As the monthly exam drew nearer, the air at Sobu University seemed to solidify, filled only with the rustle of pen tips on paper and the soft whoosh of turning pages.
In different corners, the girls were tackling the upcoming test in their own ways, their study habits quietly laying the groundwork for their eventual grades.
The student council office lights were always the last to go out on the entire campus. Kaguya Shinomiya sat by the window, a mathematics exam spread open before her, already filled with neat solution steps.
Her brow was slightly furrowed, and the pencil in her right hand hovered in mid-air, clearly stuck on an extremely difficult bonus question. Sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting neat shadows on her clothes, yet it didn't affect her concentration in the slightest.
"This auxiliary line construction..." Kaguya murmured to herself, picking up an eraser and gently rubbing out the incorrect line of thought.
Her notebook was adorned with various colored tabs, each categorizing different types of mistakes, from basic problems to advanced challenges, all organized with astonishing clarity.
To maintain her position as a top student, she studied late into the night every day, so much so that even Chika Fujiwara couldn't help but advise her to get some rest.
"Kaguya, it's already eleven o'clock," Fujiwara said as she walked in with a cup of hot milk. Seeing Kaguya still buried in her work, she sighed helplessly. "If you keep this up, you'll collapse."
Kaguya didn't look up. "There are still three bonus questions left. I'll rest after I finish them." Her tone carried an undeniable firmness. "Okabara-san boasted that he would compete for first place. I must be thoroughly prepared."
Fujiwara Chika looked at the faint bloodshot in her eyes and quietly placed the milk beside her. "But lack of sleep will affect your performance. Look, you made a careless mistake on a simple question in the last mock exam because you stayed up late."
Kaguya's movements paused for a moment, then she let out a soft 'hmph'. "That was an anomaly. This time, I've made thorough preparations and will not repeat such errors." She opened her mistake notebook, where various common pitfalls were marked in red pen. "See, I've reviewed all of these."
Fujiwara Chika leaned closer and saw that the notebook not only had analyses of error causes but also provided examples of similar problem types and even highlighted common traps set by examiners. She stuck out her tongue. "Alright, alright, you win. But you must drink the milk."
Meanwhile, in the Classics Club activity room, Chitanda Eru was diligently taking notes while looking at a historical map. Several different versions of history books lay on her desk, each filled with dense annotations. Whenever she encountered an uncertain point, she would immediately consult resources to confirm it, never letting any doubt slip by.
"So this is the social background of the Meiji Restoration..." Chitanda murmured with sudden understanding, drawing a clear relationship diagram in her notebook and meticulously labeling political, economic, and cultural factors. Her study method, though time-consuming, was exceptionally thorough; every piece of knowledge was understood completely and precisely.
A club member leaned back in a chair, watching her busy figure, and couldn't help but say, "Your study efficiency is too low like this; many of these knowledge points won't be on the exam."
Chitanda looked up, her eyes sparkling. "But isn't it better to understand things more deeply? Historical events are all connected; the more you know, the more thoroughly you understand them." She pointed to a spot on the map. "Look here, if you don't know the geographical environment, you can't understand why this battle happened."
The club member shook his head helplessly. "I'm really defeated by you. But this is good too; at least you won't lose points on basic questions."
Chitanda flashed a brilliant smile. "Yes! I'm aiming for a strong score in history! Okabara-san said my memory method is great, and I'm confident!" Her notebook was filled with the image-based memory technique Kyogumichi had mentioned, making dry historical events vivid and interesting.
In a corner of the sewing club, Kitagawa Marin was sewing lace onto a cosplay costume while memorizing English vocabulary. She wrote words on scraps of fabric, memorizing one with each stitch. Though her method was peculiar, she remembered them exceptionally well. The sound of the sewing machine and her recitation intertwined, forming a unique study rhythm.
"Abandon, to give up... No, no, I always forget this word." Kitagawa Marin tapped her head in annoyance, then wrote the word in a prominent spot. "No, I must remember it! Otherwise, I'll lose points on the exam again." Abandon, abandon, abandon...
Her English notebook was covered with various anime stickers, with corresponding anime characters drawn next to each word, using associative memory to improve efficiency. Although this method was not highly systematic, it suited her lively personality, and her efficiency in memorizing words was much higher than simple rote learning.
"Marin-chan, do you know this sentence structure?" a club member next to her asked, holding an English question.
Kitagawa Marin leaned over to look and immediately said excitedly, "I know this one! A similar sentence appeared in the anime I watched last time!" She picked up her pen and quickly wrote down the correct answer. "See, learning English can be fun too!"
The club member's eyes widened in surprise. "You can actually do such a difficult problem? That's amazing!"
Kitagawa Marin proudly lifted her chin. "Of course! I have a secret!" But in her heart, she quietly thanked Okabara-san for the idea of associative memory, which made the previously tedious English learning more enjoyable.
In Shiina Mahiru's apartment, the light was warm and soft. She sat at her desk, with an open chemistry textbook and various experiment reports spread before her. Her study method was exceptionally meticulous; she not only mastered the knowledge points in the textbook but also consulted related supplementary materials, deeply understanding the principles behind each formula.
"The conditions for this chemical reaction are very important; different temperatures will yield different products." Shiina Mahiru meticulously recorded the experimental phenomena in her notebook, with clear reaction mechanism diagrams drawn beside them. Her chemistry notes were thorough, covering everything from basic concepts to experimental procedures and reminders of common pitfalls.
Outside the window, the neighbor's piano music drifted in, but Shiina Mahiru remained unaffected, still focused on her studies. She took out her own notebook, thinking of Okabara-san's unique problem-solving approaches. "His methods are often more concise than the textbook's," she mused.
She organized some of these ideas, thinking she might share them with him tomorrow as a reference. Thinking of Kyogumichi diligently studying, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl into a gentle smile, and the pen in her hand felt more powerful.
In Hitori Bocchi's room, her guitar and textbooks were casually placed on the floor. She wore headphones, listening to soothing music while memorizing political knowledge points. Her fingers unconsciously plucked at the guitar strings, turning the knowledge points into simple melodies to aid memory.
"The characteristics of a market economy... can be set to a 4/4 beat." Hitori Bocchi softly hummed her self-composed "Knowledge Point Song," her voice quiet but maintaining a good rhythm. This unique memory method made dry political theories easier to recall, and even she was surprised at how effective it was.
Her phone screen lit up with a message from Okabara-san, asking how her studying was going. Bocchi's cheeks flushed slightly, and she quickly typed a reply: "It's, it's alright, I'm remembering things quickly with the method you mentioned."
After successfully sending the message, she hugged her guitar and gently strummed, the melody filled with a newfound, fragile confidence. Although she still felt nervous, she was no longer as afraid of exams as before, because she knew she was making progress little by little.
As night deepened, the lights in the university and apartments gradually went out, leaving only a few scattered windows still glowing with warm light. The girls' study methods varied: some were rigorous and detailed, some lively and interesting, some thorough and in-depth, and some unique and efficient.
These different preparation states, like pebbles dropped into a lake, would soon create different ripples in the upcoming monthly exam, reflecting the results of each individual's efforts.