August 7th.
The boring life on this uninhabited island has finally reached its conclusion.
I had stayed behind in Class A's cave to handle any unforeseen contingencies, enduring a tedious existence.
There was almost no one to talk to, and even when there was, the conversations served only to kill time.
If there was anything weighing on my mind, it was the distance that had grown between me and Ibuki-san.
We hadn't spoken since the third day.
I understood that what I did warranted her rejection.
I felt no regret.
She was just a classmate. Someone I had spoken with for only about four months. It would be a lie to say her anger didn't affect me at all today, but I also understood that my analysis of her was part of what provoked it.
[We are currently tallying the exam results. Please wait a moment. The exam has already concluded, so if anyone wishes to use the restroom or get a drink, feel free to visit the rest area.]
The announcement interrupted my thoughts.
Students began streaming toward the rest area all at once. Beneath the temporary tents, tables and chairs had been set up, offering more than enough space to relax.
Among them were Ibuki-san and the Class C student with camping experience. They looked exhausted and headed straight there.
I looked up at the cruise ship anchored nearby.
By now, the retired Class C students were probably waiting aboard. Ryuuen-kun, who retired last night, must be resting his wings as well.
The remaining Class C students on the island were just me, Ibuki-san, and the one with camping experience—three in total.
Other classes were surely wondering why we were down to this number, how this situation had come about, but of course I had no intention of explaining.
Once we returned to the ship, Ryuuen-kun would gather the key members of Class C and explain the full outline of this exam. Some information would spread from there, but the truth would not.
"K-Kamukura-san, here's some water."
The student with camping experience approached me as I stood alone on the sandy beach, offering a cup of water.
It arrived just as I was thinking my throat was dry.
Boring.
"Thank you."
"N-No, not at all! You don't need to thank me!"
Telling him not to be frightened or overly considerate would be pointless.
Given our respective positions, this kind of reaction would happen many times from now on. Worrying about it every time would only be troublesome.
I drained the water in one go and ended up with an empty paper cup.
With nothing in particular to do and time to spare, I headed alone toward Class C's waiting area.
I could hear the sound of footsteps crunching sand behind me—the camping-experienced student was following.
Without incident, we arrived at the waiting area.
"Long time no see, Kamukura-kun."
I turned toward the voice calling my name. A student with peach-colored hair and a voluptuous figure appeared before me.
It was Ichinose Honami from Class B.
"First of all—good work on the special exam, I suppose?"
"Yes, good work to you as well."
Ichinose smiled brightly. There was no trace of guilt; only the overflowing sense of accomplishment from having seen things through.
Boring.
"It seems you're quite confident."
"Yeah. A lot of unexpected things happened, but we gave it everything we had in our own way."
"I see."
Neither affirmation nor denial.
My response carried an air of indifference that was impossible to miss.
Yet Ichinose showed no sign of being rattled.
As we spoke, people began gathering around us in twos and threes. They didn't form neat lines, but they grouped loosely by class. Ibuki-san was visible among them, drawing closer to us.
Key members from each class assembled, and before I knew it, many Class B students had moved near enough to overhear, as if watching over Ichinose.
"How about Class C? Feeling confident?"
"Why not try guessing?"
"Hmm, that's mean. But I think I have a pretty good idea of your strategy."
"That's quite a vague answer. It only makes it look like you're bluffing because you haven't figured out the leader."
"I didn't say that, Kamukura-kun. We managed to preserve a considerable number of points. Our strategy was just different from yours—that's all. The final outcome isn't clear yet.
Besides, you guys didn't figure out Class B's leader either, did you?"
Impressive nerve. I inwardly praised her for not yielding an inch against me.
The way we faced each other head-on would appear, to an outsider, as though we were on the verge of exploding. She wasn't fond of conflict, yet as a leader she clearly distinguished between moments to yield and moments when she absolutely could not.
An innate quality she couldn't hide—the essential trait needed to lead a group. It hadn't fully blossomed yet, but it was already more than sufficient.
"You'll know soon enough."
"You're confident—may I take it that way?"
"It's merely the difference between answering now or waiting for the official announcement. And to your next likely words—'you're not denying it'—I'll say in advance that confidence isn't necessary."
"So in other words, you're implying that it's only natural you can beat us even without confidence?"
"Yes."
"...You're underestimating us too much."
"Yes."
Sparks flew between us. To onlookers, the confrontation between the two students seemed to grow increasingly heated.
But this was merely the world of a foolish girl and her companions who couldn't comprehend my existence.
"Everyone, your attention please."
The megaphone in one man's hand clicked on.
He was Mashima-sensei, Class A's homeroom teacher. Nearly every student present scrambled to form lines, but he stopped them with a raised hand.
"You may remain relaxed. The exam has already ended.
Consider this part of summer vacation now—brief as it may be, feel free to spend it as you wish."
Even so, tension naturally rippled through the students.
Many glanced around nervously, but no one started talking.
Gradually, the chatter died away.
"Over this past week, we teachers have closely observed your approach to the special exam.
Some faced it head-on. Some devised clever strategies. Some transcended class boundaries.
It was varied, but overall I believe it produced outstanding results. Well done."
The pure praise drew sighs of relief from the students.
Realizing the special exam was truly over, the weight lifted from their shoulders.
"Now, I will announce the rankings for this special exam."
A stronger voice rang out through the megaphone.
Mashima-sensei received what appeared to be the tally sheet from a nearby staff member, glanced over it, and finally began the announcement.
"Last place—First-Year Class C, 100 points."
The previously hushed atmosphere gradually filled with murmurs.
Questions like "Why Class C?" and "How is it not zero points?" were voiced openly, and those doubts turned into stares converging on the three remaining Class C members—us.
But only for a moment. Mashima-sensei continued the announcements steadily.
"Third place—First-Year Class B, 130 points. Next, second place—First-Year Class D, 148 points."
The murmurs grew louder, mainly from the areas where Classes B and D were gathered. There must have been discrepancies in their own calculations.
"And finally, first place—First-Year Class A, 514 points."
The noise vanished in an instant. Even those who had been so vocal were left speechless, unable to hide their shock at the overwhelming number.
"...Huh?"
Just one word escaped someone's lips. I couldn't tell who, but it spoke for everyone present—a candid reaction to an unchangeable truth.
Not everyone remained frozen, of course. Some students searched within visible range for information to help them accept the situation.
The clearest hint for those struggling came, without doubt, from Class A's behavior.
They had taken first place by an enormous margin—yet not one of them displayed overt, visible joy. More precisely, they were happy.
But the nature of that happiness leaned closer to relief. The moment the struggling students analyzed it that way, they would surely think; "We were played. Everything went according to their plan."
"That concludes the announcement of this special exam's results. Please note that the school will not accept any questions regarding the details. Accept the outcome yourselves, analyze it, and apply it to the next exam."
Mashima-sensei delivered the results calmly and clearly throughout, never altering his tone.
The teachers began directing everyone back to the cruise ship.
Class A moved toward it in an orderly group without hesitation. Classes B and D followed, bewildered but without stopping. Finally, the few remaining Class C students walked separately.
The characteristics of each class—and the victor of this exam—were evident in their steps.
"Aren't you returning?"
While everyone else dispersed, I stood alone gazing at the forest where the special exam had taken place. Noticing this, Sakagami-sensei called out to me.
I had obtained what I needed. Everything had gone exactly as planned.
Today, both Classes A and C would make plenty of noise. Another predictable harmony.
"I'm going now."
At last, I turned my back on the exam site and began walking.
When I glanced back, only the teachers remained.
"What's wrong, Kamukura-kun? Forget something?"
Sakagami-sensei showed concern for my delayed movement. Yet his voice carried a buoyant note—almost joyful.
Class C had finished dead last; as the homeroom teacher, this might normally call for scolding.
It seemed he knew at least some of the circumstances.
"No. I was simply reflecting on this exam a little."
"I see. Was it a satisfying result?"
"Satisfying? Well..."
It was a boring result.
...
Current Class Points (CP):
Class A: 1004 CP → 1518 CP (+514 CP)
Class B: 765 CP → 895 CP (+130 CP)
Class C: 580 CP → 680 CP (+100 CP)
Class D: 87 CP → 235 CP (+148 CP)
...
It had been about an hour since the end of the first special exam.
After taking a shower and finishing a proper lunch, I was resting in my cabin on the cruise ship when my phone buzzed. The sender was Ryuuen-kun—enough information to guess the contents.
The message contained only a room number on the ship.
I headed there immediately.
As I walked down the identical corridors, raised voices reached me.
"What the hell, Hirata? How did our points drop below 200 while Class A shot past 500?!"
It happened on the way to the designated room. This area was supposed to be a shared space for all classes, but one class had apparently claimed it and was arguing.
Curious, I paused for a moment.
At this hour, every class was likely holding debriefings. The restlessness, the foolish spreading of information, and the mention of Hirata's name made it easy to identify them as Class D.
"Sorry, Yukimura-kun. We fought as hard as we could... but we couldn't stop the onslaught from Classes A and C."
"Let me apologize too. Sorry. I could only help with the physical stuff, but Hirata single-handedly built the alliance with Class B.
On top of that, he stuck it out trying to guess the other leaders. So go easy on him."
"Well now, that's quite noble coming from you, Red Hair-kun. I had assumed this time would be wasted entirely."
"Shut it, Kouenji. You didn't slack off... wait, did you actually not slack off?"
"Precisely, Red Hair-kun. Everyone simply did what they could this time!"
"Ahaha, it feels a little weird hearing that from you, Kouenji-kun. But I agree.
The people who stayed fought desperately for those of us who retired, and the retirees did everything they possibly could too.
But the ones who stayed definitely carried more weight. So the words we should say to the four who remained aren't blame... they're 'good work,' right?"
"U-uhh, Kushida-chan... thank you."
"Fufu, you're welcome. ...What do you think, Yukimura-kun?"
"...Yeah, you're right. I said too much."
"Thank you, Yukimura-kun."
I caught only fragments, but the conversation had shifted. The shouting from the beginning was gone.
The class was starting to come together. More individualistic than Class C and sitting at the very bottom, yet they were turning failure into fuel.
"Not bad, all things considered."
"Is that your only comment after eavesdropping?"
A reply came to my muttered words.
From behind me, in the empty luxury corridor of the cruise ship where no one had been moments ago.
I didn't react as if it were some boring supernatural phenomenon. I had sensed the presence approaching.
"That's all."
I said only that and walked away from the visitor.
I didn't turn to the girl with the clear, bell-like voice—small yet easy to hear.
I could already predict what she wanted to ask, the expression she wore when addressing me, and how it would change.
"Wait. There's something I want to—"
"—Let's... meet again."
I cut her off and said it.
There was no basis, but I felt that soon Horikita-san and I would meet again, closer than during this exam.
She seemed to sense I had no intention of talking; no footsteps followed me.
About a minute later, walking straight down the corridor, I arrived at the designated room.
"Here?"
Without hesitation or doubt, I pulled open the door.
Stepping inside and scanning the room, I found it surprisingly spacious.
In fact, familiar classmates were gathered there.
Ishizaki-kun, Albert, Kaneda-kun, Shiina-san, Ibuki-san, and Ryuuen-kun. Seven students including me.
It seemed I was the last to arrive.
"...Finally showed up. Where the hell were you dawdling?"
Ryuuen-kun announced brazenly from his sprawled position on the sofa.
Behind him stood Ishizaki-kun and Albert like bodyguards; Kaneda-kun stood beside him like a secretary.
The two girls occupied the opposite sofa, so I placed my right foot on the remaining one—forming a triangle with Ryuuen-kun and the women—and sat.
"Then—time for the reveal."
The king recrossed his legs and began in a leisurely tone.
He shifted his body slightly sideways, resting his right hand on the armrest. From his relaxed posture and voice, I could tell he was in exceptionally high spirits.
His current demeanor suggested he was loose enough to treat everything casually.
"First... yeah, guess I should say good work?"
Everyone inwardly startled at the uncharacteristic opening.
But it was understandable to bask in the relief and accomplishment.
The first special exam—an important battle involving the introduction of point penalties—and he had won.
The B5-sized file in his right hand was the spoils.
I predicted the details of the papers inside.
They were slightly creased.
Apparently he had shown them before I arrived—passing them around individually.
Even relaxed, he was doing what needed to be done.
"If you're messing around, I'm leaving."
"Hey, hey, I just offered some praise. No need to snap."
"I'm saying your praise feels like a joke."
Ryuuen-kun and Ibuki-san were as antagonistic as ever. Everyone present was used to their bickering.
"Fufu, you two really do get along well."
Shiina-san—the walking natural explosive—whom I hadn't seen in days.
Everyone was used to her bombs too. No unnecessary reactions followed.
"...What are you saying, Hiyori? He and I are like cats and dogs."
"Cats and dogs? Then which one is the cat and which is the dog?"
"Hah? It's just a figure of speech. Doesn't matter."
"I know that. But I got a little curious. Also, the phrase was originally created to describe mutual dislike.
Even if Ibuki-san hates Ryuuen-kun, it wouldn't apply unless Ryuuen-kun hated Ibuki-san back."
"Kuku, no way I'd hate my own subordinate. Sorry to say, but you're using the expression wrong."
Ibuki-san's forehead vein bulged; Ryuuen-kun wore a taunting grin; Shiina-san pressed a hand to her cheek, deep in thought.
Several minutes had passed since I entered, yet there was no sign of starting the reveal.
As I thought that, I felt Kaneda-kun's gaze. Looking over, he wore a strained smile—an immediate distress signal.
"Hmm, if the two of you truly disliked each other enough to be called cats and dogs, then in my opinion Ryuuen-kun would be the—"
"—When does the reveal start?"
I interrupted Shiina-san.
For reference, my analysis suggested she was about to compare Ryuuen-kun to the monkey.
I avoided unnecessary complications.
"It's been a while, Kamukura-kun. Good work on the special exam."
Despite being cut off, Shiina-san turned a beaming smile toward me.
I returned the greeting, then looked at Ryuuen-kun. Still in high spirits. Apparently generous today; he seemed willing to let Shiina-san's earlier comment slide.
Before checking his expression, my eyes briefly met Ibuki-san's.
Several solutions for repairing our relationship came to mind, but the reveal took priority.
"How far have you explained?"
"Everything?"
He answered without hesitation. It seemed he had finished outlining the exam results to everyone present before calling me.
"Tch, I'm sick of looking at your sour face."
He tossed the words out while fiddling with his hair using his left hand.
Acting nonchalant now would have pleased him.
"Fine. Listen up, all of you—I'll say it again. This exam was Class C's complete victory."
He declared it to the room and flaunted the file in his hand.
"The victory condition was this. The 'contract' with Class A—that was my goal."
The papers inside were densely packed with the contract terms I had seen in the cave.
The key point is a contract guaranteeing massive private points every month. Exactly what Ryuuen-kun had aimed for.
His negotiation had succeeded in extracting slightly higher payments in exchange for letting Class A reap enormous profits this exam.
"I already heard that. The issue is who... no, which parts were your orders and which were Kamukura's. What roles you and Kamukura played during the exam.
And how you guessed the other classes' leaders, how you blocked their attacks."
Ibuki-san glared at Ryuuen-kun and me as she spoke, somewhat emotionally.
"How we guessed and how we blocked—I'll answer those. The other two? No intention of answering. More like, no need."
"Hah?"
"Ibuki, it's true you got the rawest deal this exam. No mistake.
But you must have expected to be treated roughly. Why fuss over trivial... details?
We won. That's enough. The process doesn't matter. Who came up with what orders, who executed them—it's irrelevant."
Ibuki-san fell silent at Ryuuen-kun's argument.
She understood.
Process doesn't matter; only results do. Ryuuen-kun's creed, and something she knew from spending considerable time with him.
"But—!"
"If it bothers you that much, ask Kamukura. I've got zero intention of explaining."
Finally, Ibuki-san went quiet. She still looked like she wanted to say more, but she said nothing.
"Now, back to business. Let's start with the simple part—why our leader wasn't guessed."
Propping his cheek on his hand, he began explaining. Only Ibuki-san and I had known this in advance; everyone else listened intently.
"As you know, initially I was the leader.
But on the night of day six, after finishing the final spot occupation, I retired. At that point, the leader shifted to Ibuki."
"That part still doesn't make sense to me, Ryuuen-shi. Why was the change necessary? The other classes didn't know you were on the island, correct?"
"Wrong, Kaneda. They knew I was there."
"Why? And who knew?"
"The basis is Class D's actions. Around noon on the third day, they pulled the same move as us—leaving only a few behind and having the rest retire.
The reason is simple, they wanted to eliminate Ibuki, who had infiltrated them. And that's something they wouldn't do unless they knew she was a 'spy.' On top of that, by allying with Class B they even set up an offensive posture.
In other words, someone in that class saw through my strategy—and the bastard not only figured it out but used it as reference to prepare both 'attack' and 'defense.'"
Ryuuen-kun's words. His tone sounded almost annoyed, but his voice was high and buoyant.
"...I see. Since someone saw through Ryuuen-shi's strategy, we had to assume they could guess the leader. And by suddenly switching to Ibuki-shi as leader, we blocked their attack."
"You praise the wrong guy. In reality, Kamukura predicted most of Class D would retire.
He foresaw it and deliberately left Ibuki behind. From Class D's perspective, they'd never imagine the person they thought they'd expelled was actually the leader.
Plus, early on the fourth day we retired the camping-experienced guy who'd been my decoy—adding the possibility that 'someone retired,' complicating the truth."
"Man, if I were in Class D I'd be completely checkmated by that alone."
Kaneda-kun scratched his head and gave a wry smile.
At the same time he added that he felt sorry for Class D, and Ryuuen-kun responded with his distinctive laugh.
"Now then, next—how we guessed the leaders. I'll just get straight to the point, I threatened Class B's leader and made her cough up both B and D's leaders."
"Th-threatened?"
"Nothing to be shocked about, Ishizaki. You know how I operate, right?"
Ishizaki-kun nodded vigorously. Experiences felt in the flesh aren't easily forgotten.
"But when did you threaten her? B and D had such a deep alliance they shared a base, right?
Once your presence was exposed it'd be game over for you, so the timing had to be insanely tight to even make contact."
"Good guess, Ibuki. Yeah, the timing was tight. But I succeeded on the fourth day.
—Unfortunately for them, this whole exam was in the palm of Kamukura's hand."
Ryuuen-kun said that and passed the baton to me with a glance.
He brought a carbonated drink to his lips; it was obvious he had no intention of explaining further.
No choice—I accepted the handoff.
"I predicted every action Class B and Class D would take in this exam.
The moment they moved on the third day, I prepared two strategies and by the fifth day had essentially cornered them."
"What were the two strategies?"
"One was surveillance of Class D using Class A students."
There was no need to elaborate; even Kaneda-kun, who asked, understood.
"I had also predicted their counter to that strategy which is by joint living with Class B to offset Class D's disadvantage of going elite with few members.
And if they did that, a point-transfer deal would occur between B and D, removing class barriers. Meaning their leaders would be revealed to each other.
Therefore, before they began joint living, I had Ryuuen-kun place a spy inside Class B at my request. That was the second strategy.
The spy was the Class B student who held accurate information on both sides—Shiranami Chihiro."
"...I see. And the strategy succeeded, allowing you to extract the final leader information for both B and D from Shiranami-san."
I nodded to Shiina-san to confirm she was correct. But she continued with a puzzled expression.
"But Kamukura-kun, this strategy feels a little risky—no, it relies quite a bit on luck.
If they had allied without revealing their leaders to each other, the chance of success would have dropped dramatically, even if not complete failure.
I've heard Class B's leader, Ichinose-san, is very kind-hearted, so it was a real possibility."
"The chance of allying without compensation can't be denied. However, failure was impossible. I knew exactly what kind of person Shiranami Chihiro is, her personality, and what she values most.
Even without leader disclosure, she would have spied desperately and produced results."
"...What did you say to that woman?"
"I told her I would destroy what she holds most dear, Kukuku."
His distinctive laugh was the last sound before silence spread.
What Shiranami Chihiro held most dear was a person—Ichinose Honami.
She had a gentle, kind nature, and Shiranami harbored affection for her despite being the same gender.
If a dangerous man like Ryuuen Kakeru threatened someone like that, she would panic. Normal thinking would become impossible.
Furthermore, knowing her own existence as leader had been exposed to another class, she would be crushed by self-blame—and above all, she couldn't bear burdening Ichinose Honami's Class B.
She would never allow that.
Then, to the mentally cornered Shiranami, he offer to stop destroying Ichinose Honami in exchange for help guessing leaders?
The answer was immediate. She readily fell into the choice of saving Ichinose Honami.
Ah, affection really is easy to manipulate.
"...I see. Quite ruthless means. To know that much... were you friends?"
I had intended to explain politely, but she showed slight displeasure.
Her usual soft air vanished; her voice dropped a tone lower than normal.
"Kuku, if Shiranami were Kamukura's buddy, this guy wouldn't just be a sadist—he'd be utter scum."
"You're the one who threatened her."
"Shut it. Accomplice."
Ryuuen-kun remained in high spirits throughout.
Beside him, Ishizaki-kun wore a strained, distinctive bitter smile—he had realized neither of us possessed the slightest empathy for others.
Further analysis revealed faint fear in that strained smile, along with expectation glimpsed in the trusting gaze he directed at both of us.
"Now then, anything else you wanna know? If not, this long explanation of the exam is over."
At the abrupt signal, Ishizaki-kun flinched slightly. The others reacted similarly, unable to move yet.
The heavy atmosphere lingered. Especially the women—they directed gazes at me as if wanting to say something.
But in the end, no one moved until instructions to clean up the room.
"Hiyori, let's go."
"Is that all right?"
Ibuki-san moved first to leave. Shiina-san glanced at me and asked if she should stop her.
She wore a slightly awkward expression. She seemed to have noticed something had happened between Ibuki-san and me.
"It's fine."
"I see... Then, excuse us."
Shiina-san bowed and said that. With those words, the two prepared to leave.
"Hold up."
"...What, there's more?"
"I figured we'd review the full picture of the exam one last time."
Ryuuen-kun stood from the sofa, stopping them and signaling me.
Perhaps intrigued, Ibuki-san released the doorknob and turned toward us.
Taking those words as the cue, I brought every scene from the exam into my mind—descriptions, characters, actions.
My actions, Ryuuen-kun's actions, the other classes' actions. I fitted them precisely yet clearly, like assembling a single film reel.
Then, at maximum speed, I filled the remaining empty pieces and finished organizing everything in my head.
"This is the entirety of the exam..."
"First, let's review from the very beginning of the exam."
"August 1st. The first special exam for all 159 first-year students at Advanced Nurturing High School began."
"Each class started moving, tense though they were about their first exam, and Class C was no exception."
"At that point, I headed alone into the forest early on to identify the leaders. The others followed Ryuuen-kun, and with him at the forefront they began deciding the policy for this exam."
"Entering the forest, I scouted every class in the opening phase and, despite some incidents, succeeded in pinpointing Class B's leader."
"At the same time, Ryuuen-kun—having settled on the policy and devised the strategy—began working in the shadows to execute the deal with Class A that was his goal for this exam."
"After that, we finished sending Ibuki-san as a spy into Class D and completed everything planned for day one. We spent all our held points and enjoyed a summer vacation-like break."
"And that evening, we also succeeded in the 'secret agreement' with Class A. At that point, we had finished supplying goods to Class A as well."
"Day two of the special exam. While enjoying our break, Class C occupied just one spot and took actions to improve the exam outcome."
"Everything proceeded exactly as planned. Without any issues, Class C successfully retired everyone except the two students with camping experience, Ryuuen-kun, Ibuki-san, and me—five in total."
"Ryuuen-kun's group succeeded in occupying four spots through stealth. I stayed with Class A to handle any incidents. Everything was perfectly on track."
"However, on day three of the special exam, the board finally shifted."
"That shift was Class D's mass retirement. They modeled it after Class C's actions, aiming to expel Ibuki-san and switch to an aggressive posture with an elite few."
"But that move was exactly as I had predicted. From the questions I asked right after the exam started, I had grasped everything they were capable of, so countering it was simple."
"First, with her surveillance target gone and nowhere to go, I sheltered Ibuki-san within Class A and had her wait there until she became Class C's final leader."
"Then, with Katsuragi Kouhei's cooperation, I prepared Class A personnel who could stop Class D at any time while merely observing."
"If Class D had immediately allied with Class B at that moment, the exam outcome would have become uncertain. But since they acted alone until day five, victory was essentially assured at that point."
"Day four of the special exam. As I said earlier, since Class D hadn't moved yet, we didn't do anything particularly standout."
"However, we had removed the risk factors."
"That was Class A's internal split. As you know, they are divided into the Katsuragi faction and the Sakayanagi faction.
In this exam, Sakayanagi-san couldn't participate, so the Katsuragi faction naturally took the lead and ran things."
"But she isn't lenient either. Anticipating her own absence, she had instructed her pieces to deliberately lose this exam as a means to sap the Katsuragi faction's momentum."
"Yet we prevented that too. The exam results make it clear, don't they?"
"Additionally, on this day—before Class D allied with Class B—Ryuuen-kun succeeded in placing a spy inside Class B."
"Day five. Despite being told to simply observe, Katsuragi-kun began surveillance on Class D.
Given his personality, he held out quite well, but it was convenient either way."
"Cornered by Class A's heavy surveillance, Class D finally stepped into an alliance with Class B."
"But with that, our victory was sealed. The spy, Shiranami Chihiro, began acting."
"Then on day six, to counter the mass surveillance, Classes B and D built an offensive posture with numbers.
There were probably some who struggled a bit, but there was no single reversal move capable of flipping the board."
"Classes B and D boldly probed for openings in A and C and attempted negotiations, but the day ended quickly, bringing the nighttime movement restriction."
"Even so, they kept acting. That tenacity deserves honest praise. But that very refusal to give up caused them to lose sight of Shiranami Chihiro."
"Ultimately, at the prearranged meeting spot, she confirmed the leaders as 'Ayanokouji Kiyotaka' and 'Shiranami Chihiro.'
Ryuuen-kun, having delivered that information to me, then retired."
"The final day. Katsuragi-kun and I wrote down the leaders of Classes B and D, reconfirmed the points we could gain in this exam, and faced the results announcement."
"Class A's final points were 514. They started with 270, but guessing B and D's leaders gave +100, five occupied spots gave +90.
Additionally, transferring the spot occupation points Ryuuen-kun gathered for Class C added +54, totaling 514."
"By the way, Class C's spot points were 6 by the end of days one and two. Well, we only occupied one, so that's about right.
But from day three onward, Ryuuen-kun solidly occupied four spots four times a day—morning, afternoon, evening—for 12 × 4 = 48 points. Totaling 54."
"...That is the full picture of this exam."
With that, the first special exam came to a complete end.
I graded the record of this exam in my mind. There were certainly still immature aspects, but I believe it merits an 'excellent.'
***
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