The VIP Exam Begins! / Breakfast Conversation with Ichinose

Furthermore, in this outcome, classmates of the VIP are unable to answer, and even correct answers will be considered Nullify.

Result 4: If someone other than the VIP answers incorrectly beforehand, the class to which the student who answered incorrectly belongs will have 50 Class Evaluation Points deducted. In addition to receiving 500,000 Private Points, the VIP's class will also receive 50 Class Evaluation Points.

Similarly, if a classmate of a VIP answers incorrectly, their answer will also be considered Nullify.

These four results take all possibilities into account, since answering the name of the VIP can only result in two outcomes: either the answer is correct or the answer is incorrect.

Then, the distinction was made between answering in advance and answering at the last minute according to the rules, resulting in four possible outcomes.

After understanding the rules, everyone in Class A knew very well that the latter two outcomes were the real highlight of the exam.

After all, Private Points are far less important than Class Points. Just like guessing the leader's name on Uninhabited Island, you get 50 points for guessing correctly and lose 50 points for guessing incorrectly, which can create a difference of 100 points in the class score.

"It seems you've all figured it out. Do I still need to explain the specific operational plan in detail?" Chabashira Sae crossed her arms. Since these students had maintained the top spot for most of the semester, she assumed they must all be very talented.

"More or less." Hashiba Hikaru nodded, but still cautiously confirmed, "However, just to be on the safe side, could you please have Chabashira-sensei briefly explain the answering process for us? That way, we can feel more at ease."

"Yes, just looking at the text might lead to misunderstandings." Ando Sayo smiled and spoke up after Hashiba Hikaru, with the other two echoing her sentiments.

"... Oh well."

After giving Chabashira Sae a deep look, Hashiba Hikaru continued to explain the specific process.

"The rule of this exam is to find those VIP; if..."

The tall female teacher pointed at Hashiba Hikaru and said, "For example, if Classmate Hashiba is the VIP' student in your group, then everyone needs to discuss and come up with a solution. If you want to achieve result one, then Classmate Hashiba needs to reveal her 'VIP' information so that everyone else can answer at the last minute. In that case, you will all receive 500,000 Private Points, while Classmate Hashiba will receive 100,000."

Yes, this seems to be the most profitable outcome.

But the sinister purpose of this exam lies in this: by mixing students from four classes together, it is to force students who cannot trust each other to decide on a plan.

If Hashiba Hikaru VIP, and he were to actually reveal the VIP information, then if someone from another class wanted to betray everyone and chose to answer in advance, then Class A's VIP information would be guessed immediately.

Not only will 50 points be deducted from the Class Evaluation Points, but the deduction will also be added to the traitor's class. This is an absolutely unacceptable and enormous loss.

"Do the other results need further explanation? For example, answering in advance?" Chabashira Sae glanced at Hashiba Hikaru, whose expression was somewhat serious.

What are everyone's thoughts?

Hashiba Hikaru placed the returned document on the table and asked the other three students from Class A, "Do you understand the rules?"

"Yes, we understand."

"It seems this exam will definitely be a tough battle, since we'll be working with students from other classes, and any information release carries risks."

"That's right, and this rule is like..." Ando Sayo, a party expert, said with a hint of amusement, "Like a detective game."

"That's true."

Hashiba Hikaru nodded, agreeing with her analogy.

There can only be one VIP. It's like the suspect in the group who needs to hide their identity. If someone guesses the name and answers the question beforehand, the group's test will end immediately, meaning the suspect has failed to escape.

After all, classmates cannot answer in advance. Apart from them, all other group members could potentially become "detectives," and the "detectives'" identification of the "suspect's" name could lead to two different outcomes.

Success means the class receives an increase in evaluation points, and you also gain Private Points.

Failure, on the other hand, yields the opposite result, with huge losses.

In this way, each guess and intelligence transmission becomes quite complicated.

Is this what "Thinking" means?

These are truly outrageous exam rules.

Chapter 180 The VIP Exam Officially Begins!

In the quiet room 201, after the rules were read out, Chabashira Sae looked at the students from Class A. She had to admit that they were quick to learn, and they had already begun to discuss countermeasures around Hashiba Hikaru.

"That means one of these people will receive a text message at 8 a. m. tomorrow informing them that they are VIP," Hashiba Hikaru stroked her chin and placed the documents on the table. "To ensure the security of the information, this person will likely be very cautious."

"That's right. Based on the allocation of twelve groups, to be fair, there should be three ' VIP in each class."

Kanzaki Ryuji carefully examined the members of the Dragon Group. He naturally noticed the ingenuity of the list, which was probably intentionally done by the school.

"When the VIP in our class come out, should we notify Classmate Hashiba?" As someone who frequently organized class activities, Ando Sayo quickly realized that someone needed to be the decision-maker to control the direction of the entire exam.

"Yes, I think we can gather the information and send it to Classmate Hashiba, and then you can decide how to answer." Tsube Hitomi had the same idea.

After this semester, the students in Class A basically all agreed that Hashiba Hikaru was the pillar of the class, and that only his plans were the best.

"There's no rush, there's still some time until 8 o'clock tomorrow."

Hashiba Hikaru glanced at his watch; there were still more than ten minutes before the gathering ended, so he planned to have a basic discussion with his classmates to brainstorm ideas.

"Since the rules of this exam are based on VIP, the list of VIP is naturally of utmost importance." The boy turned to the page with the instructions on the table.

"To ensure the fairness of this exam, the school has listed a very detailed list of prohibited actions, which are absolutely forbidden."

The "[Notes]" section of the materials contained many different pieces of information, such as not being allowed to steal other people's mobile phones, not being allowed to obtain the list of VIP through threats or intimidation, and not being allowed to use other people's mobile phones to send out answers.

Once the exam begins, each person's phone will be linked to their personal account, preventing others from using underhanded tactics. Furthermore, members of each group can only answer questions from their own group, so only one name can be used to answer.

Unlike the Uninhabited Island Exam, where previous violations were mostly just point deductions, this time anyone who dared to break the rules would have the word "[Expulsion]" written in large red font at the end of their application.

This punishment is far more severe than anything encountered since the start of the semester. Moreover, there are numerous cameras installed on the Cruise Ship to monitor students' exam process, so the school can immediately detect any suspicious behavior.

"It seems the only way to find the answer is through gathering information." After reading the instructions, Ando Sayo's expression turned serious. After all, dropping out of school was an outcome that no one in Class A could accept. Everyone had worked hard until now to ensure that no one would be missing when they graduated.

"I think perhaps... Let's hear my analysis and see if it's correct." Kanzaki Ryuji's mind was equally sharp. His gaze swept over the people present, and he said in a deep voice, "If this is to test everyone's Thinking Ability, then I believe this exam must have a prerequisite."

"What are the conditions?"

"This is the list." Kanzaki picked up the card with the student list written on it and read it aloud word by word. "I think that since the school deliberately used the Heavenly Stems as codes for grouping, the selection of those VIP must have a pattern."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked somewhat surprised.

"That's what I thought too, Kanzaki," Hashiba Hikaru said to the three of them after taking the card and glancing at it briefly. "Since the school specifically chose the Heavenly Stems naming method, this is actually part of the clue. As for the rest of the information, we'll probably need to confirm the names of the VIP before we can study the pattern."

"But what if the school makes new contingency plans in this regard?" Although Ando Sayo was happy to hear about this discovery, she immediately thought of something else.

"For example, the school designs a pattern for selecting VIP in a certain class, but then changes the pattern for the next class. What should be done in that case?"

"Hmm... this perspective is also very important."

Hashiba Hikaru nodded approvingly. If the purpose was to test everyone's Thinking Ability, the school would not have set the exam rules so simply. Otherwise, once a classmate like herself had integrated the class and compared the three VIP lists, the rules might have been discovered very quickly.

Wouldn't that reduce the difficulty?

"So, if we want to determine the rules for all twelve groups, we need to obtain VIP information from at least two classes." Kanzaki Ryuji stroked his hair and pondered, "We can confirm the VIP information for our class after it comes out tomorrow, but it probably won't be so easy to obtain the VIP information for the other classes."

"We can have everyone gather intelligence within their own groups first, as long as we keep it confidential," Tsube Hitomi smiled and said, squinting her eyes. "All members of the Dragon Group will gather at 1 p. m. tomorrow for the discussion."

"Yes."

Hashiba Hikaru glanced at the exam rules. Over the next four days, the group members would need to meet in a designated room for discussions on three days: 1 PM and 8 PM. This meant there were a total of six discussion opportunities.

"Do we really have to gather information in six discussions? It feels like the chances are too slim." Ando Sayo looked somewhat reluctant.

"No, it doesn't necessarily have to be six times."

The boy said in a deep voice, "Don't forget that there will be traitors. If a traitor sends in the answers beforehand, whether they are right or wrong, the group's exam will end early, and the opportunity for discussion will naturally disappear immediately."

"That... that's certainly true."

Everyone understood the importance of this matter; the traitor was like a hidden bomb, and no one knew when it would explode.

"In short, we can formulate a basic action plan for now. After Ichinose tomorrow to discuss it, we can discuss more detailed arrangements."

After collecting everyone's concerns and thoughts, Hashiba Hikaru began to summarize.

"First of all, whoever in our class is selected as the VIP, don't make it public. Contact us only after Ichinose and I have discussed and come up with a plan."

The boy took out his phone and showed the trio the Class A group chat page, saying solemnly, "I'll edit a class announcement later, and everyone can see it."

"In this Special Exam, our class's unity will definitely come in even more handy. Do you all understand?"

"Yes, we understand."

"That's right, let's follow Classmate Hashiba's plan for now."

"Everyone will support your idea."

The students in Class A all understood that the key to winning or losing this exam was to let the core members of the class make the decision and unite everyone to gain more benefits.

After all, this is not just Class Evaluation Points, but also real Private Points. Even if we can't achieve result one, but achieve result two or three, it's still a considerable number of points.

"It seems your discussion is over."

Chabashira Sae had been listening to their conversation with her arms crossed the whole time.

The person who controlled the discussion and guided everyone's thinking was clearly that Classmate Hashiba. His perspective and sharp wit surprised the young female teacher quite a bit.

Even though the exam hadn't started yet, he had already begun to formulate a rough action plan, and judging from the behavior of others, this was definitely not the first time he had done this; everyone followed his instructions quite well.

What kind of class control does this require? It's likely that none of the other class leaders in the first grade could achieve this.

Before this exam, each class teacher had the authority to arrange which groups their students would join, and the Dragon Group was essentially a major battleground, as several class teachers had placed their favorite students into it.

For example, the three people in Class C are Hirata Yosuke, Kushida Kikyo, and Horikita Suzune. Chabashira Sae often observes them and knows their abilities.

However, when the list was being selected, Chabashira Sae saw Chie Hoshinomiya smilingly fill in Hashiba Hikaru's name in the Dragon Group and even greet her.

"Hehehe, Sae, this time I've sent out my best kids. Now, I'll have you classes prepare for the challenge."

The most proud child.

Hoshinomiya has mentioned this word to her many times; it refers to that Classmate Hashiba. Judging from his performance today, he is indeed not a simple person.

His Thinking Ability and control over the class have reached an astonishing level; the impact of actually witnessing it today is far greater than what I had only heard about before.

[As expected, if I want to get into Class A, this Classmate Hashiba is an opponent I absolutely have to defeat.]

Chabashira Sae thought of the people she had chosen.

Can they defeat him?

"Well then, that concludes our assembly time. Please disperse. Remember all the rules, or you will face expulsion."

The dark-haired beauty uttered the last words of the day's gathering with a cold expression, then opened the door and dismissed everyone.

"Understood, thank you for the explanation Chabashira-sensei."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled and nodded at her before walking out of the room.

After walking to the restaurant on the second floor, a tall and voluptuous figure was standing there.

It was Ichinose Honami.

Chapter 181 Breakfast Talk with Ichinose

"Ichinose, were you waiting for me?"

Hashiba Hikaru greeted her with a smile, but since there were still many classmates around, he didn't call out the girl's name.

"Of course, Hikari... Classmate Hashiba," the pink-haired girl glanced at the others out of the corner of her eye, but still took the initiative to reach out and link arms with Hashiba Hikaru, saying softly, "Let's go somewhere quiet to talk."

"Um."

The two walked side by side to a secluded spot on the Cruise Ship, probably around a corner on the second floor, where they could be out of sight of others.

"Now that you've learned the rules of this exam, what are your thoughts?"

Ichinose Honami and Hashiba Hikaru were currently in a very close position, facing each other. Although there was still plenty of space, the girl pressed herself directly against his chest without warning after he came over.

"Hmm... how about I hear what Honami has to say first?"

"I think we might be able to guess the pattern in the selection of those VIP this time," the girl said slowly, resting her head against Hashiba Hikaru's chest. "That's the best way to answer."

"That's right, that's what Kanzaki and I just discussed. It seems Honami and I are thinking the same thing."

"Really?" Ichinose looked up, her eyes sparkling with joy.

"Yes, but we may need to gather a lot of information first, since we can't guarantee whether the school's rules are based on all groups or on a class-by-class basis."

Then, Hashiba Hikaru quietly recounted in detail her discussion with the other three people to Ichinose Honami. As soon as she finished speaking, a gentle smile appeared on the girl's lips.

"As expected of Hikaru, he really is very thoughtful."

"This is the result of everyone's collective wisdom, so we must work together as one for this exam."

"Uh-huh."

Just then, the girl suddenly reached into Hashiba Hikaru's pants pocket, causing him to shudder.