The camp only had two dorm buildings—one for boys and one for girls.
Even though the buildings were close, the special exam required them to live separately. Students weren't allowed to leave their designated areas without permission during breaks or after class.
The only time boys and girls could interact was during meals, which were held in the student cafeteria.
"Sensei, can I borrow the microphone?"
Right after Chabashira-sensei finished explaining the rules, Hirata made this request.
"Sure, do as you like."
She handed the microphone to Hirata, who took it and spoke to the class.
"Like Chabashira-sensei said, we don't have much time left. I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts on how we should get through this exam and how we should form our groups."
"It's simple. I don't care about the girls' side, but for the boys, we just need to gather the twelve most capable students from Class D into one group, then bring in one person from each of the other classes."
Kanda Shuichi made it clear that he was aiming for first place.
Most of the class agreed with his idea. After all, Kanda Shuichi had never let them down before, so as soon as he spoke, he had their support.
"Kanda, I get what you're saying. Ideally, that would be the best approach. But do you really think three students from the other classes would be willing to join our twelve-person group? They'd probably be on guard against something that could give us a huge advantage."
"If I've proposed this strategy, that means I have a way to make them agree. Right now, we should be thinking about how to divide the remaining eight students so they can avoid expulsion. As for the private point deductions, I'll handle it when the time comes."
Kanda Shuichi's words immediately put Hirata's worries to rest. Hirata had originally planned to suggest splitting the private points evenly among the class.
"But I want private points too!"
Who? Who just said something so stupid?
Oh, of course—it was that idiot Yamauchi.
Kanda Shuichi took two steps forward, grabbed the microphone from Hirata, and pointed it at Yamauchi.
"Saying that just proves you don't have the confidence to be picked for the class's elite group. In other words, you know you're not good enough, but you still want to join and drag the team down? If your presence causes the group to lose first place, can you take responsibility for that? Or… have you already betrayed Class C, and someone told you to say that on purpose?"
Three sharp questions in a row shut Yamauchi up completely—he didn't even dare to argue back.
For this exam, skilled students would join the strong teams to compete for top rankings, while weaker students just needed to meet the school's passing standard.
Kanda Shuichi had already decided to cover the private points lost by the students who ended up in the bottom three. And yet, Yamauchi still had the nerve to ask for private points?
You know you're not capable, yet you want others to carry you? Are you kidding me?
The other students on the bus—especially the girls and the stronger students—looked at Yamauchi with clear disgust.
Knowing you're useless but not even having the self-awareness to admit it? It was only natural for others to look down on him.
"That's my stance. I'll be picking eleven others to form a group with me. I hope none of you will refuse."
As he spoke, Kanda Shuichi glanced at the boys in the class—especially Ayanokouji and… Koenji.
"Koenji, you'll help out this time, right? I'm not asking for much, just for you to do what you're supposed to."
"If that's all, I don't mind. But don't expect me to take on any unnecessary responsibility."
Koenji didn't know why Kanda Shuichi was so fired up this time.
But he did know that if he openly went against Kanda Shuichi right now, it wouldn't end well for him. After all, Kanda had a get-out-of-jail-free card in his hands.
Hurting himself just to spite Kanda? Not worth it.
"Hirata, I'll leave the rest to you. I have something to take care of."
Handing the microphone back to Hirata, Kanda Shuichi returned to his seat and began deciding on team members.
Meanwhile, Karuizawa sat beside him, eyes sparkling—completely taken in by Kanda Shuichi's bold and commanding attitude.
Kushida, too, looked pleased, her face full of excitement.
Kanda Shuichi, Hirata Yousuke, Miyake Akito, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, Koenji Rokusuke, Yukimura Haruhiko, Makita Susumu…
One by one, Kanda picked out names. But there were just too few capable students in Class C.
In the end, he even had to include Sudou in the group.
Since the exam involved cleaning and meditation, there might also be physical challenges. In that case, having Sudou on the team might actually be a good idea.
Just as Kanda Shuichi was deep in thought about team selection, he received a text from Ichinose.
[Shuichi, have you heard about the upcoming exam?]
Seeing Ichinose's message, Kanda Shuichi's fingers immediately started moving.
[Yeah, I just finished planning. What about you guys?]
[We've finalized the basics too. Actually, I wanted to ask if you'd like to team up. I'm a little worried about the boys in my class.]
Kanda Shuichi had planned to talk to Ichinose about this later. But seeing her bring it up first, he raised an eyebrow.
[No problem. Once we get off the bus, I'll talk to Kanzaki. Horikita is handling things for the girls, so I'll pass the message to her too.]
[Great, thanks a lot, Shuichi!]
After putting away his phone, he noticed that Hirata and the others had almost finished their discussion.
The general strategy was to have weaker students blend into strong teams from other classes to balance the average scores.
Since the other classes were likely thinking the same way, no one would really lose out.
"I have something to say."
After Hirata finished speaking, Kanda Shuichi raised his hand.
"Go ahead, Kanda," the teacher said.
"I just reached an agreement with Ichinose from Class B. For this exam, our two classes will be working together. We're still competitors, but if anything comes up, we can discuss it with them."
As he spoke, Kanda Shuichi glanced at Horikita, who was sitting at the back.
*Yeah, this message is for you.*
"You really helped us out, Kanda."
Hirata was the first to thank him, clearly relieved. Class B was a reliable partner, after all.
"Horikita, could I trouble you to handle things on the girls' side?"
Since she had been directly called out, Horikita had no choice but to take on the role.
"I understand, but I'm sure a lot of the girls will think I can't handle it alone, so…"
"Kikyo and Kei will be helping you, so don't worry about that."
"If Shuichi says so, I'll help out."
Karuizawa Kei, sitting next to Kanda Shuichi, immediately raised her hand.
"I'll help too if I can be useful."
"Of course. Everyone in this class trusts you."
Even though Horikita wasn't very confident, with Kushida, the social butterfly, and Karuizawa Kei, the leader among the girls, assisting her, she would be fine. She nodded and accepted the responsibility.
While Class C was finalizing their strategy, the other three classes were also using the last bit of time to make their own plans.
In Class A, Sakayanagi Arisu turned to a male student. "Matoba, do you have the confidence to complete this exam and bring victory to Class A?"
"Of course. Leave it to me."
Shinji Matoba—once tricked by Kanda Shuichi and Ryuen Kakeru during the Preferential Exam—was now taking on this mission. He was determined to prove he was stronger than Katsuragi this time.
Katsuragi was no longer in charge. Though his follower, Totsuka Yahiko, still stuck by him, he had little influence when it came to school exams.
However, Katsuragi wasn't discouraged. As long as it benefited Class A, he didn't care whether he was the leader or not.
He had only fought with Sakayanagi for leadership in the first place because he was worried she would lead Class A to ruin.
But after several exams, it was clear he wasn't suited to lead. In that case, letting Sakayanagi take over wasn't a bad idea.
Still…
When he thought about Kanda Shuichi, Katsuragi couldn't help but worry about Shinji Matoba and the future of Class A.
Meanwhile, in Class B, Ichinose put down her phone and smiled.
"I've made a deal with Kanda from Class C. He agreed to work with us on this exam."
She then turned to Kanzaki. "If anything comes up, don't hesitate to go to Kanda. I doubt he'll just sit back and do nothing. But don't forget—we're still competing against them."
Kanzaki nodded in understanding. He wanted to use this chance to climb back to Class A.
In Class D, ever since Ryuen stepped down, Shiina had taken on the role of class leader. Her main job was maintaining harmony among the students, which made her well-liked and trusted.
"Kaneda, if anything comes up during this exam, you can consult Kanda from Class C."
Hearing that, Ishizaki frowned. He didn't like Kanda Shuichi—he thought the guy was just too cunning.
But unlike Ishizaki, Kaneda, the chosen representative for the boys, immediately agreed. "Got it. I'll keep that in mind."
Shiina glanced at Ryuen, who was quietly reading in his seat, and sighed.
*I wonder when Ryuen will finally get back on his feet…*