Amane desired Karuizawa.
Now, don't get the wrong idea.
Amane needed Karuizawa's influence to help her achieve her upcoming goals, which was why she was willing to splurge a large amount of her private points on her.
Karuizawa had noticed Amane's deliberate friendliness and suspected there might be a favor asked of her later.
But faced with the harsh reality of her own dwindling points, she had little choice but to accept Amane's generosity. It was a partnership of mutual convenience, formed without a second thought.
Wang Mei Yu and Shinohara were completely oblivious to the real subject of Karuizawa and Amane's conversation.
They just thought it was ordinary chit-chat.
They even chimed in with a comment or two occasionally.
Only Matsushita was frowning slightly.
She had a feeling something major was brewing.
Otherwise, Amane wouldn't have had any reason to reveal her point balance. If she'd kept a lower profile, she could have spent those points freely on herself.
Flaunting a large point reserve in a class suffering from a points drought could easily lead to resentment and ostracism.
Yet Amane had shared the information openly with them.
This was tantamount to showcasing her strength. In a class starved for points, points themselves could become a bridge for communication.
However much you might dislike someone, could you really afford to turn down points? Snub them, and you'd be condemning yourself to the mountain vegetable set meal come weekend.
That was the simple truth of it. The moment Matsushita saw that Karuizawa had actually acquiesced, she knew Amane was planning something big.
Matsushita's suspicion wasn't baseless. If Shinohara or Kushida had done this, it would most likely be to win people over.
But while Amane belonged to Kushida's group, she maintained a high degree of independence. She was almost an anomaly, someone who stuck close to Horikita most of the time.
What could she possibly achieve by using points to win favor or gather support? The possibilities were very limited.
The most likely scenario was that she needed backing for a specific matter.
If it were just about gaining support among the girls, she could have simply gone to Kushida.
Kushida's personality was far more reassuring than either Shinohara's or Karuizawa's; having her intervene would have been more effective.
The reason Amane had chosen Karuizawa wasn't due to Karuizawa's extensive connections. It was because, as Hirata Yōsuke's girlfriend, she could exert a certain influence over him.
Thereby, by leveraging Hirata's influence, she could secure the support of the majority of the class.
It was clear this wasn't over some trivial matter.
The holiday passed quickly.
Although for the first-year students, today they would all face their first judgment.
Compared to the pressure-free classes A and B, classes C and D weren't nearly as relaxed.
Class C was slightly better off. Apart from a few muscle-headed individuals, the majority were ordinary students.
While their top-tier quality wasn't exactly luxurious, their overall average was fairly balanced.
The pressure naturally fell upon Class D.
That day, the moment Chabashira-sensei entered the classroom.
The eyes of the entire class instantly focused on her. Everyone hoped to read some useful information from her expression.
Confronted with this rapt attention.
Chabashira-sensei wasn't pleased in the slightest; instead, her face was clouded with gloom.
Her mouth filled with a bitter taste, she had to admit it.
She had messed up this time. Her intention was to give the class a setback, then use that setback to foster a class leader and strengthen the class's cohesion.
But the current results were far from optimistic.
No.
It would be more accurate to say she still had no clear understanding of Class D's true nature.
The consequence was that she had never anticipated this class could be this incompetent.
Chabashira-sensei's footsteps were heavy as she walked up to the lectern.
Seeing her gloomy expression, everyone nervously fell silent. Even Hirata felt stifled by the solemn atmosphere, struggling to breathe.
But as the class leader, he had a duty to ask about the results on everyone's behalf.
"Chabashira-sensei, if I recall correctly, you mentioned today is the day the midterm exam results would be announced, right?" Hirata asked cautiously.
"That's correct. The results are out. I regret to inform you all that the results are... not ideal. Time is limited, so I'll keep this brief. Dragging it out too long might affect the subsequent procedures," Chabashira-sensei's voice was laced with bitterness.
She had been waiting for a Class D capable of fulfilling her dream to appear.
But that hope had been shattered time and again.
Unwilling to resign herself to the status quo, for the first time, she had entertained the idea of interfering with the class's progress and had acted on it.
The result was a complete and utter defeat, perhaps even worse than the failure years ago that had cost her entire class the chance to graduate from Class A.
Perhaps this failure was even more severe than the one back then.
Hearing that the results were not ideal, many in the class clutched their heads in despair, praying they wouldn't be expelled.
Another group frowned deeply, already considering what to do if someone really was expelled.
Chabashira-sensei posted the exam results on the blackboard.
Scores for the first two subjects weren't particularly ideal for most people, but a significant number had scored very high on the last three subjects.
At a glance, it seemed like cause for celebration.
But…
This exam wasn't about who scored high.
It was about who scored low.
Amane, Horikita, Ayanokōji, Hirata, Kōenji… they all started scanning the list from the bottom up.
Last place was Sudō.
Just looking at his scores was enough to feel despair.
First two subjects: thirty-five and seventeen points. The last three: forty-one, eleven, and nineteen points.
Even with the school's score adjustment, such results were probably beyond help, right?
But just as everyone was mourning for Sudō.
They saw Chabashira-sensei draw a bold red line across the list, right around the halfway point.
For a moment, many widened their eyes in disbelief.
"This time… there are fifteen failing students," Chabashira Sae closed her eyes in pain.
She had never anticipated this class had rotted to such an extent. Even if she hadn't informed them in advance that the review scope had changed, surely someone should have been able to figure out the key to passing.
In fact, Ayanokōji had done exactly that.
Unfortunately, for reasons unknown, Ayanokōji hadn't managed to get the answers to Hirata in time.
Ultimately triggering this tragedy.
"Chabashira-sensei? What does this mean?" Hirata understood her meaning, but he refused to believe the consequences these people now faced.
"Hirata-kun, these students will face expulsion," Chabashira-sensei said, her gaze sweeping over the stunned class.
"Members below the red line, come to my office after school to fill out the withdrawal forms."
"Wait."
What Amane hadn't expected was that the next person to stand up would be Horikita.
"Chabashira-sensei, don't you think this is excessively arbitrary? Even if it's expulsion, you should tell us the reason. What exactly is the failing score threshold? I hope you can provide an explanation." Horikita's gaze was firm as she met Chabashira-sensei's eyes.
"If you want to know, then I'll tell you."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.