COTE : Backed By Black Technology System

The next day, September 1st—the first day of the second semester. 

At midnight, all first-year students received the 500,000 private points from the previous Special Test, while the designated VIPs got 1 million. 

However, these points didn't actually belong to them. According to the contract, all students in Katsuragi-Sakayanagi's class had to hand over their 500,000 points to Kanda Shuichi. In other words, aside from the VIPs, everyone else was just a temporary middleman. 

The same situation applied to Ryuuen's Class C. As for Ichinose's class, they only had to give up 250,000 points per person. 

And starting from today, Ichinose's class had officially advanced to Class A by a small margin. The information on their student ID cards had already been updated to "Year 1 - Class A." 

Meanwhile, Sakayanagi-Katsuragi's class had become Class B. Classes C and D remained in the same positions. 

Aside from these private points, each student also received their class points multiplied by 100 as their monthly living expenses. 

Unfortunately, Class B was in a rough spot. Because of the contract they signed with Ryuuen on the uninhabited island, they still had to pay 800,000 points to him. 

At 8 a.m., in Class D's classroom, Chabashira-sensei didn't have much to say on the first morning of the new semester. So after some brief instructions, she left the students to themselves. 

"Everyone, I have something I'd like to say."

The meeting was led by Hirata Yosuke, the most trusted person in the class. 

"What's wrong, Hirata? You look so serious." 

"Yeah, our class points just went from zero to five hundred. No matter what happens, we can handle it." 

"Don't say that! What if something really bad happens? Can you take responsibility?" 

"But even if something bad happens, I'm not the one saying it, right?" 

The students of Class D, who had just received their fifty thousand yen allowance, were in high spirits. They felt that even if there was bad news, they could deal with it. 

"Actually..." 

Hirata explained Ike and Yamauchi's situation to the class, but he left out the part about them secretly taking photos in the girls' changing room. He only mentioned that they had made a serious mistake and that someone had evidence against them. 

If that evidence was handed over to the school, at least one of them would be expelled—maybe even both. 

The person with the evidence was demanding twenty million private points from Class D. 

The class fell into silence. 

Even Chabashira couldn't help but glance at Ike and Yamauchi. These two idiots really knew how to cause trouble. 

She didn't doubt Hirata's words, because Ike and Yamauchi were exactly the type to do something like this. 

"Hirata, what exactly did Ike and Yamauchi do? Can't you tell us?" 

The class's honor student, Yukimura Haruhiko, couldn't hold back his question. Hirata had said they made a huge mistake, but without knowing what it was, it was hard to make a decision. 

"Well..." 

Hirata forced a smile. 

If he told them that Ike and Yamauchi had planned to peek into the girls' changing room, the boys' reaction was one thing, but the girls would absolutely refuse to let them stay. 

Last night, he had subtly asked Karuizawa about it, and her response was that this kind of behavior was no different from a pervert's. 

He could clearly hear the disgust in her voice. If the truth got out, these two would definitely be expelled. 

Since Hirata wasn't answering, the class quickly turned their attention to Ike and Yamauchi, who were pretending to be dead in their seats. 

"What exactly did you two do?" 

"Did you steal something from the store? Is that why you'd be expelled if you got caught?" 

"Wait, you didn't harass girls from another class, did you?" 

Nonsense. If they had stolen something, the worst punishment would be paying a fine and getting suspended. 

And if they had harassed a girl, the victim would've already come forward. 

But no matter how much the class questioned them, Ike and Yamauchi kept their mouths shut, refusing to say a word. 

After a few minutes of silence, someone turned to Chabashira-sensei. 

"Sensei, do you know what they did?" 

"No, I don't know the details. But if even Hirata thinks it's something that would definitely get them expelled, then it must be serious." 

Chabashira-sensei didn't know the exact situation, but her analysis was spot on. 

"Sensei, if Ike and Yamauchi get expelled because of this, will it affect Class D?" 

Horikita Suzune stood up and asked the question that was on her mind. 

If things were really that bad, she was ready to cut these two disgusting guys loose. 

"If they truly did something unforgivable, then their expulsion is unavoidable. And in this school, unless someone is expelled due to an exam rule, any other type of expulsion will cost the class three hundred points. 

Even if someone voluntarily drops out, it's the same."

"If Ike and Yamauchi get expelled because of this, does that mean Class D's points will drop to zero?" 

Horikita's expression darkened. She had already suspected this might be the case, but hearing Chabashira lay it out so bluntly still left her feeling drained. 

So they couldn't just abandon them here? 

Knowing that those two were a problem for the class but still being unable to cut them off—was there anything more frustrating than this? 

"Damn it, what the hell did you two do?" 

The students in the class were starting to panic. 

They only had two choices. 

The first was to abandon them completely, cutting their losses and using what little points they had left to get rid of them. 

The second was to hand over the points in exchange for the immunity card. 

But no matter which option they chose, it would be a painful decision for Class D. 

"Kanda, what do you think we should do? You're the one who earned those 20 million private points, and you're also a big reason why we have so many class points now. I want to hear your opinion." 

Yukimura threw the ball into Kanda Shuichi's court. 

Most of the class turned their eyes toward him as well. Given his strong performance in past exams, they believed he would come up with a solution. 

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, watching all of this, closed his eyes with a tired expression. 

They were asking the person who put them in this mess to help them get out of it. 

That was basically serving themselves up on a silver platter. 

Still, he was curious to hear what Kanda Shuichi had to say. 

"Alright, then. I'll share my proposal." 

Under the class's expectant gaze, Kanda Shuichi stood up from his seat. 

"At this point, what Ike and Yamauchi did no longer matters. So I hope we can stop dwelling on that for now." 

The students nodded, waiting for him to continue. 

"I know everyone is furious with them right now. Because of their stupidity, we're about to lose a valuable immunity card. 

But I want to say this—anyone who relies on an immunity card for peace of mind has no right to aim for Class A." 

His words stung, and several students looked upset. 

It was Ike and Yamauchi's fault, so why was he criticizing them instead? 

"What are you—" 

"Let me finish." Kanda Shuichi raised his hand, cutting them off. 

"For example, if the class has an immunity card, some students might start thinking, 'Well, we have a safety net. Even if I fail an exam, I won't get expelled.' 

And with that mindset, they might slack off when studying. 

Once that happens, they could actually end up failing, and the immunity card would be wasted on them." 

"Th-There's no way anyone would think like that, right?" Yukimura stammered. 

"Maybe you wouldn't, but that doesn't mean others won't. Look at Ike and Yamauchi—they already did something reckless enough to get them expelled. What else do you think they're capable of?" 

Yukimura had no response to that. 

"So, having this immunity card might actually make us lazy. In that case, it's better to not have it at all. 

That's why I suggest we hand over the 20 million private points." 

"But that just lets them off the hook! That's way too easy!" 

Yukimura shot a glare at Ike and Yamauchi. 

"Of course not." Kanda Shuichi gave the two a sideways glance. 

"I only talked about the downside of the immunity card. Now, let's discuss its benefits." 

He then turned to Chabashira Sae. 

"Chabashira-sensei, is there a possibility that this school could give us an exam where someone in the class is guaranteed to be expelled?"

Chabashira Sae nodded at Kanda Shuichi's words, her expression somewhat heavy. 

"Yes, though I don't know if you'll ever encounter it, there has been such an exam in this school's history." 

"That's the benefit of the immunity ticket I mentioned. If something like that actually happens—something completely unreasonable—we can use the ticket to skip the exam." 

"But didn't you just say you were going to hand over the 20 million points…?" 

"That's right. The real value of those 20 million points isn't the points themselves, but their ability to prevent a student from being expelled. Since those points were bound to be lost because of Yamauchi and Ike, they should take responsibility for it." 

"You mean…" 

"Exactly. If that day never comes, then fine. But if we ever face a situation where someone in the class has to be expelled unconditionally, we'll choose one of them as the sacrifice to protect the rest of the class." 

Kanda Shuichi's words were chilling, and the students looked at each other, unsure how to react. 

"Kanda, I…" 

"Hirata, I know you don't want to lose anyone, but actions have consequences." 

Kanda Shuichi cut Hirata off. This wasn't the time for him to interfere. 

"I agree with sickly boy's proposal. If they wasted our lifeline for nothing, then when a sacrifice is needed, they should be the first ones to step up." 

Koenji, still looking at himself in the mirror, agreed without even raising his head. 

"I think Kanda's idea is good too." 

The second person to voice support was Karuizawa Kei. The moment she spoke, nearly all the girls in the class followed suit. 

After that, most of the boys also voted in favor. 

Now, all that was left was for the people involved to agree, and this matter would be settled. 

"I… I have something to say." 

Under the gaze of the entire class, Yamauchi Haruki raised his hand. 

This caught everyone by surprise, even Kanda Shuichi. 

"I… I can accept this proposal. But Ike was the mastermind, and I wasn't the only one involved. The professor and Ayanokouji were part of it too." 

Yamauchi's words caused another uproar in the class. So there weren't just two of them—there were actually more? 

Everyone's eyes turned to Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and Hoshimura Hideo. 

Hearing Yamauchi drag Ayanokouji into this, Horikita Suzune was about to stand up and explain, but Ayanokouji stopped her. 

"I was aware of it, but I didn't step in to stop them. Since Yamauchi is saying this, then add me in too." 

Ayanokouji stood up, his face completely expressionless. 

As for Hoshimura, he stammered nervously, "I… I did commit an unforgivable mistake. I accept my punishment." 

Seeing both Ayanokouji and Hoshimura admit their fault, a hint of relief flashed in Yamauchi's eyes. 

Originally, he was the only one on the chopping block. But now, with three more added to the list, even if a mandatory expulsion did happen, his chances of being chosen had dropped significantly. 

A 100% chance of expulsion versus a 25% chance—there was a huge difference. 

This was good news for him.

After deciding on a solution, Ike Kanji, Yamauchi Haruki, Tonomura Hideo, and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka all signed the contract as expulsion candidates. 

Then, Hirata Yosuke had the class hand over their five hundred thousand private points each to Horikita Suzune, who would be responsible for delivering the points to the person holding the evidence. 

And so, Class D finished the first morning of the second semester with resentment in the air. 

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka received his expulsion candidate certificate. 

Kanda Shuichi also collected a total of forty-nine million five hundred thousand private points from Katsuragi, Ichinose, and Ryuen, bringing his balance to seventy million. 

Meanwhile, Kamuro received the twenty million that Horikita Suzune transferred, and the memory card containing the footage from the girls' changing room was handed over to Horikita Suzune. 

After confirming the contents, Horikita Suzune destroyed the card and let out a sigh of relief. 

As for whether Kamuro had kept a backup, Horikita Suzune didn't care. It wouldn't matter anyway—if Kamuro went back on her word, Horikita Suzune could use the contract against her. 

That would count as fraud, and Kamuro would definitely be expelled.

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