CHANGED - Classroom of the Elite

17

"What the hell was that!" Kushida shouted. Her fists were curled up as her feet stayed firmly on the rooftop. "Why was the exam completely different from the question sheet you gave me?! How can you betray me like that?!"

"Heh." Ryuuen scoffed. "You still haven't figured it out yet?"

"Huh?"

Ryuuen looked over his shoulder to fix the girl with a smirk. "You were so sure you outmanoeuvred Suzune. In the end... she's the one who outmanoeuvred you."

"What?!"

("It's all very simple." Ayanokoji stated. "Kushida thought that handing in a question sheet before anyone else did was all she would have to do to win. But Horikita over here had already planned for that." He gestured to her.

"After the Paper Shuffle thing was announced, I went to Sensei after class and got her to agree to two things."

Suzune mindlessly tapped away at her phone as she explained the situation.

"One: that she would only accept a question sheet brought to her by me personally, as the class rep or whatever it is you lot like to call me. And two: if anyone else submitted a question sheet, she would pretend to accept it. Then, without letting them know, she would shred it without thinking twice."

"I see..." Kei whispered. "So, you knew exactly what Kushida was gonna try? Why didn't you say anything?"

"If I said anything, the class wouldn't have been fully united for this exam. People would pick sides, which would put us at a disadvantage for next year."

"Hang on, that means that we didn't have to do your little plan at all." Kei accused with narrowed eyes directed at Ayanokoji. She then sighed. "After everything I did to make a scene then plant a cheat sheet on her... I get that it was in case things went wrong, but now everyone thinks I'm crazy."

"Wow, you don't have faith in my plans Ayanokoji?" Suzune drawled. "How flattering."

"I never said that. In the end, you managed to pull through and I didn't have to lift a finger.")

"I hate that stupid bitch!!" Kushida yelled.

"You didn't hold up your end of the deal." Ryuuen shoved his hands in his pockets. "So why would you expect me to just hand over the real question sheet?"

Kushida 'tch'ed. "I was this close to destroying that shitty mask of hers!"

"Yeah right. You lost before the game even began." Ryuuen walked towards her and placed a hand under her collar. He pulled out a piece of paper.

Kushida flinched backwards, scowling. "Don't touch me!"

"Don't flatter yourself." He held up the folded piece of paper. "Look at this." He unfolded the paper to reveal printed text on it. "I thought so. It's a little cheat sheet."

 "That's not mine!" Kushida snatched it from his hands. "What was it doing in my jacket?"

"If I had to take a guess, somebody in class D was planning to hang you out dry."

Kushida scanned over the questions. "Wait, hold on, something about this doesn't make sense... all the answers on this piece of paper... they're for the questions you gave me!"

Ryuuen didn't say anything and walked towards the double doors.

"But... if you and I were the only ones to who saw the questions, then how did the mastermind know?"