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Ez: "Hey, before midterms preparations, I want to show you something."

Miyuki: "Hmm, about what?"

Ez: "Before we go to some serious scene, let's have a wholesome scene."

Hayasaka: 'I will watch it if it has Ayanokouji-kun.'

Iroha: "It's fine by me."

Iino: "I don't have qualms about it either."

Hayama: "Me as well."

Ez: "Let's start then."

The study group seemed to have gotten off to a good start. Of course, no one suddenly loved studying or found great joy in it. However, they all did their part to avoid expulsion so they could continue to spend time with their friends. The Idiot Trio started changing their behavior. They frantically repeated everything written on the blackboard, wracking their brains to understand the problems.

 Sudou occasionally came close to passing out during class. His head would bob up and down as he started to doze, but he managed to stay awake, likely because of his professional basketball dreams. Most people would laugh at such high aspirations, but he chased them earnestly. Many of the first-year students, fresh from junior high, didn't have a "dream" yet. Many had only the vaguest notion of what they wanted their future to be. At least Sudou was already working hard in pursuit of his dream. That was worthy of praise.

Ishigami: "His goals might be his redeeming quality."

Onodera: "But that doesn't change him being an idiot."

How exactly did this school define an exemplary student? At the very least, people didn't pass or fail based solely on academics. Considering the fact that Ike and Sudou had been accepted into the school, that much was obvious. If the school enrolled students talented in other areas, though, it was odd that they'd have a system in place to expel students for just one failing grade.

 At least, that was how I saw it. Unless the system itself was a lie, there wasn't much I could conclude. Could they be creating such problems for students like Ike and Sudou solely so they could overcome them? It likely wasn't that simple. Both the small test we'd taken and the classes, so difficult for those like Sudou, posed problems.

Mayaka: "Yeah, that guy is so dumb."

Once the afternoon class had ended, a satisfied-looking Horikita gave a small nod and glanced at her notes. Apparently, she'd compiled everything together. Even though Horikita was teaching the Idiot Trio, she wanted the best possible results. That was her nature. Our class's evaluation would improve, as would the individual students' abilities. However, trying to get perfect scores was absurd.

 We didn't intend to reach that far. Helping Ike and the others avoid failing was the best we could do. When the lunch bell rang, everyone made a mad dash for the cafeteria. Our break was forty-five minutes long. After lunch, everyone had agreed to meet in the library for a twenty-minute study session. At first, we'd planned to study in the classroom. However, for better concentration, we decided to avoid noise and use the library. 

However, the main reason was that Horikita wanted to avoid Hirata. His study group also met during lunch, and if we were reviewing materials nearby, they'd likely try to talk to us. Horikita absolutely did not want that. 

"Horikita, what are you doing for lunch?" I asked. 

"Well—" 

"Ayanokouji-kun! Do you want to eat lunch together? I don't have any plans today!" Kushida unexpectedly hopped out in front of me. 

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