Drama at Library and About Midterms

(Ayanokouji POV)

The next day at the class, Horikita decided to teach the trio again. It seemed she really wanted to show that she had changed. Even though she had a dislike for Kushida, she knew that Kushida could help her gather Ike, Yamauchi, and Sudou. Izumi had already left with Sakura to have lunch. So I followed her out.

Horikita got up and went over to Kushida, who was tidying her desk.

"Kushida-san. There is something I would like to talk to you about.

Would you care to have lunch with me?" Horikita asked.

"Lunch? It's unusual to get an invitation from you, Horikita-san. Okay, I'll go." Kushida didn't waver at all. She walked with Horikita toward the school's most popular café, Palate.

"Thank you. So, what did you want to talk about?" Kushida asked.

"I'm putting together another study group for Sudou-kun and the

others. Will you help me one more time?"

"What's your reason for doing this? Is it really for Sudou-kun and the others?"

Kushida clearly understood that Horikita likely wasn't doing this out of altruism.

"No. This is for me."

"I see. So, you look out for yourself, as usual, Horikita-san."

"You won't help someone whose motives are selfish?"

"You're free to think whatever you like. I just didn't want you to try to lie to me. I'm glad you were honest. Okay, I'll help. We're classmates, after all. Right, Ayanokouji-kun?"

"Y-yeah. You're really helping us," I muttered.

"There's something I want to ask you though, Horikita-san. You're not doing this for your friends or to get points. It's so you can get to Class A, right?"

"Yes."

"I can't believe that, though. I mean, isn't it impossible? Oh, I'm not saying you're stupid, Horikita-san. How do I put this, though? More than half of the class has given up, you see."

"Because the gulf between us and Class A is so vast?"

"Yes. To be perfectly honest, I can't imagine how we'd catch up. I'm not sure we can even get any points next month. It's disheartening."

Horikita smacked the table.

"I'm going to do it. Definitely," she said.

"Ayanokouji-kun, are you aiming for Class A, too?" Kushida asked.

"Yes. He's my friend so of course he will help me."

Kushida's eyes changed slightly when she heard Horikita saying he was her friend.

"Hmm. I understand. I want in, Horikita-san."

"To help us with the study group."

"No, not for that. I want to work on getting into Class A with you. I want to help with everything else you'll be doing."

"Huh? But…"

"So, you don't want me to join?" Kushida asked.

She looked at Horikita with wide eyes, prompting her to answer.

"Fine. If everything goes well with the study group, I'll accept your help moving forward," answered Horikita.

Kushida probably had some ulterior motive. Even so, Horikita understood that she had no choice but to acknowledge Kushida's value. Having coaxed a victory from the usually stubborn Horikita, Kushida

excitedly sat up.

"Really?! Yay!" Kushida cheered, a look of genuine delight on her face. She looked really cute this way. But I knew it was fake.

"I look forward to working with you again, Horikita-san! Ayanokouji-kun!"

She extended her left and right arms toward us.

A bit perplexed, Horikita and I shook Kushida's hands.

"Getting Sudou-kun and the others on board again will be a problem, though," Horikita said.

"Yeah. Considering the current state of things, it will probably be difficult," I agreed.

"Well, can you leave that to me? It's the least I can do after you've let me join you," Kushida said.

I felt a little overwhelmed by how quickly Horikita and Kushida were moving.

Kushida took out her cell phone, ready to leap into action immediately.

Soon after, Ike and Yamauchi arrived, looking like they were on cloud nine after receiving Kushida's invitation. As soon as they saw Horikita and me, though, they looked me square in the eye.

"I'm sorry for calling you two over. I have something to ask you, or rather, Horikita-san does."

"Wh-what is it? What do you want from us?!"

What an overreaction. They backed away in fright.

"Are you two joining Hirata-kun's study group?" Horikita asked.

"Huh? S-study group? No. I mean, studying's so boring, and Hirata is annoyingly popular. Besides, we planned to cram the day before. Things should work out. We've gotten by since junior high doing exactly that."

Yamauchi nodded at Ike's words. They were counting on an all-nighter to save them.

"That certainly sounds like an idea you two would have. But if you do, you'll likely be expelled."

"You're acting the same as usual," Sudou said, showing up.

He glared at Horikita. Apparently, Kushida had caught Sudou in her honey trap as well.

"You're the one who should be worried, Sudou-kun. You don't seem to have any fear of being expelled."

"I know that. Drop it, or I'll beat the crap out of you. I'm busy with basketball now, anyway. I'll be just fine if I cram before the test."

"C-calm down, Sudou. Okay?" Ike was acting like he didn't know what they'd said in the chat.

"Sudou-kun, won't you try studying with me one more time? You might manage to squeak by if you pull an all-nighter, but if that fails, you won't be able to play basketball here anymore. Right?" Horikita asked.

"Well, I…I don't want any of your stupid charity. I haven't forgotten the bullshit way you spoke to me the other day. If you want me to join, I want an apology first. A completely honest one," said Sudou, displaying open hostility toward Horikita.

Although Sudou probably realized the danger he was in, he couldn't dismiss Horikita's insults. Of course, Horikita would never give him an apology. No one could ever take pride in saying something untrue.

"I hate you, Sudou-kun."

"What?!"

Instead of apologizing, she spat harsh words at Sudou, throwing fuel on the fire.

"However, our mutual abhorrence is trivial right now. I will teach you for my own sake. You will do your best for your own sake. Am I wrong?"

"You really want to get up to Class A, then? Even if that means inviting someone you hate, like me?" he muttered.

"Yes, exactly. Otherwise, why would anyone willingly involve you?"

Sudou grew more openly annoyed in response to Horikita's incredible bluntness.

'Ugh! And she wanted to show that she had changed. Guess something can't be changed at all. It seems I will have to do the work.'

"I'm busy with basketball. The others on the team never take study breaks, not even before a big test. I can't fall behind everyone else by doing something as boring as studying."

"Sudou, I know that you are busy with basketball. And I even appreciate it. After all, we will get class Points for participating, and when you are in a competition and you win. You will get the points too. But the point is only if you participate. If you don't get enough points you will get expelled. Then you won't be able to play at all. For that, I have an idea and I am sure you could follow it without losing the time."

"What kind of sorcery did you use to come up with that? All right, tell me the plan."

He could make time for studying and club activities.

Sudou, believing such a thing to be impossible, snorted in amusement.

Horikita taking the cue nodded and showed him the plan.

"The test's two weeks from today. You'll all study every day during class like your life depends on it."

"You three don't usually work seriously during class, do you?" she asked.

"You can't know that about us," Ike objected.

"So, you work seriously?"

"Well… No, we don't. We just sit around 'til class is over."

"So, in other words, you waste six hours a day doing nothing. Rather than struggling to study for the one or two hours available after class, we're wasting a far larger and more precious time. We must use this time better."

"Well, certainly… Theoretically, that would work, but…isn't that unreasonable?"

Kushida was right to be worried. They wasted time precisely because they couldn't study normally. If they couldn't manage to discipline themselves during class, I doubted they'd be able to understand the problems by themselves.

"I can't even keep up with class at all."

"I know. So we'll hold a short study session during our free time."

With that, Horikita turned to the next page, spelling out the details of her plan. After the first period, we'd all meet up and discuss what we hadn't understood in the lecture. During the ten-minute break, Horikita would explain the answers to those questions. We'd repeat the process over the next several periods. Of course, this wasn't as simple as it seemed. Since Sudou and the others couldn't keep up naturally, they might not be able to learn the material in such a short time.

"W-wait a minute. I'm kind of confused here. Is this really going to work?" Ike could tell this would be difficult.

"Yeah. I mean, won't it be impossible to understand that stuff in just ten minutes of break time?"

"Don't worry. I'll compile answers to every question and make them easy to understand. After that, Ayanokouji-kun, Kushida-san, and I will each teach you individually, one-on-one."

If we used this system, we might just be able to make them understand in short blocks of time.

"It's just a matter of explaining the answers. You two can handle it, right?" Horikita asked.

"But I still don't think we can do it in that little time. Studying's so

hard."

"One class period covers surprisingly little content. Typically, there'll

be one page of notes, two at the most. If you narrow it down to only the things that will be on the test, you can probably whittle it down to half a page of information. If we somehow end up not having enough time, we can always use our lunch period. I'm not saying that you have to understand the material. I just want you to memorize it. During class, you must focus on the teacher's voice and what's written on the blackboard. Forget about taking notes for right now."

"So, you're telling us not to take notes?"

"Trying to memorize things is surprisingly difficult when you're writing down notes."

"She is right about that. A focus on note-taking would simply waste precious time. At any rate, Horikita had laid out a plan that

didn't use up any time after school. So you should all try it. If you can't even do it, then I won't say anymore and you all understand your situation."

"Just try. Give it a go before you say no."

"I don't want to. I'd rather spend my time differently than a bookworm like you. Besides, I don't even think I could learn to study with such a simple, cheap trick."

Horikita had carefully come up with a plan tailored to the three of them, and yet Sudou still wouldn't agree.

"It seems you've misunderstood. There are no shortcuts or cheap tricks when it comes to studying. You just have to spend your time carefully. That applies not only to study but to everything else as well. Or are you telling me there are shortcuts and cheap tricks in something like basketball?"

"Of course, there aren't. You only improve by practicing, all the time." Sudou inhaled sharply, surprised by his own words.

"For people who can't focus or work seriously, it's impossible.

However, you put all of your effort into basketball. I want you to apply some of that effort to studying, even if it's just a fraction of what you have. Put in the effort so that you can continue to play basketball at this school. Don't throw away your own potential."

Horikita's compromise was small but real. Sudou hesitated. However, his pride still got in the way. He seemed incapable of agreeing to the plan.

"Yeah, I'm still not doing it. I get what you're saying, but I'm not convinced."

Sudou made to turn around and leave, and Horikita couldn't stop him. If he left now, the study group was probably dead. Normally I'd stay out of it, but this called for drastic action.

"Hey, Kushida. Do you have a boyfriend?" I asked.

"Huh? What? I don't. Why would you suddenly ask me something like that?!" she cried.

"If I get fifty points on the test, will you go out with me?" I extended my hand to her.

"Huh?! Wh-what are you saying, Ayanokouji! No, date me, Kushida!

I'll get fifty-one points!" Ike cried.

"No, no, me! Go on a date with me! I'll show you! I'll get fifty-two

points!" Yamauchi said.

"Ayanokouji you shouldn't say anything like that. You could score 100 on the test. Fifty is easy for you."

"Right Ayanokouji, you shouldn't, Instead Kushida talk about us. If we get enough points then..."

Kushida immediately understood my plan.

"H-how embarrassing… I don't just judge people based on something like test scores, you know?" she said.

"But they need a prize for trying. Look at how eager Ike and Yamauchi are. They'd probably be motivated by a reward."

"W-well then, how about this? I'll go on a date with whoever scores the highest on the test. I like people who work really hard, even when they don't like doing it."

'

"Whoa! Yes! I'll do it! I'll do it! Ayanokouji you aren't included here." Ike and Yamauchi breathed heavily in their excitement.

I called out to Sudou.

"Hey, Sudou. What about you? This might be your chance."

That was a bit subtler than yelling, Do you want to date Kushida?

I generally understood Sudou's personality, but it was still difficult to predict whether he'd agree. So I had to find some common ground.

"A date, huh? That doesn't sound too bad. Jeez, guess I don't have a choice. All right, I'll join," Sudou said, his voice small. He didn't turn around.

Kushida sighed deeply in relief.

"Remember, boys are the simplest creatures on earth."

Horikita probably agreed with me. We welcomed Sudou to our group.

The study group seemed to have gotten off to a good start. Of course, no one suddenly loved studying or found great joy in it. However, they all did their part to avoid expulsion so they could continue to spend time with their friends. The Idiot Trio started changing their behavior. They frantically repeated everything written on the blackboard, wracking their brains to understand the problems.

Sudou occasionally came close to passing out during class. His head would bob up and down as he started to doze, but he managed to stay awake, likely because of his professional basketball dreams. Most people would laugh at such high aspirations, but he chased them earnestly. Many of the first-year students, fresh from junior high, didn't have a "dream" yet. Many had only the vaguest notion of what they wanted their future to be. At least Sudou was already working hard in pursuit of his dream. That was worthy of praise.

Once the afternoon class had ended, a satisfied-looking Horikita gave a small nod and glanced at her notes. Apparently, she'd compiled everything together. Even though Horikita was teaching the Idiot Trio, she wanted the best possible results. That was her nature. Our class's evaluation would improve, as would the individual student's abilities. However, trying to get perfect scores was absurd. We didn't intend to reach that far. Helping Ike and the others avoid failing was the best we could do.

When the lunch bell rang, everyone made a mad dash for the cafeteria.

Our break was forty-five minutes long. After lunch, everyone agreed to meet in the library for a twenty-minute study session. At first, we planned to study in the classroom. However, for better concentration, we decided to avoid noise and use the library.

However, the main reason was that Horikita wanted to avoid Hirata. His study group also met during lunch, and if we were reviewing materials nearby, they'd likely try to talk to us. Horikita absolutely did not want that.

"Horikita, what are you doing for lunch?" I asked.

"Well—"

"Ayanokouji-kun! Do you want to eat lunch together? I don't have any plans today!" Kushida unexpectedly hopped out in front of me.

"Ah, okay. Well then, do you want to eat together with Kushida—" I began.

"I already have plans with Izumi. Please excuse me." Horikita stood and walked with Izumi and Sakura.

Izumi gave me a knowing look and said in a whisper, "You like Crazy?"

I understood what he was talking about and shook my head.

"I'm sorry, Ayanokouji-kun. Was I possibly…being a bother?" Kushida asked.

"Oh, no. Not at all."

Kushida waved to Horikita's retreating form as if saying, Bye bye!

Had she planned that, by chance? After I'd discovered Kushida's secret, she'd been rather blatant about keeping tabs on me. Though she said that she believed me, she might still suspect I'd tell someone.

Kushida and I went to the café to get lunch together. When we arrived, the absolute flood of women overwhelmed me.

"What's going on? They're an insane number of girls here," I said.

I'd say 80 percent of the customers were girls.

"This isn't really a place where boys come to eat."

The menu included items like pasta and pancakes, food that only girls would like. Athletic people like Sudou would probably complain about the small portions. There were a few guys, but you could say that they were either coupled up or playboys. Every guy here was either alone with one girl or surrounded by multiple ladies.

"How about we go to the cafeteria after all? I feel kind of uncomfortable here," I said.

"You'll be fine once you get used to it. It seems like Kouenji-kun comes here every day. See?" Kushida pointed to a table in the back, where Kouenji sat surrounded by girls. He looked just as grand and imposing as ever. I'd never seen him around during lunchtime. Was this where he went?

"He seems really popular. Those girls around him are all third years."

Kushida was surprised, too. I overheard some of the conversations between Kouenji and the older girls.

"Here, Kouenji-kun, say 'Ahh!'" one of them said.

"Ha ha! Just as I thought, more mature girls are the best."

He certainly didn't act shy at all around the third-year ladies. Rather, he ate his food while they practically pressed up against him.

"That guy is really something else," I muttered.

"His name seems to be going around lately. People are talking about

him."

I see. So, were those girls after his money? "What a sad world."

"Those girls are just being realists. You can't afford to eat on dreams

alone," she said.

"Are you a realist, Kushida?"

"I'd say I'm a bit of a dreamer. Something like a knight in shining armor would be nice."

"A knight in shining armor, hmm?"

We sat as far away from Kouenji as possible.

"What about you, Ayanokouji-kun? Do you like girls like Horikita- san?" she asked.

"Why'd you bring up Horikita?"

"Well, you're always with her. Isn't she cute?"

Well, I certainly thought she was cute. On the outside, though.

"Know something, Ayanokouji-kun? You've caught the girls' eyes for a little while now. You're on a first-year students' ranking chart."

"Caught their eye? Me? Also, what the hell kind of ranking?"

Apparently, we men had been rated without even noticing. Was it like the ranking we'd made for the girls' breast sizes?

"Well, there are lots of different rankings, you know? The hot guy rankings. The rich guy rankings. The creeper rankings. And—"

"Okay, that's enough. I don't think I want to hear anymore."

"Don't worry. You're ranked a respectable fifth place in the hot guy rankings. Congratulations! By the way, Izumi from our is in the first place. Satonaka-kun from Class A is in second. The third is Hirata Kun and the fourth is a guy from Class A. I feel like Hirata-kun gets lots of points because of his looks and personality. While Izumi kun, well let's not talk. Even though he is good-looking, I don't understand him at all."

I'd expect nothing less from the Class D star. Even girls in Class C and above noticed him.

'Izumi on the first rank, well looks like girls like bad boys like him. With his piercings and hair, he does look good.'

"Is it okay for me to be happy about that?" I asked.

"Of course. Oh, but you also ranked pretty high in gloominess."

"Let's see…" I looked at Kushida's cell phone.

There really were a lot of different ranking charts. I saw a rather disturbing ranking titled, "Boys Who Should Die."

Better not look at that one.

"Are you not really happy about it? You're ranked fifth."

"I guess if I cared about popularity it'd be different, but I don't really feel anything."

Besides, no girl had ever placed a letter with a heart sticker on it in my bag.

"So, does everyone participate in this?"

"Well, not everyone, but lots of people do. I don't know the exact number of votes, though. The comments are also anonymous."

In other words, many unknown variables made it difficult.

"I think you're probably at a disadvantage, Ayanokouji-kun. From my point of view, you're definitely attractive enough to be considered a hot guy, but I don't think people would say you're as beautiful or stand out as much as Hirata-kun. You're exceptionally smart, and you have exceptional athletic ability, but you're not a great conversationalist and don't talk much and try to stand out. Something is missing, some element of attractiveness, you know?"

"Hey, Ayanokouji-kun. Did you have a girlfriend in junior high school?"

"Would it be bad if I didn't?"

"So, you didn't have one? Ha ha, no. No, it's not bad."

"Rankings, huh? What would the girls think if the boys did something like that?"

"They'd probably consider them the lowest of the low."

Her smile didn't reach her eyes. Well, that was to be expected. If the boys ranked girls by cuteness, the girls would vehemently object. There was a definite double standard at play. At any rate, Kushida didn't seem to be treating me any differently than she had before. I'd thought things might have changed since discovering her secret side.

"Hey. You don't have to force yourself to talk to me if you don't want to," I said.

"No, it's not that I don't want to. Talking to you is fun, Ayanokouji-kun."

"Didn't you say that you hated me, though?"

"Ha ha ha, yes, I did. Sorry, but that's how I really feel."

Well, that hurt. Even though she was smiling, she hated me. This was

the worst.

"To tell you the truth, I invited you out to lunch today because I wanted to check with you. Hypothetically, if you had to choose either Horikita-san or me as your ally, whom would you choose, Ayanokouji-kun? Would you choose me?"

"I'm no one's ally or enemy. Even if I am Horikita's friend. And don't worry I won't tell anyone, after all, you still have my handprints."

I said even though I knew she didn't. I will let her do it so that she won't bother me but if she does, I still have the video

"There are some situations where you can't avoid trouble by staying neutral. It's wonderful to oppose war, for example, but you may find yourself in the middle of turmoil at some point, you know? If Horikita and I happen to clash, I hope that you'll cooperate with me, Ayanokouji-kun."

"When you say that…"

"Anyway, try to remember that I'm expecting your help."

"Expecting, huh? If you were to ask for my help, your first priority

should probably be to explain the situation."

Kushida, still smiling, emphatically shook her head. "First, we'd need to build a relationship of mutual trust."

"I suppose."

Neither Kushida nor I understood each other yet. Perhaps in the future, I'd come to have a deeper knowledge of her. Though I won't choose her, she is really two-faced like Izumi said. It seems I will have to help Horikita later.

We gathered in the library one minute later than we'd agreed.

Everyone had their notebooks open, ready, and waiting. The library was a popular study spot, it seemed. First through third years fought to move up in the rankings. I understood it with a glance.

"You're late," Horikita said. Izumi and Sakura had also come with Horikita. It seems he will teach her with us or he had something new planned. He only appeared when something was about to happen.

"Sorry, the crowds were tough."

"You two didn't eat lunch together, did you?"

Ike turned to us, his eyes suspicious.

Kushida and I had actually eaten together, but perhaps it was better to keep that information private.

"Yes, we did. We ate lunch together," Kushida said.

It would have been better if she'd said nothing. Sure enough, Ike and the others glared at me, their discontent plain to see.

Ike looked at me like I was his ancestral enemy. Horikita spoke without glancing up.

"Hurry," she said.

"Okay."

At Horikita's cold command, I sat down and took out my notebook. Izumi was sitting on my right and Sakura was on his right.

I asked him in a low whisper, "Why have you come? And you aren't even bothered by Kushida?"

"What are you saying? What type of person do you think I am?"

"The one who causes troubles."

Izumi gave me a deadpan look and then started focusing on Sakura. He had been only teaching her the topics that will come in the test and giving her the questions with changed values.

While they were talking, Ike And Yamauchi were sneaking glances at Sakura from time to time but then Izumi glared at them and they shrunk down. Both Horikita and Kushida saw this but didn't say anything.

"I thought I might need more help on this, but geography is actually pretty easy."

"Chemistry wasn't as hard as I thought it'd be, either." Ike and Yamauchi sounded pleased.

"Most of the problems boil down to memorization, right? You can't solve many problems in English or mathematics if you don't understand the foundation, though."

"Don't let your guard down. I think there might be current events questions on the test, too."

"Current…events?"

"Events of the recent past related to politics or the economy. That means that the questions may not be limited by what's written in the

textbook."

"Ugh, isn't that against the rules? That means we have no idea what's going to be on the test, doesn't it?!"

"So that's why you should study everything."

'I don't know if Horikita is acting or natural at this. Not even a twitch when she told them to study everything. Guess she had something worth upgrading or She had forgotten about that.'

"I suddenly hate geography…"

"While the test might cover current events, I think it'd be fine to ignore them for now. If you worried too much, you'd likely miss out on something important and suffer for it." I gave them the advice and they nodded.

"Hurry up and study we have been wasting time talking like this," I said and the Horikita gave a jab.

"Yes. We've been wasting time because someone was late."

"Are you still harping on me for that?"

"Here's a question for everyone. Who came up with inductive

reasoning?"

"Um. It was that guy we learned about in class before, right? That was…" Ike wracked his brain and spun his mechanical pencil.

"Oh, that's it. That one guy. His name made me super hungry."

"Francisco Xavier! Or something like that, right?" Sudou asked. Close, but no cigar.

"I remember! Francis Bacon!" Ike cried.

"That's correct."

"Yes! I'm definitely going to get a perfect score!"

"No, not really…"

If we all managed to keep up this pace for another week, everyone might just avoid failing.

"Please be mindful of your health, everyone. If you get sick, you'll have less time to study!" Kushida understood that we had no wiggle room left.

"Don't worry. Not about those three, anyway," Horikita grumbled.

"Just as I'd expect from you, Horikita-chan! I feel like you're starting

to have some faith in us!"

"Actually, she probably meant something more like, 'Idiots don't catch colds'," Izumi said and he looked at the three.

Sakura and I chuckled slightly at his open jab while the five glared at him.

"Focus on her and stop wasting our time, Izumi," Horikita said,

And then Kushida, "Yes, Izumi Kun, It's not good to speak even if it is true."

"On whose side are,.."

"Kushida san.."

"Izumi laughed at them and then,

"Hey, quiet down. Your yammering is getting annoying." A nearby student turned to look at us.

"Sorry, sorry. Guess we got a little carried away. I'm just so happy I got something right. Did you know that Francis Bacon was the guy who came up with inductive reasoning? I won't lose points on that question!" said Ike, laughing foolishly.

"Huh? Hey, could you guys be Class D students, by chance?"

A group of boys all looked over at us at once. Sudou, seemingly irritated by this, sounded mildly angry as he said, "So what? What's the big deal if we're in Class D? Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, no, there's no problem. I'm Yamawaki, from Class C. Nice to meet you." Yamawaki chuckled.

"I have to say, I'm glad that they separate the classes in this school by ability. That way I don't have to study with losers like you."

"What'd you say?!" Sudou's anger flared.

"Don't get mad. I've only spoken the truth. I wonder… If we happened to fight, how many points would you lose? Oh wait, you guys don't even have any points to lose, do you? In that case, you'd probably be expelled, right?"

"Fine with me. Bring it!"

Sudou's shouting attracted attention and looks of disgust. If things got much worse, then the teacher would probably hear about it.

"He's exactly right. We're not sure what'll happen if you create a ruckus. You should remember that you might be expelled as a worst-case scenario. I don't particularly mind that you're bad-mouthing us, but you're in Class C, right? Honestly, you shouldn't really brag about that," Horikita said.

"Clearly there were errors of calculation in placing Class C and A. But you guys in D are on a completely different level."

"That's quite an inconsistent standard of measurement. The way I see

it, everyone outside of Class A is lumped together." Yamawaki stopped laughing and now glared at Horikita.

"Wow. For a defective product that can't make a single point, you're pretty sassy, aren't you? Did you think you could say whatever you like just because you have a cute face?"

"Thank you for your wholly incoherent and irrelevant statement. I was never very concerned about my appearance until now, but after being praised by you, I must say I feel rather uncomfortable."

"Tch!" Yamawaki slammed the table and stood up.

"Hey. Relax. If we're the ones who start fighting, then word will get around and we'll be in trouble." The other Class C students tugged at Yamawaki's sleeves, holding him back.

I was about to step in when Izumi lazily looked at the class C students and said, "Hmm? What are Ryuuen's Dogs doing here? Shoo! Shoo! Go away and wag your tails at him, h might give you some points to spend."

Everyone remained silent when they heard and then Class D's students started laughing. Even the ones at other tables were laughing at them.

"Silence! This is a Library." 3rd year spoke and then everyone stopped but they were still laughing quite.

"Yo-You? Why You? What are you talking about?"

"Oh! So he asked you all to act ignorant. It seems not only he took away all your points but also your dignity and freedom to speak. Yeah Yeah! I got it. Now leave and get lost. Or do you need me to call your master? Gimme his number and I will call Ryuuen to take his dogs away. Man! Must have at least given you all a choker at least, which will show your name and your master's. With this, everyone would stay away from you all and you won't bother us."

Hearing Izumi's sharp words, no one spoke and the Class C students left without saying much. They knew they won't be able to win at all and when Ryuuen learns this,... They messed up and spoke to someone they shouldn't have.

"Speak whatever you want, You do know that you'll be expelled if you fail the next test, right? I'm looking forward to seeing how many of you get kicked out. Especially you, the sharp mouth person."

"Pfff" Hearing this class D students snickered and Sudoe said, "You don't know him?"

Class C students shook their heard and then Sudou said, "This guy scored a freaking 100 in the mock test before and you are saying he will fail. Pff Even in dreams this won't happen. Bye, Bye Losers."

"Unfortunately for you, no one from Class D will be expelled. Before you worry about us, though, perhaps you should worry about your own class. Pride cometh before the fall."

"Ha ha ha! Us, fail? Don't joke around."

They left and this time Class D didn't come to know that the syllabus they were preparing won't appear on the test.

Izumi then looked at us and said, " Stop studying this nonsense. This won't come in the test."

"Huh?" Horikita looked stumped. She wondered why Izumi was telling this and then we both received the message on the phone.

'Act as if you two didn't know.'

"This syllabus that you are studying won't be coming in the test."

Kushida looked at Izumi seriously and said, "What are you saying, Izumi Kun? Are you sure? Because if it's a joke, then this isn't funny."

"That's enough out of you." Sudou, who had had enough of it before, and lost his temper, grabbed Izumi by the collar.

Izumi was still looking at them with calm eyes and told me and Horikita to not bother. Sakura was about to get up but then was stopped by Izumi.

'She really doesn't speak much to use when we are together with others. It seems she still has some time to change.'

"Sudou, Back Down. You will lose everything if you will do this." Izumi looked at Sudou with a sharp expression, the laziness had disappeared from his face and I saw his one hand on Sudou's stomach which other was on the liver's side. His knee was bent slightly and I knew he was bout to kick him in the ball.

"I don't have any points to lose!"

Sudou pulled his arm back. I was about to get up and stop him but before me, I heard

"Okay, stop. Stop!"

A female student shouted at us.

Sudou stopped in response. "What? This doesn't involve you. Stay out of it," he said.

"Doesn't involve me? I'm trying to use the library, so it does involve

me. If you want to get violent, might I suggest that you do so outside?"

In response to the blonde beauty's disinterested yet logical argument, Sudou let go of Izumi.

"Besides, What he is saying is correct? Can't you even listen to what he is saying? Even if you are in the same class, If things continue like this, I'd have to report it to the school. Do you want that?"

"If you're going to study here, please act like adults. Thank you," Ichinose said.

Watching her gallant departure, I had to nod in admiration.

Izumi stood up and left with Sakura not before looking at Sudo and said, "You will regret it Sudou. I didn't plan to bother much but now you have done it."

Saying this, Izumi and Sakura left in the direction of the blond girl I had seen with Hoshinomiya sensei.

"Hey. He said that this question wasn't on the test, didn't he?"

"Even the girl said."

"What do you mean?"

We exchanged looks. Chabashira-sensei had told us that material about the Age of Discovery would be on the test.

'Now I have to act and take them to Sensei. Ugh! Izumi stop leaving me with all these things. But, Sudou, Hahh! I guess something bad will happen now. Let's see what you have planned.'

"Does this mean that each class gets a different test?"

"That seems unlikely. The test should be the same for everyone in the same grade."

We dismissed the group ten minutes before our lunch break was over. We packed up and headed toward the faculty room. We needed to confirm exactly what the test would cover.

"Chabashira-sensei, we have an urgent question."

"Quite the theatrical entrance. You surprised the other teachers," she

said.

"I sincerely apologize for the sudden intrusion."

"It's fine. We're in the middle of something, so please keep it brief."

Chabashira-sensei continued to write in her notebook.

"Chabashira-sensei, last week when you told us what material the test would cover, did you make a mistake? A little earlier today, Izumi told us that the syllabus will be different and even a girl from another class said it..."

Chabashira-sensei listened in complete silence and didn't even bat an eyelash as Horikita spoke. Though she raised her eyes when she heard Izumi's name. Then, she put down her pen.

"That's right. The test's topics changed last Friday. Sorry, I must've forgotten to inform you."

"What?!"

She scribbled something down on a page in her notebook, tore it out, and handed it to Horikita. She'd written down textbook page numbers that referred to the material we'd already covered in class. Most of the new material was from before we'd started the group, stuff that Sudou and the others hadn't learned.

"Thanks to you, Horikita-san, I was able to correct my mistake. I'm grateful to all of you. That's all. Thank you."

"Wait a minute, Sae-chan-sensei! Isn't it way too late for this?"

"I don't think so. You still have one week. If you use that study time wisely, it should be easy. Right?"

Chabashira-sensei tried to shoo us out of the faculty room without the

slightest hesitation. However, none of us moved.

"Even if you stay, nothing will change. You understand that don't you?" she asked.

"Let's go."

"B-but, Horikita-chan! We can't just accept this!"

"As Chabashira-sensei said, staying would be a waste of time.

Instead, we should begin studying the revised test materials."

"But!"

Horikita turned on her heel and left the faculty room, Sudou, and the others reluctantly following after her.

Chabashira-sensei didn't even glance at us as we left.

I'd thought she would apologize for making such a mistake, but she didn't. If anything, I'd thought that some of the other teachers might react to this incident.

'It seems she still doesn't plan to help the class. What exactly are you planning Sensei? With things going on like this, Class D is doomed to fail, Do you want to expel some students or do You plan to...'

'Even though this was a pretty serious mistake for a homeroom teacher to make, none of the other teachers seemed to care.' Hoshinomiya- sensei was seated nearby. Our eyes met. She gave a small smile and waved hello. Well, that was something, at least. However, I didn't think that our teacher had simply forgotten to tell us what would be covered on the test.

When I stepped into the hallway, the afternoon class bell rang.

"Kushida-san. I have a small favor I want to ask you," I said.

"Hmm? What is it?"

"I want you to tell the rest of Class D about the changes to the test."

With that, I handed her Chabashira-sensei's paper with the textbook numbers.

"That's fine, but…is it okay for me to do it?"

"You're the best candidate we have. There's no doubt in my mind.

Besides, we can't take the test when we don't know what's going to be on it."

"Okay, I understand. Leave it to me. I'll tell Hirata-kun and everyone

else."

"I'll get ready for tomorrow. By then, I should have narrowed down

everything we'll need."

"Izumi was right. But if he knew, why didn't he tell us before?" Ike spoke and Sudou also nodded to it. They wanted to speak more but Horikita glared at the duo and they remained silent.

That time they'd spent studying had been squandered, and we were back to square one. Plus, we now only had one week left.

However, our greatest concern was keeping the Idiot Trio motivated. "Horikita. I know I've been difficult, but I'm counting on you." Sudou

bowed to Horikita as he spoke those words.

"Starting tomorrow…I'll take a break from club activities. Will that work?" "That…"

Considering that we had only one week left and time was of the essence, it was a rational decision. However, the offer so surprised Horikita that she couldn't immediately accept.

"Will that really be okay with you? It'll be a lot of work."

"Studying is a lot of work, isn't it?" Grinning, Sudou patted Horikita's shoulder.

"Sudou, are you serious?" she asked.

"Yeah. I mean, I've pissed at our homeroom teacher and those jerks in Class C now, too and then there is Izumi. I don't know what is his problem. Even you two didn't know about this."

Both Horikita and I thought inside, 'We knew.'

You could call this a blessing in disguise or if this was planned by him. After being backed into a corner, Sudou finally developed a positive attitude about studying. He probably realized if he didn't do his best, he couldn't pass the test. His declaration inspired Ike and Yamauchi.

"Guess we don't have any choice. We'll try harder, too, and we will show that we can do it." Ike said.

"I understand. If you're prepared, then we can work together. However, Sudou-kun…" Horikita coldly removed Sudou's hand from her shoulder. "Please do not touch me. If you do so again, I won't show you any mercy."

"You're not cute at all, lady…"

"We're definitely gonna do this!"

"Yeah! Me, too!"

Kushida, who also seemed motivated, stuck out her fist.

To be honest, Horikita and Kushida were better teachers than I was. I didn't consider myself really capable of tutoring others.

"There isn't much time left, so it might be more effective if Horikita and Kushida work together to teach those three rather than tutoring one-on-one. Also, something else is kind of bothering me."

"Something bothering you?"

What had happened in the faculty room was far too serious for me to overlook.

'Let's go and talk with Izumi. If the reason for their behavior is that the first midterm is the same every year, then it's okay. But if they have different plans for behaving like this, I will have to look into it.'

When lunchtime came, I jumped to my feet and headed toward the cafeteria with purposeful strides.

"Where are you going?"

Kushida had noticed me rushing out of class and followed. She popped up before me, stopping me in my tracks.

"It's lunch. I will be going with Izumi. You wanna join?"

" If it was you, I would go but with Izumi Kun, well, let's leave that. Have Fun."

As soon as Kushida heard Izumi's name, she denied it and left me alone. Te seems I will have to use Izumi to make her leave me. Though I could leave already saying that I saw her that day with Izumi but... It's fun seeing her trying to lead me.

I left the room and messaged Izumi. We both met at the cafe.

"What do want to ask? You treat." Izumi said first and ordered something for himself. I knew he would do that.

"Why do you think I want to ask something?"

"You don't want to?"

"I do."

"See. Most of the time, we mess with each other but whenever we accept to give a treat, we have something to ask." Izumi said sagely while stoking his imaginary beard. I imagined him like this and thought of the last time.

'Hmm! yOu are right. Though we don't really need any treatment."

'Ayanokouji, You don't know, the food tastes much better when you are eating it with someone else's money. And if it's your friend's treat, then it tastes even better."

Hearing him, I took out my phone and started to write something."

Izumi came up and saw what I saw doing and started laughing.

"You! You write notes like this. Pff! Just how much of a loner you were. You and your antics."

I put the phone back after writing.

"No, I only write your bits of advice. After all, Sage Izumi is best at giving bits of advice.

Izumi nodded sagely and we did small talk while having lunch.

"So, what did you want to ask about?"

"When Horikita asked about the test. why were other teachers so nonchalant about it? It's pretty bad considering our Homeroom teacher didn't tell us the syllabus and failing leads to expulsion."

"And what did you think about it?"

"The first midterms are the same. So they wanted students to look out and ask others?"

"Yeah! But this is one of the reasons. Think of something else too. Even if you don't know much about the school, You will guess it correctly."

I thought for a moment and said, "Class Points competition?"

"Ding! Ding! You are correct. If the first month was a prologue, the midterms are the first test given to students to earn the Class Points."

"If you hadn't asked Sae sensei, she would have told us tomorrow. The teachers were told to give information in order. First-class A, then B, then C, and at last D."

"Even though there are expulsions, the main motive of midterm was to judge the student's level in analyzing and searching for answers. This school doesn't focus on one aspect of the student but on every aspect. Even if they are best at sports, if they won't focus on communication, academy, social interaction, and other things, they will likely get expelled in the future."

"Now think about the midterms, when we got to know it will be the same, you might have thought something for it, like why? But Horikita, she doen't focus. Her first question was if we should tell everyone. Not, why is it like this or what is school thinking by doing this? Her sports and academics might be good but her other qualities like leadership, communication, social skills, and thinking out of the box, she is bad. Really bad. This is why President MAnabu said he won't reach Class A."

"The Midterms are the first test given by the school to earn class points and they might also be the last test for those who won't try to understand the school or take everything easy," Izumi said all this and then took a sip to use cold coffee.

"So, this is why you chose the farthest seat. You really gave me too much information. It seems I will have to step up a little or it will be late. Though I am sure I won't be expelled, if things go on like this, I won't have any points left. and you won't give any point too, until you need anything."

"It seems you got addicted to luxury. Always thinking about points."

"Heh! And whose fault it is, we spend most of the time in your room, playing games or reading novels? Your room might be the most luxurious in the school. If the girls knew about this, You will become the first-rank richest guy too."

"Oh! So you got to know. I am first on the most handsome list. Though Koenji really enjoys it here. It seems he took my words too seriously. I guess I will bet with him for the next test."

"And what will you bet?"

"Hmm! Let's include you too. If we two score the highest marks in the exam then Koenji will have to help the class for the next 5 tests or exams and if he scores the best, I will give him 2 million points. And if it is a draw, I will give him 100,000 points and he will help us in the next exam. What do you think? You two will make a good duo."

"I want to points too."

"Then I won't allow you in my room."

"Oh You heard it wrong, I said I will help."

"Izumi game I deadpan look and said, "You have become too shameless Ayaonkouji."

"And whose Faault is it?"

"Mine? Sure Sure! It's my fault but it's good, right? It's fun seeing you like this then your apathetic look."

"Yeah! It sure is fun."

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