Past Exam Papers Obtained

The upperclassman sitting opposite them was clearly wary of the two underclassmen who had invited themselves over. She obviously didn't believe that these two, who looked far from ordinary, genuinely wanted to share a table or strike up a conversation; one look at the girl accompanying him was enough to tell, as she was as cute as a model from a magazine.

"Something you need?"

But Natsukawa seemed not to notice her defensive posture, his gaze sweeping calmly over the upperclassman's face before finally settling on her makeup and eyeshadow—which, while looking cheap, had been meticulously applied.

"Senior, I heard... that in your grade, the previous years' midterm exam papers can be 'circulated'?"

The senior's pupils constricted sharply, and she instinctively wanted to deny it, but Natsukawa didn't give her the chance.

"Don't be in such a hurry to deny it, Senior." Natsukawa's voice remained steady, yet carried a pressure that seemed to see through everything. "I can tell that you're a smart person who knows how to invest in yourself." His gaze swept pointedly over her carefully groomed brows and eyes. "The taste of this vegetable set meal must be terrible, right? To endure this long-term while still putting so much effort into your appearance... you must really need points, don't you?"

He hit the senior's sore spot with precision. The last class of every grade never had an abundance of points each month. If she preferred to eat the worst food just to maintain her appearance, it was either extreme vanity or she had a reason she had to maintain her image—for instance, not wanting to look too shabby in front of the other glamorous girls in her class.

The senior's expression shifted several times, her fingers tightening around her chopsticks. Natsukawa's words were like a needle, piercing the facade she had been struggling to maintain. She was indeed short on points, and every time the girls in her class discussed the new cosmetics or fashion accessories their boyfriends had bought them, it felt like an invisible whip lashing at her sensitive self-esteem.

"I... I don't know what you're talking about." She still wanted to struggle, but her tone had weakened.

"Let's not beat around the bush, Senior." Natsukawa leaned back into his chair, his posture relaxed yet carrying an even stronger sense of oppression. "I need the five subject papers for the first-year first-semester midterm exam. We can negotiate the price."

He paused, observing the senior's struggling expression, and threw out an even more tempting condition: "Also, Senior, you need to think this through carefully. The reason we found you is because you were the first Class D student I encountered. You wouldn't want me to go looking for other Class D students, would you? And what if I happened to find your best friend, and your best friend happened to show off her newly bought cosmetics in front of you with these easily earned points... points that could have been yours..."

He cleverly exploited the potential jealousy and exclusionary psychology that might exist between girls.

The senior's eyes flickered violently; Natsukawa's words had undoubtedly struck a fragile area of her heart. Imagining the few girls she always hung out with showing off their new high-end cosmetics while she had to scrimp and save just to afford the most basic skincare products, a secret sense of resentment welled up in her. Her internal defenses were collapsing rapidly.

"...I don't have them, but I can find someone to buy them from." She finally relented, but still wanted to bargain for more. "Besides, helping you get this involves risk for me... It wouldn't be unreasonable to ask for a little trouble fee."

"Risk?" Natsukawa chuckled. "If the school really wanted to control this, they would have changed the exam questions at the source long ago. Would it even be our turn to trade here?" He tapped his fingers lightly on the table, as if calculating. "How about this, Senior. We'll buy your papers for 1,000 points per subject. A total of 5,000 points, how's that?"

"That's too little. 5 subjects should be at least 20,000 points."

Natsukawa didn't even frown, shaking his head directly: "Too high. Senior, our points didn't just fall from the sky. 8,000 points."

"15,000! Not a point less! Let me earn a little for my trouble."

"12,000. Senior, you need to think clearly. If you miss out on us, you might not find another buyer as generous as this. How about this, Senior: using this point total as a baseline, I don't care how you manage to buy them. Whatever amount you manage to cut the price down by, I'll give you 50% of those saved points as a trouble fee. How does that sound?"

His speech was fast and clear, giving the senior little time to think, forcing her to make a choice.

The senior had originally wanted to haggle further, but seeing Natsukawa's unquestionable gaze, she finally gritted her teeth: "...Deal."

The deal was struck. Natsukawa deftly operated his terminal, transferring 5,000 points as a deposit. After the senior confirmed receipt, her expression softened significantly, and she whispered: "I'll send you the papers before class this afternoon."

"That works." Natsukawa nodded.

The senior finished the rest of her vegetable set meal in a hurry and left. Natsukawa and Kushida also went to the counter to order their own lunch and found a place to sit.

"Natsukawa-kun, is this... really okay?" Kushida asked in a low voice, her face wearing just the right amount of concern. "Buying and selling exam papers, if the school finds out..."

Natsukawa ate his lunch, his tone relaxed: "The school rules don't explicitly forbid the buying and selling of past exam papers, which means it's tacitly permitted. Besides, judging by that senior's practiced reaction, this isn't the first time. If the school really opposed it, they would have eliminated this loophole long ago instead of letting it exist. This itself might be another form of 'ability' test—the ability to gather information and acquire resources."

His analysis was calm and thorough, leaving Kushida with no room to argue.

After finishing their meal, the two had not walked far from the cafeteria when Natsukawa's personal terminal received a notification. He tapped it open to find a compressed file sent by the senior; it contained photos of the five subjects from last year's midterm exams, and the clarity was quite good. Below it was a message:

"Bought the papers for 8,000 points."

A transfer record was attached below.

Natsukawa browsed through them quickly, confirmed they were correct, transferred the remaining points, and then tapped his screen a few times to forward the file to Kushida beside him.

Kushida's terminal chimed. She took it out, puzzled, and froze when she saw the file Natsukawa had sent.

"This is..." She looked up at Natsukawa, her eyes filled with confusion.

"It's for you." Natsukawa's tone was casual, as if he were just giving her a piece of candy. "Do what you want with these papers. Share them with Hirata's study group, or anyone you think is worth helping—it's up to you. Consider it... a gift for keeping me company during this lunch."

"However," he paused, looking into Kushida's eyes with a hint of hidden meaning, "don't mention that the source of these papers has anything to do with me."

Kushida gripped her terminal, feeling the small device suddenly burning hot in her hand. A second ago, she had been silently complaining about Natsukawa forcing her to cut her lunch gathering with friends short; the next second, this "heavy gift," enough to exchange for a massive amount of goodwill and influence within the class, had been dropped into her lap. This sudden 'generosity' instantly washed away her previous, insignificant resentment.

She could almost imagine the popularity she would gain within the class as she 'selflessly' released these past exam papers at a time when everyone was feeling anxious.

Watching this whole affair from start to finish, a mixture of surprise, gratitude, and an even deeper sense of wariness surged within Kushida. She looked at Natsukawa's calm profile and felt more and more that this man should not be easily offended. She had to pull him to her side! She absolutely could not let him stand in opposition to her in any future conflict that might arise with Horikita.

"Natsukawa-kun..." A smile blossomed on Kushida's face again, this time with less calculated performance and more genuine sweetness. "Thank you so much! Don't worry, I know what to do~!"

She held her terminal tightly in both hands as if clutching some rare treasure, and the look she gave Natsukawa, beyond her usual caution and desire to recruit, now held an indescribable intensity.

Natsukawa took in her reaction, knowing this "gift" had achieved the desired effect. He nodded faintly and said nothing more.

The sunlight was just right, stretching their shadows long. These past exam papers had quietly shifted the delicate balance between the two. The pawn that was Kushida Kikyo was moving one step further in the direction he had set on Natsukawa's chessboard.