The Deviant Exam Scope

The joint study group between Class B and Class D had been running for several days, and the initial novelty had gradually settled down... or at least, that was how it should have been. Instead of calming down, the study groups were becoming increasingly restless.

At first, it was just Class B students helping those in Class D with problems, only to express confusion: "Huh? This type of problem... I'm pretty sure our teacher said it wasn't within the scope of the exam?"

The other members of the group were equally puzzled: "No way, I saw the exam scope Chabashira-sensei posted with my own eyes, and it definitely includes this."

This minor discrepancy was initially dismissed with a laugh, attributed to the Class D students having poor memory or a misunderstanding. However, as communication deepened across different subjects and groups, similar voices began to rise one after another.

"This section of Modern Society was clearly marked by Hoshinomiya-sensei."

"Impossible! Our homeroom teacher didn't include this part in the exam scope at all."

"The English grammar scope doesn't seem to match up either..."

If one person reported it, it could be a mistake, but if everyone in Class D was reporting it, there were only two possibilities. After receiving feedback from several groups in succession, the handsome face of Hirata Yosuke, which always wore a gentle smile, became incredibly grave. He repeatedly cross-referenced the exam scope circled in his notes from Chabashira-sensei with the syllabus shared by the Class B students, and the glaring differences sent a chill down his spine.

If... if the Class B syllabus was the correct one, what did that mean? It meant that the vast majority of Class D was working desperately in the completely wrong direction! It meant they might face a large number of questions in the exam hall that they hadn't reviewed at all! It meant... the risk of expulsion hadn't decreased, but had instead been infinitely magnified without them even knowing!

The news quickly reached the ears of Ichinose, who was also leading the study sessions for Class B, and her brows furrowed slightly. She immediately realized the gravity of the situation. Without a moment's hesitation, she pulled out her personal terminal and found the number she had been contacting frequently of late.

"Natsukawa-kun! Emergency! Our study groups discovered that the exam scope announced by Class D has significant differences from Class B's in many subjects! What is going on? Did Chabashira-sensei give the wrong scope? Or..." She followed it with a worried emoji.

After sending the message, Ichinose felt a sense of unease, her fingers unconsciously twirling a strand of her hair, and a hint of confusion hidden in her blue eyes. She believed that Natsukawa must know something.

Soon, Natsukawa's reply came, concise and to the point:

"Your class's scope is correct. If you want to know the specifics, come to the library and I'll explain it in detail."

Seeing this reply, Ichinose's heart settled a little—at least Natsukawa knew the inside story. She stood up immediately, gave a few brief instructions to the classmates beside her, confirmed the correctness of the Class B exam scope, and walked quickly toward the west side of the library.

By the library window, Natsukawa was leisurely flipping through a book; he was now reading the textbooks as if they were storybooks, while Sakura Airi sat quietly beside him doing practice problems. Seeing Ichinose hurry over, her cheeks flushed with a healthy glow from her brisk walk, Natsukawa put down his book.

"Natsukawa-kun, what on earth is..." Ichinose sat down opposite him, unable to wait as she lowered her voice to ask.

Natsukawa made a "calm down" gesture, looking at her with a calm gaze: "It's simple, Chabashira-sensei is doing this on purpose. She provided the wrong exam scope, or at least one that is severely off-target."

"Why?!" Ichinose opened her eyes wide in disbelief; for someone who always acted on the principle of "goodwill," this was almost impossible to understand.

"To force the students in our class to find the 'exam questions' themselves." Natsukawa explained, "In this school, the midterm exam questions for the first semester of previous years don't change, and the previous papers—the so-called 'past exams'—can be bought from upperclassmen. Chabashira's goal is to wait until a few days before the exam, or even later, to casually announce the change in scope, or simply wait for the students to discover it themselves. She is using this method to screen for students who possess information-gathering skills, initiative, and adaptability. As for those who can't find out, or don't have the money to buy them..." He paused, not continuing, but the implication was self-evident.

Ichinose gasped, her face full of shock: "It's actually... like this... what could Chabashira-sensei possibly gain from this?" She muttered, and then, as if thinking of something, her eyes filled with inquiry and curiosity as she looked at Natsukawa, "But, Natsukawa-kun, how do you know this so clearly? Even Chabashira-sensei's intentions..."