"That's not necessarily true."
Yamauchi Haruki's face was filled with a confident smile.
[I've confirmed it many times with Sakayanagi! At least twenty students from Class A will cast praise votes for me! That way, I definitely won't be expelled!]
Yamauchi Haruki thought to himself.
Just yesterday, he had sent countless messages to Sakayanagi Arisu, confirming this matter and receiving her affirmative response.
"Even if I say it out loud now, it shouldn't matter... I won't be the one getting expelled."
"Oh? Let me hear your reasoning."
Koenji Rokusuke raised an eyebrow, his gaze finally landing on Yamauchi Haruki's face.
"Sure, I'll tell you."
Yamauchi Haruki's face broke into a victorious smile.
"How many people here cast criticism votes for me? Twenty? Thirty? I didn't betray any of you, and this attitude is really too much! But it's fine, I'll forgive you. Aren't there several candidates for expulsion in this class? Even so, how many praise votes can those guys get? I'm really worried for them!"
Yamauchi Haruki's tone was dripping with sarcasm, and indeed, that was exactly what he was doing.
"It sounds like you're saying you'll get a lot of praise votes."
"Yes, in fact, I will."
"Even if your so-called friends cast praise votes out of sympathy, it'd be four or five at most. Can that really be called a safety zone?"
As Koenji Rokusuke spoke, he glanced at Ike Kanji, who looked utterly confused beside him.
"Oh, I misspoke. You probably don't have any friends left."
"I don't care about those people!"
Yamauchi Haruki dramatically raised his arm.
"I've already made a deal with Sakayanagi. I'll receive twenty praise votes! So even if most of the class casts criticism votes for me, I won't be expelled!"
Yamauchi Haruki declared loudly.
"No matter how many people write my name, it won't matter... I'm under Class A's protection!"
"I've told you before, Little girl isn't that kind-hearted. Did you sign a written contract with her?"
"That... I know about that! But it's fine!"
Although Yamauchi Haruki said this, his voice trembled with uncertainty.
[Sakayanagi... I trust her!]
Yamauchi Haruki thought to himself.
'Yare yare, is he still like this even now?'
Saiki, who was sitting nearby, tilted his head slightly and looked at Yamauchi Haruki. This guy had caused him and the class way too much trouble.
And the outcome of this exam had already been decided.
"Quiet down, Yamauchi. Your shouting can be heard all the way down the hallway."
At that moment, Chabashira Sae entered Class B's classroom.
"Thank you for waiting. I will now announce the results for Class B. Everyone, take your seats."
Everyone returned to their seats. Saiki looked up at Chabashira Sae, trying to guess the results of the exam.
'Hirata and Kushida are probably the top two in the class. The third place is harder to predict—it could be Horikita or Yukimura... That said, there's a good chance Ayanokoji is first, since the protection points would be more useful to him. Even though I've been getting some unnecessary attention in class, I'm not particularly close to most people, so I should be able to avoid the top three.'
Thinking this, Saiki's lips curled into a slight smile.
"Now, I'll start by announcing the top three in praise votes."
Chabashira Sae looked at the paper in her hand and spoke slowly.
"Third place, Hirata Yosuke."
"What?"
The moment his name was called, Hirata Yosuke was first confused, then closed his eyes and looked up.
[Why... why did they still cast praise votes for me?!]
Hirata Yosuke was utterly baffled.
"Second place, Kushida Kikyo."
When her name was called, a smile appeared on Kushida Kikyo's face. With her overwhelming popularity in the class, it was no surprise she made the top three. Plus, she might have received praise votes from students in other classes.
However, almost everyone in the class had the same question in their minds.
Who was in first place?
'It's probably Ayanokoji.'
Saiki thought to himself.
First place would grant protection points, which would be very important for Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who might be targeted for expulsion by the teachers.
Moreover, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka believed in his ability to win in the end, so it was likely that everything he had done was to secure those protection points.
[Everything is going according to plan.]
Saiki heard Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's thoughts.
"First place..."
Chabashira Sae looked at the name in first place, her expression one of confusion. Clearly, this was not what she had expected.
'Something's off.'
Saiki narrowed his eyes slightly, sensing something was wrong.
Chabashira Sae knew Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's true nature. If he had taken first place, she shouldn't have been this surprised.
"First place, Saiki."
'???'
At that moment, Saiki's mind was filled with question marks.
He had done nothing during this exam, yet he had taken first place?
What was going on???
Saiki didn't know that Sakayanagi Arisu from Class A had mobilized her class to cast praise votes for him.
Sakayanagi Arisu believed that Saiki had been hiding his true abilities and minimizing his presence. To force him into a more direct confrontation, she decided to make the entire school take notice of Saiki.
On the other hand, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka believed that cooperating with Saiki at this stage was the more meaningful choice.
By working with Saiki, he could more easily deal with the threats from the White Room.
Moreover, it might shift their attention to Saiki, reducing the trouble for himself.
So, after sending the message about Hirata Yosuke to the class, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka specifically mentioned that Saiki had asked him to do so. Not only that, he also had Kushida Kikyo help him campaign for Saiki within the class.
While the protection points were important to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Saiki's value far exceeded those points.
[Just as I expected, Sakayanagi also cast her vote for Saiki—Saiki taking first place might also be part of his calculations.]
'Not at all!'
[Based on Saiki's recent actions, it seems he's been increasing his influence within the school. Sakayanagi's actions actually align with Saiki's intentions, not only allowing him to gain a large number of personal points but also securing the protection points. Saiki is still the ultimate winner.]
'??? I was completely forced into this!'
[Not only that, I'm sure Saiki also manipulated the voting results in other classes. If I'm not mistaken, Ryuen will likely be saved by Saiki because he can still be useful to him.]
'??? That has nothing to do with me!'
Becoming first place was the last thing Saiki wanted.
"What exactly did you do?"
Horikita Suzune, sitting nearby, looked at Saiki in astonishment. She had never expected Saiki to take first place.
"I... I didn't do anything."
Saiki answered truthfully.
However, Horikita Suzune didn't believe him at all.
Not only that, but Chabashira Sae on the podium also looked puzzled.
[Saiki? Why Saiki? Didn't we already investigate him? He's not supposed to be anything special.]
[Wait a minute... That was Ayanokoji... Did he hide something from me?]
[And when Acting Chairman Tsukishiro came to the school, he almost immediately asked me about Saiki.]
Chabashira Sae looked at Saiki, her confusion growing.
'Yare yare... This is troublesome.'
Saiki felt helpless.
Chabashira Sae hadn't suspected him before, but now, her attention would undoubtedly shift to him...
Damn it!
"Teacher, are you sure the count isn't wrong?"
Yamauchi Haruki looked at Chabashira Sae with confusion, speaking rudely.
"There's no way Saiki is first, right?"
[That guy Saiki, how could he possibly be first?! How?!]
He complained loudly in his mind.
"The count is accurate. Saiki-kun received over fifty votes, securing first place."
Hearing Chabashira Sae's words, the class erupted in chatter.
[Fifty votes? Seriously?]
[Did students from other classes vote for Saiki?]
[That number is insane. I thought Saiki would get a lot of votes, but this is too much.]
"Now, I'll announce the bottom three."
"Third from the bottom, Sudo Ken."
"Second from the bottom, Ike Kanji."
Although they were in the bottom two, both of them breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as they weren't last, it was enough.
Meanwhile, Yamauchi Haruki's breathing became rapid.
[Why? Why?! Shouldn't those two be in last place?!]
Yamauchi Haruki couldn't understand why the two people who had once considered him a friend weren't in last place.
In fact, the number of criticism votes they received was much lower than he had expected.
"Last place—it's you, Yamauchi Haruki, with thirty-five votes."
Chabashira Sae's face showed a meaningful smile as she looked at Yamauchi Haruki.
His mind went blank, and after a few seconds, he suddenly exploded:
"Why, why, why! Why me! In this ridiculous exam, this ridiculous exam, I'm the one getting expelled! Forget about Saiki, how are those two any better than me?!"
Yamauchi Haruki stood up and pointed at Sudo Ken and Ike Kanji.
"You jerk!"
Sudo Ken's veins bulged on his forehead, and Ike Kanji gritted his teeth.
The two of them had genuinely considered Yamauchi Haruki a friend.
"You're free to think whatever you want, but this decision is final, Yamauchi."
Chabashira Sae walked over to Yamauchi Haruki—
"Shut up!!!!!!!!!"
Yamauchi Haruki screamed hysterically, then turned to look at Chabashira Sae.
"Wait, please ask Sakayanagi! She promised to cast praise votes for me! Isn't breaking a promise unacceptable?!"
"Do you have any evidence of a formal agreement?"
Chabashira Sae asked.
"We made a deal! At the karaoke place! We agreed!"
"I'd like to believe you, but that's not proof."
"Leave the classroom, Yamauchi."
Chabashira Sae's gaze turned icy—
But Yamauchi Haruki's focus wasn't on the teacher beside him. Instead, he was staring at Saiki.
[Saiki, you must have done something, right?! Damn you, how could you possibly get first place?!]
[You bastard, how can you be so respected by the class?! How can you be liked by other students?! How?!]
[I'm getting expelled, but I'll make you pay!]
Anger, sadness, regret, jealousy—all sorts of negative emotions flooded Yamauchi Haruki's mind, completely destroying his rationality.
"Saiki, it's all your fault!"
Yamauchi Haruki suddenly lunged, grabbing his chair and swinging it toward Saiki's head.
He put all his strength into it. If an ordinary student were hit, it could even be life-threatening—
However, the moment Yamauchi Haruki took a step forward, his body was pushed back by an invisible force, sending him crashing to the ground.
Saiki, knowing Yamauchi Haruki was about to attack him, had used his psychic abilities to stop him.
Yamauchi Haruki tried to get up, but Chabashira Sae had already restrained him.
"Yamauchi, if you try something like that again, you'll face the consequences."
Chabashira Sae's voice was cold, even carrying a hint of killing intent.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
Yamauchi Haruki's mind completely broke, and he fell to his knees, wailing.
"Leave the classroom."
An hour later, a despondent Yamauchi Haruki, carrying what little luggage he had, was escorted out of the school by bus.
After the grief and despair, a strange sense of hatred welled up inside him.
"Saiki, Saiki, you'll graduate one day, right? You'll leave this school one day, right? I'll make you pay!"
"You ant, what are you saying? Do you have the right to say that name?"
At that moment, Yamauchi Haruki felt an overwhelming killing intent envelop him.
Saiki Kusuke stood before him.
Along with the suffocating aura of death.