I've only misjudged five people in my life

Once things were laid out plainly, everything became easier to discuss—though Beihai's intentions weren't exactly noble. Who wanted to be friends with him anyway?

Blurting out the other party's identity was purely a deterrent: if you keep bothering me, I'll expose you. Don't talk about lasting three years here—even two days would feel like too many.

As for Kiyotaka Kiyotaka, forget about a fallback plan; just weighing the gains and losses for both sides already said it all.

But the expected "keep each other at arm's length" never happened. Kiyotaka Kiyotaka even went against the grain.

Of course, Beihai hadn't anticipated the guy's learning ability being this terrifying. Even when they delved into university-level problems, the other handled them with ease.

The study session dragged on, but eventually, people needed rest.

Beihai's dorm had no extra supplies. The TV and game console hanging on the wall were bought by Kiyotaka Kiyotaka himself.

The two headed downstairs together to grab some snacks and drinks, using Class Points to buy two bottles of Marble Soda from the vending machine.

They sat on the bench beside the vending machine, taking a break.

To open the Marble Soda, you just tore off the plastic seal on top to reveal the marble.

Then you pressed the cap down firmly, holding it tight without letting go or loosening your grip—otherwise, the marble would drop into the soda and all the bubbles would gush out.

Beihai pressed down hard with both thumbs, not letting a single drop of soda escape.

Kiyotaka Kiyotaka tried it for the first time. He pressed down with his thumb but didn't hold it tight enough, and soda sprayed everywhere.

"Too bad, wasted a lot."

"Nobody gets it right the first time with these. Don't worry about waste. I've got two tissues here—wipe your hands."

Kiyotaka Kiyotaka set the soda on the ground, took the tissues, and wiped his hands while voicing the complaint on his mind.

"Suzune Horikita's attempt to start a mutual aid group was a total failure. The three people she called over, plus Kikyo Kushida—none of them lasted three minutes there.

In the May Special Exam, someone's probably going to fail. The end result will be expulsion, and it might affect us."

Beihai caught on immediately. If someone failed the exam, who knew how the homeroom teacher would handle it? What if it dragged them both into it?

But the moment he thought of Suzune Horikita with her long black hair, Beihai couldn't help snorting with laughter.

"In my whole life, I've only misjudged four people. But I never expected a fifth master.

Those five masters are:

Thunderclap Hand Wen Tailai, Iron Leg Water Glider, Imperial Sky-Shattering Fist Wu Liushou, Heaven and Earth Society Branch Leader Chen Jinnan, and now Suzune Horikita."

Kiyotaka Kiyotaka listened quietly without interrupting, taking a sip of his Marble Soda. He didn't know the first four, but the fifth he certainly did.

"What makes you say that?"

"Isn't it obvious? When I first met her, I really thought she had something going on. But judging by her performance since, I was overthinking it. And that personality of hers is just annoying."

"Hmm, I see. I actually think she's not that bad."

Beihai shot a strange look at the master beside him. Well, to each their own—one willing to strike, the other willing to take it.

It wasn't about being aloof or refusing to make friends. It was that she wanted to control everything, to have the final say, but simply lacked the ability.

She had no basic social skills—or thought they were unnecessary.

On top of that, she wore a sour expression, subtly coercing others, and if anyone dared to defy her, she'd jab them with a compass.

This couldn't be explained by coldness or tsundere. It was pure abstraction.

"Hey, Beihai, what would you do about those three who are going to fail?

I've already given up on them studying hard for the upcoming exam. There's no time, and they're failing anyway."

"Are you that afraid it'll affect you? Why? Because of expulsion?"

Beihai found it strange. Even if someone got expelled, how would it affect others—especially a guy who could control his own scores?

In normal exams, unless he deliberately scored low because he wanted to drop out, Beihai couldn't imagine anyone shaking him in that regard.

Kiyotaka Kiyotaka didn't hide anything and nodded directly in admission. He knew hiding things from Beihai was useless.

Even if he tried to conceal something, one interaction would let Beihai see through seventy or eighty percent of it. So it wasn't worth the effort.

On the contrary, dropping the act and being straightforward was actually relaxing. Of course, he also knew what Beihai wanted.

Their mutual understanding and deconstruction went both ways. Beihai saw through him from every angle.

And he, in turn, saw through Beihai from every angle. So he threw out a killer move—one Beihai wouldn't refuse.

"Tell me, and I'll teach you university-level material."

Beihai's refusal caught in his throat and never came out. He figured it was worth discussing—he was just sharing his opinion anyway.

"Well then, do you think Class D still has room to improve?

You think they can't catch up with normal studying, so you'd use underhanded tactics. The first time, you could cheat to get them through. But what about the second time? The third?

We're already at zero points. Even if they fail the exam and get expelled, it's probably only beneficial for the class as a whole.

Even in the worst-case scenario, all that happens is a deduction in Class Points—it affects the class's overall rise. But so what? There's no negative score here.

Think about it carefully. Those three aren't easy to deal with. If you want to lead the class, now is the best time to cut out all the tumors in this exam."

Once the class scores, even a slight increase will be enough to make things rough for you."

Kiyotaka Kiyotaka naturally understood that being ruthless at a time like this could bring about a major overhaul, but those three were his surface-level friends and still had some value.

As things stood in the class, his friendships were an absolute mess, and he had no desire to lead the class upward.

Kiyotaka truly didn't care what happened to the three of them. If he kept them safe, the headache would only fall on Suzune Horikita—after all, it was her own choice.

Between keeping them or letting them go, he had already made his decision.

"Alright, there wasn't much Marble Soda to begin with. Now that it's finished, time to head upstairs and keep studying."

Beihai didn't sit there idly. Unlike the person beside him, who was lost in thought, he drank his Marble Soda sip by sip until it was gone.

Kiyotaka Kiyotaka grabbed his own soda and hurriedly followed behind Beihai. Just as the two of them left in a rush, from the alley beside the vending machine behind them, two people stepped out. They had silently listened to everything.

"Did you hear that? Not only should you not be here, but you've never even solved your own problems."