"There are 12 privileged students total, with 3 in our class and 9 in other classes. I think we should try guessing which students are in other classes. Each correct guess adds 50 points — and if we guess one of Class D's privileged students, since their Class Points are higher than ours, they lose 50 points while we gain 50. That creates a 100-point difference." Hiyori said.
Currently, the four classes' evaluation points are as follows:
「Class A: 1801 Points」
「Class B: 970 Points」
「Class C: 490 Points」
「Class D: 730 Points」
Class rankings are fluid — classes with higher points rank higher, and if a higher-ranked class's points fall too low, they drop down.
When they return to school, their Class C will likely drop down. They might become one of the rare cases where Class C falls to Class D in the school's history.
However, if they correctly guess the identities of 3 Class D privileged students, Class D loses 150 points while Class C gains 150, allowing them to maintain their position.
Hiyori was thinking strategically from the class's perspective, focused on maintaining Class C's position.
"But it's not that simple." Kakeru shook his head, "During the island exam, I learned how Ichinose turned things around with help from Class A's Oreki. I also saw the determination of that monster Kōenji. He was ruthless enough to make himself sick just to change team leaders.
This is someone who initially didn't care about the class after enrollment, letting Class D's points drop to zero — yet now he works hard in the island exam. Obviously not for the class, but for himself. I suspect Kōenji claimed a large portion of Class D's points from the island exam. If you try to reduce Class D's points now, you're essentially challenging him. He'll definitely retaliate fiercely."
Following Hiyori's approach could elevate Class C, but the risks were significant.
That wild man Rokusuke was both deceptive and ruthless. Kakeru felt it wasn't wise to confront them directly now.
Moreover, Houtarou was involved in this matter, and he had grown close to Class D's beautiful students like Suzune and Kikyō. He couldn't simply disregard matters affecting his girlfriend's class.
This added another layer of complexity.
At the same time.
"I see things differently." Kakeru said, "This school values ability and points above all else. Class A only matters when you're graduating as a third-year. During the process, accumulating points is what really matters. That's why I'm focused on Outcome 1."
Outcome 1, huh.
{ Outcome 1: Group members correctly guess the privileged student's identity:
• 500,000 points awarded to each group member
• 1 million points awarded to the privileged student }
This plan looked promising — everyone could earn money.
Since each group contained students from all four classes, with their class having 3-4 students per group, they could earn substantial points. At 500,000 points per person, each group would bring in 1.5-2 million points for their class. Across all 12 groups, this would amount to nearly 20 million points.
It was indeed an excellent opportunity with significant profit potential.
Having such a large amount of points as starting capital would prove invaluable in future exams, especially since Class C was currently short on funds.
From this perspective, Kakeru had identified a brilliant strategy. Compared to her earlier focus on merely maintaining Class C's position, this approach seemed far more ambitious.
"So just watch." He said, "This exam... I will definitely succeed!"
After all, this was a battle plan he'd stayed up all night devising.
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At the same time.
At 8 o'clock, Houtarou received a message marked XF from the school.
| XF |
| We're sorry, you weren't selected as a privileged student, but please continue to work hard in the exam. |
However, within just one minute, his phone received four more messages.
Class A's privileged students contacted him, revealing their identities.
After Kōhei's faction agreed to pursue Outcome 1, Houtarou approached Masayoshi. Subsequently, the Arisu faction also endorsed his plan. Once everything was settled, Class A's privileged students reached out to him directly.
The reason was clear — not only could they maintain Class A's standing without losing points, but everyone would also earn 250,000 points after the exam concluded.
Such an advantageous arrangement was impossible to refuse. Class A's students were certainly shrewd.
With Masumi's assistance, Houtarou had her compile the member lists for all 12 groups after receiving the privileged student information.
A pattern was emerging. With 12 groups and 12 privileged students, the distribution seemed deliberate. The number of privileged students in each class followed a consistent pattern.
Each class had three.
Though they now knew the identities of three privileged students, this information alone wasn't sufficient. Beyond Arisu, they needed to identify patterns among the remaining 159 students — an enormously challenging task.
Their next step was to await Class D's privileged student information.
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Meanwhile, at the theater.
After students turned in their phones and received temporary ones, they left the theater.
Kikyō and Suzune stayed behind to complete their follow-up work — putting everyone's phones into small bags labeled with their names.
Since all the phones were the same model, labeling the bags would make returning them more convenient later.
They had borrowed these bags from Sae, as they had been used during the island exam when teachers collected everyone's phones. The fact that she still kept these bags suggested they might be used for future exams — another hint at this school's complex nature.
At 8 o'clock sharp, all students received notifications from the school about their privileged student status.
Since the submitted phones weren't turned off, these messages were visible.
Suzune methodically checked each phone's messages before placing them in the bags, her expression neutral.
"Kushida." She suddenly said, "Are you a privileged student?"
Kikyō: "..."
Her phone hadn't been bagged yet — she had just been reading her message.
She had indeed received a special message from the school.
| XF |
| Congratulations, you have been selected as a privileged student! |
The unexpected news made her check it twice.
As Kikyō was about to turn off her phone, Suzune's words made her pause.
She looked at Suzune, confusion crossing her face.
"Me being a privileged student... Is this information important? Wait a minute! Wasn't our class's exam strategy to collect everyone's phones and pass the exam that way?" She asked quickly, "So why do we need to know who the privileged students are?"
She felt like she had... overlooked something.
"Something like that." Suzune said.
Oh. Something like that, huh.
Kikyō: "..."
I'll believe you.
The "Sweet angel's" cute brows furrowed slightly.
Because she had just noticed something: when Suzune was collecting phones, she had Kikyō open the bags while she herself checked the messages before turning off the screens and finally handing the phones over.
Her actions had been obvious, but Kikyō hadn't said anything.
After all, she thought, maybe Suzune was just being thorough?
Having just gained Suzune's friendship, Kikyō wanted to be understanding and avoid suspicion. But now...
Was Suzune deliberately checking to identify the privileged students in their class?
In other words, her proposal for everyone to turn in their phones to pass the exam was merely a facade. The real purpose, most likely, was to gather information about the privileged students.
Furthermore, Kikyō noticed that Suzune hadn't placed her own phone in the bags.
Which could only mean one thing — she had been used.
⍟⍟⍟
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