With the implementation of the "Four-stage Score Control Strategy," the preliminary skirmish known as the mini-test came to an end in a strange yet orderly atmosphere.
There were no accidents, nor were there any surprises.
When Chabashira Sae posted the pairing list that decided the fate of the entire class on the blackboard, the results were exactly as Horikita Suzune had predicted.
Those who had proactively turned in blank papers, like Yamauchi and Ike, were paired with the likes of Hirata and Yukimura without any suspense.
The class was filled with a cheerful air; however, any strategy devised by humans, no matter how perfect it seems, will inevitably have blind spots.
And this blind spot finally revealed itself during the lunch break... Lunch break, the classroom.
Most students had gone to the cafeteria, leaving only a few people in the classroom.
Hirata Yosuke, Horikita Suzune, Kushida Kikyo, and others were sitting together, discussing their strategy for setting questions for Class C.
"Horikita-san, regarding the math section, I think..."
As the group was discussing, two figures walked over somewhat hesitantly and stopped at their desk.
"Um... excuse me."
The one speaking was Miyake Akito.
This usually taciturn boy now had a look of embarrassment and constraint on his face. He scratched his cheek, seemingly unaccustomed to such situations.
Standing half a step behind him was Hasebe Haruka.
She had one hand in her skirt pocket and was playing with the tips of her hair with the other, her gaze fixed out the window.
Hirata Yosuke stopped talking. "Ah, it's Miyake-kun and Hasebe-san. Is something the matter?"
He glanced at the list on the blackboard. "If I remember correctly, you two are partners for this Final Exam, right? Do you have any questions about the pairing?"
"It's not that we have questions..."
Miyake Akito sighed and spread his hands helplessly.
"It's just that our situation is a bit delicate."
"Delicate?" Horikita Suzune frowned and put down her pen.
"It's like this," Miyake explained. "Both Hasebe and I have grades that fall into the middle tier. Our scores aren't high or low, but Horikita's score control strategy divided us into different categories, and this Final Exam just happened to pair us together."
"Is there a problem with that?" Horikita asked. "Both of your fundamental abilities should be above average. As long as you perform normally, passing the exam shouldn't be difficult."
Miyake gave a bitter smile and pulled two folded report cards from his pocket; they were their results from the Midterm Exam.
"Actually... our subject bias is very severe. And worst of all, the subjects we're good at and the ones we're bad at almost completely overlap."
Hirata took the report cards, scanned them quickly, and his brow immediately furrowed.
"That is a problem..." Hirata mused. "The rule for the Final Exam is that the combined score of the pair for a single subject must exceed 60 points. If both of you fail in your weak subjects, the risk is indeed very high."
Hearing this, Horikita Suzune, who had remained silent, showed a look of guilt on her face.
"I'm sorry."
She frankly lowered her head.
"This was my oversight. I only focused on arranging the students with the best and worst grades, but I neglected those of you in the middle tier. I should have considered the risks brought by such random pairing."
"No, no, Horikita-san doesn't need to apologize," Miyake waved his hands hurriedly. "It's our own fault for not studying well. Um... we came to you just to ask if there's any solution."
"If it's about tutoring..." Horikita Suzune looked at the schedule in her hand, her brow slightly furrowed. "Regrettably, I'm afraid I can't do it on my end."
"The group I'm responsible for is full of students like Sudo, whose foundations are almost zero. I need to spend a lot of time explaining basic knowledge points to them. If you join, the progress won't match at all, and it will only slow down the efficiency of both parties."
"I see..."
Hirata thought for a moment and offered a suggestion:
"Since Horikita-san is too busy, why not join the new group Kushida-san is forming? The number of people there is still manageable..."
"I refuse."
Hasebe Haruka, who hadn't spoken, suddenly spoke up.
"I'm not going to Kushida's. Ichihashi and those girls... they're too noisy."
"Uh..." Hirata felt a bit awkward. "But there aren't many other choices right now..."
"Then forget it."
"Miyacchi, sorry, I appreciate you inviting me, but I really can't stand that kind of atmosphere."
After saying that, she turned and walked toward the classroom door.
"Eh? Hasebe..." Miyake looked troubled.
However, just as Hasebe reached the classroom door.
*Slide—*
The door was pulled open from the outside first.
A girl holding an empty bento box was about to walk in and almost collided head-on with Hasebe.
"Ah!"
Sakura Airi let out a short cry of surprise and instinctively took a step back, nearly failing to hold onto the box in her hands.
"Ah, Airi."
Seeing her friend return, Hasebe Haruka's cold face finally showed a bit of warmth. She waved her hand, signaling Sakura to come over.
"Haruka-chan? What are you all doing?"
"Discussing how not to get expelled," Hasebe sighed, looking at Sakura. "Speaking of which, Airi, your grades have improved a lot lately, haven't they? What are you planning to do for this Final Exam?"
After a semester of hard work, combined with Natsukawa's occasional private tutoring, Sakura Airi's grades had indeed left the bottom ranks. Although she wasn't an honor student, she wasn't much worse than Hasebe.
"M-Me?" Sakura was stunned for a moment and instinctively looked at the figure sitting in the back of the classroom who had been watching the scene. "Before... I always went to Sōsuke-kun for help with my studies. If possible, I'd also like to ask Sōsuke-kun..."
*Whoosh—*
Everyone's gaze instantly focused on Natsukawa.
Natsukawa, who was spinning his pen while watching the show, paused his movements.
"Natsukawa-kun..." Hirata looked as if he had seen a savior. "If it's possible, could we ask you to..."
Natsukawa Sosuke's fingers, which were spinning the pen, came to a stop.
He had intended to refuse, but seeing Sakura's expectant face, he thought that since he was already helping one, he might as well help more.
"I can do it."
Natsukawa didn't refuse and nodded straightforwardly.
"Since you're Airi's friend, I'm naturally willing to help. Besides, I didn't plan on just standing by and watching you fail."
Sakura Airi's eyes instantly lit up, and she happily grabbed Hasebe's hand.
But immediately after, Natsukawa's tone shifted.
"However, there's a practical problem."
"My schedule is okay for now. But I have some things to do coming up. If I have to keep an eye on three people's revision all the time, I'm afraid I'll be spread too thin."
"I can be responsible for creating the revision plan and answering key questions. But for specific, long-term tutoring and explanations, I might not be able to cover everything."
"This..." Miyake Akito looked a bit troubled.
Just at this gloomy moment, a slightly stiff voice sounded from the side.
"If it's just being responsible for teaching... I can help."
Everyone turned their heads in surprise.
They saw Yukimura Teruhiko, who had been sitting nearby reading a book, push up the glasses on the bridge of his nose and stand up.
"Yukimura-kun?" Hirata was somewhat surprised.
"Don't misunderstand."
Seeing everyone's surprised gazes, Yukimura turned his face away uncomfortably.
"I just don't want to see the class points decrease because someone gets expelled. Besides... you two have a decent foundation; you're just biased in certain subjects. Compared to teaching someone like Sudo, teaching you should be much easier."
"But I'm stating this upfront."
"I'm only responsible for teaching you. I won't participate in any small talk, socializing, or atmosphere-setting. I'm not good at those things anyway."
"Also, if you let personal emotions affect your studies, or if you don't work hard yourselves, I'll quit at any time. I hate wasting time most of all."
"No problem!" Hasebe Haruka felt relieved instead. "As long as I don't have to deal with that hypocritical socializing, anything is fine. I'm more comfortable in a small group like this anyway."
Natsukawa Sosuke chimed in at the right time, saying with a smile:
"Then it's settled. Yukimura, you'll be in charge of the specific teaching work. I'll handle the overall coordination and deal with any unexpected situations. How about it?"
Yukimura nodded: "I have no objection."
"Great!"
"In that case, it's decided! As for the location..."
"Let's go to the Library or a cafe. It's quiet there and suitable for teaching."
"Yeah, that's a good idea."
Miyake, Hasebe, Sakura, and Yukimura looked at each other.
"Then let's exchange contact information." Natsukawa took out his terminal. "If there are any problems in the future, if they're about studying, find Yukimura. If it's other troublesome matters... find me."