Class Warfare (Combined with Online Intellectual Combat Games)

Next, Majima Tomoya explained the core rules of the exam with astonishing efficiency:

The independent CP (War Points) system, AP action limits, resource point contention, alliance and betrayal mechanics, and finally, three Final Battle Modes.

As he spoke, concise key points and initial CP allocations were displayed simultaneously on the massive projection screen:

Class A: 1000 CP

Class B: 750 CP

Class C: 500 CP

Class D: 250 CP

"The initial points are based on your comprehensive evaluations since enrollment," Chabashira added, her gaze sweeping over the Class D area meaningfully. "This is the starting point of the war, but by no means the end."

A commotion erupted from the audience, especially from Class D. 250 points? Not even a quarter of Class A's!

"What a joke! How are we supposed to play this?" Sudo Ken couldn't help but shout.

"It's so unfair!" Ike Kanji chimed in.

"Quiet!" Chabashira commanded sternly, her voice overpowering the unrest. "Rules are rules. Think it's unfair? Then use your strength to overturn it. Remember, everything in this school is a reflection of strength."

Hoshida No listened silently, rapidly processing the incoming information.

The independent CP system meant it was separate from existing class points, which weakened the slight psychological advantage Class D had recently accumulated from the midterms.

AP Limit: 10 points daily. This was a crucial resource that required meticulous calculation.

Resource point contention was the primary source of CP, but occupation required manpower and AP, posing a significant challenge for Class D, which appeared to have decent superficial cohesion.

The alliance system... was both an opportunity and a trap.

The final mode would be chosen by the first-place class, meaning that even if they fell behind early, as long as they could reach first place by the Final Battle Day, they could choose the Final Battle method most advantageous to them.

His gaze shifted slightly, and his eyes met Ayanokoji's, who happened to glance back from diagonally in front of him. Both saw the same calm assessment in each other's eyes.

The rule explanation continued, involving the donation of Personal Points (with a donation ratio of 100:1).

Hoshida No's brow twitched slightly. He had over 4 million Personal Points, which could theoretically be converted into nearly 4000 CP. However, this was his trump card, and revealing such a massive fortune too early would attract unnecessary attention and targeting.

"From 19:00 to 21:00 is the internal strategy meeting time for each class.

Before 21:00, each class must submit a list of commanders elected by their students through the 'S' system: one Overall Commander and two Deputy Commanders.

Commanders will have the authority for tactical decision-making and will represent their class in external negotiations."

Majima emphasized finally, "The choice of commanders is crucial. Choosing the wrong person could lead your class into an even deeper abyss seven days from now."

"Now, dismissed. The war has already begun the moment you stepped out of this auditorium."

Back in the Class D classroom, the moment the door closed, the suppressed chaos erupted.

"Only 250 points! How can we even fight?"

"Exactly! The school is clearly targeting us! Why does Class C get 500 points?"

"Everyone, please quiet down!" Hirata Yousuke raised his voice, trying to maintain order. "Complaining won't solve anything. The most important thing for us now is to choose commanders and formulate a strategy."

"Commanders? Is there even a need to choose? Of course, it's Hirata!" someone immediately shouted.

"I agree! Hirata-kun is the most reliable!"

Many students echoed the sentiment. Hirata Yousuke's approachability and sense of responsibility served as a natural core of unity at this moment.

However, not everyone thought the same way.

"I believe a commander needs to possess excellent strategic vision and decisiveness," Horikita Suzune's cool voice rang out.

She stood up, her gaze sweeping over everyone. "Hirata-kun is good at uniting people, but when facing such a complex strategic game, he might not be the best choice. I propose we conduct an ability assessment before making a decision."

"Horikita, what do you mean? Do you think you're more suitable than Hirata?" Yamauchi asked indignantly.

"I'm just stating facts. This war isn't won by popularity," Horikita retorted without backing down.

"Um..." Kushida Kikyo spoke softly, a familiar smile on her face. "Both Hirata-kun and Horikita-san are very capable. However, shouldn't we also hear Hoshida-kun's opinion? After all, Hoshida-kun is also very strong..." She paused at the right moment, drawing everyone's attention to Hoshida No, who had been sitting silently by the window.

Hoshida No felt the complex gazes converging on him, including Horikita Suzune's sharp scrutiny and the brilliance beneath Kushida's perfect smile.

He slowly began to speak, his steady voice covering the subtle noise. "The duties of a commander include external negotiation, internal decision-making, resource allocation, and crisis response. What's needed is comprehensive ability, primarily psychological resilience."

He paused, his gaze sweeping past the three, calculating in his mind: Hirata was not decisive enough and too gentle; Kushida, while appearing to be for the class on the surface, might be fickle and unstable internally; Horikita was decisive but lacked collaboration and communication skills.

His gaze finally landed on Ayanokoji before moving away.

"My personal suggestion," Hoshida No continued, "is to adopt a decentralized structure. The Overall Commander will be responsible for final decisions and external negotiations, requiring prestige and judgment. One Deputy Commander will focus on strategic planning and intelligence analysis, and the other on internal coordination and task execution."

This proposal was relatively rational, mitigating the risk of a single person's dictatorship and allowing people with different strengths to shine.

"Then... who are the candidates?" someone asked.

The classroom fell into a brief silence and murmurs.

Hirata Yousuke took a deep breath and stepped forward. "I am willing to take on the roles of coordination and execution. However, the Overall Commander and strategic planning require someone more capable."

His humility and pragmatism earned him considerable goodwill.

Horikita Suzune looked directly at Hoshida No. "Hoshida No, your analytical and learning abilities are evident to all. You also proved your intelligence-gathering capabilities during the midterm exam. For the Strategic Deputy Commander, you should be the most suitable."

Her words were direct, perhaps even bordering on aggressive, but they were undeniably based on an assessment of ability.

Before Hoshida No could respond, Kushida Kikyo immediately chimed in with a sweet smile: "I also think Hoshida-kun is the perfect fit! If Hoshida-kun is the one to formulate the plan, everyone will surely feel more at ease, right?"

She skillfully elevated Hoshida No to a high position while simultaneously placing herself in the safe role of a supporter.

Hoshida No looked at Horikita, then swept a glance at Hirata's expectant expression and the focused gazes of the other students.

"Fine." He finally agreed simply.

This position was more flexible than that of the Overall Commander; it carried critical responsibility without the need to stand at the very front and bear all the pressure.

"Then, for the Overall Commander..." Hirata looked toward Horikita, then at the others.

"I will do it." Horikita Suzune was decisive, showing no false modesty. "I believe I possess the necessary decisiveness and grasp of the big picture. I will aim to lead Class D to victory and strictly execute our strategy."

Her words were full of confidence, perhaps even a bit dogmatic, but for a Class D that currently needed a shot of adrenaline, it was exactly what was required.

Hirata hesitated for a moment, looking at Hoshida No.

Hoshida No gave an almost imperceptible nod.

"I agree with Horikita-san serving as the Overall Commander," Hirata finally stated. "I will provide my full support to Horikita-san and Hoshida-kun, ensuring execution and internal coordination."

"Then, we first need to determine our basic strategic direction for the next seven days." Horikita quickly stepped into her role, looking at Hoshida No. "Hoshida No, your preliminary analysis?"

Everyone's eyes focused once more.

Hoshida No walked to the whiteboard at the front of the classroom and picked up a marker.

"Core objective: Rank first in CP after seven days. Pathways: Increase our own CP, decrease the opponents' CP, or influence the selection of the Final Battle Mode."

As he spoke, he wrote down the keywords. "Our disadvantages: Lowest initial CP, class cohesion remains to be seen, low external credibility. Our advantage..." He paused, "...uncertainty."

"Uncertainty?" Horikita frowned.

"Class A is steady, Class B is cooperative, and Class C is disruptive. Their behavioral patterns are relatively predictable," Hoshida No explained. "Whereas we, due to being behind and having internal complexities, may have actions that are harder to anticipate. This is a psychological blind spot we can exploit."

He drew a rough timeline on the whiteboard: "Seven days divided into phases:

Days 1-2: Intelligence and resource reconnaissance period; keep a low profile, figure out the command styles of each class, the value of Resource Points, and the rules of the Information Trading Market.

Days 3-4: Selectively compete for key resources, attempt to establish informal connections, especially with Class B.

Days 5-6: Based on the preceding situation, decide between an aggressive strategy or a defensive counterattack.

Day 7: Goal: Enter the top two, obtain the right to choose the Final Battle Mode, or at least avoid finishing last and receiving direct penalties."

He emphasized specifically: "Avoid direct conflict with Class C in the early stages. Ryuen Kakeru will actively create chaos; ignore him and let him tie up the other two classes.

Regarding contact with Class B, Hirata or Kushida-san should explore the possibility of cooperation, remaining friendly but without making premature commitments.

As for intelligence gathering, I will be responsible for the main channels, but we need to form a 3-4 person support group to handle the screening of public information."

Horikita nodded slightly after hearing this, and Hirata breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as though they now had a backbone.

What followed was the tedious process of dividing into groups and discussing tasks.

Hoshida No delegated most of the concrete work, retaining only the core Intelligence Analysis and key strategy formulation tasks for himself.

He specifically arranged for Ayanokoji to be a free agent, citing his "high adaptability and ability to fill gaps in any link."

Ayanokoji had no objections to this, merely nodding blandly.

As the meeting neared its end, Hoshida No held brief private exchanges with Hirata and Horikita.

21:00, Class D commander list submitted:

Overall Commander - Horikita Suzune, Vice Commander (Strategy) - Hoshida No, Vice Commander (Execution) - Hirata Yousuke.

It was late at night when Hoshida No returned to his dormitory. He did not rest immediately, instead opening his personal mobile terminal and pulling up a non-public interface.

He anonymously accessed the newly opened "Information Trading Market."

The interface was crude, clearly set up in a hurry, but there were already some information items listed for sale, most of which were inconsequential guesses.

He browsed quickly, noting the prices and descriptive patterns of several smoke screens suspected to have been released by Class A and Class C.

Then, he sent encrypted messages to two numbers.

The first to Chazhu Zuo Zhi:

Teacher, is there a hidden fluctuation in the real-time exchange rate between War Points and personal points? Or are there special exchange channels not permitted by the rules?

The second to Shiina Hiyori:

What is the reaction within Class C regarding the initial point distribution? What is the general direction of Ryuen's first order? Let's exchange information.