After talking with Ayanokoji, Horikita returned to the dorm.
As soon as she entered the dorm, Horikita was stunned by the sight before her.
Amane was sitting at the table, wearing her school uniform, engrossed in a book.
It was "Crime and Punishment," a book Horikita Suzune also liked. However, Amane didn't seem interested in such things normally, so why did she suddenly decide to read today?
"I'm home."
"Welcome home."
Amane looked up and smiled faintly at Horikita.
Then her gaze returned to the pages of the book.
"Amane, aren't you still a bit sleepy? Why don't you go take a nap?"
Horikita stroked Amane's head and asked with concern.
"I was still a bit sleepy, but then I suddenly remembered some things, and the more I thought, the less I could sleep. So I decided to get up and read a book to cultivate some sleepiness."
Amane's words made Horikita somewhat amused and exasperated.
No wonder Amane suddenly thought of reading today.
It turned out to be to cultivate some sleepiness.
Honestly, she thought Amane was finally going to immerse herself in the joy of reading.
"Suzune, don't you have anything you want to tell me?"
Amane closed the book, still smiling at Horikita.
Horikita was startled at first, then her expression also became serious.
She was sure that Amane knew something, but from Amane's reaction, she seemed to be against such a thing.
"I do have something I need your help with, Amane. The thing is, Ayanokoji came to me and said…"
Horikita then repeated exactly what Ayanokoji had told her to Amane.
During the listening process, Amane remained mostly silent, a faint smile still on her face. For a moment, even Horikita Suzune, who spent every day with her, couldn't quite figure out Amane's thoughts.
"So it's only a choice between two? That's a headache. Can't we choose a third option?"
Amane's words made Horikita Suzune's eyes widen.
"Amane, are you joking? One hundred twenty million points is a sum we simply cannot come up with."
Horikita Suzune denied Amane's idea.
One hundred twenty million points, even if all the points of the entire grade were added together, it might not be enough. So Amane's idea of saving everyone was somewhat unrealistic.
But Amane shook her head.
"What I mean is, isn't there an option not to save them? Why should I save them?"
Amane's words made the entire dorm fall silent.
Horikita's incredulous expression was very amusing to Amane.
She probably thought she would definitely save someone.
She might even guess that she would save Ichihashi-san, right?
"What's wrong, Suzune?"
Amane looked at Horikita with concern.
"I'm fine… It's just, if I remember correctly, Amane, aren't you and Ichihashi-san on pretty good terms? If it's one hundred thousand points, and Ayanokoji is willing to put in fifty thousand points, that means you only need to put in fifty thousand points to prevent Ichihashi-san from dropping out…"
Horikita couldn't understand why Amane would refuse such a proposal.
If Amane had to pay one hundred thousand points alone, even if she had enough points, she would still need to think about it, and Horikita Suzune could understand that.
But now Ayanokoji had already agreed to pay half the points.
Amane only needed to pay the other half, so why would Amane still refuse? If it were someone she didn't get along with who was about to drop out, Amane's actions would be excusable.
But Ichihashi Ruri often hung out with Wang Meiyu and Amane.
No matter how she thought about it, Amane had no reason to refuse.
"If I save Ichihashi-san, what do I get? Fifty thousand points, if used sparingly, would last two months, wouldn't it? Is it really worth it for me to pay so many points?"
Is it worth it?
Horikita Suzune fell into thought.
She had never thought about this question.
Is it worth it? Comparing people to points, there's no doubt everyone would think people are much more important than points.
But once people are quantified or divided according to a certain standard, priceless people also become valuable. Within the same standard, everyone will be divided into different ranks, and at this point, equality for all becomes a joke.
In such a situation, is it really worth it to redeem Ichihashi with fifty thousand points?
"What if the class can't get to Class A because of fewer people…"
Horikita thought for a long time before coming up with a reluctantly reason.
The next second, she was immediately refuted by Amane.
"If losing one person really means we can't get from Class D to Class A, then it means we've already failed. Since saving Ichihashi-san won't help us get to Class A, then why should I save her? In that case, the prerequisite for saving her doesn't hold."
Amane's logic was very clear, and even Horikita couldn't find any fault with it. One person dropping out is dropping out, six people dropping out is also dropping out.
Simply saving one person doesn't have a big impact on the entire class.
"What if Ichihashi-san can contribute to the class in the future and increase the class's points?"
Horikita changed her approach, trying to use Ichihashi's future value to persuade Amane.
No one can predict the future, and precisely because of this, Amane couldn't deny Ichihashi's future value.
"Perhaps Ichihashi-san can indeed make some contribution to the class in the future, but compared to the elusive future, I value the present worth more. Ichihashi has been screened out as a dropout in two consecutive assessments. Can I not conclude from this that Ichihashi will always be a drag in future exams?"
Amane picked up the cup on the table and took a small sip of tea.
From beginning to end, Amane's expression hadn't changed at all, and her eyes revealed a cold gaze.
It didn't matter to her who dropped out. She wouldn't mind even if she spent one hundred thousand points to redeem someone.
But she wanted to tell Suzune that there's no such thing as a free lunch.
If Horikita Suzune truly wanted to lead Class D to Class A, she would eventually face the dilemma of making choices. No matter how she chose, she couldn't avoid one thing: value.
Only by determining value could one make choices; this was common sense.
Amane's analysis silenced Horikita Suzune. Amane's words indeed made sense. Ichihashi had been deemed a dropout twice, which fundamentally determined that this student had no value in terms of academic cultivation.
Even if she was saved now, the same thing would happen next time.
Amane wasn't a philanthropist; she had no obligation to pay for others' mistakes.
"But…"
"Suzune, I'm helping you right now. Your goal is to get to Class A. If that's the case, why not use this opportunity to get rid of as many useless people as possible?"
"We've already saved quite a few people. The remaining people already ensure the normal operation of Class D. Given that, why are you still agonizing over saving the rest? Being indecisive won't make you an excellent leader, you know."
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