After placing a cup of warm water in front of her, Kanda Shuichi sat down across from her.
"What's wrong? Are you completely crushed?"
Horikita Suzune looked up at him, then shook her head.
"I'm just wondering... What's the point of everything I've been doing?"
"Aren't you trying to lead Class D to Class A?"
Horikita glared at him. "With you, this 'big boss,' in Class D, does anything I do even matter? In the end, you're the one who always wraps things up."
"What nonsense. Everything you did gave me quite a show to enjoy. At the very least, you livened things up."
"You..."
Can't you see how frustrated I am? Would it kill you to comfort me a little!?
Even though she thought this, she was too stubborn to say it out loud.
But to Kanda Shuichi, this just seemed like classic Horikita being tsundere again.
Weren't you thinking clearly when you knelt before Kushida and lost on purpose?
So why are you suddenly acting confused now!?
Based on how you handled losing to Kushida, shouldn't you be admitting defeat right now and begging for my help?
Isn't getting to Class A your goal?
If you just ask me, I'll take you there.
Horikita Suzune! What are you waiting for? Hurry up and beg me!
Unfortunately, Kanda Shuichi didn't have telepathy. No matter how much he screamed in his head, Horikita couldn't hear him.
"It's fine. You may have failed again this time, but you worked hard."
Seeing how upset she was but saying nothing, Kanda Shuichi tried to comfort her.
"It was still pointless," Horikita muttered, pouting. She then picked up the cup of water he gave her and drank it all in one go.
"How was it pointless? You played a big part in the study group," Kanda Shuichi said in surprise. "Besides, if you really want to be involved, there's something you can do."
As Horikita looked at him curiously, Kanda Shuichi pulled out a stack of test papers from his desk drawer.
"This is the test I made for Ryuen's class. Give it a try, then pick out 30 points' worth from each subject. That way, you'll feel more involved."
Horikita looked at Kanda Shuichi, speechless. Are you sure this is about getting me involved and not just using me as a tool?
But after thinking about it, Horikita realized she really had nothing to do. All she did this time was organize a study group, and even then, Kushida contributed more than she did.
After all, she only led the first study session, while Kushida attended both.
As for the test papers that would ensure the class passed...
"Oh, right. Ryuen said he mimicked your style when making the math questions. Our class won't struggle because of that, will they?"
Horikita suddenly remembered and started to worry.
"Don't worry. I already got some of the math questions from Ryuen through Karuizawa. I'll sort them out and post them in the class group chat tomorrow."
Horikita let out a sigh. He even thought of this?
No wonder you're you.
Horikita then took a pen and some scratch paper from her bag and started solving the problems.
As she worked through them, she couldn't help but nod to herself. The quality of this test, made by just one person, was better than what several of them put together could come up with.
Just how skilled is this guy?
While Horikita Suzune was solving problems, Kanda Shuichi sat in his computer chair and pulled out the Time TV.
To others, it looked like an ordinary tablet, so he wasn't worried about being exposed.
As for why it looked like a tablet now, that was because when he recharged it in November, its appearance changed from the bulky old design to a more compact one.
The reason he took it out?
To check if the test Ryuen submitted was the same as the one he gave to Karuizawa.
Target locked: Sakagami Kazuma.
Time: After Ryuen submitted the test.
Before long, Kanda Shuichi found what he was looking for—Sakagami Kazuma reviewing the test.
Man, this guy is so slow. I'm already done reading, and he's still going.
Fast forward >>
After about two and a half minutes, Kanda Shuichi had memorized all the questions. He then confirmed that the test was submitted to Mashima before putting the Time TV away.
As for why it was submitted to Mashima, that was because he was essentially the first-year students' supervisor. Even though his class had dropped to B, he was still in charge of this year's students.
And as expected, the test Ryuen gave Karuizawa was the real deal. No tricks there.
Meanwhile, Horikita Suzune was still going through the problems. The more she looked at them, the more she realized how well-crafted Kanda Shuichi's test was.
Not overly difficult, but extremely time-consuming—just like the real world.
Most jobs in society aren't actually hard, but they pile up endlessly.
30 points per subject, 2 points per question, 8 subjects in total—120 questions.
It was a lot, but after a little over two hours, Horikita finally finished.
Still, keeping up that level of focus for so long was exhausting.
It wasn't like an actual test, where each subject had only 50 questions to be done in an hour.
At her speed, Horikita could finish a test in just over an hour and use the rest for review. By then, her brain wouldn't be working as hard, so it was almost like a break.
Seeing how drained Horikita looked, Kanda Shuichi took the test paper and glanced over it.
One look was enough to tell that she got everything right.
After all, he already had the answers.
And why make her do it even though he had the answers?
Because he wanted her to feel involved, of course.
"Not bad. Now, take pictures of the test and send them to Ryuen."
Hearing that, Horikita looked up, her face full of exhaustion.
So you really were just using me as a tool, huh?
Wait… hold on.
Didn't he already submit the test?
And when submitting, you have to include the answer key.
Which means… everything I just did was pointless!?
"You... have the answers, don't you?"
"Of course I do," Kanda Shuichi replied, looking puzzled. "Without answers, how would Chabashira-sensei accept my test paper?"
"And when you submitted the test, you turned in the answers too, right?"
"Stop talking!"
Horikita Suzune covered her face with one hand, feeling utterly embarrassed.
Yeah... He never said he didn't have the answers.
She had completely misunderstood!
Kanda Shuichi shook his head as he watched Horikita. What was up with her? Was she just too tired? Maybe he should cheer her up a little.
Might as well invite her to eat. The food from yesterday had to be used up today anyway, and he couldn't finish it alone.
And although he had eaten the food she made before, she had never tried his cooking.
Hmm... No, that wasn't right. Back on the deserted island, she had some of the group meals. And didn't she also try the mapo tofu he made?
Forget it. That was too long ago to remember clearly.
"Do you want to eat together?"
"Then I'll take you up on that."
After a simple meal of tomato and egg noodles, Kanda Shuichi sent Horikita on her way.
"These are some of the test questions Ryuen submitted. You can decide whether to give them to the class or not. I'm staying out of it."
With that, he handed the test questions he had organized to Horikita Suzune.
"Got it."
After leaving Kanda Shuichi's room, Horikita let out a deep breath. She glanced at the darkening sky outside and headed toward the elevator.
Meanwhile, Kanda Shuichi, still in his room, took out his phone and snapped a picture of the test Horikita had prepared. Then, he sent it to Ryuen.
A promise is a promise.
If Class C really ended up with a bunch of students expelled, Ryuen would probably lose his mind.
And that wouldn't be any fun. A four-way battle between all the classes was much more interesting than just three. Don't you think?
After finishing that, Kanda Shuichi dialed Karuizawa Kei's number. The call wasn't answered right away—it took a while before Karuizawa finally picked up.
"Hello?"
"Are you free right now?"
"Yeah, I was hanging out in a friend's room just now. I just stepped out."
"I see. If you can, come to my room. There's something I need to talk to you about."
"Okay, I'll be right there."
After putting down his phone, Kanda Shuichi let out a sigh.
Damn, I'm way too busy.
Just as Karuizawa had said on the phone, a few minutes later, there was a knock on Kanda Shuichi's door.
When he opened it, Karuizawa was standing outside, looking surprisingly well-behaved.
Seeing her, Kanda Shuichi instinctively compared her to Horikita and Kushida, whom he had been dealing with a lot lately.
Yeah... Karuizawa was definitely easier to handle.
"Sorry for the intrusion."
"Come in."
It was already early December, and Kanda Shuichi was starting to feel the cold. Seeing Karuizawa still wearing a short skirt, he couldn't help but be amazed.
What kind of people are these? Come to think of it, most of the girls in class were also wearing short skirts with bare legs, unlike Kanda Shuichi, who had long switched to thermal pants.
Speaking of which, December was just around the corner. It was time to collect the accumulated items. He wondered if he could get anything survival-related.
Summer was still manageable, but winter was just unbearable!
"Ahh, so warm…"
Karuizawa let out a sigh of relief as she stepped inside.
After a while, Kanda Shuichi brought her a cup of warm water.
"Thanks."
She found it strange that Kanda Shuichi liked drinking plain water, but she was polite enough not to ask. Honestly, if she had a choice, she would have preferred a cup of hot cocoa.
"I had a showdown with Ryuen today."
"Cough, cough…"
Kanda Shuichi's words made Karuizawa choke on her drink.
Even though she had somewhat expected it, she was still caught off guard.
Kanda Shuichi then explained everything to Karuizawa—how he used her to gain Ryuen's trust, how he set Ryuen up, and how he took all of Ryuen's points.
Karuizawa's mind was spinning after hearing all that.
"Wait, that's a lot to take in. I need a moment."
"To put it simply, I used you to trap Ryuen."
Now that she could understand!
"So what about my situation…?"
"Don't worry. Knowing Ryuen, he's probably suspecting that everything you did in front of Manabe was just an act."
And that was exactly what was happening. After leaving the café, Ryuen couldn't shake off the strange feeling in his gut.
He had interacted with Karuizawa before, but now he was starting to question everything. Had she been acting all along?
If she had been faking it from the start, that would mean that bastard Kanda had been setting him up ever since the cruise ship incident?!
The more Ryuen thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. Based on the information he had, Kanda Shuichi and Karuizawa Kei weren't even supposed to have any connection.
If Karuizawa had really been afraid of Manabe's retaliation, she should have gone to her boyfriend, Hirata, for help. So why had she turned to Kanda Shuichi instead?
And on top of that, Kanda even asked me to deal with Manabe and her group…
He deliberately put Karuizawa right under my nose!
Ryuen's eyes widened. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense!
And Karuizawa's conflict with Manabe had started before summer break. Could it be that Kanda had been setting this up since back then?
Impossible!
After all, there was no way he could have predicted that Karuizawa would end up in the same group as Manabe during the VIP exam.
Which meant…
It was clear now.
Kanda Shuichi had set this up the moment he found out about Karuizawa's conflict with Manabe on the cruise.
First, he had Karuizawa play the victim. Then, he used Ryuen's arrogance to gain his trust.
And after that…
Ryuen had figured everything out.
Damn, Kanda Shuichi!
Not only did you find a useful pawn like Karuizawa Kei in Class D, but you also played me like a fool!
But that just makes it more interesting. Only by beating you like this will my victory feel truly satisfying!
After hearing Kanda Shuichi's detailed analysis, Karuizawa's face showed a hint of admiration. He could even figure this out?
"Actually…"
After hearing Karuizawa Kei's response, Kanda Shuichi's expression turned a bit odd.
"You said Ryuen texted you?"
"Yeah."
Karuizawa nodded obediently and took out her phone.
[Your acting was impressive. You actually fooled me. Once I'm done dealing with Kanda Shuichi, it'll be your turn!]
Looking at the message on Karuizawa's phone, Kanda Shuichi stared at her in silence.
I just complimented you for being obedient, and now this? You didn't even tell me right away when Ryuen texted you? Are you getting too bold?
In reality, Karuizawa wasn't trying to act bold. She just wanted to test how much she mattered to Kanda Shuichi.
She didn't know exactly what Kanda Shuichi had done to Ryuen, but she was sure something had happened between them.
And since she was involved in it too, she had been waiting for Kanda Shuichi to contact her. After two hours of silence, she was starting to lose hope.
Then, just as she was feeling down, Kanda Shuichi suddenly called her. That really made her happy.
"Um… Kanda, you're not mad at me, right?"
Seeing Karuizawa's cautious expression, Kanda Shuichi sighed. Now she's acting scared? Where was this attitude earlier?
"Forget it. Just don't do this again. There are some things you can't handle, and messing around might end up hurting you."
"Mm! Mm! I got it!" Karuizawa nodded quickly.
"Oh yeah, can I start calling you Shuichi from now on?"
"Why are you asking that all of a sudden?" Kanda Shuichi tilted his head. "Whatever, do what you want."
Another small goal achieved! Karuizawa Kei cheered inside.
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You can read 10 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu