"On one hand, it was a plan to break up A-Class and weaken them."
"That way it would be easier for our class to climb up."
"But on the other hand, it wasn't just about stirring things up," Shirogane said. "I really thought about that arrangement."
"You're wondering if by making Sakayanagi vice president, and both of us holding the top positions in the student council, wouldn't Sakayanagi's class also benefit — which would basically mean helping the enemy."
"But."
"What if by that time, Sakayanagi wasn't really representing her class anymore?" Shirogane said.
"You mean—" Shiina was already starting to catch on.
Shirogane continued,
"Like I told you before, with 20 million points, you can either cancel an expulsion or use it to switch classes."
"And I've been thinking. I need to move our class up to Class A first so I can get the vice president position, and then have a shot at running for president."
"And when that time comes, if our class is still Class A, we'll need to hold on to our advantage."
"What do you think is the best way to do that?" Shirogane asked.
[Bring in strong players.]
[For example, buy over Sakayanagi Arisu.] A voice popped up in Shirogane's head right away.
"..."
But now wasn't the time for pop quizzes. And seriously, don't just blurt out answers.
Shirogane looked at Shiina.
Unlike Ichinose, when he stared straight at Shiina, at first she used to get a little shy, but now she didn't seem to care anymore.
"So in other words," Shiina thought out loud, "you're planning to bring Sakayanagi into our class?"
"That's the idea," Shirogane nodded. "I have a lot of respect for Sakayanagi's skills. With her, Class A is scary strong. But if we could take her away?"
"Or even bring her into our class?"
"Wouldn't that make our class even stronger?"
If Sakayanagi Arisu joined Ryuen's class, then Class A would lose strength, and Ryuen's class would get a huge boost.
It was definitely an interesting idea.
But still.
Trying to steal the class leader from another class… you really do think outside the box.
"But how things actually play out will depend on what we do next," Shirogane said.
Yeah.
Hiyori nodded.
It was true.
Whether it was Shirogane moving the class up to Class A to become vice president and then running for president, or getting Sakayanagi to join their class, either way he would need to gather 20 million points.
And for freshmen, 20 million points might as well be a fantasy.
Even though Shirogane had tempted their classmates before, saying that if they raised their class points above 2000, everyone could get over 200,000 points a month for living expenses, and that 20 million wasn't totally impossible.
But.
Hiyori didn't really believe their class could ever be as strong as Horikita's third-year A class and actually collect that many points.
She thought what Shirogane told the class was just a big dream to keep them motivated.
Shiina had a clear view of things.
At the same time, she wasn't like the other students. She didn't like Ryuen's violent rule, but she knew it was important for the class. She also knew Shirogane was just selling a dream but wasn't the type to sabotage it.
Whether it was Shirogane's way or Ryuen's way, both were what the class needed right now.
"Um," Hiyori decided to change the subject. More exactly, she wanted to go back to the earlier topic. "Why did Shirogane think I wanted to be vice president of the student council?"
Hiyori was actually feeling a little hurt about it.
She thought Shirogane and she had some common ground, and after spending a month together, she expected to understand him a bit more.
But it turned out Shirogane didn't know at all that she didn't like being in the spotlight or having attention on her.
"This must be something he learned from Kushida," she thought.
"Earlier, when you passed on Kushida's message that she wanted to be friends with me, I asked her how she easily connects with people."
Shirogane said, "She told me that if you mention 'my friend' or bring something up on purpose, the other person will start to care a lot."
"So that's why I asked if you wanted to be the vice president of the student council."
So, it's Kushida's fault, huh?
Shiina didn't hold grudges, but she would remember this.
Because Kushida could be nice, but she could also lead people astray.
"Anyway, there are two vice president positions in the student council, so it's fine if you join," Shirogane said. "I recognize your abilities, so I can invite you."
"…" Shiina.
No. She didn't like attention-grabbing roles like this.
So, Kushida really could lead people astray.
Shiina confirmed that once again.
"…" Ryuen.
At this moment, Ryuen Kakeru had returned to the classroom and taken his seat.
He hadn't been notified at all about Shirogane being invited by Horikita Manabu to join the student council and being given a position as a member. He also had no idea about the later bet regarding the vice president position.
So, Ryuen felt left out.
He wanted to discuss this issue with them.
But just as he was about to approach, he heard that Shirogane had already become the student council president and arranged the two vice president positions.
Heh.
Ryuen had planned to say something, but now he chose to remain silent.
And then he said,
"Everyone, sit back in your seats."
The homeroom teacher, Sakagami-sensei, had arrived.
According to the teachers in the gym, they were supposed to explain the rules for this month's special exam. From Sakagami-sensei's proactive attitude, it was clear he wouldn't waste any time.
However,
"First, congratulations to Shirogane for becoming the student council secretary."
"And you're also likely to become the vice president of the student council," Sakagami-sensei said.
You could tell he was in a good mood.
But,
"Now, let's quickly go over the specific rules for this month's special exam."
"The exam will be written."
"I know most of you are troubled by this, but there's nothing we can do. Our class excels in sports, but academically, we're just not there."
"And this exam has serious consequences. If you fail, you'll be expelled."
"So you all must pass."
"Our class is the first to be promoted in the first month, setting a school record. It's something to be proud of. But if someone gets expelled in the second month, it'll be very embarrassing."
"Usually, after the second month's written exam begins, we start seeing students expelled one after another."
"And I don't want to see that happen to any of you."
"Starting tonight, and every evening until the day before the exam, I will be in the classroom from 7 to 8 PM."
"If there's anything you don't understand in class, you can come and ask me."
"Oh."
"So, you mean Mr. Sakagami is actually willing to give extra help to students?"
"Do we need to pay points for that?" Ryuen asked from below.
"Of course not," Sakagami-sensei said firmly.
"And if you need, I can also arrange extra help with other subject teachers after class."
"Although I teach math, I'm also good at English and physics. I'm more than capable of teaching you."
"After all, I'm an adult now, so I have to be well-rounded."
"But in class, I'll only help with your studies. I can't give any extra information related to the exam."
You could say, Sakagami-sensei was offering help with full sincerity.
Now, let's look at the specific rules for the written exam.
This written exam, though it's called a "written exam," could actually be seen as a midterm exam.
The school year at Ikusei High is divided into three stages, each lasting about three months, making up a semester.
So, the written exam in the second month is basically the midterm exam.
However, Shirogane felt that the school used this system to give students more opportunities for assessment.
Assessing, evaluating, and improving.
This cycle repeats over and over.
This is one of the things that sets this school apart from others.
This midterm exam covers five subjects: math, physics, chemistry, biology, and English.
Each subject is multiple-choice, with a total of 100 points.
This exam will also affect the class evaluation score.
As long as the average score in each subject is above 70, the class will receive a 100-point class evaluation score reward.
Of course, if a few subjects don't reach the 70-point average, or fall a little short, the school will still give a chance. The 100-point class evaluation score will be reassessed and adjusted to a reasonable number.
In general, the average score in each subject must be above 70 to get the full 100-point class evaluation reward. If the average score is below 70, the class will still get a score.
However, the score won't be 100 points; it could be 80, 70, or even 10.
In other words, the results of this written exam will only be compared to the 70-point average set by the school for each subject. No matter what your score is, the school will give you a corresponding class evaluation score, anywhere from 0 to 100.
It seems like the school is being generous with them.
But actually, that's not the case.
If any student fails even one subject out of the five, as long as it's any subject, they will be expelled.