Finally, the day of the exam arrived—Saturday morning.
The targets for the censure votes in other classes must have already been decided. What we know is that Class A, led by Arisu, is moving with Totsuka Yahiko as their decoy instead of Katsuragi, while Class B, led by Ichinose, is operating under the principle of not expelling anyone.
As for Class D, I heard rumors that a portion of the censure votes were being directed toward Ayanokōji, but whether that's true remains unclear.
We gathered in the classroom at the usual time, but the exam itself was set to begin at 9:00 AM.
Right now, it's just past 8:30.
The slight buffer time was likely a deliberate consideration—no, more like a calculated move by the school. It felt like they were keeping us in suspense until the very last moment, fueling our paranoia.
"Ryūen, are you sure we shouldn't control the votes?"
"You still got somethin' to say? I already told ya, didn't I? Do whatever the hell you want with your praise or censure votes. Even if you scheme behind my back, I ain't gonna hold it against ya."
"If that's your decision, I'll abide by it. But I still believe you should be the one to receive the protection point."
"Heh. That's up to you, ain't it?"
A conversation like that could be heard between Kaneda and Ryūen, but it didn't go any further than that. They simply waited quietly for the exam to begin.
"You're pretty carefree for someone about to take an exam. You're even yawning."
"You seem pretty relaxed yourself, Ibuki."
"Not really. It's not like I'm relaxed or anything."
Leaning on her hand, Ibuki spoke without looking at me.
"I'm being targeted, you know."
"Targeted?"
"Manabe and her little clique suddenly started saying yesterday that I'm gonna be the one expelled."
"That's… unfortunate."
Manabe wasn't particularly capable, but she led one of the girls' groups.
Though small—just five members—she still had influence among the girls. Not all the girls were in groups, like Hiyori. But for some reason, Ibuki and Manabe were like cats and dogs.
Maybe that was why Manabe, who had been acting strange until yesterday, now seemed oddly composed today.
"I might get expelled today. Talking to you like this might be the last time."
Her tone was as indifferent as ever, but after saying that, she stared off into the distance, waiting for the exam to begin. It seemed she had already steeled herself.
"Don't worry. You probably won't be the one expelled."
"...Hah? What does that—"
Frowning in confusion, Ibuki tried to press further, but as Sakagami-sensei entered the classroom right on time, she fell silent.
"We will now begin the class vote. When your name is called, proceed to the voting booth one by one."
Apparently, we wouldn't be voting all at once in the classroom.
Peeking at others' votes wouldn't be impossible otherwise. They must be enforcing strict anonymity.
I could feel Ibuki's gaze from beside me, but for now, I'd just wait quietly until my turn.
...
The Day Before the Exam
"Do whatever you want, Manabe. I ain't gonna interfere if you target Ibuki."
With those final words, Ryūen ended the call and dropped onto the bed in his room.
He tapped on his phone again, dialing another number.
"Took you long enough to pick up."
"...You're the one who called me. What do you want?"
The only person in the class who could talk back to Ryūen, the class dictator, was Hachiman Hikigaya.
"And? What's this about? I've got things to do."
"Nothing major. Just giving you an order."
Hearing Ryūen say this with amusement, Hachiman let out a small sigh through the phone. He'd had a vague suspicion about this, and having it confirmed seemed to put him in a worse mood.
"First, I wanna ask—have you decided who you're giving your praise and censure votes to?"
Hachiman hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to answer, but he knew Ryūen would press him either way.
"Praise votes go to Kaneda, Hiyori, and Albert. Censure votes go to Manabe, Okabe... and you, Ryūen."
Hachiman's choices for praise and censure votes were based on ability and contributions—except for Ryūen. That one was different.
Hearing this, Ryūen fell silent for a few seconds before reaching a conclusion.
"...You figured out my plan, didn't you?"
Though he couldn't see his face through the phone, Ryūen narrowed his eyes.
"I just thought about it a little. Why didn't you control the votes by ordering the class around? Considering your personality, the answer was obvious."
"Tch. You're as boring as ever."
Despite his words, the corner of Ryūen's mouth curled up.
Having someone who could see through his schemes—someone he considered worth defeating—was exactly the kind of thrill Ryūen lived for.
"So you already know who's getting expelled?"
"Nine times out of ten, it'll be Manabe. Lowest ability, most stubborn. The moment this exam was announced, you called her 'unnecessary.' If the class understood what you meant, it's even more certain."
"You really think so? Manabe just called me. Said she's gunning for Ibuki."
Manabe might lead a girls' group, but Hachiman knew that influence only went so far—and only among the girls.
"Ibuki might get some censure votes too. But there's no comparison between her and Manabe in terms of ability or contributions."
Hachiman stated it plainly—Manabe's expulsion was inevitable.
"And knowing you, you just gave Manabe some vague answer and ended the call, right?"
"Heh, who knows? I'm all for letting the class decide. I even gave Manabe some... considerate advice."
"Bullshit, you manipulative bastard."
"I'll punch you."
With that final exchange, Ryūen hung up.
"Heh. Wonder how this'll play out..."
Laughing to himself, he imagined how things would unfold.
...
One by one, the students left the classroom to cast their votes.
The class was nearly silent, waiting quietly for the results.
Once the last student returned, the classroom door opened, and Sakagami-sensei appeared.
"Sorry for the wait. I will now announce the results of the class vote."
The moment of judgment had arrived.
Soon, one student would be expelled from this class.
Manabe, who had seemed confident, was now sweating nervously.
Ibuki remained unfazed, standing tall.
Kaneda waited calmly.
Ryūen was the same as always.
And I simply observed.
Or perhaps—someone else entirely.
"First, the praise votes."
The teacher opened the folder and began reading.
"Third place... Hikigaya Hachiman."
Eyes turned toward me, but none held surprise. It seemed the class genuinely believed I had contributed enough to deserve this.
I was a little taken aback but silently thanked them in my heart.
"Next, second place..."
The teacher paused, as if double-checking the results.
"...Ryūen Kakeru."
The class's attention immediately shifted to Ryūen—but their expressions were not just shocked. They were *horrified*.
"W-What?! That can't—!"
Kaneda, who had likely tried to make Ryūen first, reacted first, staring at the teacher in disbelief.
"Is there some kind of mistake?!"
Even Ishizaki and the others, who would usually be the loudest, remained frozen in their seats, not making a sound.
"There is no mistake. We are still in the middle of an exam—please remain quiet."
With that warning from the homeroom teacher, Kaneda had no choice but to sit back down, though he clearly wasn't satisfied.
The teacher cleared his throat and continued.
"First place... Kaneda Satoru. It's you."
"...What? How...?"
Kaneda, who had expected a different outcome, didn't look happy about being first. Instead, he seemed shaken—confused as to why *he* was the one at the top.
"And now, the censure votes. The student with the most votes—31 in total—will be expelled. Manabe Shiho."
Just like that, with no further explanation, the expulsion was decided.
"...Huh?"
Some of Manabe's friends must have given her praise votes, but it wasn't enough to outweigh the overwhelming number of censure votes.
Second place was Okabe, with 21 votes.
Third was Ibuki, with 17.
None of these numbers were safe.
"No... NO! WHY?! I *asked* you guys, didn't I?! Why did *I* get all the censure votes?!"
She glared around the classroom, but everyone avoided her gaze.
Manabe had tried to negotiate with the class in her own way, but in the end, they had trusted Ryūen's words over hers.
"Why?! WHY?! This whole exam is a joke!"
"You are expelled. The results cannot be changed."
"SHUT UP!!!"
A scream tore from the depths of her gut.
Faced with an unacceptable reality, she howled in fury.
"Ryūen! You agreed to expel Ibuki, didn't you?!"
"Never said that. I just told you to do whatever you wanted. You dug your own grave."
"Tch—!"
Unable to refute the truth in his words, Manabe could only glare at him. Then, her rage shifted targets.
"You...! If you had just *left quietly*—!"
She lunged toward Ibuki.
"I wasn't safe either. You're the one who didn't prepare any countermeasures. Don't blame others just because *you* weren't ready."
"SHUT UP, SHUT UP!!! *YOU* should've been the one expelled!!"
Her words were pure desperation now.
"Not my problem. You were the one targeting *me*—don't act like the victim."
"Grr—SHUT UP!"
Manabe raised her fist, ready to strike Ibuki—but before she could, a massive figure loomed behind her.
"Albert. Restrain her."
"OK, Boss."
At Ryūen's command, Albert grabbed Manabe from behind.
She thrashed, still glaring at Ibuki, but there was no breaking free from Albert's grip.
"Just get her out of here, Sakagami."
"...Right. Manabe, that's enough. It's for your own good."
The pained stares of her classmates.
The pity in their eyes.
Something inside Manabe shattered.
"Ah... AAAAAH...!!"
She collapsed to the floor, letting out a sound that was neither a cry nor a scream.
"...Let's go."
Pulled away limply by the teacher, Manabe was led out of the classroom.
...
After Manabe left, the classroom, now missing one person, was dominated by silence.
A heavy atmosphere. A heart that wouldn't clear.
This exam was meant to determine superiority and eliminate one person.
Who was the unnecessary student for the class?
Who was the indispensable student for the class?
That was what we had to decide.
"...Just one thing. Let me ask one thing."
Amidst the motionless crowd, Kaneda was the one who spoke up.
"Who voted for Ryuuen-kun with a praise vote—no, a criticism vote?"
Most of the classmates probably didn't understand the meaning behind his words. But upon hearing that question, me, Ishizaki, Komiya, Kondou, and Albert slowly raised our hands. All of us were those who moved closely around Ryuuen.
"...Why? Giving Ryuuen-kun a protection point—you all agreed with that, didn't you?"
"I still think Ryuuen-san should have it. Komiya, Kondou, Albert, and Hikigaya all think the same... We all believe that, so why...? Ryuuen-san..."
As Ishizaki's gaze turned toward him, Kaneda also shifted his eyes to Ryuuen.
"In other words... Ishizaki and the others' criticism votes were instructed by Ryuuen-kun...?"
"Ryuuen-san told me yesterday. He ordered me to cast a criticism vote for him."
The difference between Kaneda and Ryuuen's praise votes was a mere two. It was clear that Ryuuen had orchestrated this so he wouldn't take first place.
"What's the meaning of this, Ryuuen-kun? I demand an explanation."
The entire class's attention turned to Ryuuen.
Ryuuen, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.
"Because it's meaningless."
"Meaningless...?"
"You all were thinking of handing the protection point to me, right? But that's pointless."
His insufficient explanation left the entire class confused.
"Listen up. Me holding the protection point—that's a bad move. What we're aiming for is Class A. To achieve that, we have to defeat Sakayanagi."
At Ryuuen's words, everyone fell silent and listened intently.
"If it were Ichinose's class, I could probably win even if I held the point. But Sakayanagi isn't that naive. Even if I came up with a desperate strategy, she'd account for that too."
Ryuuen had considered all of this from the beginning and deliberately made his own group cast criticism votes for him—to ensure the protection point wouldn't go to him.
"This point is a weapon. But if I hold it, it's too obvious and loses its meaning."
Even if he resorted to desperate measures, Ryuuen had weighed his options and concluded that expanding the choices between Kaneda or himself was the better move.
"Kaneda, use that point as a weapon. Be prepared to sacrifice it for the class, alright?"
"...Understood. I'll use this point for the class's sake—for Ryuuen-kun's strategy."
Ryuuen's reasoning was unique, but it was logical.
It had enough persuasive power to make the class accept it.
"But why didn't you explain this from the start? If you had shared this plan, we could've made it more certain."
At Kaneda's question, Ryuuen paused briefly before answering.
"I was just respecting your judgment."
With those final words, Ryuuen left the classroom.
The true meaning behind that last statement was something only Ryuuen himself knew.
With Ryuuen's departure as the trigger, everyone quietly prepared to leave.
The exam's outcome still weighed heavily on their minds.
"Let's go."
I grabbed my bag and headed out of the classroom.
As soon as I stepped outside, Ibuki quickly caught up and grabbed my arm.
"Th... thanks..."
"For what?"
"...I don't know. Just... felt like saying it."
Avoiding eye contact, Ibuki tightened her grip slightly before suddenly letting go.
"W-well, see ya."
"Yeah, later."
I didn't really get it, but after being thanked by Ibuki, I decided to check the bulletin board on the first floor.
The exam results—how the other classes had fared—were posted there.
There, I saw Katsuragi and Ryuuen deep in conversation.
"Completely crushed, huh?"
"There's nothing to gain from me acting recklessly now."
"So you're just going to obediently follow Sakayanagi? What a funny joke."
"..."
Katsuragi's brief silence.
But his expression was filled with a chilling intensity.
"Wow, Katsuragi. Never knew you could make a face like that."
Totsuka's expulsion must have had a profound impact on Katsuragi's state of mind.
I could've eavesdropped longer, but for now, I decided to just sneak a peek at the results.
**Class Vote Results**
**Expelled Students:**
- Class A: Totsuka Yahiko
- Class B: Manabe Shiho
- Class C: None
- Class D: Yamauchi Haruki
**Total:** 3 students.
**Class point changes from this exam:** None.
"Totsuka... and Yamauchi. Both taken down by Arisu."
Yamauchi must've still held a grudge for the time he tripped Arisu. His expulsion had probably been decided back then.
And then there was the praise vote. For Class A, it was Arisu, and for Class B, Ichinose—just as expected.
But in Class D, the top praise vote went to Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. Whether Ayanokouji had acted on his own or Arisu had set something up was unclear, but the truth would come out eventually.
Just as I was about to leave, a single email arrived on my phone.
"Arisu, huh?"
I thought she'd come to check the bulletin board herself...
But she'd sent a message saying she was waiting at the special training building, so I headed there. When I arrived, Arisu and Ayanokouji both turned their eyes toward me.
"You came."
"If you call, I can't exactly ignore it. So why did you summon me and Ayanokouji?"
"The reason I called you both today concerns something that involves you two."
Hearing this, both Ayanokouji and I understood.
"Let me explain from the beginning. I've said something similar before, but this exam was designed to expel the two of you. In fact, the person who emailed me explicitly demanded that Ayanokouji-kun be expelled."
"An email? And they only wanted me expelled?"
"Yes. Why only Ayanokouji-kun is unclear, but it must be someone from the school's side—the ones who suspended your father. But expelling Ayanokouji-kun over something like that isn't interesting at all. That's precisely why I made sure you received all the praise votes."
So Arisu was the reason Ayanokouji took first place. Hearing her reasoning, it was very much like her.
"Now, if only your father would return to his position soon and restore normal school operations—"
In the supposedly empty special training building—a space meant only for the three of us—a shadow suddenly stretched across the floor.
"Well, hello there."
A man in a suit appeared before us.
"It's my first time visiting this school. Do you know where the faculty office is?"
"The faculty office? That's quite the wrong place to be looking for, isn't it? By the way, if I may ask, who are you?"
"I'm Tsukishiro, the newly appointed acting chairman."
He waved politely, wearing a gentle smile.
He looked to be in his forties. Another young chairman, just like Sakayanagi.
"My, my. Is that so? But to coincidentally wander into this place—you must be quite the directionally challenged acting chairman. Or perhaps... you saw us on the surveillance cameras and came to observe?"
Tsukishiro laughed off Arisu's words.
"You're an amusing one. I've heard this school is full of interesting students—are they all like you? Well then, I'll take my leave."
As he walked past me and Ayanokouji—
"If you're looking for the faculty office, you should head back downstairs. You're in the wrong building."
Arisu politely informed him, but with a smile, Tsukishiro suddenly kicked her cane away.
Caught off guard, Arisu lost her balance and nearly fell.
"Whoops—"
I quickly moved to catch her, but immediately after, a large arm targeted my body. Glancing at Ayanokouji, I saw he had already launched a counter-kick almost simultaneously.
I absorbed the impact as much as possible and gently set Arisu down on the floor. Then, another strike came—grabbing both Ayanokouji's and my throats, the man slammed us against the wall with monstrous strength.
"Not as impressive as the rumors made you out to be. Ayanokouji Kiyotaka-kun, Hachiman Hikigaya-kun."
Our throats were crushed, making it impossible to speak.
His strength, unimaginable from his appearance, made it difficult to break free.
"...Quite the bold move for an acting chairman."
"You were given instructions, weren't you? To expel Ayanokouji-kun."
"So that email was from one of your associates. Since school officials can't openly expel students, it makes sense you'd rely on someone like me."
Slowly getting up, Arisu smiled.
"Thank you for saving me, Hikigaya-kun."
Given her physical handicap, expecting her to dodge that would've been unreasonable.
It could've been worse than just a fall.
"Do you really think the acting chairman can assault students without consequences?"
"No need to worry. The surveillance cameras here are showing dummy footage."
In other words, no matter what happened, nothing would be recorded.
"Now then, a message from *that person*: 'I have no intention of indulging in children's games any longer. Come back immediately.' If your answer is yes, blink twice."
Not letting us speak, not even offering a 'no' option.
A very *him* kind of tactic.
"'No intention of voluntary withdrawal,' then."
As we remained silent, Tsukishiro sighed boredly.
"Let me tell you one thing. Why is Ayanokouji-kun the only expulsion target? You must be curious, right?"
The pressure on our throats intensified.
His arm strength alone made it clear how well-trained he was.
"Your father, Ayanokouji-kun, desires your expulsion above all else. Ah, of course, I'm not letting Hikigaya-kun off either. Ayanokouji-kun is the priority, and you're next."
His tone didn't match the situation, but it seemed Ayanokouji was the primary target.
No matter how much force he applied, neither of us showed any resistance. Eventually, realizing we wouldn't fight back, Tsukishiro released us.
"I'll officially begin my activities at this school in April. Do look forward to it."
With that, the man left the special training building.
"That was the wise choice. Both of you."
"He's the acting chairman. If we recklessly fought back, there's no telling how it'd be used against us."
He claimed the cameras were showing dummy footage, but I wasn't foolish enough to take that at face value.
"Are you alright?"
"Don't worry. Ayanokouji and I are used to that kind of thing. More importantly, Sakayanagi."
"Yes, what is it?"
"Next exam—let's settle this properly."
When Ayanokouji said that, Arisu looked surprised.
"I never expected you to say something like that to my face."
"If that man's getting involved starting in April, I won't have the luxury of playing games with you forever. I want to settle this cleanly."
"Very well. Two or three times won't be necessary. I'd be delighted to face you."
And so, the showdown between Class A and Class D was set.
Who would win? Even I couldn't say. Ayanokouji might win, or Arisu might come out on top.
Either way, one thing was certain—the final special exam of the year had just gotten a lot more interesting.
=================================
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