You little punk, you think you're worthy?

"We, Class 2-C, are seeking an equal and long-term cooperative relationship, so please rest assured."

Shiina Hiyori quickly revealed her feelings, proving that in negotiations, she was far more effective than Ryuen herself, both in terms of her image, demeanor, and communication skills.

"I know, I also know a bit about the situation in your Class C."

Xue hesitated for a moment after hearing this before continuing:

"More than that, I'm worried about whether our two classes are strong enough to support everyone through this Special Exam."

Although it looks like she's cosplaying Ryuen Kakeru, Xue clearly knows that if she wants to maintain control of a class in the long run, she must at least make the students in the class genuinely feel that she is capable of doing things, such as ensuring that all students in Class D pass the Special Exam.

Even if you fail, the maximum penalty is only a deduction of three months' worth of Private Points, but everyone prefers to avoid it if possible, as tens of thousands of Private Points are still a considerable amount for new students just entering ANHS.

However, compared to the other three classes, there is no doubt that Class 1-D is the worst in terms of overall academic ability. This can also be seen from the OAA data. There are only fifteen students with an academic level of B-, which is above average. Less than half of them are students. The rest are students struggling at an average level that seems like they can pass but also seems like they can't, as well as poor students who definitely can't pass without a senior student to help them.

"Class C's scores are actually higher than the OAA's on paper. Everyone has been studying very hard for the past month and a half, including spring break."

Seeing Yuki's concern, Shiina Hiyori offered a reassuring explanation.

The data on OAA does indeed have a certain lag, since its changes are based on midterms, finals, club grades, and various Special Exam. Although Class C unexpectedly beat Class D in the Special Exam at the end of March, they still lost miserably in several academic-related subjects. There haven't been any quizzes since the start of this academic year, so the data on OAA has not been updated.

"Furthermore, there are still two weeks until the Special Exam. If we study diligently, passing this exam shouldn't be difficult. However, this requires everyone's full cooperation. Regardless of whether they are good or bad students, everyone must accept their assigned partner 100% in order to have a chance of everyone passing."

At this point, Shiina Hiyori cast an inquiring glance toward Yuki.

In fact, in this Special Exam, the underachieving students were naturally not the ones who would cause any trouble. After all, without the help of the class, it would be difficult for them to find a suitable partner on their own. Even if they could find one, they would have to pay a considerable amount of Private Points as a price.

On the other hand, precisely because there is profit to be made in this Special Exam, high-achieving students may be unwilling to accept the class's assignments, or want to take on orders on their own to earn Private Points, or want to team up with high-achieving seniors to boost their rankings, which is a headache to think about.

"I might need to mediate."

Yuki didn't make any grand promises, but Shiina Hiyori immediately understood and said:

"If there's anything we can do to help, please let us know."

Although the goal is to achieve an equal cooperative relationship, the pressure faced by first and second year students is not equal due to the punishment for this Special Exam. Therefore, Class 2-C can accept a certain amount of effort, as long as it is within a controllable range.

"Okay, then it's settled."

With Kitagawa Ryo Shiina Hiyori, representing their respective classes, signed this alliance treaty.

After the somewhat heavy and tedious topic ended, the three of them, including Kitagawa Ryo who hadn't said much the whole time, were finally able to relax and chat.

This was the first time Kitagawa Ryo had ever seen Yuki display such a complex expression in front of others, sometimes enthusiastic and sometimes bored. After all, apart from Sakayanagi Arisu and Amasawa Ichika, she rarely showed such a strong desire to communicate. When Ichinose Honami took the initiative to communicate with her, she only said a few words and left.

After thinking for a moment, Kitagawa Ryo understood Yuki's thoughts.

Just like his own initial belief in Hiyori that "no matter how the times change, you remain the same," this pure and innocent heart, which emanates from within, naturally possesses a complex attraction for Yuki herself.

Ultimately, in a sense, that is who she wants to be, and firmly believes she has become, the person she is today.

In that original White Room, Kitagawa Ryo and Yuki had passionately discussed each other's names many times—his Ryo and her Yuki.

Although Xue is still not used to her surname to this day, as if by a twist of Fate, the answer to the mystery she seeks is actually hidden in her name.

Camellia, snow.

Turn it upside down and it becomes Snow Camellia.

This is one of the subspecies of camellia, which usually grows in snowy areas and blooms in the snow. The white variety of camellia is also known as 'Hime Shirayuki'.

Kitagawa Ryo, who also possesses the talent of a 'Florist,' is well aware of the meaning of this flower.

The meaning of the snow bud flower--

It means perfect and flawless beauty.

"It went even more smoothly than I expected; the other party was much easier to talk to than I anticipated."

After the three-person chat ended, Kitagawa Ryo got up Shiina Hiyori to the Tea Ceremony Club, while Yuki went back to inform and coordinate the cooperation with the students in her class. Ryuen Kakeru was in charge of Class 2-C.

"She's nothing like the rumors said. At first, I really thought she had a personality like Ryuen's before."

After successfully reaching an agreement, Shiina Hiyori was in a very relaxed and happy mood, constantly sharing her feelings with Kitagawa Ryo.

"By the way, when is Ryo planning to transfer to this class?"

"Have you collected enough points?"

"No, not at all. Although Ryuen won another four million Private Points as the Commander in the End-of-Year Special Exam, the twelve million IOUs he has can't be suddenly converted into liquid funds. But if you include the portion I saved, it should be ready soon."

Shiina Hiyori counted on her fingers for a while, then tilted her little face up slightly towards Kitagawa Ryo:

"What? Liang can't wait any longer? Are you going to pay for it yourself?"

"Even if you asked me to pay, I wouldn't have that much. I used most of my Private Points to save Suzune in the End-of-Year Special Exam. If you really think about it, I still owe Airi a huge debt."

"That should be considered Suzune's fault, right?"

"Although I think the root cause should be Arisu's problem, no, it should be Ichika's. Ichika is because of me, and I am because of the White Room... It really is Ayanokoji Atsuomi's fault. Let me think, the sins of the father should be visited upon the son, so maybe it should be considered that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka owes it."

"Ryo has been mentioning Ayanokoji quite often lately."

"Because I think it's increasingly likely that they're going to destroy our campus life."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Although it's a bit early to say, I don't think I can stay in this school until I graduate from my third year. Maybe one day I'll have to leave on my own."

This was the first time Shiina Hiyori had heard Kitagawa Ryo mention this matter, but she didn't press for further explanation, only murmuring somewhat forlornly:

"I see..."

This wasn't the first time she'd experienced something like this. In the simulation where she gained her memories, Kitagawa Ryo had chosen to drop out of school midway through. However, that time was earlier; she disappeared after the Sports Festival in the second semester of her first year, and only stayed for half a year.

"However, Hiyori doesn't need to worry or be too anxious. It should still take some time. I estimate it will be at least another year. And if I really leave by then, I actually hope that Hiyori can finish her last year of high school here in peace."

To be frank, Kitagawa Ryo has never really agreed with the idea in many love stories where the couple abandons their plans for the future because of a momentary impulse. Temporary separation is always for the sake of a longer companionship in the future, especially for high school students like them, and for students who will have been in high school for two years by then. Giving up their studies halfway through is definitely an unwise thing to do.

Of course, there are exceptions, like Karuizawa Kei, who had planned her future early on and came to ANHS University just to accompany him.

"Yes, I know."

Seeing Shiina Hiyori silently nod in agreement, Kitagawa Ryo also felt that the atmosphere between them had become somewhat heavy, so he changed the subject again:

"By the way, Hiyori can also talk to Yuki more in the future. Actually, she has a very good feeling about you, and I also feel that you two are very compatible. What do you think, Hiyori?"

"Hmm... I think she's quite friendly. Her bad relationship with Arisu is probably like mine with Megumi—they must have had some kind of conflict 'in the past'?"

"Pretty much, but the situation between the two of them is much more complicated than yours and Hui's; it's like a super-upgraded and enhanced version."

With that, Kitagawa Ryo shook his head, no longer insisting, and instead asked:

Have you been reading any new mystery novels Hiyori?

"Yes, I read China writer Na Duo's 'A Short Account of Murders Over 19 Years'."

"I've read this book before. The plot is very well-designed, and the manipulation is very successful. It's easy for the author to lead you by the nose, constantly generating and then refuting one suspect after another in your mind."

"I especially liked the design where the murderer and the victim were writing letters to each other without knowing it, and the plot twist was cleverly used later on. It's no wonder they deliberately set the story in the late 20th century; I haven't heard the term 'pen pal' in ages."

"Hey, I wrote a handwritten letter to everyone for Valentine's Day."

"I wish 'everyone' in Liang's sentence could be replaced with my name."

"That Hiyori might as well have just asked, 'Is this something unique to me, or do all the other sisters have it?'"

"Really."

Perhaps because he had chatted casually with Shiina Hiyori about letters for a while, Kitagawa Ryo unconsciously recalled the handwritten letter that his sister, Toyuki, had brought him.

When he checked the letter again a few days ago, he noticed a faint cat paw print at the end, almost like some kind of 'this cat approves' stamp, which made Kitagawa Ryo somewhat amused and exasperated.

It seems that by the time this Special Exam ends, during the May Day Golden Week...

He has to leave the school again.

Chapter 18: You little dog, you don't even deserve to be called one!

With Class 1-D and Class 2-C officially finalizing their cooperation, Class 2-A First Year students who had already reached an agreement. In just one night, more than half of the second-year students on OAA had formed partnerships with First Year.

However, the remaining second-year students were not in a great hurry, especially the students in Class 2-D. Most of them were not thinking about how to pass the test, but rather hoping to find a strong partner to help them improve their ranking. Therefore, they were mostly targeting the freshmen in Class 1-A and Class B of the first year.

Thanks to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's connections in the First Year, the process went quite smoothly, allowing the students of Class 2-D to once again witness the strength of their class Leader and stabilize the class's morale.

Although at first glance it seems that Class 2-D has returned to its former status as Class D, considering that the last End-of-Year Special Exam was lost due to bad luck and the Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, and that both Ayanokoji and Katsuragi Kohei have now joined the Student Council, with the former being one of the vice presidents, most of the students in Class D still have a certain degree of confidence in the future of their class. This Special Exam is their first shot in the counterattack.

After all, it's a well-known fact that Class 2-C is weak in academics. This time, their partner is Class D, the weakest class in the First Year, which is almost guaranteed to be at the bottom of the class rankings. If Class 2-D tries their best, it's entirely possible to reverse their order.

Just as the students of Class 2-D were preparing to launch a counterattack, their class Leader, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, secretly arranged to meet with someone: Ishigami Kyo from Class 1-A.

"You saw me later than I expected."

Although he was First Year student, Ishigami Kyo was taller than Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and showed no respect for his senior.

He has always revered Ayanokoji Atsuomi's ideology, and naturally he wanted to inherit his political legacy. In this respect, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka could even be considered his direct competitor. In particular, Ayanokoji Atsuomi.

If it were someone else, they might have given up at that point. After all, they are father and son by blood. Moreover, in Japan, it is considered natural for a son to succeed his father, and the same applies to politicians. Why would they neglect to nurture their own son and instead allocate resources to an outsider?

However, Ishigami Kyo knew Ayanokoji Atsuomi very well, even more so than Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, his biological son raised in the White Room. Therefore, he was more aware of the man's character and the fact that there was no affection whatsoever between the father and son.

It was precisely for this reason that Ishigami Kyo chose to enter Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School to personally confront Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

His family wasn't a large corporation or conglomerate, and their wealth was even less than that of Kanzaki Ryuji. While this was a very comfortable situation for ordinary people, it was far from enough for Ishigami Kyo, who wanted to enter politics.

Therefore, he needs Ayanokoji Atsuomi's help.

However, resources and favors are things that are always dwindling once used. Therefore, even if Ayanokoji Atsuomi currently has a good impression of him, as long as Ayanokoji Kiyotaka exists, the amount allocated to him will definitely decrease.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka glanced at Ishigami Kyo sitting opposite him, his face remaining calm and composed, but inwardly he had already guessed almost perfectly what the other was thinking.

Of course, all of this was told to him by Tsukishiro before he left.

After all, he knew very little about this kind of knowledge and information. Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School was a boring and closed-off high school for other students, but for Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, it was much larger than the White Room. He had spent the first ten years of his life in these two places.

If it were the old him, he would probably have approached this outsider, whom he had never met before and knew nothing about, whose motives, background, and purpose were unknown, testing and hesitating little by little before finally meeting him in person.

But things are different now.

Both Tsukishiro and Kitagawa Ryo provided him with considerable assistance, especially the latter.

If the relationship between the former and him was one where they both knew the truth but wouldn't say it out loud, then the latter was different.

After learning that Ishigami Kyo had enrolled as a freshman, the other party asked Kamuro Masumi to send him a story.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka understood perfectly well that Kitagawa Ryo meant to protect Kamuro. After all, with Hashimoto Masayoshi expelled, this student, who had been a spy, could easily become his next target.

But I must say, the story Kitagawa Ryo sent was very useful.

Even if it were just to hear more stories like this later, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka didn't think he would ever lay a hand on Kamuro Masumi again.

After all, ANHS and his class were no longer his top priorities.

The true story that Kitagawa Ryo told him Ishigami, who was sitting right in front of him at that moment.

According to him, that must have happened about ten years ago.

At the time, Ayanokoji Atsuomi had a habit of organizing a banquet every year, and the guests invited were investors and participants of the White Room Project. Essentially, it was a way for everyone to get to know each other and also to attract new investments. Therefore, many attendees would bring their children along.

After all, at their age and social class, comparing the excellence of younger generations is always a source of endless enjoyment.

Ishigami Kyo was one of them at the time, as was Kanzaki Ryuji.

The dispute began when a child lied out of vanity.

A boy named Fuji boasted that he had a soccer ball autographed by a famous player at home, but he was quickly exposed by another boy named Nogi, because he had met the player two months ago and the player had told him that he never signed autographs on his own initiative, and the one he gave him was the only one available.

Nogi had two followers on either side of him, and the three children together demanded that the boy named Fuji apologize. Kanzaki Ryuji was just Bystander at the time, and after realizing that Fuji was lying, he found the whole thing boring and didn't want to get involved.

In his view, if the child had simply apologized instead of stubbornly insisting that he had, the matter would have been resolved quickly. However, the child's refusal to apologize only made the situation more awkward.

Just as Fuji was about to be bullied, Ishigami Kyo suddenly arrived. He was Fuji's friend, so he stood up to protect him, even though he knew Fuji was lying.

Faced with the aggressive Nogi trio, he ultimately chose a course of action that Kanzaki Ryuji considered extremely drastic.

He chose to provoke the other party and escalate the situation, even offering himself up by letting Nogi grab his collar. Then, just as the other party swung his fist, he shouted loudly, attracting the attention of all the other adults present.

In this way, by portraying himself as a victim, Ishigami Kyo successfully scared away the Nogi trio and protected his friends.

Without a doubt, this is a pretty good quick thinking move for a small child.

Especially when faced with Nogi's threat, "I'll have my father ruin your parents' company," from Nogi Pharmaceuticals, he was still able to calmly respond, "Then let's make a big scene, run around making a scene, and the more famous your father becomes, the more embarrassed he'll feel."

But ultimately, this is a method that only works for children.

Children are afraid of making a scene and upsetting their parents, and adults are unwilling to lose face because of their children's issues.