First-Year S-Rank and A-Rank Taking Shape?

Once the allocation arrangements were finalized, Sunday's library study session finally got underway in a fairly harmonious atmosphere.

Led by Honami Ichinose, the Class A students displayed the caliber of a top class. She kept a gentle smile on her face as she patiently coordinated the tutoring pace. Whenever a Class D student raised a question, no matter how basic, she explained it thoroughly without showing the slightest impatience.

With such a responsible leader setting the example, the Class A students naturally had no complaints. They all put in their utmost effort and shared their knowledge without reservation, whether it was formula derivations or breaking down question types.

The atmosphere on Class D's side was equally tense and focused.

Most of the students studied seriously, carrying gratitude toward Class A in their hearts. After all, this free assistance was no different from pulling them back from the cliff edge of expulsion.

Yukimura Teruhiko adjusted the glasses on his nose, his pen racing across his notebook. Not only did he carefully record the Class A students' explanations, but whenever he reached a key point, he proactively asked questions to expand on the ideas. His eyes were filled with thirst for knowledge.

The students with average grades did not dare slack off either. Their habit of occasionally letting their minds wander had been completely reined in.

They held their textbooks in both hands and fixed their eyes on the students tutoring them, afraid of missing even a single test point.

Even Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji, who were usually so carefree, put away their usual laziness.

The threat of expulsion was like a Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads—cold and sharp, leaving them no room to be half-hearted.

Yamauchi frowned, his fingers randomly tracing over his textbook as he muttered formulas under his breath. Whenever he got stuck, he scratched his head in frustration, yet he did not dare give up like he usually would. Ike Kanji, meanwhile, hunched over his desk and copied key points across several full pages, muttering softly to himself.

"If I can't remember it, I'll just memorize it by brute force!"

That earnestness forced out of them was almost unfamiliar. The scratch of pens across paper, the soft rustle of turning pages, and the occasional quiet questions intertwined.

Before they knew it, Sunday afternoon had quietly slipped away.

Then Monday arrived.

The atmosphere around campus had clearly changed.

After fermenting over the weekend, the Midterm Betting Website's popularity had completely exploded, becoming the focus of discussion for nearly every student in the school.

The total prize pool kept growing like a snowball, breaking through one million Personal Points in only two days. That astonishing figure made every student following the matter feel exhilarated. More importantly, the school had remained silent from beginning to end. It had neither issued an official statement nor stepped in to stop it. To the students, that tacit approval was practically an indirect endorsement. Thus, whether in the hallways between classes, the cafeteria at lunch, or the field after school, discussions about the betting could be heard everywhere.

Some calculated the returns on their wagers, while others speculated about who could break into the top rankings.

Others secretly asked about the study progress of other classes. The entire campus was wrapped in a restless, excited atmosphere.

Yet as the mastermind behind this betting storm, Akiyama Shin was indifferent to the superficial commotion.

His eyes had never lingered on the ever-rising prize pool. Instead, they saw through that false excitement and settled on a deeper arrangement.

He knew very well that no matter how much the prize pool eventually swelled, the vast majority of its returns—especially the First and Second Prize Pools he had carefully designed—would ultimately flow steadily into his control. Right now, he did not need to care about the hype. He only needed to ensure that every step of his plan went flawlessly.

Monday's lunch break was especially short. Akiyama Shin wasted no time and quickly gathered Koenji Rokusuke, Horikita Suzune, and Kushida Kikyo.

The four split into two groups.

Akiyama Shin and Horikita Suzune formed one group.

Koenji Rokusuke and Kushida Kikyo formed the other.

Using the connections Koenji had previously established, they separately found two upperclassmen who had conducted point transactions with him before.

One was a second-year.

The other was a third-year.

Before this, Akiyama Shin had originally planned to buy past exam papers from upperclassmen on a large scale, then precisely predict their ranking ranges through Analysis of those papers.

But just before carrying it out, he decisively abandoned the idea. He knew that buying exam papers in large quantities would be far too conspicuous and would easily arouse the vigilance and suspicions of upperclassmen. If he alerted them, he might not only expose his own plan, but even drive the upperclassmen to unite, devise countermeasures, and split the prize pool among themselves. That was exactly what he least wanted to see.

His goal was to intensify competition among the upperclassmen, not have them band together.

Therefore, Akiyama Shin adjusted his strategy.

He settled for the next best thing.

He spent a total of one hundred thousand Personal Points to buy complete sets of the previous academic year's Midterm Exam papers from the two upperclassmen, covering five subjects.

His objective was clear: by analyzing those papers, he would determine the school's question-setting style and the repetition rate of question types, then judge whether this year's first-year Midterm Exam would reuse past question types or adapt them from the originals.

The transaction was completed quickly, without any unnecessary small talk. Once the papers were handed over, both sides went their separate ways.

At that point.

Akiyama Shin's Personal Points balance had fallen to five hundred thousand.

But there was not the slightest trace of regret on his face.

Instead, he wore a look of certainty.

He immediately reunited with the other three and used the remaining ten-odd minutes of lunch break to quickly compare the papers from the two different grades. The results did not disappoint him. The second-year and third-year papers showed a high degree of consistency in the distribution of core test points, the design of question types, and the progression of difficulty.

This strongly suggested one thing.

The school's Midterm Exam questions followed a fixed pattern, perhaps even drawing from a dedicated question bank.

During the few minutes before afternoon classes began, Akiyama Shin seized the brief interval to hand out the organized study materials to every Class D student.

The materials compiled classic question types and frequently tested points extracted from the upperclassmen's papers. Standing at the front of the classroom, he gave them a stern reminder.

"Everything in these materials is important. You all need to master it seriously and understand it thoroughly in advance."

"The Midterm Exam won't be easy. Only by knowing this material inside out will you have a better chance of passing and avoiding expulsion."

He deliberately emphasized the word "expulsion."

Using the pressure hanging over everyone's heads, he ensured that every student would take the materials seriously.

But few people knew that this was merely the surface appearance Akiyama Shin had put on.

The moment the dismissal bell rang, the classroom immediately became lively. The sounds of students packing their bags and chatting with one another rose and fell.

Akiyama Shin, however, did not remain in the classroom as usual. Instead, he moved quickly to several people's sides and privately notified three of them in a voice only they could hear: Yukimura Teruhiko, Wang Meiyu, and Horikita Suzune.

He did not call Kushida Kikyo, despite being close to her, nor did he notify Hirata Yosuke, the class's central figure. That deliberate distance carried an unusual gravity.

Soon, the four quietly left the noisy classroom.

They went up a secluded staircase and eventually reached the rooftop on the top floor of the school building.

At that moment, the sun was slowly sinking. Golden afterglow spread across the rooftop, dyeing the railings and ground a warm orange. A breeze passed by, carrying the chill of evening.

Yukimura Teruhiko and Wang Meiyu wore obvious looks of confusion, with a trace of unease hidden in their eyes. They clearly did not understand why Akiyama Shin had suddenly brought them here.

Horikita Suzune, on the other hand, remained calm and detached. She had long expected such an arrangement and showed no surprise at all.

Akiyama Shin did not bother with any preamble.

He walked to the edge of the rooftop and turned around.

His sharp gaze swept over the three of them.

Then he got straight to the point.

"For the Midterm Exam, your goal is not simply to pass. You three must break into the top ten of the grade."

"Give it everything you have. There are no exceptions."

"What?"

Yukimura Teruhiko's eyes widened sharply. He instinctively adjusted his glasses, his eyes behind the lenses full of stunned disbelief. He opened his mouth, but for a moment, he did not know what to say.

Wang Meiyu was even more nervous. Her hands clenched tightly around the hem of her clothes, her fingertips turning faintly white. Her voice was barely louder than a mosquito's, filled with obvious timidity.

"Ak—Akiyama-kun... t-top ten in the grade...? I... I definitely can't do that... I've never gotten grades that good before..."

Only Horikita Suzune remained silent. She gave a slight nod, her eyes resolute. She had clearly understood the weight of this task and accepted it calmly.

"Why?"

After the initial shock passed, Yukimura Teruhiko calmed down and asked the most crucial question.

He knew that Akiyama Shin always acted with a plan. He would never make such a harsh demand without reason.

Akiyama Shin did not explain his true purpose. He understood very well that some plans did not need to be known by everyone.

He merely put it in a more forceful way, his gaze locked tightly on the three of them.

"You don't need to know why. You only need to treat this as a death order and carry it out. During the exam, imagine that if you fail to reach the top ten in the grade, you'll be expelled immediately. Turn that pressure completely into motivation to move forward."

His gaze was sharp as a blade as it passed over each of their faces. He added in a grave tone.

"Everything you hear here today must stay buried in your stomachs. I don't want anyone else to know."

"You only need to do as you're told. It will bring nothing but benefits to the class and to yourselves."

The rooftop fell into brief silence.

Only the sound of the breeze remained.

Horikita Suzune was the first to break the silence. Her voice was still cool, but it carried unquestionable determination.

"I understand."

For her, there was no need to know the reason. As long as there was a clear direction and an order, she would give it her all.

Yukimura Teruhiko looked into Akiyama Shin's unquestionable eyes, then at the calm Horikita Suzune beside him. Thinking of Akiyama Shin's past arrangements and capabilities, he finally drew a deep breath and slowly nodded, his tone solemn.

"Fine. I'll give it everything I have."

Wang Meiyu hesitated for a long time. Seeing that both of them had agreed, and feeling the pressure of Akiyama Shin's gaze, she finally raised her head timidly and spoke in a small voice.

"I... I'll try my best..."

Akiyama Shin looked at the three Class D students who, in theory, had the greatest potential to reach the high-score range, and gave a slight nod.

With this, along with the intelligence he had already gathered from Class A and Class B, the candidates for the first-year S-Rank and A-Rank were basically locked in. The overall outline of the high-score group was now firmly in his grasp.

"Go back. There's still a study session today. Make the most of your time and study. We don't have much time left."

Akiyama Shin issued his final instruction, his tone returning to some measure of calm.

The three turned and left the rooftop one after another, their footsteps somewhat heavy. Each of them carried different thoughts in their hearts: pressure, doubt, determination, and unease.

Akiyama Shin remained alone at the edge of the rooftop, looking down at the campus as it gradually became shrouded in dusk.

Lights came on in the distant school buildings. A few students were still moving about on the field. The noise was thinned out by the evening breeze, becoming blurred by the time it reached his ears.

The corner of his lips lifted into the faintest curve, and a deep glint flashed through his eyes.

The net he had cast was tightening, step by step.

And this game centered around the Midterm Exam had only just entered its most crucial stage.