"Senpaku, I am Sakamoto. What brings you here?"

However, during this period of close interaction,

In this first month, which was as calm as still water yet turbulent beneath, Sakayanagi Arisu found herself in an unprecedented state of confusion.

The closer she got to Sakamoto, the more she realized that his charm was like a huge gravitational field.

Profound and irresistible.

His unwavering elegance and composure at all times

That profound composure in the face of doubt and surprise,

That ability and composure that always manifests in crucial moments is beyond comprehension.

Even that pure focus solely on the goal itself...

Like water dripping on a stone,

It subtly impacted her previously cherished beliefs and preconceived notions.

"Convinced"

...Sakamoto.

This once intense goal that occupied her heart now seems to be shrouded in an ambiguous veil as she sits quietly and savors it.

She realized with alarm that, without her noticing, a thought had taken hold of her mind.

She has quietly become—perhaps, she is about to be "conquered" by him.

First Year Midterm Exam: Chapter 049: Sakamoto Influences Others

The perspective shifts to the classroom of Class C (formerly Class B) in the first year.

Homeroom teacher Hoshinomiya Chie stood on the podium, her face beneath her brown curly hair striving to maintain its usual gentle smile.

But a hint of suppressed disappointment and resentment could not be completely concealed in those eyes.

She turned around and wrote the same ranking data on the blackboard as in the classrooms of Class A and Class D:

[As of May 1st]

[Class Point Ranking]

[Class A: 1000 points]

[Class C: 910 points]

[Class B: 820 points]

[Class D: 0:00]

Looking at the numbers on the blackboard, especially the glaring third place number "820" and the adjacent "Class C: 910", I felt a surge of emotion.

A low murmur rippled through the students below the stage.

Their faces showed a variety of complex expressions—surprise, confusion, and deep disappointment.

Hoshinomiya Chie turned around.

He sighed silently as he looked at the dejected students in the audience.

Who could blame them for having such a monstrous student in Class A?

Sakamoto.

That freshman who stirred up a storm just one week into the semester, even daring to speak eloquently in front of the student council.

The miraculous perfect score in Class A must have been orchestrated by him, or even orchestrated by him.

And that damn Class C actually managed to get 910 points!

They completely overwhelmed them!

This is simply...

Hoshinomiya Chie clenched her fingers tightly, her nails almost digging into her palms.

She remembered the information she had learned by chance from Ms. Mashima—

A student in Class A sold information about the S system to outsiders.

She suspected it was Sakamoto at the time, and now it seems that the buyer is very likely a student from Class C!

A beginner class that has absolutely no idea about the rules.

Facing a cheater with a strategy guide,

How to win?

She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the resentment in her heart.

Her face blossomed with that warm, approachable smile again, and her voice was gentle and encouraging:

"Students, don't be discouraged! 820 points is already a very, very good score!"

Her gaze swept across the entire room, her tone sincere:

"Without any prior knowledge of whether class points were linked to daily behavior, we were able to achieve such high scores solely through everyone's self-discipline and hard work! This is enough to prove that our Class B... oh no, our former Class B students possess extremely high qualities and potential!"

"This score would be absolutely top-tier for any first-year student in previous years! We were just... a little behind at the start."

Her voice rose, becoming increasingly captivating.

"But that doesn't mean we've lost! The competition has only just begun! As long as we work together and figure out the rules, we'll definitely catch up and get back to where we belong! Your teacher has confidence in you!"

Honami Ichinose immediately stood up, her long pink hair swaying gently with her movement. A warm yet resolute smile graced her face as she echoed in a clear and powerful voice:

"Teacher Hoshinomiya is right! Everyone has done a fantastic job! This ranking only shows that we haven't fully mastered some of the rules, not that we're not good enough! Let's work together to not only understand the rules but also do them even better! I believe we can definitely come back!"

She waved her little fist, making a cheering gesture.

The students in Class B are mostly optimistic and friendly by nature, and are easily infected by positive emotions.

With encouragement from the homeroom teacher and the leader, the tense atmosphere in the classroom quickly dissipated.

Instead, there is an optimistic belief and fighting spirit that "it's just a temporary setback, but we'll definitely succeed next time."

Everyone nodded and whispered to each other, encouraging one another, and the atmosphere became lively again.

Honami Ichinose smiled as she looked at everyone, but she also felt a little surprised and relieved.

Previously, her homeroom teacher had asked her to try contacting Sakamoto to gather information, although there hadn't been any substantial progress.

However, based on her observations and intuition, she vaguely sensed that the class points were related to daily behavioral norms.

This subtly guides everyone to pay more attention to discipline and behavior.

Unexpectedly, we actually bet on the right direction.

Although I don't know how Class C got such high scores,

But she believes that given time, they will definitely be able to return to their peak.

……

The perspective shifts to the classroom of Class B (formerly Class C) in the first year.

The atmosphere, however, was completely different.

The homeroom teacher, Kazuma Sakagami, was a middle-aged man with a somewhat old-fashioned appearance.

After succinctly announcing the ranking data on the blackboard, he didn't offer much commentary, but instead did something that surprised the entire class—

He took a step back and nodded to the student with a sinister aura in the audience.

He made a "please" gesture.

"Longyuan, why don't you tell everyone about it?"

This trust and concession,

it goes without saying.

A smug smile crept across Long Yuanxiang's lips.

He stood up and walked slowly to the podium, taking over the position of the homeroom teacher.

He had his hands in his pockets, his gaze sweeping over the students who had once been in Class C below the stage with the sharpness of a hawk.

At this moment, the students' faces were filled with excitement—they had been promoted from Class C to Class B.

"910 point."

Long Yuan spoke, his voice not loud, but it instantly attracted everyone's attention.

"See? This is power."

He pointed to the number on the blackboard that represented them.

"This is the result of following the rules and using the power of the rules to crush your opponent."

His tone had lost some of its usual sternness.

Instead, it carried a rare sense of appreciation:

“You’ve done a good job this past month. Much better than I expected. At least you’ve learned to listen and know how to put in the effort.”

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the students below the stage whose eyes were gradually brightening.

"From today onwards, the Class B sign belongs to us. The old Class B is now relegated to Class C. This is the difference in ability! This is what we deserve!"

"oh--!"

After a moment of silence, the audience erupted in enthusiastic cheers and applause!

Especially the students who were originally considered delinquents, such as Daichi Ishizaki, were so excited that their faces turned red, and they clapped and whistled loudly!

They had never experienced this kind of "comeback" feeling before!

This feeling of trampling the so-called "elite class" underfoot brought their worship and faith in Longyuan to its peak.

Long Yuan enjoyed the enthusiastic atmosphere from the audience and was quite satisfied with the score.

With 910 points, he surpassed the original Class B and firmly secured second place, laying a more solid foundation for his subsequent challenge against Class A.

The first step in integrating the class and establishing authority has been perfectly achieved.

however,

Amidst the jubilation

A shadow of gloom swept across the depths of Long Yuan's eyes.

Two things made him slightly unhappy.

First, there is Class A.

Contrary to his expectations, Sakayanagi Arisu did not engage in a life-or-death struggle with Sakamoto because of his false information.

On the contrary, judging from some scattered signs,

She seems to have... changed her strategy.

Instead of continuing to target Sakamoto, she seemed to be actively getting closer to him.

Did she intend to investigate Sakamoto on her own, or did she want to bypass him and cooperate directly with him?

Longyuan couldn't figure out her methods yet.

Secondly, there is the relationship between Shiina Hiyori and Sakamoto.

He sent Ibuki Mio to keep watch several times, and the feedback she received was that she saw them sitting quietly together reading in the library.

The discussion did indeed seem to focus on literary novels and similar topics.

It looks flawless.

But the more this was the case, the more suspicious Longyuan became.

There's definitely more to the relationship between these two than meets the eye.

However, he has not yet found conclusive evidence or a breakthrough.

Whatever.

Long Yuan snapped out of his reverie, his gaze sharpening and filled with ambition once more.