When Yukio returned to his classroom, every pair of eyes—Sakagami's included—immediately turned toward him. It was obvious: everyone was anxious about the special exam.
Yukio casually shook his head, showing no hesitation in tossing the blame squarely onto Tsukishiro's shoulders. "The acting chairman was completely uncooperative," he said. "Claimed that the chairman's authority overrides the student council's. So this additional special exam? Even the student council's powers were useless."
Since Tsukishiro had made it clear he wanted to get on his good side, Yukio didn't mind lying in the slightest.
"Huh?" Ishizaki scratched the back of his head in disappointment. "So that means… someone really will be expelled?"
"Idiot," Kaneda muttered, adjusting his glasses. "Why be so pessimistic? We've got enough private points. There's no way we can't raise twenty million to cancel the expulsion penalty."
"You sure about that?" Ryuen taunted, lazily brushing aside his bangs. "Yukio, you really plan on coughing up twenty million to save someone?"
"I never said that," Yukio replied flatly.
Spending twenty million just to throw it down the drain? No thanks—he was after something much bigger.
That answer made the whole class freeze.
What did that mean?
If their big bro didn't plan to pay… did that mean one of them really would get expelled? The panic started creeping in.
Sensing it, Yukio finally gestured with his palm, calming the class. "No need to freak out. I said I'm not spending twenty million—I never said I'd let anyone get expelled."
"Relax. You're my people now. No one's getting kicked out."
Everyone blinked, and then the realization hit them.
Back when Yukio explained his view of people—dividing them into three types: allies, enemies, and usable pawns—they had clearly fallen into the "allies" category. Even in a brutal internal voting exam, they'd be safe.
With that thought, the whole class lit up.
"I knew it! I knew Yukio-san would have a plan!"
"It's gotta be some kind of brilliant scheme we can't even imagine! Alright, calm down, everyone—just wait for Big Bro's instructions!"
"Trust Yukio-san—everything's gonna be fine!"
Even Sakagami let out a breath of relief as he stared at the student who'd always been a cut above the rest—waiting for that miraculous stroke of genius only Yukio could deliver.
Even Ryuen clicked his fingers with admiration. "You really are something else, you bastard."
Yukio just smiled and stepped up to him. "Well, we've all been following my lead since the first semester, right? You've all helped a lot. I'm not blind—I've seen every bit of it."
And that wasn't a lie. From the start, the entire class had been moving in unison under Yukio's direction. Every special exam, every midterm or final—they had acted precisely as he instructed.
Yukio wasn't heartless. Whatever their skills or flaws, his classmates had shown loyalty—and that meant something to him.
"Looks like you've got everything planned out already. Then I won't worry," Ryuen said, shrugging and fully placing his trust in Yukio to guide them through a test that seemed destined to eliminate someone.
Yukio casually raised his loosely clenched fist in front of Ryuen, a smirk on his lips. "When have I ever betrayed your trust?"
"Tch… seriously," Ryuen chuckled, bumping his fist lightly against Yukio's.
The class saw the gesture and burst into cheers.
"Yeah! If there was no problem before, there won't be one now!"
"We've always believed in Yukio-san to lead us forward!"
Compared to the cheerful shift in Yukio's class's mood, the other classes weren't handling things as smoothly. It was break time, and the news that had reached Yukio's class quickly spread across the entire first-year student body.
Everyone now knew: the acting chairman had overridden the student council using his authority, pushing through the surprise special exam. Even the student council was powerless to stop it.
In Class B, Sakayanagi herself was slightly stunned when Hashimoto brought it up. "The chairman can override the student council?"
Given that her father was the former chairman, Sakayanagi had studied the school rules in depth since she was young. She knew very well—that was impossible.
The chairman's authority and the student council president's authority didn't rank above or below each other. The chairman had broader powers, while the student council's were more focused, but neither could override the other. Special exams required student council approval.
In other words, Yukio had lied—intentionally concealing the truth from the ordinary first-years.
Sakayanagi narrowed her eyes. Looks like it was time to have a serious talk with him.
Over in Class C, the mood wasn't full of despair or regret. Ichinose remained upbeat, rallying everyone with her usual energy.
"Don't worry!"
"It's just a two million point gap. I'll definitely find a way to borrow it! Leave it to me!"
The whole class was comforted by her optimism. Only Kanzaki stood silently, his gaze complex, lost in thought.
The most chaotic class, however, was Class 1-D.
Chabashira was no longer at the podium. She had taken Ike and Yamauchi away to begin the expulsion process.
With those two gone, the already unstable Class D descended into even more intense arguments.
Several students, reviewing the edited surveillance footage, were now suggesting they vote to expel Ayanokoji. They assumed he was in cahoots with the idiot trio and shouldn't be allowed to stay.
Hirata, meanwhile, looked broken. He begged the class to vote him out instead—a desperate plea to protect the class by sacrificing himself. But few would agree. Hirata was still respected.
As for Kushida, it was business as usual. She kept up her teary, cutesy act—comforting here, playing innocent there—maintaining her carefully crafted persona.
Horikita, meanwhile, had pulled Matsushita aside to discuss their class's survival strategy.
"With the student council powerless, and the acting chairman pressing this through, we have no choice but to face this head-on."
She had hoped to reach out to Yukio and see if the student council could help—but those hopes had just been shattered. Now, Class D was forced to engage in a brutal internal vote.
Matsushita looked around and sighed. "This time… it really feels like a popularity contest."
Horikita nodded. "Students like Hirata, Kushida, and Karuizawa—those with high status or strong social circles—there's no chance they'll get voted out."
"In that sense, yes… this is a popularity exam. The person who'll be expelled… is probably the one with the worst reputation left in class—excluding Ike and Yamauchi."
As she said this, one name came to mind—Ayanokoji.
Socially distant. Practically no interactions. Clearly the least connected.
Yet ironically, he was incredibly capable and crucial to their goal of reaching Class A.
"So instead," Horikita suggested, "why don't we organize the class to vote out the weakest student academically? That would be the most beneficial move for the class as a whole."
...
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