In the end, the personal points total on the blackboard froze at 688,000 points.
Seeing that there was no way to gather any more points, and feeling the collective scornful gaze of the whole class upon him, Yamauchi, sweating profusely, used what little IQ he had left in his lifeti to analyze the situation on the ground. 688,000 points. No matter how you calculated it, one person had to drop out.
And so...
"Ike, you bastard, don't you have even a shred of gratitude? Our classmates were kind enough to lend us points, you know?" Yamauchi instantly turned his guns on Ike.
"Haruki, you..."
Ike stared blankly at Yamauchi beside him, his pupils dilating, montarily speechless.
"I always knew you were no good. Always badmouthing Hirata and the others behind their backs. All you ever do in class is cause trouble. You're simply incomparable to soone like , who's been in the spotlight since elentary school."
"Weren't you exactly the sa as , discussing the girls' chest sizes with every day?" Ike, snapping out of his shock, loudly retaliated.
"I was gathering evidence! To expose your ugly side to the whole class!" With that, Yamauchi faced the whole class, pointed at Ike, and shouted, "This guy! A while back, he was planning to sneak a peek into the girls' changing room! Luckily, I stopped him!"
At these words, every girl in Class D looked at Ike with pure revulsion in their eyes. If Yamauchi's behavior was simply and utterly detestable, Ike's attempted peeping was a completely unforgivable criminal act.
"You... you're even bringing that up?!" Ike shouted in disbelief.
"Weren't you the one saying you never cared about this school? Perfect! You can just drop out! Leave the chance to and Ken. Right, Ken?" Yamauchi turned to seek Sudo's agreent.
"Huh?"
Sudo looked at Ike and Yamauchi, locked in a bitter quarrel. He gritted his teeth, and in the end, closing his eyes, the words to kick soone while they were down never left his mouth.
"Didn't you say the exact sa things just now?!" Ike started to panic, frantically seeking confirmation from others. "Right, Hondo? Kushida-chan, he said it too just now, didn't he?!"
"Did I say anything wrong? Why should I be the one to drop out? It's clearly Ike's fault! If only Ike kept his word, we wouldn't even be arguing!"
"It's all my fault?! Say that again!"
"It is Ike's fault! Now, as long as Ike keeps his word and obediently drops out, it's settled."
"Why shouldn't you be the one to drop out?!"
"That goes without saying! Because I'm more excellent than Ike!"
...
The two who had been fooling around together, laughing and joking just this morning, had by the afternoon parted ways and turned on each other, exposing each other's darkest secrets, cursing their forr best friend with the most venomous words.
Having reached this point, Hirata clearly recognized that it was impossible to save all three. At the sa ti, the class had grown resistant to the act of rescuing Yamauchi. If he hesitated any longer, he might not even be able to save two.
Without consulting any classmates, Hirata stumbled over to Chabashira and used the points to purchase Sudo's three points and Yamauchi's six points.
Seeing his expulsion imminent, Ike collapsed completely. He furiously scread abuse at the entire class, over and over.
In the end, the two completely lost all reason. They grabbed their chairs, ready to strike each other, only to be restrained from behind by Sudo and Hirata respectively, left immobilized. They could only curse at each other from a distance.
The war of words between the two lasted all the way until the final bell rang.
Even in the last mont as he was being dragged away, the expelled Ike was still ceaselessly cursing Yamauchi, his gaze venomous as he glared at the entire class. anwhile, Yamauchi wore a smug, triumphant expression, overjoyed at having successfully remained at the Advanced Nurturing High School.
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