"Don't joke around. Your chess skills even overpowered Sakayanagi. In my understanding, Sakayanagi's skills should be comparable to top-tier chess masters. Is there really someone in this school who could beat you?"
Hashimoto Masayoshi said with an expression of disbelief.
"But that's the truth."
Ayanokoji, however, spoke with complete calm.
"Could it be... Saiki?"
Hashimoto Masayoshi suddenly thought of this possibility and leaned forward, eagerly asking.
"The match is over. I'll take my leave now."
Ayanokoji didn't respond to him and simply walked away.
...
In the multipurpose classroom, Sakayanagi Arisu leaned back in her chair and let out a long sigh.
[As expected of Ayanokoji. I lost fair and square.]
Sakayanagi Arisu thought to herself.
Although she had lost, Sakayanagi Arisu accepted it wholeheartedly. There was no trace of dissatisfaction on her face. Instead, she seemed as if she had fulfilled a long-held wish.
[Sakayanagi actually lost in chess?]
At the same time, both Sakagami Kazuma and Hoshinomiya Chie couldn't help but feel the same astonishment.
[The students of Class B have reached this level? But compared to Sakayanagi, Saiki, as the command tower, barely did anything.]
"Congratulations, Saiki. This time, I admit defeat wholeheartedly."
Sakayanagi Arisu walked up to Saiki and said with a smile.
"It's just that our class's students were stronger. After all, I didn't do anything."
Saiki shrugged.
"However, there's still one last match, right? It's about which class will become Class A."
Sakayanagi Arisu said.
[According to calculations, the point difference between our two classes is less than thirty points. If Class B wins, our position as Class A will be taken away.]
"Let's proceed with the final match."
"Sure."
Saiki nodded.
Previously, Saiki had been somewhat resistant to the idea of rising to Class A, as it would mean more attention and possibly being seen as an enemy by more students.
But now, that was no longer a concern—
Thanks to the people around him, Saiki had already become one of the school's focal points.
Whether the class rose to Class A or not no longer mattered. Saiki could only console himself with the thought of earning more personal points.
"The final round is about to begin."
Sakagami Kazuma returned to the system computer and began the final draw—
Rock-Paper-Scissors: Requires one participant, with a time limit of ten minutes.
Rules: A standard rock-paper-scissors match, best of three.
Command Tower: Can substitute one round of the participant's choice.
"It's... rock-paper-scissors?"
Sakayanagi Arisu narrowed her eyes slightly. To be honest, she was somewhat surprised that this event had been selected.
But upon closer thought, it made sense.
After all, if a class was at a disadvantage in every aspect, a luck-based event like rock-paper-scissors might allow the disadvantaged class to score.
Sakayanagi Arisu casually selected a participant, Takemoto Shigeru, who had been in the same group as Saiki during the preferential treatment exam but had little interaction with him.
After some thought, Saiki selected Karuizawa Kei.
Karuizawa Kei and Takemoto Shigeru soon appeared on the screen, and the rock-paper-scissors match officially began.
The first round went to Karuizawa Kei.
The second round was won by Takemoto Shigeru.
Now, it all came down to the final, decisive round.
"Saiki-kun, are you going to use the command tower's interference?"
In the multipurpose classroom, Sakayanagi Arisu turned to Saiki and asked.
"Yes."
Saiki nodded.
Since it's the final round, I might as well participate a little.
[Although it's a game of luck, if you can analyze the opponent's psychology, you can gain a greater chance of winning... If it's Saiki, what will he choose?]
Sakayanagi Arisu's mind raced as she tried to figure out what she should choose to maximize her chances of winning.
[Saiki must be thinking about this too, right?]
'Sorry, not at all.'
In reality, Saiki was simply waiting for Sakayanagi Arisu's choice.
Finally, after a few minutes, Sakayanagi Arisu chose 'paper' as her answer.
Saiki, using his telepathy, heard this and immediately chose 'scissors.'
Luck was not a factor that could determine the outcome for a psychic.
As Sakagami Kazuma announced the results, Sakayanagi Arisu gave a bitter smile.
[In the end, I still lost?]
Beside her, Sakagami Kazuma and Hoshinomiya Chie took a few seconds to process the situation before speaking up.
"—The match is over. The last event was won by Class B. Therefore, the final result of this special exam is 6 wins and 1 loss—a victory for Class B. Class A also performed brilliantly!"
There was no doubt that Class A had demonstrated their true strength and strategy.
However, they had still lost to Class B.
'Luck' was what they believed to be the reason for their defeat.
"That was a brilliant match, Sakayanagi-kun. You did very well, but luck wasn't on your side this time..."
Hoshinomiya Chie tried to offer some comforting words, but Sakayanagi Arisu wasn't interested.
"Thank you for your kindness, sensei, but I don't need comfort. I fully accept the result of this exam. Class B is the rightful winner. Luck isn't an excuse."
Sakayanagi Arisu said, accepting the outcome with complete composure.
"We'll let you hold onto the Class A position for now. We'll take it back when the time comes."
Sakayanagi Arisu said to Saiki with a smile, then left the classroom.
Meanwhile, Sakagami Kazuma looked at Saiki and couldn't help but purse his lips.
[From Class D to Class A... This has never happened before... And it took less than a year... What kind of monsters are among these students?]
"That's it for today. You can head back now."
Sakagami Kazuma said to Saiki.
"Thank you, sensei. I'll take my leave now."
Saiki said to the teacher and then left the classroom.
...
An hour later, in the neighboring classroom.
"Class D defeated Class C with a score of 5:2."
Mashima Tomonari announced the results of the exam in the multipurpose classroom.
Ichinose Honami looked dejected, her entire demeanor like that of a walking corpse.
On the other hand, Ryuen Kakeru's lips curled into a slight smile, as if everything had gone according to his plan.
Before the exam, Ryuen Kakeru had secretly poisoned the food of Class C students, causing them to suffer from stomachaches on the day of the exam.
Not only that, but all the events he had chosen were related to physical combat.
Under Ryuen Kakeru's meticulous planning, Class C stood no chance and quickly lost the match.
Such a lopsided match allowed Ryuen Kakeru's Class D to directly replace Ichinose Honami's class.
The identities of Class C and Class D would now be swapped.
[I originally genuinely wanted to drop out... I don't know why, but I've started to feel this fear toward someone else... It's been a long time since I've felt fear.]
[But the more I feel this fear, the more it excites me. I'm eager to find out just how terrifying Saiki is.]
[My goal was to become the command tower, create a situation with no way out, and use this opportunity to confirm whether I truly desire to face Saiki again...]
Ryuen Kakeru's gaze didn't linger on Ichinose Honami. Instead, he turned to look at the teacher.
He noticed that Chabashira Sae, the homeroom teacher of Class B, had a very obvious smile on her face.
[It seems Class B gave Class A quite a hard time.]
Ryuen Kakeru smiled and asked:
"How did the other match go?"
"It ended an hour ago."
Mashima Tomonari said slowly, his expression dark as he turned to look at Chabashira Sae.
"Oh?"
Ryuen Kakeru was surprised. Their class's match had been very quick, but he hadn't expected the match between Classes A and B to be even faster.
"What was the score?"
"Class B won with a huge score of 6:1."
Mashima Tomonari said calmly.
Although he was the homeroom teacher of Class A, his emotional fluctuations wasn't that strong.
"After this exam, Class B will become the new Class A."
"I see."
Ryuen Kakeru's smile grew even wider.
[Saiki, you've finally stopped pretending, huh?]
[To defeat Sakayanagi with such a lopsided score... Your strength is truly terrifying...]
[But... This only makes my anticipation grow even stronger!]
Ryuen Kakeru was laughing wildly in his heart, like a bloodthirsty beast.
The fear he felt toward Saiki grew stronger—
And even stronger was his desire to overcome that fear.
Meanwhile, Chabashira Sae was ecstatic.
[Finally, finally, we've done it!]
Her desire to rise to Class A had finally been fulfilled.
...
Meanwhile, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, having finished the exam, left the classroom and prepared to return to his dorm to rest.
For the students of Class B, the upcoming spring break would be a time for celebration.
But just as Ayanokoji Kiyotaka left the school building, he saw a familiar figure standing in front of him.
Sakayanagi Arisu.
"I admit defeat wholeheartedly, Ayanokoji."
Despite the loss and the impending demotion of her class, Sakayanagi Arisu seemed to be in a relatively good mood.
"I just got lucky."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said calmly.
"The match is over, and I'm glad I got to compete with you. It gave me an answer—that you're undoubtedly a genius. You're definitely not a fake."
"Don't you want to seek revenge in chess?"
"Do you want me to think that way?"
"No, I don't."
"Haha, you're so straightforward."
"However, there's still one target I want to defeat."
At that moment, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka spoke up.
"Oh?"
Sakayanagi Arisu raised an eyebrow.
"I heard something similar from Hashimoto earlier. Is it Saiki?"
"Yes."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka nodded directly.
"I was completely serious when I faced Saiki, but he effortlessly crushed me."
"Really? How is that possible?"
Sakayanagi Arisu was surprised.
She was very confident in her chess skills, and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who had defeated her, could be said to be unparalleled.
But Ayanokoji Kiyotaka not only lost but was also completely crushed?
How was that possible?
"Indeed. I can replay the entire match for you. Is that okay?"
"Sure, let's go to the library."
Soon, the two went to the library, where there was a chess set available.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had an incredible memory. He could perfectly recreate every move from his match with Saiki that night.
In a way, he could never forget that match.
"This is the entire process."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said expressionlessly.
Sitting across from him, Sakayanagi Arisu's forehead was beaded with sweat, and her body trembled slightly.
"Such skill... It's beyond human comprehension, isn't it?"
"What do you think?"
"You set up multiple traps during the match, which I only noticed afterward. If it were me, I might not have been able to spot them all immediately—but Saiki seemed to see through your moves from the very beginning. He even prepared countermeasures before you set up the traps... It's as if he could read your mind."
Sakayanagi Arisu pursed her lips. Only someone at her level could understand what was hidden within this match.
"Exactly. That's Saiki's strength..."
"With such incredible skill, he didn't even use the command tower's interference... Could it be?"
A sudden possibility crossed Sakayanagi Arisu's mind.
[Saiki knew my chess skills inside out. He was fully aware that I couldn't defeat Ayanokoji? How is that possible?]
"Also, the final rock-paper-scissors match. Do you think it was just luck?"
At that moment, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka looked up and fixed his gaze on Sakayanagi Arisu.
"Most likely, Saiki had completely analyzed your personality, habits, and abilities, predicting exactly what you would choose."
"If that's true... Then isn't he just a complete monster?"
"That's exactly what he is. I believe Saiki-kun is a monster, one that even I can't compare to."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said.