A short two-week winter break passed in the blink of an eye.
On the first day of the third semester—no, even during the break—things in class had already gotten messy.
Karuizawa and Hirata, the class's first official couple, had broken up.
No one knew the exact reason, but some of the girls thought Karuizawa was an idiot for giving up on someone with as much potential as Hirata.
Others, though, admired her courage.
Dumping a guy like Hirata without hesitation? That took guts.
But when Karuizawa greeted Kanda Shuichi with a bright smile, everyone's thoughts changed to: Karuizawa can actually get along with Kanda Shuichi? That's amazing!
"Good morning, Shuichi!"
Seeing Karuizawa Kei greet him so energetically, Kanda Shuichi paused for a moment, then nodded. "Good morning, Kei. That day, you left so suddenly—I thought something had happened."
"Actually, my friend got rejected when she confessed, so I went to comfort her."
"I see. Having a friend like you, she's really lucky."
As Kanda Shuichi and Karuizawa Kei chatted casually, most of the girls in the class had looks of disbelief on their faces.
Well… most of the boys did too.
Kanda Shuichi, aren't you close with Hirata? And now you're stealing his girl?
Clearly, they had already assumed that Karuizawa and Hirata Yosuke broke up because of Kanda Shuichi.
"When did Shuichi and Karuizawa get so close?"
A new challenger entered the scene—Kushida Kikyo!
Seeing Karuizawa and Kanda Shuichi chatting so happily made Kushida feel annoyed.
Damn it!
She thought she had the advantage by being in the same class as him, but now another rival appeared out of nowhere?
And it had to be Karuizawa Kei, the flashy, popular type? Had she already seduced Shuichi?!
Kushida Kikyo had zero doubts about Kanda Shuichi's self-control.
There was no way he could resist!
Hey, Kikyo, could you not look at me like I'm some lowlife? That stare is making my whole body tingle in a bad way.
Wait, is the showdown that didn't happen in my room about to happen here instead?
Looks like these kinds of things might get delayed, but they never fail to show up in the end!
But since Kanda Shuichi arrived late, the warning bell ended up saving him.
As soon as it rang, Karuizawa and Kushida exchanged a glance before heading back to their seats.
"Popular guys sure have a busy life."
Beside him, the ever-cool beauty Horikita Suzune made a sarcastic remark toward Kanda Shuichi.
"Oh? Are you jealous? Want to join in?"
"Shut up!"
Horikita's face darkened as she snapped her book shut and shot Kanda Shuichi a sharp glare.
I don't think I did anything to deserve that look…
Damn you, Horikita!
"Quiet."
Chabashira-sensei walked into the classroom and immediately ordered silence. The few whispers that remained instantly vanished.
The students, however, all looked at Chabashira-sensei with serious expressions, as if they were waiting for something.
"There's no need to look at me like that. No matter what, the school isn't going to hit you with an exam on the first day back."
Hearing this, the students let out a small sigh of relief. There had never been a case of a test right at the start of term before, but this school was far from normal, so it wasn't strange for them to worry.
"But I do have an announcement to make."
The students, who had just relaxed, immediately tensed up again.
"Uh… this isn't another special exam, is it?" Ike nervously raised his hand.
"Don't worry, Ike. It's not that." Chabashira-sensei smiled slightly. "Congratulations, you've been promoted to Class C."
As soon as she said that, the students let out a sigh of relief. So it was just this.
Even though they had already noticed the classroom door sign had changed to "First-Year Class C" when they arrived in the morning, hearing it officially from Chabashira-sensei still filled them with excitement.
Even Horikita, who rarely showed any expression, had a slight smile on her face.
"Besides that, while there won't be an exam, there will be a special activity for you all to participate in."
The moment she said that, the students of Class C, who were still celebrating, were instantly confused.
"A special activity?" Kanda Shuichi raised an eyebrow. "You're not asking us to have a snowball fight, are you?"
"Hahaha~~~"
Kanda Shuichi's comment sparked laughter throughout Class C.
To be fair, since it had just snowed yesterday, the conditions outside really were perfect for a snowball fight.
"If that's the case, I wouldn't mind!"
"I'd rather have a snowball fight than go to class."
"Me too, me too!"
Since many schools organized snow-clearing activities to clear paths after snowfall, the students assumed that was what this was about. None of them were worried—in fact, some were even looking forward to it.
"Unfortunately, the school will handle the snow removal, so you won't have to trouble yourselves with that," Chabashira-sensei denied Kanda Shuichi's guess.
"Starting Thursday, you will all take part in a school-wide extracurricular activity. The details will be explained on the day itself."
Extracurricular activity? This is just another special exam, isn't it?
Every single student in the class instantly understood the truth that Chabashira-sensei had chosen not to say out loud.
And it's starting on Thursday. Today is Wednesday, so… that means it's happening tomorrow?
And it's for the entire grade?
Kanda Shuichi narrowed his eyes. This exam must be Nagumo's first move.
Just as he had predicted, Nagumo would definitely target their grade once Horikita Manabu graduated—he needed some kind of entertainment, after all.
Since different grade levels rarely had direct interaction, was Nagumo planning to start making moves this early?
"The extracurricular activity starts on Thursday, so you need to gather in the classroom before class that day. Since the exam will last for several days, I recommend bringing extra sportswear and a change of underclothes."
…Why does this sound so familiar?
It felt just like the announcement they had received before leaving for the deserted island during summer vacation.
Not just Kanda Shuichi—everyone else had the same expression, as if they had just remembered that rather "fun" island exam.
"You can bring whatever you want, like playing cards, manga, phones, game consoles, or even laptops—there are no restrictions."
"This exam is that relaxed?"
"No, those are just to keep you entertained during the trip. You'll be taking a nearly three-hour bus ride, after all."
"A three-hour bus ride? That sounds even farther than when we went to the deserted island!"
"That's just how it is. Alright, time's up. Get ready for class." With that, Chabashira-sensei left the room.
The moment she was gone, Horikita immediately turned to look at Kanda Shuichi.
"What do you think?"
"What do I think? I think with my eyes, of course," Kanda Shuichi replied casually.
"Don't take me for a fool. You know I'm asking about this special exam."
Horikita looked annoyed, clearly displeased with Kanda Shuichi's dismissive attitude.
"Chabashira-sensei never said this was a special exam, did she? And yet, you've already jumped to that conclusion. Impressive, impressive."
Hearing Kanda Shuichi's teasing tone, Horikita's eyebrow twitched. She was seriously tempted to hit him.
Soon, the first class of the day began. But since it was only the first day and there was an off-campus activity tomorrow, the teacher didn't introduce any new material. Instead, they just reviewed last semester's lessons.
Before long, the school day was over.
As soon as class ended, the students of Class C gathered in groups.
Even though Chabashira-sensei had called it an off-campus activity, everyone knew it wouldn't be that simple. Naturally, the focus of the gathering was Kanda Shuichi.
It wasn't just because he had earned everyone's trust, but also because Horikita was standing next to him. With Hirata, Kushida, and Karuizawa—some of the most influential students in class—joining in, Kanda Shuichi's seat instantly became the center of attention.
"Kanda, do you have any idea what Chabashira-sensei meant by this activity?"
"Unfortunately, I don't have any clues this time either. Chabashira-sensei only told us to bring gym clothes. Last time, we were at sea—maybe this time we'll be in the mountains."
Kanda Shuichi's half-joking remark made everyone smile.
"I think we just need to follow instructions, right? We've already overcome so many challenges, so even if this is another special exam, I'm sure we'll get through it."
Sudou's comments were actually helpful for once. Chabashira-sensei had only told them to pack up and be ready to leave tomorrow. She didn't say where they were going or what they'd be doing.
So, all they could do was stay calm and wait. Worrying wouldn't change anything, and losing sleep over it would just make things worse.
"Sudou's right. Since we don't have any more information, we should just focus on what we can control."
They hadn't come to any solid conclusions, but Kanda Shuichi's words somehow put everyone at ease.
"Besides, the whole grade is participating this time, right? Maybe we can get some information from the clubs."
As he spoke, Kanda Shuichi glanced at Hirata from the soccer club, Sudou from the basketball team, and Miyake from the archery club.
"Got it. I'll ask some of the upperclassmen later."
With that, the short meeting came to an end. The students dispersed, and Kanda Shuichi packed up his bag, getting ready to head back to the dorm.
Since they were leaving early in the morning, he decided not to bother with grocery shopping or cooking. A simple meal would do for tonight.