Starting in class C: not completely defective.

Arc 1 chapter 15: finally, some rest.

We gathered at my room.
"Jesus, Ayanokouji. What the hell was that?" Ibuki asked.
"A disagreement between childhood friends." I said.
"Kukuku, you know that psycho bitch, Ayanokouji?" Ryuuen asked.
"Well, I don't remember her, but I'm confident we went to the same elementary school." I said.
"Huh, that explains it... I always thought she was suspicious, Kiyotaka," Fuka said. She had.
"Anyway, you should probably go back to your own rooms. That authoritative girl back there would probably report us to the student council for conspiring." I joked.

Everyone had left except for Fuka.
"What is it, Fuka?" I asked.
"Kiyotaka...what happens now? What's your plan?" She asked.
"My plan. Heh, I hadn't really thought of anything yet. I suppose the true nature of this school will start to show, soon. We had a taste of what this school does to people today. I can't imagine how your classmates feel in the upper years after a year or two of this." I admitted.
"Hah, well. I can't speak for all my classmates, but I for one revel and thrive in this schools environment. You get the most interesting people coming through here, such as the current student council president, and especially you."
I liked it when she called me interesting.
"Hmm, it's getting pretty late. You should go back to your room now." I said.
"Yeah, ok. Bye Kiyotaka." She said, smiling and waving.
I shut the door, and collapsed onto my bed.
Today had been exhausting.

It was Thursday. Tomorrow, the midterm would be upon us. Class had ended for the day. After Sakagami-sensei ended the homeroom period and left the classroom, Ryuuen immediately leapt into action. He took out the printed copies of the old test that he'd made at the convenience store and brought them up to the podium.
"Everyone, before you return to the dorm, listen up."
Everyone stopped to listen to Ryuuen. This was a role that no one else in the class could play. Only Ryuuen could do it.
"I know that you've all been studying a lot in preparation for the test tomorrow. I have something to help you. I'm going to hand out some papers."
Ryuuen distributed the question and answer sheets to the students in the first row.
"Test...questions? Did you make these, Ryuuen-san?" Shiina asked.
"Actually, these are the old test problems. I got them from a third-year student last night."
"Old test problems? Huh? Wait, will these questions be on the test tomorrow?" Ibuki asked.
"Yes. To tell you the truth, I heard that the midterm test from the year before had almost exactly the same problems as this one. So, if we study what's on the test, it'll surely come in handy."
"Woah, seriously? Thank you Ryuuen!" Overjoyed, Kondou hugged his test paper. None of the other students could suppress their elation, either.
"What the hell? This is amazing!" Komiya laughed.
"Ishizaki, do your best when you study today."
"Yeah. Thanks, Ryuuen, you really helped me out." Ishizaki also accepted the test papers.
"Let's keep this a secret from the other classes, ok. Don't be scared, and do your best to aim for a high score. Anyone who doesn't pass will be beat up by me before they leave." Ryuuen cracked his knuckles. I was inclined to agree with him, for the most part. We didn't need to send supplies to classes A and B. We needed them to progress as slowly as possible. Class D was different, however. We needed Sudou to stay in school.

"There are no absences today. It appears everyone is present."
Sakagami-sensei strode through the classroom with a bold smile on his face.
"That's the first hurdle cleared. Are there any questions?"
No one raided their hand. Everyone looked confident. The teacher promptly took up the test papers and passed them out. Our first period test was for social studies. Out of everything we'd studied, it was probably the easiest subject.
"If anyone stumbles here, the other tests will be an uphill battle, quite frankly. You'll take this midterm and the final exam in July. If no one fails either test, you'll be rewarded with a vacation during your summer break."
"A vacation?"
"That's right. A dream vacation on an island surrounded by a brilliant blue sea."
Of course, the beach in summer meant I'd get to see Fuka in her swimsuit 🤤
"Wh-what is this strange pressure..." one of the boys muttered.
Sakagami-sensei stepped back from the obvious tension the students exuded...mostly the boys.
Before long, everyone had their test papers. On the teacher's signal, everyone began. I held off on starting for a moment and looked around at the others. With everything they'd learnt, could they avoid failing? First off, how many of this test's questions were the same as the ones from the old exam? I needed to check that first.
All right
I discreetly clenched my fist in triumph. Despite my fears, the questions here were the same as the old ones. I hadn't looked them over in any detail, but I saw no great difference. If I'd memorised what was on the old test, it was clear that I could get a near-perfect score.
Glancing around the classroom for assurance, I didn't notice any students looking flustered or confused. I assumed many of them had engaged in some last-minute studying. Slowly, I went through and answered all of the problems.