Horkit. (New and improved!)

Started from the bottom

The next day arrived, and the class found themselves gathered once again, though this time the atmosphere was far more serious. Chabashira stood at the front of the room, her gaze sweeping over the students. She'd had enough of games—today, she was going to lay down the cold, hard truth.

"All right, everyone, listen up," she began, her voice cutting through the murmur of conversation. "I've let things slide long enough. It's time for you all to understand the reality of this school. The points you've been carelessly spending are more than just a currency for snacks and luxuries. They determine your future. And if you run out of them—"

She paused for emphasis, letting the weight of her words sink in. "—you risk expulsion."

The class collectively froze. The carefree attitude that had dominated their early days here shattered in an instant. The students exchanged anxious glances, and the normally playful Kanji even straightened up in his seat. 'Expulsion...?' Ike thought, wide-eyed. "Is this even a school? Or are we attending some kind of battlefield?" He muttered quietly to himself in disbelief.

Chabashira didn't smile. "You're here to prove your worth. And those who fail to manage their points, those who can't keep up...won't last long."

Kanji frowned.

Suzune, however, wasn't about to let the tension choke the room. She leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms with an exaggerated sigh. "So dramatic," she muttered under her breath, loud enough for her classmates to hear. She slowly stood up, raising a hand in mock participation. "I suppose you'll tell us next that we're all gonna be deported to Africa or something?"

Before she could continue, Chabashira's eyes locked onto her with a laser-focused glare. "Sit. Down," she ordered, her tone as sharp as a blade.

Suzune, momentarily stunned, blinked before raising her hands in surrender. "Aight, you got it. No need to turn it into a showdown," she quipped, sinking back into her chair. The class chuckled nervously, but the tension quickly settled back in.

Chabashira pressed on. "Here's how you're going to regain your points—and avoid the worst-case scenario. You'll need to work together as a class, and that means no more games, no more distractions. This is your wake-up call."

The students of the Defect class were silent.

Chabashira sighed. "You can start by succeeding in the next test." She began writing on the board. "If everyone in class gets a score higher than 49, points will be gained. However—" she paused, turning to face the class with an intense stare—"if even one of you scores lower than that, points will be deducted. And whoever gets the lowest score..."

The class held its breath.

"...will be expelled."

A stunned silence swept through the room like a gust of wind. The weight of her words settled heavily over the students. Expulsion—just for failing a single test? It didn't seem fair, but then again, nothing about this school felt normal anymore.

Kanji looked around, the reality of the situation sinking in as he exchanged nervous glances with the others. "Wait, so... if one of us screws up, we're all done for?" he muttered under his breath.

Sato, who had been chewing the end of her pencil, paled visibly. "But what if someone has a bad day? Or just doesn't get the material?"

"Then figure it out." Chabashira said ruthlessly, crossing her arms. The corners of her mouth tighten as she prepared to deliver the hard truth. Before she could continue, Yamauchi decided to cut in.

"So, what, this is like a game of Fortnite or something, where it's the survival of the fittest type shit?" Yamauchi chimed in all casual like.

Chabashira paused for a moment, her expression unreadable. "...Sure. If that's how you want to see it, fine." She replied dryly. Truthfully, Chabashira didn't know what Yamauchi was talking about, but he was correct that it was indeed a survival of the fittest.  "But yes, in essence, this is survival of the fittest. And unless you want to be known as the 'Defects' of this school, you'd better start acting like it."