Ultimately, she chose to tell the truth, perhaps wanting to see what he could offer: "Class D."
"Class D?"
The Second-Year Senior Student immediately showed an exaggerated expression of pleasant surprise.
"What a coincidence! I'm also in Class D! I didn't expect a First Year to be so ambitious! This is great!"
His acting was too obvious, causing Ayanokoji to narrow his eyes slightly.
"So,"
This time, it was Ayanokoji who spoke, cutting straight to the core.
"Can you provide any substantial information? Or rather, what do you need?"
He could sense that the other party's Take the initiative to strike up a conversation was not merely out of "senior care."
The Second-Year Senior Student seemed momentarily choked by Ayanokoji's directness but quickly regained his slick smile:
"Don't be so wary, junior. You're about to have your First Year Midterm Exam, right?"
As he spoke, he mysteriously pulled out a stack of neatly folded papers that looked like exam sheets from behind him, lowering his voice:
"Actually, our school has an unwritten rule... the repeat rate of questions on the First Year Midterm Exam is quite high every year. The question types and key points for each year are pretty much the same!"
He pressed the stack of papers on the table, tapping it meaningfully with his finger:
"With this — last year's First Year Midterm Exam actual questions — I believe you'll be able to perform at an unexpected level in the exam."
After he finished speaking, he looked at Horikita and Ayanokoji with that expectant smile, waiting for their reaction.
Horikita Suzune showed a suspicious expression.
The school's rules were so strict; would there really be such an obvious loophole?
She was still pondering its authenticity.
Ayanokoji, however, showed almost no hesitation, calmly asking directly:
"So, how many points?"
Ayanokoji didn't bother to dwell on the authenticity of the exam papers, but went straight to the essence of the conversation.
A second year Class D student actively selling exam papers to First Year students—his motive could only be for personal points.
The Second-Year Senior Student's eyes lit up, as if he had been waiting for that very question:
"You're really straightforward, junior! Then I'll quote directly: ten thousand points! This valuable 'experience' is definitely worth more than its price!"
This price, for the potential benefits it could bring, was indeed not ridiculously high.
This time, before Ayanokoji could respond, Horikita Suzune spoke first:
"Deal."
She decided to take a gamble.
If it was fake, losing ten thousand points would be painful, but tolerable.
If it was real, it would undoubtedly be a godsend for Class D.
Moreover, Ayanokoji's direct inquiry about the price seemed to hint at some possibility.
"Excellent! This is great!" The Second-Year Senior Student immediately beamed, pulling out his phone.
"Here, junior, scan this! Just transfer it to me!"
Horikita Suzune operated her phone, quickly completing the ten thousand-point transfer.
After receiving the points, the Second-Year Senior Student contentedly pushed the stack of exam papers towards the two of them.
However, just as he was about to turn and leave, he seemed to suddenly remember something, stopping and turning back, with a strange expression on his face, and lowering his voice:
"Oh, right, seeing as you two are so straightforward, I'll throw in a free piece of information."
"Actually, these exam papers... by rights shouldn't be sold for just this price. But I'm just a runner. The one who actually got these and instructed me to find an opportunity to sell them to Class D... is that Sakamoto-kun from First Year Class A."
He paused, observing their momentarily stunned expressions, seeming quite pleased with the effect.
"His intention seems to be... he couldn't stand the miserable state of your Class D with zero points in the first month, and hopes you can at least lay some foundation in the First Year Midterm Exam, so you don't lose too badly? Something like that. Alright, message delivered, I'm off!"
With that, without waiting for their reaction, he quickly turned and, like a loach, slipped into the crowded cafeteria, disappearing in a blink of an eye.
Only Horikita Suzune and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka remained across the table, holding the suddenly heavy exam papers, looking at each other and falling into silence.
Sakamoto?
That Sakamoto from Class A?
He entrusted a second year student to "aid" their Class D with last year's First Year Midterm Exam papers at a low price?
First Year Midterm Exam: Chapter 055: Asahina and Sakamoto
The midday sun filtered through the lush foliage of the roadside trees, casting dappled light and shadow on the pavement.
Sakamoto left the bustling cafeteria and walked alone on his way back to the school building.
His steps were light, yet precise, as if meticulously calculated, his toes accurately treading on the white border of the sidewalk, as if anything beyond that thin line was an invisible forbidden zone.
He was immersed in a self-disciplined rhythm, with the surrounding students and scenery seemingly becoming a flowing backdrop.
As he rounded a corner of a densely shaded thicket, a figure unexpectedly emerged from the other side.
It was a tall girl with smooth brown long hair, a striking sunflower-shaped hairpin nestled in her hair, gleaming in the sunlight.
She also seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, walking in a hurry, and the two were about to collide head-on.
"Secret Technique — 'UNLEASH THE AVATAR'."
Sakamoto murmured, his voice low but clear.
Just as they were about to make contact, in the nick of time, his figure seemed to defy the law of inertia, executing an incredibly fluid side-slip, like a gentle breeze brushing willow branches, perfectly dodging the girl's charging path.
He even had the leisure to elegantly brush his temple with his right hand, his posture graceful and composed, the entire process occurring without any physical contact.
However, although Sakamoto successfully avoided the collision, the brown-haired girl instantly lost her balance due to her own excessive momentum.
She let out a gasp, her body uncontrollably stumbling forward...
Sakamoto seemed to have anticipated this subsequent development.
He swiftly reached his left hand into his student satchel, not to take anything out, but to deftly pinch the connecting ring between the satchel's main body and its handle.
With a flick of his wrist, the part of the satchel with the handle swung like a pendulum into the path of the girl's forward fall.
The girl's fingers, flailing in panic, unconsciously hooked onto the timely appearing satchel strap.
A perfectly calibrated pulling force instantly came into play.
The girl's forward momentum was instantly halted by this unexpected pivot point.
Her body, using the strap as an axis, was sharply pulled back, regaining her balance in a dance-like posture.
She instinctively looked up, following the force, her gaze perfectly meeting Sakamoto's, who had made this timely move and was calmly watching her.
At that moment, Sakamoto stood still, his left hand lightly holding his satchel; the girl leaned slightly back, her right index finger hooked on the strap; their gazes met in the air. The afternoon sun pierced through the tree shade, and their posture was like the composition of God and Adam's fingertips touching in Michelangelo's 'The Creation of Adam', full of tension.
The brown-haired girl's brief astonishment instantly turned into a blush.
She quickly withdrew her hooked finger as if she had received an electric shock, standing up somewhat flustered, tidying her slightly disheveled collar and long hair, but then broke into a slightly grateful smile.
"Tha... thank you! I almost fell."
Her voice carried a hint of lingering fear and sincere gratitude.
"Hello! I'm Asahina Natsume from second year! You must be that famous Sakamoto-kun from Class A, right? It's truly better to see once than to hear a hundred times!"
Her gaze intently scrutinized the elegantly picturesque young man before her.
Sakamoto bowed slightly:
"I am Sakamoto. It was merely a small favor, Senior Asahina, there's no need to be so polite."
His gaze fell on the girl's slightly flushed face, and after a polite response, he prepared to turn and leave.
"Wait!"
Asahina Natsume hurriedly called out to him, the blush on her face not yet completely faded.
"Sakamoto-kun, please wait! I still have something to say!"
Sakamoto paused, turned around, and looked at her again.
"Please speak, Senior."
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