Saiki Kusuo hadn't expected things to turn out this way. Originally, he had hoped to use this opportunity to avoid participating in the study group...
'The brain development of those three isn't much higher than that of a monkey...'
'And Horikita's teaching skills are pretty mediocre. She only explains the methods she uses without going into the underlying principles. Getting those three to fully understand is harder than climbing to the heavens.'
'Does this mean... this meaningless study group will last for at least a month? No, no, given Horikita's personality, it might even continue until the final exams...'
At this thought, a sense of foreboding washed over Saiki Kusuo.
'Two hours a day, five days a week, that's ten hours. Over a month, that's forty hours. That means I'll lose time to watch at least twenty movies, read ten novels, and play six or seven trashy games. I can't let this happen.'
'I need to think of a way. My time must be spent on more meaningful things!'
Saiki Kusuo's mind raced as he thought of ways to escape this study group.
[It looks like the Class C students are having a group study session. Are they preparing for the upcoming midterm exams?]
[Ryuen said to keep an eye on that tall guy, the one named Sudo.]
[His grades are average, but he's already a key player on the school basketball team in his first year. His physical abilities are excellent, but his grades aren't great.]
Saiki Kusuo overheard the thoughts of the Class D students, who were still focused on them.
However, Saiki Kusuo didn't have time to deal with them. If Ayanokoji Kiyotaka noticed even the slightest unusual behavior from him, it would only lead to more trouble.
'Forget about the Class D guys for now. Nothing is more important than my free time. Convincing Horikita to stop the study group without using mind control is unlikely, but getting those idiots to understand the material isn't easy either... Unless their IQs suddenly skyrocket... Wait...'
A new idea began to form in Saiki Kusuo's mind.
...
"Ugh, even though Horikita's attitude seems a bit better today, I still can't understand what she's talking about! Seriously, all I need is to become a national-level basketball player. What's the point of regular exam scores? Studying math won't improve my basketball skills!"
After leaving the library, Sudo Ken kept complaining about Horikita Suzune in his mind. In his view, exam scores didn't matter as long as his basketball skills were top-notch.
He soon arrived at the gym and trained with his school team for several hours before returning to his dorm, drenched in sweat.
After showering and doing some stretches to relieve his fatigue, Sudo Ken lay down on his bed, planning to play on his phone for a bit before sleeping.
At the library, Horikita Suzune had told Sudo Ken to go back and review the material, but he had already forgotten about it.
Sudo Ken scrolled through short videos, giggling to himself, completely forgetting about studying.
He didn't notice that someone had been observing his every move.
Saiki Kusuo.
'Yare yare, as expected, he's not studying. Even though his IQ isn't high, his attitude toward studying is terrible. I can't let my free time be wasted because of him!'
Saiki Kusuo was in his room, using his psychic abilities to observe Sudo Ken's every move. In a way, he could understand Horikita Suzune's frustration.
Then, Saiki Kusuo activated his psychic abilities—
On the other side, Sudo Ken was browsing through some funny videos when a voice suddenly popped into his head.
"Did you review the material Horikita assigned?"
"Huh?"
Sudo Ken's heart skipped a beat.
"Ugh, how did I forget about that?"
Saiki Kusuo used his telepathy to implant Horikita's words directly into Sudo Ken's mind, reminding him of what he was supposed to do.
"Horikita told me to review the material. If she finds out I didn't do it tomorrow, she'll probably be furious, right?"
'You got that right.'
Saiki Kusuo replied in his mind.
"But... it's so late now. I'll do it tomorrow!"
'...'
Saiki Kusuo clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking audibly.
This guy is hopeless.
However, Saiki Kusuo wasn't going to let this slide. Nothing in the world was more important than his free time.
Even lying at the bottom of the ocean reading a book would be more meaningful than this study group.
'I need to correct your attitude toward studying.'
On the other side, Sudo Ken once again pushed studying to the back of his mind and continued scrolling through videos—except now, all the videos were about studying.
"Have you studied math today?"
"If you don't study hard, you'll end up homeless!"
"Even athletes need to study!"
"What the...? Why am I getting these kinds of videos all of a sudden?"
Sudo Ken was stunned. He refreshed a few times, but all the videos were about studying.
And the captions seemed to be directly targeting him.
All of this, of course, was Saiki Kusuo's doing. Manipulating electronic devices was child's play for him.
"Study, study, study... so annoying!"
Sudo Ken complained, then tossed his phone aside and closed his eyes, trying to sleep.
After such intense training, Sudo Ken was exhausted and soon fell asleep—
But this was exactly what Saiki Kusuo wanted.
'If you didn't study during the day, then you'll study in your dreams!'
Saiki Kusuo's eyes widened slightly, a cold glint in them.
Then, he used his telepathy to implant all the material from the day directly into Sudo Ken's mind.