"Already? They're already expelled?!"
Chabashira's cold declaration rocked Class D. Every student's head snapped up at once, eyes fixed on the podium, as if trying to see whether she was joking.
But the sharper students—the ones who understood Chabashira—knew full well this wasn't a joke. It was the cruel truth.
With a heavy thud, Hirata collapsed forward as if an invisible hand had pulled the strength and bones right out of him. He barely stayed upright, arms braced weakly on the desk. "Chabashira-sensei... wh-what's going on here?"
Ike, utterly bewildered, cried out, "Expelled?! No—I didn't! I never volunteered to withdraw! Chabashira-sensei, there must be a mistake, right?!"
Yamauchi, meanwhile, had completely broken down. After being cursed at for begging, then getting a spark of hope from Hirata, now he'd been expelled just like that? The emotional whiplash had all but rendered him numb—unable to speak at all.
Faced with their frantic questions, Chabashira reached into her pocket for a cigarette—but thought better of it, considering she was in the classroom. "Just watch this. You'll understand."
She tapped on the projector remote, and a video started playing.
It had been edited for clarity, stringing together footage from the school's multi-angle surveillance. Each segment came with a clear date stamp.
First was Sudo, Ike, and Yamauchi—faces twisted in pervy grins—heading to Keyaki Mall to buy a toy car and a hidden camera. Then a series of clips showing Ayanokouji interacting with the three in various locations. And finally, the day of the pool trip during summer vacation: footage showing Yukio snatching a large backpack from the trio and exposing its hidden camera equipment, all right under the street surveillance camera.
"This is what happened," Chabashira said flatly. "So before the class voting phase even begins, Ike and Yamauchi have already been expelled. You two will come with me shortly to process the withdrawal paperwork."
She hated how this felt—but there was nothing she could do. This was the edited video Tsukishiro had compiled yesterday.
The video had also made one thing clear to the first-year homeroom teachers: Tsukishiro had come prepared. At least when it came to Sudo's voluntary withdrawal, Tsukishiro had investigated thoroughly—nothing had slipped through.
Ayanokouji, who had been quietly watching all this, finally grew wary. He'd originally believed that as long as Ike and Yamauchi were in the class, he'd be safe from elimination. No matter what, they'd be the likely targets in the vote.
But after seeing the edited footage—especially that part in the middle—he realized things had changed.
His frequent interactions with the trio were now out in the open. The students in Class D were starting to suspect that he might be one of them.
Those who already disliked the trio were now seeing him in a whole new light. Would they assume he'd been part of the peeping scheme too?
With Ike and Yamauchi already being removed, this video had been released at a very convenient time—too convenient. It was clearly meant to unite the class against him.
In short, whoever had edited this video had a vicious intent—they were aiming to destroy him. Or at the very least, get him expelled. This Acting Chairman that Chabashira mentioned—it was almost certainly someone sent by his father.
And in just that brief moment, Ayanokouji had already reached that conclusion.
Meanwhile, Yamauchi finally exploded.
"No! Why?! So what if we did do it?! We got caught by that bastard Yukio before it even worked! It was just an attempt! An attempt!"
"Disgusting."
Karuizawa couldn't hold back anymore. "And what if you had succeeded?! How many girls in this class—hell, in the whole school—would've had to suffer for it?! The school should punish you. You totally deserve this!"
But this time, none of her usual friends backed her up. Everyone was realizing something far more terrifying:
If Ike and Yamauchi had already been dealt with... and this special exam was still going on...
Then someone else was going to get voted out.
The thought sent chills down their spines. No one cared about Ike and Yamauchi anymore—they were too busy glancing around, trying to decide who would be the next to go.
That was Class D for you. No matter how much they'd been through, they were still scattered, fragmented. Not totally without unity—just with too little of it.
Tap.
With a soft sound, Hirata collapsed fully into his seat, his body slumping lifelessly. His face was a ghostly gray, and he couldn't even speak.
Chabashira silently sighed when she saw him. She truly understood how powerless Hirata must have felt right now. The same kind of powerlessness she and the other three first-year homeroom teachers had felt yesterday.
She found herself unconsciously turning toward the class's last hopes: Matsushita, Horikita, and Ayanokouji—the ones with the brains and potential to turn things around.
As for Takahashi? She had long since given up on expecting anything from him.
Perhaps noticing Chabashira's gaze, Matsushita stood up regretfully.
"I had Horikita message Yukio just now... but there's been no reply. And based on what you've told us, this special exam was designed to bypass the student council entirely…"
"If this special exam damages student rights, and the acting chairman doesn't have full authority, the student council could theoretically veto it," she added.
That suggestion rubbed some of the more fragile students the wrong way.
"So we're supposed to just wait for Yukio to answer us?"
"Even with the student council, what can they really do? This is the chairman we're talking about. Even as a temporary fill-in, the chairman's authority must override the council's."
Seeing how tense everyone had become, Matsushita quickly shifted the topic.
"Chabashira-sensei, about this exam… Since both praise and criticism votes are being used—and outside-class praise votes exist—doesn't that mean someone's going to end up with negative points?"
"If we could negotiate with the other classes and get enough praise votes… could we force the total score for everyone in our class to zero? That way, no one would have to be expelled, right?"
Her words sparked a glimmer of hope. Students began nodding and murmuring to one another.
"No wonder Matsushita's considered elite. That idea's genius!"
Even Hirata, sunk in despair moments ago, lifted his head slightly, showing a hint of life again.
"I've already told you," Chabashira said, her voice still ice-cold, as if she had anticipated this line of thinking all along. "This surprise exam was designed from the start to ensure at least one first-year student is expelled."
"What the student council and acting chairman decide later is another matter. But as the rules stand now, someone must be eliminated on February 7. If every student ties with zero points, the school will conduct another vote."
"If the second vote results in another tie, then there won't be a third. The school will randomly pick someone to expel. That's the final provision. I hadn't even planned to share that part, because frankly, it's almost impossible for you to achieve a perfect zero."
"…!"
Chabashira's cold words sent a chill through the class. There was a moment of stunned silence—then the panic erupted.
"In that case, why don't we just vote out Ayanokouji?! He was obviously in on it with those three!"
"Right! I saw it on the footage too! Ayanokouji was always hanging out with them!"
"Me too! I noticed it but didn't dare speak up until now!"
"He's always been shady, ever since day one! Back when school started, he and those three were like best buddies!"
...
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