Chapter 19 – Midterm exams 

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In late May, all first-year students at the Advanced Nurturing High School were sitting in their respective classrooms, ready to face the harsh midterm exams that could lead to the expulsion of underperforming students from the academy.

Some were nervous, others relaxed, showing varied mental states. Perhaps sensing this, students continued to encourage their peers: "You can do it. After so much revision, there's no way you'll fail."

"Don't worry. The midterms won't be too hard. We've studied long enough. No one's going to get expelled. Plus, didn't we buy the answers..."

In the midst of these comforting words, the tense students relaxed a bit, regaining some confidence. Indeed, why panic? They had prepared for three weeks and there was no reason to be eliminated now. At the very least, they had memorized the answers bought from the senior students, which ensured they wouldn't fail.

...

In Class A, after the serious teacher distributed the exam papers, only the sound of scribbling pens could be heard. For these top-tier students, the exam posed no threat to their status.

The confident top students breezed through the exam. Even those who were initially nervous relaxed upon seeing the questions, realizing they were well-prepared.

In Class B, after receiving the exam papers, many students didn't rush to answer but scrutinized the questions. Gradually, frowns appeared, and some even muttered complaints.

A slight disturbance arose in the classroom, but the friendly teacher quickly restored order, reminding students to maintain silence during the exam.

The students of Class B were not puzzled by the difficulty of the questions but felt that they had been shortchanged. They had spent 7,000 personal points to buy the answers from Daichi Ishizaki of Class C, only to find several mismatches.

However, they didn't immediately doubt Ishizaki, understanding that previous years' questions wouldn't be exactly the same. After all, some mismatch was to be expected.

Fortunately, the students of Class B had not neglected their studies, even after purchasing the answers. They had organized study groups to assist those who were struggling, avoiding complete panic during the exam.

Class C was in high spirits, as if celebrating a festival. After receiving their papers, they quickly filled in the answers with great enthusiasm. The scheduled hour-long exam was completed in just ten minutes by everyone, leading to playful chatter while awaiting the next subject. The lively atmosphere belied the seriousness of an exam that could result in expulsion.

In Class D.

Horikita was watching Sudo and asked with concern, "Are you sure you're all set?"

"Don't worry about it," Sudo, with his characteristic nonchalance, replied, leaning back in his chair. "We might not be good at studying, but we're okay with memorizing answers."

"That's right," added Ike, sitting in front of Sudo. "Don't worry, Horikita, we'll be fine."

Yamauchi, seated in front of Ike, boasted, "Don't underestimate us, Horikita. I've won national competitions before. A midterm exam won't defeat me."

Horikita, observing the trio's carefree attitude, felt uneasy, as if something was being overlooked.

After giving it some thought, she couldn't figure out what might be missing. The answers from Class C seemed reliable, especially after she had confirmed their accuracy with a senior who sold them for 30,000 points. To be extra cautious, she had paid an additional 2,000 points for a few different questions from various subjects to compare with the Class C answers and found them to be identical.

Horikita glanced at the trio again, convinced that if there was a problem, it lay with the students themselves. Did they really memorize the answers as they should have?

Her contemplation was cut short as the class teacher entered with the exam papers, emphasizing the importance of exam discipline before distributing them.

Upon receiving the exam paper, Horikita's face drastically changed! The exam paper was completely unfamiliar to her.

For three weeks, Horikita had memorized the exam paper and answers provided by Class C so well that she could recite them backward, but the midterm exam paper in front of her was entirely different!

It wasn't entirely dissimilar, just that each question's details had changed. And with those details altered, the entire nature of the questions changed too!

Hastily, Horikita turned to the trio of fools, who seemed completely unaware of the changes and were vigorously answering. Panicked, she attempted to signal to them, "The answers...!"

"Horikita!" The class teacher from the front of the classroom scolded sharply, "Do I really need to emphasize the most basic examination discipline to you flawed students twice?"

"Any further violations, and your exam qualification will be canceled immediately!"

Being disqualified meant scoring zero, which equated to failing and consequently being expelled! Faced with such severe consequences, Horikita could only bite her tongue and hold back her plans, answering the questions resignedly.

Inwardly, she felt enraged and stifled. She was almost biting her own teeth to pieces, her heart feeling as if it was being suffocated... But she had to continue answering the questions!

There was nothing she could do now.

But the anger and frustration were overwhelming.

As she answered the questions easily, her heart bled. She had been deceived by Yoritaka Yukio from Class C! As she recalled Yukio's mocking glance, Horikita felt a mix of rage and bafflement. How did he manage it?

She had thoroughly investigated the senior student who had sold the answers to Class C. To be extra cautious, she had even spent extra points to verify several questions, only to find them matching exactly with the answers given by Class C.

After the exam, the students of Class D seemed to be celebrating and cheering. Horikita, drained of energy, approached the trio of fools. Her arms hung limply, her face a complex mixture of anger and defeat, so unlike her usual aloof demeanor: "You... shouldn't have copied, the answers from Class C, they were fake!"

The trio, who had been engrossed in their phones playing games, were taken aback. The phone slipped from one student's hand, hitting the desk: "What? The answers were fake?"

"Class C, what are they playing at?!"

"Wait, wait, wait, you're joking, right?"

"Horikita, don't say things like that, it's not funny!"

Even other students around them began to pay attention. If the answers they relied upon from Class C were fake, then they too might be in trouble.

Could they also fail the exam and face expulsion?

Horikita could only nod her head in painful affirmation: "It's my fault for not investigating properly. The answers... they were indeed fake..."

In an instant, the once-celebratory atmosphere of Class D plunged into an eerie silence.

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