"In your eyes, shouldn't I be jealous?"
As the ceremony concluded, the crowd gradually dispersed.
With classes still ahead, students began making their way toward the academic buildings.
Walking along the path, Ichinose clasped her hands behind her back.
"I can't really tell. Maybe you could remind me directly next time," Kaoru said as he walked beside her.
Their conversations during these walks were usually brief.
"Wouldn't that make me seem like an overly clingy woman?" Ichinose sighed softly.
"With so many girls around you, when will my jealousy ever end?"
As she spoke, her eyelids drooped slightly, revealing a trace of melancholy.
A shadow fleetingly crossed her lovely face.
"I'm sorry. I'm not a good boyfriend," Kaoru said, observing her expression.
"As your first love, I should have given you a better romantic experience."
Ichinose murmured, "Have you ever been in love before?"
Kaoru hesitated for a moment before answering, "I don't know how to respond to that. A proper relationship... I don't think I've ever had one. Though I've had plenty of... less proper partners."
"Less proper partners?" Ichinose's mind immediately wandered to inappropriate places, her cheeks flushing slightly as she imagined Kaoru groping some girl's chest.
Truthfully, her imagination wasn't far off.
"This is too much. You're my first love, my first kiss," Ichinose said, lightly tapping her lips with a finger, her eyes showing dissatisfaction.
"I feel like I'm at such a disadvantage. What else is still your first?"
This question stumped Kaoru.
"Never mind, I won't dwell on it. What's past is past, and no one can change it. What matters is now."
A seemingly carefree smile appeared on Ichinose's face, but neither Kaoru's sharp eyes nor his Emotion Perception missed the underlying emotions—unease, worry, reluctance, and pain.
"No, the present can change the past," Kaoru said, looking away from her.
"Just like when I threatened you before. If we could have a better way of meeting, would you want to change it?"
Ichinose suddenly froze, her eyes shimmering as she pressed her lips tightly together.
This guy thought she was still troubled by that dark history.
Though their current relationship was good and she felt comfortable around Kaoru, there was always a thorn in her heart that ached faintly.
About that incident, she didn't know whether to thank Kaoru or resent him—because their connection had begun with an imperfect encounter.
"It can't be changed, can it?" Ichinose forced a smile. "Besides, I don't care about it anymore."
"Let's try, then?" Kaoru ignored her stubbornness.
That thorn had to be removed, or it would affect their future relationship too much.
Ichinose had initially intended to refuse, but seeing his serious expression, she found herself nodding inexplicably.
"Fine. Let's start dating this month."
"Wha—d-d-d-d-dating!?"
"Keep your voice down."
"Dating?"
"Dating."
...
After the student council elections, midterms arrived soon after, and the school's promised point rewards finally came into play.
Strangely, nothing unusual happened during these midterms—they were even slightly easier than usual, leaving many students who had expected a special exam worrying for nothing.
"The class average is 85. Everyone passed. You've all safely made it through midterms," came Mashima Tomonari's slightly indifferent voice from the podium.
Class A students were already accustomed to their homeroom teacher's style—always summarizing things in the simplest terms.
"I won't elaborate on these results. I'm sure you've already sensed something about the school's special exams." Mashima paused.
"Why were the point rewards used for midterms? Why weren't the midterms a special exam?"
"Mashima-sensei, I heard the special exam for the upperclassmen has already begun." Sakayanagi Arisu smiled faintly.
The rewards each grade received from the sports festival were identical, meaning the special exams across grades now shared similarities.
"You're quite well-informed." Mashima glanced at her. "Around this time in previous years, first-years would have an academic showdown. Though the questions differed, upperclassmen also experienced similar competitions in their time."
"Could you explain the specifics?" Katsuragi Kouhei asked solemnly.
"There will be a quiz based on the final exam content next week, which I assume you're already aware of," Mashima said. "First, just like last semester, this quiz won't affect your grades no matter how you perform. You're free to approach it however you wish."
Several students grimaced.
They'd heard similar reassurances before, only to nearly fail the midterms.
"As you've probably guessed, this final exam is officially called the Paper Shuffle. Based on the quiz results, the school will pair each of you with a classmate to form two-person teams."
Under Mashima's explanation, Class A quickly grasped the rules of this paired exam.
Essentially, two students would form a team to tackle the finals together.
There were eight subjects, each with a perfect score of 100 points and fifty questions, totaling four hundred questions.
Each subject had a minimum passing score.
If any student scored below sixty, both they and their partner would face mandatory expulsion.
However, this sixty-point threshold referred to the combined scores of both students.
Meaning if each scored thirty, their total would be sixty, thus avoiding expulsion.
But that wasn't all.
"This year's Paper Shuffle has an additional requirement. Even if you surpass the passing score in every subject, failing to meet the total score standard will still result in expulsion." Mashima's tone grew particularly stern.
"The total score is also based on the pair's combined results. Based on previous years, you'll need at least seven hundred points for safety."
"Seven hundred?!" Some academically weaker students began to panic.
This number terrified them—if their partner performed poorly, wouldn't they be expelled too?
"Mashima-sensei, you mentioned pairings would be based on quiz results, but how exactly will the pairing work?" Katsuragi asked.
"The rule is simple. The highest scorer will pair with the lowest, the second highest with the second lowest, and so on." Mashima explained the details calmly.
Even if he hadn't, Class A would've figured it out eventually given their capabilities.
Hearing this, weaker students immediately relaxed, while those with mid grades darkened their expressions.