"Changing teachers?"
Upon hearing Chabashira Sae's words, Saiki immediately sensed something was off.
[The new teacher seems to be responsible for quite a few subjects. I've met him once before, and he looks very young, almost the same age as the students here... But I've heard he's quite extraordinary. Even Acting Chairman Tsukishiro seems to hold him in high regard.]
Chabashira Sae thought to herself.
'Yare yare... It's definitely that guy, isn't it?'
Saiki was already certain that Saiki Kusuke had come to the school.
Originally, Saiki had thought that the new semester would only bring two students sent by the White Room, which shouldn't have much to do with him. But if Saiki Kusuke were to come to this school, the likelihood of trouble would skyrocket exponentially.
He would have to take some special measures when the time came.
Saiki lowered his head and looked at his phone. The overall ability scores of the entire class had been shared, and they could be sorted in ascending or descending order.
'My score is slightly above the middle of the class, huh?'
Saiki thought to himself.
During the previous semester, although he had performed well in the sports festival, earning him a physical ability score of 70, his overall ability wasn't particularly outstanding due to his limited social interactions and average exam performance.
This was a barely acceptable result.
'Good thing not many people noticed my score earlier...'
Saiki let out a sigh of relief. If too many people had noticed his absurdly high scores, it would have caused quite a stir.
Although, in a way, those scores weren't entirely wrong.
The reason Saiki had an S in every category was simply because S was the system's upper limit.
"Additionally, although this doesn't directly concern our class, as an exceptional measure for second-year students, only Sakayanagi Arisu from Class 2-A no Class 2-B will have her physical ability rating permanently tied to the student with the lowest physical ability score in the school."
Due to her physical condition, Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't directly participate in the school's physical exams, so her score was undoubtedly the lowest in the school.
However, after Chabashira Sae corrected herself from saying "Class A" to "Class B," Sakayanagi's face lit up with a smile again:
"With this software, everyone's performance has been quantified. Moreover, students from any grade can instantly know each other's names and faces. I believe this software will become an important tool for communication—but... I think it's more than that. Although this is just my personal speculation, I believe that starting this year, students whose overall ability falls below a certain level will face some form of punishment."
"Could it be... expulsion?"
Ike Kanji's face showed a look of deep concern.
"That's a possibility. But as I said, this is just my speculation. It might not be accurate, but it's best to assume that the closer your overall ability is to an E, the higher the risk."
Chabashira Sae continued.
Saiki glanced at his phone screen. The students with the lowest overall scores in the class were Sakura Airi and Ike Kanji.
Ike Kanji's grades weren't great, and his physical ability was average, so it was normal for his overall ability to be low.
Sakura Airi's grades weren't too bad, but her physical ability was poor, and her scores in adaptability and social contribution, which were related to interpersonal skills, were abysmal.
If ability scores were indeed used as a basis for expulsion in the future, these two would be in the most danger.
"Some of you might feel that these scores don't match your true abilities. There might be dissatisfaction with the gap between your self-evaluation and the school's evaluation. In the second-year exams, you can prove yourselves. On the other hand, for physical ability, you can participate more in club activities to make the scores more accurate."
Chabashira Sae continued,
"This was proposed by the current student council president, Nagumo Miyabi, and approved by the school. It also received funding and technical support from the government and some major external corporations."
'Just as I thought.'
Saiki narrowed his eyes slightly.
Previously, Horikita Manabu had told him about the differences between himself and Nagumo Miyabi.
Horikita Manabu wanted the entire class to strive together as a collective, while Nagumo Miyabi advocated for individual competition.
"That's all for the OAA system. If there's anything you don't understand, I'll now explain the outline of the special exam."
Chabashira Sae's lips curled into a slight smile.
"The first special exam of your second year will feature an unprecedented new approach, much like this OAA system."
The atmosphere in the classroom instantly grew quiet. After a brief pause, Chabashira Sae continued:
"The most important aspect is that you second-year students will be paired with first-year students for a written exam."
"Paired with first-year students...?"
The students in the room were visibly surprised.
Although previous special exams had involved multiple grades, they were usually only grouped together for total scores, with little direct interaction between grades.
But this time seemed different.
"The rules for the next exam are similar to the first-year Paper Shuffle exam. Each of you will be paired with a first-year student."
Chabashira Sae continued,
"You are free to choose which first-year student from which class to pair with. The exam period starts today and will last until the end of the month, approximately two weeks from now—you'll have time to choose your partners and prepare."
After saying this, Chabashira Sae reached out and lightly tapped the blackboard. Information about the special exam immediately appeared.
"On the day of the exam, five subjects will be tested, each worth 100 points, for a total of 500 points—there are two main rules for this exam: class-based competition and individual-based competition."
Class-based competition (within the same grade):
The average score of the entire class and all paired partners will be calculated to determine the ranking.
Rewards will be given based on the average score, from highest to lowest: 50 class points, 30 class points, 10 class points, and 0 class points.
Individual-based competition:
Scores will be calculated based on the combined scores of you and your partner.
The top five pairs will each receive 100,000 personal points as a special reward.
The top 30% of pairs will each receive 10,000 personal points.
If the total score is below 500 points, the second-year student will be expelled. The first-year student will not receive any personal points for the next three months, regardless of their class points.
Additionally, students who intentionally answer questions incorrectly to manipulate or lower their scores will be expelled, regardless of grade. Forcing a third party to score low will also result in expulsion.
[Although the rules sound similar to the previous exam, the two sides aren't truly a community of shared fate. The risks for first-year and second-year students are completely different. First-year students risk losing personal points, which, while significant, isn't catastrophic—but for second-year students, the risk is expulsion.]
Upon hearing Chabashira Sae's words, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's mind raced as he analyzed the information provided by the rules.
[This means that first-year students hold the initiative in this exam. To avoid risks, I need to find a suitable partner as soon as possible. After all, if I'm paired with a student sent by the White Room, I could be dragged down and expelled.]
[Intentionally scoring low will be punished. This is a measure to prevent students from threatening others to throw the exam or demanding points. With this rule, ordinary students are generally protected.]
[But even with rules that usually protect students, it's not enough to consider them reliable, as this rule doesn't provide protection for the other student in the pair.]
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka narrowed his eyes slightly. He was well aware that this exam was undoubtedly related to Tsukishiro.
"You probably have an idea already, right? In this exam, the higher a student's academic ability rating, the better they'll perform."
Chabashira Sae elaborated further.
"Once you've confirmed your partnership, you can link up in the OAA system. However, once the partnership is established, it cannot be undone under any circumstances."
The screen changed again, displaying information about partnerships.
Rules for determining partnerships:
You can send one partnership request per day via OAA (if the request is not accepted, it will reset after 24 hours).
If the other party accepts the request, the partnership is confirmed and cannot be undone.
※Exceptions include expulsion or serious illness.
Once a partnership is confirmed, the information displayed on OAA will be updated at 8:00 AM the next day, and new requests cannot be accepted.
[No underclassman would want to partner with me, right?]
Ike Kanji's face immediately showed a troubled expression. Students with better grades were more likely to be chosen as partners, but his academic ability wasn't ideal.
"Don't worry. Even if you can't find a partner, the school will arrange one for you. If partnerships aren't finalized by the day of the exam, random pairings will be made at 8:00 AM that day—however, the school won't treat students who couldn't find partners the same as others. For partnerships formed due to time constraints, the school will deduct 5% of the total score as a penalty for both students. Additionally, since the number of second-year students is odd, the last unpaired student's score will be doubled, but 5% will still be deducted."
Meanwhile, on the other side of the classroom, Horikita Suzune's mind was also racing.
[Students with poor grades will definitely face difficulties in finding partners. To ensure that weaker students in the class are paired, it's best to negotiate as a class. Our biggest advantage is the Class A brand—but this exam will still depend on each student's individual academic ability.]
"That's the outline of the special exam taking place in April. Please brace yourselves and take on the challenge."
Chabashira Sae smiled and then left the classroom.
...
At the same time, in the teachers' office.
"Um, is there anything else you need?"
Tsukishiro Tokinari looked somewhat flustered as he faced the young man in front of him. His hands fidgeted nervously, as if he didn't know where to put them.
Standing before him was Saiki Kusuke.
Tsukishiro Tokinari had no idea who Saiki Kusuke was at first, but Ayanokoji Atsuomi had called him multiple times, instructing him to cooperate with this person and absolutely not to defy him.
A few months ago, Ayanokoji Atsuomi had arranged for Tsukishiro Tokinari to bring a new teacher to the school—and that person was Saiki Kusuke.
Ayanokoji Atsuomi had also left Tsukishiro Tokinari with a warning:
"If you offend this person, we're all dead."
Tsukishiro Tokinari had never imagined that someone as powerful as Ayanokoji Atsuomi would say something like that.
[This Saiki Kusuke... Saiki... Is he related to Saiki?! I've investigated Saiki before and know he has an older brother... Could it be this guy?!]
Tsukishiro Tokinari's mind raced.
[To make Ayanokoji-sama so afraid... What kind of person is this guy? Earlier, Ayanokoji-sama suddenly warned me not to do anything to Saiki. Is it because of him...?]
[The school's system upgrade was originally planned to take more time, but after Saiki Kusuke arrived, it was completed instantly... This guy not only has incredible technical skills but also terrifying financial backing. Who is he?]
[No matter what... I absolutely cannot provoke him...]
"You don't need to do anything else, but you've made a very clear judgment."
At that moment, Saiki Kusuke smiled at Tsukishiro Tokinari.
"I... made a judgment?"
Tsukishiro Tokinari looked puzzled, completely unaware of what the other meant.
"You just weighed the situation in your mind and concluded that you shouldn't provoke me, right?"
"What?"
Tsukishiro Tokinari's face turned pale with fear.
[How... how does he know?]
"You're surprised that I know what you're thinking, aren't you?"
Saiki Kusuke said with a smile.
He looked at Tsukishiro Tokinari as if he were observing a lower life form.