Answer Trade and Undercurrents

Amid the tense atmosphere before the midterm exams, Fūki Ran made a bold decision.

"You want to buy past exam materials?" Horikita Suzune stared at him in disbelief. "I thought you were a rational person."

"These aren't ordinary materials," Fūki said calmly, packing his bag. "I did some research. The school has an unwritten rule—the basic question bank is only fully updated every three years. And this year happens to be the first year of a new cycle."

Kushida Kikyo approached with a worried expression. "But isn't this dangerous? What if the school finds out..."

"That's why we need to be careful." Fūki glanced at his phone. "I've already contacted a few reliable upperclassmen."

That evening, Fūki went alone to an empty classroom behind the school building. Three third-year students were already waiting there.

"You're the Class D student who wants the past exam papers?" The leading boy adjusted his glasses. "One hundred thousand points. No haggling."

Fūki calmly took out his student terminal. "I need to inspect the goods first."

After confirming the authenticity of the materials, Fūki completed the transfer. But what he planned to do went far beyond that.

Back in his dorm, Fūki analyzed the materials all night. As he had expected, although the questions were slightly adjusted each year, the core exam points and question types remained largely unchanged. He carefully compiled a key review guide, transforming the messy collection of past exam papers into a highly targeted exam prep bible.

The next day, Fūki put his plan into action.

He first found Ryūen Kakeru of Class C. This boy, known for his cunning, was loitering in the hallway with his followers.

"Heard you're worried about the exams?" Fūki cut straight to the point.

Ryūen narrowed his eyes. "What could a waste from Class D possibly have to offer?"

"A study guide guaranteed to help you pass. Two hundred thousand points."

Ryūen sneered. "Why should I trust you?"

"You can inspect the goods first." Fūki handed over a few pages of carefully selected sample questions.

An hour later, Fūki's student terminal received a transfer from Ryūen. The deal went even smoother than expected.

Next was Class B. Fūki chose Ichinose Honami. This girl, known for her integrity, flatly refused at first.

"This is cheating!" she said firmly.

"It's just making reasonable use of resources," Fūki countered calmly. "Class B doesn't want to be overtaken by Class C in the exams, does it?"

Ichinose wavered. In the end, she bought the materials in her own name, planning to "use them at her discretion."

The toughest was Class A. Katsuragi Kohei directly rejected the deal, but Fūki managed to sell the materials to some Class A students through other channels.

The transactions went surprisingly smoothly. In just two days, nearly a million points had accumulated in Fūki's account.

However, on the night before the exam, something unexpected happened.

"Fūki-kun," Kushida Kikyo found him urgently, "Ryūen is spreading rumors everywhere that someone from Class D is selling exam materials. A lot of people know it's you now!"

Fūki immediately realized this was Ryūen's retaliation—he wanted to keep the materials while also taking Fūki down.

To make matters worse, Chabashira Sae suddenly posted a notice in the class group: "We have received a report that a student has been illegally trading exam materials. The school will conduct a thorough investigation, and those involved will face severe disciplinary action."

The classroom immediately buzzed with discussion.

"I heard the person selling answers is in our class?"

"Who is it? That's terrible!"

"They should be exposed!"

Amid the whispers, Fūki remained unusually calm. He had anticipated this possibility and had already prepared a countermeasure.

On exam day, as soon as Fūki walked into the testing hall, he felt countless eyes on him. Ryūen Kakeru wore a meaningful smile, while Ichinose Honami avoided his gaze.

Halfway through the exam, the proctor suddenly approached Fūki. "Fūki-kun, please come with me."

In the academic affairs office, Fūki saw Chabashira Sae and a student council officer.

"We have received a report," the student council president, Tachibana Kiyomi, said sternly, "that you are suspected of illegally trading exam materials."

"Is there any evidence?" Fūki asked calmly.

"We have transfer records," Chabashira Sae said coldly, "as well as testimonies from multiple students."

Unhurriedly, Fūki took out a USB drive. "These are my study notes. I did sell them to some classmates. But this is completely in line with school rules—isn't sharing study materials between students encouraged?"

Tachibana examined the contents of the USB drive, his brow furrowing deeper. "These really are just ordinary study notes..."

"But the price was two hundred thousand points!" Ryūen Kakeru appeared at the door. "That's clearly profiting from the exams!"

Fūki smiled slightly. "Price is determined by market demand. If someone thinks my notes are worth that much, doesn't that prove my study methods are effective?"

The teachers present fell silent. In the end, due to lack of evidence, the school could only warn Fūki not to engage in similar transactions again.

Afterward, Horikita Suzune stopped Fūki in the hallway. "You took too big a risk."

"But it was effective, wasn't it?" Fūki glanced at the balance on his terminal. "And I got the result I wanted."

Yet Fūki understood that the repercussions of this incident were far from over. Ryūen Kakeru wouldn't let things go, and the network of connections he had built in other classes had already been exposed.

The midterm exam was just the beginning. The real battle was still ahead.