Chapter 299 Expelled Yamauchi Haruki / Shimizu Akira's Sure-Win Method
Yamauchi Haruki always bragged about being the third-place winner in a table tennis prefectural tournament, but only he knew that was pure bluster.
He was a plain high school student with an average family, average grades, and perhaps a somewhat handsome face as his only asset. This school offered free tuition and luxury cruises; from day one, he never intended to leave.
The idea of being expelled was something he didn't even dare to imagine.
So, even when hated, ignored, or given the cold shoulder by his classmates, he endured. He had even swallowed his pride after being beaten by Ryuen Kakeru, since Ryuen was his benefactor.
But what was this?! How did something suddenly end up in his pocket? If he were caught cheating, Hirata Yousuke would go down with him!
What on earth was Shimizu Akira up to?
His heart hammered against his ribs. Trembling, he closed one eye and pulled a corner of the object out of his pocket.
Eh?
Before he could see it clearly, the paper was snatched away by Chabashira Sae.
"Hm?! It's just a blank piece of paper," Chabashira said flatly, looking at the front of the sheet.
"Haha! You idiots!" Yamauchi grabbed onto this lifeline and laughed mockingly.
"Shimizu Akira, is there something wrong with your head? I told you I wouldn't cheat!"
"What's going on?"
"It's blank?"
Yamauchi's joy was short-lived. The next second, Chabashira's sharp gaze fixed on a slip of yellow fabric peeking out from his pocket.
"Yamauchi Haruki! Why are there a girl's panties in your pocket?!"
"..."
"Panties?!"
"Wait! Why does Yamauchi have a girl's underwear in his pocket?!"
The students instantly forgot about the exam and craned their necks to see. Yamauchi's smile froze.
"Wh-what?!"
He hurriedly looked down and instinctively pulled at the yellow fabric. To his horror, he pulled a pair of yellow female underwear straight out of his pocket! His face turned pale, then mottled with red as his mind went completely blank.
He had never touched a girl's underwear in his life! Whose were these?!
"Just yesterday, Manabe Shiho from the neighboring class reported a pair of missing underwear to the Student Council!" Chabashira glared at him coldly.
"Don't tell me you're the thief?"
''What?! Manabe Shiho?'
Yamauchi waved his hands frantically.
"It wasn't me! I never had the chance to steal her underwear!"
"Bullshit!" Ike Kanji shouted from his seat.
"You posted on social media yesterday saying how 'excited' you were to enter a girl's room for the first time! You must have stolen them then! With your perverted nature, you're totally capable of this!"
"I..." Yamauchi was speechless.
He had been to Manabe's room yesterday, but only for five or six minutes! Manabe had invited him over to return his laundered clothes.
'Damn it! If I knew it would cause this much trouble, I never would have made that post!'
"Still trying to talk your way out of it?" Chabashira slammed the desk again.
"Stealing female underwear is a severe violation of school rules.
Furthermore, there's a formal report. During the summer, you tried to sneak into the pool to take secret photos of girls and were caught and kicked out by staff! Yamauchi Haruki, you were already on disciplinary probation. Adding this serious misconduct, prepare to be expelled!"
Yamauchi felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
Even his failed summer photography plan had been dug up?
"No! I can't be punished! I can't be expelled!" His legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor. "Sensei, I was wrong! I didn't steal them! Manabe invited me over—they must be framing me! Please check again! Give me one more chance!"
Chabashira had lost all patience.
"She invited you, and you took the opportunity to steal? You've got some nerve, Yamauchi!"
She picked up her walkie-talkie. A few minutes later, two school officials entered the room.
"Yamauchi Haruki! Come with us to the Student Council immediately!"
"I'm not going! I didn't do it!"
Seeing Yamauchi refusing to move, the two officials didn't hesitate. They grabbed him by the collar and dragged him out.
"I'm being framed! I really didn't do anything this time!" Yamauchi struggled wildly.
"Damn it! The summer thing didn't even work! Who reported me ahead of time?!"
His voice faded as he was dragged down the hall. The students in the classroom looked at each other. The arrogant Yamauchi had fallen into ruins in the blink of an eye.
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A few minutes later, the bell rang to end the exam.
As soon as Chabashira-sensei left with the papers, the class swarmed Shimizu Akira.
"Shimizu-kun, you're amazing!"
"Haha, that was so satisfying! We finally got rid of that guy!"
"You arranged this, didn't you? You knew that creep stole something and set a trap to crush him!"
"Sorry, Shimizu-kun, I thought you were being meddlesome at first. I was blind!"
In their eyes, Yamauchi's departure was entirely the result of Akira's master plan. Akira's mouth twitched as his gaze drifted toward the door.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was already standing there, giving a casual wave of his left hand.
'This wave of points definitely went to him!'
The mastermind behind this was indeed Ayanokouji.
Two days ago, Akira had noticed the "juice splashing" incident. It felt "off." Normally, an angry person throws juice at a face, but Manabe had aimed precisely at Yamauchi's clothes.
Her apology was also suspiciously fast.
Akira had initially suspected a plot by Ryuen to get Yamauchi caught cheating and drag Hirata down.
It wasn't until Ayanokouji revealed the plan that the truth came out.
Ayanokouji, using the "X" alias, had made a deal with Ryuen to ensure Yamauchi's expulsion. Just like the VIP exam, Ayanokouji preferred to stay in the shadows and handed the "credit" for exposing Yamauchi to Akira.
'Well, another free win for me.'
Akira waved off the praise. "Don't celebrate too early. It's unclear if Yamauchi's expulsion will cost us class points. Plus, we're down to 39 people for the total score. We'll likely lose to Class A and D."
"Ah... true." Someone sighed. "But as long as that traitor is gone, losing is worth it!"
"Exactly! A short-term pain is better than a long-term one!"
They were surprisingly at peace with losing the exam. Seeing the group so content, Akira sighed. His phone buzzed; he had received a message on his secondary account.
Ryuen Kakeru: Yue? No... is X you, you bastard?
'What is he guessing now?'
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"Tsk, that guy dares to ignore me!"
In Class D, Ryuen Kakeru kicked a chair in frustration.
"Boss, why did you only put the underwear in his pocket? If we put a cheat sheet, couldn't we take out two people at once?" Ishizaki Daichi asked, confused.
"Idiot!" Ryuen cursed. "You think I didn't want to? From the start, we had no right to report cheating!"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Talking to you morons is a waste of time. Kaneda, explain it."
Kaneda Satoru adjusted his glasses.
"The key is a lack of an inside man. To report cheating on the spot, you need two things: the cheater and someone in the room to point it out. Since exams are held within each class, and Yamauchi was our only mole, the other students wouldn't listen to us."
"Oh! I see!" Ishizaki's eyes widened. "Then why didn't you have someone splash juice on a different Class C student so Yamauchi could report them?"
"Nice thought, but I didn't design this plan," Ryuen sneered. "A few days ago, 'X' contacted me with this scheme to target Yamauchi specifically. If I splashed someone else, 'X' would have
reacted. Plus, this trick only works if the person doesn't check their pockets—it's not repeatable."
The "juice-hiding-underwear" trick was fragile. Only a dullard like Yamauchi wouldn't check his pockets before an exam.
Ryuen kicked Ishizaki again.
"When Manabe returned the clothes yesterday, Class C sent Kushida Kikyo to check the pockets. Once confirmed, she followed them to the dorm. Kushida was watching the whole time! There was no chance for extra tricks."
"But the benefits are clear," Kaneda smiled.
"Class C is down one person; their total will only count 39 people. They'll likely lose to us. We focused on the subjects Yamauchi leaked, so we have a high chance of winning."
"Ryuen! Why did you put a blank paper in his pocket too? The underwear alone was enough to expel him!" Kaneda asked curiously.
"Hmph! To let that fool taste the cycle of hope and despair!" Ryuen laughed coldly.
"He took nearly two million points from our class. You think I'd let him go that easily?"
Since the VIP exam, Yamauchi had treated Class D like an ATM, asking for at least 100,000 points every time.
A month ago, Sakagami-sensei told Ryuen that Yamauchi was already on probation and couldn't skip class without being expelled. This meant he couldn't be used to drain Class C's points via absences anymore.
His role as a spy was also compromised. Getting rid of him now while extracting his last bit of value was the best move.
"Manabe Shiho! Come here!" Ryuen shouted.
Manabe stiffened and shuffled over.
"Ryuen... do you need something?"
"You seem scared of me?" Ryuen looked at her. "I'm not going to eat you."
"Okay!"
"You did well for this Paper Shuffle exam," Ryuen's tone softened slightly.
"Tricking that fool Yamauchi was a big service to Class D. I've transferred 200,000 points to you. Check it."
"200,000?!" Manabe's eyes lit up.
"Thank you, Ryuen!"
She had received 500,000 during the VIP exam, but Ryuen had taken it all immediately. This was the first time she held a large sum herself.
'Is Ryuen... actually a good leader?' she wondered.
Ryuen ignored her and turned to Shiina Hiyori. "How are your exam papers compared to Class C's?"
"Difficulty should be about the same," Hiyori shook her head. "At this level, it might not stop Class B."
Ryuen frowned. Hiyori sighed to herself.
She was the only one setting the questions; Kaneda and the other smart students had been sent by Ryuen to tutor the rest of the class. In this exam, there were two paths: set impossible questions or raise the class average through tutoring.
Ryuen had unknowingly chosen the safer, latter option.
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In Class A, the final math exam had just ended.
"No way... how could Class B set questions this hard?" "I had no clue on several problems; I just sat there!"
The students were in a daze. Today's exam overturned their perception of Class B. It was far harder than expected. Japanese History had obscure trivia, and Math had no "freebie" points.
"Hey, how'd you do on Math? 80?"
"Doubtful. I missed three major questions. I'll be lucky to get a 60 or 70."
Someone shouted to the corner: "Yamamura-san! Nishikawa-san! You both got over 95 in the last test. How about today?"
Yamamura Miki shrank from the attention. "I... think 85 at most. I didn't finish the last two problems."
"I'm worse, maybe 80," Nishikawa Ryoko shrugged.
"I'm curious who set these! It felt like a math teacher's level."
"Even you two can't get a 90?"
"Teacher level? Does Class B have a hidden genius?!"
Nishikawa turned to Kamuro Masumi with a mischievous grin.
"Kamuro-san! What about you? As my partner, I hope you didn't fail."
"Hmph! No need for your mockery! My result will definitely be better than yours!" Kamuro replied confidently.
'Why so confident?' Nishikawa wondered.
'Heh, you wouldn't understand,' Kamuro thought smugly. Her boyfriend had sent her the answers long ago! She didn't need a brain; she just had to memorize the key.
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"Sakayanagi-san! What's going on?! You said Class B wouldn't set difficult questions!"
"If this keeps up, we'll lose to Class B!"
The Sakayanagi faction crowded around their leader. Ever since she saw the paper, the usually composed princess hadn't looked well.
The difficulty was so high even she couldn't guarantee 95+ in every subject. This was the first time her classmates had questioned her.
She had lost to Akira privately before, but this was public humiliation.
"Class B must have pooled their efforts into these papers instead of tutoring," Sakayanagi forced a smile.
"This is about total scores, and they gave us a 500-point lead. We will likely still win."
"Stop making excuses, Sakayanagi!" Katsuragi Kohei stood up.
"Didn't you see Class B and C at lunch? Looked at how relaxed they were. Can't you guess how easy their exams were for them?"
"..."
"True! Both classes said the exams were super easy!"
Sakayanagi glared at him.
"Katsuragi-kun? Are you trying to stir up the class because I swapped the papers?"
"Hmph! I am angry you swapped them and wasted our efforts!" Katsuragi crossed his arms. "But I don't understand you. We're going to lose; why won't you admit defeat? Why won't you just ask Ichinose? She wouldn't lie to you!"
He turned and left the room. Sakayanagi felt a tightness in her chest.
"...Everyone, Katsuragi-kun is right. Let's go ask Ichinose-san."
She walked slowly with her cane, her faction following behind. It took ten minutes to reach Class B. Ichinose Honami greeted them warmly as usual.
"Good afternoon, Sakayanagi-san, everyone."
Kanzaki Ryuji stepped out.
"Sakayanagi, you didn't come just to say hello, did you?"
"Of course not, Kanzaki," Sakayanagi said, her tone laced with irritation.
"You look quite pleased. I'm curious—how did you set such difficult questions while maintaining your own studies?"
Ichinose replied without hesitation, "That's because we didn't make the exam papers at all. Our whole class was busy with the study group!"
"What?! You didn't make them?!"
"Then where did they come from?!"
"We asked the third-year teachers to make them!" Ichinose smiled brightly.
"They've been here three years and have seen this exam many times. They know exactly where students struggle. We didn't need to do anything."
"The teachers?!"
"Wait! Are outsiders allowed to help?!"
"Actually... the rules just said we had to 'provide' an exam. It didn't specify students had to write it," someone realized.
Sakayanagi froze.
'So that was the trick!'
No wonder Ichinose was so confident. Experienced teachers could write a 10th-grade exam in their sleep with perfect quality.
"What a great idea! They could definitely overcome a 500-point gap like this!"
"How can we beat an exam written by teachers?!"
Sakayanagi remembered the third-year teachers greeting Ichinose in the office last Friday. It wasn't a coincidence; she had been coordinating with them.
"Instead of wasting time on what you're not good at, give the professional work to professionals. Well played, Shimizu-kun," Sakayanagi whispered.
Class B had exploited a loophole—or rather, Akira had seen through the essence of the special exam. This was the "sure-win" method.
Her pride hurt, but losing to Akira was acceptable. They were about even in their head-to-head score anyway.
'Three losses and two wins? Not bad', she mused.
"I see. Thank you for the information," Sakayanagi said, turning her cane to leave.
Her followers were baffled.
"Wait! Is it just me, or is Sakayanagi-san acting very cold?"
Kanzaki Ryuji watched them and offered a warning.
"I've known her since childhood. she follows her own whims. Don't think everything is fine just because she's the leader; I never believed she would act solely for the benefit of the class."
"That's a bit much, Kanzaki! We trust her!" The Class A students rushed after her.
Kanzaki shook his head at their naivety. As he prepared to return to class, a blond boy with a piercing blocked his way. He sighed and spread his arms.
"The boss being so cold is scary. Kanzaki-kun, you're her childhood friend, right? Can you tell me more about her personality? I'd like to know what I'm in for."
Kanzaki looked at him.
'Hashimoto Masayoshi?'
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