It was December 1st, Monday—the day of the final exams.
Even though today marked the start of the exams, there wouldn't be a break afterward. There were still three more weeks of classes left. That was completely different from how things were in his past life.
The exams covered eight subjects, split over two days, with each subject having a one-hour test.
A few days ago, Chabashira-sensei had also announced the passing requirement: a total score of 700 points.
If two students in the same pair didn't reach 700 points together, they would both be expelled. On top of that, if their combined score for any subject was below 60, they would also be expelled.
When Kanda Shuichi arrived at the classroom, it wasn't as noisy as usual. But at the same time, there wasn't a tense atmosphere either.
More than half of the students, including Sudou, were using the last bit of time to get themselves ready.
Kushida and Hirata were encouraging the students who usually didn't do well.
Horikita, who had been shaken up over the past two days, now sat calmly at her desk, looking at something.
As I got closer, I realized that the book Horikita was holding was Agatha Christie's *The ABC Murders*.
Is detective fiction really that popular at this school?
Not only Shiina, but even Horikita was reading it.
"You're reading a novel before the exam? You sure are relaxed."
"Seven hundred points isn't a big deal. I can manage on my own."
Horikita checked the time, closed her book, and took out her stationery.
"Is that so? Well, good luck then."
After confirming Horikita's mood, Kanda Shuichi returned to his seat. In front of him, his friend Miyake Akito was also getting ready for the exam.
Seeing Miyake reminded Kanda Shuichi of something.
Wasn't Akito's partner Ayanokouji Kiyotaka?
If Akito got a zero, wouldn't that mean Ayanokouji would get expelled?
*Cough cough,* never mind. That joke wasn't funny at all.
The first subject was Japanese. Before the exam started, students were required to put everything except necessary stationery into the storage lockers at the back of the classroom.
"We're about to begin the final exam. The first subject is Modern Japanese. Do not flip your test paper over until the signal is given. If you break the rule, it will be considered cheating. Please take note."
Everyone looked serious. Cheating wouldn't just get them expelled—it would drag their partner down with them.
By now, they had all grown used to this school, which covered tuition, dorm fees, and even provided a living allowance. No one wanted to be expelled over something this trivial.
"The test will last for one hour. Try to avoid feeling unwell or needing to use the restroom. If it becomes absolutely necessary, raise your hand and report to me. Other than that, leaving the classroom during the test is strictly prohibited."
After going over the rules, Chabashira-sensei handed out the exam papers to the students.
"Now, begin!"
At the sound of Chabashira-sensei's voice, the students all flipped over their test papers at nearly the same time.
"Th-This is…!"
The moment they saw the test, someone gasped.
"Is something wrong, Ike?"
"N-No, sorry."
It wasn't just Ike—many students in the class were surprised. Nearly half of the questions on the test had appeared in the practice exam Horikita had given them two days ago.
Did Horikita really predict the questions?
No, that wasn't it!
Did she get a hold of C-Class's test questions?
But after the initial shock came excitement.
With this, we won't be expelled!
No, more than that—everyone could score high!
Looking at the test, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka found it strange.
Did Horikita really get C-Class's questions?
That's impossible. There's no way Ryuen would hand the test over to Horikita.
So was it you, Kanda Shuichi?
Ayanokouji stared at Kanda Shuichi's back, as if he had figured it out.
Was it you who leaked our class information during the sports festival?
All so you could infiltrate the enemy and strike back at the perfect moment?
The first exam ended quickly, followed by a ten-minute break.
As soon as class ended, Sudou rushed over to Horikita.
"Suzune, you were amazing! We're definitely beating Class C this time, right?"
"Yeah, yeah! I think I might've scored my highest ever in history!"
Not just Sudou— even Ike, who had gasped in surprise during the test, was excited. But clearly, there was one person who had no idea what was going on.
"What are you guys talking about? Am I the only one who thought the test was hard?"
Yamauchi Haruki looked completely lost, totally clueless about what was happening.
"Huh? Haruki, don't tell me you didn't look at the practice questions Horikita sent in the group chat two days ago?"
Ike stared at Yamauchi in disbelief.
"O-Of course, I looked at them!"
"Liar. If you did, there's no way you wouldn't know what we're talking about!" Ike exposed Yamauchi's lie right away.
"Quit making excuses! If you actually looked at Suzune's practice questions, you'd have noticed that half the test was exactly the same as what she sent!"
Sudou, just like Ike, didn't hold back in scolding Yamauchi.
After getting chewed out by both of them, Yamauchi's face turned pale, then flushed red with embarrassment.
The first day of exams passed quickly. Modern literature, English, Japanese history, and math—everyone did pretty well in all four subjects.
By the time school ended, Class D was in high spirits as the students left the classroom.
"Hmph, Shuichi, I'm pretty sure I scored over 700 this time!"
As soon as the test ended, Miyake turned to Kanda Shuichi with a smug look.
The questions I gave you were worth 400 points alone. You think 700 is impressive?
Should I start bragging because I can get a perfect score?
"I'm heading back. Are you going to club practice today?"
"Of course! I'm feeling confident about tomorrow's subjects too." Miyake slung his bag over his shoulder and got ready to leave.
"Suzune, I think I scored at least 60 in every subject this time!"
On the other side, as soon as the exam ended, Sudou rushed over, looking like he was waiting for praise.
"You were given 50 points worth of questions, and you only scored 60? Shouldn't you be reflecting on that?"
Horikita Suzune's words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly cooling Sudou's excitement.
"O-Oh…"
In reality, Sudou had already improved a lot.
Back then, even when given the exact same past exam questions, he had barely scraped by. Scoring over 60 now was actually impressive.
Still, judging from how excited he was, it was clear that things were looking great for this exam.
Meanwhile, over on the other side, Ryuen let out a sigh of relief after finishing his test.
Thankfully, even though Kanda Shuichi was a cunning bastard, he still kept his word.
Aside from math, the other subjects were tough, but with the extra 30 points they had, Class C's students probably wouldn't end up getting expelled.
The next day, exams continued as usual, and Class D's students finished them in high spirits.
Some were happy, some weren't…
Class D was celebrating, Class C was relieved, and Class B just found the whole thing unimpressive.
The students of Class A were filled with frustration, confusion, and panic.
As soon as the exam ended, the classroom fell into silence.
"I'm sorry, Ichinose… I think I messed up."
Once one person said it, more and more started to follow.
"It's okay. We did our best. Even if we lose, it's not the end of the world. Don't be too hard on yourselves."
From the moment the exam ended, Class A had a feeling they had lost.
It wasn't just because Sakayanagi's questions were too difficult.
They had also pushed themselves too hard.
For over a month, they studied at full intensity—even on weekends—without any real breaks. It had taken a toll on them.
Simply put, they overdid it, and when the time came, they couldn't perform at their best.
Ichinose could only hope no one had failed…
She prayed in her heart.
She had more than 20 million points, but this exam had a strict rule: anyone who failed would be expelled on the spot.
Would 20 million even be enough?
The next morning, Class D was back to its usual lively atmosphere.
Kanda Shuichi still liked this class—every day felt like a comedy show, which made things fun.
He chatted with his classmates for a bit. After all, he had a pretty wide social circle.
Before long, the bell rang, and Chabashira-sensei walked into the classroom right on time.
The moment she appeared, the students immediately quieted down.
After over a month of effort, the exam had finally ended two days ago. They were confident they had done well—but what if they hadn't?
And at the end of the day, they were just teenagers. It was only natural to feel nervous… or maybe even excited.
Because this was the kind of test that could get people expelled.
But Chabashira-sensei gave nothing away. They couldn't tell from her face whether they had done well or not.
Most students saw Chabashira-sensei as a cold, indifferent teacher—someone who wouldn't care if a student got expelled.
But Kanda Shuichi thought differently.
When she entered, she had glanced at him, and in that brief moment, their eyes met.
In her gaze, Kanda Shuichi saw a hint of satisfaction.
That meant the class must have done well.
"You all look eager to know your scores," Chabashira-sensei said with a rare smile.
But as soon as they saw that smile, many students instinctively gulped.
Last time she smiled like that was when Yamauchi failed his midterms.
A smile from Chabashira-sensei… could mean anything.
"There's no need to be so tense," she continued. "Your performance this time was quite surprising. Not only did no one get expelled, but your total score was far ahead of Class C."
As she spoke, she pinned the test results onto the blackboard.
Just like before, the rankings were listed from lowest to highest.
And right at the bottom was Yamauchi Haruki—the one who didn't even look at the practice questions Horikita had handed out.
Still, from a quick calculation, Kanda Shuichi estimated that even he had scored around 400 points in total.
Next was Ike Kanji…
Sudou, on the other hand, had once again beaten his own record. This time, he had managed to climb up to twelfth place purely on his own ability.
But the most eye-catching name on the list was right above his.
Kanda Shuichi.
"Perfect… a perfect score?!"
The class was shocked, but at the same time, it somehow felt expected.
Since Kanda Shuichi had always scored well in the past, often getting perfect scores,
Other students like Horikita, Hirata, Takuenji, and Yukimura Wang Meiyu also had a few perfect scores here and there, with their average scores all above 95.
"If none of you have any questions, let me share some good news with you."
Chabashira-sensei looked at the students and smiled.
"The results of this Paper Shuffle exam are in. Not only did your class outperform Class C, but you even did better than Class A and Class B."
Well, obviously. With half of the test questions in their favor, if they still couldn't beat the others, that would mean Class D really hadn't improved at all and was just a bunch of losers.
"Huh? So, that means…?"
Even though some students had already guessed it, hearing it confirmed by Chabashira-sensei still felt unbelievable.
Chabashira-sensei nodded firmly once again and wrote the details on the board.
"That's right. This exam was a complete victory for you all. You did a great job."
"Oh—oh wow, sensei actually praised us so directly… And we really won against Class C! Doesn't that mean we'll gain 200 class points?"
"Let me think… Our class points are at 461, and Class C has 478. If we take 200 points from them…"
"We'd have 661 class points in an instant!"
"That's not what I meant. What I'm saying is…"
Before the student could finish, someone else excitedly cut in.
"Starting next month, we'll be Class C!"
"It's true!"
As soon as this conclusion sank in, the class erupted in excitement. After all their hard work, Class D had finally moved up a rank!
"Sensei, what about the results for Class A and Class B?"
Horikita Suzune wasn't particularly excited about Class D's win—she had already expected it before the test. What she really wanted to know was the outcome for Class A and Class B. She needed to see how much of a gap still remained.
"Class B won against Class A by a huge margin. So next month, not only will Class C and Class D switch places, but so will Class A and Class B."
Horikita quickly did some calculations in her notebook to determine the new class rankings.
Class A (Ichinose): 819 points
Class B (Sakayanagi): 942 points
Class C (Ryuen): 278 points
Class D (Kanda): 661 points
Seeing these numbers, Horikita felt a surge of motivation. The gap between them and Sakayanagi's class—the highest-ranked one—was less than 300 points.
If another major exam came up, there was a real chance they could jump straight to Class A.
She felt an odd mix of excitement and relief, as if thinking, "I didn't actually do anything, but I still feel like I worked hard."
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