Countermeasures

The noisy wind blew gently past my ears, and the sun had long since submerged beneath the horizon.

Watching Zhuge Linghao from afar as he soaked up all the limelight, Kushida Kikyo bit her sexy lip, her face struggling to suppress a gradually twisting expression; the dark aura around her seemed almost tangible.

But only a few seconds later, she activated her most frequently used skill—Expression Control—and in a flash, she transformed, once again radiating the aura of a cheerful, energetic girl.

"Congratulations, Zhuge-kun! We won the match~"

Zhuge Linghao, with a clear palm print etched onto his face, followed the source of the voice and looked at the youthful and lovely Kushida Kikyo, beaming with immense sunshine: "Of course, taking the win was a given!"

[Heh heh, I steal all the attention every single time. Tell me, little angel, does it hurt?]

The expressions of Horikita Suzune and Karuizawa Kei carried a hint of disbelief, but they could only attribute it to luck, helplessly accepting the fact.

Seeing this, Zhuge Linghao deliberately covered it up: "I'm light, so naturally, doing pull-ups isn't as strenuous for me!"

Then, the villainous-looking bald Katsuragi Kohei walked over with a proactive smile and silently extended his right hand.

Zhuge Linghao paused for a moment, grabbed the other's hand, and said with a grin: "Good match, don't bother next time! If you work hard for another eight lifetimes, you might be able to beat me!"

Baldy: "..."

In the end, supported by Ayanokoji and Yukimura Teruhiko, Zhuge Linghao looked back longingly at those D or E-cup breasts, step by step, as he returned with the group to the KTV room they had worked so hard to secure.

"So, you guys snatched this room just to hold a strategy meeting for the midterms?"

"But with a bottom-feeder like me here, is that really okay?"

"My suggestions won't make a dent in the class's progress, will they?"

Zhuge Linghao looked at the six people sitting in a circle and leisurely ate a slice of watermelon.

"?"

Karuizawa Kei fiddled with her hair and said speechlessly: "Didn't you force your way in?"

Horikita Suzune crossed her arms and said coldly: "You weren't on the invitation list!"

"Uh, is that so?" Zhuge Linghao casually stuffed a few green grapes into his mouth.

"Look, beneath the green, round skin lies crystal-clear, essence-filled juice. Tasting it, it really is quite a lingering flavor!"

Horikita said coldly: "Are you having another episode?"

"I'm just saying, these fruits look appetizing. Are you sure you don't want to have a few bites?"

"Ah... if you aren't going to eat them, then I will..."

The gal Karuizawa Kei directly ignored Zhuge Linghao's posture and words, saying with an irritated tone: "Forget about that idiot! Let's just start the meeting."

The moderator, Hirata Yosuke, nodded and got straight to the point: "Everyone, please pay attention. There is less than three weeks left until the next midterm exam."

Then, under the suspicious gazes of the group, Hirata Yosuke revealed his grand goal in one breath: "My idea is that in the next midterm assessment, we should aim to get all 100 class points!"

Zhuge Linghao picked up a skewer of kiwi and put it in his mouth, thinking: [Here we go again, A-Tian! If you don't have the diamond drill, don't try to take on the porcelain work. You know, after failing, not only will your mental state collapse, but your popularity will plummet too!]

At this moment, the rational Ayanokoji spoke up more: "However, I'm afraid that won't be so easy. Not to mention that someone might get expelled, leading to a deduction of class points, we don't even know the specific criteria for bonus points in this assessment! Is it based on the average score? The excellence rate? Or some other metric?"

Horikita Suzune looked straight at Hirata Yosuke, her tone icy: "What do you intend to do? Hirata?"

Hirata Yosuke hesitated: "I... I just want to unite the strength of the whole class, so we can overcome difficulties together, study together, and improve together!"

Karuizawa Kei chimed in: "That's fine, I think it's a good method."

Kushida Kikyo, who had been lacking presence, couldn't sit still anymore. She raised her hand and said with gentle cuteness: "Unite the strength of the whole class? We don't have a problem with that, but what about people like Sudo Ken and Koenji who won't listen to advice? I'm still very worried, will they cooperate properly?"

Hearing this, Horikita Suzune narrowed her fox-like eyes: "For those uncontrollable factors, it's best to build a psychological foundation from the start. In other words, we should predict that they will hold us back and cause point deductions; it's better to treat this prediction as a fact. That way, it's closer to the actual situation."

Time flowed slowly, and they spent a full two and a half hours discussing the two key issues of class points and the midterm exams.

Zhuge Linghao, yawning, picked up the last piece of orange from the plate.

[Phew, finally replenished the moisture lost after that intense exercise.]

Seeing that there was no progress, Zhuge Linghao stood up and clapped his hands: "Everyone, stop arguing. We won't reach an accurate conclusion by discussing it like this."

"I have a strategy, though I don't know if I should say it!"

Karuizawa Kei said impatiently: "Speak!"

Hirata Yosuke also encouraged: "Go ahead!"

The gazes of the others also revealed: I have no objections, continue.

"Ahem, as everyone knows, as a foreigner like me, because I can't read Japanese characters or understand the meaning of the questions, it's very easy for me to fail!"

Horikita Suzune shot an icy glare: "Isn't it because you're an idiot that you fail? Stop talking nonsense, what exactly do you want to say?"

"That, no, I want to say that the bottom-feeders who often fail exams, just like me, actually have a dream!"

"What dream?"

"Universal harmony!"

Karuizawa Kei didn't understand: "What do you mean?"

"It means that if everyone can read between the lines, then everyone will know the answers! That way, the exam won't be an exam anymore, but a high-score show for everyone!"

The model student Yukimura Teruhiko was the first to object: "What? You want to lead us in cheating? I absolutely disagree!"

The pretentious Kushida Kikyo stepped out to seek attention again, acting all fake: "You can't do that, Zhuge, absolutely not! We absolutely cannot cheat!"

"Cheating? That's impossible. Chabashira-sensei already said that anyone who cheats will be expelled immediately."

Horikita Suzune frowned: "So, tell us the specific method?"

Ayanokoji, Hirata Yosuke, and the others also looked confused, appearing ready to listen intently.

"It's very simple. I just took Hirata-kun's proposal and gave it an upgrade!"

"I plan to gather the strength of the entire grade, first pitter-patter... then bang-bang-bang... next clatter-clatter... and finally snap-crackle... done!"

"(⊙o⊙)? Will that really work?" Everyone questioned, full of doubt.

"Whether it works or not doesn't depend on you or me; you all need to go and negotiate with the leaders of the other classes first."

"If you can reach an agreement, there's a high probability the operation will succeed!"

After everyone dispersed, a relaxed and contented Zhuge Linghao strolled along the pebble path by the artificial river.

Suddenly, a dark shadow ahead began making "thump, thump, thump" sounds.

Zhuge Linghao quickly and stealthily hid behind a large tree. Crouching down, he couldn't help but curl his lips into a smirk, nimbly pulling out his phone to turn on the recording mode...

Because the person in front was...