The night just before the in-class vote was about to begin.
Ichinose made a phone call to Nagumo.
It was for a final confirmation regarding the exam starting the next day.
"Nagumo-senpai. It's Ichinose."
"Honami, huh? If you're calling me, it must be about that matter, right?"
"Yes. I talked to everyone in class today. So, I thought I should check in with you one more time to confirm things regarding this situation."
While Ichinose spoke in a serious tone, Nagumo responded with a carefree laugh.
"My conditions haven't changed. Collect every last point from all your classmates. If you do that, I'll lend you my points. I won't allow anyone to get off easy without suffering."
"That's right. I think so too."
Letting them keep their own points and escape unscathed was unacceptable.
That was one of Nagumo's conditions.
"How many points were you short?"
"4,043,019 points."
"I see. In that case, my burden will be minimal. Still, it's unavoidable that I'll be at a significant disadvantage in future exams."
"Yes..."
The burden Nagumo would bear was immense.
There was a real possibility he could lose his footing in the next exam due to the 4 million points.
Fully aware of this, Ichinose deeply understood just how generous his offer was.
"I'm really sorry. This is all because of my selfish request."
"Don't worry about it. It's a very *you* kind of strategy—not abandoning anyone. But there's one more thing. Do you remember the condition for lending you the points?"
"...Yes. That I... um... start dating you, Nagumo-senpai... right?"
When she first brought up the idea, Nagumo had presented her with that condition.
Until now, Ichinose had been wondering if there was any other way, but realizing there wasn't, she had already resigned herself to it to some extent.
"That condition—I'm changing it."
"...Huh?"
"I said I'd make dating you a condition for the points, but I'll drop that. There's no meaning in forcing a relationship like that."
That was a lie.
Right now, Nagumo had something else he wanted to confirm more than dating Ichinose.
That was all there was to it.
"Of course, I can't just lend them to you for free. Honami, this might sound harsh, but I want you to become my pawn."
"Your... pawn?"
"Yeah. You'll gather information for me. Not from the other grades—your own classmates."
Nagumo wanted information on the first-years.
The reason lay in his failure during the mixed training camp.
If it had just been a simple loss, Nagumo could have accepted it. His opponent was Horikita Manabu, the only person he acknowledged—losing to him was no disgrace.
But when the results were announced, Horikita Manabu had said one thing to him—
*"The one who saw through your plan and countered it in advance wasn't me."*
At that moment, Nagumo couldn't believe his ears.
In other words, someone other than Horikita Manabu had seen through his strategy and taken measures against it.
For Nagumo, this was not something he could overlook.
"...Why would you need information on first-years, Nagumo-senpai?"
"Consider that a private matter, alright? Don't worry. I'm not asking you to stalk anyone. Just keep an eye on the people I point out."
His tone was lighthearted, but there was not a trace of a smile on Nagumo's face.
"Honami, decide now. If you accept these terms, I'll transfer the points to you immediately."
"...! But the deadline was midnight tonight, wasn't it...?"
"Sorry, but I can't wait any longer. If you refuse this condition, I can always go back to the dating offer."
A sudden ultimatum.
But in reality, the choice might have already been made.
For Ichinose, who had been uneasy about the earlier dating condition, this new term was comparatively more acceptable.
"—Understood. I'll gather information for you as your pawn."
No matter how kind Ichinose was, her top priority was her classmates.
Nagumo had presented this condition knowing that.
And so, Ichinose's class surrendered all their private points and cleared the exam without any expulsions.
.....
March 8th.
In the classroom, our homeroom teacher Sakagami-sensei was preparing to announce the final special exam of the year.
Just recently, there had been a desk that once felt like a natural part of the room - now gone. Manabe had been expelled, and every class except Ichinose's had lost at least one student. There was no doubt this event had sent shockwaves through all first-year students.
As the homeroom bell rang, Sakagami-sensei began speaking without preamble.
"We will now announce the final exam of the first year."
The full details were laid out in complete silence.
"This final special exam will test everything you've learned. Ability, physical strength, teamwork - even luck. You'll need to demonstrate every potential you possess."
Even normally vocal students like Ishizaki and Komiya stayed quiet, likely fearing they might be next.
"The special exam will be a 'Selection Event Exam,' where classes compete based on overall strength. Opposing classes will be determined by the rules."
A Selection Event Exam. What would this entail?
"Let me explain simply. We'll use 10 blank white cards and yellow cards matching your class size."
48 cards total - one fewer yellow cards than students. Did that mean something?
"First, the blank white cards. Your class will discuss and write down 10 different 'events' on these."
The explanation seemed straightforward at first.
Each class would later narrow their 10 events down to 5 "main selections" for the actual exam. The 20 possible events (10 from each class) would be reduced to 10, with selections disclosed to opponents on the 15th.
The remaining 5 events could serve as bluffs. Once decided, selections couldn't be changed, making distinguishing real from fake choices part of the strategy.
So far, it seemed simple - pick favorable events and leave the rest to chance.
But Sakagami-sensei's expression hinted there was more.
"Beyond selecting events, there's another critical element - each class must appoint one 'commander' who cannot directly participate in events."
So that explained the missing yellow card.
"The commander is a vital, flexible role - think of them as the lifeline overseeing all events. They can intervene in substitutions, unsolvable problems, even games like shogi or go beyond just sports."
This added another strategic layer beyond just student abilities.
"Classes will determine how commanders can intervene, within reason. Equal intervention methods will generally be permitted."
With seven events, the commander's role would be significant.
"The commander is mandatory - the exam cannot proceed without one. And if the class loses, the commander will be expelled."
Another forced expulsion. Perhaps this was why protection points existed.
"How are opposing classes decided?"
"Commanders will gather in the multipurpose room after school today. Likely through lottery, one will gain selection rights to choose an opponent class. You should discuss beforehand which class to pick if you win."
The winning class could name their opponent, with remaining matchups determined automatically.
But targeting weaker classes wasn't necessarily best - challenging stronger ones in favorable events could also work. Even against Class A, victory was possible with the right strategy.
"I don't want to rush you, but consider this carefully."
Picking up chalk, Sakagami-sensei wrote the current class points:
As of March 1st:
Class A: 1021 points
Class B: 654 points
Class C: 630 points
Class D: 255 points
Our class, which had maintained Class B until now, had fallen back to Class C.
Between the mixed training camp and months of academic life, Ichinose's class had overtaken us by a narrow margin, while Class D steadily gained ground. At this rate, catching up was only a matter of time.
For students, winning this exam was absolutely crucial.
"Class points will change by 30 per event. A 7-0 sweep means 210 points transferred from the opponent, plus a 100-point reward from the school - 310 points maximum."
Stealing points directly from opponents was significant.
"This concludes the first-year final exam. I wish you all success."
With those final words, Sakagami-sensei left the classroom.
In the brief period before next class, Ryuuen took his usual spot at the podium while Ishizaki and Albert distributed rule sheets.
"We're short on time. I'll cut to the chase."
"Ryuuen-san, about the commander role?" Ishizaki asked from behind him.
"Keh. Beating around the bush wastes time - I'll be commander."
Kaneda was the first to stand.
"Why? Shouldn't I use my protection points to volunteer instead?"
"Hear me out. Our opponents will be Class B - Ichinose's class."
"...Why Class B?"
"Sakayanagi contacted me. Apparently Classes D and A are set to face off, so we're being directed to Ichinose."
A tense silence fell over the class.
"Wait, is that good? Our best chances are against Class D..."
Ishizaki's concern was understandable. Ichinose's class was academically superior, ranking just below Sakayanagi's.
"Class D is no good. It kills our advantage. Class B gives us the best odds."
Our advantage being... less than honorable tactics.
"But Ryuuen-san as commander-"
Before Ishizaki could finish, Ryuuen's fist stopped inches from his face.
"How many times must I say it? I will be commander."
Ishizaki swallowed hard and nodded rapidly.
"Listen up. I only care about winning. Whether I get expelled or not depends on all of you."
Ryuuen's gaze swept across the room.
"Specific strategies come tomorrow. Until then, stay sharp."
Noticing the time, Ryuuen returned to his seat. His final words had clearly motivated the class. Nearly everyone understood how essential Ryuuen's leadership was.
Whether intentional or not, Ryuuen had undeniably raised morale.
...
Lunch break arrived, and Ryuuen issued a single command:
"By tomorrow, compile a list of events you're absolutely confident we can win."
With just those words, Ryuuen left to eat. It was an efficient approach, though perhaps a bit too blunt - a little more tact might have been better.
But since we hadn't consolidated our discussions yet, letting everyone brainstorm individually was probably the right move.
As I left the classroom to head to the cafeteria, I felt a light tug on my sleeve.
"Hachiman-kun, I made lunch today. Would you like to eat together?"
"You sure? I'd be happy to if you're offering."
"Of course! Let's eat together!"
Hiyori smiled brightly. She'd occasionally brought me homemade lunches before - always delicious, beautifully presented, honestly better than the cafeteria food. It had become something I quietly looked forward to. Today seemed to be my lucky day.
"The weather's nice, so how about eating outside?"
"Sounds good."
As we walked down the hallway, I spotted two students near Class D's room - a boy and girl who appeared to be in some kind of argument.
"Hirata-kun...! Um, I mean—"
"..."
That was Hirata and... Wang Mei-Yu, I think?
"Is that... Mii-chan and Hirata-kun? What's going on?"
Mii-chan must be Wang. I hadn't realized Hiyori was close enough with her to use nicknames.
Watching them, it didn't exactly look like an argument - Wang was desperately trying to talk to Hirata while he completely ignored her.
This wasn't the usual cheerful Hirata. He looked hollow, like an empty shell of himself.
"Ah—"
Hirata pushed past Wang without a word and walked away, leaving her standing there looking like she might cry.
"Mii-chan, are you okay...?"
"...Hiyori-chan. Y-yeah, I'm fine."
Hiyori helped Wang to her feet, but her expression remained dark.
"...Very uncharacteristic behavior from Hirata. Did something happen?"
"Th-that's..."
"Never mind, if it's hard to talk about. I'm from another class anyway."
Her hesitation suggested this wasn't something to discuss with outsiders. Probably best to back off here.
Hiyori looked quite worried about Wang, but she had already returned to her classroom.
"I'm really worried about Mii-chan..."
"If it's something involving their whole class, there's not much we can do. Probably best to just observe for now."
Meddling might only make things worse.
"You're right. Shall we go to the courtyard then?"
"Yeah... hm?"
I heard the notification sound of a message arriving on my phone.
Checking it, I saw:
"Would you care to join me for lunch?"
The stiffly worded message was from... Horikita Manabu.
Completely unexpected. And what kind of phrasing is "join me for lunch" anyway?
It was clearly a lunch invitation, but since I already had plans with Hiyori today, I decided to decline.
"Hachiman-kun, texting while walking is dangerous!"
Hiyori wagged her index finger at me while leaning forward in a scolding pose.
Honestly, it was just cute, but saying that would probably make her mad, so I kept quiet.
I sent a polite refusal to Horikita-senpai and headed to the courtyard with Hiyori.
.....
In Classroom 3-A...
"Um... Fujimaki-kun?"
"...Yeah, I noticed."
Fujimaki avoided direct eye contact as he responded to Tachibana's words.
"What exactly happened with Horikita? He seems somewhat down compared to usual... Do you know anything, Tachibana?"
"I'm not sure either. Just a moment ago, he was staring intently at his phone, and the moment he checked it again, he became like this..."
To most, Horikita Manabu's expression appeared unchanged, but Fujimaki and Tachibana—having interacted closely with him—could discern the subtle difference.
"Did Nagumo do something to him again?"
"Perhaps... Though it might be something even more serious weighing on him."
"If it's class-related, we could help, but if it's personal... there's not much we can say."
"Should I try casually asking him about it later?"
"Seems like our only option..."
Though the two were genuinely concerned about Horikita, it never crossed their minds that their esteemed student council president might be feeling dejected after being turned down by a first-year student.
=================================
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