It'll Be Fine Even If Class D's Points Drop to Zero, Right?

"Give me one."

Ryuen Kakeru squeezed next to Kitagawa Ryo and unceremoniously took one of Kitagawa Ryo's earphones.

Kitagawa Ryo didn't seem to care much. He shifted his body to make room for Ryuen Kakeru and started the recording with the mouse.

"For this Special Exam, the school has divided all First Year students into twelve groups, using the Zodiac as a metaphor. We will hold the exam within each group. The purpose of the exam is to test thinking abilities."

The woman's voice sounded like the voice of Chabashira Sae teacher of Class D. Komiya nodded in agreement.

"It was the homeroom teacher of Class D who was responsible for explaining the rules."

[Thinking]

Kitagawa Ryo typed this word in his notebook. Was it a test of thinking skills?

"The basic abilities required of adults can be roughly divided into three categories: Action, Thinking, and Teamwork. Only those who possess these abilities are qualified to become outstanding adults. The previous Uninhabited Island Exam focused on teamwork. However, this time it's Thinking. This will be an exam that requires critical thinking skills."

Thinking ability, in other words, is the ability to analyze the current situation and clarify the issue. It's the ability to understand the problem-solving process and prepare accordingly. It also includes the ability to unleash creativity and create new value—these will become very important to you in the future."

However, Class C's Uninhabited Island Exam did not demonstrate teamwork.

Kitagawa Ryo listened to Chabashira Sae's lecture while making sarcastic remarks.

Therefore, this exam will be conducted in twelve groups.

"First of all, although that's obvious, the four of you here will be in the same group. And right now, in the other rooms, they are also explaining to the group members who will be in your group."

Kitagawa Ryo squinted at the students who came out of the other rooms at the same time. Sure enough, this exam was a test in which students from different classes were shuffled and mixed into different groups.

But if that's the case, why not gather all four classes of students from the same group together for the explanation?

Ryuen Kakeru, who was standing nearby, seemed to have realized the problem as well. He frowned and leaned over to type the words "unnecessary group-based explanation" into his notebook.

"You've been assigned to a 'sub' group. Here's a list of your group members. Please return this sheet when you leave the room, so please write it down here if you feel it's necessary."

Kitagawa Ryo looked at Komiya beside him, who nodded and sent a compiled list to the group. They used a method where one person would remember one class, which seemed relatively easy, since each person only needed to remember three or four names. Kitagawa Ryo glanced at it casually and found that he didn't recognize any of the students in the other three classes; they were all unfamiliar names.

"As a general rule, for this exam, you should disregard the relationship between Class A and Class D."

"From now on, you will no longer be part of Class C, but will operate as subgroups. The pass/fail results will be determined individually for each subgroup."

"Each group in the Special Exam will have only four possible outcomes. The exam is designed so that it will definitely result in one of these four outcomes; there will be no exceptions. To make it easier for you to understand, the school has also prepared materials listing the outcomes. However, these materials are prohibited from being taken out of the school or photographed. Please check this beforehand."

Commendably, Komiya and the others had a sudden inspiration and began to read the rules repeatedly, even feigning confusion and repeating key sentences:

"This exam uses the 'VIP' assigned to each group as the benchmark. By answering the questions to the school using the prescribed method, you will definitely obtain one of the four results."

The school will send out emails to students at 8:00 AM on the day the exam begins. Those selected as "VIP" will also be informed of their selection.

The exam schedule is from tomorrow until 9 PM four days later (including one day of complete freedom).

The group members are required to meet twice a day in a designated room at a specified time for a one-hour discussion.

The discussion topics were entirely left to the autonomy of the groups.

Regarding the answer section, after the exam, the school will only accept the answers to "Who is the VIP?" between 9:30 PM and 10:00 PM on the same day. In addition, each person can only answer the question once.

The school only accepts answers submitted by students via email sent from their own mobile phones to the designated mailbox.

"VIP" are not entitled to send answers via email.

Answers from groups other than the Zodiac to which you belong will be considered invalid.

The school will inform all students of the detailed exam results via email at 11 PM on the last day.

Kitagawa Ryo listened to this recording three times in a row, and Ryuen Kakeru patiently went over the rules of this Special Exam:

"This isn't a group-based exam; ultimately, it's a Special Exam, a competition between classes."

Ryuen Kakeru offered his opinion as he dragged the recording progress bar with the mouse.

"Result 1: If everyone answers correctly, except for the group members VIP and students belonging to the VIP class, the school will pay Private Points. (Students belonging to the VIP class will each receive the same number of points.)"

Result 2: Excluding the VIP and VIP classmates, if any member of the group fails to answer or answers incorrectly, the school will pay the VIP 500,000 Private Points.

"Result Three: If someone other than the VIP reveals their answer to the school before the exam ends and answers correctly, the class to which the student belongs will receive fifty Class Points, and the school will pay the correct answer fifty thousand Private Points. Conversely, the class VIP's identity is discovered will be penalized by deducting fifty Class Points. The group exam will end at this point. Furthermore, if a student in the same class as the VIP answers correctly, the school will consider the answer invalid and continue the exam."

Result 4: If someone other than the VIP reveals their answer to the school before the exam ends and answers incorrectly, the class to which that student belongs will be penalized with a loss of 50 Class Points. The VIP will receive 500,000 Private Points, and VIP class will also receive 50 Class Points. The exam will end at the point where incorrect answers are given. Furthermore, if a classmate of the VIP student answers incorrectly, their answer will be considered invalid and will not be accepted.

Such long passages of text might be difficult to understand in today's world of short videos and fragmented reading, which explains the distressed expressions on the faces of most of the students who came out earlier. However, Kitagawa Ryo and Ryuen Kakeru quickly grasped the logic. Although this exam might initially seem like the "Werewolf Game" that has become popular in recent years, it is essentially closer to "Who is the Undercover?" If we consider the "VIP" as spies in each group, the four possible outcomes can be summarized as follows:

Result 1: The undercover agent is exposed, and the entire team answers the question correctly at the last moment. Each Private Points receives an additional 500,000 points, and the undercover agent receives an extra 500,000 points.

Result 2: When one member of the group answered a question incorrectly at the last moment, the undercover agent received 500,000 Private Points.

Result 3: Before the exam ends, if someone successfully identifies themselves as an undercover agent, the undercover class will have 50 Class Points deducted, the class that answers correctly will have 50 Class Points awarded, and the person who answers correctly will receive 500,000 Private Points.

Result 4: If someone fails to identify the undercover agent before the exam ends, the result is the opposite of Result 3.

"This VIP is somewhat similar to the Leader in the Uninhabited Island Exam."

Ryuen Kakeru wasn't interested in results one or two. For Class C now, the Class Points were far more important than the hundreds of thousands of Private Points. This mechanism of getting fifty points for a correct guess and deducting fifty points for a wrong guess instantly reminded him of the Uninhabited Island Special Exam a few days ago.

"But unlike the Leader of the Uninhabited Island, this time the VIP seem to be randomly selected by the school."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded in response, and the two listened to the remaining short segment of the recording:

"The school has also considered the issue of anonymity this time. At the end of the exam, the school will only announce the results for each group, as well as the increase or decrease in points for each class. In other words, we will not disclose the names of those VIP or the test takers. In addition, if you wish, we can temporarily issue temporary IDs for remittances or allow you to withdraw in installments. As long as you remain silent, there will be no suspicion of being discovered after the exam. Of course, if you have no need to hide anything, you can also openly collect your points."

This is probably a patch implemented by the school to increase students' initiative in this Special Exam. After all, not everyone in every class is as willing to cheat and betray as Class C. Most students are concerned about what others think and are generally unlikely to engage in betrayal or deception. This rule is meant to reassure those who are tempted but dare not act. It seems the school really wants to muddy the waters.

"Prohibited items and similar matters are also listed here; please take a look."

"Stealing other people's mobile phones is prohibited; using threats and intimidation to confirm information about VIP is prohibited; and using other people's mobile phones to send answers without authorization is prohibited."

"Those who violate this rule will be expelled from school."

"Similarly, falsely claiming to be threatened will also result in expulsion upon further investigation."

"The class will be dismissed immediately after the final exam, and students are prohibited from talking to students from other classes for a certain period of time. Violators will be expelled."

"Starting tomorrow, you must go to the designated rooms at 1 PM and 8 PM. Each room will have a sign with your group name on it. Please introduce yourselves in the room when you first meet. Once inside, you will have one hour for discussion, during which you are generally not allowed to leave the room. Please use the restroom before going there. If you are unable to use the restroom or feel unwell, please contact your class advisor immediately and request permission."

"To ensure fairness, the group of VIP will be strictly adjusted. Regardless of whether VIP or not, we will not accept any requests for changes. Furthermore, copying, forwarding, or altering any emails sent by the school is strictly prohibited."

The recording ended there. Kitagawa Ryo looked at the two points that Ryuen Kakeru had added to his notebook and fell into thought:

Are there any hidden rules in the selection process for VIP treatment status?

How is the school's fairness demonstrated?

The two were brainstorming when a student from Class C, showing great foresight, brought them two cold drinks from the cafeteria. Kitagawa Ryo Ryuen Kakeru took the drink, biting Kitagawa Ryo straw, and said:

"Intelligence is very important."

"So, instead of testing critical thinking skills, it's more accurate to say it tests intelligence gathering and class management abilities."

Ryuen Kakeru also answered in the same way:

"Yes, similar to the Uninhabited Island Exam, if we interpret the school's specific explanation of fairness as an equal distribution of VIP, then there are three in one class. In other words, if you can guess all the VIP other classes while hiding the ones in your own class, you can get 450 Class Points."

"Of course, we could also use the same strategy we employed in the last Special Exam, revealing the VIP status as leverage to negotiate with other classes for more Private Points."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded, and after thinking for a moment, he said:

"But all of this is based on the premise that we have the complete list of those VIP. The school's rules this time are very strange, especially this twice-daily discussion session. Normal Werewolf Game or Who is the Undercover do have such discussion sessions, but they are all based on the premise that we will definitely obtain information before they begin the discussion."

"The nightly segments in the Werewolf Game and the daily one-sentence description segment in 'Who is the Undercover' both provide information for discussion, which is a fundamental condition for ensuring the game can eventually proceed and end."

"But what exactly is being discussed in this so-called 'VIP Exam'? Simply asking if you are VIP? Without a basis in information, any suspicion will lack conviction and appear vague. Even if given more time, let alone two hours a day, as long as the VIP is willing to conceal it, there will be no chance of being caught."

Komiya, Ishizaki Daichi, and the others were already confused, only Ryuen Kakeru could still keep up with Kitagawa Ryo's rhythm:

"Yes, the huge gap between result three and result four makes everyone hesitant to guess. Moreover, this wasn't an exam based on groups at all; it was ultimately a competition between classes. The rule that each group had four class members makes it a paradox to find the VIP through discussion."

"Um... Brother Ryuen, what do you mean?"

Ishizaki Daichi, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but ask a question, Ryuen Kakeru explained to him:

"As Kitagawa just said, the difference between this VIP Exam and the Werewolf Game or the Who is the Undercover game is that the non- VIP simply don't have the ability to deduce through elimination, because they don't have enough information to support their inferences. According to the school's rules, even if all three classes work together, they won't be able to find the VIP in this test."

Seeing that the others still looked confused, Kitagawa Ryo continued from Ryuen Kakeru's words:

"For example, if the VIP in this group is you, Komiya, and assuming that classes A, B, and D work together and exchange information, the most they can conclude is that the VIP must be in Class C. But there are four people in Class C in this group. At this point, you either remain silent or stand up together and say that you are the VIP. Can the other three classes guess that?"

"Okay... it doesn't seem like that will work."

Komiya and the others imagined the scene Kitagawa Ryo described and shook their heads.

"And that's not the only strange thing. For example, results three and four completely blocked the path to result one."

Kitagawa Ryo drank his beverage, his thoughts gradually became clearer:

"If we want to achieve outcome one, then the VIP announce their status during the final discussion on the last day, right?"

"This is a necessary measure to prevent betrayal."

"But please note."

Kitagawa Ryo dragged the progress bar back to the middle:

"The final discussion will be at 8 PM, lasting one hour. After it ends at 9 PM, each group will immediately disband and is prohibited from communicating with members of other classes."

"But--"

"The school's processing time is from 9:30 to 10:00."

Kitagawa Ryo placed the empty glass on the table and stretched.

"So what will the other students do between 9:00 and 9:30 after learning about their VIP status?"

"Betray!"

Komiya answered quickly.

"Yes, regardless of whether the betrayal succeeds or not, outcome three or four will definitely be achieved. Therefore, outcome one is almost impossible."

"That's why the school dared to give such a generous reward to the first-ranked student."

"If a group has thirteen to fourteen people, achieving result one would require a whopping seven to eight million Private Points."

Kitagawa Ryo rested his chin on his hand and murmured:

"That's a really tempting number."

"I think I have a rather crazy idea."

Ryuen Kakeru watched as Kitagawa Ryo typed four lines into his notebook:

[I. If it's impossible to identify those VIP, it suggests that the selection of these VIP likely has hidden patterns that students can discover.]

[II. Achieving Result One is the most difficult, even bordering on impossible, because it requires the cooperation of all four classes.]

[III. Class C currently has an agreement with both Classes B and D to cooperate unconditionally on one such action.]

[IV. Class A has now lost power in Katsuragi and is in disarray. Meanwhile, the Class Points difference between Classes B and C and Class A is extremely small.]

"I think it's time to take advantage of the school."

Kitagawa Ryo closed his laptop.

Chapter 40: Is it okay if Class D' s points become zero?

"Liang arrived very early; he must have already learned the rules of this exam from the students who came out."

Around 8:30 p. m., Kitagawa Ryo, who had finished discussing the strategy for this Special Exam with Ryuen Kakeru, was leaning back in his chair thinking about various other possibilities when he looked up and bumped into Ichinose Honami, who was walking towards him from the other end of the corridor. Behind her were Kanzaki Ryuji and another girl, who should be the three members of Class B in this group.

"Probably. After all, the school's rules this time sound quite complicated. It would be best to get the specifics in person."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded in a friendly manner and shifted his body to make room for Ichinose Honami.

"These two should also be in the 8:40 group, right?"

"Yes, Kanzaki should have already met her. This is Koyuki. She seems a bit aloof, but she's a very nice person."

Ichinose Honami followed Kitagawa Ryo's suggestion and sat down next to him, smiling as she introduced Kitagawa Ryo to him.

"Himeno Yuki."

Because he had met Kitagawa Ryo before, Kanzaki Ryuji simply nodded. He still suspected that Kitagawa Ryo Class B was responsible for leaking the Leader's information on the Uninhabited Island, so his attitude was much colder than when they were on the Uninhabited Island. However, another girl who called herself Himeno Yuki seemed even more indifferent than him, or perhaps she was simply uninterested in everything in front of her. Her self-introduction was also very brief.

"I wonder which students are in this group of Class C?"

"Me, Ryuen, Hiyori, and Kaneda."

Since it was information that would eventually be known, Kitagawa Ryo readily replied that, judging by the time, these people should be arriving soon.