Chapter 48: A Different Path
In the days leading up to the exam, Sudou completely set basketball aside and devoted all his time to studying.
During their sessions together, he gradually realized that although the girl before him was strict and impartial, she also possessed some unexpectedly gentle qualities.
Horikita naturally approved of Sudou's change, since among the students, he was the one most in danger of failing. Even Yamauchi and Ike would manage as long as the plan went smoothly—but Sudou wasn't sure if he could even meet the minimum standard for his assigned area.
If one person failed to meet the target, the overall score would drop. In short, his situation was still dangerous. Fortunately, his newfound attitude had changed everyone's opinion of him, and they were now happy to help.
**
Sudou: "Man, seeing myself like this in the video is kinda mesmerizing. No matter how many times I watch it, I can't get enough."
Ike: "Speaking of which, Sudou, didn't you cause a huge incident before? Why didn't it happen this time? Is it 'cause your personality's gotten a bit softer?"
Sudou shook his head. Back then, he'd gotten into a minor conflict with Ryuen and was later accused by Class C, ending up on trial in the conference room. If not for Ayanokouji, Horikita, and Sakura stepping in, things would've gone very badly for him.
But now, because his temper had mellowed, he hadn't directly clashed with Ryuen. Maybe… things would take a different turn this time?
Even he wasn't sure. After all, he'd always seen Ryuen of Class C as a madman.
"Still, Kushida didn't get those reference questions from her seniors this time. Otherwise, we would've passed way more easily."
Sudou's words immediately drew everyone's attention to Kushida Kikyo. Indeed, in their memories, the study sessions had been rough—and there had been no brilliant plan devised by Hikigaya. They'd only barely passed the exam before, thanks to a last-minute test Kushida had brought.
But this time… Kushida hadn't done anything of the sort.
Ike: "Kushida, did Hikigaya's plan convince you so much that you decided to trust him completely?"
Kushida glanced briefly at Ayanokouji, then smiled with angelic calm. "Maybe. It's not the last day yet, so perhaps I'll discover a blind spot by then."
Her words were, of course, a lie. In reality, she and Ayanokouji had already gotten their hands on the exam questions several days ago. However, Ayanokouji's plan was to release them to the class only one day before the test.
Now, with Ayanokouji's disappearance and Hikigaya's sudden appearance, that plan had changed.
Fortunately, no one questioned her explanation. Instead, they all looked toward Hikigaya with admiration.
Yukimura: "This guy's seriously impressive. Sure, using old exam papers is one thing—but being able to reform an entire class with a plan that detailed? I can't even imagine how much thought he put into it."
Wang Meiyu: "And… even though he barely talks to us, he understands us so well. It's like he knows our entire past."
At her words, the room fell silent.
Most of them had secrets they didn't want others to know—whether it was Hirata Yousuke, Kushida Kikyo, or anyone else. So if what Wang said was true… if Hikigaya really knew everything about their pasts…
That would be terrifying.
Of course, it was just their imagination. Hikigaya wasn't that kind of superhuman—guessing someone's past through observation would be close to mind-reading.
But that silver-haired fairy might just be capable of it.
---
The day of the exam was fast approaching, and Hikigaya's plan was about to be put to the test.
Kushida didn't really want to follow Hikigaya's strategy, but she had no choice. Everyone's assigned areas were fixed. If she scored perfectly, she couldn't raise the class's average. If she deliberately tanked her score, she risked expulsion.
If she meddled with others' answers, it'd be easy for the class to find the culprit afterward just by comparing results.
In short, even the traitor couldn't act freely this time.
If she exposed herself now, her remaining three years at the school would be nothing short of hell.
That would be far too risky for Kushida Kikyo.
Her only true target was still Horikita Suzune. As for Hikigaya Hachiman… she found herself wanting to possess him even more.
---
When the results were posted, the entire class gathered around the blackboard.
Koenji Rokusuke – 100 points
Wang Meiyu – 65 points
Yukimura Teruhiko – 65 points
Miyake Akito – 60 points
Horikita Suzune – 60 points
Kushida Kikyo – 50 points
Hikigaya Hachiman – 37 points
Ike Kanji – 28 points
Sudou Ken – 24 points
The students stared at their scores with mixed feelings—but none more anxious than Sudou, who sat at the bottom.
Everyone had witnessed his efforts over the past few weeks. Even so, this was the best he could manage.
After all, his foundation was that of an elementary schooler. Scoring 24 points was already a miracle—thanks to Horikita's tutoring and Hikigaya's structured group plan, he had improved drastically in a short time.
Otherwise, his score might've been even lower.
---
Ike: "Looks like Kushida didn't get her hands on those past exam papers after all."
Yamauchi: "Yeah… looking at these scores makes me nervous. Think Chabashira-sensei's gonna kill us?"
Sudou: "At this point, I'm just praying I'm not short by even one point."
Kushida: "Don't worry. Everyone followed Hikigaya's plan—you can see how capable he is, can't you?"
Sudou clasped his hands together, as if in desperate prayer. "Please, please, please let it work!"