Ayanokouji's POV
I went to the designated location for the commanders in the building. There, Sakayanagi and Ichinose, who had arrived before me, were engaged in idle chatter. From the looks of it, we weren't allowed to enter the multipurpose room yet.
"Good morning to you, Ayanokouji-kun."
"Mornin', Ayanokouji-kun."
They greeted me simultaneously, and I lightly raised my hand.
"It doesn't seem like we're allowed to go in just yet."
"They told us to let them know once all four of us arrived."
The school was determined to conduct the exam fairly. If you enter the multipurpose room before the other commanders, you can calm your mind and adjust to the atmosphere of the testing grounds before anyone else.
As it was a significant exam, it was crucial to take every possible measure to ensure fairness.
"It seems we're just waiting on Kaneda now."
"Yep."
I looked around. While there was still no sign of Kaneda, there was no way he'd risk being late.
"At any rate, you sure are lucky, Ichinose-san."
"Eh? Lucky?"
"As they are now, Class D is no different than an infant. Their chances of beating your class are pretty much nonexistent. All you have to do now is see how many wins you can pile up. Class B might even change places with Class A if you win seven events in a row. That is, depending on how Class A performs."
"Oh no, there's no way to tell what will happen. They'll probably be desperate, so we can't let our guards down."
Seeing Ichinose steel her resolve like this, Sakayanagi let out an amused smile, which prompted Ichinose to speak up again.
"Huh? Did I say something weird?"
"No. You spoke like you're at the top, ready to take on anyone. At the very least, I understand that you don't view Class D as your equal. Just what I expected from the one who protected Class B for a year."
Sakayanagi's words were slightly mean-spirited. However, Ichinose didn't let it get to her.
"Class B also came here with a strategy, ready to win. We won't lose easily, especially in an exam like this where unity and cooperation play such an important part."
"I see. That wasn't nice of me. It certainly is as you say, Ichinose-san."
I gazed out the window nearby as I eavesdropped on their conversation. The weather was pleasant, with April just around the corner - bright and sunny with no clouds.
After about five minutes, we realized that he might be running late. At last, we heard the sound of faint footsteps approaching from the other end of the hallway.
"Well, it doesn't seem like he'll be late. I guess he didn't lose his nerve and give up either."
Sakayanagi expressed her thoughts, amused that Kaneda would be showing up at the last moment.
Ichinose also seemed to be bracing herself as the exam was finally about to begin.
We each took the liberty of envisioning what was about to happen.
We would join Kaneda after he arrived, and the four of us would enter the multipurpose room together.
However, an unexpected person showed up instead.
Upon seeing who it was, Ichinose showed a completely dumbfounded expression.
While Sakayanagi was just as surprised as Ichinose, her expression quickly changed as she narrowed her eyes in amusement.
"...Ryuuen-kun? Why... Why are you here...?"
A clear, distinctive feeling of unrest coursed through Ichinose.
No, neither Sakayanagi nor I had seen this coming either.
"What's wrong with you? What's got you shaking there?"
Ryuuen, the former leader of Class D, deliberately drew attention to Ichinose's trembling.
"I see... I hadn't expected this to happen. I had wrongly convinced myself that the commanders for this special exam would be those of us who received protection points."
Sakayanagi was the first to put the pieces together. Indeed, this man, Ryuuen, had come here alone. Kaneda was nowhere to be seen.
"The special exam can't even start without the commanders. In other words, if the commander is absent, then someone else will naturally have to fill in for them. Isn't that right?"
It's understandable for a student to miss an exam day unexpectedly. There is likely a backup system in place where one or two individuals are prepared to take on the role of the commander.
In the event of a loss, the substitute commander will be responsible for the class's exam performance.
"Even so, I never even considered that you might show up, Ryūen-kun."
"Well, duh? Considering the type of person you are, Ichinose, even if you broke out in a fever or got yourself injured, you'd come crawling here on your hands and knees to prevent your classmates from risking getting expelled."
If they lose the exam, there would be no way to prevent the commander's expulsion other than using a protection point. As Sakayanagi had said, the preconceived notion that the people with protection points would become the commanders had been a critical misconception.
Ichinose nervously cleared her throat.
When the special exam was first announced, Ichinose was naturally cautious about the opposing commanders. However, when Kaneda was chosen as the commander, she probably dismissed the possibility of facing a strong opponent altogether.
In her mind, the process of elimination had occurred without her even realizing it. She concluded that the special exam would be a competition between the students who had managed to obtain protection points.
"Surely there must be some sort of penalty for you to participate as a substitute, right?"
"Yeah, Kaneda isn't allowed to participate in any events. It ain't that unreasonable."
Ryuuen was saying that this penalty was something he had already considered.
"Did you do this to throw me off? Even if you did, isn't it disadvantageous for you that Kaneda-kun can't participate?"
While I didn't know the full extent of Kaneda's abilities, he was most likely a vital asset for Class D.
This meant that they had devised a clever scheme that involved giving up on Kaneda's potential. Subconsciously, it would lead one to start pondering why.
When had they decided that Ryuuen would become the commander? If it was from the beginning, did that mean this had all been planned from the start? With questions like these running through her mind, Ichinose was probably terribly confused.
"Kukuku. I'm just their sacrifice. If my class loses, the commander will be expelled. It's a perfect chance for those Class D guys to kick me out here. That's all there is to it, right?"
"Then, are you saying you'll go easy on me?"
"Kuku. I'll ease up on you, so chill out and come at me."
Ryuuen spread his arms, welcoming her to come at him, but Ichinose would not fall for it.
"When you want to win, you're the type to pull out every trick in the book. That's how you fight, isn't it?"
"If I want to win, then sure."
"I wish you wouldn't. You don't have a protection point and are fighting with your back against the wall. Somehow, I can't help but feel like this is a bad omen for Class B."
Ichinose prioritizes building trust, confidence, and safety through a solid foundation. However, her ability to handle sudden accidents is not one of her strong skills.
This may not be a major issue against an average opponent, but it becomes a completely different story when facing someone like Ryuuen.
It is possible that the news of Ryuuen becoming the commander would soon spread from Ichinose to the entire Class B.
Everyone in the class will eventually notice the change; even if they don't, Ishizaki and others will make it known. As a result, the rest of the class would find it difficult to hide their distress, just like Ichinose.
If Ryuuen had become the commander despite having stepped down as the leader of Class D, the unpredictable nature of his instructions would be a lingering cause for alarm.
"It seems the showdown between Class B and D will also be quite intriguing."
It probably wasn't so much of a laughing matter for Ichinose as for Sakayanagi.
She really should've taken action back when Class D was repeatedly stalking her classmates.
If she had realized that Ryuuen had been lurking behind the scenes earlier, it probably wouldn't have come as much of a shock to her now.
"Well, seeing as we're all here, let's go, shall we?"
With Sakayanagi leading the way, we entered the multipurpose room. A wall that hadn't been there the last time we were here had been constructed, dividing the inside of the room into two distinct halves. For an improvised, temporary wall, it seemed to be quite sturdy and soundproof. The four homeroom teachers in charge of the first year had been on standby waiting for us.
"Those from Class B and Class D, please move over there."
Per Mashima-sensei's instructions, they disappeared to the other side of the partitioning wall, with Chabashira following behind them.
Class A and Class C facilitators were Class D's Sakagami-sensei and Class B's Hoshinomiya-sensei.
From what I can see, the teachers weren't in charge of proctoring the exam for their own classes.
"The test will start in five minutes. Take this time to compose yourselves while you can."
Leaving us with this advice, Hoshinomiya-sensei then took Sakagami-sensei aside to have what seemed to be one final talk about the exam preparations.
Before the exam, Sakayanagi and I had a few minutes alone, just the two of us.
"Finally... The day I've been waiting for has finally arrived. I couldn't sleep last night, and I almost overslept this morning."
"I don't remember making you wait so long. It's just a coincidence that you met me in the first place."
"Are you saying that we wouldn't have met if you hadn't come to this school?"
As I nodded in response, she laughed, promptly denying it.
"Our reunion at this school was indeed a mere coincidence. But I was confident that I'd meet you again sooner or later. It was fate, decided long ago."
"Fate, huh? You're saying some pretty abstract things."
"Well, I am a young lady, after all."
Sakayanagi smiled as she spoke, slowly approaching me with her cane.
"If you hadn't enrolled in this school, I would've postponed this for another three years. I was confident I could pass the time without rushing things, hiding my feelings of anticipation deep inside. But that doesn't work anymore. Since I found out you were within my reach, every passing day has felt so long. It has been so tough to subdue my feelings and my burning desire to compete with you. That's just how much I've been dreaming of today."
Sakayanagi spoke eloquently. Her wish was finally being granted.
"Aren't you afraid to wake up from your dream?"
Once our competition happens, there will be no going back.
"Dreams have to be woken up from at some point."
She didn't seem to care. The only thing on her mind was that today was the day her dreams would finally be realized.
"Normally... I'd ask you to go easy on me, but..."
The look in her eyes was not what you'd expect from a young girl. It carried a certain kind of sharpness that you'd see from a hunter going after its prey.
"Please, face me with everything you've got."
If I were to compete with her half-heartedly, Sakayanagi wouldn't be pleased with me. Although I wasn't trying to impress her, it would be quite problematic to get involved with her any further than this.
However, I also doubted whether this particular exam would be enough to fulfill her expectations. Just then, Sakayanagi spoke up again as if she had read my thoughts.
"I'd be lying if I told you I didn't feel conflicted. This special exam is far too inadequate for us to demonstrate the extent of our potential fully. Even though we're both commanders, our ability to intervene is limited." This chapter made its debut appearance via n(0/vel(b)(/j)(n).
The school would never conduct an unreasonable exam in which the outcome depended solely on the commanders' actions.
Sakayanagi said that the exam's inadequacy was trivial as long as there was an outcome.
"Be that as it may, if the commander's ability to intervene weren't limited, we'd encounter a different problem. I believe it's important to consider your situation as well, Ayanokouji-kun. You don't want your classmates to discover your true abilities, right?"
Indeed, I was quite grateful for this consideration of hers. If the commander had a large amount of influence over the outcomes of every single event, I probably wouldn't have been able to make the most of it.
"Okay, the exam will begin any second now~ Please take a seat~."
As Hoshinomiya-sensei instructed us, we sat facing each other at our computers. Our computer screens were placed between us so we couldn't see each other's faces.
On my screen were 38 portrait photographs of each student in Class C, excluding me. Once the first selected event was announced, we would use these pictures to assign the students we wanted to participate.
Next, the ten events Class C had come up with were displayed on the screen.
"My name is Sakagami, and I'll host the special exam. Without further delay, let's begin the final special exam of the first year. Each of you, please select the five events you'd like to be considered and press 'confirm' when you're done."
I selected the five events that Horikita had in mind and quickly confirmed our choices. Shortly after, Sakayanagi finished making her selections, and ten events appeared on the large monitor in the room.
I had opted for Archery, Basketball, Table Tennis, Typing, and Tennis for Class C's events. Although I had briefly considered adding an unconventional event like Rock Paper Scissors, I ultimately decided against it.
I had discarded the idea of using our English event since it overlapped with Class A's English Test event. Even though Hirata and Onodera specialized in Football and Swimming, I decided not to go with those events because they would most likely be helpful in another event somewhere down the line.
Moreover, my strategy was for Class C to focus primarily on athletic events instead of academics.
For Class A's events, Sakayanagi had chosen Chess, English, Modern Literature, Math, and Flash Mental Arithmetic, a total of ten events. She had chosen all three of the events that Katsuragi predicted she would, and both of the events he had mentioned as runner-up had also made it in. He had truly given Keisei and me a perfect answer.
However, it didn't end up changing anything, and that's because I had deliberately chosen not to tell Horikita about what Keisei and I had learned.
"Moving forward, we'll hold a completely randomized drawing to determine each of the seven events in which you'll be competing."
"Anywho, Ayanokouji-kun, it is a shame that you will have to compete against somebody like Sakayanagi-san. Sensei feels so sorry for you."
"Hoshinomiya-sensei. You know the rules."
"Yes, sir~ Sorry for speaking out of turn~"
Upon being reprimanded by her colleague, Hoshinomiya-sensei lowered her head in apology.
"The drawing's result will be displayed on the large monitor in the center of the room, so please take a look."
As he spoke, Sakagami-sensei motioned toward the monitor, where the screen had changed to something else.
There was a 3D image that displayed all of the events in consideration together.
And then, the first event was selected.
Basketball
Required Participants: 5
Time Restriction: 20 Minutes Total (Two Halves with a 4 Minute Intermission)
Rules: Standard basketball rules apply.
Commander Intervention: The commander can perform up to one substitution at any time.
It was a five-on-five match in an event that Class C had chosen.
In other words, it was an event we couldn't afford to lose.
"Sakagami-sensei. Are we students free to speak with one another?"
"There are no rules against it. Do as you wish."
"We're free to wage a war of words?"
Sakayanagi directly stated her intention, yet Sakagami-sensei still didn't see a problem.
"Uwaa~ Sakayanagi-san is so merciless!"
Hoshinomiya-sensei chimed in again. She had probably interpreted this as Sakayanagi gaining full permission to launch a relentless assault against me.
"Hoshinomiya-sensei."
"Eep! I'm sorry! I won't speak out of turn anymore!"
While the students were free to speak, it seemed that the teachers were not. Hoshinomiya-sensei had been reprimanded time and again.
"Unsurprisingly, Class C chose a small number of sporting events. Although, I suppose it's perfectly understandable considering how few of your classmates can study effectively. Sudō-kun is probably the central figure of this basketball event, too, wouldn't you say? After all, he's one of the best basketball players in this school. I don't think you stand a chance against us if you don't use him properly."
Sakayanagi jumped at the opportunity to speak her mind, looking to get me to engage with her, but I intentionally chose to keep quiet.
If possible, I wanted to avoid making too much of an impression on Hoshinomiya-sensei and Sakagami-sensei.
"Did Horikita-san, the true commander of Class C, order you not to talk with me unless you had to?"
Upon seeing that I still wasn't going to respond, she continued.
"If so, even if you say something, it shouldn't affect who you select. Do you disagree?"
Sakayanagi was also aware that I was trying to control my words in front of the teachers.
"Horikita warned me not to say anything excessive to you. She said that if I'm not careful with what I say, I'll just get caught up in one of your tricks and have the tables turned on me."
"Fufu. That's no good, Ayanokōji-kun. You've already gone and provided me with important information. The identity of the mastermind controlling you from the shadows is something you should've kept hidden. If you go ahead and confess that it's Horikita-san, you know that I'll be able to infer things based on her personality and behavioral patterns, right?"
"No, that's... That doesn't necessarily mean that she's the one instructing me."
"Didn't you just say it yourself, though? That Horikita-san told you what to do?"
Upon seeing Sakayanagi chuckle, Hoshinomiya-sensei put her palm on her forehead as an 'uh oh' leaked out of her mouth.
Sakagami-sensei was also taken aback. He stood there, shaking his head, watching as Sakayanagi extracted information from me all too easily.
"No, I just said that Horikita warned me... The instructions could've come from somebody else."
"Could've? In a situation like this, you won't get yourself anywhere if you don't state definitively that it was somebody else, even if it's a lie."
Sakayanagi not only saw through my plan but also spoke up in my support. This interaction highlighted our vast difference in power.
Now that we had successfully tricked the two teachers overseeing us, the special exam could truly begin.
"What does it matter anyway? Class C came to face this exam after carefully thinking about what strategies you would come up with, Sakayanagi. Even if you realize that Horikita came up with our strategy, then all that's done is level the playing field."
"My goodness, you've gone and admitted to it so straightforwardly. However, when did I come up with Class A's strategy? Just like you, Ayanokouji-kun, I have as many minds to help me decide things as I do classmates. Did it ever occur that Class A could've also chosen to face this exam after running through all sorts of simulations on what Class C might do?"
"That's─"
Dozens of seconds had passed since the teachers allowed her to argue with me before Sakagami-sensei intervened to proceed with the exam.
"Do remember that time is limited. While I said that you were free to speak with one another, please don't neglect your task."
Indeed, my chat with Sakayanagi did not affect my mental state. The only individuals who seemed to be concerned were the teachers. For both Sakayanagi and me, it was merely a casual conversation.
After the two of us had made our selections, the list of students who would be participating in the basketball event was revealed.
The participants of Class C were Makida Susumu, Minami Setsuya, Ike Kanji, Hondou Ryotarou, and Onodera Kayano. Sudou wasn't among them; a girl was included in the team's lineup. Makida was the team's ace, and Sudou thought he could pass the exam if he practiced. Onodera's specialty was swimming, but her basketball skills were good enough. Horikita chose her for the team instead of a boy with no experience.
On the other hand, Class A chose Machida Kouji, Toba Shigeru, Kamuro Masumi, Shimizu Naoki, and Kitou Hayato. Sakayanagi also included a girl in their team.
I gathered information from Hirata, Kei, and Kushida and selected a team I believed was ready to win. Sakagami-sensei and Sakayanagi stood together, making it difficult for me to see Sakagami-sensei's expression.
However, Hoshinomiya-sensei stood near me, and I could easily see her doubts about my chosen team.
Sudou Ken considered the main focus of the basketball event, was not present, but Horikita and the rest of Class C decided on this strategy, not me. It was expected that Sakayanagi would see through our approach.
"So you're looking to win without using Sudō-kun, is that it? With reflexes like his, it wouldn't be all that unusual for him to succeed at both tennis and table tennis. Either way, it's all within the realm of my expectations."
If Sudou had led the basketball team, we would have had a high chance of winning. However, Class A wouldn't have been happy with this outcome as Sudou is known for his basketball skills.
If they had to compete with Sudou's team, their chances of winning would have been low. Therefore, they decided not to use their skilled students for the basketball event. By keeping Sudou out of basketball, they hoped to have an advantage in the later sporting events.
However, it seems that Sakayanagi from Class A saw through our plan. We wanted to save Sudou's potential for the remaining events, and his participation in earlier events would have been a deciding factor for the tennis or table tennis events.
"By the way, who came up with these rules regarding commander intervention? Was this also Horikita-san's idea? You do realize that it completely exposed your goal, right?"
"Sorry, but I can't answer that."
"Is that right? If you can't answer, then I suppose it won't help."
On the other side of the monitor, we watched as the preparations for the basketball match went underway. It was about to begin soon, and we could only wait and watch the event unfold. As commanders, our only means of influencing the match was our ability to substitute one of the players. However, a single decision like this could distinguish between victory and defeat.
The match began with a whistle-blow, a strenuous 10-minute game. Even without Sudou on the team, Class C was almost equally matched with Class A. The teams kept scoring and equalizing each other immediately. It was a neck-and-neck match, and even the teachers were unsure who would win.
Makida was chosen to replace Sudou, and he wasn't bad at all. Although he wasn't as good as Sudou, his above-average skills allowed him to play the role of the team's ace quite well. On the other hand, Class A's ace was Kitō, who was proving to be an equal match for Makida.
By halftime, there was only a one-point gap in the score at 12 to 11, with Class C having just barely taken the lead.
"An interesting match, this one."
Sakayanagi shared her thoughts on the match, stating that predicting the winning team in the second half was brutal. After a brief four-minute intermission, the second half was set to begin, but Sakayanagi still hadn't made a move.
Despite Class C's one-point lead, she believed that both teams were equally strong and wanted to observe how the match would unfold. Meanwhile, I didn't hesitate to reach for the keyboard and replaced Ike with Sudou.
It was evident that the two teams were closely matched, and it was uncertain how the game would progress. For the past ten minutes, I have been thinking about whether to substitute Sudou for the match.
"Fufu."
Sakayanagi chuckled faintly, indicating that she had no intention of allowing me to preserve Sudou's potential. Shortly after, Sudou appeared on the other side of the monitor, warmed up and ready to go.
Even though he might have had doubts about being called in at this point, his expression was serious. It seemed that Sudou had realized the same thing that I had.
"Both teams are evenly matched. Or, no, Class C is winning right now. Isn't your decision to call in Sudou a bit premature?"
"I just thought I should guarantee we pick up the win."
"This is quite an important first match, so I understand how you feel. After all, there's no way to be sure that tennis or table tennis will get chosen after this. There's no reason to hold onto Sudou-kun if no event can properly use him."
"Shouldn't you also swap out one of your players?"
"There's no need for that. I chose a winning lineup from the very beginning."
During the match, Kitou marked Makida but then switched to marking Sudou. Since it started, Sudou should have been watching the entire game from the primary classroom.
Moreover, Sudou should have already noticed the difference in their abilities. After the 4-minute intermission, the second half of the match started. Kitou began guarding against Sudou tightly, and his movements were about twice as sharp as they were earlier.
[I knew it...! You bastard, so you were holding back, eh!?]
We could hear Sudou yelling through the monitor. From the beginning, I knew that Class A had been holding back to lure Sudou onto the court. However, we couldn't tell how much of their potential they had been hiding until Sudou tried his hand against them.
Kitou fought well, but Sudou was still a level above him. He easily bypassed Kitou's defense and entered Class A's territory. To stop him, Class A's entire team desperately tried to hold back Sudou's advances.
Although Sudou was significantly better than his teammates, Class A's players were above his team. The score was 17 to 13, and while the point difference had widened, the opposing team's movements gradually began to pick up pace.
[Oi Kitō, you son of a bitch, you know what you're doin', don't you!?]
[Nah. A bunch of amateurs is just pressuring you.]
[You liar!]
[Why would I be lying? My friends and I have only been practicing for less than a week. It seems you've got a lot of confidence in your basketball skills, but you're not all that impressive.]
[You bastard!]
We could barely hear the conversation between Sudou and Kitou on the monitor because there was no cheering in the background. Sudou's performance gradually lost color due to his struggle against supposed amateurs.
"Fufu, that was a lie. Kitou-kun is an experienced basketball player."
Having Kitō incite Sudou like this was likely also part of Sakayanagi's plan.
"By messing with his mentality like this, Sudou-kun will inevitably collapse. No matter how superior one's technique is, if the mind is still immature, it will give rise to an opportunity for someone to take advantage of you."
A student named Kitou in the basketball match had impressive skills, but he kept them hidden and played at the same level as the students from Class C during the first half of the game.
His goal was to make a comeback once Sudou joined the game and help their team win. However, if this strategy fails, he plans to provoke a fight with Sudou to distract him and increase their chances of winning.
It's safe to say that Sakayanagi's two-part strategy had outsmarted entirely our own.
"My team will be catching up with yours soon enough."
Kitou cleanly sent the basketball flying straight into the basket. The score was now 17 to 15. Class A was putting the pressure on.
Sudou's mental turmoil had indeed nearly evened out the playing field.
"You said Sudou's mind is still immature, but when exactly did you hear that?"
"What do you mean?"
Sudou has grown a lot over the past year. Now, his willpower wouldn't crumble because of something like this. He knew that there was no way that Horikita would care about how cool he was during the match. That would only come for carrying his team to victory.
[Oraa!]
[Nngh!?]
Although his tone of voice was rough, the smoothness of his play returned. He overtook Kitou and made his way to the basket, and nobody could stop him. He finished his run down the court with a dunk, again extending the lead for Class C.
[Heh... I got a bit heated there, but... there's no way you're beating me.]
Even though Kitou was a skilled player with a calm mind, Sudou was quickly a step or two above him.
"I see. So he's done some growing up of his own?"
After that, Sudou's mind didn't waver again, and he brilliantly led the team until the end.
Eventually, the sound of the whistle rang out, signifying the end of the match.
[Hell yeah! I did it, Suzune!]
Sudou struck a triumphant pose. He looked so excited that you'd think he had just won a basketball tournament.
It was only one win, but his excitement was well-deserved, given everything he had accomplished.
"I thought we had a chance, but his skills were on another level after all."
Sakayanagi had seriously set her sights on picking up the win, with or without Sudō on the court.
The final score was 24 to 16. The first event had come to an end with a splendid victory for Class C.
"Who would've thought that Class C would win first? You never really know when it comes to these things, huh?"
Hoshinomiya-sensei mumbled her thoughts to herself, impressed with what had happened.
Despite our win, we conceded one of our most vital assets in return.
It had been an event that required our victory from the moment he stepped onto the court.