Mashima Tomonari lifted his wrist and glanced at the ti; it was 5:50 PM. Given his consistently serious and rule-abiding personality, since the rules stated the explanation would begin at 6:00, he wouldn't start even a minute early.
Thus, he sat quietly in the head seat, remaining silent for the mont. Instead, he used these few minutes to carefully observe the combination of one boy and three girls before him.
As the rule explainer for this exam and the horoom teacher of Class 1-A, he had long since received the files on these four students: the boy was Shimizu Akira from Class D, and the girls were Karuizawa Kei, Matsushita Chiaki, and Sakura Airi, all also from Class D.
Karuizawa Kei was clearly a bit restless when she first entered, but upon seeing Shimizu Akira, she seed to suddenly find her confidence.
She imdiately huddled close to him, her eyes instinctively darting toward him.
Matsushita Chiaki, on the other hand, had been excited the whole ti; her gaze hardly left Shimizu, her face practically screaming the relief of "as long as he's here, we're safe." As for the bespectacled Sakura Airi, though she remained silent throughout, she was quietly paying close attention to Shimizu's every move.
'It seems these three girls all have so level of feelings for Shimizu Akira,' Mashima Tomonari quickly concluded.
Despite his serious expression in front of students, he was quite the veteran in the world of romance in his private life, frequently changing girlfriends. These little displays of affection couldn't escape his notice. However, he always kept things strictly professional; work was work, and private life was private life.
Because of this rigor and earnestness, he had been in charge of Class A for several years. The school valued his ability so much that they even put him in charge of the Uninhabited Island Special Exam.
Yet, he didn't think he was particularly exceptional.
After all, his rivals were Hoshinomiya Chie (Class B), Sakagami Kazuma (Class C), and Chabashira Sae (Class D). Compared to them—people who lacked basic teacher ethics—winning didn't feel like much to be proud of.
In this VIP (Privileged Person) Exam, the horoom teachers' authority was at its peak since the start of the school year; they could even directly determine the grouping of the students. In fact, it was no coincidence that Shimizu Akira was grouped with these three girls—it was the result of a last-minute adjustnt by Chabashira Sae.
That's right! The other horoom teachers could actually see the grouping status of students from other classes! Since this exam required identifying the VIP based on a specific pattern,
the horoom teachers had to cross-confirm the group lists to ensure the exam proceeded smoothly.
He rembered the faculty eting yesterday afternoon. When the four teachers submitted their lists, Hoshinomiya Chie suddenly picked up the Class D list and, with a smile, moved Class B's Ichinose Honami and a few others into the "Rabbit Group." Chabashira Sae's mouth twitched, but she said nothing; shortly after, she replaced Class D's Yukimura and Sotomura on that sa list with Karuizawa Kei and Sakura Airi.
The battle-hardened Mashima Tomonari saw through it instantly.
'These two teachers are clearly and intentionally putting the girls from their own classes into Shimizu Akira's group!'
Chabashira Sae's goal was obvious: she wanted to retain Shimizu, a highly capable student. As for Hoshinomiya Chie, she was undoubtedly trying to "poach" him, inviting Shimizu to transfer to Class B.
'I'm a bit jealous of Shimizu... no, I'm very jealous!'
What man wouldn't want to be surrounded by various beauties, all vying for his attention?
Ending up with one on each arm would be the ultimate "winner in life" ending.
Mashima was nearly thirty and had never been the type to stay with one person forever—hence his frequent dating.
In his mind, if he only liked one woman, what about the other won who liked him? Wouldn't that hurt them? It would be better to just live together!
Unfortunately, that dream had yet to be realized. Everyone was an adult; he didn't have an excessive amount of money or enough power.
Playing around occasionally was fine, but no one was willing to commit to a long-term "group" lifestyle with him.
But this school was different—it was a microcosm of society.
Here, Private Points equaled real-world money, and high status within a class equaled power. To so extent, the influential "leaders" of each class actually had the chance to enjoy such a life.
Just like the second-year Student Council Vice President, Nagumo Miyabi—it was rumored he often went out with girls from different classes and never hid it.
'Looking at it this way, Shimizu Akira might actually be able to build a harem!' Mashima thought.
After all, in the last Uninhabited Island exam, Shimizu was the genius who single-handedly realized a reversal for Class D.
In all his years at this school, Mashima had never seen anyone pull off such a maneuver. Currently, Shimizu's prestige in Class D and other classes was unmatched.
In Mashima's eyes, as the most outstanding student in the first year, having a few extra girlfriends wasn't a big deal. The school wouldn't care; they'd just tell him to stay "safe," otherwise Nagumo would have been expelled long ago.
However, there were three of his own students in the Rabbit Group. He had set the initial list before the island exam. But right after it ended, Sakayanagi Arisu from his class sent him a ssage asking about the next special exam and proactively offered him a reasonable amount of points.
According to school rules, points could buy almost anything, and teachers could not refuse a student's transaction without a special reason.
Thus, he told Sakayanagi part of the rules.
Afterward, Sakayanagi made a request: put Kamuro Masumi and Shimizu Akira in the sa group. Mashima couldn't fathom her thinking, but he followed his principle of not over-interfering with students.
'Kamuro shouldn't be the type to throw herself at Shimizu, right?' As a teacher, he felt a strange sense of worry. But rembering Kamuro Masumi's usual cold and detached deanor, he figured he was overthinking it.
Additionally, Class C seed to have changed a female mber of the Rabbit Group at the last minute. Mashima couldn't tell what Sakagami Kazuma was plotting. All in all, this year's Rabbit Group was likely the one with the most last-minute changes and the highest number of girls in history.
Having watched the "leaders" of the Dragon Group clash for years, Mashima was bored of it. Perhaps the biggest entertainnt of this special exam would be the subtle maneuvers surrounding Shimizu Akira in the Rabbit Group.
He wondered if Shimizu could handle it.
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Shimizu Akira noticed Mashima Tomonari out of the corner of his eye. The man was repeatedly sizing him up with a gaze that held an indescribable complexity—a mix of envy and a desire to watch a show.
'Huh? Is this teacher really that kind of character?'
Akira actually had a good impression of Mashima. Among the first-year horoom teachers, he seed the most like what a teacher should be. If even he was unreliable, were there any serious teachers left in this school?
Akira figured he was just overthinking things.
Before he could dwell on it, Mashima cleared his throat. The complex look vanished, replaced by his usual sternness.
"Shimizu, Karuizawa, Matsushita, Sakura, correct? I will now begin explaining the rules of the special exam."
Recalling that the radio and emails had already ntioned the exam, Akira nodded to show he was ready. Matsushita Chiaki looked composed. Karuizawa Kei opened her mouth as if to say sothing, but seeing Akira and Matsushita looking prepared, she followed suit. Sakura Airi remained silent, nodding quietly.
"For this special exam, the school will divide all first-year students into twelve groups. The core purpose is to test your 'Thinking' ability—this is an exam that requires deep thought."
Seeing that the four did not interrupt, Mashima's expression softened. Based on his past impressions of Class D, he had worried soone might jump in to complain or waste ti with irrelevant talk. With Shimizu as the backbone, it seed those worries were unfounded.
"First, the four of you here will be mbers of the sa group. At this mont, other rooms are explaining the rules to the other mbers who will be in your group."
Hearing this, the three girls finally breathed a sigh of relief. In Class D, no one was more reliable or capable than Akira. Being with him gave them a massive boost in confidence. However, surprise followed.
Matsushita Chiaki asked, "Are they students from other classes? Is this an internal or external group competition? Does the group consist of one other class, or all four?"
After the island exam, they understood that the four classes weren't always enemies; cooperation was sotis necessary. No one questioned the arrangent of mixed-class teams, focusing instead on the specifics.
Mashima nodded to Matsushita.
"You have been assigned to the Rabbit Group. This group has a total of 14 people from all four classes, with 3 to 5 people from each class. Here is the mber list; you may look at it. You must return this paper before leaving, so morize it now if you find it necessary."
He handed the list directly to Shimizu. It was clear this Class D quartet centered around him, even though he hadn't spoken much.
"Alright." Akira took the slip, scanned it, and handed it to Karuizawa. With his mory, he didn't need to worry about missing anything.
At the top, it read Rabbit Group. Below were the mbers:
Class A Kamuro Masumi, Takemoto Shigeru, Tanihara Mao
Class B Ichinose Honami, Shiranami Chihiro, Hamaguchi Tetsuya
Class C Ibuki Mio, Shiina Hiyori, Manabe Shiho, Yabu Nanami
Class D Karuizawa Kei, Sakura Airi, Shimizu Akira, Matsushita Chiaki
Akira noticed many familiar faces: Kamuro Masumi, Ichinose Honami, Shiina Hiyori, and even Ibuki Mio. Even Shiranami Chihiro was there.
"This list... why does it look familiar?" Matsushita Chiaki stared for a mont and then realized.
"The leaders identified by the four classes during the Uninhabited Island exam all seem to be on here!"
Akira nodded—she was right. The leaders at the end of the island exam were Kamuro (A), Shiranami (B), Shiina (C), and himself (D). It didn't seem like an accident that they were all in the Rabbit Group.
anwhile, Karuizawa Kei's eyes stopped on the na "Manabe Shiho."
She rembered her—the girl from Class C she had argued with at the cafe recently. She hadn't told Akira about the spat because she didn't want him to think she was making a fuss over nothing, and she didn't want to cause trouble for the group if it led to conflict.
"I hope you can temporarily forget your class positions for this exam; it will help you progress," Mashima said as he handed out four sets of materials.
"There are only four possible outcos for each group. To help you understand, the school has prepared this explanation of the results. You cannot take this out of the room or take photos. Confirm the contents now."
Akira looked at the docunt titled Sumr Group Special Exam Explanation. The core revolved around a "VIP" (Privileged Person) within the group.
The Basic Rules:
At 8:00 AM on the day of the exam, the school sends an email to everyone. The "VIP" is notified of their identity privately. The exam lasts from tomorrow until 9:00 PM four days later, including one free day. mbers must et in a designated room twice a day for a one-hour discussion. Discussion content is up to the group; the school does not interfere. The answering window is only from 9:30 PM to 10:00 PM on the final day. Only the answer for "Who is the VIP?" is accepted. Each person can answer once.
Answers must be sent via personal phone to a designated email. The "VIP" cannot submit an answer. Answering for a group you do not belong to is invalid. Results are emailed to everyone at 11:00 PM on the final day.
The Four Results:
Result 1: If everyone (except the VIP and their classmates) answers correctly, the school gives 500,000 Private Points to every group mber (the VIP's classmates receive the sa amount). Result 2: If anyone (except the VIP and their classmates) fails to answer or answers incorrectly, the VIP alone receives 500,000 Private Points.
'It's a variation of Werewolf' Akira thought.
Normally, if a "traitor" is caught, they lose points, but here, everyone wins if the VIP is identified correctly. It seed to encourage cooperation. But he knew there were two more results.
Karuizawa and Sakura frowned at the text. "So many words... these rules are too complicated!" Karuizawa complained.
Matsushita Chiaki stepped in to break it down.
"Simply put: if I'm the VIP and I co forward, and everyone from other classes votes for on the last day, we all get 500,000 points. But if I stay silent until the end, only I get the 500,000."
"Being the VIP is so great! You're guaranteed 500,000... that's enough to pay for six months of—cough..." Karuizawa muttered, stealing a glance at Akira.
"It is a special status. But according to the teacher, every group has at least one VIP," Matsushita guessed.
"Correct, there is exactly one VIP per group," Mashima added.
"Also, if soone leads the group to Result 1, as a reward, that student will be paid double—1,000,000 points."
Akira's interest was piqued. One million points directly from the school was a rare opportunity.
"How is the 'leader' determined? What if two people perform well? Does the teacher decide, or is there a vote?"
If the teacher decided, there were likely caras and mics. If it was a vote, ties and class biases would make it ssy.
"The rooms have caras and speakers," Mashima replied. "The 'Leader' is decided by the school. Generally, it's either the person who first deduced the VIP's identity or the VIP themselves if they voluntarily went public to achieve Result 1."
Akira nodded, but he felt sothing was missing. There was no ntion of Class Points. In this school, that was impossible. He flipped the page and found the "betrayal" chanics.
The "Early Answer" Results (Accepted 24/7 during the exam):
Result 3: If soone (other than the VIP's classmates) submits the correct identity before the exam ends, their class gains 50 Class Points, and the student gets 500,000 Private Points. The VIP's class is penalized -50 Class Points. The exam for that group ends imdiately. Result 4: If soone submits an incorrect answer early, their class is penalized -50 Class Points. The VIP receives 500,000 Private Points, and the VIP's class gains 50 Class Points. The exam ends imdiately.
'There it is—the betrayal!'
With Result 3 and 4, the VIP cannot easily go public. If they do, soone from another class will imdiately "report" them to snag the 50 Class Points and end the exam, ruining the chance for the "Result 1" group bonus.
Mashima noted the ti and reminded them of the back page. Matsushita explained it to the other two: "Basically, if you 'snitch' on the VIP early, it affects Class Points. It's a choice an individual can make on their own."
Mashima added, "The school considers anonymity. Only the final results and class point changes are announced; the nas of the VIP or the person who answered will not be made public."
This anonymity suited Akira's style. It also ant that students with low class loyalty might sell out their own class's VIP to another class for a bribe.
"Theoretically, if a class performs poorly, they could lose up to 600 Class Points," Mashima said with heavy aning. This exam was harsher than the island; there were no "test points" to buffer the loss.
"Lose 600? Our class only has 810 right now!" Karuizawa gasped.
"Don't just think about the bad stuff," Matsushita said optimistically. "If we're lucky, we could gain 600 points!"
Akira interjected, "But essentially, the total Class Points of all four classes remains constant. It's just 50 here and -50 there. Points just flow between classes."
"So Akira, what do you think we should do?" Karuizawa asked.
Akira pondered. "The optimal solution isn't to guess others' VIPs. Ideally, all 12 groups should aim for Result 1. If that happens, every student in every class gets 500,000 Private Points. Including the 'Leader' bonuses, the school would have to shell out 86 million points."
"86 million?!" Karuizawa's eyes widened. Sakura was equally stunned.
"Precisely. You are correct, Shimizu-kun," Mashima praised him. He was impressed that Akira thought outside the box of inter-class competition to see the maximum collective gain. To the school, Result 1 was the most "expensive" outco.
"But realizing that is nearly impossible," Akira shook his head. "The probability of even one group reaching Result 1 is less than 5%." Between the 24-hour early-answer window and the anonymity of betrayal, the trust required was too high.
Akira then confird the Prohibited Acts:
No stealing phones or using threats/intimidation. No using others' phones or identities to submit answers. No talking to other classes after the exam ends for the day. No tampering with school emails or using fake emails to deceive. No renting school equipnt, including caras, speakers, or rooms. All school-owned items designated for the exam are off-limits for rental. The school holds final interpretation rights.
Akira noted that the penalty for any of these was imdiate expulsion. He also realized Rule 5 was specifically designed to stop him, since he had made over 10 million points in the first month by renting the surveillance system.
"Starting tomorrow, you gather at 1:00 PM and 8:00 PM. No leaving without permission," Mashima finished. "To ensure fairness, the VIP is chosen by the school. No change requests are accepted. If you have questions, ask Chabashira-sensei."
Mashima left. Akira thought about the "fairness" and "strict adjustnts." If it were truly fair, each class would have 3 VIPs. But "adjustnts" implied the VIPs were hand-picked for specific reasons. Looking at the list again, he noticed the nas were in Japanese alphabetical order.
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