I Have a Cheat Code-Why Won't You Let Me Use It?

"Could it be that the school will give us some kind of relief funds?" Hope rekindled in the eyes of many students.

"That's great! I knew the school wouldn't give up on us!"

"Because if this were an official exam, eight of you would be expelled."

The cheers that had just erupted stopped dead, as if someone had hit the pause button. All that remained was the ticking of the clock on the wall...

Chabashira Sae wasn't about to let up. She put another poster on the blackboard, pressing her advantage.

"What does this mean, Chabashira-sensei? You can't joke about something like this!" Hirata Yousuke jumped to his feet, his chair scraping back with a sharp screech.

"What? Didn't I mention it? The school's rules say that if you fail even one subject on the midterm or final exams, you're expelled."

"By the way, the further education and employment opportunities you're hoping for are only available to students who graduate from Class A."

Chabashira Sae continued her relentless assault on Class D, throwing everything she had at them.

Twenty minutes later.

"Well, do your best to struggle through this. I've explained all the relevant rules. If you have any questions, come see me in the teachers' office."

After dumping a mountain of information on Class D's students in one go, Chabashira Sae seemed to have vented all her anger and left in high spirits, her heels clacking as she strode away. She left Class D in complete disarray.

Curses, groans, and screams rang out across the classroom, making it sound like a noisy marketplace.

Even so, a few students managed to keep up a calm appearance.

"Heh-heh, still as beautiful as ever." A man named Kouenji Rokusuke sat in his seat, holding up a hand mirror and admiringly caressing his own face, as if the commotion hadn't caught his attention at all.

Horikita Suzune put down her notebook and walked out of the classroom without a word, her expression cold. She headed for the teachers' office.

All the while, Sakayanagi Arisu sat silently in her seat, watching how the students of Class D reacted.

Thinking back over the past month, it seemed that all the pieces she'd picked out had something seriously wrong with them. She'd thought they had ordinary shortcomings, but she hadn't expected them to be this severe. Now she could only look for some new candidates.

One month earlier.

Faced with the unexpected windfall of 100,000 points, she'd wanted to test her classmates' abilities, so she'd dropped a few hints to the people she'd had her eye on.

For example...

"I heard the government funds this school. Giving us 100,000 points a month is really generous..."

"Hehahaha, isn't that only natural, lady girl? Do you think someone as beautiful as me is worth less than a mere 100,000 yen?"

"..."

Or...

"Are you inviting me to have lunch with you? I'd like to try the school's free Mountain Vegetable Set Meal, though. I've noticed quite a few students eating it."

"Huh? Quite a few students are eating the Mountain Vegetable Set Meal? Then... I'll have it too. I look forward to your guidance, Classmate Sakayanagi."

"..."

Or perhaps...

"The clubs at this school seem impressive. Most of them can win competitions."

"That's only natural, since someone who loves basketball like me is here. You may not understand, but once you fall in love with a sport, it's hard to stop."

"..."

And then there was...

"The students in Class A are really outstanding. I heard quite a few of them have already started going to cram school."

"That only shows they're conscientious. If you work hard enough on your own, there's no need for cram school."

After all that, the summary was simple:

What are you babbling about? I don't understand a word!

After one round of talking past each other after another, faced with one Class D student after another who was hopelessly immersed in their own world, even Sakayanagi Arisu's extremely fragile heart seemed to have grown a little stronger.

"Classmate Sakayanagi."

A cutesy voice pulled Sakayanagi Arisu back from her memories.

A girl wearing leg warmers, with her jacket tied around her waist and flashy gyaru makeup on her face, came over to Sakayanagi Arisu's desk.

"Good day, Karuizawa. Can I help you?" Sakayanagi Arisu maintained her usual elegance.

"Well..." Karuizawa Kei pressed her hands together. "I've been spending a little too much lately, and now I don't have any money for food. So, Classmate Sakayanagi, could you lend me some points? Just five thousand. Please?"

"Aren't you Hirata's girlfriend? Given your relationship, surely he would help you?"

Karuizawa Kei answered vaguely, "Yousuke has other things to take care of."

"He doesn't sound like a very attentive boyfriend. I hardly ever see you two together anywhere outside the classroom. Do you rarely go on dates?"

Karuizawa Kei gave a dry laugh, her eyes darting away. "Yousuke has so many friends. He doesn't have time, and there's nothing we can do about that."

"I see..."

Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes flickered. She smiled and nodded, then took out her phone. "Sure."

With a chime, Karuizawa Kei received the points and happily ran over to another girl to borrow another 5,000.

The next moment, before Sakayanagi Arisu could put her phone away, the group of gyaru girls behind Karuizawa Kei surged toward her like a tide.

"Um... Classmate Sakayanagi, could you lend me 5,000 points too?"

"I-I only need 3,000."

"Classmate Sakayanagi is so cute. You'll definitely help us, right?"

"..."

At that moment, the heart that had just grown a little stronger began pounding fiercely once again.

Even though I had a cheat code, why wouldn't they let me use it?

"So, Teacher Mashima, that sort of thing... it exists, right?"

In the teachers' office, Mikage Touji sat backward on a chair, tilting it up as he lowered his voice and whispered to Mashima Tomoya.

Mashima Tomoya fell silent for a moment, then turned away and continued preparing his lesson plans.

"No!"

"Don't lie! It definitely exists!"

"As our homeroom teacher, you should just come out and say it. There's a method that guarantees a hundred percent pass rate on the midterm!" Mikage Touji declared with complete conviction.

"What makes you think there's something like that?"

Mashima Tomoya was nearly at the end of his rope. He hadn't given any hints about this, so how had Mikage Touji still figured out there was a way to cheat?

Mikage Touji gave a cold laugh. "Even Class A has a few students on the verge of failing. Class D must have a whole bunch who haven't reached the passing mark. I went snooping around the second- and third-year classes, and hardly anyone had been expelled for something like this. So there must be some way to guarantee a hundred percent pass rate."

"..."

Then Mikage Touji's smile grew even more excited. "Let's see which idiot dares to make fun of my nine points in Japanese Literature now. After the exams, I'm going to laugh right back at them!"

"Come on. As our Class A homeroom teacher, you should give your class a little extra help. Slip me the test paper, or the answers will do. I only need the answers for Japanese Literature. Though if you can, it'd be even better if you could give me the answers for Social Studies too."

It was exactly because I'm your homeroom teacher that I don't want to tell you about this.

Mashima Tomoya wailed inwardly.

For someone who never studied in advance and didn't even cram at the last minute, the midterm was his one chance to turn things around.

Mashima Tomoya, with his wealth of teaching experience, understood that perfectly.

Watching Mikage Touji's increasingly twisted grin, he felt a terrible headache coming on.

This student was clearly smart and capable. Why did he have to use his powers of observation for things like this?

"Ahem, Mikage," Mashima Tomoya said solemnly, determined to set his student on the right path, as his duty as a teacher demanded. "I've looked over your test. There's nothing seriously wrong with your Japanese Literature. Your foundation is just weak. With a little extra tutoring, your grades could improve by leaps and bounds."

"I can't study that stuff!" Mikage Touji cried in frustration.

"Do you know what it's like..." Mikage Touji gestured with his hands. "That feeling when the lesson sounds like it's written in another language? It's perfect as something to fall asleep to!"

I don't understand... Mashima Tomoya silently thought, having been an excellent student since childhood.

At that moment, a girl with long black hair and a dignified air walked into the teachers' office.

She looked around as if she hadn't spotted the person she was looking for. After glancing at the only two people left in the teachers' office, Mashima Tomoya and Mikage Touji, she hesitated for a moment before walking over to them.

"Excuse me, is Chabashira Sae here?"

Mashima Tomoya pointed toward one of the counseling rooms. "She went into the counseling room just now. She should be over there."

Just then, Chabashira Sae came out, with Hoshinomiya Chie, the homeroom teacher for Class 1-B, beside her. Were they chatting? Bickering? Arguing? It didn't seem like any of those.

After briefly thanking Mashima Tomoya, the girl headed toward Chabashira Sae.

Mikage Touji tilted his head and leaned to one side, watching the girl's long black hair sway as she walked, and the hem of her skirt flutter above her knee-high socks.

"Wow, a beautiful girl with long, straight black hair~ And the icy type, too..."

Chabashira Sae, who was still entangled with Hoshinomiya Chie, noticed the girl coming over and gave a faint smile. "Horikita, is it? Come inside and tell me what you need." With that, she turned and reopened the counseling room door she'd just closed.

"Sae, don't be so formal. Let me listen in, too..." Hoshinomiya Chie didn't seem willing to let Chabashira Sae get away so easily. She clung to her, trying to follow her inside.

After the two of them tussled for a while longer, someone else entered the teachers' office: Ichinose Honami from Class B.

"Hoshinomiya-sensei, could I borrow some of your time? I have something I'd like to discuss about the Student Council."

Ichinose Honami's arrival put an end to their continued struggle. Hoshinomiya Chie reluctantly let Chabashira Sae go, then walked with Ichinose Honami toward her desk.

As she passed Mikage Touji, Ichinose Honami waved to him warmly, her smile sweet and wordless.

Mikage Touji smiled and waved back. Then he turned around, his expression solemn. "Teacher Mashima, let's continue."

"Sure."

Mashima Tomoya nodded gravely, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

The two men, satisfied after enjoying the spectacle, began round two of their battle.

Twenty minutes later, Mikage Touji stormed out of the teachers' office.

"Damn it! That sadistic robot of a teacher blocked every one of my attacks, then turned the tables on me and used the greater good to pressure me. He actually said, 'A teacher's duty won't allow me to do something like that'!"

Mikage Touji stopped and looked down at the worn-out notebook Mashima Tomoya had dug out for him.

"What's this? Snape's Potion Notes? Burning Mantra? Is this any good? He wouldn't give me some Yellow Rank Flame Blowing Palm and try to rip me off, would he?"

According to Mashima Tomoya, this notebook contained the essence of everything he'd learned in high school, revised and supplemented with knowledge from university. He brought it out every year to refine it further. If Mikage Touji could understand even a little of it, he'd be able to dominate the Kouiku entrance exams!

"Is this for real?"

Mikage Touji flipped it open, half-believing him. It really did contain notes on every subject, all kinds of question types, problem-solving methods, and key points. Some problems even had his own original solutions.

But...

Mikage Touji kept flipping through it. Why was there less and less Japanese Literature and more and more English toward the back?

Could Mashima have gotten bored with Japanese Literature and subconsciously cut down on the questions?

But I'm pretty good at English... Mikage Touji fell into thought.

After standing there blankly for a while, Mikage Touji took out his phone.

One notebook wasn't quite enough insurance. Mother Shiraishi could only guarantee he'd pass, and to completely wash away his humiliation, he decided to add another layer of protection.

There was only one way to guarantee that every student passed: get the answers to the exam!

He didn't know exactly how that method worked, but he only needed to find someone who knew the truth and ask. Mashima Tomoya was a lost cause, but the gag order was over now, and he had another person in mind.

He tapped the screen and made a call.

"Hello, senpai. Are you free?"

"I'm usually quite free at this time. You're the one who seems free, calling your senpai out of nowhere."

Her relaxed voice came through, mixed with the noisy sound of music. She was probably passing the time in the open-air area of Keyaki Mall.

"Senpai, do you have the answers to the first-year midterm exams?" Mikage Touji got straight to the point.