ReruoIzayoi
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Chapter 40: How Many Points Should I Score?
🕑 Added 2025-04-06 09:01:00 +0000 UTCThe next morning, in the classroom.
Sudo Ken sat at his desk, looking completely drained, with no energy and dark circles under his eyes.
“Sudo, why do you look so listless?”
Ike Kanji noticed Sudo Ken’s state and asked curiously. Normally, Sudo Ken was full of energy, but today he was a completely different person.
“I didn’t sleep well last night...”
Sudo Ken sighed helplessly.
“I had nightmares all night...”
“Nightmares?”
“I kept dreaming about math formulas... I barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, countless formulas would flood my mind... It was terrifying...”
As he spoke, Sudo Ken shuddered.
“You dream about what’s on your mind. That means you’ve been thinking about studying a lot lately.”
“You don’t say... Every time I try to do something, it feels like someone’s forcing me to study. Even when I pick up my phone, math formulas pop into my head... Now I’m almost afraid to touch my phone...”
Sudo Ken kept complaining to Ike Kanji, and their conversation was heard clearly by Saiki Kusuo.
All of this was Saiki Kusuo’s doing.
'You can’t blame me, Sudo.'
'High school students should study hard.'
'Only with good grades can we avoid this study group. You’d probably rather use those two hours to practice basketball, right? So, you’ll have to endure a bit of hardship for now.'
Saiki Kusuo thought to himself.
Last night, while Sudo Ken was asleep, Saiki Kusuo used his telepathy to implant various formulas into his mind. Even if Sudo Ken didn’t understand the principles behind the formulas, he could at least memorize them.
'Last night was Sudo. Tonight, it’s Ike and Yamauchi’s turn...'
Saiki Kusuo’s gaze shifted to the other two like a predator eyeing its prey.
Once all three of them had learned enough, the study group wouldn’t be necessary anymore.
Victory was within Saiki Kusuo’s grasp.
......
After school that afternoon, Horikita Suzune once again led everyone to the library and handed out a stack of papers.
“These are some problems I prepared for you. Finish them in half an hour, and I’ll grade them.”
These were problems Horikita Suzune had designed based on the material she had explained the day before, meant to test how much the others had learned.
[These problems aren’t too difficult. If they understood yesterday’s material, they shouldn’t have much trouble.]
Horikita Suzune thought to herself.
[But... I don’t even need to think about it. Those three definitely didn’t review. They’ll do terribly.]
[Why do I even have hope for these people? They’re just deadweight...]
[No, no, I need to stay focused. Everything is about rising to Class A.]
'Trying to tutor these guys must be exhausting for you.'
Saiki Kusuo was starting to understand Horikita Suzune a bit better. He shifted his gaze to the others.
“Horikita-san, why don’t I have a test paper?”
Kushida Kikyo maintained her flawless smile as she looked at Horikita Suzune.
[Is she trying to provoke me?]
For Kushida Kikyo, she and Horikita Suzune were practically at odds, but to maintain her perfect image in front of others, she continued to act as usual.
As for Horikita Suzune—
She had no idea.
“Your grades have always been decent, right? You don’t need this. You can help me grade their answers later.”
[Is she mocking me because her grades are better than mine?]
“I want to check for gaps in my knowledge too! There are still a lot of things I haven’t memorized!”
Kushida Kikyo insisted, her tone firm.
Horikita Suzune frowned. She didn’t think Kushida Kikyo needed extra tutoring, so she hadn’t printed a test for her.
“Sorry, I didn’t print an extra copy.”
“Well, in that case, I’ll just have to learn while grading!”
[She’s definitely doing this on purpose.]
Saiki Kusuo pretended not to notice, glancing at the others out of the corner of his eye.
[These are the problems Horikita explained yesterday... But I didn’t memorize any of it... What do I do? What do I do? Horikita’s going to yell at me for sure!]
Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki’s thoughts were almost identical. They hadn’t started writing, and Saiki Kusuo wasn’t surprised.
[What’s Sudo doing? He’s writing so fast!]
On the other hand, Sudo Ken was writing as if inspired, quickly filling in the answers.
[I don’t know the principles, but most of this is similar to what I dreamed about last night... Those formulas... I can’t forget them.]
'Good.'
Saiki Kusuo nodded in his mind.
[These problems are almost the same as yesterday’s material. Horikita must have put a lot of thought into designing them. The solution to this problem is...]
Almost instantly, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka knew how to solve all the problems, but he didn’t rush to start writing.
[Should I aim for fifty points? Half correct. No, since this is material Horikita explained yesterday, I should aim for a higher score. But it’s strange—why does Sudo seem so confident? Did he review last night? He’s not the type to do that. And what about Saiki?]
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka subtly shifted his attention to Saiki Kusuo, though the latter had already noticed his actions.
'Still keeping an eye on me at a time like this? What a hassle.'
Saiki Kusuo felt helpless—
But at the same time, he realized he was in a bit of a dilemma.
How many points should he score on the test Horikita Suzune had given him?
Normally, Saiki Kusuo could use the thoughts of the students around him to aim for an average score—
But right now, the people around him were completely unreliable.
