In mid-June, two and a half months had passed since the new students enrolled.
In the First Year Class D classroom, many students waiting for class were in low spirits.
That was because, in early June, when the changes to their Class Points were announced, they had unsurprisingly received the dismal score of zero.
Then, after the Class Meeting, Horikita Suzune told everyone even worse news.
Although everyone in Class D had done quite well on the Midterm Exam at the end of May, and no one had failed (Sudo's failing grade had disappeared), one student had been expelled.
Since Yamauchi Haruki had been expelled, it was certain that all the points Class D had earned as a Midterm Exam reward would be deducted.
And Chabashira Sae had told them back in May that there was no way to increase their Class Points in June.
As everyone in Class D anxiously suffered, Horikita delivered her verdict:
Not only would they get no points in June, but, as was obvious, Class D would get zero points in July as well.
The reward for Class D's celebration in April was three whole months of zero points—May, June, and July!
How could everyone not sink into utter despair?
Even if they borrowed some Private Points from friends in the class to get by, who could be completely selfless in a situation like this?
Kanji Ike: "Damn it, it's all that idiot Yamauchi's fault. If it weren't for him, with our Midterm Exam results being so good, how could we have no points for June and July?"
Tendo Ryotaro: "Exactly. I feel like the School Administration put a scumbag like Yamauchi in our class and ruined everything for us! Shouldn't they compensate us? It wasn't our fault."
Chabashira, impeccably dressed, walked into the Class D classroom.
"Quiet down and take your seats. I have an important announcement. It's good news for you."
Chabashira Sae entered the classroom with a faint smile.
She hadn't expected that not only would someone be expelled from Class D in its very first month (counting from May), but that this relatively peaceful First Semester would also bring a Special Favor Exam like this.
Kanji Ike said excitedly, "Saechie, good news? Hurry up and tell us!"
"As you should all know, one student was expelled from Class D last month, which caused the points you earned on the Midterm Exam to be reset to zero this month."
Everyone in Class D looked glum and dejected.
"Lift your heads!" Chabashira Sae's sharp voice rang out.
"Now, I'll announce the details of the Special Exam being added at the end of June: the rules for the 'Tian Shu Sha' tournament!"
"An additional Special Exam!?"
"What did you just say? What kind of... kill?"
"I think it was called Tian Shu Sha. Why does it sound like a game I've played online before?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's eyelids drooped slightly.
Favor? Could this be an unfair test?
Chabashira Sae took out a large poster and stuck it to the blackboard. It was covered in densely packed rules.
She also held up a rulebook. "In a little while, send two people to the office to collect copies of this detailed exam rulebook. There's one for everyone. Now, quiet down and listen as I explain the specific rules for this Special Exam."
Everyone fell silent.
After a brief pause, Chabashira Sae began, "This additional Special Favor Exam will be held on the last Friday of June. It's called 'Tian Shu Sha'..."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka listened intently, committing all the rules to memory.
Tian Shu Sha Rules—
1. Number of contestants:
Classes A, B, and C will each send four contestants, while Class D will send eight, for a total of twenty contestants;
Four games will be held simultaneously, each played independently;
Each game will consist of five players: one each from Classes A, B, and C, and two from Class D;
2. Rules of the game:
Time:
Each game will last two hours. Each player will have no more than five minutes to play a card each round.
Identities:
There will be four roles in each game: one Lord, one Loyalist, two Rebels, and one Spy;
Each class will receive one "Lord Card." The player holding the Lord Card must take the role of "Lord" in one of the games;
The School Administration will fairly assign all the other players' roles;
The Lord will occupy seat 1. The other roles will be randomly assigned to seats 2, 3, 4, and 5. Players will take turns clockwise in a circular arrangement.
Health:
Lord: 5; Loyalist: 4 (effectively 3); Rebel: 4; Spy: 4 (effectively 5).
Gameplay:
Each player may play one "Kill" per turn. A normal successful Kill will deal 1 damage to the target (under special rules, it may deal 2 damage);
A player may only use a "Kill" against a target whose distance is greater than or equal to their own, and may choose not to play a "Kill" that round;
Each player starts with one "Dodge" (the number may be increased under special rules, up to a maximum of one Dodge in hand). A Dodge can avoid all the damage from one Kill.
Distance:
Everyone starts at a distance of 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 (corresponding to seats 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5);
At the start of each turn, everyone will randomly receive a Distance Card;
There are five Distance Cards: one +2, two +1, and two -1;
Distance can be changed to a minimum of 0 and a maximum of 2;
When attacking a target across another player, subtract 1 from the distance calculation;
A player can only play a "Kill" if, after calculating distance, their distance is greater than or equal to their target's;
If any player on the field has a distance of 0, a positive-number Distance Card is guaranteed to be drawn first.
3. Victory conditions:
The Lord and Loyalist are on the same team. If their team wins (by killing the other three players), the class the Lord belongs to will receive 25 Class Points and 250,000 Private Points; the Loyalist will count as 10 weight, and the other three players will each count as 5 weight;
The two Rebels are on the same team. If their team wins (by killing the Lord), the class of the Rebel who kills the Lord will receive 20 Class Points and 200,000 Private Points; the other Rebel will count as 15 weight, and the other three players will each count as 5 weight;
The Spy is a team of one. If the Spy wins (by killing the other three players), the Spy's class will receive 30 Class Points and 300,000 Private Points; the other four players will each count as 5 weight.
4. Special rules:
After the Spy's 4 health points are depleted, the Spy will enter a fake-death state. The Spy will revive in their turn in the next round and continue playing normally (a player who dies will revive in their turn in the next round with 1 health);
After the Loyalist's 3 health points are depleted, the Loyalist will enter a resurrection state. If the Loyalist survives until the next round, they will die once that round's resurrection state ends (the fourth health point only lasts for two rounds);
After killing a Rebel, a player's next "Kill" will deal 1 additional damage, and their hidden Dodge count will increase by 1;
If the Lord kills the Loyalist (if the Loyalist dies after resurrection and the Lord dealt the damage that removed their third health point), the Lord will lose all Dodges and 1 health;
A Rebel's identity will not be revealed after death. The killer's +1 damage effect will determine the result;
If the Loyalist is killed while in the resurrection state, their identity will be revealed;
The Spy's identity will be revealed after revival.
During the game, anyone may communicate at any time. The player whose turn it is may end their turn by saying the "End Turn" command.
The moment a player's character truly dies, that player must remain silent for the rest of the game.
Anyone who violates the above rules will forfeit all rewards from that game.
After the Class D meeting ended, everyone discussed the rules of the Special Exam.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka also fell into deep thought...
8v4v4v4—there was no doubt that this exam favored Class D.
Luck would also play a big part. Players would have to adapt to the Distance Cards and the state of the game to gain the greatest advantage.
"I remember now! Isn't this the popular foreign game 'SG Kill'? I played it for a while once. This is a lot like the standard five-player game!"
Miyamoto Soshi, Class D's gaming enthusiast, suddenly shouted.
"Three Kingdoms? Is that the one I know?" Miyamoto nodded.
Ayanokoji also took out his terminal and searched for information about the game Miyamoto had mentioned, which he hadn't heard of before.
"It really is similar. Too bad we don't have smartphones, so we can only look at it, not play."
In the aftermath of the gender conflict sparked by the Yamauchi Incident, Horikita Suzune, who had gradually gained a certain standing in the class, stepped up to speak:
"Everyone, quiet down for a moment. It doesn't matter what game this exam resembles. The most important thing right now is choosing the eight contestants from our class."
"Let's wait until Hirata brings back the booklets from the office before we start discussing it."
Kushida Kikyo had been sitting quietly in her seat. In a cool tone, she picked up where Horikita had left off. "Horikita's right. If you don't want Class D to go another month without any Private Points, you'd better listen to the class leader's instructions."
Everyone waited, each with their own thoughts...
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