Midterm Exams for Class 75

She put her hands behind her back, tilted her head, and showed her signature sweet smile.

"As I just said, it was obtained through begging."

Her tone was light and cheerful, and her eyes curved into two crescent moons.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stared at her silently, his dark pupils unfathomable.

During the few seconds of eye contact, Kushida Kikyo's smile did not waver in the slightest; on the contrary, it became even brighter.

"Yeah..."

Finally, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka looked away, sighed softly, and gave up on further investigation.

He turned and walked towards Hirata Yosuke.

All he wanted was to stay at the school peacefully.

Others can have their own ideas, as long as they don't affect him.

According to inquiries, there were 10 people attending the tutoring session.

Seven of them were from the group that failed the previous exam, falling below the passing mark.

The other three students scored too close to the passing grade.

To avoid being forced to drop out of school because others' academic abilities improved, causing the admission score to rise.

They chose to attend the study session.

In the classroom, Hirata Yosuke was organizing his study materials.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up and gave a gentle smile.

"Ayanokoji-kun, is there something you need?"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka walked up to Hirata Yosuke and lowered his voice.

"Hirata, I just saw that Ike and Yamauchi said they don't plan to continue participating in the study group. I'm a little worried."

"Over here, have any of your classmates experienced something similar?"

Hirata Yosuke put down his pen and rubbed his temples.

He shook his head, his golden hair swaying gently with the movement.

"No, because exam scores affect the Class Points they earn, I persuaded them to stay. They'll come later."

But then, Hirata Yosuke's expression darkened, and a bitter smile appeared on his lips.

"That's true, but Kushida's actions have certainly dampened the students' enthusiasm for learning."

He helplessly spread his hands, "I estimate that my learning will be much less effective from now on. However, with past exam questions available, I shouldn't fail."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka nodded thoughtfully, then turned his gaze to the window.

"Is that so? I understand." He took out his student ID terminal and quickly swiped his finger across the screen. "Good luck then, I'll go and try to talk to those two."

In the dormitory, Yamauchi Haruki kicked off his shoes and hopped barefoot to the cabinet.

He opened the drawer too roughly, causing the game discs inside to rattle.

"Found it!"

He cheered and waved the game controller in the air.

Kanji Ike strolled leisurely to the refrigerator, and the cool air from the open door made him squint his eyes comfortably.

"What would you like to drink?" he asked without turning his head, his fingers fiddling among the beverage cans.

"Whatever, hurry up!"

Yamauchi Haruki was already sitting cross-legged in front of the television, eagerly connecting the device.

The blue light from the screen illuminated his excited face.

Kanji Ike took out two cans of cola and turned around to see the screen lit up on the bedside table.

He wrinkled his nose and tossed one of the cans to Yamauchi Haruki.

"I said, Ayanokōji just texted us to meet at the beverage shop to talk about something." He pulled the tab, and the soda hissed. "Wouldn't it be bad if we didn't go?"

Yamauchi Haruki caught the cola, but didn't bother to drink it.

His attention was completely focused on the game screen, his fingers rapidly pressing buttons on the controller.

"It's not like I'm rejecting him,"

He answered casually, his eyes glued to the screen, and grinned as the game music started playing.

"They just changed the location of the conversation to the dorm. The drinks at the beverage shop don't feel as good as the canned soda I'm holding."

"It begins! Today I'm going to crush you with Kyo Kusanagi!"

Yamauchi Haruki defiantly raised his chin.

Kanji Ike shook his head and placed the cola on the bedside table.

He sat cross-legged next to Yamauchi Haruki and picked up another handle.

"You always say that."

Although he complained, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile.

"Get ready to be tortured! I'll definitely kill you in three rounds today!"

He clicked the joystick in his right hand.

When the cursor hovered over Iori Yagami's image, he pressed down hard on the A key with his thumb.

Yamauchi Haruki scoffed.

"Your crappy Yagami can't even beat a full-strength migrant worker squad."

He chose Kyo Kusanagi as the vanguard, with Goro Daimon bringing up the rear.

When the two characters were being assigned roles, Yashiro Nanakase on the screen made a provocative gesture towards Mai Shiranui.

Intense gaming sound effects echoed down the dormitory corridor.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stood in front of Yamauchi Haruki's dormitory, his raised hand hovering in mid-air.

He knocked gently on the door, waited three seconds, and then knocked harder.

Hearing the game sound effects and the two people shouting, he immediately understood the situation.

"Yamauchi."

"Wait! We'll be done in a minute!"

Yamauchi Haruki's hasty response was accompanied by the click of the controller buttons.

Inside the dormitory, the LCD screen flickered with a glaring red light.

Haruki Yamauchi's Kyo Kusanagi was hit Mai Shiranui by Yamauchi Haruki's "Super Deadly Ninja Bee," and his health bar dropped at a visible speed.

"You're so despicable!"

"Victory is victory, why make so many excuses? Who gave you that distraction?"

Kanji Ike triumphantly shook the handle, Mai Shiranui fan drew a gorgeous arc in the air.

Yamauchi Haruki hurriedly came to his senses, Kyo Kusanagi's "Orochi Nagi" was interrupted just as he was gathering his strength.

"Asshole!"

He frantically pressed the defense button, but it was too late.

The word "KO" popped up on the screen, accompanied by cheers from Kanji Ike.

"I won today! The historical record is 3-2!"

Kanji Ike the Coke can in celebration, bubbles spraying onto the sheets.

Yamauchi Haruki scratched his head in frustration before remembering the noise outside the door.

He ran barefoot to open the door and found Ayanokoji Kiyotaka standing quietly in the hallway.

"I-I'm sorry!" Yamauchi Haruki stammered, beads of sweat still clinging to his forehead. "We were just playing a deciding game."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's gaze passed over Yamauchi Haruki and landed on the mess in the dormitory.

Scattered snack wrappers, overturned cola cans, and a frozen victory image on the screen.

Kanji Ike sat cross-legged, with the handle wire wrapped around his ankles.

"I heard you're not planning to attend the study session?"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's voice was as calm as if he were discussing the weather.

Upon hearing Kanji Ike immediately offered his explanation.

"It's not that I'm not participating! It's just that," he glanced at the game screen, "Kushida has already gotten hold of past exam questions, so there's still time for last-minute cramming, right?"

Yamauchi Haruki echoed.

"Yeah, yeah."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka entered the dormitory and closed the door behind him.

"The test only guarantees a passing grade, but the class needs a higher average score to earn points."

"But studying would be so boring," Yamauchi Haruki said, scratching his head. "Besides, Kushida said the test questions cover most of the exam points."

Kanji Ike nodded in agreement.

"We promise we'll review the test questions; you can just cram before the exam."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka watched them quietly, his dark eyes unfathomable.

"If everyone thinks like that, the scores will drop. Then even more people will fail."

"Oh, no way," Yamauchi Haruki waved his hand. "The others will definitely study hard."

Seeing the resolute attitude of the two, Qi Eryue and Yi, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka sighed softly.

"Since you've made your decision, I won't say anything more." He turned and walked towards the door. "However, if you change your mind, the school will always welcome you."

"Okay, okay." Yamauchi Haruki picked up the controller again. "Want to play a game together?"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka shook his head and gently closed the door.

His footsteps faded into the distance in the corridor.

In the dormitory, the game sound effects started up again, accompanied by the laughter and playful banter of Kanji Ike and Yamauchi Haruki.

Chapter 76 Midterm Exam

Time flies like an arrow, and the midterm exams are just around the corner.

A tense atmosphere permeated the classroom of Class D, with desks piled high with review materials and photocopies of past exam papers.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka sat by the window, glancing out of the corner of his eye at Kanji Ike and Yamauchi Haruki frantically flipping through the exam questions.

Since their last attempt to persuade them failed, these two actually started cramming right before the exam.

"Hey, isn't the answer to this question wrong?"

Yamauchi Haruki asked in a low voice, his finger trembling as he pointed to a certain spot on the test paper.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his eyes were slightly red from staring at the paper for so long.

Kanji Ike scratched his hair in frustration, his damp bangs sticking to his forehead.

"Quiet down, I'm looking at the analysis..."

His voice was tinged with obvious anxiety, and his fingers unconsciously crumpled the edges of the exam paper, making it wrinkle.

Two days later, Chabashira Sae walked into the classroom with the test papers.

Her sharp gaze swept across the classroom, and she frowned almost imperceptibly when she saw a few students cramming at the last minute.

"For you, this is the first hurdle in the written exam. Do you have any questions?"

Her voice was calm and clear, and her fingers tapped lightly on the podium.

"We've been studying very hard these past few weeks. I don't think any student in this class will fail!"

Hirata Yosuke straightened his back, a gentle expression on his face.