Classroom of the Elite (LN) - Vol 16 Chapter 6: Ryuuen Kakeru’s Choice
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Vol 16 Chapter 6: Ryuuen Kakeru’s Choice

Volume 16, Chapter 6: Ryuuen Kakerus Choice

The unanimous special exam began at 1:00 p.m.

Class D, another class of 40 students, was also beginning to feel the heavy atmosphere.

This was, of course, only because of the severe content of the last assignment that they had arrived at.

Motion ? Expel one classmate and gain 100 class points in exchange

(If a unanimous agreement is reached, then another vote will be held to designate the student who will be expelled)

1st vote results 14 in Agreement 26 in Opposition

The moment of disclosing the voting result. Like Horikitas class and Ichinoses class, there was a large concentration of votes against expulsion. However, compared to the two classes, the number of classmates who were in favor of expelling the students was not very small.

In other words, more than a third of students felt that they should prioritize class points over one of their classmates.

What are you going to do, Ryuuen-san?

The first person Ishizaki asked for instructions after receiving the results was the class leader, Ryuuen Kakeru.

The process to get to this motion all started with this procedure.

Since there is a low probability that a task will be unanimous the first time, the idea is to ask the leaders policy at the first interval and aim for unanimity in the second and subsequent votes.

The class confrontation in motion 1, the form of the protection point relationship in motion 3, and the ordeal imposed on the class in motion 4, all of them were unanimous in the choices Ryuuen had instructed the others to choose in just one interval.

The only thing that was left up to them was to decide on the school trip for motion 2. The classmates would debate for about half an hour as they wished, and in the end, they would unanimously decide on the destination with the most votes.

It was obvious to everyone that this fifth motion was of a different nature, but the approach was essentially the same.

All assignments that seem to require instruction are decided by a single word from Ryuuen.

The only thing the students strongly focused on was which side

Ryuuen voted for.

If Ryuuen was in favor, it would mean that someone would soon be expelled from the school.

Irresistible decisions. This is one of the characteristics of a class whose students are led by dictatorship.

Looking at the result, Ryuuen stood up from his chair with a smile.

Its been a boring and long time, but as it turns out, the school didnt have any intention of playing around. Otherwise it wouldnt be interesting

He mumbled to himself in a way that all of his classmates would hear, and made his way to the podium. Sakagami, who was watching over the developments that was unfolding inside the class, sensed Ryuuen approaching and took his distance.

He was well aware that this was where Ryuuens one-man show would begin.

Ryuuen sat down on the podium as if it was his reserved seat.

After taking a stance that allowed him to look at all of his classmates, he said his first words.

All those who voted in agreement, raise your hands!

There was no consideration whatsoever and Ryuuens order was met with intense tension, whether one voted for or against. In previous assignments, he never asked who had voted for what.

After a few seconds of hesitation, the hands began to raise. Among them were Nishino and Kaneda, who raised their hands while staring out the window, looking unmotivated.

five people, huh. Well, I guess thats about right. Pretty good for the first time.

However, there were nine students who did not talk about the fact that they did not follow orders and voted in favor.

Students like Ishizaki, Komiya and others were the first to be surprised to see this.

Hey, what the point of this miserable attempt at trying to hide? Its not like anyones going to get mad at you just because you voted in favor once, you know.

Komiya appealed to his silent classmates, hinting that now was the time to get out of trouble.

No one was ordered to do anything, wasnt it? You were free to vote for or against according to your personal choice, isnt that right?

Komiya explains that there is no reason to be blamed for, and makes sure that it suits Ryuuen just in case.

But when Ryuuen didnt respond immediately, Komiya tensed up for a moment.

If there was a difference in interpretation, it could lead to reprimand.

Hurry up and raise your hands before you get into trouble!

Not wanting the atmosphere of the place to become hostile, Ishizaki started to get flustered.

Then one student raised his hand apologetically after a delay. This brought the total to six, but the remaining eight students still did not raise their hands.

Its fine, Ishizaki. Those who dont want to raise their hand, dont have to raise their hand. For now.

WhaI-its fine?

As Komiya said, its up to each individual to support or oppose. So first of all, each one of you should think about what youre going to do. We have just over eight minutes left, which is plenty of time.

After checking the time without panicking, Ryuuen kept his smile on his face and did not change his posture.

He vaguely said nothing more than to think about it, and then he didnt do anything.

And for more than two minutes, he remained silent, doing nothing.

Listen, dont waste your time. You need to figure out where youre going to vote.

And then another bout of silence.

Ten seconds, thirty seconds, a minute passed by, but nobody even tried to take any initiative.

All the motions up to this point had been forced onto the students to make a choice within the first interval.

Thats why the students began to wonder why Ryuuen wasnt giving them any instructions.

However, few of them were able to express their thoughts and the more time passed, the heavier their mouths seemed to be shut.

Please give us some instructions.

Ishizaki and the others, who were able to say so before without any trouble, also started to feel more and more disheartened.

Their upper and lower lips were stuck together, and they would not open as if they were glued together.

The more time passed, the closer they got to losing their will to even speak.

Eventually, the urge to speak up is overcome by the hope that someone else would speak in their stead. When even that passes, their thought is replaced by the urge to vote as soon as possible, even though quite a bit of time was left on the clock.

The first interval, which felt long and drawn out, came to an end with the majority of the time spent in silence. Sakagami didnt seem to have expected this himself as he forgot to proceed even after a few seconds of the scheduled time.

Sakagami. Isnt it time?

Ryuuen got off the podium and started to go back to his seat of his own volition as he gave Sakagami a reminder, startling him a little bit.

Thats right. We will now have the second round of voting, and you have 60 seconds to cast your vote.

After everyone had voted for the second time, the results were

immediately shown on the monitor.

2nd vote result 10 in Agreement 30 in Opposition

Results of the second round of voting: 10 in favor, 30 in opposition.

Of the 14 votes in favor, four went to opposition. For the majority of those who did not want to be expelled, this result was generally not a bad thing. One or two more stern words from Ryuuen and the number of votes in agreement would decrease further. The result of the second round of voting was such that a unanimous vote in opposition seemed likely in the not too-distant future.

But Ryuuen shows his displeasure with the results.

Is this the answer you guys thought up? I dont think so.

Is it because are there are fewer votes in favor?

Kaneda asked as he repositioned his glasses. But Ryuuen immediately denied it.

Which means Ryuuen-kun is voting in favor, is that right?

He denied it again and snorted, to act as if he was dumbfounded.

W-whats the catch, Ryuuen-san? I dont get it.

Did you really reflect your will in your vote the first time and the

second time? This last motion is clearly different and unusual. Thats why I want to know your true intentions. Dont worry about what I voted for, just make an honest choice based on your feelings.

With that said, Ryuuen got up from his seat and began to walk slowly around the classroom.

For the next ten minutes, discuss thoroughly whether you want to vote in favor or in opposition.

With this instruction, the students were forced to debate frantically.

Surrounded by the hustle and bustle, they started talking about whatever they wanted.

Ryuuen listened to them, occasionally whispering into the ears of his students.

He didnt seem to have any particular student in mind.

And the next time he drew near Suzuki, he whispered to him in a

similar manner.

Youre free to agree or disagree. Vote for what you think.

Then he whispered to Tokito, who was sitting two seats behind Suzuki.

While wondered if it was even something he should have bothered to ask, he let the discussion continue as long as time allowed. Then came the third time to vote.

3rd vote results 9 in Agreement 31 in Opposition

The same situation as the second result was displayed on the monitor.

Sitting down at his desk, Ryuuen decided to use the third interval to express his thoughts.

Raise your hand if you voted in agreement.

After receiving the results, Ryuuen raised his hand again. Only two people, Nishino and Kaneda, raised their hands.

The remaining 7 kept their presence a secret and refused to come

forward.

Ishizaki became frustrated by the invisible yes votes, but Ryuuen paid no attention to them.

All three times you seemed to have voted in favor. Kaneda, why?

To win. Its not a good idea to have students drop out, but I think its important to get 100 class points.

Dont you think if you raise your hand, you will become the target

candidate to leave school?

Thats a silly question, Ryuuen-kun. You can cut off useless and

unnecessary people, but you wont cut off necessary people. At least in this class, 100 points is not worth my value.

He weighed his value on a scale and decided that there was no danger of being cut off.

Well, you certainly have a lot of uses, except for your looks.

Thank you very much.

Kaneda nodded satisfactorily without paying attention to the remark about his appearance.

Are you the same as Kaneda, Nishino?

What? No way. I just agreed to a quick way to increase my class points. The only reason I raised my hand is because I dont like sneaking around. Theres nothing wrong with agreeing with them.

The way he spoke, as if he were about to get a glare from Ryuuen, made Ishizaki more nervous than the man himself.

Im going to tell you what youve been worrying about. What I voted for.

Yes, please tell us!

We cant start until we hear what Ryuuen, the policy leader of this class, voted for.

Ishizaki wished aloud as he leaned forward.

Ive voted yes on this assignment three times out of three.

In other words, three of the nine yes votes in the current poll were cast by Ryuuen, Nishino and Kaneda.

S-so, youre saying that youre going to expel someone from the class?

In response to Ishizakis question, Ryuuen simply smiled and chuckled wryly.

Dont jump to conclusions. I only told you what my vote was. Because I decided that what you want to do with this task is up to you guys.

Oh, us?

Indeed, I voted in favor three times without hesitation

If the vote is in favor all three times, its safe to assume that the policy is to expel classmates from the school. However, Ishizaki didnt acknowledge it, so he choked on his words, not understanding the meaning.

The reason Im in favor of this is simple: if we cut down one person, we get 100 points. In other words, this is a great option for getting rid of unwanted items and getting class points. Which means its the best choice. It has good points but no bad points. However, even after repeating it three times, there were more votes against than in favor. In other words, more than half of the class voted oppose to this assignment. If thats the case, Ill respect their wishes and consolidate my vote in opposition.

Give up on class points and set a policy of keeping classmates.

I-its settled! Vote in opposition instead of in favor! Ryuusen-sans

orders!

Ishizaki looked relieved at the easy to understand policy, and appealed to his classmates.

Wait a minute. Thats not like you.

Ibuki, who had been bored throughout the special exam so far, raised her voice in dissatisfaction.

What do you mean?

Youre in favor, right? If so, why dont you just push through with your choice like you always do? Are you going to act like a good guy and say youre protecting your friends now?

She implied that Ryuuen who would pick up the class points in front of him.

What, you were in favor of it too?

I voted in opposition, but my intentions are none of your business, are they?

If it hadnt been for the anonymous name, I might have let the vote be unanimous in favor. It wouldve been quicker to just expel anyone who disagreed with my opinion. But unfortunately, the exam this time requires unanimity. Since we cant be sure who voted which way, its quicker to unify a majority in opposition.

So youre saying youre not confident you can get the in favor vote to be unanimous?

Kuku, youre free to think what you want.

Hey, dont be silly, Ibuki. Ryuuen-san said to vote in opposition. Isnt that good enough? Sure the class points may be reduced, but at least well be able to clear it.

Its nothing. It just felt a little out of character and it bothered me. Do whatever you want.

Now that the policy is set, there will be more silence in this interval.

And then the fourth round of voting.

The result

4th vote results 7 in Agreement 33 in Opposition

Even if the vote was not unanimous, it was expected to be almost

unanimous in opposition, but surprisingly, quite a few votes still

remained in favor. Only two votes were lost.

Kaneda, Nishino. What did you guys put in?

Of course in opposition, as Ryuuen-kun instructed.

I wanted to be in favor, but I put it in opposition because I dont want to disturb the harmony.

The two who had raised their hands as supporters were turned in the opposite direction.

And considering the fact that Ryuen had voted in opposition in the

current vote, the votes in agreement should have decreased by at least three to reach this result. And this time, instead of voting freely, they were coerced to vote in opposition because they had received Ryuuens instructions. Nevertheless, seven votes remained in favor. The possibility that the number of supporters has increased or that Kaneda and Nishino are lying could not be ruled out. Ryuuen himself voted in opposition 100%, but there was no way for people around him to even know that for certain. A new anxiety started to spread little by little. Ryuuen calmly considered this result. Instead of just looking at the number of votes, he tried to see through the anonymity and the flow of votes.

Who is still voting in favor!?

Ryuuens order was to cast a vote in opposition.

Despite the clear instructions, Ishizaki could not calm down as there were seven students who did not follow them. If Ryuuen changed his mind in favor of the motion, there would be expulsions.

Kuku, dont yell so much, Ishizaki. Its about to get a lot more interesting. This is a completely anonymous vote, and no one can know who you voted for. In other words, there are more than a few people who sincerely voted in favor.

B-but not following Ryuusen-sans orders is a problem!

Not really. Its not a bad thing to try to get class points by cutting

classmates. Its just that there are seven students who are greedy enough to try to get to Class A, right?

As if welcoming the situation, Ryuuen clapped his hands in delight.

But when you allow people to be expelled, there is always the question of who to expel. The seven people who voted in favor of this have a clear idea of who they should cut.

N-no way, like me!?

Ishizaki panics that he might be the target to be cut out.

Well, I cant rule out the possibility that there are people who think youre unnecessary, but isnt there anyone who has the courage to come forward? Someone who wants meout of school, not just anyone else.

Ryuuen issued a challenge to come forward.

However, the air was once again filled with silence, and of course, there were no students who would speak up.

Hmph, not like any of you will just vomit it out either. Kuku, Ill stay with you for as long as you need.

Just like this, the fifth voting period comes.

In other words, four intervals have been completed.

That means they have already spent about 40 minutes on this task since it started.

And the results are

5th vote results 8 in Agreement 32 in Opposition

Contrary to Ryuuens aim to reduce the number of votes in favor, it increased by one.

What are you going to do, Ryuuen? Its been almost an hour.

At this point, Nishino sounded irritated.

Dont be so hasty. Theres still plenty of time, right?

I know, but there are a lot of people who are voting against your order. Isnt this a bad thing?

The number of affirmative votes clearly symbolized that Ryuuen was not in control over the situation.

Yes, it is. Its also possible that youre the one whos voting yes.

Maybe.

Nishino looked a little surprised but looked back and said bullishly to throw a counter.

Well, there is no evidence unless you confess when youre asked.

An in dubio pro reo test.

(Note: Innocent until proven guilty)

I have a little suggestion, is that okay?

Yabu Nanami, who had been watching the situation up to this point, creates a stir.

Go ahead.

Why dont we just vote unanimously in favor of it and let a kid who doesnt mind getting expelled get expelled?

So am I correct in thinking that you put your vote in favor?

No. I have put everything in the opposite way until now. But if the

votes in favor dont move, I thought itd be a good plan to focus on that. For example how about expelling Ibuki-san?

Saying that, Yabu turned cold eyes towards Ibuki.

If its Ibuki-san, then I support it Oh, of course, Ive always voted against it up to now though.

Following Yabus lead, Morofuji Rika also raises her hand in agreement.

You guys Since Ryuuen-san said to stick to the opposition, you must go with the opposition.

Wait a minute. I welcome the input of these two.

Wha-, Oh, for real?

The fact that youre so far against it is probably true from the looks of it. If we dont get at least two more votes in agreement on the next ballot, there will be a contradiction. You wouldnt make such a blunder, would you?

Both Yabu and Morofuji answered the question with a strong nod of the head.

Of course, there is no denying the possibility that the eight anonymous voters who voted in favor of the proposal will vote against it in the next round of voting, but Ryuuen understands that this is a different matter.

I even went so far as to point out that I was ready to go along with it, unlike the eight anonymous people. It seems like some people other than Yabu and Morofuji seem to have taken the idea as well.

The group of girls who are close to Yabu and the others are at the top of the caste in this class.

Ostensibly, it is the opinion of the two of them, but in reality, it could be taken as the opinion of the entire group.

Can you tell us what you think of what we said, Ryuuen-kun?

In order to expel someone, it is a prerequisite that there are no votes to support them. Is there anyone in this class who wants to protect Ibuki even if it means risking their own expulsion?

He asks the class that question. But no one immediately raises their hand.

There you have it, Ibuki. Would you honestly accept to be expelled?

If she accepts or says that he can do as he pleases, Ryuuen will move to expel Ibuki without hesitation. That kind of atmosphere prevailed in the classroom.

Im sorry, but Im not going to drop out.

Ibuki replied without looking at Yabu or Morofuji, who had called her by name.

Huh? I thought Ibuki-sans stance was that she didnt mind dropping out of school.

I dont care about school, but there are people I want to get revenge on in my own way. And do you really think Im going to accept this form of expulsion? Im not going to be conveniently used to line the pockets of people I dont like.

You just dont want to drop out for a reason. Its obvious, but as I thought, youre scared, right?

Yabu laughs in order to provoke her.

Haa. Youve become arrogant, havent you? You used to be stuck to Manabes waist all the time. Did it make you that happy to be the leader of the girls as soon as she was gone?

When Ibuki replied, Ryuuens smile faded and he intimidated her with his eyes.

Oi Ibuki, you should be aware of your current position. Yabu has a few friends who oppose her expulsion. But you dont have any. And you didnt have any kind of redeeming quality for the school either, did you?

So what?

I dont hate you, but if you want to quit gracefully and contribute to the class, thats a different story. Regardless of your intentions, well eat your blood and flesh.

Thats not a bad thing, Ibuki-san. Youre the only one who thought Ryuuen-kun was taking good care of you.

Do you have a grudge against me, Ibuki?

Not really. I never intended to be friends with you in the first place. Youd do anything to win. So its not surprising. But Im not going to drop out.

She repeated his refusal, but then Ryuuens tone became a little harsher.

It doesnt matter if you intend to or not. Ill ask you again. Im going to make a bet and ask you if you want to vote unanimously in agreement. Raise your hand if you are willing to put your body on the line for Ibuki. You have one minute to decide.

In the chilly air, Ishizakis body trembles faintly.

It was not for the fear of Ryuuen, but for the time to make up his mind.

Stop it, Ishizaki.

It was Nishino, who had been standing next to Ishizaki for some time, who stopped him.

H-hey, Nishino!

Were fighting to win. Your half-hearted camaraderie will only create confusion.

But, but. Ibuki is our

Times up.

A minute passed, and in the end, not a single student showed up to protect Ibuki.

There were cynical glances from Yabus group, pitying glances, and students who were relieved that they were not the target. All sorts of thoughts intersected in the silence.

Oh, I see. If thats the case

Ibuki was about to answer out of desperation, but she broke off for once.

She knew that she would be at a disadvantage in this motion because she did not have any decent friends in her life.

Thats why she told people early on that she was voting in opposition.

But now that it had come to this, she had no choice but to protect her life on her own.

If thats the case, what?

As if waiting for the words to come, Ryuuen maintains silence.

I still have something left to do in this school.

Huh?

Im sorry, but Im not going to answer your expectations. Even if

everyone in the class votes in favor, Ill continue to vote against it.

Unless its unanimous forever, this special exam will fail.

Huh, huh? Are you going to take the class down with you?

Thats right.

Determined, Ibuki declares herself against it and stays.

Well, thats to be expected. Its not a bad idea to change your mind, Yabu, but its too early to name names. If you really wanted to get rid of Ibuki, you should have have first gotten a unanimous vote in favor before you mentioned her name.

Kuu!

If someone knows that they are going to get expelled, theres no way they would vote in favor of expulsion.

You guys should just vote in opposition without any complain.

Nishino felt a strange sense of discomfort as Ryuuen gave him these instructions.

Why did you have to go through with this farce? Wasnt it a complete waste of time?

Nishino pointed out that Yabu and Ibuki could have stopped arguing earlier, and that there was no need for a meaningless show of hands, because it was obvious that unanimity in favor of the proposal would become difficult once the names of individuals were mentioned.

Its just a way to pass the time. We have useless time anyway.

Although Ryuuen said that there was no deeper meaning behind his actions, a part of the class definitely realized that there was something to it. They understood that the reason why he went along with Yabus proposal, which was never going to pass, was to get Ibuki to say that she would never agree to it.

This is to indirectly imprint the fact that unanimous approval is difficult to achieve.

It seemed to be a clever move on Ryuuens part, but it also seemed to be a desperate measure born of his impatience to get out of this situation.

The next vote was seven in favor and 33 against, and the seventh vote was six in favor and 34 against. It seemed that the number of votes in agreement would decrease little by little, but the eighth vote was again seven in favor and 33 against. It was time for the ninth round of voting.

9th vote results 7 in Agreement 33 in Opposition

The votes in favor still remained.

This was a figure that seemed to represent the leadership of Ryuen at the moment.

For the sixth through ninth rounds of voting, Ryuen simply sat on the podium for ten minutes and never said a word. He just continued to observe with a creepy smile on his face.

However, that situation changed in the interval before the tenth vote began.

Oi.

Ryuuen, who had been laughing until now, suddenly turned to the

class and called out briefly.

The students, who had been chatting rather than discussing, hurriedly straightened their postures.

You guys cant even vote in opposition without me telling you what to do?

The students all clammed up at the apparent change.

Youre probably thinking that if the votes in agreement are somewhat fixed then theyre nothing to be afraid of. But if you think that Ive just been staring at the votes meaninglessly then youre making a big mistake.

BAM! He kicked the back of the podium hard with his heel.

You seem to be resting on your laurels under the guise of anonymity, but the truth is written all over your face. Ive already gotten a pretty good idea of what youre up to. If you do anything more foolish going further you know whats going to happen right?

10th vote results 6 in Agreement 34 in Opposition

With a stern word from Ryuuen, one vote moved to the opposition.

However, since only six votes were in favor of the bill in the seventh round of voting, it was virtually ineffective.

The time that seemed to be so plentiful was being used like hot water.

Before long, the smile had long since disappeared from Ryuuens face and was replaced by a grim expression.

You are some tenacious people. Even Im getting tired of dealing with you guys.

There was about four hours left in the time limit, but more than an hour and a half had already passed by the last assignment.

11th vote results 7 in Agreement 33 in Opposition

The number of votes in favor of the motion, which had reduced by a trickle, came back to seven again.

At this rate, how are you going to get them to vote against it?

Nishino, no longer trying to hide her frustration, asks Ryuuen about his policy.

Right. Id better get this over with.

You can do that?

You think Ive been sitting here staring at you for nothing? You do

realize that for the sixth through the tenth time, there is one odd vote, right? Im talking about the big asshole who wanders in and out of the vote for and against. Now Im going to tell you who it is.

There was tension in the classroom.

Normally, it is impossible to detect complete anonymity.

But

Its you, isnt it? Yajima.

Eh!? I, Im no-!

The one who was named was Mariko Yajima.

She stood up hurriedly to deny it, but she was clearly upset and her attitude was restless.

Dont think Im going to believe your denial just because youre anonymous, okay? From what I think, youre definitely in the black. Do you understand what I mean?

No, no, no Im!

If I say its black, its black. If I say its white, its white. Ill give you

one chance to be the first one. From now on, you have no right to vote in favor without my permission. Do you understand? If I judge that you are not doing so, Ill reward you with an expulsion.

This is a threat that cannot be ignored. Even if she continued to vote against this assignment and failed the special exam, she would be expelled by some heinous means in the not too distant future. It didnt take long to imagine that.

Im not saying I know all of them, but Ive got an idea of whos voting in favor, and whether theyre idiots like Yajima who need to be told directly or not Ill let you decide in the next vote.

And so the 12th vote came.

12th vote results 5 in Agreement 35 in Opposition

Since Yajima had completely decided against it, there was no increase in the number of affirmative votes.

However, even after the final warning, only two people stopped agreeing with the motion, leaving five votes.

It became clear to everyone that threats would no longer work with five votes.

Five votes, huh

After muttering this, Ryuuen checked the remaining time and left his seat again.

Ive got to admit, hes a bonehead. But Im still not satisfied. If youre not going to give up, then come forward. The five anonymous people here want me to drop out of school. If thats the case, well have to make it a unanimous vote in favor. It would be boring to end this with time running out, right? Then move. Thats how we can fight on equal footing.

Without achieving unanimity by either side, there is no clearing this special exam.

Unless the students who want to vote in favor can be identified, itll just be a waste of time.

It was thought that no one would show up to vote in this situation, but

Oh good, Ryuuen. Then Ill come forward Im the one whos

putting it in favor.

At this point, one of the anonymous people who had been voting in favor of the proposal finally stood up.

Tokitou, you bastard! Do you even know what youre saying?

Katsuragi grabbed Ishizakis arm and held him back as he tried to jump on him.

Stop it, Ishizaki. Were in the middle of a special exam. Are you trying to cause violence here? If you make a bad move, Sakagami-sensei will cancel the exam without mercy, isnt that right?

Of course. If that happens, then naturally, this special exam will end with your disqualification.

Damn it!

And even though Tokitou self-reported, theres still no guarantee that thats the case.

Even if youre 99% sure, Katsuragi said, theres no way to be 100% sure as long as youre anonymous. There is no way to see if he is pretending to be in agreement while casting his vote in opposition.

Its true, though. Ive been hoping for a special exam like this to come. A normal special exam wouldnt help, but the moment this assignment came up, I was freaked out I knew this was the only time I could get rid of Ryuuen.

Why did you come forward now, Tokitou?

Ive had my eye on Ryuuen a few times. I could have come forward sooner, but it was thrilling to see that the number of those in agreement wasnt decreasing.

Fine, Tokitou. Its not the first time youve been rebellious. In fact, Im honestly happy that you were in favor of it.

How long can you keep this up? You cant afford it.

Yes. No matter how many times the vote is repeated, the votes in favor will never be lost. That means if time runs out, our class will lose 300 points, and well be out of the race for Class A.

Thats right. Youre the leader of this class, after all. If you fail the

special exam, its not my fault. Its on you. Youve been able to control the choices in this special exam, too. You didnt even listen to the people who said we should fight Ichinoses class, and you forced us to pick Sakayanagis class as our opponents. Of course, you can take responsibility when you lose, right?

I see. So thats why you rebelled here despite having obediently followed on the motions until now.

Im just trying to show the class that theyre wrong. Im not trying to trouble the class, Im just dissatisfied that youre in charge.

But here comes a chance to expel someone in particular. Youve

decided to take a chance on it. So? So whats your best hope for a good show of defiance?

If you want me, or any of us, to vote in opposition, youll have to step down as class leader here. If you swear to it in front of everyone, youll probably get more votes.

Even though he dislikes Ryuuen, Tokitou knows how difficult it is to get a unanimous vote in favor. Thats why he proposes a compromise.

Dont be naive, Tokito. Dont you have the confidence to expel me?

Dont make me laugh. If the vote is unanimous in agreement, youre the one who will be expelled, Ryuuen.

May I ask you a question, Tokitou-kun?

Kaneda raises his hand as he adjusts the position of his glasses.

It is true that if we fail the special examinations, part of the blame will fall on the leader, which is a logical notion. However, if the vote to expel the student by unanimous consent begins, it will be you who will be expelled. In fact, many students continue to vote against it as instructed.

Despite Kanedas calm and composed explanation of what might lie ahead, Tokitou was unfazed.

The opposition vote doesnt mean anything now. You dont think that all the people who voted against us are giving in to you, Ryuuen? Its true that there arent many people who can protest openly. But right now, besides mine, there are four votes in agreement. Even though you repeatedly told us to vote against it, there are still four votes left. Thats the number of people with a strong resolve to have you drop out of school!

Compared to Yabu and Morofuji, you seem to have a lot more sense, Tokitou.

After admiring and applauding him, Ryuuen continued.

Then dont be shy. Why dont you and I have a go at it, Tokitou?

What?

Ill have all 35 votes, including mine, which are still against, cast in favor of the motion. Then, like Kaneda said, theyll start voting on who to expel. Then the rest is easy, you and I will beat each other with our votes.

If the other students will not vote for you, then there is no need to fear a unanimous agreement.

Are you sure? If we eliminate the option to oppose it here, its inevitable that there will be dropouts. Thered be no way for you to survive, Ryuuen.

It was Tokitous own mercy that he left open the possibility of unanimity by opposition.

We all want to avoid running out of time. If that happens, Ill make it a unanimous decision between you and me. It would be more interesting for the class, right?

There was no way he was going to accept Tokitos proposal, so Ryuen urged a unanimous vote in agreement.

Humans are selfish. If there was a risk of being expelled, I would not have been happy to come forward, but if either you or I were to be expelled, Id have a different look in my eyes. Im sure theyll be happy to vote for you if you promise to reward them with an extra 100 points.

You think the people voting in favor now will agree to expel me?

Well, who knows? If it seems bad, you can just vote in opposition.

Go fuck yourself! Its not me whos getting expelled, its you, Ryuuen!

I see. If so, then lets have a one-on-one fight.

With four remaining anonymous votes and the students who disliked Ryuuen having no choice but to vote against him, Tokitou was confident that if he repeated the vote to expel Ryuuen Kakeru several times, the number of votes in favor of him would increase as the time remaining decreased.

All right, if you insist

Just as Tokitou was about to accept the offer, the sound of tapping on the desk echoed through the room.

Wait, Ryuuen. Can you give Tokitou a little time?

The one making the sound was Katsuragi. He hurriedly stood up and called out to Ryuuen.

Huh? What do you think youre doing, Katsuragi? I didnt give you any say in the matter, did I?

Im not going to be deprived of my right to speak.

When instructed to shut up, Katsuragi replied without hesitation and turned to Tokitou.

As you say, it is not wrong to think that as long as the number of those who do not follow Ryuuen does not reach zero, we are safe. However, what Ryuuen says is also true. If a decisive vote is held with the restriction that it must be held until either Ryuuen or Tokitou leaves the school, the emotions of the students will fluctuate greatly with the time remaining. If this happens, the one who can control the majority of votes, that is, Ryuuen, will have the overwhelming advantage.

I told you. Dont assume youre superior just because of that, Katsuragi. The truth is that many in the class dont welcome Ryuuen. Theyre just frustrated because theyre being held back by force. You can find a lot of people who will stop defending and protecting him as time runs out. Even if its Ishizaki the dog.

The hell did you say?!

You once turned against Ryuen, didnt you? Remember that rebellious spirit.

Tha-that was

Last year, during the rooftop incident, Ishizaki defeated Ryuuen and temporarily took control of the class when he tried to end the dispute with Ayanokoji. Tokitou was referring to that incident.

I dont know what was going on back then, but do you think youre gonna win in the end?

Yes, I do.

Then let me ask you a question. If Ryuuen drops out, who will be in charge of this class after that?

You can discuss it or whatever you want. But theres no place for a stranger like you, Katsuragi.

Its true that as an outsider, I may not be an option. But its also true that if you cant clearly show who will be our next leader, you wont be able to make a decisive move. You wont be able to catch up with Sakayanagi and overtake her.

Katsuragi looked at the big picture of the situation and continued to try to persuade him, but Tokitou would not stop.

Oh please so what? If I wasnt prepared to stab this guy in the back, I wouldnt have come forward in the first place.

Kukuku, from the beginning? It seems like you waited a pretty long time for that.

Shut the fuck up!

Well, you couldnt help it if there werent at least some people like you.

It was only when he was able to confirm that there were several votes that did not follow Ryuuens lead that Tokitou made his move.

Please, Ryuuen. Give Tokitou a chance.

In response to Katsuragis words that Ryuuen was definitely in an

advantageous position, Ryuuen snapped his finger.

All right. Tokitou, Im giving you a chance. The next vote depends

entirely on your vote. If you vote in favor, then you will be expelled.

Youve got a lot of nerve. Do you think you can expel me?

Yeah. In the next round of voting, all votes except yours will be

negative. So it will be 1 in agreement and 39 in opposition. So if you vote no, the issue is unanimously resolved.

Hey, when did the four votes in favor disappear except for me?

Kuku I turned those four votes around during this interval.

Fuck yourself. No way you couldve done that.

In addition to remaining stubbornly in favor of the idea so far, Ryuuen spent most of this interval talking with Tokitou. There was no pretense of turning anything over.

Then try it. Put it in favor, just like before, and youll get your answer.

There was less than a minute left in the interval that was ticking by.

The air-conditioned room was kept at a comfortable temperature, but Tokitous back was starting to sweat. A mere threat, a bluff. It was hard to believe that anything had changed in this interval. But what if the votes in favor of the proposal were really changed into votes against it?

That would indicate that students other than Tokitou were in favor of Ryuuen. He could take the same defensive measure as Ibuki by running away to vote against before the vote was unanimous in favor, but he could not choose that option because it would expose his disgrace. In any case, a run-off vote with Ryuuen would be inevitable. If that happened, Tokitou himself will be decisively defeated.

Youre ready to drop out, arent you? Dont hesitate to vote in favor.

I dont need you to tell me what to do.

Eventually, it was time to vote. Tokitou boldly casts his vote in favor.

Then we will display the results of the vote.

It was shown on the monitor at the same time as Sakagamis

announcement.

13th vote results 2 in Agreement 38 in Opposition

!!

When he saw the result, Tokitous heart must have been racing more than anyone else.

That was because, as Ryuuen had said, all but one of the four remaining votes had gone against him.

Well, I was really scared for sure But you see, there is another student who is just as strong-willed as I am! The one who didnt give in even after being threatened to this extent!

He shouted and let out a roar that was tantamount to declaring himself the winner.

However, he didnt even look at Tokitou, he was looking at a completely different student.

What the hell are you doing? You voted for it, didnt you? Katsuragi.

What?

Tokitou was surprised to hear the name of someone he hadnt expected.

Yes. If I had voted against it, it would have gone to a decisive vote, with one vote in favor and 39 votes against, as you declared. If that had

happened, it would have been impossible to pass this test except by expelling one of us.

Thats how it was supposed to go. Depending on your answer, youre going to be in for a world of hurt.

There is one reason. That is: I believe that Tokitou is a necessary

student for the class. No, its not just Tokitou. Im an outsider who came here from class A. Thats why Ive been looking at this class with an objective eye. As a result, Ive come to understand that there is no such thing as an unnecessary student.

Someone like Tokitou, who doesnt even follow orders, is a necessary student, you say?

Yes, I do. In fact, I consider him a valuable asset. He is someone who can disagree with you without hesitation, just like me, or even more than me. Though of course, the way he did it in this special exam is wrong. I cant acknowledge the way he put the class in jeopardy just to drag you down.

Katsuragi threw a look and a word at Tokitou as well as at Ryuuen.

If you dont like the fact that Ryuuen is the leader, then make a fair appeal to him in a way that doesnt involve anyone else. If your claim is correct, I will stand by you without hesitation.

Katsuragi You son of a

If you get caught in Ryuuens strategy and leave school, youll end up doing nothing. It will all end with Ryuuen never even remembering the existence of a student named Tokitou Hiroya.

B-but right up until the last minute, we had four votes in favor

The unseen reinforcements that had pushed Tokito to this point.

This was also a source of comfort for him.

There is no such thing from the beginning. Its just an illusion.

An Illusion, you say?

Or, more accurately, it was eliminated in the repeated voting. There were five votes in favor that remained after Yajima was named. It was you, Tokitou, and

Katsuragi circles around, slowly moving his gaze and pointing.

Its Shiina, Yamada, me and Ryuuen.

In response to that, neither Tokitou nor any his classmates understood anything.

What the hell are you talking about even Ryuuen voted in favor, you say?

When the vote was still five in favor, there was one person left who was still anonymous. However, that also was revealed when you came forward.

So during this interval, Ryuuen was mocking me in his mind what a mess.

Not really. It is true that the purpose was to flush out those in favor, but that was already done when you came forward. You could have just voted for it without bothering to make a challenge. It would have been a unanimous vote in agreement, and the next vote would have been to expel you.

So you were just playing around to insult and humiliate me!

No, I wasnt. I was giving you the chance to keep you from being

expelled.

Wha!?

But you didnt see the potential and tried to push forward. In a

roundabout way, you probably didnt even think that Ryuuen was giving you a chance.

I- I was!

But no matter how much I tell you, if you dont have the ears to listen, thats it. Im sorry to take up so much time, but can you please give Tokitou one last chance? Id like you to give him one more chance so we could settle this in a vote in opposition.

You want me to give him another chance? Im not that naive.

You are at fault, too. You were too provocative and overlooked the thread of salvation. Now that everything has come to light, we can finally give Tokitou a choice.

And if he doesnt listen to you, you wont object to his expulsion, will you?

Oh, I have no objection. You can do whatever you want.

Katsuragi closed his eyes and crossed his arms. He wanted to leave it to Tokitou to decide what to do with himself.

If he voted in favor, he would be expelled 100%.

On the other hand, if he voted against, the vote would be unanimous and he could avoid expulsion.

But to vote in opposition meant to give in to Ryuuens demands.

This would seriously damage Tokitous pride.

Then, well start the 60-second voting period.

With Sakagamis words, the countdown begins.

Thirty-nine people, excluding Tokitou, finished voting within the time limit, but the count did not stop yet.

Sakagami looked up once and glanced at Tokitou.

As I explained to you beforehand, after 60 seconds, the penalty time starts accumulating.

Tokitou looks down and stares at the words favor and opposition on his tablet.

Damn damn it!

It was supposed to be a full-blown counterattack. But halfway through, he found himself alone.

Everything was just a dance in the palm of Ryuuens hand.

Frustration, embarrassment and shame.

All sorts of negative emotions entangled Tokitous mind without letting go.

Pride peeked out of his face, saying, Im not going to give in to Ryuuen at this point.

At his wits end. Or maybe, he could intentionally throw in a vote in agreement to buy some time, and if he kept putting it in along with 39 people in opposition, he might just make this challenge fail.

Without dropping out of school himself, ending the special exam in failure

The thought crossed his mind, and Tokitou shook his head from side to side.

There was nothing to be gained by doing such a thing just to compete with Ryuuen.

It would cause a lot of trouble to his classmates, and hell only get shunned more than Ryuuen.

It was not something that Tokitou wished for.

DAAAMN IT!

With an exaggerated wave of his arm, Tokitou touched the voting

button.

All voting has been completed. Now we will announce the results.

Sakagami took a breath and operated the tablet to show the results on the monitor.

14th vote results 0 in Agreement 40 in Opposition

Since the vote is unanimous, the motion is abolished. This concludes the special exam.

It seemed like there was a strong possibility that some students would be expelled from Ryuuens class, but in the end it was confirmed that all students would remain.

Tokitou, you

Ishizaki turned around and spoke to Tokito, who had his eyes downcast.

Dont get me wrong, Ryuuen, I dont approve of your methods. If I ever find that you have done something to prevent our class from moving up to Class A, I will eliminate you as soon as I can.

Come at me any time. Whenever youre ready, Ill take you on without mercy.

Hmph

It was complicated for Tokito to remain here, so he left the classroom quickly.

After watching him leave, Katsuragi walked to the side of Ryuuen.

That was unnecessary, Katsuragi. I was welcoming any dropouts, remember?

Half of you was, I suppose. But the other half of you was looking for other possibilities, wasnt it?

Fuck off, do I look that naive to you?

I dont know if Im being naive or not, but if the goal was to control the vote completely, its important to have students in your group who are loyal to you without doing anything unnecessary. However, after the second vote, you gave instructions to Shiina, your favourite, while giving an earful to the appropriate students. If you only give an earful to certain students, theyll think youre planning some kind of strategy. Then, through Shiina, you gathered friends who would vote falsely in favor of the motion through repeated discussions. And I was one of those people. That was because you foresaw that I would protect Tokitou, isnt that right?

You protecting Tokitou? How would I have known that?

Shiina overheard me and Tokitou having a discussion about you. It wouldnt be strange if you knew about it from her report.

I was just trying to find and select the guy who would be fooled by the false positive votes. Of course, to get him out of school and get class points. What a pity.

After Ryuuen belatedly left the classroom, Katsuragi turned to the gaze that had been looking at them.

He was honestly impressed to see Shiina smiling so gently.

So its possible that Shiinas own decision might have drawn me

in

But either way, it doesnt change the fact that Ryuuen prepared the strings to help Tokitou and give him a chance. Katsuragi was convinced seeing the students relieved that no one had been expelled.

This is the class that has the potential to beat Sakayanagi and become Class A.

And he realized his desire to pursue that path with this class.