The Academic Year Exams Are Here (4.5k)

"Theoretically speaking, you planted all sorts of hidden mines that could be detonated in advance, whether in the second or third year. But in the long period after the Mixed Training Camp Special Exam, all you did was target Hashimoto Masayoshi in your own class."

Miyabi Nagumo and Kiriyama Ikuto, whom he developed, were definitely very useful pawns, especially the former, whose mentality had completely swung to the extreme side. However, after the former returned to school, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka only gave him the instruction to go and deal with Hashimoto Masayoshi, completely wasting Miyabi Nagumo's initiative, who was single-mindedly trying to make a contribution. Even the recent framing of Horikita Suzune was a plan that he spontaneously devised and executed.

Needless to say, the third-year students, who were nearing graduation and had no hope of advancing to Class A, had already started to collectively give up. It's no exaggeration to say that if Ayanokoji Kiyotaka were willing to offer them a few more tangible promises for their future, there would be no shortage of students willing to fight tooth and nail for him. But that didn't happen either, and everyone was just bundled up and dumped by Sakura Airi.

As Sakayanagi Arisu asked that question, Katsuragi Kohei immediately turned his gaze to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, upon suddenly hearing that Ayanokoji himself had never been interested in this from the beginning, he felt somewhat complicated.

"After all, this is better than being seen through from beginning to end and having every step taken by the other side. Besides, the relationship won't become too strained."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka picked up his cup of black tea and took a sip. Unconsciously, compared to this time last year, his thoughts had changed a lot, and even his style of doing things and the tone of his voice were subtly changing in a completely new direction that he had never tried before.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was referring to the news that had suddenly started circulating among the faculty and staff last night about former Chairman Sakayanagi 'Zhuge Liang return in the next academic year. With hindsight, a little thought made it clear what had happened.

Sakayanagi Arisu did indeed want to use the information gap to manipulate the faculty and staff and thus influence the students' choices. But then again, when it comes to penetrating and influencing the faculty and staff, almost no one among the students can compare to Kitagawa Ryo. After all, the two stable channels of Hoshinomiya Chie and Chabashira Sae are enough for him to spread the news quickly.

When Ayanokoji Kiyotaka pointed out this setback, or rather, major defeat, that she had just experienced so directly, Sakayanagi Arisu didn't show any particular expression. After all, her relationship with Kitagawa Ryo was different from her relationship with others; it was a duel in which she could accept whoever won or lost.

Even if I lose this election, I will become the vice president after Horikita becomes the new Student Council President.

"Does Ayanokoji want to follow in Nagumo's footsteps again?"

Faced with Sakayanagi Arisu's direct question, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka did not choose to answer directly:

"My thoughts are the same as yours, Sakayanagi."

Sakayanagi Arisu felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing this. After all, rather than wanting to follow Miyabi Nagumo's path, she actually wanted Horikita Suzune to follow Nagumo's path and secure her position as Student Council president.

This is not something that is difficult to achieve.

Thinking of this, Sakayanagi Arisu glanced again at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka with her, and understood the source of the other party's confidence in saying these words.

In April, a month later, the Student Council, like other clubs, will be recruiting new members. And among the First Year students who have just enrolled, there are several spies planted by Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

The way Miyabi Nagumo controlled the Student Council was actually quite simple: all the second-year members of the Student Council were students from Nagumo Faction, including Kiriyama Ikuto, who was specially cultivated by Horikita Manabu to keep the student in check.

If Ayanokoji Kiyotaka can achieve this in the First Year, then Horikita Suzune, the Student Council, might indeed be sidelined.

Besides this objective factor, Horikita Suzune's own subjective factors are equally important.

Compared to her steady and meticulous older brother, Horikita Manabu, Sakayanagi Arisu is certain that in terms of style, she is closer to Miyabi Nagumo. She is the kind of person who will definitely use the Student Council platform to introduce some new things with strong personal opinions. The former would naturally be OAA, while the latter even wants to directly change some parts of the school rules.

If Kitagawa Ryo were here right now, he'd probably at least give a dramatic, off-key comment:

Anyone who dares to change the ancestral rules will lose their head.

Just after six o'clock in the morning, as the first Chenxi rose over Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, Kitagawa Ryo, the early bird, had already caught an insect.

"... I knew there would be students like this."

Kitagawa Ryo quickly brought the unconscious third-year boy, who had tried to place some small items on Horikita Suzune's usual morning exercise route, to the school security room. After reporting the tools used and the whole incident, Kitagawa Ryo sighed and walked out, waving to Horikita Suzune who was waiting for him outside, indicating that the matter had been resolved.

Because he sensed that this period must be the final frenzy of a gambler who has almost lost his mind and only wants to win big from three thousand to millions, Kitagawa Ryo simply stopped his morning exercise plan with Sakayanagi Arisu, which he had maintained for more than half a year, and instead started to work closely with Horikita Suzune.

"Actually, I think Suzune can cancel her morning exercises for the next couple of days. There are at least several students who want to sabotage her during this time. Goodness, they've got thumbtacks and tripwires. They'll probably all be expelled by the school. This definitely constitutes premeditated and intentional assault."

Perhaps the odds were even more tempting than during the Sports Festival, or perhaps he simply wanted to try his luck one last time before graduation. Compared to this group of gamblers who were all thinking that everything was uncertain and that everyone could be a dark horse, the targeting he faced during the Sports Festival was nothing.

"Isn't Ryo protecting me? Even when Ryo isn't around, Ichika is keeping an eye on things, and the official voting results will be confirmed the day after tomorrow."

Despite encountering considerable Malice over the past two days, Horikita Suzune's mindset remained largely unaffected. In fact, compared to those risky students, she was more disgusted by everything Tsukishiro had done to lead them down this path.

"... Those Investment and Finance Classroom absolutely must be shut down."

Since taking action against Sakura Airi and securing over 95% of the anonymous support vote on the forum, Horikita Suzune has gradually embraced the role of Student Council. During their morning practice sessions together, she often chats with Kitagawa Ryo about what she plans to do after taking office.

"This shouldn't be a big problem, after all, the Acting Chairman of Tsukishiro, who launched it, will also be stepping down and resigning next academic year."

"However, compared to the change of the Chairman, I am more worried that students will oppose this decision. I can imagine them saying things like, 'If you don't like it, you don't have to play it. Why cancel it?' or 'The bold get rich while the timid starve.'"

Kitagawa Ryo say that, Horikita Suzune was also somewhat troubled, but then she immediately remembered something and subconsciously asked:

"Speaking of which, did Ryuen not participate in this prediction contest? The amount seems a bit off. Isn't he always a big fan of this stuff? He was the biggest bettor during the Sports Festival."

"Yes, it seems he wasn't involved. Hiyori persuaded him to stop."

At this point, Kitagawa Ryo's tone became somewhat ambiguous. After all, he wasn't stupid. Class D's plan to accumulate Twenty Million Personal Points to transfer him to another class was obvious, not to mention that Shiina Hiyori had told him about it.

To put it simply, it's about Ryuen Kakeru and her making a certain agreement about themselves.

If Ryuen Kakeru stops relying solely on betting to earn Private Points and instead leads the Class D students to prove themselves in the year-end exams a month later, then the remaining transfer fee will be fully sponsored by Shiina Hiyori, including persuading Kitagawa Ryo.

It can only be said that Shiina Hiyori still has feelings for her class. If Ryuen Kakeru and the students of Class D can really fulfill this promise, Kitagawa Ryo wouldn't mind going there. After all, he's been there before, and he's familiar with them.

"It's a good thing that they were able to persuade them to stop, otherwise, if Ryuen had poured in more money and increased the prize pool, there would probably have been two more people going crazy."

Horikita Suzune didn't press the matter further, since whether Kitagawa Ryo was in Class B or Class D was ultimately irrelevant to her, unless he could transfer back to his original class, in which case that would be a different story.

The two jogged slowly along the forest path, bathed in the gradually spreading sunlight. Horikita Suzune, biting her lip, couldn't help but continue speaking:

"As expected, I still want to revise some of the club's rules."

"We'll have to wait until the time is right, like boiling a frog slowly. After all, Suzune hasn't actually managed to satisfy most of the clubs. The current high voter turnout is largely due to Airi's influence."

"I know, but the more I learn about the situation of ANHS's clubs, the worse it is than I imagined. The Drama Club was dragged into that mess. Whether you call it the nail that sticks out gets hammered down or the nail that sticks out gets rotten first, the essence is that ANHS's other clubs really don't have any outstanding achievements."

Since joining the Student Council, Horikita Suzune has been in charge of related affairs, and she is extremely familiar with this area.

"Take the two largest sports clubs, the Soccer Club and the Basketball Club, for example. The former was glorious for a while under Nagumo's leadership, but it's just average now. The latter suffered a crushing defeat in the first round of last year's summer tournament. To be honest, the level of ANHS's clubs is actually somewhat mismatched with its reputation."

"However, it cannot be said that the school did not attach importance to it. ANHS has invested a lot in terms of equipment, venues, faculty and staff, and other aspects. It has also issued relevant regulations. For example, outstanding performance in clubs or awards outside of school will be rewarded with Private Points or even Class Points. But the result is still mediocre."

"Actually, after the sports club incident, I also thought about this myself, and then I realized that ANHS's completely closed management system does indeed limit the development of the clubs."

"Even when competing outside the school, there can't be any extra communication with people outside the school. Forget about friendly matches or joint practice. Even activities like summer training camps that are common in high schools outside the school are completely nonexistent. In my opinion, these are all things that can be changed."

After listening to Horikita Suzune's well-organized and substantial speech, Kitagawa Ryo nodded in agreement.

"I thought Suzune was going to try to push through the rule that Student Council members could join clubs, which you've been so fixated on."

"That's a bit too idealistic. After all, students would never agree to someone being both the referee and the player."

At this point, Horikita Suzune also sighed in distress, but immediately put on a bright smile again:

"But I've also thought about it. I'll try to find a more flexible approach during my term. If I really can't find one, I'll just leave the Student Council after all the new regulations for these clubs are implemented. I really want to experience everything, whether it's cooking, drama, Tea Ceremony, piano..."

"Ryo, come with me too. After all, you're the one who taught me these things."

"OK."

Just like the promise he made on the Uninhabited Island last July, Kitagawa Ryo nodded in agreement once again, turning a new page in their future plans, following the Student Council.

In the auditorium of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, Acting Chairman Tsukishiro is announcing the final results of the Student Council election to all teachers and students:

"Therefore, I hereby announce that Horikita Suzune of Class 1-A has been successfully elected as the new Student Council President of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School with 96.3% of the vote."

"Now, let's start with a speech from former acting Student Council Kitagawa Ryo, who has done so much for the Student Council during this difficult period."

Taking the microphone from the host, Kitagawa Ryo's speech, just like Horikita Manabu's last year, was quite simple:

"Thank you all so much for your support of me and the Student Council during this time. Although it wasn't long, I believe we created some wonderful memories together. Thank you everyone."

Then, he stepped aside, leaving the stage to the true protagonist of the day, Horikita Suzune, who was officially appointed as the new Student Council of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School.

After going on stage, Horikita Suzune first nodded to Kitagawa Ryo, then her gaze swept over Horikita Manabu, who was standing in the first row below the stage, and she felt a kind of warmth and encouragement in his gaze.

Horikita Suzune suddenly remembered what Ichinose Honami Kitagawa Ryo long ago:

If my past self could find my present self, I believe she would be treated very well. Even if she went back and encountered any difficulties, she would look forward to every moment of the rest of her life. As long as she knows that she will not become the most hated person in the future, courage will become a reality.

"I am Horikita Suzune from Class 1-A, and starting today, I will be serving as the new Student Council President of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School."

Unlike the previous Student Council who delivered a long and eloquent inaugural speech, Horikita Suzune paused briefly after this simple self-introduction before raising her head again to address all the students:

"My goals during my term are simple."

"I don't want to achieve any Classroom of the Elite Studio, nor do I want to promote any more consumerism. I only hope to restore ANHS to its original form as a high school, making it a platform that is more suitable for all students."

"Everyone has the right to choose how to spend their high school years, because these are days full of countless possibilities. But I still sincerely hope that when graduation day comes, we won't have any regrets."

"Above."

Chapter 504: The School Year Exams Are Coming (4k5)

With Horikita Suzune officially assuming the position of the new Student Council at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, Kitagawa Ryo, who had temporarily filled in as acting Student Council, has finally ended his term.

After casually packing up and taking away some of his personal belongings that he usually kept in the Student Council's office, Kitagawa Ryo returned to his loyal Drama Club.

It must be said that although the Drama Club did suspend activities for about a month, this activity room was not wasted at all. It was used by Karuizawa Kei and Shiina Hiyori, and by him and Horikita Suzune, as a discussion Matoba. It can be said that it made a great contribution.

The Student Council matters are temporarily settled. After this election, second-year student Kiriyama Ikuto was expelled, and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka replaced Horikita Suzune to fill the vacant vice president position. This situation should not change much in the less than a month before the end of the school year, and should be maintained until the new students enroll and clubs recruit new members next month.

For Kitagawa Ryo himself, the end of a busy month of work has freed up a lot of space in his schedule. He no longer has to rush to the Student Council after school and work day and night, even though he did most of the work himself.

"And then... the next thing is Hui's birthday, March 8th, it'll be there in a couple of days."

Because it was something I had specifically told him about a long time ago, Kitagawa Ryo remembered it very clearly. Speaking of which, after he transferred classes, he was either taking Mixed Training Camp Special Exam or working hard in the Student Council. He didn't expect that March would arrive in the blink of an eye.

However, it seems that the Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School does not intend to let Kitagawa Ryo have such an easy time with this date. On the 7th, just before the 8th, Hoshinomiya Chie finally informed Class 1-B of the last Special Exam of the semester, which is also the end of the school year.

"Although it's only been a little over a month since the last Special Exam, the third semester always seems so short. We also need to make time for the Graduation Ceremony and closing ceremony for the third-year students, so we're afraid we'll have to trouble everyone."

Hoshinomiya Chie began her speech in her usual relaxed tone, but the students of Class 1-B dared not be complacent. After all, they were only a few dozen points behind Class A in terms of Class Points. If they could perform well in this Special Exam, they would have a good chance to overtake them and return to Class A.

"In the words of the document, this Special Exam, summarizing the entire academic year, will require you to demonstrate the combined results of your learning so far, such as intelligence, physical ability, teamwork, or luck—in short, it requires you to unleash your full potential and is Special Exam in which everyone needs to contribute to win."

"This Special Exam is Selection Exam that assesses the comprehensive abilities of each class. It will be conducted in a two-on-two format within the grade, but the specific opponents will be determined by drawing lots later."

"As for the content of the exam, simply put, it's an exam whose content you students decide for yourselves."

As she spoke, Hoshinomiya Chie casually pointed to the names given by several students in her class:

"For example, Shibata is very good at soccer, so he can apply to apply for a soccer program. Ichinose is academically gifted, so he can apply for a written Written Exam similar to a Midterm Exam... In short, what you need to do at the beginning is to discuss and come up with ten programs to apply to the school."

"Just like the Special Exam you experienced on the Uninhabited Island last year, whether it's academic ability, physical education, or pure luck, you can apply for any project that allows you to compete with others and can be conducted on campus."

"Of course, the school will also conduct a fair review of the projects you submit. Non-mainstream competitions or games that cannot be carried out on campus or whose rules are unknown to most people will not be approved. Please be sure to consider this."

"Also, as I just said, the project definitely needs to determine a winner. If the original rules contain any provisions related to draws, please specifically indicate and modify them; otherwise, the school will not adopt them."

"What I've mentioned above are the tasks that everyone needs to complete within this week, and this is the first phase of this Special Exam."

As she spoke, Hoshinomiya Chie brought up the corresponding time on the whiteboard:

March 7th – the day the Special Exam was announced, and the match-up classes were decided after school that day.

March 14th – Each class determines and submits ten items and the rules of winning to the school. Classes competing against each other can view the items submitted by the other class.

March 21st – Each class will select the final five items from the ten submitted items. The school will then randomly select seven items from the ten items selected by the two competing classes. The Selection Exam will officially begin and is expected to take one day.

"By the way, although it's a best-of-seven format, even if a winner is decided halfway through the seven events and the first player reaches four points, the two players will still compete in the last event. This is related to the rewards and penalties for this Special Exam."

"In this Special Exam, for each victory, fifty points will be taken from the opposing class's Class Points; conversely, those who lose will have their points taken. The winning class will also receive an additional two hundred points as a reward from the school."

"Many details and restrictions regarding the project have been sent to the group files. Everyone can check them after this class meeting."

Seemingly finding the long list of rules a bit tedious, Hoshinomiya Chie clapped her hands and smiled:

"After the exams on the 21st, everyone will officially begin spring break. There will be a Student Council celebration on the 22nd, Graduation Ceremony hosted by the school on the 23rd, and a closing ceremony on the 24th. These are all worthwhile and memorable events, so everyone can look forward to them and use them as motivation."

After briefly enlivening the class atmosphere, Hoshinomiya Chie then revealed the most important part of this Special Exam:

"However, unlike previous Special Exam, this Special Exam introduces a new mechanism called the Commander. The Commander does not directly participate in any of the competitions, but it has the authority to assign and direct students to participate in each event on the day of the exam, and it has the right to intervene in each event. As for how to intervene, you also need to write it in the rules of the event."

"For example, if Shibata chooses a penalty shootout as a competition event, he can fill in a rule like 'can personally kick a ball' in the Commander's Interference section. Of course, the interference can't be too great, and this also needs to be approved by the school. So, something like letting the Commander warm up and kick five balls in a row would definitely be rejected."

"Unlike other students, the Commander will face a separate reward and punishment mechanism in this Special Exam. For each game won, the Commander will receive one million Private Points from the school. There is no penalty for losing a game, but if the Commander loses in a best-of-seven series, the Commander will be subject to expulsion."

If it only goes this far, Kitagawa Ryo wouldn't think much of it. Both the submitted projects and the design of the Commander were variations he had experienced during Karuizawa Kei's second simulation of the Sports Festival.

But Hoshinomiya Chie's speech wasn't over yet; she casually added the last rule:

"However, dropping out isn't an absolute matter. After a major defeat, the students in the losing class who participated and won a minor round can hold a vote to decide whether the Commander should be held responsible for the loss. And if more than half of the students believe the Commander is not responsible..."

"Then, the punishment of expulsion will fall on the students who participated and caused the game to fail, but the number of students expelled will be increased from one to two. One of them will be chosen by the losers themselves, and the other will be randomly selected by the school."

After explaining the basic rules of this Special Exam in one go, Hoshinomiya Chie lazily slumped onto the podium.

"Everyone must Chosen One the Commander today, because after school, the Commander will represent the class to draw lots in the multimedia classroom, which will determine which class you will face in the Final Exam."

"Alright, if there's anything you don't understand, you can check the details in the group file, or you can come directly to my office to ask me. That's all for today's class meeting. I hope everyone achieves good results."

After offering her blessing, Hoshinomiya Chie left the classroom in her high heels, leaving the students with the space and time for discussion.

"I'll be the Commander of this Special Exam."