"Last time I stayed over at your place, I spent a few points getting a spare key made by the dorm supervisor." Kushida smiled as she spoke to Takahashi. Takahashi, however, thought she was about to lose it.
"Click."
Sure enough, the moment Takahashi closed the door, Kushida rushed over and crashed into his arms. "You bastard."
"Hey, shouldn't you be cursing Horikita if you need to vent?"
"Of course I should curse her too. That bitch should die as well. Damn it, you deserve to die even more. Why are you so close to Sakura?" As Kushida spoke, she pounded Takahashi's shoulder. "If you don't cut ties with Sakura, I'll get both of you expelled."
Takahashi: "..." (ー ー゛)
"Are you still drooling?" Takahashi asked.
"Huh?" Kushida stopped hitting Takahashi.
"Drooling is normal for someone with brain damage."
"You..." Kushida was so angry she couldn't think of what to say.
"Are you leaving tonight?"
"No."
The following is extra content (basically a scrapped draft, but you can take a look. The vacation island arc starts updating tomorrow.)
Sunlight streamed through the classroom windows, casting mottled shadows across the blackboard. Horikita Suzune stood at the lectern and tapped the curled corner of the exam notice with her fingertip. "The Intelligence Offensive and Defensive Battle. You've all read the rules, right? 1. Each class must obtain other classes' 'weakness information'—such as students' private information or evidence of cheating—within 72 hours, either through 'information trading' or 'on-site investigation.'
2. Each valid piece of information can be exchanged for Class Points (10 points per piece as a base, with important information worth double).
3. A class whose weaknesses are exposed will lose the corresponding number of points and must publicly explain themselves.
4. At the end, all students in the class with the most points will receive a 'Campus Privilege Card,' while one student from the class in last place will be randomly expelled."
Horikita's gaze swept over Ken Sudō, who was slumped over his desk. He was poking his eraser with a pencil, making a soft "thunk, thunk" sound.
"Basically, we're just exposing each other's dirty laundry." Kushida twirled her pen, a sweet smile on her lips. "But do your best, everyone. Don't let the other classes look down on us." She was best at controlling information.
Takahashi, seated in the back row, casually shook a lot. "I think we should start by forming an intelligence team and splitting up the work of gathering information on the other classes. Hirata, for example, is good with people, so he could handle contacting the other classes. Sudo is strong, so he'd be suited to on-site investigation."
"Hey, why do I have to do something so annoying?" Sudo frowned, slamming his fist onto the desk.
"Because you failed math on the last exam, Sudo, so you need to contribute something to the class." Takahashi continued smiling gently as he took a notebook from his bag. "I've already organized the possible weaknesses of each class. For example, Ryuen from Class C apparently often acts alone, so maybe we can start there."
A faint rustle of turning pages came from the back of the classroom. Ayanokouji Kiyotaka glanced at the notebook in Takahashi's hands and noticed that three small circles had been drawn beside the name "Ryuen Kakeru." They were the same circles he'd seen Takahashi draw in the library the previous day. At the time, Takahashi had been pretending to read Basic Math Solutions, while actually writing something in his notebook.
The air conditioner in the library hummed softly. Hirata Yosuke was carrying a stack of reference books through the literature section when he suddenly cried, "Oh!" A small booklet with "Quick Memorization of Math Formulas" printed on its cover slipped from his arms and landed right by the feet of a Class C student in a red hoodie.
"Hey, is this yours?" The student bent down to pick up the booklet and casually flipped through a few pages. His pupils suddenly contracted. The pages were filled with tiny formula cheat sheets, along with several questions marked "Exam Focus."
That evening, in the Class C classroom,
Ryuen Kakeru tapped his fingers against the cheat sheet. "Those idiots in Class D want to cheat? Perfect. This time, I'll let them taste expulsion." He turned to Ishizaki Daichi, who stood by the window. "Tomorrow morning, give this to Teacher Chabashira and say you found it in the library."
The next day at lunch, Teacher Chabashira's voice came over the PA system. "An investigation has found that Class D is suspected of cheating on the exam. Two hundred Class Points will be deducted." The classroom erupted. Sudo sprang to his feet and slammed his hand on the desk. "What the hell! We didn't cheat!"
Takahashi gently pressed down on Sudo's shoulder. "Let's calm down first. There might have been a misunderstanding." He turned to Horikita. "Should we ask the teacher about it? Maybe there's a problem with the evidence."
Horikita frowned at Takahashi, suddenly remembering that the previous evening, she'd seen him speaking quietly with Teacher Chabashira outside the staff room. But before she could say anything, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had already stood up. "I'm going to the restroom." As he passed Takahashi, their eyes met briefly.
Anonymous posts on the Class D forum spread like wildfire. Under the title Shocking! The Boss of Class C Did This, the number of replies surged by the minute:
- "Ryuen threw a classmate's points card into the pool last week!"
- "I saw him threaten a first-year student with my own eyes!"
- "Class C is ruled by violence!"
"Who posted this?" Kushida stared at her phone screen, her fingers trembling slightly. "This could lead to something terrible."
Takahashi leaned over and glanced at the screen. "Maybe someone from another class is deliberately trying to stir up trouble." He took out a tissue and handed it to Kushida. "But don't worry, Kikyo. I've already contacted Hirata and asked him to help delete the false information."
Meanwhile, in the Class C classroom, Ryuen Kakeru slammed his phone onto the desk. "Trace the IP address! Find out who's behind this!" Ishizaki Daichi stood beside him with his shoulders hunched. "Boss, the IP points to the school network, but we can't identify the specific user..."
"Damn it!" Ryuen kicked a chair. Then he remembered the intelligence-trading agreement Takahashi had given him three days ago, and a cold smile curled his lips. "You Class D guys think you can beat me with a cheap little trick like this?"
At the school convenience store late that night, neon lights cast cold shadows on the glass. Sato Maya, a Class D student, sucked on her straw and looked at the boy across from her in a Class C uniform. "I already told you, Takahashi doesn't trust me at all. He won't tell me anything."
"Tch. Useless." The boy impatiently tapped the tabletop. "Put this in Horikita's schoolbag tomorrow. If it works, I'll cover your points." He pushed over a small packet containing a miniature listening device.
At three in the morning, a shadow flashed across the security camera footage of the Class D classroom. The next morning, Ryuen Kakeru looked at the screenshot Ishizaki had sent him, a smug smile on his lips. In the image, Sato Maya was slipping the listening device into Horikita's desk.
But when he stormed into the staff room with the evidence, Teacher Chabashira showed him another video. In it, while Kobayashi Maya was installing the listening device, a note fell from her pocket. The words "Class C orders" were clearly written on it.
"Ryuen, taking the law into your own hands will have serious consequences." Teacher Chabashira waved the deduction notice in her hand. Ryuen's face turned livid.
Twelve hours remained until the exam ended, and Class C's points had already fallen to the lowest in the school. Ryuen Kakeru stood in a corner of the athletic field, watching Takahashi talking to Kushida in the distance. Then he took out his phone and sent a message.
"Takahashi, can you meet me on the rooftop?" The tone was completely unlike Ryuen.
When Takahashi stepped onto the rooftop, Ryuen was leaning against the railing and smoking. "Tell me. What do you want?" Ryuen stubbed out his cigarette. "I know you can keep Class C from coming in last."
"You've misunderstood, Ryuen. I'm just an ordinary student." Takahashi continued smiling gently. "But... if you're willing to trade personal points for information, I happen to know a secret about Class A."
"How much?"
"Five thousand points for a piece of information that'll cost Class A a hundred points." Takahashi held up five fingers, a glint flashing in his eyes.
That night, Ryuen submitted the "information" Takahashi had given him to the school, only to be met with a cold laugh from Class A's homeroom teacher. "This is false information we deliberately leaked. I didn't think Class C would fall for it." At the same time, Teacher Chabashira's voice came from behind him. "Also, Ryuen, I don't believe the exam rules said anything about allowing trades between classes."
On the day the results were announced, Class C came in last with a negative score. Ryuen Kakeru stared at the notice board, his knuckles white from gripping it so tightly. Takahashi Shusuke stood behind the crowd, watching him, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"You seem pretty happy, Takahashi," Ayanokouji Kiyotaka said quietly as he appeared beside him.
"I'm just happy for the class." Takahashi pushed up his glasses. "By the way, Ayanokouji, you knew Class C would fall for it all along, didn't you? After all, that listening device was installed in a way Sato wouldn't have thought of."
Their gazes met, an unspoken understanding passing between them. In the distance, Kushida Kikyo was comforting a dejected Sudo, while Horikita Suzune frowned at the rankings.
"Let's keep working together in the next exam, too." Takahashi turned and headed toward the classroom. Ayanokouji watched him go and suddenly recalled the scene he'd witnessed in the library the previous day. The circles beside "Ryuen Kakeru" in Takahashi's notebook had been crossed out, replaced with the four neatly written characters "Sakayanagi Arisu."
The wind stirred the curtains in the hallway windows, carrying the chill of late September. The smoke of the Intelligence Offensive and Defensive Battle gradually cleared, but Class D's story had only just begun.
Before you continue