The final day of Forest School began at six in the morning, with the shrill sound of the loudspeaker.
The atmosphere at the washbasins was completely different from the previous few days. Whispers mingled with the sound of running water.
"Just do your best, everyone. Show what you've learned over the past few days."
"As long as we stick together, we'll definitely clear the Passing Score."
To Tetsu, this kind of empty pep talk was nothing more than the instinctive reaction of the weak, trying to huddle together for warmth when faced with immense pressure.
He didn't join the conversation, only quietly watching the daylight gradually brighten outside the window.
Before long, the members of every Large Group were ushered into a spacious Lecture Hall.
The second- and Third-year Seniors were already seated in their designated areas.
The exam topics were exactly as the information they had gathered beforehand had indicated.
Zazen, speeches, relay races, and written tests.
But the order of the challenges differed completely from one year group to another.
For the first-years, the first event was Zazen, followed by a written test in the second examination room. Then came the relay, with speeches to wrap things up.
Once they were dismissed, everyone lined up and headed to the Cafeteria.
Breakfast that morning was unusually quiet.
No one complained about the watery Miso Soup.
With the morning cleaning duty canceled, the time they had to prepare after breakfast felt especially short.
All the first-year boys were taken to a separate Dojo.
"Next, the Zazen exam will begin."
"The scoring criteria are divided into two parts. First, your conduct when entering the Dojo, including the angle of your bow, will be evaluated. Second, during Zazen, you'll lose points for a sloppy sitting posture or a shifted center of gravity."