Chapter 47 Act 9: Scene 1

"As a reminder to all of you, your midterm exams start in five days. I do hope that you have all learned your lesson about taking exams seriously. The mock exam that I gave you last month may have not been recorded, but it does show that almost all of you are incompetent when it comes to your academics."

Chabashira-sensei stood in front of her class with her usual expression, exhibiting an aura of seriousness that basically told everyone there that she wasn't playing around.

The students of Class D couldn't do anything but listen to her attentively. Not even the class clowns in Ike and Yamauchi seemed like they were planning to mess around.

"Remember, if you fail even one of your exams, you are expelled immediately. There are no make-up exams in this school, and pleading to your teachers for a second chance does not work. You'd do well to remember that."

If her intention was to intimidate her students, then she succeeded. The students who were aware of their own weaknesses in academics felt nervous, because they were reminded once again that one failed subject meant expulsion. Even those who were taking their studies seriously felt the jitters, because this was indeed no ordinary school.

One failed test is all it takes for them to possibly end up on the next bus trip home.

"That is all for today's homeroom. Good luck in your next class."

After bowing her head, the brown-haired teacher left the room. Once she was gone, many students let out a collective sigh of relief that nothing bad happened. While the woman was as serious as she always was, all she did was make a statement.

Chabashira-sensei ended their homeroom early, so they still had a bit of time to themselves before their next class. Already, most of the students brought out either their books or notes and began to study some more.





Even Sudo brought out a stack of papers which was a reviewer of sorts, before walking towards Onodera's desk so they could study together.

There were also students who were either too busy with something else, or they weren't doing anything at all. It's either they were already confident of their abilities to pass the exams, or they were completely hopeless.

Two of these students included a certain duo who were humbled about a week ago by a certain 'Masterpiece'.

"Maaaaaan, I'm gonna die... I need a break from all this studying!"

"Same... if only I had a girlfriend who'd put my head on her lap and give me lots of comfort..."

Ike and Yamauchi had all but collapsed on top of their desks, with defeated looks on their faces. They looked tired beyond belief, even though the day had only just begun.

"Would you two take this seriously? It's not like you've been studying as hard as everyone else. But look at them, they don't even look tired."

Shinohara approached the two with an annoyed look on her face. As much as she hated it, she was stuck with them for several weeks because they were in the same study group. Oh, and she was neighbors with one of the idiots too.

"Listen, ugly. I don't normally study, so I'm not like everyone else here who's a freak of nature." Even though half of his face was practically stuck to his desk, Ike still managed to glare at the girl. "Seriously, how are they not tired after all of that?"

In their defense, they were like this because they had been studying... out of fear of a certain person, of course. It's not like they would actually study on their own.

It didn't excuse their behavior, though. Nearly all of their classmates have been studying for weeks in preparation for their exams, and none of them looked like they were about to collapse out of exhaustion.

"You're hopeless," Shinohara spoke as she pulled out a hanky and wiped the drool that was trailing out of Ike's mouth, something that surprised the boy greatly. It's like this was something that she was so used to seeing by now, and simply wanted to get it over with.

"I didn't ask you to do that, ugly!"

Despite his clear dislike for the blue-haired girl, Satsuki was and still is a young woman who was completely single. It also looked like there wasn't anyone else in their class who had the hots for her. Because of this, Kanji suddenly sprung up in his seat, straightening his position so that it seemed like he was never tired in the first place. A blush began to form on his face out of embarrassment.

"No, but it's not like you will! If you make Kushida-san sad again while we're studying, then I'll make sure to hit you where the sun doesn't shine!"



The girl scowled at him and went back to her seat as if nothing happened, with Ike staring at her dumbfoundedly the entire time.

"Tch... who the hell does she think she is?" he scoffed as he tried to hide the rising color in his cheeks. Unfortunately, embarrassment was easily winning over his attempt in denying what he really felt. "Ugh, why did she have to be my neighbor? I'd take anyone else over her!"

Yamauchi sat up as well, miraculously recovering from exhaustion as if he was an anime character. "Hey, at least you're lucky that you're neighbors with a girl. I'm so jealous, honestly."

"If you were in my position, you wouldn't say that. She's a pain in the ass to deal with... even in studying," grumbled Ike.

Yamauchi then remembered that they had yet another study session later in the afternoon, which just made things worse. Fortunately, a bright idea then popped up into his Yama-brain, something that he was certain would work.

"Then why don't we just pretend we're sick today? Kushida-chan's gonna understand if we're feeling weak, right?"

pαndα`noνɐ1--сoМ Ike's eyes widened at his friend's suggestion as he thought about that plan of action. He was immediately enamored with that idea upon realizing that it could give them a chance to rest their minds and bodies for whatever time they had left for the day.

"Yamauchi, you're a genius! I'm sure Kushida-chan will be fine if we're gone for a day or two! There's still time before the exams, right?"

"Yeah! Let's talk to her later!"

As the two agreed to set their plan in motion later on, they suddenly felt a chill run down their spines, as if someone was sending out killing intent towards them in the distance.

They slowly turned their heads to the direction of where they felt it, and they could only gulp nervously at seeing Ayanokouji staring at them. He may look like he didn't care on the outside, but they could tell that there was growing anger in his eyes, causing the two friends to instantly regret what they just did.

It's as if his gaze alone was telling them, "Try it. I dare you."

"Uh, on second thought... bad idea! Let's not do that!"

"Y-Y-Yeah, we can still study! A good lunch is all we need to feel better, nothing more!"

Yamauchi and Ike sputtered nervously, and the two heaved a sigh of relief as the death glare sent towards them disappeared. They remained completely quiet from there, as they feared that something bad would happen again if they continued...

Meanwhile, from where he was sitting, Kiyotaka shook his head in slight disappointment. He had thought that the two idiots would have learned their lesson after last week, but it seems that old habits die hard.

"Ayanokouji-kun," he heard a voice call out to him.

"What?"

The young man turned his head to look at Suzune, who rested her elbows on top of her desk and clasped her hands together, before breathing into them.

"Do you believe all of us can pass the midterm exams? I want you to consider everyone in this class in your answer."

He raised an eyebrow at the weird question, but quickly thought of an answer right away.

"I believe so," he answered honestly. "They know the consequences of failing now, and a lot of them have been humbled after losing almost all of the points that we were supposed to receive this month. I'm certain that all of them wouldn't want to know what it feels like to receive no points at all in the next month."

"Do you think that they have the mental capability to pass their exams, though?"

Ah, so that's what this was about. She was worried about everyone's performance at the upcoming midterm exams. It was quite a surprising sight to see her being worried, though. With how calm and composed she is most of the time, one would never be able to tell that she felt worried.

"I understand your worry, but you should have faith in your classmates, Horikita. The human mind has almost no limitations when one exerts a lot of effort in a particular goal. You also underestimate Hirata's skill in uniting the class. Ever since he took over and asked everyone to cooperate in studying, all of them agreed to participate."

"I am not underestimating Hirata-kun," she shook her head. "It's as you said before that. I am indeed a little worried that some of our classmates won't be able to pass our exams, despite all of their efforts put into studying. After all, it's entirely possible for a student to fail their exams even if they have studied hard."

"Your worries will only make everything worse, you know. I think everyone's doing their best to make sure they don't fail, even those two perverts."

Suzune turned to him with a frown. "And how do you expect to remedy my worries when it's possible for it to happen? By praying and hoping for a miracle?"

Kiyotaka was about to answer her, only for a new voice to cut into their conversation.

"Ayanokouji-kun!"

The two turned their heads to see Kikyo skipping over towards them with a big smile on her face. She looked considerably happier than before for some reason, and Kiyotaka knew why...

"Do you want to eat lunch together?" she asked him.

"Is that really a question you should be asking?" he asked her in return. They already eat together for lunch on a regular basis. Inviting each other for lunch was ridiculous at this point.

"N-No, I didn't mean that," Kikyo chuckled in embarrassment. "I meant... do you want to eat lunch with me? Alone, that is."

He raised an eyebrow curiously. Perhaps she wanted to talk about what happened yesterday, but it could also be about something else. "Is there any reason why we shouldn't include Horikita? Do you need to talk to me about something?"

"I'm sure Horikita-san is going to be busy with something, so I figured I should ask you before you think of eating alone or anything."

"She's right, Ayanokouji-kun. You two can have lunch without me," the black-haired girl agreed. "I will be busy during lunch, anyway."

Kiyotaka turned towards Suzune. "Busy with what?"

"Tutoring our classmates who are part of my study group. I've told them that we'll be having an impromptu session later on during lunch to maximize our time. Our exams are next week, so they have to exert more effort in their studies."

"I wonder how you convinced them, Horikita-san. You basically told them to give up their lunchtime in favor of studying," Kikyo sweat-dropped.

"I simply told them that they can eat while we are studying, provided that they stay focused on the topics that we will go over."

"Good luck with that, I suppose..." Kiyotaka muttered, a bit worried for the girl about how that might go down later on. She might snap at one of their classmates for prioritizing their lunch over studies, which would then lead to a major problem and so on.

"Thank you," said Suzune, as she released a sigh of relief. "While I am confident in my abilities, I feel that it would be a challenge to teach our classmates during our lunch break."

Both Kiyotaka and Kikyo were taken aback at her demeanor. Was Suzune actually doubting herself? The girl who saw herself as someone superior over everyone?

"That's a big change from the Horikita that I met at the bus," the young man thought to himself in awe. This also meant that she wouldn't scold anyone about eating food instead of reading their notes. "Are you saying that you can't do it?"

"That's not what I mean. I do understand that our lunch break is intended for eating lunch, and it may hinder our classmates' focus. It may also cause them to complain about our arrangement and lead to conflict, which is something that I wish to avoid as much as possible."

Kiyotaka nodded in understanding. He could definitely understand why she felt that way. If it was up to him, he wouldn't tell Kei or Airi that they will be utilizing their lunch break for studying.

But alas, it was Suzune's group and he wasn't in charge of them and so far, she was doing a good job of being a tutor towards them. That in itself was surprising, because Ken was a part of her group but then again, it's due to Kayano's presence that he's being an obedient student who's willing to give his all in his studies.

"Horikita-san, nothing bad is going to happen if you just talk to our classmates," Kikyo spoke up. "I know you don't really like being friends with everyone, and you don't have to be. Having a normal talk with our classmates is all that you need to do."

Suzune stared at her for a brief moment, before thinking about what her friend just said. There was certainly some merit in her words. It's true that she wasn't fond of the idea of being friends with every single one of her classmates, but it wasn't really a requirement in talking to them.

Furthermore, it's not like she had trouble speaking with other people. She only chooses not to if it's not required of her to do so. She could definitely talk to the students that she's currently helping if something bad happens.

"Perhaps... perhaps you're right, Kushida-san. I'll be sure to follow your words should something happen later on. Thank you."

Suzune bowed her head slightly in thanks, while Kikyo returned it with a bright smile.

"You're welcome, Horikita-san! That's what friends are for, right?"

Kiyotaka just stared at Kikyo after she said those words, wondering if she really meant it or she was just putting up an act. After all, it was not a secret to him anymore that the beige-haired girl bore an intense hatred for Suzune, although he had no idea why.

But maybe... he'll be able to find out later on.