One Exam After Another

Yamauchi's expulsion barely caused a ripple, but since he was the first first-year to be expelled, Lezheng still made a record of it.

"President Lezheng, here are the materials for the next Special Exam," a school staff member said, delivering a set of documents.

"Another Special Exam already?" Lezheng opened the documents.

Five characters were clearly printed on the second page-Command Tower Exam.

"The penalty is expulsion again. Is this new Chairman really that aggressive, or does he have some specific aim?" Lezheng put the documents away and sighed. "Chairman Sakayanagi really was better."

The Command Tower Exam would probably be the final Special Exam of their first year, unless the new Chairman pulled something else. That also meant Horikita Manabu would be leaving soon.

March 4, the graduation ceremony.

Horikita Manabu took the stage to give a speech as the third-year representative, a scene much like the beginning of their first year. Lezheng took the stage as the Student Council representative to offer his congratulations.

"Horikita-senpai, congratulations on graduating."

"Lezheng, please look after Suzune for me."

"Horikita isn't as fragile as you think. Besides, you can tell her how you feel yourself in a little while." Lezheng held out his hand.

Horikita Manabu did not understand what Lezheng meant, but he still reached out and shook his hand.

After the graduation ceremony, Horikita Manabu and Akane Tachibana had barely left the auditorium when they saw Horikita Suzune waiting by the entrance.

"Horikita, I'll head back first." Tachibana tactfully left.

Horikita Manabu and Horikita Suzune talked for a long time. No one knew what they discussed. All Lezheng knew was that Horikita Suzune went to get her hair cut short that evening.

A week later, the third-year students officially left school to enter society. Horikita Suzune watched her older brother leave, reluctant to see him go.

In two years, I'll graduate from Class A too, she told herself encouragingly.

They had only seen the third-years off that morning when the first-years received notice of a Special Exam that afternoon. However, Lezheng had already given Class A a heads-up before today, so everyone in Class A remained calm.

No sooner had Mashima finished announcing the rules than Lezheng submitted the ten events he had prepared. Would Lezheng be punished for that? What a joke. This was merely a small indulgence of power. If a student reported him, they would find him sitting in the judge's seat when court convened.

Mashima could only smile helplessly at this. In the past, he might have stopped it, but the current Acting Chairman's conduct was so appalling that he turned a blind eye as well.

"Which class will you attack?" Mashima asked.

"Class D," Sakayanagi's clear voice rang out.

"All right. I'll report that as submitted." Mashima left with the list.

"Lezheng, would you mind accompanying me to the infirmary?" Sakayanagi came over to his side.

Lezheng understood what Sakayanagi meant, so he stood and left the classroom alongside her, heading to the rooftop.

"For this exam, I'd like your support in becoming the Command Tower." Sakayanagi leaned against the wall and stared straight at Lezheng.

"Why would you need my support?" Lezheng asked in return.

"As much as I hate to admit it, most people in Class A already see you as their sole leader."

"Do you think so too?"

"So, do you agree?"

"What do I get out of it?"

"After this exam, all my people will be yours. I'll follow your orders too." Sakayanagi smiled.

"Fine. If Class D brings out any event you don't know how to handle, I can take care of it. If I compete, that's one guaranteed point."

"That's reassuring to hear."

"Is this new Chairman from that White Room too?" Lezheng asked.

"Yes. He works under Ayanokoji's father."

"How is Chairman Sakayanagi doing?"

"My father is at home, under investigation." Sakayanagi seemed a little down.

Lezheng had been about to say something to comfort Sakayanagi, but someone else arrived on the rooftop.

"Are you here to discuss tactics too?" Lezheng turned his head.

"Since you're here, we'll go somewhere else." Horikita's hand was still on the door.

"Wait, Ayanokoji," Sakayanagi called out to Ayanokoji as he was about to leave.

"What is it?" Ayanokoji's face remained impassive.

"For this Command Tower Exam, I'd like to face you in chess."

"...All right." Ayanokoji nodded.

"I'll give it everything I have. I hope you will too."

Ayanokoji did not answer, merely leaving in silence with Horikita.

"Let me tell you about my childhood. I was only six back then..."

Lezheng quietly listened to Sakayanagi's entire story. If asked to rate the abilities of the children in the White Room, he would certainly give them top marks. After all, those children had begun structured training at such a young age, while Lezheng had still been playing house with the children next door at that age.

He felt that this was still somewhat wrong. He believed children's natural instincts should be given free rein, rather than having all their time filled with training.

It was a little like a manga with a four-character title he had read, where leaders allowed children only a few years old onto the battlefield, leaving them psychologically troubled.

If they had to be trained, shouldn't they at least wait until after puberty? Only then would children begin to possess fully formed judgment. No wonder Ayanokoji wore that cold expression all day. Lezheng suspected he had some psychological issues.

"So, which of you do you think is stronger?" Sakayanagi asked with a smile.

"Then let me ask you: who do you think was stronger, Oda Nobunaga or Miyamoto Musashi?" Lezheng countered.

"They weren't from the same era. They never competed."

"Exactly. So he and I would have to compete before we could know the result."

"Unfortunately, you'll have to wait until next time."

"It probably won't be too long."

"Horikita, let's make basketball one of our main events. I'll lead the team to win a point." Sudo thumped his chest.

"No! We'd be better off avoiding sports for our main events this time," Horikita refused.

"Why? Don't you trust my ability?" Sudo grew agitated.

"You saw Lezheng's performance at the Sports Festival. Do you think you're better than him?"

"He's just a fast runner at most. That doesn't mean he can play basketball."

"My, my, Sudo-boy. What do you think basketball comes down to?" Koenji suddenly spoke up.

"Explosive power, endurance, and shooting accuracy, of course."

"Since he's shown himself to be better than you in two of those three things you mentioned, why do you think you can beat him?"

"That's... No, you're twisting my words."

Sudo began to stammer. He wanted to argue, but did not know where to start.

"To be precise, if Lezheng isn't the Command Tower, we can't submit sports as our main events. Otherwise, we'd just be handing them points."

Horikita drew a red cross over the word "sports" she had circled on her scratch paper.