Kiryuin: "Is This Your Girlfriend?" / Ichinose Honami's Way of Letting Off Steam

"If there are duplicate names for a class, the school will call on a representative from that class to draw lots to determine the final result. If there are no duplicate names, the final result will be determined directly."

"By the way, the deadline for nominating classes is the day before the quiz next week. Please think it over carefully and don't make a hasty decision."

"I see."

"If that's the case, then we're back to the realm of intelligence warfare. There will probably be a lot of twists and turns in selecting the designated classes."

I think so too.

Shibata, Kanzaki, and several other key members of Class A shared their opinions. They hadn't expected to face class competition so soon; this school never lets anyone have a moment's peace.

"Teacher, regarding the question-setting process, are there any other rules you would like to explain?"

Hashiba Hikaru had been diligently taking notes, and after he understood the purpose of the exam, he raised his questions.

"Yes, there are content restrictions on the questions; otherwise, it would cause a lot of trouble."

Chie Hoshinomiya glanced at Hashiba Hikaru Hikari with considerable satisfaction. He truly lived up to his reputation as the ace of Class A of the First Year; with him around, she was certain she would never lose to that woman.

"The rules for creating the exam papers aren't complicated. There are eight subjects in the Final Exam, so everyone needs to create a total of 400 questions and provide the corresponding answers. You've all been reviewing and previewing, right? There are also many practice books and question banks that help you apply what you've learned, or you can use the internet or find experienced students—these are all channels you can use."

"Before the exam, the papers submitted by students need to be strictly reviewed by us teachers. To ensure fairness, if the questions you set are too out of line, we will make suggestions for revision until the papers you submit meet the standards."

Is there a time limit for revising this exam paper?

Ichinose Honami keenly realized that this was likely the key area of competition in this exam, and immediately asked about it.

"Of course, if the exam paper is not completed before the submission deadline, the school will have specific remedial measures to ensure the exam can be held smoothly."

"Teacher, may I ask what remedial measures the school has taken? Does it mean the exam paper was very easy?"

Someone asked a question.

"I advise you not to submit your work after the deadline, because the remedial test is only at an elementary school level. I think you all understand what that means."

Upon hearing this, the person who had asked the question and the other students in the class fell silent.

Submitting the exam paper after the deadline will likely result in defeat, since the final score is based on the class's total score. Taking the exam under such uncertain circumstances greatly increases the probability of failure.

Does anyone have any further questions?

After asking her last question, Chie Hoshinomiya looked at the two core members of the class, Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami.

"What are your thoughts, both of you?"

"What does light think?"

Ichinose Honami turned her head to look at her boyfriend, only to see him pick up his notebook and stand up. This sight immediately brought a smile to the girl's face.

"I've put together some thoughts, can I share them with you now?"

The boy turned to look at the class, and everyone immediately started clapping and cheering, eagerly hoping that Hashiba Hikaru would come up on stage to share her ideas. After all, this had always been a tradition, and everyone was already very familiar with it.

"Honami, you can be my assistant. You can take a look at my notes first."

Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami skillfully stepped onto the stage, while Chie Hoshinomiya, standing beside them, smiled broadly and gave up the stage to them.

"Now that the teacher has announced the rules for the upcoming exam, our next step is to hold a strategy meeting. Does everyone understand?"

"Clear!"

"Please give us your instructions, Classmate Hashiba. We will definitely cooperate fully."

"That's right!!!"

"Since everyone is so cooperative, I'll start."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly, and after he stepped onto the podium, all eyes in Class A fell on him.

The boys held the boy in high esteem and trust, while the girls were filled with joy, because only during strategic meetings could they freely scrutinize the boy's face without worrying about what others thought.

"The first thing is to figure out the rules for this grouping."

A deep smile spread across Hashiba Hikaru's lips, as if she had everything under control.

He glanced at Chie Hoshinomiya standing beside him, then said casually, "Although the teacher can't test us on this rule right now, it doesn't matter, we can guess!"

"If we can guess how the students will be grouped, we can gain an advantage. After all, there's still a week until the quiz, so we have plenty of time to prepare."

What do you all think?

~~~~~

344

Chapter 344 Kiryuin: Is this your girlfriend?

When Hashiba Hikaru pointed out the key grouping rules, Chie Hoshinomiya, who was watching from the sidelines, clearly showed a pleased smile. She knew that the other party would not let her down, and if she could start preparing before the quiz, she would definitely be able to gain a better advantage.

"Guessing the rules? Does Classmate Hashiba already have an idea?"

As a member of the intellectual faction, Kanzaki Ryuji had already begun to consider the direction of this line of thought at this point.

"Yes, in fact, people can habitually make judgments in this direction,"

Hashiba Hikaru stood on the podium and explained her thoughts, "Because the school wouldn't arrange quizzes for no reason; the existence of quizzes is always to serve the final Final Exam."

"But what exactly this service will entail requires bold speculation and careful verification."

"I think I understand what you mean by 'light.' You mean it might be related to student grouping?"

Ichinose Honami was quick-witted. After reviewing the rules that Chie Hoshinomiya had just explained, she immediately understood what her boyfriend meant.

"That's right."

Hashiba Hikaru snapped her fingers and smiled slightly, "In order to successfully complete the group assignments for the final Final Exam, the quiz held in advance will definitely be the most crucial reference factor."

"After all, although the scope of this exam is unrelated to high school, it can reveal a very important piece of information."

"What intelligence?"

"Learning attitude and one's level of mastery of knowledge."

Hashiba Hikaru's gaze swept over everyone sitting in the classroom, her tone slightly somber, "I think the fact that our class was able to be placed in Class B when school started means that you didn't waste your middle school years."

"It's easy to gauge everyone's learning attitude and knowledge mastery through quizzes, since scores don't lie."

"I see, I understand what Classmate Hashiba. You mean the final test scores represent the school's grouping preferences, right?"

Shibata Sou followed the group's train of thought, his eyes widening as if he had just realized something.

"Yes, that's one angle we can guess from."

Hashiba Hikaru glanced at Chie Hoshinomiya, who hadn't said a word. He knew that the teacher couldn't reveal the rules to everyone beforehand, so he didn't take the initiative to talk to her. However, judging from the female teacher's facial expression, the boy probably understood something.

"So once we've clarified this point, there are many possible directions for speculation regarding the grouping rules."

"For example, the average score? Or the difference between low and high scores?"

Kanzaki Ryuji touched his hair. Because the quiz was also in the format of eight subjects out of 100, the school's final choice of score combination was still uncertain.

"Everyone is welcome to share their thoughts on this. After today's class meeting, I plan to go and gather information with Honami."

Hashiba Hikaru casually stated her plans. Since there were signs of Special Exam, taking a day off from Student Council matters was perfectly fine, especially since the recruitment task had been completed and other work was progressing steadily.

Where are we going?

Ichinose Honami's eyes lit up, and a bright smile appeared on her lips.

"Of course, we should ask the older students for information. After all, we can't tell the teachers, but there's no rule that says the older students can't either."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly. Actually, he could ask Horikita Manabu, but that was a minor matter. Asking him about such a thing might damage his glorious image as the "number one successor of the Horikita faction."

"Okay, I understand."

After announcing their mission to gather intelligence, the students in Class A of the First Year began to speak freely. Now that the plan was clear, the various possibilities regarding quiz scores and student groupings were brought up by everyone.

After the class meeting ended, Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami took their compiled guesses and headed to the upper-grade floor, their first target being the Second Year, as the boy had already made plans with someone he knew.

"Hikari, do you know any Second Year students?"

Ichinose Honami took her boyfriend's hand and tilted her head to ask.

"Yes, so we can directly ask specific people instead of asking around."

Hashiba Hikaru had a slight smile on his face. Through the information from Second Year Kiriyama Ikuto, he knew that Kiryuuin Fuuka was a member independent of Miyabi Nagumo's faction. Her attitude was really interesting.

"Oh, is that so?... Is she a senior or an upperclassman?"

For some reason, Ichinose Honami suddenly asked such a question as if possessed. She gripped Hashiba Hikaru's hand tightly, a strange look on her face.

"It's my senior, she's helped me several times, and this time I'm introducing her to Honami."

Hashiba Hikaru didn't hide anything and told the whole story directly to dispel any doubts the other party might have.

"Huh, is that really how it is?"

A strange light flashed in Ichinose Honami's eyes, followed by an even brighter smile. She tightened her grip on her boyfriend's arm, striking a pose befitting his girlfriend.

"Yes, she should be here soon."

Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami stood at the top of the stairs on the Second Year floor and soon spotted the tall, silver-haired figure.

After receiving the text message from the junior who piqued her interest, Kiryuuin Fuuka left the classroom of Class B of the Second Year almost without hesitation. However, when she reached the stairwell, Ichinose Honami, who was standing next to the boy, caught her attention.

"Good afternoon, Kiryuin."

Hashiba Hikaru greeted them politely and introduced the people around her.

"This is Ichinose Honami is in my class."

"Hello, senior student from Kiryuin."

Ichinose Honami greeted Hashiba Hikaru in the same way, but after seeing the tall, voluptuous, and confident silver-haired woman, she suddenly felt a unique sense of crisis.

"Oh, good afternoon, Hashiba. Is this your girlfriend?"

Kiryuuin Fuuka's lips curled into a smile. Just as Ichinose Honami was sizing her up, the silver-haired girl also began to observe Ichinose Honami's appearance.

It has to be said that the pink-haired girl with her delicate features and excellent figure is indeed very attractive. After admiring Hashiba Hikaru's good taste in choosing a girlfriend, a unique and playful thought arose in her mind.

Should we tease her a little?

As a Second Year seems to exist independently outside the entire school system, Kiryuuin Fuuka's current biggest interest is Hashiba Hikaru. Now, seeing her junior's girlfriend, she can't contain her desires and is planning to do something.

"Yes."

Hashiba Hikaru nodded, indicating that Ichinose Honami was his girlfriend.

"Yeah?"

Kiryuuin Fuuka nodded seriously, then, as if suddenly remembering something, asked in return.

"What's your relationship with that beautiful black-haired girl I saw with you earlier?"

"?"

Ichinose Honami's eyes sharpened instantly.

345

Chapter 345 Ichinose Honami's Method of Venting Emotions

In the noisy stairwell, Hashiba Hikaru's expression changed drastically after hearing Kiryuuin Fuuka's deliberate teasing.

He quickly looked at his girlfriend beside him, and only breathed a slight sigh of relief after seeing that her expression was relatively normal.

"Is the beautiful black-haired girl that Kiryuin mentioned Horikita- kun?"

When faced with these two upperclassmen who were both exceptionally beautiful and had outstanding figures, Ichinose Honami felt a unique sense of resistance. Therefore, she forcibly suppressed the strange feeling in her heart and quickly calmed down.

"Yes, I haven't explained this to Honami in detail yet, but it's not a big problem."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled gently at her and said softly, "I have some collaborative work with Horikita, so we sometimes act together."

"I see. You can make these decisions yourself; you don't need to inform me about every single thing."

After Ichinose Honami gripped the other person's large hand tightly, she looked at Kiryuuin Fuuka standing opposite her.

"Kiryuin, are you and Hikari very familiar with each other?"

"Yes, I've known Hashiba for quite a while now."

The woman with long silver hair shrugged, adopting an indifferent attitude.