Chabashira: So You Called Me Here to Take the Fall!!? (Continued)
Putting aside what inappropriate content might be on her phone, the act of handing over one's own phone is something no one would easily do.
Only.
Why? Naturally, because this is the key to Nakano's success in this exam.
"Once it's 8 o'clock tomorrow, the school will send out the list of VIP. Knowing the way our class behaves, what do you think they'll do? Either they'll reveal their VIP status, or they'll be bribed by other classes to deliberately answer incorrectly and end that group's exam early."
"Nakano Yuu said."
"That would result in a major deduction, wouldn't it?"
Kushida- michi.
"Although ending the exam early this way eliminates the risk of other classes' VIP being penalized for revealing their identities, our class will lose points, and the student who answered first will be burdened with a debt of 500,000 yuan."
"As long as we don't get caught, there won't be any problem."
"Nakano Yuu said."
"We ourselves don't even feel a sense of belonging, do you think other Student Council will have a sense of class identity?"
"Besides, you didn't check the class group chat. Yamauchi thought of that. Our class only has 50 points, and then at most, it'll be reset to zero. So once one traitor appears, the second traitor can act without any scruples."
"However, this exam might not be so pleasant."
Nakano Yuu reminded him.
"Normally, our class only has 50 points, so even if we lose more than 50 points out of 150, the worst we can get is 0. But this time, the exam didn't explicitly state that 0 is the minimum."
"Therefore, if they are tricked into answering incorrectly and protect the VIP from other classes, then Class D will be heavily penalized. They might even become the first class in history to receive a negative score."
"Nakano Yuu said."
"So you're doing this for the sake of the class?"
Then Horikita suddenly spoke.
"No."
Nakano Yuu said decisively.
"It's not that these people's reckless actions gave other classes a low-risk way to pass the test."
"The best option is to go with outcome 1, but A, B, and C are unlikely to choose that, at least not until they achieve the score they want."
"Therefore, they focus more on the quiz round. However, there is a high possibility that there are students in their class who have VIP, so they will choose to find students from other classes who have VIP but have answered incorrectly, so that the group with VIP in their class can end the exam directly."
"So, this is their plan to safely glide across."
"But points will be deducted for wrong answers. Students in classes A, B, and C are unlikely to accept such punishment, so we can only approach Class D."
"Nakano Yuu said."
"Therefore, confiscating the students' cell phones protects the VIP in the class, while also ensuring that other classes cannot take advantage of Class D."
"So it's not a good idea for other classes to try and skip this exam at a low cost."
So, you know this is a hellish exam for other classes, but you're determined to cut off all their escape routes.
A devil, an absolute devil!
"So."
However, the atmosphere surrounding Horikita has begun to change.
I'd seen this kind of transformation before, before Island Exam; once they knew the exam was coming, they suddenly became dazzling.
Obviously.
Even Horikita couldn't escape the desire to achieve good results in the exams this month and welcome the holiday.
Although the money hasn't arrived yet, Nakano Yuu has agreed to give her 6 million yen. Combined with the 1 million yen she already has, she's about to complete one-third of her 20 million yen share.
So, could she catch up on some exams this time? Could she finish her first semester as a freshman even more impressively?
Thus, Horikita Suzune began to attack with the momentum of a battle.
"So."
"Nakano Yuu said."
"Kushida, you need to cooperate and call all the students in the class out."
"Then, before eight o'clock, confiscate everyone's phones."
"Nakano Yuu said."
"Without cell phones, the students in the class won't know if they are VIP, and they won't be able to answer questions quickly enough."
"Ah?"
The result is that students bring their phones out and then they are confiscated?
So, what's the difference between him and Chabashira-sensei and the others?
They were notified to bring their cell phones before the Island Exam started, and then they were confiscated.
So, at 10 p. m. that night, the students of Class 1-D were informed that Chabashira-sensei had given them additional information regarding the Special Exam. They were asked to assemble at the Holiday Cafe at 7:40 a. m. the next morning.
Then everyone was asked to bring their cell phones.
So, is there a problem with the Special Exam?
Then.
All the students arrived at the holiday café, which had been booked out in advance. Here, they could drink coffee and milk tea, and also enjoy breakfast bread.
It looks great.
However, since everything is free, and there are even more options available, the students in the class might not necessarily appreciate the breakfast and coffee offered here.
However, we are here now only because of a notification from the teacher. And Chabashira-sensei, is also here.
And now.
It was already 7:50 a. m.
All the students in Class D have gathered at the cafeteria, following the call of Kushida and Hirata.
Of course, there are exceptions.
"That guy from Koenji is really too much!"
"They have absolutely no sense of collective consciousness!"
"Everyone else came except him, and he said something like, 'The teacher wouldn't notify us,' which is infuriating!"
The students in Class D launched into a tirade against the only person who hadn't shown up for the gathering.
Nakano Yuu neither participated in nor stopped this scene.
On the contrary, I think it's quite good.
Because a common enemy is the best way to unite Class D.
It's actually a good thing that Koenji didn't come.
"Everyone, please be quiet."
Hirata's mother immediately stepped forward and appealed, "Koenji is also our classmate. Perhaps he just prefers to be alone, not that he disregards the interests of the class."
Although some people still feel that Koenji is antisocial, since Hirata said so, there are not so many criticisms anymore.
"..."
Chabashira.
Chabashira-sensei is also here, but she's just sitting there without saying a word.
"I've decided on you."
Nakano-kun gave the girl with long, straight black hair beside him a push, encouraging her, "Go for it, Horikita."
"..."
Horikita.
"It's always like this."
However, she was already used to it, or rather, this was the only thing she could do.
"Everyone."
Horikita stepped forward and said loudly, "Everyone should have seen the rules, right? There's one thing that wasn't made public this time: there's no safety net. Just because we lose 50 points and our score becomes 0 doesn't mean we won't lose any more points."
"So the worst-case scenario is that we might become the class with -550 points since the school's founding."
"That's what Horikita Suzune said."
"Whoosh!"
As soon as Horikita began speaking, Class D erupted in an uproar.
But in fact, she wasn't exaggerating; it's a possibility.
However, this possibility is contingent upon the following conditions:
Class D participated in the pre-selection quiz for the twelve VIP, and failed every time.
If we calculate based on 50 points per instance, after deducting 50 points, the total score would be -550 points.
But the thought of that possible outcome is... terrifying.
And so.
All eyes turned to the homeroom teacher, who was somewhat similar to Horikita —or rather, more mature.
"..."
Chabashira.
Chabashira had not received any instructions to speak after arriving here.
However, now that all the students are looking at her, it's no use for her to say anything, and she has most likely guessed why she was invited here.
So she said, "It's something you all need to think for yourselves. Schools usually focus on the exam rules and what you need to pay attention to."
"But once there is no specific standard, then we cannot use our existing ways of thinking to make inferences."
"So, as you're concerned about now, the worst-case scenario is indeed a negative score."
It should be said that Chabashira-sensei was relatively gentle today, revealing information that wouldn't have been answered without being asked.
"While it was already shocking enough that you finished the last exam on the Island Exam with a score of 0, it's not impossible for you to get a negative score this time."
"As a homeroom teacher, I have lost all emotion."
Yes.
There are no emotions left.
However, a student who manages to deduct 0 points out of 1000 in the first month is obviously much more shameless.
Therefore, although everyone felt ashamed of the homeroom teacher's emotions, they could accept it.
So, Chabashira-sensei sat down again.
"So, I hope everyone will listen carefully to what I have to say."
Horikita took a deep breath, looked at the students of Class D who were holding their breath, and slowly spoke.
"First, according to the rules, each class is divided into 12 groups for this exam, meaning there are 12 VIP. Based on an average distribution, we estimate that each class will have three VIP preferential treatment. The identities of these VIP will be announced ten minutes later."
Upon hearing this, everyone's faces showed a look of understanding.
But now it seems that everyone was notified to come here, aside from knowing the terrible consequences of betrayal, simply for the sake of taking an exam.
Even so, no one complained, because it was for their own good.
"In the following days, each group would meet in a designated room at a fixed time each day. This time was clearly provided by the school to each group so that they could deduce the identities of the VIP from other classes and thus prepare their answers."
The rewards for answering correctly are also quite generous.
However, I hope everyone will refrain from answering!
Horikita reiterated, "Because others will definitely deliberately lure us with fake VIP, I hope everyone will not make any decisions on their own, otherwise it may jeopardize the collective interests of our Class D."