Chapter 260 86: The Reaper Can Also Be Reaped

Meanwhile, the second-year classroom was also announcing the same exam rules.

"The last place in the large group—the leaders of the three groups will be expelled. The class to which the leaders belong will have 300 points deducted. Furthermore, one student from the same group must be designated for bundled expulsion."

The homeroom Sensei of Class 2-A stood on the podium, reading the rules out loud from beginning to end. Murmurs erupted throughout the classroom; some were surprised, some anxious, and a small number of people were whispering to each other in curiosity.

Nagumo Miyabi sat toward the front of the classroom, his hands clasped tightly on the desk.

His face wore its usual composed smile, but the curve of that smile was much stiffer than usual. Kinoshita, sitting next to him, noticed this and whispered, "Nagumo, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Nagumo's reply was short and crisp.

But Kinoshita wasn't entirely reassured. He had known Nagumo for a long time and could be considered a loyal supporter within the class, so he could see what was hidden beneath that smile: a tension only a beast backed into a corner would possess.

As Nagumo listened to the Sensei reading the rules, only one thought kept revolving in his mind.

What Hikigaya-kouhai said had actually come true.

[Kiriyama-senpai, since it's a cross-grade exam that involves expulsion, wouldn't your Class 2-B have a chance if you got Nagumo-senpai expelled?]

Damn it.

If—and I mean if—the team he was in ended up in last place. If he happened to be that leader. Or even if he wasn't the leader, what if the leader of the group was from Class B, or if it was another class but Kiriyama used points to bribe that leader...

So, did Kiriyama really have a chance, maybe, to get him expelled?

"Shit."

He cursed under his breath, his voice so low only Kinoshita next to him could hear. Kinoshita gave him a look of horror—he had known Nagumo for so long that he had almost never heard him swear. After all, in front of everyone, especially girls, Nagumo was at least elegant and handsome.

"Nagumo, what on earth—"

"I said I'm fine."

Nagumo interrupted him, then forced himself to unclench his fists and resume his composed posture. He looked up at the Sensei on the podium and asked with as steady a voice as he could manage, "Sensei, is the formation of the large groups random, or can we negotiate?"

The Sensei glanced at him: "In principle, after the groups in each grade are formed, the leaders of each group will negotiate to merge. In other words, there is room for operation."

"Understood."

Nagumo sat back, his brain beginning to spin at high speed.

Since there was room for operation, it meant he still had a way to avoid the worst-case scenario. He could proactively choose to merge with groups he trusted and avoid those hostile toward him.

But the problem was—how many people could he actually trust?

He had spent two years in this school and knew better than anyone how fragile "trust" was. Someone who called you brother today might sell you out tomorrow without hesitation for a spot to nominate someone for expulsion.

He remembered a sentence he had read in a book once.

"Sometimes the greatest threat does not come from the opponent's strength, but from the rules themselves. As long as you lose within the rules, there are plenty of people willing to step on you."

And this is what he thought when he saw that sentence back then.

"Of course I won't encounter such a thing, after all. I am very strong."

But now.

He felt a bit numb.

Nagumo closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and leaned against the back of his chair. Sunlight shone in from the window, turning into a blurred orange-red through his eyelids. He listened to the murmurs, discussions, and sighs of his classmates, and suddenly felt these sounds were very far away.

Kiriyama.

The loser Kiriyama from Class 2-B.

That man must already be calculating how to use this exam.

Kiriyama still harbored the ambition of climbing the ranks for his class; although he was about to lose, the opportunity had just arrived.

"Leader expulsion, and naming one student in the same group for bundled expulsion."

Nagumo clenched his teeth.

These rules were truly fucked up.

He had to think of a way. He had to.

First, he could not be a leader. The risk was too high. If he were the leader, he would lose all paths of retreat. The person named would be expelled directly, with no room for discussion.

Second, he had to ensure there were no people belonging to Kiriyama in his group. Or rather, there could be no one from Class 2-B at all. If there were, he had to negotiate terms with them in advance and make them behave.

Third—he had to choose a large group that was "safe" enough. It would be best if the people in the other grade groups of that large group did not pose a threat to him.

And speaking of other grades, for example, the first years, the first years...

A few faces flashed through Nagumo's mind.

Ryuen Kakeru. The arrogant leader of Class 1-B, who had let him suffer a minor loss last time.

And Ryuen would accept points from other classes, so it was very possible he could be bought off by Kiriyama.

Then he would have to offer more points to protect himself.

And Hikigaya Hachiman.

At least for now, he was still the Vice President, so once he participated in the Student Council President election, he might be attacked by Hikigaya-kouhai. So, would Hikigaya-kouhai attack him in this exam?

Just thinking about it made Nagumo feel that this exam would either result in point deductions, expulsion, or the loss of a large amount of private points.

It could be said to be terrible!

And besides Hikigaya, there was Ayanokouji from Class 1-D, the guy who had approached him before, but whom he had ignored.

So would that guy do something bad at this time? No, the other guy's reputation was already ruined, and he probably couldn't find many people to use, so it was arguably safe.

But.

No matter what, he couldn't just sit and wait for death.

He was Nagumo Miyabi. He was the leader of Class 2-A. He was the one destined to rule the entire second year.

He wouldn't just be calculated into defeat by others.

He had to make some preparations.

Thus.

Because of his usual behavior and the current situation, Nagumo-senpai was very anxious.

.

.

.

And in the classroom of Class 1-A.

The noise of the break had not completely dissipated, but Hachiman had been sitting in his seat without moving. His notebook was spread out in front of him, with only a few scrawled lines of text and some keywords written on it.

He mentally sorted out the exam rules he had just heard again.

Were there any changes to the plot—there were some changes.

One could only say.

Tsukishiro's intentions were truly blatant.

First of all, comparing the evaluation points for rewards to the evaluation points for deductions, it was clearly much more deducted and less added. Tsukishiro was reclaiming the surplus evaluation point rewards from various grades, such as Class A. In this way, class competition would be more intense, while also reducing the school's financial burden. After all, every month, the school would multiply the class evaluation points by 100 and deposit private points into student accounts.

For every point the evaluation score dropped, the school saved an expense. Letting the total scores of all classes gradually slide downward was a staggering amount of savings in the long run. So, these were all money.

At the same time, because the representative bundled for expulsion for the leader in last place could be a class representative from another class, and if one wanted to exempt the representative from expulsion, one would have to cough up 20 million points to waive the expulsion penalty.

So, Tsukishiro was also reclaiming points from the hands of the students.

This exam, rather than a forest training camp, could actually be called a harvest. Tsukishiro was not an ordinary educator, but a capital reaper. This was the method of adults.

Swift and decisive.

The corners of Hachiman's mouth moved slightly, an arc without warmth.

He closed the notebook and was just about to put his pen away when he felt someone lean in from the side.

Ichinose Honami had left her seat at some point and walked to his desk. She held her notebook in her hand, her expression looking a bit hesitant.

"Hikigaya-kun." She spoke softly.

Hachiman looked up, "Yeah?"

"Do you... have any thoughts on this exam?" Ichinose leaned close to him, and Hachiman immediately smelled a pleasant scent, but Ichinose said, "I've been thinking about those rules just now... I feel like something isn't quite right somewhere."

Hachiman looked at her.

He noticed Ichinose's eyebrows were slightly furrowed, with a thin layer of anxiety hidden in her clear eyes. Her face, which usually always wore a warm smile, now held only seriousness and gravity.

"There are many things that aren't right." Hachiman chose to be frank, "The rewards and penalties are asymmetrical, the grouping method is too complicated, and the design of the leaders themselves is full of traps."

"As I thought..." Ichinose lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously pinching the corner of her notebook. "And that 'bundled expulsion' rule—if you're unlucky enough to be in the same group as a representative from another class, and that person happens to be the leader—"

"Then there's a possibility of being nominated for expulsion." Hachiman finished the sentence for her. "And you don't need any reason. As long as the other party wants you expelled, you can be expelled."

Ichinose's face turned another shade paler.

She was silent for a few seconds, then looked up at Hachiman. The anxiety in her gaze became more obvious.

"Then Hikigaya-kun's safety... is not very safe either."

Her voice was very light, as if she was afraid of being heard by others.

"I know very well, and other classes know very well, Hikigaya-kun, you are the reason our class is taking off.

So, if they eliminate you, then for the other classes, there is still hope.

Of course, because our points are abundant, they can't eliminate you this time, but they can also reduce our point reserves." Ichinose said quickly.

Clearly, as soon as the exam rules were announced, she thought of the possible situations and the fact that Hikigaya-kun might be targeted.

That's why she came directly to his desk.

"So people from other classes might all be staring at you. If someone deliberately wants to be in the same group as you during the grouping, and then—"

"Then let me be the leader, make our group end up in last place, and then nominate me for expulsion." Hachiman finished her sentence with a calm tone. "This possibility indeed exists."

Ichinose gripped the corner of her notebook tighter. "Then—"

"However," Hachiman interrupted her, "the people who need to worry about this right now are not us."

Ichinose was stunned. "...what do you mean?"

Hachiman tilted his head, his gaze passing over her shoulder and looking toward the direction outside the classroom window.

"Nagumo Miyabi of Class 2-A and President Horikita of Class 3-A are the ones who are truly standing at the forefront of the storm. Nagumo has offended too many people, and the President is the core of Class 3-A, so Class 3-B will definitely not let this opportunity go. But I'm different; my point reserves are high."

So I'm not afraid.

Therefore, the 'nominated expulsion' rule of this exam is almost tailor-made for them.

Ichinose blinked, "But... other classes will also feel that you are dangerous.

If I were Katsuragi, I would definitely nominate you for expulsion. And Ryuen-kun is also possible; after all, if Hikigaya-kun you are expelled, then Ryuen doesn't have to pay back the money."

Actually, he would still have to pay back the money, but if Hachiman were really expelled, then he could delay paying it back.

So to speak.

It could ease the situation for Ryuen's class.

"Heh. That's indeed the case." But Hachiman turned his gaze back to Ichinose, "To nominate me for expulsion, you first have to make me a leader and make my large group end up in last place, and the probability of these things happening at the same time is not high."

He paused, then added, "In contrast, Nagumo-senpai should be getting a headache right now. He has too many enemies, and being in a high position, there are plenty of people who want to see him fall. As long as he is assigned to an unfavorable group, he has almost no room to recover."

Ichinose listened quietly, and the anxiety on her face faded a little. But she still did not fully relax.

"So," she said softly, "there is actually a way to break the situation in this exam?"

"Every exam has a way to break the situation." Hachiman said, "The key is whether you can see the 'situation' itself for what it is.

In this exam, every class representative of Classes A and B needs to worry a bit.

After all, they are all very important to the class.

But, I don't feel the core lies in them."

Ichinose looked at his side profile. When Hachiman spoke, his gaze always fell on an uncertain point in front of him, as if he were looking at many things at once, yet as if he were looking at nothing at all.

His expression was always plain, but that plainness carried a reassuring certainty.

"Hikigaya-kun," Ichinose hesitated for a moment, "you... have already thought of a way?"

"It's not fully formed yet." Hachiman said honestly, "But the general direction is already there."

"Can you tell me?"

Hachiman glanced at her, then shook his head gently.

"Not yet.

Because some information, once said out loud, won't work anymore."

Saying this, Hachiman began to lay his head on the desk.

After all, they were in the classroom, and the cameras were also on.

And on the other side of the cameras.

Staff members were watching.

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