The air in Classroom 1-C that morning felt so dense it was as if the oxygen had been replaced by molten lead, weighing heavily on their lungs.
There was no sound of scraping chairs. No whispers of celebrity gossip or video games. Even Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki, the two primary sources of noise in the class, sat frozen like statues, their faces deathly pale. Their hands gripped each other beneath their desks, cold and slick with sweat.
Today was judgment day. The announcement of the Midterm Exam results.
For students at an ordinary school, failing grades might just mean a scolding from their parents or mandatory summer school. However, at Advanced Nurturing High School, failing grades were a death sentence.
Expulsion. Dropping out.
Seiji Koroizumi sat at his desk in the back row, resting his chin on one hand. His dark eyes swept across the backs of his classmates one by one. He could see the muscle tension in Sudou Ken's shoulders, the subtle trembling in Sakura Airi's hands as she clutched the hem of her skirt, and the rigid posture of Horikita Suzune, who was trying her best to appear calm despite her leaking aura of anxiety.
"Calm down," Seiji murmured softly, almost soundlessly. "The arrow has already been loosed. Now all we can do is watch whether it hits the mark."
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Firm, rhythmic footsteps echoed from the corridor, drawing closer, counting down the seconds to their fate.
The classroom door slid open with a mechanical whoosh.
Chabashira Sae stepped inside.
The female homeroom teacher wore her usual gray suit, her hair tied back in a sharp ponytail. In her hand, she carried a large roll of white paper—a scroll that, to some students, looked like an execution warrant.
She walked up to the podium, placed the scroll on the teacher's desk, and turned to face her students. Her expression was flat, cold, and unreadable. A perfect mask of professionalism.
"Other teachers might exchange pleasantries to calm your nerves," Chabashira's voice broke the silence, her tone low and authoritative. "But I will not waste my time. You know the rules. You know what is at stake."
Chabashira's eyes lingered for a moment on Sudou Ken. The red-haired boy swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing.
"The difficulty level of this particular exam was higher than in previous years. Especially in the Science and Mathematics subjects," Chabashira continued. "Many students from Classes A and B slipped up."
That statement made Ike's heart feel like it had stopped. If even Class A struggled, what about them?
"However..."
Chabashira picked up a magnet from the chalkboard tray. With a dramatic flourish, she unrolled the paper and pinned it to the whiteboard.
"...the results are out. Face your reality."
The paper unfurled. Rows of names and numbers were clearly displayed, ranked from highest score to lowest.
The entire class's eyes simultaneously scanned the top of the list, searching for the name of the king.
And there, alone on the untouchable peak, stood one name.
Koroizumi Seiji
Modern Japanese: 100
Mathematics: 100
Chemistry: 100
World History: 100
English: 100
Total: 500
"A perfect five hundred..." whispered Keisei (Yukimura), his eyes wide behind his glasses. There was a deep sense of frustration, yet also an uncontainable admiration. "He really is a monster."
Seiji merely offered a faint smile, the polite smile that concealed the satisfaction of a teacher setting an example.
Right below him, in second place, sat a name that made most of the class scoff in annoyance, yet unable to argue.
Kouenji Rokusuke
Modern Japanese: 98
Mathematics: 100
Chemistry: 96
World History: 98
English: 100
Total: 492
"Hmph," Kouenji, who was currently buffing his nails, didn't even bother to look up. "Naturally. Beauty and intellect are two sides of the same coin. I only regret losing 8 points simply because my overly artistic handwriting was perhaps incomprehensible to the grading machine."
Then, in third and fourth place, the two academic pillars of the class stood firm.
Horikita Suzune — Total: 486
Yukimura Teruhiko — Total: 482
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, sitting not far from Seiji, spotted his own name on the board. He was right in the middle, blending in with the crowd, with an average score precisely calibrated so as not to stand out while still helping the class average.
Good, Ayanokouji thought. Everything went according to plan.
However, the top scores weren't the main focus of the class right now. Their eyes darted downward, scanning through the list of 40 students at breakneck speed, searching for the names in the "Red Zone."
Below is the complete recapitulation of Class 1-C's Midterm Exam results as displayed on the board:
1. Koroizumi Seiji — Total: 500 (Japanese: 100 | Math: 100 | Chem: 100 | History: 100 | English: 100)
2. Kouenji Rokusuke — Total: 492 (Japanese: 98 | Math: 100 | Chem: 96 | History: 98 | English: 100)
3. Horikita Suzune — Total: 486 (Japanese: 98 | Math: 95 | Chem: 98 | History: 96 | English: 99)
4. Yukimura Teruhiko — Total: 482 (Japanese: 98 | Math: 96 | Chem: 95 | History: 95 | English: 98)
5. Wang Mei-Yu — Total: 444 (Japanese: 88 | Math: 90 | Chem: 85 | History: 86 | English: 95)
6. Hirata Yosuke — Total: 433 (Japanese: 86 | Math: 84 | Chem: 85 | History: 88 | English: 90)
7. Matsushita Chiaki — Total: 415 (Japanese: 85 | Math: 80 | Chem: 82 | History: 80 | English: 88)
8. Ishikura Kayoko — Total: 403 (Japanese: 80 | Math: 82 | Chem: 80 | History: 81 | English: 80)
9. Ayanokouji Kiyotaka — Total: 400 (Japanese: 80 | Math: 80 | Chem: 80 | History: 80 | English: 80)
10. Kushida Kikyo — Total: 395 (Japanese: 80 | Math: 75 | Chem: 78 | History: 80 | English: 82)
11. Hasebe Haruka — Total: 375 (Japanese: 75 | Math: 72 | Chem: 80 | History: 70 | English: 78)
12. Miyake Akito — Total: 367 (Japanese: 74 | Math: 70 | Chem: 75 | History: 76 | English: 72)
13. Mori Nene — Total: 361 (Japanese: 70 | Math: 72 | Chem: 70 | History: 74 | English: 75)
14. Shinohara Satsuki — Total: 356 (Japanese: 72 | Math: 68 | Chem: 70 | History: 72 | English: 74)
15. Azuma Sana — Total: 350 (Japanese: 70 | Math: 68 | Chem: 72 | History: 70 | English: 70)
16. Ichihashi Ruri — Total: 348 (Japanese: 68 | Math: 70 | Chem: 68 | History: 72 | English: 70)
17. Karuizawa Kei — Total: 343 (Japanese: 65 | Math: 60 | Chem: 78 | History: 65 | English: 75)
18. Onodera Kayano — Total: 338 (Japanese: 70 | Math: 65 | Chem: 68 | History: 70 | English: 65)
19. Satou Maya — Total: 332 (Japanese: 65 | Math: 62 | Chem: 65 | History: 68 | English: 72)
20. Maezono — Total: 330 (Japanese: 66 | Math: 64 | Chem: 66 | History: 66 | English: 68)
21. Sotomura Hideo — Total: 330 (Japanese: 68 | Math: 60 | Chem: 62 | History: 85 | English: 55)
22. Sonoda Chiyo — Total: 323 (Japanese: 65 | Math: 60 | Chem: 65 | History: 65 | English: 68)
23. Nishimura Ryuko — Total: 320 (Japanese: 64 | Math: 62 | Chem: 64 | History: 64 | English: 66)
24. Okitani Kyousuke — Total: 316 (Japanese: 65 | Math: 60 | Chem: 62 | History: 64 | English: 65)
25. Minami Setsuya — Total: 312 (Japanese: 62 | Math: 64 | Chem: 60 | History: 62 | English: 64)
26. Ijyuuin Wataru — Total: 310 (Japanese: 64 | Math: 60 | Chem: 62 | History: 64 | English: 60)
27. Hondo Ryoutarou — Total: 307 (Japanese: 60 | Math: 62 | Chem: 60 | History: 60 | English: 65)
28. Kikuchi — Total: 302 (Japanese: 62 | Math: 60 | Chem: 58 | History: 62 | English: 60)
29. Nakamura — Total: 300 (Japanese: 60 | Math: 58 | Chem: 60 | History: 60 | English: 62)
30. Nomura — Total: 298 (Japanese: 58 | Math: 60 | Chem: 62 | History: 58 | English: 60)
31. Fujii Takahiro — Total: 298 (Japanese: 60 | Math: 60 | Chem: 62 | History: 58 | English: 58)
32. Ishikura — Total: 296 (Japanese: 60 | Math: 58 | Chem: 58 | History: 60 | English: 60)
33. Nishino Takeko — Total: 296 (Japanese: 60 | Math: 58 | Chem: 60 | History: 58 | English: 60)
34. Inogashira Kokoro — Total: 287 (Japanese: 55 | Math: 58 | Chem: 56 | History: 58 | English: 60)
35. Sano Kouta — Total: 287 (Japanese: 60 | Math: 58 | Chem: 58 | History: 56 | English: 55)
36. Sakura Airi — Total: 282 (Japanese: 65 | Math: 55 | Chem: 52 | History: 60 | English: 50)
37. Endou Yuta — Total: 282 (Japanese: 60 | Math: 55 | Chem: 52 | History: 65 | English: 50)
38. Yamauchi Haruki — Total: 266 (Japanese: 52 | Math: 55 | Chem: 54 | History: 50 | English: 55)
39. Ike Kanji — Total: 262 (Japanese: 55 | Math: 50 | Chem: 52 | History: 55 | English: 50)
40. Sudou Ken — Total: 252 (Japanese: 50 | Math: 54 | Chem: 48 | History: 52 | English: 48)
The list stopped at Sudou.
Sudou stared at the number beside his name. Total: 252.
"Two... two hundred and fifty-two..." Sudou whispered. His voice was shaking. He stared at his Math score. 54.
"I... I got a 54 in Math?" Sudou rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn't hallucinating. Usually, he only ever scored in the single digits, or the teens at best. But this time, the image of the basketball court Seiji had drawn in his brain had saved him.
However, the celebration was not yet validated.
The scores themselves didn't determine who passed. The Red Line did.
Chabashira pulled a red marker from her suit pocket. The sound of the cap popping off rang loud in the silent room.
"Now," Chabashira said. "Let us calculate the passing mark."
She wrote some numbers on the side board.
Total Class Score: 13.876
Class Average: 346.9
Chabashira's hand moved again, writing out the sacred divisor.
Passing Mark (Average / 2) = 173.45
Chabashira rounded it up.
Red Line: 173.45 (Total) or an average of 34.69 per subject.
Sudou's heart stopped beating for a second. His eyes darted back to his score.
Sudou Ken: 252.
Ike Kanji: 262.
Yamauchi Haruki: 266.
Far. They were far above the red line. The distance separating them from dropping out was no longer just a hair's breadth, but a safe, gaping chasm.
Chabashira turned to face the class. Her face remained flat, but Seiji, with his micro-observations, noticed the corners of her lips twitch upward by about three millimeters. There was a strange glint in her eyes—a mix of disbelief and a reluctance to admit her pride.
"As you can see," Chabashira said, tapping the board right on Sudou's name at the very bottom.
"The student with the lowest score in this class, Sudou Ken, obtained a total of 252 points. Meanwhile, the passing mark is 170 points."
Chabashira capped her marker with a final click.
"In other words..."
She swept her gaze across the room, staring at the faces holding their collective breath.
"...no one is expelled. Class 1-C's passing rate for this exam is 100%."
Silence.
One second. Two seconds.
"UUWOOOOOOHHHH!!!"
The explosion of noise shook the classroom windows.
Ike jumped out of his chair, tears streaming down his goofy cheeks. He lunged at Yamauchi, and the two of them hugged each other while bawling their eyes out like little kids.
"WE'RE ALIVE! YAMAUCHI! WE'RE STILL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS!" Ike screamed.
"I'M NOT GOING TO BE HOMELESS!" Yamauchi shrieked back hysterically.
Sudou Ken slumped in his chair. His legs went weak. He covered his face with his large, rough hands. His shoulders shook. He didn't scream, but the sigh of relief that escaped his lips sounded like a man who had just slipped the hangman's noose.
"Damn it..." Sudou sobbed quietly. "I made it... Basketball... I can still play basketball..."
At the other "Seven Dwarves" study group desks, Sakura Airi smiled shyly while wiping the corners of her eyes. Hasebe Haruka let out a long sigh, then turned toward Seiji and gave him a lazy yet entirely sincere thumbs-up. Sotomura was muttering something about the "will of Steins;Gate" having saved them.
Horikita Suzune, sitting upright in her chair, closed her eyes for a moment. Her tense shoulders finally relaxed.
She looked forward, staring at Seiji.
"We did it," Suzune whispered.
Seiji met her gaze. There was no cheering from him. Only a slow nod and a warm, fatherly smile.
"I told you, didn't I?" Seiji mouthed the words wordlessly. "My students will not fail."
Chabashira let the euphoria run its course for a full minute. She didn't bark at them to quiet down. She let them celebrate this small victory—a victory against a system designed to crush them.
"Enough," Chabashira's voice finally cut through the uproar.
The class slowly quieted down, though the remnants of happy sobs could still be heard.
"Don't get too arrogant," Chabashira said, returning to her cold demeanor. "You passed not because you are smart. You passed because you had a strategy. The gap in scores between the top and the bottom is still incredibly vast."
She stared at Seiji.
"And you were lucky to have someone capable of dragging the dead weight across the finish line."
All eyes turned to Seiji.
Sudou stood up abruptly. He walked—no, he marched—over to Seiji's desk. His face was red, his eyes were swollen, but his gaze was filled with respect.
"Koroizumi," Sudou said, his voice raspy.
"Yes, Sudou-kun?"
"Thank you," Sudou said firmly. He bowed deeply—a highly unusual gesture for a school delinquent like him. "Thank you for teaching me. Thank you for not letting me sleep. You're... you're the best coach."
"I'm not a coach, I'm your classmate," Seiji corrected him with a soft chuckle. "But you're welcome. Just don't forget to treat me to some juice at the cafeteria later."
"You bet! As much as you want!"
That moment became the glue that bound Class 1-C together. They were no longer a group of strangers suspicious of one another. They were a single unit that had survived their first storm.
Chabashira straightened up the scroll on the whiteboard.
"Very well. Since you have all passed..." Chabashira paused for a moment, a faint smirk appearing on her face.
------------------------------
"Like my work? Catch up to Chapter 29 over on my Patreon!"
P - Gem_Blanks
Thank you so much for your support — you make all of this worthwhile.)