"In my ranking of people who should be expelled from the D class, the second place is Airi Sakura, and the first place is Haruki Yamauchi."
When I make this declaration, the area goes quiet for a moment, but it's only for a moment...
“I-I…!”
“W-why am I in first place?!”
Both parties speak out. Sakura's face turned pale, and Yamauchi's face turned red.
"It's nothing. I thought you two were the least valuable among D-class members."
“Oh, that’s not true!”
"Don't worry. Those involved should remain silent. If you are dissatisfied with my idea, someone other than those involved should speak up."
There is nothing more troublesome than those involved. It's fine if it's a third party's opinion, but a counterargument from the person concerned is nothing more than self-protection.
“Then I have a question: why should Airi be expelled from school?”
It was Yukimura, with a grim expression, who objected. By the way, this guy was in the same group as Sakura.
"Well, I'll start with Sakura, but in Sakura's case, it's her low potential and no future."
After saying that, I open my mouth again.
"On the written test, She's about average, but being average doesn't give her a positive rating. Also, in terms of motor nerves, she's the weakest in Class D, and even worse, she might be the weakest among the first-year students, excluding Arisu. This school puts a lot of effort on athletic ability, so Sakura's presence is quite a negative."
This year, there were many events that required athletic ability, such as desert island exams, sports festivals, and forest school.
"But if that's the case, there must be other candidates for expulsion."
"Well, if you're just judging based on lectures and athletic ability, there are other candidates for expulsion. But in Sakura's case, that's not the only problem."
If this was a normal school, Sakura wouldn't be considered for expulsion, but at this school, it's a different story.
"In Sakura's case, she has major weak points such as a lack of coordination and weakness of spirit. In a normal school, this would be possible, but at this school, she is not only learning classroom lessons properly, but also has poor physical ability, no coordination, no creativity, and no ability to take action.''
In reality, Ike and Sato would also be candidates for expulsion if we looked only at their lectures and athletic ability, but in the case of the two of them, Ike's not that weak and have good communication skills.
“In addition, as I said earlier, there will be exams in the future that will focus on the strength of each individual rather than on a class-by-class basis. If that happens, there is a possibility that conflicts will arise between individuals, but if that happens, other classes will naturally target people who don't have high potential or are weak-willed.''
In fact, if I'm aiming for a D-class, it's either a real idiot like Yamauchi or a weak-willed person like Sakura.
"These are the reasons why I'm making Sakura a candidate for expulsion. If you have any objections, I'll listen to them, but don't make emotional ones, just make theoretical ones. For example, what are the merits of keeping Sakura?"
At this point, Yamauchi raised his hand.
"In that case, Sakura should be the first to be expelled! I'm not weak-willed and I'm cooperative! My grades are worse than Sakura, but I have better athletic ability than Sakura, so Sakura should be expelled!"
"Hi...!"
When Yamauchi points at Sakura, Sakura turns even more pale and begins to tremble.
"Hey. Just because you said you were the number one candidate for expulsion, don't try to let Airi down."
At this point, Hasebe glares at Yamauchi with a sharp gaze, but he doesn't flinch and opens his mouth.
“I was just telling the truth! Besides Sakura, there are other candidates like Kanji and Hikigaya!”
Yamauchi tries desperately to make excuses, but he can't believe he's even using his own friend as a scapegoat.
When I think about it that much, Koenji, who is restraining Hirata, who is still struggling, laughs loudly.
"Haha! Hikigaya Boy is a candidate for expulsion? You really are a defect after all. Considering the class, how foolish is it to make Hikigaya Boy a candidate for expulsion?"
Because I defended Koenji, Koenji will also defend me.
"Is that because Sakayanagi-san and Shiina-san are angry and Class A and Class B form an alliance to destroy our class?"
When Karuizawa opened her mouth, Kouenji shook his head.
"No, they'll probably come after the C-class as well. Even if it's only temporarily, the C-class will fall to the D-class and won't have much time to spare, and if this class is being attacked by the AB Alliance, there's a very good chance they'll take advantage of it."
"Also, the C-class will use relief measures in this exam, so their points will be depleted and if they do poorly, they may end up in debt, so they won't miss the chance to make up for it."
When Matsushita added to Koenji's words, a horrified atmosphere arose in the class.
Perhaps they were imagining the horror of three classes attacking at once.
"But, you've formed an alliance with Class C! Then it's okay! Ichinose won't suddenly break the alliance!"
"Not really. She's kind to everyone, but her top priority is her classmates. If her classmates told her that they should abandon the alliance and jump on the bandwagon of the AB Alliance, she'd have no choice but to act."
There is no doubt that what Koenji is saying is true.
Ichinose can only respond to what her classmates want, so if all her classmates ask her to destroy Class D, she'll probably act.
“Also, even if we try to expel Hikigaya-kun and he is not expelled, everyone knows his personality right?
He will definitely destroy his classmates, so my group is not going to vote against Hikigaya-kun. To be honest, If I turn him into my enemy, I’m likely to be expelled from school!”
Karuizawa declares so. If there was a reason like this, the number of students voting to criticize me would decrease further.
Well, I have no intention of erasing Karuizawa. If I erase her, I'll turn Ayanokoji into an enemy, and if I erase her, this creep would probably use Sato.
However, Yamauchi is panicked by this.
"Well, then what about Kanji?! I can't accept that I'm a candidate for expulsion in the first place! Sakura or Kanji would be fine!"
Upon hearing Yamauchi's words, Ike looked at him with an indescribable expression.
Well, my friend has mentioned me as a candidate for expulsion.
"It's true that my overall ability is low when it comes to ponds, but I used my camping knowledge to save points during the desert island test.''
“Come to think of it, Ike-kun’s knowledge was amazing.”
I can hear voices like that too.
"In other words, the pond essentially contributed to the acquisition of about 5 to 10 class points. Then, in the second year, when the exam, which was conducted in a natural environment like the desert island exam, was held again, the presence of the pond is essential. Therefore, it is irrational to eliminate Ike through this test.''
It's about this school that tricks students into living on a deserted island for a week.
It wouldn't be strange if they acted recklessly and threw it at nature again.
"Well, then it's definitely Sakura! Whether Sakura is here or not, it won't change!"
Yamauchi desperately tries to deny it, but it's just ugly.
The majority of the class has withdrawn, and if the vote comes, there is a high possibility that they will vote to criticize Yamauchi.
However, I will not compromise and increase the probability of receiving critical votes for Yamauchi.
"I won't deny that. Actually, Sakura's level of ability wouldn't be of any use...but you're even worse than that. If anything, you're probably causing trouble for the class."
“Oh, that’s not true!”
"That's true. You always fight for last place in the written exams, and your athletic ability is only better than Sakura's, so you're not that great. If that's all, it's fine, but you have problems with his humanity, ability to grow, and ability to cooperate."
Humanity, growth, and cooperation are important factors in judgment.
"W-what?! I'm a serious student, and I'm growing! I'm also cooperative!"
"Which mouth is saying this? Now, let me ask you. When Hirata broke up with Karuizawa last month, you made fun of Hirata, and when Class D received a lot of bad rumours, you made a fuss because you were amused, but this... Where are the serious elements in this?”
"Ugh! That's...!"
Yamauchi, who had been red-faced and making a fuss at those words, stammered as if he had been hit in a painful spot.
Before that incident, Sudo and him were the most hated people in our class, but since that incident, Yamauchi has probably been the most hated.
"So, about growing up, at that time you made fun of the people involved and blamed Ike, your own best friend.
If Ike was in the first semester, he would have laughed with you but he stopped you instead. Judging from that, I can see that Ike is growing spiritually. That point is also an element that widens the gap between you and Ike.”
"Ah, that's true. I was really irritated with Yamauchi-kun at that time, and just thinking about it makes me irritated."
Karuizawa nods in agreement. I casually asked Karuizawa to agree with my opinion, but I think she would have reacted the same way even if I hadn't asked her.
Yamauchi's behavior at that time was crap.
Karuizawa's comment increases the hostility toward Yamauchi in the class, and Yamauchi begins to panic.
“Oh, wait! That was just a light joke! Isn’t it just a funny thing?!”
Yamauchi says so, but that's a bad idea.
"Don't joke around! It's no laughing matter for me!"
Shinohara yells.
If I remember correctly, the rumors about Shinohara were about prostitution, and he asked Shinohara if she was involved in prostitution.
Shinohara then denied it, so Yamauchi pressed her to prove it.
In fact, from her point of view, this would be nothing more than a joke.
"Hmm...whether or not it's a joke is up to the person who was hit by the rumours to decide. To be honest, you made fun of Shinohara girl, but it was just unpleasant. There's a problem in your humanity."
Koenji, who had a bad reputation, supported Shinohara. Up until this point, Koenji had been in a neutral position, so this argument is persuasive.
"This is off-topic, but Yamauchi's behavior makes people uncomfortable and creates a problem in the class. As a result, there are problems with cooperation."
“Well, in order to move up to a higher class, we have to unite, but trying to break that unity is a problem.”
Matsushita nods at my words. Matsushita, Karuizawa, and Koenji are the students I trained, but Yamauchi's behavior has been problematic, so I don't think they're suspecting me.
"That's it. I chose Yamauchi as the top candidate for expulsion because of his "low ability,'' "problematic humanity,'' "lack of growth potential,'' and "lack of cooperation that causes trouble in the class.''
"After receiving such a theoretical explanation, it makes sense. Let's support Hikigaya Boy's plan."
Koenji glares at the clown who was about to get violent with ease, and supports my plan.
"Wait! It's ridiculous that I was expelled from school!"
Yamauchi is desperately making noise, but your presence is even more ridiculous.
"You'll find out by voting tomorrow. I've said it many times, but what I just said is just my opinion. If you're dissatisfied, just vote differently. The decision is yours to make."
"But I completely agree with Hikigaya-kun's opinion. I don't think I have any particular objections."
Matsushita says so.
"Then that's the end of the story. I'm sorry you've been with me for so long."
"Wait! I'm not convinced! Ken, Kanji! Help me!"
"...." Ike Kanji. His face turned ugly.
Yamauchi desperately asks Sudo and Ike for help, but they're idiots.
Sudo aside, I was just saying that Ike should be expelled from school.
As expected, Ike only had a disgusted expression on his face and showed no signs of opening his mouth.
Well, that's how he usually behave.
Sudo, on the other hand, has a difficult look on his face but opens his mouth.
"Haruki...I don't want you to expel from school, but I don't have any material to withdraw Hikigaya's opinion, so it's impossible."
Of course. Yamauchi's usual words and actions are just too shitty.
In this situation, it would be impossible for Arisu or Koenji to help Yamauchi.
"Hmm, if your own friends Ike Boy and Red Hair don't object, then it's settled."
"Wait! I'm against it!"
"It's unseemly. The majority of this class has already agreed, so your opposition is meaningless."
"Don't be silly! I don't want to drop out of school either!"
Yamauchi objects, but let's ignore it.
“The conversation is over for now, so please disperse.”
With that, Koenji nods in satisfaction, releases Hirata, and leaves while humming.
Hirata on the other hand glares at me.
"Why, why did you do this..."
"I don't understand. I only answered because there was someone who wanted to ask me. Or do you want me to take the test without any plans?"
"You have no right to judge our classmates!"
"No. We are forced to judge by the school."
And as students, we have no choice but to fulfill our obligations. Students cannot disobey orders from the school.
"Besides, it's impossible to pretend that something that has already happened never happened. You didn't return to the cover, and the dice was thrown."
No matter what Hirata says now, nothing will change.
"That's right...that's why I'll write your name on the criticism sheet tomorrow. I can't accept you for stirring up the class."
"Everyone is free to vote for whom, but it's different from stirring up the class. I just told them the answer I thought was correct for an unreasonable supplementary exam."
At least it's better than multiple groups deciding on their own about praise and criticism votes without a consensus.
“Even if we talk about it any further, it will be a parallel conversation, so I’m going home.”
After saying that, I got ready to go home and left the classroom with Yamauchi's screams in the background.
____________
The classroom after Hachiman left...
After Hachiman leaves, everyone begins to leave the classroom, although they say little.
"Wait! I'll do my best from now on! I promise I won't do anything stupid again, so focus your criticism votes on Sakura! I don't want to be expelled!"
Meanwhile, Yamauchi desperately asks his classmates to focus their criticism on Sakura.
Sakura begins to tremble at Yamauchi, and some of the people look at him coldly, but Yamauchi doesn't stop.
"Sakura has nothing to offer other than her body! She's a traitor who doesn't earn points by selling her body to upperclassmen.
"Shut up, Yamauchi.''
Gah...! ”
Miyake, who is in the same group as Sakura, yells at Yamauchi's disgusting remark and pushes him against the wall.
"That's probably where the problem lies, as Hikigaya says."
Yamauchi, who was slammed against the wall, looked embarrassed and ran away from the classroom.
When Yamauchi leaves, everyone starts getting ready to go home and leaves the classroom.
Most of the students look at Sakura at that time.
Sakura, who decided that this was her way of looking at the target as a criticism vote, was shaking even more and looked like she was about to burst into tears.
"Airi are you okay? Calm down."
Hasebe, her mother tries to calm her down, but she shows no signs of calming down at all.
"Oh, I guess I'll be expelled after all...? Actually, I'm useless..."
"I won't let that happen. I will never let anyone drop out of this group."
"We will protect Airi."
Yukimura and Hasebe follow Sakura's cry.
"It's natural that Airi won't be expelled, but what will actually happen?"
When Miyake, who had stopped Yamauchi's abusive language earlier, asks a question, Ayanokoji from the same group also comes over.
"It's unlikely that Airi will be expelled. There are many girls in Karuizawa's group who particularly dislike Yamauchi, and there is a high possibility that they will not vote against Airi to ensure that Yamauchi is expelled."
"It's true that Karuizawa, Sato, and Shinohara were teased by Yamauchi in February, so it's possible."
Miyake nods at Ayanokoji's words.
"Kiyopon is right. In addition, if everyone in our group gives Airi praise votes, she'll be fine. In that case, what will happen to Airi's score?"
"The Karuizawa group probably has about 15 people, and if those members don't vote for criticism, Airi will get about 20 negative votes.''
"On the other hand, Yamauchi didn't support Ike or Sudo either. If that were the case, there would be very few students who would give praise to Yamauchi, and I think it would be less than 30 negative votes."
Sakura regains her composure, if only a little, after hearing Yukimura and Ayanokoji's analysis.
"Ah, thank you...but I might drop out next year."
Hachiman's words from earlier were stuck in Sakura's head.
---In Sakura's case, she has major weaknesses such as lack of coordination and weakness.
While this may not be the case at a normal school, this school requires not only classroom learning, but also physical ability, coordination, creativity, and, from now on, we will be focusing on the abilities of each individual, not the class.
There may be exams that place emphasis on If that happens, there is a possibility that conflicts will occur between individuals, but in that case, it is natural that other classes will target people who do not have high potential or are weak-willed.
Just remembering Hachiman's calm voice fills me with fear.
Other words such as her low potential and her being the same whether she's here or not, torment Sakura's heart.
Hasebe, her mother, hugs Sakura and tries to calm her down.
"It's okay. No matter who is in trouble, the five of us will get through it together."
"No……"
Sakura gave a small nod and hugged Hasebe back.
Ayanokoji looked at the two with his usual expressionless face.
After several hours……
Ayanokoji returns to his room and takes out his cell phone to make a call.
“What is it Kiyotaka? Are you talking about the exam?”
"I'd like to ask you about the criticism of your group's movements."
"It has been decided that one vote of criticism will go to Yamauchi-kun. So, to ensure that he is expelled, I decided to spread the remaining two votes among six people: Hasebe-kun, Miyamoto-kun, Makita-kun and Yukimura-kun, Ijuin-kun and Oh-san.
The two of them are in Kiyotaka's group, so that's good, right?”
"No problem"
The students Karuizawa just mentioned are the safest students in a sense, as they are unlikely to receive either praise or criticism.
The Karuizawa group has 15 people, so there are 45 critical votes. Then, 15 votes went to Yamauchi, and if the remaining 30 votes were distributed among the six people she just mentioned, the six people's scores would be -5 points.
If you get minus 5 points, you will definitely not be expelled.
“But Kiyotaka, are you dissatisfied with today’s story?”
"What happened all of a sudden? Is Kei dissatisfied with Hikigaya's opinion?"
"Not at all. My evaluation of Ike-kun, Sudo-kun, and Koenji-kun, who were candidates for criticism in my group until yesterday, has changed, but I don't feel any discomfort. Isn't Hikigaya's insight similar to Kiyotaka's?”
"Maybe so."
Ayanokoji doesn't think he'll lose in physical ability or written exams, but he thinks his insight can't be underestimated.
"Then why do you think I'm dissatisfied?"
"Because Hikigaya-kun, he openly criticised Sakura-san, who is in the same group as Kiyotaka.''
"Is that what you're talking about? Hikigaya didn't say anything wrong. It's true that Airi has no benefit to the class, and if the school becomes the system Nagumo wants, there's a high possibility that she'll drop out."
Ayanokoji replied in his usual tone.
"Well then, if this exam were to select three people to drop out of school, would you help Sakura-san?”
In response to Karuizawa's question, Ayanokoji...
"I'll do the least I can, like give her a praise vote, but I don't feel like going to the trouble of helping her."
He replied without wavering at all.
Even though he had been encouraging Sakura just a moment ago.
“Hmm. So will you continue to only do the minimum amount of follow-up?”
"That's my intention. Airi is a friend, but she's worthless as a force. I'd be sorry if she was expelled, but that's it."
"Cold-hearted. Well, that's what Kiyotaka is all about. After all, you only see other people as tools, right?''
On the other hand, Karuizawa, who knows Ayanokoji's true nature, responds in a light tone without any particular backlash.
"That's not my intention."
"Well, just saying she's worthless as a fighting force makes you that kind of person.... Anyway, my group looks like this. I don't know about the other groups, but I think they'll probably write Yamauchi-kun and Sakura-san's names. ”
"I guess."
Ayanokoji nods. In fact, Hachiman's explanation today was so straightforward and easy to understand that most of the class must have come to think that Yamauchi and Sakura's presence was unnecessary.
However, from Ayanokoji's point of view, he has nothing to complain about.
If things continue like this, it is highly unlikely that Sakura will be expelled.
Even if Sakura were to be expelled, I would feel a little disappointed, but that's all.
To put it in an extreme way, if Ayanokoji does not drop out of school, he will have passed the exam at that point.
Even if it's Yamauchi or Sakura, but even if Horikita, Hirata, Hachiman, and Koenji are expelled, it's still a success for himself.
The members of the Ayanokoji group that have their names on them are desperately trying to help Sakura, but Ayanokoji only appears desperate on the surface and is not really that enthusiastic.
In fact, Ayanokoji has a way to save Sakura.
It's about a violent incident that took place during the first semester. At that time, Sakura participated as Sudo's witness, and thanks to the photo Sakura had, they were able to withdraw the lawsuit.
If that hadn't happened, Sudo would have been suspended from school and his class points would have been damaged, so Sakura has a track record of avoiding the loss of class points.
However, Ayanokoji has no intention of saying anything. If he were to say something like that before tomorrow's vote, it would make her look bad and could even potentially attract negative votes.
Of course, I think it's okay because there is someone called Yamauchi who is absolutely hated, but I would like to be careful.
As he told Karuizawa earlier, Sakura's value is not high within Ayanokoji, so he has no intention of helping her out.
Looking back on that fact, Ayanokoji realizes once again that he is not normal.
"In any case, Hikigaya-kun, who was the top candidate for expulsion, got through easily.''
"If this explanation failed, I'm sure there would have been a lot of criticism votes. Well, even if that happens, I don't think he'll be expelled."
"Why?”
"On the day of the exam tomorrow, there is a high possibility that Hikigaya will borrow points from Sakayanagi and have 20 million points ready just in case.''
"Ah, I see. He has a habit of being relentless when attacking, and having to make sure to avoid the worst situation is too troublesome, isn't it?''
Karuizawa's voice is calm. In fact, even from Ayanokoji's point of view, he thinks it would be troublesome to make Hachiman an enemy.
It is dangerous to make an enemy of Hachiman, who has a habit of thoroughly attacking the enemy's weak points and collecting points, never breaking school rules, never attacking opponents he deems dangerous, and always preparing for the worst.
This is the common understanding among all students.
"Well, fortunately, I'm on guard, so I don't think any harm will come to you. In fact, if Hikigaya asks you for a favor, please ask for a reward.''
"Well, I've heard from Matsushita-san that if you do your job well, you'll be rewarded well, but that's okay, right?”
"If an emergency arises, I will protect you with all my might."
“Maow, you idiot!”
"Huh...It's been a while since I heard that. What happened all of a sudden?"
“N-nothing! Anyway, I've told you about the status of my group, so it's okay, right?!”
"Yeah, Please let me know if anything changes."
“I understand! well goodbye!”
The call was cut off, so Ayanokoji put his phone in his pocket and let out a breath.
“I was able to avoid this exam for the time being, but it may not be possible to live a quiet life from next year onwards.”
Regarding this special exam, Ayanokoji was told by Arisu Sakayanagi, who knows his true identity, that her father, the Chairman, had been suspended, and that it may have been prepared to expel someone from the school.
Ayanokoji's own father appears in his mind.
He was saved this time by Hachiman's speech and Yamauchi's weakness, but next time he will have to make a move himself.
“If that happens, my current strength will not be enough, so I will have to do something.”
After muttering this, Ayanokoji began thinking about how to utilize Karuizawa, Horikita, and Ichinose.
"In my ranking of people who should be expelled from the D class, the second place is Airi Sakura, and the first place is Haruki Yamauchi."
When I make this declaration, the area goes quiet for a moment, but it's only for a moment...
“I-I…!”
“W-why am I in first place?!”
Both parties speak out. Sakura's face turned pale, and Yamauchi's face turned red.
"It's nothing. I thought you two were the least valuable among D-class members."
“Oh, that’s not true!”
"Don't worry. Those involved should remain silent. If you are dissatisfied with my idea, someone other than those involved should speak up."
There is nothing more troublesome than those involved. It's fine if it's a third party's opinion, but a counterargument from the person concerned is nothing more than self-protection.
“Then I have a question: why should Airi be expelled from school?”
It was Yukimura, with a grim expression, who objected. By the way, this guy was in the same group as Sakura.
"Well, I'll start with Sakura, but in Sakura's case, it's her low potential and no future."
After saying that, I open my mouth again.
"On the written test, She's about average, but being average doesn't give her a positive rating. Also, in terms of motor nerves, she's the weakest in Class D, and even worse, she might be the weakest among the first-year students, excluding Arisu. This school puts a lot of effort on athletic ability, so Sakura's presence is quite a negative."
This year, there were many events that required athletic ability, such as desert island exams, sports festivals, and forest school.
"But if that's the case, there must be other candidates for expulsion."
"Well, if you're just judging based on lectures and athletic ability, there are other candidates for expulsion. But in Sakura's case, that's not the only problem."
If this was a normal school, Sakura wouldn't be considered for expulsion, but at this school, it's a different story.
"In Sakura's case, she has major weak points such as a lack of coordination and weakness of spirit. In a normal school, this would be possible, but at this school, she is not only learning classroom lessons properly, but also has poor physical ability, no coordination, no creativity, and no ability to take action.''
In reality, Ike and Sato would also be candidates for expulsion if we looked only at their lectures and athletic ability, but in the case of the two of them, Ike's not that weak and have good communication skills.
“In addition, as I said earlier, there will be exams in the future that will focus on the strength of each individual rather than on a class-by-class basis. If that happens, there is a possibility that conflicts will arise between individuals, but if that happens, other classes will naturally target people who don't have high potential or are weak-willed.''
In fact, if I'm aiming for a D-class, it's either a real idiot like Yamauchi or a weak-willed person like Sakura.
"These are the reasons why I'm making Sakura a candidate for expulsion. If you have any objections, I'll listen to them, but don't make emotional ones, just make theoretical ones. For example, what are the merits of keeping Sakura?"
At this point, Yamauchi raised his hand.
"In that case, Sakura should be the first to be expelled! I'm not weak-willed and I'm cooperative! My grades are worse than Sakura, but I have better athletic ability than Sakura, so Sakura should be expelled!"
"Hi...!"
When Yamauchi points at Sakura, Sakura turns even more pale and begins to tremble.
"Hey. Just because you said you were the number one candidate for expulsion, don't try to let Airi down."
At this point, Hasebe glares at Yamauchi with a sharp gaze, but he doesn't flinch and opens his mouth.
“I was just telling the truth! Besides Sakura, there are other candidates like Kanji and Hikigaya!”
Yamauchi tries desperately to make excuses, but he can't believe he's even using his own friend as a scapegoat.
When I think about it that much, Koenji, who is restraining Hirata, who is still struggling, laughs loudly.
"Haha! Hikigaya Boy is a candidate for expulsion? You really are a defect after all. Considering the class, how foolish is it to make Hikigaya Boy a candidate for expulsion?"
Because I defended Koenji, Koenji will also defend me.
"Is that because Sakayanagi-san and Shiina-san are angry and Class A and Class B form an alliance to destroy our class?"
When Karuizawa opened her mouth, Kouenji shook his head.
"No, they'll probably come after the C-class as well. Even if it's only temporarily, the C-class will fall to the D-class and won't have much time to spare, and if this class is being attacked by the AB Alliance, there's a very good chance they'll take advantage of it."
"Also, the C-class will use relief measures in this exam, so their points will be depleted and if they do poorly, they may end up in debt, so they won't miss the chance to make up for it."
When Matsushita added to Koenji's words, a horrified atmosphere arose in the class.
Perhaps they were imagining the horror of three classes attacking at once.
"But, you've formed an alliance with Class C! Then it's okay! Ichinose won't suddenly break the alliance!"
"Not really. She's kind to everyone, but her top priority is her classmates. If her classmates told her that they should abandon the alliance and jump on the bandwagon of the AB Alliance, she'd have no choice but to act."
There is no doubt that what Koenji is saying is true.
Ichinose can only respond to what her classmates want, so if all her classmates ask her to destroy Class D, she'll probably act.
“Also, even if we try to expel Hikigaya-kun and he is not expelled, everyone knows his personality right?
He will definitely destroy his classmates, so my group is not going to vote against Hikigaya-kun. To be honest, If I turn him into my enemy, I’m likely to be expelled from school!”
Karuizawa declares so. If there was a reason like this, the number of students voting to criticize me would decrease further.
Well, I have no intention of erasing Karuizawa. If I erase her, I'll turn Ayanokoji into an enemy, and if I erase her, this creep would probably use Sato.
However, Yamauchi is panicked by this.
"Well, then what about Kanji?! I can't accept that I'm a candidate for expulsion in the first place! Sakura or Kanji would be fine!"
Upon hearing Yamauchi's words, Ike looked at him with an indescribable expression.
Well, my friend has mentioned me as a candidate for expulsion.
"It's true that my overall ability is low when it comes to ponds, but I used my camping knowledge to save points during the desert island test.''
“Come to think of it, Ike-kun’s knowledge was amazing.”
I can hear voices like that too.
"In other words, the pond essentially contributed to the acquisition of about 5 to 10 class points. Then, in the second year, when the exam, which was conducted in a natural environment like the desert island exam, was held again, the presence of the pond is essential. Therefore, it is irrational to eliminate Ike through this test.''
It's about this school that tricks students into living on a deserted island for a week.
It wouldn't be strange if they acted recklessly and threw it at nature again.
"Well, then it's definitely Sakura! Whether Sakura is here or not, it won't change!"
Yamauchi desperately tries to deny it, but it's just ugly.
The majority of the class has withdrawn, and if the vote comes, there is a high possibility that they will vote to criticize Yamauchi.
However, I will not compromise and increase the probability of receiving critical votes for Yamauchi.
"I won't deny that. Actually, Sakura's level of ability wouldn't be of any use...but you're even worse than that. If anything, you're probably causing trouble for the class."
“Oh, that’s not true!”
"That's true. You always fight for last place in the written exams, and your athletic ability is only better than Sakura's, so you're not that great. If that's all, it's fine, but you have problems with his humanity, ability to grow, and ability to cooperate."
Humanity, growth, and cooperation are important factors in judgment.
"W-what?! I'm a serious student, and I'm growing! I'm also cooperative!"
"Which mouth is saying this? Now, let me ask you. When Hirata broke up with Karuizawa last month, you made fun of Hirata, and when Class D received a lot of bad rumours, you made a fuss because you were amused, but this... Where are the serious elements in this?”
"Ugh! That's...!"
Yamauchi, who had been red-faced and making a fuss at those words, stammered as if he had been hit in a painful spot.
Before that incident, Sudo and him were the most hated people in our class, but since that incident, Yamauchi has probably been the most hated.
"So, about growing up, at that time you made fun of the people involved and blamed Ike, your own best friend.
If Ike was in the first semester, he would have laughed with you but he stopped you instead. Judging from that, I can see that Ike is growing spiritually. That point is also an element that widens the gap between you and Ike.”
"Ah, that's true. I was really irritated with Yamauchi-kun at that time, and just thinking about it makes me irritated."
Karuizawa nods in agreement. I casually asked Karuizawa to agree with my opinion, but I think she would have reacted the same way even if I hadn't asked her.
Yamauchi's behavior at that time was crap.
Karuizawa's comment increases the hostility toward Yamauchi in the class, and Yamauchi begins to panic.
“Oh, wait! That was just a light joke! Isn’t it just a funny thing?!”
Yamauchi says so, but that's a bad idea.
"Don't joke around! It's no laughing matter for me!"
Shinohara yells.
If I remember correctly, the rumors about Shinohara were about prostitution, and he asked Shinohara if she was involved in prostitution.
Shinohara then denied it, so Yamauchi pressed her to prove it.
In fact, from her point of view, this would be nothing more than a joke.
"Hmm...whether or not it's a joke is up to the person who was hit by the rumours to decide. To be honest, you made fun of Shinohara girl, but it was just unpleasant. There's a problem in your humanity."
Koenji, who had a bad reputation, supported Shinohara. Up until this point, Koenji had been in a neutral position, so this argument is persuasive.
"This is off-topic, but Yamauchi's behavior makes people uncomfortable and creates a problem in the class. As a result, there are problems with cooperation."
“Well, in order to move up to a higher class, we have to unite, but trying to break that unity is a problem.”
Matsushita nods at my words. Matsushita, Karuizawa, and Koenji are the students I trained, but Yamauchi's behavior has been problematic, so I don't think they're suspecting me.
"That's it. I chose Yamauchi as the top candidate for expulsion because of his "low ability,'' "problematic humanity,'' "lack of growth potential,'' and "lack of cooperation that causes trouble in the class.''
"After receiving such a theoretical explanation, it makes sense. Let's support Hikigaya Boy's plan."
Koenji glares at the clown who was about to get violent with ease, and supports my plan.
"Wait! It's ridiculous that I was expelled from school!"
Yamauchi is desperately making noise, but your presence is even more ridiculous.
"You'll find out by voting tomorrow. I've said it many times, but what I just said is just my opinion. If you're dissatisfied, just vote differently. The decision is yours to make."
"But I completely agree with Hikigaya-kun's opinion. I don't think I have any particular objections."
Matsushita says so.
"Then that's the end of the story. I'm sorry you've been with me for so long."
"Wait! I'm not convinced! Ken, Kanji! Help me!"
"...." Ike Kanji. His face turned ugly.
Yamauchi desperately asks Sudo and Ike for help, but they're idiots.
Sudo aside, I was just saying that Ike should be expelled from school.
As expected, Ike only had a disgusted expression on his face and showed no signs of opening his mouth.
Well, that's how he usually behave.
Sudo, on the other hand, has a difficult look on his face but opens his mouth.
"Haruki...I don't want you to expel from school, but I don't have any material to withdraw Hikigaya's opinion, so it's impossible."
Of course. Yamauchi's usual words and actions are just too shitty.
In this situation, it would be impossible for Arisu or Koenji to help Yamauchi.
"Hmm, if your own friends Ike Boy and Red Hair don't object, then it's settled."
"Wait! I'm against it!"
"It's unseemly. The majority of this class has already agreed, so your opposition is meaningless."
"Don't be silly! I don't want to drop out of school either!"
Yamauchi objects, but let's ignore it.
“The conversation is over for now, so please disperse.”
With that, Koenji nods in satisfaction, releases Hirata, and leaves while humming.
Hirata on the other hand glares at me.
"Why, why did you do this..."
"I don't understand. I only answered because there was someone who wanted to ask me. Or do you want me to take the test without any plans?"
"You have no right to judge our classmates!"
"No. We are forced to judge by the school."
And as students, we have no choice but to fulfill our obligations. Students cannot disobey orders from the school.
"Besides, it's impossible to pretend that something that has already happened never happened. You didn't return to the cover, and the dice was thrown."
No matter what Hirata says now, nothing will change.
"That's right...that's why I'll write your name on the criticism sheet tomorrow. I can't accept you for stirring up the class."
"Everyone is free to vote for whom, but it's different from stirring up the class. I just told them the answer I thought was correct for an unreasonable supplementary exam."
At least it's better than multiple groups deciding on their own about praise and criticism votes without a consensus.
“Even if we talk about it any further, it will be a parallel conversation, so I’m going home.”
After saying that, I got ready to go home and left the classroom with Yamauchi's screams in the background.
____________
The classroom after Hachiman left...
After Hachiman leaves, everyone begins to leave the classroom, although they say little.
"Wait! I'll do my best from now on! I promise I won't do anything stupid again, so focus your criticism votes on Sakura! I don't want to be expelled!"
Meanwhile, Yamauchi desperately asks his classmates to focus their criticism on Sakura.
Sakura begins to tremble at Yamauchi, and some of the people look at him coldly, but Yamauchi doesn't stop.
"Sakura has nothing to offer other than her body! She's a traitor who doesn't earn points by selling her body to upperclassmen.
"Shut up, Yamauchi.''
Gah...! ”
Miyake, who is in the same group as Sakura, yells at Yamauchi's disgusting remark and pushes him against the wall.
"That's probably where the problem lies, as Hikigaya says."
Yamauchi, who was slammed against the wall, looked embarrassed and ran away from the classroom.
When Yamauchi leaves, everyone starts getting ready to go home and leaves the classroom.
Most of the students look at Sakura at that time.
Sakura, who decided that this was her way of looking at the target as a criticism vote, was shaking even more and looked like she was about to burst into tears.
"Airi are you okay? Calm down."
Hasebe, her mother tries to calm her down, but she shows no signs of calming down at all.
"Oh, I guess I'll be expelled after all...? Actually, I'm useless..."
"I won't let that happen. I will never let anyone drop out of this group."
"We will protect Airi."
Yukimura and Hasebe follow Sakura's cry.
"It's natural that Airi won't be expelled, but what will actually happen?"
When Miyake, who had stopped Yamauchi's abusive language earlier, asks a question, Ayanokoji from the same group also comes over.
"It's unlikely that Airi will be expelled. There are many girls in Karuizawa's group who particularly dislike Yamauchi, and there is a high possibility that they will not vote against Airi to ensure that Yamauchi is expelled."
"It's true that Karuizawa, Sato, and Shinohara were teased by Yamauchi in February, so it's possible."
Miyake nods at Ayanokoji's words.
"Kiyopon is right. In addition, if everyone in our group gives Airi praise votes, she'll be fine. In that case, what will happen to Airi's score?"
"The Karuizawa group probably has about 15 people, and if those members don't vote for criticism, Airi will get about 20 negative votes.''
"On the other hand, Yamauchi didn't support Ike or Sudo either. If that were the case, there would be very few students who would give praise to Yamauchi, and I think it would be less than 30 negative votes."
Sakura regains her composure, if only a little, after hearing Yukimura and Ayanokoji's analysis.
"Ah, thank you...but I might drop out next year."
Hachiman's words from earlier were stuck in Sakura's head.
---In Sakura's case, she has major weaknesses such as lack of coordination and weakness.
While this may not be the case at a normal school, this school requires not only classroom learning, but also physical ability, coordination, creativity, and, from now on, we will be focusing on the abilities of each individual, not the class.
There may be exams that place emphasis on If that happens, there is a possibility that conflicts will occur between individuals, but in that case, it is natural that other classes will target people who do not have high potential or are weak-willed.
Just remembering Hachiman's calm voice fills me with fear.
Other words such as her low potential and her being the same whether she's here or not, torment Sakura's heart.
Hasebe, her mother, hugs Sakura and tries to calm her down.
"It's okay. No matter who is in trouble, the five of us will get through it together."
"No……"
Sakura gave a small nod and hugged Hasebe back.
Ayanokoji looked at the two with his usual expressionless face.
After several hours……
Ayanokoji returns to his room and takes out his cell phone to make a call.
“What is it Kiyotaka? Are you talking about the exam?”
"I'd like to ask you about the criticism of your group's movements."
"It has been decided that one vote of criticism will go to Yamauchi-kun. So, to ensure that he is expelled, I decided to spread the remaining two votes among six people: Hasebe-kun, Miyamoto-kun, Makita-kun and Yukimura-kun, Ijuin-kun and Oh-san.
The two of them are in Kiyotaka's group, so that's good, right?”
"No problem"
The students Karuizawa just mentioned are the safest students in a sense, as they are unlikely to receive either praise or criticism.
The Karuizawa group has 15 people, so there are 45 critical votes. Then, 15 votes went to Yamauchi, and if the remaining 30 votes were distributed among the six people she just mentioned, the six people's scores would be -5 points.
If you get minus 5 points, you will definitely not be expelled.
“But Kiyotaka, are you dissatisfied with today’s story?”
"What happened all of a sudden? Is Kei dissatisfied with Hikigaya's opinion?"
"Not at all. My evaluation of Ike-kun, Sudo-kun, and Koenji-kun, who were candidates for criticism in my group until yesterday, has changed, but I don't feel any discomfort. Isn't Hikigaya's insight similar to Kiyotaka's?”
"Maybe so."
Ayanokoji doesn't think he'll lose in physical ability or written exams, but he thinks his insight can't be underestimated.
"Then why do you think I'm dissatisfied?"
"Because Hikigaya-kun, he openly criticised Sakura-san, who is in the same group as Kiyotaka.''
"Is that what you're talking about? Hikigaya didn't say anything wrong. It's true that Airi has no benefit to the class, and if the school becomes the system Nagumo wants, there's a high possibility that she'll drop out."
Ayanokoji replied in his usual tone.
"Well then, if this exam were to select three people to drop out of school, would you help Sakura-san?”
In response to Karuizawa's question, Ayanokoji...
"I'll do the least I can, like give her a praise vote, but I don't feel like going to the trouble of helping her."
He replied without wavering at all.
Even though he had been encouraging Sakura just a moment ago.
“Hmm. So will you continue to only do the minimum amount of follow-up?”
"That's my intention. Airi is a friend, but she's worthless as a force. I'd be sorry if she was expelled, but that's it."
"Cold-hearted. Well, that's what Kiyotaka is all about. After all, you only see other people as tools, right?''
On the other hand, Karuizawa, who knows Ayanokoji's true nature, responds in a light tone without any particular backlash.
"That's not my intention."
"Well, just saying she's worthless as a fighting force makes you that kind of person.... Anyway, my group looks like this. I don't know about the other groups, but I think they'll probably write Yamauchi-kun and Sakura-san's names. ”
"I guess."
Ayanokoji nods. In fact, Hachiman's explanation today was so straightforward and easy to understand that most of the class must have come to think that Yamauchi and Sakura's presence was unnecessary.
However, from Ayanokoji's point of view, he has nothing to complain about.
If things continue like this, it is highly unlikely that Sakura will be expelled.
Even if Sakura were to be expelled, I would feel a little disappointed, but that's all.
To put it in an extreme way, if Ayanokoji does not drop out of school, he will have passed the exam at that point.
Even if it's Yamauchi or Sakura, but even if Horikita, Hirata, Hachiman, and Koenji are expelled, it's still a success for himself.
The members of the Ayanokoji group that have their names on them are desperately trying to help Sakura, but Ayanokoji only appears desperate on the surface and is not really that enthusiastic.
In fact, Ayanokoji has a way to save Sakura.
It's about a violent incident that took place during the first semester. At that time, Sakura participated as Sudo's witness, and thanks to the photo Sakura had, they were able to withdraw the lawsuit.
If that hadn't happened, Sudo would have been suspended from school and his class points would have been damaged, so Sakura has a track record of avoiding the loss of class points.
However, Ayanokoji has no intention of saying anything. If he were to say something like that before tomorrow's vote, it would make her look bad and could even potentially attract negative votes.
Of course, I think it's okay because there is someone called Yamauchi who is absolutely hated, but I would like to be careful.
As he told Karuizawa earlier, Sakura's value is not high within Ayanokoji, so he has no intention of helping her out.
Looking back on that fact, Ayanokoji realizes once again that he is not normal.
"In any case, Hikigaya-kun, who was the top candidate for expulsion, got through easily.''
"If this explanation failed, I'm sure there would have been a lot of criticism votes. Well, even if that happens, I don't think he'll be expelled."
"Why?”
"On the day of the exam tomorrow, there is a high possibility that Hikigaya will borrow points from Sakayanagi and have 20 million points ready just in case.''
"Ah, I see. He has a habit of being relentless when attacking, and having to make sure to avoid the worst situation is too troublesome, isn't it?''
Karuizawa's voice is calm. In fact, even from Ayanokoji's point of view, he thinks it would be troublesome to make Hachiman an enemy.
It is dangerous to make an enemy of Hachiman, who has a habit of thoroughly attacking the enemy's weak points and collecting points, never breaking school rules, never attacking opponents he deems dangerous, and always preparing for the worst.
This is the common understanding among all students.
"Well, fortunately, I'm on guard, so I don't think any harm will come to you. In fact, if Hikigaya asks you for a favor, please ask for a reward.''
"Well, I've heard from Matsushita-san that if you do your job well, you'll be rewarded well, but that's okay, right?”
"If an emergency arises, I will protect you with all my might."
“Maow, you idiot!”
"Huh...It's been a while since I heard that. What happened all of a sudden?"
“N-nothing! Anyway, I've told you about the status of my group, so it's okay, right?!”
"Yeah, Please let me know if anything changes."
“I understand! well goodbye!”
The call was cut off, so Ayanokoji put his phone in his pocket and let out a breath.
“I was able to avoid this exam for the time being, but it may not be possible to live a quiet life from next year onwards.”
Regarding this special exam, Ayanokoji was told by Arisu Sakayanagi, who knows his true identity, that her father, the Chairman, had been suspended, and that it may have been prepared to expel someone from the school.
Ayanokoji's own father appears in his mind.
He was saved this time by Hachiman's speech and Yamauchi's weakness, but next time he will have to make a move himself.
“If that happens, my current strength will not be enough, so I will have to do something.”
After muttering this, Ayanokoji began thinking about how to utilize Karuizawa, Horikita, and Ichinose.
