My Youth in Grand Blue!

"So, our goal is pretty clear now—we must pass this German exam. If we don't earn those foreign language credits, we're screwed!"

Shiro rested his face in his hands in the same pose as before, but this time with a surprisingly serious expression—beside him, Iori was lying on the floor, coughing up blood as though he'd already died.

Kohei and the other three fell silent. Nothing about this situation felt different from before...

Wait, no—there was something different.

That so-called "study god" they'd entrusted their hopes to had somehow, without them even noticing, slipped right into the ranks of the academic losers. And he fit in so naturally—like he was always meant to be here...

BAM!

After a long mental battle, Iori finally lifted his head again.

He had let his guard down earlier, but thinking about it now, it made perfect sense—after all these years, this bastard had probably lost his intelligence chasing girls nonstop.

But Iori wasn't the kind of man to be beaten so easily!

"If it's come to this, then we just have to rely on ourselves!"

He dramatically pulled out the notes he had spent good money to copy.

"Let's challenge the ultimate limits of micro-cheat-sheets!"

The others looked at him with disappointment. They thought Iori was going to pull off something clever, but nope—just the good ol' fashioned method...

What year was this again? Micro-sheets? That stuff should be extinct by now!

…

Scribble scribble scribble…

The five of them stared intently at the overworked printer. At this point, it was arguably more important than their supposedly "indestructible" friendship.

Fresh cheat-sheets, piping hot off the press!

Seeing those tiny, microprinted notes gave them a wave of relief.

"Truly, reduction printing is one of humanity's greatest inventions."

"Some things never go out of style, I guess."

"The things that survive are always the crystallization of wisdom from our predecessors!"

With their treasures in hand, only one problem remained:

"Where should we hide them?"

Shiro looked around at the other four. As a newcomer to the cheating game, he still had a lot to learn from these veterans.

"…"

Iori started regretting bringing Shiro into this. If he hadn't, the guy would've just missed the test completely!

"Yo, Kitahara! Planning to cheat?"

"Count me in!"

"Me too, me too!"

Before Iori could even respond, two new voices popped up beside him.

One belonged to a spiky-haired, squinty-eyed guy with light golden hair—Yuu Mitarai!

The other, a buzz-cut musclehead—Kenta Fujiwara!

Shiro watched how casually they chatted with Iori, quietly admiring the guy's insane social circle.

As expected of Kitahara—surrounded by nothing but notable figures!

He even managed to accomplish something Shiro couldn't. Up to now, Shiro had zero male friends outside of Iori's gang. All the others were girls...

Man, could we just get rid of Iori's crew too? Who needs male friends when you've got girls, right?

Also... why did that squinty-eyed, light-blond guy feel like a knock-off version of himself?

As if sensing the same vibe, Mitarai turned to look at Shiro. The moment their eyes met—two squinty-eyed characters in the same story—they both felt a strange, murderous impulse.

Why are there two of this character type in the same series?!

They locked eyes… then silently turned away.

Yep. Same breed. Certified scumbags.

This school's packed with monsters…

"So anyway, how are we getting the cheat sheets in?" someone asked, dragging everyone's attention back to the task at hand.

"The method, huh…"

Their faces lit up with mischief. For these academic losers, this was all second nature—cheating was practically a high school elective!

Method 1:Mitarai planned to hide his cheat sheet inside a pencil case. Totally reasonable to bring one for an exam, right?

Method 2:Yamamoto would tape his behind a drink bottle label. Long exam—hydration is key!

Method 3:Kohei was going to stick his inside a towel. Summer heat—gotta wipe off that sweat!

Shiro chuckled at their methods. He expected something clever from these degenerates—but nope, just the same old tricks he used back in his previous life.

C'mon guys, time has passed! You can't upgrade your strategies even a little?

"Hmph. Your methods are outdated!"

Najima's voice rang out, sparking a bit of hope in Shiro. Finally—someone with innovation!

Shiro looked at him expectantly. Najima, holding his glasses with exaggerated flair, revealed… a cheat sheet tucked between his wristbands.

(???)

Shiro fell silent.

Maybe Japan's exam system really did need reform, how were cheating methods still this primitive?

He looked toward Fujiwara and Iori, though he didn't have high hopes.

And just as expected—one had his cheat tucked in his shirt collar, the other behind a paper fan…

Utterly unrefined.

Shiro gave up. He had nothing to learn from this lot.

Quietly, he pulled out a roll of transparent tape and stuck his cheat sheet to it.

(′｀;)?

The group stared in confusion. That's it? Where was he planning to stick it?

"Shiro, where are you gonna put that?"

"On the desk."

"…"

They were numb. Never in their lives had they seen someone so reckless. Only a "study god" could be this bold—clearly no idea how hard it was to dodge the eyes of a foreign proctor.

The Six Slacker Squad silently agreed not to warn Shiro. It was time the golden boy learned just how brutal exams could be.

Why were they so in sync?

Jealousy.

Pure, unfiltered envy. This overachieving, woman-magnet dirtbag deserved to be crucified and burned by the sun!

Meanwhile, Shiro smirked in secret. On the desk? Sure—but of course it wasn't that simple.

He'd soak the tape in water before the test, making the paper dissolve off it without ruining the ink. The cheat sheet would turn invisible! Even that foreign invigilator wouldn't notice it!

As for warning the Six Slacker Squad?

Forget it. They couldn't even cheat properly. Totally useless now. Time to let them fend for themselves.

The seven of them exchanged confident grins. The exam ahead would decide their fates.

Shiro looked around, feeling oddly sentimental. If you counted Chisa too, this really was like The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea.

And he was going to be the one who made it out alive!