Natsukawa relayed the news from Ichinose to Horikita's group, who were studying on the other side of the Library, indicating that the D-Class exam scope might be problematic. This immediately caused the study group, which had just started to get on track, to erupt into chaos.
"Wha...?! You mean we've been studying for nothing these past few days?!" Sudo Ken slammed his hand on the table, making the pens jump, his face filled with incredulous rage.
"How can they do this! Aren't they just toying with us!" Ike Kanji and Yamauchi also started shouting, their faces flushed red.
Even the usually aloof Horikita Suzune, whose eyes were already cold, seemed to drop a few more degrees, her fingers gripping the textbook so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Kushida Kikyo also showed expressions of shock and worry. She quickly pulled out her personal terminal and, after sending messages to a few people to confirm, silently agreed with the news Natsukawa had brought.
The entire study group immediately lost their will to study and had to hastily adjourn the meeting.
The next morning, during Japanese History class, when Chabashira Sae finished lecturing a chapter verbatim and was about to dismiss class, Horikita Suzune raised her hand.
"Chabashira-sensei, regarding the scope of the midterm exam, I've noticed many inconsistencies between our class's scope and that of other classes. May I ask, which one is correct?" Her voice was clear and cold, standing out in the silent classroom.
Instantly, all students' gazes focused on the podium.
Chabashira Sae put down her textbook, showing no sign of panic from being questioned. Instead, as if she had just remembered something trivial, she replied in a perfunctory tone: "Ah, you mean that. Sorry, I did send a message earlier saying the exam scope had temporarily changed. I forgot to inform you."
Forgot to inform them?
Such an understated sentence, like lighting a fuse. The air in the classroom seemed to solidify for a moment, then erupted into uncontrollable commotion and hushed discussions, everyone's faces filled with anger, panic, and disbelief.
Chabashira seemed not to notice the reactions of the students below. She turned and picked up a piece of chalk, swiftly writing down the revised exam scope for the five subjects on the blackboard. Each character was like a cold verdict.
"These are the scopes. You still have almost two weeks; there's plenty of time, so study hard." She put down the chalk, clapped the dust from her hands, her tone as flat as if she were describing tomorrow's weather.
"Are you kidding me!"
"How is more than a week enough!"
"This is too much..."
The wave of dissatisfaction almost broke through the roof, but under Chabashira's cold, unmoving gaze, it quickly subsided, turning into a desperate silence and clenched fists. No one dared to truly stand up and openly resist; the zero class points were like shackles, firmly binding their courage.
The bell for the end of class rang, and Chabashira turned and left without a backward glance, leaving a cloud of gloom for D-Class. The entire classroom atmosphere dropped to freezing point; lamentations were everywhere. Some lay motionless on their desks, while others frantically copied the new scope, their eyes filled with bewilderment.
Horikita was packing her books, and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Natsukawa diagonally across from her still looking calm and composed, even having the leisure to flip through the content at the back of his textbook. She couldn't help but frown and walked over to his desk.
"Why aren't you worried at all?" Her voice carried a hint of imperceptible doubt and... a tendency to seek answers that even she wasn't aware of. "I remember your scores on the last pop quiz for Modern Society and National Language were also quite precarious."
Natsukawa looked up at Horikita, who was trying to maintain her composure but couldn't hide her anxiety, and a meaningful smile played on his lips: "Is worrying useful? Besides," he paused, his tone confident, "I'm sure I'll pass."
"Sure you'll pass?" Horikita's curiosity was completely piqued. "Is there another way?"
Natsukawa merely placed his index finger lightly on his lips, making a gesture for secrecy, his eyes playful: "It's a secret. Some bargaining chips are more valuable the fewer people know about them."
His relaxed attitude, as if everything was under control, made Horikita feel a strange sense of irritation, yet she was helpless. She snorted, no longer pressing the issue, and turned to leave. But her retreating figure, compared to her usual pure aloofness, seemed to carry a hint of being looked down upon and excluded... a sense of unwillingness... The lunch bell rang, and students poured out of the classroom like a flood. Natsukawa unhurriedly packed his things, his gaze fixed on Kushida Kikyo, who was surrounded by several girls and preparing to go to the cafe for lunch.
He walked straight over, ignoring the slightly surprised glances of the other girls, and spoke directly to Kushida, his tone as natural as if it were a matter of course: "Kikyo, come to the cafeteria with me for lunch."
This was not a question, but a command.
Kushida's sweet smile instantly stiffened for a moment. The girls around her also showed startled expressions, their gazes darting between Natsukawa and Kushida.
"Eh? Na-Natsukawa-kun? But... I've already made plans with Mako and the others..." Kushida tried to maintain her smile, her tone carrying a hint of difficulty and imperceptible panic. Maintaining good relationships with all girls was a crucial cornerstone of her social empire.
Natsukawa said nothing, just quietly looked at her, his dark eyes so deep they seemed to see through all her disguises. There was no request in his gaze, no negotiation, only a calm pressure, waiting for her to make her own choice.
A subtle tension filled the air. The other girls also seemed to sense that something was off, and one of them tentatively spoke: "Kushida, how about we..."
"What?" Natsukawa finally spoke, his voice not loud, but with a cold quality, interrupting the girl. His gaze remained fixed on Kushida, "Is it so difficult to have lunch with me? Or," Natsukawa leaned his face close to Kushida's ear, "in your heart, maintaining those superficial, 'plastic sisterhood' friendships is more important than our 'understanding'?"
Kushida's heart rate subtly quickened. She instantly understood Natsukawa's intention—he might not actually have an urgent matter, but was testing her reaction. This feeling made her a little displeased, but more than that, it was a sense of excitement from being challenged. Kushida Kikyo was not so easily manipulated.
Kushida's mind raced. Refuse him? No, before figuring out Natsukawa, it was best not to have direct conflict with him, and he had also helped her integrate into Horikita's group, even making Horikita humbly request it... Agree to him? Although it would temporarily slight these people, this could precisely show Natsukawa her "sincerity" and "specialness," creating an opportunity to further close the distance between them. As for her friends, she had plenty of ways to make it up to them afterward, not even needing to make it up; a few words of coquetry, a treat, and this small grievance could be easily resolved.
The scales of pros and cons tipped instantly in her mind.
Kushida's face broke into a slightly apologetic, perfectly natural sweet smile as she said to the girls beside her: "Oh, I'm so sorry, Nene, Onodera! Natsukawa-kun seems to have something quite important for me, so I can't have lunch with you all today~" She clasped her hands together, playfully winked, her tone affectionate and a little helpless, "As compensation, how about I treat you to the new parfait tomorrow? I heard the cream there is super, super amazing!"
Her reaction was smooth and natural, perfectly portraying a slightly apologetic, flawless image of someone who "had to leave temporarily for important business."
Although the girls were a bit surprised, seeing Kushida's sincere attitude and her proactive offer of compensation, they also laughed and agreed, then cast some gossipy glances at Natsukawa before leaving together.
Watching their retreating figures, Kushida secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to Natsukawa, her face still wearing a perfect smile, though the voice that came out of her mouth was no longer the same.
"Natsukawa-kun~ You'd better really have something important for me." The latter half of her sentence had returned to her original tone.
Natsukawa smiled contentedly, not bothering with Kushida's latter statement.
"Let's go."
The two walked side by side towards the cafeteria. Natsukawa didn't look at Kushida's complex and unreadable expression; his gaze swept through the noisy crowd in the cafeteria, finally settling on an upperclassman sitting alone in a corner, silently eating a mountain vegetable set meal—a true plain boiled cabbage dish.
He led Kushida directly over and sat down in the empty seat opposite the upperclassman.
"Senpai, do you mind if we share a table?" Natsukawa offered a harmless smile.
The upperclassman, who was struggling to swallow her vegetables with her head down, looked up at the sound, revealing a slightly gaunt but still made-up face, her eyes showing clear surprise and a hint of wariness.