Volume 10, Chapter 5: Good and Evil Part 3

After school, the day before the vote.

Tomorrow, the decision would be made on which student to expel, and their seat in the class would be emptied.

There was a lingering feeling of uneasiness weighing down on everyone, but even so, they still had a reassuring belief that things would be alright.

This was because someone had been chosen as a sacrifice.

Ayanokji Kiyotaka would be expelled from school.

More than half the class had already sided with this course of action.

Many of them were probably harboring some guilt about it right now.

And yet, that guilt was a small price to pay as long as they were able to save themselves.

After a while, the guilt would fade away.

A year from now, they would simply remember that I had been one of the students in their classroom.

That being said, I felt no resentment toward them. For the sake of avoiding expulsion, everyone had been desperately racking their brains to come up with countermeasures. Ultimately, I just happened to be the target.

After gaining pity from his classmates, Yamauchi skillfully won over Kushida and suggested a target for the vote based on sympathy and understanding.

Kushida then roped in the classmates she could. Since the invitation came from a trusted friend with whom they had confided their secrets, they were completely unable to turn her down.

Yamauchis strategy wasnt bad. He took a risk and did his job well as the mastermind.

It was just a pity that he decided to go after me.

If his goal was really to avoid being expelled, he shouldve gone after Ike or Sud instead.

After all, the two of them wouldnt have the capacity to recover from something like this.

Well, since Sakayanagi was the one actually pulling the strings, there was no way that was going to happen.

In any case, since it had come down to this, I had no choice but to take action to remove someone else instead.

But this time, I wouldnt be the one to do it.

Im just a low-profile, unimpactful student who was being targeted by Yamauchi. I wasnt somebody capable of making a change in this situation.

The countenance of the girl sitting in the seat next to me had gone through far more change than I had anticipated.

Her whole body seemed to be giving off a different aura than before, glittering as though she had been hit by a magic spell.

Well then, thats it for homeroom. Tomorrow is a Saturday, but there will still be an exam, so dont oversleep.

Chabashiras words marked the end of school for the day.

Everyone was ready to begin packing up their things and head home.

There was a brief moment of total silence.

Come on, Horikita. Move. I know you can do it.

She pushed back her chair and stood up from her desk.

Could I have a moment?

Horikita, her voice filled with confidence, called out to every student in the classroom.

It naturally managed to gather the attention of the class, curious as to what was going on.

Im sorry, but Id like to ask everyone to refrain from going home for a moment.

Even Chabashira seemed curious about what Horikita was up to, as she had stopped on her way out of the room.

Whats the matter, Horikita-san?

Hirata responded, reacting a beat faster than anyone else.

He was, after all, the most sensitive to subtle changes in the classs atmosphere.

I have something to say about the special exam tomorrow.

About the special exam?

O-oh look at the time Well, I already had plans to go hang out with Kanji after this, so

Tha Thats right.

Yamauchi and Ike spoke up, emphasizing the point that they didnt have time to stick around.

Both of you seem awfully composed. What with making arrangements to go play together even though one of you might be expelled tomorrow.

When her eyes met with Yamauchis, he looked away in a hurry.

Thats because theres no use, even if we struggle. Weve already resolved ourselves for the worst.

Really? How praiseworthy. But Im sorry, that doesnt mean everyone else feels the same way as you. Theres no point in what Im trying to do here unless the whole class is able to hear what I have to say, so would you please be willing to put up with it for a bit?

Then what the heck are you gonna say?

Theres something important I want to tell everyone concerning tomorrows exam and whos going to be expelled.

Horikita walked to the front of the room and stood behind the teaching podium.

She probably wanted to be in a position where she could see everyones faces properly.

About whos being expelled? What are you getting at?

Yamauchi began talking notably faster than usual.

He was probably doing it involuntarily because of the combination of his own guilty conscience and the extraordinary atmosphere of the classroom.

Ive been doing a lot of thinking this past couple of days. Who should be expelled? Who should stay? How do we come to a proper decision? Earlier today, I managed to find a satisfactory answer to these troublesome questions. So please, allow me to lay it all out for everyone.

Wait a minute, Horikita-san.

It was Hirata, not Yamauchi, who spoke up to stop her.

Nobody in this class deserves to be expelled.

Is that true? Isnt it possible that somebody does, though?

S-something like that

Ive had some serious concerns since the moment we were told about this exam. Even though its important for us to be able to discuss things with each other and come to a decision about who were going to expel, the school hasnt provided us with any class-time to do it. As a result, it has become a battle where we form into groups and try to control the outcome of the vote. Were running the risk that we might end up expelling an excellent student, even though they shouldnt be considered for expulsion at all. Can we really call something like that an exam at all?

Chabashira was the first person to look visibly impressed, shortly followed up by Kenji.

I havent the faintest idea whats gotten into you, but you seem to me like an entirely different person. Youve really gotten right to the heart of the matter, havent you?

With a clap of the hands, Kenji continued to speak.

Let us hear it, then. What do you suggest we do?

Originally, I thought we should hold a discussion with everyone in the class and collectively decide on who to expel. But I understand that, realistically speaking, that would be difficult. Therefore, allow me to nominate someone I think we should expel.

Hirata interjected.

H-hold on Horikita-san!

Sorry, but Im speaking right now. Ill give a proper explanation for my nomination later.

Staying conscious of how much time she was taking, Horikita pushed the discussion forward.

No way. Im against you throwing the class into chaos like this.

Even so, Hirata refused to back down.

It wasnt in his nature to do any differently.

Shes at least got the right to speak. We can listen to your objections after shes done.

Sud cut in to stop Hirata from interfering.

Its as Red Hair-kun says. Ive given up some of my valuable time to be here, so Id appreciate it if youd refrain from wasting it by being a hindrance.

Kenji spoke up in support of hearing Horikita out as well, seemingly interested in the direction the discussion was heading.

B-but

Taking advantage of Hiratas hesitation, Horikita once again opened her mouth.

For this special exam I have decided that we should expel Yamauchi Haruki-kun.

Under the watchful gaze of the entire class, Horikita explicitly stated the full name of her nomination.

So far, outside of the public eye, several students had been nominated as targets for censure votes. However, Horikita was the first person to nominate a target publicly like this. One might ask, why hadnt anyone else done the same thing? That was because theyd immediately gain the resentment of whoever they nominated. More importantly, if they failed to convince the rest of the class, there was a high probability that they would become a target themselves.

W-why me, Horikitaa!?

Naturally, Yamauchi was the first person to show any sort of reaction to this.

After all, if Horikitas reckless nomination garnered enough support, he would become the target for the censure votes. It was effectively a death sentence.

Theres a clear reason for it. To start out with, your contributions to the class over the past year have been particularly low.

T-thats not true! My test scores have been higher than Kens this whole time!

He overtook you last time though?

That but, that was just a one-time thing!!!

For arguments sake, lets say your academics are superior to Sud-kuns. Even then, youre still several levels beneath him in terms of physical ability.

Then isnt Kanji in the same boat as me!? Hes definitely worse than me when it comes to physical fitness!

Naturally, Yamauchi desperately tried to defend himself.

Anybody would get desperate if they were being singled out in front of everyone like this.

Its true that there are a handful of students who are all on a somewhat similar playing field. Ill give you that much.

T-thats right. Nominating me so seriously Could ya please give me a break?

However, youre still a half-step behind, even compared to the rest of them. When I assigned everyone a priority by taking into account their behavior during lessons, tardiness and absence history, and strengths and weaknesses, you ended up in dead last. The runner-up was Ike-kun, followed up immediately by Sud-kun. This is the conclusion I came to yesterday.

I Im a candidate as well!?

Panicking a bit, Sud spoke up.

Youve certainly improved in terms of academic ability and critical thinking these past few months, but that doesnt just get rid of all of the times youve been a burden to class. Or am I wrong?

No, youre right.

With the facts laid out in front of him, Sud accepted them for what they were.

Ikes expression was heavy, seeming to have come to terms with it as well.

Are you being serious with all this nonsense!? This is pissing me off! Right!? Kanji!? Ken!?

Yamauchi tried to bring the two Horikita had nominated as other candidates over to his side, but neither of them had the words to refute what Horikita had said.

Plus, Im kinda lovable, right? At least when compared to someone like Kenji. That problem child totally abandoned the class during several special exams!

Its true that Kenji-kun has a lot of work to do to improve his behavior. However, he was able to understand the significance of holding this discussion. If I were to put an overall worth to his abilities, the difference between the two of you would be so large that you couldnt even begin to compare. At the very least, hes not somebody we should be expelling during this exam.

Kenji let show a fearless smile laced with complacency as he crossed his arms in front of him.

I cant accept this! I really just cant anymore!

Then, how about I tell you the final reason why you were chosen among all other options?

Horikita pressured Yamauchi, calmly interrupting him in the middle of his fit.

F-final reason?

Horikitas unusual aura made Yamauchi momentarily shrink back.

There should be something youve been feeling guilty about that you havent been willing to tell anyone. Am I wrong?

Yamauchi was overwhelmed by Horikitas confident words.

I dont have anything to feel guilty about

Seeing as you dont feel like saying it yourself, Ill say it for you. In order to protect yourself, you used Kushida-san as an intermediary to gather support from our classmates, all to get Ayanokji-kun expelled. Isnt that right?

Hah!?

The classroom descended into an uproar.

Even though over half the class was aware of the vote manipulation, none of them knew that the true culprit behind all of it was Yamauchi.

You were planning to have Ayanokji-kun expelled?

Ayanokji Group members aside, Hirata was one of the people genuinely, visibly, shocked to hear that I was being targeted.

Hirata was the type to always stay neutral and think about the class as a whole, so it made sense that he wasnt willing to accept it.

Yes. Its an undeniable fact. Isnt that right, everyone?

Kushida had gotten many students tied up in Yamauchis plan.

Even if they didnt make eye contact with her, they would surely feel shaken if they had an inkling as to what had been going on.

This was enough for Hirata to realize that more than half the class had joined Yamauchis group.

Hmm Everyone seems a lot calmer than I had imagined

Your plan started out with a small group of people and you steadily expanded from there. If you managed to gather up the majority of the classs censure votes, your targets expulsion would be effectively guaranteed, right?

I-I had nothing to do with that!

Despite claiming otherwise, Yamauchi made no further attempts to defend himself.

Then who did?

I-I dunno, okay!? I was just told to cast my censure vote for Ayanokji!

Lying in desperation like this usually didnt result in things turning out the way you wanted.

If you dont know who started it, then why dont you tell me who told you to cast your censure vote for Ayanokji-kun instead?

Thats uh

You had to have heard it from somebody, right? Youre not going to say you dont know, are you?

Yamauchi seemed nearly at his wits end as he looked around the classroom.

Kanji! I heard it from Kanji! Right dude!?

He proceeded to pin the blame on his best friend.

What? No! It wasnt me!

Naturally, Ike denied it.

Is that really true, Ike-kun?

No no no no no. It absolutely wasnt me. I heard it from

Ike was, understandably, at a loss for words.

After all, the person who had suggested it to him was none other than Kushida, and he couldnt just sell her out.

From your silence, Im sensing that youre incapable of providing an answer. In which case, perhaps you really are the mastermind like Yamauchi-kun says?

No, no! So, err Kiky-chan came to me, asking for help She said that there was someone who was in a lot of trouble, so she needed me to cast my censure vote for Ayanokji.

This time, Ike passed the blame along to Kushida.

Of course, there was no way Kushida was going to sit back and let this happen.

She hated the idea of being targeted more than anyone else in the room.

Dont tell me that youre the mastermind, Kushida-san?

Horikita was determined to trace down each lead until she got to the bottom of this.

In a situation like this where a specific person was being targeted, it wasnt a very big deal if she didnt find out the identity of the mastermind. By questioning people one at a time like this, shed eventually find out the truth either way.

I well a certain someone approached me, saying they needed my help, so it was kind of hard to turn them down

And just who is this certain someone?

Ultimately, the blame that Yamauchi had tried so hard to avoid was about to come around full circle.

But Yamauchi, getting overwhelmed by anxiety, hurriedly tried to pass it on once again.

Th-thats right! I was told by Kiky-chan! She asked me to help her get Ayanokji expelled!

Spurred on by a single lie, there was no way of knowing when this chain reaction of accusations would come to an end.

M-me!?

Everyone else also heard it from Kiky-chan, right? Right? Am I right?

Kushida had indeed been the one entrusted to act as an intermediary.

However, there was something that most everyone in the class understood.

And that, was that Kushida Kiky was a student who would only ever take action for the sake of her friends, and she would never do something to try and trick or frame somebody.

The difference in the amount of trust they had managed to build up was more than clear.

Youre so cruel Yamauchi-kun I even though I really didnt want to abandon Ayanokji-kun, you came asking for my help but, even though I did the best I could

Kushida spoke, burying her face down into her desk, her voice filled with anguish.

It was probably all that the class needed to hear to get a grasp on who was really telling the truth. The scene of Yamauchi earnestly begging for Kushida to help him was probably playing through all their minds.

Yamauchis predicament was steadily getting worse and worse, and it would only continue to deteriorate moving forward. Of course, this mustve also been a headache for Kushida, but given the situation, there was no helping it if she wanted to avoid being targeted.

After all, the absolute worst-case scenario was expulsion.

Kushida-san.

Horikita called out to Kushida, who was covering her face.

Everyone probably thought she was about to say something to comfort her.

Your actions have also been a huge mistake.

With a strong tone, Horikita reprimanded her.

In this class, you hold influence on the same level as Hirata-kun and Karuizawa-san No, your influence is even stronger than theirs. As such, if you nominate someone as a target, a great number of your classmates are going to listen to you.

I-I didnt want that. I just wanted to help Yamauchi-kun

Stop with the sophistry, you arent that stupid. You shouldve known what would happen if you helped him from the very beginning.

Facing Horikitas reproachful words, Kushida stood up from her desk, weeping.

I didnt think that far ahead! Its just, I couldnt simply ignore Yamauchi-kuns problem his suffering I had to help somehow!

No, you knew. You ignored the problem at hand, knowing very well what the outcome would be.

Confronted with Horikitas excessive prodding, Kushida flinched, faltering with her response.

In this situation, she couldnt aggressively retort back to Horikita even if she wanted to.

There was absolutely no way she would break character and take off her mask under these circumstances.

There was no way Horikita didnt understand this as well.

This ordeal was caused by your own lapse in judgment. You shouldve done something about it much sooner.

That I dont know what to do

You should reflect on what has happened here and strive to take actions that will benefit the class from now on.

Horikita said the final word on the matter, turning a deaf ear to Kushidas excuses.

Be that as it may, it seems theres no mistaking the fact that the primary offender is Yamauchi-kun.

Horikita dropped her temporary focus on Kushidas wrongdoings once again swapped her attention back to Yamauchi.

W-wait Horikita. I told you it wasnt me

My my, this has been quite the interesting discussion. Though, isnt it only natural for the boy to try and get somebody else removed from school? Pushing past all the nonsensical formalities, this exam is nothing more than the rabble of the class fighting for their own survival. Or, is there any particular reason why only he should be condemned, hmm?

Kenji made a statement that didnt appear to align with anyone, although it was probably going to end up working out in Horikitas favor.

Right you are. While assembling a group with the intention of getting rid of somebody else may not be the most praiseworthy thing to do, it surely doesnt seem fair to blame him for simply trying to survive. Well, thats only if thats all there is to it.

Oh?

Yamauchi-kun. You havent been trying to expel Ayanokji-kun just to protect yourself, have you?

W-wait! I said to wait! I told you it wasnt me!

How ugly. Everyone presently in this classroom fully believes it was, so come now lets hear it. Why did he target Ayanokji-boy?

Horikita nodded her head in agreement.

He, Yamauchi-kun, has been colluding with Sakayanagi-san behind the scenes, taking orders and carrying them out for her.

The truth was exposed to broad daylight.

Thats quite the worrisome piece of information, now isnt it? Collusion with a student from Class A How unpleasant.

This was probably the reason why Kenji had involved himself with this discussion in the first place.

Kenji was still at risk of being expelled, so he was probably looking to make use of Horikita to avoid the danger. By revealing a truly unnecessary student, the class would put them to trial instead.

Even if Yamauchi hadnt colluded with Sakayanagi or targeted someone else, the fact that he was the most unnecessary student in the class still hadnt changed. It probably wouldve ended up like this either way.

Its probably fair to say that the time needed to back Yamauchi into a corner had been considerably reduced, thanks to the fact that he had gone along with Sakayanagis scheme.

Oi Haruki, youve been colluding with Sakayanagi-chan?

Not only was his role as the mastermind revealed, but his connection with Class A had as well.

Even his best friend Ike wasnt able to take this news sitting down.

T-thats nonsense! Theres no evidence!

I wonder if youd be willing to show me your phone, then? You should have Sakayanagi-san registered in your contacts.

Thats because were friends! Theres nothing suspicious about me having her registered!

Its true that there wouldnt be anything suspicious about it if the two of them really did have a friendly relationship.

However, the fact that, recently, Sakayanagi had openly contacted Yamauchi was fresh in the minds of everyone in the classroom.

Horikita had probably asked Yamauchi about his contacts in order to remind everyone of what had taken place.

Do do you seriously have ties with Sakayanagi-chan?

Coming from his closest friend, Ikes question felt scornful.

I-Im telling you Why would I join up with Class A!? Id never betray my friends! This is really the first time Ive ever heard about this! Come on and give me a break already!

At his wits end, Yamauchi played the victim.

Wrong. Under her orders, you convinced our classmates to target Ayanokji-kun. After all, shes much more clever than you are. She gave you clear instructions on how to get Ayanokji-kun expelled from the school.

N-no no no!

Furthermore, there was probably also something that convinced Yamauchi-kun to willingly cooperate with her. Something like an invitation to start dating, perhaps?

Agh!

Bulls-eye. As Horikita pointed out the one truth that he wanted to keep hidden more than anything else, Yamauchi expressed a whole new kind of agitation.

This was probably something Horikita had deduced all on her own, and based on his reaction, it seemed that she had hit it right on the mark.

ILLUSTRATION: https://imgur.com/a/17WhYs5

Theres no reason for the class to expel someone far superior to you like Ayanokji-kun because of this stupid, worthless motive of yours. This is the primary reason why I nominate you for expulsion.

Horikita spoke not toward Yamauchi, but toward the entirety of the class.

None of us want to lose one of our classmates. However, you betrayed your own class and colluded with the enemy. You even tried to target one of your very own friends You are, without a doubt, the most unnecessary student in the class.

Th-Thats

You could practically hear the cogs turning inside Yamauchis head as he frantically thought about how to get out of his current situation.

If Even if we assume what youre saying is true why am I the only one being criticized for it? Trying to protect myself by working with another class is a legitimate form of self-defense, isnt it!? Its not like I want to be expelled!

I see. So essentially, youre asking whats wrong with trying to protect myself?, right?

It was a pitiful, stubborn excuse, but Yamauchi still wasnt willing to admit to it.

Self-preservation is certainly important. However, I dont see very much value in someone whos willing to throw away one of their peers in order to gain that protection, much less someone whos sold their soul to an enemy.

Horikita wouldnt stand down, no matter how much Yamauchi tried to resist.

Y-youre just standing up for Ayanokji because youre on good terms with him!

Not at all. This was the objective outcome of a calm, composed judgment. Both you and Ayanokji-kun started out from the very same place. Comparing the two of you side by side, the difference between your overall contribution to the class is painfully clear. Furthermore, considering your connection with Class A, theres simply no more room for discussion.

No objections here. I believe that Horikita-girls proposal is quite desirable. We certainly dont want to keep around someone who could potentially betray the class. I certainly couldnt spend time with a student who could potentially betray the class. She has my support.

With that, Kenji was the first to support for Horikitas proposal.

Wait! I havent betrayed anyone! I swear on my life!

As a last-ditch effort, Yamauchi swore on his life to prove he wasnt lying.

It was hard to say whether or not his sentiment managed to reach his fellow classmates.

Oh! Then, why in the world is it Ayanokji, huh!?

What do you mean by that?

Even if I really was somehow taking orders from Sakayanagi-chan, instead of trying to expel someone like Ayanokji, wouldnt it make more sense for me to target someone more dangerous?

This was probably a lingering doubt from back when Sakayanagi had first approached him. Instead of Ayanokji, why not pick one of the central figures of the class like Hirata or Karuizawa?

Im guessing that its because he doesnt stand out very much, for better or worse. Even if she wanted you to expel a more outstanding student, you wouldnt be able to do so very easily. So, she chose someone unobtrusive like Ayanokji-kun. As far as Sakayanagi-san was concerned, it probably didnt matter who got expelled. She just wanted a spy, a chess piece she could move however she wanted.

There was no way somebody like Yamauchi couldve resisted getting caught up in such a cunning strategy.

Im guessing that there are some of you who arent too happy about my nomination as well. In which case, please feel free to cast your censure vote for me. Whether you want to vote for Yamauchi-kun or Ayanokji-kun, or even anybody else, just go ahead and do it. I just felt that I needed to share my opinion with everyone, which is exactly why I decided to hold this discussion in the first place. Please try to account for this as you come to your own decision.

Horikita spoke confidently, resolved to put everything on the line for what she believed was right, and it was probably going to pay off.

However, Sud proceeded to chime in once again.

Hold up, Suzune I think I understand the gist of the situation. I also get that Haruki is the one in the wrong here

His expression was gloomy. This was a desperate show of resistance from someone who always abided by Horikitas orders.

But, Im against having Haruki get expelled.

Well, he is your friend. Im well aware of how important he is to you.

However, Horikita had already anticipated that Sud would choose to back Yamauchi.

Yet, Sud also wasnt willing to simply back down.

Hes my friend, so Im gonna protect him. That makes sense right? I know its pretty bad that he went and did what he did with Class A and all but we dont gotta expel him for that. Isnt it all good as long as he reflects and seriously contributes moving forward?

If that was the case, thered be no need to expel Ayanokji-kun either, since he hasnt done anything wrong.

T-thats-

This whole perspective of yours is flawed, Sud-kun.

Horikita took a short breath, readying herself to bring forth all the courage she could muster.

She stood tall, having fully resolved herself to be hated by her peers.

By protecting one person, youre abandoning somebody else. It follows that this exam isnt about sentiment. Its about theory.

Sud opened his mouth but proceeded to sink into silence.

His desire to help his friend was clear.

But in order to do that, it meant that somebody else would have to be expelled instead.

Forming a group and trying to control the votes was, in and of itself, a mistake.

Until today, the class had been free to take whatever action they saw fit for the upcoming exam. Everyone had been consumed with negative thoughts, thinking specific people deserved to be expelled. Thinking that there was no point in fighting back against something that had already seemed to be decided upon.

This was exactly why it had come down to this. Everyone had realized that they arent able to take action for the sake of the class and that they just wanted to save themselves. If Horikita had done this on the day the exam was announced, it probably wouldnt have been nearly as effective. More importantly, if she had appealed to the class before they had been forced to go through this special exam, her words probably wouldnt have resonated with them. But now, everyone should be able to understand just how difficult and frightening it is to take the initiative and try to expel one of your classmates.

Sorry, Haruki I cant do anything for you

Honestly, Suds newfound maturity was shocking. He still had a tendency where hed easily lose his temper after some small provocations, so while he had some ways to go, he was broadening his own horizons, little by little.

Even though it was a choice between me and a close friend, he had been able to put my relatively close relationship with Horikita aside and calmly come to a reasonable decision.

Looks like its decided then, Horikita-girl.

Kenji and the other spectators were ready to hand down their verdict.

Wait! Wait! Stop!

Yamauchi began shouting, begging for them to stop.

Itd be stupid of you to waste your censure votes on me!!!

Ive already made up my mind. Nobody here deserves to be voted for more than you do.

Yeah but! Ive already made an agreement with everyone to vote for Ayanokji!

I take back everything

Huh?

Kushida spoke quietly, her eyes cast downward.

I made a mistake I wanted to help Yamauchi-kun but I didnt realize the gravity of the situation. Im taking back what I asked of everyone

Given the situation, in order to avoid ruining her own reputation, Kushida had no choice but to side with Horikita.

Wait wait. Whatre you saying!? Youre breaking your own promise!!! How cruel!

Youre the cruel one here Yamauchi-kun going as far as to betray your own classmates

And now, Yamauchi was completely alone.

The feeling of being targeted by many of your peers was one he should know better than anyone.

You are the weakest link in the class, and youre a traitor.

Horikita reiterated her point with both indifference and composure.

Thats everything I wanted to say.

With this, she attempted to bring the discussion to a close.

There didnt appear to be anybody willing to oppose her anymore.

In conclusion, Id like to hear the opinions of everyone here. What are your thoughts?

However

I want you to hold on for a second, Horikita-san.

Is something the matter?

A male student raised his hand and proceeded to stand up from his seat.

If there was a sole factor that had fallen outside of Horikitas calculations, it would have to be the existence of Hirata Ysuke.

Even though Ive stayed silent and let you say everything you wanted to say, I must object to the way youre inducing the rest of the class to vote with you. For comrades to come together to kick somebody out like this its just plain wrong.

Hiratas words didnt come from a place of sentiment like Sud, nor did they from logic like Horikita. Instead, they came from a place of suffering and resistance, spurned forward from his inability to come to an answer.

There isnt any other way. This exam doesnt have any loopholes. Its unreasonable, but somebody in our class is, without a shadow of a doubt, going to be sacrificed. Dont tell me you still havent come to terms with this yet?

How could I possibly come to terms with it? I I dont want to lose anyone. Itd be different if somebody wanted to be expelled, but whether its Yamauchi-kun or Ayanokji-kun, neither of them actually do.

Neither of them actually want it? Youd be hard-pressed to find anyone who actually wants it. How about I raise a pointless question to the rest of the class? Could I get a show of hands of everyone who feels like they want to be expelled from the school? If you come out now, there wont be any need for any of this anymore. The rest of us will unanimously cast our censure votes for you and wash our hands of all of this.

Not a single person raised their hand. If there actually was such a convenient student, they wouldve already announced their candidacy ages ago.

Do you get it now?

No. Theres no way Id be willing to accept something so horrible.

The perfect honors student, well-versed in both sports and academics. A truly virtuous guy.

But despite all of that, Hirata Ysukes weakness was revealed.

When the time comes and hes pressured to make a decisive decision, hes overwhelmed, unable to do anything at all.

I have faith in my decision to push forward here, regardless of whether youre willing to accept it or not, so lets take a vote. Here and now.

Theres no reason for us to do that. Theres no way to guarantee who people will vote for tomorrow.

Thats not true. Its important to keep an eye on the voting trends of our classmates.

Its pointless. Everyone everyones trying to get someone expelled! I cant!

Hirata was probably afraid that Horikitas actions would spark a fire that would burn out of control, causing personal information such as who hates who to be made public.

Well then, everyone, lets get on with it.

Horikita disregarded Hirata and once again attempted to take the vote.

Nobody could stop her anymore. It was the moment of truth.

Horikita-san!

A loud, unnatural sound echoed throughout the classroom.

Something happened that nobody in the room had even slightly expected.

Hirata had kicked over his desk, sending it flying forward as it toppled to the ground.

Wha Uhm, H-Hirata-kun?

I could hear the voice of one of the girls, reeling in utter disbelief.

And to be fair, I was just as surprised.

It was the type of situation that made me wonder if he had simply gotten carried away and his foot had accidentally made contact with his desk.

The same was true for Chabashira.

His unbelievable behavior was simply far too unexpected.

Would you just stop, Horikita-san?

He had lowered the tone of his voice, as though he was trying to scare her into backing down.

What do you want me to stop?

Horikita answered with a question of her own, adjusting her bangs to help hide her outright shock.

Im telling you, stop it with this vote.

You dont have the right

Hiratas daunting words caused her voice to waver just a little.

That was just how much intensity his voice carried.

This discussion has been a mistake.

If so, then what in the world should we be doing? Its not like you have any ideas. You havent been doing anything this entire time.

So what?

So what? Im saying its a problem. You havent been making a proper assessment of the situation.

Shut up

No, I wont shut up. I-

Horikita just shut your mouth already.

Hirata spoke sharply, coldly interrupting her. His words were far heavier than anything we had ever heard him say before.

It felt as though the air within the classroom had frozen over.

Listen up, everyone.

Hiratas tone had changed as he addressed the class, making him seem like a different person entirely.

It doesnt matter at all whether everything thats been said so far is true or not.

It wasnt! She was definitely lying, Hirata! Im just a victim here!

Yamauchi clamored to Hirata, having been forced into a dire situation.

Victim?

Er

Hiratas deep, relentless gaze pierced through Yamauchi.

After everything thats been said, theres no way youre innocent here.

Thats I

The fact that you guys are fine with betraying one your own makes me sick to my stomach.

His anger wasnt just directed toward Yamauchi, but the class as a whole.

Its an exam. We dont have any other choice.

Either way, its wrong to manipulate the vote like this.

The exam is tomorrow. Are you saying that we should sit back and not do anything to prepare ourselves? Thatd be no different from just silently allowing Yamauchi-kuns betrayal.

Whats wrong with not having a plan? We have no right to judge our classmates.

What are you even saying? Isnt that exactly what this special exam is asking of us? In fact, many of us actually want this.

Horikita knew this precisely because she had been standing up at the podium, taking in the gazes of her classmates.

However, Hirata wasnt willing to even try to accept this.

Arent you the actual problem here?

His low, heavy voice resonated throughout the classroom.

Even now, my brain refused to accept that this cold voice was coming from Hirata.

Its true that this exam is far too heartless and cruel. Ill never be able to accept it. But, even so if you can somehow get yourself to tolerate it, its really nothing more than just a normal class poll. By no means is it here for you to pit everyone against each other like this.

Thats unrealistic. Behind the scenes, our classmates have been forming a group, holding discussions about how to manipulate the results of the vote. Ayanokji-kun was going to take on all of that by himself.

Yes. Thats also deplorable. Regardless, your blatant appeal to the entire class is a different thing entirely.

Its the same. Theres no difference. You shouldve stopped their plotting yourself if you really wanted to stay true to this hypocritical mindset of yours.

Nobody could cut into their conversation at this point.

Hirata was the on the edge of desperation, and the only person capable of talking it out with him was Horikita.

Besides, even without taking a vote here, Ive already finished explaining everything. Dont you realize that this normal vote you wanted is already completely gone?

Thats right The die has been cast. You cant take back whats been said.

Hirata took a deep breath before continuing.

He regained a little bit of his composure, but there was no change in his cold attitude.

Thats why Im going to cast my vote for you tomorrow, Horikita-san. I wont allow you to cause problems for this class again.

Hirata was well aware of his own numerous inconsistencies. Nonetheless, he gets along with everyone in the class and values peace and camaraderie more than anyone. Which, consequently, was exactly why he was suffering.

Yes. Do as you want.

Horikita didnt seem dissatisfied. It was as if she was encouraging the class to do the same if they agreed with him.

Having watched over the entire ordeal, Chabashira quietly approached the teaching podium.

Is that all, Horikita?

Yes.

Horikita yielded the podium and returned to her seat.

Classes had already been dismissed for the day, and this was no place for a teacher to interfere.

But even so, Chabashira once again stood before her students.

You all may think this exam is an unreasonable, terrible thing being forced upon you by the school. However, once you enter society, you will definitely encounter a situation where someone has to be cast aside. Upper and senior management have to be willing to bring the hammer down when needed. The students who study at this school are nurtured to become important factors in the future success of Japan. You wont be able to grow if you perceive this exam as a simple means for the school to foster harassment.

In society, people who are hindrances are fired in order to protect the group as a whole.

Following this chain of logic, there are also backroom deals and vilification much like what had been done these past few days.

There are certainly factors of this special exam meant to help us mature into adulthood. However, it is by no means kind to force a group of students, still immature of both mind and body, to make this kind of judgment. The exam may end up negatively influencing the future of the students.

Im not going to provide my perspective on this discussion of yours. I believe everybodys participation has been valuable. I hope you all think carefully before you cast your votes tomorrow.

With that, Chabashira left the classroom, having finished listening to the entire discussion.

Me? Yamauchi? Horikita? Possibly Hirata? Or perhaps even somebody else?

It was unclear who exactly people would be voting for in tomorrows vote. In other words, the person being expelled tomorrow was still completely up in the air, and nobody would be able to find fault with it.

Thats just the kind of special exam this is.

(Part 3 End)