Lelouch pov:
With the midterms now just a week away, Ichinose had coerced me into assisting her with tutoring the rest of the class. Not to long ago class C's Light had paid us a visit, as he gave us all study guides. I managed to get Ichinose to show me everyone's and they all seemed the same yet something was off.
Even still Ichinose decided it would be best to hold study sessions for people interested. So as we strolled towards the library, we engaged in casual conversation before she casually dropped a little bombshell.
"Did you know you've been catching the eye of quite a few ladies lately? You've been voted as one of the most attractive guys among the first-years," she mentioned nonchalantly.
"Voted? When did this vote happen?" I inquired, slightly intrigued, as we walked side by side, approaching the library where we planned on meeting the rest of the group.
She chuckled softly before responding, "Well, various girls have been casting votes on the guys in our year. They have rankings like hottest, ugliest, and even creepiest. You know, the usual."
"Is that so? And where do I stand in these rankings, especially in the attractiveness one?" I queried.
"Hmm, if I recall correctly, you're ranked 4th overall among the first-years. It is quite impressive to be considered highly attractive by your peers. That then would also happen to make you the highest-ranked in class B," she revealed, showing me her phone.
Perusing through the rankings, I found myself surprisingly popular among them, though something else did pique my curiosity.
"So, Ichinose, who did you vote for as the most attractive?" I probed further.
Shaking her head, she replied, "I don't participate in such things, so I abstained from voting."
"So, Lulu," she continued, using the nickname she had bestowed upon me one day, "have you ever had a girlfriend before coming to this school?"
"Nope, I never really had the chance to focus on one, and I never felt it necessary to have one," I confessed.
"That's a shame," she remarked as the library was in view.
I paused for a moment before asking, "Let's flip the scenario for a second. How would you feel about these rankings if they were about girls versus men?"
"I mean, I guess I'd take it as a compliment, I suppose, but most girls would view any guy involved in it negatively and would see them as disgusting," she explained.
There was indeed a double standard at play, but I chose not to dwell on it as we finally reached the library and made our way inside.
Inside the library, we joined our classmates who were already there for the study session, which proved to be dreadfully dull. I found myself on the verge of nodding off before a sudden commotion disrupted the monotony.
"That's enough out of you!" A muscular guy with fiery red hair, visibly on the brink of losing his temper, seized someone by the collar.
"Hey, hey! You're really going to resort to violence even though it'll cost you points? Are you okay with that?" The other guy said, his voice clearly pissing the other guy off more.
"We don't have any points to lose!" The red-haired guy retorted, his grip tightening.
Realising the situation was escalating, I debated whether to intervene when a female student stepped in and shouted at them to stop. Surprisingly, the red-haired guy halted his aggression at her command.
I looked to my right as I noticed Ichinose disappeared randomly, as she was all the way over there. As I looked at the confrontation, I noticed the two boys were Sudo from class D and Yamawaki from class C.
"What? This doesn't involve you. Stay out of it," he said to Ichinose.
"Doesn't it involve me? I'm trying to use the library, so it does involve me. If you want to get violent, might I suggest that you do so outside?"
In response to the blonde beauty's disinterested yet logical argument, Sudou let go of Yamawaki.
"Besides, don't you think you're provoking him? If things continue like this, I'd have to report it to the school. Do you want that?"
"S-sorry. We don't want that, Ichinose," Yamawaki said.
"Come on, let's go. If we try studying here, we'll catch the stupid going around." Yamawaki said once more to his fellow class C members.
"Yeah."
With those last words, Yamawaki and his group left.
"If you're going to study here, please act like adults. Thank you," Ichinose said.
Watching her gallant departure, she came back over, taking a seat and speaking as if nothing had happened.
The remainder of the study session passed uneventfully, and soon enough, midterms had arrived. Hoshinomiya briefed us on the test format, mentioning a potential reward for passing both this and the final exam, which would take place in July.
"A vacation!" one of the boys blurted out excitedly.
"Yes, indeed. A vacation on a picturesque island surrounded by azure seas," Hoshinomiya confirmed in her usual cheerful and playful tone as she began the test papers.
As the exams proceeded, it became apparent that my predictions about the test content were accurate. Convincing Ichinose to collaborate, we assisted the struggling students in finding the answers.
The final period, mathematics, presented some challenging questions reminiscent of the previous test. Luckily, my preparation paid off, allowing me to navigate through them confidently, but I decided I'd have to bomb this test.
After the exhausting day concluded, relief washed over the students, evident in their expressions. I couldn't help but rest my head on the desk, observing the camaraderie among my classmates, largely attributed to Ichinose's influence.
In the days following the midterms, a visibly drunken Hoshinomiya announced the results. To my relief, no one had failed, a testament to our collective efforts.
Glancing at the score sheet, I noticed my name at the top, with deliberately adjusted scores to ensure everyone passed. For three of my subjects, I had scored 70+ points, but on two, I only had 52 points. Ichinose purposely bombed three of her tests, getting low 50's and scoring 60's in the ones I purposely did poorly in. Exactly how I'd imagine it playing out as the averages tanked because of this.
Reflecting on the outcome, I pondered if other classes had fared as well. After all, they had all studied diligently, so I presumed they would all be fine, but I wouldn't mind if they weren't, and a few students were expelled from other classes.
Ayanokoji's POV:
I sat with my hand resting against my face, quietly observing the chaos unfolding in our classroom.
"Please, if anyone has any points to spare, send them my way!" Hirata pleaded, his voice strained with urgency.
"I'll send all I have," Kushida followed up, her voice trembling slightly. "I beg everyone else to do the same!"
At the front of the room, a results sheet listed the midterm scores. Everyone had passed, except for three. Sudou had failed by a single point, Sato by two, and Kei by four. The tension was evident, and while most of the class focused on the crisis at hand, I couldn't help but notice a familiar unease.
The study guide provided for the exam by light had matched suspiciously well with the test questions. And speaking of suspicious...
Class C's Light Yagami strolled into the classroom room with the air of someone who owned it. Without a word, he turned his attention to the results sheet at the front of the class, scanning it for longer than one needed to.
I pulled out my phone, unnoticed amid the discussions. Hirata's pleas consumed everyone's attention. Casually, I transferred a few thousand points and glanced at him.
Yet, despite the contributions, Hirata's face only grew paler as at this point no one had there phone out. "Only 420,000 points..." he muttered, his voice heavy with defeat.
Anticipating a scenario like this, I'd used Kushida to quietly confirm with Chabashira-sensei whether private points could save failing students. Her answer, while vague, had been interpreted as a yes. But now, it seemed that saving all three was impossible.
"With only 420,000 points, we can either save Sudou and Sato or just Kei," Hirata said, exhaling a defeated sigh.
Through the reflection of the classroom window, I noticed Kei's face pale further. She understood, as did I: even Hirata couldn't save her.
A laugh broke through the tension, drawing everyone's attention to Koenji. "Well, two is better than one," he said nonchalantly. "It's only fair if Kei goes."
Sudou shot up from his seat, his desperation plain as he shouted, "Yeah, that makes sense! We should keep me and Sato!"
The room stirred with divided opinions, voices rising in a chaotic debate, though it seemed as if most people were agreeing with koenji. And then, the calm yet commanding voice of Light cut through the noise.
"Just out of curiosity," he said, still staring at the results sheet, "you need 280,000 more private points to save everyone, don't you?"
He then turned, slowly making his way toward Hirata, who froze seeming to only have know acknowledge that Light was behind him. He looked at him for a few moments before nodding. "It seems so," Hirata admitted. "But gathering that many points now is impossible."
"I see." Light paused, his expression unreadable, before finally speaking again. "Well, I don't mind giving you the rest."
A ripple of surprise swept through the room. Horikita stood abruptly, narrowing her eyes at him. "And why," she asked, her tone sharp, "would you do that?"
Light regarded her for a moment, then turned his attention to Kei and Sato. "Because I'm a sucker at heart," he said with a faint smile. "I couldn't stand seeing two beautiful girls like these get expelled when I know I could've done something to help."
In the glass reflection, I saw Kei's face brighten ever so slightly. Still, Horikita wasn't convinced.
"You said you'd give the points," she challenged, "but from what I know, you've only received two payments of 100,000 and 66,000. Even if you've saved every last bit, at most, you'd have only 166,000 private points. That's 114,000 private points off."
Light let out a small sigh. "You're right," he admitted. "But Class C has entrusted me with... certain resources. I won't reveal specifics, of course, but trust me, I have the points needed to save them."
Though unconvinced, Horikita seemed to recognize she wouldn't get more out of him. She sighed, though her suspicion lingered. "And let me guess, you'll want something in return?"
Light shook his head immediately. "Not at all. Like I said, knowing I've saved two beauties from expulsion is more than enough. That said..." His tone grew lighter as he added, "I imagine you don't like the idea of being indebted to me. So, if it eases your mind, we can discuss a repayment plan when your class starts earning more points."
Horikita hesitated, clearly weighing her options. Before she could reply, Light turned his head back towards Hirata as he made his way back him, extending his phone. A few moments later, Hirata's face regained its color.
"Thank you, Light," Hirata said quietly, bowing his head slightly.
"It's all good," Light replied with an easy wave. "I have to get back to my class, so I'll take my leave now."
He exited the room, his confident stride leaving an air of admiration in his wake. I noticed some of our classmates, especially Kei and Sato, watch him go with glimmers of gratitude and possibly something more in their eyes.
Horikita muttered beside me, breaking the spell. "Something's off."
She glanced at me, searching for agreement.
I shrugged. "Who's to say? But if I had to choose between something being off or not, I'd agree with you."
Lelouch's POV:
Time marched on, indifferent as ever, and soon the first day of July arrived. The classroom buzzed with idle chatter and the occasional words from Hoshinomiya-sensei, who stood at the front, holding a rolled-up piece of white paper. With a flourish, she unfurled it and pinned it to the board.
Class A: 1004 points
Class B: 872 points
Class C: 750 points
Class D: 77 points
I scanned the rankings several times, noting with satisfaction that our class had achieved the most significant gain since last month. Though Class D's score was unusually high, it barely held my attention before I dismissed it as irrelevant, at least for the time being.
Raising my hand, I broke the murmurs of curiosity among my fellow classmates. "May I ask why our private points haven't been credited to our accounts yet?"
Hoshinomiya turned to me, her usual playful tone tinged with a hint of exasperation. "Well, there's been a little hiccup this time. The distribution of private points for first-years has been delayed. I apologize, but you'll need to wait a bit longer."
A male student voiced the frustration everyone seemed to share. "Huh? Seriously? If it's the school's fault, shouldn't we get some sort of compensation for the trouble?"
Grumbles of discontent rippled through the room, growing louder until Hoshinomiya raised a hand. "Settle down," she said, her tone sweet but firm. "You'll get your points soon enough, assuming there's anything left to distribute."
The room quieted, but her words lingered ominously. Was the total pool of points possibly limited? If each class had started with 1000 points, that would imply a maximum of 4000 points in circulation. Yet even combined, the posted totals didn't come close to that number. The implication was intriguing, but I shelved the thought for later.
Later that week, after another uneventful chess match against Hamaguchi, an easy victory that netted me an additional 2,000 private points. I left the common area, heading toward the dormitories.
Halfway there, I was intercepted by a very familiar figure.
Ichinose stood in my path, her ever present smile lighting up the space around her. Beside her was someone I recognized immediately: Kiyotaka Ayanokoji of Class D.
"Lulu, do you want to help us?" she asked abruptly, her tone as casual as if we was the best of friends.
I slowly nodded my head, folding my arms slightly interested. "I'm listening."
Her smile didn't waver as she began explaining the situation. It seemed Class D had become embroiled in a dispute with Class C, centered on Sudou's alleged assault on three students.
As she laid out the details, I found my interest falling. It all sounded like a pointless exercise that I didn't want to be apart of.
"And what exactly would Class B gain by involving itself in this?" I asked, cutting through her optimism.
She hesitated, her usual cheer dimming for the briefest moment. "It would help strengthen the bond between our classes," she replied finally, her voice earnest.
I let out a soft sigh, shaking my head. "I see no value in such an alliance. Class D is no threat to us, given their position at the bottom, and as for Class C..." My voice trailed off as I glanced away. "With Ryuen at their helm, they're doomed to self-destruction sooner or later."
Ichinose looked as though she wanted to counter my argument, but after a moment, she simply smiled again. Ayanokoji remained silent throughout the exchange, his neutral expression giving away nothing.
After a pause, I added, "Forgive my bluntness, but I'm uninterested. If Class D can't resolve their own issues, then their failure will be no concern of mine. Though that doesn't mean I'll stop you from helping them."
Ichinose gave me a small, understanding nod. "I see. Thank you for listening anyway."
I watched as the two of them walked away, my gaze lingering briefly before I turned my attention back to my phone. Perhaps I could have offered my assistance, but ultimately, there were more pressing matters that required my attention.
***
The whole sudo vs. class-C arc was something that I wouldn't see Lelouch or Light taking apart in, so I didn't want to force them into it. Plus the island exam should be happening very soon, where things start to get real juicy.
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