Classroom of the Elite, Kusuo Saiki

When she first enrolled, Horikita Suzune looked down on everyone around her, but she has changed somewhat since then.

This change occurred sometime in May of last semester, and Kiyotaka Ayanokouji doesn't know why, but there's no doubt it's related to Kusuo Saiki.

"...During this sports festival, I even witnessed a change in Sudo-kun, from a troublemaker to someone with a sense of responsibility..."

Upon hearing Horikita Suzune's words, Sudo Ken's cheeks flushed slightly, and he scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly.

"...I want to give it my all for the next quiz and final exam. I believe the whole class will have to work together to get through this. We're so close to getting into Class A, and I hope we can all work hard together!"

"I can understand that, but do we have any solutions or countermeasures? Like how partners decide on things, we don't know those things either, do we?!"

Haruki Yamauchi, standing below, shouted loudly, expressing his doubts.

This guy definitely knew all along; he's probably just pretending.

Kusuo Saiki turned his head and glanced at the source of the voice, which was none other than Kikyo Kushida.

[You've disguised yourself so well. There probably aren't many people in the class who know your true colors, right? I'm going to expel you, along with Horikita Suzune!]

Kikyo Kushida appeared to be intently watching Suzune Horikita, but inwardly she was practically screaming.

Kusuo Saiki pretended not to hear anything and then looked away.

"No, we've pretty much figured out the pairing rules. If things go smoothly, it might be possible to pair all the students here with their ideal partners—Hirata-kun. Thank you for your help."

"Ah."

Hirata Yosuke nodded, then walked up to the podium and wrote the pairing rules on the blackboard. After the meeting yesterday, he went to his soccer club to ask his seniors about the situation and confirmed their previous speculation.

Looking at the whole class, the holders of the highest and lowest scores will form a team.

Next are the students with the second and second-to-last scores, the third and third-to-last scores, and so on, following this rule.

For example, a student who scores 100 will be paired with a student who scores 0, while a student who scores 99 will be paired with a student who scores 1.

"This is the significance of holding quizzes and the matching rules; it's actually quite simple."

Horikita Suzune pointed to the blackboard and said.

"Wow! This is the law of pairing! You actually figured it out, Horikita! You're amazing!"

Many students in the class have already praised Horikita Suzune, with Yamauchi Haruki's voice being the loudest.

[Pshaw, this is something anyone could come up with with a little brainpower, and you guys are really praising it like this?]

Kikyo Kushida's displeasure intensified.

"Because of this rule, students with good and bad grades are assigned according to their corresponding order, but this may still lead to unexpected situations. Therefore, we must develop tactics to ensure accurate allocation. Next, I will talk about the countermeasures I have devised."

"Considering the exam results so far, I hope to focus on supporting students who are worried about their scores, and at the same time, develop plans to pair them up with students who are doing well. Although there may be other students who are anxious, we cannot take care of everyone, so our goal is to prioritize helping the students who are at the bottom."

"For students who ranked in the bottom ten in the midterm exam, you only need to write your names on the quizzes, because it won't be reflected in your scores, so there's no harm in getting zero. On the contrary, for those who ranked in the top ten, please make sure you get 85 points or higher."

Horikita Suzune addressed the crowd.

"Wha, what do you mean?"

Haruki Yamauchi below still didn't quite understand, so he had to ask Kanji Ike next to him to explain. After understanding, he nodded in realization.

Kushida is in the top ten in the class... Does that mean I have a chance to be in a group with her?!

Thinking of this, Haruki Yamauchi's lips curled up into a smile.

'Hey, everyone's practically ready to expel you right now, and you're actually smug about being at the bottom of the class...?'

Kusuo Saiki felt somewhat helpless; in this situation, only Haruki Yamauchi could genuinely feel happy.

This guy has a really big heart.

Kusuo Saiki then began to think about how he should deal with this exam.

His ranking in the class this time was right in the middle—and the same was true for Kiyotaka Ayanokouji; their total scores were almost identical.

If we follow the sorting method suggested by Horikita Suzune, Saiki Kusuo and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka will be in the same group...

Absolutely not!

As Kusuo Saiki thought to himself, he knew that if he were to be with Kiyotaka Ayanokouji, he would be forced to go through countless troubles.

"...The remaining twenty students will also be divided into ten groups each. Those with high grades should aim for a maximum of eighty points, while those with lower grades should aim for one point. In theory, this will automatically create the optimal balanced group for the final exam. However, I will check the details carefully later."

At this moment, Horikita Suzune continued.

Kusuo Saiki was ranked twentieth in his class, while Kiyotaka Ayanokouji was ranked twenty-first...

This is precisely the dividing line.

However, since the lowest scores are only 0 and 1, the grouping for the final exam will be somewhat random, and the probability of Saiki Kusuo meeting Ayanokouji Kiyotaka will be reduced to one in ten.

If Kusuo Saiki could control the randomness of the pairings, he could change his partner at will, but he doesn't know what the school's pairing system is.

As long as it's not Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, everything is negotiable.

"Kōenji-kun, you have no objections either?"

Horikita Suzune shifted her gaze to Koenji Rokusuke.

“I have no objection; it’s really a nonsense issue. Of course, I also know the exam content.”

He stretched his long legs out onto the table with an indifferent expression.

Without a doubt, Rokusuke Koenji possessed exceptional learning and judgment abilities. He must have also figured out the true rules of the quiz, and his results were also very good.

However, Rokusuke Koenji was a man of unusual ideas, and even Suzune Horikita could not predict what Rokusuke Koenji might do.

"So, can I expect you to actually score above 80?"

"I don't know, it depends on the exam content, right?"

"If you deliberately get a zero on the test and team up with students who are high-achieving, the balance may collapse. We hope that you can cooperate with us."

“I’ll think about it carefully, Girl.”

Koenji Rokusuke maintained a smile on his face, and it was still impossible to tell what he was thinking.

.....

A few days later, the quiz arrived as scheduled. The test was very simple, and even someone like Ken Sudo—Haruki Yamauchi—should have been able to get a good score. However, in order to ensure that everyone could proceed smoothly with the final exams, everyone followed Suzune Horikita's method.

Kusuo Saiki, who always scored in the middle, sighed and could only do as Suzune Horikita asked, aiming for a score of 80 or higher.

On the second day of the exam, Chabashira Sae came to the classroom.

"Judging from the results, it seems you've found a good matching method for this final exam. Well done."

Chabashira Sae nodded in satisfaction, then smiled and said.

"Now, I will announce the pairing results for the final exam..."

Immediately afterwards, Chabashira Sae posted the pairing list on the blackboard.

Suzune Horikita and Ken Sudo, Yosuke Hirata and Kanji Ike—Kikyo Kushida and Haruki Yamauchi.

Upon seeing the names Kikyo Kushida and Haruki Yamauchi, Kusuo Saiki looked at Haruki Yamauchi with a sorrowful gaze.

At this moment, Haruki Yamauchi was completely unaware of Kusuo Saiki's gaze, and instead, a smile spread across his face.

[This is fantastic! I'm in a group with Kushida! Not only is my performance guaranteed! But... and I might even be able to go even further with Kushida!]

Haruki Yamauchi was overjoyed.

Meanwhile, even Kikyo Kushida, who had been in a state of disguise the whole time, gradually stiffened her smile.

Haruki Yamauchi, did you deliberately choose to be in my group?

Chapter 108: The Qimu Group is Established in Grand Style

[Could this guy have secretly learned some deeper pairing rules and deliberately paired me up?]

Although she maintained a smile on her face, Kikyo Kushida was actually gritting her teeth and cursing Haruki Yamauchi in her heart.

'It's just a coincidence...'

Kusuo Saiki glanced at Kikyo Kushida out of the corner of his eye, unsure of what to say for a moment, and could only sigh inwardly.

[If Haruki Yamauchi is in my group, my movements will be restricted, and practicing with Ryuen will be more difficult.]

[Furthermore, in this exam, the two partners are practically bound by fate; if one is expelled, the other will also be expelled... Damn it, in that case, I can't use any other means to get Yamauchi expelled from this exam.]

Was all of this... planned by this guy?

'It really is just a coincidence...'

"Kushida-kun, we're in a pair! Nice to meet you!"

Meanwhile, Haruki Yamauchi, completely unaware of anything, waved to Kikyo Kushida with an excited smile on his face and shouted loudly.

[God has been so kind to me; I'm so lucky!]

Haruki Yamauchi was overjoyed.

"Yes, nice to meet you, Yamauchi-kun..."

Kikyo Kushida's smile had become somewhat stiff.

Is this guy mocking me?

Kikyo Kushida's anger intensified.

'Yare yare.....'

Kusuo Saiki was well aware that a turbulent future awaited Haruki Yamauchi, but this was entirely his own fault.

What Saiki Kusuo is more concerned about now is who his next partner will be.

Kusuo Saiki – Megumi Karuizawa.

'Oh my god, it's Karuizawa....'

Kusuo Saiki felt somewhat helpless. Although he had avoided the troublesome Kiyotaka Ayanokouji, he had still encountered someone whose personality was somewhat contradictory to his own.

[Wasn't I in the same group as Saiki? So close... Turns out I'm in the same group as Ayanokouji!]

A familiar voice rang out beside Kusuo Saiki; the voice belonged to Maya Sato, who had spoken earlier.

No... I wasn't in a group with Kusuo-kun...