As each class began preparing for the first-years' final exam, time passed quickly.
On Monday, March 14, Kamio Tatsuya woke up looking forward to seeing what Class A and Class B would come up with. He hoped they would surprise him.
Not long after leaving the dormitory, Kamio Tatsuya ran into Horikita Manabu and Tachibana Akane from Class 3-A at the intersection leading from the dormitory to the school.
"What a coincidence, Manabu. And Tachibana. You two are pretty late today, though. You're just about cutting it close."
Kamio Tatsuya checked his watch. He hadn't accidentally set it an hour early.
"Hmph!"
Tachibana Akane wrinkled her nose and snorted. "You might be the only person who still has time to stroll around so casually."
"Who knows?"
"Tachibana, I have something to discuss with Kamio."
After hearing Horikita Manabu, Tachibana Akane nodded and quietly moved aside, leaving space for Horikita Manabu and Kamio Tatsuya.
"How did the special exam go?"
"Pretty well. The class vote exam was disgusting, but everyone has more or less gotten used to the school's behavior."
Kamio Tatsuya spoke in a relaxed tone.
Horikita Manabu stared at Kamio Tatsuya for two seconds. Only after seeing that he did not seem to be pretending did he nod slightly.
"True. Your last exam was completely unreasonable, but I want you to understand that exams like that are very common in the second and third years.
"We chose to attend this school, and we want to gain something from it. That means we have to follow the school's rules."
As he said this, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Horikita Manabu's mouth.
"Of course, if you ever decide that you no longer want to follow the school's rules, you can simply drop out. I don't think you're the kind of student who absolutely has to graduate from Class A."
Hearing this, Kamio Tatsuya found it rather amusing.
Well, look at you. Are you telling me to drop out?
"Putting that aside, how are things on your end, Manabu? You should have no trouble graduating from Class A, right?"
During the previous forest exam, Horikita Manabu had lost twenty million private points, but he had also widened the gap between Class A and Class B by another 300 class points.
"No one can be certain of the result until the very end."
He really knew how to avoid giving anything away. He was obviously not worried at all, and his tone was full of confidence, yet he still said something like that.
Tch. What a hypocrite!
It was like after a university entrance exam, everyone in the dorm shouting, "We're screwed! We're definitely failing this time!"
Then the results came out, and the person who had shouted the loudest turned out to be first in the entire class.
"Let's just assume that's how things will turn out." Kamio Tatsuya smiled. "By the way, I'll be leading Class C up to Class A after this."
"Mm. Good luck."
…
Hey, that wasn't the reaction I wanted to see.
"Don't you care whether your sister can graduate from Class A?"
"With her current abilities, she can't do it no matter what, can she?"
That was true.
Kamio Tatsuya nodded, then froze for a moment.
Huh? I thought you would coldly say, "That has nothing to do with me."
"I won't go easy on her."
"You don't need to." Horikita Manabu smiled. "Kamio, you're a smart kid, so you should understand.
"Graduating from Class A is a shortcut, but even if we can't graduate from Class A, that doesn't mean our lives are over."
Yes, that sounded exactly like something Horikita Manabu would say.
"A few days ago, Suzune suddenly came to me and said those exact words."
Kamio Tatsuya was stunned. If those had been Horikita Manabu's own thoughts, he would not have been surprised. It would have been completely expected.
But if Horikita Suzune had come to that realization herself, then Kamio Tatsuya had to look at her in a new light.
At the start of the school year, Horikita Suzune had cared so much about the difference between Class A and Class D. Now, she was finally able to break free of that way of thinking.
Looking at Horikita Manabu's faint smile, Kamio Tatsuya stayed silent for a moment before replying with a hint of emotion.
"Congratulations."
Horikita Manabu only smiled faintly.
"Have you decided what you'll do after graduation?"
Someone like Horikita Manabu would not lose the respect of outsiders even if he failed to graduate from Class A. Plenty of companies would be eager to hire him.
As for what university he wanted to attend, Kamio Tatsuya had looked into his grades a little. Even without any special privileges, he was easily capable of getting into the University of Tokyo.
"Not yet. It depends on the final result."
As he spoke, Horikita Manabu cast a subtle glance at Tachibana Akane.
Kamio Tatsuya understood immediately. Whether he went to university or started working at a company, did he want to do it together with Tachibana Akane?
What a good man.
So this was the perfect time for some gossip!
"Are you and Tachibana dating yet, Manabu?"
"Not yet."
Horikita's older brother denied it directly, without hiding anything.
Not yet?
Horikita Manabu had not lowered his voice, so Tachibana Akane, who was standing nearby, naturally heard him.
Driven by curiosity, Kamio Tatsuya glanced over at her. Tch, she had such a complicated look on her face.
The school had created such a perfect opportunity for them during the forest trip, and they still hadn't gotten together.
Tch. Useless!
After giving him a scornful look, Kamio Tatsuya turned back to Horikita Manabu.
Since you've taken such good care of me before, I'll help you one more time.
"That really is surprising."
"Regardless of whether the final result is good or bad, I've spent these three years focused entirely on school."
"So you're planning to tell her how you feel after the exams are over?"
Horikita Manabu fell silent for a moment. With his abilities, he naturally knew that Tachibana Akane was close enough to hear their conversation, so he also knew how he should answer.
"That isn't something you need to worry about."
"Is that so? But Tachibana has always treated me very well, so I thought I'd ask on her behalf."
Treated you well?
If you know she treats you well, you should at least start calling her by a more respectful name.
Horikita Manabu had plenty he wanted to say, but he held it back.
"Manabu, feelings can change in all kinds of ways. Make sure you don't do something you'll regret."
Seeing Kamio Tatsuya's serious expression, Horikita Manabu fell silent for a moment. Then he turned around and waved to Tachibana Akane.
"Is something wrong, Horikita?"
With a puzzled look on her face, Tachibana Akane walked over. Horikita Manabu took her hand and raised it.
"Are you satisfied now?"
For fuck's sake…
"Goodbye!"
The corner of Kamio Tatsuya's mouth twitched, and he turned around and walked away.
Behind him, Horikita Manabu tried to remain as calm as possible, but his heart kept pounding. To outsiders, he looked cold and composed.
But he knew himself very well. He had never really been a cold person.
He only acted that way because his circumstances had forced him to.
As for Tachibana Akane, she stood there foolishly, her mind completely frozen.
"Akane, go out with me after graduation. So, could you wait for me a few more days?"
The moment Horikita Manabu said those words, tears spilled uncontrollably from Tachibana Akane's eyes. She simply stared at him in a daze.
There was no doubt that Tachibana Akane loved Horikita Manabu. She had felt that way ever since their first year.
If this had been an ordinary school, she would have confessed to him long ago. But this was Advanced Nurturing High School.
Because she had always watched him, she understood that Horikita Manabu had been working hard for the sake of his class. She could not confess to him before everything was settled, because it would only distract him.
Even so, she still secretly hoped that Horikita Manabu might confess to her one day. She had always assumed it would happen after the final exam.
But she had never imagined that the day she had been waiting for so long would come on such an ordinary morning.
"Yes! I'll wait for you, no matter how long it takes!"
Horikita Manabu wiped away Tachibana Akane's tears and smiled.
"Let's go to school first. We'll be late."
"Okay!"
Tachibana Akane nodded, then took out a handkerchief and dabbed at the corners of her eyes. As she watched Kamio Tatsuya's distant back, her heart filled with gratitude.
That junior really was a good person.
As for Kamio Tatsuya, it was a good thing he had left early. Otherwise, his breakfast would have been replaced by a heavy dose of public affection.
Not long after arriving in class, Okabe walked in from outside and brought information about the projects chosen by the other three classes.
First was Class A. Just as Ryuen and Kamio had predicted, two of the five projects were written tests: mathematics and chemistry. They required six and seven participants respectively.
The other three projects were a 100-meter race, tennis, and dodgeball.
To be honest, Class A had many students who were good at studying and many who were good at sports. In an ordinary school, it would definitely be considered a model class.
Unfortunately, this was Advanced Nurturing High School, and it was anything but ordinary.
Next came Class B. Their projects were chess, speed mental arithmetic, Japanese archery, a mathematics test, and a Japanese test.
They also had two written exams, and their mathematics test directly overlapped with Class A's.
Then there was Class C: women's mixed martial arts, wrestling, taekwondo, karate, and judo. Every event involved physical combat, which matched the stereotype outsiders had of Class C.
In fact, when the other three classes saw those projects, their students were all stunned.
As for Class D, they had followed Kamio Tatsuya's instructions and chosen events that their own students were good at: a typing competition, Japanese archery, basketball, an English test, and group jump rope.
The English test caught Kamio Tatsuya somewhat by surprise, but it was not completely unexpected.
Although the school had called the students of Class D defective from the very beginning, quite a few outstanding students were still among them when it came to academic performance.
Even after losing Koenji and Kamio Tatsuya, it was not impossible for them to find a few more students who were excellent at English.
Looking at Class A and Class B's projects, Kamio Tatsuya frowned. They were going to be troublesome.
Leaving the written tests aside, dodgeball was manageable. Tennis and the 100-meter race, however, were real headaches.
Tennis was practically a sport reserved for wealthy families. Students from ordinary households generally did not have the chance to train in it.
Class C did have two students with experience: Minori Kinoshita and Saki Yamashita. Unfortunately, both of them were girls.
If Class A sent a boy to compete, they could probably concede the match right away.
As for the 100-meter race, there was no need to think about it. Apart from Kamio Tatsuya himself, no one in Class C could keep Shibata in check.
If only there were an event that could force Class A to send out its ace.
Still, relying on someone else was not as good as relying on himself.
He should ask whether anyone else in the class knew how to play tennis. Even Ryuen could not possibly know every student's abilities.
"Besides Kinoshita and Yamashita, does anyone else in the class know how to play tennis? I mean someone who's actually good."
For this exam, they could not focus only on their own small corner. If they did, they would be eliminated quickly the moment the other classes targeted them.
Offense was important, but defense and counterattacks were just as important.
After Kamio Tatsuya finished speaking, the students of Class C looked at one another. Then a boy raised his hand.
"I've played tennis before. I don't know if I'm actually good, but in middle school I competed in the singles division at the national tournament. I only came in fourth, though."
…
You've got to be kidding me. Why didn't you say so earlier?
And seriously, are you bragging while pretending not to brag?
You don't know whether you're good?
You made it to the national tournament and came in fourth!
The students of Class C were speechless.
Still, anyone who could enter this school had to have something going for them.
"Wait, I remember that Suzuki wasn't in the tennis club, was he?"
"That's right. For certain reasons, I wasn't planning to continue playing tennis. But if it's for the class, I'll do my part." Suzuki gave an embarrassed smile. "It's been a long time since I played, though, so I don't know if I'm rusty."
Kamio Tatsuya looked at Suzuki Hidetoshi, then glanced at Ryuen.
Tch. If Class C were even remotely normal, someone like Suzuki Hidetoshi would definitely become the class leader.
He was good at studying, athletic, and handsome. Aside from being a little timid, he hardly had any flaws.
Though "timid" only applied when he was dealing with delinquents like Ryuen and Ishizaki. Around ordinary people, Suzuki acted fairly confidently.
So in a normal class, someone like Suzuki would unquestionably become the leader.
Was he in Class C because he lacked enough leadership ability?
"Right. Suzuki, you were assigned to the karate event before, weren't you?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Since tennis is one of the events, focus on getting back into shape for now. Depending on the situation, we may have you compete in tennis."
Kamio Tatsuya made the decision without hesitation.
Now they had someone for tennis. As for the 100-meter race… well, they could forget about it.
Still, Ichinose had chosen dodgeball, and not just any dodgeball event. It was a huge event requiring twenty people.
Heh. Looks like she understood the disadvantage of going first.
She had chosen it so that as many members of her class as possible could make it into the second round.
Kamio Tatsuya had naturally thought of that as well. That was why he had told Class D to prepare for the group jump-rope event, which also required twenty participants.
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