Kushida Kikyo Obtains Past Papers

"I know."

Kazehara Tetsu's expression didn't change at all. "So what I'm offering is a total price for the entire class. Your Class D has thirty-nine people. Averaged out, each person only needs to chip in a little over a thousand points. I don't believe that everyone in your class can't even scrape together that much personal savings."

Kushida Kikyo fell silent. She knew that if she could get everyone to pool their funds, this number wasn't impossible to reach. But the key was, how could she convince everyone?

Convincing the whole class to pool fifty thousand points to buy a set of past papers that might not even be on the test.

The difficulty of pulling that off was extremely high.

Class D was already a group lacking trust and discipline. Getting them to willingly hand over their meager personal points—how easy could that be?

Kazehara Tetsu seemed to see right through her concerns.

"The Midterm Exam is still two weeks away."

"Fourteen days. It sounds like a long time, but for those with weak foundations who need to start tutoring from scratch, every single second of those fourteen days is incredibly precious."

He tilted his head, his gaze landing back on Kushida Kikyo's face, which was twisted with hesitation.

"With these past papers, you can save a huge amount of time wasted fumbling in the wrong direction. You can precisely grasp the exam scope and question types. One day... no, even just half a day earlier, getting your hands on them would mean a massive boost to Class D's overall pass rate."

He didn't argue about the authenticity of the materials, nor did he vouch for his own character.

He simply laid out the simplest variable.

Time.

He placed it right in front of Kushida Kikyo.

The sooner you get them, the greater the advantage.

The longer you delay, the lower the value.

Kushida Kikyo's breathing grew a little rapid.

She instantly understood the subtext in Kazehara Tetsu's words.

Class D was currently a scattered mess inside. If someone wanted to use this opportunity to win people over, it wasn't impossible.

And then, what would she do?

But what if it was her, Kushida Kikyo, who brought this "lifeline" back to the class first?

She could almost picture the scene.

When she laid the past papers in front of her flustered classmates, what grateful looks would they give her?

Her already sky-high reputation would instantly soar to its peak, even surpassing Hirata Yosuke, making her the de facto, irreplaceable core of Class D.

This material wasn't just test questions.

It was a massive merit, something that would let her completely control Class D's hearts.

This deal... had to be made!

In just a short moment, Kushida Kikyo's inner heart had completed its shift from hesitation to resolve.

The troubled expression on her face vanished, replaced by her signature smile, full of warmth and determination.

"Kazehara, I understand."

She looked up, meeting Kazehara Tetsu's eyes directly. "But... I don't have that many points on me right now. Could you... give me a few days? Three days at most, I'll definitely gather the points and give them to you!"

Her tone was sincere, her eyes full of trust.

"Of course you can."

His reply was crisp and neat, even exceeding Kushida Kikyo's expectations.

He took out his phone, tapped the screen a few times, and then, right in front of Kushida Kikyo, pressed the "send" button.

"Ding."

The phone in Kushida Kikyo's pocket let out a crisp notification sound.

Somewhat bewildered, she pulled out her phone. The screen showed that she had just received a file from Kazehara Tetsu.

"This... you're just sending it to me like that?"

She looked up in disbelief. "Aren't you afraid... that I'll just renege and not pay?"

"I trust you, Kushida."

"An 'angel' loved and trusted by everyone wouldn't do something as stupid as betraying that trust and tarnishing her own image, would she?"

His voice was light, carrying a hint of teasing that bordered on praise.

The smile on Kushida Kikyo's face froze for a split second.

"...Of course not."

A few seconds later, the smile on Kushida Kikyo's face bloomed again, brighter than ever before, and also more fake.

"I love being friends with everyone the most. I'd never let a friend down."

She tightened her grip on her phone.

"Then I won't keep you, Kushida. Go ahead and 'bustle about' for the sake of your class."

Kazehara Tetsu left behind a meaningful remark, made no further move to linger, turned around, and departed with a flourish.

Kushida Kikyo sat on the bench, not moving.

She watched Kazehara Tetsu's back until he completely disappeared into the crowd.

Then, she lowered her head, her gaze burning as she stared at the file on her phone screen.

"...How could he know I... no, I've never seen him at my old school, so he shouldn't know about that incident..."

In the end, Kushida Kikyo couldn't recall where she might have seen Kazehara Tetsu before, so she temporarily stopped thinking about it.

She stood up, tidied her appearance, and the expression on her face shifted back to that sunny, cheerful, universally adored perfect girl.

She took light, brisk steps and headed toward the dessert shop.

The afternoon classes slowly came to an end amid the restless waiting of many students.

The moment the bell signaling dismissal rang, Kushida Kikyo, her signature smile on her face, was the first to stand up from her seat.

"Everyone, please wait a moment. I have a very important announcement to make!"

Her voice was clear and full of energy, successfully drawing the attention of all the students in the classroom who were about to leave.

"About the midterm exam... I know everyone is very uneasy. Our class's points have dropped to zero, and this exam... for us in Class D, it's a battle that will decide life or death!"

Her words instantly made the air in the classroom heavy.

"But everyone, don't give up hope!"

Kushida Kikyo's tone suddenly rose, filled with an inspiring power, "Just now, through my own efforts and... the help of some friends, I obtained something crucial that can get us through this crisis safely!"

She didn't keep them in suspense. She took out her phone and sent a file to the group chat.

"These are last year's past papers, and they're almost identical to the year before that. So I think, as long as we memorize these past papers, we're sure to get good results on the midterm."

Her voice was full of confidence, and that confidence infected everyone present.

"Whoa—"

The classroom instantly erupted into chaos.

"Is this... for real?"

"Oh my god! Kushida, how did you get this?"

"With this, aren't we basically set?!"

In the back row of the classroom, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka still wore that expressionless face. He looked at the girl on the podium, a hint of a strange glint flashing in his eyes.

Too early...

Was it really a good idea to make this "answer key" public right now?

Wouldn't this cause the students who already lacked motivation to study to completely slack off, abandoning even the most basic review?

A trace of doubt flickered in his mind, but he didn't voice it.

He was just a student who longed for an "ordinary" high school life. Letting others handle these troublesome matters was more than enough.

"Awesome! Kushida, you're really our savior!"

"Wahhh, I thought I was done for..."

"Kushida-chan, I love you the most!"