By the time the tutoring session ended, both Hasebe Haruka and Airi Sakura looked dazed, their eyes glazed over.
Facing the relentless sea of practice questions, even Miki Yamamura found it unbearable.
"Kaoru, are you sure this will work?" Haruka voice trembled slightly.
She didn't want to go through this a second time—her mind was already flooded with endless problems.
"I'm not sure about your situation, so I can only check everything thoroughly. It shouldn't be like this next time." Kaoru understood Japan's education system well.
If it weren't for college entrance exams, high school students here would mostly be enjoying a stress-free education—there was no way they'd normally face such an overwhelming barrage of exercises.
"That's a relief." Both Haruka Hasebe and Airi Sakura let out a sigh.
"Let's call it a day for now. If there's anything you don't understand later, feel free to message me."
"Got it! See you tomorrow!"
"See… see you tomorrow."
After parting ways at the library, Kaoru headed in a different direction.
Before long, Miki Yamamura, who should have been on her way back to the dorm, quietly turned around and began following him.
But after trailing him for a while, she sensed something was off—especially when Kaoru suddenly disappeared from sight.
Just as she was about to turn back, a large hand suddenly clamped down on her shoulder.
She nearly screamed, but then Kaoru's voice rang out.
"Yamamura-san, this isn't the best route back to the dorms, is it?"
Even without turning around, she could feel his presence right behind her.
The weight of his hand on her shoulder made the situation a hundred times scarier than any horror story.
Miki swallowed hard, trying to play it off.
"I… I think I dropped something on the way. I was just looking for it."
"Is that so? I thought you were following me. Need help finding it?" Kaoru released her
Truthfully, he hadn't actually noticed her tailing him—he'd just acted on instinct and set up an ambush here.
And sure enough, Miki had taken the bait.
Hearing his response, Miki felt incredibly awkward.
But then she remembered—she'd already been caught following him once before on the cruise ship.
At this point, she saw no reason to resist.
"Sakayanagi-san told me to keep an eye on you."
Kaoru sighed.
He wasn't surprised—he'd already suspected Sakayanagi Arisu might be up to something, which was why he'd paid attention to Miki in the first place.
"Why follow me?"
"I don't know. She just told me to report everything about you to her."
"And what if I found out?"
"..."
Miki slumped slightly, feeling useless for failing Sakayanagi's task.
"Can I ask why you're following Sakayanagi's orders?" Kaoru was puzzled.
Miki didn't seem like the type to actively involve herself in class affairs.
If Kamuro Masumi hadn't been blackmailed by Sakayanagi, she probably wouldn't have gotten involved either.
Of course, to Sakayanagi, whether it was Kamuro Masumi or Miki Yamamura, they were just particularly useful pawns—tools to compensate for her own shortcomings.
"Do I… have to say it?" Miki's voice grew very small, as if she was uneasy.
"No, it's fine if you don't want to." Kaoru wasn't desperate for an answer.
Still, from her reaction, he could guess a little.
"I-I'm sorry, even though Mitoma-kun is a good person," Miki Yamamura said softly.
"Actually, I've always hoped you could get along better with Sakayanagi-san and Katsuragi-san."
"Is the internal conflict in our class making you uneasy?"
"It just feels like if this continues, the class atmosphere will become even stranger, and things no one wants to see might happen."
"Yamamura-san really cares about the class, doesn't she?"
"P-please don't tease me."
Kaoru smiled.
It seemed the class atmosphere had given Miki Yamamura a strong sense of crisis.
After all, being close to Sakayanagi Arisu, her perception was sharper than other students'.
Not only that, but the reason she likely followed Sakayanagi Arisu was because Sakayanagi had displayed certain abilities that made her feel secure.
"Don't worry, it'll all be over next semester," Kaoru paused.
"When the time comes, I might ask you for a small favor. I hope you won't mind."
Miki Yamamura froze.
Could he be asking her to betray Sakayanagi Arisu?