Chapter 298 Final Exam / Yamauchi Haruki, You Cheated!
Another day passed quickly, and it was now Friday, December 1st.
There were only two days left until the special exam.
Just yesterday, Class C conducted a mock exam. According to the statistics gathered by Hirata Yousuke, Kushida Kikyo, and Horikita Suzune, everyone's performance was quite good. Even those with weak academic backgrounds, like Sudo Ken and Ike Kanji, were able to score thirty or forty points in each subject. The final result of the mock exam showed that the class average across all subjects was approximately 78 points.
Horikita Suzune had deliberately chosen a mock paper with a higher difficulty level. According to the message she sent to Shimizu Akira, this result had already exceeded expectations.
However, in this special exam, one must not only defend by scoring well but also utilize the "attack" authority, as each class has the right to set questions for another class.
After school, Hirata Yousuke held a brown envelope and said with a smile, "Thanks to the efforts of Kushida-san, Horikita-san, Wang-san, and Yukimura-kun! We have completely finished the eight exam papers for Class D!"
"That's great! The questions inside must be really hard, right?" Ike Kanji asked instinctively.
"These questions are the most difficult set so far. Even I might not be able to score above 95 in every subject," Horikita Suzune said calmly.
"Wow! Even Horikita-san isn't sure? That's so rare!"
"Looks like Class D is going to have a headache this time!"
Everyone knew that Horikita Suzune had a very strong sense of pride; if she said it was difficult, the exam level must be quite high.
"That's right! This time, we specifically targeted the subjects where Class D's average is lower," Kushida Kikyo added with a smile.
"For example, we specially prepared many high-difficulty questions for Math, Physics, English, and Chemistry!"
"Focusing on the opponent's weaknesses again!"
"Great! We'll use this paper to completely stump Class D!"
"Pfft!"
At that moment, Yamauchi Haruki suddenly let out a grin.
"Yamauchi, what are you laughing at?" The students' expressions soured as they turned to look at him. That laughter was clearly malicious.
"Hahaha! It's nothing, I just thought of some funny images."
Yamauchi Haruki covered his mouth, stood up, grabbed his bag, and walked straight toward the door.
"Damn it! This guy is so punchable!"
Sudo Ken grit his teeth in anger. If it weren't for the fact that Chabashira-sensei had specifically warned him in private recently not to cause any more trouble, he really wouldn't have been able to stop himself from making a move.
After the meeting adjourned, everyone filed out of the classroom.
Shimizu Akira seemed to think of something and turned to look at Ayanokouji Kiyotaka beside him.
"What do you think of Yamauchi Haruki just now?"
"Ryuen Kakeru must have given him some confidence," Ayanokouji Kiyotaka responded without hesitation.
"That man is most likely plotting something."
"And you? Is everything planned out?" Shimizu Akira pressed.
"Yes." Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's eyes grew a bit more serious.
"There is no doubt that Yamauchi Haruki will be expelled next Monday. It won't be convenient for me to show my face then, so I'll have to trouble you to step forward on my behalf. Chabashira-sensei didn't give me any private points, so I'll owe you a favor this time."
"Fine, just message me when the time comes," Shimizu Akira nodded. It seemed this guy was going to retreat behind the scenes again.
That said, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka really was working for Chabashira-sensei for free, not taking a single point. It was an easy enough task. After all, Ayanokouji was his friend, and the guy said he'd owe him a favor.
Honestly, in this school, a favor from Ayanokouji Kiyotaka might be the most valuable thing there is.
Oh, right, there's also Koenji Rokusuke.
Hirata Yousuke walked over from the podium holding the brown envelope.
"Shimizu, could I ask you, Kushida-san, and Horikita-san to hand these exam papers over to Chabashira-sensei? I'm a bit worried about Sudo; I'm afraid he might do something impulsive to Yamauchi."
"Sure, okay." Shimizu Akira thought about it; he had no other plans, so he nodded in agreement.
After taking the envelope, he waved to Kushida Kikyo and Horikita Suzune at the podium, and the three of them walked out of the classroom together. Speaking of which, those two had successfully met the Acting Director last time and signed the relevant contracts. Meanwhile, Shimizu Akira hadn't slackened lately; he had churned through many practice problems for various subjects and studied quite diligently.
"Do you both have confidence in next Monday's exam?" Shimizu Akira couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Your Japanese will drag your score down quite a bit. If we perform normally, I should be the one to win," Horikita Suzune glanced at him.
"I just hope you two don't use any little tricks."
"...Mhm? I'll probably lose to you guys," Kushida Kikyo responded with a smile.
"I used my secondary account to message Hashimoto-kun, but he has no idea what's in Sakayanagi's exam. It looks like we'll have to rely on pure ability this time."
"Hashimoto Masayoshi?" Shimizu Akira was startled.
"Sakayanagi is someone who finds it hard to trust others. Besides, the Sakayanagi faction's position in Class A is very stable right now; it's impossible for him to betray the class at this stage."
Horikita Suzune raised an eyebrow.
"You're about to lose; aren't you going to feel frustrated?"
"It's fine," Kushida Kikyo looked at Shimizu Akira immediately, her smile turning sweeter. "Anyway, my boyfriend will help me win it back!"
'Truly an infuriating woman, as always.'
How was it that even though Horikita was winning, she didn't feel happy at all?
'Tsk! Could this woman have been aiming for Shimizu Akira to join the bet from the very beginning?'
Given his personality, it really wasn't easy for him to just leave the two of them alone.
As the three reached the corridor where the faculty office was located, they ran into two groups of acquaintances. Ryuen Kakeru and Sakayanagi Arisu were each leading their own people, standing on opposite sides of the corridor.
Class D's Yamada Albert held an envelope, and on the other side, Class A's Yamamura Miki was also holding one of the same kind. They were all there to submit the exam papers.
"Good afternoon, Shimizu-kun, Kushida-san, Horikita-san," Sakayanagi Arisu spoke first.
"Hmph." Ryuen Kakeru glanced at them, said nothing, and only let out a cold laugh.
"Good afternoon, Sakayanagi-san, Ryuen-kun," Kushida Kikyo responded, still smiling.
Horikita Suzune, being cold by nature, merely looked at the two of them and didn't say anything.
Shimizu Akira looked at the two groups and asked directly, "Are you specifically waiting for us here?"
"Hehe, yes," Sakayanagi Arisu admitted straightforwardly without hiding it.
Ryuen Kakeru's gaze fixed on the brown envelope in Shimizu Akira's hand. "Are these the questions you people prepared for us?"
"What? Given your style, didn't you send Yamauchi Haruki to pull some tricks ahead of time, or find some other way to steal Class C's papers?" Shimizu Akira completely ignored his stare and questioned him bluntly.
"Tsk!"
At the mention of this, Ryuen Kakeru was fuming.
Damn it, the only person in Class C he could reach right now was Yamauchi Haruki.
He hadn't failed to send Yamauchi to snoop around, but the moment the guy approached the office door, he was chased out by Chabashira-sensei with a look of pure disgust.
She even said the entire class had unanimously decided that only Shimizu Akira, Kushida Kikyo, and Horikita Suzune had the authority to submit the papers.
As for stealing the papers? That was a violation in itself, and even if he succeeded, Class C could just swap in a different set. It was useless.
So this time, he had no chance to tamper with Class C's exam.
"Ryuen-kun, you haven't intentionally gone easy on the questions you set for Class B, have you?" Sakayanagi Arisu turned to Ryuen.
"After all, we did have an agreement."
"I, Ryuen Kakeru, have always been a man of my word!" At this, Ryuen's face improved slightly.
About three weeks ago, Ichinose Honami and Sakayanagi Arisu had approached him due to a betting contract, hoping he would set fair questions for Class B without favoring either side. Each class had given him 250,000 private points.
Since Ryuen himself intended to have Shiina Hiyori set serious questions to gain as many class points as possible (given that Class D was at the bottom), he had naturally agreed.
"Then what questions have you prepared for Class C?" Ryuen turned toward her and asked rudely.
"Hehe, I've set quite a few questions quite seriously," Sakayanagi Arisu responded with a smile.
"Ryuen, you'd better prepare to lose the final exam," Horikita Suzune looked at him with icy eyes.
"The debt for you attacking me last time, as well as insulting my brother and Akira-kun—I'll settle it all with you this time!"
"Hehe, you're a real grudge-holder, woman," Ryuen Kakeru sneered.
"With your low-ability group, do you even think you're worthy of setting questions for us?"
"Tsk, why hasn't that Ichinose woman shown up?" Ryuen looked around; he had wanted to throw some threats in her face. He turned back to Sakayanagi.
"Hey, Sakayanagi, don't you have any extra countermeasures for Class B?"
In a sense, Class A and Class D were temporary allies. As long as Class B or Class C ended up with the lowest score in the final exam, both of their classes would win 50 class points.
"Hehe, I think the same as you," Sakayanagi Arisu smiled confidently.
"This special exam is essentially a battle of academic ability. Besides, Class B has already given me a 500-point handicap. I truly can't see any reason why I would lose."
With her personality, she didn't view Class B as a threat at all. In terms of academic ability alone, Class B was no match for Class A. Combined with the 500-point advantage, her victory was more than guaranteed.
These past few days, she had tried to submit high-difficulty questions to the teachers, only to find the efficiency of setting them was lower than expected. The difficulty was hard to define, repeated knowledge points couldn't be tested multiple times—at most, you could set two or three questions like that—and the teachers couldn't spend all day grading and approving them.
Even if Shimizu Akira stepped in to help Class B, she didn't believe Class A would lose.
"Let me think," Sakayanagi Arisu rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "After I win, what requirement should I propose?"
This woman was already calculating her rewards for victory. Shimizu Akira shook his head instinctively.
Sakayanagi Arisu was as arrogant as ever.
Just then, footsteps came from the end of the corridor. Ichinose Honami arrived quickly, clutching a brown envelope. She blinked in surprise at the crowd.
"Is everyone here?"
Ryuen Kakeru was about to speak, but Ichinose beat him to it.
"Ryuen-kun, I heard the questions you set for Class B are very challenging. We are fully prepared to meet the challenge."
Her tone was calm, completely unperturbed by Ryuen's aura.
Sakayanagi Arisu looked at her, saying playfully, "Ichinose-san, you've arrived at just the right time. I was just wondering what I should have you do once I win the exam. How about making you expose your dark history in front of all four classes?"
"Dark history..." At those words, Ichinose Honami's face turned pale. She instinctively glanced at Shimizu Akira, taking several seconds to steady her emotions.
"If Sakayanagi-san wins, I will honor the agreement and accept the punishment. But if Class B wins, I also hope Sakayanagi-san will respect the result and fulfill the requirement I proposed."
"Hehe, then we'll have to see if you have the ability," Sakayanagi Arisu said dismissively.
"Alright, alright," Shimizu Akira rubbed his temples.
"The pre-match trash talk should end here. Let's not waste time submitting the papers."
There was no point in further standoff; it was just a waste of time. Ryuen Kakeru snorted and stepped forward first, ending the confrontation. Without further words, they filed into the faculty office.
Inside, the homeroom teachers of all four classes were present. Each student stepped forward to hand their brown envelope to their respective teacher. After the four teachers verified that the seals were intact, Mashima Tomoya cleared his throat.
"The special exam next Monday will be centered around these four sets of papers. Cheating in any form is strictly prohibited during the exam! Once cheating is confirmed, not only will the individual be expelled, but their partner will also be implicated! You are the core figures of your respective classes; be sure to tell all your students when you go back: losing two members would almost equate to giving up the competition in this total-score-based exam!"
"My people wouldn't dare cheat," Ryuen Kakeru cracked his knuckles.
"If anyone tries anything, I have plenty of ways to make them suffer." His gaze swept over Sakayanagi Arisu and Ichinose Honami.
"As for people from other classes, that's hard to say."
Sakayanagi Arisu chuckled. With Class A's academic ability, there was no need to rely on crude methods like cheating. Cheating itself was an insult to Class A's strength.
Ichinose Honami's expression was more serene. She had repeatedly emphasized the prohibition of cheating to Class B. Given their class cohesion, she believed no one would take such a risk.
In Class C, the only variable was Yamauchi Haruki. But he was paired with Hirata Yousuke; Hirata was an excellent student, and no matter how foolish Yamauchi was, he should understand the consequences of expulsion.
He would likely just drift through as he did in the previous small tests—as long as he could pass, he wouldn't do anything reckless.
"Hello, Sensei!"
"Ichinose-san, good afternoon!"
"Oh, are you here to submit the papers?"
Just then, several third-year teachers entered the office and greeted Ichinose Honami familiarly. Ichinose smiled and walked forward, responding naturally to their greetings.
Sakayanagi Arisu watched this scene quietly.
'She even knows the third-year teachers?'
This level of social ability was truly fearsome.
However, more than that, she was interested in why Ichinose Honami's expression had become so unnatural the moment "dark history" was mentioned.
'Does this woman really have some unspeakable secret? This is getting more and more interesting!'
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On the day of the final exam, Shimizu Akira woke up exceptionally early. Just after 5:30 AM, he was awake. He spent half an hour flipping through review materials, then went for his usual morning run.
When he returned to the dorm after his run, he checked his phone and found that the private points for this month had not arrived. Chabashira-sensei had said before that they would be issued based on the results after the special exam.
This was exactly how it was handled during the incident with Sudo's fight.
As soon as Shimizu Akira entered the classroom, he heard the buzz of discussion.
"How late did you study last night?"
"I couldn't hold out past 11:00 PM. How about you?"
"Yesterday was the last study session! I went back and studied until 1:00 AM to brush up on my weak points!"
Seeing everyone so enthusiastic, Shimizu Akira smiled to himself. It seemed he had overthought things; no one seemed to care about the delayed points, and everyone was fully prepared for the final exam.
At 8:00 AM sharp, the Daily Intelligence refreshed.
[1. During this final exam, Ryuen Kakeru is extremely focused on the true identities of "X" and "Anonymous" in first-year Class C.]
[2. The school uniform Yamauchi Haruki is wearing today is the one that was splashed by Manabe Shiho.]
[3. On December 18th, Ayanokouji Atsuomi will visit Advanced Nurturing High School to meet with Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.]
'Wait! Mysterious Person X?'
Shimizu Akira's mind raced. He already knew "Anonymous" was Kushida Kikyo, but "X" was actually Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
Last night, Ayanokouji had messaged him with the general plan, mentioning he had registered a secondary account specifically for this.
He hadn't expected Ryuen to be so obsessed with X's identity.
Looking at the second piece of intel... Yamauchi Haruki actually wore the juice-stained uniform? He probably thought Manabe Shiho had washed it by hand and wore it specifically to show off. But in this school, laundry was mostly done with machines and detergent; where would "hand-washing" come from? Yamauchi was definitely overthinking it.
As for the last one... Ayanokouji Atsuomi was the father who had thrown Ayanokouji Kiyotaka into the White Room.
He was coming to see him this month? It likely wasn't for anything good.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's future really was full of calamities.
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With half an hour left until the exam, Chabashira Sae appeared at the classroom door. Today, she was acting not only as the homeroom teacher but as the proctor.
"After careful adjustment, the total passing threshold for this partner exam has been set at 692 points. Anything below this score is a failure. Do you all understand?"
"The threshold is lower than expected, great!"
"I remember Sensei saying it would be around 700 at first."
The classroom broke into relaxed chatter. A total of 692 for two partners meant that, individually, a score above 346 would pass—a relatively low standard.
After the preparatory bell rang, Chabashira Sae tapped the blackboard.
"Today's subjects will proceed in this order: Modern Literature, English, Japanese History, and Math. There's still time for some last-minute cramming; use this final time to go over the key points. Also, except for necessary stationery, place all other items in the lockers at the back of the classroom. If there's an issue with your stationery, raise your hand."
In this final exam, each class tested in its own classroom with only its homeroom teacher as the proctor. Shimizu Akira was initially a bit uncomfortable with this. According to his past life experience, exams always required a change of venue, at least two proctors, and never one's own teacher. One could only say the management of exams at this school appeared loose on the surface.
In reality, the cameras on both sides of the classroom were always active. The students of Class C stood up, shoved their textbooks and study materials into the rear lockers, and returned to their seats. The classroom gradually fell silent as they waited for the first exam.
"Haha! Before the exam, let me tell you some good news!" Five minutes before the start, Yamauchi Haruki suddenly laughed out loud.
"That strategy of yours to target Class D's weak subjects? I told Ryuen about it long ago! What a pity; you will undoubtedly lose to Class D in this special exam."
"Yamauchi, you!" Ike Kanji slammed the table.
"That time you suddenly laughed... it was because of this?!"
"You bastard! You betrayed the class again?!"
The students glared at him. Although Yamauchi Haruki had betrayed the class before, those were private incidents; he had never mocked them publicly in front of the whole class like this.
"Anyway, there's nothing you can do to me in this exam, is there?" Yamauchi Haruki waved his hand dismissively.
"Don't forget, my partner is Hirata Yousuke! You wouldn't want him to be expelled along with me, would you?"
"Damn! This despicable scumbag!"
"Too far! Using Hirata-kun as a shield!"
Curses erupted in the room, but no one dared step forward. With only minutes until the exam, a conflict that affected Hirata Yousuke would have unthinkable consequences.
As the final bell rang, Chabashira Sae's gaze turned cold.
"Silence. Prepare for the papers."
The noise died down instantly.
Yamauchi Haruki sat back, still glancing at everyone's pale faces with a smirk. With Hirata Yousuke as his talisman, no one dared touch him—everything was exactly as Ryuen Kakeru had said.
The papers were quickly distributed. Chabashira Sae stood at the podium and emphasized once more, "The exam begins. No whispering or passing items. Cameras are recording throughout; cheaters will be handled according to school rules."
The sound of rustling paper filled the room. Shimizu Akira flipped over his paper and scanned the questions. The difficulty wasn't high—just a standard final exam level. It seemed Sakayanagi had screwed Katsuragi over again. That's how internal strife experts are!
He looked forward; Yamauchi Haruki had his paper sitting on the desk with no intention of answering. This guy truly thought that with Hirata Yousuke covering for him, he could pass even with a score of zero.
The individual maximum for this exam was 800; if Hirata scored above 90 in each subject, he could indeed pull Yamauchi's zero up to passing.
"The paper is indeed quite simple!"
"That guy... he has no intention of answering at all!"
The students looked at Yamauchi but could only suppress their anger and focus on their own papers.
The exam duration was 50 minutes. Horikita Suzune quickly entered her zone. Since it wasn't hard, she finished most of the questions in thirty minutes.
She spent another five minutes checking her multiple-choice answers, and once confirmed, her gaze shifted to Yamauchi Haruki.
The man was resting his head on the desk, looking like he was about to sleep, clearly not taking the exam seriously.
Horikita looked up at Chabashira-sensei, but the teacher seemed not to notice. According to the rules, as long as he didn't break a regulation, this behavior wasn't a violation.
She and the others had thought about making Yamauchi pay, but he was tied to Hirata Yousuke. One false move would implicate Hirata, who was far more important than Yamauchi Haruki. It seemed they wouldn't be able to touch Yamauchi this time either.
Just as that thought crossed her mind, a voice suddenly broke the silence of the exam hall.
"Report, Chabashira-sensei."
Horikita Suzune turned to see that the person raising their hand was Shimizu Akira.
"What is it? Do you need the restroom?" Chabashira-sensei stood up from the podium and asked with concern.
"No! I just saw Yamauchi Haruki secretly stuffing something into his pocket."
"Stuffing something? Yamauchi Haruki?! Are you saying he's cheating?!"
"Wait, Shimizu-kun!" A student reacted quickly and said anxiously, "You're being too honest! The rules say clearly that if one partner cheats, the other is automatically expelled too!"
At these words, many students panicked; no one wanted Hirata Yousuke to be expelled because of Yamauchi's fault.
"Everyone, calm down!" Kushida Kikyo immediately raised her hand to bail out her boyfriend. "The rule is that once cheating is confirmed, the partner is expelled—but that's only if cheating is actually proven."
Yamauchi Haruki snapped his head up, his face turning red with rage as he barked at Shimizu Akira, "What nonsense are you talking about! I didn't cheat! There's no reason for me to! Are you trying to get Hirata Yousuke expelled on purpose?"
"Whether it's nonsense or not, we'll know after checking." Shimizu Akira ignored his outburst and turned to the teacher.
"Sensei, according to school rules, suspected cheating can be verified on the spot, right?"
Chabashira-sensei frowned. Hirata Yousuke was the core of Class C; if he were truly expelled, it would be a massive blow to the class. But since Shimizu Akira had publicly pointed out the suspicion, she couldn't ignore it—especially with the cameras watching. She had no choice.
"Yamauchi Haruki, stand up and accept an inspection."
"Why should I? He's slandering me without proof!" Yamauchi Haruki stuck his neck out and resisted forcefully.
Shimizu Akira's gaze landed on Yamauchi's pocket.
"You were the only one leaning on the table just now, deliberately avoiding the camera's view. Since you think it's 'without proof,' why don't you open your pocket and let everyone see?"
Hirata Yousuke also raised his hand and looked at Yamauchi.
"Yamauchi-kun, since you didn't cheat, let the teacher check. It will put everyone's doubts to rest."
"Damn it! You morons!" Yamauchi Haruki grew frantic and blurted out, "I have Hirata carrying me; there's no reason to cheat! There's nothing in my pocket—"
Before he could finish, he was forced by the stares of everyone else and could no longer evade. Honestly, he really hadn't cheated. With a powerhouse like Hirata Yousuke carrying him, he could pass even with a zero; there was absolutely no reason to risk expulsion. These people wouldn't believe it until they saw it! Fine, a clear conscience fears no shadow!
Yamauchi Haruki, with a trace of impatience, reached into his pocket to pull it inside out and prove his innocence. But in the next second, his fingertips touched something cold. It felt fine and thin—clearly a piece of paper.
#!
Yamauchi Haruki's face turned deathly pale.
'What's going on?! Why is there actually a piece of paper in my pocket?!'
He clearly hadn't prepared anything. Where did this paper come from?! The surrounding students sensed something was wrong and cast suspicious looks. Sudo Ken clenched his fists.
"He really was cheating! And he dared to deny it! Damn it! Are you an idiot? You could have passed without doing anything extra! You just had to drag Hirata down with you!"
"I... I didn't!" Yamauchi Haruki panicked, his fingers gripping the paper tightly, refusing to pull it out.
He wracked his brain, thinking back from the moment he left his room this morning until he entered the hall; he clearly hadn't touched his pocket once.
When did this thing get in there?
'Could it be... that this slip of paper was in his uniform from the very beginning?'
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