The Prodigy - Classroom Of The Elite

"I have to say, I'm really surprised by this year's Class D. You guys are the first ones to blow all your points in just one month. It's pretty amazing how much you went all out. Really, it's something else."

Honestly, I kind of like her sarcastic vibe. Maybe that's just how she is!

"So, does that mean once we hit zero points, we're stuck there forever?"

"Yep, you'll be at zero until you graduate. But don't sweat it, you'll still have a place to stay in the dorms, and you'll get free meals. You won't starve."

That's why there are free items at the Convenience Store, for those who spend all their points in the first month without thinking, splurging on fancy stuff.

Honestly, the school is way nicer than I thought they'd be in this kind of situation.

"Won't the other classes laugh at us?" Sudou asked, banging his desk leg with a loud thump. Since the classes are ranked by performance, everyone else might think Class D is just full of idiots. Feeling down about it isn't too far-fetched.

But maybe they're just seeing the truth, right? If Horikita or Hirata had asked this, it would make more sense, but Sudou? Really?

"What? Worried about your pride, Sudou? If that's the case, why not work on making your class the top one?"

"Huh?"

"Your class's points aren't just tied to the money you get each month. They also show your class ranking."

Just as I suspected.

"Now, I've got some more bad news for you all." She pinned a new sheet of paper on the board, showing everyone's names with numbers beside them.

"Looking at this, it's clear we've got quite a few dummies in this class." Her heels clicked on the floor as she looked at us. "These are the scores from that quick test you took a while back. Your teacher was thrilled with your stellar performance. Seriously, what did you all study in junior high?"

Aside from a few high scores from Horikita, Yukimura, and Kouenji, nearly everyone else scored below sixty.

I managed to get a perfect 100.

As I was mulling this over, I noticed Horikita giving me a sideways glance which said "Who would've guessed you'd score that high?"

Oh, wow, maybe I should think about becoming a mind reader after I finish high school.

"I'm so glad. If this was a real test, seven of you would have been kicked out."

"Kicked out? What do you mean?"

Are they really clueless!?

"Oh, did I forget to mention this? If you fail a midterm or final exam at this school, you have to leave. If that rule applied here, anyone scoring below thirty-two would be gone. You guys really don't get it, do you?"

"What?!" cried Ike and the other students who didn't pass.

There was a red line on the paper, marking off the seven students from the rest of the class. Among them, Kikuchi had the highest score with thirty-one points. Anyone with a score the same as or lower than Kikuchi's had failed.

"Hey, don't mess with us, Sae-chan-sensei! Don't joke about kicking us out!"

"Honestly, I'm at a loss too," the teacher said. "But these are the rules here. You should be ready for the worst."

"The teacher's right. It seems like there are a lot of idiots here," Kouenji said with a smirk, polishing his nails with his feet on the desk.

"What the heck, Kouenji? You scored below the red line too!"

"Where exactly are you looking, boy? Check again."

"Huh? Kouenji is... huh?"

He's smart too, but there's something about Kouenji that just feels off to me.

"Oh, and one more thing. This school, run under government supervision, is known for its high success rate in getting students into top colleges and jobs. Most of you probably already have a college or career in mind."

That's why most students come here. But not me...

I ended up here because my family insisted. Honestly, even if I fail and stay in Class D, I could always go into my dad's business. So, whether I'm in Class D or Class A doesn't really bother me.

But, I would like passing from Class A as much as others, just for fun.

"But remember, nothing in life comes easy. Mediocre people like you can't just waltz into the college or job you want," Chiyabashira-sensei's voice echoed through the room.

"So, are you saying that to get into a good college or company, we need to at least surpass Class C?" Hirata asked.

"No, that's not it. To achieve your dreams, you have to beat Class A. The school guarantees nothing for anyone else."

"That's crazy! We weren't told about that!"

Yukimura, a student with glasses who scored the same as Kouenji, stood up. I haven't really talked to him before.

"How pathetic. Nothing's more pitiful than guys losing their composure," Kouenji sighed, almost as if Yukimura's reaction prompted him.

There were some more conversations bouncing around the room, but I couldn't focus. My head was pounding, so I tuned most of it out until...

"Looks like your illusions have been shattered. If you grasped the tough reality from the start, this long homeroom might have been worthwhile. You've got midterms in three weeks. Think things over and don't drop out. I believe you can avoid those red marks on your report cards. Try to act like capable individuals."

With those final words, she left the room, like a villain walking away after stirring things up.

Tsk, not the best comparison, but you get the idea.

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8.2

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The classroom was in complete chaos. Everyone looked confused, scared, and frustrated.

I wondered what would happen next.

"You got a perfect score," Horikita said out of the blue. I turned slightly towards her, noticing her usual expression mixed with a hint of confusion.

"Yeah, the questions were super easy. Plus, like I said before, you really helped me out these past three weeks."

She gave me her usual glare.

"Hey, how I got a perfect score isn't the real mystery here... Why don't you ask Ayanokoji how he managed exactly fifty points? Coincidence, huh?" I tried to shift her focus from me to Ayanokoji.

"Don't pull me into your argument for no reason," he said, quickly removing himself from the spotlight.

Then, a different voice rose in the classroom—it was Hirata. He wasn't speaking to anyone in particular, but he addressed the whole class.

"I know you're all confused right now, but we need to calm down," he said, trying to bring some order to the chaos. His voice seemed to have an effect, and everyone turned to listen. Even Horikita shot me one last glare before paying attention to Hirata. Although she pretended not to care, I knew she was upset when the teacher called the class useless, which included her and me.

"How are we supposed to calm down? Aren't you angry that she called us a bunch of failures?"

Yeah, being labeled as failures is pretty frustrating, especially when you feel like you haven't done anything wrong.

"Even if I was upset, wouldn't it be better for us to stick together and try to change things?" Hirata responded calmly. I had to agree with him. Complaining and whining won't change a thing.

"Change things? I don't even agree with how we were sorted into classes in the first place."

"I get that. But sitting around and whining isn't going to help us right now."

"What did you just say?" Yukimura snapped, storming over to Hirata and grabbing him by the collar.

Should I step in and stop Yukimura? Nah, I'm all the way at the back of the class. Someone closer should handle it.

"Pathetic kids," Horikita mumbled, though I was probably the only one who heard it.

"Hey, calm down, both of you, okay? I'm sure the teacher was just being tough to motivate us to do better," Kushida chimed in, stepping in between Hirata and Yukimura to separate them.

"Besides, we've only been here a month, right? Like Hirata-kun said, it's better if we all try our best together. Do you think I'm wrong?"

"N-no, it's... I mean, you're not wrong, but..."

Yukimura backed down quicker than I expected. I was kind of hoping for a bit more drama. Guess that's over.

"What are you writing?" I asked Horikita just as she finished scribbling something down.

"Nothing that concerns you. Why do you care?" she shot back.

"Damn, you're still rude. It was just a simple question."

"What was rude about that? You didn't really answer my question either."

"Come on, I'm just good at studying because I like to learn. That's all there is to it. Why should getting good marks be suspicious?"

"I guess that makes sense," she replied, turning back to her notes.

What a rude woman.