Saiki Kusuo paused, caught off guard by Ayanokōji's sudden declaration.
For Class B's future, Kushida was undoubtedly a liability. At least until she removed Horikita Suzune from the equation, her actions would hinder the class's progress.
To Saiki, aside from an evening when he accidentally witnessed Kushida venting her frustrations, she was tolerable—at least on the surface.
*Wait... No... Ryūen caused me trouble because of Kushida!*
Saiki realized he was the indirect victim of Kushida's schemes.
"Saiki, what's your take on this?" Ayanokōji asked, his gaze fixed on Saiki.
*Sakayanagi in Class A seems to know my past, and Chabashira has threatened me with that man's words. Though Saiki warned me she's all bark, I need to prepare for the worst. Horikita is the perfect candidate. If I can develop her, she'll be a powerful asset against them—but only if Kushida is removed. Otherwise, Horikita can't even start.*
Ayanokōji seemed unusually fixated on expelling Kushida.
For Saiki, though, Kushida wasn't a concern. Whether she stayed or left didn't matter—he just didn't want more trouble.
"Do whatever you want. It's your call." Saiki replied immediately.
"Got it." Ayanokōji nodded, his mind instantly flooding with ways to expel Kushida.
*What a weird guy...* Saiki thought, resigned. At least Ayanokōji was on his side for now. Otherwise, this guy might cause even bigger problems.
"Let's head to the café and meet Hirata and the others."
"Mm."
---
Soon, Saiki and Ayanokōji arrived at the café. Hirata Yōsuke, Karuizawa Kei, Kushida, and Sudō Ken were already there. Horikita Suzune arrived last.
*Why am I even here? This is their meeting, not mine.* Saiki grumbled internally, then glanced at Sudō.
*Why is Sudō here? Doesn't fit, does it? Feels like he's out of place. Doubt he'll understand anything they say.*
"Let's start with the upcoming mini-exam," Horikita said seriously, sipping her milk tea.
"Can't we take it easy? The study sessions after midterms were already exhausting, and the school said this exam won't affect our class points." Karuizawa pointed out.
*New pudding flavor. Nice.* Saiki's attention was elsewhere, fixated on the pudding in front of him.
*Horikita already had her milk tea, so one bite won't hurt.*
"I'm not forcing anyone to study, but I doubt the school's motive is purely academic. We just had midterms—another exam so soon makes no sense." Horikita continued, having noticed Chabashira's subtle hint.
*This pudding's good. Perfect sweetness.* Saiki was already enjoying his dessert.
"So, the exam has another purpose? Something beyond academics?" Karuizawa looked confused.
"If it's not about grades, then the results will likely influence final exam pairings. That's my guess." Hirata quickly caught on.
"Do you get it, Sudō?" Horikita turned to him.
Sudō's brow furrowed, looking serious: "Yeah, kinda."
*I have no clue! But I'll pretend. They'll respect me more, right?* Sudō thought.
*He's faking it.* Horikita knew instantly but didn't bother calling him out.
"Final exam pairings must follow a rule. If we figure it out, we can strategize," Ayanokōji interjected.
*This pudding's amazing. Perfect texture.*
"What do you mean?"
"The mini-exam will determine final exam pairings."
"I agree." Horikita nodded.
*I'm lost...* Sudō's forehead glistened with sweat, his eyes darting nervously.
"Maybe they pair students with similar scores?" Karuizawa offered, somewhat accurately.
"Or similar answers, right?" Sudō, after much effort, managed to keep up.
"If we guess wrong, the consequences could be severe." Hirata's expression turned serious.
"You're all on the right track. The key is guessing the pairing rule. Hypothetically, if we fail to understand it, the results could be disastrous. Chabashira mentioned past dropouts, but only one or two pairs per year. Doesn't that seem odd?" Horikita continued, sipping her tea.
"So, even if we don't figure it out, the damage won't be severe?" Hirata asked.
"Exactly. If pairings were based on similar scores, weaker students would be paired together, leading to mass dropouts. But that hasn't happened."
"I'm... completely... lost..." Sudō gave up pretending.
"The only rule fitting this scenario is... Saiki, were you listening?" Horikita's brow furrowed, and everyone's gaze shifted to Saiki.
Saiki, absorbed in his pudding, had an expression of pure bliss.
"Uh-huh." He snapped back, nodding.
"The mini-exam affects pairings. 'Strong students paired with weak ones'—that's the balance to keep dropout rates low." Saiki hadn't been listening closely but used telepathy to grasp the discussion.
"Right." Horikita, slightly annoyed but satisfied with his answer, nodded.
"Makes sense..." Everyone agreed.
"Once we confirm the exam's purpose, we can prepare for finals. But I'm focused on another aspect: which class to target. My answer's simple—Class D." Horikita's gaze met Kushida's.
For Horikita, defeating Kushida and Ryūen was non-negotiable.
"I agree. Class D's academic performance is weaker than Class A or C. Any objections?" Horikita's reasons ran deeper than she admitted.
Kushida smiled sweetly, her eyes locking onto Horikita's.
"I fully support Horikita!" Kushida said cheerfully, though only Horikita caught the fleeting malice in her eyes.
*Horikita, this exam will be your downfall.* Kushida's thoughts were clear to Saiki.
He also heard more.
"I support Horikita." Hirata nodded, and the others agreed.
*Class D, huh... They'll definitely make a move...* Saiki wanted to avoid trouble, but with everyone in agreement, he couldn't object.
"I'll ask upperclassmen about the mini-exam," Hirata said.
"Alright, that's all for today. Thanks, everyone." The group began leaving the café.
Sudō and Hirata headed to club activities. Horikita and Ayanokōji returned to the dorms. Kushida went in another direction. Karuizawa invited Saiki to a movie, but he declined, citing evening plans.
After parting ways, Saiki activated his invisibility and followed Kushida.
During the meeting, he'd heard Kushida's thoughts—she was meeting Ryūen to discuss the exam.
Those two together spelled trouble.
To prevent surprises, Saiki decided to tail Kushida and see what they were up to.
As he followed, he noticed someone else shadowing Kushida—Ishizaki Daichi from Class D. But thanks to Saiki's invisibility, Ishizaki didn't spot him.
Soon, Kushida reached her meeting spot with Ryūen—a blind spot in the school's surveillance.
Despite cameras covering over 90% of the school, blind spots remained. Saiki suspected it was intentional.
"You're here, Kushida." Ryūen greeted her with a slight smile.
Moments later, Ishizaki emerged: "Ryūen, I checked—no one's tailing her."
Ishizaki had followed Kushida on Ryūen's orders to ensure no one was tracking her. If 'Yamauchi Haruki' or his men were, they'd be lured into the blind spot, where Ryūen could deal with them.
Clearly, no one had taken the bait.
"Maybe you missed something, or they saw through the plan. Doesn't matter—just a small test." Ryūen wasn't concerned.