"Failing the official exams will lead to expulsion... Is that for real?"
"Could the teacher just be trying to scare us?"
"I... I don't know."
After hearing Chabashira Sae's words, all the students in the room began to chatter.
However, this news didn't bother Saiki Kusuo much, as he had already known about this rule since the first day of school.
"I hope you can at least maintain your position as Class C in the next exam."
Chabashira Sae said with a smile.
...
After the class ended, Chabashira Sae left the classroom directly, and the previously heavy atmosphere didn't ease much.
Although they had achieved a score higher than Class D in this exam, after learning that any student who failed future exams would be expelled, almost everyone's shoulders seemed to grow heavier.
Except for a few.
"Regardless, I still have to thank you, Kushida-san!"
After class, Ike Kanji quickly walked up to Kushida Kikyo and expressed his gratitude.
[I can talk to Kushida-san again!]
'Your real goal is just to chat with Kushida, isn't it?'
Saiki Kusuo, who had read Ike Kanji's thoughts, complained.
In a way, he was also somewhat grateful to Ike Kanji, Sudo Ken, and the others. If it weren't for their lack of focus in class and their low scores despite having the exam questions, their class might have risen directly to Class B. While not as noticeable as Class A, it would still have drawn the envy of the lower classes.
'But to score so low even after knowing the questions in advance is, in a way, quite impressive...'
Saiki Kusuo complained internally as Ike Kanji and the others remained firmly in the bottom three.
'While staying in Class D with enough points would have been the best option, as it would mean fewer classes targeting us, moving up to Class C is still acceptable for now. It's a decent result.'
Saiki Kusuo breathed a sigh of relief.
From what he knew, the first month at this school was the most critical period for class rankings, essentially setting a baseline score for each class. The impact of future exams on class points wouldn't be as significant as this initial evaluation.
If they could stay in Class C instead of falling back to Class D, that would be fine.
After all, Saiki Kusuo had no intention of climbing higher. Staying in a lower position was ideal.
"Even though we have the midterm exam next month, we've managed to scrape by for now, right?"
"Should we hold a celebration tonight?"
"I think that's a good idea. Hey, Ayanokoji, do you want to join?"
At that moment, Ike Kanji turned to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who seemed to be spacing out, and asked.
[That Ayanokoji guy scored at the bottom too, just like us! We're all failures, so we should stick together!]
'This is the first time I've seen someone proudly call themselves a failure in their thoughts.'
Saiki Kusuo turned his gaze to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
"Me?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka seemed a bit surprised that Ike Kanji had mentioned his name.
[Ike Kanji invited me to a celebration. We haven't interacted much before, so is he inviting me because my score is as low as theirs?]
'Yep, you hit the nail on the head.'
[Humans are naturally inclined to form groups. Some people seek out those stronger than themselves, while others associate with those weaker to showcase their own abilities...]
'Hey, hey, it's just an invitation. No need to overthink it...'
[If I refuse, it might worsen my already shaky social standing.]
Although Ayanokoji Kiyotaka went through a lot of mental gymnastics, only about a second had passed in real time.
"Sure, okay."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka gave a positive response.
"Hey, everyone."
At that moment, before anyone could leave the classroom, Hirata Yosuke walked up to the podium and spoke.
"I hope you can all listen to me for a moment, especially Sudo-kun."
"Tch, what does this have to do with me?"
Sudo Ken seemed to know what Hirata Yosuke was going to say and showed clear impatience.
"Although our exam results last month were decent, and we've risen to Class C, the class points we each received were significantly reduced. I was thinking that starting this month, we should all monitor and remind each other to avoid being late and to not use our phones during class."
Hirata Yosuke wore a polite and kind smile.
"What does that have to do with me?"
Sudo Ken's impatience became even more apparent.
Faced with Sudo Ken's barely concealed resistance, Hirata Yosuke could only maintain his smile.
"If I've offended you in any way, I apologize."
[I must unite everyone and ensure that no student gets expelled!]
Saiki Kusuo could hear Hirata Yosuke 's unwavering determination.
'He's quite an impressive person.'
Saiki Kusuo gave Hirata Yosuke a high evaluation in his mind.
Unlike Kushida Kikyo's superficial acts, Hirata Yosuke genuinely cared about the class.
Hirata Yosuke then proposed holding a meeting after school to discuss study plans to improve the class's overall performance.
However, a few people immediately rejected the idea, including Sudo Ken and Horikita Suzune.
"Sorry, I don't plan to waste time on something so meaningless."
Horikita Suzune bluntly told Hirata Yosuke.
"I think this is a test for our Class C..."
"I've already declined, so I won't be attending."
Before Hirata Yosuke could finish, Horikita Suzune directly rejected him.
[I thought my entrance exam results were pretty good, so why was I placed in a class with these deadweights?!]
Horikita Suzune's heart was filled with confusion and frustration, though she didn't realize that her thoughts were the correct answer.
"Then, Saiki-kun, will you be attending the meeting?"
A slightly helpless Hirata Yosuke turned his attention to Saiki Kusuo.