Silence.

  A deathly silence engulfed the cssroom.

  This pn was insane. Expelling more than ten students in one go—something like that had probably never happened before, even in a school as cutthroat as Advanced Nurturing High School.

  But on the flip side, if the pn succeeded, the benefits for Css B would be immeasurable. The only cost was points, and the risk was practically nonexistent—after all, Css B was never going to use the archived test papers.

  No one spoke. The students of Css B sat frozen in their seats, heads lowered.

  Then—

  A voice broke the silence.

  "I support this pn."

  A calm voice came from the back of the cssroom. All eyes turned toward it, only to see Kanzaki Ryūji raising his hand with a composed expression.

  "If our goal is to rise to Css A, then the other csses will inevitably target us. Instead of waiting to be struck down, it's better to make the first move and eliminate them."

  As he faced the gazes of his cssmates, Kanzaki spoke with unwavering conviction.

  Uesugi looked at Kanzaki, and for a moment, he felt a pang of emotion—fake crocodile tears welling up inside him.

  Kanzaki, you really are my best bro. It was wrong of me to call you Ichinose's pdog before. Just you wait—once I become css president, I'll make you my right-hand man.

  "I support it too."

  A voice rang out from the edges of the cssroom—Himeno Yuki, who had always been an outsider in css, silently raised her hand in support of Uesugi.

  Shibata looked at the two people beside him, clenched his teeth, and shut his eyes before raising his own hand.

  "...I'll support it too."

  Soon after, voices began rising one after another from different corners of the room.

  "I agree with the pn…"

  "Count me in…"

  "I…"

  Uesugi swept his gaze across the room, silently noting the names of those who had raised their hands.

  Not even ten of them, huh.

  Well, no surprise there. To personally sever someone else's future—that was not an easy decision for most.

  His gaze shifted toward the lone figure sitting quietly with her head lowered.

  Now then, Ichinose—what will you do?

  If you support my pn, you will keep the trust of Css B and continue being their beloved leader.

  If you oppose me, you will betray the interests of the entire css… just to protect the students of the other csses. Even then, you can still be friends with them.

  But if Css B ultimately fails to graduate from Css A, will your conscience be able to bear it?

  Support me, and I will crush the other csses. Oppose me, and your carefully built prestige will crumble.

  Either way, I don't lose.

  Will you stand with me, or—

  "No. I don't agree with this pn."

  Ichinose's voice rang through the cssroom. She lifted her head sharply, blue eyes staring straight at Uesugi with unwavering determination.

  Uesugi met her gaze calmly, then asked in a quiet voice,

  "Ichinose, you do realize that if we don't act first, the other csses will come for us eventually, right?"

  "I know." Ichinose's voice was steady.

  "You know that every css in the second year has already had students expelled, right? Even if you stop me now, eventually, people will still get expelled."

  "I know." Her tone remained unchanged.

  "You understand that this school values power above all else? If they're expelled, it's because they weren't strong enough to survive."

  "I know." There was no hesitation in her voice.

  Uesugi's voice grew sharper.

  "Then tell me, why are you still opposing this pn?!"

  "Graduating from Css A means guaranteed success in university and employment—a bright future."

  "As the leader of Css B, your cssmates entrusted you with that responsibility when they chose you to lead them."

  "And now, here you are, leading the charge against the one pn that could secure Css A for us in one fell swoop."

  Uesugi gestured toward the students of Css B, suppressing his emotions as he spoke.

  "Look around you. Thirty-nine cssmates. Shirakawa, Wakakura, Kobashi—every single one of them voted for you."

  "I know that expelling more than ten people at once is a tough decision."

  "But you carry the futures of these thirty-nine people on your shoulders."

  "If we don't graduate from Css A—"

  "If one day, the next expulsion falls upon Css B—"

  "Ichinose, you will regret it!"

  His voice reverberated throughout the cssroom, leaving everyone in stunned silence.

  Facing Uesugi's questioning, Ichinose stepped forward, walked up to him, and softly said,

  "And what about you, Uesugi-kun?"

  "...What?"

  "You also voted for me, didn't you?"

  Uesugi's body tensed.

  "I carry the futures of thirty-eight people. But yours… is the only future I haven't been able to carry."

  "Expelling people might be a difficult decision for some. But for the one who proposed this pn—wouldn't it be even harder?"

  "I know that you want to bring our css to Css A."

  "But if you go through with this pn—"

  "Against a still-standing Css A, against the remnants of a devastated Css C and D, against the resentment of those ten-plus expelled students—"

  "Uesugi-kun, you will become the sole target of every special exam from now on."

  "For the next three years, how will you survive in this school? Will you just hide away in your dorm and py games?"

  "One day, those students might band together, all of them targeting you, forcing you to drop out."

  "If that day ever comes… then I might never see you again."

  "Uesugi-kun, I will regret it!"

  Ichinose's resolute voice echoed throughout Css B.

  Uesugi remained silent for a moment before finally speaking.

  "...Then let's include Css A in the pn. That way, the pressure gets distributed evenly. We can leave Css A for the next exam instead."

  This was his final attempt to deceive Ichinose.

  From the very start, he knew this pn had risks—not for Css B, but for himself.

  He personally didn't care about those risks.

  But that didn't mean his cssmates wouldn't.

  And the moment Ichinose pointed that out, Uesugi knew—he had lost.

  After all, if they couldn't reach Css A, no matter how many points they stole from the lower csses, it would be meaningless. It would only benefit Css A, who had done nothing.

  More importantly, once Css B realized the risks involved, they would never agree to it.

  Watching Uesugi's silence, Ichinose continued,

  "I know that Uesugi-kun is incredibly smart. You have unparalleled talent and can come up with strategies I'd never even think of."

  "But—" Ichinose's gaze sharpened.

  "Don't underestimate me!"

  "Css B isn't just about you. If sacrifices must be made, then I will be the first to step forward."

  With unwavering determination, Ichinose decred the failure of Uesugi's pn.

  The entire cssroom fell silent.

  Shibata stood up hastily.

  "I—I refuse! Uesugi, I absolutely won't agree to this pn!"

  Kanzaki sighed.

  "I hadn't considered this angle. I oppose it as well. Sacrificing our friends for success isn't my way."

  Himeno gritted her teeth and gred at Uesugi as she raised her hand.

  "I take back my support. I'll oppose this pn to the very end!"

  One by one, students voiced their opposition.

  Uesugi stood at the podium, gazing at his cssmates, then sighed.

  "This is your decision. If you don't graduate from Css A, don't come crying to me. Bme yourselves."

  He turned and left the cssroom.

  What a bunch of naive fools. No wonder you were all pced in the same css.

  At the door, Hoshinomiya waited. Uesugi lowered his voice apologetically.

  "Sorry, Hoshinomiya-sensei. The pn to wipe out Css D failed. I'll make it up to you next time."

  Hoshinomiya pulled him into a hug, whispering,

  "It's okay. I know you tried your best, Uesugi-chan."

  "Winning against Css D can wait… but I only have one favorite student."

  ---

  T/N: wow... speech 100...