Small Test

"Everyone, quiet down!"

Teacher Chazhu walked into the classroom before class had even started and immediately stopped the students who were messing around inside. Today, she seemed different from usual. Normally, she'd only come in when the school bell rang, not wanting to teach a single extra minute, but today...

"What's up, Teacher Chazhu?"

A male student sitting in the front row was the first to ask.

"Because it's almost the end of the month, we're having a small test today," she replied, then swept her gaze across the whole class, using a stern look to warn those who hadn't yet returned to their seats.

"A test? The handbook didn't say anything about a test at the end of the month."

"Yeah, we haven't even had time to review. That's too sneaky."

Ike and Yamauchi voiced their dissatisfaction upon hearing about the test.

"Don't worry. This test is just a basic assessment, only for reference. It won't show up on your report cards, and there won't be any penalties, so relax."

Mu Tianchen sensed something off about this. Generally speaking, if there's a test, there must be grades, and grades are supposed to appear on report cards, right? She specifically emphasized that it wouldn't show up on report cards. So what was the point of this test? How to put it... it felt like it might show up somewhere other than the report cards. After all, back when she explained the school's point system, she did the same thing—always deliberately misleading people, but often leaving behind subtle clues.

"You noticed too, deskmate Boy?" Takagahara suddenly turned his head and looked at Mu Tianchen.

Mind reading? Or had his thoughtful expression been too obvious just now? Mu Tianchen was a bit puzzled by the pretty boy who turned to talk to him.

"No... not at all. I just thought if we did that, this test would be meaningless."

"Haha, let's just say that's the case." After hearing Mu Tianchen's reply, Takagahara turned his head back and continued combing his hair in the mirror.

That pretty boy's reaction definitely meant he'd noticed something too, but his actions sometimes felt pretty random. Though, he was already a weirdo anyway.

"Can we cheat, Teacher Kozaki? Or hand in a blank paper? I don't know anything."

Yamauchi spoke up again, completely ignoring the contemptuous looks from those around him. After all, saying something like that out loud was really...

"Cheating is naturally not allowed. I'll be the proctor for this test. As for whether you choose to hand in a blank paper, that's up to you. Alright, pass the test papers down!"

After answering Yamauchi, Teacher Chazhu checked the time, saw it was about right, and handed the papers to the students in the first row to pass back.

She emphasized it wasn't important, yet she didn't allow cheating—wasn't that contradictory? Given her usual behavior, this test should have been something she'd turn a blind eye to. After all, she barely paid attention in class before. From this perspective, he should still take this test seriously.

When the bell rang, the test began.

After getting the test paper, Mu Tianchen gave it a general look. Sure enough, most of the questions were key points the teachers had covered in class, so it should be easy to get a high score. But as he worked through it, he noticed something very different—the last few questions on the paper. Compared to the others, these were clearly out of the ordinary. Mu Tianchen wasn't some top student, but he wasn't so bad that he'd have no clue at all on those last few questions. This was obviously material they hadn't learned.

Mu Tianchen decided not to bother with them. Since he didn't know the answers anyway, he instinctively glanced over at the pretty boy to see his reaction to those questions, only to find... he was already asleep at his desk, even drooling!

Should he have expected nothing less from him?

He wanted to check on Ayanokouji's situation too, but Teacher Chazhu's gaze had already locked onto him when he turned to look at the pretty boy. She was staring him down hard. This was a test where cheating wasn't allowed, but... Mu Tianchen didn't have x-ray vision—how could he copy just by looking?!

Or had Teacher Chazhu already started noticing him?!

After all, the points on his phone right now were a bit abnormal for a D-class student who'd just enrolled less than a month ago. And the teacher might have the authority to monitor every student's points.

Feeling uncomfortable under Teacher Chazhu's stare, Mu Tianchen decided to just lie down on his desk and sleep until the test was over. Her only rule was no cheating, so as long as he didn't disturb others, he could do whatever he wanted. Otherwise, the pretty boy wouldn't have just gone straight to sleep...

The same went for the subsequent subject tests. The front questions were simple and basic, while the back ones were things that felt like they'd never been taught.

Now Mu Tianchen was sure of his theory—this test paper was deliberately made this way! As for the reason, it was clearly to flush out some truly capable students.

To answer correctly when no one else has studied—that speaks to real ability.

Still, this seems deliberately designed to tip off the teachers. Students naturally can't know how others performed unless their results stand out or they discuss it privately.

The end result is that it helps teachers identify standout individuals early.

Thinking this over, Mu Tianchen began to feel puzzled.

Could it be that competition exists not just among students, but among teachers too? Otherwise, why use such a method deliberately?

But over these past few weeks, Teacher Chazhu has given off nothing but a slacker vibe: she's more eager to leave after class than the students, deliberately vague with the rules, encouraging them to spend points, and so on.

There's no sign she wants to lead the class upward.

Well, maybe she's just too disappointed in us. After all, we're the worst class, rated D from the very start by the school.

And our recent performance hasn't been good either. Hardly anyone in the class has any self-discipline. It's only natural she'd give up.

Mu Tianchen crafted a reasonably plausible excuse for Teacher Chazhu in his mind.

After the exam ended, Mu Tianchen noticed Kushida's gaze directed at him.

Come to think of it, it had been several days since he'd agreed to help her.

During that time, he hadn't contacted her, nor told her about Takagahara's demand to prove the 1 million points.

She was probably getting anxious. The deadline for the agreement with that pretty boy was approaching too—time to ask for his contact info.

As for this free favor for Kushida, it was also a step toward building a good relationship with her.

There might be times later when he'd need her help...