He didn't show the slightest displeasure at being disturbed.
"Yamamura-kun,"
His clear voice rang out, calling her name without a single mistake.
"No need for formalities. May I ask what this is?"
Hearing her name called so clearly, Yamamura Miki's body trembled almost imperceptibly.
She looked up in surprise,
Her eyes filled with disbelief and a hint of emotion.
He... he actually remembers my name?
The immense shock made her momentarily forget her nervousness, and her speaking speed actually quickened a little:
"Th-this is... the Midterm Exam paper! From last year's second year!"
Her words made Sakamoto's gaze shift slightly.
Yamamura Miki continued to explain, trying to make her narration clearer:
"It... it was at the cafeteria at noon... a Second-Year Senior Student I didn't know, he said he was from Class A... suddenly came up to me and handed this to me..."
Her voice dropped again, as if recalling the scene, still feeling a bit flustered:
"He said... he said because our class created a miracle, he wanted that miracle to continue... and he also said that the Midterm Exam questions are almost the same every year, and with this, we'll definitely be able to maintain our lead... I... I actually felt it was very strange, but he was very insistent, and he left after saying that... I didn't know what to do..."
The more she spoke, the softer her voice became, like a child who had done something wrong:
"I... I felt that something so important definitely shouldn't be with me... so... so I thought it would be most appropriate to hand it over to Sakamoto-kun to handle..."
She lowered her head again, but her hands still stubbornly held up the exam paper.
Sakamoto listened quietly,
His gaze moved between Yamamura Miki's flushed cheeks and the exam paper for a moment.
"I see. Thank you for your trust, Yamamura-kun."
He reached out, and with a smooth and natural motion, took the exam paper from her hands, his fingertips not touching hers, avoiding any contact that might make her more nervous.
"This information is indeed quite important. Entrusting it to me is a wise choice."
His approval made a heavy weight lift from Yamamura Miki's heart,
And a faint warmth surged through her.
She nodded slightly, still not daring to fully look up.
Sakamoto took the exam paper but did not immediately unfold it.
Instead, he lowered his gaze slightly,
Seemingly starting to quickly scan the contents of the paper while also thinking.
Just then—
Outside the classroom window, across the corridor, a figure happened to pass by.
It was a female figure with long black hair, standing in the corridor.
It was Horikita Suzune from Class 1-D.
Her gaze swept past the Class A window, instinctively searching for that particular figure.
Then, her gaze fixed.
Through the clear glass window, she clearly saw—
Inside the classroom, Sakamoto was standing by the window,
Holding an unfolded paper, covered in writing.
And standing in front of him,
Was a blue-haired girl, blushing, head bowed, hands clasped tightly in front of her, looking very awkward and nervous.
More importantly,
Horikita Suzune recognized at a glance the format and style of the paper Sakamoto was holding—
It was exactly the same as the exam paper she had bought for 10,000 points from that Second-Year Senior Student at noon, which was claimed to be "last year's Midterm Exam actual questions."
Inside the window, Sakamoto seemed to sense something, his gaze lifted from the exam paper, and he looked towards the window as if he had noticed something.
But in the corridor outside the window, the black figure was no longer there.
First Year Midterm Exam: Chapter 057: The Misunderstood Sakamoto
Time returned to the cafeteria at noon today.
The two of them were silent for a moment, looking at the exam paper they had bought for 10,000 points.
"What do you think?"
Finally, Horikita Suzune was the first to speak.
Her slender fingers unconsciously tapped on the table, but her gaze was fixed on Ayanokoji.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka picked up an exam paper with a blank expression and glanced at it.
"The exam paper itself needs to be verified. As for the source..."
He paused,
"It's not like him."
Although he had only met Sakamoto a few times and had barely spoken a few words to him,
The man who, on the first day of school, resolved a conflict on the bus with an astonishing display and later created a miracle of a perfect score,
His style of doing things seemed completely incompatible with such acts of "secret assistance" or even "selling exam questions."
Horikita Suzune even recalled the aggressive words she had said to Sakamoto on the bus at the time,
Now she only felt that she had been utterly foolish then.
But suspicion aside,
Given that it concerned Class D's ability to recover from its slump in the Midterm Exam,
Every possibility had to be treated with caution.
"It needs to be investigated."
Horikita Suzune concluded,
"The authenticity of this exam paper, and... whether it really came from Sakamoto's hands."
"Agreed."
Ayanokoji nodded.
"Then, division of labor."
Horikita Suzune quickly made a decision,
"I'll investigate the origin and authenticity of the exam paper. As for you,"
She looked at Ayanokoji,
"You go and solve the problem with those three idiots, and make sure they attend the study session."
Making her deal with Yamauchi, Ike, and Sudo, those three completely uncommunicative guys?
Just imagining the scene, Horikita Suzune felt a physiological repulsion.
This kind of task, which required immense patience and a certain affinity that she did not possess,
Was perfectly "suitable" for Ayanokoji, who seemed indifferent to everything.
Ayanokoji glanced at her, seeing through her eagerness to get rid of the trouble,
But he didn't object, merely responding indifferently:
"Oh."
This is why, after school,
Horikita Suzune appeared near the Class 1-A classroom.
Investigating the exam paper was the primary goal,
But at the same time, she also harbored a strong curiosity.
It had been a month since school started,
She had never truly observed this competitor who had overwhelmingly crushed other classes and achieved a legendary perfect score.
Class A was the goal she was determined to surpass, the enemy she would have to face in the future.
Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated.
Taking this opportunity to get a glimpse of the daily atmosphere and state of this "miracle" class,
Was undoubtedly extremely valuable.
She pretended to pass by, but her gaze sharply swept over the Class A window.
Then, she saw that scene—
Inside the bright and clean classroom, the golden glow of the setting sun fell.
Sakamoto stood by the window, his posture tall and straight, holding an unfolded paper covered in writing.
The format and style of that paper were strikingly similar to the one she had bought at noon.
It was a shocking fact!
The first thing that surged into her mind was a strong sense of unreality.
Sakamoto?
Sakamoto, who always seemed to be detached, elegantly and calmly following his own rules,
Would he really engage in such an act of "bestowing" exam questions?
This was severely inconsistent with the aloof image he projected.
But the facts before her were undeniable—he was holding that Midterm Exam paper.
This indirectly confirmed the words of the Second-Year Senior Student at noon.
The source of the exam paper indeed pointed to Sakamoto.
Complex emotions instantly surged through her:
Doubt, disappointment, and a hint of humiliation at being looked down upon.
Was it because he thought Class D was too useless,
That he was "bestowing" them an opportunity in this way?
Her thoughts instantly became chaotic.
Her first instinctive reaction was:
I must not let him see me!
Almost the instant Sakamoto's gaze lifted and was about to turn towards the window,
Horikita Suzune sharply turned sideways,
Quickly and silently retreating into the shadows of the corridor, and swiftly leaving.
Her heart was beating somewhat rapidly in her chest.
She needed to sort out her thoughts,
And she also needed to meet up with Ayanokoji as soon as possible.
×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×
Read Extra Chapter Visit My Patreon
I have only 1 tier
19$ Tier – Access to 40 advance chapters
patreon.com/Lempil
patreon.com/Lempil