What the Girls Are Thinking

"Of course I can drop the charges against Shibata, but Class B needs to unconditionally cooperate with one of my personal actions."

"Kitagawa-kun?"

Ichinose Honami tilted her head in confusion. She really couldn't understand how the other party could still propose such an outrageous contract after guessing that her class had obtained enough evidence to change the situation. Not to mention that the dominant position had been overturned, even two days ago, Class B would not have accepted such a contract.

Unconditional cooperation in an operation, if used well, can be more devastating to a class than demanding a large amount of Private Points from Class B. Moreover, Class C's current leader is Kitagawa Ryo. If Class B signs this contract, they might be suppressed for the next three years, just like Class D is now.

Kanzaki Ryuji frowned, wondering what the basis was for Kitagawa Ryo's seemingly insane actions. He spoke for the first time, bypassing Ichinose Honami:

"Class D has found a witness to the incident, and the witness even filmed the scene."

"Now it's our Class B that should be setting conditions."

"Oh, really?"

Kitagawa Ryo's lips curled into a smile. Seeing the other party's utter confidence, Kanzaki Ryuji quickly reviewed the entire incident in his mind. If this fight was orchestrated by Class C, then there was still one unexplained mystery—

Why did Shibata Sō go to the Special Building at that time?

Hoshinomiya teacher couldn't get an answer to this question, and Kanzaki Ryuji didn't get a clear answer yesterday either. Despite being the victim who was framed, Shibata's attitude remained strange, vaguely replying, "It doesn't matter."

The harassment of Class B by Class C members started at the beginning of this month. Ichinose Honami's response has always been to restrain the students of Class B to prevent conflicts. Shibata Sō himself is not a brainless idiot like Sudo. If someone from Class C, such as Ryuen Kakeru, asked him to go to the Special Building, Shibata would probably not agree at all.

But why did Shibata ultimately go there?

Ichinose Honami thought even faster than Kanzaki Ryuji, had basically figured out the answer to the matter:

That means the only person who could have sent Shibata there was a classmate from Class B whom he trusted, which is why he has been unwilling to reveal the reason.

In Class B, known for its unity, a person has emerged who conspires with other classes to frame classmates...

Who is it?

Ichinose Honami raised her head and confronted Kitagawa Ryo. It was only at this moment that she truly realized that Class C's framing of Class B was just one of their tactics. Their real killer move was to completely destroy Class B's proudest unity through suspicion and instigation. Just as Ichinose Honami herself had said, Private Points and Class Points could be earned back in the future, but the biggest crisis Class B would face was if the class members were unable to act as a collective.

Who is it?

Kitagawa Ryo's fingers lightly drew circles on the table, a simple action that put immense pressure on Ichinose Honami.

Ichinose Honami isn't afraid of Kitagawa Ryo directly revealing this so-called "traitor." She believes that the other party must have been threatened to collude with Class C. If they are open and honest after the incident is resolved, the atmosphere in Class B won't be damaged any further. However, if this person's identity cannot be revealed, Class B will not only face the danger of being unable to act in unity due to suspicion, but may also encounter "second" or even more betrayals in the future.

"I will tell Honami after this contract is signed."

Kitagawa Ryo must have realized that he had the upper hand over Class B's prestigious school, which is why he was so confident in making such a demand.

"We are sorry, but we cannot accept this."

However, Ichinose Honami managed to hold onto her last shred of reason. If she knew about the traitor's existence, she could go find him herself. But if she signed this contract, Class B would have little chance of turning things around.

"Don't worry, it's not as reckless as you think. I can add some restrictions."

Kitagawa Ryo pointed to the wording on the contract:

"First of all, this contract is only valid until the end of the First Year. If I really cause any major damage to Class B, you still have two years."

"Secondly, Class B's cooperation with this operation will not affect the Class Points, nor will it lead to any of the students in Class B being expelled. If this operation violates this clause, Class B has the right not to fulfill this agreement. What do you say?"

It will not affect the Class Points, nor will it cause students in Class B to drop out, and it will only last until the end of the First Year.

With these three restrictions added, the contract seemed more acceptable. Kanzaki Ryuji was still somewhat hesitant, but Ichinose Honami had already made her decision:

"Our Class B can sign it."

"Ichinose?"

"Kanzaki, haven't you realized that we don't actually have any bargaining power?"

Ichinose Honami took a breath, and for the first time, a slightly tired expression appeared on her beautiful face:

"From the very beginning, we were completely outmaneuvered. If this incident could be resolved simply by cooperating with one operation, without involving Class Points or members dropping out, then it would already be an acceptable outcome."

"But..."

Kanzaki Ryuji seemed to want to offer to pay the points to Class D, but remembering that Class C was still there, he swallowed his words.

"It's alright. As long as all forty people are present, Class B will have another chance."

Ichinose Honami stood up, patted Kanzaki Ryuji on the shoulder, and bowed in the direction of Kitagawa Ryo.

"Our Class B lost this time, but we'll win next time."

"Actually, if it weren't for Ryuen's design flaws this time, you wouldn't even be able to find any witnesses, and you would have lost even more miserably."

Kitagawa Ryo said irritably, waved his hand to signal the two to leave, and after Ichinose Honami and Kanzaki Ryuji left with the contract, Kitagawa Ryo also informed the homeroom teacher Sakagami Kazuma, to have him drop the accusation against Class B.

Ryuen Kakeru Sho plopped down opposite Kitagawa Ryo:

"All these injuries I sustained were for nothing, huh?"

"How is that possible?"

Kitagawa Ryo smiled, propping his head up with his hand. Given Ryuen Kakeru's familiarity with Kitagawa Ryo, whenever Kitagawa showed such an expression, it meant that his scheme was not yet over.

"What's next?"

"Wait."

Kitagawa Ryo clasped his hands together and said:

"There are only two ways to defeat a class: internal and external. If external attacks don't work, then the opponent will definitely try to divide them from the inside. This time, we've designed Class B to use a two-pronged approach."

"So I'm the 'hidden danger' you planted from the very beginning of the semester, right?"

Ryuen Kakeru understood Kitagawa Ryo's plan. He intended to smile deeply as well, but a twitch in his facial muscles aggravated his wound, causing him to stop smiling halfway through due to the pain.

"The rumor has been very successful. Now, many First Year believe that there are special reward rules hidden in the Midterm Exam, and that top students may receive extra points or something similar."

"Hmm, this will probably give Suzune a headache."

Kitagawa Ryo only mentioned it casually, after all, this rumor was just something he did on a whim at the time.

"Class A is our ultimate goal."

"Speaking of which, what exactly was the purpose of signing this contract? It doesn't involve Class Points or get anyone expelled, so it only leaves Private Points behind?"

"Hmm, there might be an exam later where we can earn a lot of Private Points. If we make good use of both classes, we might be able to get some benefits from the school."

Kitagawa Ryo glanced at Ryuen Kakeru:

Are you wondering why I need so many Private Points?

"More or less."

Ryuen Kakeru answered frankly:

"Actually, when I heard that Twenty Million Personal Points could be used to transfer classes, I thought about the possibility of accumulating 800 Million Points Plan to transfer everyone in Class C. But now, it seems that even without this method, Class C has a very high chance of being promoted to Class A."

"I need Private Points not just for transferring classes, have you forgotten? Twenty Million Personal Points can also exempt you from one expulsion."

Kitagawa Ryo stretched:

"I'm going back now. Midterm Exam a couple of days. I hope everyone in the class will be fine."

"Yes, the learning atmosphere has improved a lot since you started supervising, plus we have the answers now."

"That's good."

Thinking of the answer, Kitagawa Ryo couldn't help but recall the girl who sneaked into his room and left the real answer, telling him not to steal the fake one. He also thought of the secret agreement he made with a certain Student Council. Even though Class C was doing very well, he still had a strange feeling that there was still a long way to go.

I'm starting to wonder if I owed you something in my past life.

Kitagawa Ryo sighed and raised his left hand in the sunlight, his ring finger bare.

Chapter Nineteen: The Girls' Thoughts

"You've worked hard, have something to eat."

With less than three days until the Midterm Exam, the students in Class C did not give up on their studies just because Kitagawa Ryo had obtained the answers. After all, Kitagawa Ryo had made it very clear that there wouldn't be answers for every exam afterward. Class C's foundation was too weak, and if they didn't work hard to keep up, they would eventually have to drop out of school because they failed.

It's worth noting that under Kitagawa Ryo's leadership, Class C is already showing signs of replacing Class B, and this is only less than two months into the semester. Perhaps Class C could even become Class A in the future. Just for this promising prospect, the students in Class C are working incredibly hard. Kaneda Satoru and Shiina Hiyori's study sessions are also progressing well under Kitagawa Ryo's supervision. If the current students in Class C were to take another quiz, there probably wouldn't be as many as seven who fail.

It was already five o'clock in the afternoon. Although classes had ended, a large number of students were still studying in Class C. Even students like Ishizaki Daichi, who participated in club activities, had temporarily canceled their after-school club activities. Kitagawa Ryo was quite satisfied with the positive atmosphere in the class, so he casually made some desserts and brought them over.

"Wow, did you make this yourself, boss? It looks so beautiful, it could be sold!"

Ishizaki Daichi was the first to get a cup because he was sitting near the classroom door.

"It looks fancy, but it's really just iced coffee with a scoop of ice cream. It's very simple to make and not expensive."

Kitagawa Ryo served a cup to each of his classmates while smiling and explaining:

"Top the iced coffee with a scoop of ice cream, drizzle with 15 ml of coffee whipped cream, and draw a pattern with chocolate sauce as you like."

Although Kitagawa Ryo made it sound simple, these little desserts were indeed very appealing, with different smiley faces drawn on each cup. As Ibuki Mio drank, she glanced at Kitagawa Ryo, who seemed unusually approachable at the moment, with a bit of surprise.

The students in Class C certainly wouldn't refuse such free desserts. It was a good way to relax after studying for so long. They stood up, swung their legs, and stretched. While moving around, they laughed and chatted about everyday things. After more than a month of studying together, a sense of belonging was slowly building up in Class C.

"You two have worked even harder."

Kitagawa Ryo walked up to Kaneda Satoru and Shiina Hiyori, and handed them two different desserts from the tray he had brought:

"Kaneda, I remember you said you liked sweet and sour flavors when we ate together last time, so I made you a Lemon Cheese Mousse especially for you."

Kaneda Satoru is the best student in Class C besides Kitagawa Ryo. He usually wears glasses and is very polite. He is also quite smart. Currently, he is in charge of tutoring the boys. Putting everything else aside, it is really not easy for Kaneda to have been patiently teaching Ishizaki Daichi and Yamada Albert, who have such a poor grasp of abstract knowledge.

"Thanks."

Unlike Kaneda Satoru, who often calls others "boss," Ishizaki Daichi didn't exhibit the typical delinquent behavior of a young man. He simply grabbed his share of the cake and left. After all, there were already rumors about Kitagawa Ryo and Shiina Hiyori in the class, and now a certain girl's gaze was practically burning him from behind. So, Kaneda Satoru quickly made way for the two of them.

"Alright, this was made just for you this time."

Kitagawa Ryo then leaned against the windowsill next to Shiina Hiyori and handed her the last blueberry pie.

"I guarantee no one will try to take it from you."

Watching the girl nibble on the blueberry pie like a little hamster, Kitagawa Ryo also took a comfortable sip of his iced coffee.

"Is it good?"

Shiina Hiyori seemed quite interested in the ice cream coffee in Kitagawa Ryo's hand. With a little white crumb still on the corner of her mouth, she suddenly leaned close to Kitagawa Ryo and blinked as she asked.

"It's alright, it's basically just coffee."

Kitagawa Ryo casually replied:

"Hiyori, it's best not to drink it at all, it's a bit too cold. I only gave the girls chilled, not frozen ones."

These were all just excuses. Kitagawa Ryo glanced at Hiyori without showing any emotion. Unlike most other girls, Shiina Hiyori always wore pure white stockings, which did suit her girlish temperament, and her absolute territory (arena) was also quite impressive.

As for why he didn't get Shiina Hiyori a cup of iced coffee, Kitagawa Ryo couldn't say that he already knew Hiyori's period was in the next few days.

Slightly embarrassed and wanting to brush off the topic, Kitagawa Ryo cleared his throat and said:

"A few days ago, I had you and Kaneda specifically imitate last year's exam questions and answers to forge an answer key. That must have been quite a task."

"Actually, it's not so bad."

Shiina Hiyori's attention was indeed drawn to it. She had always wanted to help Kitagawa Ryo more directly, and this opportunity to forge the answer was a rare chance. Therefore, Shiina Hiyori completed the task with a very serious attitude throughout.

"With last year's exam questions and answers as a reference, all you need to do is concoct a set of seemingly plausible questions and answers based on the exam scope you provided, Liang."

"It's not difficult."

Shiina Hiyori happily introduced her work to Kitagawa Ryo:

"Furthermore, following Ryo's instructions, Kaneda and I secretly modified some of last year's exam questions, changing some minor numerical values. The solution steps are the same, but the results are different. If you don't carefully check these answers and just blindly trust them, you might easily be fooled."

"Hiyori really helped us a lot this time; Class D is going to suffer a terrible defeat in their Midterm Exam."

Kitagawa Ryo smiled. The trap he set for Horikita Suzune wasn't just about the exam scope. People who see through one layer of trickery are often more likely to believe what follows and take it as the truth. Moreover, Kitagawa Ryo had set up two layers of self-deception for Horikita Suzune.

"Um."

Shiina Hiyori nodded in agreement, her eyes beaming with joy at being praised. The fate of Class D was none of her concern; in fact, she thought it best if Class D were to perish sooner rather than later.

As for why the girl had such thoughts, it was entirely because a few days ago, Kushida Kikyo, who claimed to be good friends with everyone in her grade, suddenly called her and chatted with her for a full twenty minutes about all sorts of random things. It wasn't until Shiina Hiyori hung up that she realized she had mistakenly answered a call from Kitagawa Ryo.

Although the incident ultimately achieved its planned outcome, Shiina Hiyori still harbors a slight desire for revenge.

After all, the plot of missing an important call due to other matters and ultimately leading to tragedy is far too common as a tragic storyline, Shiina Hiyori doesn't want to miss an important call from Kitagawa Ryo in the future because of a similar incident.

Kitagawa Ryo hadn't expected Shiina Hiyori to care about such a small thing. If he had known, he might have teased her about having too much of an imagination.

Girls are made of sugar, spices, and something wonderful.

With this in mind, Kitagawa Ryo quietly watched Shiina Hiyori finish the small blueberry pie.