When Ichinose soon departed, I waited inside the lobby. During our entire walk back, I noticed a peculiar figure shadowing us. I couldn't tell who it was because I don't have eyes on the back of my head or anything but still, I noticed their presence.
I hanged back and sat down on one of the many couches and waited. For about three minutes I waited a little more and soon thereafter, Horikita, the younger Horikita I should say, entered through the automatic sliding doors. Perhaps they weren't expected to still see me here but when they did, they looked stunned.
No doubt about it, they're probably the one tailing me and Ichinose earlier.
"Can I help you?" I called out to Horikita, getting up from the couch.
"I suppose there's no point in beating around the bush, then. I'll give it to you straight. Do you intend on speaking to anyone about anything that occurred between me and my brother from before?"
"I thought that was all in the past. Nothing has happened up to this point so why bother?"
"I would like an answer regardless," Horikita responded.
She had plenty of time to ask me before but since I was so busy for a while, she might've not have had the opportunity to do so.
"Not really."
"I'm not convinced."
"Do I look like I have the slightest intention of doing so?"
"You don't however, there has to have been something going on for my brother to have such a keen interest in you."
I see, so that's what she was really after. I guess it was all an illusion then. She must've understood by now I'm not exactly the type to gossip about certain things that I don't need to speak about. What she has been after all along was why Horikita Manabu was so concerned with first year student Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
"I don't have the slightest idea. Maybe you should go ask him," I said.
"Goodness me, you don't like to give a straight answer, do you?"
"Nope, but since you're here.."
I moved up closer against Horikita's ear and whispered something to her. Despite their dysfunctional brother-sister relationship, she is stubborn and hellbent on talking with him no matter what. Since I had intruded on their previous meeting, she was unable to properly communicate with her brother.
But that can all wait, there's something I absolutely need from her starting now.
If the way this school operates is how President Horikita had made it out to be, then valuable assets are necessary. Brokering a simple deal with Horkita Suzune could work to my advantage in the future but for now, I'll have to wait. All I need is her cooperation from this point forward.
"Assistance? I'm sorry, but I must've misheard you," said Horkita.
"Then I'll repeat, I want your collaboration for a while. In exchange, I'll see what I could do with your brother since you want to talk to him so badly."
"Define 'a while' firstly."
"Next two months then, happy? It's probably nothing but I just have a few concerns about this school that I want to be prepared for."
"This is sounding rather shady."
"You're smart, take a guess on what I might need."
"No, there's no point. But if you need me to help you then I want something else in return."
"Something else?"
"Yes, a favor. I have plenty of other chances to speak with my brother anyways. Besides, I've already learned that if I inhibit him any longer then I'll end up being a nuisance more often."
A favor. A dangerous thing for me to accept. Right about now, Horikita knows nothing of me nor cares to. If I were to accept, what she might do could end up coming back and hurting me in the future. However, necessary sacrifices must be made. It's not a deal that's mostly on my side, but it isn't one that isn't entirely opposing me either.
"That's fine but I have a condition of my own since you changed your reward. I want an extension of your aid for four more months," I requested.
"Fine by me."
And so, with that out of the way, we exchanged contact information and I left Horikita to her own devices. I went to my room with a few ideas in mind about the Student Council business but nothing is ever that simple so I scratched all of them and rested on my bed and looking through my phone until I fell asleep.
The next day, everything was different. When I arrived in class. Chabashira-sensei was already there. From the looks of it, she was here before anyone else. Normally, she would arrive after everyone was in class but there was a distinctive feeling to her. Nothing is normal, the entire ambience has changed.
When everyone had taken their seats, Chabashira-sensei had begun to speak.
"Alright, I'll make this explanation simple. Starting in two days, a special exam will take place. One unlike the previous exams you've taken."
I took a brief look around the room and everyone had confused looks on their faces. It was logical to feel frustrated after hearing the words exam just after finishing one but it was slightly different. She said it's unlike the previous exams, in fact she said 'special exam'. It might be as I predicted, everything is not as it seems.
"Uh, so what's this about Chabashira-sensei? Special exam?" asked a student.
"Yes, I was getting to that. In the next two days, a special exam is taking place as I've said. We call this the Majority Nomination Special Exam."
As she said that, she began handing out a packet for everyone. The front cover only reads "Rules", Nothing more, nothing less.
"This special exam is grade wide so only you first years will be taking it. Of course, it is different from the special exam the second and third years took as to prevent any sort of cheating," she continued, "Throughout the entire special exam, you will be asked to install an app on your phone for one time use only. From there, certain prompts will be asked throughout Class-A through D. Each of you will select a student from either this class or the other class to nominate. Majority of the votes for nomination wins what the prompt has said."
To put it simply, from our phones, we will be asked to nominate a student for something. Which ever student receives the most amount of votes for said nomination, wins whatever is promised.
During Chabashira-sensei's explanation, I thoroughly looked through the rule book we were given and examined everything word for word as not to leave anything out.
RULES
- A total of ten prompts will appear via designated app. A ten minute discussion period will be taking place before each prompt.
- No student will be permitted to abstain from voting. Penalty for violating this is expulsion.
- For every prompt, each student may nominate other students from within or outside their own class. Students are restricted from voting for themselves. Student with majority vote wins the prompt.
- An extended prompt is delivered at the end of the exam wherein only one class (class that was nominated by the rest) will be taking part in on behalf of the other three classes.
- The final extended prompt will have a 45 minute discussion for the class that was chosen.
- Influencing the vote by any means necessary is prohibited. Should a student try to force others to vote for specific options will render them disqualified from the exam and expelled.
- Everyone is confined to their assigned classroom until the exam is concluded. No students may leave unless told otherwise.
- Four students from each class will be distributed an 'ability' at random. Each ability will have unique properties that may control the vote to a certain extent.
- All abilities are stripped during the extended prompt. No one may use their abilities.
LIST OF 'ABILITIES' THAT WILL BE ISSUED
- Extra Votes | Holder of this ability can multiply their vote by ten. This can only be used once.
- Immunity | Holder of this ability is immune from being nominated for anything for up to three prompts.
- Double Negative | Holder of this ability can double the penalties of prompts that contain punishments for nominated people of any class other than their own up to five prompts. These cannot stack. If two or more cards are used, the student who uses said card last will have one use revoked.
- Guardian Angel | Holder of this ability can cancel the Double Negative ability inflicted on any of their classmates up to five prompts. Not viable for any other classes.
(A/N: there might be some loopholes but i had to use 100% of my brain to come up with something like this so pls dont judge me for it)
As I read these rules, there had been some things that raised a few questions. For starters, the final two abilities clash off against one another. It's basically a guessing game, you have to guess whether or not the person holding the Double Negative ability from the other class will use theirs so you could determine if you can use the Guardian Angel ability if you have it. It's even harder knowing you wont be able to see the other classes.
Furthermore, the extra votes ability holds an immense amount of power. Each class is worth 40 votes if they decided on one nomination as a whole, that's 160 people if you add up all four classes. The people that have that ability can make their class vote go up by 10 more but it can only be used once.
Since each ability is decided at random and given to students in each class at random, it's most likely I won't be getting any abilities but if we were to figure out who has what, there could be a chance this class succeeds.
Though I have other questions, the main thing that I wanted to know about was the extended prompt. One class will be taking part in that, the class that the other classes vote for. Why though? There's also the fact that there is no mention of rewards as a whole, only individual rewards for prompt nominations.
No, I needn't think about it too seriously right now. What I do need to do is understand the important details listed on these rules first. For now, I'll have to see how my class deals with it. I'll go off from what they do and from there, find a solution with the least potential of harm.
This sort of thing isn't something that could so easily be controlled. The matter is a 160 total votes. Just being Class-D alone is a disadvantage, there's a chance that people from our class might be nominated for penalties whilst other classes decided for the rewards. But there's other options too. This is a four way battle, as Class-D, we aren't even considered in the running for Class-A with our mediocre amount of class points. There's no chance the other classes will provide incentives for the opposition that is in the running, if anything it's likely they'll opt out for the smaller rewards and hand it over to Class-D or at most, nominate the higher classes for punishments.
This entire thing is designed to make you question the best course of action that a class should take. Even I, wonder the overall fairness of this exam.
After the details of the special exam was explained to us, class had ended. The rule book we were given was confiscated by Chabashira-sensei but we were allowed to take pictures before hand.
The only few people I noticed do so was Ichinose and Horikita.
Anyhow, this special exam is odd by anyone's perspective. There are many variables in play but everything will become clearer soon as we take part in it.
As our leader, I wonder just how Ichinose might react to this. Even more so what the other classes will do. I still have yet to meet the other class leaders so perhaps in this special exam or somewhere in the inevitable future, we will all duel against one another.
But for now, scheming is all anyone can do. How it will all unfold will come to light in two days. When that time comes, Class-D has to be prepared to do absolutely anything if we want to survive the next three years.
A victory for us would be to make it through this special exam with our class intact.
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im only experimenting with the custom special exam thing. when i finish it and i dont feel satisfied with it, i may just resort to using the special exams used in the light novel
but ya know, i did say i had a different special exam in mind, there might be some stuff similar to the LN specials exams tho
also, i have that same feeling again. that i might've rushed this one because i keep getting a better idea of what i want to do when the special exam is finished. it's also probably because i forced myself to write this with the reward of playing far cry 6 after
i swear everything sounds way cooler in my head than when i actually write it.
if the rules don't make any sense, ill make it more clearer when the actual exam starts.