Failing Group, Assemble!

"Shinjo, tell me, if this school is going to expel anyone with poor academic performance during the midterm exams, why would they approve the enrollment of people like Sudō? Doesn't that seem a bit too strange?"

While everyone else was focused on listening to Horikita Suzune's lecture, he poked Shinjo, who was sitting beside him looking listless.

As two people who had absolutely no reason to worry about their own academic standing, Horikita couldn't be bothered to care about them either; as long as they didn't distract the academic underachievers, she let the two of them do whatever they wanted.

"Hmm? Are you trying to say the school is going through a lot of trouble for nothing?"

"Uh..."

"Well, what you're saying isn't entirely unreasonable. Rather than admitting students who are destined to be expelled, it would be a better choice to recruit a few wild cards—lab rats with unpredictable variables—even if it's just for the sake of observation."

Ayanokōji nodded in agreement. This was the one thing he couldn't wrap his head around: if the school approved the enrollment of Sudō and the others, it meant there had to be a way to pass perfectly.

But what, exactly, was it?

"Don't overthink it. It wouldn't hurt to tell you: the first midterm exam for every incoming class is the same. I actually happen to have the answers I got from a senior right here~~"

To prevent this guy from suddenly figuring out the solution himself and ruining Karuizawa's plan to win over the rest of the class, Shinjo decisively revealed the truth to Ayanokōji.

"Oh? I see... Then, why don't you share them with everyone? That way, they wouldn't be forced to study."

Ayanokōji clearly understood why, but he asked anyway.

In his view, since there were smart people around, it was better to appear like a fool himself; that way, he could achieve the perfect disguise he envisioned.

"That's a great idea, Ayanokōji. But if I gave them the answers now, their academic ability wouldn't improve, and they might even develop the bad habit of relying on shortcuts. What would they do for the next exam?"

"Uh, right. You're correct."

While the two of them chatted away, time ticked by second by second.

The three underachievers could be said to have made rapid progress during this time.

To boost their motivation for studying, Kushida suggested tapping into the human instinct to enjoy playing the teacher.

When parents try to get their children to clean up toys, using a harsh, commanding tone might trigger a rebellious streak, making the child unable to clean up properly.

But if they ask, "Where should this toy go? Can you tell me?", the success rate is much higher.

"Let me quiz you all. Tell me, what is the name of the person who came up with the inductive method?"

"Uh... I remember it was that guy we just studied..."

Ike and Yamauchi racked their brains but couldn't remember, while Sudō, sitting nearby, seemed to have a slightly better memory, though only to a limited extent.

"Francis Galileo! That has to be it, right?"

"It's Francis Bacon! I remembered!"

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Ike, and he successfully answered the question.

"Correct!"

"Yay! At this rate, I can get a perfect score!"

Shinjo couldn't understand what the world of an idiot was like, but he had long known that if he could understand an idiot, he would be an idiot himself.

Just as everyone was cheering each other on for their subsequent studies, a voice that sounded incredibly punchy reached them from the side.

"Hey, keep it down! All that jabbering is annoying as hell!"

Ike, who had been overly excited, suddenly remembered they were in the library. The scene of being kicked out by the librarian last time was still fresh in his mind, so he quickly stood up to apologize.

"Sorry, sorry, I was just too excited. Because I finally managed to answer a question—the person who thought of the inductive method is Francis Bacon! You should write that down."

After saying that, he scratched the back of his head and sat there grinning foolishly.

"You guys... you wouldn't happen to be students from Class 1-C, would you?"

"Huh? What about Class 1-C?! Do you have a problem with us?!"

"No, no, no, no, how could I have a problem with you? I'm Yamawaki from Class 1-C. After all, you people are the bottom-feeders; who knows what you might suddenly do?"

"What did you say?!"

Sudō, who had the shortest temper, immediately stood up. He didn't want to keep getting angry, but he didn't understand why someone was always picking a fight with him.

Meanwhile, Shinjo, upon hearing that the other party was from Class 1-C, first scanned his surroundings. After confirming there didn't seem to be anyone he recognized, he didn't take any action.

Unlike the loosely managed Class D, Class 1-C had clearly formed a massive organization.

And the head of that organization was that man, Ryuen.

Others might be dissatisfied, like Ibuki; although it was clear she didn't like Ryuen, she still followed him whenever he made a move.

So, if that was the case, even the movements of a small fry from Class 1-C needed to be paid extra attention, because it was highly likely that they were an executor sent by Ryuen.

"I was just stating the truth; no need to get so angry, right? If you commit any violent acts on campus, I wonder how many points will be deducted... Oh! That's right, you guys don't even have any points to deduct! What happens then? You might just get expelled immediately! Hahahahahaha!"

Yamawaki was indeed there to provoke them, so he was hoping Sudō would take the bait and hit him.

That way, even if he only suffered an injury, the disciplinary action against Class D would certainly be much more severe.

"Heh, I don't think someone from Class 1-C like you has anything to brag about."

"The gap between Class 1-C and Class A is so small it's practically negligible! Only you guys in Class D are trash from another dimension!"

"Is that so? But from my perspective, the three classes other than Class A are fundamentally no different from one another, are they?"

Horikita Suzune was not the type to be easily intimidated; she didn't even bat an eye at this level of provocation.

"Your Class D doesn't even have any points left, so what right do you have to say such things?! Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you're a cute girl!"

"I find it quite unpleasant to be complimented on my appearance by someone like you."

"Say that again?!"

Yamawaki slammed his hands on the table and stood up in a rage. This startled his classmate sitting nearby, who hurriedly tugged at his arm.

Meanwhile, Shinjo, who had been watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but be dumbfounded. He had expected the enforcer sent by Ryuen to be someone capable, but it turned out to be a guy who was completely useless.

Since that's the case, I don't need to keep up the act anymore!

"Tell me, you guys are aware that failing this exam means expulsion, right? Even if you're cramming at the last minute, what good will it do? You're just patting yourselves on the back for answering who proposed induction, but hey, you guys do realize that part isn't even in the scope of the exam, right?"

"So what?! Even if we get expelled, it's none of your business!"

Sudō said this as he wound up his arm, ready to beat the living daylights out of Yamawaki, but Shinjo grabbed him and pulled him behind his back:

"Stop!"