A Quiz

In the third week after school began, the atmosphere in the classroom suddenly grew a little tense.

At the front of the classroom, Mashima Tomoya held a stack of test papers and cleared his throat. "The end of the month is approaching, so we'll have a quiz today. Please cooperate."

He handed the papers to the students in the front row.

"Pass them back."

Uesugi Hara took the test paper Morishita Ai passed him and glanced over it. It was indeed a quiz-sized test, with only a few questions for each subject.

"One thing to make clear," Mashima Tomoya said evenly once everyone had a paper. "The results of this quiz will only be used as a reference in the future. They won't appear on your transcripts, so there's no risk. Answer with confidence. However, cheating is strictly prohibited. Anyone caught will be dealt with according to school rules."

Uesugi Hara was puzzled by that.

If the results wouldn't appear on their transcripts, where would they show up?

Could an exam really carry risks? What kind of risks?

And if there was no risk this time, what about next time?

Mashima Tomoya's ambiguous words made Uesugi Hara think of all sorts of questions.

Was Mashima Tomoya just like this, or were all the teachers at this school?

If it was the latter, things could get very interesting.

"All right, begin." Mashima Tomoya's voice interrupted Uesugi Hara's thoughts.

Uesugi Hara refocused and looked seriously at the test paper in his hands.

Did they really need to give a college student questions that any high schooler could solve? Surely no one would actually get stuck on them?

He flipped through the paper.

A few of the questions suddenly got much harder, and he couldn't see the answers at a glance.

Weren't tests supposed to increase in difficulty gradually? Why had it suddenly shot up?

But when he compared them with what they were currently studying, he realized these questions were beyond what students at this stage could solve.

After noticing this, Uesugi Hara glanced at Mashima Tomoya out of the corner of his eye.

Mashima Tomoya was calmly surveying the classroom, presumably proctoring the test. Judging by his composure, Uesugi Hara figured there was nothing wrong with the paper. Surely a teacher wouldn't set questions without realizing they were beyond the syllabus?

So Uesugi Hara decided to skip those few questions. He still didn't know why the school had set the test this way, so it was better to play it safe.

Besides, Mashima Tomoya had clearly said there was no risk this time. He'd just wait and see how things played out.

He finished the test in no time. Apart from those few relatively complicated questions, he could tell the answers to everything else at a glance, so it hadn't taken him long at all.

There was still time before they had to hand in their papers, so Uesugi Hara stared blankly out the window.

Mashima Tomoya had noticed him, of course, but didn't say anything. As long as Uesugi Hara wasn't copying or cheating, that was all that mattered.

"Uesugi, have you given up?" While the papers were being collected, Kamuro Masumi sneaked over and tapped him on the shoulder, her tone teasing. "You've been staring into space after only a few minutes. Can't solve them? Want me to give you a little 'help'?"

Uesugi Hara raised an eyebrow and glanced at her. "Help me learn how to space out and sleep?"

"Of course I mean help you study!"

"Yeah, right. You were just scratching your head for ages and still couldn't come up with an answer. Who's the one spacing out and dozing off in class?" Uesugi Hara scoffed.

"At least I'm better than you! You space out even more than I do!" Kamuro Masumi protested. "And you've only been writing for a few minutes. You're probably just guessing!"

"Guessing's still better than thinking your head off and coming up with nothing." Uesugi Hara raised an eyebrow, deliberately provoking her. "How about we make a bet? We'll see who gets the higher score."

"Fine by me!" Kamuro Masumi immediately shot back, her eyes full of defiance. "You think the answers you guessed in a few minutes can beat the ones I actually worked out? Whoever gets the lower score buys the other lunch for a week!"

"Sounds good, sounds good." Uesugi Hara waved a hand, a playful smile curling his lips. "Don't try to back out when you lose and say, 'I just wasn't at my best.'"

"Dream on!" Kamuro Masumi snorted. "When have I ever gone back on my word? You'd better get ready to buy me lunch for a week!"

April 30, evening.

"Ayanokoji, how many Points do you think your class will get tomorrow?"

Uesugi Hara was lying in bed after checking Shizuku-chan's latest post, chatting with Ayanokoji on his Terminal.

"Most likely zero."

"Is your class really that bad?" Uesugi Hara had only visited Class D a few times. Most of the students there weren't much good, but he still didn't think they could be deducted all the way down to zero.

"I don't want to complain, but that's pretty much how things are." A rare note of helplessness crept into Ayanokoji's voice.

"Come on, tell me about it!" Uesugi Hara perked up.

"I'd like to tell you, but isn't it a little wrong to talk about our classmates behind their backs?"

"What's there to worry about? I'm not in your class. I'm just curious about the legendary characters in Class D. How about this: next month will be pretty rough without any Points, so I'll personally give you 10,000 Points. Now tell me."

"..." Silence fell on the other end of the Terminal.

A few seconds later, Ayanokoji spoke. It was hard to tell whether Uesugi Hara's persuasion had won him over.

A few seconds later, Ayanokoji's voice came through again. There was no telling whether he'd been "bought off" by the Points. "For the past month, hardly anyone in our class has paid attention during lessons. More than three-quarters of them play games, read novels, sleep, space out, or skip class... That's why I think we'll get zero Points."

"And that's not all..." Ayanokoji rarely complained, but he did this time.

"Yikes." Uesugi Hara was at a loss for words. He silently compared Class D with his own Class A. Well, he was the least attentive student in class himself.

"By the way, how did you end up in Class D?" Uesugi Hara still didn't understand. "With your abilities, you could've gotten into Class A, couldn't you?"

"I'm a recluse. During the entrance exam, I kept my score in every subject at 50. I did the same on this quiz."

"Wait, there was an entrance exam?" Uesugi Hara was stunned. "And you got exactly 50 in every subject? If you don't mind me asking, did you not distinguish between easy and difficult questions?"

"You didn't take the entrance exam?" Ayanokoji asked in return. "Is there a difference between easy and difficult questions?"

"I didn't even know there was an entrance exam." Uesugi Hara shrugged. "After the college entrance exams, I was still worrying about tuition when this school sent me an invitation, so I came. I never heard anything about a test. Besides, don't you think it's strange to get 50 in every subject by getting the easy questions wrong and the hard ones right?"

"...I suppose it is." Ayanokoji fell silent again for a moment.

"Then how did you get into Class A without taking the exam?"

"Maybe I'm handsome." Uesugi Hara sounded perfectly confident. "After all, the few most handsome guys in the whole year are all in Class A."

Silence fell over the Terminal again, stretching on for a long while. Only the faint crackle of static remained.

"I'm not ugly either." A rare hint of confusion entered Ayanokoji's voice. "Why wasn't I put in Class A?"

"You don't get it." Uesugi Hara suppressed a laugh and analyzed the situation with a straight face. "Maybe you look too gloomy. You walk with your head down, and your eyes always look half-asleep. You seem like a 'problem student' at a glance. The school probably worried you'd affect the atmosphere in Class A, so they stuck you in Class D."

Silence fell over the Terminal once more.

After a long while, Ayanokoji's uncertain voice came through. "...Is that really the reason?" It didn't sound very convincing.

"Absolutely!" Uesugi Hara slapped the bed, sounding certain. "It's late. I'm going to sleep. Tomorrow, I'll welcome the new month with a fresh outlook."

Before Ayanokoji could respond, he hung up without hesitation, tapped his Terminal, and transferred 10,000 Points. He also sent a message: "Good night."

A few seconds later, Ayanokoji's reply popped up on the Terminal. It was only two simple words: "...Good night."

Uesugi Hara grinned at the message, casually tossed his Terminal beside his pillow, rolled over, and fell fast asleep.