The next morning, the atmosphere in Class 1-D was completely different.
The information Hanayama had revealed the previous day had spread beyond the students who had paid for it.
By now, nearly everyone in the class knew the truth.
Their behavior in class directly affected the number of points they would receive the following month.
Once that reality sank in, even the most carefree students began taking school seriously.
Haruki Yamauchi and Kanji Ike, who normally spent lessons playing on their phones, now sat up straight.
Whether they actually understood the material was another matter, but at the very least, they diligently copied everything written on the blackboard.
Kiyotaka Ayanokōji remained the same as always.
Quiet.
Expressionless.
Watching the lesson unfold with unreadable eyes.
The third-period bell rang, signaling the start of the morning break.
“Ugh… Damn it!”
Sudō Ken suddenly kicked his chair backward and shot to his feet.
“This is suffocating!”
He glared at Ayanokōji, who sat directly in front of him.
“Hey, Ayanokōji!”
“Why’s everyone suddenly acting like model students?”
“Class was already boring enough.”
“Now nobody even talks.”
“It’s driving me crazy.”
Ayanokōji barely looked up.
“…There’s not much we can do.”
“If those are the rules…”
“Then we follow them.”
Sudō clicked his tongue in frustration.
Before he could complain further, Yōsuke Hirata stepped in with his usual gentle smile.
“Sudō-kun.”
“Just bear with it for a while.”
“This affects everyone’s Class Points.”
“We all want to avoid losing next month’s allowance.”
There wasn’t the slightest trace of accusation in Hirata’s voice.
Only sincere concern.
Faced with the combined will of the class, Sudō found himself unable to argue.
“…Tch.”
“I know.”
“I don’t want my points dropping to zero either.”
He shoved his hands into his pockets.
“It’s just…”
“The atmosphere’s so tense I feel like I’m suffocating.”
His anger gradually subsided.
Or at least…
It would have.
Until another voice deliberately poured fuel onto the fire.
“Heh.”
“How crude.”
Koenji Rokusuke sat beside the window, lazily combing his blond hair while admiring himself in a hand mirror.
“What an uncivilized display.”
“This material is so elementary that even I find it unbearably dull.”
“And yet…”
“You somehow manage to fall asleep during it.”
He glanced sideways at Sudō.
“Tell me.”
“Are your muscles doing all the thinking for you?”
A vein bulged on Sudō’s forehead.
“…You bastard.”
“Say that again.”
He lunged toward Kōenji.
Hirata hurried after him.
“Sudō-kun!”
But stopping someone with Sudō’s athletic build wasn’t easy.
Then—
Thud.
A heavy sound echoed from the back of the classroom.
Hanayama had stood up.
His enormous frame blocked part of the sunlight pouring through the windows, casting a broad shadow across the room.
“…That’s enough.”
Kōenji calmly closed his mirror.
“My, my.”
“If the distinguished giant himself requests it…”
“I suppose I’ll graciously end the discussion.”
Without another glance at Sudō, he returned to grooming his hair.
Sudō’s raised fist slowly lowered.
There was no longer anyone to fight.
If he attacked now…
He would be solely responsible for dragging down the class’s points.
Yet the anger inside him hadn’t disappeared.
Being ignored only made it worse.
And so…
He made the worst possible decision.
He redirected his frustration toward Hanayama.
“…You.”
“What’re you acting all high and mighty for?”
He pointed accusingly.
“Everyone else might be scared of you.”
“I’m not.”
The moment the words left his mouth…
Cold sweat rolled down his back.
(Damn…)
(I went too far.)
But retreating now would destroy what little pride he had left.
Hanayama looked at him calmly.
“…Pay attention during class.”
That was all he said.
Seeing no reaction, Sudō regained some confidence.
“Hah!”
“And why should I listen to you?!”
He took another step forward.
Then—
A massive hand settled onto his shoulder.
“…Huh?”
Hanayama hadn’t struck him.
He hadn’t even squeezed.
He had merely rested his hand there.
Yet Sudō felt as though an enormous slab of concrete had suddenly been placed upon him.
His knees nearly buckled.
(What…)
(What is this weight?!)
Using both hands, Sudō grabbed Hanayama’s forearm and pushed upward with everything he had.
The rubber soles of his sneakers squealed loudly against the floor.
Every muscle in his body strained.
Veins bulged across his arms.
His face turned bright red.
But Hanayama’s arm didn’t move.
Not even a fraction.
It felt less like trying to move another person…
And more like trying to lift a parked truck.
“Ghh…!”
No matter how much strength Sudō used…
The difference between them remained hopelessly vast.
Hanayama calmly pressed downward.
Nothing more.
Slowly…
Almost effortlessly…
Sudō found himself sitting back in his chair.
Hanayama leaned forward slightly until their eyes met.
“Pay attention in class.”
There was no anger.
No threat.
Only calm certainty.
After a long silence…
Hanayama removed his hand.
Sudō remained frozen.
His shoulder still tingled beneath the unimaginable weight.
“…Damn.”
Unable to say anything else, he weakly punched his own desk.
This time…
He stayed seated.
Lunch break arrived.
Freed from the morning’s tension, students poured toward the cafeteria and Keyaki Mall.
Suzune Horikita remained at her desk as usual.
A tuna sandwich from the convenience store rested on her desk.
She quietly took another bite.
A large shadow suddenly fell across her table.
She looked up.
Hanayama stood there holding a thick notebook.
“…Excuse me.”
“Cough—!”
Caught completely off guard, Horikita nearly inhaled her sandwich.
She coughed several times before hurriedly sipping tea through a straw.
After catching her breath, she glared at him.
“…Would you mind not appearing behind someone who’s eating?”
“You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
Hanayama bowed his head slightly.
“…Sorry.”
“I’d like your help with something.”
He held up the notebook.
Horikita glanced through it before sighing.
“…You really are missing a lot of the basics.”
She closed her lunchbox.
“…Fine.”
“I did promise I’d help you.”
What followed was an unusual sight.
The cold, aloof honor student patiently explained mathematical formulas.
Beside her stood a mountain of a man who looked as though he had stepped straight out of the underworld.
Hanayama listened attentively.
He never interrupted.
From time to time, he nodded in understanding and carefully wrote additional notes.
Ten minutes later…
Horikita closed the notebook.
“That’s everything.”
“You understand now?”
Hanayama nodded.
“…Thank you.”
As he prepared to leave, Horikita stopped him.
“…Wait.”
“There’s something I’ve been wondering.”
Hanayama turned back.
“You earned hundreds of thousands of personal points yesterday.”
“Even if your monthly allowance drops to zero from next month onward…”
“You’ll still have enough to live comfortably until graduation.”
She looked directly into his eyes.
“So why are you still working this hard?”
“Why attend every class so seriously?”
“Why study?”
It was a purely logical question.
Hanayama answered without hesitation.
“I’m a member of this class.”
“If I fail…”
“Our Class Points decrease.”
His voice remained steady.
“It would be shameful to neglect my responsibilities simply because I no longer have to worry about myself.”
“A man shouldn’t live that way.”
No one had ordered him to do this.
No rule demanded it.
He simply believed it was his duty.
Horikita’s eyes widened slightly.
“…You look like the boss of a yakuza organization…”
“…Yet your sense of responsibility is more upright than most ordinary people.”
Hanayama gave a slight nod.
“Every man has principles he must never betray.”
With that, he quietly returned to his seat.