THESE DAYS, THE feeling of spring was gentle in the sunlight.
Finally, the culmination of my second year of school life had arrived.
For two years, the unwavering Class A had led the way, and now there were those trying to overtake it. There were those who started well but gradually were surpassed by Class D, yet they still tried to unite and rise again. Those who lacked inherent strength but continued to fight by any means necessary, eagerly aiming for a dramatic turnaround. Starting from Class D, having lost all class points, they now reached for the coveted Class A.
The end-of-year special exam, promising significant class point fluctuations, was about to take place.
At 7:40 AM, I left my dorm room alone.
The lobby was quiet. Not a single student was in sight.
That was to be expected. While the representatives for the end-of-year special exam were supposed to gather at the special building at 8 AM, the rest of the class was supposed to gather in the usual classrooms at 9 AM, so some might still be sleeping.
It would've been fine to run into other representatives, but since it took about 10 minutes to walk to the special building from here, leaving at 40 was cutting it close.
Almost everyone should've already arrived at school or would be arriving soon.
Walking down the school path, I spotted a student in casual clothes sitting on a bench.
"It's quite an early morning. What are you doing here, Kiryūin-senpai?"
"I was waiting for you. I wanted to see you before you tackle the end-of-year special exam."
Next to Kiryūin-senpai, a bag was placed.
"It looks like you're about to leave."
"Normally, third-year students would've already had their graduation ceremony and be out in the real world by now. I've been busy looking for a new place to live. Nagumo has been concerned about you. He's curious about how you'll handle the end-of-year special exam. But it seems he has no intention of seeing you anymore, leaving the reconnaissance to me."
It seemed like a bothersome role had been pushed onto her, but it should've been easy to refuse.
"It seems you're not concerned about it from the looks of it."
"Are you concerned about me? You seem like quite the kind senpai."
"My apologies. Concerned might be an overstatement. But you do things we can't predict. I'm looking forward to seeing what results you'll bring about in the exam."
Understanding that I was in a hurry, Kiryūin-senpai said that and gently waved her hand.
I nodded in acknowledgment and started walking towards the school building.
Soon after arriving at the special building, two class representatives were waiting near the classroom door.
A singular unfamiliar adult stood beside them.
In general, I had the impression that teachers would be present during special exams, but perhaps this time it was different.
"Good morning, Kiyotaka-kun."
Yōsuke greeted me with a smile dazzling enough to outshine any girl.
On the other hand, Horikita seemed displeased at having been made to wait, and she didn't seem to be in a good mood.
"You're quite late. We're the last ones."
Her voice was slightly raised, and her expression was stiff.
"I'm on time, so there shouldn't be a problem."
"That's true, but... well, it's a minor issue now. Let's go."
The real deal of the end-of-year special exam awaited us.
She must've spent the time since this morning, no, since the night before feeling uneasy.
When Horikita reported that everyone had assembled to the adult, the entrance was opened for us.
Inside the classroom, representatives from each class, three from each, totaling nine, had already arrived and were seated on an arrangement of folding chairs.
Sakayanagi, Ryūen, and Ichinose seemed to have arrived without any issues.
Some turned around as we entered.
They were undoubtedly checking who the representatives were.
Especially for Ichinose's class, it was a crucial matter. I locked eyes with Kanzaki, who had been dreading until the last moment that I would be the representative. Although he seemed prepared from the information he had, it was clear he was not welcoming it.
It wasn't too hard to guess what he was thinking.
'He really showed up, huh?'
That must've been it.
I'm sorry, but I have my circumstances and can't accommodate your feelings.
Horikita and the others would also find out who the representatives were for the first time in this public setting.
As I started walking towards an empty seat, Sakagami-sensei and Hoshinomiya-sensei approached.
In both hands, Sakagami-sensei held an empty white case about 30 centimeters in length and width, marked with "2-B."
"Please submit all phones, other metals, and electronic devices you have."
Sakagami-sensei said this and looked down at the case.
I took out my phone from my pocket and placed it in the white case.
Horikita and Yōsuke also took out their phones and placed them in the case.
"Okay, don't move now. I'm going to perform a body check."
Saying this, Hoshinomiya-sensei began the inspection from my head to my toes with a handheld device, probably a metal detector.
"They're quite thorough, aren't they?"
Yōsuke asked as the inspection moved from me to Horikita.
"Sorry, it's instructions from the school. Okay, all three of you are clear."
Sakagami-sensei nodded, indicating there were no particular issues.
"The phones we've been entrusted with will be returned after the exam. Please sit in the empty seats and wait."
I sat down on one of the three remaining empty folding chairs.
Then, I carefully observed the backs of the representatives.
From Ichinose's Class D, there were Hamaguchi and Kanzaki.
I was certain about Ichinose and Kanzaki being chosen, but they brought Hamaguchi as the third representative.
His overall abilities were similar to Hirata's, a model-type student unlikely to cause any major issues. These representatives were probably predictable choices for Horikita and the others.
However...
There were unexpected choices in Sakayanagi and Ryūen's classes.
"What do they intend..."
What surprised Horikita the most was not that Katsuragi was chosen as a representative from Ryūen's class, but another member.
It was the same for Yōsuke, who was next to me, and even I was a little surprised.
The presence of Nishino Takeko seemed out of place in this special exam, an exam that likely required comprehensive abilities.
She herself seemed aware of her existence being out of place, crossing her arms and looking somewhat uneasy. Although there was a rule that each gender must be represented among the three representatives, I hadn't expected Nishino.
"They've gone for something unusual."
"I didn't expect them to bring in Nishino-san. Do you understand their intentions, Ayanokōji-kun?"
"No... it might be to poke around for surprised reactions, but even if so, they might be poking a bit too hard."
I didn't think Nishino was a bad student.
Even in Ryūen's class, she generally stood out.
Her firm attitude and stance towards Ryūen, and fearlessness could certainly be recognized.
However, even so, there were other students with superior overall abilities.
"Maybe someone was absent due to illness?"
"That makes sense... Maybe someone else was supposed to be the representative, but she moved up? But even if she moved up, would Nishino-san be the next candidate...?"
Indeed, normally she might be questionable even as a substitute.
Still, whether there were other girls in Ryūen's class whom Ryūen could trust remained a bit doubtful.
"I thought Shiina-san would be chosen from the girls' slots, but she's missing?"
According to Horikita's predictions, it seemed she expected Hiyori to be chosen. If Hiyori couldn't participate due to poor health, then that would be a reasonable explanation. However, I tried to consider another possibility.
"Ryūen's class doesn't have many strong female candidates. This special exam tends to focus on the representatives, but the remaining classmates are also given significant roles as participants. It's entirely possible they deliberately kept Hiyori on that side."
"...That's true. In a situation where limited resources are spread thin, that choice might be possible..."
Horikita's class had multiple candidates who could become representatives. Therefore, we could afford to have students like Kushida and Matsushita as substitutes, but Ryūen's class was different.
"Besides, whether Hiyori is suited for a scenario where representatives battle each other is another matter."
Without a clear answer from Ryūen's side, it was all speculation. However, even if there was such an intention, choosing Nishino as a representative was a gamble. It might put Ryūen at a disadvantage. Or…
Since Ryūen was a representative himself, it could be a statement that no matter who else was there, he could handle it. If so, it would be a strong appeal to the opponents. But there lies the tricky Sakayanagi. While not as impactful as Nishino, there was a similar surprise. It was that Kitō Hayato had been chosen as a representative.
Kitō was a close associate of Sakayanagi, and although he was a good representative based on his position, in a situation where it wasn't likely for physical ability to be required, was it necessary to make Kitō, someone with excellent athletic ability, the representative?
Perhaps Sakayanagi's intentions were hidden here as well. If possible, I would've liked to hear each leaders' reasoning for their selections, but that wasn't feasible.
All the representatives had gathered, but the school had yet to proceed.
"Phew..."
Horikita, sitting on my right, exhaled.
Feeling pressure in such a tense situation was inevitable, but this seemed a bit excessive.
Yōsuke also looked worriedly at her.
If the exam started now, it could lead to a bad situation for Horikita.
However, careless words might only heighten the tension.
There were several solutions, but the most effective one had just come to mind.
I'd prepared myself for death at that time as well, but what would happen now?
I quietly reached out with my right hand and grabbed Horikita's left side forcefully.
"Hyah!?"
Horikita jumped in her seat. At the same time, a girl's voice oppressively echoed in the solemn and quiet classroom. Most of the representatives who had been facing forward turned around, wondering what happened. Horikita hurriedly shook her head as if nothing was wrong and bowed down to escape the puzzled looks of the representatives.
"What are you doing...!"
"I thought I'd help you relax a bit. It's a bit better now, right?"
"Even so, was there a need to do it this way...!?"
She voiced her dissatisfaction in a low voice but with a fierce expression.
"I thought I'd add a bit of nostalgia to the mix. It's my way of showing concern."
"I don't need that kind of concern!"
The other representatives were no longer paying attention, but Yōsuke looked relieved and happy as he watched Horikita complain and me being scolded.
Just then, there was movement in the room. As if announcing the start of the special exam, Mashima-sensei and Chabashira-sensei appeared in the classroom.
"You better quiet down now."
"You'd better remember this later..."
I definitely earned her resentment, but for now, this should allow her to focus on the explanation. Now, the teachers in charge of the second-year classes were all present. One of them, the homeroom teacher of Class A, Mashima-sensei, stepped forward.
"My name is Mashima, and I will be explaining the end-of-year special exam. I would like to prepare for the start of the exam as soon as possible. I will also explain the detailed rules, which have not yet been disclosed."
Although the special exam was scheduled to start at 10 AM, Mashima-sensei began the explanation immediately. Considering it was just past 8 AM, the time allocated merely for the explanation seemed excessively long. It was likely that we would be forced to undergo further preparations before the start of the special exam.
"First, I will announce the final representatives, three from each class, who will participate today."
2nd Year Class A Representatives
Vanguard: Sanada Kousei, Middle Guard: Kitō Hayato, General: Sakayanagi Arisu
2nd Year Class B Representatives
Vanguard: Hirata Yōsuke, Middle Guard: Horikita Suzune, General: Ayanokōji Kiyotaka
2nd Year Class C Representatives
Vanguard: Nishino Takeko, Middle Guard: Katsuragi Kōhei, General: Ryūen Kakeru
2nd Year Class D Representatives
Vanguard: Hamaguchi Tetsuya, Middle Guard: Kanzaki Ryūji, General: Ichinose Honami
The names of the representatives and the order of their team battles were first displayed on a monitor prepared in the room. Each class had a composition of two males and one female.
There was no mention of absentees or substitutes, which was ambiguous whether it was because there were no absentees or if it was a rule not to disclose that part to other classes.
At that point, the 12 representatives were confirmed, and no changes could be made. If someone couldn't participate due to some accident, they would automatically be treated as defeated.
Without any questions from the representatives, Mashima-sensei continued the explanation.
"This is the stage for the representatives. You can see that the classroom has multiple monitors, two desks and chairs each, and two tablets each. Class A and Class C will compete in this classroom, and an identical setup is prepared in another classroom in the special building, where Class B and Class D will face each other."
It seemed safe to assume that the arrangement would be similar to the special exam at the end of the first year, given it was a one-on-one battle.
"When the start time arrives, the vanguard representatives from each class will take their seats, and that's when the special exam will begin. The middle guard and generals appointed as representatives will stay in a different waiting room, but I want them to watch the flow of the exam and understand it."
Mashima-sensei explained, displaying the exam instructions on one of the monitors.
[Special Exam Flow]
Roles of ordinary students, honor students, teachers, graduates, underclassmen, upperclassmen, and traitors are assigned for discussion.
Preparation:
• Each class's representatives will form five groups of seven students each at their own discretion.
※ The same group cannot be used consecutively; they must rest once.
※ If there are fewer than 35 participants, the same person may join a second group if necessary.
① Each class's representative selects one group to participate in the discussion via tablet.
② The discussion between 14 participants, seven from each class, will be observed via the monitor.
• Each round lasts five minutes.
③ After each round, both representatives nominate one participant and are given the right to select which specific role they believe the participant possesses.
• Only one nomination per round; passing is allowed. Selections must be made on the tablet within one minute.
④ The lives of the representatives change depending on whether the selected participant's role is correct.
• Teachers and graduates can exercise the powers of their roles at this time.
• If either representative passes on nominating, an honor student will choose one participant to leave the room.
(In which case, there is no change in the representatives' lives.)
• The discussion ends for the one to two students chosen by the representative or honor student, in which they will have to leave the room.
(If the nomination is correct, the role is disclosed, but not for honor student nominations.)
⑤ Discussion ends when all ordinary students OR honor students have left.
• If a representative's lives reach zero during the discussion, the discussion ends.
• The exam ends when the general's lives reach zero.
• If both class generals simultaneously reach zero lives, they will rematch with one life each until a decision is reached.
• A recess interval is held at the end of each discussion or when representatives change.
As the details of the special exam were revealed, the full picture of the exam gradually became clear.
Meanwhile, Mashima-sensei continued to explain using the monitor, observing the representatives' reactions.
"The basic flow of the special exam is conducted and repeated according to steps ① to ⑤. You might notice some terms that stand out, but I'll explain them in order. First, 'participants' refers to all students other than you representatives, and these students will conduct the 'discussion' which is central to the exam. Please look forward to the upcoming explanation of the discussion."
Discussion:
• The 14 participants will engage in discussions to discern the roles assigned to each individual.
The discussion ends when either the number of ordinary students or honor students reaches zero, or when the representative's lives reaches zero.
[In this case, all students remaining in the discussion receive 5000 private points.]
• Aside from when nominating a participant as an ordinary student, honor student, or traitor, the representative can choose to nominate a participant as an 'executive role' instead of their specific role. In this case, it wouldn't be an exact nomination, so their specific position would not be disclosed.
• Students other than the waiting representatives can watch the discussion through monitors.
• If representatives successfully nominate in the same round, a process of canceling each other out is performed first.
List of roles and number of participants given to participants:
'Ordinary students' 6-8 people
Students who aren't granted any special authority.
If a misidentification (including executive-role nomination) occurs, the nominating representative loses one life.
'Honor students' 2 people
If successfully nominated as an honor student, reduce the life of the opposing representative by three.
If a misidentification (including executive-role nomination) occurs, the nominating representative loses two lives.
Honor students recognize other honor students and are aware of their presence.
If one or more representatives pass, at the end of the round, one participant is nominated by an honor student to leave the room.
[If two remain, the honor student with nomination rights is randomly chosen. Also, honor students cannot nominate other honor students.]
'Teacher' 1 person
If successfully nominated as an executive role, reduce the life of the opponent by one, and by two if successfully nominated as a teacher.
If a misidentification occurs, the nominating representative loses two lives.
Effect: At the end of each round, they can block one student from being nominated by an honor student. This can only be done once per game.
'Graduate' 1 person
If successfully nominated as an executive role, reduce the life of the opponent by one, and by two if successfully nominated as a graduate.
If a misidentification occurs, the nominating representative loses two lives.
Effect: At the end of each round, they may nominate one student to learn their role. However, they cannot recognize the identity of traitors and will perceive them as ordinary students.
'Underclassman' 1 person
If successfully nominated as an executive role, recover one life to yourself, and recover two lives if successfully nominated as an underclassman.
If a misidentification occurs, the nominating representative loses one life.
'Upperclassman' 1 person
If successfully nominated as an executive role, reduce the life of the opponent by one, and reduce life by one if successfully nominated as an upperclassman, while also randomly disclosing the roles of two participants to the representative.
If a misidentification occurs, the nominating representative loses one life.
'Traitor' 0-2 people
※ Each class can utilize this role only once per exam.
The representative can assign one opposing class participant, who's taking part in the discussion, as a traitor.
During each round, the role of one participant (excluding honor students) is randomly disclosed to the representative who designated the traitor.
If a misidentification (including executive-role nomination) occurs, two lives are lost, and the opposing representative's rights to assign a traitor are restored.
If an honor student attempts to dismiss a traitor, it is treated as if blocked and does not result in the traitor leaving the room.
A traitor cannot be dismissed unless the opponent misidentifies them or the representative cannot determine it through interrogation.
Rewards for each role:
• If the ordinary students' side wins, all ordinary students receive 10,000 private points.
• The honor students' side receives 5000 private points each time a participant with an executive role is nominated, and if the honor students' side wins, they receive 500,000 private points.
• Teachers and graduates receive 50,000 private points if they do not leave the room by the end of the discussion.
• In the case where upperclassmen or underclassmen are dismissed by an honor student, all students with either of those two roles receive 50,000 private points.
• If a traitor doesn't leave the room by the end of the discussion, they receive either 5,000,000 private points or 50 class points, whichever they prefer.
As Mashima-sensei explained the roles and their effects to the participants, he took out the tablet that would be used during the actual exam and displayed it on the monitor.
The tablet had the names of the 14 participants and the pass option tentatively placed. When passing, it would need to be reconfirmed twice. When nominating, you would need to select a name from the screen, and then either indicate them as an executive role or a specific named role, and then confirm. Since ordinary students didn't need to nominate, that option wasn't presented.
"The representatives here play a crucial role in the victory or defeat of the class, but their classmates can also significantly influence the outcome of the representatives' battles. The rules may seem complex, but you all had a similar experience during the luxury cruise exam during your first year. Think of it as something close to that, and you might quickly come to understand it."
During the previous year's luxury cruise exam, I didn't know at the time, but it used a system similar to the 'Werewolf game,' aiming to identify students called 'VIPs.'
Back then, I didn't know anything about the real world, let alone such a game.
Since those days, I acquired quite a bit of unexpected knowledge, which I suppose could be called growth.
Thinking back, it was Mashima-sensei who had been explaining the zodiac exam at that time.
While reminiscing, I listened to the conversation.
"If both representatives successfully nominate, a process of canceling each other out will occur. For underclassmen, it's a bit special; if A correctly identifies an underclassman and B correctly nominates a teacher as an executive role, the difference is adjusted, and A's lives are restored by one."
It seemed that the final outcome reflected the comparison of our own results with those of the opponent.
"You representatives might want to join in on the discussion, but during the exam, you can only watch and listen through the monitor, without giving any instructions. Moreover, representatives who aren't participating in the match cannot even watch the discussion."
Participants would discuss among themselves, and decide the outcome with 14 members.
Meanwhile, the participating representatives would oversee the discussion, having the right to nominate who to eliminate. Though, it seemed quite unusual that one of the representatives must pass before the discussing honor students would be granted the right to remove someone.
If capable representatives were part of the discussion, they could identify suspicious students through their responses or ask questions to determine their roles, but this wasn't possible through the monitor. The majority of the deduction is left to the participants.
"Various roles can significantly impact the representatives' lives. Especially the 'traitor' role, which can only be selected once, may be able to significantly influence the outcome of the match. If A designates a student from B's class as a traitor, as long as this traitor remains, the roles of the participants in the discussion, except for the honor students, are revealed to A one by one each round. If left unchecked, it will continue to put B in a disadvantageous spot. However, if they rush to eliminate the traitor and mistakenly nominate and remove the wrong person, on top of losing life points, the right to select a traitor is restored for the opponent's representative."
It seemed that the roles' effects would be strong enough to bring in both favorable and unfavorable turns of events to the special exam.
Therefore, at the beginning, each class would start with the right to use it only once.
Whether to use it right away as an 'early-bird-gets-the-worm' strategy for a quick start, to hope to gain a second right to use it due to the opponent's misidentification, or to save it to turn the tables in one move against the middle guard or general, was up to them.
However, what concerned me was that currently, traitors couldn't be eliminated by nomination.
"How to find and exclude the traitor from the discussion... This can be resolved by adopting a special rule only when the traitor is in play, allowing the representative to call out a student from their class at the end of each round and question them in a 'interrogation' to determine if they are the traitor."
Interrogation
• At the end of each round, representatives can have a one-on-one interrogation if they wish
※ Interrogation prohibits discussing the progress or detailed rules of the special exam.
① Conduct the interrogation
② The participant confesses whether they are a traitor or not. In this case, they are asked to answer first
③ The representative decides whether to determine them as a traitor or judge them innocent
④ Result:
If the participant is a traitor
• If they confess and the representative determines they're a traitor, the rule that causes a random participant's role, excluding honor students, to be disclosed to the opposing representative each round will cease, and the traitor's rewards are forfeited
• If they confess and the representative fails to notice them, the representative loses five lives
• If they deny and the representative determines they're a traitor, the traitor is expelled from the school
• If they deny and the representative fails to notice them, the representative loses five lives
If the participant is not a traitor
• If they confess and the representative determines they're a traitor, the representative loses one life
• If they confess and the representative judges them as innocent, no penalty
• If they deny and the representative determines they're a traitor, the representative loses one life
• If they deny and the representative judges them as innocent, no penalty
First, the traitor's side would answer whether they are innocent or guilty, and then the representative would get to judge whether they're telling the truth or lying.
It was unlikely for someone who wasn't a traitor to falsely claim to be one, but it was a necessary clarification.
"The representatives can check these rules on their tablet at any time during the exam. Also, feel free to speak up if you have questions, and the examiner will answer within the scope they're able to."
Indeed, there were many rules. There wouldn't be any problems if everyone could grasp them, but some might want to check the rules repeatedly, so that was a thoughtful consideration.
"I have something on my mind... may I?"
The representatives had been listening quietly until now, but Sanada broke the silence.
With Mashima-sensei's permission to ask questions, Sanada stood up and slightly bowed to the other representatives.
"I understand the explanation you just gave, but wouldn't it be immediately obvious if I were to sneak in a traitor among the opponent's participants? Indeed, if they remain hidden until the very end, gaining 50 class points would be very significant. They would surely want to work hard for the class's sake. Also, putting aside whether there really are students who'd wish to do so or not, it's also entirely possible to earn private points for yourself over class points. However, if they understand that remaining in the discussion as a traitor is a significant disadvantage, wouldn't many declare themselves as traitors, even through the monitor?"
In a fair discussion, even if they came forward, the possibility of them 'lying' makes the truth not entirely clear. But as Sanada said, the traitor was a special case. Because of the way the opposing representatives could exercise the rules, only one person would come forward. It would be a different story if there was a real traitor intending to confuse their classmates, but that was hardly worth considering.
"That's a valid question, but that's impossible since the participants will receive a 'different explanation' from you representatives."
"A different explanation...?"
"Yes. The victory conditions and rules disclosed here for the representatives are only partially conveyed to the participants, so they don't know the details. From the representative's perspective, finding the honor students is the key to victory, but the participating students are merely supposed to debate among ordinary students, honor students, and other roles."
In essence, the content of the discussion in this special exam was basically meaningless.
If the participants were aware that finding the honor students was the representatives' goal, in exaggerated terms, they could simply speak up and appeal with their words. Even if the opposing representative lied, there was no benefit for their own class's participants to lie.
It seemed the school covered up the real rules to resolve this contradiction.
As a result, representatives were adjusted to fight according to the rules for representatives, and participants according to the rules for participants.
Of course, among the participants, there would be those who found this unnatural. Some might even deduce what the representatives were doing and how they were fighting during the discussions. However, without knowing crucial details, like how representatives would nominate them, how valuable lives were, and the characteristics of the roles, reckless actions couldn't be taken. It was also conceivable that openly revealing one's identity could lead to disadvantages.
The same went for the risks and rewards for the traitors.
Even if they were to proceed to an interrogation with the representative, they would struggle to remain undetected in order to gain 50 class points.
However, if it came to interrogation between the traitor and the representative, confession was mandatory.
If they denied it and the representative conclusively identified them as traitors, expulsion awaited them.
It seemed that there were many abilities that would be required in this special exam.
Knowing not only one's classmates but also the opponent's classmates was an essential element.
Therefore, the difficulty would greatly vary depending on how much one grasped the everyday behaviors and gestures of each student.
Naturally, the higher the insight and observational skills in noticing the smallest gestures, the better.
Moreover, since the representatives could now engage in the interrogation, it was good to think that the mental strength not to be misled by poor leads was also required.
On the other hand, as Chabashira-sensei had mentioned, physical abilities were not necessary, and the academic abilities needed were proven to be minimal. It seemed that Ryūen's choice not to make Hiyori the representative might not have been a bad decision, considering she wasn't absent due to illness.
In Class C, where there were few people capable of facilitating discussions, she was a valuable asset.
At this stage, it was impossible to judge everything, but it seemed that Ryūen had somewhat of a tailwind, considering that it wasn't a battle of academic abilities and that Hiyori was not made the representative.