Becoming the Mastermind from Assassination Classroom

On the screen, a news interview was being broadcast.

In the footage, a deformed creature with a human body but the face of an ape was sitting in a studio, talking eloquently while wearing a suit.

Koenji raised an eyebrow: "Since when can apes go online and give interviews?"

Sudo Ken ignored his teasing, instead frowning as he turned up the volume on his phone so that more people could hear.

On the screen, the Ape-Man named Charlie faced the reporter's camera and spoke in an incredibly calm tone:

"I don't understand..."

"Why is it that only humans cannot be killed and eaten for meat?"

"Since humans can eat animals, why, as fellow animals, can we not eat humans?"

"What the hell!"

Nearby, Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji looked as if they had swallowed something bitter:

"Where did you find this garbage?"

"This thing is so cursed that two bags of sticky rice couldn't suppress it, yet it's actually on the news? Have the media outlets gone insane?"

Sudo Ken turned off the video, but his eyes were unexpectedly devoid of fear, replaced instead by a fierce determination:

"It was pushed to my homepage; it seems he's the spiritual leader of some extremist organization."

He clenched his fists and looked toward Ichinose at the front:

"I was just thinking... if the Advance Test involves facing things like this."

"Then I should probably participate."

"I can't let a beast that wants to eat humans climb onto my head and take a dump!"

Koenji Rokusuke glanced at this irritable and impulsive single-celled organism with some surprise.

"Ho... although you're usually a savage, that's something a man should say."

"I didn't expect you to be quite to my liking, Sudo."

Ike Kanji chimed in as well:

"If the Advance Test is full of these anti-human freaks, I'm in too! Don't anyone try to stop me!"

"A low-intelligence creature with its ambition written all over its face actually dares to dream of challenging the status of humanity?"

Watching this group of boys suddenly fired up with adrenaline.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka suddenly poured a bucket of cold water on them:

"Did you not read the report carefully?"

"Compared to an ape that wears its ambition on its face... it's the Parasites that silently infest humans and lurk by your side that are truly terrifying."

"After all, monsters aren't scary."

"What's scary is... the monster is sitting right next to you, and you don't even know it."

The surrounding air grew inexplicably cold.

Su Wei chuckled inwardly.

He then said to Horikita Suzune beside him:

"In my opinion, Ayanokoji doesn't seem like one."

"What?"

Horikita Suzune was stunned, then realized Su Wei was responding to her conjecture from the library earlier.

She kept a cold face: "Who knows."

"Perhaps... he is the thief crying 'stop thief,' trying to confuse the issue."

Su Wei smiled: "That makes sense; let's observe him a bit more then."

When class ended.

No matter how complex their feelings were, the students of Class B and Class D ultimately had to accept the reality that they would have to fight monsters in the future.

With his adrenaline fading and reason returning to his brain, Ike Kanji scratched his hair and tried to deceive himself:

"Yamauchi, do you think it's possible that I'm actually the child of destiny?"

"Whether it was the previous random selection or those unlucky intrusions, I wasn't involved, right?"

"As long as I don't go out of my way to get myself killed and just stay honestly in the safe zone, maybe I can just coast until graduation..."

"Huh?"

Yamauchi Haruki, also part of the problem trio, couldn't help but sneer:

"If you were the protagonist, shouldn't you have been chosen by the Black Sphere at the very beginning, then punched zombies, kicked Evil Spirits, and led us to destroy the Black Sphere to reach the pinnacle of life?"

"What? Is your protagonist halo just responsible for idling and slacking off?"

"Tch, what would you know..."

Having his thoughts laid bare, Ike Kanji flushed a deep red and stubbornly tried to save face.

"This is what you call the 'AFK-style' protagonist! Don't you know the saying, 'Never bully the poor in their youth'? Sometimes, when your foundation is thin but your goals are grand, you just have to take a few detours..."

Listening to the two of them spout such meaningless nonsense, Su Wei withdrew his gaze with a faint, amused smile.

He turned to look at his surroundings.

The students were either heavy-hearted or gathered in small groups whispering to one another, showing absolutely no sign of dispersing.

The Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads had turned everyone into a bird startled by the mere twang of a bowstring.

Almost time.

Su Wei counted down silently in his heart.

Three, two, one.

The next second.

"Ding-dong—"

"Ding-dong, ding-dong—"

A continuous stream of notification sounds erupted through the crowd like falling dominoes.

Everyone hurriedly pulled out their phones.

"This is..."

Someone stared at the highlighted message on their screen, letting out a sound of astonishment.

"An Advance Test... for the special exam?!"

Not far away, Ichinose Honami, who had been negotiating the compensation for the basketball he'd crushed with the PE teacher, heard the commotion and pulled out her phone to check.

When she saw the school-wide announcement sent to her, she froze in place.

[After careful consideration by the school, in order to help everyone adapt as quickly as possible, "Advance Tests" will be held irregularly before future special exams. One person will be randomly selected from each class; the winner will be spared and receive a reward, while the loser will be forced to enter the Black Sphere examination hall that evening as an 'Intruder'.]

This...

The hand holding Ichinose's phone trembled slightly.

Isn't this a bit too coincidental?

Just last period, to calm the panicked crowd, Kushida Kikyo had casually bluffed that the school might have new assessment standards.

The class had barely ended, and before they even had a moment to catch their breath, the school had actually rolled out this so-called "Advance Test"?

Horikita Suzune and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka felt the same way.

Horikita Suzune's brows were tightly locked; she couldn't help but feel that Kushida Kikyo's intuition was terrifyingly accurate—she really had something.

Meanwhile, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the security cameras visible everywhere.

The Black Sphere... is it watching us?

Lacking sufficient information, Ayanokoji could not fully connect the fragmented clues in his memory.

Just as he was pondering, the phone in his palm vibrated again.

A private message popped up abruptly.

[Lucky one, please head to the first-floor lobby of the school building before 4:00 PM to start the game.]

[Those who do not arrive within the time limit will be considered to have forfeited, and those who forfeit will be treated as losers.]

[Note: You may replace this slot by voluntarily signing up for the special exam that evening.]

"..."

Looking at the prompt on the screen, Ayanokoji remained expressionless.

Beside him, Hirata Yosuke leaned in upon hearing the sound, glanced at his phone screen, and was taken aback.

"Ayanokoji, you were chosen?"

Hirata's brows were furrowed, his tone filled with concern.

"Do you want to sign up for the special exam tonight?"

"Chabashira Sae-sensei has already notified us in the group chat; anyone who wants to sign up can go find her now."

He paused, then added:

"Although the main event is also dangerous, at least we have some intelligence on it... I believe Horikita-san won't be petty about something like this."

Taking a certain risk to avoid an unknown one.

In Hirata's view, this was the optimal solution for now.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, however, only remained silent for a moment before shaking his head slightly.

"No need."

"Whether it's a blessing or a curse, there's no avoiding it. Rather than living in fear for the days to come, I'd rather go and see it for myself right now."

"Besides, even if I fail, it's just being thrown into the exam venue again."

As long as it isn't an immediate erasure, it remains within the acceptable range.

More importantly, he needs information.

About this Black Sphere, about this school, and...

Seeing that his mind was made up, Hirata Yosuke found it difficult to persuade him further, only patting his shoulder heavily:

"Be careful with everything."

Compared to the calm on the side of Class D.

Not far away, Class B was in an uproar due to this sudden news.

"How could it be... Shiranami-san again?"

"You're just too unlucky! Why is this Black Sphere so malicious!"

Shiranami Chihiro felt helpless and had no choice but to opt into the special exam.

But in reality, she didn't have any room to choose anyway.

One must know that she was still carrying the negative points from the last exam; if she failed this Advance Test and was forcibly thrown in again...

Without knowing the bottom line of the Black Sphere and lacking the protection of a Reinforcement Suit, it was almost equivalent to a death sentence.

However, it was precisely because of this that Shiranami Chihiro discovered a hidden rule.

"As long as one applies for a special exam, they can designate a companion to participate in the Advance Test as a substitute...?"

"I'll go!"

Just as Ichinose Honami was about to speak, Kanzaki Ryuji stepped forward first.

"Shiranami's condition isn't suitable for taking risks; with Ichinose there at night, she will be safer instead."