Secrets Are Better Be Hidden

Chapter 6

The day of the midterm exams arrived, casting an ominous shadow over Class D. Tension was palpable as we took our seats, all of us fearing the threat of failure and expulsion. One misstep could mean doom under the school's harsh policies.

I'd done everything in my power to prepare my struggling classmates. Tutoring sessions, study guides, pep talks - nothing was too much if it gave them a fighting chance. And thanks to "procured" copies of past exams, we had additional advantage going into the decisive day.

Of course, I had questions about the test papers' mysterious appearance. Kushida claimed innocently to have found them while cleaning. But her wide-eyed insistence gave me pause.

Glancing at Ayanokouji's inscrutable expression, I wondered if he knew more than he let on. But there was no time to ponder that now. We had a test to survive first.

"You have one hour starting now," Sensei announced, her gaze combing the room for any attempts at cheating. "Anyone caught speaking or lingering after time is up will be failed automatically."

With that, the tense silence began, filled only with the occasional cough or rustle of paper. I tuned it all out, focusing solely on the exam before me. The first section covered mathematics. I worked through the equations methodically, double-checking each answer. So far, so good.

In the next row, Sudou squinted at the questions, likely struggling over concepts we'd reviewed in our sessions. As long as he avoided careless mistakes, he should pass. I could only hope the foundation I helped build would sustain him now.

The essay prompts were more challenging, requiring strong comprehension and analysis skills. But I had prepared for this, jotting down structural notes before crafting a response synthesizing evidence from texts we'd studied in class.

Halfway through, I risked a subtle glance upward. A few students seemed mid-panic, staring at the page blankly or scribbling frantically. But most appeared relatively calm, including Ayanokouji cruising though with his usual detached ease.

Turning my focus inward, I continued working steadily through the remaining sections. English, physics, history - my studying covered all the bases. I just had to trust in that effort now.  

"Pencils down, the exam is over," Sensei announced. I set my pencil down, cramped fingers relaxing as a hint of relief washed over me. The hardest part was done. Now to hope it was enough.

The next days crawled by excruciatingly. No one dared speak about the looming results. Attempting normalcy was the only way to stay sane. But the dread lingered tacitly beneath every interaction.

Then one morning, Sensei entered the classroom without preamble and began passing back our graded tests. This was the reckoning we'd all feared. Yet as grades were revealed, astonished murmurs rippled through the room.

Somehow, impossibly, everyone had passed. Even typically struggling students like Ike and Yamauchi wore stunned smiles, having miraculously exceeded the bar. It seemed our diligent studying had paid off.

My own perfect score was merely a matter of course. But inwardly, doubts needled me. How could such a remarkable turnaround be possible, unless the test itself had been compromised? My eyes narrowed, observing Kushida's poorly concealed delight as she compared results with her friends.

Before I could ruminate further, Sudou's outraged voice broke through the chatter. "This is bull! Failed English by one freaking point? Like hell I'm getting expelled over this garbage."

He shoved his desk hard, sending a loud scrape across the floor. Any elation evaporated as we processed the reality - by missing the English cutoff by barely a margin, Sudou was now at risk.