Pushing.
Crowding.
Punching.
Resisting.
Screaming.
Chaos erupted everywhere.
Satou Maya could only stare blankly as everything unfolded in front of her.
She couldn't say a word.
She should say something.
Tell them to stop.
Tell them that no matter what they did, it wouldn't change anything.
Say that it had nothing to do with her.
That she hadn't done anything wrong.
That she was innocent.
That she didn't deserve this evaluation.
Or… should she blame the other classes for not warning them?
Blame Asakusa Tetsu for clearly knowing something yet telling her nothing?
"..."
She had no right to demand anything from anyone.
And Asakusa had no obligation to warn her.
They called each other friends, but in truth, they were only "surface-level friends" who could exchange a few casual words.
In a system where only Class A could graduate…
Expecting students from other classes to lend a helping hand was unrealistic.
So she did nothing.
She only watched.
Just like most of the others.
"—Enough!"
Hirata Yousuke's face was dark as he shouted in a low voice.
He reached out and grabbed the shoulder of the boy who was fighting with Yamauchi.
"Stop it."
His icy tone, combined with the painful grip, snapped the boy back to his senses like cold water poured over his head.
After pulling him away, Hirata took a deep breath.
He wiped away the darkness from his expression and forced a smile.
He lowered his head and looked at Yamauchi Haruki.
Bruised, battered, yet still desperately protecting his terminal.
Then he reached out his hand.
"Yamauchi-kun. Come."
His voice was gentle—so gentle that it clashed violently with the current atmosphere of D-Class.
He pulled Yamauchi up in one motion.
Brushed the dust off his clothes.
Then Hirata turned around.
"From now on, stop blaming Yamauchi."
His tone left no room for argument.
"Let's think about what we should do next."
For the first time since entering this school, Hirata felt the urge to take control of everything.
"..."
"Y-Yes… Hirata-kun is right… We should calm down…" Wang Meiyu whispered softly.
Karuizawa Kei snapped out of her daze and hurriedly added:
"Yeah, yeah, stop fighting. Let's listen to Hirata, okay?"
"I'm sure he'll find a way, right?"
"And… fighting now won't solve anything…"
One of the boys—maybe Miyake, maybe Yukimura—muttered.
Just like that, the disturbance suddenly stopped.
Everyone seemed ready to calm down and talk.
…Except for Yamauchi Haruki, who was deeply dissatisfied despite being "protected."
"Horikita! What's Horikita doing?!" he shouted from behind Hirata.
"It's her fault, isn't it?!"
"She knew everything, right?!"
"Wasn't she the one who told us about the special exam?!"
"No matter how you look at it, she's more like the traitor than me!!!"
Since morning, Horikita Suzune had been lying on her desk.
Doing nothing.
Saying nothing.
She was usually the model student, always sitting properly and listening in class.
So why was she sleeping like she didn't care today?
Something was wrong.
Something had to be wrong!
Even if there wasn't a problem, there had to be one!
"..."
Hirata glanced back at the shouting Yamauchi and sighed.
He walked over to Horikita's desk.
Gently knocked on it.
"Horikita-san… please explain again."
"Everyone needs an explanation."
Horikita Suzune: "..."
An explanation?
What explanation…
She weakly raised her head.
She hadn't slept at all.
How could she?
Her mind was a mess.
She'd had auditory hallucinations in the morning.
And just now, everything had been unbearably noisy.
There was no way she could sleep.
She'd only been lying there to bury her face in her arms.
Like an ostrich hiding its head in the sand, seeking a bit of comfort.
But clearly, even hiding underground couldn't stop others from dragging her back out.
Like now.
Ah… this is exhausting.
Why do I have to drown together with them?
That thought suddenly crossed her mind.
At the same time, she remembered the diary's evaluation of D-Class.
The class with the most "abnormal people."
The class where anything you did would be "understood" just because you were in D-Class.
The worst.
The filthiest.
Hell.
The more you struggled to climb out…
The more everyone around you grabbed your legs and dragged you down.
Then, a thought that had once flickered in her mind resurfaced.
Twenty million.
With twenty million personal points, she could transfer to Class A.
With twenty million, she wouldn't have to endure this swamp anymore.
With twenty million, she could reach where she belonged.
…Just twenty million.
Heh.
Twenty million.
She didn't even have twenty thousand right now.
She had spent thirty-five thousand to verify the diary's information with Chabashira.
She tried to live frugally.
But cooking in the dorm required buying utensils.
Eating too poorly would hurt her health.
In the end, she barely had anything left.
Saving up twenty million was pure fantasy.
Even so…
Being dragged down like this…
Was even more disgusting.
"I have nothing to explain to you."
She shook as she stood up, rubbing her blurred eyes.
Ignoring Hirata, she turned around.
Under everyone's gaze, she walked straight toward Yamauchi.
Horikita Suzune was healthy.
Academically.
Physically.
She believed she wasn't inferior to most people.
Especially not to Yamauchi Haruki.
"H-Hey… what are you doing?" Yamauchi instinctively stepped back.
It was just a girl in front of him.
Yet somehow, she felt as terrifying as Hirata had earlier.
"If you want an explanation…"
Before the words finished—
Her long leg swung through the air.
Fast.
Sharp.
Powerful.
In an instant, it slammed into Yamauchi's abdomen.
"—Then this is the explanation."
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