After Mashima Tomoya left, the room fell into a brief silence.
Some people were trying to digest the exam rules; some sat uneasily in their seats; others seemed completely unconcerned about the exam, pulling makeup out of their bags and touching up their faces...
Uesugi Hara leaned back in his chair, rapidly analyzing the possible outcomes:
1. The VIP's identity remained completely secret
- This would most likely lead to Outcome Two (someone answered incorrectly or failed to answer during the final phase, and the VIP alone received 500,000 Points)
- Or Outcome Four (someone answered incorrectly early, their class lost 50 Points, and the VIP's class gained 50 Points)
- It was also possible that someone would guess correctly, resulting in Outcome Three (someone answered correctly early, their class gained 50 Points, and the VIP's class lost 50 Points)
2. Everyone knew the VIP's identity
- In theory, Outcome One was possible (everyone answered correctly and received a huge reward)
- Outcome Two could also happen, but in practice it was nearly impossible, because no one would want to let another class earn Points
3. Only a few people knew the VIP's identity
- This was most likely to trigger Outcome Three
Of course, it was too early to think about all that. The VIPs hadn't even been selected yet.
But since this exam was meant to test their ability to think, he needed to start by looking for anything suspicious.
For example, why had the school named the groups after the twelve zodiac animals?
There had to be some deeper meaning, but there wasn't enough information to figure out what it was yet.
There was still over half an hour before they could leave. Even though the exam wouldn't officially begin until tomorrow, the students from all four