Horikita Wanted to Solve the Problem on Her Own

"Since that's the case, I'll be frank. I'm going to launch an attack on Class A this time. Can you guys from Class D please not interfere with me?"

Sakayanagi stepped out of the elevator and looked at Shuichi Kanda.

You should have been honest from the start. Why did I have to give you a piece of my mind? Don't think I don't know what you were thinking when you said you wanted to aim for Class D.

You want me to beg for mercy, right?

Do you really think even feigned pleas for mercy will satisfy you?

Is your appetite really that small, Sakayanagi?

"How could I? This is a great opportunity for you to get back into Class A. How could I be so insensitive and ungrateful?"

Although Shuichi Kanda's tone was very sincere, for some reason, Sakayanagi had a feeling that this guy would interfere.

"It seems you don't trust me." Shuichi Kanda shook his head with feigned regret. "Class D has already decided to target Class C. If you're worried I'm lying to you about this, you don't need to."

Is this what I'm worried about?

My worry is that you'll become a Matoba Class A, you bastard!

"Excuse me, student, please do not occupy the elevator without permission."

Just as the two were talking face-to-face, one inside the elevator and the other outside, the dormitory manager on the first floor shouted something to Shuichi Kanda.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'll be right out."

Seeing this, Sakayanagi couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Hahaha, Kanda, thank you for providing me with all the laughs for today."

Seeing Sakayanagi smiling happily, Kanda Shuichi was surprisingly not angry, but instead felt a little emotional.

My body has almost fully recovered, but Sakayanagi has always been sickly since he was a child. I guess there won't be many more times like this when I can make him laugh heartily.

So, laugh if you want to. It's not anything particularly shameful, and I, Shuichi Kanda, don't care!

After laughing for nearly half a minute, Sakayanagi finally stopped, slightly out of breath.

"Sorry, I haven't had this much fun in a long time, so I just couldn't stop." Sakayanagi regained her ladylike demeanor. "Kanda- san doesn't mind?"

Oh, this child is so pitiful, has he never had the experience of laughing out loud like this before?

"Of course I don't mind. In fact, that's the kind of posture I'd like to see in a girl her age."

Kanda Shuichi Kanda's words immediately silenced Sakayanagi.

If I could really do that, I'd want to be able to cry when I want to cry and laugh when I want to laugh...

But then again, Shuichi Kanda isn't always so unlikeable.

"By the way, did you want to see Ayanokoji during the Sports Festival? You haven't actually fallen for him, have you?"

Shuichi Kanda's sudden question made Sakayanagi's face fall.

I take back what I just said; you really are still annoying.

And they actually dared to pry into a girl's secrets so brazenly!? And it was about Ayanokoji, no less?

Just as the two were talking, the elevator returned to the first floor, and a group of people got off.

It seems quite a few people gathered while the elevator was blocked; what a shame.

Shuichi Kanda and Sakayanagi Arisu also consciously stepped aside, and then continued their standoff.

Ayanokoji Shuichi Kanda desperately wanted to find out more about Ayanokouji, but asking Ayanokoji himself was obviously inappropriate, and besides, that guy wouldn't tell him.

Although he tried to ask Chabashira-sensei, he still got no results. The information he got from Chabashira-sensei was simple: he had been taken care of by someone, and it was Chairman Sakayanagi.

Furthermore, they received a very important piece of information from Chabashira-sensei: Chairman Sakayanagi and this Sakayanagi Arisu are related.

Furthermore, given that Sakayanagi Arisu Kamuro summon Ayanokoji during the previous Sports Festival, it's highly likely that Sakayanagi Arisu knew Ayanokoji's background.

So after asking Kamuro about Sakayanagi's school schedule, Shuichi Kanda adjusted his departure time, but unexpectedly got stuck in traffic.

However, the current situation seems somewhat pessimistic; Sakayanagi clearly doesn't want to reveal Ayanokoji's true identity.

"I hope you won't interfere in his affairs."

"What if I insist on asking?"

The previously peaceful atmosphere immediately turned tense, and most people coming down from the elevator who sensed the unpleasant atmosphere between the two chose to leave immediately.

"What are you doing? You're going to be late for school!"

The one who ended this situation was Kamuro Masumi from Class B, Shuichi Kanda's real dog-like appearance, Sakayanagi Arisu.

After getting off the elevator, Kamuro Masumi immediately noticed the awkward atmosphere between Shuichi Kanda and Sakayanagi Arisu, and then immediately came up to interrupt them.

"Long time no see, Masumi. I was just chatting with Sakayanagi about the exams."

"Yes, Kanda- kun is right."

Both of them tacitly kept the matter of Ayanokoji a secret from others.

However, their purposes were different; Shuichi Kanda kept Ayanokoji's affairs a secret from Kamuro in order to protect Kamuro.

Sakayanagi kept Ayanokoji's affairs a secret from Kamuro in order to protect Ayanokoji.

"Didn't you already decide to attack Class A? Has something changed?" Kamuro Masumi asked, a puzzled look on her face.

Sakayanagi Arisu, on the other hand, was completely speechless.

Shuichi Kanda almost burst out laughing, and was struggling to hold it in.

Sakayanagi Arisu: Masumi, you're a student in Class B, is it really okay for you to reveal my plans in front of outsiders? You're such a disobedient little dog!

Kamuro Masumi: I'm really smart. Anyway, in Sakayanagi's eyes, I've never been very smart, so it's okay if I just say it directly, right?

Shuichi Kanda: Well done, Masumi! I don't even know how to praise you enough for making Sakayanagi suffer. But aren't you afraid that Sakayanagi will make things difficult for you later?

Chapter 201 Horikita Wants to Solve the Problem on His Own

Upon arriving at the classroom, Shuichi Kanda found Horikita already sitting in his seat.

Shortly after Shuichi Kanda sat down in his seat, Hirata approached him.

"Kanda- kun, Horikita- kun, I've already asked the seniors in the Soccer Club, and the grouping rules for this exam are the same as what we discussed yesterday."

Hirata's face was beaming with joy.

"I also asked a second-year student I know, and it's definitely true."

Kushida suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and her conclusion was the same as Hirata's.

Horikita secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Although she had previously thought the possibility was high, it was still just a guess. Now that she had received a positive answer, she was certainly more at ease.

"Now that the grouping rules are set, the next step is to determine the specific group assignments. Regarding this, I'd like to use last semester's Final Exam scores as a reference for grouping, is that alright?"

In general, it would be more reasonable to group students according to the results of the most recent exam at this point.

However, many of the questions in the last Midterm Exam were at the level of third-year middle school students, while the questions in this exam were created by students from other classes, so the two exams are not comparable in terms of difficulty.

Therefore, the previous Midterm Exam results are not comparable at all, which is why Horikita wants to use the results of the previous semester 'Final Exam as a reference.

Although the second semester has been going on for more than a month and students have learned a lot of new knowledge, those grades basically reflect the current learning situation of students in Class D.

"Yes, I also think it's better to allocate the credits based on last semester's Final Exam scores."

Almost no one objected to this proposal, so the basic plan for Class D was finalized. The next step was to allocate the scores that each person should achieve.

It was Friday afternoon, time for class meeting.

At the start of class, Chabashira-sensei glanced at Hirata and then left the classroom, which seemed unbelievable to the students.

What's the point of having a class meeting if your homeroom teacher has run away? The students in Class D are already used to the class meetings being led by Chabashira-sensei.

"Today's class meeting is going to be a 'strategy meeting' to prepare for tomorrow's quiz. I've already gotten permission from Chabashira-sensei; she said we can use the class meeting time as we like. May Horikita start by speaking?"

When Hirata called his name, Horikita immediately stood up from his seat and walked straight to the podium.

Some were surprised by the combination of Hirata and Horikita, while others turned their attention to Shuichi Kanda.

Because compared to Horikita, who had no achievements, they trusted Shuichi Kanda student who had already led Class D to two victories, more.

But just like at the last Sports Festival, Shuichi Kanda still didn't step up.

Last time, Shuichi Kanda was unable to lead the team to victory in the Sports Festival due to poor health. What's the reason this time?

While some students were wondering about this, Horikita noticed the situation and spoke up.

"I know that everyone trusts Shuichi Kanda more than I do, but I still hope that everyone can believe that I can lead Class D to victory in this exam."

Horikita's words left the students in the class looking at each other, unsure of what to do.

"Furthermore, I also feel that we shouldn't rely entirely on Kanda's strength. If Kanda carries Class A all the way, will you be satisfied with that?"

"I don't think there's anything wrong with it."

No sooner had Horikita finished speaking than someone muttered this.

"Yes, there's nothing wrong with gaining the right to success without putting in any effort. But after you graduate, can you still rely on Kanda's influence? If you're not willing to improve yourself, even if you graduate from Class A, what kind of reputation can you possibly achieve in society?"

Horikita's words left most of the students in the class speechless, because these guys hadn't even thought about what would happen after graduation.

They felt that as long as they could graduate from Class A, their future would be secure.

But after Horikita said that, they realized there was some truth to it.

Kanda, what do you think?

Why are you asking me? You're so right, why aren't you more confident?

"I think you're right. I won't be responsible for your future. Although graduating from Class A in this school is the end, in terms of your entire life, it's just the beginning."

Shuichi Kanda's words silenced the students in Class D.

Then, Horikita regained control of the conversation.

"I want to give it my all for the next quiz and final exams. But that's the point. If we don't work together, we won't be able to get through this exam safely."

"We understand that we can't rely too much on others, but regarding this exam, shouldn't we first clarify the team formation rules?"

"No, the team formation rules have been clarified. If the plan goes smoothly, all the students in Class D will likely find their ideal teammates. Hirata, thank you for your help."

After waiting for a long time, Hirata nodded and immediately wrote down the team rules for this Paper Shuffle on the blackboard.

The highest and lowest scorers in the class will form a team.

Next is the student with the second-highest score and the second-lowest score, and so on, until the student with the twentieth and twenty-first scores.

"That's the significance of the quiz and the team formation rules. Simple, right?"

"Wow, wow--! This is the rule of team formation! You actually figured it out, Horikita! You're amazing!"

Many people felt enlightened after hearing Horikita's explanation, realizing that this was how it was done.

Now that the rules are known, the grouping becomes controllable. Although precise grouping is not possible, it is possible to achieve the optimal grouping solution by controlling the scores of the quizzes.

There's actually very little that Shuichi Kanda can do about this, because it depends on each person's performance.

"We will prioritize supporting students who are not doing well in this exam, but there aren't many high-achieving students in the class, so we hope you can understand if we can't make it easier for everyone."

No one complained about this, because that's the rule. Instead of complaining about not getting good teammates, it's better to study hard.

Hmm? So Class D seems to have improved a bit?

Next, Hirata wrote the names of the bottom ten students in the class on the blackboard, including names like Sudo and Ike.

Of course, it's not just boys; girls also participate, such as Inogashira and Karuizawa...

However, although there are many students with poor academic performance in Class D, there are also quite a few top students at the top, such as Shuichi Kanda, Horikita, Hirata, Yukimura, and Koenji, who are all among the top students in the grade.

Looking at it this way, the polarization is indeed quite severe.

While top students and those at the bottom don't need to worry, the situation is not so good for students in the middle. Even in this relatively easy Midterm Exam, less than half of the students scored above 80. If we look at the results of last semester's final exam, it's even worse.

Therefore, while the students at the bottom of the class breathed a sigh of relief, those in the middle felt somewhat anxious.

"Um, I'm a little confused. What should we do?"

Seeing his name written on the blackboard, Chi raised a question.

Horikita replied, "For the students in the bottom ten, just write your names on the quiz paper; it won't affect your score this time, so getting a zero is fine. As for the top ten students, try to get as high a score as possible, at least 85 or higher. Then there are the remaining twenty students in the middle."

As she spoke, she Hirata wrote the names of the remaining twenty people on the blackboard.