COTE: Popularity System

While the viewers were happily discussing, the conversation between Horikita Manabu and Takada Hikaru continued.

"If Class D ultimately fails to gather enough points, what will you do?" Horikita Manabu's gaze turned sharp and serious as he asked in a low voice.

Hearing this, Takada Hikaru quickly understood what he meant. He wanted to know, through his answer, whether he was the type of person who acted recklessly.

If he answered that he wouldn't care about the fate of the Class D students, Horikita Manabu's evaluation of him would decrease, and he wouldn't gain much trust.

Considering that the audience was still watching, Takada Hikaru didn't answer immediately. Instead, he narrowed his eyes slightly and showed a kind smile.

Next up, it's positive energy time.

"The potential expulsion of Class D students is my fault. If they genuinely can't gather the points in the end, I will use my own private points to cover the difference."

...Just kidding.

"However, if I really had to step in, I wouldn't take the route of paying points for scores."

Takada Hikaru's lips curled up slightly, revealing a confident yet mysterious smile. "I'll use a better method."

...Actually, there was no such thing as a better method. He just wanted to show off.

"I see." Horikita Manabu nodded slightly, seemingly satisfied with the reply.

Then, he raised his eyes and looked straight over. "Do you have any interest in joining the Student Council? If you are willing, I can let you join immediately."

Takada Hikaru shook his head. "No need. I would get bored quickly."

It wasn't that he hated trouble nor was it that he was afraid of being unable to handle the responsibility. It was just that he felt he would quickly tire of it. This was very consistent with the setting of a Fun Seeker.

"That is truly a pity."

Horikita Manabu closed his eyes, signaling the end of the conversation.

At the same time.

The audience began discussing the recent interaction between Takada Hikaru and the Student Council President.

[Money-Giving Guy is actually quite responsible. He knows his actions to test Ayanokoji implicated Class D, and he's willing to use his own private points to help them.]

[Money-Giving Guy only said he'd help pay if Class D couldn't gather the points. If they can gather enough themselves, he definitely won't help.]

[The previous comments were wrong. Money-Giving Guy himself said he would use a better method to solve it, so he definitely won't pay.]

[So... what is this better method?]

[I think it should be reporting the teacher. After all, it was the teacher who highlighted the wrong key points, which caused four people to fail the history subject. Maybe they can secure a chance for a history retake.]

[Hahaha, reporting the teacher, that's something else.]

After this plot segment, Takada Hikaru had no more screen time in this episode.

Through the anime, he learned the subsequent development of the story.

Kushida Kikyo made many friends among the first-year students, including those from A Class and B Class. Under her offensive of acting cute, being endearing, and feigning distress, the students from both classes couldn't bear it and took out points to lend to her.

Before school ended, Kushida Kikyo successfully borrowed 290,000 private points. Compiling this with the private points collected by D Class, they finally managed to gather enough points to save everyone.

'As expected, with Kushida around, D Class could definitely gather the points.'

After watching the anime, Takada Hikaru made this assessment.

The special exam in the true sense hadn't started yet, and the first-year students hadn't yet formed a sense of competition, mostly maintaining a friendly attitude toward classmates from other classes.

Furthermore, Kushida Kikyo presented the image of an angel in front of everyone. Even if students from other classes disliked Class D students, they still took out their points for Kushida Kikyo's sake.

Damn Class D, how dare you cause Kushida so much trouble. You really deserve to be expelled!

Although Takada Hikaru didn't know mind reading, most of the students who lent money to Kushida Kikyo probably felt this way.

However, the person who most wanted to curse was definitely Kushida Kikyo.

She was borrowing money, and eventually, it would need to be repaid. If she didn't repay it, her image in the eyes of others would certainly decline.

This was practically killing her!

At the end of the Midterm Exam Arc, the stressed-out Kushida Kikyo went to a deserted grove and relieved her stress by kicking the railing and cursing.

"Chabashira, you dead hag! Is that how a teacher acts?! Constantly sneering there, I seriously want to tear that rotten face of yours to shreds!"

"Yamauchi, you deserve to die too! You failed the subject, yet you blame it on me! How can there be such a disgusting man as you in this world?"

"And Ayanokoji! No wonder you asked me to say I was the only one who created the practice test! You must have been thinking that if something went wrong, you could dump all the blame on me! You deserve to die just like Yamauchi!"

"Horikita deserves to die too! So what if you gave 50,000 points! Acting like some kind of saint!"

Kushida Kikyo kept kicking the railing, almost cursing everyone in the class.

This scene was not witnessed by Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, the protagonist. Instead, it was seen by the audience as an easter egg after the ending theme song finished playing.

[Holy crap! There's a twist?!]

[Why did my angel Kushida turn dark?]

[Did the trash of Class D drive Kushida crazy?]

[Class D students are all defective goods. I guess this is Kushida's true nature.]

[Wuwuwu, my favorite angel turned out to be a bad woman.]

[I like her even more~]

[Don't kick the railing, kick me!]

While the audience was surprised, Kushida Kikyo finished cursing the Class D students and started cursing students from other classes.

"Takada, you bastard, are a jerk too! Ichinose said she would use Class Funds to help D Class, it wasn't even your money, so why did you butt in!"

In the end, even Takada Hikaru was cursed at.

—

Several days passed and a new month arrived.

On Children's Day, the A Class students arrived in the classroom and watched as their homeroom teacher announced the latest class points.

Class A: 1030

Class B: 1004

Class C: 400

Class D: 50

"After the midterm exam, the school awarded 100 class points to every class that safely passed the test, so don't be surprised by the increase in class points." Hoshinomiya Chie said to the students below the podium in a cheerful tone.

"The gap with Class B has narrowed?" Kanzaki Ryūji's expression became serious.

Last month, the Class Points for the two classes were 980 and 940, a difference of 40. But this month, the difference between the two classes was surprisingly only 26.

"As expected of the original A Class, they're holding on so tightly."

"They won't surpass us before the special exam even starts, will they?"

"That's possible. We were too relaxed last month. We need to study more seriously from now on."

The students in the class began discussing.

Seeing that her classmates were discussing the competition with B Class, Himeno Yuki raised her hand. "Hoshinomiya-sensei, since we still have class points, why didn't the school transfer private points to us this month?"

Himeno Yuki had checked the points on her terminal in the morning and found that they had not increased.

She had originally worried that A Class's class points had dropped to zero, but she felt slightly relieved after seeing her class's Class Points surpass 1000.

At the same time, she was confused about why she hadn't received private points.

"Mine is the same."

"Is the school's S System broken?"

After Himeno Yuki asked her question, the A Class students also inquired with Hoshinomiya Chie.

"Oh dear, don't rush, I will explain everything properly."

Hoshinomiya Chie pointed at C Class and D Class on the blackboard. "The school recently received news that Sudō-kun from D Class was involved in a violent incident with three students from C Class."

"The school authorities are currently investigating. Once the matter is resolved, the points should be distributed."

"Wait, it's D Class again?"

Hearing her words, the A Class students were dumbfounded.

They had only recently lent their living expenses to the D Class students to help them overcome their difficulties.

And now, in the blink of an eye, D Class betrayed them?