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If Ishizaki was full of admiration, then Ryuen was utterly shocked. He prided himself on his fighting and ruthlessness, but in terms of analytical and strategic skills, he didn't think he was much inferior to Yukio. This was Ryuen's last bit of pride, but it seemed to be crushed by Yukio too.
How did he do it? Ryuen was baffled, wondering what information he had missed that prevented him from following Yukio's train of thought.
While they were stunned, the senior student sighed in relief, misunderstanding their intent: "You should've said so earlier. Why are you crowding around me like this?"
"Sit down, sit down. You want the mid-term exam answers, right? I don't have them, but I know who does. If you want them, it's 30,000 points per copy."
Realizing he was being sought after, the senior's demeanor became more assertive. His directness suggested he was accustomed to new students seeking mid-term exam answers.
The senior's admission of the answers' existence was a relief for Yukio, but the senior's haughty attitude didn't sit well with him. So, Yukio gave Ishizaki a look. Ishizaki hesitated, then understood and happily sat next to the senior. Realizing Yukio's intent, he sat down, proud of his quick thinking.
"…" Ryuen thought Ishizaki was hopeless and decided to let him pay for the answers.
Yukio then turned to Albert, who ignored the glance and kept his quiet demeanor behind the senior.
Resigned, Yukio gave Ryuen a look. Ryuen understood immediately and forcefully grabbed the senior's shoulder, causing him pain and dropping his chopsticks. Ryuen's expression turned intimidating: "Hah? Don't look down on us! Just because you're a senior doesn't mean you can boss us around, jerk!"
The scene resembled a street thug extorting protection money.
Ishizaki, realizing his mistake, joined in, trying to redeem himself in front of Yukio: "Behave!"
Albert remained silent but his presence added immense pressure.
"!" The senior realized he was in a tough spot. "15,000 points, fine! I'll sell it for 10,000 points. No lower!"
"No, since you said 15,000, let's go with that price." Yukio agreed to the higher price, confusing his teammates. They couldn't fathom his plan.
"Ishizaki, pay up." Yukio instructed Ishizaki to make the transfer without considering his teammates' confusion.
"Ah?" Ishizaki was completely baffled, realizing he was footing the bill. He hesitated, recalling the previous agreement for 10,000 points, but Yukio's stern look made him obediently complete the transaction.
The senior was equally puzzled, unsure whether to view the new students as frightening or foolishly generous.
"Please don't misunderstand, senior," Yukio added. "The extra 5,000 points is for a small favor we'd like to ask of you."
"What... what favor? If it's too troublesome, I'd rather not..."
Before the senior could refuse, he was again surrounded by Ryuen and Albert. Seeing their threatening smiles, he quickly agreed: "Don't, just tell me, I'll help, I'll help!"
...
After securing the mid-term exam answers, Yukio and his group moved to another area for a meal. As soon as they sat down, Ryuen eagerly asked, "How did you know the senior had the first-year mid-term exam answers? What did I miss?"
Ishizaki and Albert also turned their attention to the topic, keen to know.
"Hmm?" Yukio looked at them curiously. "Didn't you notice something so obvious?"
"…" Ryuen and the others internally cursed. How was it obvious that the senior had the answers? They felt like their intelligence was being ground into the dust by Yukio!
"When I suggested the zero-score strategy, what did Teacher Sakagami say?" Yukio led them to recall, "He specifically said the school encourages us to actively think of various strategies, but at the very least, we can't neglect our studies."
"Is there a problem with that?" Ishizaki still didn't understand: "Doesn't it just mean we have to study and can't use the zero-score strategy?"
"I think I get it now." Ryuen, upon being reminded, instantly caught a crucial piece of information and looked exhilarated.
"Exactly." Yukio glanced approvingly at Ryuen and revealed the secret: "If we can only pass the mid-term exam through regular study, why didn't Teacher Sakagami just say 'there are no shortcuts to learning'? Why emphasize that the school supports other strategies? He went such a roundabout way to tell us that apart from the zero-score strategy, there are other methods to pass the mid-term exam without studying."
Guided by Yukio, Ryuen excitedly followed up, "If we can't score zero and also can't study, then there are only two options left: either bribe the teachers or get the answers!"
"But bribing is unrealistic, so only the answer route remains. Among the school staff and students, only teachers and senior students could possibly have the answers."
"Getting answers from teachers is as unrealistic as bribing them, so it must be the senior students!"
Ishizaki and Albert were astounded. The hidden depth behind the teacher's simple refusal of the zero-score strategy was profound!
They exchanged glances, opting to keep their heads down and focus on their meals. Better to leave these brain-racking issues to Yukio and Ryuen. Involvement might bruise their egos.
Ryuen, feeling a sense of accomplishment at deciphering the school's riddle, happily took a bite of his fried pork cutlet, then suddenly realized, "Wait, if you figured this out, why did you ask Kaneda and Shiina to tutor the underperformers?"
"With the answers in hand, why bother with tutoring and organizing study groups? Isn't that superfluous? It doesn't seem like you to do unnecessary things."
Sipping his miso soup, Yukio replied, "It's not my style to keep paying others for test answers every time. This time, with only three weeks left, I had to resort to getting the answers."
"By the final exams, everyone will be studying earnestly as per my instructions. If their grades still don't meet half the average, they'd better leave early."
"Typical you," Ryuen commented, skewering his fried pork cutlet.
Ryuen didn't mind, but Ishizaki and Albert, quietly eating, exchanged looks. Their eyes communicated a silent understanding, 'After this meal, let's attend Kaneda's study session.'
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