COTE: The Quiet One Can Be Dangerous

Vol. 11 Chp. 1: Event Selection Exam

The winning class commander receives private points; the losing class commander is expelled.

If a class doesn't appoint a commander, one is randomly assigned

Side note: Commander can not be changed once chosen without a legitimate reason.

Commanders draw lots to decide pairings of the classes

Side note: The lottery winner would get to determine the class they would compete against, and thus, they form a pair. The remaining two classes would also automatically form the other pair.

Rewards and Penalties

Each event is worth 30 class points.

The winning class gains 30 points; the losing class loses 30 points.

Classes with more event wins get an additional 100 points.

The maximum number of points a class can earn is 310; the maximum number of points that can be lost is 210.

Side note: The school temporarily compensates for a shortage of points in the losing class.

To summarize, we had the potential to earn a total of 310 class points. Winning events allowed us to reduce our opponents' class points, which was an essential factor to consider. 

Although we haven't had the chance to affect the class points of higher-ranked classes yet, we now have the opportunity to close the gap in one fell swoop. 

Depending on the matchups and results, we could stay where we are or drop down to Class D.

After Chabashira-sensei left, there was still some time before classes started.

Our classmates crowded around the handout of the event rules left on the podium.

"Guys, there's one thing I'd like to clarify before we start talking."

While Hirata remained utterly motionless, Sudou spoke up instead and set on starting up an internal class discussion.

After a glance in my direction, he looked over the entire class.

"Many of us aren't happy with what happened last weekend. Ain't that right, Kanji?"

"...Well, I dunno if I'm unhappy with it. I don't get what happened, that's all. Everyone's been wondering how Ayanokouji ended up with the most praise votes. Like, how'd he even get 42 of them?"

Many eyes were beginning to turn toward him, with those from the Ayanokouji Group being no exception.

"He must've gotten tons of praise votes from the other classes, right?"

"About that, I'll explain what happened."

Horikita took the initiative and spoke up in my place.

"Hold up. We want to hear it from Ayanokouji. We lost a buddy... You know that, right?"

"That might not be possible."

With that, Horikita stood up and began to cover for him.

"Not possible? How so?"

"Because it's quite likely that Ayanokouji-kun himself doesn't quite understand what happened."

"...Ayanokouji doesn't understand?"

"Correct. To put it simply, it was all part of Sakayanagi-san's plan. I've taken the time to figure out why she did such a thing, and I'll explain that as well."

To provide a step-by-step explanation, Horikita began to answer in a way that was easy to understand.

"First, she targeted Yamauchi-kun, telling him to feel reassured since she'd give him praise votes. There's no doubt about this since Yamauchi ultimately admitted to it himself. But, behind the scenes, she had probably chosen to give those praise votes to a different student."