More than a week had passed since the beginning of the second month,
and the classroom atmosphere of Class 1-B, which was originally Class C,
was entirely different from the oppressive and dull environment imagined by outsiders under the rule of a tyrant.
The air was filled with a slightly unpolished academic aura.
Ryuuen Kakeru sat in his seat,
his brows tightly furrowed, staring at the open math textbook in front of him.
The scratch paper in front of him was covered with calculations, but progress was clearly not smooth.
He clicked his tongue, his face full of frustration, but it was not directed at anyone,
but rather at these symbols and formulas that seemed like hieroglyphs to him.
Ryuuen Kakeru could use his fists and wits to make a group of troublemakers obedient,
but it was very difficult to make these damned math problems bow to him.
But this humiliation, he had to swallow.
Quizzes, midterm exams... these evaluations directly linked to academic ability,
also affected the precious class points.
His Class B had painstakingly climbed to this position,
and they absolutely could not drop the ball due to 'basic' problems like academics and be overtaken by the original Class B behind them.
For Ryuuen Kakeru, that would be a humiliation more unbearable than taking a punch.
To improve the overall quality of the class, studying is an unavoidable part.
His method was simple and direct:
Group students by their grades, form study groups, and have the high-achievers help the low-achievers.
Fortunately, perhaps due to the high scores in the first month bringing a sense of collective honor and confidence,
the guys in the class, while complaining incessantly, were mostly obedient,
and some even genuinely started to develop a slight interest in studying.
This is good.
Ryuuen Kakeru silently thought, suppressing the urge to throw out the study guide,
deciding to focus on external threats only after the First Year Midterm Exam.
After all,
Hashimoto from Class 1-A had approached him earlier,
hinting that the waters there were deeper than expected.
Just as he was about to grapple with another geometry proof problem,
two figures stopped in front of his desk.
Ryuuen Kakeru looked up.
Standing in front was Shiina Hiyori,
her long silver hair cascading like a waterfall,
her violet eyes calm and unruffled,
holding several literature books as if she were just passing by.
Following behind her was Shiho Manabe.
This former delinquent had short brown hair,
and her heterochromatic eyes—one brown, one blue—now held less of their usual aggression,
and more caution.
She tightly clutched a stack of papers that looked like test sheets.
Ryuuen Kakeru put down his pen and leaned back in his chair,
resuming his posture as the one in control.
"What is it?"
His gaze went directly past Shiina Hiyori and landed on Shiho Manabe.
Shiina Hiyori slightly turned sideways,
and said softly to Shiho Manabe:
"Manabe-san, please explain in detail to Student Ryuuen what happened to you."
Shiho Manabe seemed a bit nervous,
took a deep breath, and then began:
"Ryuuen-kun, it's like this... Yesterday afternoon, when I was shopping in the commercial district outside school, a Second-Year Senior Student I didn't know approached me."
She paused, organizing her thoughts:
"He claimed to be from Class 2-B. He said he was very optimistic about our Class 1-B, being able to overtake other classes and get second place in the first month... Then he asked me if I wanted to know how to maintain our class points lead, saying we could exchange personal points for it."
"I didn't think too much at the time, thinking it would be good if there really was a way... so, I transferred ten thousand points to him."
Shiho Manabe's voice was a bit lower, seemingly regretting her impulsiveness at the time.
"And then he gave you this?"
Ryuuen Kakeru pointed his chin at the stack of papers in her hand.
"Yes."
Shiho Manabe quickly handed the test sheets to Ryuuen Kakeru's desk,
"He said these were their midterm exam papers from last year, and that the questions are mostly the same every year. With these, we could easily gain an advantage in the First Year Midterm Exam."
Ryuuen Kakeru picked up the stack of papers,
and quickly flipped through a few pages.
The questions on them were indeed within the scope of high school knowledge.
"But,"
Shiho Manabe added, her expression even more confused,
"as he was leaving, he suddenly added that... he said Sakamoto-kun from Class 1-A had actually instructed him to do this. Sakamoto-kun hoped our Class 1-B could maintain its advantage."
Shiho Manabe scratched her head:
"I know who Sakamoto-kun is, that very impressive person... but his actions made me feel a bit strange, uneasy. I didn't dare to directly distribute the test papers to everyone, so I went to consult Shiina-san first."
After listening, Ryuuen Kakeru turned his gaze to Shiina Hiyori, who had been silent all along:
"Shiina-san, what do you think? Do you think this is something Sakamoto-kun would do?"
He asked pointedly.
He knew Shiina Hiyori often met Sakamoto-kun in the library, although he wasn't sure what kind of interaction they had,
but he had a hunch that Shiina Hiyori might offer a different perspective.
Shiina Hiyori gently shook her head:
"It doesn't seem like it. Sakamoto-kun's style of action is more direct and grander. This method of secretly selling test questions and deliberately leaving a name is somewhat clumsy and deliberate."
Upon hearing this, Ryuuen Kakeru showed a cold smile:
"Coincidentally, I don't think so either."
He casually tossed the test papers back onto the desk,
as if they were something dirty.
"I've clashed with that guy more than once or twice. These low-level, secretive tactics are not his style. If he wants to do something, he either does it openly, making it impossible for you to resist, or he makes it so you don't even realize it was him."
Ryuuen Kakeru's mind raced,
his eyes glinting.
"It seems some rat, who appeared out of nowhere, wants to use this opportunity to cause trouble for Sakamoto-kun... He's even faster than me."
"To be able to use a second year student... this rat is probably not from our First Year."
Ryuuen Kakeru reached a preliminary conclusion,
"In the First Year, it's impossible for anyone to be able to command a second year student so quickly. So, the mastermind is most likely from the second year."
This deduction made Ryuuen Kakeru even more annoyed.
He knew almost nothing about the second year, it was a realm he hadn't yet touched.
Now, ironically, he hadn't gone looking for trouble with the second year,
but someone from the second year had extended their hand first,
and their target was his current number one imaginary enemy—Sakamoto-kun.
"Opposing Sakamoto-kun, the more I interact with him, the more unfathomable he seems..."
Ryuuen Kakeru murmured to himself, his tone complex,
"To actually attract such strange enemies from a higher grade... How long exactly is that guy's reach?"
His thoughts returned, Ryuuen Kakeru waved his hand at Shiina Hiyori and Shiho Manabe:
"Alright, I understand the situation. I'll keep the test papers for now. You two go back and continue studying, and don't spread this matter."
"Understood."
Shiina Hiyori nodded slightly and turned to leave.
Shiho Manabe also let out a sigh of relief, as if a burden had been lifted,
and quickly followed.
After the two left, Ryuuen Kakeru sat alone in his seat,
his gaze once again falling on the suspicious stack of test papers.
Although based on existing information and intuition, he was ninety percent sure this was a frame-up targeting Sakamoto-kun,
but to be absolutely certain, he felt it was necessary to confirm again.
He took out his phone, his finger sliding across the screen,
and quickly found the contact he had recently added—
Hashimoto Masayoshi from Class 1-A.
The guy who had voluntarily disclosed some internal information about Class 1-A to him and expressed a desire to "make friends."
In this situation, asking someone from Class 1-A directly might yield more direct information, right?
He wanted to see just how deep these waters truly were.