5 Chapter 4 Ichinose Honami's Decision
Before this special exam started, there was one class that was considered a 'sure thing' to be
cleared by every teacher. On the other hand, it was also foreseen that if the class cleared the
exam without a struggle, there would be a concern that they would fall back from the future A
class competition. That class was Class B, where Ichinose was enrolled.
Task (5) -
Instead of one classmate being expelled, you get 100 class points.
(If the vote is unanimous in favor, identify and vote on the student who will be expelled.)
Choices :
Agree
Disagree
Ichinose and the others, who had reached the last task in the early hours, had finished the first
vote and were waiting for the results. There was no sign of any anxiety or agitation anywhere.
Except for one person.
Kanzaki prayed as he stared at everyone, excluding himself, who had already voted. He
strongly hope that the outcome of the vote will be a bit of a split vote.
"... I'll announce the results then."
Chie Hoshinomiya operated her tablet with a somewhat disappointed expression on her face.
While everyone was watching, the results were displayed.
Results of the first round of voting:
1 in favor,
39 opposed.
After realizing the worst possible outcome he could have imagined, Kanzaki closes his eyes.
The overwhelming majority of votes against the proposal came as no surprise to the students in
Class B, of course.
The reason was that they had no doubt that a unanimous vote in 'Oppose' would be passed as
a matter of course. This is symbolised by the fact that they felt nothing unusual about the fact
that the vote was in favor.
"Who said yes? You pressed the wrong button!"
Without a sense of danger, Kanzaki turned around to see Shibata sitting in front of him.
Yes, they do not take into account any possibility that this one vote is a yes vote with a clear
intention.
Everyone in the class, not just Shibata, has the same perception.
Knowing this, Kanzaki felt an uncontrollable anger welling up inside him.
Up until now, Kanzaki has done his best to quietly assist his classmates with their wishes.
However, they can't continue to fight just to protect our friends in any situation.
Because of his position as a advisor, Kanzaki felt this concern more strongly than anyone else.
"I don't think we'll be discussing this for now, so we'll just go along with it until the next vote —"
Lack of sense. A mindset that assumes that there is no such thing as a student who prioritizes
class points over classmates.
Kanzaki could not continue to endure in silence as he saw this.
"Wait a minute, .... It's true that we could always pass a unanimous vote. But can we really be
sure that continuing to choose to protect our classmates is the right thing to do?"
Interrupting Shibata's words, Kanzaki stood up after 'calmly' but forcefully tapping on the desk.
"It seems to me that we're all suffering from normalcy bias if we don't think it's unusual that 39
people voted against it without any hesitation or doubt."
[Normalcy bias refers to the characteristic of not paying attention to unfavorable events,
information, etc., and not recognising a crisis.]
"In order for our class to win in the future, we'll have to make new decisions. We're already on
the edge of a cliff, and I think you're assuming we're not going to fall off that cliff anytime soon. If
we don't chase class points more greedily, going up to class A will be a dream forever. "
'I want you to understand that'. Kanzaki is making an argument, which is not his speciality, but
the eyes of his classmates watching him are unusually cold.
"What the hell, Kanzaki? Does that mean you cast the vote in favor of this?"
Looking unconvinced by the affirmative vote, which was not a pushover error, Shibata turned
around and asked.
No, it wasn't just Shibata. Hamaguchi, Ando, Kobashi, Amikura, Shiranami, the whole class is
looking at him like that.
"Yes. Yes, it is important to protect our classmates. However, our class has been slowly losing
points since we entered the school. If the lower classes prioritize class points over classmates,
this special exam will drop us back to class D."
The only person who listened and agreed to Kanzaki's complaint was his homeroom teacher,
Chie Hoshinomiya.
However, as a teacher, She can't say anything in agreement with that.
"That's true, but there's no one in this class who deserves to be expelled."
There is no room for debate, Shiranami said, instantly showing her opposition to Kanzaki.
"I know — I know that."
"You say we're dropping to D class, but I don't think they're going to expel anyone for just 100
class points. Well, I don't know if that one person would be Ryuuen, but this exam requires
unanimous consent of the entire class by anonymity. I don't think the rest of the class is going to
choose to expel anyone."
If you foresee that all classes will be unanimous in their opposition, the gap will not widen.
"It's true that it's not easy for any class to make the choice to cut off their friends. But it's the
process that I'm focusing on. Isn't it natural for some students, if not half, to think that they
should put their class before their friends?"
"You want to have a discussion? We've already decided it's unanimous to vote no?"
"... It's not a done deal. The discussion is open to unanimous vote in favor."
"No, no, no, that's crazy. It's because we have friends, and because no one is lacking, we work
hard and aim for the top. It's never okay if any one person is missing."
Class points and classmates.
Kanzaki has no doubt about which of the two is more important.
However, things have changed a lot since he entered the school.
Starting in class B, the class points were in line side by side.
In the first semester of his freshman year, he took a big lead over the bottom two classes. He
never complained about preaching the preciousness of fellow students as long as he maintained that status.
"Is there anyone who has anything to say other than 'no'?"
Even though he was about to give up, Kanzaki believed in the last possibility and looked around
at his classmates.
However, none of them showed any sign of agreeing with him.
Even if they partly agreed inwardly, there was no student who could put it into words.
Everyone believes, or rather hopes, that the second vote will be unanimous due to opposition.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not going to let you come to a unanimous decision in this choice."
Feeling the pressure, Kanzaki muttered to himself as if fighting against it.
"Does that mean you'll vote yes on the next voting round?"
Ichinose, who had been silent up to this point, asked Kanzaki about his true intentions.
"... yes."
"But Kanzaki, we're not going to change our minds, are we? We definitely don't want to have a
class where people sacrifice their friends to gain class points."
"That's right, Kanzaki. This assignment is a challenge or a trap from the school, no matter how
you look at it. Sacrificing classmates for the sake of short-term class points. If you start thinking
like that, you'll suffer the same kind of pain in future battles, right?"
"But if I can get class points, even if I have to abandon my friends, I can get closer to Class A. If
such a chance comes again and again, so much the better. On the other hand, if only our class
chooses to protect our friends, we will be overtaken by other classes."
"I don't think it's easy to sacrifice so many people and I don't know if a class like that can keep winning. The class that protects its friends
and believes in its friends will win in the end. Right?"
Almost in unanimity, all his classmates nodded.
"Look at the reality, Shibata. The situation is very different from last year. We're in a tight spot
now. As a result of choosing not to expel anyone, we also lost a lot of private points. On the
other hand, the three classes that lacked classmates are steadily improving their performance."
"It's not going to last forever."
"What makes you so sure it won't last forever?"
"If that's the case, I'll ask you the opposite, what's your logic for it going on forever?"
"Just look at where we are now, we were in second place and now we're in danger of falling to
fourth place."
"You're the one who should look at the situation, Kanzaki. Right now, we're in Class B. Whether
the lead is 1 point or 100 points, it's a fact that we're in B class, right? And even if we drop a few
spots, we'll come back eventually."
In the past, Kanzaki had always been held back by the expectations of those around him, but he
had tried his best to hold on.
He fought hard to make himself question this crazy idea.
"Kanzaki-kun. I understand that you want to have a variety of options to win. But there are some
options that you should never choose. I believe the choice for this assignment is one of them.
It's not because there are not enough class points to get a student to drop out. It's that weighing
class points and friends is wrong."
Ichinose's statement solidified the resolve of the classmates.
No. Originally, he was a firm believer in putting his friends first, but now he's changed.
Kanzaki is deeply disappointed.
This class is often envied by others.
They are kind, cheerful, and they are the ideal group of people who can balance their studies
and sports.
This is an advantage that Ichinose, as the leader, has created, but on the other hand, she also
has a major disadvantage. Her presence has mass-produced followers and created an
environment where people don't pay attention to the fouled things.
Even if you are told that if you drop someone out of school, you are guaranteed an A class, this
class will put their friends first. An obsession that makes you say, "I'd rather have a B class than
cut my friends."
Kanzaki was reminded once again that it was the only and greatest flaw.
"Oh yeah. ... I guess so. Maybe I'm wrong."
In order to overcome these shortcomings, they are willing to take risks and try rough treatment.
Even though he knew he wasn't the right person for the job, he had no choice but to do it since
there was no one else who could do it.
"What if I still vote yes to the end? One vote has a lot of power in this special exam. I can ignore
the will of the 39 of you and keep voting yes."
"There's no way you can do this. If we run out of time and fail, we'll be minus 300 class points,
which means we won't be able to beat the other classes."
No one would ever choose to run out of time. This is common sense.
"It's the same thing. If I don't cut myself loose here and grab 100 points, I don't think I'll ever
graduate with an A class. In other words, whether you lose 100 or 300 points, it doesn't matter
how big or small it is."
"That's enough. Now it's time to vote, so please suspend your discussion."
Chie Hoshinomiya interrupted Kanzaki and moved on to the 60-second voting period.
The tablet showed a switched voting screen, with buttons for in favour and oppose.
Just quietly, Kanzaki looked at the button. The class stopped moving, and silence fell.
The air is filled with the feeling that 39 people have finished voting in less than five seconds.
No, they are actually finishing the voting.
When Kanzaki made up his mind and pressed the button, Hoshinomiya moved at the same
time.
"Yes. Now that everyone has voted, we'll announce the results."
Results of the second round of voting:
1 in favor,
39 opposed.
Despite desperate attempts to persuade them, the results were the same as the first round of
voting.
Of course, the same goes for the fact that the one vote cast in favor of this was Kanzaki's.
"You've got to be kidding me. ..."
"Kanzaki-kun, are you seriously going to vote yes?"
His classmates, including Ichinose, were more dumbfounded than angry and blurted out their
words.
However, this carefree atmosphere begins to change little by little due to Kanzaki's firm
determination.
"Yeah. I'm really ready for the second one now. I want this issue to be unanimous in favor."
At that comment, the class became quiet even though the interval had just begun.
"If I keep voting yes, after a few hours, you'll have to unpack your stopped thoughts and think.
We'll have no choice but to debate whether voting no is really the right thing to do."
Kanzaki tells everyone that he is prepared to use the remaining three and a half hours of test
time to the fullest.
"There are only a few ways out of this situation. We have to change our views and make it
unanimous."
"What are you talking about, Kanzaki-kun? That's not true —"
"That would be unrealistic. It's not realistic because, as you say, there's no thought in this class
of sacrificing any of my classmates except me."
Interrupting Ichinose's words, Kanzaki still did not stop resisting and continued to speak.
"Then there's really only one way to do this. You choose to agree, and then you expel me."
He wants to change this class even at the cost of self-sacrifice. He will express that will in the
form of expulsion.
"If you don't have the courage to take a step forward in this special exam, you won't make it to A
class. If that's the case, I'll drop out and seek another path."
It seemed like a strange idea, but it was also the only way Kanzaki could do it.
There's no way this class, which is so close to being weak, could take action to select a dropout.
The vote was then repeated three times, with an interval between the 'oppose' and 'in favour' of
the vote.
A total of three rounds of voting resulted, all with one vote in favor and 39 votes opposed.
The same screen and the same results were repeated without a single vote being moved.
"Then, interval again"
Perhaps bored with the situation, Chie Hoshinomiya did not hide her annoyance, but expressed
it in her attitude.
The watchers at the back of the classroom have no problem with such a teacher's attitude.
The role they are given is only to maintain fairness.
Whether the students are fooling around or the teacher is not motivated, it is a free action
allowed within the rules. But then again, it was another half hour or more.
In other words, even if you repeat three additional rounds of voting, the results that come out
are still the same.
Only the fixed voting results, which remain unchanged forever, are reflected and returned to the
class.
"It's been over an hour. Just this last assignment."
"But it can't be helped. We have to wait until Kanzaki-kun votes with us."
The hope of the 39 people who are voting in favor is that Kanzaki will lose his patience and vote
with them.
At first, they tried to be kind to him, and then they scolded him in a stern tone, but Kanzaki kept
repeating his vote in silence.
"Hey guys, I'm getting bored of the silence, can I talk to you for a second? If you're not
interested, just ignore me."
Hoshinomiya, who has been keeping an eye on the last task so far, opens her mouth.
"In fact, when I was a student, I had the same experience as everyone else. Why? Because I
once took this unanimous special exam. And the content of the fifth task was exactly the same
as now."
"It's unusual for a teacher to talk about her school days. Isn't that the first time?"
The relationship between Ichinose's class and Hoshinomiya was good, and it was known early
on that she was from this school. In the process, not a few students had tried to ask her about
her school days, but it was safe to say that there had never been a serious opportunity to talk
about it.
"I remember being stranded for a long time on this assignment as well, although the class
situation was completely different."
She smiles somewhat coldly, as if remembering those days.
"It's the ultimate choice between taking class points and taking your friends. So we struggled
and struggled. Boys would even grab each other by the collar."
"Well, isn't that a bit too much trouble?"
Guess they can't imagine such a situation in their own class, grabbing each other by the collar.
Shiranami chuckled as she looked at the girls.
"Well, it's a different time. In my case, I was in the last semester of my third year, and it was the
time to go all out for one point. If you talk even a little bit about expelling a certain person, your
friends will defend that person as a matter of course. But sometimes you have to cut someone
off to win, don't you? Would you have made the same decision if you were only a hundred
points away from getting into A class?"
Hoshinomiya knew exactly what Kanzaki wanted to ask, and she put it directly into words.
"You can't expel someone. Try to make up for it in the next special exam."
"What if there's no next time? What if this special exam is the last exam before I graduate? Now
everyone has reached their dream class A. But the gap with Class B is only a few dozen points.
If we prioritize protecting our friends here, we'll end up in B class. What do we do now? Of
course, there's no choice for the B class who's chasing after you. They'll cut someone and still
get 100 points, right?"
No matter how many good-natured people are in the class, you have to think about it.
If you protect your friends, you are almost certain to fall into the B class.
"Do you want it to be unanimous in opposition as well? You want to bet on a pipe dream where
Class B gives up on Class A and chooses the no-dropout option?"
His classmates, who had been constantly arguing against him, finally started to talk less.
"That's a unpleasant question. It's not like I'm in that situation right now, actually. But one thing is
for sure, if you have the desire to move up to Class A, there will come a time when you will have
to play rock-paper-scissors or whatever and choose in favor of it. Running out of time is not an
option."
"Sensei... What choice did you make then?"
"Me? Of course I made the choice to cut off the unnecessary people. Because in the end, it's
you who's important, not your friends or a close friend. Isn't it the same with everyone who is
around you now? In essence, I'm okay with that as long as it helps me."
We all want to graduate from A class. That's what everyone is thinking.
But many of us also understand in our hearts that this is idealism.
Fellowship or self-preservation? The students could not find the words to answer the question.
"I can't tell you any more than that because I'm being watched very closely back there. I will
respect you both no matter which choice you make. But don't make any ambiguous decisions. If
you're only friends on the surface, don't worry about it, just prioritize your class points. You've
only known each other for a year and a half, right? You'll heal from the loss of your friend soon
enough. In fact, the three students who dropped out of the other class are already kind of in the
past, right? But if you don't make it to A class, it's going to haunt you for the rest of your life. If
you really value your friends more than anything else, you have to put them first."
It's not that she's advocating either, but Hoshinomiya finished the conversation while avoiding
the glare of the watcher. As a teacher, she just told them that there are advantages and disadvantages to both. The next vote will come at the same time as they finish listening to this
story. Everyone felt a strange sense of discomfort at the button, both for, in favour and oppose.
The result of the vote, which took a long time, was 1 vote in favour and 39 opposed.
As in the past, one vote was not shifted.
Hoshinomiya was not particularly surprised, but rather seemed to have been shown the form of
this class.
"Hey, Kanzaki-kun. Can we stop this now?"
In the interval immediately after the voting, Himeno called out to me in a dumbfounded manner.
"I understand what Kanzaki-kun is trying to say, and I understand what Hoshinomiya-sensei is
trying to say as well. But I don't think that will lead us to vote in favor of it here and now. This is
probably not going to change even if the time runs out."
To protect their friends, they will choose to run out of time. That's the perception that Himeno
and the rest of the class must have. In response, Ichinose expressed her own thoughts.
"I understand Kanzaki-kun's story and Hoshinomiya-sensei's story, yes. I can understand them.
But what you two were talking about is what to do when you are put in such a situation. I
understand why people are upset, and I don't think that's a bad thing. But if I were in such a
situation, I don't see the point in letting my friends get expelled and grabbing A class. So what
should I do for that? In order to avoid such a situation, I think it's important to make sure that I
grab A class position so that I don't have to make such an absurd choice."
"That's idealistic. An overwhelming A class where no one has to drop out. I wonder how many
class points we'd have to rake in to make that happen."
"We may not be good enough right now. But I want to be that class."
Her classmates listened intently and nodded repeatedly as she told them what could only be a
dream.
Kanzaki's resistance would no longer be meaningful.
If he continues to vote in favor here, they will only run out of time, as Himeno said.
"Let's work together, Kanzaki-kun."
"—huh…"
It won't change.
"In my own way, I tried to change this class, even if I had to. But apparently I'm not qualified or
capable enough to do that."
This class won't change; Will it end in B class or D class?
[I don't know about them, but I'm pretty sure I'll never reach Class A. It was enough time for me
to be convinced of that.]
The look on his face as he accepted to pitch against everyone did not show any vitality, but few
students would have noticed that. After that, it was time to vote, as if there had never been any
trouble in the first place.
The answer, arrived at by 40 people, is ・・・・・・
Results of the 10th voting round:
0 In Favour,
40 opposed.
He chose to give up his class points and protect his classmates.
"With that, we have reached unanimous agreement on the final task, and the special exam is
over."
"This is fine, Kanzaki. We'll get 50 points as the reward."
You have about three hours of free time. You will not be allowed to stay on campus, but you will
have free time.
"By the way, it looks like Class A has already completed their special exams."
"Really? Sakayanagi's class is very impressive."
"That means Ryuuen-kun and Horikita-san's class is still taking exams, right?"
"Okay, everyone. Don't waste your time talking until you get out of school. The other classes are
in the middle of a special exam, so please don't disturb them. The teachers will guide you now,
so please leave your seats quietly."
Kanzaki stood up from his seat as each of them expressed their joy at being released from the
special exam.
