At two in the afternoon, the lights in the gymnasium were dimmed by a notch. It was not a malfunction, but a deliberate arrangement by the school. The projection screen from the Multipurpose Hall had been moved to the center of the gymnasium, while four enormous displays hung above the basketball court, facing the stands on all sides. Every screen showed the same image—a title covered by a gray seal, bearing four printed words: "To Be Revealed On Site." Students from all four classes filled the stands. Even Class A, which rarely appeared in group settings, had attended in full. Members of the independent task group had been assigned observation seats by the second-floor railing. Ryuen Kakeru sat at the far left, with an open laptop and a spread notebook before him. Chabashira and Sakagami sat at the center of the judges' table, each with a cup of unsweetened black tea in front of them.
Kanzaki Toru sat in the third row of Class D's competitors' section, beside the aisle. Shiina Hiyori sat to his left, a binder resting on her knees. Tucked into its outermost sleeve was the note Sakagami had attached when he returned the cross-class report. Karuizawa Kei sat on his right, spinning a pen in her hand, an unopened can of red bean soup by her feet. Sakura Airi sat in the row behind them, her camera on her lap, its lens cap already removed. Sudo Ken sat beside the aisle in the first row, his back straight, boxing gloves resting on his knees as he stared fixedly at the uncovered timer in front of Sakagami. Ishizaki Daichi sat beside him, with the bottle of sports drink that had passed between them placed on the armrest separating the two.
Sakagami stood. He did not use a