The Exam Ends

In this world of cutthroat competition, where everyone was on edge, that quiet, risky helping hand felt precious.

Yuefeng performed even better on the exams that followed. There were still difficult questions, but he kept a steady mindset and made the most of everything he had studied.

When the bell rang, he put down his pen. It felt like he had just fought a hard battle; his body and mind were exhausted, but he also felt the relief of having finished the task.

The students handed in their papers and filed out. The auditorium filled with relieved sighs and quiet discussions about the questions.

"I'm done for! I didn't understand the last big question at all!"

"I never studied that philosophical school!"

"Class C is probably going to be wiped out this time..."

"Those monsters in Class A and Class B must be fine."

Yuefeng quietly packed his things and followed the crowd out of the auditorium. The sunlight was a little glaring, and he squinted.

"Yuefeng." A gentle voice sounded beside him.

It was Hiyori Shiina.

She held her pencil case and stood a short distance away. The sunlight had lent her cheeks a faint blush, and there was a hint of concern in her eyes.

"Shiina." Yuefeng walked over. "How did it go?"

"Not bad." Hiyori Shiina spoke softly. She didn't say much about her own exam, instead asking, "What about you, Yuefeng? That last big question... was a little difficult."

Yuefeng looked into her clear eyes and nodded. "Yeah. Luckily... I managed to shift my thinking in time." He deliberately left his meaning vague, but his gaze held sincere gratitude.

Hiyori Shiina seemed to understand what he meant. Her cheeks reddened a little more, and she lowered her head slightly. "I'm glad I could help." Her voice was so soft that it was nearly drowned out by the noisy crowd around them.

They walked side by side for a while without speaking again, but the silence wasn't awkward.

"Yuefeng." A calm, toneless voice came from the other side, breaking the quiet.

Yuefeng and Hiyori Shiina turned at the same time.

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji had appeared beside them at some point. His expression was as impassive as ever.

He looked at Yuefeng first, then let his gaze rest on Hiyori Shiina's face for half a second.

As if something had burned her, Hiyori Shiina immediately looked away. The blush hadn't faded, but now a hint of nervousness showed on her face.

She hurriedly nodded to Yuefeng. "Well... I should get going. Goodbye, Yuefeng." Then she quickened her pace and almost fled.

Yuefeng watched her flustered retreat, then looked at the unruffled Kiyotaka before him and sighed inwardly.

Could Kiyotaka really put people under invisible pressure just by being there?

"The exam is over," Kiyotaka stated.

"Yeah, it's over," Yuefeng replied, waiting for him to continue. Kiyotaka wouldn't have come over just to say that.

Kiyotaka's gaze swept over Yuefeng's slightly tired but clear-eyed face, then moved to the back of the admission ticket in his hand, covered in notes.

"The questions were as expected," Kiyotaka said.

"Yeah. Your warning helped a lot." This time, Yuefeng's thanks were sincere. Kiyotaka's "question-type predictions" had indeed been a great help, though his motives remained a mystery.

Kiyotaka nodded without taking up the subject.

After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly asked a question that caught Yuefeng off guard:

"Hiyori Shiina used a variation of social contract theory for the last question, combined with a utilitarian adjustment."

Yuefeng was startled.

Had Kiyotaka noticed even that? Had he been watching Hiyori Shiina at the time, or had he simply inferred it from the way she answered?

"Maybe. I didn't pay much attention," Yuefeng said vaguely, not wanting to drag Hiyori Shiina into this.

Kiyotaka didn't seem to care about his answer. He simply looked at Yuefeng with his dark brown eyes and spoke slowly:

"Her reasoning was clear, but one of the assumptions in her argument was too idealistic. It overlooked the disruption caused by 'irrational actors' in the case.

"If the graders are strict, she'll lose points there."

Yuefeng was stunned. Was Kiyotaka... critiquing Hiyori Shiina's answer? And in such precise, professional detail? What was he trying to say?

"However," Kiyotaka continued, his tone still even, "for a first-year student, being able to think at that level is already impressive. She'll pass without a problem."

Yuefeng was even more baffled.

Had Kiyotaka gone out of his way to analyze Hiyori Shiina's answer for him? What did that have to do with "understanding each other's circumstances" or "Class C's atmosphere"?

"You..." Yuefeng began hesitantly.

"The results will be announced in three days. Those who pass will receive a special notice about the rewards and what comes next." Kiyotaka cut him off, as if his analysis just now had been an offhand remark.

He looked at Yuefeng, then added something that made Yuefeng tense up again:

"Given my father's personality, he may contact you."

After saying that, Kiyotaka lingered no longer. He gave Yuefeng a slight nod, then turned and merged into the crowd leaving the auditorium. He soon disappeared from sight.

Yuefeng stood where he was. The afternoon sunlight was warm, but he felt a chill.

The exam was over, but Kiyotaka's words were like a stone dropped into a still lake, stirring up ripples.

Hiyori Shiina's subtle help, Kiyotaka's frighteningly precise observations, and his meaningful "prediction"...

And the possibility that his "father" might make contact.

Yuefeng looked up toward the distant Administration Building, where the School Board and offices with certain "special permissions" were located.

Passing the exam, securing resources, gaining more leverage in Class C... That was only the first step of the plan.

The shadow of his "father," and Kiyotaka's unfathomable intentions, seemed to be the real hurdles he would have to face in this "meritocracy" game.

"In three days..." Yuefeng murmured, gripping his pencil case.