A Gentle Girl

Horikita Manabu was almost certain that even if officials from Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School were standing here, they would probably agree with the other party's view. Miyabi Nagumo's greatest skill was to quietly weave her own network of rules within the framework of what the public perceived as rules, and the key was that you couldn't find any fault with it.

The following is a discussion of the specific rules.

"From now on, all First Year students with vested interests can leave."

Although Miyabi Nagumo said that, in reality, there was only Horikita Suzune, a First Year student, in the room.

This was already the limit of what Horikita Manabu could do within the rules. Since the discussion that followed couldn't keep the First Year students there any longer, he nodded to his younger sister, signaling her to leave first.

Although there will be a vote later to decide whether the Student Council agrees to pass the proposal and submit it to the school, it is obvious at a glance that those who will remain here with voting rights are basically from Miyabi Nagumo's side.

Horikita Suzune handed the meeting minutes book to Tachibana Akane, glanced at the document on the table, and then quickly walked out of the meeting room, gently closing the door behind her.

"President Horikita should know the school rules about the punishment for leaking exam questions, right? There's less than a year until graduation, and I don't want to see President Horikita expelled for something so trivial."

After Horikita Suzune left, Miyabi Nagumo suddenly launched an attack on Horikita Manabu.

Although the Student Council has extremely broad powers, the restrictions are also more complicated, especially regarding the specific rules for Special Exam related to Class Points. If even the slightest sign of leakage is discovered, the school will initiate a strict investigation.

"I don't want to see Vice President Nagumo drop out of school because of something like this either. I heard you've been getting close to Ayanokoji from Class 1-A lately?"

Horikita Manabu raised his eyes and responded without any politeness.

"I just really admire this junior."

Miyabi Nagumo smiled and shook his head, turning to a page of the document in his hand:

"Let's continue with the rules and discussion for this brand-new Uninhabited Island Special Exam:"

"Article 1: Classes will still be the main groups, but students from the same class must form groups of at least one and no more than four to participate in activities on the island. They will conduct a variety of comprehensive ability assessments and survival tests on the Uninhabited Island, focusing on academic skills (such as Speed Mental Arithmetic, encyclopedic knowledge competitions, etc.), sports (such as swimming, beach volleyball, etc.), and other activities (such as Rock Paper Scissors, breath-holding, etc.) (the ratio of the three activities is three to three to four). Successful completion of the assessments will earn points or rewards of food and drinking water."

"Article Two: Increase the number of exam days from the original seven days to fourteen days, and apply for the use of the larger Beta Island for the Uninhabited Island."

Article 3: Two scoring methods will be introduced: class ranking and group ranking. Class ranking will be based on the total score of all groups in each class, while group ranking will be based on the score of each group, with rewards of Class Points and Private Points.

"Article 4: The class ranked first will receive 300 Class Points, the second-ranked class will receive 100 Class Points, the third-ranked class will lose 100 Class Points, and the fourth-ranked class will lose 300 Class Points."

"Article 5: Each member of the group ranked first will receive one million Private Points, and their class will receive an additional three hundred Class Points; each member of the group ranked second will receive five hundred thousand Private Points, and their class will receive an additional two hundred Class Points; each member of the group ranked third will receive three hundred thousand Private Points, and their class will receive an additional one hundred Class Points."

"Article Six: The entire group ranked last will be expelled. However, each member can choose to pay five million Private Points or have their class pay one hundred Class Points to avoid expulsion. (Those who withdraw under this clause will not have three hundred Class Points deducted.)"

"Article 7: The second-to-last group will have 200 Class Points deducted from its class score; the third-to-last group will have 100 Class Points deducted; and the fourth-to-last group will have 50 Class Points deducted."

"The above are the basic rules."

The specific rules are as follows...

I need to take a day off to celebrate an elderly family member's birthday.

My family is celebrating my 80th birthday today, and I've been busy until now, so I probably won't be able to write an update today.

The old man is in good health and mentally sharp; he doesn't look eighty at all. He can still play mahjong with us in the afternoon. But the old folks have their Matoba; they play like they're playing chess, taking forever to draw and discard tiles. It's quite interesting to watch.

Chapter 133: A Gentle Girl

"These are the basic rules for this Uninhabited Island Special Exam. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask now."

The homeroom teacher of Class 1-D, Mashima Tomonari, finished reciting a long list of rules and precautions using the whiteboard for demonstration. While taking a sip of water from the podium to moisten his throat, he observed the reactions of the students in the class.

As expected, the long-awaited island vacation suddenly turned into a survival challenge on a deserted island, and it was also tainted by the word "exam," which students hate the most. Most of the students looked listless, each one slumped on the table, either sighing or staring blankly at the rules on the whiteboard with their chins propped up.

"However, as an alternative, everyone can enjoy a free week-long cruise on Luxury Cruise Ship after the exams. According to the school's arrangements, everyone should treat this cruise as a pure vacation."

Seeing that the students in the class were not very motivated, Mashima Tomonari immediately pulled up a picture of a Luxury Cruise Ship and introduced the various amusement facilities on the five or six-story Luxury Cruise Ship in a very enticing way, which rekindled the interest of these boys and girls who were only sixteen or seventeen years old.

"Next, here are the reward and punishment rules for this Special Exam."

Mashima Tomonari seized the opportunity to release the rules for class and group rankings. Unlike Miyabi Nagumo's initial proposal, the school later added two additional detailed rules:

Teams that rank in the top 50% (including those ranked 1st to 3rd) will have each member of the team receive 50,000 Private Points.

Teams that rank in the top 70% (including those ranked 1st to 3rd) will have each member of that team receive 10,000 Private Points.

Unlike Miyabi Nagumo, who placed excessive emphasis on rewarding top students and punishing struggling students, the school undoubtedly considered the existence of average students and therefore added these two supplementary rules.

Once the specific amounts of rewards and punishments were disclosed, the students in Class 1-D were abuzz with discussion.

Putting aside the Midterm Exam and Final Exam exams that have already ended, this Uninhabited Island Special Exam can be considered the first large-scale Special Exam that the First Year students have participated in. The fact that the rules contain large rewards and penalties such as "300 Class Points" and "one million Private Points per person" shows how much importance the school attaches to this exam.

Considering that the Class Points of the four first- First Year classes (A, B, C, and D) are all around 500, which is not much different, it can be said that this Special Exam has the potential to change the situation of First Year class.

After all, if a class can simultaneously achieve first place in both the class ranking and the group ranking, it can directly obtain a full 600 Class Points. Keep in mind that Class 1-A currently only has 548 Class Points.

Theoretically speaking, although Class 1-D currently has a dismal zero Class Points, there is still a possibility that they can jump to Class A through this Special Exam.

Moreover, the homeroom teacher Mashima Tomonari, carefully explained that this Special Exam was different from the previous two academic ability tests, and it focused more on assessing students' comprehensive abilities, including learning ability, physical fitness, mental strength, communication skills, and teamwork skills. The group format was designed to allow members to complement each other's abilities.

Perhaps realizing this, none of the students in the class felt left behind. Yukimura and Sudo, who couldn't stand each other at the beginning of the semester, even glanced at each other with strange expressions. After all, one of them was an A in academics and the other was an A in physical education, so being in the same group would be quite beneficial.

Mashima Tomonari naturally noticed the change in the class atmosphere and, with a smile, offered his suggestion:

"While teaming up with close friends is important, the team's overall ability is likely to directly impact the Special Exam results. I suggest that each student consider their own strengths and weaknesses before forming a team."

"Of course, the advantage of teaming up with multiple people is not only that they can complement each other's abilities, but more importantly, this Special Exam uses a dropout elimination system."

"For example, if Kitagawa and Horikita are in the same team in the class, and during the exam, one of them is unable to continue due to health reasons, then Kitagawa, who is still in the team, can still continue the exam alone, and the points he gets will still be counted towards his and Horikita's team."

"Assuming Kitagawa ultimately wins first place in the group rankings, even if Horikita withdraws midway, he will still be considered a member of the group and receive a reward."

"In other words, no matter how many people leave during the exam, even if only one person remains in the end, they can still be considered a group. Simply put, the more people there are, the greater the chance of survival."

Although Mashima Tomonari only casually mentioned Kitagawa Ryo and Horikita Suzune's names, Kitagawa Ryo couldn't help but smile, clearly recalling the time when Horikita Suzune had a high fever during the Uninhabited Island Special Exam, and how he and Karuizawa Kei schemed against her, ultimately leading Class D into trouble.

However, times have changed. Now he and Horikita Suzune are in the same Class 1-D, while Karuizawa Kei has been assigned to Class 1-B, their rival.

"Although I've already given a lot of explanations that sounded complicated, there are still things I need to explain."

After catching his breath, Mashima Tomonari continued to explain the rules.

"This is a new feature added to this Uninhabited Island Special Exam. If used properly, it will make your exam process much easier."

As Mashima Tomonari spoke, the whiteboard beside him switched to the next page, displaying an instruction interface resembling a card game.

List of regular cards:

Supply: Cardholders are entitled to a daily Supply of food and drinking water equivalent to one meal for one person (lv1).

Double: Cardholders will receive Double the Private Points earned after completing the exam (lv1)

Discount: Cardholders will receive a 15% reduction in points spent when redeeming items (lv1).

Free Ride: Cardholders can designate a student (any class) before the exam begins, and receive one-quarter (level 1) of that student's Private Points after the exam.

Special Cards List:

Reinforcement: Cardholders can exceed the group's maximum number of members and become the fifth member of the group.

Resurrection: The cardholder can exempt one student from expulsion after the exam.

Chosen One: Cardholders will receive a 50% increase in points.

Double-Edged Blade: If the cardholder's group ranks in the top three, the final Class Points will increase by 50%; if the group does not rank in the top three, 30% of the Class Points.

"What, what is this?"

Yukimura, sitting in the front row, made a somewhat puzzled sound. For someone who had always focused on his studies, these items, which resembled game props, were really hard to understand.

"These are cards that can influence the Special Exam on the Uninhabited Island. Everyone will receive one; they're like props. Aside from a few cards, they're all harmless to have. As for their function, you can probably understand it just by reading the description."

Mashima Tomonari patiently explained:

"As you can see, before this exam begins, each student will be randomly given a prop card. Only four special cards will be given out for the entire grade, one of each type. But students who get regular cards shouldn't be discouraged."

"See the 'LV' next to the regular card? Yes, students who get a regular card can upgrade it by completing tasks on the Uninhabited Island. The higher the level, the stronger the effect, and it's not much worse than a special card."

"These cards are randomly drawn and only the person who drew them knows about them; they cannot be exchanged or transferred."

"Everyone can decide their role in this exam based on the effects of the cards they receive. For example, holding [Discount] and [Supply] cards allows you to take on the logistical role within the team."

Mashima Tomonari didn't offer many reminders, but many students, including Horikita Suzune and Sakayanagi Arisu, had already realized the value of these cards, especially the four powerful special cards. If one had to pick the most strategically significant one, it would be [Double-Edged Blade]. The effect of increasing Class Points by 50% seemed quite tempting, but if one failed to make it into the top three, the negative effects would be unbearable, making it a true double-edged Double-Edged Blade.

"The explanation of this Uninhabited Island Special Exam is basically complete. The rest is up to you to figure out during the exam."

As the school bell rang, Mashima Tomonari finally finished recounting the outline of his long survival experience on the Uninhabited Island.

"This explanation alone might not be enough for some people to fully understand. Special Exam guide will be released during lunch break, which you can use to double-check the rules."

As Mashima Tomonari's topic came to an end, the school bell rang at the opportune moment, marking the end of the first class meeting of the morning.

"You can take your time to figure out what team strategy to develop. There's still a week until the exam, and team formation must be completed and submitted via mobile phone within that time."

"I suggest you form teams after the cards are distributed tomorrow."

After leaving this suggestion with his now-empty teacup, Mashima Tomonari left the classroom.

As soon as the homeroom teacher left, Class 1-D launched a heated discussion about the Special Exam. Because it seemed like they could get a lot of Class Points or Private Points in one go, many people were quite enthusiastic and even started inviting their friends to team up.

Did you notice?

Sitting at the same table as Kitagawa Ryo Horikita Suzune turned to Kitagawa Ryo and asked him a question. Thanks to her natural geographical advantage, she was always able to get things done faster than others.

"You mean this Special Exam? It sounds quite interesting."

Kitagawa Ryo tilted his head; he genuinely felt that this Uninhabited Island Exam looked much more fun than the one he had experienced before.

"I mean the grouping, or rather, a potential problem within the grouping."

Seemingly somewhat displeased with Kitagawa Ryo's nonchalant attitude, Horikita Suzune stretched out her foot and gently kicked Kitagawa Ryo's left leg.

"Mashima probably tried his best to keep the atmosphere in the class as relaxed as possible, so he barely mentioned the rule that the last-place group would be expelled."

"Class 1-D is inherently weaker than the top three classes in terms of overall strength, and also has fewer students, putting them at a natural disadvantage in the competition for class rankings. If they want to increase their Class Points, they need to focus on group rankings and form the strongest group to maximize their score."

"But if you build a strong team in order to win, you're bound to leave some isolated players behind."

That's right.

Kitagawa Ryo nodded. He understood Horikita Suzune's concerns. In fact, the group assignments for this exam were essentially a choice between [pairing strong and weak students to avoid dropping out] and [teaming up with strong students to compete for first place].

"Actually, there's another way."

Sakayanagi Arisu, having somehow moved a chair and sat down next to the two, suddenly spoke up with a smile, revealing her thoughts:

"The last-ranked group will be expelled, but the expulsion penalty can be waived by using 6 million Private Points per person or 100 Class Points per person. So we can arrange for a single group to simply give up on this exam and become last in the rankings, and then we can gather 6 million Private Points to waive their penalty."

"This way, we can assemble the strongest team without any worries and aim for the top three."

"Of course, if someone in the class can get the [Resurrection] card, the cost of this plan will be even lower."

"Anyway, you can go back to the ship to rest after being eliminated. Students like that are easy to find in the class."

While Sakayanagi Arisu's statement may seem nonsensical at first glance, upon closer examination, it does indeed have some practical implications.

Since it's uncertain which group in the class will be at the bottom, let's find one in advance. Even if a single group is at the bottom, the cost of rescuing them will be within an acceptable range.

However, it seems that Sakayanagi Arisu's purpose is not limited to this. She then looked at Kitagawa Ryo and said:

"If the goal is to form the strongest team and aim for first place in the group rankings, then me and Ryo should be perfectly fine as a team, right?"

"The map of Yan is still too short," Horikita Suzune thought to herself as she followed up without hesitation.

"A group can only have a maximum of four people. If you want to maximize scoring efficiency, having four people is definitely the best option. Besides, Liang and I get along really well, right, Liang?"

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

Kitagawa Ryo gave a strained smile. All he could say was that Karuizawa Kei and Shiina Hiyori were in Class B and Class C respectively; otherwise, let alone the four-person limit, even five or six wouldn't seem enough.

However, since Horikita Suzune and Sakayanagi Arisu have already decided to team up with him, theoretically, his team only has one spot left if he can't get the [Reinforcement] card.

Although the different groups on the Uninhabited Island were essentially all part of the larger group, Class 1-D, and had opportunities to share information, food, and so on, the fourteen days of close interaction felt almost like a mini-honeymoon.

Nobody wants to give up such an opportunity.

Kitagawa Ryo turned his gaze to Ichinose Honami, who was surrounded by girls not far away. Always popular and talented in both academics and sports, she seemed busy dealing with various invitations to join groups.

Each of them is actually breaking down and reconstructing past memories, hoping to re-infuse them with new meaning, and to reassemble those fragments that have been bleached by time into a new framework.

Then Kitagawa Ryo heard Ichinose Honami softly, in a gentle yet firm tone, refuse each of their invitations, and then walk through the crowd to his table.

With her back to everyone, she only showed him her beautiful face. Kitagawa Ryo could even see her eyelashes trembling slightly, whether from nervousness or some other emotion, he couldn't tell.

Compared to Karuizawa Kei, Horikita Suzune, and Sakayanagi Arisu, Ichinose Honami seems to be the one who has changed the least.

Because she was the same in the past, loved by everyone, and kind to everyone.