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

His tone was calm, but no longer cold.

"But you all heard what Teacher Chabashira said. You might not be so lucky next time. Take care of yourselves."

The three of them gave a vague reply.

He turned and walked away.

however,

In another corner of the classroom,

Kikyo Kushida's flawless, sweet smile...

When they saw the trio of idiots walk towards Horikita again and thank him,

He froze for a moment.

Her gaze darkened slightly, and her fingertips unconsciously tightened.

But soon,

She perfectly concealed that unusual feeling.

Her smile returned to its bright and harmless state.

First Grade Midterm Exam: Chapter 079: Sakamoto in the Ocean

The evening breeze carried a hint of coolness, breaking the silence of the small park next to the dormitory building.

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji and Suzune Horikita sat side by side on a bench.

Participants await the upcoming "victory celebration banquet".

The atmosphere was subtly tense.

"Class points have been updated."

Ayanokouji broke the silence.

His gaze fell on the phone screen, and he read out the data in a flat tone.

"Class A, 1082 points. Class B, 956 points. Class C, 902 points. Our Class D... 87 points."

He paused and added,

"To be honest, aiming for Class A is a bit unrealistic. No, it should be said that aiming for any other class is almost a fantasy at the moment."

Horikita Suzune's gaze drifted towards the setting sun in the distance.

His profile looked resolute in the twilight.

"I will not give up."

Her voice was clear and unwavering.

"Our goal remains Class A, and that has never changed."

"is it?"

Ayanokouji asked softly, her gaze never leaving her phone.

"what?"

"It's nothing." Ayanokouji closed her phone.

"I just feel so lucky to have you here."

He paused, as if thinking about how to express himself.

"Thank you for helping those three idiots."

Horikita was silent for a moment before answering:

"I was just thinking about the class."

"You've really put in a lot of effort. The changes... are quite significant."

Ayanokouji said.

He could tell that in order for the study session to proceed smoothly...

In order to get those three problem students to listen at least a little bit...

How much concession and change did Horikita make in terms of attitude and approach?

Compared to her cold, stubborn, and aloof demeanor when she first started school,

Just like two different people.

"Has the change... really been that significant?"

Horikita asked, seemingly concerned.

"really have."

Ayanokouji answered affirmatively.

"It's a good change. If it were still like it was at the beginning of the school year, they'd probably be stabbing me with a compass by now."

As soon as he finished speaking, Horikita's face darkened instantly.

The next second, she actually pulled out a gleaming compass from who-knows-where and stabbed it at Ayanokouji's arm without hesitation!

It hurts.

Seriously, why did you actually stab me...?

He stared expressionlessly at the tiny red dot on his arm.

After glancing at Horikita's icy expression that seemed to say, "Try talking nonsense again," she decided to remain silent.

Soon after, a celebration banquet was held in Kiyotaka Ayanokoji's rather plain dormitory.

A picnic mat was laid out on the ground.

It was piled high with all sorts of snack and beverage cans.

The trio of idiots sat on the ground making a racket, completely disregarding their image.

Ayanokouji herself sat on the only chair in the room, looking completely unconcerned.

Horikita Suzune and Kushida Kikyo sat side by side on the edge of the bed, their territories inexplicably clearly defined.

"Hey, Ayanokouji! Stop with that long face! You should be happier right now!"

With potato chips stuffed in his mouth, Ike Kanji mumbled incoherently.

Ayanokoji asked expressionlessly:

"Why does the victory celebration have to be held in my room?"

His questions were quickly drowned out by the even louder noise.

"That was really close!"

Chi Kanji swallowed his food, his lingering fear immediately sparking a conversation.

They talked about the exams that had just taken place.

Naturally, the text mentions Haruki Yamauchi's unexpected academic improvement.

"Hey, Yamauchi, you did pretty well on the exam this time! Could it be because you're pursuing someone? I heard that person got perfect scores in all subjects?"

"Ike Kanji made a teasing face and winked."

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

Haruki Yamauchi's face flushed red instantly.

He hurriedly denied it, but his eyes darted around.

The topic then shifted to Takeru Sudo's incredibly close 41 points.

"Sudo, 41 points in English! That's amazing! You were just one point away from being finished!"

Kanji Ike patted Sudo on the shoulder.

Sudo snorted, seemingly still a little scared, and subconsciously said:

"Yeah, it was almost... But speaking of which, Kushida, the 'past exam papers' you gave us before were completely useless! The question types have all changed! Luckily, Horikita dragged us to learn some real ones..."

As soon as the words left his mouth,

Sudo was stunned for a moment, seemingly realizing he had said the wrong thing.

in an instant,

The air in the room seemed to freeze.

Ayanokouji and Horikita quickly exchanged a glance.

They both saw the surprise in each other's eyes.

Kikyo Kushida's perfect, sweet smile froze for a moment.

Although the recovery was extremely rapid,

But that momentary unease did not escape everyone's notice.

"Ah! No! I mean... thanks to Horikita's study group! Really! Thank you so much!"

Sudo hurriedly tried to salvage the situation.

He abruptly changed the subject and thanked Horikita again.

Yamauchi and Ike immediately realized what was happening.

He quickly followed suit and loudly thanked Horikita again, trying to cover up his slip of the tongue.

Kikyo Kushida's smile remained radiant.

But upon closer inspection,

A hint of gloom flickered deep in his eyes.

Ayanokouji and Horikita tacitly refrained from pursuing the matter further on the spot.

The victory celebration continued in a somewhat awkward atmosphere.

It ended hastily in the end.

After everyone left,

Only Kikyo Kushida stayed behind and volunteered to help clean the messy room.

As she sorted through the empty cans, she casually asked Ayanokouji in a low voice:

"Ayanokouji-kun, it seems like you and Horikita-san... have gotten along quite well?"

"You...do you like Horikita-kun?"

Ayanoko denied it expressionlessly:

"Nothing."

Kushida blinked, didn't press further, and simply smiled:

"That's it."

After cleaning, Kushida politely said goodbye and left.

The moment the door closed,

Ayanokouji's indifference faded slightly.

He took out his phone, ready to communicate with Horikita.

The two decided to discuss the unexpected discovery that Kushida also possessed and distributed the exam papers.

however,

At this moment, Kikyo Kushida did not return to the dormitory as she had said.

She came to the edge of the dormitory area alone.

At the railing facing the vast sea.