Chapter 18: Shocked, the smartest person in Css D is actually

  “Tomorrow is the exam—how’s your revision going?”

  “Not good, not good at all!”

  “I’ve decided to pull an all-nighter tonight.”

  Css D’s morning was as noisy as ever. Since the midterm exam was tomorrow, it dominated the conversation. Though some were saying things like “not good, not good,” their expressions remained rexed—except for the three idiots of Css D who didn’t attend Hirata’s study sessions.

  Yamauchi Haruki, Ike Kanji, and Sudo Ken were all looking pale while studying. They had skipped Hirata’s study group and also ended up falling out with Horikita and Kushida after getting into a fight during their joint study session—Horikita’s bluntness had caused the csh. Now, the three of them had no confidence at all in passing.

  “Horikita, have you seen Kushida?” Ayanokouji Kiyotaka looked at Kushida Kikyo’s empty seat with a bnk expression, sensing something was off with the pn he’d arranged. Even Sakura, who usually arrived just a minute before the bell, was already here. There was no reason Kushida shouldn’t be.

  “No,” Horikita replied, holding a book without even gncing at Ayanokouji.

  “I think Yamauchi and the others are in real trouble. And you can still study calmly?” Ayanokouji pressed on. “Didn’t you say you wanted to lead the css to Css A? You don’t even know whether expulsions will cost css points.”

  “I checked. They won’t.”

  “Sudo was pretty useful during the sports festival, wasn’t he?”

  RING RING RING—RING RING RING—

  The css bell rang, cutting Ayanokouji off. He took one st gnce at Kushida’s seat—it was still empty.

  At the same time—

  Kushida was lying happily on her dorm bed pying with her phone. Her desk was covered with over a dozen past exam papers from different subjects—these were midterm and quiz papers that second-year students had taken during their first year. Among them, the quiz papers were exactly the same as what the current first-years had recently taken.

  Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had given them to her.

  “Trying to use me, huh? Try using me now.”

  “I’ll bury you.”

  As she said this, Kushida’s fair and evenly toned legs kicked up and down cheerfully. Though the idea of funting the past test papers in front of the css was tempting, screwing over that gloomy guy Ayanokouji as per Hachiman’s request wasn’t bad either.

  Taking a sick day by pretending to feel unwell and skipping css made her mood even better.

  .

  .

  .

  “Hikigaya-kun, you look like you’re in a good mood today,” Sakura Airi approached him right after css. She could tell he was a little excited.

  “Because I set a trap for someone I hate,” Hikigaya looked over at Ayanokouji’s seat. His eyes locked onto Ayanokouji’s increasingly deep and unreadable expression, like he was hiding endless darkness.

  Last night, Hikigaya learned that Ayanokouji had guided Kushida to buy second-year past test papers and pnned to have her, under her own name, present them to save the three idiots from expulsion. That’s when Hikigaya knew his opportunity had arrived.

  Since Ayanokouji liked to operate from behind the scenes, Hikigaya had long wanted to mess with him. Now, finally, he had slipped up.

  Ayanokouji should’ve received the text message by now—the one Hikigaya had Kushida send. It said she had a fever and couldn’t get out of bed, and he would now have to reveal the test papers to the css himself.

  Ayanokouji didn’t have many options. His only real "friend" was Kushida, who wanted to be friends with everyone, and the three idiots. He had to talk about the test papers—if they were expelled, his position in the css would become dangerously exposed. The bottom tier of the css consisted of the three idiots and him. If they got kicked out, and a special exam based on voting came up, he’d be next.

  Plus, if he didn’t reveal the past papers, Kushida might turn on him—after all, she could accuse him of hiding the test papers from friends. That would definitely make the css hate him.

  “Ah… I see.” Sakura slumped onto her desk. She didn’t know how to respond to that, but she still believed Hikigaya was a good person. If he set a trap, it must be because the other person was bad.

  When Ayanokouji stood up from his seat, Hikigaya quickly got up too and intercepted Hirata, chatting with him until css started.

  After doing this twice, Ayanokouji finally realized that Hikigaya was deliberately getting in his way.

  During the free time before the final period, Ayanokouji reluctantly turned his attention to Horikita Suzune. But just like that morning, she ignored him completely—even after he mentioned the test papers.

  Horikita had been won over too. Ayanokouji concluded that the mastermind was undoubtedly that dead-fish-eyed guy chatting with Hirata. Since Kushida and Horikita didn’t get along, the only one who could bring the two together to mess with him was a third party.

  Hikigaya Hachiman, what the hell are you pnning?

  With this question burning in his mind, Ayanokouji hurried to the podium after the fourth period ended.

  “Everyone, don’t leave just yet. I accidentally discovered a way for all of us to pass the midterm exam.”

  He expined that the exam this time has the same exact questions of st year and the previous years.

  Just before Ayanokouji could continue and expin how he found about this, Hikigaya smmed the desk and stood up.

  “As the student council secretary, I, Hikigaya Hachiman, acknowledge your intelligence as the highest in the css!”

  “I just… happened to find it by luck…”

  “My eyes don’t lie. This isn’t luck. You’re a genius.” Hikigaya interrupted again.

  “Ayanokouji is clearly a very capable person, just hiding his strength,” Horikita also stood up to add to the pressure. She hated people who had power but chose not to use it. The moment Hikigaya approached her with the pn, she agreed to help.

  “…,” Ayanokouji nearly lost his composure. What did he ever do to Hikigaya to deserve this much hate? He just wanted to live peacefully as a regur student. Why was he being shoved into the spotlight?

  “Let’s not get caught up in this for now. Ayanokouji-kun, just tell us how everyone can pass the midterm,” Hirata quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

  Of the four regurs who often hung out at Hikigaya’s dorm, only Hirata hadn’t been informed of the pn. That’s because if he had known, he might’ve given the test papers to the underperforming students before Ayanokouji revealed them, or he might’ve gone along with Ayanokouji’s wish to stay hidden.

  Though this move revealed his hostility to Ayanokouji, it forced him into the spotlight, drawing the eyes of many cssmates—and raising suspicion toward this seemingly ordinary student.

  Ayanokouji, under pressure, expined about the past test papers using phrases like “pure luck” and “accidental find.”

  The existence of those papers was now public. The st three questions of the most recent quiz were clearly beyond the sylbus—a hint to how to pass the midterms exams.

  After all, Css D had seven students who scored below average on the quiz. The school didn’t want to expel nearly a quarter of a css right after the school year started. This was the school’s rare moment of mercy. For the final exams, such leniency wouldn’t exist.

  Hikigaya took out his phone, holding back ughter, and snapped a photo of Ayanokouji at the podium. He attached the caption:

  “Shocking! Css D’s smartest student discovers how to pass the midterm!”

  Then he group-messaged it to the leaders of the other csses.