Rumors Ferment

Besides helping Sakura Airi find friends, Kushida Kikyo also had to consider fabricating another rumor.

But she couldn't actively spread it herself, so she had to rely on specific actions to make others misunderstand.

After school, Kushida Kikyo was invited by Horikita Suzune to go to the library to tutor Class D students. Hirata Yosuke and others were also invited.

Although the poor performance of Class D on this midterm exam was directly linked to their homeroom teacher Chabashira Sae not reminding them about the changed exam locations, the overall situation of the class was indeed terrible. To prevent having to borrow large amounts of points to save their classmates every exam, Class D had intensified its tutoring this month.

"These are the study plans I've prepared for you. You must follow them as instructed." Horikita Suzune took a notebook from her bag, tore out three pages, and handed them to the three worst-performing students in Class D.

Horikita Suzune's thinking was simple: compared to after-school tutoring, class time was more abundant and important. The most cost-effective way to study was not to waste the six hours in class.

Moreover, she wasn't particularly keen on spending all her after-school time tutoring them.

"When you're in class, listen carefully to parts you understand. For parts you don't get, leave them for now and jot them down in your notebook. Come ask me during the ten-minute breaks between classes, and I'll explain as best I can."

Seeing the troubled expressions on the three faces, Horikita Suzune continued, "Actually, in a one-hour lesson, the content you need to learn can be condensed into one page of notes, and the real exam material is less than half a page. But since your comprehension isn't up to par, I don't recommend you take notes."

"What does that mean?" Ike Kanji didn't quite grasp the idea. Didn't everyone say you should take careful notes?

"Your top priority is to absorb more knowledge in class, then figure out what you don't understand afterward." Horikita Suzune pointed out the trick to quickly boost their scores. "Taking notes while trying to follow the teacher's lecture and distinguishing between what you understand and what you don't—that's extremely difficult for you."

The Idiot Trio's foundation was too weak. If they didn't understand what the teacher was saying, note-taking would just become mindless copying, completely pointless.

"So you don't need to worry about notes. I'll organize them for you. Just focus all your attention on what the teacher says in class."

To Horikita Suzune's surprise, the most motivated of the three turned out to be Sudo Ken, whom she had considered the biggest headache. He seriously read through the study plan she gave him without a single complaint.

It was a bit odd, but Horikita Suzune figured it was a good thing.

The other two, however, were starting to waver. Horikita Suzune's arrangement was indeed the safest, but the intensity was a bit too high for them.

"Sorry, I have something to take care of. I'll step out for a bit." Kushida Kikyo, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up and left the study group.

No one paid much attention, except for Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who noticed Kushida Kikyo's movements.

Kushida Kikyo openly approached Shiraishi Makoto, who had just entered the library. The two even found a separate table and started chatting quietly.

Seeing this, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka frowned, a rare expression for him.

He had long suspected that Kushida Kikyo had someone backing her, and the earlier incident with the archaeology exam had confirmed that person was Shiraishi Makoto. But what was this blatant contact about?

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka continued playing his role in the study group, but kept an eye on Shiraishi Makoto's side.

"I've taken care of what you asked about looking after Sakura-san. I enlisted three classmates from our class: Shinohara Satsuki, Sato Maya, and Matsushita Chiaki." Kushida Kikyo reported her progress, though her expression and demeanor made it look like a cheerful casual chat.

"Those three... no problem." Shiraishi Makoto had some understanding of them.

Shinohara Satsuki was the assertive type, often stepping up to defend other girls in class. Matsushita Chiaki was Class D's "slacker queen"—capable but hiding her abilities, nicknamed the female version of Ayanokoji, though certainly not as strong. Sato Maya was the only one he wasn't very familiar with, but she didn't seem to have any red flags.

Kushida Kikyo's skill in making friends was indeed commendable. Shiraishi Makoto felt reassured by her choice of these three. If Sakura Airi's identity as "Shizuku" were exposed, Shinohara Satsuki's style would definitely help Sakura Airi handle a lot of trouble.

"So, you're not planning to do it again?" Kushida Kikyo asked.

"That would require the opportunity." Shiraishi Makoto knew what Kushida Kikyo meant. Even if he had shaken off Yamauchi Haruki's pestering this time, their relationship still needed to be clarified later. With Yamauchi Haruki's persistent, scheming nature, he might stir up other trouble.

"That's about enough. I'll head off." Kushida Kikyo judged the timing was right, chatted a bit more, then stood up to leave, walking back to the study group with a composed expression.

From that day on, more and more first-year students witnessed Kushida Kikyo actively seeking out Shiraishi Makoto. The two often chatted outside classrooms, in the library, or downstairs at the dorms.

Every time they met, Kushida Kikyo's brows were relaxed, her smile evident. Given recent events, anyone who knew about this couldn't help but speculate in the same direction.

Gradually, another rumor began circulating among Class D students: that Kushida Kikyo was dating Shiraishi Makoto from Class A.

In school, gossip like this spread fast. Soon, even Class A students heard the news. But since it involved personal privacy, no one rashly asked about it. This saved Shiraishi Makoto a lot of work, though he had already prepared his responses.

Within just a week, the rumor had spread across nearly the entire first year. Finally, someone from Class A came to ask.

"Shiraishi-kun, sorry to interrupt."

"Ichinose-san, what's up?" Shiraishi Makoto looked up and saw a slightly shy Ichinose Honami, guessing her purpose.

"Well, there's been a rumor going around in class that you're dating Kushida-san from Class D. I wanted to ask—is it true?"

Ichinose Honami felt her cheeks flush. Asking such a question was indeed awkward. But her classmates were curious and had privately asked her if she knew any inside scoop, and she herself was concerned about the state of Shiraishi Makoto, the de facto leader of their class.

After all, he was the one who had told everyone to be careful about socializing with students from other classes, especially Class D.

"Oh, that." Shiraishi Makoto had expected Hamaguchi Tetsuya, Shibata Sō, or Watanabe Norihito to be the first to ask. He hadn't expected Ichinose Honami to be the one.

Back in his home country, his close buddies in class would have been hooting and hollering by now. Was this some kind of unwritten rule in Japanese society?