Hearing the middle-aged female teacher's announcement, the entire auditorium fell into complete silence.
The students of Shuchi'in Academy exchanged glances, their faces filled with disbelief.
"The first place goes to... Sobu High School?"
"That Ye Xing... achieved the top score in this exam?"
"Wait, what about Kaguya Shinomiya? Kaguya Shinomiya... lost!?"
"Shuchi'in Academy... lost to Sobu High School?"
Compared to the others, Kaguya Shinomiya, the student representative on whom the academy had pinned all its hopes, remained completely calm, not even a flicker of emotion in her eyes.
Perhaps from the moment she heard that Ye Xing had submitted his paper forty minutes early, she had vaguely realised the outcome of this battle.
That confidence of his wasn't baseless arrogance, but was built upon formidable strength.
Looking at the surrounding Shuchi'in students, who were watching her with shocked, astonished expressions, a bitter feeling suddenly welled up in Kaguya Shinomiya's heart.
In their eyes, she had lost to Ye Xing.
But only Kaguya knew.
She hadn't just lost - she had been completely crushed.
Just imagine.
If this hadn't been a joint exam, but rather an internal Shuchi'in assessment, would Kaguya Shinomiya, as the top student in her year, have chosen to submit early when competing against Miyuki Shirogane, the second-ranked student, just to surpass him in answering speed as well?
Impossible.
Ye Xing's early submission didn't just mean that the quality of the answers he provided in just forty minutes surpassed Kaguya Shinomiya's.
It also meant.
From beginning to end, he had never even considered the possibility that he might not achieve first place.
Ye Xing was no longer thinking about winning or losing.
But rather about how to gain even more advantage in this joint exam.
The gap between them...
Was simply too vast.
It wasn't that Kaguya Shinomiya had never lost before - sometimes to fit in with the group, she would intentionally hold back in certain matters.
But giving her all in something and still losing so completely—this was a first in her life.
Kaguya Shinomiya's expression and eyes showed no fluctuation—this was the composure expected of the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya family.
In a place where no one could see, her hands had already clenched the hem of her clothes so tightly that her knuckles had turned slightly white.
Meanwhile, at Sobu High School...
"Ye Xing won!"
"Sobu High School's Satan!"
"As expected of the madman who dares to flirt with female teachers in the office - he really has some skills!"
"Is this the first time Shuchi'in Academy has lost since its founding?"
"Regardless, our Sobu High School is definitely the champion of this joint exam!"
"Truly worthy of Lord Ye Xing!"
The students of Sobu High School were now completely ecstatic.
Watching the Shuchi'in Academy students who had been so arrogant and confident just moments ago, carrying themselves like superiors, now wearing complex and dejected expressions as if they had eaten chocolate that tasted like excrement, could only be described with one word.
Satisfying!
Extremely satisfying!
Even though Ye Xing was Japan's top scorer in the joint exams this year, to be honest, most students at Sobu High School didn't think he could actually win.
After all, the first semester was nearing its end.
Over the past few months, with the huge disparity in teaching resources between the two schools, no amount of exceptional talent could bridge the gap.
But now it seemed...
Their perspective had been too limited.
A true genius wouldn't be changed by their environment - they would change the environment instead.
Achieving first place in this joint exam was the strongest proof.
A small group of Shuchi'in Academy students, seemingly unable to accept this reality, were examining Ye Xing, who sat beside Shizuka Hiratsuka with suspicious and doubtful glances, whispering among themselves.
"How could he possibly beat Kaguya Shinomiya? He must have cheated?"
"He definitely used some trick, otherwise it's impossible."
"An ordinary student from Sobu High School actually defeating the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya family? It defies all logic."
Just as Shizuka Hiratsuka frowned slightly, her expression displeased, and was about to stand up to confront those people, the middle-aged female teacher on the stage suddenly raised her hand and forcefully tapped the podium before her.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sudden noise immediately restored silence throughout the entire auditorium.
The middle-aged female teacher adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses, her gaze coldly sweeping over those Shuchi'in Academy students who doubted the authenticity of Ye Xing's results, and slowly spoke.
"Let me emphasise once more."
"The venue, rules, test paper creation, invigilation, marking, and scoring for this joint exam were all handled by our Shuchi'in Academy."
"Sobu High School only reviewed the exam papers after we completed the rankings, as a precaution against errors."
"Anyone who doubts the authenticity of Ye Xing's results in this exam is essentially doubting Shuchi'in Academy's capabilities."
At this point, the middle-aged female teacher paused before continuing slowly.
"So now, is there anyone who still doubts the authenticity of the joint exam results?"
The auditorium fell completely silent.
Just as the middle-aged female teacher had said.
This joint exam was essentially entirely managed by Shuchi'in Academy, with Sobu High School only serving a verification role.
Doubting Ye Xing's results meant doubting that Shuchi'in Academy lacked the capability to ensure the authenticity of the exam results.
No one dared to say such a thing.
"Very good."
Seeing that no students expressed further objections, the middle-aged female teacher continued.
"Then next..."
"Wait a moment."
Just as the middle-aged female teacher was halfway through her speech, Ye Xing, who had been sitting in the audience, suddenly interrupted and walked directly onto the stage.
"What are you...?"
The middle-aged female teacher looked confused.
Ye Xing smiled and uttered an abstract statement that left all the students present speechless.
"I came first, I want to give a victory speech."
The middle-aged female teacher froze for a moment, her expression torn between laughter and tears, before handing the microphone.
"Alright then, go ahead."
A loss was a loss.
Ye Xing defeated all first-year students from Shuchi'in Academy in this away game and placed first in the joint examination.
If he wanted to give a victory speech, they should just let him.
They needed to be open-minded.
"Ahem, hello everyone."
Facing the thousands of students in the audience, Ye Xing showed no stage fright, wearing a relaxed smile on his face.
"Now, I'm going to begin my victory speech."
Hearing this, the Shuchi'in Academy students felt both resentful and somewhat curious.
What did he want to say?
This was the first time they had seen someone snatch a microphone from a teacher to deliver a victory speech after winning first place in an exam.
What was this?
A social fear terrorist?
Maintaining his smile, Ye Xing slowly began speaking.
"Achieving first place this time isn't just my own accomplishment. I also want to thank the girls who are very important to me and have always supported me."
Everyone thought this was a conventional opening.
However, the members of the Supernatural Society and acquaintances like Shizuka Hiratsuka, who understood Ye Xing's personality, suddenly felt a very ominous premonition.
Was the abstract moment... about to arrive?
Sure enough, Ye Xing's next words silenced the entire auditorium.
"Let me see..."
Ye Xing first pulled out a list from his pocket, glanced down at it seriously, then spoke.
"The list of people I want to thank is as follows."
"My homeroom teacher, Shizuka Hiratsuka, and the members of my club: Miko Yotsuya, Rio Futaba, Yui Yuigahama, Kazusa Touma, Yukino Yukinoshita, Hina Amano, Marin Kitagawa, and Saki Kawasaki."
"Also a club member, but one year above me - my senior Mai Sakurajima."
"And Haruno Yukinoshita, who's far away in Chiba Prefecture."
Hearing this long list of names, everyone present was completely bewildered.
Wait, other people's speeches only thank a few individuals.
How could you list so many names?
Is this a victory speech or a menu recitation?
Wait...
Why are there two girls with the same surname?
Sisters?
Mate, you're playing this wild?
Then, under the respectful gazes of all the male students, Ye Xing uttered the shocking statement that would later become legendary at Shuchi'in Academy.
"That's all for the thank you list for now. It'll be longer next time I come."
After saying this, Ye Xing walked off the stage.
After a brief silence, thunderous applause erupted throughout the auditorium.
All the male students regarded him with deep respect.
Truly worthy of being first in the joint examination.
Even the male students of Shuchi'in Academy acknowledged the genuine quality of Sobu High School's Ye Xing at this moment!
"Sigh, really now..."
The middle-aged female teacher sighed helplessly, yet felt somewhat relieved at the same time.
She had originally thought that Ye Xing's victory declaration would involve intensified mockery towards Shuchi'in Academy.
Unexpectedly, he didn't even mention it - he simply recited a long list of names as if reading a menu, then concluded.
This actually caused the middle-aged female teacher's initial hostility towards Ye Xing to transform into admiration.
Before the exam began, he possessed absolute confidence, even bordering on arrogance.
Yet after the rankings were announced and victory confirmed, he remained remarkably composed, as if this outcome was only natural.
To display such a commanding presence at such a young age.
Truly exceptional talent.
The middle-aged female teacher collected herself before speaking again.
"Next, the second place in this joint examination."
"Shuchi'in Academy, Kaguya Shinomiya."
No one found this result surprising.
Yet Kaguya Shinomiya's mind kept echoing the words Ye Xing had spoken.
Only first place counts as success.
Everything else is failure.
She... had failed.
"Third place, Shuchi'in Academy, Miyuki Shirogane."
"Fourth place, Shuchi'in Academy..."
"Fifth place, Shuchi'in Academy..."
...
The middle-aged female teacher announced over a dozen names in succession, all prefixed with Shuchi'in Academy.
This brought no sense of joy to the Shuchi'in students.
On the contrary, as they watched Ye Xing sitting there casually chatting with Shizuka Hiratsuka, their eyes revealed genuine respect.
Many were aware that this year's top exam scorer hadn't chosen Shuchi'in Academy.
Initially, both Shuchi'in students and their parents had considered this decision foolish.
Couldn't he distinguish between Sobu High School and Shuchi'in Academy? Wasn't that sheer stupidity?
But now, no one would apply such criticism to Ye Xing anymore.
Among the top twenty rankings in this joint examination, aside from his first place, the remaining nineteen positions all belonged to Shuchi'in Academy.
What did this signify?
Sobu High School's teaching standards hadn't improved.
Ye Xing achieving first place not only meant he had defeated examinees like Kaguya Shinomiya and Miyuki Shirogane from Shuchi'in Academy.
More significantly, it meant he alone had bridged and even surpassed the gap in teaching resources between Sobu High School and Shuchi'in Academy.
This first place in the joint exam...
Was even more valuable than achieving first place in Japan's unified national mock exams.
"Twenty-first place, Sobu High School Class 1-A, Yukino Yukinoshita."
Finally hearing Sobu High School's name again, and from her own Class 1-A at that, Shizuka Hiratsuka couldn't help but let a smile form at the corner of her mouth.
Yet Yukino Yukinoshita, the person in question, showed no sign of happiness.
She had finally realised it now.
She truly had no qualifications to compete academically with Ye Xing.
At Sobu High, the gap between them was merely first and second place.
But this joint exam had revealed the truth.
Ye Xing remained the strongest.
While she could only rank beyond twentieth place.
...
Just before boarding the coach, Kaguya Shinomiya, as the student representative of Shuchi'in Academy, approached Ye Xing. For the first time, her tone carried noticeable emotional fluctuation.
"Next time, I will definitely win."
Ye Xing smiled and replied with words that nearly broke Kaguya Shinomiya's composure.
"You should go home early and get some sleep. You can dream whatever you want, just don't fantasise here."
The middle-aged female teacher with gold-rimmed glasses approached Ye Xing, her expression no longer hostile but instead letting out a slight sigh.
"I originally thought that not choosing Shuchi'in Academy was your loss."
"But now it appears it was Shuchi'in Academy's loss."
Ye Xing smiled as he responded.
"It's not really a loss either. I just don't like Shuchi'in Academy as an institution, but the reasons I dislike it are the same reasons you can become part of Shuchi'in Academy."
"Hmm."
The middle-aged teacher nodded slightly and looked towards Shizuka Hiratsuka.
"Teacher Hiratsuka, let's exchange ideas when we have the chance next time."
Shizuka Hiratsuka responded with a cheerful smile.
"Alright then, we'll be off first."
...
With the joint exam concluding with Ye Xing taking first place, the first semester also drew to a close.
Sobu High School continued normal classes until Wednesday after school, when summer vacation officially began.
After school, at Sobu High School, on the rooftop.
"The first semester is finally over."
Yui Yuigahama stretched with a long sigh, looking thoroughly relieved.
Rio Futaba adjusted her glasses and said calmly.
"School holidays start the day after tomorrow, but we can't afford to be idle during these two months of break. There are many matters that need handling."
During every Supernatural Society internal meeting, it was always Rio Futaba who presented the plans, and this time was no exception.
"First matter - how should we deal with that little girl called Menma?"
"Deal with..."
Mai Sakurajima frowned slightly and hesitated.
"She may not be human... but she hasn't harmed any humans either. We..."
Miko Yotsuya said thoughtfully.
"Elimination is certainly not an option. Menma is quite a special existence. The best approach would be to help her resolve her lingering attachments and pass on peacefully, like my father did, right?"
Mai Sakurajima nodded and smiled.
"In that case, before that, let her stay at my place first. It just so happens I live alone."
Ye Xing raised a question from the side.
"Why can't she just stay at my place?"
Noticing the strange, somewhat suspicious looks from the girls, he rolled his eyes.
"Don't be ridiculous."
"Hmph."
Rio Futaba said meaningfully.
"Menma is still a child. If she stays at your place and sees some strange things or hears some strange noises, it could damage her young mind. So it's decided - Menma will stay at Mai-senpai's house."
Then, Rio Futaba spoke again.
"The second matter, and the most important one."
She took out her phone and showed everyone the photo from the news report on the screen.
"This is..."
Seeing the girl's corpse floating in the wind like a teru teru bōzu, the members of the Supernatural Society all showed discomfort.
"Sunny Doll Killer - that's the codename given by the Metropolitan Police Department."
Rio Futaba put away her phone and spoke slowly.
"Based on our previous operation with Ye Xing, we can understand the danger level of the Reverse World and that the power of the evil spirits there likely comes from the negative impressions and thoughts of Kyoto's residents."
"Just like those evil spirits dressed as doctors and nurses that we eliminated last time, and that monster with tentacles all over its upper body fused with a human - they're probably the grotesque forms created by Kyoto residents' negative impressions of hospitals."
"A serial killer like the Sunny Doll Killer, who has committed multiple cases and brought fear to Kyoto's citizens, is bound to have some impact on the Reverse World."
"To prevent more powerful evil spirits from emerging in the Reverse World and coming to our world through Gates to cause destruction, I believe we must take action."
Mai Sakurajima and the others nodded in agreement upon hearing this.
"Exactly."
But then, everyone's gaze focused on Ye Xing.
The latter was leaning against the rooftop railing, looking up at the sky that had become overcast and was about to rain, and chuckled lightly.
"Why are you all looking at me?"
"Waiting for your decision."
"My decision..."
Ye Xing said calmly.
"I may not be a hero, but acting so recklessly in Kyoto City really shows they don't take me seriously. I agree."
Ye Xing looked at the members before him, the smile disappearing from his face, his voice carrying an inexplicable excitement.
"I'm quite curious about what the soul of such an evil person actually tastes like."