The Method to Pass the Exam

"Who am I? Where am I?" Watching everyone in the exam hall buried in their papers, Hoshino felt completely out of sorts.

Although surprised, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and get to work. Still, since it was just the beginning of the new semester, the questions weren't particularly difficult. Thank goodness for that!

After Hoshino scanned the questions, his heart finally settled, and he picked up his pen to start working...

"Phew—" It was a close call, but most of the questions weren't too hard. He should be able to pass easily. Hoshino let out a long sigh of relief.

By the time the exam ended, the sun was already setting, and the evening glow spilled across the classroom.

After Chabashira left the podium with the collected test papers, the classroom became noisy. Some were discussing where to hang out, some were debating the difficulty of the questions, and others were comparing answers...

In short, the classroom had returned to its usual bustle, but looking at the atmosphere, it seemed like no one was worried at all. Were these people not afraid of failing? Hoshino felt a bit puzzled, but he didn't show it.

Pulling his thoughts back, Hoshino took out his phone.

Originally, Hoshino had intended to go to Class C to find Ryuen and the others, but looking at the time, he decided against it. After all, he was feeling a bit tired himself.

Before he knew it, most of the people in the classroom had left, but Ayanokoji seemed to still be discussing something with his seatmate, Horikita. It was the perfect chance to ask them.

"Ayanokoji, what score are you aiming for this time?" Taking advantage of a lull in their conversation, Hoshino joined in and dropped a "bomb."

The three of them fell silent instantly.

"...Hoshino, what are you talking about?" A moment later, Ayanokoji looked innocent.

Horikita, standing to the side, also had a look of confusion. She turned to study Ayanokoji, but quickly relaxed.

This silly kid hasn't figured it out yet, has he? Hoshino looked at the expression on Horikita's face and guessed, feeling a bit uncertain.

"...Let's not talk about that! Hoshino, is there something you need?"

Ayanokoji seemed afraid that Horikita might notice something unusual and hurriedly changed the subject.

"No... nothing major. It's just that... the atmosphere in the class feels a bit strange..."

"Hmm?" Horikita was also puzzled, looking up at the deep-in-thought Hoshino.

"...It's like no one is worried about failing! Even though last month..."

Hoshino's concern wasn't unfounded; after all, seven people in the class had been on the verge of failing the small test last month! Everyone's calm demeanor today exceeded Hoshino's expectations—he could barely even remember who had failed last month.

"..."

"..."

Ayanokoji and Horikita both fell silent, staring straight into Hoshino's eyes. A moment later, Horikita looked at Ayanokoji with a confused expression.

"Ayanokoji, didn't you notify him?..." Horikita's gaze toward Ayanokoji sharpened. She took a compass out of her pencil case and examined it menacingly, full of threats. Hoshino was startled by the sight.

"No! I did notify him, but he seemed busy with something else at the time and didn't pay any attention to me..." Even though he was being threatened, Ayanokoji's face showed no signs of wavering, as if he weren't the one being threatened at all.

"Oh, I remember now. Ayanokoji, so that's what you were looking for me for that day! Uh... what did you say?" Hoshino seemed to suddenly recall something, but then again, he didn't seem to remember anything at all.

"...I came to find you that day to talk about the study session... to see if you needed anything..." Ayanokoji explained after a moment of speechless silence.

"Uh, alright. But what does that have to do with what we're talking about now?" Hoshino didn't quite understand and tilted his head to ask Ayanokoji.

"...It has nothing to do with it. It's just that Horikita seems to think I didn't notify you, which is why you didn't know about the study session. As for the students in the class who were failing, we already held study sessions and provided tutoring. Plus, Kushida managed to get past exam papers from upperclassmen before the test. The questions for the past few years are basically the same. Therefore..."

Hoshino roughly understood the situation: Sudo and the others must have memorized the past papers.

It was just that Hoshino had been completely unaware when all this was happening.

Hmm—but come to think of it, busy with making money, who would pay attention to this?

"I'm a bit worried... No! It's nothing!" Horikita had a worried look on her face, stammering as if she wanted to say something.

Although it looked foolproof, Horikita's worried expression suggested that something might go wrong!

While Hoshino also saw that something was off, it didn't really have much to do with him. He had only come over out of curiosity to ask and say hello.

The next day, since the exams had just finished yesterday and the papers hadn't been graded yet, classes continued as normal, covering previous material.

Disruptive behavior in class had decreased significantly; even Sudo had started listening attentively! Although he spent most of the time staring at the blackboard with a puzzled expression while copying something down, he was at least making an effort.

It seemed that during the study sessions, quite a few things had happened that Hoshino wasn't aware of. However, Sudo's growth was a good thing for the class. After all, his athletic ability would definitely come in handy, and having him drop out early would undoubtedly be a huge loss for the class.

"Ryuen, help me think—don't we still have a debt that hasn't been settled?"

As soon as school ended, Hoshino hurried to the Class C classroom. Although many people had already left, fortunately, Ryuen and his group were still there, seemingly discussing something.

"Tch, you haven't come to see me in such a long time, I wasn't even planning on asking for it anymore." Seeing this annoying guy show up, the expression on Ryuen's face instantly turned to one of disgust.

Despite saying that, Ryuen signaled to Ishizaki, who was standing beside him.

Although Ishizaki looked completely unwilling and seemed to be muttering something under his breath, he still followed Ryuen's orders and transferred the points to Hoshino.

"Thanks, thanks!" Hoshino wore a cheeky grin while checking his phone. "Hey, Ryuen, you need to be more proactive next time! Seriously..."

"Take your points and get lost, or do you want me to give you a proper 'welcome'?" Ryuen's face was full of threats. This guy was actually serious!

However, if the "tyrant" ruled the class in this manner and still failed to achieve results, his status would certainly be hit. Hoshino could understand Ryuen's approach.

"Alright, alright, I'm leaving! I won't bother you guys anymore!" Hoshino left the Class C classroom with a smile on his face.

But Hoshino didn't notice that in the corner of the Class C classroom, a resentful gaze was following his figure closely...