Horikita's Resolve

Three days before the midterm exams, the atmosphere within the school had turned serious; even on the weekend, the library was packed with students reviewing.

On the east side of the library's second floor, in a blind spot of the surveillance cameras discovered at the start of the term, the light was rather dim.

Hoshida No leaned his back against the cold metal bookshelf, a book spread open in his hands, though his gaze remained fixed on the direction of the stairwell.

The time was nearing 10:00 AM. Footsteps echoed from the stairs, unhurried, carrying a certain controlled force.

Ryuen Kakeru appeared alone. He swept a glance over the shadowed area, locked his eyes onto Hoshida No, pulled his mouth into an unfriendly arc, and walked over.

"You certainly know how to pick a spot." Ryuen Kakeru stopped in front of Hoshida No, leaving about a meter of distance between them. He was wearing casual clothes, yet that thug-like aura of a ruler had not diminished in the slightest.

"It's quiet; no one bothers us." Hoshida No closed his book, his voice steady. "You said you wanted to confirm something."

"Cut the crap." Ryuen Kakeru got straight to the point, his eyes as sharp as blades. "You said you have the original midterm exam questions? Didn't they say there wouldn't be any funny business for this special exam?"

Ignoring Ryuen Kakeru, Hoshida No took a black folder out of the canvas bag he was carrying, though he did not hand it over immediately. "I have the original questions, or rather, all the elements sufficient to deduce the original questions."

This black folder contained a simplified version of the exam question types that Hoshida No had asked Ayanokoji to derive after meeting him on the way to his appointment with Karuizawa and Ichinose Honami. Ayanokoji had handed it to Hoshida No that very evening.

Ryuen Kakeru stared at the folder without reaching for it. "How do I know you aren't trying to fool me with a bunch of scrap paper? Or worse, that this isn't a trap?"

"The verification method is simple." Hoshida No opened the folder and pulled out the top sheet. It contained several printed math problems, but the problem statements were partially blurred, leaving only the core structure and a few key numbers.

"These are three core math problem types reconstructed based on the information I obtained. In tomorrow's math exam, at least two major problems will be derived from these types, with the same difficulty and testing points. You can look at them now, memorize them, and verify them tomorrow."

He handed the paper over. Ryuen Kakeru took it and scanned it quickly.

His math wasn't bad, and he immediately saw that these weren't simple basic problems, but typical mid-level questions that combined multiple knowledge points and required a certain degree of cognitive flexibility—precisely the kind that distinguished score brackets during an exam.

"Interesting." Ryuen Kakeru looked up; the suspicion in his eyes hadn't completely faded, but his interest had clearly grown. "Name your price."

"500,000 points." Hoshida No stated the number. "That buys the complete analysis of the test points for all five subjects and a compilation of high-frequency question types."

"500,000?" Ryuen Kakeru sneered. "Do you think my points fall from the sky? Don't forget we're partners; 300,000 points."

"450,000. That's the bottom line." Hoshida No's tone remained completely flat. "You can choose not to buy. But Ichinose Honami from Class B already bought the basic version for 350,000 yesterday."

This basic version was the same simplified set of exam questions.

Ryuen Kakeru's eyes turned gloomy. "You sold it to Class B?"

Hoshida No replied calmly, "What I sold to Class B only covers the question types and doesn't include the original exam analysis; yours contains the analysis of the original questions. As for Class A... out of respect for our partnership, I don't intend to sell to them. If you don't buy it, I might have to reconsider."

Ryuen Kakeru was silent for a few seconds, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the sheet of paper.

Weighing the pros and cons, Ryuen Kakeru agreed to the deal. "Four hundred and fifty thousand, it's a deal. But I have an additional condition."

"Speak."

"If the verification tomorrow is wrong—even if the core question type for just one subject doesn't match—the deal is void, and the points will be refunded in full."

"Reasonable."

Ryuen Kakeru stared at Hoshida No. "Second... tell me the source of your intelligence. Not specifically who, but... the type of channel. Let me judge the reliability."

Hoshida No met his gaze, remained silent for two seconds, and spoke slowly: "Historical data left behind by upperclassmen, combined with observation and analysis of the teachers' habits in creating questions. The source is reliable, but I cannot reveal specific details. Knowing too much won't do you any good; it might even attract unnecessary attention."

Ryuen Kakeru seemed to accept this explanation and huffed. "Cunning guy."

He then took out his phone and transferred 450,000 points to Hoshida No. As he left, Ryuen Kakeru's eyes were a mix of greed and vigilance. "It's a waste for someone like you to be in Class D."

Hoshida No stood in place for a moment longer, and only after confirming that Ryuen Kakeru had left did he emerge from the shadows. He walked to the window, where Ayanokoji had appeared from somewhere to stand beside him.

Hoshida No glanced at Ayanokoji, unsurprised, and shared 200,000 of the 450,000 points he had just received from Ryuen Kakeru with him. He currently had over 4 million personal points in his possession.

On the day before the midterm exams, the final bell of the afternoon rang, but the classroom lacked its usual relaxed atmosphere.

Hirata Yousuke stood on the podium, his expression more solemn than usual. He clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention.

"Everyone, please wait a moment; there is something important."

Amidst the puzzled gazes of the class, Hoshida No rose from his seat and walked toward the podium.

He didn't swap places with Hirata, but simply stood to one side of the podium and took a neatly bound stack of documents out of his canvas bag.

"This is," Hoshida No began, his voice not loud, yet clearly reaching every corner of the quiet classroom, "a set of pre-exam mock papers I've compiled for this midterm. There are five sets in total, with explanations and answers provided at the back."

As the students in the front row took them and flipped through them quickly, low gasps and sounds of disbelief began to ripple through the room.

For the students who had been reviewing with Hoshida No for a while and were familiar with his style, it was obvious at a glance that these materials were extraordinary. This was practically the midterm exam itself.

When the file reached Horikita Suzune, a crack appeared in her icy expression.

She lifted her gaze from the papers and shot a sharp look at Hoshida No by the podium.

He seemed to sense her gaze and looked back calmly, his eyes bottomless—no showing off, no smugness, only a near-indifferent certainty.

Sudo Ken and the others looked as if they had found a treasure and were about to cheer, but Hoshida No stopped them with a look. "I hope everyone won't spread this around. After all, the exam is tomorrow; focus on your review."

Sudo Ken nodded in assurance. "Right! Hoshida, you're practically my..."

After school, the crowd dispersed. Horikita Suzune didn't leave immediately; she held the file and walked straight up to Hoshida No, who was packing his bag.

"Hoshida No," her voice was very low, carrying a cold interrogation, "what is this?"

Hoshida No zipped up his bag and looked up. "Mock papers. I thought it was written quite clearly."

"Don't play dumb!" Horikita Suzune stepped forward, her eyes burning. "These aren't just ordinary mock papers. The specificity in here... where did you get this information?"

"Analyze historical data, observe teacher habits, and integrate the class's academic situation." Hoshida No gave the standard answer, identical to the one he had told Ryuuen.

Horikita Suzune wanted to ask something more, but Hoshida No bypassed her and walked toward the door, cutting her off. "How you use it is your freedom. Throw it away, or make good use of it—that's up to you. But I suggest to you, Horikita, that sometimes being too fixated on formal correctness might prevent you from seeing what your true goal is."

Hoshida No left the classroom.

Horikita Suzune stood there alone. A flash of humiliation and unwillingness crossed her face, but it was overshadowed by a cold, resolute determination.

"I will figure it out, Hoshida No." She whispered to the empty classroom, "Who exactly are you... and what is it that you truly want to gain from this school."