Chapter 41: Study Camp, Begin

After school, in the Supplementary Lessons Department’s clubroom.

Amid the quiet, the faint scratch of a mechanical pencil echoed through the room.

"Hanako, how do you solve this problem?"

"Which one? …Ah, I see. The calculation’s a bit tricky, but in cases like this, you can use the divisibility test to clear it up neatly."

"The divisibility test… oh, that one. Got it. Yeah, I understand now."

Azusa Shirasu’s question broke the silence, and Hanako answered with practiced ease, not a hint of hesitation in her voice.

"…"

Watching that exchange, Hifumi felt a small sense of relief. At first, she’d been a little worried about how things would go, but the study session was proceeding smoothly enough.

After all, these two had been detained by the Justice Realization Committee the very first time they met. Honestly, Hifumi had expected far more trouble to arise—but apparently, those fears had been unnecessary.

Now, the only thing troubling her was…

"…?"

"Um, Koharu-chan? Did you get stuck on something?"

"N-no! Not at all!?"

Shimoe Koharu, in other words.

"By the way, the page you’re looking at isn’t even on the test this time."

"Eh, what!? You’re kidding!?"

Considering that she’d spent the entire session working on the wrong section, of course Hifumi was worried. Koharu insisted that since she’d be taking the first-year test, it wasn’t a big deal—but was that really true?

"Koharu, the test covers this part. Look closely—the chapter’s different."

"Ah, you’re right… wait, no, I knew that! I’m totally ready for this test, I was just reviewing ahead!"

"I see, impressive… actually, there’s a question in that very section I don’t understand. Could you teach me? This one right here…"

"Wha—n-no way!! I told you, I’m not here to make friends!!"

"…I see… Then how about a break? Want to go buy drinks? I’m getting a little thirsty."

"I’m not going!!"

"…"

"…Ah, ahaha…"

Koharu’s sharp rejection left Azusa visibly deflated.

That, too, was another concern. Azusa kept trying to find ways to get along, approaching her again and again—but more often than not, it only backfired or ended in blunt refusal.

"Azusa-chan, which part didn’t you understand?"

Hanako, Hifumi, and even Sensei stepped in to help, watching carefully to make sure things didn’t escalate.

"Ah, it’s this one…"

"Oh? But you got it right, didn’t you?"

"…!!"

"W-well… I wasn’t sure if it was really correct…"

"No problem. With this method, you won’t lose any points."

"R-right. Thanks."

"Don’t mention it."

Even so, Hifumi could tell that Koharu had some genuine drive to study. Maybe there wasn’t much to worry about after all. With that thought, she quietly turned back to her own notes.

Some time later.

"Hanako, what’s this passage?"

"It’s the opening of an old epic poem. It begins with ‘Sing, O divine one, of wrath—’ and focuses on the final battle of a certain war."

"…Ah, that one. Got it."

Apparently, Azusa had moved on from math to classical literature.

"Hanako, what about this one?"

"That’s a double translation of an ancient text. You’d need a dictionary to fully grasp the original… give me a moment."

"Ah, I see. Then this must be Gaudium et Spes—‘Joy and Hope,’ right?"

At those words, Hanako blinked in mild surprise.

"Um… yes, it seems so. That comes from the Second Council… but wait, Azusa-chan, you can read ancient languages?"

"Yeah. I learned them a long time ago. Not in any formal sense, so I wouldn’t say I’m good at it."

She could read ancient languages, yet struggled with classical Japanese questions. In other words, she simply didn’t know how to answer them.

In math, that gap wasn’t quite as visible—but when it came to literature, it stood out clearly.

"I see. Then let’s work on problem-solving methods. First, you…"

"Looks like things are going well. Here, for everyone."

"Ah, thank you very much."

Hifumi accepted the drinks Sensei had brought and placed them neatly on the desk.

"So, yes! Hanako-chan is just amazing…! And Azusa-chan is so motivated to learn! Even her study habits aren’t that bad… and as for Koharu-chan, I heard she’s actually been hiding her true ability."

Even as she spoke with enthusiasm, her tone carried a faint undercurrent of worry.

"At this rate, they might even pass without any trouble…!"

"I see…"

Sensei, though skeptical, responded with a small nod.

"I’m so glad… I was really worried…"

"Of course. Even though there are three chances, the first Special Scholastic Exam is coming up soon…"

"Yes, but there’s more… actually, the Tea Party told us, ‘If anyone fails the first exam, you’ll have to hold a study camp.’"

"A… camp?"

That was news to Sensei. Neither Nagisa nor Mika had mentioned anything of the sort, and no formal notice had been given.

"Yes, that’s right… and if they fail all the way to the third exam… ahh…"

"Something bad happens…?"

That faint unease he’d felt earlier might not have been unfounded. It was possible they’d be forced into some outrageous demand.

"N-no, it’s nothing… It looks like our worries will turn out to be groundless anyway. Enough of the gloomy talk—what matters is, they’ll do fine on the exam!"

"I see. In that case, that’s reassuring."

But Hifumi had clearly deflected the question herself.

If she wouldn’t say, then either it wasn’t that serious—or she’d been told not to talk about it. In either case, it was something worth keeping an eye on.

"Speaking of which… Hanako-chan seems really smart. So why did she fail in the first place?"

"Now that you mention it, that is strange."

Sensei nodded in agreement with Hifumi’s question.

"Maybe something came up—like with me not being able to take the exam? Some kind of circumstance…"

"…"

In Hifumi’s case, she’d voluntarily skipped the test to attend Peroro-sama’s event—so comparing her situation to the others was, if anything, a bit disrespectful.

Setting that aside, Sensei thought things over.

Hifumi had said there was no need to worry, but he couldn’t feel quite as optimistic.

True, when it came to Hanako and Hifumi, there was probably little cause for concern.

But the real problem lay with Azusa and Koharu.

Azusa’s issue was the extreme imbalance between her strengths and weaknesses. Geography and biology, in particular, were disastrous.

While she had built a solid foundation in other subjects, those two might as well have been blank pages. Could she really make up for that in just a few days?

And Koharu—most likely, she simply wasn’t very good at studying. Even with his regular check-ins and explanations, the impression Sensei got was that she struggled with the basics.

So, when it came to whether the two of them could pass, the odds were about fifty-fifty.

Still, failing here would also be one kind of experience. There were two more chances left, after all. He wanted them all to work together and succeed before then.

Especially since Azusa and Koharu still hadn’t managed to hold even a calm conversation with each other. By the time they graduated from the Supplementary Lessons Department, he hoped they could at least build some form of communication.

He would offer support where needed—but as much as possible, he wanted them to rely on their own initiative. School, after all, wasn’t only a place for academics.

And so, as those thoughts lingered in his mind, night quietly deepened.

The day of the first Special Scholastic Exam results arrived.

"First, Hifumi. Seventy-two points—pass. You worked hard, good job."

"Ah, thank you very much! It’s kind of an ordinary score, but I’m glad! Then, next is…"

Hifumi turned toward Azusa, eyes shining with anticipation.

"…Azusa. Forty-four points—fail. Still a little ways to go, but let’s work toward the next one."

At that, Hifumi froze in place.

"…Whaaaat!!?"

Her shriek tore through the air like fabric being ripped apart.

"Tch, just missed it."

"Wait a second—‘just missed it’!? She wasn’t even close!! She’s way off!!"

Ignoring Hifumi’s outburst, the results for Koharu came next.

"Koharu. Sixteen points—fail. You’re missing some fundamentals, so let’s start from there. We’ll work on it together."

"E—eh!?"

"Koharu-chaaaan!? What happened to your hidden power!? Weren’t you supposed to have some secret ability waiting to burst out!? Don’t tell me you took the second-year exam instead of the first-year one—or wait, was it the third-year exam!?"

Shock upon shock came crashing down.

Still reeling from the previous surprise, Hifumi’s voice wavered as she blurted out what was—if nothing else—a rather rude question.

"Th-that’s not it…! It—it was just really hard…"

"It was suuuper easy! Practically at the level of a pop quiz!"

"Koharu, don’t let it get to you. You still scored better than I did on the real exam. Let’s study together and do better next time."

"How can you switch gears that fast!? I mean—that’s important, but still!!"

"My, my…"

Hanako returned with her answer sheet in hand, wearing a “well, well, what can you do” kind of expression.

"Ugh… so that means the only ones who passed were me and Hanako-chan…? Then the rest of us will have to take the second exam…"

"Oh? What are you talking about?"

"Eh?"

The unexpected response slipped out of Hifumi’s mouth in a dumbfounded tone.

In reply, Hanako casually flipped her answer sheet around for Hifumi to see—

"Two points!!? T-two points!? Not twenty—wait, even twenty wouldn’t be enough, but still! What did you even get right!? Actually, hold on—Hanako-chan, you seemed like you were really good at studying, didn’t you!?"

"It does seem I give off that impression. But, well… my grades are another matter entirely."

"Impression!? It was only the impression of being smart!? What do you mean, ‘another matter entirely’!?"

Growing dizzy, Hifumi could only keep shouting in disbelief.

"Ugh…"

Her vision began to blur.

"Aughh…"

"Hifumi! Stay with us…!"

And then, at last, she lost consciousness completely.

Afterward, Sensei made contact with Kirifuji Nagisa—and from her, he learned a great deal.

That there was a traitor within Trinity, plotting to sabotage the Eden Treaty.
That SCHALE was being used to eliminate this traitor.
That, at this rate, all four students would end up expelled.

And… that he was expected to find the traitor himself.

Of course, the idea of all four being expelled was something Sensei could never accept.
But at the same time, allowing the Eden Treaty to be sabotaged was equally unacceptable.

That was why he told Nagisa he would handle things in his own way.
Even so, she had implied that she might not allow them to even take the exams properly.

In other words—no matter what happened, the traitor would be removed. That was the message she wanted to make clear.

Even so, all he could do now was focus on what was within his power.

And so, as promised, the members of the Supplementary Lessons Department would be holding a training camp.

"We’ve finally arrived. This is our…"

"Yes, our lodging for the camp. Finally here… whew…"

The usual four carried their bags as they gathered in front of the annex that would serve as their training camp.

"…Um, p-please take care of the place, okay…?"

But among them stood one more student in light clothing—someone not from the Supplementary Lessons Department.

"Th-then… Sensei… I’ll be in your care, starting today…"

Still speaking with her usual awkwardness, Asiri gave her greeting to Sensei.