Victory in the First Match

The first-grader, a little angel, forcibly suppressed the shock in his heart and asked tremblingly.

"What? You all seem surprised, or is my appearance putting pressure on you?"

Ryuen Kakeru waved his hand, his tone laced with sarcasm.

"But there's no other way. Since I've been pushed into this position, I have no choice but to completely crush my opponent."

"I see. It seems you're planning to go all in on this Special Exam, Ryuen."

Sakayanagi Arisu seemed to have thought of something, and instantly connected the logic of the other person's behavior in her mind.

"A desperate gamble? Heh, you're oversimplifying things. I'm only going to fight for everyone in the class."

Ryuen Kakeru smiled dismissively, then glanced at Kushida Kikyo, "I'll be looking forward to your exam today, Kushida."

"... Please give Ryuen."

After Sakayanagi Arisu's speech, the short-haired girl calmed down a lot. She was quick-witted and immediately realized that the other party had taken advantage of the rules and was planning an extreme challenge where it was all or nothing.

After all, the rules of this exam are very clear: the exam cannot begin without a [Commander Tower], but it does not say that a [Command Commander Tower] cannot be replaced. As long as someone else takes the exam in place of the [Commander Tower], the exam can still begin.

Perhaps this is to ensure that nothing unexpected happens during the official exam. After all, if a member of the [Commander Tower] falls ill or has an unexpected accident, the other classes certainly can't just sit idly by.

"In that case, Ryuen won't have any [Protection Point], which is a huge risk."

Ichinose Honami remained calm, and her first words were a probe for information.

"If not, then so be it. Anyway, I'm still the class representative. Although I was tricked by Hashiba in the last Voting Exam, this is a good opportunity for me to turn things around, so of course I can't miss it."

Ryuen Kakeru grinned, "Go back and tell your boyfriend that after I crush Class D, it'll be his turn soon."

"I will."

Ichinose Honami nodded calmly.

"Are there any rules restricting your participation as an agent of the [Commander Tower]?"

Sakayanagi Arisu asked.

"Just like the original rules, [Commander Tower] cannot participate in the competition; our class is simply missing one combatant."

Ryuen Kakeru didn't care at all about sharing this information with everyone. After all, the rules for the Special Exam were always the same, so there was no harm in saying it.

"So that's how it is... Ryuen really has guts, daring to risk dropping out of school to take the exam."

A smile appeared on Kushida Kikyo's face, but she instantly became wary.

According to the rules of the previous Voting Exam, those who obtain [Protection Point] are prohibited from transferring them. This means that although Ryuen can participate in the exam as a [Commander Tower] proxy for Class C, if he fails, his only option is to drop out of school.

This is a huge gamble, unless he can guarantee he will win.

"If I could win, then it wouldn't be gambling."

Ryuen Kakeru made many preparations in advance and invested a lot of resources. If he can't win, wouldn't all of this be in vain?

"Hehe, now that we're all here, let's go in together."

Ichinose Honami smiled and said to the three people beside her, "Our homeroom teacher should be waiting for us inside, right?"

The four of them walked into the Multipurpose Classroom together. As soon as they entered, they noticed that a wall had been erected in the middle of the originally spacious classroom. It seemed to be a temporary structure, but it looked quite professional. They wondered how well it sounded.

"Students from Class C and Class D, please move to the other side."

Chie Hoshinomiya gave the instructions, Mashima Tomoya pointed to the seats next to them. They seemed to be the proctors for the Class C and Class D exams. After Kushida Kikyo and Ryuen Kakeru moved over, the two teachers followed behind them.

"The exam will begin in five minutes, so please be prepared."

The two teachers in charge of Class A and Class B were Sakagami Kazuma teacher of Class C, and Chabashira Sae of Class D. Both of them had cold expressions and appeared aloof.

Because there is a five-minute preparation time, the proctor will not stay here the whole time, but will use the time to test the equipment and have discussions.

Ichinose Honami and Sakayanagi Arisu thus entered into an atmosphere that resembled being alone. The two girls exchanged a glance, but neither of them spoke first.

Half a minute later, Sakayanagi Arisu smiled gently and took the initiative to speak to Ichinose.

"This exam should determine a lot of things. Although we still have a long way to go to reach Class A, I believe we will win in the end. After all, this is a three-year marathon."

"I will do my utmost to lead everyone to victory."

Ichinose Honami refused to give an inch; although she was a little nervous, she was filled with fighting spirit.

"Do you remember the bet I mentioned last time Ichinose?"

A hint of mockery flickered in Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes; she asked the question on purpose, just to provoke Ichinose Honami's emotions.

To her surprise, the pink-haired girl, who had been so easily provoked before, was now quite calm. She replied in a normal tone, "Of course I remember, but I didn't agree, so the bet shouldn't stand, right?"

"... Yes, that's right."

Sakayanagi Arisu was taken aback; in her memory, Ichinose Honami was not like that at all.

This pink-haired girl is very possessive of Hashiba Hikaru. As her official girlfriend, it's impossible for her to be nonchalant about this kind of thing.

Did something happen that I don't know about?

"Let's settle this with an exam. I believe I will win."

Ichinose Honami Sakayanagi Arisu's slightly surprised expression and a satisfied smile appeared on her lips.

Since talking to Kiryuuin Fuuka, her attitude has changed drastically. Since she can't stop the girls from running off to their boyfriends, she might as well make herself better, since they'll eventually come back to her anyway.

"Let's begin then."

Although she didn't know what had happened, Sakayanagi Arisu always had her own pride. Since she couldn't stir up the other person's emotions, she would defeat them completely through an exam.

She wanted to prove to Hashiba Hikaru that she was the only one who truly deserved him.

"Alright, the exam is about to begin. Please take your seats, both sides' [Commander Tower]."

Chabashira Sae's cool voice reached their ears. Ichinose Honami and Sakayanagi Arisu sat down across the computer. Because of the projection equipment and data devices, they could no longer see each other's faces after they sat down.

"Please prepare."

"The countdown to the final Special Exam for first grade has begun."

Chapter 658 Victory in the First Match

After Chabashira Sae finished speaking, the same scene that had been demonstrated appeared on the computer screens of the two people sitting opposite each other.

The photos and names of all students in the class, excluding the [Commander Tower] who cannot participate in the competition, are as follows: Class A has 39 photos and Class B has 38 photos.

The next moment, the ten [projects] that Ichinose Honami had submitted appeared on her screen. Five of them were the ones they were actually going to submit. The girl remembered them very clearly and would never make a mistake.

"I am Sakagami, in charge of administering this exam. The exam will begin. Each class, please select the five [items] you have chosen and press the confirm button."

Upon hearing the proctor's voice, Ichinose Honami swallowed hard and began moving her little hand to operate the mouse.

She stared intently at the computer screen and dragged in the five items she had actually selected.

The events are: [History Exam], [2000m Long-distance Run], [Tug of War], [Table Tennis Singles], and [Pole Vault].

After a while, the selection results from the other side were also displayed on the screen.

Just as she had told Hashiba Hikaru, Sakayanagi Arisu chose [Chess], [English Exam], [Modern Literature Exam], [Mathematics Exam], and [Rapid Mental Math].

"Next, we will conduct a random draw for the projects, which will be carried out according to the procedures set by the school. Please keep quiet."

"The results of the draw will be displayed on the large screen in the middle. Please pay attention."

After Sakagami- sensei finished speaking, she seemed to press a button, and then the large screen displayed something like a 3D image. In the center was a scrolling box with the text "[Lottery in Progress]" on it.

A dozen seconds later, the first competition was displayed: [Tug of War].

Tug of War -of-war

The required number of people is 20, with half being men and half women.

Rules: The competition consists of three rounds. The team that successfully moves the rope to the designated area wins. The first class to win two rounds wins the competition.

Commander Tower: Allows you to change the student order of the opposing class once.

"The [item] for the first exam has been decided; please select the participants."

After Mr. Sakagami finished speaking, Ichinose Honami looked very serious. The first match they drew was the one that Class A had chosen. Everyone had been training for so long, and they had to win the first match at this moment.

Sitting opposite, Sakayanagi Arisu's expression didn't change much after the first competition was selected.

In the Tug of War- of-war, there are many strong boys in Class B, including a big guy like Katsuragi Kohei. Although he hasn't completely obeyed the silver-haired girl yet, his serious personality means he definitely won't hold back in the competition.

According to the rules, in a 20-person competition, there needs to be half boys and half girls. In a typical Tug of War- war, the girls usually stand in front and the boys stand behind. The heavier the person, the further back they should stand, so as to generate a greater force.

After carefully selecting the participants, Ichinose Honami moved the mouse and clicked the confirmation button to submit the specific number of participants. The first competition used up 20 people, which meant that there would likely be duplicates in the later competitions. She thought of her boyfriend's previous advice.

If possible, Hashiba Hikaru is willing to play all the matches; after all, he has great stamina and there won't be any problems.

After both sides selected their respective players, the players' headshots were displayed on the big screen.

As instructed, students from both Class A and Class B were ready in the designated competition area set up by the school. Everyone was eager to participate in the Tug of War competition.

"Hashiba, you must give it your all later!"

Shibata tied the headscarf around his hair, stretched his arms, and punched the air twice.

"I see."

Is everyone ready?

Hashiba Hikaru looked at the students of Class A who had already gathered. According to the rules, there had to be ten boys and ten girls participating this time, and they had to line up first.

"Let's line up!"

Tug of War tests not only the strength of a team, but also certain skills.

For example, students standing further back can pull themselves back with force. As the pillar of the class, Hashiba Hikaru immediately began to select the students present and make them stand in a more perfect line.

Ten girls stood at the front, including several outstanding girls such as Minami Kozue and Tsube Hitomi, while Hashiba Hikaru stood at the back due to her height, and Shibata stood in front of her.

The last boy was Sumida Makoto. He was a few centimeters taller than Hashiba Hikaru, but not Hashiba Hikaru strong.

"Sumida- kun, once the match starts, just pull back as hard as you can, don't worry about anything else, understand?"

"Um."

Sumida Makoto nodded vigorously. The Tug of War was a best-of-three contest. No matter what, they had to put all their effort into pushing forward and make sure Class B didn't win.

Everyone has experienced Four-Way Tug-of-War at the Sports Festival and knows how to exert force.

Tug of War- war tests not only strength, but also spirit.

Ichinose Honami and Sakayanagi Arisu were both sitting in front of their computers, staring at the large screen in the middle, which showed the competition status. Forty students from the two classes were standing at opposite ends of the rope.

A red ribbon is tied in the middle of the rope, and a white line is drawn on the ground at intervals on both sides. If the ribbon is moved outside the white line, the team that moves the ribbon wins.

"Beep!"

With the sound of a whistle, the competition officially began.

Everyone present, regardless of gender, pulled back with all their might. After Hashiba Hikaru's stamina improved several times, she felt like she had inexhaustible energy.

No matter what the competition is, he has to win it all!

Adjust your breathing, check the System Panel, and activate your skills.

[Activate Potential Burst (Mastery)?]

[Startup successful!]

[Stamina 7→9!]

In that instant, Hashiba Hikaru felt a roar in her mind, as if every cell in her body was ignited, her hands became stronger, and her steps became as steady as a mountain.

"Pull it for me!!!"

"Come on!!!"

The force from the rope had become less firm. Hashiba Hikaru took a deep breath, pulled the rope back forcefully, and forcibly created space under her feet, dragging herself back a small step.

Meanwhile, Sumida Makoto, who was originally standing at the back, suddenly felt a huge pulling force coming from his side, and he subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

The next moment, he gritted his teeth again, tightened his grip on the rope, and began to pull backward with all his might.

Right after Hashiba Hikaru's outburst, the entire Class A of the First Year team felt a tremendous force being added to the rope, and everyone's fighting spirit became even stronger.