March 3rd.
Yesterday, after the first-year homeroom teachers announced the additional special exam, every class was restless. The classes that already had plans were calm, just waiting steadily for the exam to come.
The only exception was Class D. Their night had been anything but calm—no doubt they had spun up countless new online chat groups overnight, each trying their hand at schemes of alliance and intrigue.
Through this mess of quick-and-dirty plotting, they gradually reached a realization: if everyone joined forces and threw all their criticism votes at the same person, wouldn't that basically guarantee the elimination of that chosen target?
That would mean even the weaker majority of the class could make it through safely. After all, this voting exam only required one person to be expelled.
As long as there was one "designated victim," the rest would all be safe.
So when Ayanokouji stepped into the classroom today, his sharp instincts immediately caught on that something was wrong. The atmosphere among his classmates was far too strange—many of them looked like they had secrets in their hearts, completely unlike usual.
That alone could still be explained. With only two days left before voting began, it was natural for the mood to be a little tense.
But what made it truly suspicious was how those same classmates kept sneaking glances at him. Ayanokouji thought to himself: two whole terms have passed, and he's kept himself thoroughly low-profile.
His only three surface-level friends had already left the school, either voluntarily or by expulsion. Of the remaining classmates, aside from Hirata—ever the helpful soul—Kushida, who got along with everyone, and Horikita, who sought to leverage his abilities to reach Class A, there shouldn't be anyone still paying much attention to him.
For someone who had lived so deliberately low-key, to suddenly be the object of so many furtive looks today—there could be only one explanation.
If people were harboring ulterior motives, it meant that most of Class D had already aligned themselves to target a single scapegoat. Otherwise, with the exam so close, what else could those secrets be?
And the one chosen as that scapegoat… was very likely him.
Not hard to understand, really. Yesterday, Chabashira had played that edited surveillance footage, showing him talking and spending time with the Three Idiots.
Back when he first enrolled, the Three Idiots were the only ones he could have any casual contact with. He hadn't interacted with anyone else. So if the majority of the class now decided he was in the same boat as them, and thus the most fitting target for elimination, it made perfect sense.
Which meant he needed to find himself a substitute sacrifice. He didn't care who ended up taking the fall—as long as he survived, that was enough. Narrowing his eyes, he quietly scanned the room.
Onodera? Possible. She had offended Matsushita during the last exam, and people found her irritating.
Sakura? Possible. Like him, she had poor social ties, but her overall abilities were even lower.
Looking around, he realized there were actually quite a few candidates who could serve as scapegoats.
"Everyone, I have something I want to say!"
Just then, as he was sweeping the class with his gaze, Matsushita suddenly stepped up onto the podium.
Ayanokouji froze mid-thought. It seemed the situation had just taken a new turn. Maybe he didn't need to find a scapegoat after all.
With Matsushita calling out, everyone turned their attention to the podium.
"Matsushita-san? What is it?"
"Do you mean… you've already figured out who we should be voting out of Class D?!"
But Matsushita shook her head firmly. She didn't want anyone to be expelled—that would mean cruelly abandoning a classmate.
In her view, if Yukio already had a method that guaranteed no one would be sacrificed, then they absolutely shouldn't give up on anyone.
Otherwise, the guilt of having personally overseen the expulsion of a classmate would crush her.
If she had still been hiding her abilities, she could have borne less responsibility and less guilt. But now, having stepped forward as a coordinator for the class, any expulsion would weigh on her as her own fault. The guilt would only grow heavier.
That was why she had so decisively agreed to Yukio's proposal yesterday.
"Listen, everyone," Matsushita announced, her voice ringing clear. "There really is a way for us to pass this exam safely—without anyone being eliminated!"
Her words were like torpedoes dropped into water, exploding in everyone's heads until their skulls buzzed.
From the perspective of the students, this exam had only ever looked like an impossible dilemma—an exam of forced sacrifice.
And now Matsushita was saying there was a way through without losing anyone? Who could possibly not be shocked? It was as absurd as hearing someone claim they could clear Super Mario Bros. on their first try without losing a single life.
Precisely because it sounded so unbelievable, many Class D students couldn't help but doubt.
"R-really? There's actually such a method?"
"If it means we don't have to vote out a classmate, of course we'd prefer that! Right, everyone?"
"Yeah! Matsushita, just tell us the method. We'll believe you!"
Down below, Horikita also raised her head at once, fixing Matsushita with a hard stare. For a fleeting moment, she even thought she saw Yukio's shadow standing tall behind Matsushita.
She gave her head a tiny shake. Must've been her imagination. Looking again, the illusion was gone.
Other reactions varied. Ayanokouji's narrowed eyes relaxed back to normal. Onodera, who had once clashed with Matsushita, wore a complicated expression—relieved yet restless. Takahashi laughed nervously as though amused.
Under the weight of her classmates' questions and suspicions, Matsushita didn't hide anything.
"In truth, this is a method devised by Yukio's class."
"I'm sure you've all heard the rumors—Yukio's class already has a perfect plan. They can get through this exam without anyone being expelled."
"So I went to Yukio personally and asked him for that method. The condition is that all of Class D's rewards from this exam be transferred to him without exception."
When her classmates immediately started grumbling at the sound of "all rewards," Matsushita quickly added.
"I think it's an incredibly fair trade. After all, the only reward in this exam is the protection point. If we can use that to prevent one of our classmates from being expelled, isn't it worth it?"
"Think of it this way—we'd just be treating it as if we used up the protection point early to shield one of us. That means no gain, but also no loss."
"Consider this too: our class has already lost three students. If we lose another, how can we possibly compete against the other classes in future exams?"
"So let's all sign this agreement with Yukio. This way, no one has to be abandoned, and we can still clear this voting exam together."
...
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