"What Koenji said is basically correct. The truth is right in front of you, yet you don't even have the courage to accept it? Your class points for this month are zero." Chabashira-sensei's words shattered the last shred of hope for everyone.
The room broke.
Thud!!
A dull, thunderous sound snapped everyone to attention.
Sudo had slammed his fist on the desk.
"Why the hell are our points zero? Don't you think you owe us an explanation, sensei? Aren't you ashamed that the class you're in charge of ended up with nothing?"
Amane's eyes widened.
She never expected a guy like Sudo, all brawn and no brain, to string together such a coherent argument.
But Chabashira-sensei's explanation had been so shocking that everyone had overlooked one crucial point.
If they really scored zero…
How did that even happen?
"You want an explanation? Fine. I'll give you one. Listen up! Since the start of school, there have been 98 instances of tardiness and absences, and 391 instances of private conversations or phone usage during class. Is that not enough?"
Sudo was taken aback that Chabashira-sensei actually backed it up with detailed numbers.
He fell silent.
Being late, skipping class, using his phone—wasn't that just his everyday routine?
It never crossed his mind that those things would actually cost the class points.
"Chabashira-sensei, could you provide the specific criteria for these deductions?" Horikita's tone had cooled. She knew the situation was irreversible.
All she could do now was try to prevent further point losses in the future.
If they had clear rules to follow, most people would probably follow them for the sake of their points.
"Horikita, do you have no common sense? In the corporate world, does HR tell you exactly what they're evaluating in advance?" Chabashira-sensei's voice was laced with sarcasm.
"But this is a school, not a corporation. The school's approach is overly harsh." Horikita's rebuttal found support in Hirata.
"It's true. A situation like this, where everyone in Class D is suddenly unable to manage their daily lives—while it might force discipline, being compelled to comply is far less effective than being guided to correct our mistakes willingly."
Hirata paused, his gentle gaze sweeping across the room.
He was speaking up for every student who'd struggle because of this month's zero points.
Even though a good number of them didn't like him.
"And I can't imagine students who can't even secure their basic needs focusing wholeheartedly on their studies." There was a touch of sorrow in Hirata's voice.
Unfortunately, Chabashira-sensei had seen this kind of thing too many times.
No matter how emotional the appeal, it wouldn't stir her.
The first time she encountered it, she might have been moved.
Now, she was numb to it—Hirata's words just sounded naive and laughable.
"I'll address you one by one. First, Horikita—sooner or later, everyone enters society. No matter how outstanding you are in school, society is the ultimate test. The school's goal is to produce individuals who can adapt to society, not useless dead weight."
Without even glancing at Horikita, Chabashira-sensei turned her gaze to Hirata.
"As for Hirata… your words are almost amusing. Affecting studies? Were those who never studied actually studying before? And don't worry about your daily lives. The school provides enough free supplies to sustain you. If you want to live, you definitely won't starve."
Having said that, Chabashira-sensei walked back to the lectern.
Placing both hands on it, she looked down at everyone with an expectant glint in her eyes.
She was waiting to see if anyone else would ask such ridiculous questions.
These Class D students, unwilling to accept reality, squirming like pathetic insects.
Amane glanced at Horikita, who had returned to her seat.
Horikita's expression was grim.
Clearly, she'd realized that no matter what she did, the outcome wouldn't change.
But…
Was that all?
Amane felt it wasn't enough.
Some things needed to be said now. This was the task that Horikita-sama had entrusted to her.
Make Horikita Suzune recognize her own insignificance.
Amane raised her hand again.
"If you can't hold it in—"
"Chabashira-sensei, I'd like to ask—was our class placement random, or was there some system behind it?"
Amane's question immediately drew Horikita's sharp gaze.
"It should be random placement."
Horikita didn't know why, but a sense of unease began creeping into her. To shake it off, she answered on the teacher's behalf.
"Oh? It seems someone has noticed. That's right. Class rankings are tied to individual ability. The best go to Class A, while all of you… are simply defective products."
The moment Chabashira-sensei finished, a bespectacled boy shot to his feet.
"That's impossible! I refuse to accept such a placement system! I demand the school reevaluate me personally!"
Amane had no impression of this boy.
She thought about asking Ayanokōji, since he was also a guy.
But when she glanced back, Ayanokōji looked just as clueless.
Uh…
Maybe asking Ayanokōji about their classmates was a bit of a stretch. His social circle probably only included the few of them.
"What good will not accepting do? Do you think the class point ranking isn't proof enough? Then let me show you another document."
Chabashira-sensei pinned another sheet to the board, securing it with a magnet.
The left side had names, the right side numbers.
Anyone with half a brain could guess what it was.
"I don't need to explain this, do I? Aside from a few exceptions, most of you scored around sixty points. And Sudo here managed the unbelievable—fourteen points. If this were a real exam, seven of you would be expelled already, right after starting school."
Chabashira-sensei's words landed like a thunderclap.
"Chabashira-sensei, what are you talking about? I never heard this school had an expulsion rule!" Yamauchi shouted, panicked.
"Oh? Did I not mention it? In this school, failing even one subject midterm or final leads to expulsion. For this test, anyone scoring below thirty-two points will be expelled."
A glaring red line cut across the page Chabashira-sensei had posted.
Below it were exactly seven names.
All students with scores under thirty-two.
Among them, even the highest, Kikuchi, only had thirty-one points.
"So… Yukimura-kun, do you understand now why Class D is the worst? And what does that make you, assigned to such a class? 'Defective products' is being polite. Here, ability determines everything."
"Welcome, rookies—to the school where merit rules supreme."
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 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.