cote react to

part 20

"Wait. Ahead of time? That's… No way."

"Go ahead and wait for the results if you doubt me. In all likelihood, Class C lost to Class D. That rendered our agreement invalid. I'm not giving you the correct test questions if I get nothing in return," said Ryuuen.

"Grrr!"

"How about showing me some gratitude instead?"

"Gratitude? I just lost to Horikita! What should I be grateful for?!"

Despite saying that she'll try her best to change and to help the class, Kushida felt irritation creeping in. Her desire to be the best still sometime got the best of her, that trait of hers will never go away in just a week.

Kushida squashed that feeling away. She started counting from one to ten to calm herself down.

Kushida recalled the humiliation she'd felt at admitting defeat in front of
Horikita. She was so enraged that she felt her blood boiling.

"So trusting, to get snared without even knowing it," taunted Ryuuen. Grabbing Kushida's uniform, he forcefully unfastened a button on her blazer
and reached inside.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Ike glared at him.

"What the hell!" Kushida exclaimed crossing her arms. She leaned away disgusted and unnerved.

"Ryuuen-kun!" Ichinose gasped.

"What are you doing, idiot?" Ibuki grumbled from her position.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" shouted Kushida, backing away to put some distance between herself and Ryuuen.

Ryuuen smiled.

"Come on. I'm not doing anything. Go ahead, look in your pocket," he said.

"In my pocket?" Still on her guard, Kushida slowly reached into her blazer. She felt paper, which she didn't expect.

"Her pocket?" Shinohara looked confused.

"Is... That a paper?" Hiyori squinted her eyes to see it better.

"You didn't placed a paper there?" Yahiko asked.

"Stop asking me! I don't know, okay?!" Kushida bursted out. Yahiko looked startled.

"What is this?"

Ryuuen couldn't have had enough time to put something in her pocket just then. That meant he'd placed the paper there beforehand. When Kushida unfolded it, she found a list of questions and answers for the math test.

"Test answers?" Tachibana muttered.

"If the teacher found that in my... Uniform," Kushida gaped at the screen. She quickly touched her uniform.

However, they weren't the questions that were actually on the exam in the end. They were the ones Ryuuen had supposedly given her.

"Why were these in my uniform?"

"That's probably not all there is. I assume that several pieces of evidence of cheating are scattered throughout your belongings. I'm sure you'll see them if you go digging later," said Ryuuen.

"Who would—?" Horikita muttered but glanced behind her over to Ayanokoji.

Class D noticed her actions and followed.

Ayanokoji inwardly groaned. 'What now? I'm not doing anything.'

Kushida looked deep in thought.