Ban Ryu Defeated Head-On

"I never imagined this special exam would reach this point."

Leaning on her cane as she stepped onto the stage, Sakayanagi looked at Ayanokoji across the card table with a wicked grin.

Ayanokoji, however, offered no response to her attempt at conversation.

"The order of play for this duel will be decided by a coin toss. The winner of the guess chooses whether to go first or second."

The referee brought two fresh decks onto the stage, verified them, and handed them to Sakayanagi and Ayanokoji.

"Remaining silent during this phase isn't a very good habit. I choose heads."

I could hear the true meaning behind Sakayanagi's words—I intend to crush you head-on.

"I choose tails."

Without uttering a single extra word, Ayanokoji would later explain to his classmates in Class D that this was a tactic Horikita had instructed him to use.

"The coin toss result is heads. Sakayanagi Arisu of Class A will choose the order of play."

"I choose to go first."

There was no room for flashy tricks in a one-on-one duel; in many cases, the outcome was decided within the first three turns.

"Ayanokoji-kun, do you think the card played in this first round is important or not?"

Sakayanagi placed her hand on a black card but did not press down, using her words to pressure Ayanokoji while trying to glean something from his expression.

"No response? It seems my attacks aren't working, then?"

Seeing the boy before her offer no reaction, his expression remaining coldly impeccable, Sakayanagi sighed.

"The card I'm playing is an 8. Your turn."

Sakayanagi had chosen a 6, and now it was Ayanokoji's turn to play.

In a one-on-one game, playing a 1 right out of the gate to "throw away" points was a very costly choice.

It was like a game of Landmine Chess; if you sacrificed your small pieces early just to save the big ones for the end, you were only gambling on the slim chance of a desperate bluff—like a lone bomb happening to collide with a major piece.

Attacking with a major piece right away risked being taken out by a commander or a bomb, which would reveal your bomb's position and leave you neutralized.

In the end, one always had to return to standard formations, honestly gathering information before clashing.

In this exam, the situation was even more extreme.

Since there were only nine cards in hand, reaching 5 points guaranteed a win, 4 points didn't necessarily mean a loss, and even 3 points could offer a chance. Therefore, the first move was a test of courage and decisiveness.

One had to try to guess the opponent's bottom line, using the smallest possible value to consume an even smaller card from the opponent. This not only maximized information gathering but also helped establish an early advantage.

After a moment of thought, Ayanokoji played a safe card—a 5. He hadn't been sent up here with the intention of winning; if he won this time, he wouldn't be able to escape similar situations in the future. This was something he had learned during this period.

"Results announced: Sakayanagi Arisu wins. The score between Class A and Class D is 1:0. Class A leads. Sakayanagi Arisu will play first in the next round."

"It seems Ayanokoji-kun's card wasn't a 9. Do you need me to give you more time to think this round?"

There was no time limit for the match, so theoretically, one could delay playing a card indefinitely.

"What a pity. If Ayanokoji had played a 9, you would be the one leading right now. To be unwilling to trade a 9 for an 8—Ayanokoji-kun, your appetite is truly large."

Sakayanagi extended a finger, pointing at a white card in the slot in front of Ayanokoji.

It didn't matter whether the white card Sakayanagi pointed to was a 9 or not; psychological warfare should never affect oneself.

Ayanokoji maintained his deadpan expression, though he was constantly grumbling internally. He had envisioned that if he simply went up there and pushed through the exam process without a word, he could end the match quickly. But his opponent wasn't buying it. The more silent he remained, the more intense her attacks became, even if they had no effect on him whatsoever.

"Ayanokoji-kun, do you think the card you played in the first round was more important, or is the card you are about to play this round more important? My card is an 8. The deck I have is different from yours; I still have another 8. Your turn."

Sakayanagi chose another black card for the second round and declared it to be an 8 again.

Ayanokoji still offered no response to Sakayanagi, choosing a black 6 to counter.

"Results announced: Ayanokoji Kiyotaka wins. The score between Class A and Class D is 1:1. The match is tied. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka will play first in the next round."

"A very nice counterattack. Ayanokoji-kun's choice was correct. If only Ayanokoji-kun weren't a mute."

Sakayanagi had now roughly guessed what Ayanokoji was trying to do, so she changed her strategy for the third round, choosing a 3.

Ayanokoji chose a 2 without the slightest hesitation.

"Results announced: Sakayanagi Arisu wins. The score between Class A and Class D is 2:1. Class A leads. Sakayanagi Arisu will play first in the next round."

"How about that, Ayanokoji-kun? Did the card I played in the previous round reveal your plan?"

Sakayanagi was certain now: Ayanokoji had seen through her card sequence in just one round.

Furthermore, in order to intentionally lose to her, he had chosen to play the very card she had played in the previous round for the subsequent turns.

The 3 beating the 2 in the third round was proof of that logic.

"Results announced: Sakayanagi Arisu wins. The score between Class A and Class D is 4:2. Class A leads. Sakayanagi Arisu will play first in the next round."

After the sixth round concluded, the six cards from 1 to 6 had all been exhausted. Both sides were left with only the 7, 8, and 9.

"Trying to win by using this method is truly a bit insulting."

Ayanokoji was now in an invincible position. Sakayanagi had lost to Ayanokoji the moment the second round began.

Sakayanagi won the match; no matter what move Sakayanagi made in the remaining three rounds, her minimum score would be 4, while Ayanokouji's maximum would only be 3.

However, in this clash between the two, Ayanokouji lost the first round but won the moment the second round began, whereas Sakayanagi only realized the situation after the second round ended and the third round had already started.

If Sakayanagi had played a 5 in the second round to break the cycle, there would have been a chance to continue the fight, but unfortunately, Sakayanagi was one step too slow, allowing Ayanokouji to both demonstrate his strength to her and achieve his goal of not winning.

"Announcing the results: both sides have tied, the score between Class A and Class D is 4:2, Class A leads, and this match is now concluded.

First-year Class A has ultimately secured first place in this special exam, receiving a reward of 50 class points and 1,000,000 private points.

First-year Class D has secured second place in this special exam, receiving a reward of 500,000 private points.

First-year Class C has secured third place in this special exam.

First-year Class B has secured fourth place in this special exam and will be penalized with a deduction of 50 class points."

After the match ended, Sakayanagi did not feel any joy.

Competing against an opponent who acted like a machine was devoid of any fun; it was far less interesting than teasing Kamuro.