Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e - Volume 6 - Chapter 3.0

Chapter 3:

The Paper Shuffle

A FEW DAYS LATER, our class’s atmosphere was heavy. The feeling wasn’t disappointment so much as nervousness. Class D’s homeroom teacher, Chabashira-sensei, appeared to sense it.

“Take your seats. It seems you prepared quite a bit in advance for this,” she remarked.

The moment Chabashira-sensei walked in, everyone went quiet and a bit stiff. We should’ve behaved like that originally. It was the natural way for a class to be, but Chabashira-sensei didn’t hide her surprise at our mature conduct.

“My, my. You all look so serious. It’s hard to imagine you’re Class D.”

“It’s because today’s the day you announce the midterm results, right?” Ike looked slightly nervous. 

Chabashira-sensei grinned in response. 

“That’s exactly right. The school will expel you immediately if you fail the midterm or final exam. I told you as much before, so I imagine it’s fresh in your memory. I’m happy to see that you’ve matured,” she replied.

Chabashira-sensei was impressed with this new, previously unseen side of her students, but that didn’t necessarily mean that our test scores would improve. At most, we’d just had a change in attitude. Naturally, our teacher said as much.

“However, results are results. If you received a failing grade, you’ll need to prepare for the consequences. So, without further ado, I’ll now post the results. Read them carefully.”

Her warning was genuine. The classroom’s surveillance cameras always had their lenses trained on the students, observing everything. If someone acted out after seeing their test scores, the school would undoubtedly respond with draconian measures.

“So, we can see everyone’s test scores?”

“Of course. It’s allowed by the school’s rules.”

Regardless of whether the Class D students wanted to keep their personal information private, their grades were posted on the blackboard for all to see. There was absolutely no privacy, nothing concealed. Just like a company might post up every salesman’s profits, our chart exposed the capable and the incapable alike.

At times like this, the ones who stood out were those with good grades and those with bad grades. The lowest scorers would suffer the most, though, becoming the object of everyone’s contempt. The threshold for failing hadn’t changed from the previous test, but the situation was a little different. 

“A score of forty or higher is considered a passing grade for all subjects. Anyone with a score under forty will face expulsion. These scores also reflect your results from the sports festival. If anyone achieved a score of over one hundred points on this test because of their sports festival results, the school would treat them as having received a perfect score.”

Meanwhile, the school would deduct ten points from the midterm scores of the ten students with the lowest sports festival results. Sotomura was one of the worst-scoring students in the sports festival from any grade, so he needed to score ten points higher in every subject to compensate. 

Ike and Sudou wore stiff expressions. A system where students could be expelled immediately if they received a failing grade was a heavy burden. Many students waited with bated breath as Chabashira-sensei slowly posted the scores on the blackboard. However, Horikita didn’t seem nervous at all.

“Wh-what?! No way!”

The results started with those students who scored lowest and went up. Many students naturally expected to see Sudou’s name at the bottom of the list, because he’d scored lowest on the midterm and the final exam. However, the first name to come up was “Haruki Yamauchi.” Next was “Ike Kanji.”

Following that came Inogashira, Satou, and Sotomura. Sotomura always had middling scores, but I imagined that the penalties he’d incurred from the sports festival resulted in him ranking this low.

“Oh no! Dude, did I seriously get the lowest score?!” wailed Yamauchi.

Fortunately, he’d scored over forty points in every subject, his lowest grade being a forty-three in English. He barely passed overall, with an average just slightly below fifty points. Yamauchi probably felt as if his life flashed before his eyes for a moment. He broke out in a cold sweat.

Sudou’s results were more surprising. Until today, he’d always ranked at the very bottom of the class, but now he’d moved up significantly, going to twelfth from the bottom. Even if you took away his sports festival points, his results were still incredible. Everyone looked shocked; he had an average score of fifty-seven points.

“I just obliterated a personal best! Dude, I almost got an average score of sixty!” Sudou shouted. He shot up and began literally dancing with joy.

“That’s not good enough to merit such a fuss,” said Horikita. “Especially since your sports festival points helped.”

“Guh! Y-yeah…” Sudou sat back down, looking despondent at Horikita’s rebuke. He was just like a faithful dog responding to his master’s orders.

“Sudou got an average of fifty-seven points. Study group gets results,” I remarked.

Even in his worst subject, English, Sudou had remarkably managed to score fifty-two points. Apparently, Horikita had tutored Sudou and the other failing students. I wasn’t invited to help tutor the group, but that was only natural. From the others’ perspective, I wasn’t in the “smart people” category. Besides, Horikita herself should have been skeptical of my academic ability.

“The study group had an impact, yes. After all, taking on the exams without preparing for them would cause you to fail, wouldn’t it? However, other significant factors helped. Sudou was lucky that this midterm test was made up of relatively simple problems,” Horikita said.

“That might be true.”

This midterm had been, without a doubt, a bit easier than usual. Some questions were so easy I thought the school might’ve included them by mistake. That said, Sudou’s hard work definitely paid off. Horikita was confident that the failures had successfully managed to cross the threshold and get a passing grade; hence her composure.

By contrast, Yamauchi, who had gotten the lowest score, looked like he was unable to hide his frustration over having lost to Sudou by such a wide margin. Horikita had tutored all her students equally, but Sudou had taken things a step further, giving up his free days to study one-on-one with her. The power of love really was a terrifying thing. Little by little, it looked as though his academic ability was beginning to improve.

“You have an average of sixty-four points. That’s so mediocre. Why don’t you stop fooling around and get serious?” Horikita asked me. 

“That was the absolute best I could do.” I usually scored around fifty points, so it’d attract attention if I suddenly got a perfect score. I thought it would be best if I made slow but steady progress. That said, Sudou’s breakthrough meant I could probably afford to increase my score a little more.

“It’s so insipid that you’re still playing the clown. Honestly, I can’t listen to you anymore.”

“I don’t think you’ve ever listened to me,” I replied.

“I suppose that’s true.”

She openly admitted it…

At any rate, because the test problems had been simple, there were a few perfect scores among those students at the top of the class. Chabashira-sensei even gave us a genuine compliment. “As you can see, no one has to drop out of school due to their midterm scores this time. All of you managed to pass.” She seemed content, so I assumed she would refrain from any constructive criticism.

“Obviously. I’m looking forward to next month’s private points, sensei!” said Sudou, his elbows propped up on his desk.

Chabashira-sensei responded with an unchanging smile. “That’s right. Incidentally, there were few real problems during the sports festival. It would be reasonable to expect a private point increase in November. I must say, in the three years I’ve taught at this school, no other Class D has held on this long without any students dropping out. Well done.”

Chabashira-sensei had never shown us this side of her personality until today. Quite a few students seemed hesitant to believe that it was genuine. In particular, people who didn’t usually receive praise felt a little awkward about it.

“You praising us feels weird.” Horikita was hard to fool. Although it was wonderful that no one had failed, she understood that Chabashira-sensei wasn’t the type to end on a positive note. The gentler Chabashira-sensei acted, the creepier we all felt. However, Horikita kept her cool.

Our teacher’s hair, tied up into a ponytail, swayed bewitchingly. Chabashira-sensei slowly passed between the rows of desks, as if intending to make a trip around the classroom. When she arrived at Ike’s desk, she stopped.

“You managed to pass, but I want to ask you something. What do you think of this school? I’d like to hear your honest evaluation.”

“Well, I guess…it’s a good school. If you do well, you can get tons of spending money. The food’s tasty, and the rooms are nice and clean,” said Ike. He counted on his fingers as he listed more things. “You can buy games and stuff. Plus, there’re movies to see and karaoke. And the girls are cute.”

That last part wasn’t really the school’s doing, of course.

“Um…d-did I say something wrong?” blurted Ike, looking fearfully at Chabashira-sensei.

“No. From a student’s perspective, this is quite a paradise. Even as a teacher, I feel that this school is almost excessively lavish. It treats the students here so well that it almost defies common sense,” she replied.

Chabashira-sensei began to walk once more, heading for my side of the classroom. I had the feeling she was going to ask me a question in front of the rest of the class. Don’t talk to me.

Fortunately, it seemed my request was heard, and Chabashira-sensei stopped next to Hirata’s desk this time. “Hirata, do you like this school?” she asked.

“Yes. I’ve made lots of friends, and I’m enjoying a fulfilling life.” Hirata’s response was exemplary.

“Don’t you feel anxious, knowing that you could be expelled if you happen to make a single mistake?” 

“Whenever I’m nervous, I work harder with everyone else,” he replied. His words of camaraderie rang clear, without a hint of hesitation.

Chabashira-sensei returned to the podium. It seemed as though she was trying to confirm something, but I didn’t understand what. Maybe she wanted a better sense of our class’s morale. Was she gauging our stamina, to see whether we could handle what was to come?

“Next week, in preparation for the second semester’s final exam, there will be a short test with problems from eight subjects. You’re all likely aware, and I’m sure that some of you have already started studying, but I just wanted to remind you,” said Chabashira-sensei.

“Geh! And I was just recovering from the midterm! Another test?!” Ike wailed. 

We had just entered the chillier months, and students who weren’t adept at studying would only continue to suffer. Obviously, tests were an important part of student life, but in the second semester the intervals between them were rather quick.

“That means there’s only a week left until the next short quiz! I haven’t heard about this at all!” 

Actually, the teachers constantly reminded us about the upcoming quiz. Ike’s obliviousness made me want to sigh deeply.

“Saying that you haven’t heard about it won’t do, as much as I’d love to tell you otherwise. Don’t worry, though, Ike.” Chabashira-sensei smiled as if she were throwing Ike a lifeline, but she did nothing purely out of the kindness of her heart. We knew her better than that.

Well, we should have, anyway.

“Really, sensei? So, I can relax and take it easy? Woo!” shouted Ike.

Chabashira-sensei looked away from him. “There will be one hundred questions on the test, making for a total of one hundred possible points. However, the questions will be on a third-year junior high school level. This test is meant to confirm that you remember your fundamentals. Furthermore, much like the mock test you took in the first semester, it won’t affect your grades. It doesn’t matter whether you score zero points or a hundred. At most, it will be used to measure of your abilities.”

“R-really? Good!”

“However, it’s far from meaningless—this test’s results will have an enormous impact on your next final exam,” she added.

Of course. Nothing could be simple at this school. The sports festival had just ended, and it seemed our next challenge was about to begin.

“Wait, what kind of impact? Can you tell us?” Sudou asked. I understood his frustration. Chabashira-sensei had purposefully drawn things out to exacerbate the class’s anxieties.

“I would love to help you understand, Sudou. The school has decided that this next quiz’s results will help determine which students to partner in class,” said Chabashira-sensei.

“Partner?” Hirata sounded suspicious.

“That’s right. Pairs decided based on this test will go on to take the final exam together. There will be eight subjects on that exam, each worth a total of one hundred points. Four hundred test questions, fifty for each subject. There are also two possible ways for you to fail that exam. If your pair scores under sixty in even one subject, then the school will expel both students. The sixty-point total, by the way, refers to the partners’ combined score. For example, let’s say Ike and Hirata were partners. Even if Ike scored zero points, they’d both be safe as long as Hirata scored sixty points.”

Everyone gasped. With an excellent partner, this would be an easy test. However, this still left the second method of failing. Chabashira-sensei ignored everyone’s shocked expressions and continued her explanation.

“There’s one additional hurdle to overcome. The school has decided that you must secure a certain overall score to avoid failing. Even if you get sixty points or more in each of the eight individual subjects, failing to meet this overall score requirement will mean expulsion.”

“So, the overall requirement represents both partners’ combined score?”

“Yes, exactly. The school hasn’t yet determined the exact score required, but in years past, it’s been around seven hundred points,” said Chabashira-sensei.

Seven hundred points. With two people working together across eight subjects—sixteen scores in total, two for each subject—you’d need a minimum average of 43.75 points in every subject. Even excellent students like Horikita or Yukimura could be at risk, depending on their partner. As a pair, your fates were entwined—and that included being expelled.

“You mentioned that the overall required score is still unclear. Why?” asked Hirata.

“Don’t be so hasty. I’ll explain the overall requirements in more detail later. The final exam will be held over two days, with four subjects per day, and I’ll let you know the subjects’ order. In the event that someone is absent due to poor health, the school will investigate the absence’s legitimacy. If it’s confirmed to be unavoidable, the student will receive points based on a rough estimate of what they would’ve earned given past test results. However, should the school find that an absent student didn’t have sufficient reason to miss class, they will receive a score of zero points for all tests missed,” Chabashira-sensei replied.

We couldn’t avoid taking this exam. The school was telling us that caring for our health was another test of ability.

“At any rate, you’re starting to behave like proper students. If this announcement were earlier in the year, you’d probably all be wailing by now.”

“Well, we’ve gotten used to it,” Ike responded. There was a touch of confidence in his countenance. “We’ve had to go through all kinds of stuff.”

“Well said, Ike. Many of you probably think the same thing, which is why I’m going to give you just one piece of advice. Don’t assume that you understand how this school works just because you’ve finished the first semester of your first year. In the future, you’ll face countless exams far more difficult than those you face now,” Chabashira-sensei replied.

“P-please don’t say such terrifying things, sensei,” said one of the girls, her voice aquiver.

“Well, it’s the truth. In years past… We call it the ‘Paper Shuffle,’ but one or two pairs are usually expelled due to this test. Most of them are from Class D. This is by no means a threat; I’m just telling you the facts.”

The class’s optimism rapidly faded. But what did Chabashira-sensei mean by “Paper Shuffle,” exactly?

“The school will expel any failed partners without exception. If you think this is a mere threat, then it might be good for you to talk to an upperclassman. You should’ve started building connections with them, after all,” said Chabashira-sensei. 

So, despite how cruel the penalties sounded, only or two pairs were expelled in a typical year? That part seemed a bit off. Depending on who you partnered with, your fate would be sealed. “It is what it is,” in other words.

“Lastly, I’ll be talking about the penalties for the exam. Although this is obvious, cheating is forbidden. Anyone who cheats will immediately be disqualified and expelled along with their partner. This isn’t just limited to the exam, of course; the same applies to all midterm and final examinations.”

Cheating would result in expulsion, which seemed like a harsh punishment at first glance. If this were an ordinary high school, the punishment for cheating would probably be an automatic zero in all subjects, a stern warning, or suspension at the very most. You could be expelled for a single failing grade here in this school, though, so of course the same would be true for cheating. Seems almost inevitable, huh? 

Chabashira-sensei was giving us ample warning to prevent students from panicking and making mistakes. However, the pair system was still a real problem.

“After I get the short test’s results, I’ll tell you how the all-too-important partners will be decided,” Chabashira-sensei added.

I quietly picked up my pen. Horikita grabbed hers at almost the exact same time and started writing something, her eyes fixed on the paper posted on the blackboard. Since she was taking notes, I put my own pen down. If Horikita was on it, I was useless.

“Wait, after the short test? What’s up with that? If you get partnered with the student at the bottom, won’t you be in deep trouble?” Sudou asked.

“Ugh! Ken’s humiliating me! I’m going to study hard and turn things around!” Yamauchi cried.

“Don’t push yourself. You’re all talk. You haven’t seen anything yet; I’ve been studying a lot,” said Sudou.

Yamauchi slumped, looking as though he were writhing in agony. Sudou’s words weren’t empty; as long as Horikita kept helping him, he really would work hard. In that way, he was somewhat convincing.

Well, that wasn’t terribly important. The important thing here was that the school was purposely keeping us in the dark about how the pairs would be determined. In other words, it was extremely likely that we would hear of a way to change who we were paired up with. Some of the students who had taken part in the special and written exams had probably noticed this. That included Horikita, who was sitting next to me right now, scribbling away.

“One more aspect of this final exam will challenge you,” said Chabashira-sensei.

While the rest of the class was slightly agitated by this, Horikita just seemed to want it all summed up. “So, there’s another thing we have to do?”

“Yes. First, the school will ask you to create your own questions to appear on the final exam. They’ll use the questions you come up with for one of the other three classes. That means classes will be able to attack one another, so to speak. The school will compare your class’s overall score to the overall score for the class that received your test questions. The class that scores higher will take points from the losing class. Fifty class points, specifically,” said Chabashira-sensei.

To sum up, pairs needed to score above seven hundred points in aggregate or be expelled. Meanwhile, we also needed to score sixty points or higher for each individual subject or be expelled. Furthermore, our entire class’s overall score had to exceed the overall score of the class whose test questions we set.

“Is there a way to create a gap in points? Let’s say Class A attacks Class B, and Class D attacks Class A,” said Horikita. “If Class A successfully carries out their attack on Class B while simultaneously defending against Class D, they’ll gain a total of one hundred points. However, if Class A attacks Class D and Class D attacks Class A, won’t things just cancel each other out?”

“In the event of a one-on-one confrontation of that kind, class scores may go up or down by a hundred points at a time. Don’t worry. Although this is unlikely, if the overall scores are tied, then the matchup will end in a draw, and no class will lose or gain points,” said Chabashira-sensei.

“So, we have to come up with problems for the other classes to solve. I’ve never heard of anything like this. How will this be executed? If someone devises absurdly hard questions…”

“Yeah, yeah! That’s right! They could pick stuff we haven’t learned yet! This is impossible!” Ike and some other students threw up their hands in frustration.

“Things might turn out that way if we left everything to the students. Thus, teachers will evaluate the questions you create. If they exceed what you have been taught, or cannot be answered with the information provided, they will be revised. We’ll ensure through repeated checks that each class submits fair questions and answers. Do you understand, Ike?” asked Chabashira-sensei.

“Uh, yeah, I guess,” he replied. It sounded deceptively easy, but probably wasn’t that simple.

“Creating four hundred questions, huh? That’ll make for a pretty tight schedule,” said Hirata.

We had about a month left until the test. A single person would have to come up with ten to fifteen questions per day to get them done in time. Although we could put several people to work devising questions, that would cause some variation in quality. If we had to make any revisions after submitting the problems to the school, we’d need to work quickly. A grace period might be something to ask about. If you also took Class D’s flaws into account, finishing the questions would come down to the wire. Hirata must have understood that, because he looked flustered.

“If you don’t complete the questions in time, certain measures are in place to help you. After the submission deadline passes, the school will utilize its own premade questions. However, please keep in mind that those questions will be easier,” said Chabashira-sensei.

It was nice to hear that there were relief measures, but in truth, they were a mixed blessing. We had to create our own questions, no matter what, which meant someone would have to do the lion’s share of that work in addition to managing their own studies. This test would be brutal.

“You may consult teachers and students from other classes, and you can use the internet. There are few restrictions. As long as the school accepts the questions, we don’t care about much else,” said Chabashira-sensei.

“So, our final test will obviously include questions from another class, right?”

“Exactly. I’m sure you’re all wondering what class you’ll; be up against, but it’s pretty straightforward. Each class will choose another class to compete against, and I will report that request to my superiors. If another class makes the same choice, representatives will draw lots. However, if there are no duplicate nominations, your choice of class will be honored. I’ll accept your nomination for the class you’d like to go up against next week, the day before the short test. You should think very carefully,” she added.

The final exam was us against the school—but this time, it was a street fight against another class then, huh?

In addition to the problem of how many points we need to earn as a pair, there was now another complicated system thrown into the mix.

“That’s all for the preliminary explanation. The rest is up to you,” said Chabashira-sensei.

With that, our classes ended for the day.