Suzune Horikita's Study Group

That night, after returning to the dorm, Konoe thought about how to handle the Midterm Exam.

As things stood, the students who were willing to study seemed likely to pass. The ones with the least chance were still the Idiot Trio.

Even with Ayanokoji's help, Horikita's approach to dealing with people meant her remedial lessons might not go smoothly. Besides, Ayanokoji still had to keep up the appearance of being an average student, so he might not help directly with the lessons.

At the thought, Konoe's face clouded over. Even if Sudo and the others started studying hard, who could guarantee they would pass?

Wait, something's off. There's something that doesn't add up...

Passing... Speaking of which, how was the passing score calculated? It seemed to be thirty-three this time...

Lying in bed in his pajamas, Konoe knew he needed to use his Mind Palace to organize the problem and come up with a practical solution:

Could Hirata's Study Group guarantee that everyone except the trio would pass?

Why was the passing score thirty-three?

What would the Midterm Exam be like? Would it be like the Mini-test?

Would Horikita make the trio study properly? Even with Ayanokoji's help, could they pass if they started now? And, at the end of the day, why had they chosen this school?

There were so many students at this school who weren't good at studying. Chabashira had said that the school didn't judge students by grades alone, so why would it expel students who failed?

With these questions in mind, Konoe used his Mind Palace.

Every detail, from the moment Chabashira announced the Midterm Exam, unfolded in his mind.

There was no problem with Hirata's Study Group. The students who were willing to take part were already fairly motivated, so they had a good chance of passing.

The passing score was calculated by taking half the average score of all the students and rounding to the nearest whole number. That was why it was thirty-three.

The school had only just opened, so the Midterm Exam couldn't be very difficult. He still didn't know why the Mini-test had included some incredibly hard questions, though.

The trio studying under Horikita would definitely run into trouble. Horikita's personality meant she wouldn't have the patience to deal with students like Sudo and Yamauchi.

There was a reason students like Sudo were at this school: even the upperclassmen had delinquents who weren't good at studying, and they'd made it through these tests.

Konoe opened his eyes and decided what he would do next:

He would put Hirata's Study Group aside for now. It would be best to find a D Class upperclassman and confirm how they'd passed the tests. Then he needed to observe Horikita's Study Group and help out, and afterward gather information from Chabashira and the Student Council.

Ugh, earning 100000 Points won't be easy... After sorting out his thoughts, Konoe drifted off to sleep.

The following day, after school.

It wasn't time for the class Study Group yet, but Konoe still let Hirata know that he was going to check on the trio and might not make it today. Hirata was entirely in favor of it and said he would take care of things here.

Konoe used his phone to find out from Ayanokoji that they were studying in the library.

As soon as he entered the library, he heard Sudo's furious voice:

"You dare call me stupid and ignorant? Huh?"

"Exactly. When a student like you can't even solve a system of equations, I shudder to think how you'll survive in the real world." The cold, cutting tone could only belong to Horikita.

Even though she was a girl, Sudo still grabbed Horikita by the collar.

"Sudo!" Kushida stood up and tried to intervene. She was probably the helper Ayanokoji had found.

"What's the point of solving problems? Do we even need to study? I'd rather practice basketball than sit here doing problems. I'd be much better off becoming a pro than turning into some bookworm!"

"Is that so? How childish. Solving problems one by one is what can change your life. In other words, studying isn't useless; it can make your future easier. Basketball is no different. You only seem to play the parts you're good at. When it comes to the parts you really need to work on, do you avoid them just like you avoid studying? I doubt you practice seriously. And basketball is a team sport. With your personality, which disrupts the harmony around you, if I were your coach, I'd never let you become a regular player."

"You!" Whether she'd hit too close to home or her words had gone too far, Sudo couldn't answer for a moment.

"I'm not interested in you at all, but I can tell what kind of person you are at a glance. Pro basketball? Do you think the world makes it that easy for someone like you to achieve his dream? Someone who gives up halfway will never become a pro. Even if you somehow made it, you'd never earn the salary you're hoping for. The moment you chose that goal without knowing your limits, you proved yourself an idiot."

"You!"

Seeing this, Kushida hurried over and grabbed Sudo by the arm, while Ayanokoji looked calm.

Sudo was clearly on the verge of losing control, but Horikita wasn't the least bit intimidated. She continued to look at him with cold eyes as she said:

"Why don't you give up on studying right now? No, just drop out. Then abandon that ridiculous dream of becoming a professional basketball player, get a job, and live a miserable life."

"Fine by me! I'm done. This is only going to make things harder for me anyway. I even took time off from club activities to come here, and it was a complete waste. See you!"

"How ridiculous. Studying is supposed to be hard," Horikita said with a sneer.

Horikita kept relentlessly going after him. Without Kushida intervening, Sudo might really have hit her. At that moment, Sudo was impatiently putting his books and supplies back into his bag one by one.

Watching this, Konoe couldn't help thinking about what Horikita had said.

What Horikita said was right, and it was even the consensus of society. But that didn't give her the right to insult someone to his face and sneer at his dream. Even if everything she said was correct, she should still have considered his feelings to some extent—not only out of respect for him, but also to get the best result.

Horikita currently had the upper hand in the conversation because the school had set them the challenge of the Midterm Exam, and Sudo knew he'd be expelled if he didn't study. As the person guiding the trio, Horikita naturally held the advantage. But if she kept criticizing others without giving them any leeway, could Sudo really continue?

Would the school's next challenge definitely be studying? In other words, was someone like Sudo necessarily useless?

Konoe didn't think so.

While Konoe was lost in thought, the trio had already gone their separate ways and left. The atmosphere made it awkward for him to go over and say hello, so he simply kept watching. Only Horikita, Kushida, and Ayanokoji remained.

"Horikita, if you act like this, nobody will want to study with you."

"I was wrong. Even if I teach them now and they pass the Midterm Exam, they'll end up in the same predicament next time. I've realized that this whole thing is inefficient and pointless."

"What do you mean by that?" Kushida asked, confused.

"I mean those deadweights would be better off leaving as soon as possible."

Konoe considered Horikita's plan. It might actually increase their chances of Ascending to Class A, but it was risky too. No matter what, though, Konoe wouldn't accept it. He didn't care whether they Ascended to Class A; he still needed to secure the 100000 Points from Chabashira.

"How can you say that? Ayanokoji, say something!"

"If Horikita came to that conclusion, then there's nothing wrong with it, is there?"

"A-Ayanokoji, are you saying that too?"

"Yeah. I'm not going to abandon those guys, but I'm no good at teaching, so there's nothing I can do. In the end, I'm no different from Horikita." Ayanokoji replied calmly.

Konoe couldn't help sneering. He hadn't figured out just how capable Ayanokoji was yet, but he was definitely not as helpless as he claimed. The reason he wasn't going to do anything was probably the same as Konoe's: he didn't care whether they Ascended to another class and couldn't be bothered to get involved.

"I see... I understand." A shadow fell over Kushida's face. "I'll find a way. I absolutely refuse to say goodbye to everyone this soon."

"Kushida, do you really mean that?" Horikita asked abruptly.

"What do you mean? I don't understand..."

"If you mean it sincerely, then fine. But I don't believe you really want to help them."

Hearing Horikita say that, Konoe couldn't help feeling puzzled. He was impressed by Kushida's enthusiasm, but was it really something to doubt? And given Horikita's personality, she was cold to everyone. Normally, she shouldn't care about what Kushida said or even give it a second thought.

Something feels off, and then there was the Cafe... Konoe recalled a few things from when the four of them had gone to the Cafe. Horikita seemed to know something about Kushida, and she knew for certain that Kushida didn't want her to say it out loud.

"What? I don't understand what you mean. How can you say something so offensive without a care, Horikita? That... hurts my feelings."

Kushida lowered her head. Then, as if she'd cheered herself up, she immediately lifted it again and said, "Then I'll be going. See you tomorrow." With that, she left.

There are just too many strange things. Anyway... I should go comfort Kushida first and leave Horikita to Ayanokoji. Thinking this, Konoe followed Kushida at an unhurried pace.