Time in the classroom passed in this seemingly calm yet secretly turbulent atmosphere.
Sae Chabashira's lecturing voice had become mere background noise. Even after learning that failing the midterm exam would lead to expulsion, most people's minds were still lingering on the earlier incident.
"Natsuki, you seem very certain."
"That Yamauchi has no way to pass this exam?"
Suzune Horikita looked at Natsuki Subaru with some conviction.
"I think your judgment criteria aren't just based on the last quiz scores and his current state."
"Even if Yamauchi studies seriously and passes the exam, he still can't escape expulsion?"
When Natsuki Subaru mentioned expulsion earlier, Suzune Horikita had a faint feeling.
It seemed that no matter how Haruki Yamauchi performed next, he probably couldn't escape the final outcome of expulsion.
Natsuki Subaru appeared mild-mannered and polite, speaking unhurriedly, but Suzune Horikita had never seen him as someone easy to talk to.
After Haruki Yamauchi had been so brazen, would Natsuki Subaru really act like nothing happened?
Of course, regarding whether Haruki Yamauchi would ultimately be expelled or not, Suzune Horikita herself didn't care. Even the strategy she had set with Kiyotaka Ayanokōji was merely to avoid expulsions as much as possible.
If it came down to it and expulsion was inevitable, there was no helping it.
What Suzune Horikita truly cared about was Natsuki Subaru's nonchalant certainty, almost like precognition.
"Certain?"
Natsuki Subaru maintained his posture of resting his chin on his hand, gazing out the window.
Without even turning his neck at Suzune Horikita's question, he said faintly, "If I have to say certain, then there's no problem, at least..."
"Given the current situation, for Yamauchi-kun to avoid expulsion, just a passing score isn't enough."
"After all, hasn't this academy emphasized it repeatedly through various channels?"
"This place values strength, and personal points are a symbol of strength. With personal points, anything can be bought."
At this point, Natsuki Subaru withdrew his gaze from the scenery outside the window and gave Suzune Horikita a mild smile.
At the same time, as his words fell, Kiyotaka Ayanokōji, seated in front of him, made a slight movement.
"Natsuki-kun."
"Are you planning to use your points to ensure Yamauchi-kun's expulsion?"
Kiyotaka Ayanokōji's calm voice inserted itself into the conversation between Natsuki Subaru and Suzune Horikita.
He turned his body slightly, looking at Natsuki Subaru with his emotionless eyes.
For Natsuki Subaru, Kiyotaka Ayanokōji had always been in a state of maximum observation, though most of the time there was no need to speak up.
Just now, Kiyotaka Ayanokōji had been quietly listening to the exchange between Natsuki Subaru and Suzune Horikita.
The possibility of expulsion wasn't just something for poor performers to worry about; Kiyotaka Ayanokōji cared greatly as well, since he didn't want to leave the academy so soon.
Moreover, Natsuki Subaru had openly stated from beginning to end that 'personal points can buy anything,' leading Kiyotaka Ayanokōji to immediately associate it with what Natsuki Subaru might do next.
"Ayanokōji, what do you mean by that?!"
Hearing Kiyotaka Ayanokōji's words, shock appeared in Suzune Horikita's usually cold and sharp eyes.
Kiyotaka Ayanokōji's calm statement was like a silent thunderbolt exploding beside Suzune Horikita's ear. Her attention, mostly on Sae Chabashira at the podium, immediately shifted to Kiyotaka Ayanokōji.
Suzune Horikita lowered her voice, but the astonishment and disbelief in her tone remained undiminished.
Just as Natsuki Subaru often commented in his heart, no matter how much this school mimicked adult society, one unchangeable fact remained: the people here were still children.
Suzune Horikita had never imagined that a mere verbal spat could lead to expulsion.
However, Kiyotaka Ayanokōji's words further unraveled many of Suzune Horikita's doubts.
'Using personal points to ensure someone's expulsion.'
'I see, no wonder personal points are one manifestation of strength...'
Suzune Horikita's mind raced, rapidly digesting the information revealed by Kiyotaka Ayanokōji and Natsuki Subaru.
Before this, in Suzune Horikita's view, while the academy emphasized 'strength above all' with strict rules, the core was still fair competition—academic ability, physical prowess, leadership, class cooperation.
Expulsion was merely the natural result of the loser's failure to meet standards.
No one to blame.
But now, what Natsuki Subaru and Kiyotaka Ayanokōji revealed was subjective manipulation with clear malicious intent—not waiting for opponents to err, but exploiting rule gaps and vast resources to artificially push them off the cliff.
At this thought, Suzune Horikita's gaze involuntarily returned to Natsuki Subaru's face.
That face with its mild smile now seemed so unfamiliar, even terrifying, to her.
Personal points can buy anything.
Originally, Suzune Horikita saw it as the school's statement on material conditions, or mere hyperbole.
Now, through Kiyotaka Ayanokōji's inference, the phrase instantly took on entirely different, chilling connotations.
"Horikita-san, it means exactly what it says."
"If Natsuki-kun is as 'certain' as you say about an unknown outcome, then that outcome itself isn't 'unknown'—it's controllable and known."
"However, Natsuki-kun, do you think the points you currently have are enough for that?"
Kiyotaka Ayanokōji spoke unhurriedly, giving Suzune Horikita a simple and straightforward explanation.
Afterward, he turned his gaze to Natsuki Subaru, trying to find a trace of confirmation on that perpetually mild yet weary face, but finding nothing.
However, one thing Kiyotaka Ayanokōji was certain of was that Natsuki Subaru likely didn't have enough points.
If tens or hundreds of thousands of personal points could expel someone, the academy would have descended into chaos long ago.
It couldn't maintain the current situation.
___
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