Chapter 150: With Momentum on His Side, No One Can Stop Him!
Yuto looked toward Suzune's cold expression.
"Horikita, do you know what those two are planning to announce?"
"I don't. But ever since they arrived, they've been unusually excited, almost like they won the lottery. They've burst out laughing several times," Suzune answered.
Suzune normally paid little attention to anyone besides Yuto.
Unfortunately, Ike and Yamauchi had behaved so strangely that morning—talking excitedly and laughing like lunatics—that even she could not ignore them.
By shouting loudly from the podium, Ike and Yamauchi successfully drew the attention of the entire class.
Everyone looked at them with complicated expressions.
Some were curious or confused, while others showed contempt or irritation.
Good students like Yukimura Teruhiko would never forget that it was poor students such as Ike and Yamauchi who had caused Class D to receive no personal points this month!
Ike could not distinguish the meaning behind everyone's gazes.
All he knew was that the entire class was looking at him.
He had become the center of attention!
'So this is why being watched by everyone feels so great! No wonder Shimizu Yuto is always going up there whenever something happens!'
Nonsense!
If Yuto did not need the entire class to hear him clearly, he would never bother walking to the podium.
"Kikyo-chan, come up here too! I'm about to announce something amazing for everyone!" Ike waved enthusiastically toward Kikyo.
"Huh?"
Kikyo paused before clasping her hands together, a faint trace of disgust hidden in her eyes.
"I'll pass. I don't even know what you're planning to announce, Ike-kun."
Although Kikyo enjoyed receiving attention, she had absolutely no desire to stand beside Ike!
Besides, who knew what these two poor students intended to say?
If they said something obnoxious, Kikyo worried her reputation might suffer simply because she stood with them.
Since class was about to begin, Chabashira had already arrived at the doorway.
She raised an eyebrow at Ike and Yamauchi on the podium, then turned toward Yuto in the right corner.
Ding.
Yuto received a Line message from Chabashira and checked his phone.
[Shimizu, did you arrange this?]
It was perfectly understandable for Chabashira to ask.
Yuto was effectively Class D's undisputed leader, and nobody could shake his position.
Seeing Ike and Yamauchi on the podium, she naturally assumed Yuto had instructed them.
[No. I have absolutely no idea what those two intend to announce.] Yuto replied.
[I see. Then I suppose I'll watch and find out.]
Chabashira put away her phone and remained at the doorway with her arms folded.
Class D had no class points left to deduct anyway.
Even if the students caused a disturbance after class officially began, the school could hardly deduct anything further.
Yuto hated wasting time meaninglessly.
"Whatever you want to say, hurry up. Chabashira-sensei is already here. Don't delay everyone's class."
"Exactly!"
"Stop standing up there like idiots!"
The students' complaints made Ike's smiling face darken.
Who were these bastards calling idiots?!
"Everyone shut up!" Ike shouted angrily. "What I'm about to say concerns the upcoming midterm!"
Once he said that, the Class D students showed curious expressions.
The noisy classroom gradually became quiet.
If Ike had information about the midterm, they could at least hear him out.
Yuto's expression became slightly strange.
He might already know what Ike and Yamauchi intended to announce.
"Don't tell me they're talking about those old midterm papers from Class C..." Yuto muttered.
Kei, who was sitting close beside him, heard him.
"Yuto, you think they learned that Class C has old midterm papers?"
"I doubt they investigated it themselves. They aren't that clever."
"Someone probably approached them and offered to sell the papers," Yuto replied.
His guess was completely correct.
Last night, Tokito had approached Yuto and attempted to sell him Ryuen's papers.
Unfortunately for Tokito, Yuto rejected the offer immediately.
Afterward, the disgruntled Tokito went looking for Ike instead.
If the academically excellent Shimizu Yuto did not need the papers, surely those academically hopeless idiots in Class D would buy them!
And Ike really did.
After hearing Tokito's explanation, Ike became ecstatic and shouted that he was saved.
Without doubting him at all, Ike bargained with Tokito before purchasing Ryuen's papers for fifty thousand personal points.
In reality, Ike did not even possess fifty thousand points.
He had only slightly more than ten thousand remaining.
However, although Ike was terrible academically, he was sociable and fairly persuasive.
He convinced several friends to temporarily lend him points.
Once he scraped together fifty thousand, Ike eagerly purchased the papers.
"I heard from an extremely reliable source that the midterm papers from previous years are exactly the same as ours this year!" Ike announced excitedly.
"So I bought them!"
"If we memorize those papers, we can definitely score full marks on the midterm!"
"Exactly!" Yamauchi loudly agreed.
Yuto watched the two excited boys as though he were watching a pair of energetic clowns.
Still, he could understand their excitement.
Unlike Yuto, Ike and Yamauchi did not know that the school had already decided not to reuse the old papers.
Yuto and Kei remained calm.
Suzune showed slight surprise.
She had not expected someone like Ike to actually obtain previous midterm papers.
The other Class D students were far more excited.
Sotomura Hideo, whose grades were also poor, happily exclaimed, "Ike, that's impressive! You actually got your hands on something that useful!"
"It's a shame we only obtained them last night!"
"If we'd known these things existed earlier, we wouldn't have needed to study so desperately!" Yamauchi said excitedly.
Suzune immediately frowned.
She strongly disliked that attitude.
However, seeing how excited everyone was, she resisted the urge to stand and refute Yamauchi.
"I spent six hundred thousand points last night buying these papers and the information from a reliable source!"
"I'm willing to photocopy them for everyone, but you'll all have to reimburse me six hundred thousand points!" Ike declared confidently.
In reality, Ike had only spent fifty thousand points on Tokito's papers.
Yet he was now demanding six hundred thousand!
One reason Ike had stood on the podium was because he envied Yuto's prominence and wanted to show off.
The other was that he intended to profit from the Class D students.
Originally, Ike had planned to charge only three hundred thousand.
But someone had called him an idiot earlier!
So he doubled the amount.
Now he wanted six hundred thousand points!
The classroom immediately became noisy.
Even if the entire class split the cost, each student would still need to pay more than ten thousand points.
Class D had received no personal points this month.
Having to spend over ten thousand from their remaining balances would hurt!
"Six hundred thousand is too much! Can't you lower it?"
"Yeah!"
"No! Absolutely not!" Ike shouted. "I spent six hundred thousand myself, so I can't lower the price!"
Yuto could no longer tolerate Ike's smug expression.
"Hold on. Let me ask you something."
With just one sentence, the entire Class D classroom became silent.
Everyone turned toward Yuto.
A faint smile appeared on Chabashira's face.
This troublesome boy was practically the uncrowned king of Class D now.
He only needed to speak once, and everyone else naturally listened.
Under the class's attention, Yuto spoke leisurely.
"Ike Kanji, you said you spent six hundred thousand personal points purchasing those papers. Correct?"
"That's right!"
"Then I'm curious. Where did you get that many points?" Yuto asked.
"Exactly! Ike said before that he only had a little over ten thousand left. How could he possibly spend six hundred thousand on papers?" another student shouted.
"Well..."
Guilt appeared on Ike's face.
Still, he stubbornly replied, "What do you know? I have plenty of friends! I just borrowed a little from each of them and easily gathered six hundred thousand!"
"Is that so?"
"Your student ID records every personal-point payment and transfer. A quick check would reveal whether you actually borrowed six hundred thousand."
Yuto stared coldly at Ike, whose forehead was beginning to sweat.
"Or whether you really spent six hundred thousand buying those papers."
"Exactly! Ike-kun, show us your transaction history!"
"I don't believe someone like you would spend six hundred thousand points on examination papers!"
Most Class D students already disliked Ike.
They especially hated the smug attitude he had displayed moments earlier.
So everyone immediately demanded to see the transaction history on his student ID.
Completely panicked, Ike desperately suppressed his fear.
"I-I-I... I might not have spent that much, but I obtained the midterm papers for everyone!"
"I made an enormous contribution to the class! Shouldn't you give me six hundred thousand points for that?!"
The more Ike spoke, the more convinced he became that demanding payment was perfectly justified.
With renewed confidence, he pointed at Yuto.
"And especially you, Shimizu Yuto!"
"You challenged all those clubs and earned millions of points from other students. You should just pay me the six hundred thousand yourself!"
"What are you talking about?!"
Kei shot to her feet.
She glared fiercely at Ike for pointing at her boyfriend.
"Yuto earned those points through his own ability and effort! Why should he give them to you?!"
"You're completely shameless!"
Yuto looked strangely at the furious Kei beside him.
This silly girl really was fiercely protective of her boyfriend.
Kikyo also stood with a sweet smile.
"Karuizawa-san is right."
"Yuto earned those points because of his own ability. None of us have any right to be jealous of him."
"Exactly!"
With Kei and Kikyo taking the lead, all the girls and quite a few boys began agreeing.
Facing the entire class's criticism and contempt, Ike and Yamauchi took two steps backward.
Within Class D, Yuto barely needed to defend himself anymore.
His two girlfriends and the classmates who trusted him naturally stood up for him.
That was momentum.
And once momentum overwhelmingly favored one side, no one could resist it!
Yuto smiled as he watched the entire class condemn Ike and Yamauchi.
The smugness had completely disappeared from their faces.
Under everyone's criticism, only guilt and fear remained.
Sudo Ken watched them from his seat and curled his lips.
"Two idiots."
Sudo was not particularly intelligent either, but he was not completely stupid.
He clearly understood that there were people one could provoke—and then there was Shimizu Yuto.
Looking at Ike and Yamauchi now, Sudo felt his judgment had been absolutely correct.
Never provoke Shimizu Yuto!
After another round of criticism and Hirata Yosuke's attempts to calm everyone, the noise inside Class D finally decreased.
Kei still wanted to scold Ike and Yamauchi for coveting her boyfriend's points, but Yuto gently squeezed her hand.
"That's enough, Kei."
"Hmph. It's still not enough."
"But since you're saying so, I'll let them off for now."
Kei obediently sat back down and leaned against Yuto once again.
…
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