Perfect Score

Hoshinomiya-sensei's sweet call to action still echoed through the classroom. The heavy mood brought on by the sudden decrease in points and Class D's zero points was stirred by the hope and pressure in her words. The students of Class B wore all kinds of expressions: some were eager to get started, some were quietly resolving to do their best, and others were still processing the shock of the news.

Just then, instead of announcing the end of homeroom, Hoshinomiya-sensei picked up the folder that had been sitting on her desk. Her smile was still bright, but there was a touch more formality in her movements.

"All right, that's enough about points for now." As she spoke, she took another stack of snowy-white papers out of the folder. "Since we still have a little time before homeroom ends, let's go over the results of last month's 'little' End of Month Quiz, shall we~?" Her tone was light, as if she were talking about something trivial, but the little warmth that "working together" had just sparked in the classroom instantly cooled.

The papers! The "quiz" most of them had considered a nightmare!

The relaxed atmosphere vanished, replaced by a hush that mingled curiosity, apprehension, and intense lingering dread. Shibata Kaede mouthed "yabai" ("this is bad") with exaggerated horror. Kojou Yume nervously twisted her fingers, while Kanzaki Ryuji instinctively pushed up his glasses, fixing his sharp gaze on the papers. Even Ichinose Honami, whose Fighting Spirit had only just been kindled, looked at the stack with a hint of gravity in her eyes—the shadow of those three questions on the back was still fresh in her mind.

"Here, pass these down." Hoshinomiya-sensei handed the papers to the students in the front row. The rustle of paper passing from hand to hand sounded especially clear in the silent classroom, like the prelude to a verdict.

The papers soon reached Shimiya Kuki's desk. He calmly turned his over. The page was neat, his handwriting clear and confident. The basic questions on the front went without saying. On the back, beneath the tricky Spatial Geometry Cutting Problem, he had drawn a precise three-dimensional diagram and written out the derivation. Beside the Momentum Conservation Problem, whose conditions were a mess, he had clearly set up the equations and shown the Solving Process. Even his analysis of the difficult philosophical English passage was filled with orderly, insightful comments. There was hardly a single erasure.

Meanwhile, scattered murmurs and groans rose around the classroom.

"Ah... figures..."

"The last three questions are completely blank..."

"I only wrote something for the English one. I had no idea where to start on the math or physics."

"Same here. I couldn't even understand the Physics Problem..."

Kanzaki Ryuji stared at his paper, his brow furrowed. He had attempted all three questions, filling the math and physics sections with complex calculations and writing quite a bit of analysis for the English one, too. But now he was quickly circling a step with a ruler and Scratch Paper, apparently checking his reasoning for any flaws. Ichinose Honami looked down at her paper, where she had only answered the English and math questions and left the Physics Problem Area blank. She let out a soft sigh, wearing a slightly rueful but accepting smile.

Once all the papers had been handed out and the classroom had quieted down a little, Hoshinomiya-sensei picked up a piece of chalk, turned to the blackboard, and wrote several lines:

April End Monthly Exam Results

● Highest score: 100 points

● Average score: 87 points

● 90 points or higher: 12 students

● 80–89 points: 15 students

● 70–79 points: 10 students

● 60–69 points: 3 students

● Failing scores: 0

"Whoa! An average of 87?!"

"Twelve people scored 90 or higher?!"

"Someone got a perfect score? Who?"

"Those last three questions were so hard, and someone still got a perfect score? What are they, a monster?"

The classroom erupted in chatter. This time, alongside the shock, there was also a new appreciation for the class's overall ability. Everyone's gaze swept the room like a searchlight before almost all of them, without meaning to, settled on Shimiya Kuki. The answers filling the back of his paper had been impossible to miss even while the papers were being passed around.

Hoshinomiya-sensei seemed pleased by everyone's reaction. She clapped her hands and beamed at Shimiya Kuki. "That's right! The only perfect score on this quiz belongs to our very own Shimiya Kuki! Let's give him a round of applause~" She started clapping first.

The applause was much more enthusiastic than before. Though the students were still shocked, their clapping also showed their recognition and admiration for his undeniable ability. Shibata Kaede turned around at once. "Hey, hey, Shimiya! You solved all three of those questions at the end?! You even understood that physics problem?! That's incredible!"

Even under everyone's gaze, Shimiya Kuki remained calm. "Yeah. The questions were tricky, but still within my grasp."

Just then, Ichinose Honami came over with her paper in hand. Her face showed sincere admiration and a hint of curiosity. "Shimiya-kun, congratulations on your perfect score! That's amazing! That physics problem... I couldn't even fully understand the question, let alone solve it. How did you manage it?" She pointed to the blank Physics Problem Area on her paper, making no attempt to hide where she'd fallen short.

"The main thing is to strip away the redundant information and build a core model," Shimiya Kuki replied succinctly. "The question looks chaotic, but the central conservation relationship is clear."

Kanzaki Ryuji came over as well, his expression serious and intent, like he was discussing an academic problem. He held out his physics paper, covered in calculations, and pointed to a complicated derivation. "Shimiya-kun, when setting up the Momentum Conservation equation, I used a non-inertial frame, but I'm not sure the conversion condition here is rigorous enough. How did you approach it? Could you explain?" His gaze was sharp. He was clearly uncertain about his answer and eager to confirm his reasoning with the student who had scored perfectly.

Shimiya Kuki glanced at Kanzaki's work and replied calmly, "You don't need to introduce a non-inertial frame. The key is to correctly identify the direction of the effective force acting on the system under Non-standard Conditions. Setting it up directly in a Cartesian Coordinate System is simpler." He casually drew a small diagram in a blank space on Kanzaki's Scratch Paper and marked a few important vectors.

Kanzaki Ryuji stared at the clear, simple diagram and labels, his pupils shrinking slightly. He fell into thought, then understood a moment later. "I see... I was overcomplicating it. The effective force analysis... Got it." His voice held the relief of having untangled a problem, along with even greater admiration. He looked at Shimiya Kuki with a new degree of respect.

The students around them watched the three top students talk. Seeing Kanzaki and Ichinose both approach Shimiya for help, they felt their shock at the perfect score mingle with pride in the class's strength. Class B's Academic Ability was truly nothing to underestimate.

Hoshinomiya-sensei watched them with a smile. Once their discussion had wound down, she spoke again in her still-sweet voice, full of praise. "All right, all right, settle down, everyone~" She looked around the class, wearing a genuinely delighted smile. "I'm so, so happy! Your academic foundations really are solid! An average score of 87, twelve students scoring 90 or higher, and most of the class scoring at least 80—with no one failing. That proves just how strong Class B is overall!"

Several students sat up straighter at her words, smiling proudly. Especially after the blow they had taken over points, this academic recognition felt all the more precious.

"Mm~ That's my students!" Hoshinomiya-sensei nodded happily. But then her words turned as lightly as a feather, her smile unchanged, though a note of concern appeared in her eyes. "That said, I've also noticed that a few of you have some pretty obvious weak spots in certain subjects." Her gaze seemed to pass casually and encouragingly over a few specific students, as well as several whose math papers had a lot of corrections or whose scores were relatively low.

"Having a weak subject may not make much difference on a regular quiz," Hoshinomiya-sensei continued, her voice still gentle. But her next words rang clearly in every student's ears. "But remember, the Midterm Exams and Final Exams are real, decisive, school-wide Major Exams!"

She paused, letting the weight of "decisive" and "Major Exams" sink heavily into everyone's hearts. Then, in a tone so sweet it was almost cruel, she continued:

"If you happen to fail even one subject on one of these important exams..." Her smile remained flawless, her amber eyes curving like two new moons. "The school may judge you to have 'insufficient Academic Ability,' and you could face expulsion."

"Expulsion?!" The word hit them like a splash of ice water, instantly extinguishing the pride and warmth that their scores had just brought. The air in the classroom seemed to freeze. The shadow of Class D's zero points had barely faded, and now the threat of expulsion tightened around everyone's nerves like a cold Iron Chain! Even Kanzaki Ryuji and Ichinose Honami looked grave.

"So," Hoshinomiya-sensei went on in a cheerful yet unquestionable tone, as if she hadn't noticed everyone's sudden change of expression, "so that you can study and live here without worry, for the honor and points of Class B, and most of all so you don't get expelled..." Her gaze lingered on the students with weak subjects before sweeping across the class with hopeful warmth. "Please start working to make up for your weaknesses right away! Those who are doing well should help their classmates who need it, so you can improve together! I believe that united, Class B can overcome any difficulties and grow even stronger!"

As she finished speaking, the bell rang to mark the end of homeroom. But now the bell no longer signaled a brief respite. It sounded more like a call to action. Sunlight still streamed cheerfully into the classroom, but the air was no longer light or proud. Instead, it was filled with the urgency of Academic Pressure and the icy chill of the sword of expulsion hanging over their heads. Under the pressure of survival, the glory of a perfect score seemed distant and heavy. Everyone realized clearly that the leisurely Adaptation Period was over for good. The real Academic War, one that would decide who stayed and who left, had officially begun with the end-of-class bell.