The following morning, as I awoke before Kimura, I was greeted by a notification on my phone.


    -


    To: 2-C


    From: Kaoru Hiroto


    Pleasee to ss, we have something important to discuss.


    We hope to see everyone here.


    -


    I slowly freshened up and made myself breakfast before heading to ss.


    *


    As I arrived, I noticed that most of my ssmates were already present, their expressions indicating that they were worried about what Kaoru had to say.


    "Is everyone here yet?"


    "No, there''s one more person," came the reply from one of the students.


    I took my seat, noting that the teacher had not yet arrived. As I waited, a figure appeared at the doorway, and I deduced that this was the final student to arrive.


    "You''re so slow!" one of the students eximed, with a hint of annoyance in their voice.


    "Sorry, sorry," theter apologized, "I overslept."


    Kaoru, the ss leader, made her way to the front of the room and stood before the teacher''s desk, ready to begin the discussion.


    "As you are all aware, midterm ising. Anyone who scores less than 150 in total will be expelled. With that in mind, I propose we organize a study-together session in order to maximize our chances of passing the exam." Kaoru began.


    "For this, I personally would like to propose a system where those who cannot fully participate will be responsible forpensating their ssmates for their absence. For example, if a student is unable to attend a study session, they will be required to provide a sum of points to the ss fund, which can then be used to purchase additional resources or hire tutors to aid in our studies."


    "-But what if someone has extenuating circumstances that prevent them from attending?" asked a student, raising their hand.


    "We will take each situation on a case-by-case basis ande to a fair resolution. However, it is important to remember that the sess of our ss as a whole should be the top priority," Kaoru responded.


    "What if someone can''t afford to contribute points?" questioned another student.


    "There will be options for students to earn points through participating in ss and contributing to group projects. Additionally, the ss fund can also be used to assist those who may be struggling financially," Kaoru exined.


    Some students immediately raised their objections, "But what if a student is consistently absent and unable to give the points? That''s too harsh," one student said.


    "That''s a valid concern," Kaoru acknowledged. "In that case, the student in question will be given a warning and a chance to improve their attendance. However, if their absences continue to negatively impact the ss, they may be banished from our ss."


    This statement was met with a mixture of reactions. Some students expressed their fear and frustration at the harshness of the proposed system, while others argued that it was necessary to ensure the sess of the ss as a whole.


    "I understand that this may be difficult for some of you," Kaoru said, "but we need to think about the well-being of the ss as a whole. We have to take drastic measures to ensure that we all pass the midterm and avoid expulsion."


    I sat in silence, observing the impassioned discourse that was taking ce before me. It was clear to me that the majority of my peers were gripped by an overwhelming fear of expulsion, the notion of which loomed ominously in their minds. Despite this, there seemed to be a reluctance amongst them to put in the necessary effort to avoid such a fate, a phenomenon that can only be described as


    Self-Sabotage.


    **


    After the debate thatsted for nearly half an hour, the discussion finally came to a close. The atmosphere in the room was tense, as the stakes were high and the consequences dire.


    "Now, all those in favour of this proposal, please raise your hand."


    As Kaoru asked for a show of hands, there was a moment of hesitation among the ss. One person tentatively raised their hand, and the movement was caught like wildfire. Slowly but surely, more and more hands began to rise up, one by one, until the majority of the ss had their hands raised in agreement.


    However, there were still a few students who remained seated, staring down at the ground in contemtion or, perhaps, disagreement. And it was at this moment that I too raised my hand in agreement with the proposed n.


    "We''re gonna arrange the group after ss."


    With those words, several of my ssmates rose from their seats and made their way out of the ssroom while the remainder of us remained seated, patiently awaiting the arrival of the teacher. As the minutes ticked by, the absent students slowly trickled back into the room, and ss resumed as per usual.


    As the ss was dismissed, all of the students remained seated, even those who had initially disagreed with Kaoru''s proposal. It seems they were hesitant to take risks, unsure of how much they would have to pay in points if they refused to attend the study group because Kaoru hasn''t said the amounts yet.


    Kaoru, armed with a piece of paper that appeared to be a list of the group members, approached the teacher''s desk. She began to announce the formation of the study groups, but there was little discernible pattern to her selections.


    The ss was silent for a moment before a few murmurs of agreement and assent filled the room.


    "I guess it''s fine."


    "I don''t mind."


    "Great. I''ll reserve a room in the library, corresponding to the group number. Group 1, head to Room 01 in the library, and so on and so forth. We''ll begin tomorrow. That concludes today''s meeting. Thank you all."


    And with that, the groups were set, and the discussion was dismissed. I made my way back to the dormitory and encountered Kimura along the way. His voice boomed through the halls as he called out my name, and he quickly caught up with me.


    "Mizuhara," he called out, his voice carrying a hint of unease as he caught up with me. "Did your ss also assign a study group?"


    "Yeah."


    "I guess we would spend all of our free time studying."


    It was clear that Kimura''s ss had done the same.


    I simply nodded, unsure of the extent to which other sses had done the same. But it seemed likely that it was a widespread urrence. We then made our way to our dorm room, where I simply sat in silence on my bed with my phone.