"You mean to say, you want the personal information of all D-Class students from the time they enrolled?"
Chabashira Sae, the homeroom teacher of Class 1-D, extinguished her lady's cigarette in the ashtray and furrowed her brow as she motioned for Karuizawa Kei to speak with her outside.
After all, she wasn't alone in the staff room. From the moment Karuizawa entered, both Class 1-B's homeroom teacher Sakagami Kazuma and Class 1-C's Hoshinomiya Chie had already turned their attention toward them.
The two of them exited the staff room one after the other and stopped in a stairwell landing. Leaning against the wall, Chabashira narrowed her long, sharp eyes and scrutinized Karuizawa.
"This kind of information involves student privacy. The school doesn't allow students to access it."
"I'm not interested in their personal backgrounds," Karuizawa replied, shaking her head. Though she didn't hold much regard for Chabashira as a teacher, if D-Class truly wanted to cause trouble for Class 2-A, they would need her cooperation.
"I'm not concerned with their pasts or how they got into the school, their written test or interview scores. I only need their ability assessment scores from the time of admission."
"You're scouting for talent related to the sports festival?"
Realizing Kei's intention, Chabashira's previously reluctant expression softened slightly. If Kei's motive was indeed to win for the class, then it was something she could support.
"Yes," Kei replied. "Because of Ayanokouji's presence, I believe there might be other students in Class D who are deliberately hiding their true abilities."
But Chabashira shook her head. "Ayanokouji is an anomaly. It's unlikely that Class D has more of his kind."
"Still, I can give you the information you want. I hope you'll lead Class D to victory."
"Thank you very much."
Just as Karuizawa turned to leave after achieving her goal, Chabashira suddenly added:
"You're going to be the Commander Tower for this sports festival, right?"
"Yes," Kei replied, doing her best to remain composed. "I still have over 20 million private points. Even if our class loses the match, I can spend 20 million to cancel the expulsion penalty."
Though startled inside, she kept her facial expression calm and steady.
"Is that so..."
Chabashira still looked suspicious. She hesitated for a moment but ultimately didn't press further. Waving her hand, she said:
"Then go. I'll send the data to your email tonight."
"Understood."
Letting out a breath of relief, Kei quickly left. She knew full well what Chabashira suspected—that someone with 20 million private points would choose to remain in Class D.
Though Chabashira still held some hope that Class D could rise to Class A, she was also aware that, in its current dysfunctional state, the odds of D-Class making it to the top by graduation were slim to none.
Even if one prefers to be the head of chickens rather than the tail of phoenixes, under the system of Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, all classes except A-Class weren't even chickens.
In such a reality, Kei had nonetheless decided to keep leading Class D forward.
Chabashira watched Kei's departing figure, lingering in the corner for a while longer, eyes narrowed as if pondering something deeply.
-------------------------------------
"The sports festival primarily evaluates physical ability, so we must pay close attention to the 'Physical Capability' category."
After taking a shower, Karuizawa Kei sat down at her desk while drying her hair with a towel. She opened the new laptop she bought during the summer and began recording the student profiles of Class D that Chabashira Sae had sent her just moments ago.
By comparing her usual impressions of her classmates with the data on the profile cards, Kei roughly grasped the school's evaluation criteria. A grade of C seemed to represent the average level for normal students, and anything above C was considered above average among peers. Using this standard as a filter, Kei quickly compiled a list:
[Kouenji Rokusuke: A ]
[Sudou Ken: A ]
The most outstanding students according to the school's judgment were Sudou Ken and Kouenji Rokusuke, which matched everyone's general impression. Back during the swimming class at the beginning of the school year, these two ranked first and second among the boys in Class D. An A rating was rare even across the entire grade or school. This was evident from how Sudou could compete on equal footing with upperclassmen in the basketball club.
If Class D wanted to win the sports festival, Sudou alone wouldn't be enough—they also needed Kouenji's cooperation.
However, just thinking about Kouenji's eccentric personality and unpredictable behavior gave Kei a headache. For now, she set aside that problem and continued sorting the data.
[Horikita Suzune: B+ ]
Surprisingly, the next name was Horikita Suzune instead of Hirata Yosuke. Perhaps Horikita's frequent failures had left too strong an impression, causing Kei to overlook her actual strengths. In terms of academics and physical ability, Horikita was undeniably at an A-Class level. With a B+ in physical ability, she would likely rank among the top three female students in the entire grade.
"We can consider assigning her to a few individual events for girls."
If used effectively, Horikita could likely secure a point for the class.
[Hirata Yosuke: B ]
[Kushida Kikyou: B ]
Next were the most popular male and female students in the class. Hirata, already a member of the soccer club, and Kushida, known as the "all-capable angel," were both naturally strong in academics and athletics. More importantly, both were the kind who would give their all for the class, making them likely to become central figures in the festival.
What Kei didn't know was that Kushida Kikyou had already formed a connection with Ryuuen Kakeru. Kushida's façade was too convincing, and unless she slipped up, it would be nearly impossible to notice her odd behavior.
[Miyake Akito: B ]
Recalling this quiet, friendless boy from class, Kei remembered he was a member of the archery club. She wasn't sure of his skill level, but since his physical ability matched Hirata's B rating, he must be quite capable. Kei made a mental note to ask about his archery proficiency later—if feasible, she could create a personalized individual event centered on archery for him.
[Onodera Kayano: B ]
The last name on the list above C level was Onodera Kayano. Kei had a clear impression of her—an athletic standout among Class D girls, especially prominent during swimming class. She even outshone some boys. A B rating for her physical ability made complete sense.
After going through everything, Kei finally understood the class's physical capability distribution. Including Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, who only had a displayed score of C-, Class D had a total of eight individuals with notable athletic strengths.
With careful planning, winning four out of seven events didn't seem impossible.
[ Basketball ], [ Swimming ], [ Archery ], [ Sprinting ]...
While drafting potential events and pondering how to approach Kouenji, Kei also browsed the school forum for any useful information. Before she realized it, it was already 11 PM.
Shaking her dizzy head, Kei stood up to stretch. The sudden movement after sitting too long caused a wave of dizziness. She stumbled a few steps and barely caught herself on the chair to avoid falling.
She bit her lip hard, the sharp pain helping her regain focus. Wiping her face with a cold, damp towel, she finally felt a bit better.
Kei knew well that her actual physical ability wasn't as bad as the D rating she had when she enrolled, but at most, she could be considered a C-level—just average. In terms of raw data, there was nothing special about her.
And yet, Karuizawa Kei was now the leader of Class D, while someone like Horikita—who had stellar stats—remained isolated.
Kei understood one truth very clearly: good data didn't necessarily make someone excellent, but truly excellent individuals always had at least one outstanding data point.
Which meant—she had to keep pushing forward.
Just like she was doing now.
Grabbing the giant teddy bear she usually kept beside her bed, Kei hugged it tight, took a short break, and then resumed her work.
Suddenly, she remembered something she and Kitagawa Ryo had once discussed.
Quickly, Kei opened her phone's contacts and made two calls, one after another.
-------------------------------------
"It's hard to imagine getting a call from the Kei-girl this late at night."
Kouenji Rokusuke wiped the water off his body with a towel. His tone was genuinely surprised, as if he never expected someone to call him past 11 PM.
"I want you to participate in Class D's sports festival."
Without any pleasantries, Karuizawa Kei got straight to the point.
"But I recall saying earlier today that I won't participate in this boring game."
Kouenji sounded slightly impatient. He had thought Kei's late-night call might be something more interesting, but if it was just to convince him to join the festival... he was ready to hang up.
After all, he had already discovered the fastest and easiest way to "clear" this school. Ever since enrollment, aside from the recent Werewolf game which gave him a bit of fun, he had basically given up and refused to cooperate with most exams.
"You seem so confident, so I assume you've already bought quite a few points from the third-years, haven't you?"
Kei's next sentence made Kouenji reconsider hanging up.
Personal points in this school had no value after graduation. The school had a system to convert leftover points into yen at a fixed rate, but Kouenji had noticed this early on. While Class D students were still worrying about tens of thousands of points, he had already built connections with upperclassmen.
As the heir of the Kouenji conglomerate, he possessed more credibility and real-world wealth than other students. He could easily offer a price higher than the school's conversion rate to buy massive amounts of points.
With 20 million points, you could transfer to Class A. Graduating from Class A meant clearing the game.
That was why Kouenji found everything in this school so dull. If he could break the power-based system with money, why bother trying?
"Seems like you know quite a bit."
Even though his secret plan had been exposed, Kouenji remained unfazed and chuckled.
"I don't know if you figured that out yourself or if Kitagawa told you, but I'll admit you've at least piqued my interest."
"If I'm not mistaken, you've not only been buying points from the third-years, but you've also made contact with second-years."
"That's right."
Kouenji didn't care about what grade someone was in—as long as they were willing to sell points, he was willing to buy.
"Buying from the third-years was fine, but since you started dealing with the second-years, Nagumo from Class 2-A has taken notice."
"Nagumo?"
Kei explained, "He's the leader of 2-A and the student council vice president. He controls the entire second-year level."
"So basically, anything unusual that happens among the second-years, he'll hear about it."
"If things go as expected, the student council will soon release a new rule, making it hard for you to continue your large-scale point acquisitions."
Kouenji didn't seem to mind that his methods were being monitored. He even whistled casually.
"So?"
"How about a little revenge on Nagumo, Kouenji-san?"
"So this was your real goal all along. You're planning to challenge 2-A, aren't you?"
Kouenji responded excitedly.
"As expected of the Kei-girl, you can lie with a straight face."
"Right back at you."
"The next student council president, huh? Interesting. But if you want me to act, add two million more points to the deal. My spending habits are pretty extravagant."
Kouenji finally started to negotiate, which was a good sign.
"But I'll only participate in one event. Whether it's an individual or team event, that's up to you to decide."
Of course, he remained as lazy as ever. Two million points and the rivalry with Nagumo would only earn her his help for a single event.
Still, Kei had expected this outcome before making the call, so she agreed.
"One more thing—make sure it's an event where I can face Nagumo head-on."
Kouenji immediately added another outrageous condition. Since 2-A would most likely choose Nagumo Miyabi as their commander, Class 1-D couldn't possibly predict which event he'd personally intervene in.
"Alright."
Kei still agreed.
Her negotiation with Kouenji was finally over.
Kei exhaled deeply as she rested her head on the table. Her gaze naturally drifted to a photo frame on her desk—the half-photo given to her by Sakayanagi Arisu. It was a solo shot of Kitagawa Ryo, cut in half. In the quiet of the night, the image felt strangely haunting, but Kei calmly picked up the frame and gently caressed the boy in the photo.
Her fingers traced the outlines of his uniform, as if she could feel the texture through the picture. That gave her some comfort, so she placed the frame on her nightstand, closer to her.
Kei didn't know whether her efforts would help him.
But trying was better than doing nothing.
She understood that if she challenged Class 2-A and failed during the sports festival, even if she could use her 20 million points to avoid expulsion, it would throw Class D into disarray.
It would mean Karuizawa Kei had lied to everyone in her class.
She might end up even more isolated than Horikita Suzune was now.
Kei let out a heavy sigh.
But that's just how it is.
Liking someone... is something you just can't help.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To Read Advanced Chapters, and support this novel, please join me on [email protected]/geats2000