"Senpaku, I am Sakamoto. What brings you here?"

This exam was more like a routine rehearsal to test the knowledge accumulated over time.

A window seat,

Sakamoto sat upright and answered questions at an astonishing speed.

His movements were not hurried at all; on the contrary, they carried an elegant, flowing grace.

It was as if they weren't solving a difficult problem, but rather performing a well-rehearsed artistic show.

Pushing up glasses, writing, turning pages...

Every movement was incredibly precise.

Classroom of Class B.

The moment the exam papers were handed out,

A subtle look of surprise crossed many of the students' faces.

Question types...

It seems to differ somewhat from the "key points" that the boss of Longyuan urgently emphasized and distributed last night.

But this surprise was quickly suppressed.

after all,

They underwent a considerable period of high-pressure study group training at Longyuan.

The foundation is already solid.

After a brief period of adjustment, the pen tip began to move rapidly again.

Long Yuanxiang swept the entire scroll, a barely perceptible sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.

The questions have all been changed.

But he wasn't flustered; this was within his expectations.

He had anticipated this move.

Classroom of Class C.

The entire class was filled with a do-or-die focused attitude.

They did not rely on any external "shortcuts".

All efforts stem from oneself.

Classroom of Class D.

The exam paper is in hand.

The expressions of Yamauchi, Ike, and Sudo instantly became extremely strange.

They exchanged glances.

It was filled with shock and lingering fear.

This question...

This doesn't match the "past exam questions" that Kushida gave us yesterday at all!

totally different!

fortunately……

Fortunately, Horikita dragged them to those "painful" study sessions.

I learned a little bit to make up the gap.

Otherwise, I would have been completely clueless today and would have had to drop out of school!

A great sense of relief overwhelmed the initial panic.

The three of them took a deep breath and began to bury themselves in their writing.

They desperately tried to extract the knowledge that had been forcibly instilled in them during the study session.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the first exam.

A short rest period,

The corridor was immediately filled with various discussions and gasps of breath.

"Hey! Have you guys noticed? The questions seem different from the ones Kushida-chan gave us!"

Kanji Ike grabbed Yamauchi and Sudo.

He lowered his voice, still shaken.

"Of course! We almost got scammed to death!"

Takeru Sudo wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Fortunately...fortunately, we have actually learned something recently."

Haruki Yamauchi also had a rare serious expression:

"What Kushida-san gave us... could it be fake? She wouldn't lie to us, would she? Or was she deceived too?"

The three exchanged a few words, and all felt a sense of unease and lingering fear.

At the same time, they also had a strong aversion to that study group.

A subtle sense of gratitude arose within me.

On the other side, in Class B's area.

Hiyori Shiina found Ryuen, who was standing against the wall.

"Rongyuan, the exam paper..."

She spoke softly.

Long Yuan waved his hand, interrupting her, his tone indifferent:

"Ah, I see. Everything's been changed. The school must have done it. Whatever, we didn't rely on that anyway."

Shiina nodded and said no more.

And in a corner of the corridor of Class A,

Sakamoto stood quietly, gazing out the window.

Some classmates came over to him to compare answers.

He simply nodded slightly, his tone calm:

"Although the question types may vary greatly, the core test points remain the same."

He seemed to have been fully aware of this change all along.

The following exams were passed smoothly with varying mindsets across different classes.

When the bell rang to signal the end of the last subject,

The entire first-grade teaching building seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"It's finally over!"

A huge cheer erupted from Class D's classroom.

Yamauchi, Ike, and Sudo were the most excited.

It was as if he had just escaped death from the battlefield.

After packing up and leaving the classroom,

Yamauchi, Ike, and Sudo hesitated for a moment, then pushed each other.

In the end, they walked together to Horikita Suzune, who was standing in front of them.

“That… Horikita,”

Chi Kuanzhi scratched his head, his tone hesitant.

"Thanks this time."

"yes,"

Surprisingly, Yamauchi didn't say anything frivolous.

"If you hadn't insisted on dragging us to the study session, we might have really been doomed this time."

Sudo crossed his arms and snorted:

"Although the process was troublesome, thank you."

Horikita Suzune raised her head.

Looking at the three guys in front of me awkwardly thanking me,

I couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

These guys... they actually say thank you?

It seems that all my seemingly futile efforts...

It doesn't seem to be entirely meaningless.

"No need to thank you."

She looked away, her voice cool but lacking its usual sharpness.

"Passing the exam is the result of your own hard work. Now that you've realized the importance of studying, keep it up and don't slack off anymore."

"Oh...I see."

The three gave a mumbled reply, turned around, and left noisily, heading towards the boys' dormitory.

Looking at their backs,

Horikita was thoughtful.

Blindly imitating his brother's lonely and demanding path

Perhaps it really wasn't suitable for her, nor for Class D.

My own way... seems to be gradually becoming clear as I explore it.

At this time,

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji walked over silently.

"The exam questions were completely different from those of previous years."

He stated it in a flat tone.

"Well, I found it."

Horikita nodded.

"It seems the school changed its midterm exam strategy. But that's none of our business; we never intended to use that material anyway."

She paused, her brows furrowing slightly.

She thought again of that exam paper from a dubious source.

"But this may also mean that Sakamoto handed over that exam paper not out of 'charity,' but perhaps... some kind of trap, to make us collapse by relying on false information."

She voiced her guess.

Although she felt the idea was a bit too conspiratorial.

Sakamoto doesn't seem like the type to do something like that.

But the facts are clear: the question format has completely changed.

Ayanokouji listened quietly, her face expressionless.

"The origin of that exam paper and its connection to Sakamoto remain questionable."

He said slowly,

"But this complete change to the exam questions is probably not as simple as a routine rule adjustment by the school. There might be more to it than that..."

He hadn't finished speaking.