After Kaneda suggested that Ryuen take the protection points, most of the students in the class became slightly restless.
Some looked at Ryuen standing at the front of the classroom, then glanced at Kamio Tatsuya sitting in the back row.
What Kaneda said made sense. The protection points were an extremely powerful weapon.
They admitted that they had no way to make the best use of such a weapon. In their eyes, only two people in Class C could bring out its full potential: Ryuen and Kamio Tatsuya.
Compared with Ryuen, a local member of the class, Kamio Tatsuya was an outsider and naturally had fewer advantages. However, Kamio Tatsuya had gained a great deal from the last exam using a similar method.
Because of that, most of the class had no clear idea who would be able to make the best use of this weapon.
Still, they had no intention of arguing about it. What they really wanted to see was probably a clash between Ryuen and Kamio Tatsuya, followed by a clear winner.
"What do you two think? Ryuen and Kamio?"
When it came to the protection points, this was the only real conflict in Class C, and Kaneda had brought it out into the open without holding anything back.
"I don't really have an opinion. It doesn't matter to me who gets them."
Kamio Tatsuya was not interested in the matter, and there was no reason for him to hide that.
"Heh heh. Kaneda, you really are sharp," Ryuen said with a laugh. "But the main point of this exam has never been the protection points."
"Excuse me, Ryuen, what do you mean?"
"The protection points are certainly important. If they're used well, they might even turn the situation around in a future exam.
"But the most important things in this exam aren't the protection points or the praise votes. They're the criticism votes and that expulsion slot."
As soon as Ryuen finished speaking, the atmosphere in the classroom grew quiet.
What was he thinking?
Wasn't he going to protect us?
Why was he bringing this up?
Those were the thoughts of most of the students in Class C, and they began to panic.
"This is a chance—a perfect chance to get rid of someone we don't need!"
Get rid of someone they didn't need…
The students of Class C were stunned. What the hell? That wasn't what he had said this morning. Hadn't he said he would protect them?
Everyone understood that if Ryuen was bringing this up now, then there had to be someone in the class who was no longer needed.
Otherwise, Ryuen would not waste his time saying something like this.
So who was that person?
Was Ryuen about to name them?
Ryuen had said that he would help them if something went wrong. But if he personally pointed out someone who was no longer needed, then surely there would be no chance of saving that person afterward.
Gulp!
The nervous students swallowed hard as they waited for Ryuen's judgment.
"What? Don't tell me you thought I was going to name someone and expel them right away?"
"N-No, you weren't?"
"Relax. Treat this as a test. Find the person this class no longer needs, then remove them."
A smile appeared at the corner of Ryuen's mouth.
"There is currently only one person this class doesn't need. Follow your own judgment and find the person who should disappear from this exam."
Ryuen swept his sharp gaze across every student.
"The person who needs to disappear is the one whose disappearance would benefit the class. That's the person who deserves to receive the criticism votes."
The students of Class C listened quietly to Ryuen, not saying a word.
"Of course, what I said earlier still stands. If something goes wrong and you choose the wrong person, I'll still keep my promise and help whoever you select.
"But that also means the useless person will remain in the class. It means we won't just miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—we'll also lose twenty million valuable points."
After giving them these final instructions, Ryuen left the classroom.
Seeing him leave, Kamio Tatsuya also stood up and walked out through the back door.
Kamio Tatsuya saw no need to discuss anything with the others. If the students of Class C thought that he was the person the class no longer needed…
Then all he could say was that these idiots were hopeless.
"That really isn't like you."
Outside the classroom, Kamio Tatsuya leaned against the back door and watched Ryuen walk toward him.
"Making the prey jump into the trap on its own is necessary."
Kamio Tatsuya immediately made a look of disgust.
"You know that's not what I meant."
Exactly. Normally, Ryuen would directly point out the student the class no longer needed and remove them. He would not call it a test.
He was being indirect!
Ryuen really had changed. Before, he only cared about enjoying himself. Now, he was willing to think about the other students in Class C.
Indeed, if the students of Class C only knew how to follow Ryuen's orders, then even if they managed to move up a class, all they would become was a group of people who could only obey orders.
If he wanted them to become independent and capable, he had to let go at the right time.
That was why he had been so pleased when Kaneda had stepped forward to speak earlier.
When Kamio Tatsuya said that it was not like Ryuen, he was referring to this change. However, it was hard to tell whether Ryuen genuinely had not understood him or had deliberately changed the subject.
"Hmph. You're the one who talks too much."
While Class C was holding its class meeting, the other classes were also discussing the exam.
Even in an exam like this, Class A remained completely at ease. Ichinose was collecting points from the students one by one.
"Ichinose, how many points do we have?"
"If everyone puts all their points together, we'll have just over twenty million."
As she spoke, Ichinose showed everyone the balance on her phone.
"That's great. Then no one has to be expelled."
Although they had almost no living expenses left for the month, none of them felt upset about it. They were simply relieved.
"When the time comes, please give all the criticism votes to me. You don't need to give me any praise votes. After that, Ichinose can use the points to save me."
The purpose of this plan was, of course, to ensure that Ichinose safely received the protection points. To the students of Class A, no one could replace Ichinose's position in the class.
So their strategy would not change at all.
In comparison, Class B had reached something of a deadlock.
After returning to school, Sakayanagi had gathered all the points earned from the special summer vacation exam into her own hands.
"Sakayanagi, you'll use those points as promised to prevent any students from being expelled, right?"
Totsuka Yahiko, Katsuragi's biggest supporter, stood up and asked the question that most of the students in the class wanted answered.
"Of course. I wouldn't lie about something like this. Besides, it wouldn't be good for the class to have someone expelled right now."
Class B was different from Class C. When Sakayanagi had collected points by claiming that she would protect everyone, every student had handed over their points.
Therefore, if anyone was unfortunately selected for expulsion, she had to use the points in her possession to save them.
This was the common understanding among all the students in Class B. It had nothing to do with whether they supported Sakayanagi or Katsuragi.
Sakayanagi could only admit it at this point. Otherwise, she would become the enemy of the entire class.
However, Totsuka did not seem willing to let this opportunity go. He intended to pressure Sakayanagi further.
"Really? Don't you think this exam is a great opportunity? A great opportunity to get rid of someone we don't need?"
Faced with Totsuka's obvious trap, Sakayanagi sighed and looked at Katsuragi.
But from Katsuragi's expressionless face, it was clear that this was not his idea.
Even Sakayanagi felt somewhat humiliated at being pushed into this situation by someone so insignificant.
"Don't worry. As long as I have a choice, I won't casually abandon a piece… I mean, a companion. Besides, for classes with enough points, this exam is nothing more than changing twenty million private points that can protect anyone into a single protection point that can only protect one specific person."
Sakayanagi's words were reasonable. For anyone with enough points, this was simply an exchange of resources.
"In that case, I recommend that Katsuragi receive the protection point."
"I have no objection."
Sakayanagi agreed without hesitation. She did not care in the slightest about expulsion.
However, just after she finished speaking, Katsuragi stood up.
"That's enough, Yahiko. I'm not suited to receive this protection point. In fact, I bear some responsibility for the situation we're in now."
"But Sakayanagi bears more responsibility, doesn't she?"
Totsuka Yahiko continued to criticize Sakayanagi.
Katsuragi, however, had no intention of trying to take back control here.
"Since the beginning of the school year, neither the deserted-island survival exam that I led nor the special exams that Sakayanagi led afterward brought the class a single inspiring victory.
"If we had won every time, then fighting over credit would be understandable. But the truth is that we haven't won once.
"So there's no point in deciding who bears more responsibility.
"Victory belongs to all of us, and so does the honor. But failure is also the responsibility of every one of us."
Katsuragi's words were completely fair. Everything after the deserted-island exam had been led by Sakayanagi, and it would not have been unreasonable to place all the blame for those failures on her.
However, Katsuragi still thought more like a team player.
The reason he had not stopped Totsuka earlier was that he wanted Sakayanagi to understand this through Yahiko's words.
Unfortunately, his plan was doomed to fail.
The class's honor?
The importance of graduating from the class?
None of that mattered to Sakayanagi.
Her father was the chairman of the school, and her family was wealthier than almost everyone else at the school.
Even if these people managed to graduate from Class A, they might end up working for her family in the future. She had no reason to worry about her future.
The only reason she was willing to lead the class was that she wanted the chance to face Ayanokouji directly.
Although she was no longer as interested in Ayanokouji as before, an obsession that had lasted this long could not disappear so easily.
For Sakayanagi now, nothing mattered more than having a proper showdown with Ayanokouji.
That would allow her to put a temporary end to the past.
Of course, if she won, it would be a perfect ending.
Katsuragi's words temporarily silenced the students of Class B.
"So, Katsuragi, you don't want the protection point?"
Hashimoto Masayoshi looked at Katsuragi and asked the question.
"I simply don't think I can make the best use of such an important resource, so I still recommend that Sakayanagi accept the protection point."
Katsuragi said this without the slightest hesitation.
"But I do have one condition."
"A condition?" Sakayanagi raised her head slightly with a smile. "Let's hear it."
"I want you to hand over the private points in your possession and let me keep them."
Katsuragi's words caused an uproar in Class B.
"What do you mean? You don't trust Her Highness?"
"You could put it that way. I trust her abilities, but I don't trust her with this matter," Katsuragi admitted frankly.
"Then why should we trust you?"
Katsuragi was silent for a moment, then nodded.
"That's true. I have no way to make you trust me. In that case, let's do this instead: hand those points over to our teacher in advance.
"Then have the entire class jointly authorize the use of those points solely to save a classmate during this exam. Would that be acceptable?"
Even Hashimoto fell silent. Katsuragi's sole purpose was clearly to use the twenty million points in Sakayanagi's possession to prevent anyone from being expelled in this exam.
He had even voluntarily given the protection point to Sakayanagi.
That meant that if Sakayanagi still refused, she would look as though she had betrayed the entire class.
If that happened, most of the students would probably write Sakayanagi's name on their criticism votes.
Sakayanagi would then have to spend twenty million private points to prevent her own expulsion, while also losing the protection point she should have received.
After thinking through what would happen next, Sakayanagi looked at Katsuragi. She felt that this plan was not something Katsuragi could have come up with on his own.
What a clever way to retreat in order to advance.
The method reminded her a little of Kamio.
The others had not noticed it, because to them, this fit perfectly with Katsuragi's usual cautious style.
"You've become quite capable, Katsuragi."
"When you see enough of something, you naturally learn a few things."
Katsuragi did not deny that he had grown, which brought a pleased smile to Sakayanagi's face.
"All right. I agree. I'll leave it to you, Mashima."
As she spoke, Sakayanagi looked at Mashima Tomonari, who was standing at the back of the classroom.
Mashima Tomonari looked at Sakayanagi, then at Katsuragi, and nodded.
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