"Whew—"
After escaping the teacher's office and returning to the classroom, Hikigaya finally let out a sigh of relief. At the same time, he gained a new understanding of how competition worked at this school.
It wasn't just students competing with students or classes competing with classes. It seemed even the teachers had their own rivalries.
The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. Teachers were supposed to be banned from interfering in student affairs, but that wasn't an absolute rule. Small tricks could be ignored, or they could subtly hint at things to students without directly getting involved.
Chabashira-sensei was a perfect example. If that was the case, then all of her little "nudges" before suddenly made sense. But wasn't that a bit extreme?
"Looks like I'll have to be more careful from now on and take this factor into account."
"H-Hikigaya-kun, are you okay?"
A small, hesitant voice suddenly came from beside him, startling him.
"Sakura?"
Hikigaya turned his head in surprise and glanced around before confirming that she was actually talking to him.
As far as he could remember, this was the first time Sakura had ever spoken to him in the classroom, which made it even more shocking.
Seeing Hikigaya's reaction, Sakura's face immediately turned red, and she lowered her head in a panic. She had spoken without thinking, and now she was starting to regret it.
*Oh no, oh no, should I have just stayed quiet?*
*This is so embarrassing x100!*
She curled up in her seat, trembling slightly.
Hikigaya had been about to say something, but seeing her reaction, the words got stuck in his throat.
*Am I really that scary…?* he thought, feeling a little hurt.
And… what's up with you today, Horikita?
From the moment he entered the classroom, Hikigaya had noticed Horikita's gaze subtly shifting toward him from time to time.
"Hey!"
With the exam about to start, the usually cold and aloof Horikita finally couldn't hold back.
"I've told you so many times—don't call me 'hey'!"
Still lost in his own gloom, Hikigaya wasn't in the mood to argue.
"If you've got something to say, say it quickly."
"You—!"
Horikita's eyes widened, clearly about to snap at him, but then she remembered how thoroughly she had been 'put in her place' by Hikigaya not too long ago. She held back—barely.
"Hikigaya, have you heard any rumors?"
"No. I don't care about gossip."
Horikita took a deep breath, telling herself to stay calm.
"It's about the midterms. A rumor suddenly started spreading last night—something about earning private points for getting good scores."
Hikigaya raised an eyebrow.
So it's about that?
Haruno had mentioned it just last night, and now Horikita was bringing it up too. He immediately realized there was more to it and understood what she was getting at.
"Looks like you've figured it out, so I won't say any more."
"… "
Seeing the look on Hikigaya's face, Horikita seemed to confirm her suspicions.
Hey, Horikita, don't just assume things on your own!
—
"No one's skipping the exam, so it looks like everyone's here."
Chabashira-sensei walked into the classroom as usual, wearing an unreadable smile. But Hikigaya noticed something—her eyes landed on him the moment she stepped in.
That's not a good sign.
"You've improved a little compared to last month. So, anything you want to say?"
"For this midterm, everyone in class has studied hard. I'm sure we'll all pass without any problems!"
As the class leader, Hirata spoke up first, full of confidence.
And it wasn't just Hirata.
The rest of the class also looked completely sure of themselves.
Even those two fools who were panicking just yesterday were acting all smug now, walking around with their noses in the air. One of them even bragged about getting a perfect score.
Yeah, right. Dream on.
"The midterm and the upcoming final exams—if no one fails either of them, I'll take you all on a vacation this summer."
Chabashira-sensei's words came out of nowhere.
"A vacation?!"
"Seriously? We won't be stuck in school?"
"That's right. A dreamy getaway to a beautiful island surrounded by the deep blue sea."
The moment she finished speaking, the classroom exploded with excitement.
Especially those two monkeys, who were so hyped they actually let out a few literal monkey cries.
Seriously, can't they behave?
But something felt off to Hikigaya.
Chabashira-sensei—usually cold, distant, and uninterested—was suddenly being so enthusiastic and proactive?
Something was up.
And so, Hikigaya's first midterm exam at ANHS officially began.
"Just as I thought."
The exam questions… were identical.
Not 'almost the same' as the practice tests Kushida and the others had shared yesterday.
Exactly the same.
Hikigaya couldn't help but feel speechless.
This school claimed to be testing students' thinking and observation skills by hiding practice tests as a secret advantage.
But to him, it felt completely pointless.
Teaching a child how to cook should focus on helping them improve and learn step by step, not telling them it's fine if they can't cook because there's always instant noodles, ready-made meals, or takeout. That's just ridiculous!
So even though the test questions were exactly the same as the practice ones, Hikigaya didn't feel happy at all. Instead, he felt disgusted.
As expected, this school had ways to solve things both within the rules and outside of them. So when they say "strength above all," does that just mean knowing how to "play the system"?
It was dirty but realistic—just like society.
For most students like Hikigaya, all they could do was accept it, just like now.
...
The five midterm subjects went by in the blink of an eye. Hikigaya then spent a fulfilling weekend in his dorm, watching tokusatsu shows and Pretty Cure. By Monday, the classroom was buzzing with students eager to see their test results.
As Chabashira-sensei pinned the score sheet on the board, she commented, "It looks like you all put in a lot of effort last month. Your scores are quite high. In Japanese, Social Studies, and Math, we have tied top scores, with more than ten students getting perfect marks. This is beyond my expectations."
It was hard to tell if her smile was genuine praise or sarcasm. But when Horikita heard that so many students had gotten full marks, a flicker of unease crossed her face.
"We've done all we could. Now, we leave it to fate."
Hikigaya let out a silent sigh.
Hearing the results, most of Class D was overjoyed. Even Sakura had a happy and excited expression, showing how much pressure the possibility of expulsion had put on everyone.
But there were exceptions—like a certain red-haired boy who sat there nervously, waiting for the final two subjects.
Chemistry and English.
Class D's students had done well in these subjects too. While there were no perfect scores, most had scored above 80, with only a few around 60.
No... there was one particularly eye-catching score that started with a "3."
Sudou Ken. English. 39 points.
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