The Original Questions

The night before the exam, Hoshino once again called the five girls to gather in his dorm room.

"Given the current situation, there's basically no need to worry about Hasebe's and Matsushita's grades..."

"Hah, I was obviously going to pass anyway. Don't make it sound like it's thanks to you."

Matsushita opposed Hoshino as usual. Hoshino merely smiled faintly and shut her down with, "But you haven't improved at all during this time."

"And the one who has improved the most is Karuizawa."

Karuizawa, who had previously hovered around the passing line, had now completely left that range behind.

She was actually very smart; she simply had never put her mind toward studying. Now that she had gained the motivation to study for certain reasons, her grades had naturally improved.

At her score level, winning the "Most Improved Award" would be incredibly easy.

"As for you two..."

Hoshino turned his gaze toward the remaining two.

Sakura lowered her head awkwardly, burying her face deep in her chest. Whether from embarrassment or holding her breath, her skin had flushed bright red. Sato, meanwhile, guiltily let her gaze wander as two fingers of her left hand repeatedly curled and released a lock of hair.

Hoshino let out a long sigh.

"At this point, there's nothing we can do. With your current grades, I can't guarantee you'll pass the exam the day after tomorrow. Looks like I won't be collecting those ten thousand points from you two after all. A bet is a bet, and I accept the loss. Each of you may make one request of me. As long as it's within my ability, I won't refuse."

"Huh? Really? I—"

Sato's eyes lit up at once, and she was about to say something when she received a flick to the forehead.

Watching Sato clutch her forehead and cry out in pain, even Matsushita was speechless and unwilling to defend her.

You idiot, Maya, do you understand? If you fail the midterms, you'll be expelled. Why are you still talking about making requests at a time like this?

At that moment, Karuizawa raised a hand to signal for attention. "I heard something that might help..."

She took out her phone, tapped on it for a while, and displayed a screenshot. Sato, seated beside her, leaned over for a look and immediately widened her eyes.

"Midterm exam questions?"

"Yeah. I heard the first-year first-semester midterm questions are the same every year, so we should be able to find a way through upperclassmen."

The others all wore different expressions upon hearing Karuizawa's words. Sakura hesitantly asked, "Wouldn't that count as cheating?"

"I don't think so. Normally, exam questions wouldn't be repeated every year. So couldn't we consider the fact that this is happening to be part of the exam itself? Maybe the purpose is to test our ability to acquire information and resources?"

Matsushita's analysis earned the approval of the others. Sato clapped her hands excitedly. "Then if we contact second- and third-year upperclassmen and get a copy of the original questions, wouldn't this exam be a sure thing?"

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone beside her turned to look at her.

"W-Why are you all looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong?"

"Sato, I don't think getting the original questions will be as simple as just contacting an upperclassman. At the very least, they'd probably demand a considerable price in exchange, such as points."

Hasebe spoke calmly.

"Ah, but I don't have many points."

It was not just Sato. Since Class D had received no points at all starting from the second month, they were probably the poorest students in the entire grade.

"Besides, there are only two days left until the exam. If we go negotiate with upperclassmen now, they may see it as us being desperate to avoid failing only by relying on the original questions. They might ask for an even higher price."

"Ahhh! Then what are we supposed to do—"

"Shut up, Maya. You're so noisy."

"Damn you, Chiaki! Don't you care about me at all?"

"...Calm down first."

Matsushita helplessly softened her tone.

"The situation isn't that bad yet. We'll find a way."

As she spoke, she turned her eyes toward Karuizawa.

"Sigh, I was just about to say it. My source was Kushida, and she also told me that Hirata has already gotten the exam questions. It seems he plans to hand them out to everyone tomorrow."

"Kei! Is that true?"

"...Why would I lie about something like that?"

Facing Sato, who was clutching her arm with tearful eyes, Karuizawa was both annoyed and amused.

"As expected of Hirata. He really puts his heart into matters concerning the class."

"It's just... I wonder if Hirata had to pay a lot of points to get those questions?"

"I'd like to help share the cost of the questions, but I don't have many points left now..."

The girls began discussing it all at once. Even Sakura forgot to be shy, because like Sato, she was someone who truly needed those questions. This was a serious matter.

Hoshino silently stood up and made himself another cup of coffee. As he drank, he sent someone a message on his phone.

"Were you the one who gave Hirata the questions?"

The reply came quickly. "Yeah."

"As expected of you. Even when it comes to something that earns goodwill, you have someone else do it for you."

"I merely considered that, given Hirata's prestige and the trust his classmates placed in him, it would be easier for people to believe the questions if he presented them."

Seeing that reply, Hoshino could practically picture the innocent expression Ayanokoji put on.

"Then next time something this good comes along, why not consider me?"

"You're not serious, are you? You got the questions even earlier than I did, yet you never intended to let anyone else use them."

"Yeah. I figured that rather than giving the questions to guys like Sudo, it would be better to use them to gain favor with beautiful girls in my year."

"Heh. Speaking of which, you've been holding study sessions for Karuizawa and the others."

"I heard you've also been helping with Horikita's and Kushida's study sessions."

"That's because Horikita forced me to join at compass-point."

"Horikita did a wonderful thing. (lol)"

"Stop making fun of me."

The two chatted idly for a few more lines before ending the conversation. Hoshino leisurely leaned against the wall, drinking his coffee as he watched the girls discussing things.

Hoshino's eyes met Matsushita's. He immediately understood that it was no coincidence.

And seeing how she stubbornly refused to look away as she met his gaze, Hoshino knew she was expressing her stance.

Hoshino smiled gently, set down his coffee cup, and lightly clapped his hands, drawing all the girls' attention.

"Looks like you have at least a basic understanding of this exam now, so it's about time for me to make my entrance."

"What do you mean?"

Sato tilted her head in confusion. Matsushita sighed.

"It means this guy has been holding onto something that can guarantee you pass, and he only intends to take it out now."

Sato's face filled with shock, her eyes widening.

"Hoshino, is that true?"

"More or less. Since I made a bet with you, I had to keep something in reserve to make sure I could win. After all, I'm not someone who likes losing."

He pointed at the desk.

"The midterm questions for the day after tomorrow are in the first drawer of the desk. Sakura, could you take them out and hand them to everyone?"

"Ah, o-okay!"

Sakura answered in a fluster, stood up, opened the drawer, and took out a thick stack of exam papers. The papers were already bound together, five copies in total. Sakura handed one to each of the others before returning to her seat. The girls flipped through the papers without saying anything, and for a moment, the room was filled only with the rustling of paper.

After waiting for them to finish looking over the questions, several gazes turned toward Hoshino.

"The contents of these questions seem very similar to the practice problems you usually gave us."

Karuizawa lightly furrowed her brows. She had been especially diligent during this period, so she quickly noticed the connection.

"That's because the practice problems I gave you were made using these midterm questions as a template."

"Ah, Hoshino, you got the questions a long time ago? Why didn't you just give them to us from the start?"

Sato cried out in dissatisfaction.

"If I'd given you the original questions from the start, you wouldn't have studied at all during this time, would you?"

"Uh... well... it's not like I wouldn't have studied at all..."

Sato's guilty appearance made everyone laugh.

"In any case, there's still a little over a day until the exam. That should be enough time for you to memorize these questions and answers completely. That way, there will be absolutely no problem with this midterm."

"Oh, right. Hasebe, Karuizawa, and Matsushita, don't forget to transfer your wager points. Five thousand points each."

Hoshino added with a smile.

"Ehh, this feels like a bit of a loss. If I'd known, I should've studied poorly like Airi. I could've saved some points too."

"K-Kaka, I wasn't trying to save money, I-I..."

Hasebe's casual remark immediately made Sakura's face turn bright red.

Having distributed the questions, Hoshino had accomplished his purpose in calling them here today, so he did not keep them any longer and let them leave. Sato and Sakura would likely begin working hard on memorizing the questions that very night.

Hoshino stood at the door with a smile, quietly bidding the girls farewell as they passed him one after another.

"Goodbye."

"Good night."

"Good luck." That was for Sakura.

"Don't slack off. If you still can't pass after being given the original questions, that really won't be funny." That was for Sato.

Matsushita was the last one. Sato had already reached the hallway outside, but Matsushita was still slowly tying her shoelaces.

Hoshino lowered his voice so that only the two of them could hear. "Are you satisfied with this little test, Chiaki?"

Matsushita's movements paused slightly, then she nonchalantly finished putting on her shoes. She stood and walked out without even looking at Hoshino. But just as she was about to leave, she suddenly turned around and fixed Hoshino with a direct stare from her almond-shaped eyes.

"Was it Inoue-senpai, or Terajima-senpai?"

She abruptly asked the question without context, but Hoshino's smile only grew brighter.

"Yagyu-senpai too. Since these are midterm exam questions and expulsion is at stake, it's reasonable to verify them through multiple sources and ensure there's no room for error, right?"

Matsushita gave a loud humph, turned around, and slammed the door behind her.