Midterm Exam

During the lunch break, Shiraishi Makoto arrived at the Student Council office.

"You mean you discovered that these Class D students were buying Archived Exam Questions from upperclassmen, so you came to the Student Council to file a report?" Tachibana Akane accepted the photos Shiraishi Makoto handed over.

"Yes. I believe this kind of behavior violates the most basic principles of fairness, so I hope the school can take appropriate countermeasures."

Since he was also a member of the Student Council, reporting it was much easier for him than for other students. He only needed to submit the materials directly to the secretary or the president.

Horikita Manabu watched Shiraishi Makoto and spoke calmly. "We'll report this matter to the school. However, the final outcome will probably only be a change of exam questions. Shiraishi, you have no objections to that course of action, do you?"

"No objections." Shiraishi Makoto nodded slightly.

"Then I'll trouble Secretary Tachibana with handling this first. Shiraishi and I have something to discuss." Horikita Manabu spoke, and though Tachibana Akane looked somewhat puzzled, she still took the materials and left the office.

"Is this the first step of your plan?" Horikita Manabu asked.

"Yes. Does the president think I went too far?" Shiraishi Makoto asked in return.

"No. I simply don't quite understand your purpose in doing this." Horikita Manabu shook his head. Making students from rival classes drop out was a standard offensive tactic, since expulsions normally deducted a certain number of Class Points except under special circumstances.

But Class D had no Class Points to begin with. Aside from intimidating Horikita Suzune, he could not think of any other purpose.

"Horikita Suzune had clearly been consciously saving money for a long time, yet she still hadn't noticed the true use of Private Points. This exam should teach her a proper lesson." Shiraishi Makoto explained.

"I see." Horikita Manabu, who did not know the specifics of Class D's situation, had indeed failed to realize that.

External pressure could indeed help people grow. I hope Suzune understands that properly. With the doubt in his heart dispelled, Horikita Manabu did not inquire further and instead began talking about Student Council work.

That week, he would study how to handle disputes within the school alongside Horikita Manabu, while Ichinose would accompany Tachibana Akane as she made the rounds of the clubs.

Friday arrived—the day of the Midterm Exam.

Chabashira Sae came to the front of the classroom with the test papers, her expression somewhat unpleasant.

"Everyone is present. It seems you all remembered what day it is today."

The students below were all somewhat nervous. They had only learned four days ago that the exam material had been changed, and most of them had no idea what kind of grades they would receive.

In comparison, The Three Idiots of Class D were not nearly as nervous. They had had a full week to memorize the Archived Exam Questions, and they believed passing the exam would be effortless.

"Before the exam begins, I have an announcement to make." Chabashira Sae placed the papers on the podium and said, "A student submitted evidence to the Student Council that first-year students had purchased Archived Exam Questions from upperclassmen. Because this behavior seriously undermines fairness, this exam will use entirely new questions. The same will apply to future exams."

"Furthermore, because the exams are now fairer, the school has established separate rewards for this Midterm Exam. The class with the highest average score will receive 100 Class Points, second place will receive 75, third place will receive 50, and fourth place will receive nothing."

"I don't know how many of you privately memorized Archived Exam Questions. I hope you can fend for yourselves."

After reading the announcement, Chabashira Sae began handing out the test papers.

"What?" Yamauchi Haruki's cry of shock drew the entire class's attention.

Sudo Ken and Ike Kanji did not look any better.

Horikita Suzune instinctively looked toward Kushida Kikyo, only to find that Kushida Kikyo wore the same shocked and bewildered expression.

"What is going on..." Horikita Suzune passed along the test papers numbly, then suddenly thought of someone.

"The Student Council... Shiraishi Makoto..." Horikita Suzune identified the culprit.

It was not that Horikita Suzune had suddenly become perceptive. From her perspective, every clue pointed to that one answer.

The first subject was social studies, relatively one of the easier subjects among the five.

When the exam ended, Ike Kanji suddenly shouted.

"Who the hell was it? Why report it?!" His hands had been trembling as he answered the questions. Though he had studied properly during the first two weeks, the material was different after all, and he felt like he was about to fail again.

Bang! Sudo Ken slammed his fist onto the desk in fury.

"What do I do, what do I do, what do I do..." Yamauchi Haruki pulled out his textbook, apparently hoping to memorize a few more points during the ten-minute break.

Seeing the three of them react like that, combined with Chabashira Sae's earlier explanation, the other students immediately understood that the three had not studied at all. They had merely memorized Archived Exam Questions. Their previously stifled moods suddenly eased, and some could not hold back their laughter.

"Who's laughing? Stand up!" Sudo Ken rose to his feet and glared furiously around the room.

But no one answered him, so he could only continue venting his rage on his desk.

Horikita Suzune had no mind to deal with Sudo Ken's disciplinary issue either. After realizing that all of this had been a trap Shiraishi Makoto had set for her, she could not help feeling somewhat despairing.

The expulsion of Sudo and the other two seemed all but inevitable. She had not noticed any problem throughout the entire process—would Shiraishi Makoto's next target be her?

She had yet to prove her abilities to her brother. Was she going to be expelled because of this?

What should I do...

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka glanced at Horikita Suzune, then at Kushida Kikyo, but said nothing as well.

"This is all your fault!" Yamauchi Haruki suddenly stood up, pointed at Kushida Kikyo, and roared, "If you hadn't said there were Archived Exam Questions, how would things have turned out like this?"

"I..." Faced with Yamauchi Haruki's accusation, Kushida Kikyo could not refute him. She could only clench her teeth, then bow. "I'm sorry..."

"What good is an apology?! I'm about to be expelled!" Yamauchi Haruki waved his fists angrily.

"That's enough." Horikita Suzune, who had remained silent until then, spoke up.

"Although the exam material was changed, everything on the test was still covered in class. As long as you listened seriously and reviewed properly afterward, you could all pass." Horikita Suzune looked coldly at Yamauchi Haruki. "You were the ones who hoped to take shortcuts. Now that there are no shortcuts left, ending up like this is nothing more than reaping what you sow."

That was right. Shiraishi Makoto had only been able to devise such a trap because he found their weakness. As long as I have no weaknesses... he won't be able to get me expelled!

"That's right. Kushida has always had excellent grades. She only went looking for Archived Exam Questions for your sake, and not only are you ungrateful, you actually have the nerve to blame her?" Shinohara Satsuki, who had short blue hair, also stood up to defend Kushida Kikyo.

"Kushida Kikyo even borrowed money from me. It looks like it was to help you buy the questions. Do you really have the nerve to say something like that?" More and more students spoke up.

Faced with the class's condemnation, Yamauchi Haruki could only sit back down in his seat and clutch his head in anguish.

Horikita Suzune also withdrew her gaze and no longer cared whether the three of them lived or died.