Time passed in the blink of an eye, and just like that, half a month had gone by.
Over the past 20 days, many things had changed.
For instance, at the start, the tutoring group had struggled with even junior high school-level papers. But now, thanks to consistent effort, even Sudo could score steadily above 40 points.
This wasn't some miracle from the heavens—just the result of everyone's hard work.
Of course, the improvement wasn't entirely solid. Their fundamentals were still shaky, and while some concepts had been reinforced, much of their success could be attributed to Yukinoshita Haruno's "shoot first, draw the target later" strategy.
But the biggest change? The relationship between Kure Ragna and Kikyo Kushida.
At first, Kushida had been hesitant. But now, every Friday night, she came over without fail, indulging herself in their secret routine before spending the weekend in a daze.
She called it "stress relief."
And so, April marched on, bringing them to the fourth week.
The midterms had ended yesterday afternoon, and this morning, the results were finally posted.
As soon as the bell rang, signaling the end of fourth period, the teacher left the room. But before anyone could get up, Sae Chabashira walked in, carrying a roll of oversized posters.
She swept her gaze across the students, who were already reaching for their lunches, and spoke in her usual calm tone.
"Everyone, take your seats. This will only take five minutes."
"Eh?! Can't this wait until after lunch, Sae-sensei~?"
Predictably, Yamauchi was the first to complain, even daring to use the teacher's nickname.
But Chabashira ignored him. She unrolled the poster and pinned it to the blackboard with magnets.
Silence fell over the room as everyone took in its contents.
"This is your midterm exam ranking," she announced, her voice devoid of emotion. "I must say, you all did quite well this time. Most of you scored above 40, and several achieved high marks... I'm pleased."
"Pleased," huh?
Kure Ragna nearly laughed.
But the results were indeed impressive.
With class bonuses and possible expulsions on the line, everyone had taken the exams seriously. Several students even managed perfect scores in one or two subjects, while Mandarin had a staggering six full marks.
Kure glanced over at the three girls in his tutoring group.
As expected, Karuizawa Kei remained comfortably in the middle-lower range. But Matsushita Chiaki and Sakura Airi? Their improvements were shocking.
Chiaki, who had barely scraped by in the last quiz, was now ranking in the top ten for every subject—almost breaking into the top five of the entire class.
Airi, on the other hand, was still heavily skewed. Her science scores were terrible, and her sociology was barely passable. But in liberal arts? She had gotten full marks, securing one of the best spots in class.
Kure took a glance at his own ranking. As expected, there wasn't much to see. He had done the bare minimum—just enough to pass. Even when he knew the answers to harder questions, he couldn't be bothered to write them out. His score ended up somewhere near Karuizawa's.
But there was something odd.
This time, the lowest scorer wasn't Ken Sudo. In fact, he hadn't placed last in any subject.
That spot belonged to someone else entirely.
——Ayanokōji Kiyotaka.
Again. That familiar name.
His scores were strangely precise—just barely above the passing mark, yet consistently at the very bottom, as if he had intentionally aimed for last place.
Kure narrowed his eyes.
A few days ago, this guy had asked him what the average grip strength for a boy was.
Why did he give off the vibe of some wild beast that had wandered out of the mountains, completely unfamiliar with the world?
...Whatever. Not his problem.
By now, most students had seen their scores, and Chabashira wrapped up her announcement.
"That's all. I hope you continue to work hard. Dismissed."
With that, she flicked her ponytail and strode out of the classroom, high heels clicking against the floor.
Normally, this would be the cue for everyone to rush out for lunch.
But instead, the students remained in their seats, buzzing with conversation.
Yukinoshita Haruno stood in front of the blackboard, lost in thought as he studied the rankings.
At that moment, Yosuke Hirata stood up, his voice cutting through the chatter.
"Yukinoshita Haruno, Kure Ragna," he called, walking toward them. "We were just discussing the study group. A lot of students want to continue, but some feel they've had enough. What do you think?"
Kure leaned back in his chair and waved a hand dismissively.
"Ask her. I'm done."
"...Huh?"
"I'm not joining anymore. Do whatever you want."
"Ah… I see."
Hirata hesitated, but before he could say anything, Yukinoshita Haruno took over.
"No problem," she said smoothly, flashing a leader's smile. Her voice carried across the room with practiced ease. "Since everyone worked hard for the midterms, we'll take a break for a week. After that, we'll hold study sessions twice a week instead of daily. And instead of lunchtime, we'll meet after PE in the afternoon."
Cheers erupted from the class.
"Really?!"
"That's awesome!"
"Haruno, you're the best!"
Even Sudo looked relieved. With basketball club ramping up their training, he had been struggling to juggle both. Now that study sessions were less frequent, he'd have more time for practice.
"And one more thing," Haruno continued. "From now on, the study group isn't just for those who need extra help. Anyone who wants to improve is welcome to join. Let's grow and succeed together."
The class broke into excited chatter, but Kure was already pushing back his chair.
As he stood up to leave, Chiaki Matsushita turned to him with a smile.
"Kure Ragna, aren't you having lunch with us today?"
"Nah," he replied, tilting his head slightly, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Got something to do. Don't wait for me."
Without another word, he walked toward the door.
Behind him, Yukinoshita Haruno was still busy painting a bright future of teamwork and academic success.
Kure nearly laughed.
It's a shame, really.
Maybe Haruno still believed in this game—this idealistic dream of reaching Class A together.
But Kure?
He was done playing the good student.
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