Classroom of Elite 2nd Year Volume 5 ( Completed)

Chapter-3 Part-3 end

Part 3

With a time limit of five hours, we reached the final task in about an hour.
Many of the students must have thought that they were sure of clearing the exam from the steady flow. After the last question, the special exam would be cleared and 50 class points would be awarded.
"That brings us to our next and final task."
But if there's one thing that concerns me, it's the state of my homeroom teacher.
As each task progressed, it was obvious that the expressions of Chabashira sensei were changing for the worse. It was clear to the students that she had finally reached her peak and was looking pale.
"Sensei, are you all right?"
Even though the assignment has not been announced yet, private conversation is not something you can do.
However, Yosuke said that he could not overlook it.
"..... what? It's fine."
"No, you're obviously not feeling well."
"........ Really? No, it's not. I am fine."
It doesn't look like it's a bluff.
In other words, she doesn't even realize that something is wrong with her.
Or should I say, subconsciously.
Anyway, once he was told that this was not the case, Yosuke had no choice but to back off.
The teacher watching in the background did not move, so the final task would probably begin at this point.
But one thing is for sure. That the next challenge for the class has a lot to do with Chabashira sensei's current physical condition.
"Now, I will display the final task. Prepare to vote."
She told us so, and then operated the tablet in her hand as she adjusted her breathing.
Then the last task was displayed in front of us.
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 The last task is the only task with the fewest options so far.
At first glance, we tend to think that the fewer the number of options, the easier it is to choose between them.
But in reality, the number of choices does not have much influence.
If there are a lot of strangers in the room, or if it's not possible to have a discussion, having a large number of options is a disadvantage, but in our class, we can have a discussion.
The important thing is always the content of the task.
Withdrawal or Class Points This was one of the worst challenges I had ever expected to have to face.
The students, who are not allowed to speak privately, would have been upset to read the assignment out loud in their minds.
If we vote yes on this issue, it means that one student will be expelled from the class.
Under normal circumstances, the entire class should vote "no" without hesitation.
100 class points is not a small number, but most of us would prefer not to have one of our classmates expelled instead.
If this were a majority vote, it would probably take only one voting round, with a majority against, and that would be the end of it.
However, the past four questions have proven that it doesn't work that way.
That's the unanimous, simple yet difficult point.
"We will now begin a sixty-second count, and everyone, please begin voting."
There was no time to waste, and the 60-second voting period began.
If the vote is unanimous in favor of the proposal, the selection of students to be expelled from this class will begin in a hurry.
Again, of course, almost no student would want to do that.
100 class points, not really something that must be earned.
If this were the last semester of the third grade, with only one or two more special exams left, I wouldn't have been in the same mental state as I am now.
The value of these 100 points jumps up when it's a close battle for a single point. At that time, a battle between the ultimate two choices could be waiting for us.
However, the situation is different now. This is not a situation where almost everyone is unsure about voting 'no'.
Still, it is true that there are a few concerns, including Koenji.
That's why I'm here, with my hands off the tablet, thinking slowly.
The agreement with Horikita is that my role on the first vote, no matter what the issue, is to vote for option 1, but if 38 people, including Horikita, are voting against it now, it would be better to vote against it without an interval and combine them into 39 votes.
This is a task that should be finished quickly, without leaving any unnecessary gaps.
There is no guarantee that a student will not be swayed by 100 points once the discussion is started.
I decided that this was the only task for which I did not need an interval.
After close to 60 seconds, you will see a notification that all votes have been cast.
"I'll pass along the results now that everyone ... has voted."
Despite having a clear change, Chabashira sensei continues to move forward while maintaining her posture.
Results of the first round of voting:
2 in favor, 37 opposed.
Not unanimous, huh?
I took my finger off the button and quietly looked at the results.
“.......”
Chabashira sensei, who should be reading out the results, remains motionless, staring at the monitor, just like the students.
The results are surprising: ...the votes were split in a way that did not lead to a "yes" vote.
There is no guarantee that it can be unanimous at once without an interval.
Then again, maybe it's the challenge itself that Chabashira sensei is concerned about.
"Chabashira-sensei. Please proceed."
The teacher cautions from behind to Chabashira sensei, who was stopped for some time, albeit for a few seconds.
"......... Sorry. Uh, ・・・・・・, 2 votes in favor, 37 opposed. Since it was not unanimous, we Will go into the interval."
Two votes in favor.
"Who the hell voted for it? Are you fucking kidding me?"
Sudo's strong gaze is one-sidedly directed at Koenji, even though sudo said, "Who voted for it?"
Although Koenji made some remarks about the protection points, he did not stand out much, but the content of the issue was enough for him to get a hit.
Of course, that was a foregone conclusion for Sudo, but I'm sure many of the students agreed.
"Which one did you choose, Koenji?"
"Do I have to answer that?"
"If you can't answer, it means you voted yes, right?"
"Don't be so judgmental, Red Hair-kun. In the first place, according to the Horikita girl, you should be allowed to make an arbitrary choice in the first round of voting. I don't think there's any reason to complain about which one I choose."
After a good argument, Sudo becomes blatantly unhappy.
"If one vote is from Koenji, that means there's another person who voted yes, right?"
Ike focused on the part where one vote remains even if Koenji is excluded.
"That's a problem, too. Who the hell did it?"
Sudo shouted in annoyance, as if he couldn't figure out who the other one was.
"Don't panic. One of the people who voted yes was Ayanokoji-kun."
"What? Ayanokoji agrees? How can you say that, Suzune?"
"I've been keeping it a secret up to this point, but before this special exam started, he and I made a pact about voting. Whatever the subject matter, I've arranged it so that the first vote will not be unanimous."
As we arrived at the last task, Horikita mentioned the contents of the preliminary meeting.
Surely there is no advantage to keeping it hidden when it gets to this stage.
It's obviously more of a waste of time and effort to find out who the one vote is.
"To avoid unanimity on unexpected choices, right?"
Yosuke added a few words to make it easier for the students who were not fully understanding.
"Yeah…" "Oh, that's what you mean. But you should have told me about it earlier."
"Not so fast. The first round of voting, when you're not allowed to talk, is an important opportunity to get a good idea of what your classmates want. If they knew that we were planning to prevent unanimity from the start, some students might just vote randomly. I wanted to avoid that. It was his role to vote for the first option. I'll vote for the second. That's why one more person voted yes."
Looking around the classroom, Horikita speaks to everyone.
"'It's a bit of a radical agenda, but it's up to the individual to decide which way they want to vote.
I don't think it's wrong to vote yes in order to gain class points. However, I think we should all come together as a class and vote against it. If you have any objections, I would appreciate it if you could raise them here, as you have in the past."
Normally, this is where the students who voted yes would come forward.
But no matter how long they waited, no one answered Horikita's question.
"How long are you going to keep your mouth shut, Koenji?"
"Huh. I'd like you to not assume that I'm in favor of this, as I said before."
"Shut up. I know you're messing with me anyway."
If it wasn't Koenji, he might have been too amused by Sudo's anger to tell her(Horikita) that it was him.
If the vote is unanimous in favor, the vote to expel one person from the class will begin.
In other words, someone who wants to expel one classmate to gain 100 class points. It would attract attention and criticism in a bad way.The real intention is that no one wants to think that way.
"That's enough."
"Calm down, Sudo-kun. It's only the first round of voting, there's no need to panic."
"Hey, but! I don't like the fact that someone voted for this option."
"It's up to you to interpret it that way. But I have no proof that it was Koenji-kun. And whoever voted in favor of it, I interpreted the fact that they didn't come forward as a sign that they were sorry. Since this is an anonymous vote, let's not pursue it too deeply here; if you vote no on the second vote, it will be unanimous. That should be enough."
The task was clear. Horikita seemed to have decided that there was no need to spend any extra time on it.
As I thought to myself, not pursuing it was one of the best choices we could make right now.
"There's no need for further discussion on this issue. Come on, let's finish it in the next vote."
Seeing Horikita's calmness, Sudo also slapped both cheeks once as if to discipline himself. And with a little unrelated chit-chat, it was time for us to vote for the second time.
"We will now begin a 60-second poll."
The Tablet screen switches to show the approval and disapproval buttons.
Instead of having 60 seconds to vote for everyone, the voting seemed to be completed in about 20 seconds.
"...Voting has ended, we will show the results of the second round of voting."
Results of the second round of voting:
2 in favor, 37 opposed.
Up to this point, the special examinations have not created a strong sense of tension. However, the moment this second result was announced, the atmosphere of the place clearly froze. Once again, the result was two votes in favor.
It means that the votes were not moved even after the explanation given earlier.
This fact was conveyed to me from the monitor.
"Wait a minute. ...... What's this all about?"
Horikita looked at, as she said this, of all people, me.
Why did you vote yes the second time? That's the question she is asking.
Sudo and the other students who understood what she just explained also looked at me.
"I voted against both the first vote and the second vote now."
"What? Oh, hey, what's that? Ayanokoji was supposed to be option one, right?"
"Yeah. But because of the content of the assignment, I decided on my own that it would be better to pitch against it the first time. I didn't tell you that because I didn't want to cause any unnecessary confusion."
If there were two people in favor of the first vote, the motion would increase.
The reason for this is that we can't just say, "This is just a joke from Koenji anyway," and be done with it.
Horikita, who had kept her composure up to this point, was a little distraught.
"So .... ...So there's at least two people who think it's a good idea."
Horikita puts her hand to her lips and thinks.
You may want to stop and think about it, but the interval is precious.
"If you're going to continue to vote in favor of the motion, I'd like you to tell me exactly why you're in favor of it. As you can see, thirty-seven people voted no, except for two. If you want everyone to vote yes, you'll have to make a reasonable presentation."
The basis for swaying votes is discussion.
As more and more people decide that there are greater advantages in favor of the proposal, the vote will naturally shift.
On the other hand, if you don't have a discussion, it's not easy to sway votes.
However, the answer to that question was silence from everyone.
"Hey, Horikita-san. We're going to be okay, right? No one is going to drop out of our class, right?"
Kushida, who was worried, couldn't stand the silence and asked Horikita the same question.
"My policy is, as I said, no one gets expelled."
Horikita reiterates her decision, but after that the silence begins again.
It's easy to say that, however… "I don't know who's against it. But I want you to listen carefully."
Yosuke stood up and spoke gently but forcefully.
"You shouldn't choose to cut off your classmates in order to gain class points. I don't think the points gained from such a choice are worth it, even if they were 500 or 1000 points. The most you can get here is 100 Class Points here which is not worth dropping out someone."
The appeal of a man who most hates to sacrifice anyone is a natural one.
Thirty-seven out of the thirty-nine understood that to some extent, as Yosuke had said.
He thinks we can spare 100 class points, but we can't afford to drop out of school.
But whether it is a true intention or not is another matter.
Even before the first vote, the outcome of the vote In favour and oppose this issue was heavily influenced by silent peer pressure.
There must be some students in the class who think that they will never be expelled.
In such a situation, it is not surprising that some of us would not really care about the sacrifices of our classmates.
"It's getting interesting, isn't it, this special exam? It's pretty cool."
Koenji started laughing with amusement and continued.
"I thought you'd vote no on the second voting round, except for me."
Koenji replied without seeming to take offense.
"Except you... so it's you, Koenji!"
"Koenji, is that the truth? If you're going to be a wild man here, it's going to cause a mess, so I'd rather you didn't."
Horikita reaffirms her priority to first clarify whether he was really against it or not.
"Rest assured, I voted yes the first time and the second time."
"Can you tell me why ・・・・・?"
"The answer is simple. 100 more class points, right? That means you'll inevitably get more private points every month, and there's no reason to choose the opposite."
"You've got to be kidding me. You think class points are more important than your friends?"
"You have a funny way of saying things. You didn't look like that when you first came here, did you?"
"Shut up!"
"I'm voting yes, so of course I'll take that into account."
"You don't know what you're talking about. ・・・・・・・" "Friends? I've never considered you my friends."
"You mean you're not going to vote against it next time?"
"Of course, I'll continue to vote yes if things continue as they are. I'm sure the Horikita girl doesn't want to run out of time, does she?"
"What? Don't think things will go as you wish, Koenji. If that's the way you're going to do it, I'll show you no mercy, Suzune. We can all vote yes and have Koenji expelled!"
I'm sure it's an answer that you arrived at out of the blue, but it is also true that this issue has such an aspect for those who agree. It is also possible to unite and expel the bad guys who say that their classmates can drop out.
People subconsciously choose what they want to believe, and then justify the reasons for their choices.
Nobody wants to drop out, but it can't be helped because there are students who agree.
The brain starts to work to justify that the person should be expelled.
It also believes in convenient logic, conspiracies, and misinformation.
"It would be nice if everyone voted yes. But don't think you can get me expelled for it. Isn't that right? Horikita girl."
Of course. If Koenji came forward and said he was one of those who voted in favor of the project, it was only natural that the people around him would make a fuss about expelling him.
There was no way that this man did not understand this.
But As he was showing off his spare time, Koenji would never be expelled.
"..... .... He's right. You can't expel Koenji-kun."
"What do you mean?"
"I made a promise to Koenji-kun before the desert island test started, remember? If he won first place in the desert island test, I would protect him until he graduated."
I'm sure my classmates remember that exchange.
"It was unexpected for him to get first place. But thanks to that first place in the exam, our class is now in line for B class. That's an immense achievement."
"Well, that's true, but... But if you're trying to bring down the class, that's a different story!"
"I'm sorry you feel trapped. I'm just freely choosing the choices that are entrusted to me. You can't assume that voting yes is a bad thing, can you?"
If the content of this task is "You may drop out of class up to one person. And If it says "yes or disagree", it can be said that throwing in favor is just evil. However, in this case, instead of dropping out, you get class points.
While it is difficult to put a concrete figure on the value of a single student, no one has the right to deny that Koenji has the right to calculate that it is more beneficial to agree.
With a good argument and a promise, there was no way Horikita could vote for Koenji's expulsion.
"Yes, yes. You can just go back on your word! If Koenji doesn't consider his classmates to be his friends, no one will be bothered if he gets expelled!"
"I can't. I'm not going to break my promise to him."
"I guess so. No one will trust a class leader who doesn't keep her promises. In that sense, I trust you more than anyone else right now, Horikita girl."
The troublesome parts of Koenji came out.
Now that this has happened, Horikita must first persuade Koenji to do whatever it takes.
But there is still plenty of opportunity for that.
Even if you believe that Horikita will basically never betray you, that doesn't mean that Koenji is 100% protected. The possibility that Horikita will cut Koenji off must be kept in the corner of her mind.
In other words, Koenji will change his attitude if the seeds of such a change appear.
However, it is difficult to move in that direction.
Horikita, who has begun to become aware of herself as a leader, If immediately cuts off Koenji, who gives the results.Then That choice will be a major hindrance in the future.
"If you're not going to cut Koenji out, what are you going to do, Suzune?"
She can't just sit back and say, "Give me some time to think."
Yes, it would have been nice if the only person in favor was Koenji.
The part about there being another proponent who has not come forward should not be overlooked.
"I wonder if anyone who voted in favor of the motion, with the exception of Koenji-kun, can come forward and tell us."
If we don't know that, we can't move forward.
But all that came back was a deep and long silence.
If they come forward here, there is a fear that they will be threatened and even argue that they are unnecessary, just like with Koenji.
In fact, it's probably even more frowned upon than Koenji.
No answer other than silence was returned.
Eventually, time ran out, and the third voting time would come unavoidably.
The unfortunate thing is that there is no limit to the number of times you can vote.
If time permits, the chance to make it unanimous will come every ten minutes.
Results of the third round of voting:
2 in favor, 37 opposed.
As in the past two times, two people, Koenji and someone invisible, voted in favor.
For now, many students still place more emphasis on Koenji, but I wonder if they will eventually notice it.
It won't be long before we'll have to face the reality that there are students who have not come forward and continue to watch vigilantly for their approval. We are about to face the danger of anonymity, a danger that we had hoped to avoid the most. But the first priority is to deal with Koenji.
There will be no solution unless we turn the yes votes here into no votes.
"It's hard to ignore who's voting yes. But it's not absolute. I think there are certain beliefs that only the person in question has because they are so stubbornly in favor of it. If that's the case, I'm going to speak to Koenji-kun and the other person at the same time."
Not wasting any time, Horikita began to collect her thoughts.
"Thirty-seven of us will continue to vote no, and two of you will continue to vote yes. The worst thing that can happen is that we run out of time. As classmates, we lose the same number of class points, so it seems like a painful split for both sides, but we, who are opposing, lose only class points but not our friends. We can get through this special exam without anyone dropping out. But the protesters or who are in favour will lose a lot instead of gaining the only advantage.
Am I right?"
She told specific gains and losses, and explained the risk of ending the test in disagreement.
Of course, one who cannot be seen will not answer anything, but what about Koenji?
"If we're running out of time, so be it. So go ahead and vote yes."
Koenji tells Horikita to go along with it as if it were a matter of course.
"・・・・・・ Sure, if it's unanimous in favor, we'll take a step forward. But then there's the even bigger hurdle of deciding which of your classmates to expel. You don't think it's going to be easy to get a unanimous vote, do you?"
"It's your job to make it work, Horikita girl. Besides, it's not such a bad thing to have someone drop out, is it?"
"That's not true. No one should be expelled."
Before Horikita can argue with him, Yosuke tells Koenji.
"I don't get it. You guys seem to be afraid of having students drop out, but wouldn't it be easier for you mentally to see this as a positive? You can delete any unwanted student you want, and you can even get class points. If you change your mind a little bit, you'll see what a great choice it is to vote yes. The one person besides me who is voting yes knows that."
It's a sharp idea, but it's reason enough to vote yes.
"I don't think that's true, Koenji-kun. It's not a positive thing to lose someone from this class."
As if in response to Yosuke, Kushida also said that classmates should be prioritized.
In response, the opponents, who had not spoken much until now, began to voice their objections at once.
But Koenji didn't soften his attitude, he just smiled.
Koenji, the person I wanted to get the most out of, did not respond to the debate, and it was time to vote for the fourth time.
Results of the fourth round of voting:
2 in favor, 37 opposed.
The third interval began with a signal from Chabashira sensei, after tens of minutes of appeals that had no effect whatsoever.
"What am I supposed to do? I don't know, maybe I could just punch him in the face, knock him out, and vote on my own!"
"I don't think so. ------ Let's try to be objective here for once. If you do that, you may find that your thinking changes as well."
Horikita is forced to try other approaches to avoid a parallel course of events.
"What do you mean, "objective"?"
"It's just a question of which of the three classes, excluding us, will choose."
"That's ..... Definitely Ryuen's class is going to cut off the one student."
Sudo says without hesitation, crossing his arms at the back of his head.
Many of the classmates seemed to agree with him and said, "Indeed."
Looking at the way he has been acting and thinking, there is certainly a good chance of that happening.
"Yes, it may indeed be the class with the highest probability."
"On the contrary, Ichinose's class will never do it. What about Sakayanagi-san's class?"
Ryueen's class is expected to be more in favor of the assignment.
Ichinose class, on the other hand, is expected to oppose.
And Sakayanagi class has the potential to be both.
Coincidentally, the three classes all have different themes, an interesting result shared by the classmates.
In this case, there was almost no discussion about Ichinose's class, which was known to be against the idea. After all, the focus of the discussion would be on Ryuuen's class.
"I don't want to be overtaken by Ryuen. There is momentum right now, so we should step out and be in B class, right?"
"Even so, it won't make much of a difference. Even without the lead we have now, the difference in class points is 100, and one special exam is enough to make up for it."
"I know what you mean. Still, let me just say one thing."
Akito, who had been quietly working on the special exam until now, broke his silence when it came to the last task.
"Unlikely. But it's possible that these 100 points will make you regret one day, isn't it?"
"What the hell, Miyake, does that mean we have to send someone to drop out?"
"Don't get me wrong. I'm explicitly against it."
He looked more annoyed than angry, and countered.
"I think it's best to get to Class A without missing anyone from this class. That's why I think we need to understand the weight of 100 points and not take it lightly."
"What do you mean?"
"It means that we all need to express our opposition to the idea of a future where this special exam is the turning point as we approach graduation."
It was wrong to vote against it without preparation, was Akito's opinion.
"Well, I certainly didn't think anything of it. ......"
You have to be against it without a second thought. The students find themselves in the shadow of such peer pressure.
"Koenji. I'm well aware that you were active in the desert island test. I think it's strange that you should get the vote to expel, even without your promise to Horikita."
In addition to Horikita and Sudo, Akito also turns his thoughts to Koenji.
"But even so, you can't annoy the class as long as you want. Class points aren't the only thing that makes a relationship work. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Huh ..... …" Closing his eyes, Koenji nodded deeply.
Then, whether he was thinking about something or not, he opened his eyes and took a glance at Akito.
"Of course I have no idea."
"......"
"Think about how this school works. Everything is based on points earned. It's not about friendship or affinity. Class points are used to determine the top classes, and private points are used to determine individual assets. It's an inextricably linked evaluation system. I don't see anything wrong with agreeing to make that a priority."
"You're so smart. You haven't contributed to the class in years! Just because you won first place on a deserted island doesn't mean you can act like that all the time!"
"I think you need to look in the mirror, Red Hair-kun. I think it's pretty obvious who's contribution to the class is greater, you or I."
Sudo's reputation is growing now, but when he first entered the school, he was a problem child on par with Koenji. If you take into account the fluctuations in class points, Sudo's share is worse than his.
"Well, it's not the class points that are important to me."
The attitude toward Koenji's approval, had seemed untenable up to this point.
However, Horikita did not miss this comment by Koenji.
"Class points don't matter to you, then these 100 points exist to you for private points, not to move up to A class. So that's why you keep throwing your support behind it?"
"You're right. I want to agree with you for the sake of my private points, because two assignments ago I chose to halve the amount of my private point transfer for six months. I drank in the tears that it was necessary for you to protect me, but that's not going to happen this time."
He wants class points to make up for the private points he will lose.
It turns out that this is the reason why Koenji is in favor of it.
For some students, they may resent the fact that they are trying to expel a student for private points. However, Horikita saw this as an opportunity.
"All right, Kōenji-kun, let's make a deal. It's not a bad deal for you."
"Huh? That sounds interesting. I'd like to hear your presentation."
Koenji welcomed the proposal without disinterest, but rather as if he had been waiting for it.
"If you vote no from now on, and the vote is unanimous, I will pay 10,000 private points on behalf of the school every month from now until you graduate. This would be the equivalent of 100 more class points for you, right?"
"Yes, that would certainly make it pointless for Koenji-kun to vote yes."
"As expected of a Horikita girl, it didn't take you long to come to that conclusion."
"・・・・・・ You were in favor of bringing this proposal out from the beginning, weren't you?"
"It means my vote is worth it. I could raise the price, but I need the Horikita girl to be a reliable ally. Let's make it work on those terms."
"Don't bother putting it in writing, right? We have Chabashira-sensei here, too."
"Of course, I don't expect you to go back on your promise. The deal is done."
Koenji voted in favor of the proposal, which seemed to be unmovable.
He finally moves and makes you promise to pitch in against it.
The fact that he dared to continue to vote in favor of the proposal and let Horikita bring it to him was a masterstroke.
This was the fifth time we voted.
The fact that Koenji made it clear that he was going to turn against them must have had an effect on the invisible one.
It would not be easy for just one person to continue to speak out against it, even if he or she is anonymous.
In other words, it's a vote that has the potential to go the other way without persuasion.
But… Results of the fifth round of voting:
1 in favor, 38 opposed.
Koenji changed his vote from yes to no, but there was still one vote left in favor.
You may want to take some of the weight off your shoulders, but the real battle seems to be here.
Absolute yes vote by anonymous person.
In order to break through this, we still need to find out who is voting yes.
But it is more difficult than anything else.
The tablet is basically impossible to spy on, but you can see where you touch with your fingertips if you want to. However, the school has anticipated this and the order of the choices is randomized from the beginning. It is impossible to check each other's finger movements because the choices are switched each time the vote is taken. There is no other way.
"Well, it looks like things aren't going to be easy."
"As I was saying, unless there's a unanimous vote to the contrary, the deal you just made is null and void."
"I know, I know. I understand, but if the vote is unanimous in favor of it, or if we run out of time, I'll be forced to give up."
As long as it's anonymous, there's no way to prove that Koenji didn't vote yes, except by unanimous vote of opposition. He doesn't seem to think that he can get private points for any other choice. If he votes as he pleases here, the good deal for him will be lost."
More than anything, making an enemy of Horikita would be inconvenient for Koenji, who wanted to have an easy time.
We had about three hours left.
Despite her struggles, Horikita is making progress toward breaking through with a solid strategy.
However, it is also a fact that we cannot continue to stand by.
We need to get it to unanimity before the remaining time runs out.
Until then, I'm just going to sit back and watch this war unfold, but I can give some support. I coughed a couple of times during the interval.
Amidst the chatter, no one pays any attention to the unconscious coughing.
On the contrary, it's just a coughing fit that you can hear if you are aware of it.
"You know, Horikita-san…" “……… Yes, Karuizawa-san?”
"This is just me, but maybe you have an idea of who's voting yes?"
"Why do you think that?"
Horikita's face showed her surprise at Kei's unexpected suggestion.
"I just kind of thought so."
The Horikita of the past would have taken it as a mere thoughtful remark. But now that the fact that Kei and I are dating is out in the open, that's when things start to change.
"Yes, yes... You're right, Karuizawa-san. I may have an idea who keeps voting yes."
"Why don't you just say it? Who the hell is it?"
"I can't tell you that. This special exam is an anonymous poll. If you say a name just because you think of it, you can't take it back if you're wrong."
"But…!"
"......... I know. That's why I think I need to prepare myself. We'll have time for a few more votes.
When the number of votes in favor still doesn't reach zero, ........ I'll have no choice but to mention your name then."
"I want you to wait, Horikita-san. I don't agree with you. As Horikita-san just said, there's no way to be sure who's voting for whom this time. I don't think it's acceptable to name names just because you have an idea. Of course, I'm not talking nonsense just because I don't want anyone to drop out, you understand that, right?"
"I agree with Hirata-kun. I don't think it's right to say something without absolute certainty."
Kushida also says uneasily that she agrees with Yosuke.
Starting with the two's opinions, the students were filled with anxiety.
If Horikita misunderstood me in some way and mentioned my name, I would be criticized.
If you are asked why you are voting yes when you are voting no, you will be under siege with no way out.
If 38 people vote in favor of the proposal because they are in a hurry to run out of time, it will be inevitable that the named person will be discussed as a target for expulsion.
"I know. ...... I know, that's why I haven't said the name so far. But I can't let my time run out.
Isn't that right?"
"I understand my feelings. I'm different than before. I feel like I'm ready if I'm forced to make the choices I really need, but that must be 100%."
"I know how you feel. I'm not the same person I used to be, and if I have to make a really necessary choice, I'm willing to make it. But it has to be 100%."
"・・・・・・ Yeah."
He tried to make some more changes to the situation, which was starting to get heavy.
"Besides Horikita, can you think of anyone else who keeps voting yes?"
"I don't see anyone. I don't know why anyone other than Koenji would be so stubbornly in favor of this."
Such a question of Sudo's would not be something only one person would have.
The idea is to tolerate such a situation, which will result in expulsions.
"If you know who it is, even if you can't name them, it might change your mind a little. I'd like you to raise your hand if you have any doubts."
She asked again to make sure.
However, none of them had any idea who it might be.
"Yosuke. I don't want to doubt anyone, but if Yosuke has a wide friendship with both men and women, isn't there anyone who comes to mind?"
"No. I'm not lying, I really can't think of any."
"Well, ....... Then how about Kushida?"
Kushida didn't show any unusual emotion when I suddenly asked her to talk.
Rather, Horikita looks back a little and is upset about what I intend to say.
"Who do you think voted yes?"
"Um Um ..... ..... Sorry Ayanokoji-kun, I'm with Hirata-kun, there's no girl that comes to mind."
"Kushida is the one who knows the class best. I thought she might know a bit about students who are dissatisfied with the class. Everyone knows that she cares about the class more than anyone else, and that she's always there to offer friendly advice. I hope you'll remember that often."
Certainly, the class looked at Kushida expectantly.
"Ummm... .... I don't know if I can think of anything. But I'll be sure to let you know if I get caught up in anything in the future."
"Ah. Please, I have a feeling that the presence of people like Yosuke and Kushida is essential for this last special exam."
Without the combined efforts of all of us, it will be difficult to break through this challenge by opposition.
But such cooperation was not enough, and the result of the sixth round of voting was also posted on .......
Results of the sixth round of voting:
1 in favor, 38 opposed.
Unchanging results.
Repeated discussions.
Results of the seventh round of voting:
1 in favor, 38 opposed.
Results of the eight round of voting:
1 in favor, 38 opposed.
The results continue to be the same, and the conversation becomes more and more silent. The eighth interval began next. A little over an hour had passed since the start of this challenge.
Chabashira sensei almost collapsed with a loud thud.
She pressed her arms against the podium as if she was going to fall down, and managed to prevent herself from collapsing.
"Huh…, huh..."
As the discussion continued, the breathing of chabashira sensei, who had been standing at the podium the whole time, became ragged.
"Sensei !?"
"It's okay. It's okay. ・・・・・・" She said this and adjusted her posture as if she was trying to motivate herself.
Chabashira sensei stares at the students with vacant eyes, wondering what they are thinking.
Eventually, she exhaled heavily with some kind of determination.
"—The teacher is not allowed to guide students to a particular option. Naturally, I, for one, would not do such a thing. But may I tell you an old story? Of course, it will take up a lot of your valuable time. That is, if you don't mind."
"Ms. Chabashira. The teacher's statement itself is not forbidden, but if you violate the rules, you won't get off scot-free either. If we deem it as an inducement to protect the class."
"Yes. If I see any intent to induce choice, I am prepared to be punished."
By answering that she understood, the teacher at the back could only be silenced.
As a matter of course, an unexpected proposal came from Chabashira sensei, who had never intervened in the special exam.
It could be seen as a ray of light in this stalled environment.
"We are now suffering from this situation. As long as it doesn't affect our choices, please tell us what you have to say, sensei."
If we can break the ice in some way, that would be welcome, that's what Horikita said.
Of course, if we're going to be honest, we want to have momentum for the 'oppose option'.
However, under the watchful eyes of the teacher at the back, direct expressions must be avoided.
"I'm from the Advanced Nurturing High School. And I took this special exam when I was a student."
Horikita and the rest of her classmates are surprised to hear her story for the first time.
"Sensei also took this unanimous special exam ...?"
"Yes, there were five tasks, some of which were slightly different, but the final task you are facing right now is the same, word for word. You can either get class points for expelling people or you can protect your friends and not get class points."
The students turned to look at Chabashira's statement that she had experienced the exact same special exam.
"One thing is for sure. It's all about doing everything without regrets. In Favour, oppose, or time out. No matter which choice you make ...... you shouldn't regret the result. Find a way. There is still time left. " For the first time, everyone listens to Chabashira sensei as she speaks to her students with real emotion.
It does not guide you to choose any option, nor does it offer solutions.
It's a solid piece of advice that is right on the edge of what a teacher can do.
The teacher, who was listening behind me, did not tell us that it was against the rules, and we listened until the end.
I don't know if this will make a difference in the outcome.
However, she certainly provided the students with the words to face this special exam again.
Even with the supportive fire from Chabashira sensei, it was not a good idea to waste the remaining interval time.
"The time is approaching when we must make up our minds.... But before you do, let me talk to you one more time. I'm not your enemy... I'm on your side."
The names of the proponents must have crossed Horikita's mind many times.
Face, voice, eyes, breathing.
Horikita continues to try her best to persuade the person not to realize who the specific person is.
I'm sure she has asked herself this question repeatedly.
I think we should just give them a name.
Still, I don't say it because Horikita really wants to be onto that side.
A plea that resembled a cry of grief.
With that, the ninth vote was taken.
The result — Results of the 9th round of voting:
1 in favor, 38 opposed.
After all, the vote in favor of the proposal did not move.
Only one. There is one student who is forever hanging on to 100 Class points.
No — Some are clinging to the right to be forced to drop out.
This is the real truth that only I, or perhaps only the two of us, including Horikita, are aware of.
It is safe to assume that one person's thorough vote in favor of the assignment continues to linger.
But there is no way to objectively confirm that the person is against it in this situation.
Horikita said that if time ran out, she would be forced to speak the name.
But in reality, no matter how many times the vote is repeated, Horikita never says her name.
"Are you against it?" She knows that there is no real point in asking such a question. In fact, once she says her name, she will lose everything for the rest of her life.
Even though there was still some time left, the set time limit of two hours was approaching.
It's the deadline to make a big decision.
End of Chapter 3.
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Translated by ANIME ANYWAY.
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