Failing Group, Assemble!

"Shinjo, tell me, if this school is going to expel students with low academic ability after the midterm exams, then why did they approve the enrollment of Sudo and the others in the first place? Isn't that a bit too strange?"

While everyone else was focused on listening to Suzune Horikita's lecture, he poked Shinjo, who was sitting to the side looking listless.

As two people who had absolutely no reason to worry about their own academic standing, Horikita couldn't be bothered to care about them either; as long as they didn't hinder these academic underachievers, she let the two of them do whatever they wanted.

"Hm? Are you trying to say the school is making unnecessary trouble for itself?"

"Uh..."

"Well, what you're saying isn't entirely unreasonable. Rather than admitting students who are destined to be expelled, it would be a better choice to recruit a few wild cards—these kinds of lab rats that might hold variables, even if just for observation."

Ayanokoji nodded in agreement. This was the one thing he couldn't wrap his head around: if the school approved Sudo and the others for enrollment, it meant there had to be a way to clear the exams perfectly.

But what exactly was it?

"Don't overthink it. It wouldn't hurt to tell you: the first midterm exam for every incoming class is the same. I actually happen to have the answers I got from a senior right here~~"

To prevent this guy from suddenly figuring out the solution on his own and ruining Karuizawa's plan to build up favor with the entire class, Shinjo decisively revealed the truth to Ayanokoji.

"Oh? I see... Then, why don't you share them with everyone? That way, they wouldn't be forced to study."

Ayanokoji clearly understood the reason, but he asked anyway.

In his view, since there were smart people around, it was better to appear like a fool himself; this would allow him to achieve the perfect disguise he envisioned.

"That's a great idea, Ayanokoji. But if I give them the answers now, their academic ability won't improve, and they might even develop the bad habit of relying on shortcuts. What would they do for the next exam?"

"Uh, alright, you're right."

While the two were chatting away, time ticked by second by second.

The three academic underachievers could be said to be making rapid progress during this time.

To boost their motivation for learning, Kushida suggested leveraging the human instinct to enjoy playing the teacher.

When parents educate their children to tidy up toys, using a forceful tone might trigger the child's rebellious psychology, making them unable to clean up properly.

But if one asks, "Where should this toy be put? Can you tell me?", the success rate is usually much higher.

"Let me quiz you all. May I ask, what is the name of the person who came up with the inductive method?"

"Uh... I remember it was that guy we just studied..."

Ike and Yamauchi racked their brains but couldn't remember, while Sudo, sitting to the side, seemed to have a slightly better memory, though only to a limited extent.

"Francis Galileo! That should be right, right?"

"It's Francis Bacon! I remembered!"

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Ike's brain, and he successfully answered the question.

"Correct!"

"Yay! At this rate, I can get a perfect score!"

Shinjo couldn't understand what the world of idiots was like, but he had long known that if he could understand an idiot, he would be an idiot himself.

Just as everyone was cheering each other on for their subsequent studies, a voice that sounded incredibly punchable drifted over from the side.

"Hey, keep it down! All that jabbering is noisy as hell!"

Ike, who was overly excited, suddenly remembered he was in the library. The scene of being kicked out by the librarian last time was still fresh in his mind, so he quickly stood up to apologize.

"Sorry, sorry, I was too excited. Because I finally answered a question! The person who thought of the inductive method is Francis Bacon! You might as well write that down."

After saying that, he scratched the back of his head and sat there grinning foolishly.

"You guys... you wouldn't happen to be students from Class D, would you?"

"Huh? What about Class D?! Do you have a problem with us?!"

"No, no, no, no, how could I have a problem with you? I'm Yamawaki from Class C. After all, you people are the bottom-feeders; who knows what you might suddenly do?"

"What did you say?!"

Sudo, who had the shortest temper, immediately stood up. He didn't want to keep getting angry, but he didn't understand why someone was always picking a fight with him.

Meanwhile, Shinjo, upon hearing that the other person was from Class C, first scanned his surroundings. After confirming there didn't seem to be anyone he recognized, he didn't do anything.

Unlike the free-range nature of Class D, Class C had clearly formed a massive organization.

And the head of that organization was that Ryuen.

Others might have been dissatisfied, like Ibuki; although it was clear she didn't like Ryuen, she still followed him whenever he took action.

Therefore, if that was the case, even the movements of a small fry from Class C required extra attention, because it was highly likely that he was an executor sent by Ryuen.

"I'm just telling the truth, no need to get so angry, right? If you commit any violent acts on campus, I wonder how many points will be deducted... Ah! That's right, you guys don't seem to have any points to deduct at all! What would happen then? Maybe you'd be expelled immediately! Hahahahahaha!"

Yamawaki was indeed there to provoke them, so he was hoping Sudo would take the initiative to punch him.

That way, even if he only suffered an injury, the punishment Class D would receive would definitely be much more severe.

"Heh, I don't think you, a guy from Class C, have anything to brag about."

"The gap between Class C and Class A is so small it's completely negligible! Only you guys in Class D are trash from another dimension!"

"Is that so? But from where I'm standing, the three classes other than Class A are fundamentally no different from one another, are they?"

Suzune Horikita was not the type to be easily intimidated, and she didn't think much of this level of provocation.

"Your Class D doesn't even have any points left, so what right do you have to say that?! Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you're a cute girl!"

"I find it quite unpleasant to be complimented on my appearance by someone like you."

"Say that again?!"

Yamawaki was so furious he slammed his hands on the table and stood up. This startled his classmate sitting nearby, who hurriedly tugged at his arm.

Meanwhile, Shinjo, who had been watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but be dumbfounded. He had expected the enforcer sent by Ryuen to be capable of something, but it turned out he was just a useless fool.

Since that's the case, I don't need to keep up the act anymore!

"Tell me, you all know that failing this exam means expulsion, right? Even if you're cramming at the last minute, what good will it do? You're just patting yourselves on the back for answering who proposed the inductive method, but hey, you don't realize that part isn't even on the test, do you?"

"So what?! Even if we get expelled, it's none of your business!"

Sudo swung his arm back, ready to beat the living daylights out of Yamawaki, but Shinjo grabbed him and pulled him behind his back:

"Stop!"