Faced with this situation, the third-years had no choice but to band together. They had formed a group of their own accord, rallying around Student Council President Horikita Manabu, and followed the Student Council's unified direction in their daily affairs.
Sato patted Shimizu Akira on the shoulder and said casually, "Don't worry too much! You're just a first-year. Miyabi Nagumo won't target you for now. As long as the Student Council President is still here, he'll protect the interests of the first-years and other vulnerable groups."
Then his expression grew a little complicated. "But... it's precisely because the president is too mild-mannered and doesn't care much for fighting or power struggles that Nagumo's influence has grown day by day."
"Not a single person in Class A has been forced to drop out since the start of the school year—and that's all thanks to the president's protection. So everyone in our class respects him."
"I see." Shimizu Akira nodded silently.
It seemed the other students in Class A didn't respect Horikita Manabu merely because he was Student Council President. They admired his character and his abilities, too.
Shimizu Akira found it rather interesting.
Although these third-year upperclassmen kept things from their juniors, they still treated the first-years like children, as if they were people who needed protection.
It made sense when he thought about it. The first-years had been at the school for only a little over a month. They barely had any points and hadn't been through much.
Still, his instincts told him that this midterm exam might be another great opportunity to earn points—and this time, the targets probably wouldn't be limited to the first-years.
Shimizu Akira thought it over. Even if he sold the test paper, he could only sell it to one class, and he probably wouldn't