The clock struck three in the afternoon, marking the end of the second class.
After the tense atmosphere of the midterm exams that loomed over Class D all morning, the mood had finally begun to lighten.
Especially for the trio of idiots—one was already talking about going to the pool to watch girls swim, another had pulled out a game console and a power bank, and the last was off to the basketball club as if midterms were nothing but a passing breeze.
No, it wasn't that they didn't care. They did.
But the weight of it was simply buried beneath their usual distractions.
Everyone in the class knew how important midterms were. They also knew that the idiot trio's grades were still a huge problem.
The real issue?
They had no solutions.
Not a single one.
And since there was no clear way forward, avoiding the problem seemed like the best course of action. It was easier to pretend everything was fine and enjoy the moment than to stress over something they couldn't immediately fix.
A classic case of "ignore it now, deal with the disaster later."
But not everyone in the class thought that way.
"Alright, everyone, quiet down for a moment and don't leave just yet~"
A clear, commanding voice cut through the noise.
As if an invisible force had swept through the room, the chatter died down almost instantly.
Yukinoshita Haruno stood at the front of the class, fanning out five test papers in her hands like playing cards. She lifted them for everyone to see.
"These are last year's first-year midterm exam papers. I got them from Chabashira-sensei during lunch. According to her, our school doesn't change textbooks frequently, so the exam's core concepts remain mostly the same every year. In other words..."
She paused for emphasis.
"As long as we master these key concepts, passing the midterm should be a piece of cake."
The class listened intently.
"Of course, even if the test points and question styles stay similar, the actual content of the questions will change. So tonight, I'll compile and organize all the important topics. Starting tomorrow, we'll hold study sessions. If we stay consistent for the next three weeks, everyone should be able to grasp the material fully."
As Haruno continued explaining, Kure Ragna felt someone approaching him from behind.
He looked up.
Kouenji.
That ever-present smug grin was plastered on his face.
"Kure Ragna, this was your idea again, wasn't it?"
"No."
Ragna shook his head and looked forward again. He raised his hand slightly, the space between his thumb and index finger barely visible.
"At best, I might have contributed this much."
"Hmm…"
Kouenji didn't press further. With a nonchalant shrug, he turned and slipped out of the classroom through the back door.
At the front, Haruno's voice continued.
"However, if we're going to dedicate a class period to this every day, it has to be in the afternoon."
The one who raised the issue was Hirata Yosuke. Judging by the way the girls around him nodded, he was probably voicing their collective concerns.
"If we only have one class in the afternoon, it's fine. But on days when we have two, class ends at three, which overlaps with club activities. Some students—especially those in clubs—might find this difficult…"
Haruno gave him a serious look.
"There's no perfect solution, Hirata-san."
She folded her arms.
"If you want to gain something, you have to give something up. Based on our class schedule, we only have one-afternoon class twice a week. That gives us six study sessions in the next three weeks. Do you really think that's enough time for everyone to master all the material? Even the best teacher wouldn't be able to pull that off."
Her words were sharp and to the point.
"In the end, it's just three weeks of effort. If club members take a temporary leave, I'm sure their club presidents will understand. Unless, of course, they're that unreasonable."
She smiled slightly.
"Besides, compared to the risk of being dropped from a club, wouldn't getting expelled be the bigger concern?"
Hirata sighed. "That's… true."
Haruno softened her tone slightly.
"That said, I understand the struggles of club members. Take Sudo-san, for example…"
"Huh?"
Hearing his name, Sudou—who had been sitting there with a tense expression—looked up in confusion.
"Didn't you mention in class last time that you performed well in your club, and the seniors were considering making you an official member?"
"Y-Yeah!"
"Hmm…" Haruno tapped her chin, pretending to think.
"But if you keep skipping practice to study, you might lose that opportunity."
Sudou visibly tensed.
"So, I have a suggestion," she continued. "Instead of using the afternoon, why don't we move our study sessions to the lunch break?"
A murmur spread through the class.
"That… actually makes sense."
"We get a 55-minute lunch break. If we spend about 30 minutes eating, that still leaves us 40 minutes for studying, plus a short break before class starts…"
"That's not bad. At least we wouldn't have to miss club activities."
Seeing the positive reactions, Haruno nodded in satisfaction.
"Alright, if there are no objections, let's move on. I'll now announce the list of students who'll need supplementary lessons—basically, the ones at risk of failing."
She glanced at her phone and began reading out the names.
"Sudo-san, Yamauchi-san, Ike-san… Inokashira-san, Karuizawa-san, Matsushita-san, Sakura-san…"
Those who scored below or hovered around the passing mark had their names called.
Ragna watched the scene unfold and sighed internally.
Then, Haruno's voice rang out again.
"And now for the students in charge of tutoring—me, Kushida-san, Hirata-san, and… Kure Ragna!"
"...?"
Ragna blinked.
He could feel the targeted energy in her words.
Why was it that every time he wanted to slack off, he got dragged into something?
Haruno smiled sweetly.
"Kure Ragna, is there a problem?"
Her tone was innocent, but her eyes weren't.
She was enjoying this.
"Think about it—Karuizawa-san is your girlfriend, right? Wouldn't it be more efficient if she was taught by someone she's comfortable with?"
Ragna sighed.
"...That's so logical that I can't even argue with it."
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