Plan Begins

After instructing Horikita Suzune and Kushida Kikyo, Akiyama Shin did not hesitate for even a moment. Time was points; not a single second could be wasted. He had to race against the clock.

"You two, immediately gather everyone from Class D you can find. Tell them it concerns the Midterm Exam and that everyone must assemble in the library as soon as possible. The sooner, the better."

There was no room for doubt in his tone. Horikita Suzune's brows drew together slightly. Though she was somewhat unaccustomed to being ordered around so directly, her trust in Akiyama Shin's plan made her answer at once.

"Understood. I'll go now."

Kushida Kikyo also quickly got into gear, displaying her outstanding popularity and social skills.

"Leave it to me, Akiyama-kun! I'll try to get everyone here!"

Neither of them delayed in the slightest. They turned and quickly left the dormitory.

Akiyama Shin set off as well. As he hurried out of the dorm building, he took out his Terminal, found Honami Ichinose's number, and called her.

Meanwhile, Honami Ichinose and Ryuji Kanzaki had not yet left their private room at the café.

When Ichinose saw that the caller was Akiyama Shin, she paused slightly before glancing at Kanzaki across from her and signaling to him with her eyes. Kanzaki immediately understood. He got up and sat beside her so he could clearly hear the conversation.

Ichinose answered the call and turned on speakerphone.

"Hello, is that Akiyama-kun?"

Akiyama Shin's voice came through clearly, though with a hint of urgency. He did not waste a single word and went straight to the point.

"Ichinose, I'll keep this brief. I want Class A to provide one-on-one tutoring for Class D."

"Anyone who fails this Midterm Exam will be expelled, and the exact penalty for expulsion is still unknown. The risk is too great. Class D needs help."

He paused before putting forward the bargaining chip he had prepared long ago.

"Of course, it won't be for free. I'm willing to pay 800,000 Personal Points as compensation for Class A's tutoring."

"Eight hundred thousand?!"

Honami Ichinose could not help crying out. Her pink hair swayed gently with the movement.

Ryuji Kanzaki's pupils contracted as well. Even for an individual, that was an enormous sum.

Akiyama Shin had previously taken 2.8 million from their class, but that had been supported by sufficiently valuable information.

Yet he was offering 800,000 simply for one-on-one tutoring. That was truly extravagant.

Ichinose, however, barely hesitated before responding immediately.

"Akiyama-kun, helping fellow students is simply the right thing to do!"

"Class A would be happy to help Class D's students get through this. You don't need to pay us any points!"

"I don't want to see any student expelled just because they failed an exam."

Her voice was gentle yet resolute, filled with pure goodwill.

Kanzaki listened quietly at her side, sharply catching the key phrase in Akiyama Shin's words: the penalty for expulsion was still unknown.

That only made him more certain of his judgment.

Akiyama Shin did not care at all whether Class D's students would be expelled. What he truly cared about were the variables brought by that unknown penalty.

Or rather, he needed Class D to retain a certain number of students in order to carry out some plan.

This guy.

He was an absolute egoist.

At that moment, Kanzaki could not help interjecting. His voice carried through the phone.

"Akiyama, what do you think about the Midterm Prediction that's causing such a stir on the Campus Network right now?"

Akiyama Shin's voice remained steady, without the slightest flaw.

"It's an interesting mechanism, but I don't intend to participate personally. In my view, this is most likely something the school set up to reclaim points while also sparking a new round of competition across the entire grade."

Ichinose and Kanzaki exchanged a glance, both seeing contemplation in the other's eyes.

They had suspected Akiyama Shin before, but hearing his calm analysis now, they could not help wavering.

Akiyama Shin continued his explanation.

"Think about it. The school operates on government funding every year, especially the point support provided to new students."

"By distributing points through class competition, the school is essentially making points circulate within the grade."

"But Class D of our year had its points reduced to zero in the very first month. That effectively disrupted part of the school's budget, leaving a large number of points that should have been circulating sitting in the school's hands."

"And now, an prediction event capable of quickly reclaiming a massive number of points suddenly appears. The timing is too much of a coincidence."

He paused, his tone growing slightly firmer.

"A system that operates through competition, points, and rules would never allow a class to completely fall behind in its first month of school and lose all motivation."

"So this event is likely killing two birds with one stone. It reclaims a large number of points while using the temptation of the prize pool to spur the entire grade on. The larger the prize pool, the more seriously students in every class will take exams and rankings, reigniting their competitive drive while preventing Class D from becoming complacent."

The analysis was clear and logical, instantly shaking Kanzaki's suspicions.

Honami Ichinose nodded repeatedly.

"So that's how it is..."

"Akiyama-kun, that makes so much sense!"

In the end, the two of them had mostly dismissed their suspicions of Akiyama Shin. Ichinose gave him a firm reply.

"Akiyama-kun, Class A is willing to help tutor Class D. You really don't need to give us any points."

"We'll gather our classmates now."

"Good. I'll owe Class A a favor."

Akiyama Shin's voice remained crisp and decisive.

"Please immediately gather every Class A student willing to help at the library."

With that, he hung up directly.

Ichinose and Kanzaki immediately got to work as well.

On the other side, Akiyama Shin moved even faster. He headed straight to the faculty office and found Chabashira Sae.

"Teacher Chabashira, I need blank copies of Class D's previous quizzes for every subject."

He stated his purpose without preamble.

Though Chabashira Sae was somewhat puzzled, she still pulled out the tests they had used before and added,

"These are the subjects covered on the midterms."

"Modern Japanese, chemistry, sociology, mathematics, and English. There aren't many questions per subject. They're printed single-sided, worth 500 points total, and the passing line is the class average for each subject."

Akiyama Shin took the papers without wasting a moment. He picked up a pen and began rapidly revising the blank copies.

He retained the framework of the knowledge being tested while completely changing the question stems, numbers, option order, and even the question formats.

In less than an hour, five new test papers were complete. They looked entirely different from the originals, yet tested exactly the same core material.

Chabashira Sae watched in stunned silence. The speed and quality of his revisions were simply unbelievable.

Knowing he could not carry so many papers himself, Akiyama Shin spoke directly to Chabashira Sae.

"Teacher, please help carry them. Also, please call Teacher Hoshinomiya. This involves students from her class as well."

With no other choice, Chabashira Sae contacted Hoshinomiya Chie, who was resting at home.

Before long, a bleary-eyed Hoshinomiya Chie arrived at the office.

The three of them took the five handwritten sets of new tests Akiyama Shin had created to the copy room and made eighty copies of each set, exactly enough for students from both classes.

Once the copying was finished.

Akiyama Shin carried three thick stacks of test papers by himself, while Chabashira Sae and Hoshinomiya Chie each carried one. The moment they stepped out of the copy room, his Terminal rang. It was Kushida Kikyo.

"Akiyama-kun! Most of the Class D and Class A students are here now. They're all waiting in the library. Even Koenji came this time! How are things on your end?"

"I'll be there shortly."

Akiyama Shin hung up and hurried toward the library with the two homeroom teachers, carrying the heavy stacks of papers.

Inside the library, the quiet atmosphere had been disrupted by students from the two classes. Most waited silently.

But people like Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji could not help grumbling under their breaths.

"What's this about... Having to come to a study session on Saturday..."

"Seriously... We finally get a day to rest!"

Just then, Akiyama Shin entered with the two homeroom teachers, all of them carrying mountains of test papers. The library instantly grew quieter, and every gaze turned toward them.

"Teacher Chabashira? Teacher Hoshinomiya? Why are you here too?"

Hirata Yosuke asked in surprise.

He was not the only one. Quite a few students were wondering the same thing. Both homeroom teachers had shown up; was this not a bit too much of a production?

Hoshinomiya Chie wore a pained expression as she set the papers on an empty table, rubbing her arm as she complained.

"Ahh! Little Sae and little Shin dragged me out of my lovely vacation to be free labor~"

Chabashira Sae maintained her usual stern expression as she explained,

"This impromptu test is meant to assess the academic levels of both classes, allowing Akiyama to reasonably assign one-on-one tutoring groups afterward, improve efficiency, and prepare for the Midterm Exam."

Akiyama Shin distributed the papers alongside the two teachers. His voice was not loud, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly.

"Once you receive your paper, answer according to Midterm Exam standards. Give it everything you have and treat this as the actual Midterm Exam. If you fail, you will be expelled."

"Sit separately. No talking, no cheating, and no consulting any materials."

There was an invisible pressure in his words, causing the previously lax students to tense up involuntarily.

Most Class A students wore serious yet eager expressions, while the Class D students all reacted differently.

Wang Meiyu looked extremely nervous.

Yukimura Teruhiko was intensely focused.

Koenji Rokusuke, meanwhile, still looked unconcerned as he elegantly examined his fingernails.

Watching Akiyama Shin seriously hand out the tests, Honami Ichinose gave the companion beside her a gentle smile.

"Akiyama-kun is really working hard for Class D and this Midterm Exam~"

Akiyama Shin, who was still distributing papers, retained his indifferent expression as he responded matter-of-factly.

"It's what should be done."

Yet deep within his lowered eyes, an unnoticed smile quietly flashed.

Plan successful!

A large amount of genuine firsthand grade data...

Would soon be in his hands!!

With Class A and Class D, the targets of S-Rank and A-Rank, locked in, this crucial first step had been taken firmly.