Chapter 346: The Scheming Miss Hiyori
The Selection Project exam officially begins.
The four commanders head to the multimedia room, while the rest of the students remain on standby in their classrooms, waiting for the broadcast.
On the projection screen, seven exam events are displayed: [English Test], [Classical Japanese Reading Comprehension], [Free Sparring], [100m Sprint], [Arm Wrestling], [Shorthand Memorization], and [Go].
"The exam is about to begin. All classes, please remain quiet.
I am the chief examiner, Mashima Tomonari. The final special exam for the first-years is about to commence!"
"I will briefly restate the exam rules...
First, the system will randomly select the order of the exam events. Then, the commanders will decide which students will compete. Each student can only participate in one event.
The class that wins four events will be the victor.
The losing class can also choose to continue the exam to strive for some points."
Following Mashima-sensei's broadcast, the avatars of all Class D members appear on the projection screen.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, as the commander, is placed at the highest position, but his avatar is greyed out and unselectable for participation.
Truth be told, although Class D and Class C are both lower-ranked classes, there is still a certain gap in the overall level of their students.
Class D's biggest problem is the massive disparity between its ceiling and its floor.
The strongest individuals are Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and Koenji Rokusuke, but one is the commander and cannot participate personally, while the other is uncontrollable.
Hachiman leans back in his chair, spinning his pen leisurely. His gaze wanders to Horikita Suzune sitting next to him, only to find her brow furrowed, looking preoccupied.
"Suzune, relax.
Having your palms sweat from nervousness as soon as an exam starts—that's not like you."
Horikita Suzune gave him a helpless side-eye: "Don't act like this has nothing to do with you. Besides, my hands aren't sweating. If you don't believe me, feel them."
As she spoke, she stretched her hand over, showing her fair, open palm.
'Why is this girl so literal?
Also, Kikyo-chan in front, could you please stop turning around to glare at me?
Can we be a bit more serious? This is an exam!'
On the projection screen, the exam events cycle rapidly.
Hachiman is well aware that, judging by the system that "randomly" selected the commanders earlier, there is a 99% chance this is being manually manipulated behind the scenes.
The first exam event randomly "selected"—[100m Sprint].
This was an event submitted by Class C.
Rules: 4 students participate; must be 2 males and 2 females. The final score is the average time of the four people.
Commander: Can replace one student at any time.
"What should we do?"
"Starting off with Class C's home turf, talk about bad luck."
"And it's a 2-male, 2-female race. Who should we send?"
The students of Class D began to discuss uneasily.
In truth, their worrying was useless because the commander is the one who decides who goes on the field.
Four empty slots appeared on the screen as the commander made his selection...
Across the screen, one couldn't see Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's expression.
However, Hachiman estimated that the other guy was probably feeling quite conflicted.
Under normal circumstances, Sudo Ken, the athletic ace, would undoubtedly be the best choice.
But unfortunately, before the exam started, Sudo Ken was sabotaged by Class C.
With a leg injury, he couldn't participate in strenuous exercise.
Ultimately, the participants for Class D are: Kyosuke Okitani, Eita Kikuchi, Kokoro Inogashira, and Anzu Maezono.
"Eh?!"
A chorus of cries erupted from Class D.
Simply because the four people sent out were the weakest athletic performers in the class.
"What on earth is Ayanokouji doing?"
Horikita Suzune's face looked grim.
"He's probably giving up on this event.
Class C has a lot of athletically gifted students to begin with.
Without Sudo as a main force, Class D's chances of winning were even smaller."
Hachiman guessed Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's plan.
When facing a guaranteed loss in an exam event, sending out the weakest students to preserve strength is quite logical.
The chosen four head to the track for the 100m sprint.
The result was no surprise...
Class C won a landslide victory.
In particular, a girl named Kinoshita Minori achieved a staggering time of 12.85 seconds!
That score wouldn't lose to a female athlete from a specialized sports school!
Hachiman subconsciously looked at Horikita Suzune beside him.
He saw Suzune staring blankly, her lips pursed, her face revealing a look of frustration.
Well, it seemed there was no need to ask.
Even the athletic Horikita Suzune couldn't beat a true sports-focused student.
With the defeat in the first battle, a wave of complaints rose from Class D, with some directly cursing Ayanokouji Kiyotaka for his "messy" command. Unfortunately, they couldn't affect the "Masterpiece."
Manual random selection, the second exam event—
[English Test]
Rules: Participated in by 1 student.
Commander: Can remotely modify the test answers, limited to three questions.
"It's finally our turn!"
"We're counting on you, Wang Mei-Yu!"
Everyone in Class D turned their expectant gazes toward this international student from the China.
The commander's side didn't hesitate either; Ayanokouji Kiyotaka decisively chose Wang Mei-Yu to go out.
"Do your best, Mei-chan!"
Kushida Kikyo offered encouragement to her friend.
"Mhm, I'll work hard!"
Wang Mei-Yu nodded seriously.
Class C sent out Manabe Shiho...
It seems Ryuen Kakeru was playing the same game.
Facing an event he couldn't win, he sent out a sacrificial pawn.
Actually, in Hachiman's view, Shiina Hiyori's English level could more or less compete with Wang Mei-Yu, though the odds would probably be 4:6.
The reason Hiyori wasn't sent out was likely because she was participating in another event.
The third event—[Arm Wrestling].
This time, it was Class C's home turf.
Rules: Participated in by 3 students; must be 1 male and 2 females. Best of three rounds wins.
Commander: Can replace one student at any time.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka chose Miyake Akito, Onodera Kayano, and Saki Higashi to compete.
Ryuen Kakeru chose Tokito Hiroya, Nanami Yabu, and Takeko Nishino.
The selected students head to the gym for the exam.
The live surveillance appears simultaneously on the projection screen.
The first to represent Class D is Onodera Kayano.
The first to represent Class C is Tokito Hiroya.
Although Onodera Kayano is in the swimming club and has good physical fitness, there is still a significant gap compared to a strong male.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka decisively used his commander authority to intervene, replacing her with Miyake Akito.
"Hmph!
Class D really has no one left, sending an inconspicuous guy like you."
Tokito Hiroya started talking trash immediately; one could only say it was very much in the style of Class C.
Miyake Akito, being taciturn by nature, didn't respond to the provocation. He simply came to the exam seat quietly.
"Tch! What a poser!"
Tokito Hiroya muttered a curse, but under the warning of the chief examiner, Mashima-sensei, he sat down obediently.
Both sides gripped hands. At Mashima-sensei's command, the arm wrestling began.
Surprisingly, the larger-looking Tokito Hiroya couldn't take down Miyake Akito in one go; his face turned beet red.
"Sorry, I was in the Kyudo (Archery) club in middle school!"
Miyake Akito began to exert force. After a brief struggle, his arm slowly pressed the opponent down.
"Bam!"
Mashima-sensei announced the result: "Winner, Miyake Akito of Class D!"
"Whoa!"
"That guy Miyake is pretty capable!"
Cheers of surprise erupted in the Class D classroom.
Hachiman was slightly surprised: "It seems that guy Ayanokouji did quite a bit of investigating for the sake of victory."
Miyake Akito doesn't have a high presence in Class D, so no one knew his arm wrestling strength was high. Ayanokouji Kiyotaka must have contacted him privately to know his background.
"Don't celebrate too early; there are still two rounds left."
Horikita Suzune looked grave: "Those two girls from Class C are not weak athletically."
The second to represent Class D was Saki Higashi. To put it bluntly, she looked to weigh over 75kg; selecting her was purely for the "stat block."
The second to represent Class C was Takeko Nishino. This person ranks in the top three for female sports in Class C, but for some reason, Ryuen Kakeru used his commander authority to send out Nanami Yabu instead.
This girl was one of Manabe's trio; she looked slightly plump, estimated to weigh around 65 Kg.
In the duel of the "two vegetables (Yabu and Higashi)," surprisingly, the lighter Nanami Yabu actually won!
The Class D classroom was immediately filled with curses.
"What on earth was Higashi doing!"
"That dead fat pig is truly useless!"
The cursing was vicious.
However, from their uninhibited verbal abuse, one could see the crux of the matter.
It had nothing to do with strength; Saki Higashi was the kind of timid, cowardly, "gloomy" girl who was often bullied.
The third match was Onodera Kayano against Takeko Nishino.
A duel between athletic girls; the two remained in a deadlock for a long time.
Ultimately, Takeko Nishino overcame Onodera Kayano with a slight advantage.
Class C won the third exam event.
The fourth event—[Classical Japanese Reading Comprehension].
Rules: Minimum of 3 people. The final score is based on the average mark.
Commander: Can choose one person to modify their answers.
Turn-based, is it?
One event for Class C, one for Class D—the traces of manual intervention are too obvious!
Hachiman was even more certain that Tsukishiro, the person behind the scenes, was intentionally going easy on Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
Pretending to force him to drop out, yet holding back at every turn, fearing he might actually accidentally crush him...
These "Old Geezers" are truly disgusting!
Perhaps because both his parents were dual-income workers who were often busy, Hachiman could better understand the hardships of a "corporate slave."
On the surface, Tsukishiro was following Ayanokouji Atsuomi's orders to go to the Advanced Nurturing High School to force Kiyotaka to drop out.
But if he really did that, it would be a huge mistake!
Ordinary "beasts of burden" just need to follow the boss's orders to work.
But truly big figures never lack for such "beasts." For Tsukishiro to become the Acting Chairman, he was clearly no ordinary worker.
To put it in perspective: if the boss's son is disobedient and the boss tells you to give him a thrashing, would you really dare to hit him?
To put it bluntly, if one day the boss "kicks the bucket" in an accident, his son will become the new boss.
Under these circumstances, how would Tsukishiro dare to deal a fatal blow to Ayanokouji Kiyotaka?
"As expected, I hate corporate slaves the most!"
Hachiman looked annoyed, his heart becoming even more set on his great ideal of becoming a house husband!
"What are you muttering about?"
Horikita Suzune reached out and pinched his arm: "Get your act together!"
Hachiman was currently thinking about whether to purposely get answers wrong to screw over Ayanokouji, and coincidentally annoy that "Old Geezer" Tsukishiro!
But on second thought, he decided against it.
Ayanokouji was probably guarding against him; when setting the rules, the commander could select one person to modify their answers.
Class D participants: Hikigaya Hachiman, Horikita Suzune, Kushida Kikyo.
Class C participants: Shiina Hiyori, Tua Inoue, Fuyu Okabe.
The group heads to a separate examination room.
"It's truly wonderful to be able to take an exam with Hachiman-kun."
Shiina Hiyori greeted him with a smile.
"Shiina-san, we are opponents. Please do not show mercy."
Horikita Suzune's tone was cold, and her aggressiveness increased slightly.
"Mhm, Horikita-san is a formidable rival. I will certainly give it my all."
Shiina Hiyori nodded seriously, then turned her gaze and said with feigned surprise: "Kushida-san is here too? It seems you received quite a bit of tutoring from Hachiman-kun before the exam~"
"Oh my~ How did you know I go to Hachiman's room for tutoring every night?"
Kushida Kikyo bragged with a smug face: "Hachiman-kun is much more attentive when he teaches me compared to when he teaches Horikita!"
"Hmph! That's because your Language scores aren't as good as mine!"
Horikita Suzune's brow twitched as she retorted unhappily.
"..."
Having her shortcomings exposed in public, Kushida Kikyo suddenly couldn't sit still.
The two glared at each other, sparks of conflict flying in the air.
Hachiman broke into a cold sweat, thinking: The scheming Miss Hiyori, what are you trying to do?
"My apologies, Hachiman-kun."
"I was just making a small joke to relieve the tense atmosphere of the exam."
Shiina Hiyori pressed her hands together and gave him a playful wink.
Hachiman shifted his gaze to the chief examiner, Mashima-sensei.
"Mashima-sensei, we can begin the exam now."
"What's the rush?"
Mashima Tomonari unhurriedly opened the sealed document bag and took out the exam papers.
Both sides began the test.
Despite having their moods messed with before the start, Horikita Suzune's Language level was indeed excellent. Kushida Kikyo was slightly behind, but after Hachiman's tutoring, she had made great progress.
On Class C's side, aside from Shiina Hiyori answering fluently, the other two were scratching their heads, clearly struggling with the subject.
As for the commander's intervention... Ryuen Kakeru was obviously of no help here.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka observed for a moment and, confirming that Hachiman was not holding back, chose not to use his commander authority.
The exam ended.
Hachiman score: 98 Shiina Hiyori score: 96 Horikita Suzune score: 92 Kushida Kikyo score: 80
The remaining two from Class C were both around 75 points.
One can only say that the Classical Japanese track is indeed tricky enough that even students with decent Language grades in Class C found it hard to handle.
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