Class B's Plan

"...This is exactly the same as what we took last week!"

Ichinose Honami let out a low exclamation, her face full of disbelief.

She turned her head to look at the calmly seated Kazehara Tetsu beside her, her eyes filled with immense confusion and shock.

"Kagihara... how did you know that even the quiz questions would be the same as last year's? It's almost like... you saw the script in advance!"

"Honami, let me ask you—what did you think of the difficulty of those three bonus questions on last week's quiz?"

"Difficulty... very high."

Ichinose Honami recalled, "Especially the last math problem; it wasn't even something an ordinary college student could handle. In our Class B, only a very few managed to barely solve one of the three."

"Exactly. That's the issue. Since the school clearly knows these questions are far beyond our current knowledge level, why put them in the test? To distinguish geniuses from ordinary people? Maybe that's part of it. But more importantly, it's a kind of 'hint.'"

"Hint?"

"Yes, a hint."

"It's telling us that the 'rules' of this school aren't just the ones written on paper. When a road looks like a dead end, there's always another shortcut to the exit."

"High-difficulty questions mean the school doesn't expect us to score through 'normal' solving methods. It's encouraging us to find 'abnormal' means. And for an exam, what's the most direct, most effective 'abnormal' means?"

He turned back, looking at the thoughtful Ichinose Honami.

"...It's getting last year's test papers." Ichinose Honami followed his line of reasoning and reached the conclusion.

"Completely correct."

A look of approval appeared on Kazehara Tetsu's face, "So, from the start, I deduced that the quiz's bonus questions and the upcoming midterm exam have a high probability of using last year's versions. It's both a screening for new students and a reward for those who understand how to 'think about the rules behind the rules.'"

After hearing his analysis, Ichinose Honami fell into complete silence.

She looked at the man before her, a storm raging in her heart.

What Kazehara Tetsu had revealed was a way of seeing loopholes in the rules from a different dimension.

The two chatted for a while, then Ichinose Honami said she had things to do and had to leave first.

Ichinose Honami walked alone along the tree-lined path back to the dormitory, returning to the Pallet Cafe on the first floor.

Pushing open the glass door, the wind chimes let out a crisp sound.

Ichinose Honami immediately spotted several familiar figures sitting in a booth by the window.

Kanzaki Ryuji was holding a cup of coffee, his brow slightly furrowed, as if deep in thought. Across from him, Kobashi Yume and Shiratori Chihiro were quietly discussing the latest new desserts.

"Honami! Free for coffee here?" Shiratori Chihiro was the first to notice her, immediately breaking into a bright smile and waving.

"Everyone's here." Ichinose Honami took an empty seat next to Kanzaki Ryuji.

"I just met with Kazehara Tetsu from Class A."

"Kazehara Tetsu?"

Kanzaki Ryuji's brow furrowed deeper, "That guy who got a perfect score on the quiz? What did you want with him?"

"I didn't seek him out; he asked me."

Ichinose Honami recounted their entire conversation verbatim.

From the bonus questions on last week's quiz to the inference that the midterm exam would likely use last year's old papers, she left nothing out.

As she spoke, the atmosphere in the cafe booth gradually grew heavy.

Everyone listened with bated breath, their expressions shifting from initial curiosity to contemplation.

When Ichinose Honami finished her last word, the entire booth fell into a long silence.

The first to break it was Shiratori Chihiro, her voice tinged with doubt, "But... just because of a few hard questions, you infer the school will reuse last year's test papers? Isn't that a bit reckless? What if it's just a coincidence? What if this year's midterm changes the rules, and we waste all our time memorizing old questions—wouldn't we be finished?"

Kobashi Yume bit her lower lip, clearly troubled by the same issue, "Yeah, Chihiro has a point. If we bet everything on old questions and the exam content is completely different, Class B's scores..."

"But the quiz's bonus questions were indeed identical to last year's—I confirmed that with my own eyes."

Ichinose Honami immediately countered, "That can't be explained by coincidence. Besides, Kagihara mentioned that teachers hinted multiple times in class that we could 'flexibly' handle the rules. That's an encouragement to find 'abnormal' means."

"I agree with Honami's view."

Kanzaki Ryuji, who had been silent, finally spoke, "This inference, though bold, is logically sound. This school's essence is a filter. It doesn't just filter students' intelligence and physical ability; it filters how we use the rules."

"Then... what should we do?" Kobashi Yume looked puzzled.

Ichinose Honami offered her opinion, "We can memorize these past papers, focus on tackling high-scoring questions, and thus significantly raise our score ceiling in the midterm. But we can't rely entirely on past papers; we must continue studying the textbook content to ensure we don't lose basic points. That way, even if the exam content changes, we can hold our lower limit with our own ability."

"A double-insurance strategy."

The corner of Kanzaki Ryuji's mouth lifted slightly, showing an approving expression, "Exploiting the loophole in the rules to aim for high scores while not abandoning regular study to secure the bottom line. Ichinose, this plan is very solid."

Shiratori Chihiro's eyes lit up, and she excitedly slapped the table, "Right, right, right! That way we're not afraid of surprises. If the old questions show up, we get high scores; if not, our basic scores keep Class B steady in the rankings. Honami, you're so smart!"

Kobashi Yume nodded repeatedly, "This method is great—absolutely foolproof!"

Ichinose Honami felt a warmth surge in her heart as she looked at her companions' rising enthusiasm.

She knew that although Class B's students had different personalities, they could unite as one when their goals aligned.

She proposed, "Since everyone agrees, let's bring this plan up at tomorrow's class meeting and let the whole class vote on it."

"Haha, of course!" Shiratori Chihiro laughed like a little fox, "Haha... Honami, with our class's cohesion, I bet we won't even need a vote—everyone will definitely support you."

Kanzaki Ryuji even showed a rare hint of a smile, "Then see you at the class meeting tomorrow. We need to hurry—the midterm won't wait."

The group chatted a bit more about details, like how to allocate study time and how to use past papers to enhance learning, before finally going their separate ways.