'Buying exam papers from upperclassmen?'
Saiki Kusuo glanced at the upperclassmen nearby. Most of them were discussing the upcoming exams.
In this school, exams were the most important factor affecting class points. Exam scores were the measure of a student's ability.
The school only cared about the final exam results. No matter what methods students used, the school wouldn't interfere.
Even cheating was allowed, as long as it wasn't discovered.
Finding ways to achieve high scores was, in a sense, one of the abilities the school tested in its students.
Saiki Kusuo listened to their conversations and thoughts, gathering some important information.
In this school, the content and format of exams weren't fixed. However, for freshmen in their first semester, the exams were generally basic written tests.
Each class's point evaluation was determined by the class's average score. The higher the average score, the more points the class would receive.
Not only that, but if a student failed their midterm or final exam, they would be expelled immediately.
Expelling failing students was, in a way, the reason why Advanced Nurturing High School had a 100% college acceptance rate.
Perhaps due to school regulations, both upperclassmen and students seemed to deliberately hide the school's rules from freshmen.
'So it's based on the average score, huh.'
Saiki Kusuo thought to himself. For him, exams were no problem at all. Although he wasn't as smart as Saiki Kusuke, high school-level questions were far too easy for him.
However, the issue of the average score was a bit troublesome for Saiki Kusuo.
Given Class D's current attitude toward studying, their exam results would likely be far from ideal.
'I'm not sure about the relationship between exam scores and class points, but based on Chabashira-sensei's reaction, this exam seems to carry a lot of weight. If all our class points are deducted, it'll be a problem. There are still so many dessert puddings I haven't tried yet. If all our points are deducted, it'll be a bit of a hassle. I don't want to be dragged down by those guys.'
Saiki Kusuo thought this to himself.
Although Saiki Kusuo had the ability to score high, doing so would draw too much attention. Moreover, even if one person scored high, it would have a limited impact on the class average. The real issue was the students who might score low.
For example, the trio of idiots.
Getting them to study seriously would be harder than climbing to the sky.
'Should I try to convince them to study? I can't do something like that, and even if I did, they probably wouldn't listen.'
'Should I use mind control? No, that ability could affect the entire world. If I turned those three into studious students, who knows what the world would become? Yare yare, although I don't want to interfere too much, I at least need to raise the class average a bit.'
'I need to come up with a suitable method—something that has an impact but isn't too extreme.'
Saiki Kusuo fell into thought. At that moment, he caught a familiar voice. He turned to look and saw Kushida Kikyo chatting and laughing with other classmates on the other side of the cafeteria. The trio of idiots was also nearby.
Watching their interactions, an idea formed in Saiki Kusuo's mind.
He first opened the Affection Meter and checked Kushida Kikyo's affection levels toward those around her. Most were around 50, while her affection for the trio of idiots was only slightly above 40.
However, Kushida Kikyo showed no signs of dislike. Her face was always adorned with a kind smile, flawless and without any cracks.
'Impressive.'
Saiki Kusuo thought to himself, then changed the Affection Meter's target to the trio of idiots. Their affection for Kushida Kikyo was over 80.
The difference in attitude was quite stark.
After observing, Saiki Kusuo noticed that most classmates had high affection levels for Kushida Kikyo, generally above 70.
Aside from the proud Horikita Suzune and the indifferent Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, everyone else got along well with Kushida Kikyo. She likely had some influence in the class and could be "used" to some extent.
Saiki Kusuo didn't want to personally tell Kushida Kikyo about the exam. He didn't want to cause more trouble for himself, so he used his telepathy to transmit the thoughts of the upperclassmen to Kushida Kikyo. To her, it would feel like she had overheard their conversation.
"Huh?"
After hearing the voices, Kushida Kikyo turned around in confusion, scanning the crowd before finally spotting the upperclassmen. She quickly walked over to them.
"Senpai, did you just mention something about a surprise exam...?"
Seeing Kushida Kikyo approach and ask about the situation, Saiki Kusuo felt his goal had been achieved.
With Kushida Kikyo's personality and abilities, she should be able to quickly gather the relevant information from these upperclassmen.
Saiki Kusuo then left the cafeteria and headed back to the library. After confirming with his telepathy that Shiina Hiyori wasn't there, he quickly returned the books he had borrowed the previous day and picked up a few more novels Shiina had recommended. Thanks to their text conversation, Saiki Kusuo hadn't been spoiled and had actually developed some interest in these novels.
To avoid any risk of spoilers, Saiki Kusuo left the library as quickly as possible and returned to his dorm, planning to spend his lunch break reading and enjoying some rare private time.
'I have to admit, Shiina's recommendations are pretty good.'
'Although they're quite obscure, the suspense is well-crafted. The bookstores near my house don't seem to carry these.'
'I'll finish the rest in one go later.'
Saiki Kusuo checked the time. Lunch break was almost over, so he closed the book and returned to the classroom.