An Intelligence Battle Is Essential. / A Class-Ranking Battle Was Inevitable.

Hashiba Hikaru has been carefully observing Sakayanagi Arisu's body these past few days. Logically, she should have finished her seven-day course of medication and her congenital heart disease should have improved, but the silver-haired girl's petite body remains frail, showing no signs of recovery.

The items produced by the system should be fine, so why is this happening?

"The rules for the final Special Exam should be announced tomorrow."

Sakayanagi Arisu said casually, "I wonder what kind of exam it is. I'm really curious."

"I'm curious too."

"If there are any physical contact events this time, I should be able to participate if I recover."

Due to health reasons, Sakayanagi Arisu has never participated in any sports since childhood. She doesn't actually have any particular preference for sports. However, with the hope of recovery right in front of her, it's inevitable that many thoughts will pop into the girl's mind.

"The exam is secondary. If Classmate Sakayanagi recovers smoothly, I look forward to seeing your performance beyond just your Intelligence."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly. He believed that once Sakayanagi Arisu heart condition, the stock price would definitely rise, making his "overtime" time spent with her these past few days worthwhile.

"Hehe, if I really recover, I might challenge Ichinose."

Sakayanagi Arisu blinked her beautiful purple eyes and said earnestly, "I heard she's the one in your class who got the [Protection Point]. It's okay if she loses in the Special Exam, right?"

"..."

I almost forgot, this guy is also planning to compete with Ichinose Honami.

Hashiba Hikaru touched her hair. Sakayanagi Arisu's personality traits include a strong aggressive and competitive side. If her body is really fine, she will definitely make an attack on Ichinose Honami, after all, something like that happened in the previous Joint Training Exam.

"Classmate Hashiba, don't be so nervous. Whether I win or she wins, in the end, we'll both be yours."

Sakayanagi Arisu smiled gently, "Aside from the difference in status, I think you have absolutely nothing to worry about."

"I'm not worried about that, I'm just curious about what tomorrow's exam will be about."

Hashiba Hikaru shook her head. No matter what, once Sakayanagi Arisu this idea, it wouldn't be easily eliminated. Unless she was defeated by Ichinose Honami in person, there was no way to stop her.

Let's look forward to it together!

Sakayanagi Arisu rested his head on Hashiba Hikaru's shoulder. After spending more time with him these past few days, this behavior was nothing unusual, and the boy had gotten used to it.

Early morning of March 8th, in the classroom of Class A of the First Year.

Because they had been notified in advance, when the class teacher Chie Hoshinomiya, entered the classroom, the students all looked serious, knowing that the content of the Special Exam would be announced today.

This is the final battle of the first year, and everyone wants to achieve a good result to bring a perfect end to their year of hard work.

"I'm sure you all know what's going on. Today I'm going to announce the rules for the final Special Exam of first grade. Please listen carefully and strive for better results."

When Chie Hoshinomiya announces the Special Exam, she becomes very serious, which is quite different from her usual eccentric self.

"This annual exam summarizes all your hard work so far. You need to demonstrate your full potential and what you've gained this year, such as your Intelligence, physical strength, and collaborative thinking abilities. Even luck can affect the results."

The young female teacher spoke calmly and steadily.

"The purpose of this Special Exam is to verify everyone's Comprehensive Ability. The exam is called the [Selection Exam]. It will be conducted in the same way as the previous PaperShuffle exam: first, the opposing classes will be selected according to the rules, and then the exam will take place."

"Will the last Special Exam in first grade be a one-on-one battle between classes?"

Hashiba Hikaru listened silently to Chie Hoshinomiya's explanation. If it was like the previous PaperShuffle, the process of choosing the opponent's class would become crucial, since everyone wanted to pick an easy target.

"To help everyone understand better, the teacher has brought props this time. I hope students will stay focused while the exam rules are explained and carefully write down the important rules, as this is the key to success."

Hoshinonomiya Chie took out a stack of cards from her teacher's handbag; there were white and yellow cards.

"The yellow cards represent the students in the class, and they have names on them, so everyone should be able to see them, right?"

Chie Hoshinomiya turned around and, while explaining the rules, stuck all the yellow cards in her hand onto the blackboard.

Hashiba Hikaru counted them and found that there were thirty-nine yellow cards.

If we were to write the names according to the student roster, there should be forty cards in Class A since no one dropped out.

Why is one page missing?

Chapter 628 Intelligence warfare is necessary.

After pasting the yellow cards on the blackboard, Chie Hoshinomiya pasted ten white cards next to them. These ten white cards were blank, unlike the yellow cards which had students' names written on them.

"First, in this exam, I need to explain that these ten completely blank white cards represent a [item]. You need to decide on ten different types of [items] and then fill them in."

While Chie Hoshinomiya was explaining, the students in Class A of the First Year were all very attentive, pondering what the [project] actually meant.

"Teacher, what does '[project]' refer to? Could it be the content of the exam?"

Someone raised their hand to ask a question.

These words immediately brought a smile to Chie Hoshinomiya's face.

"That's right, the so-called 'project' is what everyone will be competing in this Special Exam."

What can be filled in for the [project] section? Are there any restrictions?

This time, it was Kanzaki Ryuji who raised his hand. He first glanced at Hashiba Hikaru, and only after realizing that she had no intention of raising her hand did he decide to stand up and ask the question.

"There are no restrictions on the scope of the exam. Whether it's taking a test, playing chess, cards, baseball, or Soccer, any activity that can determine the winner is acceptable. You can fill in the activity you think you can win on the form. It's very flexible!"

"We're actually getting to decide the exam content?"

"That's too much freedom!"

"Wouldn't that be a bad thing? After all, everyone has different strengths. If someone chooses a less popular project and is the only one who excels at it, wouldn't the competition become one-sided?"

Some students raised their concerns, prompting further reflection from other students.

"Please don't worry about that. Although you're in charge of deciding the exam [project] this time, there are a few basic rules that must be followed."

Chie Hoshinomiya looked at everyone and explained the rules of the exam.

"The first rule is that all decided [projects] need to be judged by the school to determine their suitability. Just to be on the safe side, if someone chooses a competition or game that most people don't know about, and no one except the proposer has a chance of winning, it would be unfair to others, and such projects will not be adopted."

"Another point is that since the [project] is decided by everyone, and both sides are involved, the rules of the [project] must be fair and easy to understand. For example, it must specify at what stage the winner will be determined. The school will consider whether the connection between these points is appropriate."

After hearing Chie Hoshinomiya's additional explanation, Hashiba Hikaru had more to think about.

Since the students decide on all ten projects, the school retains the final approval authority to prevent any unforeseen circumstances. To ensure fairness, the school must have backup plans, just like with the PaperShuffle exam last time. If the questions are too difficult, the school will provide the simplest exam as a backup.

While everyone was pondering, Chie Hoshinomiya continued to explain the details of the rules to her classmates.

"Furthermore, in order to eliminate the possibility of a tie, the rules must also be adjusted for more popular [projects]," the young female teacher said solemnly, her gaze sweeping over everyone.

"For example, if the [project] is Go, the conventional rule is to determine the winner based on the final score. However, this rule may result in a tie if both sides have the same score. In order to determine the winner, we must avoid this and add rules that both sides agree on to clarify the way to win, such as the order of play and the method of calculating the final result, etc."

"These subtle details must be considered when submitting the project; otherwise, the university will not accept them."

"Teacher, what will the school do if ten suitable projects are not ultimately selected?"

Hashiba Hikaru raised her hand and presented her earlier idea.

"Hehe, is Classmate Hashiba thinking about the Special Exam from last time?"

Chie Hoshinomiya smiled and said, "If we can't decide before the deadline for submitting the [project], we'll be assigned one of the proposals the school has already prepared. However, we don't know which side this proposal is best suited for; it could be an advantage or a disadvantage."

"That's how it is, thank you, teacher."

A flash of understanding crossed Hashiba Hikaru's eyes. These rules were basically designed according to the school's consistent approach. In order to pursue an absolute victory, the decision on the [project] could not be delayed. In order to avoid any unexpected events, the school had prepared alternative plans in advance.

As everyone continued to ponder, Chie Hoshinomiya, standing on the podium, continued speaking.

"Neither side in the competing class could confirm the final event before the exam began. The outcome will depend on the specific competition process."

"The two classes will engage in fierce competition on [the project]. Once the project is decided, there will be no going back, so please take note."

After the explanation, everyone in Class A had a basic understanding of the final Special Exam, since the rules didn't sound too complicated.

After answering a few questions, Chie Hoshinomiya turned around and wrote down the specific arrangements for the exam on the blackboard.

[Special Exam]

[March 8th: Special Exam announced; the classes to be matched up will be decided that day.]

[March 15th: Ten events were decided, and the competing classes announced the rules for those ten events.]

[March 22: The day of the exam.]

After seeing the teacher write down these arrangements, the students in the class immediately started writing down the specific time limits, since time is very important and many important things need to be decided.

"Teacher, if two classes compete against each other, and each side has to decide on ten [items], wouldn't that take a lot of time?"

Kanzaki Ryuji suddenly raised his hand to ask a question. He actually had a guess in his mind, but he needed to verify it with the teacher.

No, you won't.

Chie Hoshinomiya smiled and shook her head, then explained, "During the exam, each class needs to further narrow down the scope from ten [items] to five; these are the [actual competition items]."

In other words, both sides only need to submit ten projects in total.

"I see."

After hearing her explanation, Hashiba Hikaru understood even better.

The two sides in the duel ostensibly choose ten items, but the actual number of items chosen is only half.

It means...

Are they going to start another intelligence war?

Chapter 629 The Foreseeable Battle for Rankings.

After Chie Hoshinomiya announced the method for choosing [projects] in this Special Exam, all the students in Class A fell into thought.

Simply put, if intelligence warfare is used, it may cause the opponent to misjudge the true content of the competition, thus losing the duel. However, it is not so simple to execute successfully.

And...

Hashiba Hikaru seemed to have thought of something and raised her hand again to ask a question.

"Teacher, since the school's goal is to determine a winner, and there are ten events in total, isn't a tie still possible?"

Upon hearing this, the young female teacher smiled knowingly.

As the class's star student, Classmate Hashiba's thinking speed is indeed very fast; he immediately analyzed the school's design motivation based on the rules.

"Classmate Hashiba's concerns are quite valid, which relates to the following rules."

Chie Hoshinomiya cheerfully told everyone, "The competing classes need to submit a total of ten [items], but the final [items] for the competition will be determined by the school through a prepared random system. These seven will be the actual competition items."

"Is that really how it is?"

"If it's completely random, then luck plays a huge role. What if the first four choices drawn are all our class's choices? Wouldn't that make it easier to win?"

"That's right, that's right!"

Everyone expressed their opinions, and it's certainly possible that the decision would be made using a completely random algorithm.

"That's a possibility, but we can't put all our hopes on luck. We still need to prepare well for the exam."

Chie Hoshinomiya smiled slightly and further explained the specific details of the rules.

"Because there are a total of seven matches, even if one side wins the first four, the competition will not end there. This is Special Exam that will definitely affect the Class Evaluation Points. Even if a winner has been determined, the competition will continue until the very last moment. All the items submitted by everyone need to be reviewed by the school, so everyone must think carefully."

"Teacher, how should we decide on the participants for the competition? Should we decide ourselves?"

As the class representative, Ichinose Honami raised her question at this time.

"Let's address this later. I'll give you a more detailed exam rules book later, Ichinose. As the class representative, I'll need your help with this exam."

Chie Hoshinomiya said this on purpose because she knew very well that although Ichinose Honami was the class representative, the one who actually made the decisions was her boyfriend Hashiba Hikaru, and only he could lead the class to victory.

"I understand, I will definitely work hard!"

The pink-haired girl had a solemn expression and gave a very positive response.

"There's plenty of time between announcing the exam rules and the start of the competition. Everyone can prepare well. After the opposing classes are decided, all [project] content and the winning rules must be submitted by the 15th. At that time, everyone will understand what the opponent's [project] is and can conduct targeted training."

"Finally, regarding the arrangements after the exams, the exams end on the 22nd, and we'll have a holiday starting on the 23rd."

Chie Hoshinomiya calmly explained, "The Graduation Ceremony for the upperclassmen will be held on the 24th, and everyone's Closing Ceremony will be on the 25th, after which spring break will officially begin."

Although hearing about a holiday is exciting, the most crucial Special Exam is just around the corner. If you win, you can certainly enjoy the holiday, but if you lose, things might not be so pleasant.