VIP Exam Begins!

It's exhausting to move forward with these unreliable people.

"What I can think of, En-kun can surely think of too; since we're already a step behind, instead of wasting our energy here, we should conserve our strength and prepare directly for the upcoming exam."

"The 'borrowing a camera' arrangement is cancelled; we'll just use our phones' recorders to record the exam information."

"If there is any information presented by the teacher without being explicitly stated, then you should speak it yourselves, loudly, so that the content can be recorded by the phone."

Each class made ample preparations for the pre-exam briefing, and soon it was evening.

After confirming that her phone had its recording function enabled, Hoshino En walked alone into room 206 on the second floor.

"Oh my gosh~ Hoshino -kun, you're here!"

Inside the room, the other students hadn't arrived yet, but the teacher who was going to give the explanation, Hoshinomiya Chie teacher of Class A, was already waiting there.

"Good evening, Hoshinomiya-sensei. How is Little Shiranami- na?"

Walking to the seat opposite Hoshinomiya Chie, Hoshino En sat down on the chair directly to her right.

"She fainted due to excessive mental stress; there's nothing seriously wrong with her physical health."

"But compared to Shiranami -kun, Hoshino -kun, don't you have someone else...?"

Hoshinomiya Naka￣^ｽqun:]⌒/!⊙"∽~@'Chie turned her wrist and gave a hint to Hoshino Yui to "continue talking".

But Hoshino En rejected her suggestion and reached out with both hands to press down her right hand, which she was gesturing with.

"Since not everyone has arrived yet, Hoshinomiya-sensei, please don't get too excited. Save your energy; including us, there are still eight more factions to go!"

"Repeating the same rule 12 times, teacher, your job must be tough. You need to take more rest."

Hoshino En placed the hands of her female teacher, who was more than ten years older than her and still in her prime, between her own, and began to manipulate them as if she were looking at her own hands.

"Teacher, you're a school nurse, but your hands are so stiff. It must be because you have too much work to do?"

He first patted the other person's hand, but his gesture was more like a tender caress than a pat; then he massaged the muscles in the other person's palm and pressed the acupoints on it.

The sudden stimulation made Hoshinomiya Chie's body tremble. She immediately closed her lips tightly, trying her best to prevent the strange sound from escaping her mouth... but some saliva still slid down the corners of her mouth.

As for why she didn't speak up to stop him... Hoshino En's considerate words were one reason, and another was that—before she started rubbing, Hoshino En reached up and lifted his bangs, revealing his "true face" that had been hidden all along.

Hoshinomiya Chie: "..."

Although she has toyed with the feelings of many men, she swears she is not a looks-obsessed person; she actually values a man's inner qualities more than his appearance... It's true!

But... but, no one can refuse a 7 boy who looks like this, right? ⊙§¤∴↑~″∠☆

Not to mention he's incredibly considerate!

No wonder so many girls are willing to get close to him...

"You should drink less alcohol, stay up less late, and do less of that kind of thing. Get more sun and rest. If you really can't get rid of your obsession, then exercise, go for a run, do yoga or something like that. That way, when you get older, even if your youth is gone, your beauty can still last."

"Also, you should use less makeup. That stuff damages the skin and is bad for your health. Teacher, you're beautiful even without makeup, so why do you have to cover it up with such a heavy 'mask'? It's such a waste."

As she spoke, Hoshino En subconsciously reached out her right hand and touched the female teacher's cheek, gently rubbing her temples with regret.

Feeling the warm, large hand on her face, Hoshinomiya Chie was stunned.

What did he just say?! What is he doing now?!

Hoshino En: "..."

The right hand has its own ideas, so you can't blame him.

He immediately lowered his right hand and placed it back on Hoshinomiya Chie's right hand; but his left hand rose up and ruffled a strand of hair on Hoshinomiya Chie's right shoulder.

Hoshinomiya Chie finally realized what was happening.

She glanced at Hoshino En's left hand, which was slipping through her hair on the right side, then her gaze slid down his arm to his expressionless face, and she winked at him.

Hoshino Yuan:$&=<∏∽⊥:quN: "..."

Click--

Just then, the door to room 206 was pushed open.

Kushida Kikyo and Horikita Suzune walked in.

"Excuse me--"

Although she removed her mask, Kushida Kikyo, who revealed her true self, was still kinder and more polite than Horikita Suzune always had a cold expression on her face.

Because the former Class D and the current Class C are also immersed in the joy of being promoted these past few days, no one has noticed her change yet.

"We're late--"

Just as Kushida Kikyo was about to apologize for being late, she glanced around the room and then her "kind" expression crumbled.

What did she see? That womanizing scumbag Hoshino was actually harassing the female teacher!!

Is he no longer content with simply roaming freely among students?!

"What you are doing--"

Hearing the door open and the sound of voices, Hoshino En turned half her face and glanced at the doorway; Hoshinomiya Chie also turned slightly to look at the doorway.

Upon seeing Hoshino En's profile, Kushida Kikyo froze, and the rest of her question stuck in her throat.

What did she see? That scumbag Hoshino, he... he actually lifted his hair?!

That face... he could totally be an idol! Why did he choose this weird school?

First Semester of First Year:

Chapters 176 and 167: The VIP Exam Begins!

"Hoshino -kun, flirting with a teacher is immoral. As a student, you should have the most basic respect for your teachers."

It was Horikita Suzune who broke the unnatural silence.

She squeezed past Kushida Kikyo, who was half-blocking the doorway, and calmly walked to the seat furthest from Hoshino En, not letting her gaze linger on him for even a second.

"I was just concerned about Hoshinomiya-sensei. As the school nurse, she must have had a very hard time working on the Uninhabited Island these past few days; now she's explaining the rules to us. As students, we should be considerate and caring towards our teachers."

Hoshino Enishi lowered her left hand from Hoshinomiya Chie's cheek and withdrew her right hand from above Hoshino En's right hand. She pulled back her outstretched body, sat up straight, and retorted to Horikita Suzune.

"Unlike some of your more materialistic and selfish younger sisters, you seem to care more about exam results and Class Points than the health of your teachers and classmates, right?"

"On this point alone, no matter how consistent you are inside and out, you are not as good as Kushida!"

"You--"

Horikita Suzune, who had been told she was inferior to Kushida Kikyo, blushed visibly. She slammed her hand on the table, stood up, and was about to speak to Hoshino En Enishi.

But when she saw his profile, which looked different from before, she blushed slightly.

Noticing the gaze directed at her from across the Hoshinomiya Chie, she immediately sat down again.

With her arms crossed, she turned her head away from Hoshino En, adopting an attitude of "out of sight, out of mind."

But the blush on her cheeks lingered for a long time.

Damn it, he's only slightly... very slightly handsome, not even a ten-thousandth... one-thousandth of my brother's... don't even think about swaying me!!!

Having forced Horikita Suzune to retreat, Hoshino En called out to Kushida Kikyo, who was still standing at the door, "Kushida, what are you standing there for? Come and sit down!"

"Oh oh soo—so·°: 9▲4 shirt≈ˇ#. Lin"☆."

Finally regaining her senses, Kushida Kikyo closed the door and sat down in the seat between Hoshino En and Horikita Suzune.

Looking at the three people sitting "neatly and orderly," Hoshinomiya Chie did not begin her explanation.

"Where's Hirata? Hasn't he arrived yet?"

Her question had barely left her lips when the door, which Kushida Kikyo had just closed, was pushed open by the last person— Hirata Yosuke, holding a camera.

He switched the camera to video mode, placed it on the table, and pointed the lens directly at Hoshinomiya Chie's face.

"Hoshinomiya-sensei, the school doesn't seem to have banned us from using cameras, does it?"

Hoshinomiya Chie: "..."

That's right, although taking photos with mobile phones is prohibited, the school does not prohibit the use of cameras.

Damn it, although Ichinose's behavior is strange, this is actually quite normal. But doesn't this put our Class A at a disadvantage?

Despite being given a jolt by Class C, Hoshinomiya Chie continued explaining the exam rules.

"You are Class D... Now it's Hoshino, Hirata, Kushida, and Horikita from Class C, right? Now, I will explain the Special Exam."

"For this Special Exam, the school will use the Chinese sexagenary cycle (干支) as a metaphor for all first-year students and divide them into twelve groups. We will hold exams within those groups. The purpose of the exams is to test thinking abilities."

"The basic abilities required of working professionals can be roughly divided into three categories: Action, Thinking, and Teamwork. Only those who possess these abilities are qualified to become outstanding adults."

"The previous Uninhabited Island Exam focused on teamwork. This exam, however, emphasizes thinking; it's a test that requires critical thinking skills."

"Thinking ability, in other words, the ability to analyze the current situation and clarify the issue; the ability to understand the process of solving a problem and then prepare accordingly; and the ability to unleash creativity and create new value—these will become very important to you in the future."

Therefore, this exam will be conducted in 12 groups.

Hoshinomiya Chie explained the entire backstory in one go.

"Do you have any questions now?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Horikita Suzune was the first to raise her hand. She finally wiped the blush off her face and returned to her original indifferent expression.

"Teacher, the 'stem and branch' system uses 60 as a unit, but there are 160 students in our first grade, which is not a multiple of 60."

"Is there a problem with what you said, or are you saying that in the end 40 or 100 people don't have to take the exam?"

Hoshinomiya Chie: "..."

What kind of question is that?!

She had taught so many classes of students and participated in so many "VIP Exam," but no student had ever asked this question before.

Isn't Horikita a bit too conflicted?

"This, this was a slip of the tongue. It should be grouped according to the order of the Earthly Branches. There are 12 Earthly Branches, so dividing them into 12 groups is fine; and no one will skip the exam, so the number of people in each group is not exactly the same."

"Eight groups with 13 people each, leaving four groups with 14 people each, right? jiu" 2>8!≈∞|∽※∶

Hoshino En suddenly spoke.

"No... that's right, Hoshino -kun is right."

He truly is an outstanding adult; even when suddenly attacked, he remained completely unfazed.

Hoshino En's smile deepened.

No, I should say that Hoshinomiya-sensei's mask is too "perfect," isn't it? Her first reaction after being provoked is to keep her expression steady and not reveal any flaws.

"How were those 12 groups grouped?"

He asked Class C's second question.

However, Hoshinomiya Chie did not give a definite answer to this.

"What criteria does the school use to group students? That's something you need to think about."

"However, there is something I can clarify--"

"The four of you here are a group, and our group members are currently in another room receiving instructions, right, Hoshinomiya-sensei?"

Hoshino Enishi made a Hoshino En first impression, immediately stunning Hoshinomiya Chie.

We really can't let him keep working hard for Chabashira Sae!

Hoshinomiya Chie is on the verge of a breakdown.

It wasn't that she was intimidated by the attack; she was thinking of Sae Chabashira Sae, who had been Hoshino En in the office.

And I heard that during his deliberations, he also provoked that gloomy man Sakagami.

Now... could it be her turn?

"Ahem, that's right, it's best if you understand. You've been assigned to the 'Chen' group, and here's the group roster."

She handed a piece of paper to Hoshino En, on which was written the list of members of the "Dragon Group," or more commonly, the "Dragon Group."

Class A: Ichinose Honami, Shiranami Chihiro, Ando Sayo

Class B: Sakayanagi Arisu, Katsuragi Kohei, Kamuro Masumi

Class C: Hoshino En, Hirata Yosuke, Kushida Kikyo, Horikita Suzune