After finishing her speech, Horikita Suzune immediately pulled out several textbooks and began explaining more advanced concepts to the others in the room.
"If they can grasp these concepts, I'll have them tackle even more challenging material. That way, the class's overall performance will improve even further!"
Hearing Horikita's words, Saiki Kusuo felt a wave of despair.
He never imagined she'd say something like that.
Originally, Saiki thought his actions would put an end to this pointless study session. He never expected Horikita to push these guys to aim for even higher scores.
"Seriously? You think these people, whose combined brainpower might not even rival that of an average monkey, can actually master this stuff?"
Saiki sighed helplessly in his mind. It meant all his previous efforts had been for nothing.
"So... does this mean the study sessions will keep going? What was the point of everything I've done...?"
...
For the next stretch of time, Saiki was forced to join Sudō Ken and the others in receiving Horikita's lessons every day.
Their entire class had also obtained last year's midterm exam papers from upperclassmen. With this resource, they felt even more confident about the upcoming test.
Saiki kept a close eye on Ryūen Kakeru and Kushida Kikyō, but they didn't seem to be making any unusual moves during this period.
Before they knew it, two weeks passed, and the midterm exams arrived. There were four major subjects, all to be completed in a single day.
"The midterm exams have officially begun. Remember how important these tests are. Anyone who fails will face expulsion. Don't forget that."
In the classroom, Chabashira Sae smiled as she addressed the students.
"Starting with these midterms, anyone who fails an official exam will be expelled. Since this school was founded, no class initially ranked as D has ever made it through midterms without expulsions. I'm not sure how you managed to climb to Class C, but I know this: you're all still defective. Unless you reach Class A, you're nothing but trash."
"No matter what methods you use, show me what you've got. Let's see what kind of scores you can pull off this time."
Chabashira then began distributing the exam papers. Saiki glanced at the questions—they were almost identical to last year's test. With the advance materials, they should be able to achieve decent scores.
Horikita's study sessions weren't entirely useless—at least Sudō and the others could understand some of the questions now.
Saiki didn't rush to start writing. Instead, he carefully listened to the thoughts around him.
"I understand this question! I know the answer!"
"That's something to be proud of, for you."
At that moment, Sudō's face lit up with excitement, far happier than when he scored thirty points in a basketball game. It was one of the rare times he could understand an exam question. He looked up, his gaze confident, and scanned the room. Seeing others writing furiously, he calmly filled in his answers, as if strategizing a battle.
"I have to score well... Only then can Kushida-san in my dreams accept my confession."
"You could aim a bit higher."
Ike Kanji was also writing intently, determined to prove his worth.
Saiki observed the others, gauging the difficulty of the test. He decided what kind of score he should aim for.
Initially, he planned to maintain a mediocre score, as usual. But remembering Horikita's words, he realized that if he didn't score well in math, she'd likely cause more trouble.
"I'll aim for a decent math score... It'll shift my ranking a bit, but that's fine. I'll lower my scores in other subjects to keep my overall rank in the middle. If I keep scoring averagely, Ayanokōji and Chabashira will keep hounding me."
With that thought, Saiki changed a few answers.
...
The day after the exams, during the first period, Chabashira entered the classroom with a spring in her step, holding the score sheets.
"She's a minute earlier than usual. Looks like she's in a good mood—our class must have done well."
Saiki thought to himself.
"The exam results are out!"
Sudō's face was eager, more excited about test results than ever before.
"I've been dreaming about study material lately. If this keeps up, I won't need to worry about exams!"
"I'm not helping you anymore."
"Maybe I'll even score higher than Horikita this time."
"Looks like all this studying has gone to your head."
"Midterm results are up!"
Chabashira posted the score sheets on the board, the last one showing each student's total score.
The moment the scores were revealed, Saiki confirmed his own: math was in the top quarter of the class, while English was near the bottom.
"Creating a gap in subject rankings while keeping my total score in the middle."
Saiki nodded in satisfaction. He'd navigated the exams perfectly, avoiding trouble and excessive attention.
Meanwhile, Sudō stared at the scores in shock.
"What?! I thought I did well, but I'm still last?! They must've graded it wrong! They definitely did!"