Classroom of the Elite, A Hypocritical Gray Life

What is the true objective? This does nothing to improve class unity, nor is there any conflict of interest. Several questions popped into my mind in an instant, yet they didn't last long before being extinguished by Mashima's next sentence.

"Finally, after this special exam concludes, the remaining points of each class will be added to their class points, and the results will be reflected at the end of the summer vacation."

"What?!"

The students, who had just calmed down, had their nerves triggered once again by this statement.

Three hundred class points—if we don't spend a single one, we will approach Class A at an absolute pace. This indirectly reflects that during this exam, there will inevitably be a conflict between students who want to save points to rise to Class A and those who spend them for necessary physiological needs.

Handling these conflicts well is the key to succeeding in this exam.

"My explanation ends here. Additionally, the supplementary rules regarding this exam will be explained to you specifically by your respective homeroom teachers. A prior warning: in the special exam rules, for those who withdraw due to reasons such as physical discomfort, their class will be penalized with a deduction of thirty points. This time, the person absent from the trip is a student from Class A. Therefore, Class A's exam will start from two hundred and seventy points."

Before we could even catch our breath, Mashima ended his speech on his own. There is no doubt that Mashima's final statement dealt us a shock, to the point that we didn't regain our senses until a teacher used a megaphone to remind us to go to our homeroom teachers to learn about the supplementary rules.

"Three hundred class points, if we endure a little..."

"We would approach Class A at an absolute speed."

"But..."

"Alright, alright, everyone, quiet down. Mashima only told you the basic rules; what I have here is even more important." Teacher Hoshinomiya clapped her hands to signal us to quiet down.

"What is this? I already have a headache from what Mashima said. Is this what the teacher meant by 'the overall experience is still great'? She's clearly lying to us."

"Haha, as long as you make good use of those three hundred points, there will definitely be no problem. Come on, don't dwell on this issue, listen to me properly now."

After speaking, Teacher Hoshinomiya gave us the supplies Mashima had just mentioned, and then handed a watch to each of us. It displayed various types of data: body temperature, pulse and heart rate, satellite positioning, emergency situation confirmation...

"Wait, Teacher Hoshinomiya, what does this emergency situation mean?" After understanding the watch's functions, Hosaka showed signs of unease.

"It means if you are suddenly bitten by a snake, or your leg is broken and you can't walk, you can press the emergency button at that time."

"Th-there are snakes too!"

"Who knows? I'm not really sure either." Teacher Hoshinomiya rolled her eyes playfully and answered uncertainly.

"Wow, Teacher, you could at least be more specific."

"Don't worry, the school will ensure your safety. Besides, I can't influence the exam anyway. Also, damage and replacement of the watches will require points, so everyone remember to be careful."

"Ugh, Teacher Hoshinomiya!"

"I can't hear you, I can't hear you. Alright, next is the guidebook."

"How could you do this!"

Teacher Hoshinomiya ignored the girls' unreasonable fussing and handed the guidebook directly to the class representative, Ichinose.

"Now, please turn to the last page of the guidebook. This page is very important; it records the deduction review items. That will be extremely important information symbolizing this special exam. You must understand it well, and if there's anything you don't understand, remember to ask immediately."

We followed Teacher Hoshinomiya's instructions and turned to the last page. Because there was only one copy, we chose to gather around and pass it among ourselves.

By the time my group received it, it had already been passed around three times. I flipped through the pages with expectant eyes.

It read: Those who meet the following conditions will be subject to the prescribed penalties.

[Those who are judged by the school to be unable to continue the exam due to obvious physical discomfort or serious injury will be deducted thirty points. At the same time, the student will withdraw from the exam]

[When an act of polluting the environment is discovered, twenty points will be deducted]

[In the case of missing the roll call held at 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM every day, five points will be deducted per person]

[When acts such as violence, looting, or destruction of equipment are committed against other classes, the class to which the student belongs will immediately lose its qualifications, and all personal points of the parties involved will be confiscated]

Chapter 51: The Actions of a Traitor Are Always Unimaginable

To stop at nothing for the sake of a goal.

Some say this is the essence of humanity, analyzed from the desperate, scorched-earth behavior of mankind.

In fact, whether this can occupy a position as one of the essences of humanity is no longer important. When a person can disregard everything for a goal, when a person has reached this point for a goal, her mind no longer belongs to humanity.

It belongs to herself.

1

After everyone fully understood the special rules, Teacher Hoshinomiya couldn't wait to continue explaining the content of the additional rules to us.

"There are actually additional rules?"

"There's no other way, the school has also considered a lot for the exam. If it were only at the current level, the gap in ability between the classes wouldn't be reflected."

"In other words, the following rules will be very important?"

"Of course, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they are the winning moves in a game of Go, so everyone must listen carefully." Speaking of this, Teacher Hoshinomiya seemed to be anxiously considering the occurrence of something, and her tone became increasingly rapid.

"The school has placed many strongholds with [occupation mechanisms] on this island. After occupying them, the corresponding class will be granted exclusive usage rights. Each class needs to elect a 'leader' from among its students, and the school will grant them a special unlock card to occupy the strongholds. Furthermore, the special unlock card can only be used by the leader."

"One occupation can only be maintained for eight hours, and one extra point can be obtained after each occupation. This extra point cannot be used during the exam; it will be counted into the results after the exam ends."

Are these the functions of the instruments I saw on the cruise ship? But wouldn't the quantity be too enormous? Hundreds of instruments, and their locations are also quite scattered... As for the strongholds, if one only considers consolidation and rule, that might be a good choice.

Teacher Hoshinomiya briefly summarized the rules, and then let us browse the condensed content in the guidebook.

[A special key card is required to occupy a stronghold]

[One point will be obtained for each occupation. You can freely use the occupied stronghold.]

[Using a base occupied by another class without permission will result in a penalty of fifty points.]

[Only the person who becomes the leader can use the key card.]

[The leader cannot be changed without a valid reason.]

Additionally, ·[After the exam concludes, each class will be granted the right to guess the leaders of other classes. If a class is guessed correctly, they will be deducted fifty class points, while the class that guessed correctly will be awarded fifty class points.]

Deducing the leader... this final point is undoubtedly a potential game-changer. A massive swing of fifty points could potentially erode the points we earned from occupying a base over these seven days, or even exceed it.

Given this, the leader's actions must be cautious and prudent; one wrong move could even lead us into a crisis of zero points.

"The choice of leader is up to you to decide. The deadline is tonight's roll call. If you haven't decided by then, the teacher will select one at random."

"I trust everyone understands this explanation, right?"

"Yes."

"Good, now let's move on to the final issue: camp construction."

Teacher Hoshinomiya picked up her pace again, forcing all of us students to sharpen our focus immediately.

"You will be granted the freedom to move around the island shortly, so you must consider the construction of your camp yourselves. One thing to note is that once you have determined your location, you cannot change the camp's site without a valid reason. Also, I will remain by your side until this exam concludes."

"That covers the basic information you need to know. If you have any other questions, just ask the teacher, and I will answer within the permitted scope. Also, make sure you read everything in the guidebook first. If the teacher has any doubts about a certain point in the exam, I need to go ask the mentors of other classes. Remember to stay where you are and don't move until the teacher returns, otherwise, it will be very troublesome for the teacher."

After dropping this highly irresponsible remark, Teacher Hoshinomiya hurried away. I followed her with my gaze for a moment, and only after confirming that Teacher Hoshinomiya had reached the area for Class D did I retract my line of sight.

After interpreting all the special rules, we gathered together to plot the possibility of not using any points. However, as we flipped through the guidebook, we ruthlessly shattered such idealistic fantasies.

"Tents, cooking utensils, shower facilities, and if we're unlucky, we might even have to pay for our food... Just looking at these points alone, spending points is completely unavoidable."

"It seems that no matter which way you look at it, it's impossible for us not to use points..."

While Ichinose and the others were discussing, I checked the supplies the school had issued to us.

The quantity was correct.

The tent was a large one that could accommodate eight people at once, but even so, two tents could only provide shelter for sixteen people, which was at most enough to house all the girls in the class.

The theme of this exam is less about [freedom] and more appropriately described as [survival]. How to reasonably allocate points is another crucial aspect of the test.

"But then again, the things in the guidebook are really comprehensive. Almost everything we could want is on there, including entertainment facilities and the like."

"Anyone with a brain wouldn't waste points on that kind of thing; there's absolutely no need for them to appear."

"Not necessarily. Since this exam won't have a negative impact on the next semester, surely some students from previous years would have enjoyed them."

"...I'm not so sure about that."

Listening to the banter of a small group, my gaze fell on the guidebook being flipped through pointlessly. The school set the exam so that everything listed in the guidebook could be purchased using exam-specific points. After confirming the required items, we submit them to the homeroom teacher, and then the school delivers the items to us.

Furthermore, submitting requests for items does not seem to be limited to specific individuals.

In other words, if someone were to secretly use points to buy things behind the whole class's back, as long as the items weren't exposed, we would have no way of knowing who the culprit was.

Is it necessary to guard against the existence of a traitor?

Located in the center of the Class B group, I sized up the diverse yet unified crowd.

Yes, it is necessary.

As long as we are engaging in teamwork, no matter how well I know the members' backgrounds, and no matter how much of a sense of security they provide, I need to guard against the possibility of a traitor.

Because there is nothing that betrayal cannot achieve.

Chapter 52: I am very concerned about the rumors I know nothing about spreading among the students

A moment after Teacher Hoshinomiya left, we first confirmed the necessity of spending points, and then we held an election discussion. Because of the order Teacher Hoshinomiya gave before leaving, we could not move the discussion location at will and could only cautiously gather together to discuss the crucial existence in this game: the leader.

"Does anyone have a candidate in mind for the leader? It's fine if you nominate yourself; don't put too much psychological pressure on yourself." After confirming there were no eavesdroppers nearby, Ichinose spoke first.

"Since it's the leader, surely Ichinose would be the most suitable choice, right?"

"No, that won't work." As soon as this suggestion was made, Shibata immediately refuted it, yet such a blunt action was met with confusion from the others.

This is why scholars say that people can only think normally when they are in their own comfort zones.

"If it were me, that might indeed not be very appropriate." Ichinose did not feel angry at Shibata's denial and instead expressed understanding.

"Could there be a problem with that?"

"Of course," Shibata nodded very seriously, "Everyone has witnessed Ichinose's performance in daily life. Precisely because she is too outstanding, it will be very easy for others to guess in the direction that 'the leader is Ichinose.' If we run into some madmen who like to gamble, the risk is simply too great."

"Haha..." Faced with Shibata's half-complimentary response, Ichinose laughed awkwardly.

"Besides, the leader is just a title for the holder of the special unlock card in the exam, not an actual person. We must not confuse this point."

Kanzaki immediately followed up with a relevant addition, "Once the leader is discovered, the class will face the possibility of losing one hundred and fifty points at once, so we need to understand the importance of this identity. Therefore, regarding the candidate, I suggest choosing a student who is not too conspicuous and is stable."

"Sorry, it seems I was too hasty. Now that you put it that way, that does make sense."

"Since we've confirmed it should be within the inconspicuous category, it should be easy for us to find someone."

"Does the leader have to be too inconspicuous..."

So-called inconspicuousness means that the first impression doesn't give people anything special to think about, and at the same time, there is no prominent reputation, making them not worth paying attention to. There is no problem starting from this point, but if we choose someone too extreme, it will cause the same problem as Ichinose.

Just as I was immersed in my own analysis, I suddenly realized that everyone's gaze in the room was fixed on me.

"...Could you please not stare at me all at once? I do feel the pressure, you know."

"When it comes to being inconspicuous, Raku-kun is the most suitable choice, no matter how you look at it."

Ando-san, I don't recall ever offending you in our daily lives. Even if you have some personal grudge, shouldn't you avoid taking revenge during such a critical matter?

"I don't think there's any problem with that..."

"True, students from other classes shouldn't pay any attention to Raku, no matter how they think about it."

Hey, hey, hey, please don't all put on such agreeable faces! Have you even considered my personal feelings?! At least pretend to disagree on the surface!

Just as I thought I was about to face the judgment of 'justice,' a remark from Shibata—which I wasn't sure whether to take as a compliment or an insult—saved me from the depths of despair.

"It's not impossible. But wouldn't Raku be a bit too extreme? Besides, there are rumors about that circulating outside..."

"Wait, what rumors were you just talking about?"

"Now that you mention it, I forgot that students from other classes know about that too. It seems we'll need to choose a different student then."

"After all, being too close to Class President Ichinose is also something that will be taken into account."

"I've already explained, Raku-kun and I are really—"

"Yes, yes, yes, we know what you mean, Honami-chan. So, does anyone else have any recommendations?" Wakayama-san nodded as if she 'understood perfectly,' perfunctorily cutting off Ichinose's rebuttal.

The others shifted the topic with practiced ease, looking completely indifferent. I was the only one still hung up on the fact that the rumors were already known to the outside world, while Ichinose wore a flushed, pouting expression.

"How about this? Why don't we use the 'darkness under the lamp' strategy?"

"What do you mean?"

"Since we can't choose someone from the extremes, let's just pick someone who is often by Ichinose's side. That way, we can achieve concealment, and at the same time, ensure the leader remains within Ichinose's line of sight during critical moments to prevent any reckless actions."