I stood outside the Room 206, and took in a deep breath. I slowly held the doorknob, and headed into the room.
The room was almost empty, barring 4 tables and a few chairs. The only people who had arrived were Akito Miyake and Nene Mori, both from my class. Mori-san gave me a shy wave as I entered, and I smiled and waved back. Mashima-sensei was also present already, and he motioned for me to come in and take my seat
"Hey," Miyake-kun said as I took my seat between him and Mori-san.
"Hey. Quite the strange gathering we have here."
"Indeed. It's across all the classes. I cannot possibly fathom what is going on."
"All the classes?" I asked, a bit confused.
"Yeah, all classes are apparently gonna be mixed in or something. I'm not really sure."
"It said Special Exam, right? Must be something then."
"But if it is a Special Exam, why have we been segregated into mixed class groups? I cannot make out a reason for this," Miyake reasoned out.
"We'll probably find out soon. Have you been able to talk to anyone in Class who has already attended the meeting? I was sure that there were several Rooms which started their meeting much earlier than ours."
"Unfortunately, no. I'm as clueless as you are," Miyake deadpanned.
I stretched back in my chair and looked around the Room once more, but it was rather boring.
As we waited, the last person trickled into the Room. I noticed Haruka Hasebe enter our Room. She was another girl in our Class, and, if I remember correctly, was voted to have the biggest breasts in class. Now, I wasn't a part of this vote. I just knew the results. I remember Chiaki telling me about how there was a list for 'The Ikemen', for which I had been placed a commendable 4th. There was a 'Most Gloomy Guys', 'Most Nerdy Guys' and 'Guys Who Need To Die' list as well. I did not ask for my placement in those; I was rather sure that I had not made a podium finish in any of those.
Hasebe-san walked over and sat on the chair to Miyake-kun's right. I remember them being rather good friends.
After everyone had gathered in the Room, Class A's homeroom teacher, Mashima-sensei surveyed all of us.
"Looks like everyone is here." He cleared his throat. "Miyake, Hasebe, Mori and Takeyama. I will now explain the rules of this special exam." It was gonna begin.
"In this Special Exam, all first year students will be divided up into groups based on their zodiac signs and the entirety of the examination will be conducted in groups of students sharing the same zodiac sign as the 4 of you here. The purpose of this test is to assess your 'thinking ability'."
Zodiac signs? So there must be 12 total groups in that case. If we were all evenly distributed out through all the groups, then there would be 13 people per group, give or take a few. So Class D itself will be split up into 12 groups of 4? And 3, since we had only 40 students in our class. We would be mixed with these smaller groups from other classes as well. I found this combination interesting.
No one uttered a word, and was intently listening to Mashima-sensei's words. He then continued with the explanation.
"There are 3 required attributes that people who function well in society are required to master — action, thinking, and teamwork. These skills are necessary for you all to become successful adults. The last test on the island tested teamwork quite heavily, however, this one will emphasize your thinking. The ability to critically think, analyze the situation at hand and resolve the problem given will be tested in this exam. The ability to work creatively with imagination and work determinedly towards resolving the problem, such traits will become vital for this task."
Mashima-sensei gave us a very brief monologue on the gist of the exam. He hadn't started explaining the rules yet. Mori-san shifted uncomfortably in her seat, anticipating the next set of instructions.
"Therefore this exam will be conducted in 12 groups split up according to their zodiac signs and the exam will occur under those conditions," Mashima-sensei continued. "Are there any questions?"
"How are the groups decided, sensei?" Miyake asked the first question.
"They were decided on a completely random basis, and no one had any influence on the decision," Mashima-sensei explained. "It was completely random."
"Sensei, you said there were 12 groups, each as one zodiac sign, right?" I intervened. "But there are only the 4 of us here. Does that mean we'll be joining up with other groups to form a bigger group?"
"Precisely. You four here are a part of a single group. There are other groups who are receiving their lectures right now. You will be grouped up with 3 other groups to form a large group of about 13-14 members," Mashima-sensei replied. "Anything else?"
"W-Wait, so does that mean we'll be teaming up with groups from other classes as well?" Mori-san asked quietly. "Aren't they the enemy?"
"Please don't think that way," Mashima-sensei chided. "Right now, your only focus in this exam is to think, and not to understand. The group you are assigned to is the zodiac sign (Snake). Here's a list of all the members assigned to this zodiac. You will be required to return the list when you leave the room, so feel free to memorize the names that are given for future references."
A postcard-sized piece of paper was passed around, which contained all the names of the students who were going to be a part of our group.
--- Class A: Masayoshi Hashimoto, Hayato Kito, Miki Yamamura
--- Class B: Mako Amikura, Sho Shibata, Yuki Himeno
--- Class C: Hiyori Shiina, Takeko Nishino, Daichi Ishizaki
--- Class D: Akito Miyake, Haruka Hasebe, Nene Mori, Keisuke Takeyama
There were quite a few names that I recognized from the list. Sho Shibata from Class B, Hiyori Shiina and Daichi Ishizaki from Class C. I was not acquainted with anyone from Class A, though. It seems we've all been assigned to the Snake Group.
"That's all okay, sensei, but what are the rules of this exam?" Hasebe-san asked.
"I'll be passing around a sheet of paper now, which has all the rules listed on it in a clear and concise fashion. Take a look, and if anyone has any questions, you can ask me." With that, Mashima-sensei passed around another booklet which contained all the rules of the Special Exam. Everyone gathered around Miyake's table to get a good look at them.
"From this point on, you do not belong to Class D. You belong to the Snake Group. You must understand that, and go ahead with this exam," Mashima-sensei warned us.
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Explanation of the Rules:
In this exam, the cornerstone will be the a 'VIP' student who will be chosen from each group. By using your critical thinking, you will be able to achieve one of the four given outcomes in this exam.
---Each group will receive a mail, which will state that a VIP student has been chosen from your group, by 8:00am tomorrow.
---The exam will itself take place anytime between 1:00pm to 9:00pm. Students are free to act as they please during the rest of the day.
---For about an hour each day, groups will be required to meet up and discuss together. Content of discussion is left to the discretion of the group.
---At the end of the exam, the VIP student of your group must be identified. This will be done between 9:30pm and 10:00pm. Only one answer can be submitted per group, and the answers must be sent to a certain email address that will be provided to mobile phones.
---The VIP students cannot be the one to send the answers.
---The identity of the VIP student of the group you are a part of only must be sent. Any other answer will be considered as invalid.
---Details of the results will be mailed to the students by 11:00pm on the final day.
Possible End Results:
--- Share the identity of the VIP and clear the exam as one:
If the answers of the VIP student as well as the other group members are all correct, they will all receive Private Points (including members other than the VIP student themselves). The members will receive 500,000 Points each, and the VIP will receive 1,000,000 Points.
---Answer incorrectly and the group loses but the VIP still gets Points:
If there are incorrect answers or unanswered questions by people other than the VIP student, only the VIP student will receive 500,000 Private Points.
---A Traitor uncovers the identity of the VIP:
In the case that someone other than the VIP answers the question before waiting for the allocated time and answers correctly, the class of the answerer will be awarded 50 Class Points and the answerer will receive 500,000 Private Points. The class whose VIP has been identified will lose 50 Class Points, and the test will be terminated for that group.
---A Traitor disregards the VIP's judgement:
In the case that someone other than the VIP answers the question before waiting for the allocated time and answers incorrectly, the class of the answerer will lose 50 Class Points. The class which the VIP belongs to will be rewarded 50 Class Points, and the VIP will still gain 500,000 Private Points. The test will be then terminated for that group.
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Damn, that's a lot of rules.
"Wait, I need to read this again. I kinda lost it halfway through," Hasebe-san said, and she snatched the sheet of paper from Miyake's table, scanning through the list once again. Mori-san followed suit, reading it over Hasebe-san's shoulder.
"Did you get it, Takeyama?" Miyake asked me.
"Yes, more or less. I have a few questions, though."
"I'm here to answer any of your queries," Mashima-sensei said.
"What if the traitor is from the Class that the VIP itself belongs to?" I fired. "Wouldn't that make it very easy for the Class which has the VIP appointed to get Class Points? They could just share the identity of the VIP among themselves, and send the message to the school."
"Your argument is very valid, but fortunately, that is not possible," Mashima-sensei answered. "The traitor cannot be from the same Class as the VIP student. The answer would be considered invalid, and the exam for that group will continue."
"I see. Thank you, sensei."
I did not find any loophole in this exam, as such. The most favorable outcome that the upper classes will be looking for is either the First or the Second one, preferably the First one. They did not need Class Points as much as the lower classes needed them, so they'll probably try to play it easy and just get themselves Private Points. This strategy would work for them, even more so if the VIP happens to belong to either Class A or B.
In case the VIP did not belong to Class A or B, and is someone from, let's say, Class C, then Outcome Three would be what Class D will be looking for, given that the traitor belongs to our Class. If the VIP ends up being someone from Class D, then Outcome Four would be the best, given that the traitor comes from one of the other classes, and answers incorrectly.
In other words, we need to give them concrete proof that someone else is the VIP, and then allow them to guess that person. It would rake us 50 full Class Points, and we could hit another class with a penalty of 50 Points. The aim would be to definitely penalize Class C, as we could climb up faster that way. This is, however, only if the VIP is in our class.
But this exam was divided into 12 groups, and I was part of only one. The results of the other 11 groups have to be satisfactory, otherwise we wouldn't have a net advantage over the other classes by the end of the exam.
"You can take your time and discuss among yourselves. The time is already 19:00, I should be leaving and going to another room for explanations," Mashima-sensei said. He then left, closing the door behind him. Our small group of four decided to talk it out a bit.
"I think we should all talk about the identity of the VIP," Hasebe-san started. "If any of us end up being the VIP, I think it would be good for Class D to know about it."
"I agree, Haruka-chan," Mori-san said. "Shouldn't we all trust each other and go ahead with this exam?"
"I think that is the best option," I said. "But it's better to do it somewhere else. Even the walls have ears. We won't know who the target is until tomorrow morning. We can get together before that and check whether any of us have been appointed as Leader."
"I think that'll work. Do you want me to make a group chat for this?" Hasebe-san asked. Everyone in the room agreed, and we exchanged contact numbers.
I was a bit curious as to what had happened in Ayanokoji's group and Hirata's group. We did not have anything else to talk about in our group anyways, so I excused myself and headed over to the guest cabin. Ayanokoji's explanation was already over, since his timings were earlier than mine. He was sound asleep in the Room, so I thought it would be rude to wake him up. Hirata was there in the Room, and he smiled at me as I entered.
"So what was it about?" Hirata asked me.
"It's a Special Exam, which focuses mainly on our thinking abilities. The rules are a bit challenging to explain orally, though."
"That's alright, my session will be starting in about an hour. I'll get to know there anyways," Hirata said, brushing aside my excuse. "Who else is in your group from Class D?"
"Hasebe-san, Miyake-kun and Mori-san."
"Quite the group. You'll need to take a bit of initiative with this one, Keisuke. Your pairings are usually very quiet and reserved, more so in a Special Exam," Hirata reasoned.
"I've already gathered that much," I replied. "Especially Mori-san. She's really shy and quiet, so we must all be on the lookout for her."
Hirata smiled. "You're in the group, so I know there's no need to worry."
"On another note, who are the students in your group?"
"From Class D, it's Kushida-san and Horikita-san," Hirata replied.
I raised my eyebrows. Hirata, Kushida and Horikita are in the same group? They're the 3 most well-known faces from Class D right now.
"I know what you're thinking," Hirata said as though reading my thoughts. "It is a bit strange that the 3 of us ended up in the same group. However, I cannot come to a conclusion, since you're one of the better known people in Class D as well, and you aren't in the group."
"Yes, maybe it's just a coincidence," I shrugged. I was a known person in the grade? I felt my chest rise up in pride.
Hirata looked at the time, and there was only 10 minutes left until the allotted meeting time. Our conversation seemed to have stirred Ayanokoji awake as well, and the 3 of us decided to tag along to Hirata's Room.
At exactly 19:50pm, Hirata entered the Room, and closed the door behind him. Ayanokoji and I stood outside the door, and decided to come back 20 minutes later.
"Who are the people in your group, Takeyama-kun?" Ayanokoji asked.
"Hasebe-san, Miyake-kun and Mori-san. What about you?"
"Karuizawa-san, Sotomura-kun and Yukimura-kun," he answered. "You were given a sheet with the names of all the other students too, right?"
"Yeah, but I'm not really acquainted with most of them," I sighed apologetically. "There's Ishizaki-kun and Shiina-san from Class C, and Shibata-kun from Class B. That's about it. I don't know who the others are."
"You could say the only familiar names in my group are Ichinose-san and Ibuki-san," Ayanokoji muttered. At the mention of Ichinose, my heart skipped a beat. Such strange behavior. It hasn't happened to me before.
We quietly walked through the corridors of the Speranza, breathing in a comfortable silence. Ayanokoji is a man of few words, and I found that holding a conversation with him wasn't actually hard. I knew about his genius intellect, but there was really no point in sharing that information with everyone else. It wouldn't help, no matter what.
We took a U-turn, and slowly walked back towards Hirata's Room. The meeting looked like it was over. There was quite a gathering outside the Room, notably Horikita and Kushida from Class D, Katsuragi from Class A, Kanzaki from Class B and Ryuuen from Class C.
"Damn..... that's a scary group," I commented.
"Will Hirata be okay? It's shaping up to be a hard one," Ayanokoji slowly said.
"He probably will. Yosuke is a smart guy."
The group made me reaffirm my suspicions on this so-called Dragon Group. This group consisted of almost all Class Leaders. It was a provocative grouping, pitching the best against the best.
Someone was pulling the strings from behind, and is manipulating the groups. However, I was curious as to why Kanzaki was in this group, instead of Ichinose. The Dragon Group had all the main Class Leaders, but Kanzaki-kun could be called more of a deputy Leader. Ichinose was the public face of Class B.
Something isn't right.
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A/N's:
I've got nothing to say except that I love this exam. It's really smart, and it's one of the best arcs in the LN. Thank you for reading, and have a great day.
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