After Horikita Suzune finished speaking, she immediately pulled out a few more textbooks and began explaining more advanced material to the group.
[Since they've managed to grasp these concepts, I can move on to teaching them more difficult material to further improve the class's performance!]
Hearing Horikita's words, Saiki Kusuo felt a sense of despair.
He never expected her to say something like this.
Saiki had thought his actions would put an end to this meaningless study group, but he hadn't anticipated that Horikita would want these guys to aim for even higher scores.
'Hey, hey, do you really think these guys, whose combined brainpower might not even surpass that of an average monkey, can actually grasp this material?'
Saiki sighed helplessly in his mind, realizing that all his previous efforts had been rendered meaningless.
'So... in the end, this study group is still going to continue? Then what was the point of everything I did?'
...
Over the next few days, Saiki was forced to endure Horikita's lessons with Sudo Ken and the others.
Their entire class had also obtained last year's midterm exam questions from upperclassmen, and with this advantage, they felt more confident about the upcoming test.
Saiki continued to secretly observe Ryuen Kakeru and Kushida Kikyo, but it seemed they hadn't taken any significant actions during this time.
Two weeks passed quietly, and the midterm exams arrived. There were four major subjects, all to be completed in a single day.
"The midterm exams have officially begun. I hope you all understand the importance of this test. Anyone who fails will face expulsion. Don't forget that."
In the classroom, Chabashira Sae smiled as she addressed the students.
[Starting from this midterm, anyone who fails the official exams will be expelled. Since the school's founding, no class initially rated as D has ever avoided expulsions after the midterms. While I'm not sure how you managed to rise to Class C, I'm well aware that you're still just a bunch of defective products. Unless you can rise to Class A, you're all just trash.]
[No matter what methods you use, show me what you've got. Let's see what kind of results you can achieve in this midterm.]
Chabashira then began distributing the exam papers. Saiki glanced at the questions and saw that they were almost identical to last year's. As long as they had reviewed the previous year's questions, they should be able to score decently.
However, Horikita's study group couldn't be said to have been completely useless—at least Sudo Ken and the others could now understand some of the questions.
Saiki wasn't in a hurry to start writing. Instead, he carefully listened to the thoughts of those around him.
[I can understand this question! I know the answer!]
'That's definitely something to be proud of for you.'
At this moment, Sudo Ken wore an excited smile, happier than if he had scored thirty points in a basketball game. This was one of the rare times he could actually understand the exam questions. He looked around the room with confidence, seeing everyone else writing furiously, and then began filling in his answers with a sense of triumph.
[I need to score decently... Only then can I confess to Kushida in my dreams.]
'You could aim a little higher.'
Ike Kanji was also writing furiously, trying to prove his worth.
Saiki then observed the rest of the class to gauge the difficulty of the exam and determine what kind of score he should aim for.
Originally, he planned to score moderately, as he had done before. But then he remembered Horikita's earlier words. If he didn't score well in math, she might cause him more trouble.
'I need to score decently in math... My ranking might fluctuate a bit, but that's fine. I can lower my scores in other subjects to keep my overall score in the middle. If I keep scoring average every time, Ayanokoji and Chabashira will definitely keep pestering me.'
With that thought, Saiki changed a few answers.
...
The day after the exam, during the first class of the morning, Chabashira Sae walked into the classroom with the score report in hand, her steps light.
'She's a minute earlier than usual. She seems to be in a good mood—that probably means our class did decently.'
Saiki thought to himself.
[The exam results are out!]
Sudo Ken wore an eager smile. This was the first time in years he had been so excited about exam results.
[All my recent dreams have been about studying. If I keep having dreams like this, I won't have to worry about exams anymore!]
'I won't be helping you anymore.'
[Maybe I scored better than Horikita this time.]
'Has all this studying made you delusional?'
"The midterm results are out!"
Chabashira posted the subject scores on the blackboard, and the final sheet showed each student's total score.
As soon as the scores were posted, Saiki quickly confirmed his own results. He was in the top quarter of the class in math but near the bottom in English.
'Creating a gap between my subject rankings while keeping my overall score in the middle.'
Saiki nodded in satisfaction. He had successfully navigated this midterm, avoiding trouble and drawing too much attention.
Meanwhile, Sudo Ken looked at the score sheet in shock.
[What?! I thought I did pretty well. Why am I still last?! The grading must be wrong!!]