Midterm Exam (Seeking Everything)

"Then I won't be able to clear out the trash in my class, lest Classmate Watanabe uses that as an excuse to get close to me," Horikita Suzune joked.

Seeing Horikita Suzune lower her mental defenses, relax, and crack a joke, Watanabe Hayabara flashed a mysterious smile.

Watching Watanabe Hayabara's sudden and inexplicable smile, Horikita Suzune crossed her arms over her chest, looking vigilant. "Classmate Watanabe, you aren't thinking of doing something to me now that there's no one else around, are you...?"

Watanabe Hayabara looked at Horikita Suzune's amusing expression and played along with the topic. "I doubt anyone would notice if I did something out of line to Classmate Horikita here. I'm coming for you, Horikita Suzune." As he spoke, Watanabe Hayabara spread his arms and lunged toward Horikita Suzune, acting like a total creep.

"Ah?! No! You aren't actually going to do something unspeakable to me, are you? I was just joking, Classmate Watanabe!" Horikita Suzune shrieked.

"Hahaha," Watanabe Hayabara laughed aloud. "Look at how scared you are. I was just teasing you, and you took it seriously—you're just like a child."

Horikita Suzune puffed out her cheeks. "Any girl would be scared, wouldn't they? In the middle of the night, with a strong guy threatening to do something out of line—any normal girl would be terrified. What's so funny about that?!"

"If it were a guy as handsome as me, only Horikita would refuse; any other girl would have gladly accepted. Classmate Horikita, you really don't know how to appreciate things," Watanabe Hayabara joked.

Feeling a bit insulted and indignant, Horikita Suzune pinched Watanabe Hayabara right in the kidney.

Watanabe Hayabara felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his side. "Hiss!!"

Watanabe Hayabara looked at Horikita Suzune. "Don't you know you shouldn't mess with a man's kidneys, Horikita?"

"Don't you know you shouldn't mess around with a girl, Classmate Watanabe?" Although Horikita Suzune said this, her face was stained with an inexplicable crimson blush.

His kidney area doesn't have an ounce of fat. Feeling the firm texture under her hand, Horikita Suzune felt shy, her face flushing even deeper.

Seeing Horikita Suzune blushing and dazed while still clutching his waist, he spoke up: "Can you let go now, Classmate Horikita? If there's nothing else, we should head back to the dorms early."

"Um... oh," Horikita Suzune quickly released her grip on Watanabe Hayabara's waist. "Then... then let's hurry back."

"Are you sure you want to go back with me? If we get caught, rumors will spread, Horikita," Watanabe Hayabara reminded her with a smile.

"Uh... um..." Horikita Suzune hesitated for a moment but didn't change her mind. "Didn't you say not to care about other people's opinions? If they want to spread rumors, let them. As long as I know the truth, isn't that enough? Besides, we're in the same dormitory building. It's so dark out, and you're just going to let me walk back alone? As a man, shouldn't you protect a woman? What if I run into danger on the way?"

Watanabe Hayabara smiled helplessly, though he felt a bit happy deep down. "Horikita, you might not fear rumors, but I do. I have a girlfriend now, after all."

"Classmate Watanabe, you have a girlfriend?! So you've been playing with me this whole time?" Horikita Suzune pinched Watanabe Hayabara's kidney hard once more, then stormed off toward the dormitory building in a huff.

Watanabe Hayabara rubbed his slightly numb side, watched Horikita Suzune's retreating figure, and shook his head slightly.

[I hope she didn't turn from a brother-complex into a yandere.]

Watanabe Hayabara returned to his dorm without any rush.

"We meet again, Classmate Sakayanagi." Watanabe Hayabara wore a smile and gave a slight nod to Sakayanagi Arisu.

Sakayanagi Arisu's lips curled upward as she replied, "Indeed, we meet again, Classmate Watanabe."

The two shared a smile, the atmosphere between them turning somewhat subtle. They exchanged a polite bow before sitting down opposite each other.

Kamuro Masumi walked quickly to Sakayanagi Arisu's side, took her cane, and then sat down gracefully beside Watanabe Hayabara.

Seeing this, the smile on Sakayanagi Arisu's lips deepened. She said half-jokingly to Kamuro Masumi, "I'm so sad, Classmate Kamuro. As soon as you finish your work, you can't wait to follow your boyfriend."

Kamuro Masumi's face turned slightly red, and she smiled sheepishly. "Classmate Sakayanagi, please don't tease me. Let's get straight to the point."

Watanabe Hayabara stepped in to save Kamuro Masumi from the embarrassment. "Let's get right to it, Sakayanagi. Ryuen Kakeru should have already contacted you, right?"

Sakayanagi Arisu smiled slightly and replied, "That's right, he did contact me. However, getting the newly released original exam papers isn't an easy task. Student Council President Horikita Manabu will likely force me to create the questions on the spot. Therefore, persuading Horikita Manabu to make concessions is something I must leave to you, Classmate Watanabe. If you succeed, then barring any accidents, these are the exam questions we need."

With that, Kamuro Masumi took over for Sakayanagi Arisu, pulled a stapled set of questions from her small bag, and pushed them gently toward Watanabe Hayabara.

Seeing this, Watanabe Hayabara didn't hesitate to pick up the papers and start reading. He read at a rapid pace, nodding occasionally as he went, seemingly quite satisfied with the content.

A moment later, Watanabe Hayabara set the papers down, a look of appreciation on his face. "Hmm, these questions are truly ingenious, and the difficulty is perfectly balanced. It will ensure the scores of Class A remain as steady as a mountain while allowing Ryuen Kakeru's contract to be fulfilled smoothly. Classmate Sakayanagi, you really have put a lot of thought into the class points for Class A after the midterm exams. But shouldn't Classmate Sakayanagi have let Katsuragi fail?"

"I'll leave that to you, Classmate Watanabe. However, there's no need for you to worry about the affairs of Class A," Sakayanagi Arisu said with a radiant smile.

"Classmate Sakayanagi always tosses thorny problems at me like hot potatoes; you really put me in a difficult spot," Watanabe Hayabara feigned distress.

"I will advance you 200,000 personal points, how about that? Even if Ryuen Kakeru hasn't distributed the points to us yet," Sakayanagi said with a faint, enigmatic smile.