Chapter 3 Dark Clouds

INTRODUCTION

I am a little nervous.

The alarm clock, which I have known for ten years, rang in my ear.

I reach out my hand quickly and silently, and without regard, I roughly press the button to stop

the bell.

Due to the excess momentum, It fell off the mini table and finally.

Rin!

He's been trained by me many times, so he's not a soft companion to break at this level.

" It's already six o'clock. ....."

In the end, I only slept for about two hours and welcomed the morning.

I took off my pajamas, which I had no idea what I had changed into, and walked with heavy

steps to the sink in my underwear.

While I was at it, I picked up the alarm clock and found that the cover with the broken claws that

had been attached with cellophane tape had come off and one battery had fallen to the floor.

"I think I was a little too rough with him. I'll be more careful tomorrow, so forgive me."

Then, I stepped in front of the mirror.

{You look terrible. ・・・・・・}

It's not very nice, but I can't show my face in front of the students in my current state.

The dark circles under my eyes were even more noticeable today, as I had been sleeping

particularly lightly for the past few days.

After washing her face carefully, she laid out her cosmetics, which she usually rarely picked up.

I can't let my students know that I'm in a bad or even unstable state.

As I picked up the bottle of lotion, my eyes suddenly met with my own in the mirror.

{You look like crap.}

I touch my cheek somehow.

The elasticity and tactile sensation coming from my fingertips would be incomparable to what I

felt when I was a student.

{You're getting old}

It's only a little more than 10 years, but it's still 10 years.

It was inevitable to reminder that much time had passed.

{Is that a trivial matter? ...}

It wasn't until now that I grasped the flow of time.

I resumed my halted movements, opened the lid and began to apply my makeup silently.

One day it will come.

This was something that I understood from the moment I decided to become a teacher.

I should have known, but I wasn't really prepared.

"Calm down. This is not my fight. The situation is different from that time. I bet the current class

would clear it without a hitch. Yes, they should. There's no point in getting nervous."

I felt my heart beating faster and tried to convince myself that this was just another easy task.

Such a shallow idea didn't work, and my heart started to beat faster and faster.

At this rate, I won't be able to hold myself together until the end of the special exam. I can't

imagine what the future holds.

{Be prepared. ・・・・・}

I pressed both of my palms against the mirror and stared at my reflection, muttering to myself.

PART 1

A teacher's morning is surprisingly busy. At this school, we live in a dormitory, which means we are close to our work place, or school, but we have a lot of work to do.

Preparing for class, checking to see if there is any contact, and sometimes checking the water

quality of the pool.

However, the start time of the workday is the same as the start of homeroom, so it's practically

like service overtime.

After the morning's individual preparations, we had a meeting with the teachers for the morning

assembly.

Especially on days when special exams are held, the rush is doubled or tripled. The school's

mistakes are absolutely unacceptable because they affect the students' lives, or part of them.

"The most important thing for us teachers to keep in mind during this special exam is how to

intervene in the classroom. Please avoid any situation where you unintentionally help a student

in your class in order to protect him/her."

Gathering the homeroom teachers of the four classes, Ikari-sensei, who was auditing this

special exam, warned them with a stern look on his face.

"I was wondering if I could talk to you for a second."

"What is it, Hoshinomiya-sensei?"

"I believe the last time this exam was held...11 years ago...there was a shuffling policy to ensure

that the class in charge did not help, right? So why is it that this time the homeroom teacher is

still looking after her class? In the interest of fairness, though, I think you should change it."

As far as issuing a warning, the school's intention to stop the homeroom teacher's intervention

can be felt.

But surely it would be more reliable to leave the other 'class in charge' in other classes.

Not many teachers would go to the trouble of risking their job to help a rival class.

"Isn't it because you believe it will be fair?"

Professor Sakagami, who was listening to the conversation, calmly analyzes it.

"Is that so?"

"..... I can't tell you why, except that it's the decision."

"It's up to you, isn't it?"

There is nothing that we, as teachers, can do to determine all the special exams.

The decision will be made by Chancellor Sakayanagi and those who are involved in the

operation and management of this school.

All we have to do is follow the rules and carry them out.

But it didn't seem to add up, and Chie didn't even try to hide her frustration.

Ikari-sensei, who could not bear to see this, opened his mouth in a low voice.

"This is just my own imagination, but this special exam could give students a glimpse into the

inner workings of the mind they hide. It is a mass of information. I think they thought that by

leaking it to the teachers of the other classes, it would in turn affect the next special exam."

"That just means they don't believe in us as teachers."

"It can't be helped. This special exam, three of the homeroom teachers seem to have

experienced the same thing in the past. ..... Was it related to the fact that you took charge of

each class in class voting last year?"

"That's what I thought."

Chie seemed to be convinced once again, as if she had known it all along.

"Hoshinomiya-sensei... May we proceed?"

"Yes, yes. I'm convinced, so please proceed."

He was clearly in a bad mood, but Ikari-sensei resumed his explanation as if he had given up.

"If the supervisor deems it to be advisable, a warning will be given. If it is repeated, there will be

a pay cut. And, although it is not a concern of yours, please remember that if you are found to have intervened in a malicious manner, intentionally leading students to make choices they

should not have made, you may be demoted at worst."

The unanimous special exam is all about choices. It is only natural that the nature of the special

exam itself will be questioned if the teacher leads with a particular choice.

Of course, the teachers of the other classes have no such intentions, nor do I.

As usual, he doesn't get too emotionally involved with the students and just goes about things in

a solemn manner.

Even if it is this special exam full of bitter memories, it is still the same thing.

"That will be all. Please take care of today's special exam."

After that, I tried to do my best to get through the morning classes as usual.

No, I was the only one who thought it was business as usual, when in fact it was probably not.

I had no sense of time, and before I knew it, it was time for lunch.

On the desk in the staff room, there is a half-eaten meal.

When I put the food in my throat, the chopsticks stopped moving at all.

Not wanting to be seen like this, I put the rest of my lunch in a bag and put it away.

And then came the sound of the afternoon class, announcing its start.

As I left the staff room, staring at the floor, I was called out by the sound of footsteps coming

from behind me.

"It's finally happening, Sae-chan."

"... ..... Chie…?"

"You've been like that since this morning, but you couldn't sleep last night because you were

thinking about the special exam?"

I tuned out the obvious and cheap provocation.

No, it would be more accurate to say that I could not answer back.

"My current class has nothing to do with me. Whether the students clear it easily or not is of no

importance to me."

"Hmm? You don't look like you're that broken up about it."

"Well, that's okay. But don't forget that you do not deserve to be in Class A."

(T/L Note - Chie said this to Sae)

As I walked away, Chie's voice was filled with resentment and she did not hide it.

I couldn't raise my head until the end.

PART 2

September 17th. After lunch break. Less than three weeks after the summer break, the next

special exam arrived.

When I came back to the classroom about five minutes before the exam started, there was

already one teacher waiting in the classroom.

I was a little surprised to find out that I was instructed to sit not in my seat, but in a designated

seat for the duration of the exam. Interestingly enough, I was seated at the very back of the

class, near the window, where I had sat in my first year. The rest of the students are randomly

assigned to the seats, regardless of their placement last year or this year.

It seemed that I just happened to have similar seats. In the event that you've got a lot of time,

you'll be able to take a look at the best way to get the most out of your time.

Sato was seated right next to me, and Onizuka was seated in front of me. The students began

to arrive one after another.

The exam we will be taking is the "unanimous special exam."

It's a simple one, nothing more, nothing less, where you have to choose from multiple options

five tasks given by the school and repeat them until you get unanimous agreement.

There are not many things worth mentioning about this special exam, but there are also not

many ways to prepare for it.

Promise to disperse the vote to avoid unexpected unanimity, as communication is not possible

during the first vote, regardless of the nature of the issue. A reminder of the time limit for voting.

Decide in advance who to follow in the event of a dispute over which option to choose if the

votes are dispersed. That's about all any class can do.

Therefore, it is safe to say that there is almost no such thing as a heavy atmosphere in the

class.

The fact that this test is easily achievable for all participants, ultimately "just choose an option

and press the vote button," is another reason why it has been taken so loosely.

Of course, it is a special exam, so there is some tension ....

The tablet had a thin strip of plastic firmly attached to it to prevent prying eyes.

Even if you peeked in from the seat next to me, you wouldn't be able to steal a glance at the

screen.

Since you can't stand up while voting, it's impossible to narrow down where others are voting by

sight.

Even if by some means or accident you are able to see the results of a third party's vote,

whether or not you can put it into words and be believed is another story. In the first place, it is

impossible to make a fuss about who voted for whom, since snooping is forbidden.

We have to face this special test head on.

The tablet on the desk seemed to be turned off, and I was not allowed to even turn it on without

permission.

"Hey, hey, hey. If we can clear it in an hour or two, let's go to Keyaki Mall."

"Yeah, I'd love to, but I thought you were studying in the dorm. So can we go in the evening?"

Ike and Shinohara, who have become a close couple, discuss what they will do after school.

A special exam that can be easily completed: ..... I'm not sure. However, it is questionable how

many students currently understand that it can turn into a difficult task depending on the

conditions.

The thing is that the voting is anonymous. It is impossible to know who voted for which option

during the test and forever.

'Completely anonymous.'

It's all about how big an impact this factor will have on this particular test.

Anyway, the time limit for the special exam was five hours, from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., a very

long time.

If you think about it simply, you are allowed to spend one hour per question.

It would be no surprise if the special exam was completed in an hour or two, as Ike said.

And if you clear it within the time limit, you'll easily get 50 class points.

On the other hand, if you fail to complete the test within five hours, you will lose 300 class

points, so getting all five questions unanimous is an absolute must. Considering the content of

the test, the small reward and heavy penalty were understandable. I sat down at my seat in the

corner of the classroom where half of the students were seated. On the side of the podium,

Chabashira sensei, the facilitator of this special exam, and the teacher, who is in charge of

monitoring, are stationed at the back of the classroom.

"As I told you in advance, I will collect all communication equipment."

Limiting the amount of luggage you can bring in, and monitoring the tablet from the front and

back to prevent prying eyes. They're being more thorough than necessary. That's how much

they are trying to prevent people from knowing who voted for whom. It may sound harsh, but it's

the right thing to do. In order to reflect the genuine feelings of the students in the multiple

choices, anonymity must be 100%.

If there is an opening that can be snooped on, the probability of succumbing to peer pressure increases.

You chose 'a', even though you really wanted to choose B but because everyone else is

choosing 'a' you go with the choice 'a'.

That is what they want to avoid.

School emphasize the importance of the "individual student's will," which is the meaning of this

special exam.

However, this is not a good thing for the students, because we want everyone to be unanimous,

whether it's peer pressure or not.

Anyway, there is no room for injustice at all.

No matter what the issue is, it must be unanimous.

"Come on, Airi. You decided to say it properly, didn't you?"

Hmm? I turned my gaze from outside the window back to the classroom and saw Airi being

pushed back by Haruka.

"Oh, that Kiyotaka, ...! Yo .... I was wondering if I could have some time after school?"

When she nodded her head, she asked with her eyes how she could respond.

"I was wondering if I could talk to you about the cultural festival."

"So that's it. I think we should talk in person, too."

"Oh, thank you! I'll see you later."

Airi fled away and turned her back to me, taking a seat in the far row.

"She's calmed down somehow. She's not over it, but she's trying to move on."

She didn't even want to mention it in front of me, but tried her best to make eye contact with me.

"But it remains to be seen whether the girl will really take it on or not. It depends on how hard

you work."

"I'll try to negotiate as hard as I can."

"Yeah. I'll see you after school."

It's not like they're really taken care of, but those two have been together a lot lately.

Two minutes before the start of the class, the homeroom teacher, Chabashira, began to explain.

"Well -- it's about time. We're going to move on to the special exam, and since it's going to be a

long day, we're going to have up to four bathroom breaks. Basically, we can only take a break

before we start the next task with unanimous consent. This means that we can't take a break in

the middle of the day when we haven't reached unanimous agreement. Also, each break is a

maximum of 10 minutes, but the exam time continues to be counted. It would be important to

skip breaks if you deem them unnecessary."

Everyone had already used the restroom as announced, so there would be no problem for a

while.

There seemed to be no students in the class who had stomachaches or other unexpected

health problems.

Now it's time for the special exam.

That's what I thought, but Chabashira sensei kept looking at the students and refused to start

the proceedings.

She seemed to be absent-minded, just dazed.

As the students, who at first were unconcerned, slowly began to look at each other, the teacher

standing in the back of the classroom also seemed to notice something strange.

"Ms. Chabashira. It's time."

"Ah, ah. I'm sorry. Then, we will start the unanimous special test. From here, we will proceed

according to the rules, so you will not be allowed to stand up outside the interval or chat at

prohibited timings. Take care. Keep in mind. "

The monitor switches and the countdown starts at 26 seconds.

This was probably due to a slight delay in the start signal, but it would not affect the students.

Eventually, when the count reached zero, the text switched to show the first task.

Task 1: Choose which class you want to face in the final exam in the third semester.

(This choice will take precedence even if there is a change in class rank.)

The numbers in parentheses indicate additional class points earned by winning the match.

Class A

(100)

Class B

(50)

Class D

(0)

"This is the last semester of your sophomore year, and it's your choice to determine your

opponent for the special exam at the end of that year. As mentioned, if you unanimously choose

Class A at this time, even if your current Class A falls to Class B by the end of the school year,

your opponent will be that Class A and additional class points as of this choice. Also, if the

desired combination of choices is unanimous, the school will decide randomly."

To put it simply, you have the choice of fighting Sakayanagi, Ichinose, or Ryūen, and the

opponent you choose here will not be changed.

It's important to figure out which class we can win against. Of course, we won't always be able

to fight the class we want to. But...?

If Horikita and her friends nominate Sakayanagi's A class, and Ichinose also nominates

Sakayanagi's class at the same time, does that mean that Sakayanagi's class is left to choose Horikita's class or Ichinose's class? And if Sakayanagi's class nominates neither of them, but

Ryuen's class, then the choice of Ryuen's class is to be confirmed. Again, if Ryuen's class

avoided Sakayanagi's class, then the result would be a random combination where everything

doesn't mesh together. Normally, you would want to choose a lower class with lower strength.

However, as you can see from the choices, the treatment of the upper classes seems to be a

little different.

If you are able to defeat a higher class, you will be rewarded with extra class points for doing so.

If you fight a lower class, you will not get any additional reward.

Normally, we would want to avoid battles with Class A, but if these advantages exist, there will

be enough room for consideration.

"We will now move on to the first round of voting. You have 60 seconds to cast your vote."

If you go past this 60 seconds, you will be in penalty time.

Of course, as Horikita had decided and notified beforehand to avoid such trouble from the very

first time, the classmates voted for their favorite option as they saw fit.

Horikita and I agreed that I would always choose the first option on the first vote, so I didn't

hesitate to choose the first A class. Horikita will choose class B, the second choice.

At this point, it will never be unanimous, but the other 37 votes will genuinely tell us which class

they want to face.

"As all votes have been cast, we will now announce the results of the voting."

Results of the first round of voting

Class A: 5 votes

Class B: 21 votes

Class D: 13 votes

The votes were concentrated on Class B, to which Ichinose belongs, instead of Class D, the

lowest class.

"Since the vote was not unanimous, there will now be an interval."

From this point on, you are allowed to leave your seat freely for ten minutes to make contact

with the students or have a conversation with them. It doesn't matter if you raise your voice a

little, or if you only overhear certain students.

"Let me make a suggestion first so we don't waste time on the first task."

She raised her hand, Horikita, who was sitting in front of Chabashira sensei, stood up and then

turned around.

Since she has been assigned to be the leader of this special exam as well, she will take the

initiative to show her actions.

"As scattered as the votes are, each of us must have our own thoughts. If you have any

questions, feel free to ask them, and don't hesitate to express your opinions to the whole class."

After saying this, Horikita took a breath and began to describe her preferred option.

"The ideal opponent for me at the end of the school year would be Class B. There are three

reasons why I thought Ichinose was the ideal opponent. First, unlike Sakayanagi-san and

Ryuen-kun, Ichinose is likely to be a fair fight, a clash of pure potential. Even if it is an irregular

special exam, there is little worry about being outsmarted. Secondly, They're in class B at the

moment. You'll get class points on top of your rewards, which will give you an edge in leading

the other classes. The third and final point is that the B class title is just a facade. We are

already side by side with their class and Ryueen's D class. At one time, she was far behind in

class points, but her class is now on a downward slope. I think that makes her an ideal

opponent to compete with."

She spoke rather quickly, perhaps because she was concerned about time, but her clear

reasoning gave the impression that she had touched the hearts of many students.

"If any student has any objections, please voice them here and now. On the other hand, if you

think Class B is okay, then vote for Class B as soon as possible."

We would like to have a unanimous vote on this issue in the second round of voting.

I can feel Horikita's determination. As if in response, Yosuke stands up.

"I agree with what you said, Horikita-san. The additional rewards for defeating Sakayanagi and

the others in Class A are great, but there's no doubt that they are stronger enemies than anyone

else. Of course, Ichinose and her class's strong ties and solid fighting style can't be ignored, but

I think they're the best opponents."

With the two of them pushing for B class, the classmates begin to decide on their direction.

Then, as if to bring the flow all together, one more person stood, to give an opinion.

"I think it's right too. I don't think it's beneficial to fight Ryuen-kun's class because there is no

additional reward for fighting, and Sakayanagi-san's class is not an easy opponent to fight."

Before any opposition could be raised, Yosuke and Kei quickly solidified their opinions by

declaring their intention of voting for Class B. It could be said that they followed through as

planned, but it is safe to assume that they probably also wanted to fight with Class B. It was

easy to see from the fact that Class B received the most votes in the first round of voting.

The interval, which lasted nearly six extra minutes, eventually passed without any opposition.

While checking the time, we resumed the progress.

"Then we will move on to the second round of voting, as the time has expired. As soon as the

tablet screen changes, you have 60 seconds to cast your vote. As explained beforehand, if you

go past 60 seconds, the penalty time will accumulate. Be careful."

This caution was unnecessary, and in less than ten seconds, everyone had voted the second

time.

The results were then immediately reflected and displayed on the monitor.

Results of the second round of voting

Class A: 0 votes

Class B: 39 votes

Class D: 0 votes

There was no way Koenji could joke around and put us in another class vote, so we got off to

the best possible start and succeeded in getting unanimous agreement for the first time.

"By unanimous vote, the first assignment is confirmed as Class B's choice. I will inform you of

the class you will face in the final exam as soon as it is officially decided, but that will be after

tomorrow."

In just ten minutes or so, we had completed one of the five tasks and Horikita and the others

also chose to vote for the B class they wanted. As for me personally, if I had to choose a partner

to fight, I would have definitely chosen Ichinose class.

The reason for this is - Well, Horikita has said it all and there is nothing to add.

Now we just have to hope that Sakayanagi's and Ryueen's classes will match up, but since

Ichinose's class is sometimes an easy target, we might have three classes competing if we're

not careful. Let's hope that Ichinose's class will request Horikita's class without any trouble.

"I don't think we need to take a break, but I'll check in just in case. You don't mind if we move on

to the next task, do you?"

Of course, no one from the student body objected, so the second task began immediately.

"Now let's move on to the second task."

Task 2: Choose a destination for the school trip scheduled for late November.

Hokkaido

Kyoto

Okinawa

What the hell is this? I heard such a voice from the students.

Because of the no-speaking situation, their voice was immediately drowned out by the look they

got from Chabashira sensei.

But it is undeniable that many students thought, "What the heck is this?"

Still, we can't even talk about it without voting first.

The only way to vote is to genuinely think for yourself about which option to choose, and then

vote.

"This vote is similar to the previous one, and this one is not final. The outcome may change

depending on the status of the remaining three classes, so keep that in mind."

Results of the first round of voting:

Hokkaido 17 votes

Kyoto 3 votes

Okinawa 19 votes

With the exception of Kyoto, the voting results were shown to be much closer than before.

"Since the vote was not unanimous, we will now go into an interval."

"Hey, hey, can we call this a special exam? It's like it's a piece of cake. ..."

When it came to the interval, Hondo chuckled out.

It is true that the first and second issues do not need to be asked in such an ostentatious

manner. They can be summarized in the course of homeroom.

Only two questions yet.

When this will be over, two-fifths of the special exam will be over.

Too much easy content. Many of the students may have started to relax more than they were

nervous.

However, it is interesting to note that some students become more anxious the more they are in

such situations.

Typical of these students are Horikita and Yosuke, who are careful and thoughtful.

While everyone laughs and discusses which way to go, they look at the task seriously.

I suppose that's true. It's hard to believe that such a task, which could be done either way, would

continue to the end. In fact, the easier the first part is, the more pressure there will be on the

second half.

With this premonition in mind, I quietly watched the flow of the interval.

"I'm sure we all have our own thoughts. But let's focus on this task first."

Wary of being distracted, Yosuke pulled the entire class back together.

The first time, I voted for Option 1, Hokkaido, as promised, but now what to do?

The content of the assignment is the same. This means that there will always be decisions from

other Classes for choosing the final outcome. It is definitely an important vote in deciding where

to take the school trip.

"Horikita-san, we seem to be at odds with each other, do you have any advice?"

Kushida was worried about Horikita who, unlike before, did not speak up right away, so Kushida

called out to her.

But Horikita didn't speak right away, and for a moment there was silence.

"Horikita-san?"

Horikita hurriedly replied when Kushida called her name again with some concern.

"I'm sorry. I've been thinking about this a bit. Hm… It's not a complicated choice, but I thought it

might be hard to make it unanimous. The school trip is an important event for us students, and

of course I can't sum up the destination in a few words."

We promised to follow the leader if things went wrong, but that still didn't mean Horikita could

decide where to go on the school trip by herself. It's a tough choice, considering that it's a matter

of preference, not merit or demerit.

"Anyway, we'll just have to start by getting your input on where you'd like to travel."

As if he was waiting for it, Sudo raised his hand.

"I'll go first. I'm going to Okinawa. Okinawa is the most popular school trip because of the ocean,

right? It has the most votes, so why don't we just go with it?"

"Wait a minute. I admit that Okinawa is one of the most popular, but so is Hokkaido. The number

of votes is even close. Don't you guys want to go skiing or something?"

Maezono, who seemed to be pitching for Hokkaido, disagreed with Sudo.

"I want to go to Okinawa. I want to go snorkeling!"

(T/L Note - Snorkeling is an underwater activity that involves a breathing tube. It is sort of like

'Diving' but not exactly the same)

"I've been to Okinawa a couple of times, so Hokkaido…"

Two destinations with close vote counts begin to disagree head-on.

Since they both chose the destination they thought was best for them, it was understandable

that they would be critical of other options.

"To begin with, there's only snow in Hokkaido, right? It's definitely boring."

"Well, if that's the case, isn't there nothing but ocean in Okinawa?"

They argued for several minutes without seeming to come to an end, until Yosuke, who could

not bear to watch, intervened.

"Hokkaido and Okinawa are both equally popular destinations for school trips, so I guess it's not

unreasonable to get into trouble, but... you might want to be a little more considerate of others."

Yosuke appealed to them to stop speaking out of turn.

In the beginning, they were talking about how wonderful their choice of destination was, but then

they started to talk down the other person's choice.

"Hirata-kun chose Hokkaido, right?"

"Hey Hirata, you chose Okinawa, didn't you?"

"What? Um, ・・・・・・."

Sandwiched between the two groups, Yosuke looked troubled.

"That's a bit of a... secret, isn't it?"

In this situation, it's hard to answer which one he chose. In a way, this is the moment when

anonymity comes alive.

"Okinawa is the only place where you can swim in November. Don't you want to go to the

beach?"

"I've had enough of the ocean. I've had enough of the desert island test. Hokkaido for sure!"

The discussion, once interrupted, quickly begins to heat up again.

The exchange between Sudo and Maezono can probably be seen as a small-scale version of

the opinions of the entire class.

"What should we do, Horikita-san?"

With a troubled look on her face, Kushida asks Horikita for help.

"Yes, this is a tricky subject."

The difficulty of unanimity.

There was no easy way to wrap up the conversation, and the ten-minute interval was coming to

an end.

Incidentally, I'm planning to vote for Kyoto this second time around.

Kyoto has a deep history. I had a strong desire to see that scene.

"Now that the second round of voting is complete, we will display the results."

Second round of voting results:

Hokkaido 18 votes

Kyoto 4 votes

Okinawa 17 votes

"Oh, Hokkaido has more votes! '' We did it!"

"Who the hell switched from Okinawa to Hokkaido?"

Hokkaido got slightly more votes than the other two, but it was almost a 50-50 split.

However, both the Hokkaido and Okinawa groups started arguing over the votes.

If we were to try to solve this problem at this rate, no matter how many times we vote, we'll

never get it done.

The only sad thing is that Kyoto is not being talked about at all. It's just got more votes than

before…

Then, Horikita's vote for Kyoto, the first choice, might not have moved. Of course, it is possible

that Horikita voted for Hokkaido or Okinawa and someone else voted for Kyoto, so we can't be

sure.

There is a way to force the vote to go to the side with the most votes, but that is likely to leave a

grudge. Hokkaido won the second round whereas Okinawa won the first round of voting.

"It's no use. I guess we'll have to settle for a winner. We need three people who prefer Hokkaido

and three people who prefer Okinawa. We'll choose a representative and have them play

rock-paper-scissors. We'll choose a spearhead, a hunter, and a general, and play a

winner-take-all game. However, in Kyoto, where the number of votes is low, we will only have

one representative. It's a tough battle, but I'm trying to keep it as fair as possible."

(T/L -This is variant of Rock paper scissors in Japanese)

Kyoto, which is a minority, can compete with the other two on an equal footing because it

certainly increases the sense of unfairness.

If Kyoto, a minority, can fight equally with the other two, it will surely make the sense of injustice

stronger.

If we want to put it together without coercion and time, should we do it this way?

You can't help but be frustrated to some extent, but if you set the rules at the beginning, you

have to follow them.

While there was some wrangling over who would be the rock-paper-scissors representative, the

contestants soon began to be chosen.

Hokkaido team: Spearhead - Maezono; Midfielder - Ishikura; General -Shinohara. This is

women's team.

Okinawa Team Spearhead - Onodera, Midfielder - Hondo, General - Sudo,

Mixed Gender

"Also, whoever voted for Kyoto, can you participate in rock-paper-scissors?"

Horikita wishes to have one representative. Then, a man raises his hand with full energy.

"If no one else will, I'll go as the general. I'll make sure I bring everyone to Kyoto."

It was Keisei who expressed his strong will and threw himself into the tough battle.

The first student from the Kyoto voters to speak up. Kyoto is also my preferred school trip

destination.

I'm leaving you in charge, Keisei. It's going to be a tough fight, but you'll have to pull through…

In order to make it to the third round of voting, the rock-paper-scissors game was quickly

started. In the end, the Okinawa team won easily. The Kyoto team's dream was shattered in an

instant, and had to left the battlefield with a broken heart.

It was a fleeting moment, less than ten seconds after Keisei had announced himself.

I witnessed the moment when Horikita put her hand on her forehead and sighed, and I was

convinced that she was one of those who wanted to go to Kyoto.

The game continued as if the Kyoto hopefuls had never existed in the first place. Onodera, who

had defeated both of them in the first game, won two games in a row, defeating Ishikura in the

middle game to take the lead. However, Shinohara, who appeared as the general, defeated

Onodera and then Hondo in succession in an unexpected turn of events.

The two sides stared each other down as they engaged in a battle of generals.

"It's definitely Okinawa! Soki soba! Shisa! Kaijin!

[Soki (Okinawan: ソーキ sooki) is a specialty of the cuisine of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Shisa

(シーサー, Shīsā, Okinawan: shiisaa) is a traditional Ryukyuan cultural artifact. The Kaijin (海人,

literally meaning "Sea Man") is an alleged sea monster from Japan, mentioned in books of the

Edo period.]

"Hokkaido, for sure! Crabs! Hot springs! Skiing!"

Each of them clenches their fists, saying something they don't quite understand.

Both fists were raised and then lowered. It was a tense match.

We're just deciding where to go on a school trip, but it's an unusually tense situation.

"First, Goo! Rock, paper, scissors!"

They clashed for the second time. Sudo delivered a powerful 'goo'.

Shinohara, on the other hand, threw a brilliant for the second time in a row.

"Yes! We're going to Hokkaido!"

All at once, the Hokkaido faction raised their voices in victory.

"What are you doing, Sudo?"

"It's bad. ….!"

I don't want to put a damper on things, but the only vote in this class was for Hokkaido. If two

votes were gathered for Okinawa or Kyoto, from other Classes then it would be that one.

Horikita was somewhat taken aback, as if she understood that this was not the kind of

atmosphere where she could say that.

The third vote was taken, and everyone operated their tablets at once.

Results of the third round of voting:

Hokkaido 39 votes

Kyoto 0 votes

Okinawa 0 votes

"The third vote was unanimous, so the second assignment is clear."

While about half of them remain dissatisfied, they succeed in achieving unanimity in the third

round of voting through a fair fight according to the established rules.

Although I couldn't make it to Kyoto, which I was really hoping for, I'm really looking forward to

Hokkaido, and depending on what happens in the other classes, Kyoto and Okinawa are still

possible.

Anyway, it was an assignment that made me look forward to the school trip, wherever it would

be.

"Now let's move on to the third task."

Although the appearance of Chabashira sensei had not changed since the beginning, there was

a slight change in the tone of her voice.

Something might change the tide from the easy task so far.

Task 3:

Instead of the private points awarded for class points each month being reduced to zero,

three random students in the class will be given protection points. Or, you can choose to

have your private points halved and give a protection point to a chosen student. If neither

of these options is desired, the bottom five students in the next written exam will receive

zero private points.

*No matter which option is chosen, the period of private point forfeiture will last for six

months.

Unlike the previous two tasks, this one encompassed major advantages and disadvantages

within the class. In option 1, the payback is greater as there are many private points to lose, but

the fact that they are given to random students cannot be overlooked.

Protection Points is a very powerful system, but depending on your point of view, there are

some students who will end up being unnecessary for three years. If such students are given

these points, there is a risk that they will end up being a waste of treasure.

Option 2 is also not cheap, as the amount of private points that will be transferred will be halved.

In addition, only one student will be awarded. However, being able to choose any student is an

important factor.

Option 3 is the choice to minimize the loss of private points as much as possible. This will be the

choice you will make if you decide that your protection points are too high, or if you don't need

them in the first place. However, remember that even though there are five of you, you still have

to bear the disadvantage.

It would be necessary to consider the class situation as well as the profit and loss calculation.

Some students may have a lot to say, but there is no other way but to vote first.

"Before we vote, let's talk about the case when the vote is unanimous on option 2, the option to

give to a particular student. If the vote is unanimous on option 2, you will not complete task 3,

but will continue on to the next option, which is to choose one student. You remember the

example, don't you?"

You will choose one student at the interval and collect votes in favour or oppose granting it to

that student. If the vote is unanimous in favor, the student will receive a protection point, and if

the vote is unanimous against, the student's chances in the task will be zero. The remaining 38

students will then discuss and select one student. Then the remaining 38 students discuss the

issue and select one person, and the issue has to be repeated in such a subdivided manner,

taking in favour and oppose again.

"With that in mind, we will announce the results of the first round of voting."

Results of the first round of voting:

1 vote to grant 3 random names,

5 votes to select 1 name,

22 votes not to grant.

The results of the first round of voting seemed to indicate that the majority of the respondents

were willing to waive the protection points in exchange for some inconvenience. That may be

so, as the five people who will lose their private points have already been determined to be the

bottom five in the written exam. For students who don't fall into that category, it's a risk-free part

of the process.

On the other hand, some may think that it is better to get protection points if they know that they

will not get private points for six months anyway.

"Hey, wait a minute! I don't understand something…"

"Me too, me too! If we don't get protection points, we'll lose five people's worth of private

points!"

Ike and Sato were the first to speak up, as they were the students who seemed to have the

lowest grades.

"Well, I guess we don't have a choice. It's a bit of a feeling that private points are not transferred

for half a year... And since the odds of random are low, and we're unlikely to get any specific

ones, So we will have to sacrifice..."

Sudo talks as if to tell that he is already out of the five lowest-ranked students in my academic

class.

"That's not fair! I need some private points right now too!"

"You're not going to tell me you're paying for a date with Shinohara, are you?"

"What? What? Seriously, how did you find out? Oh my god…"

He doesn't seem to be overwhelmed by the revelation of his use of the money, but it seems to

be a matter of life and death.

"It's a rule, a rule, It's all as well to say that you don't get it."

"I can't have that!"

"Then go study. That'll help, right?"

"The only thing I can't agree with is what Ken said."

Of course it's important to study and break out of the lower ranks, but no matter how many

points you score, you can't change the fact that five people will be sacrificed.

"I know what you mean, but it's too early to be pessimistic. The only thing you can do is

minimize the amount of Private Points you lose and make up for it with everyone else. The 5

person's worth of Private Points that will be lost each month will be raised and equalized by the

remaining 34 students. This way, all students will be satisfied, right?"

For simplicity, let's say one student gets 50,000 points per month, and five students lose

250,000 points. The remaining 34 students get 1.7 million points, and if you divide this by 39

and round down to the nearest whole number, you get 43589 points.

It is inevitable that we will lose some money, but we will only lose about 6500 points per head.

Even if it lasted for six months, the stress on each student would be minimized.

"Well, that's okay then. ・・・・・"

"I have to share, though. Oh well."

He seemed to be dissatisfied, but he was willing to help Ike in any way he could.

As many students wanted to go without the grant, opinions naturally began to converge in the

direction of sticking with option 3. But then, Yosuke spoke up.

"Horikita-san, do you think it's best to choose without the grant?"

"It's a tough call. To be honest, it's a pretty difficult choice. Protection points can be a very

powerful tool to prevent expulsion. But the same can be said for private points. Do you think

differently, Hirata?"

"It's just an opinion, but I think we should get some protection points for this assignment. For

three, of course."

"If I don't get any Private Points for six months, it's going to hurt a lot. Not only would it put a lot

of stress on your daily life, but it could also affect your special exams if the situation warranted

it."

There is no denying that private points can make the difference between victory and defeat.

"If something unforeseen happens, I can protect three people. There's only a very limited

number of times you can get protection points, and this is something valuable that can't be

simply priced out."

I can't help but understand Yosuke's somewhat heated appeal. The value of protection points

that can prevent expulsion is actually up to 20 million private points.

It is not often that you get the chance to get three of them.

Especially for Yosuke, who cares about his friends, it is a value that cannot be replaced by

money.

It's a different story than the destination of the school trip, one that is not easily unanimous.

It's hard to influence the course of the class in any travel destination, but this protection point is

also a class-wide issue. If you gain it, it may save someone.

"I'm sorry, but I need to have a say in this."

At this point, Keisei stood up and expressed his opinion.

"For the next six months, we're going to increase our class points, right?"

"Of course. There's never a good time to stagnate when you're trying to move up in class."

"50 points for this special exam, 100 points if you place high at the cultural festival. If you get 50

points in this special exam and 100 points if you get a high rank in the cultural festival, and if you get similar points in the sports festival... by the end of the second semester, you might get

more than 200 points, or even 300 points depending on the situation. Can I think of it that way?"

"That's right"

If we increase the number of points by 300 by the end of the year, the class points will recover

to the point where we will be able to see around 1000 class points. If this is the case, the total

amount of private points paid out in six months will increase by 50% from the current level to

about 20 million points.

If you think about it, the maximum value of just one protection point is six months of class

income. It makes for a neat picture that seems to be calculated. However, if we choose three

protect points here, we get it at about 7 million private points per protection point.

It's a fine line, isn't it?

And the least likely, being given to one person instead of half, seems like a good combination of

advantages and disadvantages, but it is actually the least cost effective and hard to choose.

However, having the advantage of being the only one that can be given to a specific student

would be an important factor.

However, if we decide to give it to any one person, what awaits us is of course a vote for

unanimity.

If we bypassed this option and let it pass, there would be a possibility of a dispute over who to

grant it to.

"The idea of prioritizing private points is an offensive strategy, while the idea of prioritizing

protection points is a defensive strategy, right?"

When Kushida asks to sort out the situation, the three people who are now standing nodded

almost simultaneously.

"But if you don't use your protection points, you run the risk of it turning out to be an expensive

purchase, right? Of course I'm fine with that. ・・・・・・"

In order to make that fact known, it would be inevitable to talk about it.

"Yes. After all, if you never use it, it's worthless. Of course, there is a sense of security and relief

that comes with having protection points. ..."

"It may or may not be worthless. Even if it ends up being unnecessary in its original use, it can

be used as a surprise attack or self-destruct by using a strategy that intentionally consumes

Protect Points. It could be used not only for protection but also for offensive purposes."

I can understand why Keisei tells us that protection points can be used in many ways.

It's also a great advantage to be able to fight back against being able to prevent expulsion.

But we won't know what the special exam will be until later, unless we get the full picture.

There is no guarantee that we will ever have the opportunity to put it to good use in the future.

But this assignment, or rather the special exam, is deeper than I thought.

Even though the content of the assignment is the same for all classes, the situation of the

assignment is changed according to the rank and status of the class.

If the class points are equal to zero, we unanimously agree on the option of getting three

protection points without any quarrels. It will be a good opportunity for the other classes to follow

suit. On the other hand, for Class A, which is in sole possession of first place, it would have

been a more expensive purchase than the other classes.

Each task may seem less meaningful than the next, but the gap can certainly be narrowed.

On the flip side, the first and third options can be seen as somewhat inconvenient choices for

Class A.

"Then Yukimura-kun. So you're saying that we should grant protection points to three people?"

Horikita tries to take the word in order to make a final confirmation and narrow down the options.

"No. ... The second option I would suggest. The one that grants Protect Points to any one

student."

Horikita was surprised by the development that he wanted option 2, which was thought to be the

most unlikely.

"Does that mean, for lack of a better word, that I should grant it to you?"

"I'd be honestly flattered if you did. But that's not realistic. I'd want you to grant it to yourself,

because that's basically what all of us would do."

If you ask for a simple show of hands, it would not be surprising if the entire class raises their

hands.

"It's hard to pick out a specific person. But no matter how much of a bargain it is, we don't know

how well giving protection points to three random people will work."

"You seem to have a clear idea of who you want to give to. Who do you want to give it to?"

"If we're going to make a strategic decision... Horikita, I think it's going to be none other than

you."

Keisei said clearly.

"... me?"

"Yeah. Now you're a strong leader in this class. I have no complaints about your ability in OAA.

In the future, when competing with people like Sakayanagi and Ryuen, the role of leader is the

most dangerous. I'm not surprised that those two would try to expel you without mercy. If that's

the case, giving you protection points so that you can strategize against the strongest

opponents from other classes without fear. I imagined such a situation."

Normally, there would be some hostility, but naturally, the classmates listened.

Because she had a solid reason, not a random one.

"That's not the only reason. Normally, when you have a protection point, there is a risk of

loosening up. You'll be able to get the best out of it. But maybe you're not that kind of person,

・・・・・・, I felt that way."

It's not just a matter of giving it to someone who has the ability, but someone who can do more

for the class after being given it. That's who Horikita is, Keisei said.

"I know what you're saying, but that's a lot of money."

If it is not granted to you, you will simply lose half of your private points for six months.

It's no wonder some students think like Hondo.

"I feel like I'm losing money because I think I'm just losing private points. This is an upfront

investment. Horikita will turn it into more class points than you pay for this option. Wouldn't it be

easier to think that way?"

"That's a lot of money... and it maybe doesn't work, you know?"

"I don't believe you can win Class A without taking risks. I've been fighting at this school for a

year and a half myself."

"Hmph. Isn't that a good idea? I'm with you on that suggestion, Glasses-kun."

Koenji, who had thought that he would have nothing to do with this special test, suddenly

showed his approval with words.

"For the amount of protection points I'm giving, you can have the Horikita girl work harder than

anyone else."

"You've got protection points, but you don't seem to be trying very hard."

"Hard work is for ordinary people."

Koenji paid no attention to the wild taunts from Sudo.

Anyway, it's great that we got the support of Koenji, which seemed to be the biggest hurdle.

I was thinking of option 1 or 3, but I agree with Keisei's presentation.

Above all, if you are going to disagree with him further here, you need to have a good reason.

In the atmosphere created by Keisei, the next voting time arrived.

Results of the second round of voting:

0 votes for granting to 3 random people,

39 votes for granting to 1 person,

0 votes for not granting.

It was a brilliant stitch in time, and Keisei's idea was adopted.

However, the only thing that makes it somewhat troublesome is that there is an interval between

the choices of the target.

This time, no student appeared to object to Horikita being given a protection point, so the

students were free to speak and pass the time during the interval. Without needing to hold a nomination vote, it was decided that Horikita would run for the position herself and become the

designated person.

And without any disturbance, the vote was unanimous with 39 votes in favor of Horikita.

This was an issue that I thought would be difficult to deal with, but the fact that it passed more

smoothly than I expected was significant.

"This concludes assignment three. For the next six months, all private point transfers will be at

half price equally, but protection point for Horikita will be granted at this time."

Of course, She couldn't make use of it in this special test, but this succeeded in giving Horikita,

the leader, a valuable protection.

It was not a cheap purchase, but it was not too expensive either.

Task 4:

The following selected rules will be applied to the class in the written exam at the end of

the second semester.

Choices :

Increased difficulty

Increased penalties

Decreased rewards

What a nasty choice!

None of this is a disadvantage to the class.

If it had been a time when private conversation was allowed, there would have been a lot of

grumbling.

Results of the first round of voting:

6 votes for increased difficulty,

18 votes for increased penalties,

15 votes for decreased rewards.

All of these are basically options that we don't want to choose, and the vote is split.

The task seemed to be prolonged, as there was then a heated debate between students who

were confident in the written test and those who were not, but the next second vote led to a

unanimous result with the option of 'increase the penalty'.

Horikita's strong persuasion that it would not be difficult to avoid the penalty if they worked

diligently also seemed to have worked.

PART 3

With a time limit of five hours, we reached the final task in about an hour.

Many of the students must have thought that they were sure of clearing the exam from the

steady flow. After the last question, the special exam would be cleared and 50 class points

would be awarded.

"That brings us to our next and final task."

But if there's one thing that concerns me, it's the state of my homeroom teacher.

As each task progressed, it was obvious that the expressions of Chabashira sensei were

changing for the worse. It was clear to the students that she had finally reached her peak and

was looking pale.

"Sensei, are you all right?"

Even though the assignment has not been announced yet, private conversation is not

something you can do.

However, Yosuke said that he could not overlook it.

"..... what? It's fine."

"No, you're obviously not feeling well."

"..... Really? No, it's not. I am fine."

It doesn't look like it's a bluff.

In other words, she doesn't even realize that something is wrong with her.

Or should I say, subconsciously.

Anyway, once he was told that this was not the case, Yosuke had no choice but to back off.

The teacher watching in the background did not move, so the final task would probably begin at

this point.

But one thing is for sure. That the next challenge for the class has a lot to do with Chabashira

sensei's current physical condition.

"Now, I will display the final task. Prepare to vote."

She told us so, and then operated the tablet in her hand as she adjusted her breathing.

The the last task was displayed in front of us.

Task 5:

Instead of one classmate being expelled, you get 100 class points.

(If the vote is unanimous in favor, identify and vote on the student who will be expelled.)

Choices :

Agree

Disagree

The last task is the only task with the fewest options so far.

At first glance, we tend to think that the fewer the number of options, the easier it is to choose

between them.

But in reality, the number of choices does not have much influence.

If there are a lot of strangers in the room, or if it's not possible to have a discussion, having a

large number of options is a disadvantage, but in our class, we can have a discussion.

The important thing is always the content of the task.

Withdrawal or Class Points

This was one of the worst challenges I had ever expected to have to face.

The students, who are not allowed to speak privately, would have been upset to read the

assignment out loud in their minds.

If we vote yes on this issue, it means that one student will be expelled from the class.

Under normal circumstances, the entire class should vote "no" without hesitation.

100 class points is not a small number, but most of us would prefer not to have one of our

classmates expelled instead.

If this were a majority vote, it would probably take only one voting round, with a majority against,

and that would be the end of it.

However, the past four questions have proven that it doesn't work that way.

That's the unanimous, simple yet difficult point.

"We will now begin a sixty-second count, and everyone, please begin voting."

There was no time to waste, and the 60-second voting period began.

If the vote is unanimous in favor of the proposal, the selection of students to be expelled from

this class will begin in a hurry.

Again, of course, almost no student would want to do that.

100 class points, not really something that must be earned.

If this were the last semester of the third grade, with only one or two more special exams left, I

wouldn't have been in the same mental state as I am now.

The value of these 100 points jumps up when it's a close battle for a single point. At that time, a

battle between the ultimate two choices could be waiting for us.

However, the situation is different now. This is not a situation where almost everyone is unsure

about voting 'no'.

Still, it is true that there are a few concerns, including Koenji.

That's why I'm here, with my hands off the tablet, thinking slowly.

The agreement with Horikita is that my role on the first vote, no matter what the issue, is to vote

for option 1, but if 38 people, including Horikita, are voting against it now, it would be better to

vote against it without an interval and combine them into 39 votes.

This is a task that should be finished quickly, without leaving any unnecessary gaps.

There is no guarantee that a student will not be swayed by 100 points once the discussion is

started.

I decided that this was the only task for which I did not need an interval.

After close to 60 seconds, you will see a notification that all votes have been cast.

"I'll pass along the results now that everyone ... has voted."

Despite having a clear change, Chabashira sensei continues to move forward while maintaining

her posture.

Results of the first round of voting:

2 in favor,

37 opposed.

Not unanimous, huh?

I took my finger off the button and quietly looked at the results.

"....."

Chabashira sensei, who should be reading out the results, remains motionless, staring at the

monitor, just like the students.

The results are surprising: ...the votes were split in a way that did not lead to a "yes" vote.

There is no guarantee that it can be unanimous at once without an interval.

Then again, maybe it's the challenge itself that Chabashira sensei is concerned about.

"Chabashira-sensei. Please proceed."

The teacher cautions from behind to Chabashira sensei, who was stopped for some time, albeit

for a few seconds.

"... Sorry. Uh, ・・・・・・, 2 votes in favor, 37 opposed. Since it was not unanimous, we will go

into the interval."

Two votes in favor.

"Who the hell voted for it? Are you fucking kidding me?"

Sudo's strong gaze is one-sidedly directed at Koenji, even though Sudo said, "Who voted for it?"

Although Koenji made some remarks about the protection points, he did not stand out much, but

the content of the issue was enough for him to get a hit.

Of course, that was a foregone conclusion for Sudo, but I'm sure many of the students agreed.

"Which one did you choose, Koenji?"

"Do I have to answer that?"

"If you can't answer, it means you voted yes, right?"

"Don't be so judgmental, Red Hair-kun. In the first place, according to the Horikita girl, you

should be allowed to make an arbitrary choice in the first round of voting. I don't think there's

any reason to complain about which one I choose."

After a good argument, Sudo becomes blatantly unhappy.

"If one vote is from Koenji, that means there's another person who voted yes, right?"

Ike focused on the part where one vote remains even if Koenji is excluded.

"That's a problem, too. Who the hell did it?"

Sudo shouted in annoyance, as if he couldn't figure out who the other one was.

"Don't panic. One of the people who voted yes was Ayanokoji-kun."

"What? Ayanokoji agrees? How can you say that, Suzune?"

"I've been keeping it a secret up to this point, but before this special exam started, he and I

made a pact about voting. Whatever the subject matter, I've arranged it so that the first vote will

not be unanimous."

As we arrived at the last task, Horikita mentioned the contents of the preliminary meeting.

Surely there is no advantage to keeping it hidden when it gets to this stage.

It's obviously more of a waste of time and effort to find out who the one vote is.

"To avoid unanimity on unexpected choices, right?"

Yosuke added a few words to make it easier for the students who were not fully understanding.

"Yeah…"

"Oh, that's what you mean. But you should have told me about it earlier."

"Not so fast. The first round of voting, when you're not allowed to talk, is an important

opportunity to get a good idea of what your classmates want. If they knew that we were planning

to prevent unanimity from the start, some students might just vote randomly. I wanted to avoid

that. It was his role to vote for the first option. I'll vote for the second. That's why one more

person voted yes."

Looking around the classroom, Horikita speaks to everyone.

" It's a bit of a radical agenda, but it's up to the individual to decide which way they want to vote.

I don't think it's wrong to vote yes in order to gain class points. However, I think we should all

come together as a class and vote against it. If you have any objections, I would appreciate it if

you could raise them here, as you have in the past."

Normally, this is where the students who voted yes would come forward.

But no matter how long they waited, no one answered Horikita's question.

"How long are you going to keep your mouth shut, Koenji?"

"Huh. I'd like you to not assume that I'm in favor of this, as I said before."

"Shut up. I know you're messing with me anyway."

If it wasn't Koenji, he might have been too amused by Sudo's anger to tell her(Horikita) that it

was him.

If the vote is unanimous in favor, the vote to expel one person from the class will begin.

In other words, someone who wants to expel one classmate to gain 100 class points. It would

attract attention and criticism in a bad way. The real intention is that no one wants to think that

way.

"That's enough."

"Calm down, Sudo-kun. It's only the first round of voting, there's no need to panic."

"Hey! But I don't like the fact that someone voted for this option."

"It's up to you to interpret it that way. But I have no proof that it was Koenji-kun. And whoever

voted in favor of it, I interpreted the fact that they didn't come forward as a sign that they were

sorry. Since this is an anonymous vote, let's not pursue it too deeply here; if you vote no on the

second vote, it will be unanimous. That should be enough."

The task was clear. Horikita seemed to have decided that there was no need to spend any extra

time on it.

As I thought to myself, not pursuing it was one of the best choices we could make right now.

"There's no need for further discussion on this issue. Come on, let's finish it in the next vote."

Seeing Horikita's calmness, Sudo also slapped both cheeks once as if to discipline himself. And

with a little unrelated chit-chat, it was time for us to vote for the second time.

"We will now begin a 60-second poll."

The Tablet screen switches to show the approval and disapproval buttons.

Instead of having 60 seconds to vote for everyone, the voting seemed to be completed in about

20 seconds.

"...Voting has ended, we will show the results of the second round of voting."

Results of the second round of voting:

2 in favor,

37 opposed.

Up to this point, the special examinations have not created a strong sense of tension. However,

the moment this second result was announced, the atmosphere of the place clearly froze. Once

again, the result was two votes in favor.

It means that the votes were not moved even after the explanation given earlier.

This fact was conveyed to me from the monitor.

"Wait a minute. ... What's this all about?"

Horikita looked at, as she said this, of all people, me.

Why did you vote yes the second time? That's the question she is asking.

Sudo and the other students who understood what she just explained also looked at me.

"I voted against both the first vote and the second vote now."

"What? Oh, hey, what's that? Ayanokoji was supposed to be option one, right?"

"Yeah. But because of the content of the assignment, I decided on my own that it would be

better to pitch against it the first time. I didn't tell you that because I didn't want to cause any

unnecessary confusion."

If there were two people in favor of the first vote, the motion would increase.

The reason for this is that we can't just say, "This is just a joke from Koenji anyway," and be

done with it.

Horikita, who had kept her composure up to this point, was a little distraught.

"So .... ...So there's at least two people who think it's a good idea."

Horikita puts her hand to her lips and thinks.

You may want to stop and think about it, but the interval is precious.

"If you're going to continue to vote in favor of the motion, I'd like you to tell me exactly why

you're in favor of it. As you can see, thirty-seven people voted no, except for two. If you want

everyone to vote yes, you'll have to make a reasonable presentation."

The basis for swaying votes is discussion.

As more and more people decide that there are greater advantages in favor of the proposal, the

vote will naturally shift.

On the other hand, if you don't have a discussion, it's not easy to sway votes.

However, the answer to that question was silence from everyone.

"Hey, Horikita-san. We're going to be okay, right? No one is going to drop out of our class,

right?"

Kushida, who was worried, couldn't stand the silence and asked Horikita the same question.

"My policy is, as I said, no one gets expelled."

Horikita reiterates her decision, but after that the silence begins again.

It's easy to say that, however…

"I don't know who's against it. But I want you to listen carefully."

Yosuke stood up and spoke gently but forcefully.

"You shouldn't choose to cut off your classmates in order to gain class points. I don't think the

points gained from such a choice are worth it, even if they were 500 or 1000 points. The most

you can get here is 100 Class Points here which is not worth dropping out someone."

The appeal of a man who most hates to sacrifice anyone is a natural one.

Thirty-seven out of the thirty-nine understood that to some extent, as Yosuke had said.

He thinks we can spare 100 class points, but we can't afford to drop out of school.

But whether it is a true intention or not is another matter.

Even before the first vote, the outcome of the vote in favour and oppose this issue was heavily

influenced by silent peer pressure.

There must be some students in the class who think that they will never be expelled.

In such a situation, it is not surprising that some of us would not really care about the sacrifices

of our classmates.

"It's getting interesting, isn't it, this special exam? It's pretty cool."

Koenji started laughing with amusement and continued.

"I thought you'd vote no on the second voting round, except for me."

Koenji replied without seeming to take offense.

"Except you... so it's you, Koenji!"

"Koenji, is that the truth? If you're going to be a wild man here, it's going to cause a mess, so I'd

rather you didn't."

Horikita reaffirms her priority to first clarify whether he was really against it or not.

"Rest assured, I voted yes the first time and the second time."

"Can you tell me why ・・・・・?"

"The answer is simple. 100 more class points, right? That means you'll inevitably get more

private points every month, and there's no reason to choose the opposite."

"You've got to be kidding me. You think class points are more important than your friends?"

"You have a funny way of saying things. You didn't look like that when you first came here, did

you?"

"Shut up!"

"I'm voting yes, so of course I'll take that into account."

"You don't know what you're talking about. ・・・・・・・"

"Friends? I've never considered you my friends."

"You mean you're not going to vote against it next time?"

"Of course, I'll continue to vote yes if things continue as they are. I'm sure the Horikita girl

doesn't want to run out of time, does she?"

"What? Don't think things will go as you wish, Koenji. If that's the way you're going to do it, I'll

show you no mercy, Suzune. We can all vote yes and have Koenji expelled!"

I'm sure it's an answer that you arrived at out of the blue, but it is also true that this issue has

such an aspect for those who agree. It is also possible to unite and expel the bad guys who say

that their classmates can drop out.

People subconsciously choose what they want to believe, and then justify the reasons for their

choices.

Nobody wants to drop out, but it can't be helped because there are students who agree.

The brain starts to work to justify that the person should be expelled.

It also believes in convenient logic, conspiracies, and misinformation.

"It would be nice if everyone voted yes. But don't think you can get me expelled for it. Isn't that

right? Horikita girl."

Of course. If Koenji came forward and said he was one of those who voted in favor of the

project, it was only natural that the people around him would make a fuss about expelling him.

There was no way that this man did not understand this.

But as he was showing off his spare time, Koenji would never be expelled.

"..... .... He's right. You can't expel Koenji-kun."

"What do you mean?"

"I made a promise to Koenji-kun before the desert island test started, remember? If he won first

place in the desert island test, I would protect him until he graduated."

I'm sure my classmates remember that exchange.

"It was unexpected for him to get first place. But thanks to that first place in the exam, our class

is now in line for B class. That's an immense achievement."

"Well, that's true, but... But if you're trying to bring down the class, that's a different story!"

"I'm sorry you feel trapped. I'm just freely choosing the choices that are entrusted to me. You

can't assume that voting yes is a bad thing, can you?"

If the content of this task is "You may drop out of class up to one person. And If it says "yes or

disagree", it can be said that throwing in favor is just evil. However, in this case, instead of

dropping out, you get class points.

While it is difficult to put a concrete figure on the value of a single student, no one has the right

to deny that Koenji has the right to calculate that it is more beneficial to agree.

With a good argument and a promise, there was no way Horikita could vote for Koenji's expulsion.

"Yes, yes. You can just go back on your word! If Koenji doesn't consider his classmates to be his

friends, no one will be bothered if he gets expelled!"

"I can't. I'm not going to break my promise to him."

"I guess so. No one will trust a class leader who doesn't keep her promises. In that sense, I trust

you more than anyone else right now, Horikita girl."

The troublesome parts of Koenji came out.

Now that this has happened, Horikita must first persuade Koenji to do whatever it takes.

But there is still plenty of opportunity for that.

Even if you believe that Horikita will basically never betray you, that doesn't mean that Koenji is

100% protected. The possibility that Horikita will cut Koenji off must be kept in the corner of her

mind.

In other words, Koenji will change his attitude if the seeds of such a change appear.

However, it is difficult to move in that direction.

Horikita, who has begun to become aware of herself as a leader, If immediately cuts off Koenji,

who gives the results.Then that choice will be a major hindrance in the future.

"If you're not going to cut Koenji out, what are you going to do, Suzune?"

She can't just sit back and say, "Give me some time to think."

Yes, it would have been nice if the only person in favor was Koenji.

The part about there being another proponent who has not come forward should not be

overlooked.

"I wonder if anyone who voted in favor of the motion, with the exception of Koenji-kun, can come

forward and tell us."

If we don't know that, we can't move forward.

But all that came back was a deep and long silence.

If they come forward here, there is a fear that they will be threatened and even argue that they

are unnecessary, just like with Koenji.

In fact, it's probably even more frowned upon than Koenji.

No answer other than silence was returned.

Eventually, time ran out, and the third voting time would come unavoidably.

The unfortunate thing is that there is no limit to the number of times you can vote.

If time permits, the chance to make it unanimous will come every ten minutes.

Results of the third round of voting:

2 in favor,

37 opposed.

As in the past two times, two people, Koenji and someone invisible, voted in favor.

For now, many students still place more emphasis on Koenji, but I wonder if they will eventually

notice it.

It won't be long before we'll have to face the reality that there are students who have not come

forward and continue to watch vigilantly for their approval. We are about to face the danger of anonymity, a danger that we had hoped to avoid the most. But the first priority is to deal with

Koenji.

There will be no solution unless we turn the yes votes here into no votes.

"It's hard to ignore who's voting yes. But it's not absolute. I think there are certain beliefs that

only the person in question has because they are so stubbornly in favor of it. If that's the case,

I'm going to speak to Koenji-kun and the other person at the same time."

Not wasting any time, Horikita began to collect her thoughts.

"Thirty-seven of us will continue to vote no, and two of you will continue to vote yes. The worst

thing that can happen is that we run out of time. As classmates, we lose the same number of

class points, so it seems like a painful split for both sides, but we, who are opposing, lose only

class points but not our friends. We can get through this special exam without anyone dropping

out. But the protesters or who are in favour will lose a lot instead of gaining the only advantage.

Am I right?"

She told specific gains and losses, and explained the risk of ending the test in disagreement.

Of course, one who cannot be seen will not answer anything, but what about Koenji?

"If we're running out of time, so be it. So go ahead and vote yes."

Koenji tells Horikita to go along with it as if it were a matter of course.

"・・・・・・ Sure, if it's unanimous in favor, we'll take a step forward. But then there's the even

bigger hurdle of deciding which of your classmates to expel. You don't think it's going to be easy

to get a unanimous vote, do you?"

"It's your job to make it work, Horikita girl. Besides, it's not such a bad thing to have someone

drop out, is it?"

"That's not true. No one should be expelled."

Before Horikita can argue with him, Yosuke tells Koenji.

"I don't get it. You guys seem to be afraid of having students drop out, but wouldn't it be easier

for you mentally to see this as a positive? You can delete any unwanted student you want, and

you can even get class points. If you change your mind a little bit, you'll see what a great choice

it is to vote yes. The one person besides me who is voting yes knows that."

It's a sharp idea, but it's reason enough to vote yes.

"I don't think that's true, Koenji-kun. It's not a positive thing to lose someone from this class."

As if in response to Yosuke, Kushida also said that classmates should be prioritized.

In response, the opponents, who had not spoken much until now, began to voice their

objections at once.

But Koenji didn't soften his attitude, he just smiled.

Koenji, the person I wanted to get the most out of, did not respond to the debate, and it was

time to vote for the fourth time.

Results of the fourth round of voting:

2 in favor,

37 opposed.

The third interval began with a signal from Chabashira sensei, after tens of minutes of appeals

that had no effect whatsoever.

"What am I supposed to do? I don't know, maybe I could just punch him in the face, knock him

out, and vote on my own!"

"I don't think so. ------ Let's try to be objective here for once. If you do that, you may find that

your thinking changes as well."

Horikita is forced to try other approaches to avoid a parallel course of events.

"What do you mean, "objective"?"

"It's just a question of which of the three classes, excluding us, will choose."

"That's ..... Definitely Ryuen's class is going to cut off the one student."

Sudo says without hesitation, crossing his arms at the back of his head.

Many of the classmates seemed to agree with him and said, "Indeed."

Looking at the way he has been acting and thinking, there is certainly a good chance of that

happening.

"Yes, it may indeed be the class with the highest probability."

"On the contrary, Ichinose's class will never do it. What about Sakayanagi-san's class?"

Ryueen's class is expected to be more in favor of the assignment.

Ichinose class, on the other hand, is expected to oppose.

And Sakayanagi class has the potential to be both.

Coincidentally, the three classes all have different themes, an interesting result shared by the

classmates.

In this case, there was almost no discussion about Ichinose's class, which was known to be

against the idea. After all, the focus of the discussion would be on Ryuuen's class.

"I don't want to be overtaken by Ryuen. There is momentum right now, so we should step out

and be in B class, right?"

"Even so, it won't make much of a difference. Even without the lead we have now, the difference

in class points is 100, and one special exam is enough to make up for it."

"I know what you mean. Still, let me just say one thing."

Akito, who had been quietly working on the special exam until now, broke his silence when it

came to the last task.

"Unlikely. But it's possible that these 100 points will make you regret one day, isn't it?"

"What the hell, Miyake, does that mean we have to send someone to drop out?"

"Don't get me wrong. I'm explicitly against it."

He looked more annoyed than angry, and countered.

"I think it's best to get to Class A without missing anyone from this class. That's why I think we

need to understand the weight of 100 points and not take it lightly."

"What do you mean?"

"It means that we all need to express our opposition to the idea of a future where this special

exam is the turning point as we approach graduation."

It was wrong to vote against it without preparation, was Akito's opinion.

"Well, I certainly didn't think anything of it. ..."

You have to be against it without a second thought. The students find themselves in the shadow

of such peer pressure.

"Koenji. I'm well aware that you were active in the desert island test. I think it's strange that you

should get the vote to expel, even without your promise to Horikita."

In addition to Horikita and Sudo, Akito also turns his thoughts to Koenji.

"But even so, you can't annoy the class as long as you want. Class points aren't the only thing

that makes a relationship work. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Huh ..... …"

Closing his eyes, Koenji nodded deeply.

Then, whether he was thinking about something or not, he opened his eyes and took a glance

at Akito.

"Of course I have no idea."

"..."

"Think about how this school works. Everything is based on points earned. It's not about

friendship or affinity. Class points are used to determine the top classes, and private points are

used to determine individual assets. It's an inextricably linked evaluation system. I don't see

anything wrong with agreeing to make that a priority."

"You're so smart. You haven't contributed to the class in years! Just because you won first place

on a deserted island doesn't mean you can act like that all the time!"

"I think you need to look in the mirror, Red Hair-kun. I think it's pretty obvious who's contribution

to the class is greater, you or I."

Sudo's reputation is growing now, but when he first entered the school, he was a problem child

on par with Koenji. If you take into account the fluctuations in class points, Sudo's share is

worse than his.

"Well, it's not the class points that are important to me."

The attitude toward Koenji's approval, had seemed untenable up to this point.

However, Horikita did not miss this comment by Koenji.

"Class points don't matter to you, then these 100 points exist to you for private points, not to

move up to A class. So that's why you keep throwing your support behind it?"

"You're right. I want to agree with you for the sake of my private points, because two

assignments ago I chose to halve the amount of my private point transfer for six months. I drank

in the tears that it was necessary for you to protect me, but that's not going to happen this time."

He wants class points to make up for the private points he will lose.

It turns out that this is the reason why Koenji is in favor of it.

For some students, they may resent the fact that they are trying to expel a student for private

points. However, Horikita saw this as an opportunity.

"All right, Kōenji-kun, let's make a deal. It's not a bad deal for you."

"Huh? That sounds interesting. I'd like to hear your presentation."

Koenji welcomed the proposal without disinterest, but rather as if he had been waiting for it.

"If you vote no from now on, and the vote is unanimous, I will pay 10,000 private points on

behalf of the school every month from now until you graduate. This would be the equivalent of

100 more class points for you, right?"

"Yes, that would certainly make it pointless for Koenji-kun to vote yes."

"As expected of a Horikita girl, it didn't take you long to come to that conclusion."

"・・・・・・ You were in favor of bringing this proposal out from the beginning, weren't you?"

"It means my vote is worth it. I could raise the price, but I need the Horikita girl to be a reliable

ally. Let's make it work on those terms."

"Don't bother putting it in writing, right? We have Chabashira-sensei here, too."

"Of course, I don't expect you to go back on your promise. The deal is done."

Koenji voted in favor of the proposal, which seemed to be unmovable.

He finally moves and makes you promise to pitch in against it.

The fact that he dared to continue to vote in favor of the proposal and let Horikita bring it to him

was a masterstroke.

This was the fifth time we voted.

The fact that Koenji made it clear that he was going to turn against them must have had an

effect on the invisible one.

It would not be easy for just one person to continue to speak out against it, even if he or she is

anonymous.

In other words, it's a vote that has the potential to go the other way without persuasion.

But…

Results of the fifth round of voting:

1 in favor,

38 opposed.

Koenji changed his vote from yes to no, but there was still one vote left in favor.

You may want to take some of the weight off your shoulders, but the real battle seems to be

here.

Absolute yes vote by anonymous person.

In order to break through this, we still need to find out who is voting yes.

But it is more difficult than anything else.

The tablet is basically impossible to spy on, but you can see where you touch with your

fingertips if you want to. However, the school has anticipated this and the order of the choices is

randomized from the beginning. It is impossible to check each other's finger movements

because the choices are switched each time the vote is taken. There is no other way.

"Well, it looks like things aren't going to be easy."

"As I was saying, unless there's a unanimous vote to the contrary, the deal you just made is null

and void."

"I know, I know. I understand, but if the vote is unanimous in favor of it, or if we run out of time,

I'll be forced to give up."

As long as it's anonymous, there's no way to prove that Koenji didn't vote yes, except by

unanimous vote of opposition. He doesn't seem to think that he can get private points for any

other choice. If he votes as he pleases here, the good deal for him will be lost."

More than anything, making an enemy of Horikita would be inconvenient for Koenji, who wanted

to have an easy time.

We had about three hours left.

Despite her struggles, Horikita is making progress toward breaking through with a solid strategy.

However, it is also a fact that we cannot continue to stand by.

We need to get it to unanimity before the remaining time runs out.

Until then, I'm just going to sit back and watch this war unfold, but I can give some support. I

coughed a couple of times during the interval.

Amidst the chatter, no one pays any attention to the unconscious coughing.

On the contrary, it's just a coughing fit that you can hear if you are aware of it.

"You know, Horikita-san…"

"...… Yes, Karuizawa-san?"

"This is just me, but maybe you have an idea of who's voting yes?"

"Why do you think that?"

Horikita's face showed her surprise at Kei's unexpected suggestion.

"I just kind of thought so."

The Horikita of the past would have taken it as a mere thoughtful remark. But now that the fact

that Kei and I are dating is out in the open, that's when things start to change.

"Yes, yes... You're right, Karuizawa-san. I may have an idea who keeps voting yes."

"Why don't you just say it? Who the hell is it?"

"I can't tell you that. This special exam is an anonymous poll. If you say a name just because

you think of it, you can't take it back if you're wrong."

"But…!"

"... I know. That's why I think I need to prepare myself. We'll have time for a few more votes.

When the number of votes in favor still doesn't reach zero, ..... I'll have no choice but to

mention your name then."

"I want you to wait, Horikita-san. I don't agree with you. As Horikita-san just said, there's no way

to be sure who's voting for whom this time. I don't think it's acceptable to name just

because you have an idea. Of course, I'm not talking nonsense just because I don't want

anyone to drop out, you understand that, right?"

"I agree with Hirata-kun. I don't think it's right to say something without absolute certainty."

Kushida also says uneasily that she agrees with Yosuke.

Starting with the two's opinions, the students were filled with anxiety.

If Horikita misunderstood me in some way and mentioned my name, I would be criticized.

If you are asked why you are voting yes when you are voting no, you will be under siege with no

way out.

If 38 people vote in favor of the proposal because they are in a hurry to run out of time, it will be

inevitable that the named person will be discussed as a target for expulsion.

"I know. ... I know, that's why I haven't said the name so far. But I can't let my time run out.

Isn't that right?"

"I understand my feelings. I'm different than before. I feel like I'm ready if I'm forced to make the

choices I really need, but that must be 100%."

"I know how you feel. I'm not the same person I used to be, and if I have to make a really

necessary choice, I'm willing to make it. But it has to be 100%."

"・・・・・・ Yeah."

He tried to make some more changes to the situation, which was starting to get heavy.

"Besides Horikita, can you think of anyone else who keeps voting yes?"

"I don't see anyone. I don't know why anyone other than Koenji would be so stubbornly in favor

of this."

Such a question of Sudo's would not be something only one person would have.

The idea is to tolerate such a situation, which will result in expulsions.

"If you know who it is, even if you can't name them, it might change your mind a little. I'd like you

to raise your hand if you have any doubts."

She asked again to make sure.

However, none of them had any idea who it might be.

"Yosuke. I don't want to doubt anyone, but if Yosuke has a wide friendship with both men and

women, isn't there anyone who comes to mind?"

"No. I'm not lying, I really can't think of any."

"Well, .... Then how about Kushida?"

Kushida didn't show any unusual emotion when I suddenly asked her to talk.

Rather, Horikita looks back a little and is upset about what I intend to say.

"Who do you think voted yes?"

"Um Um ..... ..... Sorry Ayanokoji-kun, I'm with Hirata-kun, there's no girl that comes to mind."

"Kushida is the one who knows the class best. I thought she might know a bit about students

who are dissatisfied with the class. Everyone knows that she cares about the class more than

anyone else, and that she's always there to offer friendly advice. I hope you'll remember that

often."

Certainly, the class looked at Kushida expectantly.

"Ummm... .... I don't know if I can think of anything. But I'll be sure to let you know if I get caught

up in anything in the future."

"Ah. Please, I have a feeling that the presence of people like Yosuke and Kushida is essential

for this last special exam."

Without the combined efforts of all of us, it will be difficult to break through this challenge by

opposition.

But such cooperation was not enough, and the result of the sixth round of voting was also

posted on ....

Results of the sixth round of voting:

1 in favor,

38 opposed.

Unchanging results.

Repeated discussions.

Results of the seventh round of voting:

1 in favor,

38 opposed.

Results of the eight round of voting:

1 in favor,

38 opposed.

The results continue to be the same, and the conversation becomes more and more silent. The

eighth interval began next. A little over an hour had passed since the start of this challenge.

Chabashira sensei almost collapsed with a loud thud.

She pressed her arms against the podium as if she was going to fall down, and managed to

prevent herself from collapsing.

"Huh…, huh..."

As the discussion continued, the breathing of Chabashira sensei, who had been standing at the

podium the whole time, became ragged.

"Sensei!?"

"It's okay. It's okay. ・・・・・・"

She said this and adjusted her posture as if she was trying to motivate herself.

Chabashira sensei stares at the students with vacant eyes, wondering what they are thinking.

Eventually, she exhaled heavily with some kind of determination.

"—The teacher is not allowed to guide students to a particular option. Naturally, I, for one, would

not do such a thing. But may I tell you an old story? Of course, it will take up a lot of your

valuable time. That is, if you don't mind."

"Ms. Chabashira. The teacher's statement itself is not forbidden, but if you violate the rules, you

won't get off scot-free either. If we deem it as an inducement to protect the class."

"Yes. If I see any intent to induce choice, I am prepared to be punished."

By answering that she understood, the teacher at the back could only be silenced.

As a matter of course, an unexpected proposal came from Chabashira sensei, who had never

intervened in the special exam.

It could be seen as a ray of light in this stalled environment.

"We are now suffering from this situation. As long as it doesn't affect our choices, please tell us

what you have to say, sensei."

If we can break the ice in some way, that would be welcome, that's what Horikita said.

Of course, if we're going to be honest, we want to have momentum for the 'oppose option'.

However, under the watchful eyes of the teacher at the back, direct expressions must be

avoided.

"I'm from the Advanced Nurturing High School. And I took this special exam when I was a

student."

Horikita and the rest of her classmates are surprised to hear her story for the first time.

"Sensei also took this unanimous special exam ...?"

"Yes, there were five tasks, some of which were slightly different, but the final task you are

facing right now is the same, word for word. You can either get class points for expelling people

or you can protect your friends and not get class points."

The students turned to look at Chabashira's statement that she had experienced the exact same

special exam.

"One thing is for sure. It's all about doing everything without regrets. In favour, oppose, or time

out. No matter which choice you make ... you shouldn't regret the result. Find a way. There is

still time left. "

For the first time, everyone listens to Chabashira sensei as she speaks to her students with real

emotion.

It does not guide you to choose any option, nor does it offer solutions.

It's a solid piece of advice that is right on the edge of what a teacher can do.

The teacher, who was listening behind me, did not tell us that it was against the rules, and we

listened until the end.

I don't know if this will make a difference in the outcome.

However, she certainly provided the students with the words to face this special exam again.

Even with the supportive fire from Chabashira sensei, it was not a good idea to waste the

remaining interval time.

"The time is approaching when we must make up our minds.... But before you do, let me talk to

you one more time. I'm not your enemy... I'm on your side."

The names of the proponents must have crossed Horikita's mind many times.

Face, voice, eyes, breathing.

Horikita continues to try her best to persuade the person not to realize who the specific person

is.

I'm sure she has asked herself this question repeatedly.

I think we should just give them a name.

Still, I don't say it because Horikita really wants to be onto that side.

A plea that resembled a cry of grief.

With that, the ninth vote was taken.

The result —

Results of the 9th round of voting:

1 in favor,

38 opposed.

After all, the vote in favor of the proposal did not move.

Only one. There is one student who is forever hanging on to 100 Class points.

No — Some are clinging to the right to be forced to drop out.

This is the real truth that only I, or perhaps only the two of us, including Horikita, are aware of.

It is safe to assume that one person's thorough vote in favor of the assignment continues to

linger.

But there is no way to objectively confirm that the person is against it in this situation.

Horikita said that if time ran out, she would be forced to speak the name.

But in reality, no matter how many times the vote is repeated, Horikita never says her name.

"Are you against it?" She knows that there is no real point in asking such a question. In fact,

once she says her name, she will lose everything for the rest of her life.

Even though there was still some time left, the set time limit of two hours was approaching.

It's the deadline to make a big decision.