An hour later, Kanda Shuichi had a general idea of their progress.
Without considering mistakes, if both of them answered everything correctly, Horikita would score 62 points, while Kushida would score 42.
After exchanging glances, both of them looked like they were questioning their entire existence.
"If you give this test to Class C, I bet a lot of students would end up dropping out."
Horikita was confident in her math skills, but after working on the test for a while, even she started to feel overwhelmed.
If she was struggling, then what about the average student in Class C?
Thinking about this, Horikita couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. She only wanted to defeat Ryuen, but if this caused a mass dropout in Class C, that would be too cruel.
At the same time, she looked at Kanda Shuichi with a bit of fear in her eyes.
This man was terrifying—he actually came up with a way to torture people like this.
"Relax, I don't plan on making a bunch of them drop out," Kanda Shuichi said as he collected the test papers. "Don't forget, there's still a traitor in their class."
Hearing this, Kushida, who had been keeping her head down, suddenly let out a cold laugh.
"Hmph, speaking of that… Horikita, didn't you think I was the traitor?"
Kushida's words made Horikita turn to look at Kanda Shuichi.
"I was the one who told her. Actually, when you were talking back then, my phone was already on a call with Kushida."
Kanda Shuichi was unhappy about this matter, so he had no reason to hide anything.
"Since that's the case, Kushida, you should know that I don't actually know anything about your past, right? Or do you think I'm working with Kanda to trick you?"
"Hah? Even though Shuichi wouldn't team up with you to fool me, there's no guarantee that everything you said that day was true, is there?"
Clearly, while Kushida was willing to trust Kanda Shuichi, she had no intention of trusting Horikita.
"You're right. And because I can't prove I'm not lying, you can't stand having me around. That's why you want to take me down and force me out of school."
"Exactly. So, can you drop out? It would be better for everyone."
Just like that, the two of them started arguing again as if no one else was around.
"Are you two just going to keep fighting forever? At this point, neither of you actually wants to drop out, right?"
Kanda Shuichi's words made them both fall silent. After a moment, Horikita was the first to speak, as if she'd figured something out.
"Kushida, let's make a bet. We'll settle this with a wager."
"Oh? And how do you plan to do that?" Kushida asked with interest. "Don't tell me it's going to be based on test scores or something. I can't beat you at that."
Her words made Horikita pause because that was exactly what she had in mind.
"Then how about this? Out of these eight subjects, you can pick any one. If your score is higher than mine, you win."
Even after hearing this, Kushida was still hesitant. Her best subject was math, but those two hours of hell earlier had already shown her that even in her strongest area, she couldn't beat Horikita.
"How about this? First, tell me what you're betting. Then I'll choose a fair competition for you. What do you think?"
Kanda Shuichi's proposal was reasonable, and both of them agreed. After all, if the competition was obviously unfair, they could always refuse.
"I want Horikita to drop out!"
"I want Kushida to stop betraying the class, to work hard so we can reach Class A, and to give up on forcing me to leave. Of course, I also promise not to reveal anything about her past. If I break that promise, I'll willingly drop out myself."
Stop betraying the class? So, you still see Kushida as a traitor.
But Kushida only had one response: "Horikita, you've really thought this through, huh? Came prepared, did you?"
Well, even if you did come prepared…
"The stakes aren't equal. Compared to Horikita's conditions, Kikyo, your demand is much bigger. That's why my earlier proposal was reasonable."
What? But I obviously can't win with that! Whose side is Shuichi on, anyway?
Seeing Kushida's expression, Kanda Shuichi coughed lightly.
"If the stakes aren't balanced, then the one asking for more has to make some concessions. Otherwise, why would Horikita even agree to bet with you?"
"Horikita is willing to risk dropping out because she will only accept a challenge she knows she can win. If you want things to be fair, your bet has to be just as serious. At the very least, you should put your own enrollment on the line too."
Kanda Shuichi's reasoning was fair and logical, leaving Kushida with no room to argue.
But she had no intention of dropping out, so she couldn't gamble on that.
Her only choice was to lower her bet.
So, she turned to Kanda Shuichi for help.
Hah, you were acting all high and mighty just a moment ago, and now you need my help?
But then again, Horikita's temper has calmed down quite a bit lately. Just now, Kushida insulted her to her face, and she didn't even react.
In truth, Horikita had wanted to lash out at Kushida at first. But for some reason, when she remembered that Kanda Shuichi was watching, she held herself back.
Looking at it now, that restraint had paid off. At the very least, Kanda Shuichi hadn't openly taken Kushida's side, which reassured her a little.
But now, faced with Kushida's request, what would he do?
Horikita started feeling uneasy again. Was he going to be an enemy?
As Kushida shifted her gaze to Kanda Shuichi, it was no longer just about the bet itself—even the stakes were about to be decided by Kanda Shuichi.
Japan values strength, so among the three of them, who was the strongest?
Naturally, it was Kanda Shuichi. Not only did he think so, but even Horikita and Kushida had no objections.
Of course, Horikita figured that in terms of raw strength, he might be able to beat Kanda Shuichi, but that wasn't the point right now.
So if there was ever a deadlock in their discussion, Kanda Shuichi's opinion would be the deciding factor.
And of course, this was partly because Kanda Shuichi had subtly guided things in that direction.
"For the bet to be fair, the stakes also have to be balanced. But Kikyo, you don't want to risk expulsion, while you want Horikita to be expelled. That naturally puts you at a disadvantage in this deal. If you can't accept that, then Horikita won't agree to the bet at all."
Hearing Kanda Shuichi's words, Kushida reluctantly nodded. "That's why I want you to come up with something where I still have a chance to win, even if I'm at a disadvantage, and Horikita can also accept it."
"Horikita isn't an idiot. Do you really think that's possible?" Kanda Shuichi was speechless.
Not just Kanda Shuichi—even Horikita sighed. Why am I even wasting time arguing with Kushida over this?
"If we can't change the bet itself, then we'll have to adjust the stakes. And since Kikyo clearly refuses to risk expulsion, the only option is to lower Horikita's side of the bet."
As he spoke, Kanda Shuichi turned to Horikita.
Noticing his gaze, Horikita took a deep breath, then looked seriously at Kushida Kikyo.
"As long as Kushida agrees to stop betraying Class D and works to help us move up, I'm willing to accept any conditions."
"Even if it means kneeling?"
Kushida desperately wanted to force Horikita out, but it was clear that Kanda Shuichi wasn't on board with that plan. Otherwise, he wouldn't be handling things this way, pretending to be fair.
At that moment, Kushida recalled something Kanda Shuichi had said to her before. *I'm not actually afraid of Horikita exposing my past—I'm just jealous of her.*
If that was the case, then all she needed was to make Horikita kneel before her and swear never to reveal her past!
Kushida's words made Horikita pause for a moment before she immediately agreed.
"If Kushida agrees to my condition and then wins the bet, I will kneel before her. And I promise that no matter the outcome, I will never reveal Kushida's past."
"In that case, I'll make my own promise in front of Shuichi. If you win, I won't make trouble for you anymore, I'll help Class D advance to Class A, and I won't betray the class.
But if I win, you have to kneel and apologize for telling Ayanokouji things you shouldn't have. Also, you must make sure Ayanokouji never reveals anything about me. If he does, then you have to leave the school!"
Well, this wasn't much different from what I originally wanted. I just threw in a promise to stop bothering her.
As for Ayanokouji, I'll deal with him later. Shuichi won't abandon me, right?
Kanda Shuichi glanced at Kushida in surprise. Had she really changed?
Just a moment ago, she was ready to go all out against Horikita, yet now she was backing off this easily?
But Kanda Shuichi was happy with this outcome. Now, all he needed to do was suggest a reasonable bet and ensure Kushida won.
Otherwise, if she didn't get this frustration out of her system, who knew what stupid things she might do?
"Since both sides have agreed on the stakes, let's come up with a suitable bet."
As Kanda Shuichi spoke, both Horikita and Kushida nodded and turned their attention to him.
"In terms of studying or sports, Kikyo obviously can't beat Horikita. But when it comes to social skills, Horikita has no chance of winning. So…"
"A luck-based challenge?"
"I refuse!"
Horikita's sudden suggestion was immediately shot down by Kushida.
"Can you at least let me finish?"
It felt like as soon as this bet was made, both of them started acting weird.
Kikyo, do you really think you've already won? And you, Horikita—are you so used to kneeling now that it doesn't even matter anymore?
You're really calling this a game of luck?
"How about a memory challenge instead?"
As soon as this idea was suggested, both of them felt like it was a fair game. Memory had nothing to do with learning ability, and both of them were confident in their chances of winning.
"I'm in!"
"Me too!"
They both agreed to the bet at the same time, locking eyes with such intensity that sparks could almost fly.
Horikita, I get that you want to win, but I'll say it now—Kushida Kikyo is definitely taking this one.
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