After the special exam rules were explained, Sakagami left the classroom. Just like he'd said—and exactly as the school intended—what to do next was entirely up to the students to think through and decide for themselves.
But during the next break, someone came looking for Yukio.
Ichinose stood just outside the classroom, bright and crisp, wearing a refreshing smile that not even the sweltering summer heat could wipe away.
"Yukio-kun, could you spare some time? I want to talk about the special exam."
Everyone understood this was business.
With same-grade team-ups allowed this time, of course the other classes would be eager to cooperate—banding together to fleece either the third-years or the first-years.
So nobody found Ichinose showing up strange. Yukio didn't either.
He stepped out with her and the two headed to the stairwell of an unused building. As they walked, he even tossed her a compliment.
"You're fast. I thought Class D would be the first to come knocking."
At that, Ichinose's cheeks flushed. She shifted her gaze away, suddenly not nearly as bold and cheerful as she'd been calling him at the door.
"Actually… I wanted to be alone with you, Yukio-kun."
"The special exam is… just a convenient excuse…"
She was like a pure, sunny girl playing by a lakeside—leaning down to admire the calm water, then tugging at his heart on a whim, sending little ripples across it.
"You really are into acting cute," Yukio said with a familiar, teasing ease. "If your classmates heard you say that, what they'd think."
He lifted a hand and lightly ran his knuckle down the bridge of her nose.
Ichinose's face turned even redder.
If a random passerby saw her like this, they'd probably assume she was overheating and about to faint right there in the stairwell.
Ichinose was so embarrassed she didn't even know how to respond. When it came to romance, she was clumsy—nothing like the capable class leader who unified her whole class and marched them forward.
And right then—soft footsteps approached.
Along with the rhythmic tap of a cane on the floor.
They both turned toward the bottom of the stairs.
Ichinose's temperature seemed to drop a notch.
A moment later, three figures came into view—Sakayanagi, Horikita, and Matsushita.
When Sakayanagi saw Ichinose, she looked like she understood everything immediately.
"Seems we all had the same idea," she said calmly. "We all want to team up with Yukio-kun?"
It sounded like a question, but there wasn't a hint of uncertainty in her voice. It was stated like a confirmed fact. And then, as if to be extra thorough, she added.
"Though Ichinose was the quickest."
She'd apparently run into Matsushita and Horikita on the way here. It was starting to feel like the entire second year was quietly revolving around Yukio.
Ichinose grew a little awkward at that. Why did it feel like Sakayanagi was calling her some kind of fast little cheater sneaking in first? Was that just her imagination?
Then why did she suddenly feel… guilty?
Horikita, meanwhile, was unaffected. Whether she didn't catch the nuance or simply didn't care, she went straight to the point.
"Good. All four second-year classes are here."
"Then let's decide properly. For this exam, are we cooperating to face the third-years and first-years together… or do we have another plan?"
Yukio already had a plan of his own, and he had no intention of getting pulled into theirs.
"So I'll state our class's stance," he said. "This time, we're not cooperating with anyone."
Sakayanagi didn't even blink. It was as if she'd predicted that answer before she arrived—she'd likely prepared an entire argument to persuade him.
But with Ichinose, Horikita, and Matsushita present, she couldn't exactly lay it all out the way she wanted.
Horikita's expression tightened.
"Why? Cooperation benefits everyone this time. Even if your class is strong, it's still difficult to fight first-years and third-years by yourselves."
"And once you declare you won't cooperate with us, you'll end up clashing with the other three classes too. That means your class alone would be opposing the other eleven classes."
"Haven't you said yourself that everything should be based on benefit and advantage? If that's true, how can you call a situation this unfavorable benefit?"
Yukio waved a hand, signaling her not to overcomplicate it.
"Same logic. If we win and take the top three spots for ourselves…"
"We'll collect nine hundred class points. Compared to splitting with four-class cooperation, that's the bigger profit."
It wasn't just Horikita.
Even Matsushita and Ichinose looked a little shaken by the sheer ambition of it.
Taking all three top spots? Wasn't that… kind of insane?
…But then again, if it was Yukio-kun, maybe—just maybe—he really could do it.
Horikita was starting to panic.
After getting burned by Yukio so many times, she finally had a chance to cooperate—finally a chance to enjoy the bliss of grabbing the big strong leg and getting carried for once.
And now he wasn't letting anyone cling to him?
No, she had to push back.
So Horikita switched tactics.
"But if you do that, the other three classes might unite and do everything they can to sabotage your attempt to place top three."
"That wouldn't be good for your class either, would it? But if we all work together sincerely, there's no problem at all."
Yukio couldn't help it—he laughed under his breath.
What was this? Horikita was really something else. He'd seen people threaten others into doing things… but this was the first time he'd ever seen someone threaten him into cooperating.
"Ah…?" Ichinose—completely unintentionally—stabbed Horikita in the back.
"W-We'd… sabotage Yukio-kun?" she said, wide-eyed. "No, that's not right, is it? Even if it's a competitive exam, it should be fair and honorable… doing something like deliberately obstructing someone…"
Matsushita, who'd stayed silent up to now, suddenly had her shoulders tremble for no apparent reason.
She could smell it.
That familiar scent of betrayal.
Backstabs really were impossible to defend against.
Horikita's face stiffened. She never expected her potential ally to dismantle her argument first.
But honestly, it was very Ichinose.
Horikita could only force out a messy explanation.
"That was just an example. It doesn't mean we have to obstruct you."
"…Is that so?" Ichinose still looked doubtful, like she couldn't quite believe it. The expression alone was enough to make Horikita feel defeated.
Sakayanagi saw the writing on the wall.
If they wanted Yukio to cooperate, it simply wasn't happening.
She tapped her cane lightly on the stair and said, calm as ever:
"Then it seems this special exam will come down to everyone relying on their own abilities."