A few days later, the day of the decisive battle finally arrived.
"Throw away all the notes and data I gave you a few days ago, as well as everything I said. Forget it all today."
Before the exam officially began, Horikita Suzune proactively approached Saiki and said this.
"Just choose five events based on your preferences and select the members to compete. That's all you need to do."
[I can't put too much pressure on Saiki.]
"If I make decisions on my own and disrupt the plan, won't the other students have a problem?"
Saiki asked, though he already knew the answer.
"I didn't make any firm agreements with anyone about which events they'd participate in or their chances to compete. I told them we'd adapt based on the ten events and their order on the day, so there's no issue."
Horikita Suzune continued,
"This is a class competition. Although there's interference from the command tower, it ultimately tests Class B's overall capabilities. We're up against Class A, led by Sakayanagi, the strongest opponent in our grade. Even if we lose, no one can blame you for it."
"Understood."
Saiki nodded. Horikita Suzune was completely different from the arrogant and pushy girl she had been at the start of the school year.
"But I have one question."
"What is it?"
"What's in that bag you're holding?"
"Stuff for the exam."
"Stuff for the exam?"
Horikita Suzune's gaze fell on the plastic bag in Saiki's hand.
[That's clearly a cake, isn't it?]
"I'll head out first."
Saiki didn't say much more and simply walked out of the classroom, heading to the multipurpose classroom in the special building.
There, the command towers from the other two classes had already been waiting for some time.
"Good morning, Saiki-kun."
Ichinose Honami greeted Saiki warmly.
"Good morning, Saiki-kun."
Sakayanagi Arisu also smiled as she looked at Saiki.
At that moment, the sound of footsteps echoed from behind.
"Yo, you guys are already here?"
"Huh?"
Ichinose Honami's face showed surprise because Kaneda Satoru, representing Class D, hadn't shown up. Instead, it was Ryuen Kakeru.
[I used force to ensure Kaneda couldn't participate in this exam, just like what Class B did on the uninhabited island. When the command tower can't participate due to unavoidable circumstances, another student will definitely take their place. That's how I replaced Kaneda.]
'Yare yare, poor Kaneda.'
[Not only that, Class C, you've already lost this match—because our plan has succeeded. We've poisoned you. It won't affect your health, but you'll definitely be running to the bathroom frequently today.]
'Wait, did I hear that right? I must have misheard. That can't be something a high school student would say, right?'
[But... thankfully, we're not facing Class B... We don't have to deal with that guy...]
'...'
Ryuen Kakeru's gaze toward Saiki carried a hint of fear. If it were Class D vs. Class B, he probably wouldn't even be here.
[Ryuen's gaze toward Saiki shows a hint of hesitation~ It seems Saiki really is the one who defeated Ryuen~]
Although Sakayanagi Arisu had already guessed as much, the fear in Ryuen Kakeru's eyes was keenly captured by her, becoming definitive evidence.
"All four students are here. Come in."
The door to the special building opened, and Saiki entered along with the other three students.
The originally spacious classroom was divided into two sections by a temporary wall, providing excellent soundproofing.
"Students from Class B and Class D, please move to that side."
Following Mashima Tomonari's instructions, Ichinose Honami and Ryuen Kakeru moved to the adjacent room, with Chabashira Sae following them.
The teachers overseeing the exams for Class A and Class B were Sakagami Kazuma from Class D and Hoshinomiya Chie from Class C.
To avoid any bias, each teacher was assigned to oversee exams for classes other than their own.
"Saiki-kun, you're really something special."
Five minutes before the exam officially began, Sakayanagi Arisu turned to look at Saiki.
"My initial target wasn't you at all. In fact, the opponent I hoped for wasn't you either. But you suddenly appeared before me, and even someone like Ayanokoji-kun seems very interested in you."
"That's not what I wanted either."
Saiki sighed. He had just wanted to live an ordinary high school life, but he never expected to be surrounded by such strange people.
"How much do you know about my past, or Ayanokoji's past?"
"Even if I said I know nothing, you wouldn't believe me, right?"
"While it's common to hope for the opponent to go easy, I hope you'll give it your all."
Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes gleamed like a hunter's.
[Saiki, I'll completely defeat you and then appear before Ayanokoji.]
'You'd be better off ignoring me.'
Saiki thought to himself.
"Alright, it's about time to start the exam. Take your seats!"
Hoshinomiya Chie gave the order, her gaze lingering on Saiki.
[Saiki was first in the class voting last time. How did he manage that?]
'Ask the person next to me.'
Saiki internally complained, then sat down in front of the computer screen. The screen displayed the faces of Class B members and the ten prepared events.
"I'm Sakagami, in charge of overseeing the special exam. Now, we'll begin the final special exam of the year. Each class, please select five events and press the confirm button."
Horikita Suzune had previously told Saiki about the events with the highest win rates. Although she had told him to follow his own judgment before the exam began, this information still held some reference value for Saiki.
Soon, Saiki, representing Class B, selected archery, basketball, table tennis, tennis—and rock-paper-scissors as the five events.
The other events mostly tested the students' physical abilities, as Class A far surpassed Class B in average academic ability.
But rock-paper-scissors was different—it was all about luck.
Of course, for a psychic, luck didn't exist.
After Saiki confirmed the events, Class A's selected events were also announced.
Class A chose chess, English exam, modern literature exam, math exam, and rapid mental calculation—all events related to academic ability. This was almost exactly what Katsuragi Kohei had predicted.
"Next, we'll conduct a random draw. The school system will decide the seven events~ By the way, Saiki-kun, your opponent is Sakayanagi-kun. How unfortunate. Even I can't help but feel sorry for you."
Hoshinomiya Chie said with a smile.
However, Saiki knew very well that Hoshinomiya Chie didn't mean it.
"Hoshinomiya-sensei, please watch your words."
Sakagami Kazuma, standing nearby, frowned and spoke seriously.
"Ah, yes~ My apologies for speaking out of turn~"
"The central screen will display the results of the draw. Please look over there."
Sakagami Kazuma then began operating the computer to start the draw—
However, for Saiki, there was no element of luck involved.
'Yare yare, Class A has higher academic ability, so if we draw more of our class's events, we'll have the advantage.'
Saiki immediately activated his psychic powers and began controlling the draw.
Soon, the screen displayed a 3D image.
The first event drawn was—
Basketball: Requires five participants, with a time limit of twenty minutes (two halves of ten minutes each).
Rules: Follow standard basketball rules.
Command Tower: Can substitute one player at any time.
This was the event Horikita Suzune had prepared for Sudo Ken.
As a member of the school basketball team, Sudo Ken had become a key player even in his first year, showcasing exceptional skills.
"Sakagami-sensei, are we allowed to communicate privately during the exam?"
Sakayanagi Arisu asked with a smile.
"There are no specific rules against it. Go ahead."
"In other words, we can engage in verbal battles as we please, right?"
"Correct."
Sakagami Kazuma adjusted his glasses and replied.
[I wonder how strong Saiki's mental resilience is, but verbal attacks have always been a sharp weapon.]
[And in the basketball exam, I've specially prepared verbal weapons for your Sudo.]
[I'll have the students in my class use words to provoke Sudo from your class. I know he has a very impulsive personality. With just a little provocation, he'll likely lose his cool, and then our class can win without a fight.]
'Yare yare, so that's the plan, huh?'
Saiki immediately entered the list of students participating in the basketball match into the computer, as Horikita had arranged.
After both sides finalized their players, the students participating in the basketball event were announced.
Class B's team was led by Makida Susumu, along with Minami Setsuya, Ike Kanji, Hondo Ryotaro, and Onodera Kayano. Sudo Ken was not in the starting lineup.
[Horikita's plan was to keep Sudo on the bench to secure victory in the second half. As for the other starters, aside from Ike, the others will probably only appear in this chapter, so there's no need to remember their names. But they seem to perform well in sports... except for Ike, the others are decent in sports.]
Saiki thought to himself.
"Besides, this exam has little to do with the command tower. Even if we win, it can be credited to Horikita."
In contrast, Class A's team consisted of Machida Koji, Takemoto Shigeru, Kamuro Masumi, Shimizu Naoki, and Kito Hayato—a few of whom would also only appear in this chapter.
"This is a deliberate strategy to not field Sudo, aiming for victory—if Sudo-kun's athletic abilities are anything to go by, it wouldn't be surprising if he's also good at table tennis or tennis. Everything is going as I expected."
Sakayanagi Arisu smiled as she looked at Saiki, seemingly trying to catch a hint of panic in his expression.
But Saiki showed none.
The match began quickly. The starting lineups of Class B and Class A were evenly matched, and the score remained tight at first—
But after Class B scored more than ten points, the situation on the court seemed to change.
Class B's shots suddenly became incredibly accurate, while Class A's shots consistently missed by just a little. Moreover, Class A occasionally made basic mistakes like fumbling the ball, and the score gap gradually widened.
[What's going on? In terms of pure skill, there shouldn't be such a big gap between the two classes. In fact, we should have the advantage... According to the plan, we should be tied going into the second half... Is it because Class B is on a hot streak while our class is cold?]
The smile on Sakayanagi Arisu's face gradually stiffened.
According to the original plan, she had instructed the starters to hold back, keeping the score tied to lure Sudo Ken into the game. But she never expected the first half to already be trending toward a collapse.
Class A's starters no longer had the luxury of holding back.
'Because there's a psychic involved.'
Meanwhile, Saiki's lips curled into a slight smile.
The widening score gap was entirely due to Saiki's interference.
Every time Class B shot, he would subtly adjust the ball's trajectory mid-air, while doing the opposite for Class A. He even used small tricks to make the ball bounce away when Class A players dribbled.
By the end of the first half, the score was 20-8, a significant gap.
The second half was when Sudo Ken would be brought in.
Although the score was already lopsided, victory wasn't guaranteed yet. Bringing in Sudo Ken would secure the win.
Even if Sudo Ken didn't play, since he was already on the basketball roster, he couldn't participate in other events.
"It looks like you have the upper hand, doesn't it? If you maintain this momentum, you'll undoubtedly win. But once you bring Sudo in, everything becomes uncertain."
Sakayanagi Arisu smiled slightly. What she was waiting for was Sudo Ken's entry into the game.
She planned to provoke Sudo Ken with words, causing him to lose his composure.
At that moment, on the court, Kito Hayato struggled to score, and Sudo Ken walked up to him:
"Hey, Kito, you've played basketball before, right?"
"No, we're complete amateurs."
Kito Hayato replied, following Sakayanagi Arisu's orders to act like a beginner and provoke Sudo Ken.
If they could make Sudo Ken lose control, they would have a chance to turn the tide.
However, their plan had already been seen through by Saiki, who had also used some tricks of his own.
"That's right. I've trained for a long time, but I still can't beat you."
That was what Sudo Ken heard.