I Have Plenty of Ways (Continued)

"I admit that this exam was a little..." He paused slightly, as if he felt that "a little" wasn't enough to fully describe it, and then Sakayanagi Narimori readily admitted to his daughter:

"No, there are many loopholes."

"But exploiting loopholes is part of the exam; it's essentially just a reasonable use of the rules."

"Therefore, the school will not adopt the approach of starting over," he said.

"Eh... really?" Sakayanagi Arisu dismissively.

The school's principles are not truly principles. Just as one can file a report in the early hours of the morning by paying points, the school's choices regarding which actions to take and which to not take also have their own degree of flexibility.

Ultimately, it's just that the price paid wasn't high enough.

But to really say that Sakayanagi Arisu to pay out Private Points to start over or something like that.

Of course she wouldn't do such a thing.

It's not a question of whether it's worth it or not, but rather whether she has enough points to use.

That's right, it's mainly about the points 'she' has.

Because it was exam time, and students from other classes were taking their exams on Uninhabited Island, she had no way to access their Private Points. She also couldn't estimate how much she would have to pay to revert to Private Points and whether it was worth it.

Considering that the exam was only a day ago, there are too many variables to guarantee the final result. Even if the score is reverted, the only thing that can be saved is the initial 300 bonus points.

The loss of the exchanged goods must also be deducted.

... I should have known better than to buy things from Class D and give them a zero score beforehand.

No, that's not right either. If she had known earlier, she should have started by competing for control of the bases and doing a speed race, and then during the break, she should have raided Class A's base and made them all break the rules.

In any case, she was just casually testing the school's attitude.

"However, I will do it if it's Dad's request."

Speaking into the microphone on the terminal, Sakayanagi Arisu said this.

"..."

A long silence followed on the other end of the phone.

With a soft sigh, Sakayanagi Narimori said gently, "Arisu, don't be like this."

"This call isn't about asking you to make any concessions; it's simply that I'm using the call as an excuse to hear your voice."

Let's just consider it a small selfish act by a father.

He would not violate regulations to seek any rights for his daughter, nor would he use his power to do anything unnecessary for her, and he would not openly and improperly contact his daughter, who was a student, in his capacity as chairman of the board.

But in this situation, it would be better to make a quick phone call to hear your daughter's voice.

That's possible.

"The school will accurately judge each violation according to the examination rules and deduct the corresponding points accordingly."

"If nothing unexpected happens, this violation won't be judged according to the strictest standards, since that wasn't the school's intention."

"The exam will proceed as scheduled. As for the 'violation' of using 'reporting' to disrupt other classes' exams, the punishment will be determined through negotiation between the parties involved after the exam."

"Both point deductions for violations and the implementation of disciplinary measures will be carried out at the 'end of the exam,' and this will also be communicated to Class C."

"Also, regarding the 'whistleblowing' issue... well, the school allows students to report any violations if they have 'evidence'." He paused, then predictably introduced the twist, "But whistleblowing based on 'Private Points' will no longer be accepted so easily."

"That was the sole purpose of the call."

At this point, Sakayanagi Narimori paused for a moment, and after confirming that Sakayanagi Arisu did not continue, he added:

Goodbye, Arisu.

"Okay, goodbye, Dad."

The call ended at that moment, the busy tone echoing in my ears.

I heard my father's voice after three months.

This is probably the first time I've been away from home for so long.

Although for me, the Advanced Nurturing is probably no different from home, since home is close to the school, only a fifteen-minute drive away.

But, oh, I see.

The implication of "not using the strictest standards" is, of course, the most lenient judgment criteria.

In other words, no matter how many people 'violate' the rules by using other classes' bases, it only counts as one violation?

The original sentence when announcing the rules was as follows.

'Using a stronghold occupied by another class without permission will incur a penalty of fifty points.'

Since there is no clear definition of frequency or scope, this class-wide violation can be treated equally as a 'one' violation at this time.

In this way, the deduction will only be '50'.

The penalty is 50 points, plus points for leaving the game, points for changing the leader, and points for basic resource exchange.

A total of 150 points.

150 points remaining.

Class C will likely be penalized with 50 points, just like everyone else. If they're lucky enough to not be able to find a base and complete the morning roll call, then they'll be out of the game.

Unfortunately, it seems he has other bases...

"... stronghold?"

At this point in her thoughts, Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly paused.

She realized she had made a foolish mistake.

What is the core of the Uninhabited Island Exam?

If, before the exam, she had only read a diary that had revealed the rules in advance, she would have described it as a power struggle between leaders, a game of scheming and mutual distrust.

After realizing that the rules of the game could be locked by switching players, her thinking would shift to a survival game, where preserving points and attacking others should be the core of the exam.

But now, all those previous thoughts are overturned; the Diary clearly points out the essence of the exam.

'Stronghold'.

Capturing strongholds is the most crucial aspect of the exam.

Instead of fighting Ryuen Kakeru to the death and losing points by forcibly taking their base, why didn't I think of seizing the opportunity to take Asakusa Toru's base?

What's the point of fighting to the death with Class C?

"..."

I was still being emotional.

Sakayanagi Arisu some slight remorse.

The reason she didn't expect it was simple: Ryuen Kakeru's provocation was too infuriating. At that moment, she was clearly thinking, "If I'm not having a good time, then you shouldn't either." Even if it happened again, she probably wouldn't be able to quickly detach herself from her emotions.

However, now that we have a clear understanding, we should change our strategy.

It's impossible for her and Class C to both lose points, while Asakusa Toru from Class A is still able to so easily capture the vast majority of the strongholds, right?

The exam will continue as scheduled.

To Sakayanagi Arisu's slight regret, she failed to make occupying other classes' strongholds a forbidden move; instead, she made raising her hand a forbidden move herself.

... It's not entirely a restriction on movement.

After all, the original statement was "we will no longer accept cases too easily," which means that the school does not think there is anything wrong with the reporting method. The problem is that the cost of reporting is too cheap.

Therefore, if you want to continue reporting, you just need to spend more Private Points.

Unfortunately, as the leader of Class B, she obviously had far more points than the average person.

Sakayanagi Arisu was still pondering her grand plan, while Ryuen Kakeru was also shifting his focus back to the tedious but necessary tasks of roll call and brunch.

I received a notification from the school, relayed by Sakagami Kazuma.

"Heh." After quietly listening to the announcement, which was delivered in a much more formal and official tone compared to the one given to Sakayanagi Arisu, Ryuen Kakeru simply chuckled coldly, "It means 'the exam continues,' right?"

"Yes, literally, the exam will proceed as scheduled." Sakagami Kazuma adjusted his glasses slightly and nodded gently. "That result won't change."

"But don't worry too much, there were many witnesses present. Class B really went too far this time."

"When the exams are over, the school will meet with you to discuss a suitable solution."

Sakagami Kazuma paused, then added, "Whether it's punishment for them or compensation for you."

"Of course, the penalty for bringing personal belongings into the exam will also be determined at the same time; the two will not cancel each other out."

One thing at a time. Admittedly, Class C was indeed the victim in this matter, but they also committed violations that need to be punished. We can't simply offset the two incidents together and then treat them as if they never happened.

"Ha, negotiation." Ryuen Kakeru's laugh became even more sarcastic.

Is there any need for negotiation? Why seek Sakayanagi Arisu's opinion?

Why don't we just punish her outright?

Although it may seem like he's talking about fairness, Ryuen Kakeru knows very well that when someone talks about fairness, it means they themselves are being unfair.

The bias is obvious.

"Ryuen." Calmly, Sakagami Kazuma called his name: "Don't let your emotions get in the way; emotions will make you give up your greatest advantage."

That is, the identity of the victim.

"...I know." Biting his lower lip, Ryuen Kakeru took a deep breath.

The school's attitude is clear: the exams will proceed as scheduled, and all violations and issues will be addressed one by one on the day the exams end.

This includes Sakayanagi Arisu's case, including their violations.

Reporting will be prohibited, Sakayanagi Arisu will no longer be able to raise her hand to tattle during exams.

As for the points deducted for capturing outposts...

From the school's statement, it's clear they want to maintain a stable exam environment, meaning they won't simply eliminate them with the maximum penalty.

If that were the case, today's exam could be declared over early.

So, does that mean a deduction of 50 points?

The initial score is 300, 50 points are deducted, and another 30 points are deducted when the leader changes. Adding the points deducted for resources, the total is 120, leaving 180 points.

The premise is that the penalty for taking personal belongings off the ship will not affect this score.

The school's attitude is clear; there's no need for further testing of the rules, and no need to waste energy trying to guess the school's intentions.

... He already knew the answer.

Sakagami Kazuma is right. If you don't get emotional, just assume the role of the victim, and you'll get the compensation you want.

--But to hell with the victims!

Ryuen Kakeru clenched his fists tightly.

She huddled up, covered her head, and pitifully wiped away her tears, pleading with the adults called "school officials" to give her a fair trial.

Are you kidding me!

I feel like throwing up.

Who wants to do that kind of thing? Who would do that kind of thing? Who needs to do that kind of thing?

I am Laozi, the master of Ryuen Kakeru! I am the controller of violence and the conqueror of fear!

I am the one with the strength!

Instead of passively waiting for the exam to end, it's better to take the initiative.

As for how to do it...

Oh.

He has plenty of ways.

"..."

An inscrutable light flickered in Ryuen Kakeru's gloomy eyes.

The first thing to do is to go anywhere and wait for that guy to come around.