Vibrant Vitality

A cat, a black cat, but with white fur on its forehead and around its mouth,

Calling it a cow cat was a little inappropriate. More accurately, it was a tuxedo cat. But that wasn't the point,

"You don't have to give it to me. You could pair this cat with your dog and make a cat-and-dog duo. I'm sure that'd be more interesting than just giving it to me."

Kiyotaka Kiyotaka didn't understand. Had he gotten it wrong again? Were emotions and the way people interacted really so complicated?

He was still learning about emotions, yet he could also take advantage of other people's feelings. That was a contradiction in itself,

"It won't work. If I did that, the dog would start a fight."

Kiyotaka Kiyotaka casually made up an excuse. A cat-and-dog fight would be the last thing he wanted. Then he crouched and set the black cat down by the dorm room door. The moment its paws touched the ground, it darted inside,

That made Beihai imagine what lay ahead: becoming a cat's servant. He'd need cat food and litter, and there'd be fur everywhere. At night, he'd have to put up with the cat bouncing around whenever it pleased,

With fur that black, he'd have to be careful when going to the bathroom at night, lest he step on it. Most importantly, cats were delicate, nowhere near as tough as Bruce,

Seeing how obedient the cat was, Kiyotaka Kiyotaka nodded in satisfaction too,

"Looks like it likes you."

Kiyotaka Kiyotaka had just started to step forward when the door slammed shut with a bang, nearly hitting him in the nose. He rubbed it sheepishly, then left as if nothing had happened,

Beihai looked around his room. Nothing seemed to have changed. The desk lamp still illuminated his homework, and his stationery, pencil case, and newly bought study materials were all neatly arranged to one side,

But Beihai knew an intruder had disrupted his peace. He walked to his bed, bent down, then reached underneath,

He found a cat beneath the bed. It seemed to like following him around,

As the cat hissed, Beihai scooped it into his arms and grabbed it by the scruff instead of petting it,

After examining it closely, he began to consider where the cat should end up. Honami Ichinose was out of the question. For one thing, she was the leader of Class B,

Beihai figured that if he took the kitten to her, he might as well write "I'm up to something" across his face. And some students hoping to move up to Class A would definitely use it against him,

There was no doubt about it. This school's education system practically encouraged that sort of thing. It wouldn't rest until it had produced a few little monsters,

Airisu Sakura, on the other hand, was a good choice. Everyone knew he was on very friendly terms with her; they could be considered friends,

"Right, then I won't have to buy all the cat stuff myself, whether it's food or litter."

After all, raising a cat took more than just keeping it fed. There were all kinds of extra expenses,

Once he'd figured that out, Beihai was in an especially good mood,

Where some people were happy, others were bound to be unhappy,

Back in Class A,

The day of the exam had passed, and the test papers had already been handed out. In theory, there was no way to change them. As long as the papers hadn't been leaked, the exam would go ahead,

But the problem lay with the test papers themselves. They hadn't been leaked, but their difficulty was completely abnormal,

Take math, for example. One or two olympiad problems might count as the final, toughest questions on a test,

But when the papers were handed out, every single question was a written-response problem. There wasn't a single multiple-choice question, and they were absurdly difficult. It felt like every question was the hardest one on the test,

Some students could barely hold back. They almost stood up and swore. Were they even human? If they could actually solve these problems, what the hell were they doing in school?

Class A's homeroom teacher wasn't stupid. The moment he opened the envelope, his face fell. The test papers inside weren't the ones for this exam at all,

But there was nothing he could do. First, the whole school had already started the exam. Why was it only his class that had a problem?

Second, that set of papers had probably vanished without a trace. At least, there was no chance of finding it before the exam ended,

Third, even if they found out who was responsible, the school encouraged students to do things like this. There was no way to punish them. They could only smile and compliment the other side on their clever plan and dirty tricks,

Even if they went to the other class's homeroom teacher to negotiate a replacement, the other side could simply call it a deal,

The worst part was that Class A was the only target!

Even Class A's homeroom teacher could taste bile in his throat. The other side's move was perfectly allowed in theory, but it still felt deeply unpleasant,

This wasn't some grand strategy or clever scheme. It was just infuriating. And the worst part was that they'd singled out his class. If this was how things went, would they ever be able to take an exam in peace again?

Kohei Katsuragi raised his hand and stood up, leading the questioning,

"Teacher, could these test papers have been switched by mistake? I don't believe your school's education system has any problems, but I also don't think that, at our current stage,

we should be given questions this difficult. We haven't even learned this material in high school. Some of it would be difficult to study even at university."

"There's nothing wrong with the test papers!"

Class A's homeroom teacher, Tomoya Mashima, could only grit his teeth and admit that there was nothing wrong with the papers. He couldn't blame the school,

Even if he did, what could he do? Go get another set? Where would he get one? Borrow it from another class?

If he went to another class, they'd laugh at him and immediately refuse. What homeroom teacher wouldn't want to climb higher?

Kohei Katsuragi sat back down. The teacher said there was nothing wrong, but the questions were obviously off. Someone must have sabotaged them. But why pull a stunt like this, of all things?

He felt stifled. He didn't know who was behind it, but pulling a dirty trick like this took some real skill,

Sakayanagi Arisu gracefully stood up just then,

"If my guess is right, our class is the only one with this set of test papers. That's quite the underhanded move,

A problem may be impossible for a few people to solve, but if it affects enough people and damages the majority's interests, it becomes easy to deal with,

But if only our class is affected, the other classes and the mastermind will be delighted to see us fall,

Failing this exam could get us expelled. I can guarantee my own safety, but the same may not be true for everyone else,

Teacher, can I buy the answers directly from you? I won't offer anything too outrageous. After all, even the school wouldn't want to see Class A collectively expelled less than two months after the school year began."

The homeroom teacher nodded and went out to make a few calls. He felt relieved too. That unpleasant feeling came from the fact that failing this exam could get them expelled, and the problem could be made as big or as small as they liked,

On the one hand, cheating by copying the answers was completely unreasonable. But they had no choice except to trouble the school. On the other hand, they'd still have to praise their opponent for playing dirty,

Switching the test papers had pushed the whole class to the brink. What good would it do if the remaining students were strong? In the end, this school judged them as a group,

"The school's answer is yes, but your Class Points will remain unchanged."

"That's already pretty good. I thought they might refuse. There isn't enough time to switch to another set of papers anyway."

The next day, Beihai arrived in class to find the mood was pretty good. They didn't seem to have been crushed by last month's zero. This time, they even had the answers ready to copy and memorize, so they were even less worried,

Class D was now truly flourishing, with all things growing and vitality everywhere.