After solving both questions.
Kazehara Tetsu raised his head and glanced at the countdown at the top of the screen.
03:07.
A little over three minutes remained.
According to the rules, he had to answer at least two questions and could answer no more than five. He had already met the minimum.
With the time he had left, he could easily have picked another difficult question to try, but he did not.
There was no need.
Answering another question would earn him only one more point, while taking a question away from those who came after him and eating into the time allotted for the entire exam.
His real task-marking the difficulty of all one hundred questions-was already complete.
Going after that extra point would cost more than it was worth.
"I'm done answering."
"You may leave. Remember, you must not disclose the contents of the questions."
Kazehara Tetsu stood up and walked out of the exam room under Sakamoto Suguru's gaze.
Less than seven minutes had passed from start to finish.
He pushed open the waiting room door. Several students whose turns had not yet come were already seated inside.
Seeing him return so quickly, quite a few looked surprised, but no one spoke. The rules were perfectly clear: talking was forbidden in the waiting room.
Kazehara Tetsu said nothing either. He simply found an empty seat and sat down, his expression calm.
Katsuragi Kouhei stood waiting by the entrance. He was second.
Katsuragi Kouhei took a deep breath and straightened his back.
The exam room door opened again. Sakamoto Suguru poked his head out and called the second name.
"Katsuragi Kouhei."
Katsuragi Kouhei stepped into the exam room, and the door closed behind him.
Sitting in the waiting room, Kazehara Tetsu watched the closed door and leaned back