Chapter 58: Additional Rules
"So, if we can endure this for one week... our spending money will also increase significantly starting next month, right!"
After hearing Mashima-sensei's explanation, the Class D student who had been shouting loudly before cried out excitedly. The Class D students next to him had expectant and excited "I'm ready" expressions, rubbing their hands and eager to give it a try.
On the stage, Mashima-sensei ignored the boisterous students and continued his explanation: "Each class will be allocated one guidebook. Although replacement is possible if lost, it will cost points, so please guard it carefully. In addition, the student absent from this trip is from Class A. According to the special exam rules, for a person who withdraws due to physical discomfort or other reasons, a penalty of 30 points will be deducted from their class. Therefore, Class A will start the exam with 270 points."
The Class A students maintained their composure and did not show any signs of being unsettled by the deduction, but students from the other classes reacted with surprise or joy at the reduction of the 30-point gap.
With that, Mashima-sensei concluded his speech and announced the dismissal of the first-year students. Another teacher with a megaphone instructed the students to listen to their respective homeroom teachers' supplementary explanations. The four classes gathered, keeping their distance from each other.
The Class A students, split into two factions, followed Yukinoshita and Katsuragi to their homeroom teacher, Mashima-sensei.
"Three hundred Class Points... Yukinoshita-san, if we carelessly spend all our points and Class B successfully conserves theirs, the gap between Class A and Class B will be less than one hundred points," Katsuragi said to Yukinoshita with a serious expression: "This exam can award a large number of Class Points and could even affect Class A's standing. I believe we should carefully discuss a strategy to deal with this exam. At the very least, we mustn't let the other classes take advantage due to the conflict between our two factions."
"That's right..." Yukinoshita nodded in agreement: "Although Sakayanagi-san had students learn some outdoor survival knowledge beforehand, the students haven't lived in this kind of place, and they aren't familiar with the deserted island's environment.
Therefore, we can't formulate a comprehensive plan yet. Let's first listen to Mashima-sensei's supplementary explanation. Only by getting more useful information can we create a rational and effective plan."
"Mmm, you have a point."
As Katsuragi and Yukinoshita spoke, school staff began stacking several boxes next to Mashima-sensei. These appeared to be the tents and other supplies allocated to Class A.
"I will now issue each of you with one wristwatch.
Please do not take it off until the exam ends one week from now, and be sure to wear it. Removing the watch without permission will result in a penalty. This watch not only tells time but is also equipped with sensors to detect body temperature, pulse, and movement, as well as a GPS positioning system.
Additionally, as a precaution, the watch also has a function to transmit an emergency situation to the school. Don't hesitate to press this button in an emergency."
At Mashima-sensei's instruction, the Class A students lined up, took a watch from one of the boxes, and put it on their wrists.
"Emergency? There won't be any animals like bears, will there?" A female student nervously raised her right hand, which wore the watch, and asked fearfully.
"This is an exam, after all. I cannot answer questions that might influence the outcome," Mashima-sensei shook his head, declining to answer the question.
"I don't believe there will be dangerous animals. If a student is attacked and injured, it would be a huge problem. Furthermore, since the school has put us on a deserted island for an exam, they will certainly go to great lengths to ensure student safety," Katsuragi said calmly. His words quietly relieved the female student.
As Katsuragi-kun said, the watch is likely one of the school's means of thoroughly enforcing safety management. If students move freely on the island, the teachers' eyes alone cannot monitor the status of all students. Moreover, since this is a deserted island, installing surveillance cameras everywhere, as they do at school, would be difficult.
The school is probably planning to use the watches to monitor the students' physical health and thereby detect and respond to unexpected situations. Speaking of which, the helicopter seen on the cruise ship earlier was probably prepared for such emergency moments.
"But, is it okay to wear it when going into the sea or something?" The handsome Satonaka Satoshi showed a worried expression, softly asking with his beautifully arched brows furrowed.
"It's fine. It's completely waterproof. And in the unlikely event of a malfunction, an exam administrator will immediately bring a replacement,"
It seems the school implemented this decision after considering all possible scenarios in advance. After all, according to the information provided by Sakayanagi-san, this kind of deserted island exam is not the first the school has held, so it's unlikely they would be negligent.
"The exam requires first-year students to live on this island for one week. If you don't plan to use points, it means you must figure out everything yourselves, and the school will not interfere at all. Food and water must be prepared by you, and the insufficient number of tents
as well. Figuring out solutions is also part of the exam. Alright, you can now open the distributed guidebook."
Katsuragi followed Mashima-sensei's instruction and opened the guidebook.
"The last page lists the deduction criteria. Please familiarize yourselves with the content there. That is extremely important information that symbolizes this special exam. Whether you utilize it or not is up to you," Mashima-sensei said in a flat tone.
After reading it, Yukinoshita and Katsuragi handed the thick guidebook to the Class A students to circulate.
Hikigaya also generally looked through it. There are four items concerning deduction criteria. If a student violates any of these, the student's class will have the corresponding Material Points deducted. The four deduction criteria are as follows:
If a student is clearly unwell or severely injured and the school judges them unable to continue the exam, 30 points will be deducted. Simultaneously, the student will withdraw from the exam. Once a student is judged to have withdrawn, they cannot re-enter the exam. If an act causing environmental pollution is discovered, 20 points will be deducted. Roll call will be conducted every day at 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM. If a student is absent, 5 points will be deducted per person per roll call. If acts of violence, looting, destruction of equipment, or similar are committed against other classes, the student's class will be immediately disqualified, and all the individual's private points will be confiscated.
Item 4 is the most severe penalty in this deserted island exam's rules, but the school is very sensitive about violence, so it's only natural that they would punish actions that recklessly obstruct other classes' exams.
The remaining three items are clearly rules formulated to prevent students from acting arbitrarily. If they forcefully endure discomfort to save Material Points, and ten students fall ill, all the students' efforts and endurance will be for naught.
The deduction for environmental pollution effectively stops barbaric acts like relieving oneself anywhere. Roll calls in the morning and evening prevent students from staying up all night or camping outdoors.
In other words, these regulations are the means to prevent this special exam from becoming an uncontrolled mess. The school's stance is to supervise and educate important children on behalf of their parents, not to let the students suffer hardship and torment unnecessarily. Any of these rules could be called an unavoidable necessity.
'Speaking of which, the range of items available for purchase in the guidebook is quite extensive.'
There are indispensable tools for outdoor survival like tents and cooking equipment, electronics like digital cameras and walkie-talkies, entertainment items like parasols, life rings, barbecue sets, and fireworks, and necessities for survival like food and drinking water.
The school set up the exam so that all items can be purchased with Material Points. You only need to apply to the teacher when you want to use Material Points, and it seems anyone can apply. If they don't plan ahead, there might be cases where students secretly use Material Points because they can't endure the hardship.
"Mashima-sensei, I'd like to ask, what would happen if a student withdraws after all 300 points have been used up?" Yukinoshita, who had generally understood the deduction criteria, looked up and asked Mashima-sensei with serious eyes.
"That situation would only increase the number of withdrawals, and the points would remain at zero, without becoming a negative number. As I said before, this exam will not cause a negative impact," Mashima-sensei shook his head, answering Yukinoshita's question.
From this perspective, this exam does indeed seem like corporate training, capable of honing the class's teamwork ability and fostering team spirit among the students.
However, if the students in a class disagree on how to use the Material Points, and there is no class representative with sufficient authority to command and coordinate, it will only create rifts within the class.
Mashima-sensei looked down to check the time on his watch and continued his explanation: "The school has allocated a large tent for eight people to you. Its weight is about 15 kilograms, so please be careful when transporting it. Furthermore, the school will not assist with the damage or loss of allocated items. When a new tent is needed, remember that it will cost Material Points."
"Sensei, where will the roll calls take place?" Katsuragi also posed his question.
"The school requires the homeroom teacher to remain with their class until the end of the exam. Once you have decided on the location of your base camp, report it to me. I will set up a base there, and the roll call will be conducted there as per the rules. Also, once you decide on your base camp, you cannot change it without a legitimate reason, so please consider carefully. The other classes have the same conditions; there will be no exceptions."
This means Mashima-sensei will spend a week with the Class A students. However, due to the exam rules, he cannot provide any assistance.
"In that case, we need to find a place for the base camp that avoids direct sunlight as much as possible. It's midsummer, and sunstroke could lead the school to judge a student unable to continue the exam. Additionally, to solve the food and drinking water problems, the base camp needs to have a water source nearby, preferably running water, such as a spring or a
river..." Hearing Mashima-sensei's words, Yukinoshita lowered her head, muttering to herself while thinking.
"Now, let's move on to the next item—toilets. To avoid situations that cause environmental pollution, when you need to use the restroom, you will use this..." Mashima-sensei tapped a cardboard box in the pile of supplies, then tore off the tape, taking out a stack of folded cardboard boxes like Doraemon pulling out a gadget, and continued: "Portable Toilets. Each class is allocated one of these. Please use it carefully."
"Huh? What is that?" The Class A girls looked confused: "Only one, does that mean... we have to use that too!"
"Boys and girls have to share... but don't worry. A light tent that can also be used for changing clothes will be included, so there shouldn't be any issues of being seen." Mashima-sensei seemed to understand the girls' concerns and gave them a solemn thumbs-up.
"That's not the problem!"
"We have to relieve ourselves on a cardboard box! I absolutely cannot accept a cardboard box toilet!"
"A c-cardboard box or something, I absolutely can't! I can't do it. It's too hard."
The girls complained one after another, faces showing distress and disgust. Several girls were even glancing at the guidebook in Katsuragi's hand, their eyes eager to buy a separate toilet.
"Although it's a cardboard box, it is a well-made, excellent item. It's the kind of thing used in disasters. I will now demonstrate how to use it, so please pay close attention."
Mashima-sensei completely disregarded the girls' strange and fearful looks and self-absorbedly explained how to use the portable toilet. With practiced movements, he assembled the toilet, put in a blue plastic bag, and then placed a thin, cloth-like white object inside.
"This thin cloth is called an absorbent sheet. It is used to cover and secure the waste. This will hide the waste and suppress odor at the same time. After use, cover it with the sheet. By repeating this action, one plastic bag can be used about five times. In principle, only this plastic bag and the absorbent sheet are supplied infinitely. If you absolutely insist, it's fine to replace the plastic bag after every use."
The girls listened to the explanation in stunned silence. Yukinoshita and Kamuro both displayed expressions of aversion.
"I definitely can't do that! I absolutely can't!"
Almost all the girls collectively refused.
"The decision is yours. How you proceed is your own affair. I have nothing to say. However, remember that the school does not allow students to relieve themselves indiscriminately in
the forest, let alone the sea or the river." Mashima-sensei ignored the students' protests, sternly giving his advice, then calmly moved on to the next topic: "Now, I will explain the additional rules."
"You will soon be allowed to move freely on this island. Several designated areas (bases) are set up all over the island.
Around these designated areas, there will always be equipment prepared to occupy the base. Once occupied, the class that gains the right to use that base can use it freely. However, the right of occupation is only effective for eight hours, after which the right will automatically be terminated. That means other classes will have the right to acquire occupation rights at that time."
"Each time a class occupies a base, they will receive an additional 1 Material Point. However, the point gained through occupying a base is temporary and cannot be used to purchase supplies during the exam. These points will ultimately be added to the remaining points at the end of the exam. Since the school will be constantly monitoring the students, you have no room for violations. Please be aware of this."
"The occupation right of a base is reset every eight hours. As long as the base you discover is not occupied by another class, you can occupy any number of locations simultaneously; there is no upper limit. Furthermore, a base can be repeatedly occupied by the same class. For example, if you can successfully acquire three bases and repeatedly occupy them every eight hours, you could gain more than 50 points by the end of the exam."
"However, this rule carries a significant risk. You must consider the risks before debating whether to utilize this. Including this risk, everything is written in the guidebook."
Just as Mashima-sensei said, the manual explicitly lists the additional rules, seemingly to make the special rule clear.
"Occupying a base requires a special key card. Unauthorized use of a base occupied by another class will result in a deduction of 50 Material Points. Only the student selected as the leader is allowed to use the key card. The leader cannot be changed without a legitimate reason."
If the rules only went this far, it would simply be a race to the fastest. The rule structure would seem to be that aggressively and repeatedly occupying bases is all that's required. However, that's not possible. The reason lies in the final rule written.
After the roll call on the morning of the final seventh day, the deserted island special exam officially ends. The school will issue a form to each class to fill out their guess for the leader of the other classes. At this point, if you can correctly guess the leader of another class, the guessing class will receive 50 points for each correct guess. Conversely, the class that is correctly guessed must pay 50 points as a penalty. At the same time, the class whose leader is exposed will also lose all the extra points they earned during the exam by occupying bases.
Furthermore, if you mistakenly report the wrong person as the leader to the school, it will be considered an error in judgment and 50 points will be deducted. The class that was incorrectly guessed will not be affected.
In other words, if a class acts brazenly to occupy bases, it's highly likely that other classes will figure out who the leader is, and the class will lose a large number of points.
Both the risk and the reward are extremely high. Without a considerable degree of certainty, one would hesitate to participate in this occupation battle.
"You are no exception; you must also decide on a leader. However, participation is entirely voluntary. As long as you are not greedy, you probably won't have your leader found out. Once you've decided on a leader, report it to me. I will then issue a key card engraved with the leader's name. The deadline is at today's roll call. If you haven't decided by then, I will choose one randomly. That is all."
Mashima-sensei's explanation seemed to end here. He looked deeply at Yukinoshita and Katsuragi, then said in a calm tone: "Do your best. I look forward to seeing the answers you submit."
"Yukinoshita-san, could we discuss this?" After Mashima-sensei left, Katsuragi was immediately surrounded by several female students, who seemed intent on persuading him to agree to purchase a separate toilet with Material Points. Yukinoshita nodded, walked to his side, and began a quiet discussion with him.
This exam seems simple at first glance, but the students all have their own interests and demands. A slight mistake could lead to the class's division and collapse.
Just from the perspective of whether or not to use points, the class can be divided into a Use Points faction, a Do Not Use Points faction, and a faction that only wants to use Material Points in important areas. Even with a simple categorization, there are three types. Moreover, everyone's individual ideas will differ subtly. In other words, there are as many potential strategic models as there are students.
It is definitely not an easy task for a class composed of over thirty people to deal with this deserted island exam. The thickness of the guidebook represents the amount of freedom the students have. Although the Class A students are willing to accept the command and leadership of Yukinoshita and Katsuragi to maintain Class A's position, they clearly won't remain indifferent when confronted with situations that directly concern their personal interests.
Just as Hikigaya was spacing out, Kamuro reached out and patted his shoulder.
"What is it, Kamuro-san?" Hikigaya asked with some confusion.
"Hikigaya, aren't you going to discuss this with those two and offer some suggestions?"
"Sakayanagi-san told us to follow Yukinoshita-san's command, so we should just wait quietly."
Kamuro said, "Is that so," with a cold expression, then looked at Hikigaya with a suspicious gaze.
Hikigaya, feeling a bit awkward under Kamuro's stare, had no choice but to follow her to Yukinoshita's side, preparing to hear the thoughts of the two class representatives.
Katsuragi seriously sized up Hikigaya. Although he still didn't understand the capabilities of the boy with the rotten eyes in front of him, based on the attitude of both Sakayanagi-san and Yukinoshita-san towards him, this Hikigaya was definitely not an ordinary person.
"Yukinoshita-san, I actually discovered a large cave on this deserted island when I was on the cruise ship earlier. If there's a base there, we could establish our base camp there and save some Material Points that would otherwise be used to buy tents. Additionally, I intend to negotiate with Ryuuen from Class C. If he can provide living supplies for Class A, we can save all 270 Material Points," Katsuragi said calmly, fully laying out his plan without reservation.
"Oh? So, Katsuragi-kun has already discussed this with Class C beforehand," Yukinoshita asked with a frown: "What did he demand?"
"Ryuen wants us to pay an amount worth 250 Class Points monthly, and in return, he will ensure Class A achieves first place in this exam."
"Is that so? There's no need for such trouble..." Yukinoshita smiled slightly: "I have a better plan."
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