I Really Hate You

"You really are good at guessing. Ayanokoji did ask me about the past exam papers today."

"He gave me the credit for it."

That evening, Mu Tianchen received a message from Kushida.

Ayanokoji had thought things through carefully when he decided to give Kushida the credit. It would win her favor while keeping him out of the spotlight.

Whether he'd realized she'd already given Kushida a heads-up didn't matter anymore. Their goals were the same.

Besides, Mu Tianchen didn't believe Teacher Chazhu would deny him the reward he deserved over this.

"Got it."

After sending Kushida a brief reply, Mu Tianchen slowly put down his phone and waited for the next day to arrive...

It was Thursday—the day before the Midterm Exam.

After Teacher Chazhu finished explaining what the class needed to know about the Midterm Exam, Kushida walked up to the podium carrying a stack of papers that looked like exam sheets.

"Could I have everyone's attention for a moment? Please~" Kushida set the papers on the podium and clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture.

Sure enough, even someone as carefree as Beauty Bro was willing to stay in the classroom. That really showed how charming she was.

Someone with a personality like Horikita's probably couldn't have pulled this off.

Perhaps this was why Ayanokoji had chosen her instead of Horikita.

Mu Tianchen thought this as he, like the rest of the class, turned his gaze toward Kushida.

The Beauty Bro beside him even seemed to glance at him with disdain.

Takagahara had probably already seen through what was happening. As for why he looked down on Mu Tianchen, it was likely because he thought there was little point in saving this group by resorting to such a trick.

After all, this was a school where ability came first. They could get by with a shortcut this time, but if they weren't willing to improve themselves afterward, they'd still be expelled.

Kushida glanced around the class. Seeing that no one had left, she smiled happily and continued, "I prepared some study materials to help everyone review for the exam."

"I'll hand them out now. Make sure you study them carefully, okay?" With that, Kushida began passing out the papers. Hirata, ever the helpful one, hurried over to lend a hand.

"What's the point of handing those out now? The exam's tomorrow!"

Sudo complained unhappily. He'd had a bit of a falling-out with Horikita earlier, so he hadn't reviewed properly. Unlike Ike and Yamauchi, he didn't believe such a short time was enough to keep him from failing.

"Sudo, I suggest you take a look at the papers before you say that. They're not like ordinary study materials."

A student in the front row kindly offered the advice. He'd received a paper early and seemed to have noticed what made them different from the usual materials.

"Why does it say 'Midterm Exam' on these? And there's an answer key, too. That's weird."

"Did Kushida make a practice test?"

"This looks more like... an actual past exam...?"

As more students received their papers, the classroom filled with chatter.

"Yukimura, you guessed right. These really are last year's exam papers. I got them from an upperclassman," Kushida confirmed.

Yukimura Teruhiko really was a top student. He'd figured out the right answer just by guessing.

"Huh? They're actual past exams...? So these questions are really useful?" Karuizawa Kei asked from nearby.

"Exactly. I also heard from an upperclassman that the Midterm Exam has been pretty much the same for the past few years. So I think these papers will be a huge help on tomorrow's test."

"So all we have to do is memorize the answers on these papers, and we'll get a high score tomorrow."

Kushida didn't answer, but her reaction was as good as confirmation.

"Yeah! That's great! I was worried I'd fail and get expelled this time."

"Thanks, little Kushida! You're an angel!"

"If I'd known you had these, I wouldn't have studied so hard before."

The class erupted with excitement. Ike was nearly moved to tears, clutching the papers to his chest.

One student even jumped up and excitedly slapped the desk.

Others complained that Kushida should have brought out the past exam papers sooner. It seemed Ayanokoji had been right to wait until the day before the exam.

If he'd told them earlier, many of them would probably have taken the shortcut instead of working to improve themselves.

Next time they faced a situation like this, they'd have no past exam papers to rely on—and would still be expelled.

He'd really thought it through...

"Sudo, make sure you study these papers when you get home, okay?" Given Sudo's earlier complaint, Kushida naturally wasn't reassured and made a point of reminding him.

"I will. Thanks—you've been a huge help."

Sudo smiled happily, too. If he were expelled, it would be much harder to achieve his basketball dream, even though he often acted like he didn't care.

Even without these past exam papers, he'd planned to study hard that night. Whether he'd pass was another matter.

"Kushida, I'm very grateful to you this time," Horikita said, stepping forward to give Kushida a rare compliment.

"It's nothing... I did it for everyone... It was only right." Taken aback by Horikita's sudden praise, Kushida rubbed her head awkwardly.

"I'm praising you not only for getting these past exam papers, but also because I'm pleased you chose to hand them out the day before the exam."

"Is that so...? Haha."

"You've made Hirata's and my efforts worthwhile, too. If you'd brought them out earlier, no one would probably have come to our study sessions."

"They also wouldn't have had a chance to develop good study habits. Though I admit this past while has been pretty tough."

"That's true." Kushida awkwardly went along with what Horikita said. "But I only just got these past exam papers. If I'd brought them out earlier, maybe everyone could've gotten an even higher score."

"Mm."

"Sorry, Horikita. It's getting late, so I should head back." Kushida was, of course, just making an excuse to leave. She still had to visit Class C today.

Half of the past exam papers in her bag were meant for Class C.

"You're free to go, of course. But could you wait a moment? I have a couple of questions for you."

"What questions?" Kushida replied as she tidied up her bag at her seat.

"Who's the person behind you? And you actually hate me, don't you?" Horikita's expression turned cold again, and she stared straight at Kushida.

"Why would you think that?" Kushida looked at Horikita warily.

"Because I can sense it. But if you don't want to tell me, that's fine. I'll ignore it as long as it doesn't affect the class. As for the person behind you, I'm not particularly interested in them for now."

Then why ask? Kushida wanted to say, but swallowed the words. She turned to Horikita with a bright smile.

"Yes, I really do hate you."

Leaving those words behind, Kushida picked up her bag and walked out of the classroom...