A Monster's Influence: Route B

Volume 1 - Chapter 11

Ayanokouji's POV

Today was the day of the midterm exams. Everyone was especially nervous, the group chat blowing up early in the morning with the worries of my classmates. I wonder how some of the others coped with the constant buzzing. Was there a way to mute group chat notifications on our phones? I didn't want to turn them off because I'd rather be alerted when someone is directly texting me.

For the most part, I believe the people relevant to me were ready for the exam. Ichinose and Kanzaki are likely to have the content ingrained in their memories due to the scheduled study sessions they led, while I made sure Himeno was able to understand the concepts she had trouble with. ...If she didn't, I would have to punish her.

Ichinose definitely was a boon for the class, rejuvenating our class with words of encouragement despite the anxiety they all felt. It definitely was a good thing because the constant worry about whether one would do well or not would be a burden on the mind. That would distract them, something that would be fatal during the midterms. In the White Room, I did not concern myself with others and just focused on completing tasks without any fear of facing the consequences of losing. Perhaps that was one of the reasons I exceeded expectations in comparison to my peers who were left behind.

The encouragement may potentially be a double-edged sword for the future, however. In the event that one of our classmates failed in our first trial, Ichinose's words would be less potent; our classmates' hearts wouldn't be moved as much when she tried to do so again.

We all entered the classroom single-file, awaiting our odious odyssey. Well, the others are, anyway. I could almost see apprehension emanating from my classmates in waves. I used to feel such things in that place where we dropped like flies. No one spoke, not even Ichinose. Everyone kept their mouths shut while awaiting the harbinger of certain doom. And there she was. She stood in the doorway, smilingly, seemingly oblivious of the tension so thick that you could cut it with a knife. Not even Ikari-senpai was that terrifying. Leisurely, she walked towards her destination, holding a stack of papers that she carelessly plopped on her desk.

"It looks like there are no absences today," she said, gripping her table, "Good for you! No one chickened out, so I assume you are all ready to start the midterms?"

Hoshinomiya-sensei, you fiend! You're only exacerbating their anxiety! Though, an interesting maneuver nonetheless. I wonder if my theory about her is correct.

"We've all held study sessions together, sensei!" Ichinose exclaimed, "We can all pass! Everyone, let's do our best!"

Her uplifting words boosted the morale of the rest of the class, many of them giving off resounding cheers and affirmations to each other to pass.

"Yeah!"

"Let's do it, everyone!"

"We can do it!"

I eyed my seatmate and it looked like she was tired, probably of hearing the class cheer. That's right. This could also have a negative effect on others as well, probably those who wanted to get the exams over with, heightening their nervousness. I could also sense that a minority of the class also feeling the same way. I couldn't exactly tell what Kanzaki felt, either, but he probably recognized the importance of boosting the morale of the majority of the class.

"Yuki," I whispered softly. My friend had turned her head and tried to hide nervousness from appearing on her face. "I know you have everything we practiced together down. When you're stuck on a question, calm down for a moment and think back to what I taught you. When we're done here, we'll do that together, okay?"

I tenderly grasped her hand and stared directly into her eyes, looking back at mine with wonder, "Science and math are the first two exams we'll take. Like I said, I know you have them down. After those two, it's smooth sailing from there. You will pass the exams."