Chapter 102: Yamauchi Haruki's Despair
Meanwhile, in the Class A dormitory.
Kamuro Masumi was sipping a drink while looking at Sakayanagi Arisu with a serious expression. "I say, Sakayanagi, why did you send that guy the answers?"
The "guy" Kamuro was referring to was, naturally, Yamauchi Haruki. Though they hadn't had much contact, Kamuro had zero positive feelings toward Yamauchi. To her, he looked like a total loser no matter how you sliced it.
But Kamuro also knew very well that Sakayanagi Arisu was by no means a "good person."
"That guy... last time you sent him the answers, he couldn't even break into the top ten."
"That is precisely what assured me the plan would succeed, Masumi-san." Sakayanagi's face wore a meaningful smile. "Next, Yamauchi Haruki—that ant-like existence—will dig his own grave. Isn't that wonderful?"
"..."
"Yamauchi Haruki must pay the price for his own actions." Sakayanagi narrowed her eyes slightly.
Two days later. The day of the midterm exams.
The early morning sun filtered through the classroom windows, casting patches of golden light across the desks. Usually boisterous, the classroom was exceptionally quiet today, with only the rustle of turning pages and occasional whispers rising and falling.
Karuizawa Kei sat in her seat, clutching a notebook, muttering under her breath. Her expression was far more serious than usual; her brow was slightly furrowed, and her lips were pressed into a thin line.
"I'm doomed, I'm doomed, I'm doomed..." she whispered. "I feel like I can't remember anything..."
"Kei-chan, you've recited that ten times already," Sakura Airi said softly from beside her. She had practically memorized the points Kei was trying to study.
"Because I'm nervous!"
"It... it's okay... the points Keima-kun explained, you've definitely remembered them..."
Kei glanced at Katsuragi Keima in the corner. He still had his head down playing a game, as if today's exam had nothing to do with him.
"He's certainly not nervous at all," Kei pouted.
"Keima-kun... is always like that..." Airi whispered, "But the points he explained really are useful..."
Kei nodded. True. During this week's study sessions, even though Keima spent the entire time playing games, those few minutes he spent looking up to explain things always hit the mark with pinpoint accuracy.
Things like "This point will definitely be on the test," "The trap for this problem is here," or "Remembering this formula will save you half the time"... Most importantly, he was able to perfectly distill the core knowledge from the teacher's lectures.
"..." She grumbled quietly, "How does he even know..."
Kushida Kikyo sat not far away, also holding a notebook. But she wasn't looking at it. Her gaze was fixed on Katsuragi Keima. He was wearing a standard school uniform today, his hair was a bit messy, and he looked exactly like he did any other day. But for some reason, Kushida just couldn't stop looking at him.
"Kikyo?" Sato Maya's voice suddenly rang out.
Kushida quickly retracted her gaze. "W-what is it?"
"What are you looking at?" Sato Maya followed her line of sight, happening to catch the side profile of Keima's lowered head. "Oh~ looking at Keima~"
"I was not..."
"You were~ I saw it~"
"Not at all. I was just memorizing knowledge points just now."
"Kikyo, you and Keima aren't dating, are you?"
Sato Maya's sudden question startled Kushida, who hurriedly denied it.
"Eh, not dating? That's great!"
"That's... great?"
"Then I can try to pursue Keima too!"
"What!?" Kushida looked at her in shock, thinking she had misheard.
"Keima-kun is actually very handsome! I'm a total sucker for looks!"
"..."
"What is it, Kikyo?"
"No, nothing!" Kushida smiled awkwardly, but her heart was a whirlwind of complex emotions. She couldn't hear a word of what Sato Maya said next.
'What is this feeling?'
On the other side, Horikita Suzune sat in her seat with a reference book spread out before her. She quickly scanned a few key problems, then closed the book and shut her eyes to rest.
A nearby classmate asked curiously, "Horikita, are you done looking?"
"I'm finished."
"So fast?!"
"There are only a few key points," she said flatly. "Besides, what Katsuragi explained is already sufficient."
The classmate was stunned. Horikita Suzune actually acknowledged someone else's teaching? Was the sun rising in the west? But the classmate didn't pry and went back to reviewing.
In the classroom, various sounds intertwined: the turning of pages, low whispers, and the scratching of pens against paper.
And then...
"Hehehe..."
An eerie laugh drifted from the corner. Yamauchi Haruki sat in his seat, staring at his phone screen, his smile becoming increasingly brilliant. On his screen was a screenshot of that encrypted folder. Chinese, Math, English, Physics, History... he had memorized every subject's paper and every answer by heart.
"..." he muttered to himself, "It's a guaranteed win..."
Ike Kanji leaned over curiously. "Yamauchi, what are you laughing at?"
"Nothing, nothing!" Yamauchi quickly hid his phone. "It's just... just thinking that we get a break after the exams. I'm happy!"
Ike looked at him suspiciously but didn't think much of it and went back to his book.
Yamauchi complained wildly in his head: 'Read a book? What's the point? I have the answers; I could beat you guys with my eyes closed!'
He thought about the last monthly exam. That damn Katsuragi Keima had actually mocked him in public, making him lose face completely. But this time was different. This time he was smart. Sakayanagi said these questions were different from last time; no one would find out. And he had specifically gone online to look up second-year formulas. Even if Keima asked him again, he could answer.
"Just you wait... Katsuragi..." He clenched his fists, eyes glittering with excitement. "This time, I'll show you who the real genius is!"
Soon, the exam officially began. The bell rang, and Chabashira Sae entered the classroom holding the test papers.
"We will now begin distributing the papers. Please put away all items unrelated to the exam."
A rustling sound filled the room. Yamauchi sat up straight, a confident smile on his lips. The paper was handed to him. He took a deep breath and looked down at the first question—
And then, his smile froze.
Qu-question one... what is this?
He blinked and looked again. He still didn't recognize it. No, wait, why was this question different from the one he memorized?
He frantically flipped to the second page. The third page. The fourth page. By the time he finished flipping through the entire paper, his complexion had turned from ruddy to deathly pale.
Nothing. Not a single one. Not one of the questions Sakayanagi Arisu gave him appeared on this paper!
"H-how is this possible..." His voice began to tremble. "Impossible... impossible..."
The proctor walked over to him. "Yamauchi-kun, is there a problem?"
"N-no..." he managed to squeeze out.
The proctor glanced at him and walked away. Yamauchi stared at the paper, his mind a total blank. All those answers he had memorized by heart, the steps he stayed up all night to learn, the "sure-win secret weapons" he thought would make him soar... they were all useless. All of it was useless!
He tremblingly picked up his pen and looked at the first multiple-choice question. Four options, and he didn't understand a single one. Just pick one...
Question two, still didn't understand. C...
Question three, pick...
He mechanically filled in the answer sheet, his head buzzing. How could this happen? Didn't Sakayanagi say she gave him the answers? Didn't she say the questions were different from last time so no one would find out? Then why... why wasn't there a single one?!
His hand shook more and more violently, his pen drawing crooked marks on the answer sheet.
"..." he whispered to himself. "Even without the original questions, I can do it myself... I can do it..."
But when he looked at the next question, that hard-won confidence collapsed again. This question... he couldn't even understand the prompt. He stared at the dense text, feeling as if he were looking at a celestial script. He recognized the characters, but combined together, he had no idea what they were saying.
What to do? WHAT TO DO?!
Sweat began to pour from his forehead, large drops sliding down his cheeks. Beside him, Ike Kanji was writing furiously, looking as if things were going smoothly. In front of him, Sudo Ken had his brow furrowed, but at least he was writing. Only he sat there, gripping his pen, unable to write a single word.
"Yamauchi-kun," the proctor's voice rang out again, "Thirty minutes left."
Thirty minutes?! He had done fewer than ten questions! He frantically continued to guess. A, C, B, D, A, C... It was all guessing anyway, what difference did it make? But his hands were shaking, his heart was racing, and his mind was a mess.
It was over. Completely over. He was definitely going to hit rock bottom this exam.
After a twenty-minute break, it was the second subject. When the papers were distributed, Yamauchi still held a sliver of hope. Maybe the previous exam was just an accident? Maybe this subject would have the original questions?
But when he saw the first major problem, that sliver of hope shattered completely. Nothing. Not a single one. None of the problems he had memorized, none of the steps he spent all night learning, appeared on this paper.
He looked at the first major problem, his mind a blank. It was a comprehensive quadratic function problem. Three sub-questions, all interconnected. He remembered a similar problem in the answers Sakayanagi gave, but the numbers were different, the conditions were different, and the way it was asked was different. He tried to apply those steps, but he got stuck halfway. Because the numbers were different, the calculations in the middle didn't match at all.
What to do?!! Sweat began to pour from his forehead again. Only he sat there, pen in hand, staring dazed at the first problem.
Ten minutes passed. He hadn't written a single word.
"Yamauchi-kun," Chabashira Sae's voice rang out, "Half the time is gone."
Half the time?! He looked at the paper; he hadn't even finished the first major problem. The second, the third, the fourth... there were still so many questions! He frantically continued writing. If he couldn't do it, he guessed. He picked 'A' for multiple choice, '0' for fill-in-the-blanks, and for the major problems, he wrote the word "Solution" followed by a few random formulas, hoping to scam some partial credit for the steps.
But when he looked at the final major problem, he was completely stunned. It was a geometric proof. The diagram was complex, the conditions were numerous, and it required several auxiliary lines. He couldn't even read the prompt, let alone prove anything.
It was over. All over.
Third subject, English. Fourth subject, Physics. Fifth subject, History. Every subject was the same scene. The paper would be handed out, Yamauchi would flip through it full of hope, and
then his face would get whiter, his hands would shake harder, and his sweat would flow more freely.
Nothing. Not a single one. None of the questions Sakayanagi gave appeared on these exams.
He began to suspect: was Sakayanagi Arisu playing him? But why? Why would she do this? He had no grudge against her; why would she want to harm him? He couldn't figure it out. And he didn't have time to figure it out. Because the exam was still ongoing, and the paper was waiting for him to fill it.
He could only continue to guess. A, C, B, D, A, C... what difference did it make? But after finishing his guesses, looking at the empty paper and the scribbled handwriting, a deep sense of despair welled up in his heart.
He was definitely going to hit rock bottom. No, not just rock bottom—he would be dead last. Those two idiots Ike and Sudou would definitely score better than him this time. And Keima, Horikita, Karuizawa, Airi, Kushida, Sato... everyone would score better than him. He would be the last in class. No, maybe the last in the entire grade.
"..." he whispered to himself, his voice carrying a sob.
Chabashira Sae walked over to him, glanced at him, and said nothing. But Yamauchi understood that look. It was the look one gives a loser.
When the final subject was over, the bell rang.
"It's finally over—!" Karuizawa Kei rushed out of the classroom, hands held high. "Freedom! Freedom!"
"Kei-chan, lower your voice..." Sakura Airi followed behind, her face turning slightly red.
"Lower it for what! When exams are over, you have to be loud!"
Sato Maya also came out, a smile on her face. "I feel like I did pretty well this time! The points Keima explained actually showed up on the test!"
"Right, right!" Kei nodded repeatedly. "That quadratic function problem, he just explained it last week! I still remembered the steps!"
"And that English reading comprehension! He said it was a must-know, and it really was!"
The two girls discussed excitedly. Airi listened from the side, a smile on her face as well. She did well this time too. She remembered all the points Keima had explained.
Kushida Kikyo walked out of another classroom, saw them, and walked over with a smile. "How did you do?"
"Great, great!" Kei said excitedly. "What about you, Kikyo?"
"It was alright," Kushida smiled. "The things Katsuragi explained did indeed appear on the exam."
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