"So they made some changes? Still the same old mess in new packaging. Honestly, Mashima-sensei had a point. The classes I used to lead were always Class A. And now? You expect me to lead this group? What level is Class 1-D even at right now? Sato, Shinohara—they're all joining the study group, but do you seriously think they can learn? They just don't have the capability."
"Last month's quiz was already a disaster. At this rate, they won't even make it past midterms. And after midterms comes finals... though some might not even be around by then if they're expelled first."
"From another angle though, Class 1-D's average score will be low, meaning the passing line should also be lower..."
"Oh wow, thank the heavens! Most of Class D never built a solid foundation in middle school. Do you seriously believe they'll miraculously cram and ace everything in three months? Be realistic. Let's just finish learning the basics from elementary and middle school first. Mashima practically handed them the key points for the midterms. His notes were basically just the exam questions with a cover. These kids don't deserve a teacher that good."
"Exactly! From that perspective, it's perfect for Chabashira-sensei to be locked with Class D. Let 'em rot together."
"Rotting and reeking! Cheers to Class 1-D!"
Horikita Suzune rubbed her temples in exasperation. In front of her, two students continued their exaggerated act. Strangely enough, Karuizawa Kei, though a Class 1-B student and their leader, blended into Class D's group chat like she belonged there.
"You two... don't seem worried at all."
"Worrying won't magically turn Class D students into model pupils overnight."
Kitagawa Ryo gave Kei a high five before lounging back in his chair with a smirk.
"Maybe I'll have the whole class come to you tomorrow, Ryo. You look so relaxed and confident. Meanwhile, I've been cleaning up every lesson's key points on the board after class. Should I stop wasting my time then?"
Suzune's sharp gaze drilled into Ryo. Her recent strategy involved writing the lesson's key points during every break—capturing what little the students still remembered right after class to reinforce it. According to her, this barely kept their goldfish memories afloat until midterms.
"Didn't Honami offer to help you out? You two could take turns."
Ryo was now holding the ever-snuggling Hotaru, lazily playing with her chin.
"Good girl..."
As he stroked the cat's soft fur, he seemed to drift into his own world.
Suzune sighed softly and turned toward Sakayanagi Arisu.
"Sakayanagi, do you have any ideas?"
Still half-asleep, Arisu lifted her head from the table and replied in a drawl:
"I can guarantee my own passing score. That takes care of one-thirty-eighth of the problem."
"...You are one of only two student council members in our year. Could you put in a bit more effort?"
"I can also ensure Matsushita-san passes. That bumps us up to one-nineteenth. Doubled my contribution."
She lazily raised two fingers and yawned. The warm afternoon sunlight filtered through her silvery hair, casting dappled patterns across the desk.
"Speaking of which... where's Ichinose-san?"
"Probably holding a study group in the library. Most of the girls in our class probably prefer Honami over Suzune."
Still playing with Hotaru's paws, Ryo guided the cat through a fake martial arts routine.
"I'm done!"
Just then, Sakura Airi, who had been diligently working with her headphones on, finally raised her hand with relief.
Due to spending two years as a full-time idol, Airi's academic level was barely first-year middle school—if that. As soon as the midterm announcement came from Mashima, she'd asked Ryo for one-on-one tutoring.
But somehow, his room had become a de facto girls' tea party.
It seemed like everyone was guarding their one-on-one time with Ryo like it was sacred.
"Ryo, check it for me."
"You could just mark it yourself using the answer sheet."
Despite his words, Ryo obediently dragged his chair over to Airi's side. Pulling a red pen from a nearby holder, he began checking her test sheet line by line.
He couldn't help but reminisce—how as a kid, he'd dreamed of wielding the power to decide someone's fate with a single pen stroke.
If our roles were reversed, I'd show you what real...
"Question four is wrong."
Ryo tapped the page sternly with the pen.
"Airi."
"Ryo, are you about to teach me something?"
She turned toward him, her bright smile catching him off guard. No trembling under the weight of judgment, just beaming confidence. Ryo briefly wondered if he'd misread the answer.
He checked again—nope, still wrong.
"Question four."
"Mhm."
Airi leaned in even closer, her hands cupping her face as she asked:
"That question..."
"The solution's written here. I outlined three methods using different formulas from our test range. Pick whichever makes the most sense to you."
Across from them, Horikita Suzune neatly tore a page from her notebook and handed it over.
"Let Ryo continue checking."
No ulterior motive, just genuine concern for a classmate. Once done, Suzune lowered her head again.
…
"These are the same practice problems he used before. Took me a while to find this set."
"If all goes well, he should make it to this year's math competition."
"Skim through for now. We'll eat in ten."
"I'll grade it after you're done."
The memory struck Suzune suddenly. And now, even simple problems in front of her seemed difficult.
She was much more complete now. No longer obsessing over her brother Horikita Manabu. She had earned his approval.
But still... moments like this made her unreasonably nostalgic.
Like gums with all the teeth pulled—strangely present, ticklish when left alone, and thorny when touched.
-------------------------------------
"Ayanokouji-kun—shall we have lunch together? I cleared my schedule today just for it."
Just as Ayanokouji Kiyotaka stepped out of Class 1-A after the morning lessons, he heard Kushida Kikyo's voice calling out to him from behind.
"...Sure, no problem."
He hesitated slightly but quickly agreed.
"That's such a relief. Ever since we went to that mixer together, you haven't asked me out again. I was starting to worry that maybe I'd upset you somehow."
With a breath of relief, Kushida flashed her trademark sweet smile.
"Let's head to the café, then."
"Kushida-san... no, Kikyo, you decide."
Recalling her preferences, Ayanokouji quickly switched to a more familiar tone. Though he wasn't sure yet what connection Kushida had with Kitagawa Ryo, if he wanted to track down the spy in Class A, he needed to use Kushida's web of connections.
They chatted casually about class matters as they walked toward the café. But the moment they pushed the door open, Ayanokouji was immediately overwhelmed by the overwhelmingly feminine atmosphere.
Over 80% of the patrons were girls, chattering away like birds in a forest.
"The food here isn't exactly guy-friendly."
Kushida seemed perfectly at home. She led Ayanokouji straight to a cozy booth inside. Soon, the server brought them iced water and menus.
Flipping through the menu, Ayanokouji noted it was full of pastas, pancakes, and other sweets—definitely girly fare. Judging by what he saw on other tables, the portions were small. For a guy, probably two sets were needed just to feel full.
Most of the boys present weren't there to eat, clearly. They were accompanying girlfriends, or worse, surrounded by groups of girls like some sort of harem kings.
"Maybe we should just eat at the cafeteria? I feel a bit out of place here."
"You'll get used to it. The food's great."
"And who knows? A girl might take a liking to you and ask you out."
Kushida chuckled as she expertly ordered a meal set for him.
"I doubt random good luck like that would ever happen."
"You never know, Ayanokouji-kun. Girls have been keeping an eye on you. In fact, your name showed up on one of the first-year girls' rankings."
"Girls are paying attention to me? What kind of ranking is this..."
He played along, trying to keep the conversation light.
Though, he did feel a small twinge of something unfamiliar—maybe this was what a normal high school atmosphere felt like.
"There are all kinds of rankings: hottest guys, richest guys, creepiest guys... and then there's—"
"I feel like I don't want to know."
"Don't worry! You ranked fifth on the hottest guys list. Congrats! By the way, first place is Kitagawa from Class D, then Hirata, and third and fourth are also guys from Class A."
"Some girls even wonder if classes were divided by looks."
A familiar name came up, but Ayanokouji didn't ask directly.
"Hirata's still officially on the soccer team, right? He only came in second?"
"That's because Kitagawa is just too amazing. Word is, even upperclassman girls voted for him."
"But don't worry, being ranked fifth means a lot of girls think you're cool too."
"Should I be happy about that?"
"Of course. Oh, but you also ranked high on the 'gloomy guys' list."
"...I see."
Kushida showed Ayanokouji her phone, which had an entire list of guy rankings.
Some even had dangerous titles like Top Guys We Wish Would Just Die.
"So don't be discouraged. If you want to date someone, I'm sure you could."
It felt like his previous talk with Kushida about dating had left a deep impression. In her eyes, Ayanokouji was probably just a hopelessly thirsty guy now.
"If I actually felt popular, that might be different. But I've never once found a love letter in my shoe locker."
"Well, not every girl participates in the voting. And it's anonymous, so votes and comments aren't visible."
"Then boys might be sneaking in votes too."
In short, the ranking system was hardly reliable.
"Still, the top rankings do match known reputations. Like Kitagawa and Hirata."
Seeing an opening, Ayanokouji asked casually:
"Didn't you mention back at karaoke that you knew Kitagawa from middle school?"
"Yep, we went to the same middle school and were even in the same club."
Kushida answered with a smile and even added:
"And I heard he started a drama club at this school too. I still don't get why the school placed him in Class D. He's totally Class A material."
"Maybe the school had its own reasons."
Ayanokouji replied neutrally, then followed up:
"Come to think of it, I haven't seen Kitagawa around school much."
Feigning a hint of jealousy about the rankings, Kushida giggled and comforted him:
"Kitagawa doesn't really hang out in places like the library. He's either in the classroom or the clubroom. Mostly he just stays in his room. He was like that in middle school too—likes being alone."
Their food arrived, and Ayanokouji used the opportunity to steer the topic elsewhere:
"About the midterms, Class A should have no trouble, right?"
"Right. Even the weaker students have been improving."
"But just passing won't help Class A widen the gap against other classes."
Ayanokouji feigned the perfect level of anxiety. In the White Room, he'd received specific emotional training. This was a chance to put it to use.
"But isn't Katsuragi..."
"Kikyo."
Putting down his utensils, Ayanokouji spoke earnestly:
"Actually, the reason I accepted your invitation today is because I wanted to confirm something with you. Hypothetically, if I were to have a conflict with Katsuragi, whose side would you take?"
He immediately observed Kushida's reaction.
"I'd really prefer if everyone could just get along."
She elegantly dodged the question.
"The world isn't so simple. If a conflict arises, I hope I can count on you. Everyone in Class A is relying on you."
"They have expectations... but if you want my help, shouldn't you tell me what's going on first?"
Kushida maintained a flawless smile, clearly avoiding any openings.
"Fair."
"Anyway, the food here really is great."
Though he hadn't gotten the answers he wanted, Ayanokouji still gained some insight. He picked up a long strand of pasta and complimented the dish.
"I'm glad you like it."
Kushida gently passed him a napkin.
"You've got some sauce on your cheek."
"Thanks."
Ayanokouji wiped the spot and focused on eating.
If Ninomiya's package had truly been sent, it would have caused waves by now.
But a week had passed, and with midterms only two weeks away, there was still no response.
It seemed Kitagawa had noticed and dealt with it.
Midterms, huh...
After the meal, Ayanokouji instinctively took out his phone to pay with points—only to suddenly remember he had zero balance.
He had agreed to surrender all monthly-issued personal points to Kitagawa.
"I'll pay."
Kushida quickly stepped forward, sensing his awkwardness, and paid for both meals.
This little incident drew the eyes of half the café.
But Ayanokouji didn't show a trace of embarrassment.
He simply lowered his gaze.
Points.
As expected, the key to the midterms would be points.
And now, he was beginning to understand Kitagawa Ryo's plan.
The problem was—he still had no way to counter it.
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