Starting in class C: not completely defective.

Arc 10 chapter 3: unexpected opponent.

Horikita from class D was the one who drew the slip with the red mark, which meant that class D had won the right to choose their opponent.

"It would seem there's no need for me to check what's on the last slip of paper then, is there, Mashima-sensei?" Said Sakayanagi.

Mashima-sensei drew the remaining slip of paper from the box himself. Naturally, it didn't have a red circle on it.

"Please tell us which class you'll be choosing," said Mashima-sensei, urging Horikita to answer.

Horikita responded with a subtle nod. Class D had probably held their own discussions in the morning and after class, deciding which class they'd have the best chance of winning against.

"Then I'll come out and say it. I wish...class D wishes...to go up against class A," announced Horikita, making a declaration of war on an unexpected opponent.

What?

Why did she want to go up against us?

"You're sure you want to choose class A?" Asked Mashima-sensei, seeking to confirm Horikita's decision.

"Yes," she replied firmly.

After making sure, Mashima-sensei finalised the match-ups. If class A was going up against class D, it naturally followed that class B would be going up against class C.

"Now then, I'll explain the system you'll be using on the day of the special exam. During the exam, you'll be in the multi-purpose room, using a computer like the two that you see set up right here. You will be fulfilling your role as commander here, assigning which student will be in which event, in real time," explained Mashima-sensei.

The left-hand computer's screen was projected in the large monitor. While Chabashira operated the computer, Mashima-sensei continued explaining.

"This is a list of students in class B. Using the mouse, you'll drag and drop the selected student's profile picture onto the box for a specific event. If you make a mistake or you wish to reconsider your choice partway through, you can use the mouse to drag the selected student's profile picture outside of the box, and then re-select. Or use your finger to operate it via a touchscreen," said Mashima-sensei.

"It's kind of like a video game, isn't it?"

"It really is!"

Ichinose and Hoshinomiya-sensei were engaged in their own fun conversation.

"There is a time limit on the student selection for each event, represented by the number you currently see counting down on the screen. The more participants required for an event, the more time you'll be given to choose. You can expect about 30 seconds per person," he added.

Which meant we'd have 300 seconds for a ten person event.

"Please note that if you don't make your selections within the time limit, the remaining spaces will be filled with students chosen at random. Moreover, if you end up selecting too many students for an event, excess participants will be discarded via random selection, as well."

So basically, those limits were iron-clad.

"Once the games begin, the action will be shown on the large monitor in real-time."

A sample video of a shogi match began to play on the monitor.

"Information describing how the commander can participate in the match will be displayed on your personal monitor once the match begins."

The image on the large monitor switched back to displaying what was on the left computer screen. The words "the commander can pause the game and redo a move once" were displayed in the screen, probably an example of how the commander could get involved in a particular event, just as Mashima-sensei had explained.

"Please keep in mind that you can confirm the details of these rules and activate them by clicking them."

The large monitor went back to showing the shogi match.

"Also, instructions from the commanders to their teammates are relayed not via phone calls, but as texts, which are automatically read aloud via a text-to-speech system. All you have to do is type out the words and press enter, and the message will be played through the participants headset."

So our messages would automatically be read aloud by a machine, huh? Probably to keep us from spreading misinformation or revealing more than what was allowed. Using the shogi game currently on the screen as an example, though the rule stated that the commander could only get involved by pausing the game and redoing a move once, clever wording would make it possible for the commander to basically give the participant instructions for two or three moves.

"If the commander deviates from the established rules and involves themselves more than what is allowed, the school may disqualify them for breaking the rules."

I supposed that made sense. It was safe to assume every message the commanders sent out was being reviewed by a third party.

"Only one participant will be wearing a headset per event. Even in a team event, that means only one person will be able to receive instructions. The commander will also specify which participant will wear the headset."

It seemed I had my work cut out for me. There were things we could decide beforehand, but we still needed to prepare for the unexpected.

"The commander can issue instructions whenever they wish, so long as it is in accordance with the rules."

We could freely change the display on our own screen, including switching displays, maximising or minimising windows, and so on. There were more than a few things we could keep an eye on, from observing the students participating in the current event to preparing for the next event.

"This concludes my explanation of the duties of commander and the systems at play. Are there any questions?"

Mashima-sensei looked around, but it seemed no one had any questions.

"That will he all for today, then. In the event you wish to review the operating system, you may return to the multi-purpose room, accompanied by a teacher, up to one week before the exam. That is all."

And so, having heard how the commander position would work, we dispersed.

I took out my phone, and texted Ayanokouji.

It's class D, target class D

1624 words
Again very similar to the ln
Not much else to say really
Hope you're all doing well and I hope you enjoyed