Time rewinds to the preparation phase before the exam begins.
Unlike the relaxed atmosphere of Class D, Class C was enduring an agonizing wait. Even the usually rowdy Ishizaki was uncharacteristically quiet.
It was as if the school's carefully designed psychological trap—to keep students suspicious and on edge until the last moment—was finally showing its effects.
This shouldn't have happened to Class C.
Normally, as long as the tyrant Ryuuen gave an order, and the chosen target wasn't excessively unreasonable, most of the students would comply.
Everyone hated dictatorship, but when faced with an exam that weighed heavily on their conscience, most were actually relieved to let someone else make the decision.
At the very least, this way, they wouldn't have to bear the moral guilt themselves.
However... maybe this time, the reason Ryuuen did nothing was to let everyone personally experience it.
That feeling—of sending off a classmate with your own hands...
Otherwise, some might not take this brutal exam seriously, or worse, they might grow accustomed to giving up on thinking about the future.
That would be detrimental to the class's growth.
As she processed the current situation in her mind, Shiina quietly sat in her seat, flipping through a book as usual.
Before long, one of their classmates would be leaving.
If she had to say whether she felt reluctant... truthfully, she did, but she had already resolved to accept it.
—Anyone, including herself, could be expelled.
She had prepared herself for that possibility.
However, as long as one was human, there would always be people they were closer to and people they were more distant from.
In an exam like this, most students naturally wouldn't want their friends to be expelled. If they had to make a choice, they would rather sacrifice a stranger. That was just human nature.
Shiina was no exception. There was someone in this school she didn't want to lose—someone who wasn't even in her class.
Compared to her classmates, she cared more about an outsider...
She knew this thought wasn't ideal, but emotions couldn't be deceived.
Yet, what troubled Shiina at this moment wasn't just this—it was something even more urgent.
"Hikigaya-kun... is in danger?"
It had happened after school the previous day.
As usual, Shiina had gone to the library to read. That was when she encountered Horikita.
No—saying they "encountered" each other wasn't quite right. It was clear that Horikita had sought her out deliberately.
Even so, Shiina was genuinely happy about it.
Because of their time in the same group during the forest training camp, she had gained a few friends in the grade she could talk to—Horikita being one of them, as they shared an interest in reading.
Even before that, Shiina had occasionally seen Horikita borrowing books at the library.
But considering Horikita's position as a class leader and the aura of aloofness she carried, it was hard for most people to approach her.
However, the time spent together during the camp had temporarily set aside such barriers.
In those dull days, their interactions gradually turned them into reading companions.
Most importantly, unlike other girls, Horikita wasn't overly talkative. There was no need to think of topics to chat about, making it very comfortable for Shiina to be around her.
Horikita seemed to feel the same way.
Even after the exam ended, they tacitly continued their casual friendship.
Their conversations were mostly about books, rarely touching on class matters.
Yet, yesterday, Horikita was uncharacteristically different—bringing up the ongoing exam on her own.
At first, Shiina found it strange, but as she listened, she quickly understood.
She was talking about Hikigaya.
That person had voluntarily asked his classmates to vote him out... How could this be?
Shiina felt both sadness and anger.
Sadness—because they had agreed that they wouldn't be expelled, that they would always be together (or so she had mistakenly believed).
Anger—because why was it Horikita who came to her?!
Horikita Suzune, who was always like an untouchable flower, had lowered her pride to ask an outsider for help.
Under normal circumstances, Shiina would have been happy to see Horikita change.
But knowing the reason behind it... that wasn't something to be happy about.
"So Hikigaya-kun and Horikita-san are that close, huh... How unfair."
As Shiina was caught in a whirlwind of emotions, the previously quiet classroom suddenly grew livelier.
Looking up, she saw that Manabe and her group had entered.
Those girls were always noisy.
Shiina had intended to ignore them as usual, assuming they would just talk about trivial things.
But this time, she unexpectedly heard a familiar name.
"Hey, I went to help Hikigaya-kun gather votes. A few guys agreed. What about you?"
The one speaking was Yabu Nanami. Shiina had exchanged words with her before—not close, but not strangers either.
But... why was Hikigaya-kun's name coming from her mouth?
This was perplexing.
As far as Shiina knew, those two shouldn't have had any interactions.
If they had, the class should have at least been talking about it, but there had been no such rumors.
And then, the following conversation surprised Shiina even more.
"Well, I asked a few people, but they didn't seem too willing."
"I-I got similar results."
Saki and Rika, Manabe's usual followers, spoke up one after another.
Shiina couldn't help but feel a wave of bitterness in her heart.
If you like it that much… why didn't you just tell me? I could've bought it for you too.
…Or is it that things taste better when they're stolen?
Regardless, Shiina wasn't about to give up so easily. She couldn't just stand by and do nothing. Besides, relying solely on Manabe and the others might not be enough.
But when it came to rallying votes, she wasn't like Manabe—she didn't have that many friends.
Although many of the girls in her class were willing to listen to her, that was only during exams. Outside of that, they barely had anything in common, making it difficult to ask for personal favors.
So, in the end… would she have to appeal to the class's interests instead?
It wasn't impossible—Manabe had already pointed out the answer.
That was to use Ayanokoji as leverage.
Yeah, that's the only way!
Just as Shiina made up her mind, Ryuuen suddenly stood up, walked to the front, and plopped himself onto the podium.
The moment he moved, the entire classroom fell silent.
Then, as if on cue, everyone returned to their seats.
It was more effective than a teacher calling for order.
"Looks like almost everyone's here."
Ryuuen scanned the classroom, skipping any unnecessary words and jumping straight to the point.
"I gave you all five days to think. So? What's the verdict? What do you think about this exam?"
"Uh…"
No one dared to speak up before they could grasp his true intentions.
Seeing this, Ryuuen clicked his tongue in boredom before calling on someone directly.
"You. Ishizaki. Speak."
"M-Me?!"
"Yeah, you. Hurry up."
"O-Oh…"
Ishizaki, caught in the crossfire, had no choice but to stand up. Scratching his head, he stammered, "I-I was planning to just follow Ryuuen-san's lead…"
"Stop. Who asked you that?" Ryuuen interrupted, clearly displeased. "I already told you, this time, the decision is yours to make. I don't care about your opinion of me—I want to hear your real thoughts."
"Uh… well…"
Ishizaki hesitated for a while before finally speaking.
"At first, I thought this exam was a total mess… and I hated it. But after thinking it over, I realized we have no choice. Whether we like it or not, we have to do it. So, I plan to give my praise votes to the strongest students and my criticism votes to the weakest. That's it."
"Heh, not bad."
Just as he said, Ryuuen refrained from making any comments that would guide their decisions—he simply asked for their thoughts.
But not everyone saw it that way.
Suddenly, Kaneda raised his hand.
"Ryuuen-san, may I speak next?"
"Go ahead."
Receiving Ryuuen's permission, Kaneda adjusted his glasses and spoke in a firm voice.
"I've given this a lot of thought over the past few days. My conclusion remains the same as it was on the first day of the exam—protection points are a powerful weapon. And in our class, only Ryuuen-san can make the best use of them. As for my criticism votes, I originally planned to target the three weakest students. But now…"
He turned and pointed at Tokimori without hesitation.
"I nominate Tokito-san. He is the most unnecessary person in our class."
"Oh? So, you're saying Tokito is the weakest?"
"No, that's not it." Kaneda shook his head. "I simply believe that our class needs stability. We must wait for the right opportunity to take down the other classes. While I understand Tokito-san's dissatisfaction with Ryuuen-san, he cannot lead us to victory. To prevent division within the class, we must eliminate him."
The implication was clear—opposing Ryuuen wasn't necessarily wrong. After all, Ryuuen was far from a perfect leader.
However, Tokito lacked the strength to overthrow him. He had also failed to prove his worth in past exams.
His rebellion was ultimately meaningless for Class C.
If they couldn't graduate as Class A, then what was the point of removing Ryuuen?
Or rather, wasn't following Ryuuen the very reason most of them had stayed in Class C? Tokito's actions were completely misguided.
Kaneda's words carried another hidden message—if someone stronger than Ryuuen existed, he would betray Ryuuen in an instant.
Yet Tokito failed to recognize this and instead scoffed, "Oh, I see. So this was your plan all along, huh, Ryuuen? First, you get your lackeys to call for praise votes on you, then you have them push for criticism votes on me. Guess you're scared of losing, after all."
His words sent a ripple through the classroom.
Most had expected Tokito to be nervous, yet he was still acting so brazenly.
No one could figure out where his confidence came from.
Instead, unease began to creep into their minds.
It was the fear of the unknown.
"Heh… interesting. Looks like you're still clinging to your delusions."
Ryuuen grinned and hopped down from the podium, sweeping his gaze across the room.
"Listen up. I'll say it again—I don't care who you vote for. Whether you want to give me criticism votes or praise votes for Tokito, do as you like. I won't hold it against you."
"Cut the bluff, Ryuuen." Tokito sneered. "Listen, if you can't get me expelled, then you better step down as leader."
"Fine. I'll play your game."
Despite Ryuuen's unwavering confidence, many students couldn't shake their unease.
Because in this so-called battle… the conditions for victory were far from equal.
Ryuuen must get rid of Tokito, the troublemaker, or he won't be able to keep the class under control. But Tokito doesn't necessarily have to defeat Ryuuen.
He only needs to prove that Ryuuen can't do anything to him.
If that happens, some students might start believing that Tokito has considerable support, especially those who have long harbored dissatisfaction with Ryuuen's rule. Many of them would likely rise in rebellion.
At that point, Class C would probably splinter as Class A did with the Sakayanagi and Katsuragi factions… and that would be the end.
Kaneda felt deeply uneasy about this. Their class couldn't afford such turmoil.
But the real problem was that Ryuuen continued to do absolutely nothing.
"Ah, right, there's one more thing."
At that moment, as if responding to Kaneda's silent expectations, Ryuuen finally spoke again.
Unfortunately, Kaneda's relief lasted less than three seconds.
Because what Ryuuen said had absolutely nothing to do with the current situation.
"I won't interfere with how you all vote within the class. However, for the single praise vote to another class, all of you will vote for dead-eyes. If anyone dares to disobey, expect my punishment… It's for Hikigaya Hachiman. That's the name."
As he finished speaking, Ryuuen deliberately glanced in Shiina's direction, as if to confirm something.
What puzzled him, though, was that after spacing out like everyone else for a moment, Shiina suddenly shot him an indignant glare.
Ryuuen, naturally, was utterly baffled.
What the hell's her problem?
"Hey, Hiyori, do you have some kind of issue with what I asked? You don't want to vote for dead-eyes or something?"
"...No."
"Then why are you glaring at me?"
"...I wasn't glaring."
That's what she said, but her face clearly screamed displeasure. She even muttered under her breath, "Ryuuen-kun, you meddling big idiot."
Ryuuen could only sigh and let it go.
Before long, Sakagami-sensei walked into the classroom and announced the start of the voting exam.
As the class waited for the results, tension weighed on everyone—except Tokito, who still had the energy to throw jabs at Ryuuen.
"Hey, Ryuuen, who'd you give your criticism votes to, huh? Bet my name's in there."
Tokito's voice dripped with mockery.
"Too bad though, it's all pointless effort."
"Think whatever you want," Ryuuen replied, clearly not interested in engaging.
But Tokito wasn't about to let it go. He pressed on, "You're seriously one hell of a leader—asking people to vote for that Hachiman guy from Class D. Did you forget what he did to you? Or did he beat the spine right out of you?"
"Tokito, you bastard—!"
After getting provoked for the umpteenth time, Ishizaki finally couldn't take it anymore and shot to his feet, ready to lay a beatdown.
But Ryuuen waved a hand to stop him.
"Heh... you still haven't figured out a damn thing, have you?" Ryuuen sneered, eyes locked on Tokito. "You know, the moment you started provoking me, I already figured out where your sudden confidence was coming from."
"Oh? So you do know just how hated you are in this class, huh?"
"Spare me the worthless drivel. Or are you still planning to play dumb?"
"...I don't know what you're talking about."
But faced with Ryuuen's piercing gaze, the kind that seemed to see right through him, Tokito couldn't help the chill that ran down his spine.
Not that he'd admit it out loud.
"Fine, fine. Guess you're really dead set on playing dumb. In that case, I'll just spell it out for you."
Ryuuen's expression turned faintly bored.
"You've been colluding with the student council president, haven't you?"
"...Huh?"
That one hit like a bomb. Everyone in the room—except Tokito—looked stunned.
The student council president...? Why was a second-year upperclassman suddenly being dragged into this?
Tokito, on the other hand, wore the expression of a man whose deepest secret had just been exposed. Ryuuen found it hard not to laugh.
"Y-You... how did you..."
"Heh. I figured it out, of course," Ryuuen chuckled coldly. "Someone like you—too timid to make a move without assurance—would never act unless you had backup. And there's no one in this class dumb enough to support you. So your only possible source of confidence... must've been praise votes promised from another class."
With everyone staring in stunned silence, Ryuuen confidently strode up to the podium and continued.
"Class D's in chaos—no point considering them. At first, I thought Sakayanagi might be behind this, but she's too busy getting wrecked by Fukumeye to be scheming against me. That just leaves Class A."
"R-Ryuuen-san, please wait a second."
Kaneda couldn't suppress his curiosity and asked, "I know Ichinose is part of the student council, but with her personality, I doubt she'd interfere in other classes' exams just because the president asked, right?"
"Heh. Good question—but you're missing one detail. Ichinose's group is desperately scraping together two million private points. Last I heard, they're still short by about two hundred thousand. Now tell me—how many students do you think have that kind of money lying around?"
"...Ah. I see."
With that, Kaneda backed off, the picture now clear.
"...Tch. So what if you figured it out?"
Tokito had tried to keep it under wraps, but at this point, it didn't matter.
He puffed out his chest, full of self-assurance. "That's right! I've got President Nagumo's backing! Class A's giving me praise votes, so it doesn't matter if the whole class hits me with criticism votes! Ryuuen, you really think you can still win? Do yourself a favor and get off the stage!"
"Oh yeah? Then let me ask you something."
Ryuuen stared at Tokito like he was a circus clown.
"You think I'd do nothing once I saw through your entire plan?"
"W-What could you possibly have done?!"
Though unease crept into his gut, Tokito had no choice but to stand his ground.
His deal with Nagumo was real. The president had no reason to deceive him.
All Tokito could do now was hope everything went according to plan.
But Ryuuen didn't let that fantasy last long.
"You're still as dense as ever. Never mind whether the student council president would actually keep his promise—let's say, worst case scenario, he doesn't. You really think I couldn't cough up that kind of money?"
"...What?!"
Tokito's face went deathly pale. Then, like grabbing onto a lifeline, he shouted, "No way! If I had to choose, I'd rather borrow from the president than trust someone as shady as you!"
"Heh. Then let's see how that worked out for you."
Just then, Sakagami-sensei returned, exam results in hand.
"Could you people keep it down next time? I could hear you arguing from out in the hall."
"Sakagami, skip the nonsense," Ryuuen said flatly. "Just give us the results—tell us who came in last."
"...Sigh."
Looking at the student who was both his pride and his headache, Sakagami simply sighed, then cleared his throat.
"In that case, I'll be direct. The student who came in last is Tokito Yuuya, with a total of thirty-seven criticism votes. I'm sorry, but that means... you're expelled."
"W-What?!"
Which meant—Tokito hadn't received a single praise vote from Class A.
"H-How could this happen...? Damn it... damn it!"
Frozen in disbelief for a moment, Tokito's body started shaking as he clenched his fists tightly. His face twisted with frustration.
He had only himself to blame, but even so, none of the others had the heart to mock him. Most simply looked on with sympathy.
Most—except one.
"Heh heh heh... Tokito, thanks to you, I actually got some entertainment out of this otherwise boring exam."
"Ryuuen, you bastard... hahahaha!"
Tokito glared at Ryuuen like he could bite his head off—but then, suddenly, he laughed.
"Hmph! You think getting me expelled is the end?!"
"Oh? You planning on making a comeback?" Ryuuen replied with a cold grin.
"Of course not," Tokito said, his voice calmer now. "But take a good look at those results—thirty-seven criticism votes. You know what that means?"
His face lit up like he'd found a shred of hope.
"It means someone in this class gave me a praise vote. It means there's still someone here who's brave enough to defy you! And that person... that person will inherit my will and take you down one day!"
"...Seriously? That's your grand final message?"
Ryuuen let out a long sigh and slowly shook his head.
"Sigh... Looks like you've misunderstood something, Tokito. That person who gave you the praise vote?"
He raised a thumb and pointed at himself.
"That was me."
"...Huh?"
"That's right—" Ryuuen said with a smug smirk, "—the one who gave you that praise vote wasn't anyone else. It was me."
It was me...
Me...
Me...
As those words echoed in his ears, Tokito's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed into his seat in a dead faint.