Chapter 5 part I

The morning light bled lazily into the classroom, warmth dancing along the floors and desks. The usual chatter filled the air—small talk, lazy yawns, and the rustling of notebooks.

Then the door slid open.

Hoshinomiya-sensei stepped in, but something was off.

Her usual carefree demeanor, the one always accompanied by a cheery grin and a sing-song voice, was nowhere to be found. Instead, her expression was unreadable—subdued and faintly cold. The hum of the class lowered instantly, instincts kicking in as the students exchanged confused glances.

Ryota didn't react outwardly, but his eyes were fixed on her with focus. He could feel it—the air shifted.

"Since today marks the end of the month…" she began, her voice calm but flat, "you'll all be taking a test."

A ripple of surprise passed through the room.

"Ehhh?! A test?!" Amikura's voice rang out on cue, the unspoken voice of the class' collective dismay.

Hoshinomiya raised a finger as if expecting it.

"Relax, relax! It won't affect your report cards. This test is purely for future reference. Think of it as a… performance snapshot."

That didn't calm everyone, but it stilled the panic.

Sheets began to circulate across the rows, one by one. When Ryota received his, he immediately scanned the paper.

Twenty questions. Divided evenly across five categories: Mathematics, Language (Japanese), Science, History, and English.

Four questions per section. Five points each. One hundred points total.

As his eyes moved downward, his thoughts sharpened.

Standard questions—entry-level at best. The first seventeen questions aren't even challenging. Easier than the entrance exam. But…

His eyes stopped on the final three.

The last question in math stood out—dense, abstract, the kind of formula that tested not just memorization, but flexibility in mathematical reasoning. Something only someone with a higher level of abstract logic could solve within the time frame.

This isn't random.

He leaned back slightly.

If this is just "for future reference," then it's not about knowledge. It's about ability. We're being sorted.

As if confirming his thoughts, Hoshinomiya added with a casual grin that didn't reach her eyes:

"Oh, and I forgot to mention. Cheating is absolutely prohibited. And yes… I'll be watching."

Her gaze swept across the room, pausing just a second longer on Ryota's row.

Then, silence.

The test began.

Ryota's pencil began moving, precise and fluid. Questions blurred as he tore through them—every answer written with clarity, no second-guessing. His mind moved faster than his hand, and in less than fifteen minutes, only the final three questions remained.

He cracked the language section first—his knowledge clearly helping him out in the questions.

Science was direct.

Then math.

His eyes danced over the equation, thoughts unraveling and reweaving in real time. The formula was elegant in its difficulty—complex but solvable with the right lens.

He didn't smile.

But he appreciated it.

Another five minutes passed.

Ryota stood, walked forward, and placed the test sheet on Hoshinomiya's desk. She blinked once, lips twitching upward as she glanced at the clock—barely twenty minutes had passed.

"Finished already, Seki-kun?" she asked, mildly amused.

"It was straightforward," he replied calmly, then returned to his seat.

Behind him, some students looked on with awe, others with unease.

To Ryota, the test was nothing more than confirmation—this school was always watching. Always evaluating.