As Long as This Person Isn't Her

Kato Megumi lightly nodded, recalling, "I remember. Is something wrong?"

"Of course." Shi Cheng nodded. "Didn't you notice that neither the principal nor the teachers went on stage? They left the stage to the Student Council president instead."

"That fully proves that the Student Council holds a great deal of power."

Shi Cheng spoke confidently. "And the teachers don't interfere with students at all during class, which proves they only have the authority to teach."

That sounded a little pitiful.

Kato Megumi thought so.

They were practically no different from robots.

"So there's absolutely no need to be afraid of Chabashira-sensei, even if she wears that icy, sour face every day."

Kato Megumi puffed out her cheeks. "Shi Cheng-kun, you can't describe a teacher like that."

"Alright, alright, whatever you say." Shi Cheng waved a hand.

Having fulfilled his promise, Shi Cheng truly said goodbye to Kato Megumi this time.

Life afterward flowed by calmly until, a few days before the midterms, things finally changed.

"Sorry to interrupt everyone, but I have something for you."

Thanks to her beauty and sweet voice, her popularity in class remained extremely high. Only Hirata Yosuke could barely surpass her.

Kushida Kikyo's words instantly stopped many people who had been about to leave the classroom.

"Are these exam questions?" Shi Cheng passed them backward, his eyes still filled with confusion.

It wasn't that he looked down on Kushida Kikyo's academic ability.

But if questions compiled this precisely failed to help, they could easily provoke the whole class's resentment.

Shi Cheng didn't think Kushida Kikyo would do something so foolish.

"A third-year senior gave these to me. He said these were the questions used in both the exams two years ago and last year."

"I think they probably won't change this time either, so they should be able to help everyone."

Kushida Kikyo's words answered everyone's doubts.

Unlike the others, who were so touched they were nearly in tears, Shi Cheng didn't think Kushida Kikyo was being this kindhearted.

Or rather—

Why would an upperclassman give them to her?

Did she buy them with points?

That was the most likely possibility.

But would she really be this generous?

Shi Cheng glanced at the noisy trio surrounding Kushida Kikyo.

Then he looked at Kushida Kikyo, who seemed to be enjoying the atmosphere.

Shi Cheng shook his head.

She might have a tiny bit of patience for Sudo Ken.

But she definitely couldn't tolerate the other two. She had probably cursed them countless times in her heart already.

So there was something fishy about this.

But what did it have to do with him?

Shi Cheng spread his hands.

He stopped looking into it.

Instead, he began thinking about something else.

Had he wronged Chabashira Sae?

Through this incident, Shi Cheng thought of her inaction.

Could it have been setting the stage for this?

But then that raised another question.

How could she be sure that Kushida Kikyo would discover this?

Could there be some expert in the class?

Shi Cheng looked around the room.

His gaze happened to meet Horikita Suzune's cold eyes.

"You did this?" she asked.

Shi Cheng blinked. Horikita Suzune was unexpectedly sharp. Even without knowing Kushida Kikyo's true nature—

She had still made the correct judgment.

She knew Kushida Kikyo wasn't capable of this.

"No, I thought it was you."

Shi Cheng deliberately said something meant to make her laugh.

"Heh." Horikita Suzune sneered. She had always dared to take responsibility for her actions, so how could she possibly borrow someone else's hand?

Watching the two of them talk, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka felt stifled inside.

Horikita Suzune, ask me instead!

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka propped up his chin with a blank expression. Joining the conversation on his own at this point—

Would be far too unbecoming of a mastermind operating behind the scenes.

So he said nothing.

"Shi Cheng-kun, I don't know Kushida-san very well. Do you think these exam questions are trustworthy?" Kato Megumi suddenly asked a strange question.

Shi Cheng looked at her in surprise.

So many people in the class had chosen to trust them.

Yet she wanted to stand apart.

Shi Cheng thought for a moment, then avoided answering directly. "With Kato-san's academic ability, it doesn't really matter whether you have them or not, does it?"

After all, grades were completely useless here.

As long as she made sure she wouldn't be expelled, that was enough.

Kato Megumi puffed out her cheeks, looking a little annoyed. "I want to get a high score this time. Maybe it'll draw more attention to me."

Oh, oh. Looks like she was angry.

Though her expression was subtle, Shi Cheng could still tell.

"But haven't I always been paying attention to Kato-san?"

Shi Cheng started acting improper.

Kato Megumi gave two soft hums and, like Shi Cheng, handled it gently. "I want more friends."

Shi Cheng put on a serious expression. "Only girls?"

This time, Kato Megumi didn't avoid the question. Her gaze remained calm as she said, "Just dealing with Shi Cheng-kun already feels troublesome enough."

"Huh!" Shi Cheng exclaimed. "So I've already caused Kato-san a lot of trouble?"

"Yes." The corners of Kato Megumi's lips rose slightly. "Shi Cheng-kun has always refused to learn cooking, and that troubles me quite a bit."

Shi Cheng was dissatisfied. "I haven't even mooched that many meals yet."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Shi Cheng suddenly came to his senses and flew into a rage.

Up to now, how many times had he even eaten there?

And it wasn't as though he had eaten for free.

How could Kato Megumi slander his good name out of nowhere?

"To make Kato-san's words come true, I've decided that from now on, I'll go to your dorm every day to mooch meals!" Shi Cheng raised his head righteously.

"Sure." Kato Megumi nodded immediately without hesitation.

"But I might not be able to manage everything alone, so Shi Cheng-kun should remember to come help."

That was an outright lie.

You were clearly cooking with ease yesterday.

For a moment, Shi Cheng couldn't tell who was getting the better deal.

But considering that he was a boy—

It should be him, right?

Shi Cheng wasn't entirely sure.

"What do you think is going on with these exam questions?" Unable to figure out the truth, Horikita Suzune asked him doubtfully.

"What could be going on? They're obviously real." Shi Cheng shrugged.

Horikita Suzune narrowed her long eyes. "You know that isn't what I'm asking."

Shi Cheng sharply retorted, "She has lots of friends. Isn't it easy for her to find a way to get these exam questions?"

Horikita Suzune fell silent for a moment.

Then she said bluntly, "There's still a problem."

Although she didn't think highly of Kushida Kikyo.

Based on how she acted in the classroom—

Kushida Kikyo didn't seem like someone who could keep such a thing hidden until now.

So there had to be a third party.

"Kushida-san couldn't have chosen to reveal this only at such a crucial moment. Someone must have specifically told her to do so."

"That's right, it was me!" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka nodded repeatedly as he listened.

Come on, ask me already!

"Anyway, it's not something harmful, so why think so much about it?" Shi Cheng slumped over, too lazy to think.

Seeing his salted-fish behavior, Horikita Suzune frowned.

That seemed to make sense.

Yet she still felt unwilling to accept it.

She clearly wanted to rise to Class A.

But up until now, she had not done a single thing useful for the class's advancement.

She simply couldn't accept that.

Especially now.

Kushida Kikyo was actually showing off her abilities in front of everyone right before her eyes.

That made her feel even worse.