Time returned to the cafeteria at noon today.
The two were silent for a moment, looking at the exam paper they had purchased for ten thousand points.
"What do you think?"
Finally, Horikita Suzune spoke first.
Her slender fingers unconsciously tapped on the table, but her gaze was fixed on Ayanokoji.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka picked up an exam paper expressionlessly and glanced at it.
"The exam paper itself needs to be verified. As for the source..."
He paused,
"It doesn't seem like his style."
Although he had only met Sakamoto a few times and hadn't even spoken many words to him,
The man who, on the first day of school, resolved a conflict on the bus with an astonishing display, and later created the miracle of a perfect score,
His style of conduct seemed incompatible with such acts of "secret assistance" or even "selling exam questions."
Horikita Suzune even recalled the aggressive words she had spoken to Sakamoto on the bus at the time,
At this moment, she only felt that she had been utterly foolish then.
But suspicion is suspicion,
Regarding Class D's ability to recover from its slump in the First Year Midterm Exam,
Every possibility must be treated with caution.
"It needs to be investigated."
Horikita Suzune concluded,
"The authenticity of this exam paper, and... whether it really came from Sakamoto."
"Agreed."
Ayanokoji nodded.
"Then, division of labor."
Horikita Suzune quickly made a decision,
"I'll investigate the origin and authenticity of the exam paper. As for you,"
She looked at Ayanokoji,
"You go solve the problem of those three idiots and make sure they attend the study session."
Make her deal with Yamauchi, Ike, and Sudo, those three completely uncommunicative guys?
Just imagining the scene made Horikita Suzune feel a physiological repulsion.
This kind of task, which required immense patience and a certain affinity that she did not possess,
Was perfectly "suitable" for Ayanokoji, who seemed indifferent to everything.
Ayanokoji glanced at her, seeing through her eagerness to get rid of the trouble,
But he didn't object, merely responding indifferently:
"Oh."
This is why, after school,
Horikita Suzune appeared near the Class 1-A classroom.
Investigating the exam paper was the primary goal,
But at the same time, she also harbored a strong curiosity.
It had been a month since school started,
She had never truly observed this competitor who had crushed other classes with an absolute advantage and achieved a legendary perfect score.
Class A was the goal she was determined to surpass, the enemy she would have to face in the future.
Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated.
Taking this opportunity to glimpse the daily atmosphere and state of this "miracle" class,
Was undoubtedly extremely valuable.
She pretended to pass by, but her gaze sharply swept over the Class A window.
Then, she saw that scene—
Inside the bright and clean classroom, the golden glow of the setting sun shone.
Sakamoto stood by the window, tall and upright, holding an unfolded paper covered with writing.
The format and style of that paper were strikingly similar to the one she had bought at noon.
It was a shocking fact!
The first thing that surged into her mind was a strong sense of unreality.
Sakamoto?
The Sakamoto who seemed to always remain aloof, elegantly and calmly following his own rules,
Would he really engage in such an act of "bestowing" exam questions?
This was severely inconsistent with the aloof image he had presented.
But the facts before her were undeniable—he was holding that midterm exam paper.
This indirectly confirmed what the Second-Year Senior Student had said at noon.
The source of the exam paper indeed pointed to Sakamoto.
Complex emotions instantly surged into her heart:
Doubt, disappointment, and a hint of humiliation at being underestimated.
Was it because he thought Class D was too useless,
That he was "bestowing" them an opportunity in this way?
Her thoughts instantly became chaotic.
Her first instinctive reaction was:
He must not find out!
Almost at the moment Sakamoto's gaze lifted and was about to turn towards the window,
Horikita Suzune sharply turned sideways,
Quickly and silently retreated into the shadows of the corridor, and hurried away.
Her heart was beating somewhat rapidly in her chest.
She needed to sort out her thoughts,
And also needed to meet with Ayanokoji as soon as possible.
They had agreed to meet at the library.
He had already taken care of the idiot trio.
However, when she composed herself and walked into the library, the scene inside made her frown.
In the library, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was indeed already there, still looking expressionless.
But besides him, there were four other people in the room—precisely the problematic trio of Yamauchi Haruki, Ike Kanji, and Sudo Ken.
What made her even more slightly displeased was that Kushida Kikyo was also present.
This social butterfly, loved by everyone in Class D and even the entire school, currently wore her signature radiant smile, seemingly trying to liven up the somewhat stiff atmosphere.
It seemed Ayanokoji had used Kushida's social influence to successfully gather this "idiot trio."
A flicker of irritation crossed Horikita's mind.
She disliked this method of overly relying on external forces, and even more so, Kushida's smooth demeanor, as if she could get along with everyone.
But now, as she thought, the bigger picture had to take precedence.
To move up to Class A, she had to make changes.
And imitating the strong was the first step towards success.
For Class A to achieve a perfect score, Sakamoto must have played an indispensable role.
Therefore, learning his calm, composed, and elegant demeanor might also be a necessary practice—even though his behavior today had confused her.
Horikita Suzune took a deep breath, trying to suppress all the impatience and negative emotions in her heart, making her expression appear as peaceful as possible.
She initiated the greeting, her voice in what she considered a reasonably friendly tone:
"It seems everyone is here."
Her gaze swept over Yamauchi, Ike, and Sudo:
"Regarding the study session, I hope you will seriously consider participating. The upcoming mini-test is crucial for the class's points; we cannot afford to lose any more."
However, the idiot trio was, after all, the idiot trio.
Ike Kanji was the first to scoff, leaning lazily back in his chair, looking askance at Horikita:
"Huh? Study session? Horikita, are you out of your mind? Suddenly so 'kind'? We don't need that kind of thing; a last-minute cram session will do."
Sudo Ken also folded his arms, looking displeased:
"Exactly, it's a hassle. And why should we listen to you? You act all high and mighty."
Horikita forcibly suppressed the urge to retort.
She told herself to stay calm.
She turned her gaze to Yamauchi Haruki, who was the only one who hadn't immediately voiced opposition.
She noticed that Yamauchi's reaction was somewhat strange.
He didn't immediately join in the jeering or spout some embarrassing lewd remarks, unlike at the beginning of the school year.
Instead, he seemed hesitant, his eyes darting around, as if weighing something.
"Yamauchi-san," Horikita tried calling his name, her tone softened, "What do you think? A little extra preparation never hurts."
Yamauchi Haruki opened his mouth, looked at the resolute Ike and Sudo beside him, then at Horikita and Kushida, who were waiting for his answer with "kind" expressions.
Finally, his gaze even flickered to the almost invisible Ayanokoji next to them.
He seemed to waver slightly, perhaps due to Kushida's charm, or perhaps genuinely worried about failing.
But in the end, swept up by the consistent hardline attitude and "bro code" of his two friends, he awkwardly rubbed his nose, his voice dropping:
"Uh… I think Ike and Sudo have a point too… maybe it's not necessary to make it so complicated…"
Seeing Yamauchi ultimately choose to go with the flow, Ike Kanji snorted triumphantly, and Sudo also gave him a "you know what's good for you" look.
"See, Horikita," Ike Kanji stood up and patted his rear, "Those with different paths cannot plan together; you all study well yourselves! Let's go, let's go!"
With that, the three of them left the study room arm-in-arm, chattering loudly, not giving Horikita a chance to say anything else.
The study room door slammed shut, and silence instantly fell inside.
Horikita Suzune stood rooted to the spot, clenching her fists.
She had tried her best to restrain herself, even attempting to change her attitude, yet the result was still the same.