Class A homeroom teacher Mashima Tomoya left the classroom after announcing the class rankings and subsequent matters.
The moment the door closed, the restrained facade in the classroom seemed to subtly loosen.
An atmosphere of ease and pride permeated the air.
A perfect score of one thousand points, unprecedented.
This was undoubtedly an achievement worth every Class A student's pride.
But the joyful atmosphere in the Class A classroom did not last too long.
As the initial excitement and pride gradually settled, some more meticulous students,
when their gaze fell back on the perfectly clear ranking data on the blackboard, a sense of doubt quietly surfaced.
[class points Ranking]
[Class A: 1000 points]
[Class C: 910 points]
[Class B: 820 points]
[Class D: 0 points]
Class A getting a perfect score was only natural.
Class D getting 0 points, while somewhat unexpected, seemed reasonable given its chaotic performance over the past month.
Class B's 820 points, a good but not top-tier score, was also within the range of understanding.
But Class C... 910 points?
This number, like a sharp thorn, pricked the hearts of many Class A students.
After one month of school, the overall impression Class C left on Class A students was by no means "excellent."
Lax, chaotic, and even carrying a hint of bad behavior, that was the intuitive feeling most people had about Class C.
How could such a class achieve such a high score in an assessment that emphasized discipline and behavioral norms?
It even surpassed Class B, which appeared very united and proactive.
This was extremely unreasonable.
Katsuragi Kohei sat in his seat, his sturdy frame leaning slightly forward, his thick brows furrowed.
His gaze was fixed on Class C's score on the blackboard.
As an active organizer and coordinator within the class, his sensitivity to anomalous data far exceeded that of ordinary people.
He was almost certain that Class C's score
was not achieved by relying on so-called "class quality" or "effort."
The only reasonable explanation was — they knew the rules in advance.
But, what was the source of the rule information?
The first person that flashed through Katsuragi's mind was naturally Sakamoto.
It was Sakamoto who initially discovered the rules and shared them within Class A by letting them explore it themselves, which led to Class A's perfect score miracle.
Could Sakamoto have also leaked the information to Class C?
This thought was immediately rejected by Katsuragi himself.
From his observations of Sakamoto, Sakamoto was definitely not the type of person to casually disseminate crucial information.
Every one of his actions seemed to contain a deeper purpose.
Then,
the problem most likely lay within Class A.
Someone in his own class
leaked the information to Class C.
This thought made Katsuragi feel a bit heavy.
It meant that Class A was not monolithic; there were potential loopholes and risks within.
He secretly resolved to pay closer attention to the internal dynamics of the class,
to find this possible "mole."
In another corner of the classroom, Hashimoto Masayoshi, with his meticulously combed blonde hair, a small ponytail at the back of his head, and always a somewhat cynical smile,
was also staring at Class C's peculiar score.
Hashimoto Masayoshi considered himself a somewhat special existence in Class A.
He acknowledged Sakamoto's strength and influence, and also enjoyed the glory and practical benefits brought by Class A's perfect score.
But he was not like Katsuragi, wholeheartedly agreeing with the Sakamoto-centric operational model,
or rather, he always held an indescribable wariness and unease towards Sakamoto's "laissez-faire" and unfathomable style.
He preferred to leave himself an escape route and make multiple arrangements.
As early as the beginning of the month, after learning the rules and understanding that future activities might revolve around the class.
He had already begun to move in secret.
He decided to first ascertain the details of the other classes.
Class B was his first choice at the time, as it was only one rank below them.
His entry point was not the current visible leader of Class B — the sunny and outgoing Ichinose Honami.
Hashimoto, relying on his keen social intuition,
chose another figure in Class B — Kanzaki Ryuji.
Kanzaki Ryuji appeared calm, reliable, and even somewhat unassuming on the surface,
but after several interactions, Hashimoto discovered that this person was by no means as simple as he seemed. His words and actions revealed subtle cunning and calculation,
clearly a strategist-type figure in Class B.
Hashimoto did not engage in any substantive points or information exchanges with Kanzaki,
but merely maintained a friendly, somewhat distant contact.
He was well-versed in the art of interpersonal communication, understanding that at such a time, establishing initial trust and communication channels
was far more important than eagerly seeking immediate benefits.
Future class competition was inevitable, and laying the groundwork in advance never hurt.
From his interactions with Kanzaki, Hashimoto also indirectly learned that Class B itself was actively exploring the rules,
and Ichinose Honami was indeed guiding everyone to strive for better behavioral norms.
Hashimoto would occasionally "inadvertently" reveal some innocuous, vague information about how daily behaviors might affect evaluations,
He showed value to Class B, but never touched the core rules.
However, regarding Class C, Hashimoto was even more cautious.
He only began to contact Class C about two weeks after the start of school.
And Class C was deeper than he thought.
Class C students appeared unruly outside, but in the classroom, they seemed to have completely transformed.
They all looked like model students.
He did not directly contact anyone from Class C, but he used some of his own channels
to conduct an external investigation into Class C's rapidly rising new leader Ryuuen Kakeru.
The investigation results surprised him somewhat.
Although some rumors portrayed Ryuuen as a delinquent who advocated violence,
Ryuuen's method of integrating Class C was not simply relying on violent threats or intimidation, but rather seemed to first establish absolute prestige in some way,
and then... focused on guiding and improving the "quality" of class members.
He seemed to be actively correcting bad behaviors and urging them to obey discipline.
This method... Hashimoto narrowed his eyes slightly, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the desk.
This method was almost like a clumsy imitation of someone in their Class A
Sakamoto.
That style of internal guidance, rather than forced suppression,
It had a strange similarity to the way Sakamoto influenced Class A.
Could it be that... there was some unknown connection between Ryuuen and Sakamoto?
Or, Ryuuen had received some revelation from Sakamoto, or even directly obtained information from him.
This conjecture made Hashimoto feel that there was a plausible explanation for Class C's absurd score of 910 points.
If Ryuuen had indeed received key information from Sakamoto and used it to effectively reorganize Class C, then achieving a high score was not entirely impossible.
Thinking of this, Hashimoto Masayoshi made a decision.
He could no longer stay on the sidelines, investigating and guessing.
He needed more direct information.
It was time to formally contact the "leader" of Class C Ryuuen Kakeru.