Stepping out of the Class D classroom.
By all rights, Chris should have gone somewhere to continue arranging special training sessions for Horikita Suzune and Ichinose Honami.
But when he tilted his head and glanced sideways—
He caught sight of Horikita Suzune walking right beside him, step for step, exactly like she'd been at noon while clutching that wooden sword, her expression weighed down with something unspoken.
With a perfectly human touch, Chris decided to just ask:
"Something on your mind?"
Horikita Suzune's footsteps faltered slightly.
She looked up at him, hesitated for a moment, then finally bit down on her pale pink lips and spoke:
"I've been watching you... and aside from occasionally paying attention in class, you never look like you have any intention of studying."
"The midterm exam is next week. I'm worried."
"..."
Chris blanked for a second, barely keeping a straight face.
Okay, hold on.
You already know this guy has been labeled a 'failing student.' You know that anyone who flunks this exam has a very real chance of becoming an intruder and getting themselves killed. And yet, watching him stay completely unruffled in the face of all that—
Does it really not occur to you to follow the logic a little further and consider that maybe — just maybe — he's also hiding his real ability in academics?
But then he thought about it, and the amusement faded into something more understanding.
This was probably just that stubborn, deeply ingrained pride of Horikita Suzune's — the kind that refused to accept handouts she hadn't earned.
Aside from her brother, Horikita Manabu, the person she'd admired for over a decade, she found it genuinely difficult to accept unsolicited kindness from a stranger — especially a male one, and especially for free.
And honestly, with Horikita's intelligence, she might have already guessed that Chris's true academic level was higher than he let on.
Well — in the source material, she was pretty oblivious in the early days.
An awkward, roundabout way of trying to return a favor — in hindsight, it tracked.
She probably just didn't like the feeling of receiving charity one-sidedly. So she was desperate to give something back in a domain where she had an edge, just to make herself feel a little less indebted in this relationship.
Got it.
This was the tsundere's unique — if clunky — method of reciprocation.
Chris thought it over and decided not to pop that cute little bubble of pride. Instead, he ventured:
"Well then... shall we head to the library and get some studying in?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Horikita Suzune's voice noticeably brightened, and even her posture seemed to straighten by a few degrees:
"Really? Then..."
She paused, her tone shifting into something subtly, almost painfully awkward:
"In swordsmanship and combat instruction — I admit, you are my sensei."
"But if it comes to academic studies..."
Midway through, she caught the quizzical look in Chris's eyes, and whatever confidence she'd been building crumbled. She trailed off, the tips of her ears going faintly pink.
"...Could I be your sensei? That... would be fine?"
Chris rubbed his chin, then gave a magnanimous wave of his hand:
"Since you're already calling yourself that, I've got thick enough skin to just go ahead and accept."
"There's a saying back in China: 'The one who excels becomes the teacher.' So when it comes to studying, I'll be in your care, Horikita-sensei."
Seeing him take it so graciously and without a shred of embarrassment—
The cloud over Horikita Suzune's eyes cleared at once. She turned her head away, and the corners of her mouth curved upward before she could stop them.
It was a faint smile — like a thin layer of frost on a leaf in early winter. Shift your angle even slightly, or let the sunlight hit a little too bright, and you'd miss it entirely.
But it was there.
Chris was privately amused.
Who knew that underneath all that sternness, you were into roleplay scenarios like this.
Objectively speaking, there was no reason for Chris to play along with this little game of Horikita's.
But any relationship — even one between a master and a subordinate — needed a certain frequency of genuine exchange and mutual value to stay warm and keep loyalty alive.
Chris didn't mind indulging the girl's self-esteem just a little.
Besides, no matter how he looked at it, he held all the cards. This was a win-win by any measure. There simply wasn't a losing option.
He also had no intention of domesticating Horikita Suzune completely.
The two of them headed to the school library together.
The sight that greeted them gave Chris a mild jolt of surprise.
Gone was the usual sparse, barely-a-soul-in-sight atmosphere that made the place feel like a ghost library.
Now — with the Black Sphere exams fully exposed to the public eye, and the school having issued penalties of "resurrection life deductions" against students who tried to communicate information to the outside — the delinquents and underachievers who had long since given up on reaching Class A and settled into a comfortable cycle of doing absolutely nothing had, miraculously, remembered they were supposed to be students.
Didn't matter what kind of slacker you'd been before. When "fail the exam and become cannon fodder" was the iron rule staring you in the face, nobody was joking around anymore.
The one thing Chris felt the urge to complain about, though:
This campus is massive. There are self-study rooms and empty classrooms everywhere. So why has this entire crowd decided to cram themselves into the library specifically?
Is it just because it looks more academic in here? Because being surrounded by bookshelves gives you some kind of psychological reassurance that you're "actually working hard"?
Just as Chris was about to suggest to Horikita Suzune that they could find somewhere else—
Horikita Suzune's eyes suddenly lit up. She grabbed Chris's hand and made straight for a long window-side table with only three empty seats left.
"Shiina-san."
Horikita Suzune kept her voice low as she addressed the blue-haired girl quietly reading there:
"These seats are free, right? We'd like to sit here and go over some material — is that alright?"
Shiina Hiyori looked up from her book. Seeing it was Horikita Suzune and Chris, she blinked in mild surprise.
After a brief pause, she replied softly:
"The seat directly across from me has been reserved by Kiryuuin-senpai — she just went to get a book. As for the two beside it, no one's claimed them yet. Please, go ahead."
"Thank you." Horikita Suzune visibly relaxed. She turned to Chris: "Then let's sit here. I'll sit next to Shiina. You sit across from me."
Chris hesitated for a beat.
But looking at Horikita Suzune, who had already slipped fully into "strict teacher" mode, he swallowed his protest.
Weren't you all tangled up about calling me sensei just five minutes ago in the hallway? And now the moment we walk through the door, you've already flipped the switch without missing a beat?
Fast face-change. You sure you didn't minor in Sichuan opera?
After they settled into their seats, Horikita Suzune wasted no time. She reached into her bag, pulled out several handwritten practice questions she'd prepared in advance, and slid them across to Chris.
Clearly, she wanted to take stock of his baseline first — figure out exactly how bad his fundamentals were.
Chris looked at the questions, resigned but unsurprised. Well, if you're going to play a part, you'd better commit to it.
He picked up his pen and began spinning it one-handed, mentally picking a few problems to flub on purpose so Horikita-sensei could have her moment—
When the person Shiina Hiyori had mentioned arrived, stride brimming with easy confidence.
Spotting Chris seated right next to the seat she'd reserved, Kiryuuin Fuka raised an eyebrow.
Chris started to get up to move.
"Don't bother." Kiryuuin Fuka waved him off lazily. "You stay in, I'll take the outside seat."
Chris obligingly shifted one spot inward.
The moment she sat down, her gaze fell on the practice questions spread out in front of Chris.
"I mean... little kouhai. How are you getting basic algebra problems this simple wrong?"
She leaned back in her chair, long legs crossed at the knee: "Want senpai to do you a favor and sell you a copy of last year's midterm paper? Save yourself the agony of sitting here scratching your head. Very negotiable on price~"
Chris's pen paused mid-spin. Before he could say a word—
Horikita Suzune had already fired back, expression cold:
"Even if you're an upperclassman, that doesn't give you the right to casually mock someone who's genuinely working toward a goal. Besides — this is a test I prepared for him. Outside interference isn't welcome."
Looking at how genuinely serious Horikita was, Kiryuuin Fuka shook her head, half-amused:
"Little kouhai, you freshmen probably don't know this yet."
"The elimination threshold for the midterm isn't a fixed score. It's calculated as the class average divided by two. At the rate you're all cramming right now, buying the answers from me might honestly be faster."
She paused, as if remembering something, and deliberately drew out her words: "Oh, right. You're from Class D, aren't you? If we're going by the average performance of the worst class in the school... the threshold will probably be laughably low. Honestly, you might pass just by guessing. Could actually work out."
"Sorry — senpai here was originally in Class A, so my standards are maybe just a tiny bit higher than average."
The condescension was practically dripping off every word.
Horikita Suzune's brow furrowed sharply — but her focus wasn't on the jab. She was busy rapidly processing the exam rule she'd just heard.
Chris, for his part, was entirely unruffled.
He kept idly spinning his ballpoint pen and said with a light smile: "Then we won't trouble senpai with worrying about us."
Kiryuuin Fuka glanced over at him.
Seeing that utterly composed expression — not a trace of the anxiety that should have been there — she put it together almost instantly.
This guy... he's playing dumb on purpose. Putting on a show for his little girlfriend, living out some 'clueless boy and strict tsundere teacher' fantasy roleplay.
Realizing that, Kiryuuin Fuka felt distinctly let down.
"Tch. I was kind of looking forward to seeing what the school would do with one of you 'fixed participants' the Black Sphere has its eye on — whether failing the exam would actually get you tossed into an arena to die... Looks like there's no show to watch after all. How boring."
Horikita Suzune looked up. She still disliked Kiryuuin's attitude, but the information embedded in her words left her puzzled.
At that moment, Shiina Hiyori — who had been quietly listening the whole time — softly offered her own thought:
"If the elimination threshold really is the class average divided by two... then all it would take is having the students capable of scoring high deliberately hold back during the exam to pull the overall class average down."
"Given that everyone is now studying with their lives on the line, and knowing this rule ahead of time — as long as the average stays low enough, it should be very difficult for anyone to actually get eliminated, shouldn't it?"
Shiina Hiyori's voice was quiet, but her logic was clean:
"After all..."
"Under the current Black Sphere threat, aside from the resurrection rewards for the top three, ordinary class rankings and individual exam scores have essentially lost all meaning. Isn't that right?"
The moment she finished—
Horikita Suzune's eyes lit up like the sun breaking through clouds. A sudden clarity, sweeping everything away in an instant.
"That's exactly right."
Kiryuuin Fuka tapped her chin and grinned:
"Quick thinker, little kouhai. Theoretically speaking — yeah, that checks out."
Chris's pen tip paused.
He spoke, quietly and unhurried:
"Senpai — you look awfully relaxed for someone who supposedly came here to study."
"You came specifically to find Shiina-san. I doubt it was just to talk books with her. You're here for intel, aren't you?"
Called out directly, Kiryuuin Fuka didn't even try to deny it. She lifted the copy of The Magic Cube Mansion she'd been holding, flipped through a couple of pages, and freely admitted:
"What can I say."
"It's not like senpai has much of a network among the first-years. The only people I actually know are you lot — the ones I happened to share a near-death experience with at the mall last time."
Shiina Hiyori hugged her book and shrank her shoulders slightly, a little embarrassed:
"But... I wasn't selected for the preliminary test, and I didn't participate in last night's Black Sphere main exam either. If you're looking for the latest exam intel, I'm afraid you've come to the wrong person..."
"Not entirely the wrong person, though."
Kiryuuin Fuka gave a light laugh. Her gaze drifted past Shiina, landing on Chris and Horikita Suzune with a meaningful look:
"You know how it is — sometimes fate works in funny ways. The people I actually wanted to find just walked right through the door."
Chris let out a sigh, mildly exasperated:
"I've always wondered — Ichinose is so easy to talk to, and she's the Class B rep on top of that. Why not just go to her for intel directly? Coming to us two, you're probably going to have to pay a consultation fee."
He paused, then remembered something: "By the way — that little secretary by the Student Council President's side still hasn't added me on Line. She's not pocketing the budget, is she?!"
Kiryuuin Fuka shook her head and explained, one point at a time:
"Everyone knows Ichinose is running close these days with that Nagumo Miyabi guy. I don't care about factional politics, but I have zero interest in getting tangled up with someone like Nagumo Miyabi. The whole thing just reeks."
"As for Tachibana-senpai..." Kiryuuin gave Chris a smile that wasn't quite a smile. "Looks like Student Council President Horikita has already been to see you? So — how's it going? If you're too embarrassed to go collect that debt yourself, senpai here can do it on your behalf. I'll only charge a small handling fee~"
Kiryuuin Fuka lounged against the back of her chair, watching Chris out of the corner of her eye. He sat beside her without a shred of tension, as if this were perfectly normal.
Listening to the two of them exchange what sounded like some kind of coded riddle, Horikita Suzune's brow creased in confusion:
"You two... know each other well?"
Shiina Hiyori explained in a soft murmur: "Last time Chris-san and I were forcibly thrown into an upperclassman exam, Kiryuuin-senpai was the one who stayed behind with us."
Horikita Suzune nodded slowly, thoughtful.
Chris waved it off: "It's fine. The Student Council President's little sister is practically in my hands right now — it's not like he can just skip out on the deal."
"Let's cut to the chase, senpai. Right now I've got not only the Council President's sister, but also the big bankroller of Class A — Sakayanagi Arisu. Points are the last thing I'm short on. So tell me — what do you actually have that's worth trading for intel?"
Kiryuuin Fuka considered for a moment.
Then, slowly, she extended a slender, pale finger and pointed it at her own strikingly beautiful face:
"...Me?"
Chris looked her over for a beat: "Hm... yeah, that works."
"..."
Horikita Suzune's expression went dark. She let out two sharp coughs: "Ahem. Ahem!"
Chris walked it back, resigned:
"Alright, alright, I was just messing with you."
Just messing with the little tsundere.
Kiryuuin Fuka gave a noncommittal hum, clearly unbothered.
Chris set aside the joking and continued:
"My deal with Student Council President Horikita was this: in exchange for the intel I provided, he would pass me the details of the next upperclassman exam he runs into."
"Since you want intel too, let's use the same terms. That way, when you report back, I can cross-reference your version against the Council President's — in case anyone tries to play games."
Hearing Chris actually suggest he might distrust her beloved brother, Horikita Suzune's brow snapped together and she shot back immediately:
"I don't think cross-referencing is necessary at all. My brother... he is not capable of lying."
"You never really know someone, little kouhai. When the Black Sphere puts your life on the line, who can say for certain?" Kiryuuin Fuka added, toneless and dry.
Seeing Horikita Suzune start to bristle like an offended cat, Chris raised a hand to head off the brewing argument.
"Alright, both of you — drop it."
He pulled out his phone and brought up a QR code: "Add me on Line, senpai. I'll send you the details later. For now — please stop wasting our precious study time."
"Ever heard of library etiquette?"
Kiryuuin Fuka nodded and stopped poking at Horikita Suzune.
After a quick exchange, she checked her phone — the information Chris had shared lined up closely enough with what she'd already gathered from Student Council President Horikita.
Kiryuuin Fuka was satisfied.
She stood up, reached over, and gave Chris a light pat on the shoulder:
"Thanks. Senpai will leave you two to it, then."
"If we run into each other again during a Black Sphere exam — remember to look out for your senpai, okay~"
Watching her free-spirited silhouette walk away, Horikita Suzune let out a quiet, disdainful sniff:
"She was originally in Class A? So she's one of the second-years from Class A that the original Class B defeated. Looking at her... I can see why they lost."
Chris paid that no mind.
He turned his attention back to Shiina Hiyori, steering the conversation back on course:
"More than anything else she said, I think Shiina-san's idea just now was genuinely solid. If the school doesn't change the elimination rules for the midterm, that strategy is an excellent way to protect everyone."
Shiina Hiyori smiled gently as she picked up the thread:
"I don't think the school would suddenly change the rules. After all... leaking Black Sphere information is technically an extremely serious violation, isn't it?"
"And yet, when the school handled it, they only deducted one extra life as a buffer penalty — they didn't immediately throw those students into an exam arena as intruders."
A faint hopefulness lit up her eyes: "Maybe... that's already the result of the school trying its hardest. Perhaps the school is genuinely doing what it can to protect everyone."
Chris said nothing.
Honestly... Kushida Kikyo did more for that outcome than the school did.
Horikita Suzune, unaware of what Chris was really thinking, followed Shiina Hiyori's logic and gave a considered nod:
"A supernatural entity like the Black Sphere shouldn't have any reason to interfere with an ordinary academic exam like this — there's nothing in it for it. So... I believe Shiina's plan to suppress the average score is highly feasible."
Shiina Hiyori smiled, her eyes curving into soft crescents:
"I'm just glad I could help in some way. Whether it was the preliminary test or the Black Sphere exam itself, I couldn't do much of anything for everyone."
As she spoke, a difficult-to-conceal sadness crept into her voice:
"Don't laugh at me — but honestly... I'm really scared of dying."
"And I don't have anything close to a guarantee that I'd place in the top three on the midterm."
"So the only thing I can do is try to find some small way to be useful like this."
Horikita Suzune looked at the soft-spoken blue-haired girl in front of her and, in an unusually gentle shift of tone, said:
"Aside from the dead, who in this world isn't afraid of dying? That's completely normal."
"And compared to those useless people who only drag everyone down when danger comes... Shiina, the fact that you could identify a way through under circumstances like these is more than good enough. You have absolutely nothing to feel troubled about."
Shiina Hiyori let out a quiet sigh. The worry in her eyes hadn't fully faded:
"I'm just worried... if the Black Sphere exam's scope ever expands to the point where everyone is inevitably forced into it to fight. If that day comes — I'm honestly not ready to face it."
Chris gave a slow, genuine nod:
"Shiina's concern isn't unfounded. That possibility is real."
"But don't worry!"
"The midterm next week is just the appetizer — the main course comes after! And there are still several days to prepare, so no need to rush~"
[ REC ]
[ ● ]
@sent aimain
0:0:10:15::1P
— End of Chapter —
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