Classroom of the Elite, Starting with a Zero, I'm Just Going to Lay Flat Since I Know the Plot

"Eh?"

Asahina let out a cry of surprise.

Nagumo followed her gaze and discovered a test paper placed inside Asahina's shoe locker.

In other words, every student who arrived here had found a test paper tucked into their own locker.

"How interesting."

Yet, faced with such a scene, one student was gloating.

That was a tall girl from Class B of the second year, possessing beautiful long silver hair and a rather flamboyant personality and temperament. This was Kiryuin Fuuka, whose academic and physical abilities were both monstrous; her only flaw was her lack of sociability. Although she possessed formidable combat strength, she would not exert herself for the sake of her class, even going so far as to forfeit the sports festival last semester.

To Nagumo, she was a powerful individual from a rival class, but she had never targeted him.

Therefore, as long as she didn't provoke him, Nagumo wouldn't target her either.

Nagumo composed himself and opened his own shoe locker.

Sure enough.

A test paper was resting on top of his indoor shoes.

Unlike Asahina and the other students, the test paper in his locker was for Chemistry.

Tucked between the pages of the test paper was a slip of paper.

On it were printed words.

[50,000 per student]

Just those six characters.

Nagumo immediately looked up and scanned his surroundings, but unfortunately, there were no security cameras here.

"Nagumo, what should we do?"

"Wait, whose prank is this?"

Students immediately began to notice the abnormal situation. However, not yet realizing the gravity of the matter, they assumed it was a prank.

But was it really a prank?

"..."

Nagumo.

Nagumo quickly looked toward the people he suspected might do such a thing, for instance, Kiriyama Ikuto.

After Kiriyama's class was surpassed by theirs last year, although he had been trying to corrupt the other side, Kiriyama had actually tried to kick him while he was down in the student council yesterday, so it was possible for him to do this.

However.

Kiriyama also arrived at the lockers, and there was a test paper in his locker as well. Upon seeing it, Kiriyama's face turned green.

Clearly.

Kiriyama was not the mastermind.

And Nagumo didn't think Kiriyama was capable of being the mastermind either; in his heart, he actually had a suspected candidate.

For example, the first-year Class D junior, Nakano, who had launched a triple-pronged attack on him yesterday.

And now, this note about 50,000 points per student was placed only in his locker, which could be considered a precise target.

Damn it!

Capable of ruling over the entire second year, Nagumo Miyabi was naturally no fool. He basically understood that this test leak was no mere prank.

He understood that the first-year Class D junior, Nakano Yuu, was not someone whose appetite could be sated by the mere million-plus points offered yesterday.

This guy's true goal was this.

Yes, this was the person who could buy test papers and immediately resell them to Class C of the same year, and who could take the secretary position promised by the president and immediately sell it to junior Katsuragi. If he had obtained the news that their second-year special exam would be a repeat of old questions, it was impossible for him to do nothing.

Damn it, damn it, damn it!

Therefore.

The above was the process of how junior Nakano received the messages from senior Nagumo Miyabi.

And senior Nagumo's messages soon came flooding in like a bombardment.

[Nagumo Miyabi: You really are something, actually dealing such a heavy blow to the second years. Are you trying to use a test leak strategy to mess with us?]

[Nagumo Miyabi: It is indeed a good strategy! But thinking you can make us submit just like this is impossible!]

Then, Nagumo Miyabi also sent a screenshot, which was a picture of the second-year students discovering test papers in their lockers in the second-year locker area.

But junior Nakano said nothing.

"Aren't you going to reply?"

Horikita asked.

She had already noticed that the messages sent by senior Nagumo were somewhat hysterical.

And it was more than just hysterical; Nagumo Miyabi had likely finally realized that when junior Nakano went to the student council office yesterday, it wasn't to do those things at all, but to further ascertain Nagumo Miyabi's specific situation.

It really seems like he has no intention of letting Nagumo live!

"You have to understand what we did this morning. If I reply now and it gets screenshotted, it will be used to pin the blame on me."

"That is exactly why we need to find a place without security cameras to distribute the test papers."

"Information warfare is crucial in this school, and a sense of vigilance is equally necessary."

Nakano Yuu said.

"Look, although the photo Nagumo sent contains the test papers and the text for the XX subject is clearly visible, if I acknowledge it, he can push all the responsibility—or even the accusation of leaking the test—onto me."

"..."

Horikita.

So, have both sides actually started negotiating already?

This was an area she had never encountered before.

Moreover, she realized that her guard against Nakano-kun had become remarkably weak; otherwise, she wouldn't have let him hold her hand and tap three times on the back of it earlier.

And then she had been seen by Karuizawa, who misunderstood it as the two of them dating.

Thinking about this.

Thump.

Horikita noticed that the eraser on her desk had flown off due to her sudden movement. Because her desk was so close to Nakano Yuu's, the eraser flew directly toward his side.

"Hey, you're really careless."

As he spoke, Nakano Yuu caught the eraser that Horikita had sent flying, then held it in his right hand and handed it back to her.

The movement was just like the one she had made earlier.

Nakano Yuu held the eraser and handed it to Horikita.

Now that Nakano-kun had mirrored the action she had performed, did that mean she could also tap three times on the back of his hand?

"..."

Horikita pondered.

"..."

Horikita was stunned.

"..."

Horikita remained silent.

"Horikita?"

Nakano Yuu noticed that Horikita seemed to be spacing out.

"It's nothing."

Horikita quickly snapped back to reality.

She had actually just considered whether she should hold Nakano-kun's hand to confirm her own thoughts.

She really couldn't spend too much time with love-struck girls like Karuizawa, or she would end up being influenced by them.

Besides, she knew clearly that this was not the time to be dwelling on such things.

Nakano Yuu's plan was called the Test Paper Leakage Plan.

It wasn't really about leaking the papers, but about wanting money.

The second-year students had long known that this exam would consist of old questions, so they had bought the test papers in advance and put zero effort into studying. If the papers were leaked and the school issued new ones, the second-year students—especially those in the underperforming Class C and Class D—would definitely be unable to cope.

Therefore, this could be used to threaten the lower-ranked classes of the second year.

Since the second year was controlled by Nagumo, who was collecting points from the entire grade, Nagumo held the power of choice and the burden of responsibility.

Thus, the intervention targeting the second years was transformed into an attack targeting Nagumo Miyabi alone.

It forced Nagumo to choose: pay up, or let the situation spiral into the worst possible outcome.

Meanwhile.

On the other side of the classroom, near the podium.

"We have to study seriously after school this afternoon, okay?"

Kushida-san was talking to the members of her study group.

Naturally, although she wore a smile and was chatting with others, Kushida-san had long since mastered the art of multitasking.

[Although you have adopted a study plan to deal with this exam, I have discovered that there should be some shortcuts we can take.]

[For instance, when you were in contact with the students from Class A yesterday, they mentioned that this exam could be handled quite easily.]

[Even though their academic ability in Class A is high, this is, after all, the first exam since enrollment. No one could handle it so naturally, so the fact that they said that suggests they already know the content of the exam.]

[It's not just the students in Class A; the students in Class C are also very relaxed and show no signs of studying seriously. You went shopping with a student from Class C the day before yesterday, right? Their academic ability isn't high, yet they were so leisurely going out to play. This is clearly suspicious.]

[And didn't Ichinose from Class B also say that if you encountered any difficulties, you could go and ask her? Why do you think she would say something like that? You should know that her academic ability isn't low, but Kushida, with my cheating assistance, you are already performing as the top student in Class D. So, how can she, who looks academically inferior to you in terms of numbers, have the confidence to say such a thing?]

Kushida truly lives up to her A-rank social skills; her circle of acquaintances is vast. She has even managed to capture how students from other classes are preparing for the exam.

Meanwhile, Amasawa, her junior and external cheat-assistant, has also been feeding her analytical data.

"In other words, the other classes already have plans to deal with the exam?"

"And all of them, A, B, and C? Just not us in Class D!?"

Kushida frowned, finally realizing the problem.

48

Chapter 48 Sakayanagi: Oh no, I've realized I've been played!

Although Kushida now has the assistance of a villainous genius junior from two years in the future, allowing her to package herself as a genius, she still wants to harvest a great deal of goodwill from the students around her.

And then obtain their respective secrets.

After all, the Kushida Empire was not easily established, and she certainly doesn't want it to collapse so quickly.

And now, this villainous genius junior is saying something terrifying.

"Are you saying that the other classes all have plans to deal with this exam, and only we... only we in Class D don't?"

Although Kushida was conversing with her junior internally, she almost let out a sound due to her shock.

[Based on the current situation of the other three classes, that is the case.]

Amasawa continued to help her analyze.

[However, it cannot be said that Class D is completely unprepared. Kushida, you are aware that Nakano-senpai and Horikita-senpai are also in charge of tutoring matters.]

[But Nakano-senpai seems to be focusing his tutoring solely on Sakura, while the other students are being left to their own devices to review middle school material.]