COTE- The best detective has to study???

Chapter 10: Presentation of the System-S Completed

Chabashira: "This class D is the first to lose all its points in the first month. On the contrary, I applaud you for living so luxuriously until now. How commendable!" *Chabashira-sensei's unnatural applause echoed in the classroom.*

Sudou: "Are we going to be the laughingstock of the other classes now?" *Sudou kicked his desk.*

Ranpo: *standing in front of him and poking his chest with a finger* "This behavior doesn't seem like model student behavior, does it?"

Sudou: "What do you know, you bastard?!"

Ranpo: "I know a lot, but I have a better question. What do you know? Do you want me to answer for you? Nothing, you know nothing."

Sudou: "You son of a bitch!" *trying to punch Ranpo*

Hirata: "No, Sudou-kun!" *trying to stop Sudou's punch*

But Sudou's punch never reached Ranpo. Behind Sudou was Koenji, effortlessly holding his arm.

Koenji casually looked at Sudou with a slight mocking smile on his face.

Koenji: *casually looking at Sudou with a mocking smile* "If only you used your brain instead of physical strength, Sudou boy. Oh well, you can't fix stupid."

Sudou: "What did you say?" *He tried to punch Koenji but was held back. Koenji simply chuckled and smiled.*

Koenji: "Maybe you should restrain him; I don't want him to get hurt. His stupidity might be contagious~" *tightening his grip on Sudou's arm, causing him to fall to the floor*

Ranpo: *looks at Koenji and smiles* "I think that's enough." *walking calmly back to his seat* "Chaba-sensei, you can now reveal the results."

Chabashira: "Alright, I have some more bad news to share." *She placed another sheet of paper on the blackboard. The names of all the classmates were listed, and next to each name was a number.* "Looking at these numbers, I've come to understand that there are many idiots in this class." *She looked at the students as her heels clicked on the floor.* "These are the scores from the test a few days ago. Sensei was thrilled after seeing your wonderful performance. Seriously, what did you study in junior high?"

Almost everyone scored below 60. Ignoring Sudou's magnificent score of 14, the lowest was Ike with 24. The average score was 65.

Chabashira: "If this test were recorded, seven of you would have to leave the school. Fortunately, it wasn't, right?"

— "Leave? What do you mean?"

Chabashira: "Why, haven't I explained? If you get a failing grade on a midterm or final exam in any subject, you must leave the school. In this test, it would be everyone who scored below 32. Boy, you are really dumb."

— "Whaaaaaat!?"

The seven people who failed, or in other words, Ike and his group, let out surprised voices. On the paper, there was a red line separating the rest of the class from the seven people, the highest of whom was Kikuchi with a score of 31. In other words, everyone after Kikuchi had failed.

Ike: "Don't mess with me, Sae-chan-sensei! Don't joke about leaving the school!"

Chabashira: "I'm speechless too. These are the school's rules, so prepare for the worst."

Koenji: "As the teacher said, there seem to be many fools here~"

— "What's that, Koenji?! Your score is in red too!"

Koenji: "Hah. Where are your eyes looking, boy? Look carefully."

— "H-huh? Hey, Koenji's name is... huh?"

Scanning from below, their eyes gradually reached the top. And then... they finally saw the name Koenji Rokusuke. To their disbelief, Koenji had tied for second place. 90 points. 6 points below mine.

Chabashira: "Oh, and one more thing. This school, under government control, boasts a high percentage of students going on to higher education and a high employment rate. That's a well-known fact. Most likely, many of you will go on to college or seek employment in a company... But... things aren't that easy in the real world. People like you, who are at a very low level, will probably struggle to get into college or find a job."

Hirata: "In other words, to make our dreams of getting a job or entering college come true, surpassing class C is probably the minimum."

Chabashira: "That's also a bit incorrect, Hirata. There's no way to achieve your dreams unless you surpass class A. The school guarantees nothing for all other students."

— "That's... that's something I've never heard of before! This is absurd!"

He stood up. He was the person who tied Koenji's score, Yukimura.

Koenji: "How embarrassing. There's nothing as pitiable as children making a fuss and getting scared."

As if he sensed something from Yukimura's words, Koenji let out a sigh.

Yukimura: "Koenji, Edogawa... don't you have any resentment for being in class D?"

Koenji: "Resentment? Why would I feel resentment? I don't understand."

Yukimura: "Because we've been told that our class is the accumulation of leftovers, and our chances of going to higher education or getting a job are slim!"

Koenji: "Fu. That's nonsense. I can't even respond to that utter stupidity." *Koenji continued to polish his nails. He didn't even face Yukimura while talking.* "This school hasn't seen all of my potential yet. I value, respect, and consider myself much higher than anyone else. Even if the school puts me in class D, it means nothing to me. If, for example, I have to leave school, it's fine. After all, it's the school that will come crawling back to me."

Yukimura: "And you, Edogawa...?"

Ranpo: "Ehh, should I care? I'm the best detective. Any agency would die to have me. The class I'm in is irrelevant."

—-----------------------------------------------------

After Chabashira-sensei left the classroom, the entire room was in an uproar.

Yukimura: "More than the points, this is a class problem. Why the hell were we put in class D? Wait, does that mean we won't be able to go to the university we want?"

Hirata: "I understand that everyone is panicking right now, but let's calm down."

Yukimura: "How can we calm down in this situation? Aren't you frustrated that we're the class of leftovers!?"

Hirata: "Although I said I am, isn't it better to work

together to get out of this situation?"

Yukimura: "Get out of this situation? First of all, I don't even agree with this class hierarchy!"

Hirata: "I understand your feelings perfectly. However, it's pointless to sit here and complain about it."

Yukimura: "What!?"

But all of that is irrelevant to me. I hope the seed has been planted in Sudou. Right now, he's the only person who can be used as bait.

And don't think of me as some manipulative psychopath or something. Even without my involvement, the other classes would probably use Sudou to attack us. I just believe this is the best way to help him develop faster.