Chapter 22: Point Distribution
Hikigaya arrived at the classroom and had just sat down in his seat when a notification sound came from his phone: "Your account has received ninety-four thousand points."
"Ninety-four thousand private points, which means our class received nine hundred and forty class evaluation points. It seems our class is doing even better than we anticipated yesterday," Sakayanagi-san's soft voice came from the side, as if she had heard the notification sound.
"Good morning, Hikigaya-kun." After noticing Hikigaya turning his gaze toward her, she tilted her head slightly, looking very cute. "You've always wanted to leave school to see your sister. I wonder how many points you managed to save last month?"
"Good morning... last month I spent fifty thousand points to understand the rules, and after deducting daily living expenses, I saved less than twenty thousand points last month. Even with this month's points, it's only a little over one hundred and ten thousand..."
Recalling the point balance he saw yesterday, Hikigaya became less confident as he spoke, and his voice gradually trailed off.
Sakayanagi-san smiled teasingly and bantered with him: "I see... assuming Hikigaya-kun can save twenty thousand points a month, then you'd only need to work hard and save up for three years to go see your sister. Ah, but Hikigaya-kun will have already graduated by then."
Although he knew Sakayanagi-san was just joking, this statement clearly unsettled Hikigaya a bit.
Seemingly noticing Hikigaya's desire to obtain a large amount of points, Sakayanagi continued, "Earlier in the class, I overheard a conversation among some students; the staff in the shopping center are also paid with points. Unfortunately, this school doesn't allow students to earn points by taking part-time jobs. Do you have any ideas, Yukinoshita-san?"
"Joining a club or the Student Council provides a certain point subsidy each month, but it's not a lot. Considering this, aside from the special exams arranged by the school, there seem to be no other channels to acquire a large number of extra points." Yukinoshita-san shook her head, then gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"A club, huh... that's it!" Hikigaya seemed to have thought of something; his listless eyes suddenly lit up, a flash of inspiration hitting him as if he'd been shot in the neck with a tranquilizer dart.
Before Sakayanagi-san and Yukinoshita-san could inquire further, the bell signaling the start of the first day of May classes rang out, and Mashima-sensei, holding a poster tube, walked into the classroom. He took a thick sheet of white paper out of the poster tube, unrolled it, and then posted it on the blackboard, securing it with magnets.
"This is... the grades for each class?"
Katsuragi-kun looked at the large paper, which listed the names of Classes A through D, with numbers of up to three digits marked next to them.
Class A had the highest number, nine hundred and forty, Class B was six hundred and fifty, Class C was four hundred and ninety, and Class D was zero.
"Everyone already knows the school's rules from the start of the school year, so I won't repeat them." Mashima-sensei scanned the classroom, his gaze carrying appreciation. "Our class's class evaluation points are nine hundred and forty, the highest among the four classes. As you can see, your behavior this month has clearly demonstrated the excellent qualities that outstanding students should possess. This score is the reward for your hard work during this time... Hmm, you've done very well."
Hearing Mashima-sensei's praise, the students of Class A all showed expressions of pride and self-satisfaction. Thanks to the fact that the Class A students adopted the plan proposed by Katsuragi-kun, while all classes' class evaluation points had decreased, Class A had undoubtedly gained a great advantage in this assessment.
"Next, moving on to the main topic: after the first month's student behavior assessment, you will have your midterm exams at the end of this month. It's important to note that this school stipulates that you will be expelled if you fail even one subject in the midterm or final exams. The five subjects to be tested in this midterm exam are Mathematics, Japanese, English, Chemistry, and Sociology. The exam content covers what was studied in April and May, and I will provide some key exam areas later."
Having said that, Mashima-sensei posted another piece of paper on the blackboard, which listed the names of all the members of Class A, with numbers recorded next to each name.
"These are your scores from the last test. I trust your abilities; even without other methods, you should be able to pass the exam smoothly. As students of Class A, think carefully and take on the challenge with a demeanor worthy of your abilities. Hmm, that's about it. Do you have any questions?"
"Sensei, will this midterm exam have content that affects the class evaluation points?"
The cautious Katsuragi-kun was the first to stand up and pose his question.
Mashima-sensei did not answer directly, but said ambiguously, "Well, if you can make it through the midterm exams, there should be a reward."
"I understand..."
Katsuragi-kun pondered for a few seconds, then turned to look at Sakayanagi-san, who was sitting in the corner: "Sakayanagi-san, as we agreed at the beginning of the school year, it will be your turn to be the class representative this month. We will listen to your leadership this month and accept your proposed plan for dealing with the midterm exams. I hope you can lead the class to solidify Class A's advantage."
Although the Sakayanagi faction had gained the upper hand in the competition for class representative, Katsuragi-kun had always acted with integrity and would not refuse to cooperate because of this.
"Hehe, since Katsuragi-kun puts it that way, then I will gladly accept." Sakayanagi-san happily accepted the position of class representative, a cute smile appearing on her delicate little face. "Well then, please study diligently during this time, everyone. I will carefully consider the plan for dealing with the exam."
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After the day's lessons ended, Hikigaya, who usually left the classroom first, did not leave immediately but stayed quietly in his seat, just like Sakayanagi and Yukinoshita.
Kamuro noticed Hikigaya's abnormality right away, so after a few seconds of thought, she chose not to leave but quietly returned to her seat.
She actually had something she wanted to discuss with Hikigaya. Her mind wasn't very clever, and her grades were considered lower-ranked in Class A, so she was a bit worried about this midterm exam.
'Most of the classmates have left. What are these few people sitting there doing? Playing freeze tag?ì Kamuro-san lay on her desk, secretly watching the three people sitting in the corner of the classroom out of the corner of her eye.
Hikigaya had been asked to stay by Sakayanagi-san via message, saying they needed to discuss a plan for dealing with the exam. But in his opinion, given the grades of the Class A students, there was no need for discussion at all.
'So, can I leave now, Sakayanagi-san? Kamuro-san is still watching over here, you know.'
He had long noticed Kamuro-san secretly observing, as he was usually overlooked, making him especially sensitive to any gaze directed his way.
It is said that only thirty percent of human communication is based on verbal exchange, with the remaining seventy percent accomplished through small gestures like eye contact. The compliment "having expressive eyes" illustrates the importance of non-verbal communication. In other words, thinking with reverse logic, even a loner who doesn't talk to others can achieve seventy percent of communication.
'That's right, this is Hikigaya Hachiman's most familiar domain, one of Hikigaya's one hundred and eighty special skills—"Human Observation." There are also "cat's cradle" and "shooting"... Am I Nobita Nobi or something?' (Nobita= Protagonist of Doraemon)
You are still too green, girl. You should hurry back and learn from Yamamura-kun how to erase your presence.'