Just Want to Be a Slacker

Kamio Tatsuya recalled a plot from a manga he had read before.

In Naruto, the first written exam of the Chunin Exam gave the genin questions they couldn't possibly answer, but it was actually a test of their intelligence-gathering abilities.

The more Kamio Tatsuya thought about it, the more he believed his guess was correct.

Otherwise, there would be no need for students like Sudo to enroll in the first place.

Learning is a gradual process, and from the moment the school's rules were revealed to the Midterm Exam, only about twenty days had passed.

In such a short time, making a student who could only score ten-odd points pass was far too difficult no matter how you looked at it.

If that was the case, then just like that intelligence-gathering exam, there had to be someone in the school holding the correct answers.

With that in mind, the answer was obvious.

Since the first-years didn't have the answers, they must be held by the upperclassmen—specifically, the exam papers they had received when they enrolled last year.

In other words, there was a possibility that last year, or even the year before, the seniors' first-semester midterm and entrance exams were the same as the first-years'.

And of course, today's exam was no different.

Thus, the way to pass the exam was to obtain those past papers.

No matter how difficult the questions were, having the answers in advance would make things much easier.

"Is this the result you wanted, Chabashira Sae?!"

Chapter 49: The Method to Pass the Exam

Originally, there were two ways to pass this exam: one was to obtain last year's exam papers, and the other was naturally to accumulate knowledge through study and pass on one's own merit.

Kamio Tatsuya had chosen the second path.

But someone had deliberately blocked that second path.

So Kamio Tatsuya was furious, and at the same time, a wave of fear washed over him.

If he hadn't stumbled upon this issue by chance, if he hadn't noticed it, and if he had kept reviewing the wrong material, he might have directly failed this subject.

Although the odds weren't high, Kamio Tatsuya didn't want to gamble on something like this.

Failing meant expulsion, dammit!

There were many things Kamio Tatsuya didn't care about, but expulsion was not one of them.

This was his Main Quest—how could he let it fail for such a ridiculous reason?!

"And you expect me to put in the effort to lead Class D up to Class A like this?"

"Disgusting, truly disgusting."

Watching Kamio Tatsuya's expression shift back and forth, Kamuro couldn't help but worry.

"What's wrong with you?"

Hearing Kamuro's voice, Kamio Tatsuya let out a long breath.

"Nothing, just thinking about some things related to this exam."

Since he had his suspicions, he might as well verify them directly.

As the saying goes, properly troubling others is a good way to build relationships.

So Kamio Tatsuya didn't hesitate to send a message to the second-year senior, Asahina Nazuna, asking about the first entrance exam and first-semester midterm papers from last year.

Not long after, Asahina-senpai replied.

[Pretty sharp, Junior Kamio. You figured it out this quickly. Even Miyabi didn't discover this until a week before last year's midterm.]

As expected!

With Asahina Nazuna's confirmation, Kamio Tatsuya's spirits lifted.

[Can you give me the exam papers, senpai? I can pay with points.]

[I'll look for them when I get back tonight. No need for points. Your Class D has no class points left, right? Consider this a gift from a senior to a junior.]

After sending the message, Asahina Nazuna felt a bit curious.

Since he could see through this exam's trick, why had he let Class D score zero on the first month's Behavioral Ethics Exam?

She really couldn't figure out what this junior was thinking.

"What's wrong, Nazuna?"

"Nothing, just found an interesting junior."

After receiving Asahina Nazuna's reply, Kamio Tatsuya put down his phone and let out a sigh of relief, but he immediately lost all motivation to study.

Still, he picked up his textbook and started reviewing.

Even if he could easily pass this exam using last year's Past Exam Papers, that wouldn't always be the case.

In the end, one's own ability had to be solid.

To avoid failing, the only option was to study hard.

After dinner with Kamuro, Kamio Tatsuya had planned to head back to the dorm with her, but then he got a summons from Asahina-senpai.

"Sorry, I might need to stop by the second-year dorm building first."

"Second-year?"

"I asked a second-year senior to help me find something."

"Didn't expect you'd already have connections with second-years."

Kamio Tatsuya shrugged, then parted ways with Kamuro Masumi at the intersection in front of the dorms.

As agreed, Kamio Tatsuya waited a while at the second-year dorm building, and soon saw Asahina Nazuna come out.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Junior Kamio."

"I just got here too."

He really had just arrived, but even in that short time standing there, quite a few people had already noticed him.

"Here's what you needed."

"Are you sure you don't want any points? Even though Class D's class points have been wiped out, I've still saved up some personally."

Taking the stack of Past Exam Papers from Asahina's hand, Kamio Tatsuya felt a bit embarrassed.

He felt like he'd been troubling her a lot lately.

"No need. Consider it an investment in you, Junior Kamio. Maybe there'll come a time when I need your help."

A time when he'd be needed—that put him in a tough spot. Kamio Tatsuya scratched his head.

"As long as there's no risk of expulsion, I'll step in depending on the situation."

"Then it's settled."

Kamio Tatsuya's personality was actually quite simple: treat him with respect, and he'd return it twofold.

If Chabashira Sae hadn't used such disgusting methods, Kamio Tatsuya might have occasionally, on a whim, come up with a strategy for Class D.

But now? No chance. He even felt like screwing Class D over.

After parting ways with Asahina Nazuna, Kamio Tatsuya opened the Past Exam Papers in his hand, and an idea surfaced in his mind.

Stuffing the Past Exam Papers into his bag, he headed toward the dorm. A lot had happened lately, and he planned to rest well back in his room.

But for some reason, things always seemed to pile up all at once.

Sure enough, just as Kamio Tatsuya was about to return to the dorm, he spotted Ayanokoji Kiyonaka in the distance, sneaking around and hiding, staring at something.

And just as Kamio Tatsuya got close, that guy shot out like a leopard.

Fast!

Gossip was human nature, and Kamio Tatsuya couldn't escape the urge to watch a good scene. He quietly crept over, hiding in a corner to spy on what was happening.

"Enough. Let go of my hand."

"That's my line."

Two different voices reached Kamio Tatsuya's ears. One was Ayanokoji Kiyonaka's. The other sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

Quietly shifting positions, Kamio Tatsuya got a clear view of the situation.

There were three people involved: two men and one woman. Two of them he knew fairly well—one was Ayanokoji Kiyonaka, who had just rushed over, and the other was his desk mate, Horikita Suzune.

As for the last one, it was Horikita Suzune's older brother, the current Student Council president, Horikita Manabu.

Right now, Ayanokoji was locked in a standoff with Horikita Manabu, while Horikita Suzune leaned weakly against the wall, looking completely drained.

What the hell was this?

A bunch of question marks popped up in Kamio Tatsuya's head as he tried to figure out what was going on.

Just as he was pondering this tangled situation, Horikita Manabu suddenly struck at Ayanokoji.

He didn't know if the guy had trained in something, but his moves were sharp, each one aimed at Ayanokoji's vital points.

Yet Ayanokoji finally showed his true colors in front of Kamio Tatsuya.

Facing Horikita Manabu's fierce attacks, the guy's expression never changed, looking completely at ease.

And he said he hadn't trained in anything? No ordinary person could dodge Horikita Manabu's strikes.

At least Kamio Tatsuya knew he couldn't do it himself.

What's more, this guy probably hadn't even used his full strength.

Chapter 50: A Way to Leave Class D

Just as the two were fighting, a phone slowly poked out from a corner, quietly recording the scene.

After a few exchanges, Horikita Manabu judged that he couldn't take this guy down anytime soon, so he stopped attacking.

"Nice moves. To keep dodging my attacks like that, impressive." Horikita Manabu looked at Ayanokoji with approval. "Not only that, but you can predict my next move. Have you trained in something?"

"I've studied piano and calligraphy. I even won the National Piano Competition in elementary school."

Tch, you sure know a lot. Last time wasn't it tea ceremony?

How many more secrets does this guy have hidden away?

What exactly is he planning by concealing his true strength?

Class D is way too dangerous.

While Kamio Tatsuya was lost in thought, Ayanokoji suddenly turned his gaze toward him. "You over there, not planning to come out?"

Found out?

Kamio Tatsuya was startled. In this pitch-black environment, and with him consciously controlling his breathing, he'd still been discovered?

But he quickly understood—it was his shadow that had betrayed him!

Should he go out?

No way. There were no cameras here, and what if he got beaten up too? He didn't have Ayanokoji's absurd fighting skills.

With that thought, Kamio Tatsuya leaped out from behind the bushes and immediately turned to run.

Now not only Ayanokoji, but Horikita Manabu had also noticed him.

Both of them were instantly stunned.

This incident absolutely could not get out—that was the shared thought between the two, and they gave chase in unison.

Even Horikita Suzune, leaning against the wall, had her mind go completely blank. But her thoughts at that moment were simpler.

It's all because of me. Because of me, my brother is going to...

As for Kamio Tatsuya, after jumping out of the bushes, he immediately charged toward the dormitory building.

Though the two behind him were incredibly fast, Kamio Tatsuya had the head start, and the dormitory entrance was close by.

In the blink of an eye, he was inside the first-floor lobby of the dormitory.