Within the limits of the rules, she could secretly offer hints, but she couldn't state things outright.
Horikita Manabu and the homeroom teachers of each class had all given reminders in their own ways.
That was only natural. This was an exam to test the new students' understanding, and if they could simply be told the answers, their homeroom teachers would have explained everything from the start.
There wasn't a homeroom teacher who didn't want their students to do well.
They were only forbidden from spelling things out by the rules. Doing so would cost them points, so they could only offer simple hints.
But those hints were useless if nobody paid attention to them.
For example, ever since elementary and middle school, teachers had repeatedly stressed that students mustn't be late or leave early. They were still stressing it now.
They could say, "You absolutely mustn't be late or leave early, or you'll be in trouble next month."
Obviously, Class D had no sense of urgency and didn't take it seriously.
"I think you're pretty short on money too, senpai. How about I give you another twenty thousand points?" Yagami Shizuka suggested.
"That's not enough, kouhai. Sharing information with you comes with risks and costs. I'd need at least a million points to make up for my losses," Kiryuin said solemnly.
In fact, as long as the school didn't find out, the rules didn't have to apply.
For instance, they could make the deal somewhere without surveillance cameras.
As long as nobody knew, it didn't count as breaking the rules.
It was just like fighting: if nobody found out, it didn't count as breaking school regulations.
"Senpai knows I can't pay that many points. You're really making things difficult for me."
"Kouhai, don't think of it that way. Look at it like this: once you get the information, you can protect your Class Points, right? Next month, you'll be able to earn well over two million personal points. Talk it over with your classmates and pool your money. You'll have enough."
If she hadn't been short on points this month, she would've shared a bit of information without a second thought. She wouldn't have tried to trade it.
But now that she had the chance to make a killing, how could she let it pass?
[Getting extorted by an upperclassman, huh? Don't worry, I'll help you. You've received the following hints.]
[1. Accept Kiryuin's offer and return to your class at once to gather everyone. With Sakayanagi Arisu and Katsuragi Kohei's help, raising a million points won't be difficult.
But that depends on whether they're willing to help.]
[2. Challenge Kiryuin to a contest. She'll decide the contest and its rules. Given her pride, Kiryuin will definitely let you choose the event. You can pick "tag"—it's a simple and quick option.
How can you back down at a time like this? Show her what you can do.]
After seeing the hints, Yagami Shizuka chose option two without hesitation.
"Senpai, how about this? Let's have a contest. If I win, you give me the information I want. If I lose, I'll go back and raise the points right away."
"Hm?" Kiryuin Fuka blinked her big eyes and gave Yagami a once-over. "You want to challenge me? Are you serious, kouhai?"
"Of course. Senpai, please choose the contest."
"Oh, my! The first person to challenge me is you, a first-year who just got here." Kiryuin Fuka was in a good mood. She found the kouhai before her quite amusing.
"How about this? In recognition of your courage, you only need to pay me five hundred thousand points. But if you still want to compete, that's fine too. You're going to lose anyway." Kiryuin had her pride, too.
After all, she was the only person in the whole school with A+ in both academics and physical ability.
She was a true superhuman at this school.
But like Koenji, she had no interest in contributing to her class. She only wanted to get involved when there were points to be made.
Just how strong was Koenji?
In the original story, during his second year, he had faced a coalition of several classes, interference from the Student Council, and pressure from the entire third year—and still came first in the deserted-island survival exam.
They each had a nickname. Koenji was called Beautiful Brother, and she was called Beautiful Sister.
"Senpai, are you looking down on me?" Yagami Shizuka's eyes flashed sharply.
Under normal circumstances, he really couldn't win. But with the hints, things might be different.
"Hehehe! Fine! Then you can choose the contest, kouhai. I'd like to see what you're best at." Kiryuin Fuka still didn't take Yagami's words seriously.
Although she rarely contributed to her class, she had never thought she'd met her match.
Some geniuses were simply born that way.
Even if she'd never tried something before, once she understood the rules, she could learn it immediately and beat her teacher.
"Let's do something simple. Back in my hometown, there's a game called 'tag,' also known as 'electric shock.' Whoever touches the other person first wins.
If we touch each other at the same time, or our hands touch each other, it's a draw. We step apart and start again."
Kiryuin Fuka rested her chin in her hand and thought it over. The game sounded pretty interesting. It tested a person's reflexes and ability to adapt.
It also took courage.
When you attacked, you could easily be hit by your opponent. If you were too timid to move in and afraid of losing, you could only run away—and running away meant you'd lose.
The game wasn't very kind to girls, since girls were less brave than boys.
But Kiryuin wasn't an ordinary girl, and she didn't think of herself as one.
She wondered whether Yagami was so confident because he'd lumped her together with ordinary girls. If so, her kouhai was in for a disappointment.
She was confident she could match anyone in intelligence or strength. A game that tested both was nothing to her.
"Good! Let's start!" Kiryuin Fuka was eager to find out what this kouhai could do.
"Aren't you going to put down what you're holding first, senpai?" Yagami Shizuka took two steps back, unsure whether he should make any other preparations.
"No need. This is fine. I won't bully you just because you're younger. I'll even give you one hand." Kiryuin Fuka raised her right hand.
The game only tested the right hand anyway. The left hand was useless, since it was nowhere near as nimble as the right, and it took much longer to react.
But Kiryuin not putting down what she was holding also meant she couldn't move very fast. Otherwise, the fruit in her bag might fall to the ground. That was the real obstacle.
[You don't need to put down what you're holding. Just do as I say.]
[Take two steps forward, accelerate into a sprint, drop into a crouch, roll quickly within one second, and slap backward with your hand.]
Yagami Shizuka didn't think for long. He followed the hints at once.
As he rushed up to Kiryuin, she quickly reached out to touch his head, her body bending with astonishing flexibility.
Their initial exchange was only a test. Neither of them could land a hit.
[Crouch and roll.]
Seeing the hint, Yagami Shizuka crouched quickly, then rolled as instructed.
After he crouched, Kiryuin lost sight of him for a moment.
That brief instant was enough to decide the winner.
Before you continue