Chapter 246 72: Ayanokouji's Maneuver!

The day for submitting the test questions arrived quickly. The deadline was 5:00 PM.

Hachiman stood at the office door and glanced at his phone—4:50 PM. He pushed the door open and walked in. There were only a few people in the office. Chie Hoshinomiya, the homeroom teacher for Class A, sat by the window with a cup of milk tea, her head lowered over some documents.

Hearing the door, she looked up and smiled at Hachiman.

"Hikigaya-kun, right on time, aren't you?" Hoshinomiya's tone carried a hint of playfulness, and the smile at the corners of her lips deepened.

"Neither early nor late." Hachiman walked up to her and handed over a folder. "These are the test papers prepared by Class A. Language, Math, English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography, Civics. Eight subjects, fifty questions each."

Hoshinomiya took the folder and began to flip through it carefully. She scanned the pages quickly and then closed it. "Everything is within the requirements. Very well. Accepted."

Hachiman stood in front of the desk without leaving. Hoshinomiya looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Not going back?"

"I'll wait a while." Hachiman said.

Hoshinomiya leaned back in her chair, her smile widening. She took a sip of her milk tea and her gaze lingered on Hachiman's face. "Watching a show?"

Hachiman did not speak, but his silence was the answer itself. Hoshinomiya didn't drive him away. She set down her tea and continued reading her documents. The office grew quiet, save for the ticking of the wall clock—steady, unhurried.

Not long after, the door was pushed open again.

Ryuen Kakeru walked in, followed by Shiina Hiyori. He carried a folder, his expression as arrogant as ever. His gaze swept around the office, paused on Hachiman, and then moved away. Hiyori followed behind Ryuen, her silver hair cascading like a waterfall. She was wearing her school uniform—a white shirt and red pleated skirt. When she saw Hachiman, her footsteps faltered slightly, as if she were hesitant.

Then, she raised her hand and waved at him lightly. It was a greeting. Hachiman nodded in return.

Ryuen didn't notice this small interaction; he had already reached Sakagami Kazuma.

"Class B's test papers." Ryuen handed over the folder, his tone clipped.

Sakagami Kazuma adjusted his glasses, took the folder, and scanned it quickly. His eyes darted over the pages for a few seconds before he closed it. "Accepted."

Ryuen didn't leave but stood to the side. Hiyori followed and stood quietly behind him.

Finally, the door was pushed open once more, and Hirata Yousuke from Class D entered. He wore a neat uniform and his expression was more serious than usual, his brows slightly furrowed. He carried a folder in his hand.

He walked up to Chabashira Sae.

"Chabashira-sensei, these are the test papers prepared by Class D."

Hirata handed over the folder. Chabashira Sae took it, checked it quickly like the other teachers, and nodded at Hirata. "Accepted."

Her voice was as cold as ever, devoid of any emotion. But this made Hirata breathe a sigh of relief, his shoulders slumping slightly. Just as he was about to turn and leave, Ryuen's voice drifted over from the side.

"Hirata, wait a second."

Hirata stopped and turned to look at Ryuen. His brows furrowed slightly, his eyes filled with confusion and a hint of vigilance. "Ryuen-kun, is something the matter?"

Ryuen leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. "Call Ayanokouji and have him come here."

Hirata's brows furrowed even deeper. "Ayanokouji-kun? Why?"

"Just call him." Ryuen's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear and carried pressure.

Hirata looked at him, silent for two seconds. He knew Ryuen wasn't the type to summon someone without reason. There must be a motive. So, Hirata pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Ayanokouji's number.

The phone rang a few times before it was answered. Hirata spoke for a moment, his voice very low—Hachiman couldn't catch what he said. But after hanging up, he looked at Ryuen. "He said he's coming right over."

The office fell silent. Hoshinomiya sipped her milk tea, her eyes flickering between Ryuen and Hirata, that playful "show-watcher" smile still hanging on her lips. Sakagami Kazuma pushed up his glasses, staring down at the documents in his hand, though his ears twitched. Chabashira sat expressionless, holding her teacup, unmoving.

Mashima Tomonari, the former Class A teacher now in charge of Class C, also paid attention. Katsuragi had submitted his papers before these students; he wasn't the type to cut it close to the deadline. So, he was the most relaxed, but that didn't stop him from sensing something unusual.

It seemed Class A and Class C hadn't resorted to any tricks this time, but Classes B and D were about to get intense. Hachiman leaned by the window, hands in his pockets, watching the entrance. Sunlight poured in, casting his long, thin shadow on the floor.

Two minutes later, the door was pushed open.

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka walked in.

He felt the gazes of the teachers and students the moment he entered, but his expression remained unchanged. His golden eyes swept around the office. He saw Hachiman from Class A, Ryuen and Hiyori from Class B, Hirata from Class D, and the homeroom teachers. The Class C students were absent. His gaze paused briefly on Hachiman before shifting to Ryuen.

"What is it?" Ayanokouji's voice was flat.

Ryuen didn't look at him. He glanced at his phone—4:59 PM. One minute left until the deadline.

If any issues arose with the submission, the school would default to using "simple-minded" papers for the opposing class to take the test.

During this one minute, the air in the office felt frozen; everyone was watching Ryuen. The ticking of the wall clock was exceptionally clear in the quiet room.

5:00 PM.

Ryuen looked up at Ayanokouji. "Time's up."

Ayanokouji watched him without a word.

"The time for test paper submission has ended." Ryuen's voice slowed, like a judge reading a verdict. "Now, we can talk."

Hirata stood by, his brows furrowing tighter. "Talk about what?" There was a hint of unease and a strange tension in his voice. He didn't know what Ryuen was planning, but he instinctively felt it was bad. Especially since Ayanokouji had been summoned to the scene, he sensed a problem.

But Ryuen ignored him. His gaze remained locked on Ayanokouji, like a hunter watching its prey. "Ayanokouji, your methods are quite clever."

Ayanokouji's brows twitched slightly—a motion so minute that anyone not watching him intently would have missed it. Still, he didn't speak.

Ryuen turned to Chabashira Sae. "Chabashira-sensei, before Hirata submitted his papers, had you already accepted another set? And was that set provided by Ayanokouji?"

The office went silent for a moment. Not an ordinary silence, but one where even breathing felt suppressed.

Every eye turned to Chabashira.

Chabashira held her teacup, her expression unchanging. She looked at Ryuen and was silent for two seconds.

"Yes," Chabashira said. "This morning, Ayanokouji-kun submitted a set of test papers. I accepted them."

Hirata's face changed instantly. The blood drained from his face as if it had been siphoned away. He turned to look at Ayanokouji; the emotions in his eyes shifted from confusion to shock, and then to the vacancy of someone who had been stabbed in the back.

"Ayanokouji-kun... you..." Hirata's voice was strained. "What papers did you submit?"

Ayanokouji looked at him without speaking.

Ryuen answered for him. "He submitted the test papers Class D prepared for Class B.

According to our prior agreement, Class B and Class D were to write each other's exams, exchange papers, and leak the questions to ensure both sides passed. It was a deal. But Ayanokouji submitted a different set to Chabashira-sensei in advance. So, even though Hirata just brought a set of papers, the school won't use them. They will use the ones Ayanokouji submitted. The test Class B receives will be the one Ayanokouji wrote, not the one you two traded."

Hirata's breathing hitched. He turned to look at Chabashira. "Chabashira-sensei, is this true?"

Chabashira watched him. "The school accepts the first set of papers submitted. Ayanokouji-kun submitted the Class D test this morning, so that is the final test for Class D. The one you just submitted—" she glanced at the folder on the table, "—will not be used."

Hirata stood rooted to the spot, unmoving.

He thought he was Class D's representative and that the papers he submitted were the final ones. He didn't know that someone had already submitted another set before him. That person was none other than Ayanokouji. The same Ayanokouji he had been working hard to protect, constantly giving chances, and always speaking up for.

"Ayanokouji-kun," Hirata's voice was low, as if squeezed from his throat. "Why did you do this?"

Ayanokouji looked at him and remained silent for a second. In that second, the office was quiet enough to hear the wind blowing through the leaves outside.

"To prove my worth," Ayanokouji said.

Hirata's brows furrowed. "Worth?"

"Transferring classes," Ryuen took over. "He wants to transfer to our class. So he needs to prove his ability in the exam. The questions he wrote are surely much harder than those written by the idiots in your Class D. If Class B receives his test, our class idiots will likely fail, maybe even get expelled. And he—he can take these results and negotiate with us." He paused, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "Am I right, Ayanokouji?"

Ayanokouji didn't speak, but his silence was the answer.

"But," Hirata's voice sounded pained, "doing this affects Class D, too. If Class B doesn't receive the papers we wrote, they won't give us their papers either. We won't have the answers. Class D's students will fail, too, and be expelled."

After all, the exchange was only supposed to happen after today's submission. Hirata was right. If Ryuen became enraged by Ayanokouji's actions, he could simply abandon the deal with Class D—or, since the deal was now with Ayanokouji, he could stop caring about Class D's survival entirely.

Hirata felt the pain, and there was anger in his eyes.

But Ayanokouji looked at him with no fluctuations in those golden eyes. No guilt, no hesitation, not a shred of wavering.

"That is their responsibility," Ayanokouji said. "Not mine."

Hirata closed his eyes. He stood there, head lowered, his shoulders slumping.

He suddenly felt ridiculous. He had been trying so hard to protect everyone, not wanting anyone to fall behind, not wanting anyone to be expelled. He borrowed points for Sudo and Yamauchi, spoke up for Ayanokouji when the whole class isolated him. But Ayanokouji didn't care. He didn't care what happened to Class D, didn't care who was expelled, didn't care about Hirata's efforts.

He only cared about himself.

The office was quiet for another moment. It was the kind of silence that even took the teachers by surprise, needing time to digest.

At this moment, Ryuen pulled his phone from his pocket, glanced at it, and then looked up. He moved slowly, as if intentionally letting everyone see. "Ayanokouji, did you think I wouldn't see through your scheme?"

Ayanokouji's brows twitched.

Ryuen pocketed his phone and glanced at Hiyori. Hiyori took her phone out, opened a recording, and pressed play. Ryuen's voice filled the office—"Ayanokouji, your methods are quite clever..."—followed by Chabashira's voice—"Yes. This morning, Ayanokouji-kun submitted a set of test papers. I accepted them." The recording stopped there.

Hirata looked at the phone in Hiyori's hand and then at Ryuen. "You recorded it?"

"Of course." Ryuen's voice was calm. "We started recording before you entered the office. This isn't aimed at you; it's aimed at Ayanokouji."

Hirata was silent. He opened his mouth to say something, but found his words caught in his throat.

Ryuen looked at Ayanokouji, the curve of his lips deepening.

"Ayanokouji, do you know about the fixed exam that every batch of students experiences? The class expulsion vote. The students vote to expel someone from their own class." He paused, his voice slowing down. "If I give this recording to the students of Class D, how many votes do you think you'll get in that exam?"

Ayanokouji watched him, saying nothing.

"You betrayed Class D, leaked the roster, caused Sudo to be ambushed, and let the girls be completely suppressed. And now you've tampered with the test papers, trying to make Class D students fail and get expelled." Ryuen's voice slowed even further, every word feeling like a nail being driven in. "Do you think anyone will vote for you to stay?"

Ayanokouji's gaze seemed to finally shift.

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