After school, Class C once again began discussing the project under Ryuen's direction, while Kamio Tatsuya had something else to take care of.
By "something else," it really just meant going to the multipurpose classroom to meet the commanders from the other classes and explain how the system would be used that day.
Since this exam introduced an entirely new system, explaining everything in advance would save them a lot of trouble and prevent any embarrassing mistakes later.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Okabe."
Okabe Kazuma glanced at Kamio Tatsuya and nodded. He did not seem surprised at all to learn that Kamio was the commander.
"Come with me. We need to go to the multipurpose classroom."
Kamio Tatsuya nodded and followed him.
"I've always thought that Ryuen made one of his best decisions when he brought you into Class C. It turns out I wasn't wrong."
As they walked, Okabe suddenly spoke.
"I also think coming to Class C was a very wise choice."
Hearing that, Okabe nodded, then suddenly brought up something completely unrelated to what he had just said.
"The new acting chairman wants to make things difficult for you."
Kamio Tatsuya had expected Okabe to offer him a few words of encouragement, so he froze in surprise.
"He promised to improve my benefits. In return, I was supposed to make you leave school. You should understand that this wouldn't be difficult for a homeroom teacher."
Kamio Tatsuya's expression darkened when he heard this. The thing he had been worried about had finally happened. That bastard Tsukishiro really had been targeting him.
"However, I refused."
Okabe seemed not to notice Kamio Tatsuya's reaction and continued talking to himself.
"Why? From what I've seen, you seem very eager to improve your benefits, Teacher Okabe."
Kamio Tatsuya frowned and asked the question directly.
In Kamio's view, Okabe wanted Class C to rise to Class A mainly for that reason. To achieve it, he had even broken the rules several times by secretly giving Ryuen information about upcoming exams.
Hearing the question, Okabe smiled.
"That's true. I've been working at this school for many years. I've always wanted to move my class up to Class A and improve my benefits. You could say that improving my benefits is my ultimate goal."
As he said this, he turned to look at Kamio Tatsuya beside him.
"But I want to achieve that through my own efforts, not through someone else's charity. Don't let my appearance fool you. I did graduate from Waseda University, after all."
"With the old Class C, I could only see a chance of reaching Class A. But now, I believe Class C can definitely make it there.
"I don't know why you chose to leave Class D, but since you came to Class C, you're my student. I would never do anything improper to one of my own students.
"I don't know what kind of person Tsukishiro is, but I do know that he's bad news. He was the one who deliberately created the class voting exam.
"Also, under the original exam rules, the votes that could be given to another class were supposed to be criticism votes, not praise votes. It looked as though the rules had been designed specifically to get someone expelled.
"However, many of the teachers opposed his decision, so he had no choice but to compromise and change the rules into what they are now. After that, he immediately approached me in private and tried to use me as his way in."
So that was the reason. I had wondered why the previous class exam had seemed so weak. The teachers had resisted.
Thinking about this, Kamio Tatsuya could not help glancing at Okabe.
It seemed he had misunderstood Okabe in the past. At least judging from the fact that he had refused Tsukishiro, Okabe really was a decent teacher.
And he had graduated from Waseda University. That was surprisingly hard to tell.
This was also the first time Kamio Tatsuya had seen Okabe talk so much at once. Still, this meant he no longer had to worry about problems within the class.
There was no need to doubt Okabe's words. If Okabe, as the homeroom teacher, really wanted to get Kamio Tatsuya expelled, he would never have told Kamio all this.
After spending some time with him, Kamio Tatsuya could tell that Okabe was ambitious.
However, Okabe did not hide his ambition to move his class up to Class A. He was completely different from that crazy woman Chabashira.
"I understand. Thank you, Teacher Okabe. I definitely won't let you down."
Since Okabe trusted him so much, Kamio Tatsuya naturally did not want to disappoint him.
If you treat me with such trust, how could I not repay you?
The first thing I need to do is win this exam in style.
Before long, Kamio Tatsuya followed Okabe to the multipurpose classroom in the special teaching building.
"Looks like everyone is here."
When Kamio Tatsuya arrived, the students from the other three classes had already arrived as well. As expected, there was Ichinose from Class B, Kamuro Masumi from Class A, and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka from Class D.
As Kamio Tatsuya entered, all three of them looked in his direction at the same time.
What was that saying again? The best always arrives last.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone."
Kamio Tatsuya smiled and walked into the multipurpose classroom.
From his expression and manner, Ayanokouji could clearly tell that Kamio Tatsuya seemed somewhat different from before.
Compared with earlier that afternoon, Kamio Tatsuya had seemed rather laid-back and did not appear to take the exam very seriously.
Now, however, he gave off the feeling of a blade held in check, almost overflowing with restrained sharpness.
Had something happened to him?
Ayanokouji was not the only one who noticed. Kamuro and Ichinose also sensed that Kamio Tatsuya seemed different from usual.
"Looks like Sakayanagi got scared. Is she worried that, as the commander, the other three classes will gang up on her? A very sensible choice."
He really had changed a little. It was not that his nature had changed, but his attitude certainly had.
The moment Kamio Tatsuya spoke, the other three could feel it.
In a situation like this, the old Kamio Tatsuya probably would have said something like, "Heh, Sakayanagi really didn't come."
He would not have said as much as he did now.
In response, Kamuro rolled her eyes, while Kamio Tatsuya simply smiled and shrugged.
"Since everyone is here, let's get started."
Although Class B's current homeroom teacher was Hoshinomiya, Mashima still seemed to be the leader among the teachers. He was the one speaking now as well.
The other teachers nodded.
"I don't need to repeat the rules for the matches, do I?"
Teacher Mashima looked at the four students and asked them this.
"Teacher, there's one thing I don't understand about the commander's authority."
Kamio Tatsuya raised his hand to show that he had a question.
"Yes? Go ahead."
"If the competitors and the commander disagree during a match, can the commander withdraw on behalf of the competitor?"
"No. Unless that authority is specifically included in the project's rules, only the competitor can end the match by personally declaring withdrawal. Under normal circumstances, the commander cannot withdraw on a competitor's behalf."
I see.
Kamio Tatsuya nodded to show that he understood.
"I don't have any other questions for now."
"In that case, I'll explain how to use the system on the day of the exam."
Mashima walked to the center of the classroom. Four computers had been set up there, and the desks were labeled A, B, C, and D.
"During the exam, you'll use the computers in this multipurpose classroom. Each commander must use the computer assigned to their class to draw the projects and assign the students."
While projecting the computer screen onto the screen on the wall, Teacher Mashima operated the computer and began explaining.
The students and the other teachers looked toward the large screen at the front of the classroom.
"This is the list of students in Class A. Using the mouse, you can select the portrait of the student you want and place it in the dialogue box representing the project.
"If you choose the wrong person or want to change your selection midway through, just click on the corresponding portrait and drag it outside the box.
"If you don't want to use the mouse, you can operate the system through the touchscreen instead. If the computer stops working, contact one of the teachers nearby immediately.
"We'll also be here in this classroom to assist with the exam."
"There's a time limit for selecting students for each project. The number currently counting down at the top center of the screen shows that limit." Mashima pointed to the number with the mouse as he explained. "The more students a project requires, the more time you'll have to make your selections. On average, you'll get thirty seconds for each required student."
Simply put, you had thirty seconds to consider a one-person project and one minute for a two-person project. The time increased in the same way as the number of students went up. A project requiring twenty people would give you a full ten minutes to decide.
"If you don't select enough students within the time limit, the system will randomly choose from the remaining students who are still eligible to participate.
"If you select more students than necessary, the system will randomly remove enough of those selected to bring the number down to the required amount."
"Once the exam begins, the progress of each match will be broadcast live on the large screen.
"As for the commander's available forms of interference, they will be displayed in text after the exam begins. You can check them on your own screen at any time.
"Once you confirm them, the system will convert the written instructions into audio and tell the competitors what to do."
At that moment, the example shown on the screen was a game of Chinese chess. The commander's interference rule stated that the commander could intervene at any time and direct their player's next move.
"You can review these conditions and click the confirmation button to activate the interference."
"Also, the commander's instructions won't be sent through a phone call. Instead, the machine will automatically read the message aloud. Once you type the message and press the confirmation button, it will be sent to the competitor's headset.
"If the commander goes beyond the permitted form of interference, the person may be declared in violation of the rules and lose the match immediately."
Hearing this, Kamio Tatsuya narrowed his eyes and raised his hand. Only after the teacher acknowledged him did he ask his question.
"Why can't we simply explain the instructions by voice?"
Mashima Tomonari did not seem annoyed by Kamio Tatsuya's question. Instead, he patiently explained.
"Because the content of the commander's interference may need to remain secret depending on the situation. If the instructions were given directly by voice, the opposing side might hear them."
Kamio Tatsuya nodded. That made sense. The plans for some projects really did need to remain secret. In large sports such as basketball and volleyball, for example, they obviously could not let the other side know their tactics.
However, this created another problem.
"But if we type the instructions and then send them by voice, there'll be a delay. In that case, couldn't the instructions be altered somewhere along the way?"
Kamio Tatsuya's question silenced the room. His words made it sound as though he openly distrusted the school.
"Ahaha, how could that happen, Kamio? The school isn't going to favor anyone. You make it sound as though you don't trust us."
The speaker was Hoshinomiya Chie, the current homeroom teacher of Class B.
Kamio Tatsuya only glanced at her and ignored her. Instead, he looked at Mashima Tomonari and waited for his answer.
The meaning was obvious: Do you people seriously have no idea how little credibility the school has in front of its students?
When they recruited students, they claimed that anyone who entered the school would have a one-hundred-percent employment and college admission rate. In the end, only Class A got to enjoy those special privileges.
They had already lied to everyone right at the start of the school year. How were students supposed to trust them?
And then there were these two exams. After the students had finally managed to save up a few points, the class voting exam and the project selection exam took them all back.
How could they say those things without feeling ashamed?
Unlike the naive Hoshinomiya, Mashima Tomonari seriously considered whether something like that was possible. Then he nodded, admitting that it was.
Tsukishiro clearly had a suspicious background and had come to the school with some kind of goal. It would not be surprising if he did anything at all.
"That's a valid concern. However, Hoshinomiya is also right: the school will not favor anyone.
"At least so far, there has never been a precedent for anything like that happening at this school, so your concern is probably unnecessary.
"Still, since you've raised the issue, I'll report it to the school. They should come up with an appropriate solution later.
"Do you have any other questions?"
"The computers we use during the exam will definitely be monitored, right?"
"That's correct. Why do you ask?"
"Nothing special. I just don't want to be accused of breaking a rule for no reason. In that case, I don't have any other questions for now."
Teacher Mashima had just said that if the commander went beyond the permitted form of interference, they could be declared in violation of the rules and immediately lose.
But if the computers were being clearly monitored, there was no need to worry about that.
After answering Kamio Tatsuya's question, Mashima Tomonari continued explaining the exam rules.
"In addition, only one person may wear a headset for each project. Even in a match involving several people, only one competitor may wear a headset. The commander will decide who wears it.
"As long as the rules are followed, the commander may issue instructions at any point during the match."
You were free to display or switch screens on your own computer. Enlarging or shrinking the display was also allowed.
"That covers the commander's duties and how to operate the system. Do you have any questions?"
All four students shook their heads. The rules were simple, and none of them were stupid, so they understood them easily.
"In that case, today's explanation is over. If you want to review the operating procedures or anything else, you may come to the multipurpose classroom with a teacher during the week before the exam. That's all."
The basic rules had been explained. At that moment, Kamio Tatsuya raised his hand.
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