The match between Sakayanagi and Katsuragi had moved into the second round of discussion after the first had ended.
With a strategic move by Katsuragi, who had correctly nominated an executive role, Sakayanagi's total lives were reduced to nine. However, he was then overwhelmed by her attacks, and before he knew it, Katsuragi was pushed down to his final life.
"...Phew..."
He took a deep breath and looked at his options. Should he pass and gamble on the next round, or go for a do-or-die counterattack? There was limited information gathered from the discussion, and passing here seemed like a wise choice.
However, sitting beside him was Sakayanagi, his sworn enemy and greatest threat.
If she nominated a student with an executive role or an honor student, defeat would be inevitable at that point.
For Katsuragi to guarantee a chance to continue onto the next round or beyond, at least a draw was required.
The only information he had at the moment was that there was only one more honor student.
As the number of participants decreased, he decided that if there was a time to take a risk, now was the time...
Katsuragi considered his next decisive strike.
"You've been thinking for a long time, it seems."
"If you've found someone, just hurry up and nominate them."
Katsuragi had been constantly checking to make sure that Sakayanagi's fingers weren't moving on her tablet.
"I haven't been participating in this battle as a representative for long, but I've realized something."
"Realized what?"
Katsuragi, desperate for any lead, responded to Sakayanagi's words.
"When making a nomination, you basically need to tap the student's name, then their specific role or the executive role, and finally confirm with 'yes' and 'no', touching the screen three times in total, right? Similarly, when passing, you also need to tap the pass option, confirm, and finally, reconfirm again, requiring three taps overall."
"This was done to prevent the opponent from discerning whether you've chosen to nominate or pass."
If the number of taps differed, for example, three for a nomination and two for a pass, even without seeing the screen, you'd be able to tell that a student who finished in three taps had made a nomination.
"Whether you nominate someone or pass, the school has taken measures to ensure that it wouldn't be obvious. That's why there's an anti-peeking film on the screens."
"That's obvious. What about it?"
"While they've taken great precautions to prevent cheating, did you realize that there's a way to know beforehand, and for certain, what the opponent chooses to do?"
"...What?"
It was hard to believe at first, but if true, this couldn't be ignored.
Katsuragi felt the saliva accumulating in his mouth as he stared at Sakayanagi.
"Let me tell you how to do it. The method is quite simple and clear."
Having said that, Sakayanagi gently tapped the screen twice and held the tablet with both hands, turning it towards Katsuragi.
"What—"
The screen he directly faced was clearly visible, displaying Sawada's name and the label of an honor student.
"See, this way, your opponent's choice is completely exposed, right?"
While saying this, Sakayanagi kept the screen facing towards Katsuragi and tapped the 'yes' button to confirm her selection.
As if to say there was no further need for the tablet, she placed it on her desk.
"What are you trying to do?"
"Well, it seems you didn't know who the honor student was. Since we've come this far, wouldn't you want to enjoy the game a little longer?"
If Sakayanagi's choice was correct, then Katsuragi would have to nominate the same honor student at the very least to survive this round. If Sakayanagi was right, any other choice would mean defeat.
However, if that were a bluff, both would lose at least one life due to the nomination error.
"You've seen my answer. Hasn't it become considerably easier for you?"
Sayakanagi clearly understood how this would affect her opponent's mental state.
"Is this a lie to lure me out?"
What Sakayanagi wanted to avoid now was a one-in-eight chance of Katsuragi correctly nominating the honor student.
If losing three or more lives was the result, then it was best to draw Katsuragi in with a false nomination and defeat him. Katsuragi concluded that this sequence of events made sense.
"A lie? That's an outrageous assumption. You should graciously accept the kindness of others."
"I'm not falling for that trick."
Cutting off any wavering feelings, Katsuragi chose to pass. If his opponent decided to self-destruct, then he might be able to inflict significant damage in the next round.
He tapped the tablet three times and confirmed the pass.
Katsuragi decided to play it safe by rejecting Sakayanagi's strategy.
'Sakayanagi-san has successfully identified Sawada-san as an honor student, so Katsuragi-kun will lose three lives. As this brings his lives to zero, Katsuragi-kun, please leave the room.'
A merciless announcement was heard.
"...How idiotic. You were telling the truth...? What benefit was there for you to expose such a thing!?"
"Indeed, there is such a benefit. You might think I want to win quickly, even at the cost of my own lives, but that's where you're mistaken. Do you think I would allow you to take even one more life from me? I disclosed the answer to avoid getting hit myself. If we both reach the same answer, then it can lead to a draw and we would carry over to the next match."
"How is that advantageous to you…?"
"You adopted quite a straightforward strategy. As the total number of participants decreases, you're more likely to switch to a self-destructive attack while being prepared for defeat. It wouldn't be fun if my lives were reduced by such a boring method."
Even Sakayanagi, who was confident in her ability to read her opponents, wasn't infallible.
This prolonged discussion, evident by the decreasing numbers of participants, might lead Katsuragi to launch a final, self-destructing attack..
On the other hand, if the number of honor students reached zero, resulting in a draw, a new discussion would start again from round one.
Then, information on the participants would be obtained by observing them for two or three rounds.
From start to finish, it was a strategy that saw through Katsuragi's thoughts.
Katsuragi, having exhausted all strategies, slumped weakly in his chair.
"You did well, considering your position. Despite being a middle guard, you managed to reduce one of my lives."
Katsuragi managed to defeat the vanguard and middle guard by himself, only losing a single life.
Although he succeeded in reducing one of Sakayanagi's lives, he was subsequently defeated as she continuously took his lives.
His pursuit for revenge abruptly ended.
Was it simply due to bad luck, or was it a significant gap in skills?
Katsuragi, showing his frustration, was painfully aware that it was at least the latter.
'Katsuragi-kun, please leave the room immediately.'
As the announcement echoed, Katsuragi slowly stood up.
"I wanted to reduce your lives a bit more, but it was my own mistake to be caught up in the situation."
"It's good to see you can still analyze your defeat calmly."
Biting his lip, Katsuragi started to walk towards the exit when Sakayanagi called out to him.
"Compared to when we were in the same class, you seem much more lively. Ryūen-kun and I are both aggressive types, so fundamentally, you should have bad compatibility with him."
"With how you're saying it, you make it seem like I'm compatible with Ryūen. I'd like that corrected."
"I can't help how it appears."
Having his pleas ignored, Katsuragi left the classroom as the loser to those final words.
Classes A and C were finally set for a showdown between their generals.