chap-11 begining of mid-term exam X result

Time flew by in the blink of an eye, and it was already Friday. Our mid-term exams were upon us, looming like an unavoidable storm. The study group had been held every day, with Nagi and Yuu diligently handling everything. As for me, I had been resting the whole time, a choice I made deliberately, though it might have seemed careless to others.

"It appears there are no absences. Everyone is present," Chabashira-sensei announced, her tone as strict as ever.

"That's the first hurdle for you leftovers," she continued, her words cutting through the air like a blade. "Anyone who stumbles here will find the other tests an uphill battle, quite frankly. You'll take this mid-term and the final test in July. If no one fails either test, you will be rewarded with a vacation during your summer break."

"A vacation?" someone in the class echoed, the word sparking interest among the students.

"That's right. A dream vacation on an island surrounded by the brilliant sea," Chabashira-sensei confirmed, her expression remaining unreadable.

A vacation? A dream surrounded by a brilliant sea? These words didn't sit well with me, considering the school's usual methods. Nothing in this place came without strings attached, and I doubted this would be any different.

"Everyone, let's do our best!" someone cheered optimistically.

"Yeah!" Ike and Yamauchi were the most enthusiastic, their excitement clearly fueled by the mention of a vacation on an island.

Before long, the test papers were distributed. On the teacher's signal, everyone began. I hesitated for a moment and glanced at Sudou. I still wasn't entirely confident about his chances of passing this exam. The study groups were under Nagi and Yuu's care, and like me, they worked from the shadows. But unlike my reasons for staying in the background, they had their own motivations—ones I couldn't fully understand yet.

I wondered what would happen next.

Finally, I turned my paper over. Sure enough, the questions were exactly as expected. To be honest, the paper was a bit odd. I had read the curriculum for first years, and while the majority of the questions were within that scope, the exam also contained numerous questions from second and third-year materials, even college-level topics.

In all my fifteen years of studying, I had never encountered such a unique selection of questions. But I wasn't worried. I knew that most of the students would rely on rote memorization, regurgitating answers they had drilled into their heads.

I slowly began answering the questions, one by one, methodically working through the test.

---

The test finally ended, and we all circled around Sudou, concern etched on our faces.

"Hey? Did you do okay?" Ike asked anxiously, his voice tinged with worry.

Sudou was on the verge of losing his cool. It was clear that he wasn't confident about his performance, and I could see the uncertainty in his eyes.

"I don't know... I did everything I could, but I have no idea how well I did," Sudou admitted, his voice shaky.

Suddenly, time seemed to freeze. The people around me—Sudou, Ike, everyone—stopped moving, as if the world itself had paused. And then I heard it.

DING!

[Host has changed the original plot—not fully yet, but the host did alter it a bit. By using Yuu, the host asked Kushida to give the class a paper sheet of senior test questions, on which she thinks Yuu was the one who found them. Mysterious, I like it. Reward is being multiplied by 10.]

DING!

[Host is being rewarded with his old fighting capabilities and athletic body.]

The notification echoed in my mind, and I felt a surge of energy course through me. My body, which had been conditioned and honed over years of training, felt alive again. Every muscle, every reflex, every instinct was sharper, stronger. The power I had once wielded was back, and I could feel it coursing through my veins.

_____

Chabashira-sensei entered the classroom with a long sheet of paper folded in her hands. The atmosphere in the room was thick with tension, as everyone held their breath in anticipation of the test results.

"Sensei, we were told that the results would be announced today. But when?" Hirata asked, unable to hide the anxiety in his voice.

"There's no need for you to get so worked up, Hirata. You should have passed easily," Chabashira-sensei replied, her tone calm and collected.

"So? When will the results be released?" another student asked, their voice betraying a mix of impatience and fear.

"Well, if you like, now is as good a time as any. If we waited until after class, we wouldn't have enough time for the other procedures," she said.

Some of the students visibly reacted to the phrase "other procedures," their anxiety spiking.

"What... do you mean by that?" someone finally asked, their voice tinged with apprehension.

"Don't get flustered. I'll tell you now," Chabashira-sensei responded coolly. She unfolded the large white sheet of paper and stuck it on the board, revealing every student's name and test scores.

"Honestly, I'm impressed. I didn't expect you guys to score so—"

As she spoke, my mind was elsewhere. I had been expecting to score around 47. If you're wondering why, it's because I suspected that the passing mark would be the average of the class. Why? Well, since the surprise test that happened before this, the passing marks had been set as the class average.

If anyone had noticed that pattern, they might have come to the same conclusion as I did. I'd also spoken to one of the Class B students, known for their friendly nature, and indirectly asked about their test results. To my surprise, their passing marks were different, which only strengthened my suspicion that the passing mark would vary depending on the class average.

But when I looked at the board, my eyes widened a bit. Sudou had failed the mid-term