"Seems like you're a bit late today."
Inside the library, Hiyori put down her book and curiously asked the person who had just arrived.
"Ah… b-because I got held up by something."
Hikigaya avoided eye contact. There was no way he could admit that he had scared Sakura so badly that she ran away. That would be way too embarrassing—a black mark on his record for sure.
Ever since he "met" Sakura, Hikigaya felt like his collection of embarrassing moments had been growing at an alarming rate. He couldn't let this keep happening!
"Really? Then why are you sweating so much?"
Hiyori tilted her head in curiosity and pulled a pack of tissues from her pocket, handing it to him.
Hikigaya quickly thanked her and wiped his face, then asked why she was at the library today. Lately, she had been busy running study sessions for her classmates, so he hadn't seen her alone in the library for a while. Their encounter last night had been a complete coincidence.
Hearing his question, Hiyori sighed.
"The plan was to tutor Ishizaki and the others today, but right before school ended, Ryuuen called them away for something."
She looked displeased. Judging by how she had scolded Ishizaki and the others last night, it was clear that Hiyori wasn't the type to blindly obey Ryuuen. But here she was, sitting in the library, venting her frustrations to Hikigaya.
"This isn't your fault, Hiyori. You just don't want to see your classmates stuck in a tough situation."
Hikigaya understood her kindness. She wasn't submitting to Ryuuen—she just didn't want Ishizaki and the others to suffer because of her.
Knowing Ryuuen's personality, Hikigaya figured he wouldn't target Hiyori directly. Like Hirata, she was someone who genuinely cared about the class. The fact that Ishizaki and the others had been sent to warn Hikigaya to stay away from her was proof of that.
That kind of "noble cause" might seem vague, but when needed, it could carry a lot of weight.
At least during midterms, Ryuuen wouldn't do anything to Hiyori. He might even protect her.
But just because he wouldn't go after her didn't mean he wouldn't target others. Ishizaki, Yamashita, and the others would be his pawns. And knowing Hiyori, she wouldn't just stand by and watch them get hurt, which meant Ryuuen could use her kindness against her.
Seeing her looking down, Hikigaya decided to change the topic.
"By the way, Hiyori, what do you think about this midterm exam?"
"My thoughts? Well, isn't it just about everyone studying hard, helping those who struggle, and passing together? The rule about failing leading to expulsion is a bit harsh, though."
Hiyori didn't overthink things. To her, this exam was just like any other, except for the strict expulsion rule.
"Helping everyone must be exhausting, huh?"
Hiyori sighed and nodded.
Exhausting wasn't even the word for it—it was enough to make her lose her mind.
Class C didn't have many academically strong students, even fewer than Class D. On the girls' side, aside from Hiyori, there were two other students who were decent at studying and could help tutor. But the boys? A total disaster. Other than Kaneda Satoru, there was no one reliable.
Which meant Hiyori had to pick up the slack.
The ones she had scolded last night—like Ishizaki and Yamane—were among those she was tutoring. Imagine having to teach a bunch of rowdy guys who didn't listen and constantly caused trouble. It was a miracle she hadn't snapped and walked out yet.
"Uh… Hiyori, I really feel for you."
Hikigaya sympathized with her situation. She was basically playing both mom and dad for the class.
Horikita, on the other hand, had already lost her temper countless times over this. Kushida had to run around smoothing things over, acting cheerful while keeping up appearances. It was a thankless job that only brought frustration.
Hikigaya had seen the same thing happen over and over again between Horikita and the three idiots in his class. They clearly disliked each other, yet they had to work together for the study sessions. It was absurd.
At least Kushida played a key role in keeping things together. Her "monkey training techniques" were truly top-notch.
"Actually, there's an easier way to handle this."
Hikigaya glanced at a certain spot, thought for a moment, and then spoke.
He pointed to the practice test on the table in front of Hiyori.
"From what I've learned from the student council, every year, first-years go through this 'fail and you're expelled' midterm exam. The same goes for second and third years."
He paused, letting Hiyori process that information. She quickly caught on.
"You mean… there are past test questions?"
Her eyes widened in surprise.
"Exactly."
Hikigaya nodded mysteriously. "There's a high chance that this year's midterm exam will be exactly the same as last year's. Even the previous quizzes were identical, without any changes."
"But wouldn't that be against the school rules?"
For Hiyori, who always followed the rules, this seemed completely outrageous.
Hikigaya shook his head. "No, it's actually the opposite. The school doesn't have any clear rules about this. It's like they accidentally left this loophole open. Or rather, this midterm exam is a test from the school to see how well we can use the rules to our advantage."
Using past exam questions was the 'hidden rule' for passing the midterms, the other method that Chabashira-sensei had hinted at for avoiding failing grades.
Seeing that Hiyori still wanted to say something, Hikigaya quickly interrupted. "Actually, it's really easy to prove this theory. We just have to ask upperclassmen if they're willing to sell us past exam papers. Their reaction will tell us whether it's true or not, right? For lower-ranked classes, this is a way to make sure students who are at risk of failing don't get expelled."
For higher-ranked classes, these past papers weren't very useful, but for lower-ranked classes, where academic performance was generally weaker, they were an 'absolute safety net.'
What Hikigaya said was logical, and the result was undoubtedly the safest and most effective option.
It made sense, yet Hiyori still looked uneasy.
To her, relying on these kinds of shortcuts felt wrong. If they used this trick to pass this exam, what about the next one? Even if they managed to scrape by every test with luck and shortcuts, life wasn't something you could always rely on tricks to get through. In fact, this was no different from cheating.
What Hiyori really worried about was that using these shortcuts would make her classmates develop a lazy mindset, a habit of wanting rewards without putting in any effort.
Just as she was about to speak, two figures appeared behind Hikigaya without him noticing.
"Ishizaki-kun? Ibuki-san?"
Before Hiyori could say anything, Ishizaki was already shouting impatiently at Hikigaya. "Hey! Didn't I warn you last night to stay away from Hiyori?!"
"Ishizaki-kun!"
"Sorry, Shiina. This is Ryuen-san's order."
Hiyori frowned and was about to respond, but Hikigaya stopped her. He shook his head, signaling that it was fine. After giving Ishizaki and Ibuki a deep look, he packed up his things, said a quick "See you next time" to Hiyori, and left on his own.
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