My lips feel like they've just been in hell. No... They feel as if they are currently experiencing hell...

"Ahh, that feels good..."

Please don't say that without context in public.

Although I perfectly understand that you are saying that because you just finished depleting every single drop of ice tea from the ice tea bottle.

Of course, I did the same thing.

"Oh yeah, what did you do to get yourself a jail time of 1000 years? I've been thinking about it a lot and I just can't seem to figure it out..."

It's natural that you couldn't figure it out. Basara-sensei only posted our jail years on the board that time, but he didn't write down the reasons as to why we received those years of jail. Furthermore, I'm actually surprised that someone like Yulia who has in theory 100 years of jail to fulfill is behaving this nicely.

Accordingly, I only know the truth about Sagasuga's reason. But, I'm starting to think that there's way more to what he just said...

That aside, what the hell do you have to do to get yourself a wholesome 100 years of jail?

Also, her question was really hard for me to answer...

"I don't actually know. Would you believe me if I said that?"

"No, I wouldn't. If you don't know it then who does?"

Apparently Basara-sensei? And the government too.

With that said, there's no reason for her to believe me. Nevertheless, I spoke the truth.

I have no idea.

"I don't know. But, hey, what did you do? You got 100 years of jail, right?"

Midst this, our surroundings began to flee. They must have heard our unusual conversation.

Yulia, however, melancholically replied to me with a smile.

"I can't tell you if you don't tell me your reason first."

As much as I wanted to backlash at her for being the type of girl who would always seek out the information from the opposite gender first without giving anything in return, I was to blame here. It was a fact that I didn't tell her the reason as to why I supposedly have to fulfill 1000 years of jail.

It can't be helped though. I'm simply not aware of the reason. Then again, only a fool would believe that.

"But--- I can give you a hint."

"Oh? Tell me then."

This is different. Although Yulia's not telling me the concrete reason she launched a proposal at me. A hint would be issued straight away, or so I thought...

"Naha. I can't just give you the hint without anything in return."

Moving her right index finger from right to left, Yulia made the common no signal to me.

"Then what? I can't give you a hint as well since I don't actually know."

I was truly speaking the honest truth. How am I supposed to give her a hint about the crime or crimes that I've committed if I can't recall the reason for that?

Something I won't deny is my inner curiosity for her crimes, but if her proposal involves me telling what I did, then I won't be able to fulfill her request.

"You don't have to lie. I know it's something that you obviously can't tell anyone, but you can trust me."

If I knew, I wouldn't tell her regardless.

It's not about having something personal against her, I simply refuse to tell high-info secrets like those to anyone at all. Plus, I really don't know...

"No, I'm serious. I actually can't remember."

"Hm... Well, let's suppose that's true. Then, how about you give me your number and I will give you a hint?"

...

Am I talking to someone who is romantically experienced?

Normally, I would be glad, but this situation seems like it's telling me that I'm losing in some sense.

Hey, wait.

Isn't it always the guy who asks the girl her number?

What the fuck is this!?

"No, you give me your number, please."

Always use the 'No u' card.

"Um, sure."

"Uh..."

Shit, why!?

What do I have to do to get a cute reaction out of her!?

Whatever, it doesn't matter, I won this.

Unless her true intent was always---

"Hm? What is it? Here, you see my number right? Add me."

"Alright..."

It appears that I've been defeated. From the looks of it, as Yulia began to slowly mark a smile on her lips, that would indicate that it was her whole intent all the time.

She didn't care whether or not I refused, her true aim was to get my number all the time.

What's worse is the possibility of no romance being involved here. Ultimately, this was for the sake of winning, in which she did.

"So, what's the clue?"

"Oh, right. That. So, listen up. Here, come closer."

I then lend my right ear to her lips and she swiftly told me this:

"I didn't do it."

The scent that her lipstick emitted right into my nostrils was consuming my current thought process, but my thought process was quickly shaken when I heard those mysterious words.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You heard me, didn't you? Or do you need me to tell you again?"

"No..."

Truthfully, I heard her alright. I just didn't understand what she meant by 'I didn't do it.'. Was Yulia here unfairly?

If so...

"Hey, but if you are here unfairly, then why not tell Basara-sensei about it? Unlike the majority who probably have committed some serious crimes, if you are just bearing the blame, then you should do something about it."

Regardless of whether or not it's possible to abolish your sentence for the reason of you being guileless alone, it's still worth the shot. Of course, you naturally have to gather multiple pieces of evidence and find the culprit who did those crimes instead of you.

"Hold on... I feel like you're misunderstanding something here..."

"No, listen to me. You don't have to be here if you weren't the one who did the crime or crimes. It's completely unfair."

I wasn't trying to pull out a heroic act or anything like that. It's simply illogical as to why someone would stay here for no reason at all.

"Ahh... So that's what's going on. I see. I get it now."

Oh? Does this mean that Yulia gets where I am going with this? Although her way to convince Basara-sensei might be truly hard, if she manages to gather enough anecdotical evidence then she might just---

"Daniel, I didn't do it."

"Huh? Yeah, you already..... said that....."

Why is she smiling like a damn psychopath right now? What am I not understanding here?

"I really didn't do it."

She said that right after she said her previous words which had similar resemblances yet I couldn't help but feel like I was totally wrong about my own assumptions...

"And, that's all I'll tell you. I'm willing to negotiate if you have something regarding your own crime or crimes, but until then, no more from me, kay?"

Yulia finished her sentence quickly blinking her right eyelashes.

Thus, all that I could conclude was that the hint revolved around the fact that she didn't do it. And how exactly can you receive jail time of 100 years without actually doing the crime yourself?

In the end, I couldn't help but feel like I wasn't understanding something simple...

"Well, that aside, I've been meaning to ask you this..."

"Oh? What? What? What is it that you want to ask me?"

Why is Yulia looking at me with those condensing eyes? It's the type of eyes that would lead a massive virgin to get an immediate erection.

"You're not Japanese, are you?"

"Ahh, you noticed. As expected of someone who is American."

"Wait... How do you know that? I never said anything about it..."

"Don't you remember? You told Yuka-sensei that you were a foreigner. And based on your accent, you are American for sure."

"Still, how exactly did you know?"

It doesn't add up, honestly. I don't think you can simply determine whether someone is American or not by accent alone. Or... Is it really that simple?

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"That's simple! I'm also American! Ahh... Well, only continent-wise. I'm South-American, you see."

See, this is what I'm talking about. I couldn't possibly determine whether or not she was South American just from her accent alone. Her accent implies that she is Spanish or that she is from a country that holds Hispanic origins. Knowing that, I couldn't possibly determine something like that. Therefore, what sense does it make for you to be able to determine whether or not I am American on my accent alone?

I could be Australian or British--- No... The accents are so different now that I think about it. I would probably kill myself if I had an Aussie accent.

No shots fired intended but it's the truth bros and sisters.

"That still doesn't explain. How did you know?"

"Eh? Don't you know that North-American people are just usually full of themselves?"

THAT'S YOUR REASONING!?

"Listen here! That has absolutely nothing to do with it! Also, I'm not full of myself! We've never interacted before this conversation, why would you assume such things?!"

"Well, let's see... Firstly, you took the courage to enter in our dorm despite probably being aware of the consequences. Secondly, you argued back against Akimiyashika while most likely knowing that it wouldn't amount into anything. Thirdly, although you ran at a medium pace in today's sprint test, I'm under the suspicion that you are way faster than that. After all, I did saw you ran with Hyunda earlier. What? Did you think that I wouldn't notice? Fourthly, so far, you haven't shown any signs of backing off thus implying that you don't have anything to hide. I could go on, honestly..."

Well, she's right about, um, practically everything. Yulia isn't saying things without any evidence behind it. Every single one of her points has a certain logic to it. If I had to say, the most questionable point she made would be the sprint test one. Although I ran fast with Hyunda in order to escape someone's wrath, that alone should not truly determine whether I'm fast or not.

Then again, the very fact that she wasn't running at all allowed her to stay in the backlines.

Surprisingly, this girl notices about every single thing.

"Regardless, that's an illogical assumption. You can't determine my nationality for those reasons alone."

I was right. She was trying to force her belief of me possessing some sort of American superiority complex while that's not the case at all!

Damn it, just because I love Senator Armstrong's speech against Jack about America that doesn't mean that I secretly have a superiority complex!

In all honesty, the speech was probably one of the most epic pieces of sound that my ears have ever gotten the experience of hearing.

Nonetheless, that's completely unrelated.

"Hm, that's somewhat true. The truth then."

Goddamn it, what was that reference for?

"I'm from Colombia, hence my tan skin tone. Plus, my father is a North-American. Therefore, I have experience when it comes to holding a conversation with someone who has a North-American accent. That's how I found out."

Colombian huh? I see. That certainly explains her beauty.

No, I'm not saying that every Colombian female is straight-up beautiful, but, hey, maybe I just happen to be saying that while denying it unknowingly.

"That makes sense, I suppose. But still, how the hell did you get here?"

"That's what I'm thinking too when I look at you! Who would've thought that I would meet someone who is American too here!?"

Yes, I'm aware that both North America and South America are in theory different continents, but overall, it could be said that the whole American continent contains: North America, Central America, and South America. In that sense, Yulia's completely right.

"Yeah! I know right? Haha, damn it sure is a jubilant feeling to meet someone from the same continent as you!"

It's a weird yet happy feeling nonetheless. Though somewhat hard to describe, for some reason, you can't help but feel blissful in this scenario.

We did share a laugh too while at it.

"Still, were you serious about that thing you said about America?"

"Hm? Yeah, I was."

"I'm not going to make America great again, but please stop insulting my country like that."

Nothing personal, but I refuse to let an international diss slide.

"But I'm not insulting your country. I'm just telling the truth about the stereotype that North America holds."

In other words, you are basically saying that the people in it are trash but not the country. Because you know, it's not as if the people who are in the country are what make the country be what it is.

"I see. Fairly understandable. I'm also surprised you aren't addicted to drugs. What a shocking scenario this is."

"Ohhh?! So you are holding a grudge huh!?"

Not sure what she expected honestly.

"It's retribution. A dual roast. Fair, right?"

"Yes, sure. But Colombians aren't drug addicts."

And other hilarious jokes you can tell yourself.

"Sure... Well, that aside, are we still playing that guessing game?"

"What do you mean by 'Sure...'? Well, yes."

"Mhm. But, what does the winner get?"

That's what I truly wanted to know. There's no point in participating in this only to know who's right or wrong. I couldn't care less about such trivial matters.

"I'll tell you that, but---"

Yulia, not finishing her sentence, held her index finger on her thumb lip in a very seductive way.

"You have to absolutely compromise that you are in this and that there is no turning back, kay~?"

What Yulia essentially just said was that I would either commit or nothing would in general, happen.

Worst case scenario I could be a massive scumbag and go back on my own word, but that's only in a worst-case scenario. In other words...

"Yeah, sure. I'm in."

"Greaaattt. To start things off, we should both make our own minimal rewards. Basically, this way, we will know what we will give to the winner."

I hope that she's not forgetting that if we both happen to lose that we won't get anything from each other. It will be a boneless endeavor. Hence my initial dislike for this sort of competition. Since it's quite likely that we won't form any guesses that will be right from the start.

Plus, we will literally get our answers in 20 minutes from now. In 20 minutes, the lunch break will be over.

"Okay, I'm with you there."

Thus, Yulia and I talked about the possible rewards that we would like to have in case one of us won and after 5 minutes or so we reached an agreement.

Needless to say, in order to advance to the actual guessing game, we had to sort out the reward for one another. Ultimately, that was achieved.

"Now that we've gotten that out of the way, here is how the guessing game will proceed. I make a guess and you make a guess. Really easy, right?"

"Just so we are clear, nothing happens if we both lose, right?"

"Correct! So, what do you think?!"

"Hm... I don't really have anything against it. After all, you will fulfill my reward if I win and I will, erm..."

"You will...?"

It's so awkward to say it...

"I will... fulfill your reward too if I lose."

Why that of all the possible things you could've chosen...?

"Now that's what I'm talking about. So, who goes first and who goes second?"

"I'll start."

Against popular belief, it's not ladies first, it's chads first.

"Oh? Okay then."

Why does Yulia keep saying 'Oh?' so much? Is she secretly a DIO follower? Hey, maybe that's how DIO met his other children's mothers, by somehow going to Colombia.

Haha, what a bad theory. No way, no way.

Still, I had to consider a few things first.

Noticeably, it took me a while to form a plausible theory before guessing.

15 minutes later.

"I'll talk to you later, then."

"Ok."

Yulia and I then parted ways. My seat was right next to the door while her seat was all the way to the front.

Already seated on her seat, my table partner was looking at her phone with a monochrome look on her face.

Not that I cared, therefore I took a seat.

Yuka-sensei was already in class too.

No one was missing.

My god, can I just say?

Noodles for lunch is probably not the healthiest thing, but I'm currently a very happy pleb.

I have to offer Yulia-sama divine gratitude for offering me such a delicious yet hellish lunch.

"Yosh, everyone's present, right?"

"Aye, Yuka-sensei!"

"Everyone's here, sensei!"

Stop following Hinagiku up, Rayazaki. Your time is nigh.

Don't think you'll be able to keep your virgin feats forever, you detestable bloomer.

Oh, I know, I know.

'Hey, aren't you on the road to becoming a bloomer too? After all, that development with Yulia was something else.'

Shut the fuck up. How dare you assume my feelings.

Never ever, will I pledge like Rayazaki.

I'm not a doomer but that doesn't mean that I'll eventually become a bloomer.

The middle line is always possible.

I'll admit, Yulia is borderline goddess status with that appearance. Plus, her personality is desirable.

HOWEVER, against common belief, I will never subject myself to the road of a bloomer.

It has to be different.

"Then, as promised, I will now explain the content of the special exam which will be held in five days from now, February 25th!"

You didn't really promise but ok.

"As you might've noticed previously, I paired up everyone in this class with the person who got the opposite score of you in the sprint test!"

Yeah, I would have to call myself dumb if I didn't notice that.

"However, that was only for one big reason! You might've wondered why I even bothered to form pairs. And that was to cause competition between pairs! No, not the one whom you're paired with, but, with other pairs!"

And I wasn't starting to understand what this dumb bitch had just said.

"Yuka-sensei, can you get to the point please?"

Impatiently desiring for quick answers, Yukishiro pressured Yuka-sensei to get to the point.

If I were, to be frank, Yuka-sensei was just following a pattern of explanation that would cause everyone in this room to thoroughly understand what she had in mind. While Yukishiro might completely understand what Yuka-sensei will soonly say, there's no guarantee that others will.

In a sense, Yuka-sensei's approach is correct, if not totally correct.

"Yuki-chan, don't be so impatient, I will get to the point, I promise!"

I'm surprised Kan can put up with her attitude.

Actually, no.

Both Yukishiro and Kan just never talk at all. Yukishiro is on her phone 99% of the time and Kan is always too busy rolling joints.

Also, I haven't had a smoke in weeks. Shit's rough, man.

If only Kan shared.

"Tch..."

Perhaps she didn't like to be called 'Yuki-chan' in an innocent way. Maybe that's why she clicked her tongue.

"The matchmakings were made for one reason alone. And that was because I wanted to pair two exact opposites. Thus, the exam will revolve around a pair fighting a pair that is the exact opposite of that pair!"

...Huh?

What the hell is she saying...?

"But, allow me to demonstrate. For example, Kawahara and Gale, who are a pair that is the exact opposite of each other, will fight a pair that suffers from the exact problem as them. Therefore, if you got a good score and your partner got a bad score, then your opponents will be the same. Get that?"

"Sensei, can't you explain it in a casual manner, please?"

Kuzan, without afraid of demonstrating his dumbfuck behavior, spoke out loud.

Though, that's actually a good thing.

Because I wasn't exactly getting anything that Yuka-sensei was saying.

"Eh... Well, Kuzan, who are you paired with?"

"Sana."

Goddamn, Kuzan just spoke her name out loud without even looking at her.

Actual savage.

"Did you get a good score, or not, Kuzan?"

"6,03 seconds is pretty good, right?"

It's more than good.

"Sana-chan, what score did you get?"

Showing a little embarrassment, Sana answered Yuka-sensei a bit shyly.

"9,63 seconds..."

I would like to know how exactly Yuka-sensei did this matchmaking stuff. I'm assuming she just matched people who had the exact opposite scores. The fastest with the slowest and so on.

"Overall, Sana-chan's score still has ways to go about it. But, that's another point of this exam too. To improve and work as a team. Furthermore, both Kuzan and Sana will face a pair that has the most similar score. But, I will not tell who that pair is since that's partial to my explanation."

So, in other words, it would be a battle between pairs who had essentially the same scores. From my understanding, this would imply that pairs who are complete contrasts would battle a pair that is the exact same. However, their scores couldn't be that different.

Therefore, I'm assuming that, for example, the pair that has the fastest runner in class with the slowest runner in the class, will face a pair that holds the second-fastest runner in class with the second slowest runner in class.

Still, this is far too messy.

Why complicate something this much?

It even brought me back to the selection method Kuzan came up with.

Man, that was some stupid shit, not gonna lie.

"Now that I've explained as to why I went through the pair selection and my reason for doing so, I will move on. On February 25th, the pairs who come out victorious against their selected opponents will pass the exam. As for the losers..."

This is the truly important part. It was as if the whole winning part was far beyond irrelevant in comparison.

Realistically, I could afford to lose here and just have the supply exam, but that was way too unnecessary right now.

Winning was the most optimal option.

"I figured the supply exam was far too cliched so I decided to add a rule on my own. However, since the supply exam is a natural consequence, I can't simply eliminate it. Think of it as a double-consequence. The pairs that lose will have to stay paired up until the end of the year, respectively."

"What!?"

Uh?

Why are they all objecting?

Am I the only one who's looking forward to this change?

Ah, no.

That's the whole bait, actually. Yuka-sensei probably thinks that by saying those words that people like me, who have nothing against their paired person, will immediately feel secure.

Well, I don't fucking care either way. But I refuse to be subjected to another supply exam.

If the supply exam was like an average exam, then I wouldn't mind.

But from my experience, I refuse to experience something like slavery again.

In the end, it would all come down to Yuka-sensei's preferences. Yet for some reason, I wasn't feeling too secure when it came to that regard.

"Ehhh!? Why are you all so unhappy?! This is for the sake of developing a better connection!"

"I don't fucking want a better connection, you blonde bitch! How the hell am I supposed to win if I'm paired with this fucking slug?!"

"....I'm not a slug...."

For the record, there were some chaotic pairings. I'm mainly talking about Kawahara and Gale. Imagine a bookworm getting paired up with someone whose probably only redeeming quality is his physical body.

"Except you fucking are! I won't take this shit! This is too illogical! It doesn't make any sense to be paired up with someone who is the exact opposite of you! If it's for the sake of competition then you should be paired up with someone who is equally strong not with someone who is the EXACT damn opposite!"

Gale was somewhat far away from Kawahara yet Kawahara was shouting in her direction. Thus, the person that was hearing his words the loudest was his table partner, Akimiyashika.

"Kawahara, that's enough! Can't you see that you are being a major issue right now!?"

"I don't fucking care if I am! It has to be said! This makes no sense and you know it! Or are you too dumb to realize it too!?"

"Regardless of that, you don't have the right to shout at your partner like that. Just accept the exam and focus on improving with your partn---"

And Akimiyashika's sentence was fully interrupted because something, that's in theory not unusual considering the scenario, just happened.

That's right.

Akimiyashika instantly received a slap on her left cheek with a potent force behind it.

Oh boy.