I'm in a real religion, why are all the people who confess to me girls?

"Come on, I'm the only one on the rooftop. There are less than five minutes left before lunch break ends. When we met, you were breathing very rapidly, which means you rushed here. And you didn't have any food or anything to fill your stomach. Obviously, you didn't eat here. So isn't the answer obvious?"

Longyuan moved a step slightly towards Tianyin.

"The answer is that you're looking for someone. If I'm not mistaken, you came specifically for me, and it's most likely related to the special exam. Am I right?"

Seeing Long Yuan's smug look, Tian Yin curled her lip.

Why does it seem like everyone knows she's working hard for the special exam? This feeling of having her actions exposed by others makes Tianyin very uncomfortable.

“You’re right, I came here for the special exam, but…”

Tianyin deliberately dragged out the sound.

"I'm still considering whether or not to give your Class C some favors."

As soon as Tianyin finished speaking, Longyuan burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha... That's hilarious! Charity? You really dare to say that? You don't actually think you're safe now that you've become Class A, do you?"

Long Yuan crossed his arms over his abdomen, his face, which had been smiling just a moment ago, now filled with a fierce expression.

However, Tianyin didn't take it seriously and spoke to herself.

"I'm planning to hold an auction, and the items up for auction are the students from each class. The goal is to ensure that everyone can find a suitable partner in their first year. Classes A, B, and D have already joined, and you, Class C, don't have much time left. Oh dear, class starts in two minutes..."

Tianyin feigned surprise and showed Longyuan the time on her phone.

Ryuen's expression also changed drastically. He was now in the exact same situation as Kanzaki. Amane cleverly used the information gap to make Kanzaki mistakenly believe that Amane was confident that she could persuade Ryuen, and that the three classes would join forces to harm Class D. So Kanzaki chose to compromise with Amane.

When it came to Ryuen, Amane brought out Sakayanagi and Kanzaki to put pressure on Ryuen. Ryuen and Kanzaki were not even in the same league, but even so, Ryuen was helpless against Amane's open scheme. The best students, Class A and Class D, inexplicably went to join Amane's auction.

Tianyin's Class A has many top-performing students, and Longyuan is fully confident that the three classes can completely block Class C's hopes of forming a partnership if they want to.

Even if the school forces students to be paired up, there's a high probability that about half of them will drop out.

This is absolutely not an exaggeration!!

Most students in Class C have an academic level around D, with only a few barely reaching the threshold of B. Expecting the school to randomly assign partners to such a class and expect them to pass a special exam is a joke!

To prevent a student with a D-level academic ability from being expelled, a partner with at least a B-level academic ability is needed, and they cannot be B-level. Two C+ students are the minimum requirement to definitely pass. If one of them is below C+, the other must improve their academic level accordingly to ensure that neither of them is expelled.

Although there are a dozen or so students in Class C with B-level academic ability, most of them are B-. While this level of academic ability isn't necessarily bad, it's unrealistic for them to team up with a first-year class on their own. No class can muster more than twenty students with B-level academic ability, but Longyuan needs that many to ensure that every single student in Class C passes the exam safely.

Therefore, Tianyin's auction was like a death knell for Class C. If Longyuan chose to refuse to participate in the auction, at least ten students would drop out of school.

Longyuan didn't believe that the other classes would be so kind as to leave the academically strong first-year students to their C class.

Now even Longyuan has no choice but to give up his hostility towards Tianyin for the sake of his classmates.

"I've joined your auction, are you satisfied now?"

Long Yuan's expression returned to its initial calm. He now realized that Tian Yin was not an opponent that could be defeated by mere bravado.

Therefore, there's no need to bare your fangs easily when you can't deliver a fatal blow...

"Oh dear, Ryuen, are you begging me to let you join the auction? I never said I was going to invite Class C."

While fiddling with her phone charm, Tianyin emphasized to Longyuan in a sarcastic tone.

Long Yuan never expected Tian Yin to be so petty. All he had done was make a few sarcastic remarks to her, and Tian Yin was going to retaliate against him in such a way.

That's such a childish thing to do.

Ryuen judged that Tenon would definitely have Class C participate in the auction, because only in this way could they accomplish something "special"—something that could only be done by all the second-year students working together.

This is also the most perfect plan to pass this special exam.

Ryuen saw through Amane's intentions. Amane just wanted to embarrass him. Although he could have fought Amane to the bitter end to save face, Amane wouldn't really abandon Class C. Amane needed Ryuen Sho, this vicious dog, to hold back their pursuit behind Sakayanagi. If the vicious dog lost its teeth, it would lose its threat.

With Class B's current overall strength, it's only a matter of time before they surpass Class A.

Therefore, Longyuan was certain that Tianyin would not allow a large number of students from Class C to drop out, thus creating a deadly feud with Class C.

However... Longyuan did not choose to confront Tianyin head-on.

Because doing so is simply a waste of each other's time.

"Your Highness, please allow Class C to join your auction."

As he spoke, Long Yuan even bowed respectfully.

Having regained his pride, Tianyin stopped making things difficult for Longyuan and a smile returned to his face.

"That's too formal. We second graders are a friendly, supportive, and mutually beneficial group. How could we possibly exclude Class C? See you at the gym this afternoon! Don't break your promise, Ryuu-kun!"

"Tsk, you saw right through me? That's why I hate smart guys like you the most."

Long Yuan smacked his lips. The reason he wanted to end the conversation quickly was not simply because he was afraid of wasting each other's time.

Instead, they wanted to quickly stabilize Tianyin's position, ideally making her believe that Class C would obediently wait for the auction that afternoon.

In reality, Longyuan had another plan in mind: if the other three classes joined forces, Class C would definitely not be able to escape their clutches.

But what can Amane and the others do if Ryuuen Sho goes to negotiate with the first-year students beforehand?

By simply signing a mutual aid agreement with one first-grade class, students from both classes can be paired up. This way, at least 95% of the students can find a suitable partner.

The remaining 5% of Dragon Garden was already planned to be spent directly with points. It was just a few students with B-level academic ability, wasn't it? He didn't believe that 100,000 points wouldn't be enough to recruit people.

As long as I'm fast enough, I can resolve all the crises of this special exam for Class 2C before Tianyin's auction begins!

Longyuan urgently needs time.

Longyuan even planned to skip his afternoon classes to save time, and as soon as the bell rang, he would go to the first grade to see if he could find some willing 'partners' to cooperate with.

Longyuan has done a thorough investigation; all the first-grade classes this afternoon are self-study periods.

This was excellent news for Long Yuan. Even if he failed to persuade one class, he could immediately switch to the next class and definitely complete his plan before the Tianyin Auction.

Unfortunately... Tianyin had foreseen all of this.

What a terrifying opponent.

However, this also made Ryuen even more eager for the day when his "plan" would be implemented... What kind of expression would Amane have on her face?

Chapter 11: Do you want me to hug you?

As soon as the school bell rang, many second-grade students rushed to the school gymnasium, some even changing their clothes as they ran.

It's not that the second-year students are so passionate about sports that they're fanatical; rather, today is the annual club recruitment event, and almost all the first-year students come to the gymnasium to participate in the school's club recruitment fair.

Since it's voluntary, some people will definitely dislike such crowded and noisy places and choose to do other activities. However, since they are freshmen who have just entered the campus, instead of wasting their time on entertainment, they might as well participate in the club recruitment fairs and student union recruitment organized by the school and perhaps obtain some valuable information from them.

Because many students share this idea, and many others come here because of the fact that Gaoyu's clubs can participate in national sports competitions, the gymnasium is packed with people even though it's not mandatory.

To make matters worse, second-graders actually have to attend class today!!

It's worth noting that most of the clubs at Gaoyu High School have students who voluntarily withdraw from their activities by their third year, which means that all the club presidents are now second-year students.

The club recruitment event couldn't be held because the club leaders were in class... What kind of joke is this?

That's why we saw the students who had just become club presidents and club members rushing towards the gymnasium as soon as get out of class ended.

In another room in the stadium stands, the leaders of the various second-year classes were gathered.

"I never imagined that we would one day cooperate in this way."

Sakayanagi glanced at Ryuen and Kanzaki and said meaningfully.

"Hmph, I don't really want to participate in this auction, but now we, Class D, have no choice but to make this decision."

Kanzaki leaned against the wall, his arms crossed in front of his chest, responding to Sakayanagi's teasing with a disgruntled expression.

"Who says otherwise? That domineering guy doesn't give us any right to refuse."

Longyuan fiddled with the game tokens in his hand while letting out a strange, giggling laugh.

Amane, who was sitting in her chair observing the second-year students below with great interest, completely ignored Kanzaki and Ryuen's objections.

Anyway, everyone's been tricked into coming here, so complaining about her won't hurt them. Besides, Tianyin is thinking about losing weight recently, and if she could lose a few pounds from all the criticism, she'd be laughing in her sleep.

“After the recruitment event ends, Arisu, you will take over as the host of the auction.”

This was something that Amane had agreed upon with Sakayanagi from the very beginning.

It was precisely because Sakayanagi, as the future student council president, needed an opportunity to appear in front of the first-year students that she agreed to participate in the auction with Amane.

Otherwise, given their class's academic level, even if Amane tried to isolate them, it wouldn't work. This was purely Sakayanagi's self-interest, and definitely not because Amane's performance at noon was good or anything like that...

"Let Sakayanagi host? Miyako, as the leader of Class A, don't you plan to show your face in front of the first-year students?"

When Ryuen mentioned "Class A" again, he emphasized it, while secretly observing Sakayanagi's reaction.

However, today, it seemed that Sakayanagi's whole heart was with Amane. Even when Ryuen deliberately reopened her wounds, Sakayanagi was still smiling as she tidied Amane's hair.

"This was something I had already discussed with Arisu. Besides, there's no point in me showing my face. To first-year students, unless someone is from the student council or a club, they'll just see anyone else as an ordinary high school student."

What Amane said wasn't wrong. Although the first-year students could find out who Amane was through the OAA, even if they did, she would just be a slightly more powerful senior to them.

Without a special status, a first-year student wouldn't waste time on an ordinary senior, which is why Ten'in decided that the auction had to be hosted by Sakayanagi.

"Miyako, you seem very confident that you will get the results you want from this auction."

Kanzaki noticed that Amane maintained a rather optimistic attitude throughout, as if her problems would be easily solved as long as the auction could proceed smoothly.

But that's not the case. The successful auction was just the beginning of the problem, because the punishment for the second-year students was completely different from that for the first-year students.

According to the exam rules, if a second-year student fails to achieve the required score, they face expulsion. However, the punishment for failing to achieve the required score in the first year is merely three months without any personal points.

Everyone understands that first graders should be given some leeway to make mistakes, and second graders are not unreasonable people either. But the problem is that this special exam is a cross-grade joint exam.

No one can control their own destiny. Take Tianyin, for example. Even if she gets a perfect score on her exam, her partner can still get her expelled if he deliberately gets a zero.

This is a typical example of how no matter how hard you try, the outcome still depends on the other party's situation.

However, this makes the punishment for second-year students seem a bit excessive. Compared to expulsion, a three-month ban on earning points is a trivial punishment. First-year students received a huge number of points when they first entered school. If they used them sparingly, not to mention three months, even half a year wouldn't be a big problem. Therefore, first-year students don't care much about the school's punishment. This leads to the second-year students always being at a disadvantage in negotiations with the first-year students.

That's why Kanzaki was curious about Amane's inexplicable confidence.

"I know what you're trying to say, Kanzaki-san. It's just that the disadvantage in terms of the rules is very disadvantageous for us. Even if our entire grade unites and prevents anyone from partnering with a first-year student, we can't force them to give in. Even if the entire grade randomly assigns partners, we'll definitely be the ones who suffer in the end. After all, if we fail the test, we'll be expelled."

Amane's words not only failed to resolve Kanzaki's confusion, but instead caused Kanzaki to frown even more deeply.

He disliked such risky things and was unwilling to take the entire Class D to gamble with Amane on dropping out of school. Even though they were blocked by the other three classes, Kanzaki believed that with some effort, it was still possible for everyone to pass the exams. But Kanzaki could not accept Amane taking the entire second-year class to gamble.

"What you're doing is insane. You're trading the fate of the entire second year for concessions from the first year. If it succeeded, that would be one thing, but you clearly believe that the first year is unlikely to make concessions unconditionally, so why hold this auction? I don't believe you don't have any other way to resolve the crisis brought about by this special exam."

Kanzaki's guess was correct this time. Amane had many ways to resolve this special exam crisis, but Amane's other goal was to strengthen the influence of Class 2-A among the second-year students. In addition, there were some internal reasons.

If students in Class A manage to get through the exam by cheating from the start, they will still be constantly worried that Class B will overtake them one day, and then they will lose their current favorable conditions and honors.

However, in terms of overall strength, Class A is stronger than Class B. Even if we take Sakayanagi's abilities into account, Amane doesn't think she would lose to Sakayanagi.

However, the other students in the class are worried about being overtaken, so what Amane needs to do is to win the special exam in a fair and square manner using the fighting style of Class A.

Tianyin hoped to boost the confidence of everyone in Class A through this method.

However, she could not say these things to Kanzaki openly.

"Actually, Kanzaki-san, you've overlooked a very important factor."

"A very important factor?"

"That's right. Now think back to what we were busy doing during the first month of school?"

The first month of school...

"I'm probably busy getting to know the school, making new friends, and actively participating in club activities, that's about it..."

Kanzaki's answer stunned everyone else. Kanzaki keenly sensed that something was wrong with the atmosphere, but he couldn't figure out what was wrong with his answer.

"Ryuen, tell Kanzaki what you did during the first month of school."

Normally, Ryuen would never have listened to Amane so obediently, but even Ryuen now felt that Kanzaki's answer was too childish.

"It seems that Ichinose protected you too well back then. My main task in my first month was to establish my position in Class C with my fists."

As soon as Ryuen said this, Kanzaki immediately realized the meaning behind Amane's earlier question to him.

"So, Miyako, do you think the first-year students would be busy fighting for power at this time, thus creating favorable conditions for us?"

Kanzaki reacted very quickly, and Amane showed a relieved expression upon hearing Kanzaki's answer.

“That’s right, Kanzaki, you know the situation at our school. The first thing first-year students do when they arrive is try to find a class leader. But how can they easily accept someone else’s leadership when they don’t know each other well? The end result is that no one is willing to submit to anyone else. So, the final solution, besides violence, is to demonstrate their ‘value’ as much as possible. If people in other classes can’t find partners from second-year students, but he can connect with second-year students and provide them with partners who guarantee they’ll pass the exam, then his reputation will immediately gain an overwhelming advantage in the class and then…”

Amane looked at Kanzaki, and the rest was self-evident.

If the first-year students are unwilling to cooperate with the second-year students' auction, Tianyin plans to monopolize all opportunities for second-year students to partner with first-year students. She will then deliberately lure ambitious students who want to quickly gain prestige and become class leaders to seek her cooperation. Once the first person succeeds, the rest will flock to Tianyin to cooperate. Eventually, it may even become a luxury where only those with sufficient resources can trade with the second-year students.