Morning sunlight streamed into the Class D classroom. For once, Horikita Suzune wasn't sitting alone at her desk, quietly reading as usual. Instead, she had taken the initiative to sit beside Wang Meiyu's desk, and the two were talking in hushed voices.
Seeing this, Kushida Kikyo paused slightly as she entered the classroom. Her face still wore that flawless, sweet smile, but deep inside, a sharp pang of sour discomfort pricked at her.
Horikita Suzune was actually making an effort to get along with people in class? That lone wolf who was always cold and kept everyone at arm's length—had she really changed?
This is... so unpleasant.
Kushida Kikyo thought coldly, a hint of gloom flashing in her eyes. But she quickly composed herself, put on an air of nonchalance, and returned to her seat.
Horikita Suzune had actually come prepared. She wanted to ask Wang Meiyu about Wu Qiao.
After all, the two of them often had "encrypted conversations" in Chinese in class, and seemed much closer than ordinary classmates.
If she could dig up some information about Wu Qiao from Wang Meiyu, perhaps she could find a way to break the deadlock.
However, as their conversation went on, Horikita Suzune's expression gradually turned a little strange.
"So, when you two talk... is this all you talk about?" Horikita Suzune asked, looking at the gentle girl in front of her to make sure.
Wang Meiyu nodded and answered with a smile, "Yeah. Wu-kun and I mostly talk about cooking. I tried making that red-braised pork dish he recommended last weekend, and it was super delicious! We also chat about everyday things, like which supermarket has a sale, or complain about the weather..."
Horikita Suzune fell silent for a moment, then pressed her with another question. "What about studying? Has he mentioned any particular plans, or what he thinks of the class?"
"Oh, studying." Wang Meiyu tilted her head and thought for a moment. "We haven't talked about that lately. We used to discuss a few problems now and then, but not so much anymore."
Horikita Suzune felt a wave of helplessness. In other words, she hadn't managed to get even a single piece of important information about Wu Qiao.
Those two's "encrypted conversations" really were encrypted only in the literal sense—their topics were so mundane that they had no strategic value whatsoever.
"I see... Thank you, Wang." Horikita Suzune thanked her politely, then stood and returned to her seat.
She gazed out at the bright sunlight, feeling a profound sense of defeat for the first time. She had thought that if she was willing to set aside her pride and reach out to others, she would be able to gather useful information.
But in reality, neither Ayanokoji Kiyoha, who was stuck at ten points, nor Wang Meiyu, who seemed easy to talk to, had given her even the slightest useful clue about Wu Qiao.
"Where exactly does this person hide his true self?" Horikita Suzune murmured, furrowing her brow slightly. She knew that this roundabout approach clearly wasn't going to help her truly understand Wu Qiao.
At noon, Kushida Kikyo looked at the message from Wu Qiao on her phone, surprise flashing in her eyes. He had actually taken the initiative to ask her to meet.
When she reached the agreed-upon spot and sat down, she hadn't even had time to greet him before Wu Qiao raised a digital camera and pointed it at her. The shutter clicked.
Faced with the sudden flash of the shutter, Kushida Kikyo didn't get angry. Instead, she immediately adjusted her posture, her face blooming into her signature, flawless sweet smile. Resting her chin on one hand, she smiled easily. "If you want to take pictures, I can be your model anytime."
Wu Qiao shook his head, looking down as he checked the photos on his camera. "I'm not taking pictures. I'm documenting something. All right, enough fooling around. Let's talk business."
With that, he took out his Personal Terminal and swiped across the screen a few times. A crisp chime sounded, and Kushida Kikyo's phone lit up with a notification: she had received a transfer of thirty thousand personal points.
Kushida Kikyo paused, shifting her gaze from her phone to the calm-faced boy across from her.
"Go to the upperclassmen and buy their first-year quizzes and midterm exam papers." Wu Qiao's voice was utterly flat, as though he were assigning an utterly ordinary task.
"Buy... past exam papers?" Kushida Kikyo blinked. A rare look of surprise appeared on the face that usually wore a perfect smile. She hadn't expected that Wu Qiao would go to all this trouble to call her out and give her such a large sum of money just for this.
"Past papers," Wu Qiao corrected her. He picked up the glass in front of him and took a sip, looking at her with a deep gaze. "Though they're basically the same thing."
Kushida Kikyo blinked, a glimmer of understanding in her eyes, usually filled with warmth. She slipped her phone into her pocket and asked, "Got it. You want me to send them to everyone?"
Wu Qiao nodded slightly, looking at her calmly. His tone held the certainty of someone who had everything under control.
"Yes, but send them three days before the exam." He paused, his eyes reflecting a clear-eyed understanding of the class's current state. "That way, they won't get the answers early and lose all motivation to study, then half-ass even the most basic revision."
Hearing the plan, Kushida Kikyo couldn't help laughing softly. Resting her chin on one hand, she leaned forward slightly and studied the boy with a look that was part teasing, part curiosity. "Wu-kun really goes to a lot of trouble. You want to help everyone pass, but you also have to keep them from slacking off. That's not an easy balance to strike."
Her teasing didn't change Wu Qiao's expression in the slightest. He picked up his glass and took a sip, then replied flatly, "A necessary measure."
There was no embellishment, nor any hint of self-praise. In Wu Qiao's mind, it was simply the price that had to be paid to keep Class D functioning as a group.
Watching his unruffled demeanor, Kushida Kikyo felt that strange sensation rise within her again.
This person... did the most considerate things, yet cloaked himself in the coldest logic. He wouldn't admit to his own kindness, nor did he care to bask in anyone's gratitude.
What an interesting person.
She marveled inwardly, her smile growing ever sweeter and more captivating.
"Don't worry, Wu-kun. Since I've taken your money, I'll make sure everything goes perfectly. Those upperclassmen are quite susceptible to my charms."
Wu Qiao nodded and said no more. He knew Kushida Kikyo had the ability and the social skills to get it done.
Their conversation ended there. Kushida Kikyo stood, smoothed her skirt, and waved to Wu Qiao. "Well, I'll be off. Take your time eating, Wu-kun."
As he watched her walk away, Wu Qiao lowered his gaze to the photo he had just taken. The girl in it wore a flawless smile. But he knew what a complicated, genuine soul lay beneath that sweet exterior.
"Different paths, same destination," he murmured, then put the camera back in his pocket.
For Class D as it was now, both Horikita Suzune's stubborn idealism and Kushida Kikyo's two-faced nature were pieces he could make use of.
All he had to do was connect those scattered pieces and lead the class out of the mire.