The crisp morning air of early November carried with it the faint anxiety that always preceded the release of results.Inside Class D, the atmosphere buzzed with tension. The students had grown accustomed to the rhythm of this school — every victory was a temporary reprieve, every failure a potential death sentence.
The monitor flickered, and Sae Chabashira stepped forward, clipboard in hand.
"Alright, everyone. Let's get this over with. Your midterm results are out."
Murmurs swept through the class. Pages of printed scores were passed from row to row.
Hirata leaned forward, scanning his sheet with visible relief. "Everyone passed. No expulsions this time."
A collective exhale filled the room.
I — Sōshi Miyamoto — looked down at my own paper. My score was solid, nothing exceptional, but enough to hold my ground. What surprised everyone wasn't the top scorers like Horikita Suzune or Kiyotaka Ayanokōji. It was the boy sitting a few seats away, scratching his head and grinning awkwardly.
"Yo! Check it out!" Sudō Ken shouted. "I went up twelve ranks!"
The class erupted in laughter and cheers. Even Ike and Yamauchi clapped him on the shoulder.
"Guess all that training during the sports festival paid off," I said, smiling faintly.He grinned back. "Heh, guess I ain't just good with my fists anymore."
Horikita glanced at him with a mixture of disbelief and quiet pride. "It's not just about your athletic ability, Sudō-kun. You've finally proven you can do more than fight."
He rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. "Well, I had some help studying."
From the back of the room, Ayanokōji observed silently, expression unreadable.
Horikita turned toward him. "You didn't even try to go for the top score again, did you?"
He met her gaze evenly. "I did enough."
Her eyes narrowed. "You could've easily beaten me."
He didn't reply, but inside, he reasoned it out.
If I stand out too much, I'll give myself away too fast. Best to stay just behind her — close enough to influence, far enough to stay unseen.
Chabashira's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"This time, you've done well, Class D. Honestly… I didn't expect this much improvement."
It wasn't sarcasm. It wasn't mockery.For the first time, she sounded genuinely impressed.
"Don't get comfortable, though," she continued. "The next challenge will determine how far you've really come."
The screens behind her shifted, revealing the details of the next special exam.
"The next test," Chabashira announced, "is what we call the 'Final Coexistence Examination.' Eight subjects, fifty questions each."
A soft groan rippled through the class.
"There are two conditions for expulsion," she continued.
"First: if the combined total of a pair scores under sixty points on any test. Second: if your cumulative total across all subjects falls below a certain threshold. Last year, that was seven hundred points."
She wrote the numbers on the board, her chalk tapping rhythmically.
"In other words, even if you pass every individual subject, your pair can still be expelled if your total average is too low. This exam demands teamwork and balance."
The class immediately started speculating about the pairing system. Ike raised his hand first. "So we get to choose who we team up with?"
Chabashira smirked. "Of course not. That would be too easy. The pairs will be determined automatically."
Her gaze swept the room.
"The student with the highest overall score will be paired with the lowest, the second-highest with the second-lowest, and so on."
A murmur of concern spread.
"That way," she said, "even our weakest students have a chance — provided their partners cooperate."
Then, she turned toward the screen again, the next set of rules appearing.
"But that's not all. For this special exam, you will design your own test questions — not for yourselves, but for another class."
The students froze.
"Yes," she continued, smiling thinly, "you'll be 'attacking' another class with your set of questions. The class that scores higher in the end will take fifty class points from the loser."
The room exploded with chatter.
"So, basically, we write hard questions for another class?" Ike asked.
"Precisely. But remember — your questions will be reviewed. Any that are deemed impossible or unfair will be replaced by the school's template."
Horikita's brows furrowed. "So it's a battle of wits between classes."
"Exactly. The question is — who do you want to attack?"
She let the silence linger before adding,
"If two classes attack the same one, the system will randomly select who gets the privilege. Choose wisely."
Chabashira left the board filled with numbers, rules, and possibilities — a battlefield disguised as an exam.
As class ended, students clustered in groups, whispering strategies.I leaned back in my chair, watching Ayanokōji, who was as still as ever, lost in quiet thought.
He wasn't staring at the board — he was analyzing the people.His eyes flicked briefly to Kushida, who was smiling and chatting with Hirata as if nothing in the world could ever shake her.
Ryūen and Ichinose will start suspecting me soon, Ayanokōji thought. It's inevitable after the sports festival. I'll need to push Horikita further into the spotlight. Let her absorb the attention. I'll fade again into the background.
He made a mental note to strengthen her influence — not through power, but through perception. A shadow behind the light.
After class, Horikita asked both Ayanokōji and me to stay behind.The classroom emptied slowly until only the three of us remained.
She closed the door quietly and turned toward us.
"There's something you both should know," she said.
Her tone was heavier than usual.
"It's about Kushida Kikyō — and why she hates me."
Ayanokōji tilted his head slightly. "You've known all along, haven't you?"
She nodded. "The first time I saw her, I realized who she was. Back then, she reminded me of you — calm, observant, always trying to hide what you're capable of."
I frowned. "But if she's like Ayanokōji, why does she hate you so much?"
Horikita hesitated before answering. "Because… we went to the same middle school."
That made us both blink.
"She probably assumed no one from that school would come here," Horikita continued. "It's far away, after all. But I did."
Ayanokōji leaned forward, interest flickering in his eyes. "What happened between you?"
Horikita's expression darkened. "Kushida was… popular. The center of attention. Everyone adored her. But then, rumors started circulating — that she was the one who caused our class to collapse."
"Collapse?" I repeated.
"Yes. Overnight, friendships shattered. People turned on each other. Graffiti filled the blackboards — slanderous, cruel things written everywhere. The teachers tried to contain it, but the situation was beyond repair."
She paused.
"The school never made it public — it would've ruined their reputation — but everyone knew something happened."
Ayanokōji folded his arms. "You think she was being bullied?"
Horikita shook her head. "I don't know. There were too many rumors. Some said she was the victim; others said she instigated it."
I frowned. "Won't she hate you even more if she finds out you told us?"
Horikita met my gaze calmly. "Probably. But at this point, I'd rather have clarity than pretense."
Ayanokōji's tone was quiet. "For her to destroy a class like that… it had to be deliberate. Calculated."
Horikita's eyes lowered. "Maybe she used lies."
He nodded. "That would fit her pattern. Psychological, not physical. Manipulation over force."
For a moment, none of us spoke.The faint hum of the air conditioning was the only sound in the room.
"As long as Kushida and you are enemies," Ayanokōji said finally, "Class D will never be stable."
Horikita's jaw tightened. "Then I'll just have to find a way to change that."
The following day, a select group gathered in the study room: Ayanokōji, Horikita, Kushida, Hirata, Karuizawa, Sudō, and me.
The tension was immediate. Kushida's smile was immaculate — perfectly polite, perfectly fake.
Horikita began, "We're here to discuss how to clear this special exam. As you all know, the pairing system will balance top and bottom scorers."
Sudō groaned. "So I'm stuck with whoever bombs the test?"
Hirata gave him a reassuring look. "Not exactly. We can strategize our scores to control the pairings."
Kushida's smile didn't waver. "I see. So, basically, if we manipulate who gets what score, we can decide the pairs."
Ayanokōji nodded faintly. "Correct."
Horikita added, "We also need to decide which class to attack."
Karuizawa raised her hand tentatively. "If we attack someone weaker, we could win easily, right?"
I shook my head. "But if we target someone too weak, we might lose more than we gain. The stronger classes have more predictable patterns. Less randomness."
Ayanokōji glanced at me. "Exactly. And the only class we can realistically analyze right now is—"
"Class C," Horikita finished. "Ryūen's class."
The group exchanged glances.
Kushida tilted her head sweetly. "Isn't that risky? Ryūen's unpredictable."
"True," Ayanokōji said calmly, "but his arrogance makes him predictable in another way. He'll underestimate us. That's our opening."
Horikita nodded. "Then it's decided. We'll attack Class C."
Sudō pumped a fist. "Hell yeah. Time to crush those jerks."
As the meeting went on, they began dividing roles — who would draft questions for which subject, how to balance difficulty, and how to keep their weakest from dragging down the average.
I caught Ayanokōji watching Kushida. She was taking notes, smiling, acting like the perfect team player. But her eyes — just for a moment — glinted with something venomous.
He noticed it too. And when their gazes met, she smiled wider.
That night, the dormitory was quiet. Most students were already studying or gaming in their rooms.
A message pinged on my phone — from Ayanokōji.
Good work today. Keep your distance from Kushida for now. She'll test you next.
I smiled faintly, typing back
Got it. I'll stay cautious.
In the quiet halls of the upper floors, Ryūen Kakeru leaned against a window, scrolling through his tablet.The data from the sports festival and the midterm was displayed in graphs and numbers.
"So, Class D's planning to attack us, huh?"
His smirk widened. "Good. Let them."
Behind him, Ishizaki looked nervous. "Boss, should we—"
"Relax," Ryūen interrupted. "Let them think they're the hunters. We'll show them what happens when prey bites back."
Far away, Honami Ichinose stood by the vending machine, reading the same update from her class's network, her expression calm but thoughtful.
"Ayanokōji-kun… what are you really planning?"
And somewhere in her room, Kushida Kikyō closed her notebook, her smile returning.
"Horikita… Ayanokōji… You can plot all you like. I'll still be the one everyone loves."
Outside, the campus lights flickered as if foreshadowing the battles to come.