Originally, they had planned to ask the top students from Class D to handle the tutoring. But now, it didn't seem like a bad idea to let Ichinose's class take over.
For one, Ichinose's class had more high-achievers. Plus, because they were united, they were more reliable.
Unlike a group that might just quit halfway through the job.
[So what's the other reason?]
However, a voice appeared in Shirogane's mind.
[On the other hand, the plan is to select 10 top students and take up 2 hours of their time each evening. Meanwhile, Ichinose's class is not focused on their personal situation, but on how much income they can bring to the class. In other words, Ichinose's class has completed the test phase.]
[Even in the promotion exam, they might give up on advancing to the next grade to protect their classmates.]
[So, the test is successful. Although the class is very cohesive, the more cohesive a class is, the less threatening it is.]
"..."
Shirogane didn't speak.
But he didn't completely deny the analysis of the narrator either.
Because the invitation he had just made to Ichinose's class may indeed have been part of this plan.
Just from the tutoring incident, it's clear where Ichinose's class focuses. From that, it can be concluded that although this class has solid basic strength, it is… like a tiger without teeth, lacking the ability to strike.
It is the least aggressive class of the four.
Sometimes, Shirogane believes that he is still a good person, but at other times, he feels like this school is darkening him.
But this school also produces outstanding students, like President Horikita.
And.
After spending an evening going through the work records for the student council secretary position, Shirogane realized he understood the school a lot more.
The school's educational philosophy, although evolving with the times and constantly updating the rules and methods for students, seems to have remained unchanged.
The school doesn't aim to produce well-rounded students who excel in every aspect—morality, intelligence, physical ability, and the arts—but students with a solid foundation, who can choose the right path when dealing with social problems or difficult choices.
This approach can be seen from past punishments and class evaluation point rewards.
For example, in certain fixed exams, if a class has students who drop out, their class evaluation points would increase, while classes with no dropouts would either see no increase or even a deduction in points.
So.
It could be said that Horikita and Ichinose's decision to avoid any dropouts is actually the hardest choice.
If someone were to exploit this weakness, even Horikita's class would face checks and balances.
To protect their classmates, they might have to lose points they've accumulated or abandon the best method for the greatest benefit in order to protect others.
Unfortunately, Shirogane currently only has the secretary's authority, so he cannot fully understand the school's structure.
But even with just the secretary's powers, Shirogane has already noticed some strange points and wants to draw conclusions.
Clearly, this is all he can see for now.
In other words, one needs to at least be a vice president to see certain privileged information, let alone the president.
As they walked out of the student council building, they passed a huge library. It not only has a vast collection of books but also plenty of study spaces.
However, Shirogane and his companion didn't go inside, only standing by the door.
Noticing Shirogane's actions, Ichinose also paused.
"By the way, Ichinose, do you often go to the library?"
Shirogane asked.
"I haven't seen you there when I went."
"Uh—I've only been there twice. The last time was yesterday."
Ichinose understood. Shirogane is a hardworking and serious person, and if he went to the library, it was definitely to borrow books and review materials.
This is the kind of attitude a truly dedicated student should have.
Thinking back, ever since coming to this school, she hadn't really learned much outside of what was in the textbooks.
That meant going forward, she'd probably just be relying on what she already knew.
Ichinose felt like she needed to start working harder too.
As she was thinking that, she heard Shirogane speak.
"Since you've been inside separately a couple times, did you notice anything about the library?"
Shirogane continued asking.
"Did you feel like anything changed?"
"Hmm…"
Ichinose seemed unsure what exactly he was trying to get at.
"Come to think of it, last month you tried talking to upperclassmen to get some info, right?"
Shirogane said.
"Yeah, and I even ran into you back then."
But Ichinose suddenly stopped talking after that. Shirogane knew she was thinking about how he tricked her at the time.
Still, he had gotten used to that kind of thing and kept going, "Even if you didn't get any real info from the upperclassmen, you should've at least gotten a sense of who's from which class, right?"
"I guess… yeah, I think I could tell."
Ichinose replied.
Most likely, the upperclassmen had been told to stay quiet last month, so they weren't giving any information to the first-years.
But even so, Ichinose had still managed to meet quite a few of them.
"Though, I didn't meet that many people."
Ichinose added.
"That's fine."
Shirogane replied.
Then he suggested they check out the library.
There was only one library in the school, but it was huge, and it had everything a student could need. The tables and chairs were all new, and you didn't need a special card to borrow books—your student ID was enough.
Each student could borrow up to 20 books at a time for up to one month. If you went over the limit, you'd get charged.
Once they were inside the library, they walked past the study room and some reading tables, and saw a few students in red uniforms studying quietly in the corner.
What stood out about them was that they had brought their own water bottles.
Some of them had also laid out several books on the table, which showed they weren't just here on a whim—they were regulars who had claimed their spots for long study sessions.
"Looks like it's pretty lively," Shirogane said.
"Yeah."
Ichinose had been here twice before—once to find her way around, and once yesterday to return a book for a classmate.
So this was her first time really seeing how serious the other students were about studying.
"I guess that's what makes this school special. It's hard to get in, so everyone takes it seriously."
"And then…"
"Most of the students in the study room are third-year seniors."
"And the table by the bookshelf is where second-year seniors are resting."
Ichinose seemed to run out of things to say, because the school had already made it clear to them that the only way to earn the rewards advertised by the school was to graduate from Class A. For students in other classes, they would only get a regular high school diploma when they graduate, and then they would have to go through the usual university entrance exams.
Shirogane didn't let her stop here. Instead, he led her through the library, from the first floor to the third, then up to the fourth floor, and finally walked down the stairs.
They eventually reached the entrance of the library.
"Among the students studying earlier, were there any third-year students from Class A?"
Shirogane asked.
"Yes. There were probably about ten of them."
Ichinose answered honestly.
"How about third-year students from Class B?"
Shirogane continued asking.
"There were some."
Ichinose nodded.
Oh.
Looks like the third-years are working hard.
"What about second-year students from Class B?"
Shirogane asked next.
"I didn't see any."
Ichinose answered honestly.
"How about second-year students from Class A?"
Shirogane continued asking.
"I didn't see any."
Ichinose thought for a moment before answering.
She had a lot of friends, and her academic ability wasn't bad, so clearly, she had a good memory.
Ichinose's memory was indeed impressive.
"What about second-year students from Class C?"
Shirogane asked.
"There were quite a few second-year students, and I also saw some from Class D."
Ichinose answered.
It was clear that Ichinose had learned to respond quickly.
Ichinose also shared some information.
It turned out that the special exam this month was also a written test for the upperclassmen.
Since there was a written exam, that's why there were so many upperclassmen in the library?
Ichinose seemed to think that Shirogane wasn't testing her memory or how familiar she was with the upperclassmen, but rather asking why there were so many upperclassmen in the library. She added, "Actually, before entering this school, I looked at some books for upperclassmen, but when I got here, I realized the textbooks we're using seem to be a bit harder. Aside from the math, which I can handle, the other subjects go much deeper than what we were taught before. Since we have to take a written exam, and failing means being expelled, I think it's normal for the upperclassmen to come here and review."
Ichinose said this as she stared at Shirogane.
But—
Heh.
Shirogane chuckled lightly because he couldn't help but think that Ichinose was just too cute.
Was she trying to read his expression?
Did she want to gather information from him?