After everyone else had left, Toudou Shizuka, Kanzaki, and Ichinose stayed in the classroom and began grading the tests, their nerves taut.
When Toudou Shizuka reached Shibata's paper, her gaze landed on the function problem she had "hinted" at.
Shibata's solution was clear and complete, hitting every point needed for full credit!
The corner of her mouth lifted in a barely perceptible smile.
The value of her senior's study materials was beginning to show. And at last, her Simulation Point pool was about to grow again—thanks to Kanzaki's A-rank skill.
And that [Energy Recovery] talent was within easy reach. She only needed one final opportunity!
She looked toward Watanabe Hiroshi's departing figure, a flicker passing through her eyes. A C-rank skill was better than nothing; she could take her time raising his favorability later.
The results of the simulated test were tallied before school let out the next day.
Kanzaki Ryuji pinned several printed score sheets to the lectern. An air of nervous anticipation filled the Class B classroom.
"Shibata, you got 72 in Math A! That's a full 30 points higher than on the last quiz!"
Kanzaki's voice held restrained excitement as he pointed to the striking improvement on the score sheet. "You got that key function problem completely right!"
Shibata Kengo sprang to his feet. Behind his thick glasses, his face was alight with incredulous joy.
He opened his mouth, but it took him a long moment to find his voice. "R-Really?! Thank you, Toudou! Thank you, everyone!"
He looked excitedly toward Toudou Shizuka. She simply adjusted her glasses with a calm expression and gave him an encouraging nod.
[Shibata Kengo Favorability +5 (Current: 30/100 - Friendly)]
"Sato, your geometric proof was clearly thought out, and you got all the points. You scored 85! Excellent work!"