NOVEL WEB Chapter 188
Chapter 188: When Sakayanagi Loses Control, She Certainly Will!
September 1st.
“Quiet!”
With the crisp sound of her high heels striking the floor, Chabashira Sae walked into the classroom.
The moment she entered, the sight of her long, smooth legs wrapped in silky black stockings instantly caught the attention of Hikigaya, who had previously seen her in a maid outfit.
Even though he knew his homeroom teacher was a cold and aloof beauty, seeing her in such a contrasting image naturally increased his attention toward her.
“Although advancing to Class A is something to be happy about,”
As a homeroom teacher in this school, class meetings were supposed to be held monthly.
Chabashira Sae placed the teaching materials she was holding to the side and said flatly, “Unfortunately, I have to inform you that on the 24th of this month, you will have your final exams.”
“Ehh?!”
Class B—no, now Class A—erupted into loud groans of dismay.
“Why do we have another exam so soon?!”
“Can’t we get a break for once?”
“And it’s a final exam?! I thought we were about to go on vacation!”
“We’re doomed!”
Four consecutive special exams had given them no breathing room at all.
Though they had managed an extraordinary comeback, rising from Class D all the way to Class A, the fear of exams was still deeply ingrained in them.
“A final exam? How come?”
Horikita Suzune’s breath hitched—this was far too unusual!
The school’s schedule made no sense.
First, school started in May.
Then, there was a special exam every month.
Now it was already September.
By normal academic standards, school should start in April, end in July, and then go on summer break.
But this school didn’t follow that.
Back during the island exam, schools outside were already preparing for final exams.
Yet even when vacation time arrived, the school never announced any break.
Instead, they held a sports festival.
And after that? Still no break.
And now, a final exam?
This pattern felt completely off!
“Are they deliberately making things difficult for us?”
Horikita felt a chill, her expression turning cold.
She didn’t used to be this way.
But perhaps after spending too much time with Hachiman, she had developed the habit of expecting the worst-case scenario—because Hikigaya had once said that Class D could never rise to Class A.
The biggest reason? The quality gap. If the school allowed Class D to reach Class A, its reputation would take a hit.
So his bold theory was that the school would never permit such a thing to happen.
By all logic, they should be on vacation now—but they weren’t. And instead, a final exam was announced.
The school’s goal was obvious: to push them back down.
Of course, it was also possible that Horikita was overthinking it. This school was fundamentally different from the outside world.
Maybe this was just the side effect of their class promotion.
“Additionally.”
Once the classroom settled down again, Chabashira Sae continued, “The rules for this final exam have been modified. This time, the test will not be created by the school.”
“EH?!”
“Not created by the school?”
“Wait, is it different from last time?”
Class A was thrown into chaos once more.
In their previous midterm exams, they had access to the original test papers beforehand!
Even then, many students had barely scraped by.
“This is seriously messed up,” someone muttered.
Koenji leaned back, hands behind his head, eyes closed.
In truth, the exams weren’t particularly difficult.
The school’s passing score was calculated as half of the average score.
In other words, as long as a student scored at least 50 points, they were guaranteed to pass.
After all, not everyone could score a perfect 100.
Yet, despite this relatively easy requirement, many students still found the exams difficult.
He couldn’t understand it at all.
So even though they had reached Class A, he felt no joy.
To him, this promotion was practically handed to them—and would probably be taken away just as easily.
Besides, he doubted the person who led Class D to Class A would bother maintaining the status quo.
Just look—Hikigaya had already given up, slumping over his desk in full-on resignation.
In other words, Hikigaya probably only aimed to bring the class up to Class A once. Now that he had achieved that, proving his ability, the class’s ranking from this point on was of no importance to him.
As someone in the class who never lacked points, Koenji was currently completely zoning out.
“……”
Chabashira Sae remained silent, crossing her arms as she quietly observed the students of Class A.
Only after the classroom settled down again did she continue speaking.
“This exam will be conducted in pairs.”
“Pairs?”
Hirata Yousuke was slightly taken aback.
“That’s right, pairs.”
Chabashira Sae nodded indifferently and said, “In this exam, both members of a pair will share the consequences of their performance. In other words, if one gets expelled, both will be expelled together.”
“There are a total of eight subjects in this exam, each with a maximum score of 100 points. Each subject consists of 50 questions, making a total of 100 questions.”
“In addition, this exam has two types of passing criteria. The first is that every subject has a minimum passing score of 60 points. If either member of a pair scores below 60 in any subject, both will face expulsion.”
“What?! No way!”
“Sixty points?! That’s a death sentence for me!”
“I might as well drop out voluntarily—at least I’d save face!”
The students of Class A instantly fell into despair, especially those at the bottom, like Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki, who were on the verge of tears.
Sixty points?!
They couldn’t even get 40!
Even Sudo, who had been improving somewhat through tutoring, still found 60 points out of reach.
“No need to panic.”
Perhaps because she had fulfilled a long-held wish, Chabashira was in a surprisingly good mood.
Now, a mischievous smile played at the corners of her lips.
“When I said 60 points, I meant the combined score of both partners. Since the risk of expulsion is shared, so too will be the test scores.”
“Teacher, I have a question.”
Curious as ever, Hirata Yousuke raised his hand and stood up.
“If I pair with Sudo, and Sudo scores zero, as long as I score 60, we’ll still pass, right?”
“That’s correct.”
Chabashira nodded lightly.
At that moment, many students let out sighs of relief.
That meant that as long as each person could score above 30, there would be no problem.
That didn’t seem too difficult.
Even someone like Ike Kanji or Yamauchi Haruki could probably get at least 20 points.
If they paired with someone who could score 40, they could still pass.
“In that case, this seems totally doable!”
“There should be plenty of students in our class who can score 60, right?”
“And even if someone can’t, as long as the pair combines for 60 points, we’ll be fine! Each person just needs to get 30!”
“Then there’s no problem at all!”
While many of the academically weaker students became excited, some students started feeling suspicious.
Because—
With this pairing system, the overall difficulty was actually lower than expected.
Wasn’t this too generous?
Horikita Suzune glanced at Hikigaya, who was slumped on his desk in full-on resignation, before calmly raising her hand to ask.
“Chabashira-sensei, what’s the other passing criteria?”
“This is the newly added expulsion standard for this exam.”
Chabashira Sae glanced at Horikita, understanding that Hikigaya had already accomplished his goal and likely wouldn’t put in further effort.
However, now Horikita was stepping up to take responsibility.
Even though the class was likely to fall back down soon, if someone was willing to make an effort, Chabashira was willing to see where it led.
So she continued, “Besides the 60-point minimum per subject, there is also an overall total score requirement. Even if every subject is above 60, if the total score falls below the passing threshold, the pair will still be considered failing. Both students will face expulsion.”
“The total score is also the combined score of the pair?”
Hirata Yousuke asked for clarification.
“Yes, the total score is the sum of both students’ scores.”
“Then, Chabashira-sensei, what is the passing total score?”
Kushida Kikyou asked in her usual soft, sweet voice.
“The exact threshold has not been determined yet.”
Chabashira paused for a moment before continuing, “But based on past years, the standard has been 700 points.”
“Past years? So this isn’t the first time?”
Horikita slightly furrowed her brows. She had initially thought this exam was deliberately targeting their class.
But now, it seemed like a standard school practice.
Still, something felt off.
It was as if something wasn’t quite right.
But she couldn’t quite put her finger on what exactly felt off.
Eight subjects, each worth 100 points.
With two people in a pair, that meant a total of sixteen subjects, adding up to 1,600 points.
And based on Chabashira Sae’s stated passing standard of 700 points—
That meant, on average, each person had to score at least 44 points per subject.
That didn’t seem like much.
But in a normal exam, the average score was already around 40 points.
Four points—it didn’t seem like a big difference.
However, for many academically weak students, it was like an insurmountable gap!
And if one person in the pair scored zero, then to ensure passing—
The other person would have to score at least 88 points in every subject!
That requirement was terrifying.
The expected difficulty of the final exam in just the second month of school had been severely underestimated.
Even in their class, there had been over ten perfect scores last time—
But that was only because they had access to the answers in advance.
As long as they memorized the answers properly, even the weakest students could pass.
But this time, Chabashira Sae had already announced in advance—
The exam questions wouldn’t be created by the school!
Which meant—
Any chance of cheating was completely cut off.
Scoring 88 points purely on their own ability was not something easily achievable!
“Don’t forget, there’s also the penalty point system.”
During the sports festival, despite the Ichinose class students going easy on them, Yukimura had still ended up in the bottom ten rankings.
As a result, he was subjected to a penalty where ten points would be deducted from all his test scores.
Of course—
That wasn’t a problem for him.
Because he was a top student.
This was his domain. He pushed his glasses up his nose and calmly stated the fact.
At that moment, the classroom of Class A fell into complete silence.
That’s right, there were penalty deductions too.
In the previous sports festival, the bottom ten students from each class were to have ten points deducted in the next exam!
And if both members of a pair had penalty deductions—
That meant a total deduction of 20 points!
By the end of the sports festival, their class had claimed four of the bottom ten spots.
One was Koenji, who had forfeited.
One was Yukimura Haruhiko.
The other two were a random male student and a female student named Hasebe Haruka.
“Everyone, we have to stick together!”
Hirata, always the peacemaker, quickly sensed the shift in atmosphere and urgently called for unity.
In this situation, the best solution was to pair weak students with top students.
The lowest-ranked student with the highest-ranked student.
That way, the chances of everyone passing would be maximized.
However, the difficulty lay in the fact that there were too many weak students in Class A.
And the definitions of “weak students” and “top students” were based on the midterm exam results—
And everyone knew how inflated those scores had been.
If two students who had only appeared strong due to the previous cheating paired up, wouldn’t that spell disaster?
On the other hand, if people only cared about ensuring their own safety, they would naturally choose to pair with the best students.
For example, the first-ranked and second-ranked students pairing up.
But if that happened, nearly half the class would essentially be abandoned.
The top students didn’t want to risk expulsion, so they certainly wouldn’t choose weak students as partners—out of fear of being dragged down.
That was entirely possible.
Because this wasn’t just a normal exam—this was a test that determined their survival in this school!
One mistake, and they’d be expelled!
No one wanted to be expelled.
“What are we supposed to do now…?”
“A rule like this is way too harsh!”
“I don’t want to be expelled…”
The true top students remained calm and composed.
People like Horikita, Yukimura, Hirata, and Kushida.
They were the real academic elites.
They could guarantee scoring 88 points or higher in every subject.
So it didn’t matter even if they were paired with the weakest students.
Even if their partner got zero, they would still be fine.
But—there were only four of them.
They had that confidence.
But the others didn’t.
Because their previous scores had been heavily inflated—
Plus, the fact that they had been able to cheat in the midterms made many of them assume they could cheat in future exams too.
So—
Even though Hikigaya had previously invited Ichinose’s class to help tutor them, after the midterms ended, very few students actually continued studying seriously.
As a result, many of them hadn’t put in real effort into their studies at all.
Now, no one had any idea what kind of scores they could actually get.
Moreover, the previous exam only covered five subjects: Japanese, Mathematics, Chemistry, Social Studies, and English.
This time, there were eight subjects!
That meant there were three additional subjects that had never been tested before, including History, which was taught by their homeroom teacher, Chabashira Sae.
So, they had no idea how they would perform in those subjects.
“Chabashira-sensei.”
Horikita took a deep breath, stood up, and attracted everyone’s attention. “Are there any past final exams or quizzes we can use?”
No matter what, the most important thing right now was to assess everyone’s true academic ability.
If things really didn’t work out, they could figure out what to do later.
“Don’t worry, there will be a small test shortly,” Chabashira Sae said calmly before continuing. “Additionally, the final exam will be held over two days, with four subjects tested each day. The specific order of the exams will be announced later. If anyone is unable to take the exam due to health reasons, the school will determine whether the absence is justified.”
“If the justification is approved, their final exam scores will be estimated based on their midterm exam results.”
“Does that mean…”
Suddenly, hope returned to the eyes of the struggling students in Class A.
The level of cheating they had managed in the previous exam had already been their limit.
There was no way they could achieve better scores this time. And because they had been forced by Hikigaya to study seriously last time, their midterm scores had been quite high.
In other words, if they pretended to be sick and skipped the exam, they might actually get better scores.
“But.”
Chabashira Sae’s tone grew heavier. “If the review process finds that someone deliberately avoided the exam, they will be considered as having been absent without a valid reason, and their scores for all subjects will be marked as zero.”
“That may be true,”
Ike’s eyes flashed with a sharp glint. “But if we really come up with a plan, it’s not impossible. For example, what if the entire class got food poisoning?”
“Lastly, cheating is strictly prohibited during this exam.”
Chabashira Sae continued, “If a student is caught cheating, they will immediately lose their qualification to take the test. Additionally, their partner will be directly expelled!”
“What?!”
Class A erupted into chaos. Even Yukimura’s expression changed.
“Then I can’t pair up with a weak student,” Yukimura quickly stated.
He was already facing a penalty of a 10-point deduction across all subjects. If his partner scored a zero, he would need to score 98 in every subject—something he simply couldn’t achieve.
So, his partner had to be reliable—at the very least, capable of scoring ten or twenty points.
But if his partner was a weak student who resorted to cheating, then he’d be completely screwed.
He wasn’t unwilling to help others, but there was no way he would risk dragging himself down with them!
“Bastards, what the hell do you mean by that?! Are you looking down on me?”
“Just because someone is a weak student doesn’t mean they’re going to cheat!”
Sudo immediately protested. He was one of the weakest students in the class—
And one of the lowest-ranked academically. Even though he was trying hard to study, his improvement was minimal.
Still, that didn’t mean he wanted to be labeled as a cheater!
“Besides, didn’t everyone cheat in the last exam?” Yamauchi stood up as well.
“That’s right! Even you top students cheated!”
“What right do you have to criticize us?!”
With Sudo and Yamauchi taking the lead, more of the class’s so-called “useless teammates” stood up, looking smug.
“Ah…”
Hikigaya, who hadn’t slept well the night before and was already feeling low on energy, suddenly felt—
Yeah.
This was great.
Honestly, Class A probably didn’t deserve to be in this position in the first place.
And bringing up their collective cheating in this setting—as students of Class A—
Seriously?
Might as well go back to sleep.
Hikigaya placed his left hand on the desk and rested his head on it again.
After all—
He was on good terms with Horikita, right? He wasn’t a top student, but Horikita would definitely choose him as a partner. And even if she didn’t, Kushida probably would.
And if Kushida refused, then Hirata would partner with him, right?
And if Hirata was pressured into choosing someone else, then Koenji would still be an option, or even Ayanokouji.
Hikigaya had no pressure regarding this exam.
“Sensei.”
At this moment, Horikita frowned slightly and spoke up again. “If the school isn’t the one making the exam questions, then who is?”
Normally, the exam questions were created by the school.
For both midterm and final exams, even though failing could lead to expulsion, it was still reasonable to assume that the school would be responsible for setting the questions.
Or were they using test papers from other schools?
That didn’t seem likely either.
This school was too unique, with much of its time spent on internal scheming and competition.
In terms of academic progress, it also differed greatly from other schools. So, Horikita felt that there was something off about this.
“The ones making the questions are you yourselves.”
Chabashira Sae revealed an answer that shocked everyone.
“For the final exam, each of the four classes will create a set of exam questions. You will then be able to challenge one of the other three classes using the questions your class has created, and the challenged class will have no right to refuse.
However, challenges must be submitted in advance. If a class is challenged multiple times, a lottery will determine the matchups.
Of course, if two different classes are challenged by two different classes from the start, the matchups will be considered valid without needing further confirmation from the challenged class.
At the end of the exams, the total scores across all subjects for both competing classes will be compared to determine the winner.” Chabashira continued.
“The winning class will gain 200 class points, while the losing class will have 200 class points deducted.”
“As for who will create the questions and which class you will challenge, that is up to you to decide.” Chabashira said. “But I advise you to make your decision as soon as possible because the deadline for submission is today.”
“The winning class gains 200 points, and the losing class loses 200 points?”
Horikita suddenly fell silent.
Because, considering the past two exams, the stakes had always been high, making 200 points seem insignificant.
However—
Currently, the class points of the four first-year classes were as follows:
First-Year Class A: 1491 points
First-Year Class B: 1171 points
First-Year Class C: 908 points
First-Year Class D: 0 points
“——”
200 points.
If they lost this match to another class, their own class would lose 200 points while the opponent gained 200 points—creating a 400-point gap.
That was too much.
For Class A right now, just losing once would mean… their class would immediately drop in rank.
In other words, their concern wasn’t misplaced. The school clearly didn’t intend to let Class D climb up to Class A.
No matter which class they lost to—B, C, or D—they would instantly fall from their top position.
The school’s bias was obvious.
“If we are the ones making the questions,”
Horikita, looking slightly troubled, said, “then the progress of each class’s studies must be different, right? What happens if someone deliberately creates questions that go beyond the curriculum?”
Since they were setting the questions themselves, for a subject like Mathematics, if they deliberately created an entire exam filled with advanced calculus—
There was no doubt that whoever was challenged would be completely annihilated.
The number of students expelled would be unprecedented.
“There are clear regulations regarding that as well.”
Chabashira Sae glanced at Horikita before explaining, “The question-setting period lasts for one month, and the final submission deadline is one week before the exam. During that time, the school will review each class’s exam papers, and any that do not meet the criteria will be sent back for revision.”
“If a class fails to submit its exam questions by the deadline, the school will provide backup test papers as a substitute. But I should warn you—the school’s test papers will be significantly easier.”
“Another important point to note—historically, at this stage, students have already started getting expelled in groups.”
If the difficulty of the test was lower, it meant the overall scores of the opposing class would rise dramatically.
Additionally, it would be much harder for students to fail and get expelled.
However, this exam wasn’t just about achieving a high total score compared to the other classes.
The most crucial aspect was what had been mentioned at the beginning—the two passing thresholds.
If their total class score was lower than the opposing class’s, they would lose 200 points.
But let’s not forget—this is a partnered exam. If a paired duo scores below 700 points across all eight subjects, both students will be expelled!
This meant that aside from the pressure of the class points, there was also the looming threat of expulsion.
So this was how previous students had started getting expelled?
“Can’t they make things a little easier…?”
Horikita Suzune, who was initially planning to take control of the situation, rubbed her forehead in frustration. Yet another exhausting, mind-breaking exam.
And—
“Class A’s internal conflicts are quite severe as well.”
Horikita Suzune swept her gaze over the others.
The higher-achieving students didn’t want to be dragged down by those with lower scores, while the weaker students—
Would never be willing to be abandoned.
Although Horikita no longer cared about who might get expelled or whether Class A would lose points,
Since she had already achieved her goal and no longer valued the points as much,
As long as she was in Class A, she still wanted to put in some effort.
Not for anyone else—just to prove herself.
“Hikigaya-kun.”
Horikita turned her head and said coolly, “What do you think?”
“It has nothing to do with me. My goal has already been achieved.”
Hachiman shrugged and said, “Besides, you don’t have to put in so much effort. It’s only the fourth month since enrollment, and there will probably be dozens more exams like this. Instead of worrying about helping others pass, why don’t you discuss things with Ichinose?”
Though Ichinose’s class had strong academic abilities,
There was actually a risk-free solution to this exam.
Since each class was creating the test questions, there was the possibility of leaking them to each other.
From this perspective, the classes could cooperate—setting the questions together, exchanging answers, and ensuring that both sides passed.
So while this exam hadn’t explicitly mentioned it, it was essentially a test of “collective benefit collaboration.”
However.
This plan depended on the opposing class not betraying them.
For instance, Ryuuen and Class C were completely untrustworthy.
They might provide fake test papers, leading to mass expulsions in Hachiman’s class.
That result would be far more tempting than any other benefits, making their betrayal inevitable.
So—was there anyone they could trust?
Yes.
Ichinose Honami and her classmates could be trusted.
Their personalities were anomalies in this school—they were saints.
And people like that were worth trusting.
So for this exam, forming an alliance with them was the best choice.
Their strong sense of unity meant that they wouldn’t want any of their classmates to be expelled, so if given the option “everyone stays safe,” they would accept it—without even needing a bargain.
Ichinose and her classmates were extremely easy to exploit.
At the same time, they were the perfect target for losing to deliberately and selling 200 points.
Yes.
Hachiman’s plan was for Class A to lose this exam.
Since losing meant a deduction in points, they might as well trade those points to Ichinose’s class for additional benefits.
Therefore.
Teaming up with Ichinose’s class was the most profitable move.
This was the gentlest solution to this exam.
Given how academically weak Class A’s bottom students were,
If they didn’t seek outside help, someone was guaranteed to be expelled.
At the same time, Hirata’s mental state would probably break down again for a while.
Which meant—
Winning this exam was practically impossible for Class A.
The key issue was deciding which class they should intentionally lose to.
Give away the points in exchange for benefits.
And—
Ensure that no one in their class gets expelled.
Of course.
Even this plan had its difficulties.
Because—
It wasn’t up to them to simply choose a class to compete against.
Once they were challenged, the selection process would be determined by lottery.
So there was an element of uncertainty.
Would this scenario actually play out?
Very likely.
Because they were currently Class A—holding the position of the former Class A.
At the same time, they had the weakest academic performance.
That meant Ryuuen’s class, another class full of weak students, might challenge them.
Since both classes were struggling academically, they might try to cooperate by leaking answers.
And from a strategic standpoint, the original Class A (now Class C) would also definitely challenge them.
If Class C won, they’d have a chance to reclaim the Class A position.
It would also be their first major victory since enrollment, boosting their morale.
Moreover, this was Sakayanagi Arisu’s first time leading Class A.
So while Class A was still deliberating—
Sakayanagi might have already submitted a challenge request.
Meanwhile, in Class A—
“Why don’t we challenge Class D?”
While Hikigaya was lost in thought, his train of thought was suddenly interrupted.
A male student stood up confidently.
However—
Horikita’s expression remained indifferent.
Even though Class A was now full of weak students,
The Class D they would be challenging, led by Ryuuen, was also made up of weak students.
If both sides were academically weak, their only way to ensure survival was to share the test answers.
However—
This was actually a foolish plan.
Because.
Ryuuen was not the type to cooperate obediently.
It was highly likely that Ryuuen would provide a test paper—but a fake one. Then, when the first subject’s exam began, the fake test would be exposed. At that point, Class A’s weak students, desperate to get the real test paper, would be forced to agree to all of Ryuuen’s demands.
They would likely face extreme extortion from him.
So this male student was essentially delivering himself to Ryuuen as prey.
“Well, well, let’s talk about this later.”
Hirata Yousuke noticed the tense atmosphere and quickly stepped in to ease the situation. “Besides, didn’t Chabashira-sensei say there would be a small test? We should probably check our actual scores first.”
“Horikita, what do you think?”
As he spoke, Hirata turned his gaze toward Horikita.
However, his peripheral vision was subtly observing Hikigaya beside her.
Hirata wasn’t stupid. Hikigaya had once declared his goal was to reach Class A, and now he had achieved it.
But—
Hikigaya didn’t seem to be paying any attention to this special exam.
This time, both the point stakes and the risk of expulsion were extremely high, yet Hikigaya hadn’t given any instructions. He hadn’t even contacted Hirata privately to organize any strategies.
This made Hirata uneasy.
He was beginning to wonder—
Was Hikigaya abandoning the class?
Not only did he seem uninterested in keeping Class A stable, but perhaps—he didn’t even care if some students got expelled.
“Let’s just take the test first.”
Horikita replied casually—since there wasn’t really any other option.
Besides, without knowing everyone’s actual academic level, they couldn’t even form proper pairings for the exam.
At first, she had thought that since she was now in Class A, she should act accordingly. This belief stemmed from her initial conviction that she should have been placed in Class A from the start, not Class D.
Now that she really was in Class A, she wanted to prove she belonged there.
But—
Reality hit her hard.
Horikita Suzune felt this situation was too overwhelming—perhaps too much for her to handle.
So, she shifted her focus inward.
Unlike the other students, she would never feel anxious about this exam.
After all, she was an academic powerhouse, consistently scoring 90 to 95+ points in every subject.
Even if she had to take the test alone, she would never be expelled.
At that moment, Hikigaya glanced at Horikita beside him.
Horikita Suzune had transformed—
From the usual composed Horikita into a slightly timid version of her little brother.
She was backing down.
However, he suspected that Horikita still hadn’t realized the true severity of this exam.
Because that person—
Had not made their move yet.
Which meant—
For Class A, the situation would only get worse.
Soon after, Chabashira-sensei distributed the test papers, instructing the students to complete the assessment.
—
Meanwhile, in Class 1-C (formerly Class 1-A):
“Looks like the other classes are getting noisy.”
Because all the classrooms were in the same building—one class per floor—Class C could sense the commotion from Hikigaya’s Class A.
“They’re probably stressing over the upcoming exam,”
One of the former Class A students commented.
“Even though the current Class A climbed up from Class D, they’re still just a bunch of weak students.”
This dismissive remark was immediately supported by Katsuragi’s follower, Totsuka Yahiko.
“Katsuragi, why don’t we just declare war on Class A right away?”
“The winning class takes 200 points from the losing class. If we take them down, our class will have a chance to return to Class A.”
“If it comes down to academic ability, we definitely have the advantage.”
Katsuragi sat at his desk, arms crossed, while their homeroom teacher, Mashima-sensei, had just finished explaining the exam rules.
This was a paired exam.
Students would create their own test questions.
By the end of today, they had to decide which class they would challenge.
At the end of the month—on the 24th, from 6 AM to 5 PM—they would submit their test papers for their chosen opponent.
This time, however, the point stakes were extremely high.
The winning class would gain 200 points from the losing class, meaning they could reduce a 400-point gap in one go.
Right now, while Class A had a high score, there was a real opportunity to drag them down.
Suddenly, the situation didn’t feel so hopeless anymore.
For the former Class A students, none of them had to worry about failing or being expelled.
So this paired exam was highly advantageous for them.
Even the points lost during the sports festival could potentially be regained.
“We can absolutely crush the current Class A.”
“And beyond just defeating them—most of their students are academically weak. If we can push them into failure, a large number of them might be expelled.”
Katsuragi smirked.
“And when it comes to expulsion, the system pairs students from opposing classes together—so entire groups of weak students might be kicked out.”
“Not only the weak ones, but even some of their stronger students could be eliminated.”
“That would cripple them permanently.”
“As expected of Katsuragi~,” Totsuka immediately praised.
“Sakayanagi, you think so too, right?”
Totsuka Yahiko was a staunch Katsuragi supporter, always trying to suppress the Sakayanagi faction. In his view, there was no reason to follow anyone but Katsuragi, yet some students still insisted on maintaining the Sakayanagi faction.
However, after the sports festival, the Katsuragi faction was officially disbanded.
Katsuragi stepped down from leadership and handed over representative authority to Sakayanagi Arisu.
And the moment Sakayanagi took over—she was immediately met with such a favorable exam.
Every advantage was lined up for her.
In other words, she didn’t even need to strategize—the class could just steamroll their way to victory!
What incredible luck!
“…” Sakayanagi Arisu remained silent.
—
It seemed that Sakayanagi had been in a bad mood for the past two days, but now, she spoke up.
“After Mashima-sensei finished explaining the rules, I immediately sent an email to the school, officially declaring war on Class A on behalf of Class C.”
“I also transferred 100,000 private points to contact Class D students. They will declare war on Class B for us. Once the job is done, we will send them an additional 300,000 points. Each student will transfer their share of the points to Kamuro after class, and she will handle the payment to Class D.”
“By launching simultaneous challenges against different classes, we have secured our matchups immediately.”
Sakayanagi Arisu announced.
Katsuragi’s eyes widened.
Wait—
So fast?!
She had even blocked the possibility of Class A being challenged by another class and leaving the matchups to a random draw.
Of course, it had to be fast.
If Katsuragi could think of this, surely other classes could as well.
This exam was a golden opportunity—Class A was the prime target.
Everyone would want to challenge Class A.
Because their academic abilities were the weakest.
If they didn’t exchange test papers, the other class could score easy points and possibly force Class A students into expulsion.
If they did exchange test papers, the challenging class could secure safety for their own students—
And still guarantee a 200-point reward.
—
Meanwhile, in Class A—
Chabashira checked her phone.
“I have some unfortunate news for you all.”
She looked up and announced, “I just received an email from the school.”
“First-year Class D has challenged Class B. Meanwhile, first-year Class C has challenged your class.”
“Because these challenges do not overlap, the matchups have already been set.
So, you have no choice but to face Class C.”
“What?! No way—”
The sudden announcement sent shockwaves through the classroom.
Many students had just begun solving test problems to assess their abilities and form pairs, only to be blindsided by this development.
Hikigaya rested his chin on his hand.
He was certain that Katsuragi wouldn’t have made such a quick, decisive move.
So this was undoubtedly Sakayanagi Arisu’s doing.
That scheming little brat—
She was finally making her move.
As for Shiina, she had directly declared war on Class B.
Ryuuen might not be pleased, but given the circumstances, he would have likely chosen the same target.
Because—
They were all academically weak classes.
If they played fair, they were doomed.
So their only option was to leak test questions and cheat.
And in that scenario, teaming up with Hikigaya’s Class A was the best strategy.
However, by targeting Class B, they could obtain test questions, protect their own students from expulsion, and even sell the test for a high price.
Besides—
Class D had no other choice but to challenge Class B.
Their class evaluation score was currently 0.
They couldn’t even afford food anymore.