Day 6, Saturday.
The system forcibly revealed each class's current CP:
Class A: 1780
Class B: 1550
Class D: 1100
Class C: 800
The final opportunity for inter-class trading had arrived. The moment Hoshida No had been waiting for was here.
Katsuragi of Class A tried to buy detailed information from Class D about the teachers' tendencies and exclusive buffs, hoping to prepare for the Final Battle.
Hoshida No asked for 300 CP and an internal assessment report on the three Final Battle modes in exchange.
Katsuragi hesitated. Sakayanagi Arisu's voice came through the communication device. "You can give it to him, Katsuragi. Some information won't change the outcome, even if he knows it." Her tone brimmed with condescending confidence.
The deal was made. Hoshida No obtained Class A's detailed analysis of the three Final Battle modes. It mentioned that Shadow Game might demand exceptional information-analysis and decryption skills, while also involving a significant element of luck.
At the same time, Hoshida No set his long-brewing plan in motion.
Following a hint Chazhu Zuo Zhi had given him earlier, he used all of his more than four million Personal Points as collateral to apply to the system for a temporary War Points loan.
He submitted a complicated application, citing several rules' edge-case clauses. He emphasized that Class D was at an extreme disadvantage and needed special relief, and that Personal Points made reliable collateral.
The Referee Committee—Mashima, Chazhu Zuo Zhi, Hoshinomiya, and Sakagami—held an emergency closed-door meeting.
An hour later, the application was approved, but under harsh conditions.
Hoshida No received a temporary loan of 1000 CP, which was added to Class D's War Points pool.
However, if Class D failed to finish in the top two, the loan would incur a penalty of 2000 Class Points, deducted from Class D's permanent Class Points.
If Class D finished in the top two, it would only have to repay the 1000 CP principal.
The 1000 CP arrived instantly, and Class D's total CP surged from 1100 to 2100. It immediately overtook Class B's 1550 and closed in on Class A's 1780.
The whole school was in an uproar.
"How did he pull that off?"
"He has that many Personal Points?"
"If he fails, Class D is finished."
Ichinose Honami of Class B contacted Hoshida No at once, her voice full of worry. "Brother No! That's way too risky!"
"It was a necessary risk," Hoshida No replied calmly. "Now we have the right to choose the Final Battle mode. Honami, maybe there'll still be room for us to work together on the final day."
Karuizawa Kei also messaged him. Her first message was just one short word: "...Idiot." But another followed immediately: "...Don't lose."
Hoshida No stared at the screen, silent for a moment, then replied with a single character: "Mm."
In Class A's classroom, Katsuragi looked grave, but Sakayanagi Arisu only gave a soft laugh. "As expected... So this is your real trump card, Hoshida No? Impressive. But now the choice is in your hands. What will you choose?"
In Class C, Ryuen Kakeru was furious and thrilled all at once. "Hahaha! Nicely done! Now this is interesting! Sakayanagi, I bet you're making a great face right now!"
Class D's classroom was gripped by a mix of elation and unease. Horikita Suzune fixed her gaze on Hoshida No. "You planned this from the beginning?"
"It was one of the options," Hoshida No said. "We're in second place now. According to the rules, the top-ranked class chooses the Final Battle mode. But if the top class gives up its right to choose or can't reach an agreement, the right passes to the second-place class. We need to keep Class A from reaching an agreement."
He immediately contacted Ryuen. "This is our last chance. Within Class A, Katsuragi favors Total War, while Sakayanagi may prefer Elite Duel or Shadow Game, the mind game. Make them argue."
Ryuen replied, "I've already taken care of Hashimoto. He'll stir Katsuragi up and push him to stick to Total War. As for Sakayanagi, I'll spread rumors that she plans to sacrifice the Katsuragi Faction's interests in Elite Duel. The rest is up to you."
Final CP at the end of Day 6:
Class A: 1780
Class D: 2100 (including the 1000 loan)
Class B: 1550
Class C: 800
As expected, Class A erupted into fierce arguments over the choice of Final Battle mode.
The Katsuragi Faction insisted on Total War, which would let them make the most of their collective strength. The Sakayanagi Faction leaned toward Elite Duel or Shadow Game.
Even as the system's deadline for submitting a choice approached, Class A still couldn't agree on a unified decision.
The system ruled that Class A had forfeited its right to choose. The right passed to Class D, in second place.
Hoshida No now had the power to choose the mode for the Final Battle.
Without the slightest hesitation, he chose "Mode Three: Shadow Game."
Shadow Game emphasized information, decryption, strategy, and covert operations. These were Hoshida No's personal strengths, and the mode would make the most of the information advantage Class D had built up in recent days.
When the choice was announced, some people were surprised, some understood, and some sneered.
The Final Battle would involve searching for five Secret Treasures hidden around campus. They were worth between 100 and 500 CP each. The time limit was six hours. The search would involve riddles and challenges.
Each Secret Treasure might be guarded by a quiz, a small physical test, a strategy game, or something similar. The class would have to succeed to claim it.
Each class could initially send up to ten students to search, but they could rotate members during the event.
The AP System would be inactive for the day, replaced by search stamina. After two hours of continuous searching, each person would need a short rest.
Class D's team consisted of Hoshida No, Horikita Suzune, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Hirata Yousuke, Kushida Kikyo, and others.
Class A: Katsuragi Kohei, Sakayanagi Arisu, Hashimoto Masayoshi, and others.
Class B: Ichinose Honami, Shibata Sou, Kanzaki Ryuji, Karuizawa Kei, and others.
Class C: Ryuen Kakeru, Ibuki Mio, Shiina Hiyori, Ishizaki Daichi, and others.
At 9:00, the Final Battle began.
Unlike the other students, who scattered in every direction to search blindly, Hoshida No split his team into three groups.
Using the analysis report he had traded for from Class A, along with his knowledge of the school's buildings, history, and culture, he quickly formed a mental map of possible Secret Treasure locations.
Half an hour into the event, an encrypted clue appeared on the school's electronic bulletin board: "The beginning is also the end; a ring of seven colors points the way."
Many people were stumped. Hoshida No immediately thought the seven colors might refer to a rainbow, while the ring could mean the running track or the clock tower's face. Did the beginning and end refer to the starting line of the track? But that seemed too simple.
Horikita suggested, "The school crest. Its outer ring has a seven-colored ribbon pattern, and the clock tower is at its center. 'The beginning is also the end' could mean the crest is the school's symbol, both its beginning and its home."
Combining that with the clock tower's actual position on the school crest, Hoshida No deduced that the clue pointed to the library's circular rooftop observation deck.
He immediately sent Ayanokoji and Sudo there.
Sure enough, they found a small box with a combination lock inside a concealed drain on the observation deck.
The password clue was a simple variation on a puzzle. Horikita guided them remotely, and Ayanokoji solved it in seconds. They claimed the first Secret Treasure, worth 200 CP.
The other classes also began finding some treasures.
Class A used its overwhelming manpower to search the grounds and found a Secret Treasure worth 150 CP.
Class B worked together to crack a clue and found one worth 100 CP.
Class C took a more brutal approach, seizing one worth 120 CP from a suspected location.
The clue to the second Secret Treasure pointed to the Old School Building. Students from every class poured into it. There were countless rooms, and the clues were vague.
Hoshida No had Kushida mingle with the crowd and spread a false lead: "The House of Numbers means Room 203, because 2 + 0 + 3 = 5, which is close to 7."
Meanwhile, based on information Shiina Hiyori had previously provided about how some room numbers in the Old School Building matched its construction era, he judged that Room 107 might be the right one.
He quietly sent Hirata's group to Room 107.
At the same time, he contacted Ryuen. "Class A's main force is near Room 203. Class B is exploring the second floor. There might be something in Room 107, but I'm not sure. You can check it out. Our people will be there too—see how it goes."
He was using Class C to tie up any Class A or Class B students who might also have guessed Room 107, while testing Ryuen's reaction.
Sure enough, Ryuen of Class C led his people toward Room 107 and ran straight into a Class A team led by Hashimoto Masayoshi, who had also guessed the location. The two sides faced off.
Some students from Class B hurried over after hearing the commotion. While all three groups were tangled up, Hirata's team slipped through a window on the other side and entered Room 107. They easily took the Secret Treasure, worth 300 CP, from a compartment beneath the lectern.
By the time the people outside realized what had happened, Class D had already escaped with the treasure.
Ryuen was furious, but there was nothing he could do.
Four hours had passed. Class D had obtained Secret Treasures worth a total of 500 CP and was in first place. Class A had 400 CP, Class B had 250 CP, and Class C had 220 CP.
One treasure worth 350 CP and another worth 500 CP remained.
The clues pointed to an abandoned junction in the school's underground utility tunnels. The passages there were complex and dim.
Every class sent its best students inside. Small skirmishes and contests of wits broke out now and then in the maze-like tunnels.
Class D's scattered groups gradually converged, and Hoshida No personally led the core members deeper inside.
In the junction chamber at the very end, they encountered a team led by Sakayanagi Arisu and Katsuragi Kohei of Class A. The two groups arrived almost at the same time.
The Secret Treasure worth 500 CP sat on a platform in the middle of the room.
Beside it was a shogi endgame that was about to conclude. Red had a forced win, but needed to checkmate black within ten moves.
Each class would send one representative to compete. The winner would take the treasure.
"So, in the end, it's the two of us facing each other, Hoshida No," Sakayanagi said with a smile. "Shall we each take a side? The outcome will decide which class wins."
"Sure." Hoshida No calmly walked up to the board. He took red, moving first, while Sakayanagi took black.
The endgame was extremely complicated. Everyone watching held their breath.
Sakayanagi Arisu played with cunning finesse, while Hoshida No remained utterly calm with every move, calculating far ahead and never falling for her traps.
His play was just like him: devoid of unnecessary emotion, guided only by the best move and the greatest gain.
They moved quickly. On the ninth move, Hoshida No made an apparently unremarkable rook move, completely blocking every escape route for black's king.
"Checkmate." Hoshida No made the final move.
Sakayanagi Arisu studied the board in silence for a long time. At last, she sighed softly and gave a complicated smile. "A perfect game. I lost."
She raised her head and looked at Hoshida No. "You really are an opponent worth taking seriously. This time, you won."
Down below, watching the match, Ayanokoji's eye twitched almost imperceptibly. Even he was struggling to keep up with Hoshida No's moves.
After intense competition between Class B and Class C for the last Secret Treasure worth 350 CP in another area, Class B claimed it.
At 15:00, the Final Battle ended.
Final results and rankings announced
At 18:00, the whole school gathered in the auditorium again.
Mashima Tomoya stood onstage, expressionless as he operated the terminal.
The enormous screen began scrolling through the final scores, combining the CP from the first six days with the results of the Final Battle.
Final value of the Secret Treasures claimed:
Class D: 200 + 300 + 500 = 1000 CP
Class A: 150 + 400 = 550 CP
Class B: 100 + 350 = 450 CP
Class C: 120 + 220 = 340 CP
Seven-Day War total CP:
First place, Class A: 2330 CP
Second place, Class D: 2100 CP
Third place, Class B: 2000 CP
Fourth place, Class C: 1140 CP
The audience reacted in different ways when they saw the rankings.
The students of Class A breathed a sigh of relief, but Katsuragi didn't look happy. They had nearly been overtaken by Class D. Sakayanagi Arisu merely smiled, showing little disappointment.
Class B felt a little regretful, but Ichinose accepted the results.
The atmosphere in Class C was gloomy, and Ryuen Kakeru's eyes were vicious.
Class D erupted in wild cheers. They had gone from last place at the start to second place in the end!
Mashima continued, "According to the rules, the class in first place will receive 100 Class Points, the class in third will lose 100, and the class in fourth will lose 200. In addition, the individual contribution rankings will now be announced."
The top five on the individual contribution leaderboard appeared on the big screen:
1. Hoshida No
2. Katsuragi Kohei
3. Ichinose Honami
4. Sakayanagi Arisu
5. Ryuen Kakeru
"Personal Points rewards: First place, Hoshida No, receives one million Personal Points."
After Hoshida No repaid the more than four million points he had put up as collateral, his Personal Points account had increased by another million.
He glanced at Chazhu Zuo Zhi, who gave an almost imperceptible nod.
Hoshida No nodded back, the corners of his mouth curling slightly.
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