Chapter 363: Arisu: "I Feel Like Everyone is Targeting Me"
Sakayanagi Arisu's heart skipped a beat.
'What's going on?'
Why did an event so blatantly favorable to Class C suddenly appear?
'Did Tsukishiro arrange this intentionally? He deliberately added Boxing to the list? There's no way he doesn't know that Shimizu Akira himself is a member of the Boxing Club...! Wait, did Shimizu Akira use Koenji Rokusuke and Kanzaki Ryuji's connections again to pressure the school?
Is this his 'sure-win strategy' for this special exam?'
She had learned quite a bit about the inner workings of the previous Class Poll exam from Akira's own mouth. Seeing such a specific event appear, she naturally assumed Akira was pulling strings behind the scenes again.
She had every reason to suspect it! This was Shimizu Akira, after all—the man who produced a winning strategy for every single special exam.
How could he possibly be unprepared?
"Truly a masterful move," she whispered to herself.
Akira really wanted to snap back: 'Masterful what?'
He had truly done nothing this time.
He wished people would stop imagining him as some omnipotent mastermind or engaging in "over-interpretation". Akira himself was staring at the screen in blank confusion, wondering what had happened.
The event was Boxing. It was indeed one of Akira's strongest suits.
The school listing Boxing as the seventh event was undeniably advantageous for Class C. If Chairman Sakayanagi were still in power, Akira might have thought it was just his "old fan" wanting to see him fight again.
But the Acting Chairman now was Tsukishiro Tokinari. This man's goal was to get Akira and Ayanokouji expelled. Why would he proactively arrange an event that helped them? There had to be an ulterior motive.
"The rules for the seventh event, Boxing, are as follows!" Hoshinomiya Chie's voice continued as text scrolled across the screen.
"The match follows standard amateur boxing rules: three rounds, two minutes per round. Each class must field 3 participants for a best-of-three team format. Gender is unrestricted. Victory is determined by KO, judge's decision, or forfeit. Note: Safety first; malicious attacks are strictly forbidden."
The rules were fairly standard for amateur boxing. The most notable difference was the lack of weight classes.
This made sense; a class might not have enough students to fit specific weight categories, and forced grading could leave a class with no available participants.
"Wait." Sakayanagi Arisu raised her hand. Her focus wasn't on the rules themselves.
"I am curious, why did the school choose Boxing as the seventh event? Projects should be filtered fairly. Was this the Acting Chairman's personal wish, or a collective decision by the school?"
She remembered the school stating that the seventh event would be determined after multi-party discussions. If this was the result of Akira's meddling, she had to find a procedural loophole to counter-attack.
This time, Sakagami Kazuma answered. He adjusted his glasses and spoke professionally. "The proposal for Boxing was indeed brought forward by Acting Chairman Tsukishiro. However, the final decision was reached through a consensus between the four homeroom teachers, the Board of Directors, and the Student Council. The review board felt that of the ten items chosen by both classes, the vast majority focused on academic ability, logic, or specific skills, lacking events that test direct physical confrontation and comprehensive grit. Therefore, Boxing was introduced to balance the exam content."
Hoshinomiya Chie added with a smile, "That's right! You two should remember the school's philosophy, right? It's not just about academics or total freedom, but well-rounded development. Thus, the theme of the seventh event is 'Might.' No brainpower required—just a pure contest of physical fitness and combat ability between the two classes!"
Sakayanagi's expression darkened.
'Approved by all three parties.'
This meant that unless she had concrete evidence of foul play, the event was set in stone.
Class A had chosen academic and skill-based events. If the review board felt the lineup was too one-sided and inserted a physical combat event to ensure "comprehensive assessment," the logic was sound. No one could find fault with it.
'Could it be that this really was just a balancing adjustment by the school, rather than Akira's doing? Or did Akira predict even this and move to exploit it?'
She stole a glance toward the partition, though she could see nothing.
Akira, meanwhile, frowned, more concerned with the tactical layer. "What are the Commander rules for this Boxing event?" he asked.
Hoshinomiya Chie explained, "Simple. The Commander has one opportunity to personally step in and replace any participant from their class on the field."
Sakayanagi immediately looked at her screen and found this clause in the fine print. Her face turned pale.
'Wait? These rules... they're practically targeting me!'
What did "The Commander can replace a student" mean for her? She walked with a cane; how could she possibly face a Class C student in a boxing ring? She couldn't even swing her cane properly! Even with a weapon, she wouldn't win!
Sakayanagi wasn't one to suffer in silence. She raised her hand again, displeased.
"I believe this rule is questionable regarding fairness! I am physically incapable of participating."
Hoshinomiya Chie looked at the girl who had once calculated against Ichinose Honami and gave a sweet, innocent smile.
"It's not unfair. This rule was also agreed upon by the three parties. Boxing is pure physical confrontation; you can't just swap people mid-match, so the Commander is given one chance to intervene as a tactical adjustment. It's the same logic as other events. Don't Commanders have the right to intervene with their brains? Like the Chess event you chose—I hear you've won many awards since you were a child. Conversely, Shimizu-kun has zero experience. Thus, the Commander being at a disadvantage in certain events is part of the exam design."
Hoshinomiya didn't mind kicking someone while they were down, especially someone who had bullied her precious class representative.
Sakayanagi was left speechless.
The rules were legitimate and followed protocol. Her objection based on physical disability, in the face of a "comprehensive confrontation" event, ended up looking like an excuse to escape a losing situation.
She could only accept reality. She glanced toward Akira again.
'This bad guy must have calculated everything, hasn't he? Even a rule this disadvantageous to me was likely pushed by him.'
In truth, Akira was still baffled. This Commander rule was indeed biased toward him.
'What is going on? Is it really because the teachers and the board got involved, pushing the rules beyond Tsukishiro's control? What is that man thinking?'
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A few minutes later, Hoshinomiya-sensei stepped forward holding two lots with hidden numbers.
"Alright, draw lots. The one who draws '1' will have their class project chosen first by the system."
Sakayanagi smiled and gestured. "You go first."
Akira didn't decline. He reached out and drew a lot: it was 1. Sakayanagi drew the second: 2.
"Based on the draw," Hoshinomiya announced, "the order of selection will be Class C → Class A → Class C, and so on. The seventh event, 'Boxing,' will take place after all prior events have concluded."
"Now, the five events for each class are locked. You have 10 minutes to plan your personnel for each project!"
Akira scanned his screen. Class C's five events: [Archery], [Typing Speed], [Basketball], [Street Fighter 6], [200m Swimming].
Class A's five events: [Chess], [English Exam], [Modern Literature Exam], [Math Exam], [Flash Mental Arithmetic].
As expected, Class A bet everything on academics, including the high-intensity Flash Mental Arithmetic.
As for Boxing... Akira wasn't worried. He would personally enter and secure a guaranteed win.
Aside from Ayanokouji and Koenji, Sudo and Miyake were his best athletes. Miyake was needed for Archery, and Sudo's Basketball might not be picked, making him a perfect backup for Boxing.
Sakayanagi, however, had a headache. Class A had very few fighters, and the opponent was Akira himself... the situation was grim.
Ten minutes passed quickly. Hoshinomiya clapped her hands. "The first project of the Selection Exam begins now! First, Class C will draw an event!"
The screen flickered through Class C's three backup choices: [Basketball], [Street Fighter 6], and [200m Swimming]. The wheel spun and stopped—200m Swimming.
Project: 200m Swimming
Number of People: 3 Rules: Standard pool race; the fastest student wins.
Commander Privilege: The Commander can replace any one participant before the race begins.
"Oh dear, no Basketball? What a shame," Sakayanagi chuckled. "If it were your Sudo-kun, our class would have had no chance of winning."
"Well, I already used up my luck on the seventh event," Akira countered smoothly.
Sakayanagi choked. It was true—he already held a massive advantage in Boxing.
"However," she continued, "this Commander rule doesn't help me in a swimming event either. If I'm not mistaken, your class will focus on Onodera Kayano-san?"
The woman was well-informed. Akira didn't respond, looking at the screen. He selected his three participants: Onodera Kayano, Makita Susumu, and Minami Setsuya.
Aside from the ace Onodera, the other two were among the more athletic members of the class. They were originally planned for Basketball with Sudo, but with the change in plans, he adapted.
A few minutes later, Sakayanagi completed her selection. The screen showed the Class A lineup: Shimizu Naoki, Kamuro Masumi, and Machida Koji.
"Masumi is in this one," Sakayanagi noted, leaning toward him.
"I wonder if Shimizu-kun... will show mercy for her sake?"
Akira shook his head without hesitation.
"You're dreaming." He had already discussed this with Honami and Masumi. On the field, they would set aside personal relationships and give it their all.
On the other side of the screen, the live feed appeared. Six contestants were by the pool, warming up.
"Commanders, would you like to use your privilege to replace a student and participate personally?" Hoshinomiya asked.
Sakayanagi shook her head with an elegant smile. "No. I trust my classmates. There's no need for me to 'step out.'"
Akira scanned the screen. Onodera gave a thumbs-up to the camera with her signature cheerful smile, full of confidence. He evaluated Class A's lineup. "No," he said, "proceed with the original list."
"Oh? Such confidence?" Sakayanagi was genuinely surprised. "You're not like me." Akira was fully capable of competing, unlike her. Did he really trust his classmates that much?
Akira ignored her probe and focused on the screen.
The signal sounded. Six figures dove into the water. Onodera Kayano in lane three had a clean entry and immediately established a lead. Makita and Minami in lanes five and six followed closely. In Class A, Kamuro Masumi in lane two was the most impressive, staying right on Onodera's heels. Machida was taking a conservative approach, while Shimizu Naoki clearly wasn't a swimmer and fell to the back.
'My girlfriend can swim too! She's got skills!' Akira thought. But she was still far behind a specialist like Onodera.
By the 50m turn, Onodera touched first, widening her lead. At 100m, she was ahead by more than a body length. In the final 50m sprint, Onodera Kayano finished first without suspense, raising her arm with a victorious smile.
Seconds later, Kamuro touched second, Makita third, followed by Machida and Minami. Shimizu Naoki arrived last, panting.
Results:
Onodera Kayano (Class C) Kamuro Masumi (Class A) Makita Susumu (Class C)
Class C wins the first event.
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Second event: Class A's turn to draw.
The wheel spun between English, Modern Lit, and Math, landing on—English Exam.
Project: English Exam
Number of People: 8
Rules: Standard written test; total score of all 8 wins.
Commander Privilege: The Commander can answer one question on behalf of the team (submitted via equipment).
This was Class A's home turf.
Akira sent out eight students including Kushida Kikyo, Hasebe Haruka, Sakura Airi, and Wang Mei-Yu.
Sakayanagi sent out Satonaka Satori, Sugio Dai, Tsukachi Shihori, Tanihara, Motodoi Chikako, Fukuyama, Rokkaku Momoe, and Nakajima Riko.
Akira only recognized two: Motodoi, who once confessed to Hashimoto, and the famously handsome Satonaka. When the camera cut to the room, Akira finally saw the legendary Satonaka. The guy was indeed good-looking.
After an hour of silent testing, the teachers graded the papers.
Final Scores: Class C: 650 points Class A: 730 points
Class A wins.
"My, my... only an 80-point difference. How dangerous," Sakayanagi said, though she was actually sweating a bit.
80 points spread over 8 people meant only a 10-point lead per person. For Class C to stay that close to Class A in an academic subject was a testament to their growth.
Akira shook his head in regret. English was one of Class C's better subjects, but the gap in foundation couldn't be easily erased in one year of hard work.
Current Score: 1 - 1.
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