The unanimous special exam began at 1:00 PM for Class D.
This classroom, another class of 40 students, was also beginning to be filled with a heavy
atmosphere.
This was, of course, only because of the intense nature of the final task that they had arrived at.
Task (5) -
Instead of one classmate being expelled, you get 100 class points.
(If the vote is unanimous in favor, identify and vote on the student who will be expelled.)
Choices :
Agree
Disagree
Results of the first round of voting:
14 in favor,
26 opposed.
At this point when the voting results were disclosed. Horikita's class, as well as Ichinose's class,
concentrated a large number of votes in 'opposed'. However, compared to the two classes, the
number of classmates who were in favor of expelling the students was not very small.
This means that more than a third of the students feel on first impression that class points
should be prioritized even if someone have to drop out.
"What are you going to do, Ryuuen-san?"
When Ishizaki received the results, the first person he asked for instructions was the class
leader, Ryuuen Kakeru.
The process that led up to this assignment also all started with this procedure.
Since the probability of getting unanimous agreement on an assignment on the first time is low,
listening to the leader's policy in the first interval and aiming for unanimity in the second and
subsequent votes is what they are doing.
The sequence of events is similar to that of other classes, but the accuracy is extremely high.
The 'choosing which class to face' in assignment 1, the 'distribution of protection points' in
assignment 3, and the effects on written special exam choice' in assignment 4, all of them are
unanimous in the choices Ryuuen has indicated in just one interval.
The only thing he let them do as he pleased was to decide on the school trip for assignment 2.
He let them all debate for about half an hour as they wished, and in the end, they unanimously
decided on the destination with the most votes.
It is obvious to everyone that this assignment 5 is different, but the method is essentially the
same.
Any assignment that might require instructions is decided by a single word from Ryueen.
The only thing the students are very conscious of is which way Ryueen voted. If Ryueen is in
favor of it, it means that someone will be confirmed to leave the school.
A decision that cannot be resisted. That is the characteristic of a class where the students are
held together by a dictatorship.
Looking at the results and smiling, Ryueen stood up from his chair.
"It's a good thing that the school didn't intend for this to be just a game. Otherwise it wouldn't be
so interesting."
Muttering to himself so that all his classmates would hear, he made his way to the podium.
Sakagami, who was watching over the class he was in charge of, sensed Ryuyen approaching
and kept his distance.
He knew very well that this was where Ryuuen's act would begin.
As if it were a reserved seat, Ryuuen sat. He then took a stance that allowed him to look over all
of his classmates and said his first words.
"All those in favor, raise your hands."
There is no such thing as consideration, and Ryuuen's order is met with intense tension,
whether you agree or not.
The reason is that in previous issues, he did not even ask which option they voted for.
After a few seconds of hesitation, the raising of hands begins. Among them were Nishino and
Kaneda, who raised their hands while staring out the window, looking unmotivated.
"Well, I guess that's about right. That's pretty good for a start."
The fact that there are nine students who do not talk about the fact that they did not follow
orders and voted yes.
It was students like Ishizaki, Komiya and the others who were the first to be surprised by what
they saw.
"Hey, what's the harm in hiding things? It's not like someone going to get mad at you for voting
yes once."
Komiya appealed to his silent classmates, saying that now would be a good time to get out of
trouble.
"You weren't being told what to do. It was up to the individual to vote yes or no, wasn't it?"
Komiya explained that no couldn't blame them, and he would make sure that Ryuuen was okay
with it. With that said He looked at Ryuuen.
But when Ryuen didn't reply right away, Komiya tensed up for a moment.
If there was a misinterpretation, it could result in a disapproval.
"Get your hands up before I bother you!"
To change the atmosphere of the place, Ishizaki hurriedly spoke.
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.
"It's okay, Ishizaki. If they don't want to raise their hand, they don't have to. For now."
"Well… is that okay?"
"As Komiya said, it's up to the individual to agree or disagree. So first of all, each one of you
should think about what you want to do. We have just over eight minutes left, and that's plenty
of time to do that."
Ryueen checked the time without panicking, and he did not even try to change his posture
without losing his smile.
He just vaguely told them to think about it and did nothing else.
And for more than two minutes, everyone remained silent, doing nothing.
"Look, don't waste this time. You need to figure out which way you're going to vote."
From here, silence again.
Ten seconds, thirty seconds, a minute passed by, but he didn't even try to utter anything.
All the assignments so far have forced the choices to be made in the first interval.
That's why all the students were wondering why Ryueen didn't give any orders.
However, few students are able to express their opinions in such a way, and the more time
passes, the heavier the atmosphere becomes and the more they stopped talking.
"Please give us some instructions."
At first, Ishizaki and the others seemed to be able to say so, but then they started to turn their
heads. The upper and lower lips stick together and don't open as if they were glued together. As
time goes by, they almost lose the desire to speak. The more time that passes, the more they
almost lose the desire to even speak up anymore.
Eventually, those who want to speak up will fade away and shift to the hope that someone else
will do it for them. When even that passes, they begin to hope that it will be time to vote soon,
even though the time remaining is longer.
The first interval, which seemed long and drawn out, came to an end with the majority of the
time spent in silence. This was not what Sakagami had expected, and he forgot to proceed after
few seconds past the scheduled time.
"Sakagami. Isn't it time?"
He was surprised at Ryuuen's words as he tried to get off the podium and return to his seat.
".... ... Yes. We will now take a second vote. You have 60 seconds to cast your vote."
After everyone had voted for the second time, the results were immediately shown on the
monitor.
Results of the second round of voting:
10 in favor,
30 opposed.
Of the 14 yes votes, 4 went to no votes. 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 Ryueen
and the number of yes votes would decrease further. The results of the second round of voting
were such that a unanimous vote in opposition was likely in the not-too-distant future.
However, Ryuuen was not satisfied with the results.
"Is this the answer you thought?"
"Is it because the number of votes in favor is small?"
Kaneda asks as he adjusts the position of his glasses. But Ryueen immediately denied it.
"Does that mean that ・・・・・・ Ryuuen-kun is voting yes?"
Ryuyen denied the point and laughed once as if he was amazed.
"What the hell is bugging you, Ryuuen-san? I don't know."
"Did you guys really reflect your intentions in your votes the first and second time? Only this last
issue is clearly different and unusual. That's why I want to know your "true intentions". Don't
worry about which side I voted for, just make your choice based on your emotions."
With that, Ryuuen got up from his seat and began to walk slowly through the classroom.
"For the next ten minutes, I want a thorough discussion. Do you want to vote 'in favour' or
'opposed' ?"
When instructed to do so, the students are forced to debate frantically. In the hustle and bustle,
they start talking about whatever they want.
He listened to them, occasionally whispering into the ears of his classmates.
He didn't seem to be particularly choosy about his students, from Nishino and Shiina to
Yoshimoto and Nomura.
And the next time he approached Suzuki, he whispered to him in a similar manner.
"You're free to agree or disagree. Vote for the one you think."
This time, he also said to Tokito, who was sitting two seats behind Suzuki.
He wondered if it was something he should have bothered, but everyone continued the
discussion as long as time allowed. Then came the third voting time.
Results of the third round of voting:
9 in favor,
31 opposed.
The monitor showed a situation almost the same as the second result.
Sitting down at his desk at the podium, Ryuuon decides to express his thoughts at the third
interval.
"All in favor, raise your hands."
After receiving the results, Ryuuen again said to raise hand. Only two people, Nishino and
Kaneda, raised their hands.
The remaining seven kept their existence a secret and refused to come forward.
Ishizaki is annoyed by the invisible vote of approval, but Ryueen pays no attention to them but
instead started talking to the two.
"Looks like you guys voted yes all three times. Kaneda, what's the reason?"
"To win, I guess. It's never good to have a student drop out, but I think it's important to get 100
class points."
"Didn't it occur to you that raising your hand would make you a target for expulsion?"
"Foolish question, Ryuuen-san. You can cut off useless and unnecessary people, but you won't
cut off necessary personnel. At least in this class, my value is not less than 100 class points."
He weighed his value and decided that he was in no danger of being cut down.
"Well, you certainly have a lot of uses other than your looks."
"Thank you."
Kaneda nodded his head in satisfaction, not paying attention to the comments about his
appearance.
"Nishino, is your reason just like Kaneda?"
"Huh? No way. I was just agreeing to a quick way to get more class points. The only reason I
raised my hand is because I don't want to have to sneak around. There's nothing wrong with
voting yes."
Ishizaki is more on edge than Nishino herself, as she talks in a way that could get her in trouble
with Ryuuen.
"It's time I told you what you've been wondering, and that's which way I voted."
"Oh, tell us about it!"
They can't start until they hear where Ryueen is voting, that is, the policy of this class.
Ishizaki hoped aloud as he leaned forward.
"I voted "yes" on all three of these challenges."
This means that the current vote, three of the nine votes in favor, was casted by Ryuuen,
Nishino, and Kaneda.
"So you're saying you're going to expel someone from the class?"
To Ishizaki's question, Ryueen just smiled.
"Don't be so quick to judge, I'm just telling you how I voted. I've decided that it's up to you to
figure out what you want to do about this issue."
"Oh, we're going to decide....? Are we?"
"Indeed, and I voted yes all three times without hesitation."
If all three of his votes were in favor, it was safe to assume that the policy was to expel
classmates from the school. However, Ishizaki was at a loss for words as he didn't understand
the meaning of this.
"The reason I'm in favor of this is simple: if we cut down one person, we get 100 points. In other
words, this is a great option to get rid of unwanted 'things' and get class points. It's a great
option that can save you, but not hurt you. However, even after three rounds, the vote was still
more in favor than against. In other words, more than half of the class voted "no" to this
assignment. Then I'll respect their wishes and consolidate my vote in the negative."
The policy is to give up class points and keep classmates.
"It's settled! You guys don't vote yes, you vote no! Ryuuen-san's orders!"
Ishizaki looked relieved at the easy-to-understand policy, and appealed to his classmates.
"Wait a minute. That's not like you."
In the special test so far, Ibuki, who had been bored for a long time, made a dissatisfied voice.
"What do you mean?"
"You're in favour of it, aren't you? Then why don't you just push through with your approval like
you always do? Are you going to play the good guy and say you're protecting your friends now?"
It implies that the dragon garden would be the one to pick up the class points in front of you.
She implies that it will be more like Ryuuen to pick up the class point in front of him.
"So you're in favour of it, too?"
"I voted against it. But my intentions are none of your business."
"If it weren't for the anonymity, I might have felt free to make it unanimous. But, unfortunately,
this is an anonymous test. As long as I can't determine who voted which way, it's quicker to unify
with a majority 'opposed'."
"You mean you're not sure you can get the vote to be unanimous?"
"Kuku, it's your choice what you think."
"Hey, don't say unnecessary things, Ibuki. I'm sure you're not the only one. Ryuuen said to vote
the opposite way so do it. Even if it will reduce class points, it's better because it will clear it up."
"It's nothing. I was just curious because it's a little out of character. Do what you want."
Now that the policy is set, this interval will also have a high percentage of silence.
And the fourth time they voted.
The result—
Results of the fourth round of voting:
7 in favor,
33 opposed.
Even if the vote was not unanimous, the vote was expected to be almost unanimous against the
proposal, but surprisingly, many votes in favor of the proposal remained. Only two votes were
lost.
"Kaneda, Nishino. Which one did you guys go for?"
"Of course, do the opposite as Ryuuen-kun instructed."
"I'm in favour of it, but I voted 'opposed' because I don't want to upset the peace."
Two people who had raised their hands in favor of the proposal were now opposed.
And considering the fact that Ryuen voted against it in the current vote, it would not be possible
to pass without at least three less votes in favor. Moreover, this time the vote was not a free
one, but a forced one, with instructions from Ryuuen to vote no. In spite of this, there were still
seven votes in favor. We can't rule out the possibility that there are new supporters, or that
Kaneda and Nishino are lying. Ryueen himself voted 100% against, but those around him had
no way of confirming that this was even true, and a new sense of anxiety began to spread little
by little. In response to this result, Ryuuen calmly thought about it. Instead of just looking at the
number of votes, he tries to detect the flow of votes and the anonymity.
"Who's still voting yes?"
Ryuuen's order is "to cast an 'opposed' vote".
Ishizaki was unsettled by the fact that there were seven students who did not follow the clear
instructions given to them. If Ryueen changed his mind in favor of the program, there would be
expulsions.
"Kuku, don't be so rude, Ishizaki. It's getting more interesting, you know. This is completely
anonymous, and no one can know who you voted for. That means there are more than a few
people who are really voting 'yes'."
"But it's a problem if they don't follow Ryueen-san's instructions!"
"Not really. There's nothing wrong with trying to get class points by cutting off your classmates.
It's just that there are seven students who are greedy enough to try to get to Class A, you
know?"
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. I'm
sure the seven who voted in favor of this have a clear idea of who they need to expel."
"..... Oh, my God, I-is it me!"
Ishizaki begins to panic, wondering if he is the one who will be choosen.
"I can't rule out the possibility that there are people who think you're unnecessary, but who has
the courage to come forward? Not anyone else, but someone like that who wants 'me' out of
school."
Come forward, Ryuuen provoked, as if to say.
However, the air was once again filled with silence, and of course, there were no students to
speak up.
"Well, it's not like you're going to come out easily. Kuku, I'll take my time."
Thus comes the fifth voting time.
This meant that they had completed four intervals.
Since this assignment started, they have already spent about 40 minutes on it.
And the result is: ・・・・・・
Results of the fifth round of voting:
8 in favor,
32 opposed.
Contrary to Ryuuen's goal of reducing the number of votes, the number of votes in favor
increased by one more vote.
"What are you going to do, Ryueen? It's been almost an hour."
At this point, Nishino sounded depressed.
"Don't be so hasty. There's still plenty of time, right?"
"Yeah, but there's a lot of people who are voting yes against you. Isn't this a bad thing?"
The number of approvals clearly symbolizes the lack of control and dominance of Ryuuen.
"Yeah, I guess so. I can't rule out the possibility that you're voting yes."
" it's ......."
Nishino was a little surprised, but he looked at him and said, "I'm sorry."
"Well, if you question them, you won't get any evidence unless they confesses."
A difficult test to punish the doubters.
"I have a proposition for you, okay?"
Nanami Yabu, who had been observing the situation up to this point, made a suggestion.
"Say it."
"How about we vote unanimously in favor and let the students decide who can be expelled?"
"Are you sure you want to vote in favour?"
"No, I've always been against it. I've always been in the opposition, but I'm starting to think that
if the supporters don't move, I might as well change my mind. For example, how about ・・・・・・
expelling Ibuki-san?"
Yabu then turned her cold eyes on Ibuki.
"If you're saying Ibuki-san, then I guess I'd have to agree with you. ・・・・ Of course, I've always
been against expelling, right?"
Following Yabu's lead, Rika Morofuji also raises her hand in agreement.
"You guys. You guys, since Ryuuen-san said to stick to the opposed side, we must go with the
opposed side."
"Wait. I welcome the opinions of these two."
"Oh... is that right?"
''I'm sure it's true from the looks of things that you've put so much opposition into it. If we don't
get at least two more votes in favor of it on the next voting, there will be a contradiction. You
wouldn't be that stupid, would you?"
Both Yabu and Morofuji nodded vigorously in response to the question.
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 Ryueen understands that this
is a different matter.
"I'm prepared to say yes to that, and I've even named names. Unlike the anonymous eight. I'm
sure you're not the only one who'd like to get in on the action."
The group of girls who are close to Yabu and the others are at the top of the caste in this class.
Apparently, it's the opinion of two people, but in reality, it could be taken as the opinion of the
entire group.
"Can you tell me what you think of what we said, Ryuuen-kun?"
"In order to expel someone in particular, it's a prerequisite that there are no votes to back them
up. Is there anyone in this class who would be willing to risk their own expulsion to protect
Ibuki?"
He ask the class that question. But no one immediately raises their hand.
"I guess that's what this is about, Ibuki. Do you honestly accept being expelled?"
If she accepts or says that he can do as he pleases here, Ryuuen will move to expel Ibuki
without hesitation. That kind of atmosphere prevailed in the classroom.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not going to drop out."
Ibuki replied without looking at Yabu or Morofuji, who had pointed to her by name.
"What? Didn't Ibuki-san take the stance that she didn't mind dropping out of school?"
"I don't really care about school, but there are people I want to get my revenge on. Besides, do
you really think I'm going to accept this form of expulsion? I'm not going to be conveniently used
to line the pockets of people I don't like."
"You just don't want to be expelled for any reason. You're trying to keep a low profile, but you're
still scared."
Yabu laughs provocatively.
"Haha. You've become big, haven't you? You used to be Manabe's sidekick. Were you so happy
to be the leader of the girls as soon as she was gone?"
When Ibuki replies, Ryuuen's smile disappears and he intimidates her with his eyes.
"Hey, Ibuki, be aware of your position right now. Yabu has a few friends who oppose her
expulsion. But you don't have any. And you didn't have any kind of attachment to the school, did
you?"
"...What...?"
"I don't hate you, but if you quit gracefully and contribute to the class, that's a different story.
Regardless of your intentions, we won't show any mercy."
"That's not so bad, Ibuki-san. You're the only one who thought Ryuuen-kun was taking care of
you."
"Do you hate me? Ibuki."
"It's nothing. I didn't intend to be friends with you at all. You'd do anything to win. I'm not
surprised. But I'm not going to drop out."
She repeated her refusal, but Ryuuen's tone also became a little harsher.
"It doesn't matter if you intend to or not. I'm going to ask you one more time, and I'm going to bet
on whether or not you'll vote unanimously in favor of it. Raise your hand if you can stand up for
Ibuki. But you have one minute to decide."
In the chilly air, Ishizaki shivers slightly. It was not a time to be afraid of Ryuuen, but a time to
make up his own mind.
"Don't do that, Ishizaki."
It was Nishino, who had been standing next to Ishizaki for some time, who stopped him.
"Oh, hey Nishino, ....?"
"We're fighting to win. Your half-hearted comradeship will only create confusion."
"But, but... Ibuki is also our…"
"—Time's up."
A minute passed and not a single student showed up to say that they would protect Ibuki in the
end.
The cynical stares, the pitying glances, and the relief of the students that they were not the
target. A variety of thoughts came together in the silence.
"Oh, yeah. Well, then…"
Ibuki, who was about to answer half desperately, broke off her words once.
She knew that she would be at a disadvantage in this assignment, as she didn't have a single
decent friend.
That's why she told people early on that she had voted against it.
But now that this has happened, she has no choice but to protect herself.
"Then what?"
Ryuuen maintained his silence as he waited for the next words.
".... I still have unfinished business with this school."
"Oh?"
"I'm sorry, but I'm not going to live up to your expectations. Even if the whole class votes in
favour, I will continue to vote 'opposed'. If you don't get unanimous approval, you'll fail this
special exam."
"Huh? Are you going to take the class with yourself?"
"That's what I'm talking about."
Determined, Ibuki declares herself opposed to the idea and stays.
"Well, of course you will. It's not a bad idea to change your mind Yabu, but it's too early to namd. If you really want to get rid of Ibuki, you should have first get a unanimous vote in favor
and then mention her name."
"Tsk...!"
If anyone knew they were going to be expelled, there was no way they would have voted in
favor of it.
"You guys should just vote no."
Nishino felt a strange sense of discomfort as Ryuuen gave her these instructions.
"Why did you have to go through with this farce? Isn't 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, because it was obvious that unanimity in favor of the proposal
would become difficult once the names of individuals were mentioned.
"It's just a way to pass the time. We've got plenty of time to kill anyway."
There was no deeper meaning, Ryuuen said, but some of the students in the class realized that
the true meaning was something else.
They understood that the reason why he agreed to Yabu's proposal, which would never pass,
was to get Ibuki to say that she would never vote in favour of it.
This is to indirectly imprint the fact that unanimous approval is difficult to achieve.
This seemed to be both a comfortable and skillful maneuver by Ryuuen, and a painful strategy
born of his impatience to get out of this situation.
The next vote, the sixth, was seven in favor and 33 opposed.
The seventh vote was six in favour and thirty-four opposed.
It seemed that the number of in favour votes would decrease little by little, but the eighth vote
was seven in favour and thirty-three opposed. It was time for the ninth round of voting.
Results of the 9th Voting Round:
7 in favor,
33 opposed.
Still 7 remaining in favour votes.
This was a figure that seemed to represent Ryueen's leadership power at the moment.
From the sixth to the ninth voting round, Ryueen just repeatedly sat on the podium for ten
minutes and did not utter a single word. He just continued to observe with a creepy smile on his
face.
However, that situation changed in the interval before the tenth round of voting began.
"Oi!"
Ryuuen, who had been laughing, suddenly turned to the class and called out sharply.
The students, who had been carrying on a conversation that was more like a chat than a
discussion, hurriedly straightened their postures.
"You guys can't even vote against me without me telling you what to do, can you?"
The students all clammed up at the obvious oddity.
"I know you think you won't be scared if you have a certain amount of solid votes in favour, but if
you're looking at the vote as meaningless, you're wrong."
Ryueen kicked the back of the podium hard with his heel.
"You look like you're sitting in anonymity, but it's all over your face, guys. I've already got a pretty
good idea of what's going on. If you do anything more foolish, you will pay, You know what I
mean?"
Results of the 10th voting round:
6 in favor
34 opposed.
With Ryuen's strong words, the vote went to one in favor to one opposed.
However, since the number of votes in favor has already been six once in the seventh voting
round, the result is that it can be said that there was practically no effect of the threat.
The time that seemed to be so plentiful was being used carelessly.
"...."
Everyone noticed that the smile had long since disappeared from Ryueen's face and was
replaced by a grim expression.
"They're tenacious people, aren't they? I'm starting to get tired of dealing with them."
They had about four hours left in the time limit, but more than an hour and a half had already
passed by the last assignment.
Results of the 11th voting round :
7 in favor,
33 opposed.
The number of affirmative votes that he had just reduced came back to seven.
"How do you expect it to go the other way at this rate?"
Nishino, no longer trying to hide her annoyance, asks Ryueen about his policy.
"Right. I guess we'd better get this over with."
".... .... How is that possible?"
"You think I've been sitting here staring at all of you for nothing? You do realize there's a weird
vote from sixth through tenth vote, right? I'm talking about the idiot who wanders in and out of
favor. Now I'm going to tell you who it is."
There was tension in the classroom.
It is usually impossible to detect complete anonymity.
But…
"It's you, right? Yajima."
"What, ...? No, no, no!"
Mariko Yajima was the one who was named.
He hurriedly stood up to deny it, but he was clearly upset and his demeanor was restless to
everyone.
"Just because you're anonymous doesn't mean you can deny it and expect me to believe you. If
I think that, then you're definitely the culprit. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Oh, no. I'm…"
"If I say it's you, it's you. And if I say no, then it's not you . I'll give you only one chance to be the
first one. From now on, you have no right to vote in favour without my permission. Do you
understand? If I find that you don't abide by that, you're out of school for good."
This is a threat that cannot be denied. Even if he continued to vote against this assignment and
failed the special exam, he would be expelled by some heinous means in the not too distant
future. He didn't need much time to imagine that.
"Not all of them, but I've got an idea of who's voting yes. We'll see if they're as stupid as Yajima
and need to be told directly."
Then came the 12th voting round.
Results of the 12th voting round:
5 in favor,
35 opposed.
Since Yajima was completely determined to oppose the project, there was no increase in
support.
However, when it came to the last warning, only two votes shifted to 'opposed' and five votes
remained in favour.
It became clear to all the classmates that this was a vote that no longer warranted any kind of
threat.
"Five...."
After muttering this, Ryueen checked the remaining time and left his seat again.
"I've got to admit, they've got some balls. But I'm still not satisfied. If you're not going to give up,
then come forward. What these five anonymous people want is for me to drop out of school. If
that's the case, we'll have to make it a unanimous vote in favor. It would be boring to just run out
the clock and call it a day, right? Then make your move. That's how we can fight on equal
footing."
Unanimity by either side must be achieved to clear this special exam.
It just drags on and on and on for hours unless you identify the students who are asking for your
approval.
It seemed unliketly that anyone would show up in this situation.
"Oh good, Ryuuen. Then I'll come forward... I'm the one who's voting yes."
At this point, one of the anonymous people who had been voting in favor of the proposal finally
stood up.
"Tokito, you! Do you even know what you're saying?"
As Ishizaki jumps at him, Katsuragi grabs his arm and stops him.
"Stop it, Ishizaki. We're in the middle of a special exam. Are you trying to cause violence here?
If you make a bad move, Sakagami-sensei will call off the exam without mercy, right?"
"..."
"Of course. If that happens, this special exam will end with your disqualification."
"Tsk."
"And even though Tokito self-reported, there's still no guarantee that's the case."
Even if you are 99% sure about something, Katsuragi says, there is no way to make it 100%
since you are anonymous. It's hard to erase the line of pretending to be in favor of something
while voting against it.
"It's true, though. I kept wondering if I'd ever get this special exam. A normal special exam won't
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, Tokito…"
"Because I've seen eye to eye with Ryūen a few times. You could have guessed that I was in
favour of it. I could have come forward sooner, but it was painful to see that the number of
people in favour of the assignment was changing left and right."
"Fine, Tokito. It's not the first time you've been rebellious. In fact, I'm honestly glad that you were
in favor of it."
"How long can you keep this up? You can't afford it."
"Oh. No matter how many times the vote is repeated, the in favour vote will never be lost. So if
time runs out, our class will lose 300 points. It would not be an exaggeration to say that we will
drop out of the A class competition."
"That's right. You are the leader of this class, even if you are not worthy of it. If you fail the
special exam, it's not my fault. It's on you. In the first place, you've freely controlled the choices
for this special exam. You didn't even listen to the people who said we should fight Ichinose's
class, and you forced us to pick Sakayanagi's class as our opponents. Of course, you can take
responsibility for losing, can't you?"
"I see. So that's why you rebelled here and obediently followed through on all previous
assignments."
"I'm trying to show the class that they're wrong. I'm not trying to embarrass the class, I'm just
frustrated that you're in charge."
"But here comes a chance to expel someone in particular. You've decided to take a chance on
it. So? Show me some good defiance, what do you want most?"
"If you want me, or any of us, to vote with you, you'll have to step down as class leader here. If
you swear to it in front of everyone, you'll probably get more votes with you."
Even though he dislikes Ryuuen, Tokito knows how difficult it is to get a unanimous vote in favor.
That's why he proposes a compromise.
"Don't be like that, Tokito. Don't you have the confidence to expel me?"
"Don't make me laugh. If the vote is unanimous in favor, you're the one who'll be expelled,
Ryuuen."
"May I ask you something, Tokito-kun?"
Kaneda raises his hand as he adjusts the position of his glasses.
"It makes sense that if the special exams fail, part of the blame should be placed on the leader.
However, if the selection process begins with a unanimous vote in favor of expelling the student,
it will definitely be you who will be expelled. In fact, many students continue to vote 'opposed' as instructed."
Despite Kaneda's calm and composed explanation of what lay ahead, Tokito was calm and
composed.
"There's no point in voting against it now. Don't you think that all the opposition votes are giving
in to Ryuuen? It's true that there are only a few people who can resist outwardly. But right now,
besides my vote, there are 4 in favour votes. Even though he repeatedly told everyone to vote
no, there are still four votes left. That's how many strong core people want you to drop out of
school!"
"Compared to Yabu and Morofuji, you seem to have a lot more sense Tokito."
After admiring, Ryūen continued.
"Then don't be shy. Why don't you and I have a go at it? Tokito."
"What?"
"I'm going to make everyone vote in favour on all 35 votes, including mine. Then, like Kaneda
said, they'll 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 are not eligible to vote on, then there is no need to fear unanimity in favor.
"Are you sure? If we eliminate the other option here, it's inevitable that one student will drop out.
There's no way for you to survive, Ryuuen."
It was Tokito's own mercy that he left open the possibility of unanimity by opposition.
"Everyone wants to avoid running out of time. If that's the case, I'll make it a unanimous decision
between you and me. Wouldn't that be more interesting for the class?"
There was no way he was going to accept Tokito's proposal, so Ryūen urged a unanimous vote
in favor of it.
"People are selfish. They're not happy to come forward if there's a risk that they'll be expelled,
but if either you or I are expelled, they're going to change their minds and they'll be happy to
vote if favour of it if you promise them an extra 100 points."
"You think the students who's voting in favour now will agree to expel me?"
"I don't know. Maybe they would."
"Get Lost! It's not me who's getting expelled, it's you, Ryūen!"
"I see. If so, then let's have a quick face-off."
The four remaining anonymous votes, and the students who hate Ryuuen would have no choice
but to continue to vote against him. Tokito was confident that if he repeated the vote to expel
Ryuuen several times, the number of votes in favor of him would increase as the remaining time
decreased.
"Okay, if you say so —"
Just as Tokito was about to accept the offer under provocation, the sound of tapping on the desk
echoed through the air.
"Wait, Ryuuen. Can you give Tokito a little time?"
The owner of the sound was Katsuragi. He hurriedly stood up and called out to Ryuuen.
"What? What do you mean, Katsuragi, I didn't give you the right to speak?"
"I'm not going to be deprived of my right to speak."
In response to the order to shut up, Katsuragi replied without hesitation and turned to Tokito.
"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 Tokito leaves the
school, the emotions of the students will be greatly affected with the time remaining. If this
happens, the one who can control the majority of votes, that is, Ryūen, will have the
overwhelming advantage."
"I told you. Don't assume he's superior just because of that, Katsuragi. The truth is that many in
the class don't welcome Ryuuen. They're just frustrated because they're being held back by force. As time runs out, more and more people will surely stop defending him. Even if it's
Ishizaki the dog."
"What the hell?"
"You once fought against Ryuuen, too. Remember your rebellious spirit."
"Oh, that's—"
Last year, during the incident on the rooftop, Ishizaki defeated Ryuuen and temporarily took
control of the class when he tried to end the dispute with Ayanokoji. Tokito cites that incident.
"I don't know what you were doing back then, but do you think you'll win in the end?"
"Oh, yes."
"Then let me ask you a question. If Ryuuen drops out of school, who will organize this class
after that?"
"You can discuss it or whatever you want. But not you, an outsider, Katsuragi."
"It's true that as an outsider, I may not be an option. But it's also true that if we can't show a
clear next leader, we won't be able to make a decisive decision. We can't catch up with
Sakayanagi and overtake her."
Katsuragi looked at the big picture of the situation and continued to try to persuade him, but
Tokito would not stop.
"It's too late. ..... So what? If I wasn't prepared to stab this guy in the back from the beginning, I
wouldn't have come forward in the first place."
"Kuku, From the beginning? But you seemed to have had taken a lot of time to come forward."
"..... Shut up!"
"Well, you can't helped if there aren't a few like-minded people with you."
It was only when he was able to confirm that there were multiple votes not in accordance with
Ryuuen that Tokito made his move.
"Please, Ryuuen. Give Tokito a chance."
He snaps his fingers once in response to Katsuragi's words, which he sees only as an
advantage for Ryuuen.
"All right. Tokito, I'm giving you a chance. The next vote depends entirely on your vote. If you
vote yes, then you will be expelled."
"You're ...... out of line. You think you can expel me?"
"Yeah. On the next voting round, all votes except yours will be 'opposed'. So it will be 1 in favour
and 39 opposed. So if you vote oppose, the issue is unanimously resolved."
"Hey, when did the four in favour votes disappear except for me?"
"Kuku.... I turned in those four votes during this interval."
"Pull it out. You can't do that."
In addition to remaining stubbornly in favor of the idea so far, Ryuuen has spent most of this
interval talking with Tokito. There was no pretense of turning the votes over.
"Then try it. Put it in favour, just like before, and you'll 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 Tokito's back was starting
to sweat. Just a 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 oppose it? That
would indicate that students other than Tokito were in favor of Ryuuen. He could take the same
defensive measure as Ibuki by running away to vote oppose before the vote was unanimous in
favor, but he couldn't choose that option because it would be disgraceful. In any case, a decisive
vote with Ryuuen would be inevitable.
If that happens, it will be decisive for Tokito himself to be defeated.
"You're ready to drop out, aren't you? Don't hesitate to vote yes."
"..... I don't need to be told."
Eventually, it was time to vote. Tokito 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 Sakagami's announcement.
Results of the 13th voting round:
2 in favor,
38 opposed.
"Ah!"
Tokito's heart must have raced more than anyone else's when he saw this result.
This was because, as Ryuuen had said, all but one of the four remaining votes were against it.
"I mean, sure, I'm freaked out. ・・・・・・ But hey, it means there's another student out there who's
just as strong-willed as I am! The one who didn't give in even after being threatened to this
extent!"
He shouts as if to declare himself the winner.
But instead of looking at Tokito, Ryuuen was looking at a completely different student.
"What the heck are you doing? You voted for it, didn't you? Katsuragi."
"What ....? .....?"
Tokito was surprised to hear the name of someone he hadn't expected.
"Yes. If I had voted against it, it would have gone to a decisive vote, with one vote in favor and
39 votes oppose, as you declared. If that had happened, it would have been impossible to pass
this test except by expelling one of you."
"That's how it was supposed to go. Depending on your answer, you won't get off easily."
"For one reason I think students like Tokito are necessary for the class. No, it's not just Tokito.
I'm an outsider who came here from A class. That's why I've been looking at this class with an
objective eye. As a result, I've come to understand that there is no such thing as an unnecessary student."
"You think I need a student who doesn't follow orders?"
"Yes, I do. I'd rather consider him a valuable asset. He is someone who can disagree with you
without hesitation, just like me, or even more than me. Of course, the way you did it in this
special test is wrong, though. I just don't like the way you put the class in jeopardy just to drag
Ryuuen down."
Katsuragi casts his eyes and words not only on Ryuuen but also on Tokito.
"If you don't like the fact that Ryuuen is the leader, make a fair appeal to him in a way that
doesn't involve anyone else. If your claim is correct, I will stand by you without hesitation."
"Katsuragi... You…"
"If you fall for Ryuuen's strategy and drop out, you will end up doing nothing. It means that
Ryūen will end without remembering the existence of a student named Hiroya Tokito."
"But until just before, there were 4 votes"
The unseen reinforcements that have pushed Tokito this far.
It was also a source of comfort.
"There is no such thing from the beginning. It's just an illusion."
"Illusion, you mean ...?"
"To be precise, I should say that they were eliminated in the repeated voting. There were five
votes in favor that remained after Yajima was named. The ones who cast those votes were you,
Tokito, and…"
Katsuragi circles around, slowly moving his gaze and pointing.
"It's Shiina, Yamada, me and Ryuuen."
In response to the answer, Tokito and none of his classmates understood.
"...... What the hell are you talking about? ・・・・・・ Ryuuen was in favour it, too. .....?
"When the vote was five in favor, there was only one anonymous voter left. But that all came to
a halt when you came forward."
"So during this interval, Ryuuen was mocking me in his mind."
"I don't think so. It's true that the purpose was to find out who was in favour of it, but that was
already done when you came forward. You didn't have to go out of your way to make it a
contest, you could have just kept your mouth shut and brought it to a unanimous vote. In your
way the vote would naturally be unanimous in favor of it, and the next vote would just be to
expel you."
"So you were just playing word games to insult me!"
"No, I wasn't. I was giving you the possibility to keep you from being expelled."
"What the…?"
"But you didn't see the potential, and you tried to push forward. In a roundabout way, you
probably didn't even think that Ryuuen was giving you a chance."
"Oh, I...!"
"But no matter how much I tell him, if he won't listen to me, that's it. I'm sorry to take up so much
of your time, but can you please give Tokito one last chance? I'd like you to give him one last
chance to vote no before we all vote yes."
"You think I'll give him another chance? I'm not so naive, am I?"
"You are at fault. You were overly provocative and overlooked the thread of salvation. Now that
everything has come to light, we can finally give Tokito a choice."
"If he don't listen to me, you won't 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 left it to tokito to take care of himself.
If he vote yes, he will be expelled 100% of the time.
On the other hand, if he vote against it, the vote will be unanimous and he can avoid expulsion.
But to vote no means to give in to Ryuuen in a way.
That would be a serious blow to the pride Tokito had.
"Then we'll start the 60-second voting period."
With Sakagami's words, the countdown begins.
Thirty-nine people, excluding Tokito, finished voting within the time limit, but the count still did
not stop.
Sakagami looked up once and glanced at Tokito.
"As I explained to you beforehand, after 60 seconds, the penalty time accumulates."
Tokito turns his head and stares alternately at the words in favour and opposed on the tablet.
"Damn... Damn..."
He thought he had a good chance to fight back. But halfway through, he found myself alone.
Everything was just a dance in the palm of Ryuuen's hand.
Frustration, embarrassment, and shame.
A lot of negative emotions surrounded Tokito's mind and he couldn't let them go.
Pride peeked out of his face, as if he would not give in to Ryuuen at such a point.
Dispersing gracefully. No, or he could deliberately vote yes and buy himself some time; if he
continue to vote against the 39 people, he might just be able to make this challenge fail.
Do not drop out and end the special exam with a failure.
The thought crossed his mind, and Tokito shook his head from side to side.
There's nothing to be gained by doing such a thing to compete with Ryueen.
He causes a great deal of trouble for his classmates and is even more smoked out than
Ryuuen.
That's not what Tokito wants.
"Damn it!"
With an exaggerated wave of his arm, Tokito touched the voting button.
"—Everyone has finished voting. I will now announce the results."
Sakagami took a breath and operated the tablet to show the results on the monitor.
Results of the 14th voting round :
0 In Favour,
40 opposed.
"As the vote is unanimous, the subject is rejected. This concludes the special examination."
It seemed that there was a strong possibility that some students would be expelled from
Ryuuen's class, but it was confirmed that all students would remain.
"Tokito, you…"
Ishizaki turned around and spoke to Tokito, who had his eyes downcast.
"...... Don't get me wrong, Ryuuen, I don't approve of your methods. If I find that you've done
something to prevent our class from moving up to Class A, I'll eliminate you as soon as I can."
"Come at me any time. I'll deal with you severely."
"Hmm…"
It was complicated for Tokito to remain here, so he left the classroom as quickly as he could.
After witnessing this, Katsuragi walks up to Ryuuen's side.
"That was an unnecessary thing to do, Katsuragi. I was welcoming the dropouts, remember?"
"Half the time, I suppose. But the other half you were exploring the other possibility, weren't
you?"
"Pull me out, do I look that naive to you?"
"I don't know if you're being naive, but if your goal was to completely control the vote, it's
important to keep loyal students in your ranks. However, after the second vote, you gave
instructions to Shiina, while giving an earful to the appropriate students. If you only talk to
certain students, they will think you are planning some kind of strategy. Then, through Shiina,
you gathered friends who would vote falsely in favor of the plan through repeated discussions.
And I was one of them. The reason for this was that you knew I would protect Tokito, right?"
"You're protecting Tokito? Where did you get that information from?"
"Shiina overheard me and Tokito discussing you. I wouldn't be surprised if you knew about it
from her report."
"I was just misled by the fake in favour vote and carefully selected the ones who voted yes. Of
course, I had to expel him so I could get class points. It's such a shame."
After Ryueen left the classroom, Katsuragi turned to the eyes that had been watching them.
He was honestly impressed when he saw Shiina smiling gently at me.
"So it's possible that it was Shiina's own decision to drew me in. ...."
But either way, it doesn't change the fact that Ryuuen prepared the strings to help Tokito, and
gave him a chance. Katsuragi was convinced when he saw the students relieved that no one
had been expelled.
Katsuragi thinks this is the class that has the potential to beat Sakayanagi and become Class
A. And his own desire is to pursue that path with this class.