Ken Sudō Volunteered to Study / Chapter 54: The Gap Between Third-Years

She had always been confident in her own genius.

Besides, if this incident could bring Katsuragi down completely, then 200 points could be considered a bargain.

As for Katsuragi, given his temperament, there was no way he would abandon his underlings at a time like this.

When Class B heard the news, everyone was practically dumbfounded at first. What was going on? It wasn't as if they'd done anything.

They'd just been promoted to Class A? Had a huge windfall just fallen from the sky? It didn't feel real.

But after their brief shock, everyone was overcome with excitement.

"We should really thank that guy named Kanda, don't you think, Kanzaki?" A sunny boy named Shibata Hayato said excitedly to the calm-looking boy beside him.

"Shibata, I don't think it's appropriate to say that. I heard Kanda was beaten badly enough to suffer a concussion."

The beautiful girl with bright pink hair beside them immediately stepped in to stop Shibata. She was Ichinose Honami, whom Shuichi Kanda had met once before, and the current leader of Class B.

"That's right. No matter what, we shouldn't be the ones to approach him. It might only make Kanda feel humiliated."

Kanzaki Ryuji, the handsome boy with purple hair beside them, agreed with Ichinose.

"Still, even though we're ahead of Class A in points now, we absolutely can't let our guard down. The Class Points will increase according to each class's average score on the Midterm Exam. If we can't beat Class A's average, I'm afraid we won't be able to hold on to our place in Class A."

Ichinose's words made everyone in Class B nod. The Class Points would increase according to each class's average score on the upcoming Midterm Exam.

So not only could no one in Class B fail this Midterm Exam, they also had to surpass Class A's average. At the very least, they couldn't fall more than ten points behind, or they wouldn't be able to reign as Class A.

At the same time, Ryuen of Class C saw the video of Shuichi Kanda being beaten unconscious.

Cases reviewed by the Student Council, along with their details and relevant evidence, were uploaded to the School Forum as examples and warnings to prevent other students from making the same mistakes.

It also gave future Student Council presidents a precedent to rely on.

Ryuen was naturally interested in the assault that had been the talk of the school for the past two days. It was a major incident that had directly dragged Class A down. How could he not pay attention?

After watching the video more than a dozen times, Ryuen reached a conclusion: Shuichi Kanda had done it on purpose.

In his eyes, not only had Kanda deliberately thrown the pencil case at Yahiko Totsuka, but even the small step he took backward, the way he tilted his head slightly upward, and his collapse to the floor had all been intentional.

He had no proof, but he just had a feeling that Shuichi Kanda had done it on purpose.

It was like recognized like, after all!

That guy might be just like me, willing to do whatever it took to achieve his goals.

At the thought, Ryuen's eyes gleamed with excitement.

Back in Class D, Shuichi Kanda had gone to the classroom with Miyake that morning. His arrival didn't attract much attention.

Although his name had become known to many students in Class D over the past two days because he was the victim, the truth was that many people didn't know him very well or have much of a relationship with him.

So, although some students discussed him when they saw him, the only ones who came over to talk to him were Kushida Kikyo and Hirata Yosuke.

"Kanda, are you feeling better?"

Hirata walked over with a gentle expression, and there was a hint of guilt in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm feeling much better after resting for two days. Thanks, Hirata."

When he'd spoken with Kushida earlier, Shuichi Kanda had learned that Hirata had gone with Miyake to visit him, too. But he'd been asleep, so Hirata had left quickly to avoid disturbing his rest.

He would remember everyone's concern for him. He never left a debt of gratitude unpaid.

After chatting with Kushida for a couple more minutes, the two of them went back to their seats. After all, they were both busy people in the class.

Not long afterward, Sudo arrived. To Shuichi Kanda's surprise, he wasn't late today.

After all, the previous week he'd been doing whatever he wanted.

When Sudo sat down, Shuichi Kanda stood up and walked over to him.

"Thanks, Sudo. I heard you took me to the hospital that day."

Sudo froze for a moment. Since coming to this school, he'd been scolded, mocked, and cursed at plenty of times, but this was the first time someone like Shuichi Kanda had sincerely thanked him.

"I-it was actually Kushida. She asked me to help, so you don't need to thank me."

Shuichi Kanda's earnest gratitude made Sudo feel awkward. He even stumbled over his words.

Looking at Sudo's uncomfortable expression, Kanda's eyes glinted. This guy was even easier to read than Miyake!

Chapter 53: Ken Sudō Volunteered to Study

Shuichi Kanda's thanks left Ken Sudō at a loss. Kanda found it amusing, but he couldn't keep watching him like this. What if Sudo got embarrassed and angry?

"Regardless, it's a fact that you carried me to the hospital, Sudo. So please let me repay you. Tell me what you want. If it's something I can do, I won't refuse."

There was a reason Shuichi Kanda said this. Sudo's reaction had suddenly made him realize the truth: this guy was a kid starved for affection.

He lacked recognition and affection, so he protected himself with his short temper. It was pitiful.

Judging by his reaction, he wasn't beyond saving at heart.

If this had been Ike or Yamauchi, one of them would probably have started bragging about how amazing he was and telling Kanda to remember his favor.

But Sudo hadn't taken credit. He'd even seemed a little uncomfortable. A small detail could reveal a lot. If Sudo was properly guided, he might turn out to be a decent person.

That was why Shuichi Kanda had said what he did. Of course, if Sudo asked for something truly unreasonable, Kanda would admit he'd misjudged him.

As for Sudo, after hearing Kanda's words, he hesitated, seemingly unsure whether to say what was on his mind.

No way. Did he already have a problem he wanted me to solve?

"Kanda, you're pretty good at studying, right? I saw you got 80 on the last quiz."

Sudo's words caught Kanda off guard, but he nodded to confirm.

"Then please teach me how to study! I asked an upperclassman from the Basketball Club, and apparently students really do get expelled from this school if they fail their exams. Their class has already lost several students. I still want to play basketball, so I absolutely can't be eliminated here."

Sudo spoke with conviction. He even stood up and bowed slightly to Shuichi Kanda to show how much he meant it.

Sudo's words briefly silenced the class. Almost every student stared at him in shock.

Was this really Sudo? Had they seen that right?

But before long, murmurs spread through the classroom.

"Is he joking?"

"He'll give up in two days, for sure."

"Yeah, I think so too."

The voices around him made Sudo clench his fists. But he was waiting for Shuichi Kanda's answer. If Kanda gave him the same response as the others, then even if it meant risking a two-week suspension, he'd punch Kanda once!

In truth, Shuichi Kanda hadn't expected Sudo to make this request. It had completely caught him by surprise. He also hadn't realized that what happened that day had affected Sudo so much.

"Please raise your head, Sudo." Shuichi Kanda spoke to him in a warm, confident tone. "I've heard your request. Trust me. If you work hard at studying over the next few days, I won't let you be eliminated in this Midterm Exam."

If you're willing to work hard, then I'll give you a hand.

It's not difficult for me, anyway. Is it?

"In that case, let me take care of teaching him."

Horikita had appeared behind Shuichi Kanda at some point. As soon as he agreed to Sudo's request, she immediately stepped in.

The good atmosphere turned sour at once.

"Huh? Who asked you to teach me? Have you forgotten what you said a few days ago?"

Damn, Horikita, you really lived up to expectations. You just ruined the atmosphere I'd worked so hard to create!

"That's right. Even I thought what you said back then was really out of line. You judged Sudo without ever seeing him play basketball. You don't actually think you were right, do you?"

"This has nothing to do with you. Could you please be quiet?"

Horikita's words made Shuichi Kanda laugh in exasperation. You've got to be kidding me.

But she didn't give Shuichi Kanda a chance to speak. Instead, she turned directly to Sudo.

"Sudo, I really dislike you."

"Huh? Likewise. I really dislike you, too!"

"But even if we dislike each other right now, that's a trivial matter. The fact that you could say that to Kanda proves you understand how important it is to study. So I'm teaching you for my own sake, and you're studying for your own sake."

Looking at Horikita, Sudo wore a complicated expression. "You want to get into Class A that badly? You're even willing to invite someone you dislike."

"Yes, that's right. Otherwise, who would want to get mixed up with you?"

"But I'd rather have Kanda teach me than you. Besides, Kanda's grades aren't much worse than yours." Even so, Sudo still didn't want to get involved with Horikita.

"True, his academic ability is no worse than mine, and he's even better than me in some subjects. But don't forget, teaching someone is exhausting, especially when the student is as weak in the basics as you are. And Kanda just suffered a concussion a couple of days ago."

Shuichi Kanda had been about to say it would be a piece of cake, but then he came to his senses. Right, I've got a concussion.

Sudo also seemed to realize it just then and glanced at Kanda.

Kanda was willing to trust him and teach him to study. Sudo didn't want to make his injuries worse because of this, especially when someone else was willing to take on the job in his place.

Still, Sudo didn't agree right away. That would just feel too strange.

Horikita then put her persuasive skills to work and finally convinced Sudo, Ike, and Yamauchi to give it a try. In return, Horikita presented an extremely detailed study plan.

First, they had to make good use of class time and figure out what they didn't understand.

Then, immediately after each one-hour class ended, they would all gather and report what they hadn't understood.

Horikita would then explain it during the ten-minute break.

After that, they would move on to the next class and repeat the process.

Of course, it wouldn't be easy.

Sudo and the others couldn't keep up with their classes, so there was no guarantee they'd be able to master the material in such a short time.

"W-wait a minute. I'm getting a little confused. Will this really work?"

Ike and the others quickly realized how difficult it would be.

"Yeah. There are only ten minutes between classes. There's no way you can explain everything we don't understand in that time, right?"

"Don't worry. I'll organize the answers to every question in class and make them easy to understand. Then Kanda, Kushida, and I can each tutor one student. It shouldn't be a problem for you to answer questions, should it, Kanda?"

"Yeah. If I'm just answering questions, it'll be much easier."

Shuichi Kanda also understood Horikita's approach. If they did it this way, they really could make perfect use of those ten minutes to learn the material and prepare for the exam.

Chapter 54: The Gap Between Third-Years

With nine days remaining until the first life-or-death trial, the Midterm Exam, Horikita once again recruited Sudo and the others to form a study group. They made it through two days successfully, bringing them to Friday, with only one week left until the Midterm Exam.

Although the Idiot Trio all believed they weren't cut out for studying, they still stared intently at the problems written on the board and tried their hardest to understand them, losing who knew how much hair in the process.

As for Sudo, even when his eyes occasionally grew hazy and his head bobbed back and forth as if he were about to fall asleep, he quickly came to his senses and resumed what he'd been doing.

There was no helping it. When you couldn't understand what you were being taught, it was only natural to lose interest and end up like that.

Horikita made full use of not only the ten-minute breaks but also the lunch break. Her plan was to have everyone finish lunch within twenty-five minutes, then head to the library to study for another twenty.

Shuichi Kanda was the exception. There was no way he could get from the classroom to the cafeteria, finish his meal, and reach the library within twenty-five minutes.

So Horikita and Kushida had to put in extra work. Oh, and so did Ayanokoji, who'd been temporarily dragged in as a tool.

By the time Kanda arrived at the library after having lunch with Miyake, more than thirty minutes had passed since school let out.

As soon as he stepped into the library again, Shuichi Kanda noticed that several more cameras had been installed. There were almost no places left that couldn't be captured by at least one camera.

Now they were being monitored from every angle, without a single blind spot. Even so, nobody would notice Shuichi Kanda grabbing Kamuro's leg under a desk.

Since the lunch break was short and exams were approaching, a large crowd had gathered in the library.

When Shuichi Kanda arrived, a new incident had just broken out in the library.

"What's going on?"

Seeing the scene before him, Shuichi Kanda immediately guessed what had happened. Sudo had gotten into an argument with students from another class, and while the two sides were still bickering, Ichinose Honami had stepped in to stop them.

"Kanda, you're here."