Suzune's Growth and Speculations?! Predicting the Coming Midterm Exam?!

The next morning, before dawn had broken and the thick night fog had fully lifted, the room still retained the stillness of night.

Akiyama Shin slowly opened his eyes, then turned to look at Kushida Kikyo beside him.

The girl was still sleeping deeply, her lashes lowered and her breathing even and long. Her warm breath lightly brushed the pillow.

A faint flush from sleep colored her cheeks, while several loose strands of hair clung messily to the side of her neck.

Clearly, last night's intense intimacy had drained much of her strength. She was now immersed in peaceful sleep, with a lingering laziness and adorable softness still between her brows.

Akiyama Shin rose gently without disturbing her, then carefully pulled the fallen blanket back over her. His fingertips inadvertently brushed across her soft, rounded cheek, the touch warm and smooth.

He bent down and lightly kissed her smooth forehead before heading to the bathroom.

A large pile of little blue balloons was scattered across the floor. Last night had clearly been anything but ordinary.

After quickly washing up, Akiyama Shin efficiently tidied the room. Looking at the time, he saw that it had just passed six.

The sky outside was only faintly bright, and the sun had yet to rise fully above the horizon.

Since it was Saturday and there were no classes, the entire dormitory area was quieter than usual.

He seemed to have gotten up a little too early...

Remembering how he and Kushida Kikyo had fought until two or three in the morning, he couldn't help shaking his head slightly. Yet his eyes remained clear, without the slightest trace of fatigue. He entered the small kitchen and skillfully prepared a simple breakfast for the sleeping Kushida Kikyo.

He placed the fried eggs, toast, and milk in a pan to keep warm, then picked up a sticky note and wrote in neat, simple handwriting.

[Breakfast is in the pan. Heat it up yourself. I'm going for a morning run.]

After sticking the note somewhere conspicuous on the bedside table, Akiyama Shin took one final look at Kushida Kikyo's peaceful sleeping face and quietly left Dormitory 501.

He arrived at the dormitory lobby on the first floor.

The dorm manager on duty was yawning. When she saw Akiyama Shin coming downstairs, she frowned and immediately called out to stop him.

"Hey, that student, wait a moment!"

Akiyama Shin paused, turned around, and calmly looked at the stern-faced middle-aged woman.

The dorm manager looked him over from head to toe, her tone carrying obvious disapproval and helplessness.

"It's you again... That little girl from your class yesterday... didn't go back to her own dorm again..."

The corner of Akiyama Shin's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. He did not deny it, merely watching her in silence.

"I swear, you young people..."

The dorm manager sighed and began lecturing him.

"I understand that you have a lot of energy, but shouldn't you at least pay attention to appearances? Boys and girls sneaking into each other's dorms—according to the rules, I could report this directly to the school!"

She lowered her voice.

"If Teacher Chabashira hadn't spoken to me beforehand..."

"Sigh! But you can't be so brazen either! Every other day, it's always something..."

Seeing that Akiyama Shin remained expressionless, she softened her tone despite her helplessness.

"Young man, having energy is a good thing, but you need to know moderation. You can't indulge yourself like this! It's bad for your health too, understand?"

Akiyama Shin nodded slightly, replying in a calm but fairly sincere tone.

"I understand. Thank you for the reminder, ma'am."

"We'll be more careful."

With that, he did not linger any longer.

He turned and quickly left the dormitory building.

The morning track was crisp and fresh, carrying the scent of grass and dew.

There were already several early risers exercising on the track.

Akiyama Shin immediately spotted the one person who stood out from the crowd: Koenji Rokusuke.

He was jogging leisurely along the inside lane with an exceptionally elegant posture, his golden hair gleaming in the morning light.

Besides him, there were also several students from other classes whom Akiyama Shin did not recognize, running as well.

His gaze soon settled on Horikita Suzune, who stood near the starting point in simple sportswear, warming up. Her long black hair was tied into a neat ponytail, exposing her fair, slender neck.

Akiyama Shin walked straight over to her.

When Horikita Suzune saw Akiyama Shin, she stopped warming up. Her cool eyes glanced at him, and she nodded in greeting. There was no unnecessary small talk between them. In unspoken agreement, they began moving at the same time, jogging along the red rubber track.

One lap was four hundred meters, making five laps two kilometers.

For the two of them, who exercised regularly, that distance was not much of a burden.

As they ran, both remained silent. Only the steady sound of footsteps and faint breathing intertwined.

Akiyama Shin enjoyed the emptying sensation that physical activity brought, while Horikita Suzune seemed focused on regulating her breathing and pace.

After five laps, fine beads of sweat had formed on both their foreheads. They sat on a bench beside the track to rest and recover briefly.

At that moment, the rising sun had only revealed half its face. Golden light spilled across the field, driving away the morning chill.

"Next month..."

Horikita Suzune was breathing slightly hard as she wiped the sweat from her forehead with a towel. She was the first to break the silence, asking a question she had pondered for a long time.

"How many Class Points will Class D have left?"

Akiyama Shin unscrewed his water bottle and took a drink. His tone did not fluctuate as he gave her the cruel answer directly.

"Zero."

Horikita Suzune's wiping motion abruptly froze. She raised her head to look at Akiyama Shin, and a clear flash of shock crossed her cool eyes.

Zero?!

Based on her observations over the past half month, she had expected Class D's Class Points to be low. But the possibility of them dropping all the way to zero still exceeded her expectations.

But... given Class D's current state of lax discipline, reckless spending, and complete lack of crisis awareness... perhaps it was not surprising...

She quickly calmed down and turned her thoughts to a deeper issue.

Competition between classes.

Over the past half month, Horikita Suzune had carefully observed the atmosphere in all four classes, A through D, as well as the students' behavior and words.

Class A was disciplined and rigorous. Class B was united and ambitious. Class C seemed to have been forcibly brought together through violence by someone named Ryuen. Only Class D was a disorganized mess.

Thus, Horikita Suzune suspected that this school's Meritocracy was about far more than academics and physical fitness.

That seemingly illusory one-hundred-percent advancement and employment rate...

There had to be harsh prerequisites!

For example... perhaps only those who advanced to Class A could enjoy those benefits?

And the standards used to evaluate competition between classes likely went far beyond ordinary knowledge and sports.

Social skills, leadership, logical thinking, teamwork... perhaps those softer abilities were the real key.

Horikita Manabu had said that everyone in Class D was defective...

Thinking back now, he had not meant that their academics or physical abilities were absolutely inferior. Rather, he meant that they had severe flaws in their overall abilities, especially self-management, cooperative spirit, and understanding of rules. And Akiyama Shin... his thinking, observation, and ability to act were all top-tier, yet he had also been assigned to Class D...

That precisely confirmed Horikita Suzune's suspicions.

Akiyama Shin must have possessed traits in leadership, social interaction, or cooperation that conventional standards did not approve of—or perhaps... he had deliberately chosen not to fit in?

She laid out her Analysis and doubts in an orderly manner, looking intensely at Akiyama Shin as she waited for his confirmation and insight.

Akiyama Shin quietly listened to her Analysis. A trace of approval flashed through his eyes. It seemed that over the past half month, she had not merely followed along mechanically. She had indeed observed and thought deeply.

Akiyama Shin merely nodded lightly, confirming most of Horikita Suzune's guesses.

"Your Analysis is basically correct."

"This school's evaluation system is comprehensive, and that is precisely where Class D's flaws lie."

He paused, looking toward the growing number of people on the field. His tone carried a chill of foresight.

"And the peaceful days won't last much longer."

"I estimate that the Midterm Exam will be held soon, although the teachers haven't officially announced it yet."

"But according to the usual Japanese high school calendar, the first major exam after spring enrollment is generally held around this time. At the latest, it won't be later than the end of May."

His gaze returned to Horikita Suzune, his dark red pupils devoid of emotion.

"This Midterm Exam will most likely be the school's first Special Exam."

"And judging by this school's style..."

He lowered his voice, speaking with unquestionable certainty.

"Students may be expelled during this exam."

Horikita Suzune's pupils suddenly contracted.

Expelled...?

Those two words were like ice picks, stabbing into her body, still slightly warm from her morning run, and bringing a wave of cold with them.

Only then did she gradually realize that the Class Points dropping to zero, as Akiyama Shin had said, might merely be the beginning.