Shiina Hiyori's Ability to Think

"I am a [Halve Card]"

Ichinose Honami sounded somewhat cheerful, "It doesn't seem to be of much use, but it should be possible to make an exchange, right?"

Since Hashiba Hikaru announced yesterday that she wanted to team up with her, the girl is no longer worried about her team failing, so drawing the [Halve Card] still makes her very satisfied.

"[Halve Card]? Sounds pretty good."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled and then opened her phone's email.

[Lead Card]

[At the start of the exam, the number of points available will be increased by 1.5 times.]

"Mine is the [Lead Card]. It seems special cards really aren't that easy to draw."

He sighed. After all, the special card's effect was significantly stronger, but there were only three in a grade, so the chance of drawing one was indeed very low.

"That's not bad either; at least it gives light an advantage from the start."

Ichinose Honami smiled gently; she was equally satisfied with the result.

"Well, we'll be negotiating with Class C this afternoon, so let's organize the information on the cards they hold this morning."

"Good."

Entering Class A's classroom, almost everyone was already there, because today was the day the cards were to be revealed, and everyone was looking forward to Hashiba Hikaru arriving early to take charge.

"Good morning, Classmate Hashiba Ichinose!"

"Good morning."

Upon seeing the well-matched couple enter the classroom, Ando Sayo and Kanzaki Ryuji immediately rushed over.

"How's it going? Have we collected all the cards for our class?"

That's about it.

Kanzaki Ryuji and Ando Sayo completed this task spontaneously almost without Hashiba Hikaru's notification; they arrived early and immediately finished the statistics.

"Our class was a bit unlucky this time; we didn't get a single special card."

"..."

"Then what?"

Hashiba Hikaru looked at Ando Sayo, who was holding a notebook containing the details of the thirty-eight cards she had just tallied.

"Mine is the [Halve Card], and the [Lead Card] should be added to that as well."

Ichinose Honami, standing next to Ando, added a comment.

"Good."

"Our Class A doesn't even have a single special card?"

Hashiba Hikaru rubbed her temples. "My luck has definitely been a bit bad."

"The fact that our class doesn't have any special cards isn't the worst-case scenario; the more crucial point is..."

Kanzaki Ryuji, who was well-informed, looked rather grim.

"What's the meaning?"

Hashiba Hikaru turned her head to look at his face.

"The students in Class C drew a special card, which is an [Nullify Card]."

"... That is indeed a bit troublesome. Although we are currently in a cooperative relationship, having such leverage means the other party will definitely try to come up with additional conditions."

Hashiba Hikaru thought about it and realized it was a very normal line of thinking.

"But there's no need to be too pessimistic. We don't necessarily have to team up with their class."

"Okay, let's organize the intelligence this morning. This afternoon, Honami, I, and..."

He thought for a moment, then instructed, "Kanzaki, Ando- san, and Horikita- san, go and participate in the negotiations."

"Understood."

The students in Class A were already quite familiar with Hashiba Hikaru's commanding manner, and they would only truly feel at ease after he announced some arrangements.

In the afternoon, since it was a negotiation meeting arranged by Class A, Hashiba Hikaru took the initiative to choose a very nice restaurant. He reserved the largest private room and led several classmates there in advance to make preparations.

"The cards in our class this time are all basic cards. Since cards cannot be traded within the class, we can broaden the pool of potential trading partners as much as possible."

Hashiba Hikaru held a final discussion with everyone, and everyone looked very serious.

"Before developing a trading plan, you need to figure out how to maximize the card's effectiveness."

"Class C probably thinks the same way, so I have an idea."

Kanzaki Ryuji suddenly smiled. "Many parts of the cooperation agreement we signed haven't been fulfilled yet. If it's Special Exam on Uninhabited Island, then the only people we can rely on are our classmates."

"That's right, so if Ryuen makes any unreasonable demands during the negotiations, we can terminate the cooperation."

Hashiba Hikaru understood what the other person meant, Ichinose Honami also understood, quickly adding, "There's another important point: within the Second Year, our Class A has an advantage that no other class has."

"Most Private Points!"

"That's true. That's a significant advantage. If you're exchanging cards, the more Private Points you have, the more bargaining power you have."

"Can I take the lead in the negotiations later?"

At that moment, the beautiful black-haired girl suddenly looked at Hashiba Hikaru's face; she wanted to test her abilities.

"Hmm..."

Hashiba Hikaru glanced subconsciously at his girlfriend beside him, then nodded. "Then let Horikita try first. I'll sit next to him and keep track of the progress."

"Can."

After Hashiba Hikaru made this decision, Kanzaki Ryuji and Ando Sayo, who were standing next to him, exchanged a quick glance. Neither of them said anything, while Ichinose Honami remained smiling, her expression perfectly normal.

A dozen minutes later, Ryuen Kakeru finally pushed open the door to the private room. Behind him were Ibuki Mio, Shiina Hiyori, Yamada Albert, and Ishizaki Daichi.

Good afternoon, Ryuen.

Hashiba Hikaru sat in the main seat, smiling as she looked at the proud, long-haired man before her.

"Heh, Hashiba, you're really sitting still. Your class is going to be at a disadvantage this time."

Ryuen Kakeru glanced at the positions around the round table and then led his companions to sit down there.

"I don't quite understand that. The exam hasn't even started, how can we already be at a disadvantage?"

"Don't play dumb. Information about the cards is already everywhere. The three special cards for the Second Year have already been revealed."

Ryuen Kakeru sneered twice, looking at Hashiba's face with disdain, "With your skills, there's no way you couldn't find out, right?"

"Why don't you introduce it to us?"

"Snort!"

The man sneered, then said in a mocking tone, "Our Class C's special card is [Nullify Card], while Class B's card is [Reinforcement], and Class D' s special card is [Trial]."

"Your Class A doesn't have a single special card. Doesn't that put you at a disadvantage?"

"Look at what you're saying, but our Class A also has its unique advantages."

Hashiba Hikaru and her classmates exchanged glances, and then they all laughed.

What advantages?

"We have money!"

"..."

Chapter 827 Shiina Hiyori's Thinking Ability.

Inside the private room, because Class A and Class C had made a contract in advance, even though Hashiba Hikaru made a joke, the actual negotiation process still started smoothly.

Horikita Suzune was the spokesperson for Class A, while Shiina Hiyori, nominated by Ryuen Kakeru and Ibuki Mio, was the spokesperson for Class C. The two girls became the specific negotiators.

"Shiina, let me start by explaining Class A's thoughts."

Horikita Suzune glanced at Hashiba Hikaru sitting beside her, feeling a sense of peace.

"Can."

Shiina Hiyori sat opposite Hashiba Hikaru. She couldn't help but glance at Hashiba Hikaru and also noticed Ichinose Honami's gaze.

"First, there's the previous cooperation agreement, because the most important clause in that contract was mutual trust and not betraying each other."

Horikita Suzune was well-prepared; she had organized her thoughts the night before and spoke very fluently.

"But at that time, no one knew that the next Special Exam would be about surviving on Uninhabited Island. So now I think that if we want to continue cooperating, the next negotiations should revolve around a few core elements related to the Uninhabited Island. What do you think, Shiina?"

"That's true. When we signed the cooperation agreement, we didn't anticipate that the next test would be a brutal survival competition on Uninhabited Island."

The gray-haired girl's expression was gentle, and her speech was not slow at all, "However, I think it's precisely because we've already established a cooperative relationship that we can cooperate even better when facing such an exam."

"That makes sense. Let me first tell you about the cooperation model that Class A has come up with, and see if you have any suggestions for improvement."

Horikita Suzune opened the notebook she had brought, her brows furrowing as she became increasingly serious.

"First of all, according to the contract at the time, in order to meet the conditions, if our two classes are to cooperate, all the Class Evaluation Points and Private Points obtained during the Uninhabited Island Exam must be distributed proportionally. Our class gets 70%, and your class gets 30%. There shouldn't be any objection to this, right?"

"This..."

Shiina Hiyori hesitated for a moment, and then Ryuen Kakeru spoke up.

"The situation back then is different from now, and I think it's necessary to make changes."

The long-haired man's lips curled into a smile. He didn't look at Horikita Suzune, but stared intently at Hashiba Hikaru.

"Since this Special Exam is Trial Uninhabited Island, then naturally whoever puts in the most effort will receive the biggest reward."

"Judging from what Ryuen saying, do you not intend to honor the original distribution ratio?"

Hashiba Hikaru's gaze instantly turned cold. He admired Horikita Suzune's initial negotiating approach, because that was exactly the result he wanted.

Forcing Ryuen to admit that it has to give up the lion's share of the reward is a very "aggressive" act. If the other party refuses, it can be dealt with as a breach of contract.

Class C would need to pay a price of 20 million Private Points. Although it might not necessarily escalate to that extent, it would reduce the likelihood of the other party making additional demands.

"The consequences of breaching the contract are clearly written in black and white. I advise you to think it over carefully."

"Heh, we never said we were going to breach the contract. Aren't we still negotiating?"

Ryuen Kakeru chuckled coldly twice and added, "Continue with your plans."

"Good."

Horikita Suzune nodded and continued explaining her thought process.

"First, let's talk about team formation. According to the rules, it's best for everyone to form teams of three to participate in the competition. Going solo carries higher risks and yields lower rewards. Since our two classes are currently cooperating, we should try our best to build teams that are as evenly matched in strength as possible."

"I wonder what Horikita means by 'average'?"

Shiina Hiyori and slowly said, "According to the rules of the three-person team, if it is a mixed-gender team, there must be two girls. That means that our two classes can only form nineteen mixed-gender teams in total. The rest can only be teams with all the same gender."

"I don't think pursuing this outcome is the most correct approach."

"I've considered that too. The average I'm referring to has nothing to do with gender. Anyway, there's still time before the exam, and I think we can use that time for physical training."

Horikita Suzune stared at Shiina Hiyori across from her. She knew, of course, that the other was like a "strategist" in Class C, but now that they were truly facing off, the girl realized just how sharp the other's mind was.

"First, we need to collect a list of girls who are physically weaker. Then, during the group assignment process, we'll add a girl with good physical strength to support them, and then add a good boy to form the group."

"As for those with relatively average physical strength, they can support each other to maximize everyone's potential."

"While that sounds good, Horikita has forgotten something very important."

Shiina Hiyori explained calmly, "Considerations regarding relationships between girls... Horikita probably didn't think about that, did he?"

"Relationship considerations?"

Horikita Suzune really didn't have time to deal with such things, but Hashiba Hikaru, sitting next to her, couldn't help but laugh. It seemed that this was still something she lacked, but it probably wouldn't change anytime soon.

"Of course, the relationships and atmosphere among the girls are very important. It would be too barbaric to simply allocate tasks based on physical strength, and it would also put pressure on the person being helped."