After hearing Horikita Manabu's words, Kanda Shuichi simply replied with an "oh" and left it at that.
To be honest, he actually liked Class D. Class A had that aggressively strong white-haired loli, Sakayanagi, along with the super-defensive Katsuragi. They were two extremes, and if he went there, he would surely get dragged into their conflicts.
Class B had a very good atmosphere, but honestly, to Kanda Shuichi, it felt a bit too unnatural. Everyone seemed the same, as if they had been brainwashed, which was quite scary.
As for Class C, Ryuen was clearly not someone to be trifled with. Even though there was the beautiful and gentle Shiina Hiyori there, Class D had its own strengths with Horikita Suzune, Kushida Kikyo, Wang Meiyu, Karuizawa Kei, Matsushita Chiaki, Hasebe Haruka, and Sakura Airi.
Everyone here is talented, and their conversations are pleasant. Every day feels like watching a show, and Kanda Shuichi really loves it here. It feels like he could just fly—so exciting!
"Don't you think it's a shame? If you got the right recognition, you should be in Class A by now."
"So what? Class A might end up being Class B next month."
Kanda Shuichi shrugged his shoulders, acting indifferent, and honestly, he really was indifferent.
Horikita Manabu then recalled the current situation of their first-year class. Class A currently had 740 points, which was already 10 points lower than Class B. If nothing changes, they would drop to Class B next month.
And the person responsible for this was right in front of him.
"Kanda Shuichi, you're an interesting guy. How about joining the student council?"
What?
What kind of setup is this?
Are you trying to trick me?
That's impossible!
"You see, my health is pretty bad, so I probably can't handle the complicated work of the student council."
Even though his excuse sounded solid, it was clear from his words and even his face that he just wanted to slack off.
"Do as you like. While I'm in charge, my words still hold weight."
Then Horikita Manabu looked over at Horikita Suzune.
"Suzune, I never thought you'd have friends. Honestly, I'm quite surprised."
"They're not my friends; they're just classmates," Horikita replied, looking up at him as if to deny what her brother said.
"Right, we are just classmates. President Horikita, please don't get the wrong idea."
"Kanda is right, we are just classmates."
"Same here."
Seeing the three of them, Horikita Manabu felt speechless, especially at the last one—who asked you?
"It seems you still misunderstand the difference between pride and loneliness. If you really want to move up to a higher class, you'll have to struggle hard. There's no other way."
With that, he walked away without looking back, disappearing into the darkness in an instant.
After watching Horikita Manabu leave, there was a moment of silence before Kanda Shuichi lightly coughed.
"It's about time. Akito, let's go."
"Wait."
What? Can't you speak up sooner if you have something to say?
You're wasting my time, so I'm not waiting.
"This world doesn't revolve around what you say, especially when you have no power."
Kanda Shuichi's words left Horikita Suzune speechless, while Miyake glanced at the somewhat flustered Horikita before following Kanda out.
"By the way," Kanda Shuichi stopped at the corner as if he remembered something, "Ayanokouji, don't forget to come get last year's archaeology exam papers later."
Kanda Shuichi didn't care at all about not giving Horikita Suzune any face and wasn't afraid of her getting back at him.
If she dared to make a move, Kanda Shuichi would definitely show her what humiliation meant.
By the way, Horikita Suzune probably wouldn't dwell on this little incident, right?
Of course not, because Horikita Suzune was still thinking about what Kanda Shuichi had just said: this world doesn't work where everyone does exactly what you say.
The people who follow your orders expect to gain something from you—be it benefits, honors, or even your body.
For now, Kanda Shuichi had no expectations from Horikita Suzune. If he wanted a show, he could just watch the antics of Ike and Yamauchi every day.
The hardest people to deal with are those who are completely unmotivated. While Kanda Shuichi wasn't completely indifferent, Horikita Suzune had nothing to offer that could sway him.
"Isn't it a problem to ignore her like that?"
Once they reached the dormitory hall, Miyake asked.
"What's the big deal? Ayanokouji is keeping an eye on things. I'm going back to check my answers, so you should grab a copy of the test too."
After watching Kanda and Miyake leave, Ayanokouji prepared to slip away quietly. However, he couldn't just walk off like Kanda Shuichi, since he was the one who had jumped into this situation.
About half an hour later, Ayanokouji looked at his right hand, which was still holding Horikita's, and seemed to understand something.
Kanda, you tricked me again! He completely forgot how he had coaxed Kanda Shuichi out earlier.
Right now, Horikita Suzune was a huge hassle. Once you got close, you'd get dragged in whether you wanted to or not, which was why Kanda Shuichi had no intention of stepping out and instead sent Miyake to cover for him.
But Ayanokouji's observation skills were incredible, causing Miyake to crack and call himself out.
You tricked me, so I'll have to return the favor, right?
He quickly called Miyake to leave and didn't forget to mention the archaeology exam as they turned the corner.
Did you think that was Kanda Shuichi telling Ayanokouji about it?
Wrong! What are you thinking?
That was meant for Horikita Suzune's ears.
Although that guy was a fool, he still had some intelligence, so he'd definitely guess that Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was aware of the archaeology exam. After that, how Horikita Suzune tried to bother Ayanokouji wasn't something Kanda Shuichi needed to worry about.
Back at the dorm, Kanda Shuichi began comparing answers on the test and, as expected, scored full marks, getting everything right.
At the same time, I gained a deep understanding of this exam. More than ninety percent of the questions fell within the scope defined by -sensei, while the remaining ten percent at least weren't found in the first-year textbooks.
So, is the daily exam also a way to filter out the top students?
Knock, knock, knock!
The familiar sound of knocking nearly made Kanda Shuichi fall out of his chair. Every time he heard that sound, something bad was bound to happen.
It must be Ayanokouji, right?
It's settled! This time, I absolutely cannot let him in.
He grabbed the test paper and walked to the entrance, peering through the peephole in the door. Sure enough, it was Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, and he was alone.
"Hey, you're back. I got last year's archaeology exam questions from a senior in the club. Please hand them over to Horikita."
As soon as he opened the door, Kanda Shuichi shoved the photocopied exam paper into Ayanokouji's hands, then took a step back and quickly closed the door to room 404, leaving Ayanokouji in a daze without saying a word.
**No Entry Plan!**
Success!
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You can read 10 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu