Chapter 29: The Sitting of Midterms.
Hikigaya's Route to Senior High Is Not Normal, As I Expected
"I have my own high standards for what I want in a partner and how I want to be treated. I bring a lot to the table. I'm not talking about material things but what I have to offer as a person - love and loyalty and all the things that make a good relationship." – Jennifer Lopez
…
Hachiman's POV
…
Thursday. Of the second week of May.
Tomorrow was Friday, when the midterms would be upon them all. Class had ended for Thursday, and Hachiman had managed to do quite a bit regarding for Sudou, Ike, and Yamauchi. They had been progressing rather smoothly, especially when Hachiman finally put them to the test about the hardest potential questions, they worked through it relatively fine.
Sure, there were some issues, but it took some time and motivation, and even Sudou was able to acknowledge and understand it.
Ironically, he was a bit smarter than Ike and Yamauchi.
If anything, Sudou was the smarter of the two now, followed by Ike, and then Yamauchi.
However, even then, they seemed guaranteed not to fail at least, which should be fine. As for whether Sudou can somehow make the extra deal of scoring 75 in two subjects, Hachiman was unsure about that.
In the meantime, Hachiman looked on, about to leave, especially since Chabashira had ended the class. Instead, before Hachiman could even leave, Kikyou had already gotten up, almost leaping and heading to the front of the desk to relay whatever message she had.
"Everyone! Before you return to your dorms, would you mind listening to me for a moment?" Kikyou started, clearly bringing everyone's attention towards her.
Everyone from the boys of Sudou, Ike, and Yamauchi, to the girls of Satsuki, Kei, and Maya all looked on in confusion as Kikyou seemed to be doing something completely unorthodox, and new to the table.
"I know we've all been studying a lot in preparation for the test tomorrow. Therefore, I've managed to get something of help, something that will make it a bit easier for us to do well on the midterms. I'm going to hand out some papers." Kikyou explained as she began to distribute the question-and-answer sheets to the student in the first row.
"Are these test questions? Did you make these, Kushida?" Suzune was visibly surprised by this turn of events as she stared, as if trying to quickly see if the answers and questions, the bridge between the two connected foundationally.
Her surprise was evident she this was the first time she had publicly acknowledged Kikyou as well.
"Well, actually… these are old test problems. I got them from a third-year student lastnight." Kikyou explained, scratching her head nervously before she went in a sparkling smile.
For Hachiman, he felt something strange by that reaction Kikyou had.
She was lying.
The way she scratched her head and then smiled; it was almost like she was gearing herself up for it to be smooth.
The transition that is.
Simply put, in the moment, the transition would be abrupt, and then start up. The shock would freeze before consciousness brings it back.
The way Kikyou had transitioned from scratching her head to smiling was way too smooth for it to be in the moment.
That meant she had planned for such a reaction.
Whether that was because she had gotten them before today, or that someone was working behind the scenes, Hachiman was unsure.
But simply put, Kikyou's reaction was not something that is to be expected of such a reaction for revealing everything.
"These are old test problems. Wait, will these problems be in the test tomorrow?" Someone asked Kikyou.
"Yes. To be honest, I heard that the midterm test from the year before had almost the exact same problems as this one. So, if we study what's on this test, it will likely come in handy." Kikyou explained.
Hachiman looked at the paper and test with a bit of curiosity.
To tell the truth, the questions seemed to be on par with that of the mock test. There were easy questions, and even some hard questions. But the harder ones were harder than even those on the mock test.
But even then, if this was from last year, the student was in 2nd year…
Regardless, if what is held true, then it may be easier than Hachiman anticipated.
However, as crucial as this was, Hachiman didn't see anything that would change.
For one, Hachiman had helped Sudou, Ike, and Yamauchi with developing the skills needed to connect it all.
One thing studying did, that being handed the paper, was a critical analysis on bridging the concept of the question into fruition.
If anything, all these papers did was confirm that their fruition was correct. This confirmed that what they've been studying was indeed right.
Even if it wasn't, they all would've had the capabilities to distinguish and analyze everything.
In short, Hachiman could see that perhaps it could act as even more of a soft launch for the boys, ensuring none of them would fail.
As for the girls, like Satsuki, Maya, and Kei, this was likely a lifesaver for them. They had been struggling with Suzune's teaching and the lack of notes, as they had relied too much on it.
These papers would give them the opportunity to quickly connect it all and hopefully pass.
But for Hachiman, this wasn't good, as he needed the girls to score low. He wanted them to score below the so-called Idiot Trio.
Having the girls score lower on such a crucial test to the notorious Idiot Trio, which was causing problems, would be a public embarrassment for them.
Perhaps Yousuke would even break up with Kei for such an embarrassment.
Likely not, Yousuke was oddly not seeming to be the type to do such a thing. Regardless, Hachiman although wanted to worry about the paper, decided that the boys ultimately had the better advantage.
Sure, they were idiots, but Hachiman had hope that they could be of use to him. At least hoping hey could play the part and be able to score higher than the girls.
He needed them to be a significant cause of the girls' embarrassment.
Sure, it was incredibly picky, but Hachiman had learned and been freed, and now would never let himself be the subject of being used again.
Therefore, he had to command respect and ensure nobody really could make fun of him. He had to be respected, and acknowledged, and to be left alone.
"Whoa! Seriously?! Thank you Kushida!" Ike was the first to express his thankfulness as he seemed to be very relieved.
Even if he was doing better, the easier option would always be preferred.
It made sense in the grand scheme of living beings. Even Hachiman would look at the paper and use it to better his understanding.
He wasn't going to critique anyone for doing that. He would as well in such a situation.
After all, it wasn't cheating nor against the school rules placed on it, just like how Hachiman found it wasn't against the school rules to get a part time job at the library.
Sure, he bribed Nao, but that was beyond the point. The school should've had a rule saying no bribing was allowed, and then Hachiman would have had to do something different.
"What the hell! If we had these, then wasn't it entirely pointless to study so hard?!" Yamuachi cried in a funny way.
Hachiman looked at him deadpanning, at this point seeing him as the stupidest person so far. "Do you seriously thing this school would use the exact same problems?" Hachiman asked Yamauchi in his mind.
At least he wanted to ask him in front of everyone, embarrassing him in the process.
Regardless, Hachiman just remained silent, as even Sudou expressed his gratitude in being given such a heaven-sent method of passing the midterm exams.
"Let's keep this secret from the rest of the class. Make sure you all do your best and and aim high for this test tomorrow!"
Hachiman looked on, as Kikyou tried to hand the papers to another individual, specifically Rokusuke, who seemed to be denying the paper outright.
"I appreciate your prize of support and gratitude; however, I can reassure you that my scores regardless of this possession will remain content to the class standards." Rokusuke explained clearly waving the paper away.
"Are you sure you don't want the previous midterm paper as a steppingstone or anything with assistance?" Kikyou asked once again, clearly not wanting anyone in the class to fail.
For Hachiman, he somewhat felt bad, but he did what he did, and now he had to see if the girls would pull themselves out their dip.
He had already indirectly sabotaged the girls' progress, and even if these papers could help them, the stress they accumulated and study time they lost would be futile, and by comparison, he had assisted the boys however he needed for them to do alright.
In the end, it was up to them all now. If Hachiman played his cards right, he would have the outcome he wanted.
Especially with what he had in store for Sae.
Recording her drunk best friend point blank telling him that Sae didn't see any purpose in informing her students about the change in the midterm content was sure to cause some eyebrows to be turned.
Even if the school, didn't believe in equality, there likely was a rule in something every teacher had to inform students. Heck, Chie admitted that every teacher would inform their students about the midterm content.
If Sae was not interested in the concept of equality, which was likely true, she would care for how the class thought of her.
Even then, she wouldn't appreciate that her friend and fellow teacher, Chie would be dragged into it. Perhaps he could also use the blackmail of Chie being drunk and an alcoholic to his advantage if needed.
Simply put, there was a lot of dimensions for Hachiman to leverage against Sae.
Sure, blackmail was not nice, but for this circumstance and the concept of revenge, Hachiman needed to get his point across.
He would not let himself be pushed around and used by others. Not anymore.
Not again.
He wouldn't allow himself to be in demand of a higher up. He needed to command respect and make people who crossed him regret their actions.
While again, it was rude, but here, he needed respect. Respect that he will do things his own way, and that people must respect him for it.
They will not understand why he does what he does, because Hachiman is a monster of logic.
Even then, a part of him was glad that he didn't have to study with Shiina today, as he would be holding her away from the sample midterms, he had gotten from Kikyou.
He nodded, affirming a thank you before he left.
Although he did hear Suzune genuinely praising Kikyou, which surprised Hachiman as much as it did for Kikyou.
Regardless, he left.
Not much really occurred during the remainder of the day. Hachiman would look at the midterm papers as he worked inside the library, nothing major.
You would think that because it was the day before, people would swarm the library due to the culminating stress of the midterms.
But that seemed to not be the case. Instead, it seems that people instead used the final day to study in their dorms. Instead of the library being as packed as he expected, it was somewhat quieter.
But even then, that was mainly because the outside of school was quiet. Everyone was likely in their dorms studying or cramming.
It made sense, but to Hachiman he was a bit surprised.
Even Shiina seemed to have gone to her dorm earlier than usual. She had texted him that she wanted to focus on some final stuff for the midterms, and thus would be in her dorm.
Of course, she wished Hachiman good luck, and Hachiman responded kindly.
He would focus on his work before he would head out.
Once he was about to head out, he didn't see anyone. So much so he thought it was a ghost town, as even some store employers shut down their shops early for the day.
As Hachiman went back to his dorm, he looked back at the sample midterm one last time before he went to sleep early.
He was not worried whatsoever about the midterms. He studied diligently and was able to do well, even on the math section, always his weak part.
By the time the next day occurred, everyone had shown up at the exact right time. Everyone was on time, or even earlier than before.
Sae turned the door and even looked mildly surprised, holding a bold smile as she spoke. "Surprising. Everyone is present. No absences. That, however, is the first hurdle for you leftovers. Are there any other questions?" Sae asked curiously.
Hachiman watched as Yousuke, being the leader of the class, unofficially, spoke with confidence to Sae, employing that the class would succeed.
"If anyone stumbles here, the other tests will be an uphill battle to be honest. You'll take this midterm and the final exam in July. If nobody fails either test, you'll be rewarded with a vacation during you summer break." Sae revealed.
Hachiman looked confused. "A summer vacation? But why would you tell us this right now?" Hachiman asked. "Couldn't you have revealed it afterwards?"
Hachiman regardless didn't pay much attention. He had done what he did, and aside from perhaps a little more blackmailing he could do, he was done until the next major assessment would occur.
Once everyone had their test papers, the teacher signaled for everyone to begin. Immediately, Hachiman began to look at the questions critically. With everything that he had thought, he felt Sudou, Ike, and Yamauchi would perform fine.
To the surprise, the questions were the same as the old, with minimal difference.
Not many students looked worried or flustered, but it seemed fine. Hachiman could handle it relatively fine. He was fine with this. Civics was just fine. He felt he did well in civics.
Then came Japanese.
Hachiman could easily do Japanese well. He was fine with such a subject and was one of his strongest suits.
When it came to Chemistry, Hachiman was a bit concerned.
Third period was Chemistry, and then fourth was Mathematics.
He did not like either of those subjects, and they were also his worst performing ones.
Especially math.
So, to have both at the same time, he felt even.
He felt he would do amazing in the first two, Civics and Japanese, but Chemistry and Mathematics would be poorer by comparison.
Regardless, when it came, he found that the Chemistry section wasn't terrible, but he felt conflicted on the mathematics.
Still, it's not like he would do poorly, just lower by his comparisons.
By the time it was finished, the final period came, which was English.
For the most part, many people seemed fine. Sudou looked a bit nervous, but considering Hachiman was able to help the boys with English, something he himself was strong in, he felt he would be fine.
Instead, it was the three girls, Satsuki, Maya, and Kei who were all struggling a bit, their faces clearly a bit strained due to the stress that they had undergone. For Hachiman, he didn't care regarding how the girls acted nor performed.
He just needed it all to go according to plan.
Even though Hachian himself would do well in English, he had no problem with it. Sudou had a bit of problem historically with English; however, Hachiman had managed to help him understand it better. Ike and Yamauchi too were fine, and thus Hachiman felt he had nothing to worry about.
Simply put, Hachiman eventually placed himself read for the English section.
Besides the three girls, Satsuki, Maya, and Kei, everyone seemed to be rather capable and fine for the meantime of this section. This means that the class besides potentially the girls would be fine.
Even then, if they failed, Hachiman had a plan to reassure them it wouldn't happen. However, scoring lower than the historically dumb boys like Sudou would hurt their reputation. Then they'd see what it's like being seen as nothing of worth in the eyes of the other class.
Ultimately, it was for their own good. Seeing the ugly side of the world would open their eyes and preferably change the kinds of people they may be.
Who knows? Hachiman wasn't hoping for a miracle. Just something to keep those girls who hated him down and not a threat.
For Hachiman wanted to reassure his own security. Sure, he didn't care for what the class thought of him, but he did care for his private points.
And so, the future of the girls remained destined on their own capabilities, unless Hachiman did something.
In the end, the midterms were finally finished.
It was done. Hachiman was mentally tired, but still had library work to do, and thus he would have to go for his job.
Alas, Hachiman ironically got a call from Nao about the whole ordeal of work today specifically.
Apparently since midterms were over, not one student was going to study immediately, and instead head out, either to their dorm to rest, or to the mall to enjoy their day, free from the stress of the midterms.
Ultimately, Hachiman remained vehement that he would remain in the library.
As much as Nao denied, Hachiman insisted that he will continue to work. Sure enough, Hachiman was fine with the circumstances, and decided he would enjoy the alone time he would get.
Especially since Hachiman insisted he could keep the library in his own grasps.
Nao looked confused, but Hachiman was a trustworthy and efficient individual, and so she trusted him.
That meant Hachiman had an entire Friday to himself, in a quiet library full of books he could read.
In short, Hachiman felt euphoric after the midterms.
Alas, he knew that the weekend, Manabu would be demanding him to spar with him after the deal, and Hachiman would oblige. Just because Manabu had offered even more private points as a result.
Hachiman saw it as a win.
All the while Hachiman continued to read his book, he failed to hear somebody plop down next to him.
Hiyori Shiina, with a book, as she smiled and got closer to him, a book in hand.
"Hey Hikigaya, did you remember we have to finish this book together?" Shiina asked curiously, and Hachiman, having remembered now, nodded.
Okay, maybe he wasn't alone for Friday, but Shiina was fine. He was tolerable and fine with Shiina because she amplified his interest and calm environment perception.
…
A.N / So the midterms themselves are done, but the results will be revealed in the next chapter obviously. For the time, Hachiman and the rest are enjoying their time of freedom. Hachiman and Shiina are both reading a book together for Friday, and Saturday after work, Hachiman will spar with Manabu. I'll likely skip the spar, but instead create a reflection for Manabu teasing some as I don't want to make a fighting scene yet. Ultimately, the next major even is the revelation of the scores for the midterm.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone