June 5th.
Several days had passed since the fixed class point settlement, and the long-awaited personal points had finally brought some relief to the suffocating atmosphere in Class D.
Even if it was only 8,000 points—
To them, after an entire month of empty wallets, it was still 8,000 points.
After the midterm exams, each class's points had increased to varying degrees based on their performance.
Class A maintained its advantage, rising to 902 points.
Perhaps because they were originally Class B, combined with their homeroom teacher's relaxed attitude and a generally harmonious class environment, the initial tension had faded.
And because of that relaxation, they had lost a few behavioral points.
In contrast, Class B worked much harder, shooting up to 900 points—just 2 points away from reclaiming their original position.
After all, they were supposed to be Class A.
Seeing their seat taken by the former Class B, while they themselves had to bear the humiliation of being labeled "Class B," it was only natural they would push themselves harder.
But when it came to effort—
They couldn't compare to Class D, who had nothing.
With the majority of students working hard, they managed to recover most of the class points from the midterms.
Even though there had been some disruptions during class, perhaps because their class points had previously been zero, all violations before the results weren't counted.
As a result, they ended up gaining the most points.
As for Class C…
The downside of high-pressure control had finally appeared.
After a month of tension, what followed in the second month was a fatal slackness.
They only gained 2 points, reaching 752.
"…"
"8,000 points is still too little. It's gone in no time."
"Right? It disappears instantly. Weren't we supposed to get 100 points? So they're still deducting stuff even without exams?"
"No way… do we really have to attend classes properly again this month? I'm so done…"
"Well, what do you expect? We've got a certain 'lord' in our class." Someone muttered sarcastically.
No name was mentioned.
But everyone knew who it was.
Kōenji.
He neither took responsibility for the class's collective burden nor cared about class points, acting entirely on his own whims.
Honestly, if not for the intimidating reputation of the Kōenji Conglomerate—and his visibly impressive physique during outdoor classes—
The class would've already drowned him in complaints.
The reason they had tolerated him this long wasn't just because of Hirata's mediation—
But also because there were other "problem children."
For example, Haruki Yamauchi and Kanji Ike, who had completely let loose after the midterms.
Although there had been some tension between them due to the exams, Ike quickly realized no one was going to reconcile with him.
After all, he wasn't a cute girl.
So after sulking for a while, he shamelessly went back to hanging out with Yamauchi.
The two of them, arms slung over each other's shoulders, gave off a distinctly shady vibe.
"Hey, Haruki, let me ask you something." Ike glanced around before speaking in a low voice. "Didn't you say before that Sakura confessed to you? If you don't want her, can you introduce her to me?"
Two months had passed, and he still hadn't achieved his goal of getting a girlfriend in high school.
After going through the chaos of zero class points and near expulsion, Ike had grown increasingly restless.
Now, slightly out of his mind, he was trying to rely on Yamauchi to get closer to girls.
"Huh? When did I—" Yamauchi was about to deny it with a confused expression, but suddenly froze.
…He had said something like that.
Back when school had just started and everyone still had 100,000 points, he had casually made up a story to boast about his charm.
At the time, he had even said something like—
"If she's not at Kushida or Hasebe's level, I'm not interested."
…Crap. Did I exaggerate too much?
"Ah, yeah, something like that did happen…" Yamauchi scratched his head awkwardly. "But I've already forgotten about it. Who would even remember someone that plain?"
"Even if you really want a girlfriend, there's no way you'd go for Sakura, right?"
"She's got big ones!" Ike blurted out, unable to control his volume. "Big boobs are the best trait, aren't they?!"
Even though Sakura always kept her head down and hunched over, hiding herself—
The outline was still obvious.
Girls like her, plain and unnoticed, should be easier to approach.
After thinking it over, Ike decided to lower his standards and change targets.
"…Ugh." Yamauchi waved his hands repeatedly. "No way, no way."
He leaned in and lowered his voice.
"Think about it—those are just fat. No matter how big, it's still fat. What kind of girls have big fat like that?"
"Only overweight girls look big, right? It's just because they have more body fat."
"And besides, she already confessed to me. What would it look like if you chased her after that?"
He grinned.
"I think people should aim higher."
"Higher goals—Kushida!"
Yamauchi clenched his fist.
Sakura Airi: "…"
So gross.
Shrinking into herself, pretending she hadn't heard anything, Sakura Airi felt a chill run through her.
Who would ever confess to someone like Yamauchi?
…If she had even a little more courage, she would've stood up and denied it right then.
But she didn't.
She couldn't even meet someone's eyes, let alone stand up and shout.
Still…
Even though they were trying to whisper, their voices were loud enough for the entire class to hear.
If no one corrected them, people might actually believe it…
"Yamauchi-kun—"
Just as Sakura Airi was growing anxious, Kushida Kikyo, who had just finished chatting with some girls, quietly appeared beside Yamauchi's desk.
"K-Kushida?!" Startled, Yamauchi shrank back. "W-What is it?"
He had just been talking about trying to get with Kushida—
And now she was standing right in front of him.
Honestly, it was terrifying.
"Please don't spread rumors that might trouble your classmates, okay? Sakura-san would feel very uncomfortable."
With a gentle smile, Kushida Kikyo spoke softly, offering her warning.
Enjoyed these chapters? Access advanced chapters and exclusive content by visiting my Patreon. https://patreon.com/WillOFD129?