Chapter 358: Chiaki: No More Hiding, I'm Showing My Cards / The Strategies of Each Class
The next morning, March 15th.
When Shimizu Akira arrived at school, he saw a crowd gathered in front of the hallway bulletin board. A brand-new notice was posted in the most prominent spot:
[By the joint decision of the Student Council, the school, and the judging faculty, the seventh event of this Year 1 Event Selection Special Exam will no longer be randomly drawn from the twelve events submitted by both sides. Instead, the school will directly designate the event based on principles of fairness, to be officially announced on March 22nd.]
The official announcement had finally dropped.
"This special exam is actually just like the last Class Poll; there will definitely be two expulsion slots at the end," said Shiina Hiyori from Class D, who had walked over with Ibuki Mio.
During the Class Poll, it was four people; for this event selection, it was two.
"Wait, I wanted to ask about that! Didn't they cancel the forced expulsion penalty during the Class Poll? Why is it back again?" Ibuki Mio turned her head and asked.
"Well," Akira explained, "the reason those four expulsions were cancelled was because Tsukishiro explicitly stated back then that the exam was 'designed for the sake of expulsion.' Plus, that exam was forcibly inserted into the schedule with incomplete rules. All those factors combined led to his failure."
Special exams aren't forbidden from resulting in expulsions; otherwise, the annual dropout rate wouldn't exceed 3%. In this school, expulsion is an inevitable reality. Tsukishiro's mistake was directly "outputting to everyone's face" that the exam was held specifically to kick people out. He was looking for trouble.
"This time, he explicitly stated this is an 'exam to test comprehensive ability.' On the surface, it's completely compliant with regulations; you can't find a flaw."
"I see...!" Ibuki Mio thought to herself that the guy had actually gotten smarter. She scratched her head and thought for a bit.
"Since he didn't get anything out of the last exam, could he have designed these penalty rules just to take back the Protection Points issued during the Class Poll? It just so happens all the Commanders have Protection Points."
"Probably," Hiyori added. She couldn't find a reason to refute that. Acting Chairman Tsukishiro was exactly the type of person to do such a thing.
"By the way!" Ibuki suddenly asked with curiosity, "How is your class's preparation going? Is it possible to beat Class A?"
Since their class wasn't facing Class C, she didn't feel this involved any privacy issues.
"Hmm... I can only say it's fifty-fifty. It'll take a bit of luck," Akira answered seriously.
"Tch, so in the end, it really comes down to that seventh event designated by the school," she pouted.
"Our class discussed it, and we chose ten events all related to physical force. Conservatively, we expect to win at least three events against Class B."
"Our strategy against Class A is similar. In short: don't compete in academics," Akira smiled.
Hiyori, standing beside them, didn't blame her friend for leaking information. All ten events submitted by every class would be made public by noon anyway.
"However, the atmosphere in our class is quite strange right now," Ibuki sighed again. "Manabe Shiho is still in the class, and she's held a grudge against us since the Class Poll. She's stopped studying entirely and often skips class. A few people went to talk to her, but they were all shut down with 'Since you abandoned me, why do you care what I do?'"
Hiyori shook her head gently.
"It can't be helped. After all, we were the ones who abandoned her first."
Ibuki snorted. "She brought it on herself. If she hadn't tried to plot against others first, she wouldn't have been countered."
'That person is like a time bomb' Akira thought.
Just like Yamauchi Haruki in his own class.
But speaking of which, this was likely one of the lingering hazards left by the Class Poll.
Class B's Kanzaki Ryuji had volunteered, Koenji Rokusuke was fine, but Class A's Totsuka Yahiko should be full of resentment toward Class A right now.
Tsukishiro really had stirred up a lot of trouble.
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When Akira returned to the classroom at 8:00 AM, today's intelligence refreshed on time:
Year 1 Class B's Shiranami Chihiro no longer harbors special feelings for Ichinose Honami. Year 1 Class A's Hashimoto Masayoshi is responsible for playing Chess. Year 1 Class A's Morishita Ai plans to hide behind the school building after school to suddenly pat Shimizu Akira on the shoulder and scare him.
'Shiranami Chihiro doesn't like Honami anymore?'
'Hashimoto Masayoshi is in charge of Chess, huh.'
That guy showed off his cooking skills and soccer skills during the training camp, and he's not bad looking; who knew he could play chess too? Truly an all-rounder.
That means Horikita Suzune's overt opponent will be Hashimoto.
As for the last piece of intel...
'Coming to scare me after school?' Did I offend her?
Everyone is scrambling to prepare for the exam; did Sakayanagi Arisu not give Morishita Ai any tasks? That girl is truly bored!
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Noon soon arrived. Chabashira-sensei didn't waste time and directly displayed Class A's ten events:
Chess: Standard rules, no time added after 41 moves. Commander can intervene at any time (max 30 mins). Mental Arithmetic: 3 participants, speed and accuracy. Commander can change one answer. Go: 3 simultaneous matches, 1-on-1. Commander can suggest one move at any time. Modern Japanese Exam: 4 people, total score. Commander can answer one question. Social Studies Exam: 5 people, total score. Commander can answer one question. Mathematics Exam: 7 people, total score. Commander can answer one question. English Exam: 8 people, total score. Commander can answer one question. Volleyball: 6 participants, best of 3. Commander can replace three players. Group Jump Rope: 20 participants, most total jumps wins. Commander can adjust opponent order once. Dodgeball: 18 participants, 10-minute limit. Commander can return one eliminated player to the field once.
"Just as expected, more than five of Class A's items are academic."
"Two board games, and the rest are sports."
"Wait, the last three look familiar. Aren't they the ones requiring a lot of people? They're very similar to what we picked!"
Class C's five "interference" items, like soccer and rugby, also required at least nine people.
"Looking at it this way, those three multi-person sports projects in Class A are likely just smoke screens, right?"
"Makes sense. If I were Class A, I'd definitely use the academic items as the real main offensive."
Just as they set their best skills as mandatory, the smart people in Class A had the same plan.
"Chess will definitely be selected. The remaining two will likely come from Mental Arithmetic, Go, and those four subject exams."
"Wait, does anyone in our class know how to play Go?"
"I know a little, but only at a beginner level..."
"The four subject exams need so many people. Aside from English, where we have some confidence, we have no chance against Class A in the other subjects."
They were, after all, the original Class D. In terms of grades, the gap with Class A was massive. If the opponent truly chose those subjects, Class C had a high chance of losing.
Kushida Kikyo thought for a moment and said, "Actually, don't worry too much about Class A's projects. For this exam, we just need to play the projects we prepared well. The worst-case scenario is only losing 30 class points."
If it was a 3-4 loss, Class A would gain 130 class points by winning. That would make Class A the biggest winner of the Year 1 stage.
Horikita Suzune had a different idea.
"I think Class C should prepare in two groups: one specializing in our best events, and another preparing for the events Class A might choose. Except for those three multi-person sports, let's finalize the candidates for each subject first."
"Yeah, I think that's feasible."
"It's like setting the questions while simultaneously solving them."
After the discussion, most students nodded in agreement.
Wang Mei-Yu volunteered to lead the English subject. After her heartbreak, she wanted to calm her mind through studying, and with Kushida's comfort, she was gradually cheering up.
This time, Akira didn't go through Kushida but raised his hand directly.
"I suggest setting up a third group for flexibility. First, they can scout Class A's movements, ideally getting info on their training; second, they can prevent Class A from figuring out our real arrangements; and third, this group can deliberately leak false info to confuse the opponent."
"Like the 'fake leader' tactic from the island exam?"
"I think that's fine!"
"Shimizu makes sense, let's just follow his lead."
After about half an hour, Class C's preliminary list against Class A was determined. Chess was handled by Horikita Suzune; Mental Arithmetic was prepared by Yukimura Teruhiko, Matsushita Chiaki, and Koenji Rokusuke, who volunteered.
As for the four subjects, Kushida Kikyo led a few top-performing students.
It's worth mentioning that Koenji Rokusuke actively offered to participate in Mental Arithmetic, citing that he "hadn't played it before, so it's a novelty."
"Chiaki, are you really okay with this?" Sato Maya asked with concern. Matsushita Chiaki had also volunteered this time.
"Yeah, I want to do my part for the class. Leave it to me this time," Chiaki answered with a smile.
"Really?" Karuizawa Kei couldn't help but ask.
"Really. No more hiding, I'm showing my cards! Actually, I've been hiding my true abilities all along." Chiaki straightened her back.
"My learning ability and calculation skills have always been very good. If I give it my all, getting into the class top five is no problem, so don't worry about me."
"Eh?!"
"...What?!"
Kei and Sato were stunned simultaneously.
"You were hiding your strength?!"
"So the bad grades before... were all an act?"
If Kei hadn't been in a great mood lately due to dating Akira, she would have given her best friend a "fist of iron."
So the argument she had with Yukimura at the start of school was essentially meaningless?
Realizing she'd been kept in the dark, Kei gave Sato a look, and the two of them grabbed Chiaki's ears from both sides.
"I was wrong, I was wrong! I'm sorry! I won't hide anything from you anymore!"
After being tugged for ten seconds, Chiaki admitted her mistake in pain. The two gave her arms a pinch before letting go.
"Why did you hide it anyway?" Kei asked crossly.
"Well... I used to think moving up to a higher class was hopeless, so I hid my strength secretly." Chiaki rubbed her red ears.
"But now that we have a chance to secure a major victory and bring Class C up to Class A, I should contribute."
"You certainly think far ahead! You're such a realist!" Satou was a bit speechless at her pragmatism. "By the way, if your grades are so good, why didn't you just test into Class A at enrollment? Then you wouldn't have to work this hard to climb up from Class D, right?"
At the mention of this, Chiaki's expression became slightly embarrassed.
"Back then during the written exam... I accidentally suppressed my score too much."
"No way? You suppressed your score on the entrance exam?! Are you an idiot?"
Kei felt a headache coming on. Who deliberately lowers their strength in the entrance exam that determines class placement? Isn't that just asking the interviewers to look down on you?
"Well, I didn't know the school had a class system back then," Chiaki defended softly.
"If I did too well from the start and left an impression of being a top student, wouldn't I have to fight for high scores in every single exam later? That's so exhausting."
She had her own little calculation, but she hadn't expected the placement system to be so strict, and she accidentally "calculated" herself into Class D.
Kei and Satou looked at each other, seeing both helplessness and amusement.
"You... I don't know whether to call you smart or an idiot." Kei sighed.
"But since you have the ability, show it this time. Those guys in Class A definitely won't expect our class to be hiding a card like you."
"Yeah, especially an event like Mental Arithmetic, which relies heavily on calculation speed." Satou's eyes lit up.
"Maybe we really do have a chance to take a win in Class A's best field."
'Leave it to me! I'll take first place' Chiaki thought to herself.
In a sense, this was her first official debut since hiding her strength. She wanted to answer everything perfectly and make the Commander, Shimizu Akira, see her in a new light.
Her goal was to avoid using the Commander's intervention rights as much as possible!
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That same afternoon, Class B classroom.
Ichinose Honami posted Class D's list of ten events on the blackboard and turned to her class.
"As you can see, the vast majority of items submitted by Class D are pure physical competitions—Karate, Judo, Taekwondo, Kendo, Wrestling, Rock Climbing, Swimming, Boxing, and Grappling. Only the last one, Riddle Quiz, is not."
Many students had looks of disbelief, while others frowned in thought.
"Almost all physical items... they're planning to brute-force us with pure athleticism," Shibata Souta remarked.
"And they are all types requiring many people." Hamaguchi Tetsuya adjusted his glasses. "Class D has almost completely abandoned the possibility of intellectual events and bet everything on physical ability."
Honami nodded. "Strategically, it's extreme but smart. They know they can't beat us in academics, so they use this singular choice to maximize their advantage."
"Does our class have anyone who knows these projects?" Shiranami Chihiro asked.
The room fell silent as students looked at each other. Class B students were mostly good at academics and cooperation; few had specifically studied combat sports that relied purely on physical confrontation.
"For Karate and Judo... I learned some basics in elementary school," Shibata raised his hand. "But I haven't practiced in a long time."
"We have a few people good at climbing and swimming," Honami flipped through class records, "but combat sports are indeed our weak point."
Hamaguchi added thoughtfully: "Class D choosing these projects might also be to use force legitimately. If someone 'accidentally' hits too hard and causes an injury, it will severely affect morale."
"True." Kanzaki Ryuji frowned. Usually, attacking someone isn't allowed, but a "slip-up" in sports is hard to penalize. The school likely wouldn't dig deep.
"The Riddle Quiz is probably Shiina Hiyori's idea; the other nine... feel more like a scheme Ryuen Kakeru came up with," Kobashi Yume analyzed.
"Are you saying Ryuen is planning a comeback?"
"Tch, speaking of which, our class has indeed been harassed by a few people from Class D lately..."
Class B had originally thought Class D was leaderless and hadn't taken them seriously. Their expressions grew grave. After all, it was Ryuen Kakeru. That guy always came up with underhanded but exceptionally effective ways to harass opponent classes.
"If Ryuen has truly retaken leadership, the situation is completely different," Kanzaki said grimly.
"He's not the type to just act recklessly; every move has a purpose."
Hamaguchi took over: "Tier one: use physical advantage to score in areas we are weak in. Tier two: as I said, potentially cause injuries within reasonable bounds to affect future performance. Tier three: these combat items involve close contact. If a verbal spat or conflict happens during the match and turns into an off-field dispute, Class D can use that to disrupt our rhythm and unity."
The atmosphere in the room grew heavier.
"Then what should we do?" Shibata clenched his fists. "Are we just going to sit here and take it?"
"Since we can't win," Honami mused for a moment and said decisively, "we should just forfeit those directly. We don't have many combat experts; everyone's safety is more important. As long as we hold steady in the three subjects we're good at and take the seventh event, victory is still within reach."
"... Well, if Ichinose-san says so."
"Okay, let's do that!"
The class voiced their agreement. Kanzaki Ryuji, however, kept his brow furrowed, watching silently. He had a faint feeling that everything was within Ryuen Kakeru's calculations. Ryuen likely predicted that Honami, who prioritizes safety, would choose to forfeit.
It was an "open scheme"—knowing it's a trap but being forced to step into it. With combatants like Ishizaki, Ryuen, and Albert, Class B truly lacked the capital for a head-on confrontation.
"Giving up again?!" Himeno Yuki suddenly stood up, snorted, and turned to leave the classroom.
"Wait, Himeno-san."
As she reached the entrance of the school building, a voice called out behind her. It was Kanzaki Ryuji.
"What? Do you want me to go back and continue the meeting?" Himeno said impatiently.
"Do you really think Ichinose's decision is correct?"
"No." Kanzaki's answer was blunt.
"I believe Ichinose-san's plan has flaws. This time, I don't intend to follow her opinion. I'm going to secure victory for Class B from another direction."
"For example, Year 1 Class D's Manabe Shiho. Since she was abandoned by her own class, perhaps... we can use that to gain an advantage for Class B in this special exam."
Himeno was completely stunned, looking at the man before her with surprise.
'Hmm? Did he finally... wake up?'
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