Chapter 278: Disciplinary Committee at Work, Bystanders Disperse!
Results. Results of the Special Final Exam.
Class A matching exam average score: 1185; no one failed. Class B matching exam average score: 1208; no one failed. Designated Class Confrontation: Class B wins!
There wasn't much to say about this result. In a pure contest of academic ability between the two classes, the comprehensive strength of the original Class A was indeed greater than the current Class A.
Class C matching exam average score: 967; no one failed. Class D matching exam average score: 970; no one failed. Designated Class Confrontation: Class D wins!
In terms of the number of "academic losers," Class D undoubtedly has the most.
However, Class D possesses four top-tier students—Horikita Suzune, Wang Mei-yu, Yukimura Teruhiko, and Hikigaya Hachiman—who, to a certain extent, played a role in pulling up the average.
Class C's only top-tier student is Shiina Hiyori; however, the majority of their students are middle-of-the-pack, and they have relatively fewer "academic losers."
From the perspective of comprehensive academic ability, Class C was slightly ahead of Class D, but not by much. However, the key figures who truly allowed Class D to achieve an upset were Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and Koenji Rokusuke.
"Koenji, weren't you absent from the exam due to illness?"
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's usual poker face actually displayed a wealth of expression.
"Well~ for the beautiful me to suddenly recover from an illness, there's nothing strange about that, is there?"
It turned out that Koenji Rokusuke had arrived at the exam hall at the very last moment before the start and participated in the final exam.
"Hey, hey, look at this!"
"Ah? For real?"
"This... how is this possible?!"
Everyone in Class D stared in shock at the two names ranking at the top of the score sheet, leading by a massive margin.
Koenji Rokusuke's total score: 752.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's total score: 766.
Together, the two totaled 1518!!!
The second-place pair was Horikita Suzune + Inogashira Kokoro, with a combined total of 1116. The total score of the first-place pair was over 400 points higher than the second-place pair—this was beyond ridiculous! Even if placed across the entire school year, this total score was an unreachable No. 1!
"Ayanokouji... are you even human?"
Everyone cast looks of absolute disbelief toward him. A total score of 766 meant that across Ayanokouji's eight subjects, he had to average over 95 points!
"Even though I already knew Ayanokouji usually holds back his scores during exams, I never expected him to be this far out of specification."Horikita Suzune, with a total score of 751, could already be called a top student, but she still couldn't be compared to Ayanokouji.
"..."
"He usually keeps things hidden and tucked away; why did he suddenly want to become a sensation?" Kushida Kikyo expressed her confusion.
"Tsk, tsk~ I thought he'd score 800."
"It seems that even when a person is pushed, they can't do just anything."
Hikigaya had witnessed a huge piece of "gossip" and was in an exceptionally good mood.
Ayanokouji, mistakenly believing Koenji had skipped the exam, was forced to use his full strength, ultimately producing this heaven-defying score that shocked the entire room!
Now that his strength was completely exposed, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka could forget about ever having peaceful days again. Whether it was the forces within the class or those outside, everyone would be keeping a close eye on him!
Aside from the two dark horses, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and Koenji Rokusuke, there was another important reason for Class C's failure.
Two days before the exam, Ryuen Kakeru had taken fake exam papers and made the Class C students memorize the answers. As a result, on the day of the exam, they discovered the papers were wrong.
Their mindsets were shaken, leading to poor performance.
"Everyone passed. You did well on this final exam.
Especially Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and Koenji Rokusuke, whose progress was extraordinary..."
Chabashira Sae's gaze swept across the room, her tone carrying a hint of sarcasm: "No, I should say, this is the true academic ability of you two, isn't it?"
"I... well..." Ayanokouji Kiyotaka opened his mouth, racking his brains to try and BS his way out of it.
However, with such a conspicuous score—the highest in the entire year—no matter what excuse he used, no one would believe him.
"Oh ho ho~ I have never hidden my strength.
It's just that how many points I score depends on my mood."
Koenji Rokusuke lightly trimmed his fingernails. However, Hikigaya keenly noticed that a flash of unrecognizable annoyance seemed to flicker in the depths of Koenji's eyes.
He was repeatedly polishing one fingernail, appearing distracted. Well, it seemed this "Beautiful Brother" was quite bothered by the fact that he had gone all out but still failed to outscore Ayanokouji!
Egotistical people are all like that.
They have to win at everything and are unwilling to accept defeat. Hikigaya didn't have such thoughts at all. If you can win, you win; if you can't, so what? Learning is for self-improvement, not for competing with others.
"Hard work yields rewards. For now, congratulations."
Chabashira Sae used chalk to write the class points on the board:
Class A: 1020 points, demoted to Class B. Class B: 1040 points, promoted to Class A. Class C: 840 points, remains the same. Class D: 140 points, remains the same.
Everything had returned to the original ranking...
"Sigh~ Katsuragi and those guys are back up again."
"I can already imagine what the faces of those self-proclaimed elites will look like."
"I heard they changed leaders; her name is Sakayanagi Arisu. As expected, cuteness is combat power!"
The members of Class D were very jealous of the original Class A's comeback, and their words were full of bitterness.
"In just two months, they climbed all the way from Class C back to Class A.
If others can do it, why can't we?" Horikita Suzune always maintained a desire for advancement, trying to use the example of the original Class A's turnaround to motivate Class D's morale.
However, she clearly overestimated Class D's mindset. A single victory in a confrontation was not enough to spark their fighting spirit.
"Just save it..."
"The reason they could return to Class A is because they originally had Class A strength."
It sounded spineless, but it was the truth. An average score difference of over 200 points—in the outside world, that was the gap between a private high school in Waseda, Tokyo, and an unknown high school in the Hokkaido countryside!
"Yeah. After putting so much effort into studying, we only got a measly 100 points. It feels like moving up a class is still out of reach."
There was a full 700-point gap between Class D and Class C alone; it really made it hard for anyone to feel like catching up.
Horikita Suzune was instantly furious and cursed: "You guys... you really are rotten wood that cannot be carved!!"
However, everyone was long used to her toxic tongue and didn't even bother to talk back.
Hikigaya watched the whole thing coldly from the side, without any fluctuation in his heart. He had long seen through the "rottenness" of this class. It was impossible to prop them up, and trying to pull them up would only dirty his hands!
Once the exam crisis passed, the after-school study sessions naturally disbanded. Afterward, the atmosphere in each class became relaxed as everyone looked forward to the upcoming winter break.
In contrast, as a member of the Student Council, Hikigaya became busy. Not only did he have to report to the Student Council every morning, but he was also ordered around by President Nagumo Miyabi to patrol everywhere under the guise of "maintaining campus discipline."
It was annoying as hell!
Especially in late December, there was an important holiday.
The streets and alleys on campus were filled with decorations like Christmas trees and snowman dolls. Shops used the holiday as an excuse for sales and discounts to attract consumers.
Under the influence of the holiday atmosphere, most students let themselves go, committing acts of indulgence in the name of "youth."
"Morishita-kohai, I like you! Please go out with me!"
"Wow! Someone's confessing! Let's go check it out!" Passersby saw this and crowded around to watch the fun.
Hikigaya, who was slacking off in front of a milk tea shop, frowned at the sight.
A public confession might seem like a brave pursuit of love, but in his eyes, it carried a hint of "kidnapping"—using the atmosphere created by bystanders to coerce the target of the confession.
"I'm sorry, who are you?"
The girl was Morishita Ai from 1st-year Class A. She had purple twin-tails reaching her shoulders, and her pretty face carried a hint of coldness. Hikigaya recognized her as... wait, no, as Sakayanagi Arisu's trusted subordinate.
"Uh, Morishita-kouhai is really forgetful... The Calligraphy Club. I'm a member of the same club as you.
Let me re-introduce myself. I am Fuyashi Nishijima from 2nd-year Class A."
The senior named Fuyashi Nishijima could be called handsome, but his skin was quite pale, carrying a bit of an effeminate air.
"A handsome guy and a beautiful girl, and both are Class A elites. They're a good match!" The people around whispered, expressing their approval.
"This Senior Fu-whatever?
Sorry, I'm not good at remembering people's names." Morishita Ai's expression was cold, her tone keeping him miles away.
'That was a lie.'
As an observer, Hikigaya could see that Morishita Ai definitely knew the guy's name; she was just pretending not to.
However, this Senior Fuyashi clearly had impure motives. Facing a kouhai from the same club and going straight to a public confession—was he banking on her being too embarrassed to refuse in public?
"It's okay. As long as I confess to Morishita-kohai every day...
One day, Morishita-kohai will remember my name."
Fuyashi Nishijima employed a "relentless pestering" tactic.
Though the method was old-fashioned, it was indeed an efficient strategy for chasing girls. Especially since Fuyashi Nishijima himself was handsome; most girls would find it hard to withstand his repeated offensives.
"Wow! Confessing every day!"
"Senpai is so romantic!"
"Why don't I have a handsome senior chasing me?" A few passing girls watched with their hearts fluttering.
Morishita Ai's brow furrowed. She wanted to escape, but more and more people were gathering around, leaving her with no way out.
"Sorry, I don't have any plans to date for now." Morishita Ai resisted the pressure of the surrounding atmosphere and clearly expressed her refusal.
Fuyashi Nishijima's brow twitched.
He seemingly hadn't expected this first-year junior to be harder to get than anticipated. However, this also piqued his competitive spirit.
He spread his hands and, with a series of flashy moves, pulled out a red rose like a magic trick. He dropped to one knee, his tone incredibly sincere: "Morishita-kohai, from the moment I first saw you, I fell hopelessly in love with you.
You are the goddess of my destiny!"
In the crowd, someone started it: "Accept him!"
"Together! Together! Together!"
Perhaps out of a mob mentality, or purely to stir the pot, the chanting grew louder and louder. Morishita Ai bit her lip, caught in a dilemma, not knowing how to get out of the trouble in front of her.
Slurp~ Hikigaya quickly finished his milk tea, took a "Disciplinary Committee Head" red armband from his pocket, and put it on his arm.
"Disperse! Everyone disperse!
With so many people crowding the street, are you trying to start a riot?"
He squeezed through the gathered crowd and, with a cold voice, heartlessly destroyed the "beautiful" confession atmosphere.
"..." The chanting of the crowd halted. Someone in the crowd, the one who had led the chanting, shouted unpleasantly: "Where did this kid come from, meddling in other people's business?"
"Hikigaya Hachiman?" Morishita Ai's cold eyes brightened slightly. This actually surprised him. So much for "not being good at remembering names."
"Disciplinary Committee at work, bystanders disperse!" Hikigaya tugged at the armband on his sleeve.
"Disciplinary Committee?"
Fuyashi Nishijima's face shifted through various expressions. In an ordinary high school, the Disciplinary Committee was a peripheral role in the Student Council, catching rule-breakers in name but leaving actual punishment to the Dean of Students; thus, most students didn't care.
But at Advanced Nurturing High School, the school avoids interfering in student disputes unless necessary, making the Disciplinary Committee a position of real power. Especially since Horikita Manabu, before stepping down, had modified the Student Council rules to give the Disciplinary Committee a high degree of discretionary power!
Wait! The Disciplinary Committee belongs to the Student Council.
And the current Student Council President is the leader of 2nd-year Class A. What was he afraid of?
"Brother..." Fuyashi Nishijima leaned in and whispered: "I'm from 2nd-year Class A. I'm very close with Nagumo. You understand!"
Oh, so he's one of Nagumo's people. In that case, I definitely have to mess with him!'
Hikigaya's eyes narrowed. He suddenly pushed the other man away with force and shouted angrily: "Shut up!
Don't you dare use President Nagumo's name as an excuse to destroy the school's discipline here!"
Faced with this sudden outburst, everyone on the scene was stunned.
"I remember this guy."
"He's the one Horikita-senpai promoted exceptionally before he retired."
"Damn, going after a senpai right out of the gate, he's got guts!"
Fuyashi Nishijima, who had been pushed to the ground unexpectedly, was both anxious and angry: "You, how dare you...!"
"You what?
Our President is a selfless man of justice. Why would he tolerate you recklessly destroying school discipline just because you're his classmate?"
Hikigaya reprimanded him righteously. Then, he turned his head and said to Morishita Ai: "Morishita-san, do you need help?"
"Yes!" Morishita Ai nodded quickly and pointed at the man without hesitation: "This guy has been pestering me and wouldn't let me leave! Please, Disciplinary Committee Head, help me make this Senior Fu-whatever stop his harassment immediately!"
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