Undercurrents

That night, Rinya laid out his upcoming plans to her.

Because of his new class initiative, he needed to completely dismantle the current Class B before he could rebuild it from the ashes.

However, given their current level of unity, he knew it would be difficult to find an opening.

Therefore, Rinya prepared to use the upcoming Uninhabited Island Exam to crush Class B once and for all.

When the time came, he would need Hoshinomiya to assist from the shadows, further destroying the final remnants of hope held by those defeated students.

Although it sounded cruel—even the current, cynical version of Hoshinomiya couldn't help but frown upon hearing it.

Yet, she understood that since ancient times, the success of a general is built upon ten thousand bones; what new dynasty was ever founded without being painted in blood?

Furthermore, this was merely a restructuring of a class. Perhaps she felt a pang of heartache now, but she knew she would never regret this choice in the future.

Before leaving, Rinya offered a knowing smile as he watched Hoshinomiya give a slight nod, then he and Kushida slowly vanished into the night.

The next day marked the final day of the semester.

Inside the classroom of Class D, the students, who had weathered many storms, finally felt the first genuine sense of relief since their enrollment.

Not only that, but Koenji Rokusuke and Sudo Ken, who had been receiving treatment at the hospital for some time, had both returned today.

Aside from Koenji, whose eccentric personality had become somewhat subdued, there was no major change in Sudo Ken's outward appearance.

However, the moment he entered the classroom, his first priority wasn't to greet his friends or say hello to the girl he had a crush on.

Instead, he walked with a clear purpose directly up to Kushida Kikyo, who was chatting with Wang Meiyu.

Before she could even voice her confusion, Sudo Ken, who usually possessed an incredibly high sense of pride, performed a 180-degree bow in front of the girl.

"Eh?"

"Sudo-kun, what are you..."

Just as Kushida stood there with a face full of question marks, Sudo Ken suddenly said with sincere desperation, "Kushida-san, please... take me as your apprentice!"

"Ah? What~"

"Su... Sudo-kun, but, but I..."

Faced with this sudden request for mentorship, Kushida's mind was in total chaos.

While she had experienced similar things with classmates before, she had never imagined that a boy like Sudo Ken, who looked down on everyone, would discard his prized pride to publicly ask her to be his mentor.

She had never even considered such a scene, and for a moment, she didn't know how to respond.

Seeing the complex expression on the girl's face and her prolonged silence, Sudo Ken assumed his sincerity wasn't enough.

So, ignoring the classmates gathering around to watch and whisper, he gritted his teeth, thinking back to the despair and helplessness of that night, and prepared to kneel.

However, at that moment, a fair, slender hand quickly stopped him.

He instinctively wanted to shake it off, but he froze when he saw that the person was Horikita Suzune.

"There are some things I hope you think through carefully before deciding whether or not to do them."

After saying this, the girl returned to her seat with a calm expression.

Watching Sudo Ken stand in brief silence before walking away, Horikita remained expressionless, but a massive storm was brewing in her heart.

He really did fall toward Kushida Kikyo, just as Ayanokoji said...

If I hadn't stepped in just now, perhaps another core member of the class would have fallen into her hands.

Looking at Kushida Kikyo from afar—who had already captured the hearts of half the class—it was the first time Horikita Suzune truly looked at her and realized this girl was no longer the person who only knew how to pry into others' hearts.

On the contrary, even though she appeared to be doing nothing on the surface, she had reached a point where even Horikita felt the subconscious urge to probe her.

When exactly did this shift from passive to active attraction begin?

Her gaze shifted slightly, and the figure of a certain boy appeared in her mind.

Was it really only him all along...

As for the final day of the first semester, Rinya felt somewhat speechless.

He looked at the invitation from Chairman Sakayanagi on his phone for a drinking session that night.

It was supposedly to celebrate his successful return, but Rinya didn't even need to think to know the real objective.

Then there was another message from Matsushita Chiaki, inviting him to eat at their usual spot that evening.

It seemed she had discovered something else.

And finally, there was a secret invitation from Sudo Ken to meet up later. Rinya couldn't even be bothered to guess his motive.

There were even invitations for evening gatherings organized by classmates to celebrate the end of the first semester...

Seeing the end of the list, the sheer number of invitations displayed as 99+ would likely give anyone a massive headache.

Just then, Chabashira Sae, the homeroom teacher for Class D, walked in with the sharp click of her high heels.

At a single glance, she noticed that many students still had expressions of joy lingering on their faces at the prospect of the upcoming vacation.

Seeing this, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly before she said coldly, "You all looked very happy when I walked in just now."

"Indeed, the vacation is here, and it is time for you to properly relax your minds."

"However..."

Chabashira drew out the word, then suddenly changed her expression, teasing, "Did you forget that there is a surprise quiz today?"

"Ah, a quiz?" a male student in the front row asked, looking confused.

Upon hearing this, the faces of everyone in the room were filled with question marks; it was the last day, so how could there be a surprise quiz? Had they gotten the time wrong?

Just as the murmurs among the students grew louder.

A stern shout from Chabashira instantly silenced the entire classroom.

"Quiet, everyone!"

Ignoring the shocked gazes directed at her, Chabashira took a thick stack of test papers out of her bag and said coldly, "Now, I announce that the final paper of the semester exams begins now!"

"Wh... what? How is there a final paper for the semester exams?"

Even Yukimura Teruhiko, who was always an excellent student and rarely spoke, couldn't help but take off his glasses and exclaim in surprise.

The others thought they were hearing things.

However, a single sentence from Chabashira instantly silenced the incredulous crowd.

"Don't forget, the written exams were originally scheduled for three days!"

"If it weren't for the stunt Mikawa pulled back then, the school wouldn't have had any joint exams."

"Alright, enough talk."

"I believe you all understand the importance of the results of this exam. If you want to continue studying here next semester and receive points, hmph."

"The exam officially begins."

As the papers were handed out, those who never expected another test had no preparation at all; with no other choice, they were forced to buckle down with bitter expressions.

Rinya, watching this scene from the side, couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

That performance devoid of any acting skill, those eyes that never changed.

He was becoming increasingly curious about what the goal of the other party was in doing this.

"Oh~ this is..."

Just then, Rinya suddenly noticed that the content on the test paper was different from usual.

His gaze couldn't help but flicker with rare shock.

Looking closely, not only was seventy percent of the entire test composed of practical scenario questions.

But every single question seemed to involve a deep analysis of oneself.

"So that's how it is~"

After briefly closing his eyes, Rinya opened them and nodded slightly. Then, he couldn't help but whisper to himself, "Heh~ this move is truly exquisite."

Either fill in the information voluntarily, allowing her to hypnotize and control them.

Or write nonsense or leave it blank, and if their scores are too low next semester, they will be expelled according to school regulations.

If you can't find the book title, try searching for the author; perhaps the name has just been changed!