Around 6:20 PM, the first batch of students who entered the second-floor conference room began to exit one after another. Most of them looked utterly confused, scratching their heads while mumbling things like "Outcome One, Two, Three, Four."
"How did it go?"
Waiting outside the room, Kitagawa Ryo and Ryuuen Kakeru immediately stood up to ask. C-Class's Komiya and others were part of the batch assigned to gather at 6:00 PM. To gain information ahead of time, C-Class's leaders had arrived early on the second floor.
"Boss, here's the recording."
Unlike the students from other classes, C-Class's group seemed much more relaxed. Though most still didn't fully understand the rules, Kitagawa had advised them to activate the voice recorder on their phones before entering. That saved time retelling the rules and ensured 100% retention without missing any key details.
"Mm."
Komiya sent the recording file to their group chat. Kitagawa sat down on a corridor bench, placed his laptop on his lap, plugged in his earphones, and prepared to listen to what the school had explained over the nearly twenty-minute session.
"Give me one."
Ryuuen plopped down beside Kitagawa without hesitation and took one of Kitagawa's earbuds.
Kitagawa didn't mind. He shifted to give Ryuuen more space and clicked play on the recording.
"In this special exam, the school has metaphorically divided the first-year students into the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac. The exams will be conducted within these groups. The goal is to test your 'Thinking' ability."
It was a female voice, seemingly belonging to D-Class homeroom teacher Chabashira Sae. Komiya nodded and confirmed, "Yes, the rules were explained by D-Class's homeroom teacher."
[Thinking]
Kitagawa typed the word into his notebook. So this is a thinking-oriented exam?
"There are three primary skills expected of working adults: Action, Thinking, and Teamwork. Those who possess these abilities will qualify as excellent adults. The previous uninhabited island exam focused more on Teamwork. This time, it's Thinking. You will need to demonstrate your thinking ability.
Thinking ability refers to the capability to analyze a situation, clarify the issue, prepare strategies, and use creativity to generate new value. These are skills that will become increasingly necessary for you in the future."
Of course, C-Class didn't really demonstrate Teamwork in the island exam.
Kitagawa inwardly mocked her speech as he continued listening.
"Hence, this exam will be conducted across twelve groups.
First of all, as expected, the four people present are members of the same group. At the same time, similar explanations are being given in other rooms to your future groupmates."
Kitagawa narrowed his eyes and looked at students emerging from the other rooms. Sure enough, this exam mixed students from different classes into the same groups.
But if that's the case, why didn't they gather the full group in one place for explanation?
Ryuuen also seemed to realize this contradiction. He frowned and typed in the notebook: "Redundant group-split explanation."
"You've been assigned to the 'Rat' group. Here's a list of your group members. You'll need to return this paper when you leave, so if necessary, jot it down now."
Kitagawa looked at Komiya, who nodded and sent a compiled list into the group chat. They had split up the work—each person memorizing a few names. It wasn't too hard; each person only had to remember three or four names. Kitagawa quickly scanned the list—most were unfamiliar.
"As a fundamental rule, forget about A-Class through D-Class distinctions for this exam.
From now on, you will act as a member of the 'Rat' group. Whether your group passes or fails will be determined individually."
"There are only four possible outcomes for each group. The exam is designed so that only one of the four outcomes can occur. For clarity, we've prepared documents listing these outcomes. However, taking photos or removing the documents is strictly prohibited. Please review them now."
To their credit, Komiya and the others cleverly began reading the rules aloud, even pretending to be puzzled and repeating key phrases:
"This exam revolves around the group's 'Privileged Student.' Using the specified method to submit an answer will result in one of four outcomes.
The school will send a notification email to all students at 8:00 AM on the day the exam starts. The chosen 'Privileged Student' will also be notified.
The exam runs from tomorrow until 9:00 PM on the fourth day (with one free day mixed in).
Group members must meet twice daily at assigned rooms for one-hour discussions.
Discussion topics are self-directed.
For the answer portion: The school will only accept answers identifying the Privileged Student between 9:30 and 10:00 PM. Each student may answer only once.
Answers must be emailed using the student's own phone.
Privileged Students cannot submit answers.
Answers about other groups will be invalid.
Results will be announced at 11:00 PM on the final day via email."
Kitagawa replayed this section three times. Ryuuen also attentively reviewed the special exam's structure.
"This is not a group-based exam. Ultimately, it's another form of class competition."
Ryuuen shared his thoughts while adjusting the playback bar:
"Outcome 1: If everyone except the Privileged Student and their classmates guesses correctly, each of them gains personal points. The Privileged Student and their classmates will receive the same amount as well.
Outcome 2: If someone in the group answers incorrectly or doesn't answer at all, the Privileged Student alone gains 500,000 personal points.
Outcome 3: If someone correctly identifies the Privileged Student before the final discussion ends, their class gains 50 class points, and they earn 500,000 personal points. The Privileged Student's class loses 50 class points. The group exam ends immediately. If a classmate of the Privileged Student guesses, it is invalid and the exam continues.
Outcome 4: If someone guesses early but incorrectly, their class loses 50 class points. Meanwhile, the Privileged Student and their class each gain rewards: 500,000 personal points and 50 class points. The exam ends upon the incorrect guess."
These dense rules might be hard to grasp for today's short-attention-span readers. No wonder the students came out confused. But Kitagawa and Ryuuen quickly grasped the logic. Though the setup resembled a popular "Werewolf" game, it was actually closer to "Who's the Spy." In this case, the Privileged Student was the undercover player.
"This Privileged Student role is kind of similar to the Leader from the uninhabited island exam."
Ryuuen Kakeru wasn't very interested in Outcomes One or Two. For C-Class at the moment, class points were far more important than hundreds of thousands of personal points. The mechanism of gaining or losing fifty points for correct or incorrect guesses reminded him instantly of the previous special exam.
"But unlike the Leader role in the island exam, this time the Privileged Student seems to be selected by the school."
Kitagawa Ryo nodded in agreement as the two of them finished the remaining portion of the recording:
"The school has also taken concerns about anonymity into account. At the end of the exam, only the results for each group and the changes in class points will be announced. In other words, the names of Privileged Students or guessers will not be made public. Additionally, if you prefer, temporary IDs for receiving rewards or staggered withdrawal options are available. As long as you remain silent, there is no risk of being exposed after the exam. Of course, if you don't feel the need to hide, you're free to claim your points openly."
This seemed to be the school's way of encouraging students to actively participate. Not every class could betray or deceive as easily as C-Class. Most students cared too much about their reputations and were hesitant to sell out others. This rule gave those hesitant students a sense of security. Clearly, the school was trying to muddy the waters.
"The prohibited actions are listed here as well. Please read carefully."
"Stealing someone else's phone is prohibited. Using threats or coercion to discover the identity of the Privileged Student is prohibited. Submitting answers using another student's phone is prohibited."
"Violation will result in expulsion."
"Likewise, falsely claiming to have been threatened and later being found out will also lead to expulsion."
"After the final session of the exam ends, all groups must immediately disband. For a certain period, communication between students of different classes is prohibited. Violators will also face expulsion."
"Starting tomorrow, students must attend scheduled meetings at 1:00 PM and 8:00 PM in the designated school rooms. Each room will display the group's name on a sign. During your first meeting, make sure to introduce yourselves in the room. Discussions last for one hour, and you're not allowed to leave during that time. Use the restroom beforehand. If it's urgent or you're unwell, contact your homeroom teacher and request permission."
"To ensure fairness, the selection of Privileged Students will be strictly regulated by the school. Whether you are selected or not, no requests for changes will be accepted. Also, it is forbidden to copy, forward, or alter the school's emails."
The recording ended there. Kitagawa looked down at his notebook where Ryuuen had added two more notes:
[Is there a hidden rule behind the Privileged Student selection?]
[How exactly is the school ensuring fairness?]
While brainstorming, some sharp-eyed C-Class students brought over two cold drinks from the cafeteria. Kitagawa took one, sipping through the straw as he said:
"Information is everything."
"So, rather than testing thinking ability, this is more like a test of intelligence gathering and class control."
Ryuuen nodded.
"Exactly. If we assume the school's idea of fairness is to distribute Privileged Students evenly, each class should have three. That means if we can identify the Privileged Students from the other classes while keeping ours hidden, we could gain 450 class points."
"Or we could use the identities as leverage, like in the last exam, and negotiate with other classes to trade for personal points."
Kitagawa nodded again, then thought for a moment.
"But all of this depends on knowing the full list of Privileged Students. This time, the rules are odd—especially the twice-daily discussion sessions. Games like Werewolf or Who's the Spy include discussion rounds, but they're always based on a flow of information."
"In Werewolf, each night provides clues. In Spy, everyone describes their word. That structure provides a foundation for deductions."
"But in this 'Privileged Student Exam,' what exactly are we supposed to discuss? Just directly ask, 'Are you the Privileged Student?' Without information, suspicion is baseless. Even with more time, if the Privileged Student doesn't reveal themselves, they won't be caught."
Nearby, Komiya and Ishizaki Daichi were clearly lost in confusion. Only Ryuuen was still able to keep up with Kitagawa's logic.
"Right. The huge gap between Outcomes Three and Four makes people afraid to guess. And since each group includes students from all four classes, the idea of identifying the Privileged Student through discussion is practically a paradox."
"Uhh… Ryuuen-san, what does that mean?"
Ishizaki couldn't help but ask. Ryuuen explained:
"As Kitagawa just said, the difference from Werewolf or Spy is that non-Privileged Students have no means of deduction. They simply don't have enough information. Even if three classes joined forces, they couldn't find the Privileged Student."
Seeing the others still look puzzled, Kitagawa added:
"For example, if Komiya were the Privileged Student, and A, B, and D classes shared all their info, the best they could deduce is that the Privileged Student is from C-Class. But C-Class has four members in the group. Unless they all stay silent or all claim to be the Privileged Student, could the others guess correctly?"
"No... probably not."
Komiya and the others imagined the scene Kitagawa described and shook their heads.
"And that's not the only odd thing. Take Outcomes Three and Four—they completely block the path to Outcome One."
Kitagawa took a sip and continued organizing his thoughts:
"To reach Outcome One, the Privileged Student must reveal themselves during the final discussion on the last day, right?"
"It's the only way to avoid betrayal."
"But consider this."
He rewound the recording:
"The final discussion is from 8:00 to 9:00 PM. Groups then disband and are prohibited from contacting other classes."
"However—"
"The school only accepts answers from 9:30 to 10:00 PM."
Kitagawa put his empty glass on the table and stretched.
"So what will students from other classes do during that 30-minute window if they find out the Privileged Student's identity?"
"Betray them!"
Komiya answered immediately.
"Exactly. Whether the betrayal succeeds or not, it would still result in either Outcome Three or Four. Which means, Outcome One is almost impossible."
"That's why the school can afford to offer such a massive reward for it."
"If each group has 13 to 14 members, achieving Outcome One would cost the school 7 to 8 million personal points."
Resting his chin on his hand, Kitagawa murmured:
"Such a tempting number."
"I think I have a crazy idea."
Ryuuen looked over as Kitagawa typed four lines into his notebook:
[1. If discussion can't reveal the Privileged Student, then the selection may follow a hidden pattern that can be discovered.]
[2. Outcome One is the hardest to achieve—almost impossible—because it requires full cooperation from all four classes.]
[3. C-Class currently has unconditional cooperation pacts with both B-Class and D-Class.]
[4. A-Class is in chaos after Katsuragi's fall, and the point difference between A, B, and C is minimal.]
"I think it's time we fleece the school a little."
Kitagawa closed his laptop with a click.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To Read Advanced Chapters, and support this novel, please join me on [email protected]/geats2000