Were they asking him to find some kind of shortcut?
There couldn't be anything that convenient... but wait. There might actually be one.
The exam questions were created by the students themselves. Class D had their own set of questions to create, which could become valuable bargaining chips with other classes.
At this point, they could exchange questions with Class C, who were also struggling academically. They would likely agree.
Their class was performing poorly too — a simple study session wouldn't be enough to help everyone pass. Without a shortcut, they would fail completely.
However...
"What do you think about these exam questions, Shiina?"
Though Kakeru typically thought independently and his brain trust usually followed his plans, this time he decided to try something different. His recent string of losses had made him more... humble.
"I suggest we declare war on Class C immediately." Hiyori said without hesitation, "Our top priority is maintaining our class's passing rate."
This solution aligned with Kakeru's thinking.
And Hiyori was thinking even further ahead. Since students were creating their own exam papers, they could share questions with each other. Plus, she didn't want this exam to result in losing any classmates.
After all, if they lost too many people, wouldn't they end up losing points in future special exams that required a certain number of participants?
Though her relationships with classmates were ordinary, and she had no close friends, Hiyori was quite content with her current class.
Class C was clearly worse. Though capable of impressive feats, many of their students were struggling terribly.
So she decided to take action.
Plus, with luck, they might increase their point balance. After all, the class still owed Houtarou 2 million Points out of the original 3 million.
She hated being in debt. Though money seemed to drive all her decisions lately, she was willing to do what was needed to resolve their current situation.
After the VIP Exam, Kakeru had confirmed with the third-years that the school would collect a portion of students' Private Points upon graduation.
This meant their Points weren't just for school expenses — they could be used as real money after graduation. Thinking of her future, Hiyori wanted to build up her savings.
If things went well, they could rise to Class A and secure a bright future. Even with worse luck, her strong academic performance meant she could attend university with some financial cushion from her saved Points.
In this way, Hiyori was planning responsibly for her future.
"So you're saying trading is key to this exam?" Kakeru accepted her suggestion.
He had considered declaring war on Class B, but their students were academically superior while his class struggled. They'd be at a clear disadvantage.
They'd need to obtain the other class's test papers. Once they had those, the exam would essentially become open-book, allowing everyone to score 100 Points plus the 50 Class Points bonus.
However, this could cost them the Island Exam agreement where Class B provided 600,000 Points worth of monthly supplies. While possible, it didn't seem worth it.
Therefore, Class C was their only viable target.
"Can we declare war now?" Kakeru asked.
He wanted to make the first move.
"Of course." Kazuma said, reaching for his phone.
But his eyes widened behind his glasses.
"Uh... that won't work anymore." He said, "Class A has already declared war on Class C! We can only target Class B now."
"..."
"Damn!"
Declaring war on Class B would mean giving up their island resource agreement in exchange for exam papers.
During lunch break, Kakeru's bad mood was evident to everyone.
⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟
Morning classes ended.
Instead of heading to the cafeteria, Houtarou had an appointment to keep.
His proposal to declare war on Class C met no opposition — Class A's ability to execute plans was formidable.
But...
"Why did you choose to declare war on Class C, Oreki?"
As Houtarou stood up, Arisu, still seated instead of heading to the cafeteria, questioned him.
"Our class maintains a resource agreement with Class C. By declaring war, they'll need to make concessions to avoid failing. Though the exam's point value is modest, we can eliminate our monthly burden of 800,000 Points. Plus, given Class C's nature, they won't achieve perfect scores even with the exam papers."
Hmm... This was a reasonable and correct answer.
"Is that so." Arisu said, "I thought Oreki chose Class C because of all the cute girls there. You couldn't bring yourself to be harsh. Besides, I heard someone from Class C was planning to confess to you. I thought you might have wavered."
Houtarou: "..."
She's got me cornered...
"The confession rumor is true, but I need to verify the details."
That explained why he couldn't join everyone at the cafeteria — he had someone to meet.
"But I'm quite certain." He said, "Dating in high school is meaningless. According to statistics, only 10-15% of high school relationships lead to marriage."
Was Houtarou avoiding relationships simply because the odds weren't in his favor?
From her seat in the back, Masumi noticed Arisu watching his departing figure before gripping her cane and rising.
"He really lacks confidence." Arisu said, "Yes, as students, we're limited in taking risks, and graduation often means separation. But it's not impossible — we could build bonds that last beyond graduation."
Wait. How had they veered so far from discussing the war declaration on Class C and its benefits?
Seeing Arisu stand, Masumi quickly rose too, knowing she'd be sent to wait in the lunch line.
⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟
Houtarou arrived at the designated corner of the first-floor building and double-checked the message:
| Kei Karuizawa |
| A girl in my class seems interested in you and wants to confess her feelings. Please come to the first floor hallway at noon. |
This was the first message.
| Kei Karuizawa |
| The person interested in you is Maya Satō, the girl with orange, slightly wavy hair who usually follows me around. | | Unlike me, she's a real gyaru, but she doesn't have any bad habits, and apparently has never had a boyfriend. |
Kei provided this information.
| Houtarou Oreki |
| Then I'll probably have to reject her. | | Why don't you reject her for me? |
Houtarou quickly replied.
| Kei Karuizawa |
| That won't work, if I step in, she'll hold it against me. |
Kei's reply came just as fast.
| Kei Karuizawa |
| Besides, she's quite stubborn, the type who persists once she's set her mind on something. | | Also, several girls in class know about her wanting to confess to you, and want to watch what happens. |
"..."
They wanted to test if he could be easily swayed, didn't they?
In other words, after the Sports Festival, his popularity remained high, with several girls in Class C showing interest. But lacking courage themselves, they were using Maya to test the waters.
"... sigh…"
Thanks to Kikyō, Houtarou felt he already received enough suggestive pictures on his phone daily.
So, he headed to the meeting spot.
At the corner of the first-floor corridor stood a girl wearing an orange school uniform shirt — normal shirts were white, but students could spend points to change colors. Instead of the standard ribbon tie, she wore a small necktie.
The style suited her well. Maya clearly had her own sense of fashion and didn't simply follow trends.
She was about Kei's height. Though dressed in gyaru style, she had a naturally cute appearance.
How should he handle this situation?
Houtarou had never been confessed to before. It felt strange — according to his Precognitive Dream, he would eventually marry and have children, yet here he was, completely inexperienced with confessions, dating, and love.
Despite what Kei had said, this confession probably wasn't genuine.
Several people were hiding behind Maya — a real confession wouldn't need an audience.
With this in mind, he approached.
"Oreki-kun—" Maya spotted him immediately as he descended the stairs.
She walked toward him.
"Could you come with me for a moment, Oreki-kun?"
She'd only watched him from afar before, but now they stood face-to-face.
Like Kei, Maya styled herself as a gyaru, though the gyaru at this school were different. They avoided heavy makeup, and their fashion was tasteful — their skirts, for instance, were just short enough to catch the eye without being inappropriate.
Though Houtarou felt awkward around girls, he could appreciate that Maya knew how to dress well.
So he followed her to the corner of the stairwell.
"This might be sudden." She said directly, "But I want to know if Oreki-kun is dating anyone?"
Her question was straightforward and to the point.
"That's amazing!"
The girls from Class C who had been following them — the ones Houtarou had already noticed — let out exclamations of admiration.
Kei was among them, which explained why she couldn't help reject the confession herself.
Houtarou glanced back suddenly, causing the watching girls, including Kikyō who was in the middle, to quickly duck out of sight.
This confirmed his suspicions: Maya's confession was being watched by an audience. He concluded it must be some kind of penalty game.
Of course, there was still the possibility that she genuinely liked him.
But Houtarou didn't believe love could develop so superficially. Being attracted to someone's looks and physical abilities — that couldn't be true love.
While he struggled to determine his true feelings about Arisu or Suzune, he was certain that what Maya felt wasn't true love.
Because...
⍟⍟⍟
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