"Although I've just talked a lot about the benefits of forming teams, the real advantage is actually here." Hoshinomiya Chie continued operating the electronic blackboard.
A green box suddenly appeared on the screen, with Shiraishi Makoto's name prominently displayed inside it.
"Let's assume Little Makoto chose to face this exam alone, but then encountered a special situation that prevented him from continuing. He would be forced to lose his eligibility to participate in the exam and receive the corresponding penalty."
With a light swipe from Hoshinomiya Chie, a line appeared across Shiraishi Makoto's name on the blackboard. The green box turned red as well, indicating that he had been eliminated from this exam.
"But what if Little Makoto formed a team with Little Ryuji and Little Sō?"
Hoshinomiya Chie adjusted the settings, and the three names appeared on the blackboard. She eliminated Shiraishi Makoto again, but because Kanzaki Ryuji and Shibata Sō were still persisting with the exam, the team's status remained green and healthy.
"Although Little Makoto was forced to end the exam, his partners are still on the island completing their tasks. If this team or larger group takes first place, then even if he does not participate at all during the latter half of the exam, he can still receive the full reward for first place."
Anything could happen during two weeks on an Uninhabited Island with unknown conditions. A larger team had greater room for error, and from the current perspective, teaming up held an overwhelming advantage over acting alone.
Even when it came to finding food, larger teams were more likely to pass complicated, ever-changing exam questions and could obtain food more efficiently from the challenges designed by the school.
Everyone realized this. Unless there were special circumstances, forming the largest possible team was still