All Classes Prepare for Battle

The midterm exam countdown had begun, and each class had finalized its strategy for passing.

Class A.

Thanks to Sakayanagi Arisu's earlier remarks—"Is it truly a mature choice for those of us who should naturally be at the forefront to invest precious personal time in so-called group tutoring? I believe a more efficient stance is to clearly recognize one's own shortcomings and make precise improvements"—the study sessions promoted by Katsuragi Kohei had few attendees, only a handful of steadfast supporters from his inner circle and a small number of genuinely anxious mid-tier students who showed up on time.

"Big brother, that Sakayanagi just relies on her brains and looks down on our crude methods, doesn't she? How arrogant!" Totsuka Yahiko was always at the forefront of complaints.

Katsuragi Kohei looked at the agitated Yahiko, silent for a few seconds. He neither scolded Yahiko for his loss of composure nor echoed his criticism of Sakayanagi, but spoke in a calm yet firm voice: "Yahiko, calm down. It's a fact that few people came to the study session, but that doesn't mean what we're doing is worthless. Some choose a more independent path, some choose to trust their own abilities—that's everyone's personal freedom. As for us, as long as we walk the path we believe is right and do our best, even if just one person improves because of the study session, our time won't have been wasted."

The mid-tier students in the back rows stared blankly at Katsuragi Kohei's broad, upright figure on the podium, then recalled Sakayanagi Arisu's elegant yet distant remarks. The invisible scale in their hearts seemed to tremble slightly. Compared to that genius girl's laissez-faire policy, Katsuragi Kohei, who was willing to spend time and effort right before them, now appeared so reliable.

Class B.

Ichinose Honami stepped onto the podium and lightly tapped the blackboard, drawing everyone's attention. Behind her, Kanzaki Ryūji and Shibata Sō each carried a large stack of freshly copied test papers. "Everyone, the midterm exam is approaching. Together with Kanzaki, Shibata, and Kitagawa, I've compiled this set of review papers based on the scope the teacher outlined and the exam trends from past years." She gestured to the side, and Kanzaki and Shibata began distributing the papers to the first student in each row, signaling them to pass them back.

Ichinose Honami's gaze swept over her classmates' varied expressions as she continued, "This set covers the core knowledge points and high-frequency exam topics from each subject. The question types and difficulty reference past years' actual exams. Mastering these will be very helpful for passing." She paused briefly, her tone taking on a rare seriousness: "Especially, Kitagawa specifically asked me to stress that everyone should take this seriously—ideally, memorize both the questions and answers." "Kitagawa said that?" Murmurs of curiosity and weight rippled through the room. Kitagawa Kai was already quite popular in Class B, and everyone trusted his wisdom and judgment. "That's right." Ichinose nodded affirmatively without further explanation, looking at them with sincere eyes: "I believe that if our Class B unites and prepares earnestly, we can definitely achieve good results! This isn't just for ourselves, but for our class's future and points! Everyone, let's work hard together!" "Ooh—!" "Let's go, charge!" Enthusiastic responses rose from the seats. Students who had received the papers began flipping through them, while some poorer performers looked longingly toward Kanzaki Ryūji. Kanzaki, we're counting on you.

Class C.

A stifling, tense silence hung here. No discussion, no rustling of pages. Most students kept their heads down or nervously glanced at the figure at the front of the classroom. Ryuen Kakeru leaned against the edge of the podium, one hand in his pocket, the other casually twirling a piece of chalk. "Everyone hear me clearly? Midterm exam, all subjects, all of you—I want to see zeros. Neat, uniform zeros." Dead silence. Even breathing was deliberately softened. "Ryuen... big brother... if everyone gets zeros, class points won't increase, and the other classes..." A bespectacled boy in the back row raised his hand, his face pale. He couldn't finish. "Bang!" The chalk hit his forehead precisely, leaving a white mark. Ryuen Kakeru didn't even look at where he'd thrown it, letting out a sneer. "Idiot!!! Come on, use those brains that haven't been scared stiff yet and think: who among you can pat your chest and guarantee you'll pass every subject this time, huh?" No one dared answer. Even the usually decent students averted their eyes guiltily under Ryuen's gaze. "No one can guarantee it, right?" Ryuen's grin widened with cruel amusement. "Then think again: according to this damn school's rules, if someone drops out, how many class points get deducted? The points lost from one person dropping out are probably far more than what you useless lot could earn by desperately passing, aren't they?" He paused, his gaze sweeping again over the silver-haired figure quietly reading in the corner, then over the expressionless Ibuki and the head-down note-taking Kaneda, finally settling on the whole class: "So, put away all your little schemes. When the exam comes, sleep if you want, daydream if you want—I want to see clean answer sheets. If anyone's hands get itchy..."

Class D.

One week before the exam.

"Chabashira-sensei, why is the exam scope for the other classes different from ours?" Braving Chabashira Sae's icy expression, Hirata Yousuke voiced the unsettling discovery that had been troubling him and some of the hardworking students in their class.

This information came from Kushida Kikyo. Leveraging her excellent Affinity, she had easily "casually" chatted with students from other classes about exam preparation and noticed the huge discrepancy in the review scope.

Chabashira Sae sat there, her back straight, her face devoid of any expression.

"Oh—so I made a mistake."

"..."

A mistake?

The classroom fell into instant dead silence.

Even Sudo Ken, who had been sleeping face-down on his desk at the back, instinctively lifted his head.

Hirata was stunned too. The follow-up arguments he had prepared all got stuck in his throat, and he could only stare blankly at Chabashira-sensei.

"Since the scope is wrong, I'll give you a new exam scope."

Chabashira Sae said this as she stood up and picked up a piece of chalk. Her movements were smooth and natural, without a trace of embarrassment or apology.

"Everyone, write this down." She turned her back to the group and began writing new knowledge point headings on the blackboard. "The third chapter I emphasized before..."

The new scope was listed one by one, almost completely opposite to the previous focus. Below the podium, the initial shock was quickly replaced by panic.

The rustling of notebooks became chaotic, mixed with incredulous gasps and whispers of despair.

"T-Teacher!" Ike Kanji couldn't help raising his hand. "Th-this... this is completely different from what you said before! There's only one week left, how can we cover so much new content..."

His question voiced the thoughts of most people in the classroom.

"Oh, then I'll apologize to you."

"Good luck, everyone. For this last week, it looks like there's quite a bit of content, but I believe you still have a chance."

After saying this, Chabashira Sae clicked her heels and left the classroom.

"What do we do?"

"No time. Whatever happens, happens."

"Looks like I'll have to drop out."

"Everyone, don't give up yet. Let's focus on reviewing from now on. There's still a chance..."

Horikita Suzune sat in her seat, her head held high, completely out of place amidst the surrounding chaos and dejection.

Her gaze swept over the classmates who were ready to give up before even starting, finally landing on the empty doorway where Chabashira Sae had left.

An outrageous teacher. Hopeless. Let it all burn.

Just then, her deskmate Ayanokoji poked her with his finger.