Chapter 130
Could it be that this exam is really just a competition within each group?
Is the school trying to limit his influence to one large group, thus giving the lower-ranked classes in the other eleven large groups a chance to win?
It can't be that simple.
"I want to know if there's a pattern to the selection of personnel within each major group, and since the twelve major groups are named using the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, are there any other connections between them?"
Aragaki Shun asked a question that most likely wouldn't be answered.
But that's okay; sometimes not answering is also an answer.
As expected, Mashima Tomoya remained silent for a moment before changing the subject.
"As required by this exam, you will need to use your own thinking skills to obtain more specific information."
"The group you were assigned to is []. Here is the list of members of the big group. You will be asked to return this piece of paper when you leave the room, so if you feel it is necessary, write it down here first."
The homeroom teacher of Class B handed over a piece of paper the size of a postcard, on which was written the group name and the names of a total of fourteen people.
In addition, although the group name is [], [Rabbit], which has the same meaning, is also written in brackets on the paper.
In other words, it is indeed grouped according to the twelve zodiac animals.
The Rabbit Group members shown above include --
[Class A: Aragaki Shun, Hamaguchi Tetsuya, Beppu Ryota.
Class B: Takemoto Shigeru, Machida Koji, Morishige Takuro.
Class C: Ibuki Mio, Manabe Shiho, Yabu Nanami, Yamashita Saki.
Class D: Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Karuizawa Kei, Sotomura Hideo, Yukimura Teruhiko.]
Class B consists entirely of ordinary students he doesn't know well, Class C has four students who can all be considered his allies, Class D Karuizawa Kei who need no introduction, and the most crucial one should be Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
As expected, I ended up in this group, probably because of the other person.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be right for Kanzaki Ryuji and Ichinose Honami to be in the same group, yet he, the class leader, is sent to the frontier, wouldn't he?
Furthermore, Mashima Tomoya's hint was quite interesting: he said to return the paper when leaving the room, so I could only write it down here first.
In other words, this list is actually quite important?
"As a general rule, for this Special Exam, you can disregard the relationships between Class A and Class D for now. I'm telling you upfront, doing this will be a shortcut to passing the exam."
"From now on, you will no longer operate as Class A, but as Rabbit Group. The results of the exams will be determined individually for each group."
Mashima Tomoya finished speaking, he gestured for Aragaki Shun and the others to look at the documents that had been placed on the table.
"Each group in the Special Exam has only four possible outcomes. The exam is designed so that it will definitely result in one of these four outcomes; there will be no exceptions. To make it easier for you to understand, the school has also prepared materials listing the outcomes."
"However, this document is also prohibited from being taken out of the country or photographed. Please confirm this beforehand."
Aragaki Shun took the data, only to find it filled with densely packed rules, making it look particularly complex.
[Summer Cruise Special Exam]
This exam uses the "VIP" assigned to each group as a benchmark. By answering the questions to the school using the prescribed method, one of four results will be guaranteed.
--[The school will send out emails to all students at 8:00 AM on the day the exam begins, and will also inform those selected as "VIP" of their selection.]
--[The exam schedule is from tomorrow until 9 PM four days from now (including one completely free day).]
--[Group members are required to meet twice a day in a designated room at a specified time for a one-hour discussion.]
--[The content of the discussion is entirely left to the group's autonomy.]
--[Regarding the answer section, after the exam, the school will only accept answers to "Who is the VIP?" between 9:30 PM and 10:00 PM on the same day. Also, each person can only answer the question once.]
--[The school only accepts answers submitted by students using their own mobile phones to send emails to the designated mailbox.]
--[Those VIP are not entitled to send answers via email.]
--[Answers outside of your own Ganzhi group will be considered invalid.]
--[The school will send detailed exam results to all students via email at 11 PM on the last day.]
These things were written out clearly on paper as basic rules.
The paper also contained more detailed information, such as rules and prohibitions.
Compared to the Uninhabited Island Exam, this test has more regulations and detailed precautions.
However, what's even more important is what follows: the four predetermined outcomes that Mashima Tomoya mentioned.
--[Result 1: If everyone answers correctly, except for the group of VIP and students belonging to VIP classes, the school will pay Private Points. (Students belonging to VIP classes will each receive the same number of points.)]
--[Result 2: Excluding the VIP and their VIP, if any group member fails to answer or answers incorrectly, the school will pay the VIP 500,000 Private Points.]
If we only consider these two aspects, this exam, as the name suggests, is simply a preferential treatment given by the school.
Simply being selected as VIP you'll gain a large number of Private Points, regardless of the outcome.
It's obvious that the school wouldn't arrange a Special Exam just to give money away.
"There's one key point in this exam; once you understand it, there's nothing to worry about."
Seeing this, Ms. Mashima began to provide further explanation in the same tone:
"The key point is the existence of the 'VIP.' The name of this VIP is the answer to the exam."
"It's simple. For example, Aragaki, suppose you were chosen as VIP, then the Rabbit Group's answer would be [Aragaki Shun]."
"After that, all you need to do is share the answers with all the group members. Then, after the exam ends at 9 PM on the third day, the school will only accept answers between 9:30 PM and 10 PM, so all the group members just need to write '[Aragaki Shun]' and send the letter to the school."
"This way, the Rabbit Group will pass and be guaranteed to be number one in the final ranking. All group members will receive a reward of 500,000 points—that's how the exam is structured. As a reward for leading the group to number one, the school will even double the VIP to one million points."
Upon hearing this, Aragaki Shun's eyes narrowed.
So that's how it is; the school really did come here specifically to give away money.
There are a total of 160 students in the first year. Even Sakayanagi Arisu was suspended, there are still 159 students. If each student receives 500,000 yen, plus the 12 VIP, there will be an extra 500,000 yen...
"Class monitor?" Hamaguchi Tetsuya and Beppu Ryota looked at Aragaki Shun, their expressions somewhat excited.
He nodded and waved for the two to wait a moment, Mashima Tomoya's explanation was clearly not over yet.
"Next is the second outcome, which is when a student who was notified by the school to be VIP doesn't tell anyone about it, or induces others to choose a fake VIP, and their true identity remains undiscovered until the end of the exam."
"As it is literally written, only those in VIP will be awarded points, and the amount is 500,000 points."
Compared to result one, this option seems rather stingy; at least Aragaki Shun would definitely not consider it.
It's no wonder that this second Special Exam was named the "VIP Exam."
These two results alone demonstrate the extent of the advantages given to those VIP during this examination.
According to Mashima Tomoya, there are four possible outcomes, and theoretically, there are still two outcomes that have not yet been determined.
If nothing unexpected happens, the remaining two outcomes should be related to punishment.
Otherwise, this exam would simply be a benefit for the VIP, allowing them to manipulate the outcome, whether it's result one or result two, at their discretion.
"Do you understand the two results I just explained? Because if you don't understand these, you can't proceed."
After seeing all three students in Class A nod, Mashima Tomoya continued:
"As I just explained, there will only be one VIP in the large group. However, if the VIP's identity is revealed immediately, new third and fourth outcomes will occur."
"Both results are written on the back of the document; you can turn it over now."
Aragaki Shun knew the important part was coming, so he flipped the paper over and saw the new content on it—
[Only the following two results are open for submission 24 hours a day during the exam. Additionally, submissions are also accepted for the 30 minutes following the end of the exam. However, regardless of the time period, incorrect answers will be penalized.]
--[Result 3: If someone other than the VIP tells the school the answer before the exam ends and answers correctly, the class to which the student belongs will receive 50 Class Evaluation Points, and the school will pay the person who answered correctly 500,000 Private Points.]
Conversely, classes VIP treatment is discovered will be penalized by deducting fifty points from their Class Evaluation Points. The group exam will end at this point.
Furthermore, if a student in the same class as VIP answers correctly, the school will consider the answer invalid and continue the exam.
Aragaki Shun understood this.
It seems that a backstab mechanism has been added. If the backstab is successful, the Private Points that should belong to the VIP will be transferred to the respondent.
On the other hand, because the respondent recognizes the VIP's identity, their class can also steal fifty points of Class Evaluation Points from the VIP's class.
In this situation, under normal circumstances, the VIP would definitely try their best to hide their identity, making it difficult to achieve outcome one.
--[Result 4: If someone other than the VIP reveals their answer to the school before the exam ends and answers incorrectly, the class to which the student belongs will be penalized by losing fifty Class Evaluation Points.]
In addition to receiving 500,000 Private Points, the class to which the VIP will also receive 50 Class Evaluation Points. The exam will end when an incorrect answer is made.
Furthermore, if a classmate of VIP answers incorrectly, their answer will be considered invalid and will not be processed.
This outcome was clearly designed to prevent group members from trying their luck; without penalties, non- VIP members could simply give any name.
However, if you answer incorrectly now, the class of the VIP will take away fifty evaluation points.
Are there any other rules?
Having understood these two results, Aragaki Shun calmly looked at Mashima Tomoya.
If this is the whole picture of this Special Exam, then it's far too easy for him.
The homeroom teacher of Class B was slightly moved, but still spoke calmly:
"The school also considered the issue of anonymity this time. At the end of the exam, the school will only announce the results for each group, as well as the increase or decrease in points for each class. In other words, we will not disclose the names of those VIP or the respondents."
"Also, if you wish, we can temporarily issue you a temporary ID for remittances, or allow you to withdraw funds in installments. As long as you remain silent, there will be no suspicion of being discovered after the exam. Of course, if you have no need to hide anything, you can also openly collect your points."
Oh, it's about anonymity and temporary IDs.
Simply put, it's a tool that encourages VIP to hoard their Private Points or helps those who are answering questions to finish off the task.
After all, if an ordinary student suddenly gets 500,000 Private Points, it's easy for them to be talked about by classmates and even students from other classes.
If the VIP treatment is successfully betrayed by the respondent, the money that should have been theirs is stolen, and it's quite normal for the two to develop a hostile relationship.
So the school thoughtfully provided anonymity.
To some extent, it's a direct encouragement for everyone to let loose and do their own thing.
"The third and fourth results are different from the other two, which is why they are recorded on the back. These are all the rules for this exam. There are also some prohibited items in the materials, which you can review at your own discretion."
Results one and two involve tens of millions of Private Points, while results three and four could potentially cause changes in the Class Evaluation Points.
Regardless of which direction a student chooses to take, the final outcome could potentially alter the entire landscape of the first grade.
For this reason, the rules set by the school are much stricter than those for the Uninhabited Island Exam.
The list of prohibited items is quite extensive: things like stealing someone else's phone, using threats or intimidation to confirm information about VIP, and even using someone else's phone to send out answers without authorization are all forbidden.
In cases of serious offenses, the school has clearly stated that expulsion will be the direct penalty.
Furthermore, the school explicitly stated that any suspicious activity would be thoroughly investigated.
On the other hand, lying about being threatened could also lead to expulsion from school.
The remaining rules are: students must be dismissed immediately after the final exam, and are prohibited from talking to students from other classes for a certain period of time.
Violating this rule could result in expulsion.
In short, the school seems to only allow them to play Werewolf to find VIP; any other gray-area methods will be severely punished if discovered.
"Starting tomorrow, you all need to go to the rooms designated by the school at 1 PM and 8 PM. Each room will have a sign with your group's name on it."
"When you first meet, please be sure to introduce yourselves in the room. Once inside, you will generally not be allowed to leave the room during the exam period."
"We suggest you use the restroom first before going there. If you are unable to hold it in or feel unwell, please contact your class advisor immediately and make an application."
This is also mentioned in the instructions. In short, at 1 PM and 8 PM, all group members must go to the designated room and stay for one hour.
As for what they need to do during that hour... the school doesn't make any requirements in that regard.
Whether it's playing games, spying, or remaining silent, it's all the students' own freedom.
"Furthermore, regarding the fairness of the school's selection process, the VIP within the large group will be subject to strict adjustments. Regardless of whether one is selected as VIP or not, we will not accept any requests for changes."
"Furthermore, copying, forwarding, or altering emails sent from the school is strictly prohibited. Please understand this."
After saying this, Mashima Tomoya breathed a sigh of relief and then signaled for them to disperse.
It seems the rules will need to be explained to other groups later, and the class advisor also asked them to leave the room as soon as possible.
Aragaki Shun responded that it was unnecessary, as the Special Exam could already be considered over.
Play Werewolf?