Almost all of the students took the same amount of time they were given to rest as before, but this time they really needed to rest and cool off from the tension of the previous video.

Starting from Sudou and Horikita's fight, Horikita's words that really offended them, the controversy between Ayanokouji and Horikita Manabu, and the biggest surprise with the revelation of the other side of Kushida Kikyou.

After seeing the series of tense events it was certain they needed some time to calm their minds.

"Haaaaah..."

A long sigh escaped Shinohara's mouth. She was one of those who desperately needed time to rest after the previous video.

How come? One of the people she admires and respects, turns out to have a hidden trait that is cold and cruel. That fact shocked her and it took her a long time to calm herself down. Even now the effects still remain.

"Shinohara-san? Are you alright?" asked a worried Satou, she could also see Matsushita looking at her.

Shinohara stared at the two worried friends silently, thinking she was already familiar with this sight. Shinohara's mind was filled with sad questions when she saw her friends.

How many times has this happened? How many times had she made her friends worry about her own discomfort?

Such a question popped up in Shinohara's mind, she regretted herself for being so easily swayed by the things she watched and consequently worried her friends.

"Sorry, I made you two worry again," Shinohara said with a sad smile.

"You're still thinking about Kushida-san's secret just now, right?" asked Matsushita. She had been observing Shinohara from earlier, so she was quite familiar with the reason.

"Yes. How should I put it, I admire Kushida-san. How she is always cheerful and full of smiles, always helps our classmates selflessly, and always tries for our class to always be united. I've even seen the lecherous boys stare at her that disgusts me, but Kushida-san is still friendly to them. I think of her as the perfect girl."

Shinohara paused for breath before continuing.

"But now I find out that she also has a secret that surprises me, another side of her that is the complete opposite of her that I know. I never expected that she would use such harsh words and vicious expressions. My fantasy of the perfect girl was instantly shattered."

Shinohara ended her words with another sigh, she leaned back against the chair to release her tension.

Satou and Matsushita could only stare at their friend with concerned looks. They can feel what Shinohara is feeling, knowing that the person you admire is not what you imagined will definitely disappoint you.

Satou herself was also very surprised at first when she learned about Kushida's true personality and the secret she kept, she was too shocked to make any reaction. But after hearing Ayanokouji's words and seeing Kushida's cries, she was able to accept her as she was.

"Kikyou-chan... actually is a nice person, it's just that she's misguided," said Satou softly.

"What do you mean?" Matsushita asked curiously, Shinohara also looked confused.

"She has a desire to be noticed by others. At first it was just a simple desire that the people near her paid attention to her, but that desire gradually became so big that in the end it ate Kikyou-chan itself. A desire that turned into an extreme obsession, and that continued until she entered this school."

"I see, her desire now is to get the attention of all the students from this school," concluded Matsushita.

"Her words at the beginning of the class introduction... made friends with everyone..." Shinohara muttered, Satou nodded understanding what Shinohara meant.

"But such a goal is certainly not as easy as imagined. There are some people who have personalities that are difficult to approach," said Matsushita.

"Like Horikita-san, huh," said Shinohara.

"There are difficult times when she wants to achieve those goals, and when things don't go according to plan, she takes out her frustrations in a quiet place like we saw on the screen earlier," said Satou.

"...I see," said Shinohara weakly with a complicated expression.

Satou looked at Shinohara, she could still feel the conflict inside Shinohara. It seems Shinohara's disappointment had run deep, Satou couldn't imagine what would happen if Kushida's deepest secret was discovered.

"Shinohara-san," Satou said softly, Shinohara turned to Satou, "I know you are uncomfortable with the truth about Kikyou-chan, but please remember one thing."

Satou looked straight into Shinohara's eyes with conviction.

"Indeed, what Kikyou-chan has been doing all this time is just to get other people's attention, so that other people will notice and admire her, because that's her hidden desire. But the fact that she did help other people is a real thing."

Shinohara's eyes widened at that, Satou continued her words.

"She has helped us a lot, she often listens to our complaints and gives encouragement, she also helps us study and improve our grades, and many other things. Please don't forget about that."

Shinohara looked down and thought about Satou's words, but Satou still hadn't finished, there was still one thing she had to tell her.

"But you don't have to worry about Kikyou-chan pretending anymore, she won't do that anymore." Satou said, Shinohara looked up and looked at Satou in confusion.

"What do you mean?" asked Matsushita.

"You two saw her reaction when Kiyotaka-kun accidentally discovered her secret, right?"

"Yes, she without hesitation threatened Ayanokouji-kun so he wouldn't reveal her secret," Matsushita replied.

"Now then, why isn't Kikyou-chan reacting like that now? Why did she even admit what she did and act calm?" Satou asked.

Shinohara and Matsushita looked at each other, on second thought Satou's words made sense to them. Why did the past and present Kushida have such different reactions?

"Because she was outnumbered?" Shinohara asked a little doubtful, meanwhile Matsushita contemplated thinking about the answer.

Satou shook her head "That's a reasonable answer, but no, Kikyou-chan won't budge just because of that."

"Even she still has a weapon that can mess everyone in this room," thought Satou.

Then Matsushita who had been thinking from earlier raised her head as if she had discovered something.

"So that's it, I see. Kushida-san has abandoned that desire," said Matsushita, Satou nodded.

"That's right, Kiyotaka-kun and Suzune-san persuaded Kikyou-chan to abandon her desire and the three of them finally reconciled," Satou said with a smile, then she turned to Shinohara, "So when we talk to Kikyou-chan in the future, then we will talk to her real self, not pretend anymore."

"I see," said Shinohara leaning back in her chair, then she gave a small smile, "It's as you said, Satou-san. What Kushida-san does for everyone is real, and I'm thankful for that because she helps me a lot too."

Satou was happy to hear that and smiled because Shinohara was able to clear away her doubts about Kushida, but she was still worried about Kushida's dark secret being kept, maybe she could consult Ayanokouji later.

"I must say, Satou-san. You have changed," said Matsushita suddenly.

"Eh?"

"Matsushita-san was right, you look wiser now," said Shinohara.

"W-Wise?" said Satou in shock, she then asked shyly, "I-If I may ask, what do you think the previous me was like?"

"Plain."

"Innocent."

"Easily affected by the atmosphere."

"Loves spending money."

"Stu-"

"Okay, enough!"

Satou immediately stops her two friends when all they say is gloom about her. She then took a deep breath while leaning back in the chair.

"You two might be right about that change," said Satou, "Ever since I came out of that meeting room, somehow I see the world with a different perspective."

Shinohara and Matsushita looked at each other before looking back at Satou.

"Okay, now I'm really curious about what happened in that meeting room, I feel like you guys are doing more than just talking," said Shinohara curiously, Matsushita also looked at Satou with the same expression.

"I could tell you guys, but it's going to be a long talk. With this short break, there's no way I can tell everything," said Satou.

"Then how about after this session, I'm sure Eve will give us a long rest after we finish this session," said Matsushita proposing.

"I think that makes sense," said Shinohara.

"It's decided then." Satou said with a nod.

After that they just had an unimportant conversation while waiting for the five minute break to end.

= = =

Meanwhile at Ayanokouji's group line up, they were talking to each other discussing various things, until a voice reached their ears.

"Ayanokouji!"

Ayanokouji turned to the source of the voice and saw Ike walking closer to his seat.

"What is it?" Ayanokouji asked confused, not understanding Ike's purpose for calling him.

Ike stopped at Ayanokouji's seat and then gave a deep bow, startling the people around him.

"Thank you very much for helping me," said Ike who bowed sincerely.

Ayanokouji was silent for a moment before he understood what Ike meant.

"I also want to thank you, Kiyotaka," said Sudou who also lowered his head.

"You don't have to thank me, you know. You've seen for yourself that I didn't do it all for you," said Ayanokouji.

"Well... even if you say that, I still feel awkward due to the fact that I still got saved," said Ike scratching his head.

"That's right," said Sudou nodding.

Seeing that they had no intention of backing down, Ayanokouji had no other choice but to accept their gratitude.

"Okay, if you insist," Ayanokouji said, giving in.

"Thank you very much," Ike and Sudou said in unison. After that Ike returned to his seat, but before turning back he looked at Kushida and nodded slowly in greeting.

Ayanokouji and Kushida stared at Ike who was walking towards his seat, after which Kushida brought her head closer to whisper.

"What do you think?" whispered Kushida to Ayanokouji.

"You mean Ike's condition? Well, there's no need to worry about that, I'm sure he'll recover sooner or later. After all, he's not focusing 100% on you right now," said Ayanokouji.

"So you know about Ike-kun and Shinohara-san," said Kushida in amazement.

"Seeing their behavior when they were alone let me know about it."

"I see. Ha ha, I didn't expect them to like each other, do you think their relationship will work out?"

"Well, as long as they continue to deny each other's feelings, I don't think that they will ever be able to date," said Ayanokouji.

"I see. I hope that one day they can express their feelings," said Kushida, Ayanokouji nodded in agreement.

Soon the five minute break ended and everyone turned their attention back to the screen.

The Failures Mobilize Once Again

"Looks like we'll see their efforts to revive once again," said Ichinose.

"I guess so, as I recall Class D didn't have any students drop out as a result of that exam, right? That means Sudou-kun and the others managed to survive," said Amikura curiously.

"I wonder how Horikita persuaded them? She and Sudou are complete opposites on screen," Shibata said wonderingly.

"That's probably what the screen will show this time, let's keep watching," said Kanzaki.

A month and a half had already gone by since I started high school. For the most part, my days had passed without incident.

"Hey, can you hear me? Is your head okay?"

Horikita rudely smacked my forehead, then touched a hand to her own head.

"You don't seem to have a fever," she said.

"Of course I don't! I was just lost in thought, that's all." I let out a deep sigh, already regretting that I'd told Horikita I'd help her.

"Well, it's too late for that, isn't it?" said Hashimoto, crossing his legs.

"Yeah, Horikita definitely won't take that well," said Kitou.

I suppose there was no use crying over spilled milk. I'd offered to help as a means of encouragement, but, thinking back, it really struck me as being out of character.

"So, my honorable tactician. What should I do, hmm?" I asked.

Several people laughed at Ayanokouji's words.

"Let's see. Obviously, we'll need to persuade Sudou-kun and the others to participate once again. That means you'll need to grovel and beg for them to return."

"Huh!? Why didn't she do it herself? She's the reason why the group split up," said Ishizaki in disbelief.

"Hmph, with that high of an ego do you think she would ever humble herself and beg others?" Ibuki asked with a snort.

"I don't think so," Ishizaki replied, feeling apologetic for asking such a pointless question.

"Why should I have to do that? You're the reason the group split in the first place."

"The reason we split was because they couldn't take studying seriously. Don't get that twisted."

Jeez. Did she even intend to help Sudou and the others?

"We'll never get them back without Kushida's help. You understand that, right?"

"I understand. Sacrifices are inevitable," she grumbled.

"She seems to be making some progress," Kamuro said.

"Fu fu, I wouldn't call progress if all she was doing was walking in place and waiting for someone to push her forward," said Sakayanagi unimpressed.

She appeared to hate the idea of Kushida's involvement. Still, she agreed despite her dissatisfaction. This was a major compromise for Horikita, who didn't want Kushida getting close to her at all.

"Okay. Can you get Kushida-san to help us immediately?" she asked.

"Me?"

"Of course. We made a deal. You agreed to be my workhorse until we reach Class A, so you have to do as I command."

Everyone tilted their heads in confusion, they didn't remember seeing Ayanokouji agreeing to such a deal.

I didn't remember making that kind of deal.

"So it's a one-sided deal then," said Onodera.

"I guess so, we all know how selfish Horikita-san is," Mori replied.

"Here, look at this written contract."

Wow, a real contract. It had my name and my seal on it and everything.

"She even bothered to make that," said Azuma in surprise.

"Is she really seriously using that plan? It could be document falsification," Nishimura said.

"I don't think so, Horikita-san couldn't be that stupid. She just wants to mess with Ayanokouji-kun," Ishikura said slightly amused.

"You realize they could charge you with forging documents, right?" I asked.

I tore up the contract and tossed it away. Horikita got up and went over to Kushida, who was tidying her desk.

"Kushida-san. There is something I would like to talk to you about. Would you care to have lunch with me?" Horikita asked.

"If we don't find out the real reason, I'll consider this a miracle," Minamikata said when she saw Horikita taking Kushida out for lunch.

"Agreed," Andou said.

"Lunch? It's unusual to get an invitation from you, Horikita-san. Okay, I'll go." Kushida didn't waver at all. She walked with Horikita toward the school's most popular café, Palate.

That was the scene of Horikita's previous anger, when I'd invited her under false pretenses. Horikita said that she'd treat Kushida, and paid for her drink. Of course, I had to pay for myself.

"Thank you. So, what did you want to talk about?" Kushida asked.

"I'm putting together another study group for Sudou-kun and the others. Will you help me one more time?"

"What's your reason for doing this? Is it really for Sudou-kun and the others?" Kushida clearly understood that Horikita likely wasn't doing this out of altruism.

"No. This is for me."

"Wow, that's frank," Shibata said as he whistled.

"It's better to be frank like that, cooperation based on lies never works out well," said Kanzaki, even though he was sure Kushida would eventually agree to work with Horikita, whatever the reason.

"I see. So, you look out for yourself as usual, Horikita-san."

"You won't help someone whose motives are selfish?"

"You're free to think whatever you like. I just didn't want you to try to lie to me. I'm glad you were honest. Okay, I'll help. We're classmates, after all. Right, Ayanokouji-kun?"

Some people felt uncomfortable hearing Kushida's words, even though on the surface she acted very friendly, the fact was that she hated Ayanokouji and Horikita.

"Y-yeah. You're really helping us," I muttered.

"There's something I want to ask you though, Horikita-san. You're not doing this for your friends or to get points. It's so you can get to Class A, right?"

"Yes."

"I can't believe that, though. I mean, isn't it impossible? Oh, I'm not saying you're stupid, Horikita-san. How do I put this, though? More than half of the class has given up, you see."

"Because the gulf between us and Class A is so vast?"

"Yes. To be perfectly honest, I can't imagine how we'd catch up. I'm not sure we can even get any points next month. It's disheartening."

Horikita smacked the table. "I'm going to do it. Definitely," she said.

"Ayanokouji-kun, are you aiming for Class A, too?" Kushida asked.

"Yes. He's working as my assistant."

"Horikita-san really wanted Ayanokouji-kun to help out, didn't she? She was so adamant about dragging him into the team," said Amikura.

"That's probably because she has seen Kiyotaka-kun's potential," said Ichinose.

"That's right, she has seen Ayanokouji-kun's academic and combat abilities so far, maybe that's why she wanted Ayanokouji-kun to help out so much," said Kobashi, her friends nodding in agreement with her.

Horikita had given me a title without asking me.

The students laughed hearing that.

"Hmm. I understand. I want in, Horikita-san."

"To help us with the study group."

"No, not for that. I want to work on getting into Class A with you. I want to help with everything else you'll be doing."

"Huh?"

The students stared at the screen in confusion after hearing Kushida's words.

"Huh? But..."

"So, you don't want me to join?" Kushida asked.

She looked at Horikita with wide eyes, prompting her to answer.

"Fine. If everything goes well with the study group, I'll accept your help moving forward," answered Horikita.

The Class C students stared at the screen with interested eyes, even though they were still uncomfortable with Kushida's hidden side, but hearing Kushida start working with Horikita made them excited. They think that this is the reason why their class got the most class points this year.

Kushida probably had some ulterior motive. Even so, Horikita understood that she had no choice but to acknowledge Kushida's value. Having coaxed a victory from the usually stubborn Horikita, Kushida excitedly sat up.

Everyone was slapped again by reality hearing Ayanokouji's words. Kushida hated Ayanokouji and Horikita, but now she insisted on working with the two of them. They couldn't help but think that Kushida did have ulterior motives.

"Really?! Yay!" Kushida cheered, a look of genuine delight on