This Is a Romantic Comedy, Not a Drama!

Three of their academic-related projects are almost identical to those in their Class 1-A, and the [dodgeball] project happens to be the same as their [Group Dodgeball] project. If nothing unexpected happens, they will likely be classified as similar projects.

In fact, if you only look at the five topics that were finally determined, you wouldn't even know that this was a board selected by Class 1-D.

It's more accurate to say that the projects established by Class 1-A are more like those of Class D. After all, at least they have [Judo], which is related to fighting. Class D doesn't have any of those, which is completely out of character for them.

However, this backfired, as Katsuragi Kohei had already considered these factors and specifically used Katsuragi Kohei Kito Hayato as a trump card to deal with the fighting techniques of Class D, leaving him with a frustrating feeling of punching cotton.

People always like to follow the rules and let things develop according to their expected trajectory, because this way they can do each step without any psychological pressure.

If any step goes into unexpected chaos, or if the path spirals out of control, then thinking will be disrupted, and actions will be flawed as a result.

Ryuen Kakeru continued to observe Katsuragi Kohei in front of him.

It has to be said that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's temporary departure was definitely great news for him and for Class 1-D.

Because Katsuragi Kohei happens to be the type of person who is least adept at dealing with these kinds of unexpected events.

If that's the case.

Their Class 1-D of winning in this Special Exam could probably be improved even further.

"Therefore, the third event for Class 1-A and Class 1-B in this Special Exam has been determined to be [Mixed Gender Three-Legged Relay]."

The third draw finally resulted in the project submitted by Class 1-B. Horikita Suzune pursed her lips nervously upon hearing this, as this was the real challenge for Class 1-A.

If Class A can defeat Class B in this test, then with a 3-0 lead, they can be said to have secured victory in this Special Exam, making it a match point.

After selecting the boys and girls from the remaining students who had cooperated well during this period, Horikita Suzune lost all interest in continuing her conversation with Kitagawa Ryo and immediately turned her attention to the large screen where the live broadcast was taking place.

The event was to be held on the playground. Soon after, the students from Class 1-A and Class B, who had been selected by the Commander to participate, were led by school staff to the track and began to pair up and tie their harnesses.

The basic rules are the same as the Three-Legged Race, but the competition format has been changed to a relay. A total of eight teams with sixteen participants need to take turns to complete a fifty-meter course, and the team with the shortest time wins.

With the referee's whistle, the first teams from both classes surged off the starting line and began running towards the second runner's position, cooperating with each other.

"Class A is gelling better than I expected."

After observing for a while, Kitagawa Ryo also gave such sincere praise.

"It seems Suzune put a lot of thought into it."

"I just hope to see a better class when Liang comes back."

I hope so, and I wish you success.

Without explicitly affirming or denying Horikita Suzune's words, Kitagawa Ryo continued to follow her gaze onto the screen.

Since the basketball event hadn't been drawn yet, Horikita Suzune kept Ken Sudō on the team and didn't use him. However, the first runner from Class 1-A still got off to a good start, but the following teams were noticeably less coordinated. The real failure came from the two-person team that ran the third-to-last leg.

That was Yukimura Teruhiko and Shinohara Satsuki's team.

Since the final projects decided for Class 1-A and Class B of the first year did not involve academic skills that Yukimura Teruhiko excelled in, Horikita Suzune was not retained. After all, there were only so many students in Class 1-A. If Ken Sudō, Miyake Akito, and Yamada Albert wanted to stay, then Yukimura Teruhiko would have to fill the gap.

However, it is obvious to the naked eye that his coordination with Shinohara Satsuki is quite poor.

This is actually quite natural. Although Horikita Suzune has been working hard to promote communication and collaboration between the boys and girls in the class, many students are still quite resistant. They just don't want to openly oppose it, so they end up only practicing with members of the opposite sex who they find somewhat pleasing to the eye and whose personalities are reasonably compatible. At least that way, they won't feel so uncomfortable.

However, it is clear that Yukimura Teruhiko and Shinohara Satsuki are not compatible. The former is a model student who hardly interacts with girls, while the latter is like Maezono Chiyo, who has already been expelled, and is keen to be the leader in girls' groups. The two are naturally completely incompatible.

Once they officially entered the competition, the two indeed produced a disastrous chemistry, perfectly matching Kitagawa Ryo's stereotypical image of them.

Until the last runner from Class 1-B had already crossed the finish line, Class 1-A was still stuck in their group, unable to make any further progress.

Although Horikita Suzune and Kitagawa Ryo, who were in the multimedia classroom, couldn't hear the specific sounds happening on the scene, they could clearly sense that the two had escalated to arguing by the latter half. Some of the other students from Class A came up to mediate, while others stood aside with their arms crossed, shaking their heads and sighing. The scene was quite chaotic.

However, that's all the footage the two Commander could see. After Class 1-B crossed the finish line and declared victory, Sakagami Kazuma seamlessly moved on to the next round of the draw.

"So, the fourth round of this Special Exam will focus on [football]."

Following their two consecutive victories in the opening rounds for Class 1-A, they have now drawn two projects from Class 1-B for the second consecutive round.

Horikita Suzune hesitated as she stared at the character selection screen on her computer.

She currently has three boys in her hand: Yamada Albert, Ken Sudō, and Miyake Akito. Considering that the probability of drawing all three sports (basketball, Kyudo, and Judo) in the next round is almost zero, she might consider letting one of them go in this round to try her luck.

After all, both Ken Sudō and Miyake Akito had told her that they had been practicing soccer specifically during this period, so it couldn't be said that sending them out would necessarily result in giving away points; there was a possibility of winning.

However, Horikita Suzune didn't have much time to make a decision. The selection screen only allocated about thirty seconds to each person on average. After thinking it over several times, Horikita Suzune decided to wait and see and voluntarily released one of the girls in her class as a 'lower-class horse'.

Ultimately, even if they lose this round to Class 1-B, the overall score will only be a tie at 2-2. Before they can confirm which events from Class 1-A they will draw in the next three rounds, Horikita Suzune doesn't want to hastily use up her three most likely ace players.

Facing a complete rookie who could barely even dribble the ball, Shibata Sō, representing Class 1-B, easily secured the point for his class.

And so, the Special Exam came to the crucial fifth round of the draw.

This time, luck smiled on Class 1-A again, and the sport they were chosen for was basketball, which they had applied for.

[Basketball]: Requires five players, time limit is twenty minutes (two ten-minute quarters).

Rules: Follow the same rules as standard basketball.

Commander: Can substitute one player at any time.

Without a doubt, this is Ken Sudō's home turf.

As someone who became the new male leader of Class 1-A after Kitagawa Ryo transferred away, it's hard to imagine that this red-haired boy, who once seemed to have a more similar temperament to the original Class C, has undergone such a dramatic change after only one year of schooling. It's as if he's a character who has traveled from the set of a violent high school to the scene of a youthful and passionate sports anime.

Diligence, hard work, and ambition—while balancing club activities with academic and character development—are the reasons why Ken Sudō, despite initially making a bad impression on his classmates, is still recognized today.

That's why, even though it was a five-on-five basketball game, everyone's attention was inevitably focused on him alone.

Frankly speaking, without Ken Sudō, the remaining members of Class 1-A would be about the same level as Class B, or even slightly worse. But this also highlights how much of a role and influence a recognized core player can have on the field.

If Kitagawa Ryo is correct, Class 1-A's strategy for this project should only consist of one sentence:

Pass that damn ball to Sudo.

Of course, that's enough.

Even if Kitagawa Ryo were in Suzune's position on the other side, he would probably give similar instructions.

Finally, with the last seconds ticking away, Ken Sudō slammed another powerful dunk onto the rim. The sound of the basketball and sweat dripping onto the ground accompanied the victory of Class 1-A after two games, bringing the overall score of this Special Exam to 3-2.

If they lose another round, it will mean that Class 1-B will lose to Class A in this End-of-Year Special Exam.

But just like in a turn-based game, the sixth draw jumped back to the Class 1-B project. Although statistically speaking, the chances of drawing a Class B project are indeed higher, by a full one-fifth.

The chosen task this time was Back-to-Back Dribbling, another challenge that tested teamwork and coordination, causing Horikita Suzune to unconsciously furrow her brow.

After all, if she really had to choose, the one she wanted most out of the three remaining items in Class B was undoubtedly the Drama Trivia Quiz, since Class 1-A also had two members from the Drama Club Amasawa Ichika and Sakura Airi.

Although the latter has already performed once in the Singing competition, the number of students needed for Class 1-B's Back-to-Back Dribbling has exceeded the number of students from Class A who haven't yet performed, thus fulfilling the condition that everyone must perform at least once. Therefore, according to the rules of this Special Exam, the students of Class A are eligible to perform a second time.

However, the only consolation for Class 1-A is that Class B did not continue to add the mixed-gender restriction to this project. Therefore, Horikita Suzune quickly formed teams of boys and girls, and Sakayanagi Arisu, who had not appeared before, also teamed up with Matsushita Chiaki for this project.

On Class B's side, it's Ichinose Honami and Karuizawa Kei who will be making their appearance.

To be honest, when I saw these two dribbling back-to-back, I Kitagawa Ryo wanted to take out my phone and take a picture. Commander, my phone had been confiscated before we entered the multimedia classroom, so I had to miss this rare sight.

However, perhaps because of the previous loss in the three-legged race, the atmosphere in Class 1-A seemed noticeably oppressive. The boys and girls were spaced quite far apart, and they didn't even look like classmates anymore.

Even within the male and female groups themselves, there seem to be some disagreements. After all, different people naturally have different opinions after something happens, and these different opinions will give rise to opposing camps. Radicals and conservatives can never stand together.

"... call."

Horikita Suzune could only manage a wry smile, seemingly having lost all confidence in Class A's chances in this match.

She could already sense it.

If Class 1-A can win the final event, all these unpleasant things can be laughed off and forgotten. But if they can't, it will become the explosive opportunity that Amasawa Ichika mentioned, because it will also mean that Class A will lose its position as Class A and be relegated to Class B, or even Class C, if Class C wins by a large margin.

The final topic...

Whether it's Yamada Albert's Judo or Sakayanagi Arisu's Chess, Horikita Suzune has complete confidence in them.

Therefore, with a 50% chance, you absolutely, positively must draw it.

Even with no interest in watching the screen, for the rest of the match, Horikita Suzune's mind was filled with the same thoughts, praying that luck would turn in favor of Class A.

So, Sakagami's words, "The score is now three to three, the final set will decide the winner," only echoed in her ears briefly before all her attention was focused on Horikita Suzune on the big screen, who immediately caught the results of the final round's draw:

Chess.

An outcome as if it were Fate.

After the three-on-three tie, the winner will be decided by the project submitted by Class 1-A themselves.

From any perspective, this is the best news.

Horikita Suzune immediately selected Sakayanagi Arisu as her contestant.

When it came to the second candidate, she hesitated for a moment, then suddenly remembered what Amasawa Ichika, with whom she had grown closer during the Student Council election and could now be considered a close friend, had said to her yesterday:

"Actually, their Chess skills are also very good. If they really draw a Chess event, it would be safer to choose me as the second person."

Perhaps it was because of the word 'insurance' in that sentence, or perhaps it was the urgent desire to win this final showdown that would determine the outcome of the entire Special Exam.

Therefore, after only a slight hesitation, Horikita Suzune moved the mouse cursor over.

The second participant from Class 1-A of Grade 1 in this Chess competition:

Amasawa Ichika.

This is now confirmed.

Chapter 515: This is the set of a romantic comedy!

Human joys and sorrows are never the same, and it is never easy to truly understand and comprehend a person. Precisely because of this, most people do not realize that a careless action of theirs may unknowingly destroy another person's entire hope and leave Unforgettable mark on that person for many years.

In fact, when the timeline is stretched too far, the object of that passionate feeling from back then changes from a specific person to a more abstract concept—a symbol, a mood, a stubbornness...

But one thing is certain: it will not disappear.

Or rather, when you think you've let go, it only takes a little bit of chance for it to Resurrection and remind you that it still exists.

However, it is clear that Sakayanagi Arisu is unaware of these things.

After all, as mentioned above, such unconscious destruction is always undetectable to the person who committed it. Moreover, since then Amasawa Ichika has never made Ichinose Honami, who has no memory of that period, clearly sense anything amiss, unlike Karuizawa Kei did.

So, until the two of them entered the classroom used for the Chess competition, Sakayanagi Arisu's mental rival was still Kitagawa Ryo, the Commander of Class 1-B, against whom she had lost far too many times.

If you want to win, it's best to establish a huge advantage or even a winning position in the first thirty minutes, when the opponent can't interfere.

The participants from Class 1-B are Kanzaki Ryuji and Himeno Yuki. This was decided long ago. In fact, Class 1-A had also gathered similar information during the preparation phase. They had heard rumors that Kanzaki and Himeno might be practicing Chess recently.

However, Sakayanagi Arisu didn't think that this short-term intensive training would be enough to transform the two of them. After all, her expertise in this area had already surpassed the amateur level of high school students and was undoubtedly at a professional level or above.

"I'll leave Class A entirely to Arisu's care; I won't interfere."

As she was pondering this, Sakayanagi Arisu heard Amasawa Ichika speak beside her, and naturally nodded in agreement.

"No problem."

But the next second, her pupils shrank in surprise, because right after she said that, Amasawa Ichika, who had been sitting next to her, stood up again, and Kanzaki Ryuji and Himeno Yuki, who were sitting opposite her, also made way for Amasawa Ichika.

Sakagami Kazuma and Chabashira Sae, the proctors, were also surprised to see this scene in the last item that would determine the outcome of this Special Exam. Although their first reaction was to wonder if this counted as cheating, after reviewing the rules for this item, they couldn't find any specific violation.

Although the rules for this project are the same as those for regular Chess, there are no teammates in regular Chess, and no situation where a teammate would suddenly betray the opponent. Is this some kind of scenario where an old man in a park plays chess and then says, "If you're so good, why don't you try it yourself?"

"Suzune did choose Ichika after all. But that's for the best, it saves her from ending up in an awkward, in-between situation."

"Did Ryo already know about this? Or was it all planned in advance with Ichika...?"

"It could be considered collusion, but it wasn't for this Special Exam. Suzune, you should calm down first. It just so happens that we're in the Special Exam, and this particular project just happened to be drawn as the seventh one to decide the outcome."

Kitagawa Ryo first calmed down Horikita Suzune, who seemed unusually agitated. However, he could understand her feelings. Although she didn't have the same almost obsessive competitive spirit as Arisu, she had reached a point where she could win, so naturally she wanted to win.

After all, Class 1-A- A also needs this victory.

Victory can always cover up many things.

To be honest, Kitagawa Ryo Horikita Suzune in a single sentence right now. If it were Ichinose Honami or Karuizawa Kei, they could just throw out a simple "Something similar to what happened between you and Karuizawa Kei / Shiina Hiyori" and that would be it—simple and easy to understand.

However, Horikita Suzune doesn't fit this category at all. Although Sakayanagi Arisu also appears in her simulation as the chapter's heroine, thanks to Kitagawa Ryo's accurate grasp of her personality and her one-life clear, there's nothing worth mentioning between the two except for that initial inexplicable jealousy.

Although in retrospect, creating a bad ending in that simulation was quite simple, who would be so bored as to do something that leaves a psychological scar? Ultimately, his simulation was meant to correct the other person's personality flaws, not to add a new one after correcting them.

"I'll explain it to you in detail later, Suzune, but for now, let's watch this match first. After all, Class A didn't lose, did they?"

Nodding his chin in the direction of Chabashira Sae and Sakagami Kazuma, Kitagawa Ryo naturally postponed the explanation until after the event, and then beckoned Horikita Suzune to refocus her attention on the live broadcast on the big screen.

The Chess match between Sakayanagi Arisu and Amasawa Ichika is about to begin.

"... Did Ryo tell you to do this?"