"As a key member of the school club, your skills are just so-so..."
"You're completely relying on other students in your class to score. You're utterly useless..."
"Even beginners like us can score against you. It just shows how weak you are!"
Kito Hayato, following Sakayanagi Arisu's orders, continuously taunted Sudo Ken with his words.
The other students in Class B showed signs of worry, fearing that Sudo Ken might be affected by the taunts. If Sudo lost his temper, he might act impulsively, which could jeopardize the match.
Although Class B was still leading on the court, the other students, who didn't usually play basketball, were already exhausted. If the match continued, victory wasn't guaranteed.
"Ken!"
Ike Kanji, standing nearby, anxiously went to check on Sudo Ken—
But he was surprised to find Sudo Ken wearing an embarrassed smile.
"Even though you're my opponent, your words are making me feel a bit shy."
Sudo Ken said, scratching his head.
"Huh?"
This reaction left Kito Hayato completely baffled. He had intended to provoke Sudo Ken with his words, but he never expected Sudo to respond like this...
It was as if Sudo thought he was being complimented.
In reality, that was exactly the case. Saiki had used his psychic powers to make Kito's taunts sound like praise to Sudo Ken.
"As a club member, your skills are truly outstanding!"
"The fact that others in your class can score must be because you've given them special training."
"Even though we've also learned basketball, we're no match for you..."
That was what Sudo Ken heard.
...
Ten minutes later, the match came to an end, with Class B securing a decisive victory of 36-14.
"That was an exhilarating match!"
After the game, Sudo Ken smiled and extended his hand to Kito Hayato.
"..."
[This is completely different from what I expected...]
Kito Hayato was utterly confused. After continuously taunting Sudo Ken, he never expected Sudo to initiate a handshake.
For a moment, Kito even felt a twinge of guilt.
...
"Class B won the first match!"
In the multipurpose classroom, Hoshinomiya Chie couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
At the same time, Saiki turned to look at Sakayanagi Arisu.
Sakayanagi, however, appeared calm and spoke in an even tone:
"I thought there might be a chance, but it seems his skills are indeed impressive."
Although she said this, Sakayanagi was filled with doubt.
[Strange, Sudo's reaction doesn't match expectations. Is he the type to smile and chat with his opponent even after being taunted? Was my initial information wrong, or has Sudo grown significantly during this time?]
'Because in Sudo's ears, it sounded like praise.'
Saiki thought to himself.
"Now, let's proceed with the draw for the second event."
Sakagami Kazuma quickly continued, and the computer began the draw.
Saiki immediately used his psychic powers to intervene, ensuring that Class B's selected events would be prioritized.
The second event was decided by the draw, and the result was—
Typing Skills: Requires one participant, with a time limit of thirty minutes.
Rules: Typing skills will be tested on speed and accuracy across three categories: single words, short passages, and long passages.
Command Tower: Can point out one mistake discovered during the exam.
'Yare yare, this seems like a project proposed by The Professor.'
Saiki thought to himself.
Sotomura Hideo, who had been in the same group as Saiki during the preferential treatment exam, occasionally interacted with Saiki. Although his usual academic performance was mediocre and his personality somewhat sleazy, he did possess some peculiar talents in specific areas.
From what Saiki knew, Sotomura Hideo had an unmatched typing speed in Class B, and his speed was undoubtedly impressive even on a national level.
"Class B has chosen an interesting event. At first glance, it seems like a game, but typing skills are a fundamental ability in modern society, almost indispensable. It's only natural that the school would include it."
Sakayanagi Arisu turned to Saiki with a smile.
"Everyone has one or two things they're good at, but when it comes to competing in that area, not everyone is confident—you must have someone in your class who's very confident in typing skills."
As she spoke, Sakayanagi entered the name "Yoshida Kenta" into the system.
'Yoshida Kenta... this name will probably only appear in this chapter.'
Saiki thought to himself while looking at Sakayanagi.
[Yoshida-kun seems to have decent typing skills, but it's just decent. We'll probably lose this round, but getting two of Class B's events in a row is quite lucky.]
Sakayanagi thought to herself.
Soon, the match began. Sotomura Hideo's typing speed even exceeded Saiki's expectations, his fingers moving so fast they seemed to leave afterimages.
After watching the match, Saiki knew that Sotomura Hideo would undoubtedly win. There was no need to intervene with his psychic powers.
The outcome of the match was quickly decided.
"Class B's Sotomura Hideo, 92 points. Class A's Yoshida Kenta, 83 points. Class B wins."
Sakagami Kazuma announced the results of the round.
"To think Class B has won two rounds in a row! Your class is doing quite well~"
Hoshinomiya Chie said with a smile to Saiki.
However, Saiki could always hear Hoshinomiya's inner thoughts.
Her inner monologue was somewhat terrifying, completely at odds with her cute appearance.
[Chabashira's class has become Class B, replacing us... replacing us! If they win this match, they might even rise to Class A. This is absolutely unacceptable! Unacceptable! I can't forget the mistakes Chabashira made in the past~]
Hoshinomiya Chie kept muttering these thoughts in her mind, and Saiki could sense her terrifying obsession with Chabashira Sae.
"Still a bit short? What a pity."
Sakayanagi Arisu shook her head.
[Class B has already had two of their events drawn. The probability of drawing one of our strong events next is higher now.]
[Even though we've suffered two consecutive losses, it's still completely acceptable for us.]
[The battles ahead won't be so easy, Saiki.]
Despite the two consecutive losses, Sakayanagi Arisu remained calm.
'Yare yare, sorry, but for a psychic, probability doesn't really matter.'
Saiki responded in his mind.
The third draw began, and the result was archery.
[Another one of Class B's events? How can this be?]
Sakayanagi Arisu's doubts resurfaced.
'Then I'll send out Miyake.'
Saiki immediately entered Miyake Akito's name as the participant for the next event.
Miyake Akito was a key member of the archery club, and unsurprisingly, he secured the victory in this event.
"With this... Class B is now leading 3-0..."
Hoshinomiya Chie's face showed a look of surprise. She hadn't expected things to turn out this way.
If Class B won one more match, the outcome of the competition would be decided.
[Has Class A been pushed to this extent?]
Even Sakagami Kazuma was somewhat shocked.
Although the point difference between Class A and Class B wasn't large, in the teachers' minds, Class A's strength was far superior to the other classes. Moreover, the current Class B was originally Class D, which should have been the weakest in terms of overall ability.
And now, this former Class D had the potential to rise to Class A...
[No Class D has ever risen to Class B before... and now they might even rise to Class A... What's the reason? Does it have something to do with this student named Saiki? In previous exams, he's always been full of surprises. Is Saiki behind Class B's current advantage in this exam?]
Sakagami Kazuma's gaze shifted to Saiki, but he quickly shook his head.
[No, although the command tower can interfere in this exam, their influence is still very limited, far from being able to determine the outcome. Overall, it's just because Class B's events have been drawn consecutively.]
'Yare yare, that's exactly why I chose to become the command tower in the first place.'
Saiki's lips curled into a slight smile.
Because he wasn't participating in the exams, even if his class won, no one would suspect that it had anything to do with him.
Everything was under control.
"Sakagami-sensei, I have a request."
At that moment, Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly spoke up.
"What is it? Please go ahead."
Sakagami Kazuma adjusted his glasses.
"Although this possibility exists, I'd like to ask the teacher to confirm whether the draw system is functioning properly."
Sakayanagi Arisu inquired.
After all, the probability of drawing three of Class B's events in a row wasn't high.
[Damn it... Class B has already won three matches? If another one of their events is drawn, we'll be in danger.]
[According to the school's exam rules, even if the outcome is decided, all seven events must be completed. But if we lose the first four events, it will severely affect the morale of the students in the later events, potentially leading to unnecessary point losses.]
[And that would be an absolute disgrace! Damn it, why am I feeling so panicked? I mustn't show any signs of panic in front of the enemy!]
Although Sakayanagi Arisu maintained a calm expression, her inner thoughts betrayed her.
Saiki heard her thoughts clearly.
The more arrogant Sakayanagi had been earlier, the more panicked she was now.
[And... could Saiki have tampered with the exam system?]
Sakayanagi Arisu was growing increasingly wary of Saiki.
"Please wait a moment. I'll contact the higher-ups."
Sakagami Kazuma quickly left his seat and reported the matter. Five minutes later, he returned with a response.
"The higher-ups say the system is functioning perfectly."
"Is that so? Then it seems luck is on your side, Saiki."
Sakayanagi Arisu looked at Saiki, who remained silent.
'Yare yare, if our class's events keep getting drawn, it might start to look suspicious. And a 7-0 victory might be too much. I'll let them win one...'
Saiki thought to himself and then allowed one of Class A's events to be drawn in the next round: rapid mental calculation.
Rapid Mental Calculation: Requires two participants, with a time limit of thirty minutes.
Rules: Competitors will use mental arithmetic to compete in accuracy and speed. The student who secures first place wins for their class.
Command Tower: Can change the answer to any one question.
"Finally, one of our events?"
Sakayanagi Arisu said with a smile.
[If it's this event, we're guaranteed to win. Class B will surely think Katsuragi has betrayed me, so they'll send weaker participants. But that's exactly the trap! They'll be so shocked when they realize Katsuragi has won.]
'Yare yare, that doesn't sit well with me.'
Saiki changed his mind.
In a normal exam, he would avoid achieving too good a result.
But in this exam, the outcome of each event depended more on the students' abilities, so even if they won, Saiki wouldn't mind too much.
If they followed Horikita Suzune's strategy, the students sent for this exam would be Koenji Rokusuke and Matsushita Chiaki.
Koenji Rokusuke's abilities were undeniable, and Matsushita Chiaki, though not very noticeable in class, was good at math—Saiki knew she was hiding her true abilities.
But after hearing Sakayanagi's thoughts, Saiki decided not to follow Horikita's plan.
He entered the first name: Matsushita Chiaki.
Then the second name—
Horikita Suzune.