Chapter 367 Promoted to Class B! / Amasawa Ichika: I'm enrolling soon to expel Shimizu Akira
The next day, March 23rd.
Chabashira Sae succinctly announced the results of the Event Selection Exam.
"You performed exceptionally well in this competition. With a record of five wins and two losses, you defeated Class A and seized 90 class points from them. Additionally, as the victors, the school has awarded an extra 100 bonus class points. Class C has gained a total of 190 class points."
"Yes!"
"I can't believe we actually beat Class A!"
"This is all thanks to Shimizu-kun and everyone's hard work!"
Although the students of Class C already knew the outcome, hearing it officially from their homeroom teacher made it hard to contain their excitement.
Shimizu Akira checked his phone. The 5 million points from Sakayanagi Arisu had not arrived yet. According to rumors, she had fainted immediately upon learning the results last night and her current condition was unknown.
Shimizu wasn't a monster; he figured he could wait until she felt better before asking for the money. That said, he found it a bit much that she had fainted just from losing three consecutive rounds and being shut out.
'Is it really that serious?' He shook his head.
There were likely two reasons: first, Sakayanagi's body was naturally frail, and the emotional stress put too much load on her heart; second, she had likely never experienced true failure growing up, leaving her with zero resilience.
Still, it was good for her to suffer a setback. If she could learn to control her emotions and maintain her composure from this, it might actually be a good thing for her.
Setting the Sakayanagi matter aside, Shimizu turned his thoughts to the gains from this exam. The 2 million Sakayanagi paid him upfront for acting as the commander, the 1 million given by Chabashira-sensei, and the 5 million promised in the bet brought his total income for this event to 8 million private points. Aside from the surveillance equipment rental at the start of the year, this was his largest single payout to date.
"Sensei! Sensei! What are the specific points for all four classes now?"
"Yeah! We heard Class B next door lost to Class D..."
"Does that mean our rank went up too?"
Kanji Ike and Ken Sudou were bursting with excitement and couldn't wait to ask.
Chabashira-sensei allowed a rare smile to cross her face.
"Indeed, it is exactly as you think."
She turned and picked up a piece of chalk, writing the current class points on the blackboard:
1st Year Class A: 1181 - 90 = 1091 points 1st Year Class B: 932 - 90 = 842 points 1st Year Class C: 890 + 190 = 1080 points 1st Year Class D: 667 + 190 = 857 points
"..."
"Our points actually broke the one thousand mark!"
"Hey, that's not the point! Look closely at the other classes—we didn't just pass Class B, we're less than ten points behind Class A!"
"Is this for real? Are we... Class B now?"
"Hahaha! Amazing!"
The classroom went silent for a split second before erupting into cheers.
After all, they had started as Class D. Step by step, through the efforts of Shimizu Akira and everyone else, they had climbed from the bottom to Class B in just one year.
The joy was palpable.
"Wait! Don't celebrate too early... we're still in an alliance with Class B. If our rank passes theirs, will the alliance automatically dissolve?"
"Good point. How are we supposed to explain this to Ichinose and the others..."
"So what if we're rivals now? Is Class C supposed to be afraid of them?"
"Exactly! What is there to explain? We beat Class A fair and square!"
The class immediately split into two factions: those worried about the relationship with Class B, and those filled with confidence, believing Class C no longer needed the protection of an alliance.
At the podium, Chabashira Sae nearly laughed out loud. Why care about Class B? It was just Chie Hoshinomiya. No matter how much Chie liked to play tricks, she had been overtaken in just one year.
Thinking about it, it was all thanks to Shimizu Akira.
Without him as the commander in the Event Selection Exam, Class C would never have defeated Class A. He had to be rewarded.
While she didn't have extra private points on hand, the school would award 2 million private points the first time a class reached Class B.
She decided she would just give all of those points to him.
"Alright, settle down."
Chabashira-sensei tapped the podium to quiet the noise.
"We have formal classes this afternoon. This isn't spring break yet. Official vacation begins after the third-year graduation ceremony tomorrow. As for the changing of the class signs, that won't take effect until the first semester of your second year."
Chabashira felt a bit of regret about that herself. She wanted to swap those door signs immediately. Class B sounded better, looked better, and felt better. But rules were rules; she'd have to wait one more term.
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The atmosphere in Class D next door was equally good.
Through the efforts of Hiyori Shiina and the other students, Ryuen Kakeru and Ishizaki Daichi had not disappointed in the final doubles tennis match, narrowly defeating the duo of Ryota Beppu and Hayate Shibata.
The final score stood at 5-2. Like Class C, they had also been promoted—now becoming Class C.
"Shiina-san, you're incredible! You brought us back to our original position in one go!"
"Yeah! You did in your first month as leader what even Ryuen-san couldn't finish!"
"I think you're perfect to be our leader!"
The members of Class D looked toward Hiyori Shiina. Ryuen Kakeru felt a flash of annoyance, especially seeing even Ishizaki Daichi joining in the praise. It never felt great for a leader to see his subordinates suddenly admire someone else.
However, in all fairness, Ryuen couldn't find a single flaw in Hiyori's strategy and layout. It was beautifully done.
"It was just luck," Hiyori Shiina shook her head, her tone sincere. "If the seventh event hadn't happened to be related to physical ability, we might have only had four wins and three losses. There wouldn't be much of an advantage."
"Hey, Hiyori, no need to be so humble." Ryuen stood up, his face cold.
"You did well this time... So, do you actually plan to be the leader?"
If this woman really wanted to lead, Ryuen didn't know if he could accept being second-in-command. He even considered whether he should go back to being a "shut-in" for a while.
Hiyori shook her head. "No, I never planned to be the leader. I only stepped up because I had a Protection Point and wanted to give back to everyone. This success is also thanks to Ryuen-kun; it was his distraction of Ichinose that made Class B lower their guard."
She looked at Ryuen.
"I think it's more appropriate for Ryuen-kun to remain the leader. I can assist from the sidelines like before. That suits my personality better."
"..."
"True, you don't really like the spotlight."
"And Ryuen did win us a lot of points during the Forest School exam. Letting him be leader again isn't the worst idea."
The students whispered. Since Ryuen had stopped leading, the class atmosphere had drifted. Without his iron-fisted cohesion, they had returned to a scattered state. It was better to go back to the old model than to remain this disorganized.
Besides, Ryuen hadn't been hitting people randomly lately.
"Hmph. Then it's settled. I'm taking back the leader position." Ryuen reclaimed his spot without hesitation. In the crowd, only Tokito and his small group glared at him, but Ryuen couldn't be bothered with such insignificant players.
Manabe Shiho also glanced at him silently. In this special exam, it was her intel—discovering that Class B would definitely test on World History—that helped seal the victory. Ryuen's method of convincing her had been simple: a reward of 2 million private points plus a "tiny" bit of physical intimidation.
"But anyway!" Ryuen's eyes scanned the updated rankings on the blackboard, a grin slowly spreading across his face.
"Class B dropped straight to Class D... Class C became Class B, and Sakayanagi Arisu is stuck in the infirmary from rage. I wonder what kind of faces Ichinose and Kanazaki are making right now. Are they crying?"
He let out a low laugh. With Ryuen's malicious nature, there was no way he would miss a chance to see them suffer.
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That afternoon, the Chairman's Office.
Tsukishiro leaned back in his chair, opened his laptop, and reviewed the latest rankings for the first-year classes. The result was expected.
After all, look at who was in Class C: Shimizu Akira, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, and Rokusuke Koenji. Any one of those three was an "over-limit" existence.
But as he looked closer at the student rosters, he sensed something wrong. In terms of overall average ability, the weakest class was actually the original Class C.
Next was the original Class D, then Class B, and the strongest was Class A.
However, if one compared only the top five students of each class:
1st Place: Original Class D.
2nd Place: Original Class A.
"Why did Chairman Sakayanagi put Shimizu, Ayanokouji, and Koenji in the same class?"
Tsukishiro couldn't understand.
Such a distribution made it impossible for other classes to compete.
One was hard enough; three was a joke. If he wanted to take action against Ayanokouji or the original Class D, he'd have to worry about the reactions of the other two.
"No, when they rise to the second year, I must find an opportunity to split these three up."
Tsukishiro frowned. Without separating them, it would be difficult to manipulate things, and the other classes wouldn't stand a chance.
A few minutes later, he checked the time: exactly 3:00 PM. He opened a meeting software and uploaded all data on the first and second-year students, teacher information, and records of all past special exams to a shared space.
At 3:10, the video connected. On the other end, in a meeting room within a facility in Tokyo, sat two teenagers around fifteen or sixteen years old. They were 5th Generation White Room students about to enroll in Advanced Nurturing High School.
"You must carefully review all the materials I've uploaded before enrollment. This will help you integrate faster and master key information ahead of time—do you understand, 5th Generation?"
The red-haired girl waved her hand dismissively, indicating she understood. The brown-haired boy nodded slightly.
"Be clear on your primary mission: in the first semester, you must expel Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and Shimizu Akira, and bring the former back to the White Room. But the action must be covert. You must not expose your identities. If our actions reach the government's ears, it could damage Ayanokouji-sensei's reputation."
The red-haired girl smiled.
"To put it simply, we just pretend to be normal students and get them expelled in the name of class interests, right?"
"Correct, Amasawa Ichika," Tsukishiro nodded. "Also, Sensei emphasized that because this boy named Shimizu Akira has become close friends with Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, Sensei wants to see him expelled first."
As he spoke, he pulled up Shimizu Akira's profile.
Ichika Amasawa stared at the screen with interest.
'He's quite good-looking.'
But, becoming friends with that Ayanokouji Kiyotaka? And being able to piss off sensei to that extent...
'Just who is this guy?'
On the other side, the boy named Takuya Yagami simply couldn't comprehend it. He already had many issues with the so-called "Masterpiece."
The fact that Ayanokouji had made a friend? People from the White Room weren't supposed to have friends, only targets for use.
"Do not underestimate this Shimizu Akira. Even I have suffered a few losses at his hands. His strength is not inferior to Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's."
Tsukishiro clicked on the recording of Shimizu Akira participating in the boxing event yesterday. He had hoped Class A would send a formidable opponent to force out more of Shimizu's strength, but they had only sent a girl. Still, the footage was enough to catch a glimpse of his combat ability.
Even through the screen, one could feel Shimizu's effortless control.
Ichika leaned her chin on her hand. "Oh? Looks like he can fight... but against that level of opponent, you can't really see his true limit, can you?"
"Indeed," Tsukishiro admitted. "But you should be able to see his basic qualities: reaction speed, sense of distance, and rhythm control. All are far beyond an ordinary high schooler."
Takuya Yagami's frown deepened. "Is he a White Room product?"
"No," Tsukishiro shook his head.
"His background is clean. Parents deceased, raised in an orphanage—that's why he was scouted by this school."
"Isn't it a bit too clean?" Ichika tilted her head.
"Exactly. Perfection in being 'ordinary' is itself a form of being extraordinary." Tsukishiro closed the video.
"So, you cannot use brute force against him. Use the rules. Use the human heart."
Takuya was silent for a moment before asking, "Specifically, what is the plan?"
"Step one: Integration." Tsukishiro held up a finger.
"You will enroll as first-year freshmen and be inserted into different classes. Amasawa will go to Class A, and Yagami will go to Class B. First, settle your own classes and establish a firm foothold."
"Class A, huh..." Ichika twirled a lock of hair. "So, how should I, a junior, approach him? Hmm? The data says he's in the Boxing Club?"
"It seems you've already found an opening." Tsukishiro glanced at her. "Yagami, you are good at disguises. You can try to join the Student Council and look for opportunities there."
"Understood," Takuya Yagami nodded.
"One last point." Tsukishiro's gaze swept over them.
"Public contact between the two of you is forbidden. If necessary, I will issue instructions through an encrypted channel. In this school, you are just ordinary freshmen. Remember that."
The two replied in unison.
However, Ichika raised her hand.
"Tsukishiro-sensei, the opponents are two people. Is it just the two of us for this mission?"
"No," Tsukishiro shook his head.
"There are a few others. Though they aren't from the White Room, they are inextricably linked to Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. Some hate him, some are ordered to monitor him, and some have unclear stances. I will arrange for you to meet them in due time."
Ichika Amasawa giggled.
"Now that sounds interesting."
'So, there are other moles hidden among the students? This is just like a game of Werewolf.'
"Alright, finish reviewing the materials. Enrollment is set for early April. You have one week to prepare," Tsukishiro looked at the clock. "
Dismissed."
The screen went dark. Silence returned to the office. Tsukishiro leaned back, exhaling a long breath.
The board was set. Now, it remained to be seen if these pieces could shake those two monsters.
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