The night was pitch-black, the sky heavy with clouds. The moonlight was obscured, and the surroundings gradually grew darker.
Horikita Suzune's breathing quickened, and her hands clenched tightly. She'd sounded very confident just moments ago, but as Chiba Yu's words sank in, reason once again took hold.
"We still don't know all the rules of this school. Testing them rashly will only make things harder for us later." Noticing Horikita's small movements, Chiba Yu continued.
"Your flaw is that you assume everyone else is in your way, and you even push them aside from the start. Isn't that contempt for other people exactly why you were placed in Class D?"
The three of them sat there for a long time that night. Chiba Yu regarded what he'd said to Horikita as nothing more than a well-intentioned reminder.
If Horikita could correct herself early and truly lead the class further, then his own life would be a little easier afterward. At least, that was what Chiba Yu thought.
As for what Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Horikita Suzune themselves thought, that was their business...
In the days that followed, Horikita did as she'd said and stopped paying attention to Sudo and the other two, seemingly abandoning them for good.
Chiba Yu, meanwhile, continued going to and from school on time, pretending to pay attention in class and rushing straight back to his dorm as soon as lessons ended. The peaceful routine almost made him think that this was what a normal high school life was supposed to look like.
But what was coming couldn't be avoided forever.
That morning, the classroom was unusually quiet from the start, nothing like its usual bustle.
Everyone sat quietly at their desks. A quick glance showed that most of them were reviewing for the midterms coming up soon.
After reaching his seat, Chiba Yu set his bag under the desk. The girl in front of him, Karuizawa Kei, turned around.
"Hey, if I study the way you taught us, will I really be okay?" There seemed to be a trace of panic in Karuizawa Kei's voice. So that was it—she was worried about failing and getting expelled.
But Chiba Yu couldn't guarantee anything like that. All he could do was reassure her. "As long as you really studied, the odds of you getting expelled are less than ten percent."
"But there's still that ten percent chance, isn't there?"
"Tsk!" Chiba Yu clicked his tongue softly, then continued, "Have some confidence in yourself, okay?"
Not getting the answer she wanted, Karuizawa Kei lowered her head dejectedly. Then she glanced casually at Chiba Yu and said, sounding a little envious,
"Ugh, I wish I could control my scores as easily as you do. Then I wouldn't have to worry about exams. By the way, are you planning to control your score like you did last time?"
Chiba Yu didn't give Karuizawa a straight answer, merely replying casually, "Last time was just luck. I can't say for sure what'll happen this time."
"Whatever. If you don't want to tell me, then don't."
With a snort, Karuizawa Kei turned back around and ignored Chiba Yu. He breathed a sigh of relief, grateful for the little free time he'd gained.
"Are you close with her?" Just as Chiba Yu thought he could finally relax, Horikita Suzune suddenly spoke from the seat to his left. Her expression made it clear that she found it strange that he'd talk to Karuizawa Kei.
Sighing, Chiba Yu slowly explained, "Remember when we ran into her at the library? Hirata asked me to help tutor them then."
"So Hirata and the others know you deliberately control your scores now?" Horikita Suzune asked in surprise. She'd thought Chiba Yu would do everything he could to keep it a secret.
Chiba Yu shrugged without answering. But sometimes silence was an answer in itself.
His sudden admission left Horikita Suzune momentarily stunned. After a long pause, she finally managed to say, "It's nothing. I just thought..."
"You thought I'd do everything I could to keep it a secret. I'm guessing that's what you were thinking just now, right?"
Horikita Suzune nodded.
"Honestly, I never thought that way... Well, maybe I did at first, but then I figured it'd be too much trouble, so I gave up on it. Besides, if someone took the time to look into it, it wouldn't be surprising for them to find out, right?"
So he'd admitted it without hiding anything just because he didn't want the hassle...
Only then did Horikita Suzune truly understand what Chiba Yu had meant when he'd said those things at the start of the school year: as long as it helped him avoid effort, there was almost nothing he wouldn't do.
"I get the feeling you're thinking something pretty rude." Chiba Yu had been watching Horikita's expression, and suddenly sensed something was off. He looked at her suspiciously.
"You're imagining things. Instead of wasting time on that, you should think about tomorrow's exam."
"But it's pretty unusual. You didn't come to class with Ayanokoji today."
"..." At the mention of it, Chiba Yu found it strange too. Usually, if he left the dorm at that time, there was no way to avoid running into Ayanokoji. But today, they simply hadn't crossed paths.
He'd thought they might run into each other on the way, but they hadn't met even by the time he reached the classroom. It almost made Chiba Yu think that heaven had finally answered his prayers.
"Speaking of which, it's about time, isn't it?" Chiba Yu said, glancing at Ayanokoji's empty seat.
Speak of the devil, and he appeared. The next second, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka showed up at the classroom door, accompanied by Kushida Kikyo.
That made sense. Ayanokoji must have been planning something again, which was why he'd gone with Kushida.
Chiba Yu could see that much, but Horikita misunderstood something. The moment she saw Ayanokoji and Kushida walk into the classroom together, her brow furrowed, and an air of distance began to emanate from her.
What was this? Was she jealous? Surely not. Horikita Suzune shouldn't have feelings like that for Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. So was it something else?
It wasn't until Chiba Yu caught sight of Kushida Kikyo that he understood why Horikita had reacted that way.
It was because of Kushida. Of course. Horikita had always been hostile toward Kushida. Seeing her "underling" walk in with someone she disliked would naturally irritate her.
Wait, why had he just thought of Ayanokoji as Horikita's underling? Had Ayanokoji really sunk so low in his eyes?
Before long, the hours slipped away, and the day was over. Since the exam was tomorrow, most of the class was still there studying; only a few people had left.
Just as Chiba Yu slung his bag over his shoulder and prepared to leave as usual, Kushida suddenly stepped up to the podium, holding a stack of exam papers.
"Sorry to keep you all for a little longer. I have something to give you."
At her words, the whole class burst into a commotion, eager to find out what Kushida was giving them.
Only Chiba Yu sat back down with a helpless expression. Right now, all he wanted was to get out of the classroom as soon as possible. Staying here felt like it was draining every last bit of energy from him.
"Th-this is?!"
"Actually, these are last year's exam papers. I asked a third-year student for them last night."
"And more importantly, the exams from the year before last and last year were almost identical."
"So, does that mean... we don't have to worry about failing and getting expelled?!"
In an instant, the whole class erupted...