Chapter 060: Thanks to Sakayanagi VIP Open Source; Next, He Follows Suit!
In the first-year area, the atmosphere was significantly more solemn than usual. Just as the other grades felt uneasy after noticing the turmoil in the third year, the first-year students could not remain indifferent.
The [Old Questions] in their hands hadn't even warmed up before the upperclassmen faced such a major event. Every face carried a hidden worry: would the third-year incident implicate them as well?
Passing by the Class 1-C classroom, Hachiman heard a group of people consulting Ryuen. He didn't stop there but continued upward to his own class.
As soon as Hikigaya stepped into the Class B classroom, he heard waves of discussion. Many students were huddled together whispering, their expressions panicked. Some bolder students had even run to the third-year building to snatch a copy of the [Third Year Physics Midterm Review Materials] to bring back; it was currently spread out on a desk for everyone to read.
Although they were only first-years, a glance at the material made it clear to everyone—this wasn't "review material" at all; it was clearly the third-year midterm exam paper. After all, nobody would go through the trouble of leaking review materials for fun, so it was most likely a leak.
Presumably, someone who disliked the [Old Question Exam] rule had made this move.
Only students like those in Class B would think this way. They had almost never encountered "cheating" growing up, and they were still somewhat unaccustomed to the unspoken survival rules of this school.
Of course, a few students whispered guesses that this might be related to Sakayanagi Arisu, who went to the Student Council last Sunday.
Someone analyzed in a low voice that Sakayanagi might have used this "burn the bridge" method to force President Horikita to grant her candidacy for the next Student Council President.
But this guess was quickly dismissed.
"Even if it's review material, these solution methods and the level of detail in the answers... the academic ability is just too high." The student holding the document spoke with a hint of surprise.
Upon hearing this, the others leaned in to look. They realized that this material didn't just list questions; every single question was followed by exhaustive steps—far more complete than their own first-year old questions, which only had the final answers.
This wasn't to diminish the efforts of Ichinose and the others, but their compiled materials only contained answers without the process. After all, this exam was just a formality; those advanced questions wouldn't be used in the future, so there was no need to write out every step. Since most were multiple-choice, memorizing the answers was enough. Writing too much would just increase the memorization burden.
"Is it possible that Sakayanagi-san consulted the upperclassmen's teachers and commissioned them to write the answers and steps?" Shibata asked, poking his head in curiously.
"It's possible," Kanzaki said, leaning on the desk thoughtfully.
"Normally, a first-year couldn't possibly write out the answers to third-year questions. Perhaps Sakayanagi is using this method to 'whitewash' herself and distance herself from the leak."
Hikigaya didn't join the discussion. He silently took the [Review Materials] from a classmate and flipped through it quickly. Before long, he gently placed the paper back on the desk, his eyes bright. He had reached a conclusion.
This paper was likely filled out and supplemented by Sakayanagi herself.
That girl had a bit of a chuunibyou stubbornness in her bones, always saying things like "I will deliver a perfect answer sheet."
According to his understanding of her, if Sakayanagi used someone else's power to complete this paper, it wouldn't reach the "perfection" she pursued. The reason she hadn't made a move since raiding the Student Council last Sunday was likely that she was buried in books, mastering the third-year physics curriculum and past versions during the gap.
But... was that even humanly possible?
To conquer a grade subject and reach this level in just a few days... were there really geniuses in this world?
'As expected, this is an absurd setting that only exists in a novel world. It's too unrealistic' Hikigaya thought.
"What are you thinking, Hikigaya-kun?" Ichinose, sitting next to him, tilted her head. Her eyes held a hint of doubt, and her hair swayed gently with the movement. Hikigaya noticed her scent had returned to that pleasant fragrance from before.
However, now was not the time to be sniffing the girl next to him in class; he wasn't a pervert.
"It was probably Sakayanagi's doing, and she will likely succeed..." Halfway through his sentence, the phone in his drawer vibrated. He pulled it out and unlocked the screen to see a message from an unknown number.
[My answer sheet is complete.]
[Let's meet at noon.]
Even in cold text, Hikigaya immediately recognized the sender—no one else would speak with such overflowing confidence except Sakayanagi Arisu. It seemed Horikita Manabu had compromised.
Clearly, Manabu had seen through Sakayanagi's tactics. Right now, she had only thrown out "Review Materials," but if he refused her, she would likely launch a genuine offensive against the third year.
However, Sakayanagi likely wouldn't truly burn all bridges. Attacking the third year meant offending a third of the school.
Moreover, as the Chairman's daughter, if she incited public outrage and people made a fuss about her identity, it could implicate her father.
So, she couldn't be too sharp.
But why attack the third-years this way? What she dropped were indeed review materials—materials more detailed than a standard workbook. If she leaked "Review Materials," the third-years could technically just ignore it.
But Sakayanagi's message meant Manabu had yielded.
Looking at it this way, President Horikita Manabu was truly a tolerant and magnanimous man.
He had said that to get the candidacy, one must gain his recognition. And what was his recognition? This review material, filled with answers and logic, was likely the proof of that recognition. For a first-year to achieve this level in a few days was indeed enough to move him. She was earning his respect through sheer merit.
Just then, Hikigaya noticed the discussions in the classroom dying down. The air became a bit quieter. Several students walked toward him and Ichinose.
"Ichinose, Kanzaki-kun, and Hikigaya-kun, don't feel too much pressure," the lead student said, rubbing his head.
"Even if these [Review Materials] become unusable, we've all been studying hard. we can definitely handle the exam."
She paused and looked at Hikigaya sincerely. "Hikigaya-kun, if your math is still lacking, you can try the point-buying method we mentioned before—100,000 points per 1 mark. Our class still has nearly 2 million in class funds; it's enough to cover your shortcomings."
...?
Hikigaya noticed the surrounding students looking at him, but there was no resentment on their faces.
Wait, so... in the face of a major crisis, instead of conspiracy theories or shifting blame, they were... trying to take care of students with weak grades? And they were willing to use a huge chunk of class funds?
He had to say, the students of this class felt completely out of place in this school. But after living with them for a month and a half, Hikigaya knew the atmosphere of the most united class in the original story. There was no need to test their sincerity.
Just as Hachiman was about to respond, a shout came from outside the window.
"Hikigaya-kun—someone's looking for you!" A classmate by the window stood up and waved, pointing toward the front door.
Hikigaya looked over and saw a familiar black-haired girl standing there, looking somewhat at a loss. It was Horikita Suzune from Class 1-D.
Of course. With the third year in trouble, there was one first-year student who definitely couldn't sit still. Her brother was a third-year and the pillar of the critical Class 3-A.
.
.
.
Horikita Suzune had sought out Hikigaya twice before—once in the stairwell after school, and once by asking Kushida to call him out. But this was the first time she had personally barged into his classroom.
Her state today was clearly off. Hikigaya could see at a glance that she was projectng an undeniable weakness—not the weakness of illness, but a lethargy born of being overwhelmed and helpless. Even her complexion was paler than usual, her eyes unfocused, like she had encountered a massive problem with no solution. She looked like a vulnerable, helpless little sister.
Hikigaya mused that she must have found out about the third-year "leak" and came to him in a rush.
"Let's talk in the hallway," Hikigaya said, standing up and nodding toward the door to avoid the prying eyes in the classroom.
"Okay," Horikita nodded without hesitation. Clearly, she came specifically for him.
Noticing her distracted state and unsteady steps, Hikigaya paused, turned back to grab the third-year [Review Materials] from the desk, and then followed her to the end of the hallway.
"Is it because of this?" Hikigaya held the materials out to her.
"..." Horikita took them, looking down with suppressed worry.
"Brother and the others... seem to be targeted. After hearing the news in class, I ran to the third-year area. I saw Brother surrounded by students from Classes 3-C and 3-D. They were arguing fiercely."
Hikigaya could guess the sequence of events. Suzune had arrived at school intending to study as usual, but was interrupted by the class rumors.
Of course, for Class D: "Papers? What papers? Questions can be leaked? Is it that cool?" "Who's brave enough to steal papers from the teachers?!"
Kushida and Horikita had planned to distribute the [Old Questions] tomorrow, so the class was still in the dark. Kushida was secretly relieved.
How did a leak happen out of nowhere? Fortunately, she hadn't distributed them yet. Otherwise, instead of gaining a reputation of "Kushida-san, you're amazing" or "Thanks, Kushida," it would have immediately become "Kushida, it's your fault I didn't study and only memorized the papers" or "Kushida, I failed because of you."
Though surprised by the storm, Kushida had immediately informed Horikita about the third-year situation.
Not just the first years—the upperclassmen's exams this month were also based on [Old Questions]. The third-years hadn't prepared much and were currently in chaos.
So, Horikita Suzune appearing at Class B's door was ultimately about her concern for Manabu. Lacking anyone else to talk to or consult, she eventually came to Hikigaya.
"What do you think?" Hikigaya leaned against the hallway railing, hands in his pockets, looking at her pale profile.
"I..." Horikita opened her mouth but swallowed her words. Her face grew paler, her eyes full of confusion and anxiety.
"Your brother is much more formidable than you imagine," Hikigaya interrupted her thoughts, tapping the materials in her hand.
"Also, the third-year exam wasn't leaked. You'd better look closely at what this 'leaked item' actually is."
Horikita had been to the third-year area but hadn't had the chance to get the material; hearing the rumors, she assumed it was a leak. Now, calming down to look, she found the clue. The title should have been "Third Year Physics Midterm Exam Paper," but the word "Paper" had been deleted and replaced with "Review Materials." Clearly, this was a calculated move to exploit a loophole and avoid punishment for leaking.
More importantly, her first-year old questions only had answers, but this document had detailed processes. It was a meticulously organized study guide. It wasn't a leaked exam; it was a deliberately compiled review packet.
Anyone can get review materials. Anyone can read them.
"In other words—" Suzune looked up, her eyes gradually clearing. The paleness faded, replaced by a bit of composure.
Read ahead (50 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting