Chapter 141: Hachiman: Sakayanagi, keep it up! Because Class A is counting on you to lose points.
Katsuragi's face turned pale instantly. He snapped his head around to look at Sakayanagi, his eyes filled with an undeniable panic. His lips quivered as if to speak, but he found his voice stuck in his throat.
"Sakayanagi, this..."
Sakayanagi did not look at him. Her gaze was fixed on the screen of Ryuen's phone, specifically on those four characters: Nishikawa Ryoko.
Nishikawa Ryoko was indeed the "VIP" (Target) for Class A in the Pig Group.
Therefore, the answer Ryuen had arranged for the Class C student to submit early was correct.
"..."
At this, Ryuen tucked his phone away and leaned back against his chair, crossing his arms with an expression full of triumph.
"How about it, Sakayanagi? Do you still think my 'pattern' is wrong now?"
The room became deathly quiet. Every eye was focused on Sakayanagi.
Meanwhile, Sakayanagi was thinking rapidly.
'How did Ryuen guess correctly?'
According to the pattern she had deduced, the VIP of the Rat Group should have been Hondo Ryotaro from Class D. Yet, Ryuen was convinced it was Minami Kozue from Class B—which was clearly wrong. But now, the result of the Pig Group was right in front of her eyes.
Ryuen was right. It didn't make sense.
'Unless... I was wrong? But how could I possibly be wrong?'
Just then, a clear voice suddenly drifted into her mind.
'Ryuen is actually pretty impressive. He clearly got the Rat Group VIP wrong, but he managed to nail the one in Sakayanagi's class. In other words, even if the pattern is wrong, there's still a chance to hit the mark by sheer luck.
Hearing this inner monologue, Sakayanagi's eyelashes flickered slightly.
'What are the odds of Ryuen guessing this right? Out of the remaining nine groups, he had to pick Class A out of the three opposing classes, and then pick the right person out of the three Class A members. With those odds... Class A losing these 100 points isn't exactly unfair.'
Sakayanagi's brow finally smoothed over.
So that's it.
It was a fluke. Using a flawed pattern, Ryuen had played the role of a "blind cat finding a dead rat" and happened to catch a correct VIP.
She lowered her eyes and took a sip of her black tea. The warm liquid slid down her throat, leaving a faint, lingering sweetness.
Now she felt secure. It seemed Ryuen was just enjoying a stroke of incredible luck, rather than actually mastering the correct pattern.
However, despite this, she couldn't just stand by.
Because—she was the one who had proactively provoked Ryuen into finishing the groups belonging to Class A. From a certain perspective, it was she, Sakayanagi Arisu, who had personally caused Class A to lose these 100 points.
Realizing this, Sakayanagi fell silent, and her grip on the teacup tightened involuntarily.
'Was the traitor of Class A actually myself!?'
At the same time, she recalled the scene of her arrival by helicopter. She remembered looking out at the approaching sea from the window and thinking to herself: "If I don't come, Class A will drop to Class C by the end of the exam. Katsuragi can't hold the line, so I'm coming."
And the result? She had come, and instead, Class A had lost an extra 100 points.
'If Class A really drops to Class C in the end...'
Sakayanagi shook her head gently, quickly brushing the thought aside. She couldn't be like this. She had to pull herself together.
She looked up, her gaze becoming sharp and composed once more. A light of certainty flickered in her eyes as if that moment of hesitation had never existed.
Hachiman noticed Sakayanagi's regained expression of confidence.
He breathed a small sigh of relief in his heart.
After all, Class A hadn't even started "giving away" points proactively yet. By his estimate, they had only lost about 250 points so far—not enough, not nearly enough. Meanwhile, his own Class B had only gained 100 points, which was also insufficient. Therefore, he supported Sakayanagi using her "pattern" to launch an attack.
However, staring at Sakayanagi for too long would be too conspicuous. He quickly shifted his gaze away and took a casual sip of water.
Ryuen, still leaning back with his arms crossed, spoke again with a smug tone, "How about it, Sakayanagi? Do you still think my pattern is wrong?"
Sakayanagi set down her teacup, a graceful smile curling at the corners of her mouth.
"Ryuen-kun," her voice remained sweet and composed, "your luck is indeed quite good."
Ryuen's brow furrowed slightly. "Luck?"
"Yes," Sakayanagi nodded gently. "You used a flawed pattern and happened to guess a correct VIP. Such a probability... is indeed worth congratulating."
"But unfortunately," she paused, looking Ryuen straight in the eye, "your pattern is still incorrect. Because your list of VIPs for the Rat Group is different from the one I deduced."
Ryuen's frown deepened. He stared at Sakayanagi with a hint of suspicion and wariness. A dangerous glint flashed in his eyes as he tried to judge the truth of her words.
"Sakayanagi, stop trying to bullshit me," Ryuen sneered. "The results for the Rat Group haven't come out yet. How do you know I'm wrong? Are you just afraid I'll keep guessing and finish off all your Class A VIPs?"
Sakayanagi shook her head slightly and didn't respond.
Ryuen stared at her for a few more seconds, a trace of hesitation appearing in his eyes. He didn't retort immediately, merely snorting and leaning back again.
Shiina Hiyori, sitting behind him, began to think rapidly.
Everyone had witnessed the outcome of the Pig Group—Ryuen was right, so Class C should have gained 100 points. As for the Rat Group... even if the guess was wrong, it would only be a 50-point deduction.
In this round, Class C was at a net gain of 50 points. Even if the pattern wasn't entirely correct, the situation wasn't as dire as she had imagined.
Because the class didn't have many points and had already pre-paid 2 million points, she personally preferred a steady, step-by-step approach. Overly aggressive attacks would bring benefits, but they also brought risks.
Hiyori exhaled softly, her tense body relaxing a bit. She then looked up, instinctively searching for something.
Then, Hiyori saw Hachiman. Hachiman happened to be looking over as well.
Their eyes met in the air. Hiyori pursed her lips, her clear eyes holding complex emotions—relief, realization, and something indefinable.
It was as if she were confirming something, or perhaps asking a question.
However, she was already calculating in her mind. Later, she should probably persuade Ryuen to pause the attacks—at least until the pattern was confirmed to be correct. The results for the Rat Group weren't out yet, and no one knew if it was right or wrong. If they continued guessing blindly like this...
She shook her head gently, suppressing the thought for now.
Hachiman only glanced at her before looking away. He could tell that Hiyori wasn't the type to favor reckless gambling. She might take a risk once, but she would immediately re-evaluate. Even though the Pig Group was a success, given her personality, she likely wouldn't let Ryuen take another direct risk.
Thus, Hiyori's rationality had likely returned. One should expect nothing less from the person Ayanokouji described in the original work as having given him the "feeling of love" in the later stages.
The heroine of the original world was indeed very different from other girls; her rationality completely outweighed her emotions.
While it was a bit regrettable, Class C didn't have much room for losing or gaining points anyway. Since Hachiman needed Class C to be his "ATM," he naturally couldn't hope for them to be completely bankrupt.
So next, it was time to look forward to Class A's performance.
'Sakayanagi, do your best. Class A is depending on you to lose points.'
Hachiman went to pick up his mineral water, only to find that Ichinose had already opened it and was handing it to him. Seeing him look over, she gave him a small smile.
He felt that Ichinose's attitude toward him had changed slightly again, seemingly becoming more "doting." Though he found it strange, Hachiman took the water and drank naturally.
On Sakayanagi's side, she lowered her eyelids. Hachiman's inner voice had set her mind at ease—Ryuen was just lucky; he hadn't truly mastered the pattern.
But at the same time, another thought surfaced. Her opponent this time wasn't Ryuen, but Hikigaya Hachiman.
She recalled the several exams where she had faced him. During the old exam questions, a phrase Hachiman once said surfaced in her mind—"I hope everyone can pass the exam smoothly and get the rewards."
At the time, she thought it was just diplomatic fluff. After all, as a class representative, saying something high-sounding was normal.
The result? He did indeed let everyone pass—but in the process, she was tricked by him into attacking the third-years, which led to her getting the right to run for the next Student Council President. Meanwhile, he himself obtained points from Nagumo-senpai.
Then there was the island exam as recounted by Kamuro. According to her, Hachiman had also said—"Class B will pass the exam with 0 points."
The result? Class B did indeed get 0 points—but he harvested 99 million points during that exam.
99 million. Sakayanagi's heart sank.
Based on her understanding of Hikigaya Hachiman, the words he spoke were never just their literal meaning. So, in this exam... what had he said?
Sakayanagi's mind quickly replayed the memories of the past few days.
During the first group discussion, when Ichinose suggested aiming for Outcome 1, Hachiman had said: "Ichinose's thoughts are my thoughts."
Even in the last group discussion, he had insisted on Outcome 1.
Sakayanagi's eyes flickered as she delved into deeper thought.
Outcome 1. In Sakayanagi's view, since Hikigaya was a "transmigrator" who mastered the VIP pattern and knew the entire VIP list, why would he still think they should go for Outcome 1?
Why? Her brow furrowed as she began to deduce along this line of reasoning.
Class C's pattern was wrong. This was confirmed by her own deductions and Hikigaya's inner thoughts. In her view, Class A and Class B held the correct pattern, so there was nothing to worry about. Logically, as long as they watched Class C foolishly guess everything wrong, they could easily win this exam.
But the question was—would Class C be that stupid?
No. Ryuen was arrogant, but he wasn't a fool.
He only had four samples and couldn't confirm the pattern was completely correct, so he lacked total confidence. This was evident from his behavior just now—he guessed the Rat and Pig groups but didn't guess all groups at once.
He was testing the waters, building momentum, and striking at the morale of Classes A and B. He wanted to reach some kind of balance, some kind of agreement.
And this was actually the dilemma facing Class A as well.
Sakayanagi lowered her gaze. Ryuen wanted to kill the fighting spirit of Classes A and B to force them into a compromise. And Class A... actually needed to compromise too. Because they had no money.
Guessing when possible to get points while protecting one's own class VIPs from being guessed—that was the most rational plan.
So what about Hikigaya? Sakayanagi's frown deepened.
He was the first to know the pattern and was the wealthiest. Class B had ample funds and could easily achieve a high score. Why did he also want to go for Outcome 1?
There was only one reason—Class B had too many VIPs.
If they were all guessed, they would lose a lot of points. Even if he knew the pattern and could protect his own VIPs, once enough groups ended early... Sakayanagi's pupils contracted slightly.
Then, setting aside Classes A and C, even Ayanokouji from Class D—who knew nothing about the VIPs—could obtain enough samples from the groups that had already ended. Furthermore, Classes A, C, and D might realize their own VIPs had been guessed and join forces, revealing their lists to each other and using the pattern to reverse-engineer Class B's targets. Thus, the groups with Class B VIPs would not end well.
The final result would be Class B and the other three classes slaughtering each other, and in the end, no one's score would change much before the exam ended. There would be no profit in that.
Therefore, that was the situation Hikigaya Hachiman least wanted to see. That was why he cared so much about whether Class A mastered the pattern. That was why his inner voice mentioned wanting to meet her and form an alliance.
Presumably, his goal was to work with Sakayanagi to lock down the VIP information, preventing other classes from getting the list and deducing the pattern. This would allow Class B to gain points and ultimately get the private points as well.
Thinking of this, a slight curve appeared at the corner of Sakayanagi's mouth. In her view, this was Hikigaya Hachiman's true strategy for this exam.
However, unfortunately, this strategy had already been disrupted.
Now, four groups had ended the exam early. Even Ayanokouji from Class D knew the identities of three VIPs. Ayanokouji could join the fray at any time. For Class D, he could attack A, B, and C simultaneously and reap a massive amount of points in this exam.
Therefore, she could wait no longer. Sakayanagi had come here to prevent Class A from falling to Class C, not to let the class get even worse.
Sakayanagi pulled her phone from her pocket and tapped the screen quickly.
Katsuragi felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He took it out and looked down at the screen. It was a message from Sakayanagi.
'Prepare to contact students in other groups. Begin the attack.'
Katsuragi's brow furrowed. He looked up at Sakayanagi with a questioning look. Sakayanagi gave a small nod.
Katsuragi was silent for two seconds before looking back at his screen.
Out of the twelve groups, the Monkey, Sheep, Rat, and Pig groups had already ended early. Class A had already lost two VIPs—Morishige in the Monkey Group and Nishikawa Ryoko in
the Pig Group. There were two left who hadn't been guessed. If those two were also guessed, that would be another 200 points lost.
As for Class B... it was still unknown if they had lost any points. If Class B remained unscathed, they would truly win by doing nothing.
Katsuragi's finger hesitated over the screen. He knew Sakayanagi was about to take a risky move.
His phone vibrated again. A new message from Sakayanagi:
'Once a group ends early, it's easy to investigate who submitted the name. Ayanokouji from Class D might already be involved. What he lacks in this exam is information, and now the information has been fully exposed. If we wait any longer, Class A will only become more passive.'
Katsuragi looked at these words and was silent for a few seconds. Sakayanagi was explaining herself to him. Despite it being an aggressive strategy, she was seeking the opinion of a conservative like him.
He suddenly felt like laughing.
'Sakayanagi, oh Sakayanagi, is your courage even less than mine?'
But then, thinking about how his own "courage" had left Class A with a debt of 52.8 million, Katsuragi became silent again.
He took a deep breath and typed quickly.
'Understood. I will follow your instructions. Don't worry, it won't be as bad as the island exam.'
Katsuragi steadily gave Sakayanagi a vote of confidence.
Sakayanagi glanced at the reply, and her smile became a bit more genuine. She suddenly felt that although Class A had two factions, if the Katsuragi faction could cooperate with her, they weren't entirely unnecessary. At the very least, Class A still needed Katsuragi.
She opened the input box again and quickly typed two group names, sending them to Katsuragi.
'Snake Group. Rooster Group.'
Katsuragi looked at the two names and nodded slightly. These were the two groups where Sakayanagi had deduced Class B VIPs were located using her pattern. Since Class A was going to attack, they would naturally attack Class B.
He quickly forwarded the instructions to the Class A students in the Snake and Rooster groups.
In less than 30 seconds, the ship's broadcast system rang out.
"Notice to all students. The special exam for the Snake Group has ended early. Snake Group members are no longer required to participate in subsequent group discussions. Final exam results will be announced at 11:00 PM on the fourth day. Repeating—"
Just as the broadcast ended, another one followed immediately.
"Notice to all students. The special exam for the Rooster Group has ended early. Rooster Group members are no longer required to participate in subsequent group discussions. Final exam results will be announced at 11:00 PM on the fourth day. Repeating—"
The two broadcasts echoed through the room one after another.
Hearing that the groups included the ones where Class B VIPs were located, Ichinose looked toward Hachiman. Hachiman shook his head gently. It seemed Class A's luck wasn't bad either, because out of the two groups Sakayanagi chose to end, only one actually had a Class B VIP. Class B's plan to win by lying down was still missing a few pieces.
However, everyone's attention was now focused on Sakayanagi.
Ryuen Kakeru leaned back, his gaze darting between Hachiman and Sakayanagi. He suddenly sneered.
"Sakayanagi, you really are tit-for-tat," he swung his legs on the table with a mocking tone. "I just attacked your Class A, and you immediately attack our Class C? That revenge came fast enough."
Sakayanagi's brow furrowed slightly. What did Ryuen mean by that? She had attacked Class B, not Class C.
Katsuragi was also stunned, a look of confusion on his face. He instinctively looked at Sakayanagi, then at Ryuen, his frown deepening. According to Sakayanagi's pattern, the VIPs of the Snake and Rooster groups were both from Class B.
'So why is Class C claiming them?'
Seeing the expressions on Sakayanagi and Katsuragi's faces, Ryuen's mockery intensified.
"What? Dare to do it but not dare to admit it?" He leaned back with his arms crossed. "I guess your Class A, and you guess our Class C—fair competition, why the act? I just wonder who you guessed for our Class C in the Rooster Group."
"Was it Yanagibashi Mototsugu, Kondo Reon, Oda Takumi, or Kinoshita Minori?" Ryuen said.
At this, Sakayanagi and Katsuragi's brows furrowed even more. What strange thing was Ryuen saying? He couldn't possibly think the VIP of the Rooster Group was one of those four students from his Class C. But looking at Ryuen's face, he didn't seem to be faking it.
Sakayanagi frowned and instinctively turned to look at Hachiman.
At some point, Hikigaya-kun had folded his hands on the table and buried his head as if resting. But next to him, Ichinose Honami was looking down, her shoulders shaking slightly.
Sakayanagi's brow twitched.
'Was she... suppressing a laugh?'
And Hikigaya-kun continued to keep his head buried on the table. At a time like this, was he actually sleeping? Definitely not.
Sakayanagi stared at him for a few more seconds, a thought flashing through her purple-blue eyes.
Just then, Ichinose gave a light cough as if to cover something up. She looked up with her standard gentle smile, though the tips of her ears were slightly red.
"Um..." she spoke softly, "it looks like the exams for the Snake and Rooster groups have also ended early."
'No kidding' Sakayanagi thought to herself.
"Yes," Sakayanagi said softly, "it seems this exam is going to get more and more interesting."
Ryuen sneered, "Interesting? Keep pretending, Sakayanagi. Let's see if you can still laugh when the results come out."
Sakayanagi ignored him.
"I hope you all stop guessing," Hirata from Class D finally spoke up, trying his best to intervene.
Clearly, for Hirata, the Monkey, Sheep, Rat, Pig, Rooster, and Snake groups had all ended.
Only five groups were left.
The Class D students had been told on the first day to aim for Outcome 1, expecting 500,000 points each. Now, more than half the class wouldn't get a single point. If the remaining Class D members in the active groups got points, the rest of Class D would surely cause a riot. Thus, he hoped no one else would submit early answers.
-
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Inside and outside the Dragon Group discussion room, the atmosphere was vastly different.
Not far from the Dragon Group room, at the end of the corridor, was an inconspicuous monitoring room. The room wasn't large, with a dozen screens on the walls playing real-time footage of different group discussions. Equipment hummed in the corner, and the air smelled of electronic components.
The four homeroom teachers sat around the console with cups of cold coffee in front of them.
"Rooster, Snake, Rat, Pig..." Sakagami Kazuma of Class C pushed up his glasses, his eyes scanning the screens. "In just one morning, four groups ended their exams early. The observation and insight of these students are indeed not to be underestimated."
He paused, his tone carrying a hint of gratification. "It seems even if the students are split into groups, they can find the VIPs based on their own judgment."
But Chabashira Sae of Class D took a sip of coffee, her brow furrowed.
"Impossible," she said flatly but with certainty. "The Class B students are all using backup phones and don't even know if they are VIPs themselves. In this situation, the groups they are in are like a puzzle with a missing piece—no matter how much others observe, they won't find a flaw in the Class B students. At least some of those four groups must have Class B students, but since they haven't been exposed, how did the people submitting confirm the VIP?"
Sakagami frowned and didn't speak. Because the VIP list was only known to the chief examiner, Mashima, the homeroom teachers had to wait for results, which would be followed up quickly by staff.
The homeroom teacher of Class B, Hoshinomiya Chie, leaned back with a cup of steaming milk tea. Compared to coffee, she preferred these sweet drinks that made her feel young. She tilted her head with a light smile.
"Oh, Sae-chan is right," she blinked playfully. "But you know, this whole situation is thanks to Hikigaya-kun's maneuvering. Even I didn't expect it to turn out like this. Looking at it this way, Class D doesn't have many moves left, does it?"
She took another sip of tea, her face wearing a proud "my kid is so amazing" expression.
Sakagami glanced at her, a flash of complex emotion in his eyes—envy, jealousy, and a hint of sourness. Because it was Hikigaya again.
"Hoshinomiya-sensei is certainly relaxed," Sakagami said stiffly. "It seems Class B will have another grand victory in this exam."
Hoshinomiya blinked, her smile deepening. "Oh, Sakagami-sensei, the exam isn't over yet. Who knows how it will end?"
Sakagami didn't respond, only letting out a soft hum.
Chabashira's gaze remained on the screen, her brow furrowed as if in thought.
"But why are so many groups ending at once?" Chabashira asked suddenly. "The Monkey Group ended yesterday morning, the Sheep Group last night, and now the Rat, Pig, Rooster, and Snake groups have ended in succession—this doesn't look like a coincidence."
After all, there were only 12 groups, and now 6 had ended early due to early submissions.
Mashima Tomonari, the homeroom teacher of Class A and the chief examiner, had been silent. Hearing Chabashira's words, he finally raised his hand and pressed a few buttons on the console. One of the screens switched to the Dragon Group room.
"Look," he said briefly.
The four teachers focused on the screen. In the footage, Sakayanagi Arisu was sitting by the window looking at the slumped Hachiman, while Katsuragi sat beside her with a pensive look. Ryuen was leaning back with his legs on the table, looking as if the whole room belonged to him.
"Pattern... the pattern our Class C deduced..." Shiina Hiyori's voice came from the screen. It was slightly blurry but the content was audible.
"Pattern?" Hoshinomiya blinked and tilted her head at the screen. "Is there a pattern to this exam? How come I didn't know?"
She looked at the other teachers with a look of innocent confusion.
Sakagami's frown deepened. He pushed his glasses up, his gaze still on the screen.
"In the exam materials I received, there was no mention of a pattern," Sakagami said steadily but thoughtfully. "If you have to call it a pattern... it's probably that VIPs are concentrated in the upper classes. Classes A and B have more VIPs, while C and D have fewer. This is a battle of defense and offense."
Chabashira nodded slightly but didn't speak.
Mashima was silent for a few seconds and then sighed softly.
After he had reported the island exam results, the school's exam committee had adjusted the VIP list based on those results and class points, turning what was originally a pattern into something disordered. Sakagami was right; if there was a pattern, it was simply that the upper classes had more targets. Specifically: Class A had 4, Class B had 5, Class C had 2, and Class D had 1.
"Actually..." Mashima paused, his eyes still on the screen, "when I was checking the monitors earlier, I saw some of Class B's Hikigaya's arrangements during the discussions."
The other three teachers turned to him. Mashima didn't look back but continued, "He seems to be preparing to make the other classes believe there is a pattern to the VIP assignments."
The monitoring room fell silent for a few seconds.
Then Sakagami's expression changed instantly.
"What?" Sakagami's voice rose several octaves. "You mean... Class B's Hikigaya induced the other classes to deduce a pattern? And that's why Classes A and C are currently ending groups early?"
Mashima nodded slowly. "From the current situation, yes. There is no pattern to the VIP assignments; they are just concentrated in the upper classes. But Hikigaya made the other classes believe there was one—and induced Classes A and C to use this false information to submit early."
Silence fell over the room again. Sakagami's face became complicated. He stared at Ryuen on the screen, looking at that arrogant face, and his lip twitched.
"So..." Sakagami's voice was dry, "that guy Ryuen... was tricked?"
Mashima didn't answer, but silence was an answer in itself.
Sakagami's expression became even more complex. He stared at Ryuen with a mix of helplessness, heartache, and a faint... sympathy.
"So Ryuen came up with a 'pattern' and is now blindly ending groups..." Sakagami muttered bitterly. "One wrong guess is a 50-point deduction..."
He didn't finish the sentence, but the implication was clear.
Chabashira's gaze remained on the screen, but the corners of her mouth curled up slightly. "Interesting," she said with rare interest. "Classes A and B have many VIPs, and Class B even has five. If the other classes believe there's a pattern and submit early—submitting while knowing nothing—they are just giving points to Class B."
She paused, looking at Hoshinomiya. "Chie, your class is earning points while doing nothing."
Hoshinomiya blinked, her smile deepening. She held her milk tea with both hands and swayed her head. "Oh, if Sae-chan says so... then it's true. Hikigaya-kun really is something, always doing unexpected things."
For Hoshinomiya, the fact that Class D wasn't getting points was the most pleasing part.
Sakagami's lip twitched as he tried to find something to say but failed. He stared at Ryuen's arrogant face on the screen with complex emotions.
"So, what are the current scores?" Sakagami quickly asked. "The results of the six groups that ended!"
"Normally, the whole school is notified tomorrow night, but as an examiner, I can tell you," Mashima said.
"Monkey Group: Class D submitted and was correct. The Class A VIP was exposed. Class D +100, Class A -100.
Sheep Group: Class A submitted and was wrong. The Class B VIP remained hidden. Class B +50, Class A -50.
Rat Group: Class C submitted and was wrong. The Class B VIP remained hidden. Class C -50, Class B +50.
Pig Group: Class C submitted and was correct. The Class A VIP was exposed. Class C +100, Class A -100.
Rooster Group: Class A submitted and was wrong. The Class C VIP remained hidden. Class A -50, Class C +50.
Snake Group: Class A submitted and was wrong. The Class B VIP remained hidden. Class A -50, Class B +50."
Sakagami quickly found a notebook and pen and began to record. Based on the correct and incorrect submissions, the score changes for Classes A, B, C, and D were as follows:
Class A: -100 -50 -100 -50 -50 = -350 points Class B: +50 +50 +50 = +150 points Class C: -50 +100 +50 = +100 points Class D: +100 = +100 points
Looking at it this way, B, C, and D were all positive, while Class A was in a miserable state. No wonder Mashima couldn't help but talk to them; if no miracle occurred, he would no longer be the homeroom teacher of Class A when they returned to school.
"So, Ryuen and the others were tricked into using a pattern, but they actually gained points?" Sakagami's mood recovered quickly.
"It seems their luck is quite good—using a wrong pattern but deducing a correct answer."
"Class D also got 100 points because of Koenji's early submission," Hoshinomiya noted, looking surprised at Chabashira.
But Chabashira's heart remained unmoved. Whether Class D got points or not wasn't important to her anymore; she had lost her ambition to reach Class A.
Furthermore, she knew Hikigaya wouldn't give Class D such an opportunity.
Looking at the current score changes, she felt this wasn't the final result.
"I don't think it's over. The current scores depend on whether Classes A and C continue to submit early. In the end, the complete winner should still be Class B," Chabashira added.
The other teachers agreed. Classes A and C had already taken the bait, using a "pattern" to guess VIPs in other groups. If they continued, the probability of being wrong remained high.
This included the Snake Group where Class A just failed; the VIP was indeed from Class B, but there were four Class B students in that group, so Class A's chance of guessing correctly was only 1/4. They couldn't be as lucky as Class C.
To some extent, the more early submissions there were, the higher the probability of error.
It was certain that if no miracle happened, Classes A and C would only continue to lose points if they persisted. This would make Class D—who knew nothing—the second most impressive class in the exam, simply because by doing nothing, they wouldn't lose points.
Sakagami sighed softly, praying silently that Ryuen wouldn't continue to be foolish.
Just as the teachers were thinking this, another broadcast announcement rang out.
"Notice to all students. The special exam for the Rabbit Group has ended early. Rabbit Group members are no longer required to participate in subsequent group discussions. Final exam results will be announced at 11:00 PM on the fourth day. Repeating—"
Another submission?
Was it Class A or Class C losing points this time?
Mashima, the Class A homeroom teacher, was also stunned. He quickly checked his phone for the answer reported by staff. He looked at the other three teachers and said, "This time it wasn't Class A or Class C. It was Class B."
"Our Class B? But there's no pattern! Why would Hikigaya-kun arrange for a student to submit?" Hoshinomiya asked in confusion.
"So Class B is finally going to lose points?" Sakagami followed up quickly.
"I think Class B's submission should be correct," Chabashira replied instead.
Mashima glanced at Chabashira and announced, "Chabashira is right. Rabbit Group: Class B submitted early and was correct. The Class D VIP failed to hide their identity. Class D -100, Class B +100."
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