In the final month of the year, the weather grew increasingly harsh.
The official exams were scheduled for Monday, and each class had finally submitted their test papers.
At the same time, Kaoru received a message from Shiho Manabe.
With the help of "Black-framed Glasses," she had infiltrated the teachers' office and naturally gained access to Class C's exam papers.
After a quick glance, Mitoma noted that Nagumo Miyabi and the others, being upperclassmen, had set questions of decent difficulty, deliberately choosing obscure topics.
Kaoru estimated how many points Class A could score.
He didn't intend for them to achieve a perfect score—that would be too conspicuous and might make Ryuuen Kakeru suspect a mole, exposing Shiho Manabe and the others.
Thus, Kaoru sent some of the questions to Katsuragi, instructing him to tell the class that these were "gifts" from upperclassmen to Class A.
Katsuragi commanded respect.
Even if he couldn't prove the authenticity of the questions, no one believed he would joke about something so critical or sabotage the entire class—what would he gain from it?
On Saturday night, Katsuragi distributed the questions to the class, eliciting widespread astonishment.
Totsuka Yahiko enthusiastically praised his "big brother."
However, this had little to do with Kaoru.
Before the exam, he briefly encouraged Airi Sakura and the others, then headed to the classroom.
The finals spanned two days: modern literature, English, Japanese history, and math on the first day, followed by the remaining subjects on the second.
Thanks to the leaked questions, the class atmosphere was lively.
Some repeatedly pressed Katsuragi for the source, to which he responded with an air of mystery, claiming only that Class C had sought help from upperclassmen—and he happened to know a few.
Sakayanagi Arisu remained entirely unfazed, sitting quietly at her desk.
"Yamamura says your skills are impressive—even she finds you remarkable," Kamuro remarked beside him.
"Her fundamentals are solid too. She doesn't seem like a poor student," Kaoru replied tactfully.
"I think Yamamura is about the same level as me. We've discussed studies before," Kamuro said, still unaware of the truth.
"She understands everything I explain, and her exam rankings seem similar to mine."
Kaoru glanced at her but held his tongue.
Ding—
As the preparatory bell rang, Mashima Tomonari entered Class A's classroom carrying exam papers and answer sheets under the students' collective gaze.
"The finals will now begin. The first subject is modern literature. You are not permitted to flip the exam papers over before the official start…" Mashima announced the instructions while distributing the papers.
"Though I have faith in you, I hope you perform well."
Kaoru took his exam paper.
The moment the bell rang, he heard the synchronized flipping of pages across the room, followed by several gasps.
...
"I can't believe you actually got your hands on Class C's questions."
After the exam, Kamuro looked at Kaoru with a complicated expression.
If this was the case, what had she even been studying for?
"The questions aren't that many, this is already the limit," Kaoru said. "And don't expect answers to fall from the sky every time. Remember, only the knowledge in your brain can cheat in exams."
Kamuro pouted. "So you even helped girls from Class D cheat. How nice, having different girls accompany you."
"I'd rather have you accompany me," Kaoru said without blinking.
Kamuro couldn't help but laugh in frustration, though she'd already suffered enough setbacks to know better than to attack Kaoru recklessly—otherwise it would just end up rewarding him again.
As Kaoru packed his things and stepped out of the classroom, he immediately spotted Sakayanagi waiting for him in the hallway.
"Have you succeeded already?" Sakayanagi knew exactly what the senior student situation was about.
She couldn't quite picture "Black-framed Glasses," but based on common sense, she deduced there must be a mole around Nagumo Miyabi.
And this mole seemed to be related to what Kaoru had been working on recently.
Sakayanagi had looked into the second-year affairs.
She knew what Nagumo Miyabi had gone through, but unlike him, as an observer, she could calmly piece together the whole process and uncover Kaoru's true intentions.
"Almost there." Kaoru glanced at her calves.
The white garter socks seemed thicker than in summer, no longer revealing the flesh tone beneath but instead resembling smooth ice cream.
"Want to play chess again next time?"
Sakayanagi stared at him expressionlessly.
She'd have to be more cautious about her personal safety when playing chess with this guy in the future—she'd heard that an emperor from a certain Eastern nation once killed his opponent during a chess match.
However, the girl let out a soft sigh.
"I feel a little frustrated. It's like I didn't do anything in this exam."
Kaoru didn't believe her at all.
Recently, she had only done two things: attacking Ichinose Honami and leading the assault on Class B's questions herself.
...
The next day, the exams continued.
After the final subject ended, the class collectively let out sighs of relief.
Many students eagerly discussed the questions they had just answered.
Class A had a solid foundation to begin with, and now with some of Class C's questions in hand, they were confident they could outperform both Class C and Class B in total scores, if not achieve perfect marks.
The results wouldn't be announced until the next day, but Class A had already started celebrating.
With Sakayanagi leading the attack on Class B and Katsuragi bringing Class C's questions, everyone felt the future was bright.
Maybe having two leaders wasn't so bad after all.
Kamuro wanted to say something to Kaoru, but in the blink of an eye, she saw him walk out of the classroom, seemingly in a hurry.
Suspicious, she considered following him.
But then she reconsidered—wouldn't that make it seem like she cared too much about him?
Instead, Kamuro decided to find Miki Yamamura.
With the two of them together, even if she was spotted, it would just look like a chance encounter with Kaoru on the way.
As it turned out, Kamuro's intuition was spot-on.
Kaoru did indeed have urgent business—his opportunity had finally arrived.
Before long, he spotted Asahina Nazuna sitting on a bench by the artificial lake, staring intently at the water's surface.
The surroundings were silent, save for a few birds skimming over the rippling waves.
In a little while, Tokyo's first snow would blanket the area, freezing the lake over, and these birds wouldn't return until next spring.
"Senpai, did you come out here to relax after the exams too?" Kaoru greeted her casually.
At that, Asahina Nazuna finally snapped out of her thoughts.
The dullness in her eyes faded as they regained focus, and she smiled.
"Oh my, I didn't expect to run into a junior here. I thought you'd all be celebrating by now," Asahina Nazuna chuckled.
"How were your finals?"
"Pretty smooth. But what are you doing here, Senpai?" Kaoru walked over and sat on the other side of the bench.
"I heard the school keeps ornamental fish here. Wonder if any will freeze to death."
Asahina blinked.
Did he think she was here just to enjoy the scenery?
No, that's not it.
This guy knew exactly why he was here.
He was aware of what had happened in class and understood his own position—because he had his own circle of friends.
Kaoru was just trying to make conversation.
After all, taking advantage of a vulnerable moment couldn't be too direct.
At this thought, Asahina suddenly found it somewhat amusing.
She was fully aware of Kaoru's intentions toward her and should have left immediately, yet now she felt indifferent.
"Fish in Tokyo don't freeze to death that easily. They've lived here for over a decade before you even arrived," Asahina said softly.
"They're used to snowy Tokyo, and Tokyo is used to fish hiding beneath the water. By next spring, they'll reappear in people's sight."
"So habits really are a terrifying force," Kaoru mused.
"In physics, some call it inertia—continuing along a set path in uniform linear motion."
"As expected of a junior who just finished exams. You haven't forgotten what you've learned, huh?"
"Aren't you the same, senpai?"
"Me? I don't usually bother memorizing this stuff. Just scribbling it down is enough."
"Just scribbling and still making it to Class A? Senpai's abilities are unfathomable!"
"Cut it out. I wasn't in Class A from the start. It was Miyabi who led us—"
At this point, Asahina suddenly froze.
She had been trying hard not to steer the conversation toward Nagumo Miyabi, so how had they ended up here?