The day of the exam finally arrived.
We stood in the school building, a place that felt like enemy territory. Usually, the school forbids us from entering the main building unless it is absolutely necessary, but regulations dictate that all students must take their exams there.
Thus, we, the students of Class E, had to fight our battle on the opponent's home turf.
However, among us fighting in this strange building, one student endured a level of isolation and pressure that far exceeded the rest.
"One has to wonder, is Nozaki going to be alright? He talked so big yesterday."
Because of the blatant challenge Nozaki issued yesterday, he suddenly found himself at odds with most of Class E.
I think I understand what he was aiming for. Although his words and behavior didn't seem like the Nozaki we know, he likely did it to sharpen everyone's resolve and provoke their enthusiasm. Irina-sensei—or "Bitch-sensei"—seemed to realize this too, which is why she backed him up.
But honestly, the thought of seeing someone I had started to feel comfortable with being forced to kowtow before everyone would be incredibly painful and difficult to watch.
Nozaki, you'll be fine, right?
I glanced at him for a split second, making sure it didn't look like cheating, then focused on my exam.
●○●○●
Tap... tap... tap... The Class D proctor made an annoying, rhythmic sound with his fingers, breaking the concentration of the students around me.
But I couldn't allow myself to be distracted. After throwing down that gauntlet yesterday, I would look pathetic if I didn't get better grades than everyone else. I refused to apologize on my hands and knees before my classmates; that would be the height of embarrassment and weakness.
I had no time to waste on an annoying teacher, yet one thing truly demanded an explanation.
"... What is this? ──"
As I progressed through the exam, I discovered several questions that fell entirely outside the curriculum Koro-sensei had taught us.
Koro-sensei had warned us this might happen and taught us how to solve problems outside the designated scope, but this went beyond "probability." More than half the test covered material we hadn't studied yet.
I thought about why this was happening, and only one explanation came to mind: Chairman Asano's handiwork.
This was likely what he meant when he said, "There are things speed alone cannot solve."
However, since the exam was already in front of me, my only duty as a student was to solve it. I would face these problems head-on.
Initially, I filled out half the answer sheet. Logically, I could guarantee 50 points so far.
The real problem lay ahead. Thanks to Koro-sensei, I managed to solve some of the subsequent questions, but eventually, I hit a wall of problems from a scope I hadn't even heard Koro-sensei mention.
Naturally, one cannot solve what they haven't learned.
Yet, I remembered Koro-sensei's words.
In Mathematics, applications of what appeared on previous pages often manifest as new problems on the following ones. If I used what Koro-sensei taught me intelligently, I might not get the full answer, but I could at least scrap together partial credit.
I summoned every ounce of my strength and entered a state of absolute focus to buy time for thinking. For a moment, it felt like cheating, but since I had crammed my head with study material to this extent, there was no turning back. In that state where minutes felt like hours, I continued solving the problems with frantic momentum.
The annoying tapping sound from the proctor faded from my ears. In that slowed-down reality, nothing moved in my field of vision except my pen as it scratched out answers.
Thinking back, when Karma fell from the cliff, the most I could do was move a single step with great difficulty. Now, I could move my fingers freely, even if it felt incredibly slow in this world of frozen time.
Well, that doesn't matter now.
I continued to struggle with everything I had in the remaining time.
I had never exerted such a monumental effort before; I pushed my brain to its maximum capacity and solved the problems with my entire being.
This cycle repeated for five hours until the exam ended.
Although I rested occasionally, staying in a state of absolute focus for five hours made my head feel like it was about to explode. That day, I ended up with a fever brought on by mental exhaustion as soon as I returned home.
●○●○●
Then came the day the graded papers were returned.
The atmosphere in Class E was bleak and heavy.
This was only natural; the school changed the exam scope suddenly without any notice. Even Mr. Karasuma, the official class representative, received no notification, so no one could have known.
Perhaps there was a way, such as exchanging information with students from the main building... no, that was impossible. No one there treats Class E students normally. Besides, information exchange assumes there is a suspicion that the curriculum might change—something no one would have imagined.
Was this a losing battle from the start, no matter what we did?
Chairman Asano... would he really go that far?
... No, these are just excuses.
The result is everything, and I must accept it.
"Ranked fifty-first... huh?"
I looked at the paper in my hand. It listed my scores in the five subjects, the average score for the class and the grade level, and my rank.
Then I looked at another sheet; it contained the names and scores of the students ranked first through fiftieth.
The person just one rank ahead of me was someone I had never heard of. Yet, the gap between us was only two points.
It was the same score gap that had been between me and Asano when I lost to him in the past.
I lost—and to a total stranger, no less.
During the school assembly a while back, I wondered if I could settle my score with Asano, but look at me now. What "score" was I talking about? Would the first-place Asano even bother settling anything with the fifty-first place "me"?
... The gap was so large it wasn't even funny.
I hadn't actually planned on settling things with Asano this time, but it seems I'm making excuses for a reality that perfectly mirrors the time he defeated me before.
My overall rank was 51st.
Second within Class E.
To make matters worse, not only did I fail Koro-sensei's mission, but the kowtow apology was now inevitable.
... Only two points.
In terms of questions, that's a single answer, or perhaps the points I lost on the mathematical proof question.
I was one step away, and I didn't make it.
But that one step feels incredibly far right now.
── This infuriates me.
How long has it been since I felt this level of intense resentment? No need to ask; it's been two years. Not since I lost to Asano in the middle of our first year have I felt this bitterness burning in my chest... in fact, I've never tasted anything quite like this!
── Dammit...!
Out of pure frustration, I nearly crushed the results sheet in my hand, exerting a massive effort to stop myself from slamming my fist onto the desk.
I'll go ask Koro-sensei about the parts I couldn't solve later. But first, I have to apologize on my hands and knees.
As I thought this and looked at Koro-sensei, I found him surrounded by an aura of gloom and despair as well.
It felt like the general atmosphere would never allow me to go up and ask him how to solve the exam.
"What on earth does this mean? I feel this exam severely lacks fairness and integrity."
Mr. Karasuma was on the phone with the main building, lodging a formal complaint.
"I don't recall receiving any notice of a delivery error, and this isn't normal anyway. To radically change the exam scope for all subjects two days before the date!"
Anger was clear in Karasuma's voice.
Yes, because this wasn't just about our grades; the chance to kill Koro-sensei was on the line.
Out of all of us, only one student managed to break into the top fifty.
The rest of us failed, which meant we didn't complete the mission Koro-sensei assigned to us.
This meant that unless Koro-sensei's promise yesterday was a bluff, he would level the Class E building and leave.
"... This is the teacher's responsibility. I underestimated this school's system. I cannot face you right now."
As silence fell over everyone following Koro-sensei's words, Karma stood up calmly and threw a knife toward the back of Koro-sensei's head.
"Nyu-yaaa?!"
"Is this okay? If you can't face us, you won't even notice me coming to kill you, right?"
"Karma-kun! The teacher is feeling frustrated and──"
Koro-sensei tried to protest Karma's actions, but Karma ignored him and tossed his answer sheet toward the teacher.
Koro-sensei caught the paper and was stunned by what he saw.
"My level didn't drop just because the exam questions changed."
Yes, as expected, Karma was the only student in this class who broke into the top fifty. And he didn't just barely make it to 50th rank, either──.
"Wow! 100 in Mathematics?! And every other subject is above 95!"
Karma's rank was fourth in the entire school.
Even with my sparring partner, the gap between us was this vast. I stood dazed at the score difference between us within Class E—a gap much larger than the one separating me from the anonymous 50th-place student.
"I studied those parts because you taught me a much wider scope than intended to suit my level. Nozaki-kun too, right? Koro-sensei taught you some parts outside the exam scope as well."
"... Sort of."
I followed Karma's lead and stepped forward to show my answers to Koro-sensei. When Isogai and Kurahashi-san in the front row caught a glimpse, they gasped.
"Ranked fifty-first in the school?"
"Look, Koro-sensei. This person who was at the very bottom and an outcast in the grade until recently has climbed to this level. Furthermore, he correctly answered everything within the original scope, and even got the parts outside the scope you taught him right. He even earned partial credit on the parts we didn't study."
"... This is truly impressive."
"Now, I have a question for Nozaki-kun. Hypothetically, if you had earned two extra points and made the top fifty, would you have returned to your original class?"
I thought about Karma's question for a moment.
Then I answered clearly:
"I wouldn't go back."
Even if I returned, no one would recognize me there, and I would be so preoccupied with Koro-sensei's true identity that I wouldn't be able to focus on my studies.
More importantly, returning to the main building in my current state wouldn't change anything in me. I wouldn't be able to possess what Koro-sensei called the "second blade."
If I lose this exceptional educational environment Koro-sensei provides now, I will never be able to change in the future.
"Just as I thought. I don't plan on going back either. Staying here is much more fun."
Karma nodded with satisfaction after hearing my answer, then picked up the knife Koro-sensei had dodged and faced him with a provocative look.
"Now, what will Koro-sensei do? Will you run away in disgrace because everyone didn't make the top fifty? Will you abandon Nozaki-kun, who might break the top fifty next time given his current rate of development, and flee?"
"Vein popping in anger..."
"Doesn't this raise the question of what your second blade is, Teacher? Since you're teaching us, you must have a second blade too, right? But failing to use it means you're just running away. Doesn't that mean, in the end, you're running because you're afraid of being killed?"
"Anger increasing..."
Karma was provoking him with everything he had.
Karma nudged me with his elbow, and Kataoka-san nudged Maehara so they could join the wave of provocation too.
"What, were you scared? What a pitiful creature."
"Then it's fine. We won't chase you, so please, feel free to run, Koro-sensei."
The rest of the classmates began joining the provocation one after another, following Nozaki and Maehara's lead.
"If that was the case, you should have told the truth from the start."
"Extreme rage...!"
"Right? Like saying: 'I'm scared, so I want to run away.'"
Upon hearing that last word, Koro-sensei finally snapped. His face turned a deep crimson, the veins on his forehead bulged clearly, and he took a stance like a threatening predator.
"Nyu-yaaaaa──! I will never run away!! I will take revenge on those bastards in the final exams!"
Whether Koro-sensei's outburst went according to Karma's plan or not didn't matter. What mattered was that, thanks to him, we moved past the crisis of losing our assassination target, and we all swore revenge. Next time, we would give those in the main building a bitter taste of defeat.
●○●○●
As for the matter of my kowtow apology...
"Anyway, it seems you've really regained your passion."
Isogai spoke to me as he was about to leave.
As Isogai spoke, those who hadn't left the classroom immediately gathered around me.
"Seriously, you climbed all the way up from the bottom."
"Yeah. The person who was ranked 186th out of 186 students suddenly jumps to 51st... I couldn't believe my ears when I first heard it."
"You're truly amazing."
"So, what about the kowtow?"
"Are you going to apologize to Karma?"
"Hmm? Oh, you mean that challenge Nozaki-kun issued? I wasn't there to hear it, so there's no need to do that. I only heard a summary from Nagisa-kun. Right, Nagisa-kun?"
"Y.. Yeah."
"You're really clumsy, Nozaki-kun. Even if you wanted to fire us up, you could have done it in a better way."
"... I'm sorry."
Thus, thanks to Karma's manly attitude, I narrowly escaped a humiliating ordeal.
●○●○●
As soon as Keiichi returned home, he briefly greeted his grandfather and grandmother and isolated himself in his room.
Although he didn't have to kowtow in the end, his heart was far from calm.
He pulled the exam papers out of his bag, which he had thrown violently onto the desk. He stared at the parts he got wrong on this test until his gaze nearly burned holes through the paper, then transferred them to a notebook he opened roughly and solved them again, sighing deeply.
He had hoped for something. He had hoped in himself. He thought that by merely regaining his passion, he could return to how he used to be—the person who competed with Asano Gakushu for the top spots.
But reality was fair.
Yes, reality is neither cruel nor merciful; it is simply a stark, fair truth.
The price he paid for two years of laziness and indifference—that is what he realized in this exam.
He bit his lip in regret, unable to restrain himself any longer, and slammed his fist onto the math question sheet he had crushed earlier on the study desk.
Dust accumulated on the long-unused desk flew into the air. Those large clumps of dust seemed to Keiichi to represent the time he wasted in negligence.
In this exam, the result could be considered somewhat good. His rank had jumped from 186th to 51st. He bypassed more than 130 students and returned to the level of elite performers in the general ranking.
Koro-sensei didn't leave Class E, and Keiichi didn't have to kowtow. Even the challenge he issued days ago was interpreted as an attempt to motivate everyone and was forgiven.
If the exam scope hadn't changed, he might have achieved a very high rank. He thought about that while clutching the exam paper whose results were catastrophic to him.
In fact, he felt he had done well by not giving up even though most of the questions were out of scope, managing to snatch partial credit.
However, Keiichi could not see this result as the best possible outcome.
Surely, even if he had gained two extra points and made the top fifty, his mental state wouldn't have changed. Even if the scope hadn't changed, unless his scores equaled Asano's, he would not be at peace.
He lost to Asano, and he lost to Karma.
One he used to see as a rival in the past.
The other was his sparring partner.
He possessed an ego that deluded him into thinking that if he just tried his best, he could catch up to them. This ego had lived in the depths of Keiichi... until he received the exam results.
Even after receiving the results, he wasn't as volatile as he was now. On his way home today, when many classmates praised him, saying, "You're truly amazing," he felt slightly better. But as soon as he was alone, his mental state soured.
Fueled by a regret and resentment that turned his mind white, and with trembling hands, he pulled out all the schoolbooks completely covered in dust—everything he had used since the middle of his first year up until this semester.
There was a ringing in his ears from the sheer bitterness.
Strength concentrated in his fingertips from the depth of his regret.
His vision blurred from pure indignation.
He hadn't felt this in two years.
On that day he lost to Asano for the first time, Keiichi tasted this same resentment, and combined with other circumstances, he became frustrated and stopped.
Would he be frustrated again? As if denying this question to himself, he struck his cheek with his fist to wake his spirit, then began solving problems he used to solve brilliantly when he was a top student. He was shocked by the reality that he was no longer able to solve problems he used to get perfect scores on easily.
He had truly hoped. He had hoped in the depths of his heart that even if he was a failure now, he would be able to do what he did before, but he was betrayed by himself.
There was a kind of complacency in some corner of his heart. He took pride in being a former student of Class A. He convinced himself that he "just lacks passion currently, and that he's an amazing person if he wants to be."
He had hung his hopes on that "ideal" image of himself.
But he was let down.
He had become a helpless person.
Even when he spoke about the kowtow apology, he thought deep down that things would go well because he had the passion now.
All of that was just a pipe dream.
"You're truly amazing."
Those words spoken by his classmates stabbed his chest. It isn't pleasant to be recognized for such a disgraceful result.
Keiichi struck the desk with his fist twice.
"── Next time, I will definitely be first."
With a trembling voice, Keiichi swore revenge.
In the past, the point difference Asano defeated him by was two points.
To win against Asano, he exerted an effort that led to his health deteriorating. On the day of the exam, his condition worsened, and he got one question wrong.
In the end, he lost because he mismanaged his health. But he took pride in the fact that he exerted an unmatched effort until the moment of that loss.
To return to what he was then, he must first start with the effort. The silver-haired delinquent opened the first-year textbook. He began reviewing the problems he lost on before, and which he lost on again now. It was as if he were killing his weak self of the past and the present.
This time, he will take first place.
That delinquent boy just wanted to be recognized.
And perhaps this boy who yearns for recognition is just someone who hates losing more than anything else.
The announcement of that would only be at the time of execution.
•
°
•
°
👑 Get early access to 40 advanced chapters on Patreon!
🔗 https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Raven737
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to open the link!)
💬 Enjoying the story? Drop a review!Your support really helps the series grow—thank you!