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

In the end, she chose to tell the truth.

Perhaps they wanted to see what the other party could offer:

"Class D."

"Class D?"

The second-year student immediately showed an exaggerated expression of surprise.

"What a coincidence! Senior, I'm also in Class D! I didn't expect to find such an ambitious junior in the first year! That's wonderful!"

His performance was too over-the-top, causing Ayanokouji to squint slightly.

"so,"

This time it was Ayanokouji who spoke, and his words went straight to the heart of the matter.

"What substantial intelligence can you provide? Or rather, what do you need?"

He could tell that the other person's initiative to strike up a conversation was not just out of "senior's concern".

The second-year student seemed taken aback by Ayanokouji's directness, but quickly regained his slick smile:

"Don't be so wary, junior. You guys have your midterms coming up soon, right?"

As he spoke,

He mysteriously pulled out a stack of neatly folded papers that looked like exam papers from behind him.

He lowered his voice:

"Actually, there's an unwritten rule at our school... the midterm exams have a very high rate of question repetition every year. The question types and test points are pretty much the same for each grade!"

He pressed the stack of papers onto the table and pointed at it meaningfully with his finger:

"With this—last year's midterm exam paper—I believe you'll be able to perform at an unexpected level during the exam."

After he finished speaking, he wore that expectant smile.

Looking at Horikita and Ayanokoji, waiting for their reaction.

Horikita Suzune looked doubtful.

With such strict school rules, how could such an obvious loophole be left?

She was still pondering its authenticity.

Ayanokouji, however, hesitated almost without any hesitation.

He asked directly and calmly:

"So how many points do you need?"

Ayanokouji didn't even bother to check if the exam paper was genuine.

Instead, it went straight to the heart of the conversation.

A student from Class D in the second grade offered to sell test papers to first-grade students.

The motivation is simply for personal points.

The second-year student's eyes lit up, as if he had been waiting for these words:

"Junior, you're really straightforward! I'll just give you a price right away: 10,000 points! This valuable 'experience' is definitely worth every penny!"

This price, in consideration of the potential benefits,

It's not ridiculously high.

This time, before Ayanokouji could respond, Horikita Suzune spoke first:

"make a deal."

She decided to take a gamble.

If it's fake, losing 10,000 points is painful, but still bearable.

If it's true, it would be a godsend for Class D.

Moreover, Ayanokouji's direct questioning of the price seemed to hint at a certain possibility.

"Great! That's wonderful!"

The second-year student immediately beamed with joy and pulled out his phone.

"Come on, junior, scan this! Just transfer it to me!"

Horikita Rinne used her phone to quickly complete a transfer of 10,000 points.

After receiving the points, the second-year student contentedly pushed the stack of test papers in front of the two of them.

However, just as he was about to turn and leave, he seemed to suddenly remember something.

He stopped, turned around, and had a strange expression on his face.

He lowered his voice and said:

"Oh, right, since you two were so agreeable, I'll throw in a free message."

"Actually, this test paper... shouldn't be sold for this price. But I'm just a gofer. The one who actually got this and instructed me to find an opportunity to sell it to Class D... was that Sakamoto from Class A in the first year."

He paused,

After observing the stunned expressions on their faces,

They seemed quite satisfied with the result.

"What he meant was... he couldn't stand the disastrous state of your Class D at midnight in the first month, and he hoped you could at least lay a foundation for the midterm exams and not lose too badly? That's about it. Okay, message delivered, I'm off!"

After saying that, he didn't wait for their reaction,

He quickly turned around and slipped into the crowded cafeteria like an eel.

Disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Only the person across the table remained, holding the exam paper that had suddenly become incredibly heavy.

Horikita Suzune and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka looked at each other and fell silent for a moment.

Sakamoto?

That Sakamoto from Class A?

He asked a second-grade student to submit last year's midterm exam papers.

At a low price, "aid" was given to Class D?

First Year Midterm Exam: Chapter 055: Asahina and Sakamoto

The midday sun shines through the lush foliage of the roadside trees, casting dappled light and shadow on the road.

Sakamoto left the bustling cafeteria and strolled alone on the way back to the teaching building.

He walked briskly.

Yet it was as precise as if calculated, with the toes landing precisely on the white edge of the sidewalk.

It was as if beyond that thin line lay an invisible forbidden zone.

He was immersed in a self-disciplined pace, and the students and scenery around him seemed to become a flowing backdrop.

As you turn the corner around a dense grove of trees,

A figure suddenly appeared from the other side.

She was a tall girl with long, smooth brown hair, adorned with a striking sunflower-shaped hair clip that shimmered in the sunlight.

She seemed lost in her own thoughts, her steps hurried.

The two were about to collide head-on.

"Secret Technique—'Unleash the Avatar'."

Sakamoto murmured softly, his voice low yet clear.

Just as they were about to make contact, his figure seemed to defy the law of inertia.

With an incredibly smooth side slide, like a gentle breeze rustling willow branches,

He perfectly dodged the girl's charging path.

He even had the leisure to gracefully brush his sideburns with his right hand.

His posture was elegant and composed, and there was no physical contact throughout the entire process.

However, although Sakamoto successfully avoided the collision,

The girl with long brown hair lost her balance instantly due to her excessive momentum.

She gasped in surprise, her body staggering forward uncontrollably.

Sakamoto seemed to have foreseen these subsequent changes.

His left hand darted into his student satchel with lightning speed.

It's not about taking something out.

Instead, his fingers deftly pinched the connecting ring between the main body of the bag and the handle.

With a flick of his wrist, the part of the handbag with the handle swung like a pendulum beneath the path where the girl fell forward.

The girl's fingers flailing in panic.

It just so happened that it unwittingly hooked onto the handbag strap that appeared just in time.

A perfectly timed pull suddenly came.

The girl's forward momentum was instantly stopped by this unexpected fulcrum.

Her body, using the hand strap as an axis, was suddenly pulled back, regaining her balance in a dance-like motion.

She instinctively followed this force and looked up.

Her gaze met that of Sakamoto, who had made the timely movement and was calmly watching her.

At that moment, Sakamoto stood still, his left hand lightly holding his handbag;

The girl leaned back slightly, her right index finger hooking the bag strap;

Their eyes met in mid-air. The afternoon sun filtered through the trees.

The pose is remarkably similar to the composition in the famous painting "The Creation of Adam" where God and Adam's fingertips touch.

It was full of tension.

The brown-haired girl's face flushed with a brief moment of surprise.

She quickly withdrew her fingers from the strap as if she had been electrocuted.

She straightened up, looking slightly flustered, and straightened her disheveled clothes and long hair.

But then a slightly grateful smile appeared on her face.

"Th...thank you! I almost fell."

Her voice carried a hint of lingering fear and heartfelt gratitude.

"Hello! I'm Asahina Nazuna from the second year! You must be the famous Sakamoto from Class A, right? It's amazing to see you in person!"

Her gaze was fixed intently on the elegant and picturesque young man before her.

Sakamoto slightly shrugs:

"I am Sakamoto. It was nothing, Asahina-senpai, you're too kind."

His gaze fell on the girl's slightly flushed face. After responding politely, he prepared to turn and leave.

"and many more!"

Asahina Nazuna hurriedly called out to him, the blush on her face not yet completely faded.

"Sakamoto-san, please wait a moment! I have something else to say!"

Sakamoto stopped in his tracks, turned around, and looked at her again.

"Please go ahead, senior."