His voice suddenly became extremely oppressive: "Any attempt to distort rules or disrupt a fair competitive environment will, once proven, face severe sanctions from the Student Council. There will be no exceptions."
This was a clear warning, seemingly aimed at Student Ryuuen, but also encompassing everyone present.
"Today's discussion ends here. You may leave."
Horikita Manabu issued the dismissal, turning back towards the window, no longer looking at them.
Tachibana Akane stepped forward at the opportune moment, softly gesturing to Sakamoto and Student Ryuuen: "Classmates, please follow me."
Student Ryuuen snorted, turned without hesitation, and followed Tachibana Akane towards the door.
Sakamoto, however, bowed slightly towards Horikita Manabu's back, performing an impeccable farewell, then calmly followed suit and left.
The room door gently closed.
Sakamoto and Student Ryuuen walked side-by-side down the corridor.
The two were silent, appearing very harmonious, until they reached a fork in the road.
Just then, Student Ryuuen suddenly stopped, turned around, a look of undisguised mockery on his face, and looked at Sakamoto.
"Hey, Sakamoto."
His voice was provocative, "How does it feel to have your Class A sold out and still helping count the money? There was a traitor in your class who leaked information to our Class C, which is how we got 910 points. Did you know about it early, or do you simply not care? Or perhaps you actually can't control anything and are just putting on a brave face?"
Student Ryuuen directly revealed the entire reason why his class was able to achieve such a high score to Sakamoto.
He was essentially throwing caution to the wind, as it now seemed that the cooperation between Sakayanagi and him had completely broken down, and the information about the s system had also been made public.
Most importantly, why was Sakamoto still so calm?
He had fallen for his scheme last month, and this month, their class points were almost caught up.
Student Ryuuen wanted to see Sakamoto lose his composure.
He stared intently at Sakamoto, trying to find a crack in that unruffled face.
He was extremely annoyed by Sakamoto's perpetually composed demeanor.
Sakamoto stopped, turned to face Student Ryuuen, his gaze from behind his black-rimmed glasses calmly meeting his, unmoved by Student Ryuuen's almost blatant accusation and provocation.
"Student Ryuuen seems quite concerned about the internal affairs of our class."
Sakamoto's voice remained clear and steady, "There are many ways to acquire class points. That Class C achieved excellent results is naturally due to Student Ryuuen's capable leadership; there's no need to attribute it to baseless speculation."
He gently adjusted his glasses and continued: "As for the upcoming exams, it remains to be seen. If Student Ryuuen is interested, we can each rely on our own abilities."
Student Ryuuen watched Sakamoto's back disappear down the corridor, then spat.
"What a pretentious guy..."
He cursed under his breath, but a hint of doubt flickered across his face.
Sakamoto's reaction was too calm, making him somewhat unable to fathom him.
Was that traitor in Class A, Sakayanagi Arisu, part of his plan after all?
Or did Sakamoto really have some backup plan?
He snorted coldly and turned to walk in the other direction.
Regardless, he would show no mercy in this month's competition.
From the Class A students he had already interacted with, Kamuro Masumi and Sakayanagi Arisu did not seem like difficult opponents.
No matter how formidable Sakamoto was, he was still just one person.
Class A was nothing special.
First Year Midterm Exam: Chapter 054: Sakamoto Entrusts Others
The midday cafeteria was bustling with noise, the aroma of various dishes mingling with the boisterous chatter of students.
In a relatively quiet corner, Horikita Suzune and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka sat next to each other.
In front of Horikita Suzune was a standard student meal, clearly the most economical choice.
Meanwhile, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's plate was piled high with a deluxe meal of fried pork cutlets, tempura, and an extra soft-boiled egg.
This "luxurious" lunch was paid for by Horikita Suzune.
The reason was simple: during the morning break, this girl, who usually kept to herself and rarely asked for help, had uncharacteristically approached Ayanokoji, making a slightly stiff request: "Classmate Ayanokoji, are you free at noon? Could you... have lunch with me?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had merely glanced at her expressionlessly at the time, without asking further, and simply nodded: "Yes."
And so, the current scene unfolded.
The two ate in silence for a while, the faint clinking of cutlery the only sound.
Horikita Suzune ate gracefully and attentively, while Ayanokoji maintained his usual unhurried eating pace.
Finally, Horikita Suzune was the first to put down her chopsticks.
She picked up a napkin, wiped the corner of her mouth, and looked up at Ayanokoji, who was still working on his thick pork cutlet.
"I have something I need to discuss with you."
She got straight to the point, "Hirata Yousuke and the others have already started acting to prepare for the upcoming Midterm Exam."
Ayanokoji's chewing didn't pause; he merely looked up at her, indicating that he was listening.
He had heard about Hirata taking the lead in organizing study sessions.
"They've started a study group," Horikita continued, her brows furrowed, "but the three worst-performing students in the class—Yamauchi, Ike, and Sudo—they refused Hirata's invitation."
"Those three clearly don't want to study," Ayanokoji swallowed his food, responding blandly.
This was an obvious fact.
"To fail even such a simple pop quiz, I never thought there were truly such hopeless people in real life."
Horikita's tone carried a hint of barely concealed disdain, "But if we let them be, they'll definitely fail the next test too. This will drag down the entire class's average score and, in turn, affect the acquisition of class points."
She paused: "We are currently at 0 points. We cannot afford to lose any potentially obtainable points, and we must seize every opportunity to strive for them. If we want the class to improve, we absolutely cannot lose points in such basic exams, right?"
Ayanokoji put down his chopsticks.
He understood.
Horikita wanted to entrust him with the troublesome task of convincing the "idiot trio" to join the study group.
Just as he was considering how to respond, whether to agree directly or to haggle, a smiling, somewhat unfamiliar voice suddenly interjected.
"Excuse me, you two, may I interrupt?"
Horikita Suzune instantly looked up, alert, her icy gaze shooting towards the source of the voice.
Ayanokoji also slowly turned his head.
He saw an unfamiliar male student in a school uniform who had approached their table at some point.
He wore an overly enthusiastic, almost deliberate smile on his face; his hair was styled somewhat flashy, and he exuded a slickness that seemed out of place in a school setting.
"Sorry, sorry, I mean no harm!"
Seeing Horikita's wary gaze, the Second-Year Senior Student quickly raised both hands in a harmless gesture, "I just happened to be passing by and heard you discussing something related to class points, and it sounded very interesting, so I took the liberty of coming over."
He explained with a smile, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Horikita and Ayanokoji: "You're First Year students, right? I'm a second year."
Ayanokoji silently observed the other person. He had indeed never seen such a person among the First Year students.
"Then, Second-Year Senior Student," Horikita Suzune's voice remained cold, "why did you suddenly come over? Do you want to teach us methods to improve class points?"
There was a hint of probing in her words—asking a senior student for advice was, theoretically, a possible avenue.
The Second-Year Senior Student's smile grew even brighter, as if he hadn't caught the sting in Horikita's words: "This junior student is truly perceptive! May I ask, which class are you both in?"
Horikita Suzune was silent for a moment, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.
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