Natsukawa's Secret to Passing

Natsukawa shared the news brought by Ichinose with the Horikita group, who were studying on the other side of the library, pointing out that the exam scope for Class D might be problematic. This immediately threw the study group, which had just started to get on track, into chaos.

"What...?! You mean we've been studying for nothing these past few days?!" Sudo Ken slammed his hand onto the table, making the pens jump, his face twisted in a mask of incredulous rage.

"How could they do this! Isn't this just messing with us!" Ike Kanji and Yamauchi joined in the shouting, their faces flushed red.

Even the usually aloof Horikita Suzune saw her already icy gaze drop a few degrees further, her fingers gripping her textbook so hard her knuckles turned white.

Kushida Kikyo also wore a look of shock and concern. She hurriedly pulled out her personal terminal, and after exchanging messages with a few people to confirm, she silently agreed with the news Natsukawa had brought.

The entire study group lost the heart to continue, and they had no choice but to disband in a hurry.

The next morning during Japanese History, as Chabashira Sae finished reading through a chapter and prepared to announce the end of class, Horikita Suzune raised her hand.

"Chabashira-sensei, regarding the midterm exam scope, I noticed that there are many inconsistencies between our scope and that of the other classes. May I ask, which one is correct?" Her voice was clear and cold, standing out sharply in the silent classroom.

In an instant, all the students' gazes focused on the podium.

Chabashira Sae put down her textbook. There was no trace of panic on her face from being questioned; instead, she acted as if she had just remembered some trivial matter, answering in a tone that was almost perfunctory: "Ah, that. Sorry, there was a message sent out earlier about a temporary change to the exam scope, I forgot to inform you all."

Forgot to inform?

Such a dismissive sentence was like lighting a fuse. The air in the classroom seemed to freeze for a moment, before erupting into uncontrollable commotion and hushed whispers. Every face was filled with anger, panic, and disbelief.

Chabashira acted as if she didn't see the reaction of those below, turned around, picked up a piece of chalk, and "swished" the revised exam scope for the five subjects onto the blackboard. Those characters were like a cold death warrant.

"That is the scope. There are still nearly two weeks left, so there is plenty of time. Everyone, study hard." She put down the chalk, clapped the dust off her hands, and spoke in a tone as flat as if she were describing tomorrow's weather.

"Are you kidding me!"

"How is a week and a half enough!"

"This is too much..."

The wave of dissatisfaction almost blew the roof off, but under Chabashira's cold, emotionless gaze, it quickly died down, turning into a desperate silence and clenched fists. No one dared to stand up and openly confront her; the zero class points were like shackles, firmly locking away their courage.

The bell rang, and Chabashira turned and left without a hint of hesitation, leaving Class D in a state of gloom. The atmosphere in the classroom dropped to freezing point. There was wailing everywhere; some slumped over their desks motionless, while others frantically copied down the new scope, their eyes filled with bewilderment.

Horikita packed her books, catching a glimpse of Natsukawa sitting diagonally across from her, still looking calm and composed, even having the leisure to flip through the material at the back of the textbook. She couldn't help but frown and walked over to his desk.

"How are you not worried at all?" Her voice carried a hint of imperceptible doubt and... a tendency to seek answers that even she hadn't realized. "I remember your scores in Modern Society and Japanese were also quite dangerous during the last quiz."

Natsukawa looked up, watching Horikita's attempt to remain calm despite her obvious agitation. The corners of his mouth curled up into a meaningful smile: "Is being anxious useful? Besides," he paused, his tone firm, "I have the certainty of passing."

"The certainty of passing?" Horikita's curiosity was completely piqued. "Is there some other way?"

Natsukawa simply pressed his index finger lightly against his lips, making a gesture for secrecy, his eyes filled with playfulness: "It's a secret. Some chips are only valuable if fewer people know about them."

His attitude of having everything under control made Horikita feel an inexplicable sense of frustration, yet she was helpless. She snorted coldly, stopped asking, and turned to leave. But her back, compared to her usual pure aloofness, seemed to carry a hint of... resentment at being looked down upon and excluded.

The lunch break bell rang, and students poured out of the classroom like a flood. Natsukawa packed his things unhurriedly, his gaze locked on Kushida Kikyo, who was surrounded by a few girls and preparing to go to the cafe for lunch.

He walked straight over, ignoring the slightly surprised looks from the other girls, and spoke directly to Kushida, his tone as natural as if it were a matter of course: "Kikyo, come to the cafeteria with me for lunch."

This wasn't a request; it was a notification.

The sweet smile on Kushida's face stiffened for a split second. The girls around her also showed expressions of bewilderment, their eyes darting between Natsukawa and Kushida.

"Eh? Na, Natsukawa-kun? But... I already made plans with Mako and the others..." Kushida tried to maintain her smile, her tone carrying a hint of difficulty and imperceptible panic. Maintaining good relationships with all the girls was an important cornerstone of her social empire.

Natsukawa didn't speak, just watched her quietly, his black eyes so deep they seemed to see through all her disguises. There was no request in his gaze, no negotiation, only a calm pressure waiting for her to make a choice herself.

A subtle tension filled the air. The other girls seemed to sense that the atmosphere was off, and one of them tentatively spoke up: "Kushida, maybe we should..."

"What?" Natsukawa finally spoke, his voice not loud, but carrying a cold texture that cut off the girl's words. His gaze remained locked on Kushida. "Is having a meal with me really that difficult? Or," Natsukawa leaned close to Kushida's ear, "in your heart, maintaining those superficial, plastic friendships is more important than the 'tacit understanding' between us?"

Kushida's heart rate accelerated slightly. She instantly understood Natsukawa's intention—he might not really have urgent business, but was testing her reaction. This feeling made her somewhat unhappy, but more than that, it was a sense of excitement at being challenged. She, Kushida Kikyo, was not so easily manipulated.

Kushida's brain worked at high speed. Refuse him? No, before fully digging into who Natsukawa was, it was better not to have a direct conflict with him. Besides, he had helped her integrate into Horikita's group, and even made Horikita bow her head and ask for help... Agree to him? Although it would temporarily alienate these people, this could precisely show Natsukawa her "sincerity" and "specialness," creating an opportunity to further close the distance. As for the girls, she had plenty of ways to make it up to them later; it wouldn't even count as making it up—a few coquettish words, a treat, and this small rift would be easily resolved.

The scales of pros and cons tilted instantly in her mind.

Kushida blossomed with a slightly apologetic, incredibly natural, and sweet smile, saying to the girls beside her: "Oh my, I'm sorry, Nene, Onodera! Natsukawa-kun seems to have something quite important to discuss with me, so I can't eat with you all today~" She clasped her hands together, winked playfully, and her tone was intimate yet helpless. "As compensation, how about I treat you all to the new parfait tomorrow? I heard the cream at that place is su—per amazing!"

Her reaction was smooth and natural, perfectly portraying the image of someone who "had to leave temporarily due to important business" while feeling slightly apologetic.

Although the girls were a bit surprised, seeing Kushida's sincere attitude and her offer of compensation, they giggled and agreed, looking at Natsukawa with a hint of gossip before leaving together.

Watching their retreating backs, Kushida breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to Natsukawa, still wearing a perfect smile, though the voice that came out of her mouth was not.

"Natsukawa-kun~ You better have something real to talk to me about." The latter part of her sentence had returned to her original tone.

Natsukawa smiled with satisfaction, not caring about the latter part of Kushida's speech.

"Let's go."

The two walked side by side toward the cafeteria. Natsukawa didn't look at Kushida's complex and unreadable expression; his gaze scanned the noisy crowd in the cafeteria, finally locking onto a senior student sitting alone in a corner, silently eating her bowl of authentic boiled cabbage vegetable set.

He led Kushida straight over and sat down in the empty seat opposite the senior.

"Senior, do you mind if we share the table?" Natsukawa showed a harmless smile.

The senior, who was looking down and struggling to swallow her vegetables, looked up at the sound, revealing a face that was slightly thin but still made up, her eyes carrying obvious surprise and a hint of wariness.