Let's go back a little. All four first-year classes received the details of the upcoming exam from their homeroom teachers.
"Wait... the class that fails to come in first will be expelled?"
Class C was not the only one unhappy about this condition. The other classes were also thrown into an uproar.
It was almost as if everything had been planned in advance. The previous class vote had made up for the protection points, but this exam was going to take them all away again.
It wasn't just Kamio Tatsuya. Most of the students were furious about it.
Why the hell didn't you just use the school terminals to wipe out all our points instead of making us go through all this trouble?
What was the point of doing things this way?
It could be said that Tsukishiro's series of moves had seriously damaged the students' trust in the school.
If he pulled another one or two stunts like this, the school itself might even collapse.
The only reason the school had been able to operate so smoothly was because it promised students that graduating from their class would guarantee them the right to get the jobs and further education they wanted.
But after what had happened, it was hard for the students not to become suspicious.
Was this guy deliberately trying to ruin the school's reputation?
"Um, can the protection points be used in this exam?"
"Of course they can."
After hearing that answer, the students in the class breathed a sigh of relief.
"In that case, Ichinose has to be our commander, right?"
"Even if we don't consider the protection points, Ichinose is still the best choice. Nobody understands the students in our class better than she does."
"I agree."
"Yeah, me too."
…
Class A quickly decided that Ichinose would serve as their commander. Considering both her abilities and the protection points she possessed, she was clearly the most suitable student in the class for the role.
Ichinose did not refuse. This exam was unlike any they had faced before. All four classes would be fighting one another, but only one class could win.
Also, according to the rules, the winning class would not be the one that lasted until the end. The winner would be the class with the most victories.
There could be as many as fifteen matches this time. In other words, they would need at least eight wins to guarantee final victory.
When Ichinose thought about that, she found it difficult to feel confident about winning.
Still, no matter what happened, nobody would be expelled this time. Thinking of that, she slowly let out a sigh of relief.
Unlike Class A, which had unanimously chosen Ichinose as its commander, Class B was in complete chaos, with everyone arguing over who should take the role.
"Kamuro has protection points, so she should serve as our commander."
"But Kamuro doesn't have what it takes to lead the class to victory."
"Exactly. If we want to win, we still need Sakayanagi's ability."
"But Sakayanagi doesn't have any protection points right now. If she loses, she'll be expelled."
"Are you saying you don't trust Sakayanagi?"
"I'm only pointing out the risk. Besides, it's not as if Sakayanagi has never lost before."
"Well…"
The students in Class B began arguing. Some wanted to win, while others only wanted to get through the exam safely. Sakayanagi seemed to have expected this situation.
Sakayanagi had a very clear understanding of Class B's current situation.
If they wanted to win this exam, then, without meaning to brag, they had no chance without her. If she couldn't do it herself, nobody else in Class B could.
As for sending Kamuro in as commander, there was the question of whether Kamuro would betray them, but her abilities alone were not enough. At best, she would probably manage a record of two wins and four losses.
Since Class A had drawn lots first, they could probably make it through to the second round if they arranged Kamuro's opponents carefully.
As for reaching the third round, that was impossible to predict.
Everyone knew that the weakest opponent was always the easiest target. Kamuro's individual abilities were not particularly outstanding. She was only good at sports.
However, Class B's overall ability was the strongest among the four classes. After all, they were the original Class A, and that fact could not be denied.
That meant eliminating this opponent would undoubtedly be the first move of the other three commanders.
The reason for this conclusion was simple: Sakayanagi could easily guess who the commanders of the other classes would be.
Class A would obviously choose Ichinose. Class C would choose either Kamio or Ryuen. As for Class D, it would definitely be Ayanokouji.
It wasn't because Ayanokouji was especially selfless. Given the character of the people left in Class D, they would surely believe they had no chance of winning.
And if they had no chance of winning, they would naturally let the person with protection points take the role.
"Sakayanagi, what do you think?"
Someone suddenly asked for her opinion while Sakayanagi was analyzing the situation.
She smiled and answered.
"I can do it. I can serve as commander. Even if I'm expelled, it wouldn't really matter to me."
Sakayanagi's answer temporarily silenced everyone in Class B.
"Then, are you confident that you can win?"
"I can't guarantee victory, but it's not as if we have no chance."
Even as the students of Class B looked at her expectantly, Sakayanagi immediately answered with a smile.
If this had been at the start of the school year, she would never have said something like that. Back then, she had never tasted defeat.
But now... well, things were different. Faced with the combination of Kamio Tatsuya and Ryuen, nobody in this grade—or even in the entire school—would dare claim they could win for sure.
Though, according to Kamio Tatsuya, that was only because Sakayanagi's world was too small.
"Then let's have Katsuragi—"
"Sorry, but I'm not confident that I can win either."
Before the speaker could finish, Katsuragi interrupted.
"Are we really going to make Kamuro the commander?"
Clearly, the students of Class B did not have much faith in Kamuro's abilities.
At that moment, Kamuro Masumi, the person being discussed, stepped forward.
"We only have two choices, right? Either I become the commander, or someone else does.
"If I become commander, I can't guarantee victory. But if we lose, I'll at least have some protection points, so Class B won't be expelled because of it.
"If Sakayanagi becomes commander, we might be able to win. But if we lose, Sakayanagi will definitely be expelled.
"We were already at a disadvantage in the class competition. If we lose Sakayanagi, can you lead the class back to Class A, Katsuragi?"
Sakayanagi did not argue with Kamuro. She had just admitted herself that she was not confident they could win.
If that was the case, then she might be expelled. Kamuro was completely right.
As for Katsuragi, he was silent for a moment before shaking his head.
"You don't need me to answer that, do you? My crushing defeat on the uninhabited island already says everything."
In other words, Katsuragi was not confident either.
"So I don't think this class can afford to lose Sakayanagi. Even though she says she isn't confident, she's still the only one who gives us a chance of beating Class C.
"That's why I don't think Sakayanagi should risk being expelled by serving as commander in this exam."
"But Sakayanagi just said that we still have a chance to win…"
"That's enough. In this situation, if Sakayanagi becomes commander, entering the matches would almost certainly mean losing." Seeing that the students still wanted to argue, Katsuragi cut them off.
"Almost certainly losing? Why?"
"It's simple. The commanders of the other classes are already obvious: Ichinose from Class A, Ryuen or Kamio from Class C, and Ayanokouji from Class D.
"If Sakayanagi becomes commander, the other three classes will undoubtedly join forces against her."
Katsuragi was right. If Sakayanagi became commander, Ichinose might hesitate, but Kamio Tatsuya certainly would not hold back. He would definitely team up with Ayanokouji to eliminate her.
Once Class B lost Sakayanagi, it would immediately lose its chance to compete for the top position. Even Ichinose would not hesitate if she could make another class lose its ability to compete so easily.
On top of that, each class would naturally choose events they were confident they could win.
Class B's overall ability was stronger than that of the other classes, but not by much. Class A in particular was not far behind.
If this exam involved one-on-one matches between classes, Class B might barely be able to deal with Class A. But if it had to face both Class C and Class D at the same time, then…
With three classes working together, they could eliminate Sakayanagi in no time.
That was why Katsuragi said Sakayanagi would almost certainly lose if she became commander. No matter how well she could organize the students, she still would not be able to win.
Compared with Kamuro, the most she could do was win one extra match.
Katsuragi's words silenced all the students in Class B.
There was nothing they could say. Nobody could casually claim they could win against three united classes. This was not a lack of confidence. It was simply knowing their own limits.
"Does this mean we really have no choice but to surrender?"
"Then what are we supposed to do?"
"Damn it!"
Katsuragi looked at the panicking students of Class B, then at Sakayanagi, who had no intention of stopping them, and sighed.
"Quiet. The commander's ability is important, but this exam is ultimately a test of the students' actual strength. Even with Kamuro as our commander, we can't just give up."
Kamuro's eyebrows twitched at Katsuragi's words.
What did he mean by "even with Kamuro as our commander"? Did he really look down on her that much?
Well, he wasn't wrong. She really wasn't very strong, so she might as well let him say whatever he wanted.
And so, Class B's commander was decided: Kamuro Masumi.
After watching the class fall into chaos, Hashimoto Masayoshi grinned and took out his phone. He sent a text message to someone.
Hashimoto Masayoshi had little loyalty to Class B. He had no particular desire to stand on one side or the other.
He always stood with the winner.
What he wanted was not victory for the entire class, but victory for himself.
And he understood better than anyone that Class B was currently at a disadvantage.
That was why, during the forest exam, he had used the chance to work in the same group as Ryuen to make contact with him.
The message he had just sent was to tell Ryuen who Class B's commander was.
Compared with Class B's heated debate, choosing Class D's commander was much easier.
There was only one possible choice: Ayanokouji. According to the contract, they had to follow Kamio Tatsuya's orders during the special exam.
Nobody thought Kamio Tatsuya would let Class D win this exam.
In other words, Class D's defeat was already guaranteed.
If anyone other than Ayanokouji became commander, the result would simply be expulsion.
Also, under the terms of the contract, Kamio Tatsuya could not deliberately arrange for someone to be expelled. That meant he could not choose anyone other than Ayanokouji as commander.
The students of Class D naturally had no intention of volunteering for the role. Nobody wanted to be expelled.
Otherwise, what would have been the point of the contract they had signed during the previous class vote exam? It was practically an agreement to sell themselves into slavery.
So Ayanokouji becoming commander was already set in stone.
In fact, Ayanokouji did become the commander.
Kamio Tatsuya naturally heard the news as well.
During lunch, instead of discussing the exam with the students of Class C, Kamio Tatsuya went to meet Horikita and Ayanokouji from Class D.
Ryuen would naturally choose the events. Compared with Kamio Tatsuya, Ryuen knew the students of Class C much better.
He would definitely be able to choose suitable events based on their strengths.
"So, why did you call us here?"
The three of them—Kamio Tatsuya, Ayanokouji, and Horikita—were eating together in the school cafeteria. After they finished their meal, Horikita immediately spoke up.
Although Class D was currently under Kamio Tatsuya's control, they could still gain something from this exam if they handled things well.
Class D would lose four matches and fail in the end, but if they could win some individual matches, they would certainly try. At the very least, it would make their lives a little better.
"The decision has been made. Ayanokouji will be the commander."
"Yeah. Nobody else would willingly take on the risk of expulsion. Besides, the students in Class D have completely lost confidence in their ability to win."
Horikita sighed.
"In that case, decide on the events as soon as possible. Just choose the ones you're good at," Kamio Tatsuya said casually.
"You mean... you're letting us choose the events ourselves?"
"Of course. I don't know much about Class D." Kamio Tatsuya smiled. "Anyway, try to choose events that play to your strengths. That's good for you too, right?
"I can't let you win the whole exam, but winning a few individual matches would still be a good thing for you, wouldn't it?"
"What are you really planning?"
Horikita looked at Kamio Tatsuya suspiciously.
"Who knows? Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. Do your best."
After Kamio Tatsuya left, Horikita looked at Ayanokouji.
"What do you think?"
"For now, let's do as Kamio suggested. He's right. Winning some individual matches would still benefit us."
Ayanokouji had no objections to Kamio Tatsuya's proposal. If it meant having more money for daily expenses, he was more than happy with it.
After they returned to the classroom, Ryuen was listening as the students offered suggestions. Judging from his smile, though, he had clearly already decided on the final events.
He was only letting the students exercise their brains for a while.
Well, there was nothing wrong with that.
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