I spent the rest of my time on the cruise ship wandering around, drifting between different people and hanging out by myself.

Nothing really eventful happened except finding Shinomiya and talking with her. She asked me whether or not I had decided yet about joining her in going to Germany and England for the summer break.

In the end, I decided to decline. I was going to stay on the island for the majority of my holiday, so there was no way for me to go abroad for an extended amount of time. Plus, I didn't want her to waste her own money spending tickets on someone like me.

And to be honest... I feel like I'd just drag her down if she was with me.

She should go and enjoy her trip without worrying about me. The only thing I wanted to do was spend more time with her. We can do that plenty when she's at school. We don't have to go abroad for that.

Though... deep down, I really wanted to go with her.

In the first place, I wasn't sure if she really wanted to go with me. Sometimes, I get the feeling that I'm being a nuisance, like she doesn't want to be around me. I'll just keep out of her way this time. It's better that way... I think.

In the end, it's my own selfish wish. Things like that... shouldn't be granted.

There was an announcement that the cruise ship would arrive at the dock in fifteen minutes. I spent the rest of that time in the deepest part of the cruise ship, sitting alone in the hallways that no one visited.

I just wanted a brief moment of peace before arriving at Tokyo... because I know the ruckus in my head would start again the moment I step foot back in there.

I felt the movement of the cruise ship stop. I guess we've arrived, huh?

Since debarking would take awhile, I decided to stay on the ship up until the very last moment. I wanted to spend as much time possible staying here.

It seems my time ran out though, as the sound of footsteps echoed in the distance.

"Takanori-san."

I perked my head up and saw Chabashira-sensei walking towards me. Even in this hot summer weather, she insisted on wearing her suit.

"Come on. It's time to depart."

Chabashira-sensei crouched in front of me, encouraging me to get up. I sighed, looking away from her.

"...I don't want to."

"I know you don't, but this is what the school wants. Not just you, but everyone else too."

"You know why I don't want to go back, sensei..."

"I understand, but you only have to endure this for a little while. If you don't, you'll have to go back there permanently."

Chabashira-sensei gently reminded me the punishment for not participating was expulsion. Things would be much worse if I continued to stay here, rather than get off.

"I promise, as soon as this is all over, you can come back on the island. I'll make sure of it."

"...how long will this be?"

"I can't tell you. I'm sorry."

"Then, at the very least... will I be safe?"

"Of course you will. I'll personally make sure of it. Ever since what happened to you on the last day of the first semester, I made a promise to myself that I'd do everything in my power to protect you from harm."

Chabashira-sensei spoke with a tone of conviction that I'd never heard before. It eased my heart slightly.

"Thank you, Chabashira-sensei..."

I mumbled, slowly getting up. Chabashira-sensei got up as well, smiling at me a little.

"There we go. Good boy."

Together, we left the cruise ship and arrived at the mainland docks. The familiar sight of it overwhelmed me, but I tried to keep my mind preoccupied with other things, like the large amount of people waiting for the 2nd and 3rd Years.

However, for us 1st Years, no one like that showed up for us. Instead, we were being herded away to a separate section of the docks by the teachers, where five large coach buses of seemingly equal quality waited for us.

I found it strange that each class had a bus to themselves when each coach could easily fit two classes at once. They could've put us together with D Class, B Class together with C Class, and left A Class on their own as their privilege for being at the top.

Even though I was suspicious of this set up, all my classmates were more preoccupied with discussing who would sit with who on the bus and which seats they'd take. As a result, despite being such a trivial matter, small groups and pairs were beginning to form.

I was standing on the sidelines, watching everyone.

"Aren't you going to join in?"

Once again, it was Chabashira-sensei who approached me. She seemed to be keeping a close eye on me, which I appreciated.

"Not really. I was planning on sitting next to you."

"Eh? Don't joke around."

"But... I'm not."

Chabashira-sensei looked displeased with my genuine decision. I wanted her to take responsibility for dragging me out to Tokyo, so the least she could do was let me sit next to her.

"You have a certain reputation, you know. Sitting next to me will only make it worse."

"Isn't unprofessional for a teacher to be interested in rumours started by students?"

"But it's true, isn't it?"

In response, Chabashira-sensei coolly teased me. Now it was my turn to be displeased.

"...touché."

She let out a low chuckle seeing my reaction.

"Seriously though, I'd rather you go sit with your friends, rather than next to me."

"Why not? Even though there are twenty six of us, not everyone is planning on sitting in pairs. That means there'll be less space for people to sit by themselves."

In particular, Ikesugi, Rinbayashi, and the recent transfer Ukishima were most likely to sit by themselves. It was almost like those two replaced me and Kouji as the "Big 3 Loners" of D Class.

"The coach has more than enough space for everyone to equally spread out. Besides, what about Kazuraba-san? I thought you'd go sit with her."

"Kouji-san wanted to sit with her, since she's his only friend."

"That's unfortunate... does that mean you'll be alone after all?"

"I would be, unless you let me sit next to you."

Chabashira-sensei sighed.

"Speaking to you as an outsider, rather than a teacher... is doing that really okay?"

"Why wouldn't it be? What's weird about a student sitting next to their teacher?"

"It's not a normal thing for a student to do. If anything, most kids would try to avoid being close with their teacher at all costs."

"Maybe not, but I'd feel more at ease if I was sitting next to you."

Chabashira-sensei blinked and looked away.

"What are you saying...?"

"I'd feel safe by your side."

"Eh?"

"You said that you'd protect me, right? So..."

"I don't think you need protecting on a bus ride, Takanori-san."

"You never know. All sorts of things could happen."

Sabotaging a bus was extremely common. There were lots of ways of going about it, such as puncturing the tires, hiring the driver to crash the vehicle, or leaking poison gas inside the coach. The possibilities of what could go wrong was endless.

"I think you've watched too many action movies recently."

She sighed, before glancing at me with an embarrassed face.

"But fine... if you're really that desperate to sit next to me, it can't be helped."

"Thanks sensei. It means a lot."

Afterwards, she left to announce that it was time to depart to everyone else. Likewise, I joined the back of the line, getting ready to board the bus.

While at the back of the line, I could see everyone at the front fighting over who would enter first so they could claim the seats at the back before everybody else. It seems the group that won were the riajuus, Matsushita, Alice, Taiga, Hono, and Misogi.

By the time I got on the bus, I could clearly see where everyone was mapped out. Just in front of those five were Yukimura and Mitsuba, and Yukina and Kouji. Sitting each on their own at the back as well were Ikesugi and Yamaguchi.

Furthest away in the middle were Kita and Ayano. I was surprised to see her here, but then I remembered what would happen to us if we weren't present. Like me, she was forced to come by the school.

In front of them was Tanaka, who was busy playing games by himself. Across from him was Kiba, who was looking over the shoulders of Kawaguchi and Tadokoro, who sat in front of her.

Finally, there was Rinbayashi connecting the middle to the front. From there, Suzuki and Shouko sat together, with Nora and Katsumi sat across from them.

In front of Nora was Mikitaka, who was together with John. I thought this group would sit somewhere closer to the back, but they chose to be near the front for some reason.

"Brother, there you are! I haven't seen you all morning."

Mikitaka was the first to greet me with a grin.

"Wagwan G." John said, putting on his wireless headphones.

"M-morning, Takanori-kun." Nora said with a small smile.

"Chissu, Yuu-yuu!" Shouko exclaimed.

"Good morning Takanori-kun!" Katsumi waved.

"Huh? Oh, it's you."

Suzuki didn't bother to greet me, instead just acknowledging my presence.

"What are you guys doing so far up?"

"Oh, Takayuki-kun and Suzuki-chan get car sick easily. It'd be a nightmare if they threw up everywhere." Katsumi explained.

"Mans also dun wanna deal wid dem wasteman blud at da back."

John huffed, making Mikitaka laugh.

"John-san's just salty because we didn't get the back seats."

"Bruv, we shoulda just went straight down the aile innit! Forget dese wasteman who can't bare wid da roads an bumps an dat! Dey dragging us down like slrrrr, mans tellin ya brap."

"I want to sit with my best friend."

"Den why did mans say he should go wid Katsumi then bruv?!"

"Because I also want to sit with you. This was the best way to do it."

"Fam, if mans didn't like you mans, mans woulda dashed to da back and copped a seat wid Yukimura and dem lot, yea."

"I mean, if you go, Takanori-san can sit with me."

"Dat cool wid you, Tic-taka?"

"Actually..."

I looked behind me to see Chabashira-sensei had sat down at one of the front most seats.

"I already made plans with someone else."

"Like who?"

I walked over to Chabashira-sensei and sat down next to her.

"Yooooooooo!"

John screamed, shaking his head in denial.

"Mans like dat, yea? Mans doing tings like dat, yea?! My mans Taka is moving maaaaaad! Raaaaaaah fam, raaaaah!"

Both Nora and Shouko turned red seeing me sit next to our teacher. Chabashira-sensei buried her face into her hands.

"And that's exactly why I didn't want you to sit next to me..."

"A little bit of public embarrassment never hurt anybody."

"This isn't funny, Takanori-san..."

"Sorry. I think."

As I said that, the bus doors closed and we departed. Fourth of course, as we were in D Class.

"You think? When did you get so cheeky..."

"I'm the leader of D Class. I think I earned the right to push my luck a little."

"Don't get cocky just yet. You're still beneath three other classes. Wait until you're B Class at least."

"Alright, fine. Where are we exactly headed anyways, though?"

"I'll announce that later. For now, just enjoy the ride."

"Huh... alright then."

The bus trip to our unknown destination went smoothly. Everyone, in their groups, were happily chatting away and preoccupying themselves with games or music. However, after half an hour had passed, Chabashira-sensei got up with a microphone in hand.

"Everyone, your attention please."

Slowly, the chattering died down, and everyone turned to look at Chabashira-sensei. Those who wore headphones, like John, took them off to listen to her announcement.

"In less than an hour, we'll be arriving at our destination, so the quicker this explanation takes, the more of a "grace period" you'll have available. I'll only be explaining myself once, so listen closely."

The moment she mentioned "grace period", the relaxed atmosphere of the bus crumbled into tense uncertainty. As everyone understood the implication of her words, the remnants of disobedience and people not paying attention dissipated in an instant.

What should've been a peaceful summer holiday was about to become another tall hurdle for us. We were all desperate to know what awaited us when this peaceful bus journey ends.

"I'm sure all of you are wondering what's going on and why the school has prepared this last minute excursion to Tokyo. That's because the school is holding another special exam, just for you 1st Years— the Mixed Training Outdoors Bootcamp."

Despair shot through the bus as Chabashira-sensei uttered the words "special exam" and "outdoors bootcamp". Not only were the school throwing us headfirst into another difficult situation right after the Test Shuffle, but they were also making us undergo a tough and rigorous bootcamp on the first week we were meant to be relax.

Naturally, a lot of the students were upset, especially the ones who were bad at sports, like Nora and Tanaka. However, those who excelled in physical ability, like Yukimura and Katsumi, seemed to look excited at the prospect of finally being able to show off their skills in this special exam.

I guess this premise makes sense. After a special exam that focused on academic ability, it was only fair to give the athletic students a chance to succeed well. However, what didn't make sense to me was holding this type of event now, rather than later, since the sports festival should be the first event that happens after we come back from summer break.

"You'll be spending the next week in an outdoors school deep in a certain mountain. Contrary to what the name "bootcamp" may suggest, we are not focusing on your physical abilities. Instead, we are focusing on your mental development and your ability to cooperate with others. So really, this is a bootcamp for the mind."

Hearing this, there was a huge sigh of relief from everyone on the bus, except of course Yukimura. He clicked his tongue, annoyed that his chance to shine was taken from him.

"However, that does not mean you'll just be exclusively using your heads. Indeed, your physical abilities will be an important factor throughout the week, so don't look too relaxed just yet. If anything, I suggest you take a "balanced" approach to this bootcamp."

Chabashira-sensei put a strange emphasis on the word "balanced". Is she implying that those who are well-rounded in all aspects will do better in this special exam...?

"First of all, during this special exam, we'll divide everyone based on gender. Aside from breakfast, lunch, and dinner, where everyone will eat in the cafeteria, the boys and girls will undertake this exam separate from each other."

Already, this special exam had become extraordinarily tough for me. If contact with the other gender was limited, that means I won't be able to rely on Yukina to make any big moves on my behalf... essentially, the scope of strategies available to me had become extremely limited. It was almost as if I was forced to work by myself.

"However, don't worry. The contents of the bootcamp are exactly same for each gender. The main reason for this split is because you'll be living with each other during this special exam, meaning everyone will be sharing bedrooms and bathrooms with each other."

Immediately, all of us understood why such a restriction was in place. It'd be troublesome if we had to sleep in the same room or share the same toilet with the opposite gender.

This sort of thing would be especially concerning to girls, who might feel like their privacy had been intruded upon if they were forced to live with a boy for a week. Conversely, some guys would also be uncomfortable if they had to constantly live with a girl.

Of course, this sort of thing would be different if they were a couple, but within us 1st Years, very few romantic relationships had been formed. The most famous couple is probably in C Class, between the timid Suna and the punk Kana.

"When we arrive at the outdoors school, the first thing you'll do is change into your sports uniform. Afterwards, you'll gather into your respective halls and form groups made up of seven people with other students. The only exception to this are the boys, who will have one group of six due to uneven numbers. However, the school has measures in place to ensure that group won't be disadvantaged."

So we'll be split up further into groups of seven, huh? In some aspects, it might be more efficient to be in a group of six, rather than seven, since it'd be one less person to account for during this special exam, and one less person you need to get along with.

"These groups are the foundation of this special exam. The people you choose to team up with will be who you work with, who you live with, and who you'll be sharing your fate with when this is all over, so please pick wisely."

"Wait, sensei!"

For some reason, Mikitaka shot up his hand to grab Chabashira-sensei's attention. She looked at him.

"What is it, Takenaka-san? You know if you waste time asking questions now, rather than at the end, you'll have less of a "grace period" to prepare for this bootcamp."

"Sorry, but my best friend Takayuki-san brought up a really good point. I think we should listen to it!"

"E-eh? M-Mikitaka-san, what are you d-doing..."

"Go on, tell 'em all what you were whispering to me earlier!"

I was surprised Nora was talking to Mikitaka during Chabashira-sensei's explanation. He was the type to obediently listen until the very end, so whatever he's thought of, it must be really important.

"W-well... I was just thinking... h-how are the girls meant to form groups of seven...? While we have enough boys in our class to cleanly form two groups, there's only twelve girls... if seven of them team up, how are the other five meant to form a group...?"

When Nora brought that point up, everyone started muttering amongst themselves. Indeed, if you look at the total amount of boys and girls in each class, not just ours, everyone would struggle to make even two groups of seven somewhere.

However, I think the solution to that problem was about to come soon, as Chabashira-sensei smiled sadistically to the point Nora had brought up.

"I was just getting to that, actually. Obviously, Nora-san is correct. With the number of boys and girls in each class, it'd be impossible to form clean groups of seven with just people from your class. That's why, you're meant to form groups with people from other classes."

A collective gasp lingered in the air, causing the bus to go silent. None of us had expected that the school wanted us to work together with the enemy. However, unlike the last special exam, the necessity for cooperation was made explicit.

"As a prerequisite, all groups formed must contain students from at least two or more different classes. That's the only way you'll get the school to confirm the formation of your group. Of course, it's not impossible to try and form a group composed of students from your own class as much as possible. As long as there's even a single student from another class, then the school will acknowledge that group."

Basically, it was best for us if the group was made up of six D Class students and one student from another class, preferably A Class. That way, we'd have a group that's "mostly D Class".

I doubt it'll be that easy though. The hardest part would be convincing an outsider to join a group full of people from a class different from theirs. Everyone would be aiming to group up with their friends to ensure a smooth experience.

"So, what happens if you fail to do that then?" Mitsuba asked.

"Then the group won't be recognised, all of you will be forced to disband, and all of you will have to try again forming a group which meets the requirements. If, by the end of the group formation period, there are still people without a group, the school will randomly decide for them who they will work with. So, make it a priority to form groups with people you like, or else you might end up working together with someone unsavoury."

In that sense, it was easy to force someone into an unfavourable position by keeping them from joining a group up until the very last moment. If time runs out, and they're not part of a group, they'll be forced to team up with other stragglers, resulting in a much weaker and less cooperative group compared to the others.

That's one way to "attack" in this special exam, but it also requires cooperation from a wide amount of people across different classes. The only way this could realistically happen is if the entire year hated someone and wanted to isolate them, but right now, there was no such person in our year... well, maybe except one person.

Surprisingly, it wasn't me. Even if the majority of people didn't like me, I knew enough people from different classes that might be willing to group up with me to prevent this scenario from happening.

Rather, I was thinking of Shimada Kuroshi from A Class. His own class hates him, and a lot of people in our year despise him too. He was notorious for being violent, even more so than Machida or Yukimura. In fact, both of them hated him as well.

"After deciding your groups, you must elect a group leader. This role will be essential for various aspects of the special exam, so choose who you'll be handing over leadership to wisely. Once a leader is chosen, they cannot change their roles except in strenuous circumstances. Of course, in exchange for having the most power in the group, the leader will also be the one who takes responsibility if the group fails this special exam. More on that later."

There was a looming ominousness to how Chabashira-sensei said "takes responsibility". It seems while role of the group leader would give you a major benefit in this exam, it was also extremely risky to have if the rest of your group doesn't cooperate. That too, could be a form of "attack".

"I'll now explain the contents of the week to you all. Everyday, for the first six days, you'll be competing with other groups in order to complete a set challenge given by the school. Depending on the ranking of your group during these challenges, you'll be able to earn rewards or incur demerits. Groups that fail to clear these challenges within the day are penalised. On the final day, you'll do a final challenge that tests your group on all the aspects found earlier in the week."

As the explanation went on, the more at ease our class felt. The dread from earlier started to fade away as our preconception of a gruelling and cruel training camp slowly eroded. If anything, this exam sounded more like a gameshow or fun summer camp.

"Sensei, are these challenges a surprise, or do we get to know them beforehand?" Mitsuba asked.

"Unfortunately, they're a surprise. As much as I'd like to tell you about what to expect, not even I know what the school has prepared for you in this special exam."

The fact they went as far as keeping Chabashira-sensei in the dark about what's going to happen to us is concerning. While her explanation was much gentler than before, with less insults and more helpful hints embedded throughout, because we were now in D Class, it didn't negate the fact information was still being withheld from us.

The fact they omitted what to expect for our challenges means there's a chance A Class, or maybe even B Class, had been given advanced information on what will come up due to their status. As such, it's imperative that I join a group with someone from an upper class to gain access to this advantage.

"However, what I can tell you about is the voting that will occur at the end of each day. After each challenge is done, everyone will get the opportunity to vote anonymously on who did the best and who did the worst in their group, once each. These are known as the "praise votes" and "blame votes". Naturally, you can't vote for yourself, but you must put someone down. You can't leave the paper blank. These votes will be important to contributing the outcome of the special exam. Again, more on that later."

There's even a voting system in place? What's next, a confessional?

"That covers all the basics of your daily life here at the outdoors school. During your free time, you may use the facilities available at the mountain as you wish, but please be back in the building by curfew, which is at 10pm. If you're found wandering around outside past this time, your group will incur a massive penalty. Before I continue with the rewards and punishments, are there any questions?"

Like usual, it was Mitsuba who had a lot to ask.

"What about the stuff we packed? Are we allowed to bring that?"

"No. Aside from your jerseys, a spare change of clothes, and anything deemed essential by the school, such as medicine, you won't be allowed to bring any personal belongings with you. They'll all be left here safely in the coach. Anything that you may need, the school will provide for you depending on what it is."

I raised my hand next.

"Yes, Takanori-san?"

"Will the school provide it free of charge? Or is there a cost?"

"It'll be free, meals included. The "cost" you are referring to has already been paid by you guys."

"Eh? It has?" Mitsuba said.

"Indeed. It's forfeiting a week of your summer holiday to be here. As such, the school is aiming to make your experience as comfortable as possible outside of the elements of the special exam. For example, there is a hot springs available for everyone to use during leisure time."

"H-h-hot springs?!"

Mitsuba stood up excitedly, only to fall forward and hit his head on the back of the seat in front of him as the bus sped up.

"Ow, ow, ow!"

"Please remain seated, Mitsuba-san."

Chabashira-sensei sighed, making everyone laugh. Their mood seemed a lot brighter since learning that the school wasn't entirely out to make us miserable. In fact, things like the hot springs was a nice bonus, since a lot of us probably couldn't afford to go to one during the holidays.

"If that's all, then I'll continue. Depending on where your group ranks at the end of the week, you'll receive the following bonuses. Please refer to the email I forwarded to you all if you are confused."

I took out my phone and checked out the email Chabashira-sensei sent us only a few seconds ago. I opened the document attached and could see the results clearly.

1st place group:
● The leader gets +100,000 private points, and their class gets +100 class points.
● The other students get +40,000 private points, and their classes get +30 class points.

2nd place group:
● The leader gets +75,000 private points, and their class gets +75 class points.
● The other students get +30,000 private points, and their classes get +20 class points.

3rd place group:
● The leader gets +50,000 private points, and their class gets +50 class points.
● The other students get +20,000 private points, and their classes get +10 class points.

4th place group:
● The leader gets +25,000 private points, and their class gets +25 class points.
● The other students get +10,000 private points.

5th place group:
● The leader gets +15,000 private points.

6th place group:
● Nothing.

7th place group:
● The leader's class gets -10 class points.

8th place group:
● The leader's class gets -20 class points.
● The leader is sent to E Class.

9th place group:
● Everyone's classes get -20 class points.
● The leader and student with most blame votes is sent to E Class.

So this is what Chabashira-sensei meant by the leader having to take responsibility... even though you could get the most rewards from 1st to 5th place if you were leader, it was extremely risky because of the punishments in 8th and 9th place.

Being sent to E Class was no joke. The moment that happened, you'd lose everything. Money, respect, and social status. It became even more terrifying if your group ended in last place, since the votes would also come into play.

If you weren't cooperative, your group would naturally vote "blame" for you. As a result, if your group ended in last place, you'd be dragged alongside the leader down to E Class. It was basically incentive for us to work together in order to avoid this outcome.

That being said, the rewards from being the leader were extremely tempting. 100 Cl from coming in 1st place would greatly close the gap between us and C Class. If a D Class leader won in both the boy's and girl's side, we'd gain 200 Cl altogether, bumping us to 400 Cl.

This, alongside any other bonuses from the other placements we made, was a surefire way to catch up to C Class's 650 Cl in one fell swoop.

In the best case scenario, we'd be able to gain 500 Cl in total from a "mostly D Class" group (100 from the leader, 30 each from the five other students) winning in both the boy's and girl's side. That'd bring us to 700 Cl, overtaking C Class.

It seems winning in this special exam will be extremely important for our class.

"On the subject of rewards and punishments, this is merely the minimum of what you can receive. Depending on the number of different classes in your group, you can receive double or triple the amount."

"Eh?! You can?! How do you do that, Shizuka-chan-sensei?!" Mitsuba exclaimed.

"If your group has students from three or four different classes, all rewards and punishments your group gets will have a 2x multiplier. If your group has students from five different classes, all rewards and punishments your group gets will have a 3x multiplier. Keep this in mind when building your groups."

In order words... by cooperating with a lot of enemies, the payout for succeeding will be even greater then if you worked in a group that was mostly from your class.

Indeed... if a D Class leader in a group with all five classes present won in both the boy's and girl's side, we'd earn 600 Cl in total, bringing us to 800 Cl. We'd overtake even B Class, and start to threaten A Class, who's currently on 810 Cl.

The issue is, by including people from all different classes, their Cl would also naturally rise from your win. You'd need to factor in their growth as well when calculating how much Cl is necessary to overtake the other classes.

However, taking this approach to forming groups was extremely risky since these multipliers would also apply to the punishments. If a group full of people from five different classes came in last, each class would lose 60 Cl.

That was a devastating amount, especially since A Class and B Class were so close with each other. The difference between A and B Class was only 80 Cl, so the 60 Cl deficit would close that gap between them immensely.

Ultimately, this special exam was all about "risk". You could play it safe and team up with your classmates to survive with minimal damage, or you can bet it all and team up with the enemy to try and earn big, even if the possibility of conflict was very high.  

"For those of you who look worried about being potentially trapped in a losing group, don't worry. At the end of the fourth day, a trade window will open up, allowing groups to trade up to two of their members with other groups. That means you won't have to stay in the groups you initially formed permanently. However, the decision to trade is made solely under the leader's discretion. If you want to switch to another group, you need the leader's permission."

So this is what Chabashira-sensei meant by the leader having most power, huh? Unless you could appeal or convince your leader to let you leave the group, you were stuck with them for the entire week.

Even if you do gain consent, the next challenge would be finding another group that's also trying to trade a member. There might be a certain group you're desperate to join, but unless that group's leader trades off one of their members, you won't be able to.

Ultimately, you only had once chance to switch. If you don't notice your group is losing before the fourth day, your fate could be sealed right then and there.

"Sensei, question!"

"Yes, Mitsuba-san?"

"If you're in a group with people from five different classes, and trade one person away to make it a group of people from four different classes, what happens to your multiplier?"

"You lose the triple bonus and instead switch to a double bonus."

"Another question, Chabashira-sensei."

This time, it was Ayano who raised his hand.

"Yes, Ayano-san?"

"Can you buy your way into another group?"

"No. Since all your belongings, including your phones, aren't allowed in the outdoors school, you won't be able to use private points at all this special exam."

Well, that's annoying. Even though it does benefit the lower classes, since it means A Class can't use their wealth as a weapon against us, I'd rather have the option available to us, rather than be closed off.

"Alright. In that case, how are we meant to overturn being sent to E Class?"

Chabashira-sensei smiled thinly.

"I'm glad you asked. There's only one way to prevent being sent to E Class. That is, have more "praise votes" than "blame votes"."

Hearing that, it sounded like a paradox. You could only be dragged down to E Class you had the most blame votes from your group. However, this only applied to if your group got 9th place.

For the leaders, they would be sent to E Class regardless of how many praise or blame votes they get, because they are "taking responsibility", not being "blamed".

In the case they had more "praise" than "blame" from their group, they could cash in that goodwill they've earned to prevent themselves from being sent to E Class.

Slowly, I was starting to understand the mechanics of this special exam. "Teamwork", "cooperation", and "compromise" would be the most powerful weapons at your disposal. As long as everyone in your group worked together, getting 1st place should be easy.

"What happens if the leader in 9th place also has the most blame votes?" Matsushita asked.

"The person with the next most amount of blame votes will be dragged down to E Class alongside them."

So, even if you're losing, it's pointless to saddle all the blame on your leader, since it just means the person with the next most amount of blame votes would be sent instead.

I guess that means there's no way to go about preventing the 9th place punishment except having more praise votes than blame votes...

"One last thing. Retiring from this special exam is forbidden. Outside of extreme circumstances, it is impossible to have a student desert their group. In the unlikely event it does happen, the group will have to continue without that member."

I'm guessing this is to prevent people from pulling out the special exam if they know they're going to lose. However, considering we're heading to a mountain, the so called "extreme circumstances" seem very likely to happen...

"And with that, the long explanation for the special exam is over. If you have any lingering questions, ask them now. Otherwise, please refer to this detailed rulebook for more information."

The bus stopped momentarily, giving Chabashira-sensei the stability to move around and distribute the material to everyone else. I started paging through the book and reading it carefully to ensure I wasn't missing anything.

Once that was finished, we were on the move again. Chabashira-sensei sat down besides me and drank some water.

"Sensei, I have a question."

"Hm? What is it?"

"Is it possible to switch leaders during the trade window?"

"Yes, that's possible. A leader can choose to trade themselves with a leader from another group. They can even trade themselves with a normal person if they wish, but they'll lose the status of leader within the new group since a leader already exists there. If this happens, and the position of leader is left vacant in their old group, that group must once again decide together who they want to be as leader before continuing."

"I see... then, one more question."

"Go for it."

I showed her my class representative card.

"Us class representatives are bound to the class we represent, meaning we can't move up or down through individual transfer. In that case, if one of us were to be sent to E Class as punishment, would this special rule apply?"

"...no. In this special exam, you can send even a class representative to E Class."

"...is that so?"

Before I could ask my final question, my phone started getting a bunch of messages. I checked my notifications, and saw that everyone was trying to contact me for instructions on what to do next.

"Right, looks like I've got a lot to sort out in this special exam..."

This is why I wanted to sit next to sensei. From the very start, I thought something like this would happen. It was the only way to explain why everyone was being dragged out, why the threat of expulsion was used, why we were separated from everyone else, why we weren't allowed to return to Tokyo immediately, and why there were five buses waiting for us.

The school was preparing a special exam. The only way to do execute this if everyone was present, they isolated us from everyone else, and gave us the explanations in separate spaces so they could omit the information being given as they liked.

It'd be annoying if someone disturbed me while I was doing my preparations, so having her by my side meant no one would come to interfere. If I was by myself, someone might be tempted to talk to me, or if I was with a friend, they might distract me.

Next to Chabashira-sensei, an authority figure and someone people disliked being close to, I could circumvent this and be left alone to do what's necessary on my phone.

Considering we had only forty minutes left until we arrived at the outdoors school, my main priority was min-maxing the time remaining to form a plan.

First of all, I'll contact the girls. Since I won't be able to influence the battle on that side because I'm a male, I'll be relying on Yukina, Alice, and Yogen to move on my behalf. I guess I should also contact Suzune and Ichinose, and give some instructions to Katsumi and Taiga too...

However, just before I could make a call to any of them, my phone rang. The caller ID was withheld, so I didn't know who it was. I answered the phone.

"...hello?"

"Oi, Yuuto. I have a proposal to make."

It was Shimada Kuroshi.