214 Chapter 4: Ichinose’s Choice

BEFORE THE START of this special exam, there was one class that every teacher thought would pass through with ease. On the other hand, it was also foreseen that if the class cleared the exam without a struggle, there was a concern that they would lose the battle for Class A. That class was Ichinose's Class B.

[QUESTION FIVE:]

Gain 100 class points in exchange for one classmate being expelled.

(If the vote is unanimously in favour, identify the student who will be expelled and vote for him/her.

[Choices:]

For

Against

Ichinose and her friends, who had reached the last question early, finished the first vote and were waiting for the result. There was no sign of anxiety or agitation. Except for one person.

Kanzaki prayed as he looked at the 39 people who had already voted, excluding himself. He strongly hoped that the results of the vote would turn out to be a bit of a split vote.

"Well then, I'll announce the results."

Hoshinomiya operated her tablet while showing a somewhat disappointed look. The results that were displayed while everyone was watching were...

[Results of the first round of voting:]

1 in favour

39 against

After realizing the worst possible result, he could have imagined, Kanzaki closed his eyes. Of course, the Class B students are not surprised by the overwhelming majority of votes against. They had no doubt that the vote would be unanimous. This was symbolized by the fact that they did not feel anything unusual about the in favour vote.

"Who's the guy who voted in favour? You pressed the wrong button."

Without any sense of crisis, it was Shibata sitting in the front who turned around and said so.

That's right, he didn't consider the possibility that this one vote was a in favour vote with clear intention.

Not only Shibata, but everyone in the class had the same perception.

Knowing this, an uncontrollable feeling of anger welled up inside Kanzaki.

Up until now, Kanzaki had done his best to quietly support his classmates' intentions. However, under no circumstances can he continue to fight just to protect his friends. It was precisely because Kanzaki was in the position of a general advisor that he felt this concern more strongly than anyone else.

"I don't think there's anything to discuss for the time being, and we'll just wait until the next vote-"

"Wait a minute. Sure, we could always pass a unanimous vote by dissent, I guess. But can we really say with certainty that it's the right thing to do, to keep choosing to protect our classmates?" Kanzaki interrupted Shibata's words and stood up, tapping the desk calmly but powerfully.

A lack of crisis awareness. A mindset that assumes that there is no such thing as a student who prioritizes class points over classmates.

This was shown to him, and Kanzaki could not continue to endure quietly.

"I can only believe that everyone is suffering from normality bias if they don't think it's abnormal that 39 opposing votes were gathered without any hesitation or doubt."

Normality bias refers to the characteristic of not paying attention to unfavourable events, information, etc., and not recognizing a crisis.

"If our class is going to win this thing, we're going to have to choose a new decision. We're already on the edge of a cliff. And yet, I think you're hawking the idea that we can't ever fall off that cliff. If you don't chase classpoints more greedily, moving up to Class A will be a pipe dream."

Kanzaki simply wants his classmates to understand. He's trying to make an argument, even though he's far from suited for persuading others.

The eyes of his classmates watching him are colder than ever.

"What the hell, Kanzaki. Does that mean this vote was cast by you?"

It's not just Shibata who's unconvinced that the vote in favour wasn't a mistake. The whole class is looking at him in such a way.

"That's right. It's certainly important to protect your classmates. But our class has been slowly dropping scores from the time we entered until now. If the lower classes prioritize class points over a classmate, then we'll fall down to Class D in this special exam."

The only person who listened to Kanzaki's plea head-on was his homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya.

However, from her position as a teacher, she couldn't say anything sympathetic towards it.

"That's true, but there's no one in this class who can be expelled."

There is no room for debate, and Shirinami instantly shows her rebuttal to Kanzaki.

"I know that... I know that."

"You say we're dropping to Class D, but man, I don't think others are going to expel anyone for just a hundred class points. Maybe Ryūen is an exception, but this exam requires unanimous approval from the entire class anonymously. I don't think the rest of the classes are going to choose to drop a student out of school."

If you foresee that all classes will be unanimous in their opposition, the gap will not widen.

"It certainly won't be easy for any class to choose the option of cutting out 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 prioritize their class over their friends, even just a little?"

"You mean you want to have a discussion? Even though it's pretty much a given that we're going to be unanimous in our opposition?"

"It's not set in stone. It's a discussion with a view to unanimity by approval."

"No, no, that's not right. You're trying to work your way up because you have friends and no one is missing. There is absolutely no way that any one person can be missing."

Class points and classmates.

If it were a simple choice of which of the two was more important, Kanzaki would have no room for doubt. However, the situation has changed drastically since he entered the school. Starting in Class B, the class points were in line with each other.

In the first semester of his first year, they took a large lead over the bottom two classes. If they had maintained that status, he would not have complained about preaching the preciousness of fellow students.

"By all means, is there no one... who has an opinion other than the opposite?"

On the verge of giving up, Kanzaki looked around at his classmates, believing in one last possibility. However, none of them showed any sign of agreeing with him. Even if some of them agreed with him in their hearts, there were no students who could say it out loud. Everyone believes, or rather hopes, that the second vote will be unanimous in its opposition.

"I'm sorry, but I'm... not going to let you be unanimous in your opposition to this choice."

Feeling the pressure, Kanzaki muttered against it.

"Does that mean you're going to vote in favour on... the next vote?"

Ichinose, who had been silent up to this point, asked Kanzaki what he really meant.

"Yes."

"But Kanzaki-kun, we're not going to change our minds, okay? We definitely don't want to be in a class where we blame our friends for sacrificing themselves to gain class points."

"That's right, Kanzaki. I'm not sure what to think about this question, but you're probably wondering if it's a challenge or a trap. If you start thinking like that, you'll suffer the same kind of pain in future battles, right?"

"But if you gain class points even if you abandon your friends, you can get closer to Class A. Even more so if such a chance comes around twice or thrice. On the other hand, if only our class chooses to protect our friends, we'll be overtaken by other classes."

"I don't think it's easy to sacrifice several of your friends, man.

Besides, I don't see how a class like that can keep winning. The class that protects their friends and believes in their friends will win in the end. Don't you think?"

Almost in unison, all his classmates nodded.

"Let's face it, Shibata. The situation is very different from last year.

We're in a tight spot right now. As a result of choosing not to expel anyone, we lost a lot of private points. On the other hand, the three classes that are missing their classmates are doing well."

"It won't last forever."

"What makes you say that it won't last forever?"

"Then I'll ask you the opposite, what's your evidence that it will last forever?"

"We were in second place, and now we're on the verge of falling to fourth place."

"You're the one who should look at the current 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 Class B, right? And even if we drop a little, we'll come back eventually."

Up until now, Kanzaki had been pushed by the expectations of those around him from start to finish, but he had tried his best to hold on. He was desperately trying to resist, to make them question this unusual idea.

"Kanzaki-kun. I understand that you want to have a lot of choices in order to win. But there are some choices that you should never make. I believe that's what I'm choosing for this question. It's not because you don't have enough class points to get people to drop out. It is wrong to put class points and friends on a balance sheet."

Ichinose's statement solidified the resolve of her classmates. No, they originally put their friends first with a firm will, but now they were even more convinced.

Kanzaki was deeply disappointed. This class is often envied by the rest of the school grade.

They are kind, cheerful, and equal. They are the ideal group of friends who can balance both studies and sports. This is the advantage that Ichinose, the leader of the group, has created, but she also has a major disadvantage.

Her presence has mass-produced followers and created an environment where people don't pay attention to the dirty things.

Even if she is told that if she drops out of school, the rest of the class will be confirmed for Class A, they will rather choose Ichinose. An obsession that makes you say, "I'd rather be in drop classes than cut off my friends."

It was the sole biggest drawback, Kanzaki reminded himself again.

"Well... I guess you're right. Maybe I'm wrong."

In order to overcome this shortcoming, he knew the risks involved and tried the rough treatment. He knew he was not the right person for the job, but since there was no one else available, he had to do it.

"But what if I continue to vote in favour until the end? Even one vote has a lot of power in this special exam. I can even ignore the will of the 39 of you and keep voting in favour."

"There's no way you can do that! If we fail because we run out of time, we'll be minus three hundred, and that means we won't be able to beat the other classes."

No one would choose to run out of time. It's common sense.

"It's the same thing. If we don't cut ourselves loose here and grab 100 class points, I don't think this class will ever graduate from Class A. In other words, whether it's 100 or 300 class points, the size of the points you lose is a small and insignificant matter..."

It wasn't about the points. It's about sending a message.

"Okay, that's enough. Now it's time to vote, so let's stop the discussion."

Hoshinomiya interrupted Kanzaki and started the timer to 60 seconds.

The tablet showed a switched voting screen, with buttons for approval and disapproval.

Quietly, Kanzaki looked at the buttons. The class stopped moving, and silence fell.

It was as if the 39 students had finished voting in less than five seconds.

No, in fact, they have finished voting.

Kanzaki made up his mind and pressed the button, and Hoshinomiya moved at the same time.

"Yes. Well then, since everyone has finished voting, I'll announce the results."

[Results of the second round of voting:]

1 in favour

39 against

Despite desperate attempts at persuasion, the results were the same as the first vote. Of course, the vote in favour of the question was cast by Kanzaki.

"You've got to be kidding me..."

"Kanzaki-kun, you mean you're seriously going to continue to vote in favour of this?"

The classmates, including Ichinose, were more dumbfounded than angry and blurted out their thoughts. However, that easygoing atmosphere begins to change little by little due to Kanzaki's firm will.

"I've... made up my mind. I won't let this be unanimous."

At that statement, the class goes silent even though the interval has just begun.

"If I keep voting in favour, after a few hours, you'll have no choice but to unpack your stopped thoughts and think. We'll have no choice but to debate whether or not it's really the right thing to vote against."

Kanzaki tells them that he is prepared to use the remaining three and a half hours of exam time to the fullest.

"There are only a few ways we can defuse this situation. We would have to change our opinion and make it unanimous in favour."

"What are you talking about, Kanzaki-kun? That's not-"

"That would be unrealistic. It's not like you guys have any idea of sacrificing any of your classmates in this class, except me. But that doesn't mean I'm going to sway the vote in favour of it." Interrupting Ichinose's words, Kanzaki didn't stop resisting and continued speaking. "Then there's only one real way. You can choose to agree with me and then expel me."

Kanzaki wanted to change this class even at the cost of self-sacrifice.

That's how he has chosen to express his feelings.

"If you don't have the courage to take a step forward in this special exam, then you won't be able to move up to Class A. If that's the case, I'll spend the remaining half of my school life in vain. At that point, I'm willing to drop out and find another path to follow."

It seemed like a strange idea, but it was also the only way Kanzaki could do it. There was no way this class, which leaned towards the weak, could act to select someone to drop out. On the other hand, there was no way he was going to use any luck against the heavy penalty of expulsion.

The vote was repeated three times, with a new interval between each time.

A total of five rounds of voting resulted in 1 vote in favour and 39 votes against. Not a single vote moved, and the same screen and the same results were repeated.

"Ugh, okay, we'll have another interval."

Perhaps bored with the stalemate, Hoshinomiya didn't hide her annoyance, but showed it in her attitude.

The observer at the back of the classroom did not take issue with the teacher's attitude.

Their role is to maintain fairness.

Whether the students are fooling around or the teacher is not motivated, it is a free action that is allowed within the rules. But furthermore, from there, it went on for another 30 minutes or more. In other words, even after three additional rounds of voting, the results were still the same.

Only the results of the fixed and unchanging voting are reflected back to the class.

"It's been over an hour now, right? There's just one question left..."

"It can't be helped. We'll just have to wait until Kanzaki-kun votes against it."

The hope of the 39 who are voting against is that Kanzaki will lose his patience and vote against as well. At first, they tried to be friendly to him, or scolded him with a stern tone, but Kanzaki just kept repeating the vote in silence.

"Hey, guys, I'm bored with the silence, so can I talk to you? Oh, if you're not interested, just ignore me."

Hoshinomiya, who has been keeping an eye on the last question so far, opens her mouth.

"Actually, when I was a student, I had the same experience as everyone else. You know why? Because I've also taken this unanimous special exam.

And the content of the fifth question was exactly the same as now."

"That's unusual for sensei to talk about her school days. This is the first time."

Ichinose's class and Hoshinomiya had a good relationship, and it was known early on that she was from this school. Not many students had tried to ask her about her school days in the process, but it was safe to say that there had never been a serious opportunity to talk about it.

"The class situation was totally different, but I remember we were stuck on this question for a long time as well." She gives a somewhat cold laugh as he reminisces about that time. "It's the ultimate choice, whether to take class points or your friends. So, we struggled and struggled. The boys would even grab each other by the chest."

"Well, that's a little aggressive, isn't it?" Shiranami chuckled as she looked at the girls.

They couldn't imagine such a situation in their own class, being so angry with one another and grabbing each other by the chest.

"Well, it was in a different time too. In my case, it was the third semester of my senior year; 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 loose to win, don't you? If you were in a situation where you only needed 100 more class points to get to Class A, would you have been able to make the same decision?"

Hoshinomiya understood very well what Kanzaki wanted to ask, and she put it directly into words.

"We can't expel someone. We'll do our best to recover in the next special exam. That's what they said anyways. But, what if there's no next time? What if this special exam is the last exam for graduation? At this moment in time, we all made it to Class A, the class we've always wanted to reach. But the gap with Class B was only a few dozen points. If we prioritize protecting our friends here, we'll end up in Class B. So, what were we to do?

Of course, the Class B that's chasing after us doesn't have a choice, do they?

They'll cut someone and get 100 class points, right?"

No matter how many good-natured people there are in the class, they have to consider it. Protecting their friends would almost guarantee a drop to Class B.

"Do you want to make it unanimous in opposition as well? Bet on the dream story that Class B will give up on Class A and choose the option of no dropouts?"

Kanzaki's classmates, who have been saying nothing but rebuttals, finally have nothing to say.

"Well, that's a nasty question, isn't it? It's not like you're actually in that situation right now. But one thing is for sure. That is, if you have the desire to move up to Class A, there will come a time when you have to choose in favour of it by playing rock-paper-scissors or whatever. Running out of time is not an option."

"What choice did you make at that time, sensei?"

"Me? I made the choice to... cut out the unnecessary people, of course.

Because even if you say you are a friend or a confidant, in the end it is you who is important. In essence, I think it's fine as long as I can save myself."

We all want to graduate together from Class A. That's what everyone is thinking. However, many of us also understand in our hearts that this is idealism. Friends or self-preservation? When asked to answer this question, the students were unable to speak.

"I can't say much more because I'm being watched closely behind me.

I will respect you all, whichever choice you make. But definitely don't just make vague and 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? I'm sure you'll heal from the loss of your friends in time. But if you don't make it to Class A, it's going to haunt you for the rest of your lives. If that's not the case, and your friends are really more important than anything else, you need to put them first."

Hoshinomiya finished her conversation, avoiding the glares of the observer. As a teacher, she merely told her students that there are advantages and disadvantages to both choices. The next vote will come at the same time as we finished listening to this story. Everyone had a strange feeling about the button, both for and against.

The results of the vote, which took some time, were 1 vote in favour and 39 against. As in the past, there was no shift of even one vote.

Hoshinomiya in particular was not surprised, but rather seemed to have been shown the shape of this class' will.

"Hey, Kanzaki-kun. Can't we, like, just stop this now?" In the interval right after the voting, Himeno called out in a dumbfounded manner. "I understand what you want to say, Kanzaki-kun, after listening to what Hoshinomiya-sensei said as well. But I don't think that will lead us to vote in favour of it here and now. I'm sure that won't change even if the time runs out."

He would choose to run out of time to protect his friends. That's the perception that Himeno and most of the class must have.

On the other hand, Ichinose expresses her own thoughts.

"Yes, I understand what Kanzaki-kun and Hoshinomiya-sensei are saying. 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... even if I were in that situation, I don't see the point of reaching Class A if your friends aren't there. So, what should I do for that? In order to avoid such a situation, I think it's important to make sure that we achieve Class A in a situation where we don't have to make such an absurd choice."

"That's idealistic... An overwhelming Class A where no one has to drop out. How many class points do we have to rake in to make that happen...?"

"It may not be good enough right now. But I want to achieve such a class."

Ichinose's classmates listened intently to her dreamy narrative and repeatedly nodded their heads in agreement.

Kanzaki's resistance would be meaningless now.

Even if he continued to vote in favour here, he would only run out of time, as Himeno said.

"Let's do our best together, Kanzaki-kun."

"I... I see how it is."

The one opposing force is preyed upon and taken in by those who know no fear.

"In my own way, I tried to change this class for the better, even if it was through aggressive means. But apparently, I don't have the qualifications or the ability to do so. I don't know if I'll end up in Class B or D, but I'm pretty sure I'll never make it to Class A. This was enough for me to be convinced of that."

The look on his face as he accepted to pitch against us was devoid of any vitality, but he doubts many of the students noticed that. After that, it was time to vote, as if there had never been any trouble in the first place.

The answer given by 40 people was...

[Results of the tenth round of voting:]

0 in favour

40 against

Kanzaki gave up on class points and chose to protect his classmates.

"With that, we are now unanimous on the last question, so the special exam is over."

"I'm fine with this, Kanzaki-kun. We'll also get fifty points for finishing."

"The time required was about three hours. You're not allowed to leave the but you're free to go."

"By the way, it looks like Class A has already finished their special exam."

"Really? That's expected of Sakayangi's class."

"That means Ryūen-kun and Horikita-san's classes are still in deliberation, right?"

"Yes, everyone~. The other classes are in the middle of their special exams, so please don't disturb them. The teacher will guide you now, so please get out of your seats quietly."

As the students around him jumped in joy after finishing the special exam, Kanzaki quietly got up from his seat and walked out of the room.