The Answer Sheets Have Been Tampered With
Martin froze on the spot, feeling a little overwhelmed.
Elise had used the excuse of checking the answer sheets to somehow pass the exam last time.
However, Mason was the person in charge of marking the answer sheets this time. All I did was
perform a little trick. Don’t tell me; does Elise intend to cause trouble without giving Mason due
respect?
“Miss Sinclair, I know that the results are very difficult to accept. But, unfortunately, you have to trust
that I am fair and impartial. I swear that I have not done anything to alter your scores.” Mason
reassured Elise.
“You heard him, Elise.” Martin narrowed his eyes and continued angrily, “Mr. Young has always stood
on your side. This is not a minor issue like what happened during the exams at the start of the class!
You are the one who scored badly on the exam. That has nothing to do with anybody else!”
“That’s right. That’s why I got one more multiple-choice question wrong. I scored 96 last time, and I
scored 90 this time. Is there a problem?” Elise sounded very sure of herself. Scoring six points less
than before sounded as normal as eating one bite of rice less when the words came out of her mouth.
“Hah!” He sneered contemptuously. “You got one more multiple-choice question wrong? Are you saying
that your brain is filled with all the right answers? Do you think you can score as many points as you
wish?”
“Why not?” Sheldon refuted. “A real top student is capable of manipulating how many points they can
get!”
“That’s just trickery! It’s absolutely unreasonable!” Martin dismissed those words completely.
However, he knew in his heart that there were indeed a small number of students who could
manipulate their test scores rather accurately in Cittadel’s test-oriented education. However, he was
confident that these people did not include Elise.
“So, as long as I can score full marks on the exam, I can prove that Stefan and Sheldon are not being
unreasonable. Is that right?” Elise asked coldly.
“There’s no need to go through such troublesome means.” Mason interrupted. “I brought all the answer
sheets. I was planning to distribute them back to all of you later. However, since you are dissatisfied
with the test scores, I will re-check the test sheets again in front of you.”
Then, he took out the answer sheets from under the lesson plans while he was speaking and placed
them on the desk. However, he realized that rechecking the test sheets one by one was far too time-
consuming. He hesitated for a moment before lifting his head and saying, “I will focus on re-checking
Elise’s answer sheet. If there are any other students who are dissatisfied with your test scores, you
may mention the issue to me now. After all, this is related to the number of places among the students
who get to study abroad. Therefore, it’s okay to err on the cautious side.”
It was just that most students knew their own abilities, so nobody said a word.
A moment later, he nodded and continued, “Good. Then, I will place Elise’s answer sheet on the
projector. We can all help to check her answers. Class monitor, please help me turn on the projector.”
Thanks to Stefan and Mason’s joint efforts, it didn’t take long before Elise’s answer sheet, and the
standard answer sheet were displayed on the blackboard simultaneously. Elise was quite popular
among her classmates, so almost every single student examined the test sheet. Regretfully, there were
no mistakes to be found in the answer sheet.
The answer sheet consisted of four pages, and every page was displayed for a total of five minutes.
Even though twenty minutes had passed, not a single student stood up to testify for her. That meant
that there was no mistake in the marking process and the calculation of the scores.
Martin quietly adjusted his glasses, a smug smile flashing in his eyes. He had long anticipated that
Elise would ask for a re-check of her answer sheets. That was why his petty sabotage was seamless.
This time, there was no turning the truth on its head, no matter how great her skills were.
Mason was the first person on the podium to finish checking the test papers. He couldn’t help sighing in
disappointment. The rest of the students had the same regretful look on their faces.
Be that as it may, Elise remained calm and indifferent. Other people might not know, but she knew the
truth. Someone had clearly changed the answers of two multiple-choice answers from ‘C’ to ‘D’. It was
just the additional stroke along with a slight retouch here and there; there was no way to spot any
significant changes. I would have been forced to suffer this loss in silence if not for my extraordinary
memory. It looks like Martin is willing to do anything to kick me out of the Elite Class. But, I can’t prove
that my answer sheet has been tampered with. How can I get another chance to prove my abilities
again?
“Boss,” Sheldon asked anxiously, “Do you see anything? Tell me if there are any problems. I’m not
scared of causing trouble. I will definitely get justice for you!”
“It’s not that simple.” Elise stared at the blackboard and quietly said, “Do you see questions three and
seven of the multiple-choice questions? I wrote ‘C’ for both answers, but the answer sheets currently
show ‘D’ instead. There’s no way to explain this discrepancy.”
When he heard those words, he followed her gaze only to see two large and distinct alphabet ‘D’
displayed clearly on the projector. It was impossible to notice that someone had changed the answers
from the alphabet ‘C’.
Our words will be mere accusations without evidence unless we can find the culprit who changed the
answers. He swept a vigilant gaze over everybody in the classroom. His hands that he placed on his
lap clenched into fists without him noticing. Who is it? Who dares to betray Boss with such dirty and
underhanded methods?
“Little Sheldon, what are you doing? Why do you look so serious?” Elliot leaned over and acted coyly.
“Shut up.” Sheldon didn’t even bother to look at Elliot. “Boss’ answer sheet has been tampered with.
We need to find the culprit. That’s the only way for Boss to remain in the Elite Class.”
“Is there such a thing!?” Elliot immediately turned serious. He turned sideways and glanced at the
podium for a moment. Then, he slammed his hands on the table with a loud thud and stood up
abruptly.
All the students in the class jumped in fright. Mason was so shocked that his glasses nearly fell off his
nose. Then, after he hurriedly put his glasses back in place, he reprimanded Elliot with a gloomy
expression. “Elliot Howard, what are you doing!?”
“Teacher, I would like to turn myself in!” Elliot rakishly tapped his leg and spoke proudly.
“Turn yourself in? What wrong did you commit?” Mason asked suspiciously.
“I was mad at Elise, so I snuck into your office and tampered with her answer sheet!” Elliot announced.
“Nonsense!” Martin was certain that Elliot was causing a fuss on purpose. “Who doesn’t know that you
are terrific friends with Miss Sinclair? What reason would you have to do something like that? Hurry up
and return to your seat!”
“Who is being nonsensical!? I’m being serious!” Elliot smacked his lips together, trying to think of a
plausible excuse. But unfortunately, his brain was coming up blank. So, he swiveled his head around
for an idea, and when he saw Sheldon, he immediately blurted out, “Elise always walks so closely to
Sheldon, and I was unhappy…”
The entire class cheered ambiguously as soon as those words left his mouth. “Wow! This is explosive
news!”
Sheldon’s nose practically trembled when he heard those words. He glared at Elliot with a gaze that
was as sharp as knives. This guy… I wish I could give him a knuckle sandwich! Wait, wait! Why are
people looking at us!? I’m innocent!
Mason’s expression froze for several seconds. When he returned to his senses, he gave a dry cough
and placed his fist next to his mouth. He awkwardly said, “Uh… Mr. Howard, you don’t need to be sad.
There are many other guys in this world. Cough. I mean, girls. Don’t get hung up on a single person…”
“Mr. Young! Is that the point!?” Martin reminded forcefully.
“Oh! Right…” I got caught up with gossip. Mason slapped his head lightly and got back to the main
topic. “Elliot, tell me. Which answers did you switch?”
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