The perspective shifts to the classroom of Class 1-C (formerly Class 1-B).
The homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya Chie, stood at the podium, her face beneath her brown curly hair trying to maintain her usual gentle smile, but her eyes could not completely hide a hint of suppressed disappointment and unwillingness.
She turned and wrote the same ranking data on the blackboard as in the classrooms of Class A and Class D:
[As of May 1st]
[class points Ranking]
[Class A: 1000 points]
[Class C: 910 points]
[Class B: 820 points]
[Class D: 0 points]
Looking at the numbers on the blackboard, especially the glaring third place "820" and the adjacent "Class C: 910," the students below let out a low murmur, their faces showing complex expressions—surprise, confusion, and even deep disappointment.
Hoshinomiya Chie turned around, facing her dispirited students, and sighed silently in her heart.
Who made Class A have such a monstrous student?
Sakamoto.
That First Year who stirred up trouble just a week into school, even daring to speak eloquently in front of the Student Council.
Class A's miraculous perfect score must have his shadow behind it, perhaps even orchestrated by him single-handedly.
And that damned Class C actually managed to get 910 points, completely surpassing them!
This is simply… Hoshinomiya Chie clenched her fingers tightly, her nails almost digging into her palm.
She recalled the news she had accidentally learned from Mashima-sensei earlier—a student in Class A had sold s system information externally.
She had suspected Sakamoto at the time, and now it seemed the buyer was very likely a student from Class C!
How could a novice class completely unaware of the rules win against a cheater with a strategy guide?
She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the indignation in her heart, and her face once again bloomed with that extremely approachable smile, her voice gentle and full of encouragement:
"Students, don't be discouraged! 820 points, this is already a very, very good score!"
Her gaze swept across the room, her tone sincere:
"Without fully understanding that class points are linked to daily behavior, purely through everyone's conscientiousness and effort, we were able to achieve such a high score! This is enough to prove that our Class B... oh no, our former Class B students, possess extremely high qualities and potential!"
"This score, in any previous First Year, would definitely be top-tier! We are just... slightly behind at the starting stage."
Her voice rose, full of infectious energy,
"But that doesn't mean we've lost! The competition has just begun! As long as we work together, figure out the rules, we will definitely catch up and return to our rightful position! Your teacher has faith in you!"
Ichinose Honami immediately stood up, her pink long hair gently swaying with her movements. Her face was beaming with an equally warm and firm smile, and her voice clearly and powerfully echoed:
"Hoshinomiya-sensei is right! Everyone has done a great job! This ranking only shows that we haven't fully grasped some rules, it doesn't mean we're not excellent! Next, let's work together, not only to clarify the rules but also to do even better! I believe we can definitely overtake them!"
She waved a small fist, making a gesture of encouragement.
Most of Class B's students were naturally optimistic and friendly, easily influenced by positive emotions.
Under the continuous encouragement from their homeroom teacher and leader, the low pressure in the classroom quickly dissipated, replaced by an optimistic belief and fighting spirit of "just temporarily behind, we'll definitely make it next time."
Everyone nodded, whispering encouragement to each other, and the atmosphere became lively again.
Ichinose Honami smiled as she looked at everyone, but in her heart, there was also a hint of small surprise and relief.
Previously, her homeroom teacher had asked her to try to contact Sakamoto to gather information. Although there was no substantial progress, based on her own observation and intuition, she vaguely felt that class points were related to daily behavioral norms, so she subtly guided everyone to pay more attention to discipline and conduct.
Unexpectedly, she had really bet on the right direction.
Although she didn't know how Class C got such a high score, she believed that given time, they would definitely return to the top... The perspective shifts to the classroom of Class 1-B (formerly Class 1-C).
The atmosphere was completely different.
The homeroom teacher, Sakasue Kazuma, was a middle-aged man with a slightly stern face.
After concisely announcing the ranking data on the blackboard, he did not comment further but made a move that somewhat surprised all the students—he actively stepped aside, nodded to the student with an ominous aura below the stage, and made a "please" gesture.
"Ryuuen, you tell everyone."
This trust and concession were self-evident.
Ryuuen Kakeru's mouth curved into an undisguised triumphant smile.
He stood up, slowly walked to the podium, and took the place of the homeroom teacher.
With his hands in his pockets, his gaze, like an eagle's, swept across the students who were once Class C.
At this moment, these students' faces were filled with excitement—they had been promoted from Class C to Class B.
"910 points."
Ryuuen spoke, his voice not loud, but it instantly captured everyone's attention.
"Do you see? This is power."
He pointed to the number on the blackboard that represented them,
"This is the result of following the rules and using the power of the rules to crush our opponents."
His voice, for once, shed some of its cutting edge, adopting a tone of rare, measured approval. "You performed well this month. Exceeded my expectations. At the very least, you learned the value of obedience and how to channel your efforts."
He paused, letting his gaze sweep across the students whose eyes were now alight with a fervent, newly minted pride.
"Starting today, the 'Class B' designation belongs to us. The old Class B is now relegated to the 'C' position. This is the difference strength makes. This is what we have earned!"
For a heartbeat, there was silence—a vacuum of collective processing. Then, it erupted.
A wave of thunderous cheers and applause crashed through the room. The students, particularly those like Ishizaki Daichi and his cohort who had once been written off as delinquents, roared with exhilaration, faces flushed, pounding their desks and whistling. This taste of absolute reversal—of crushing a so-called "elite" class beneath them—was an intoxicant more potent than any they'd known. Their adoration for Ryūen, their trust in his ruthless methods, solidified into something akin to fanaticism.
Ryuuen basked in the adulation, and inwardly, the score did satisfy him. 910 points. A decisive overtaking of the former Class B, securing a firm second place. It was the perfect foundational victory—a brutal proof of concept for his iron-fisted rule and a solid stepping stone for his ultimate ambition: Class A.
The first phase—class integration and the establishment of absolute authority—was complete.
Yet, amidst the triumph, a sliver of cold shadow lingered in the depths of his eyes. Two developments displeased him.
The first was Class A. Sakayanagi Arisu had not taken the bait as expected. The false intelligence about Kamuro Masumi had not ignited the internal war he'd anticipated. If anything, from the scant intelligence he could gather, she seemed to have pivoted. She wasn't targeting Sakamoto; if anything, she appeared to be… approaching him. Was she conducting her own investigation, or—more dangerously—seeking to form a direct alliance, cutting him out entirely? Her moves had become opaque, and he disliked the uncertainty.
The second was the enigma of Shiina Hiyori and Sakamoto. He had tasked Ibuki Mio with surveillance multiple times. The reports were consistently, frustratingly mundane: the two were seen sitting quietly together in the library, their conversations apparently revolving around literary novels and academic topics. It was a picture of harmless, scholarly association. But to Ryūen, such flawless normalcy was the greatest abnormality. There was a deeper connection there, one he couldn't yet grasp or leverage. The absence of evidence was, in itself, suspicious.
No matter. Ryūen mentally shelved the irritations, his focus snapping back to the present. His gaze hardened, ambition burning away the minor doubts. A new month had begun. These were temporary setbacks in a long campaign.
He raised a hand, and the cheers slowly died down into an eager, attentive silence. The celebratory fervor was over. Now was the time for the next command.
"What we've taken," Ryūen declared, his voice cutting through the quiet, "we will hold. And what's above us… we will claim. This is only the beginning."
Ryuuen Kakeru had tasted victory. Now, he was hungry for conquest.