The Year-End Special Exam [1]

The day finally came.

March 8.

The year-end special exam would start today. From its name alone, it sounded like it would be the most difficult and time-consuming exam of all the first-year assessments. Moreover, it would probably put everything that was taught in the last year to the test.

I entered the classroom pretty late, thanks to another night of gaming, and immediately noticed that there was a seat missing from our usual 40.

Sakura Airi had been expelled.

Her seat was removed, leaving 39 chairs and desks in the class.

But that wasn't the only thing missing when I scanned the room thoroughly.

Haruka was absent from her seat.

Hirata Yousuke sat emotionless at his desk, staring at a book and ignoring calls from his neighbors. What was her name again? The meek girl always around him? Mii-chan? I think she was Chinese, but her full name slipped my mind.

The most important thing, though, was the absence of the cheerful, happy atmosphere that filled the classroom on the first day I found myself in this body.

The room felt heavy, burdened by an unspoken tension. Conversations were hushed, and the usual buzz of excitement and camaraderie was replaced by a palpable sense of dread and anticipation. Desks that once were the epicenters of laughter and idle chatter now felt like islands of isolation, each student lost in their own thoughts and worries about the exam.

However, there was no time to reminisce and grieve, for Chabashira's entry was a grim reminder of another special exam is going to start. And it would definitely bestow upon us, the danger of expulsion.

"…Well, then. Without further ado, I'll announce the details of the final special exam for your first year," said Chabashira, launching into her explanation for the exam.

There was no chit-chat during the pause she took. I glanced at my neighbor, Ike. He, too, had a serious expression on his face, after being at the brink of expulsion himself. 

"In the final special exam, you will be asked to show the culmination of everything you've learned over this past year. Intelligence, physical ability, cooperation, and luck. You'll need to demonstrate your potential in every field."

.....Why is she taking such repetitive pauses? Perhaps, she is expecting questions from students like Ike, as her gaze sometimes, fell upon him.

"This special exam is called the 'Event Selection Exam.' The classes will compete with another, based on their overall performance. Which class you will be facing off against will be decided according to the rules. This will be just like the Paper Shuffle."

Hmm. So, it's like 1v1, instead of a battle royal.

"To make it easier for you to understand what I'm saying, I'm going to use these ten white cards and a number of yellow cards, which correspond to the number of people in class."

As Chabashira spoke, she started lining cards up on the blackboard. Each card was roughly the same size as a regular playing card. While the ten white cards seemed blanked, the yellow cards, on the other hand, had one student's name on each of them.

A total of forty-eight cards had been placed up on the blackboard. If the number of yellow cards was meant to match the number of students in our class, though, then she was short one card. 

"First, I'll explain what these ten blank white cards are about. On these cards, you will be asked to list a total of ten separate 'events' that you have jointly discussed and decided upon."

As soon as she said that, everyone could see Ike develop a somewhat strained look. Chabashira, seeing him trying his hardest to keep his mouth shut, called out to him, sounding somewhat amused.

"If there's something bothering you, I don't mind if you ask questions. Okay?"

Chabashira generally took questions at the end. But this time around, she was allowing Ike to speak up halfway through her explanation. Many of our classmates fixed their gazes upon Ike, who looked perplexed, but proceeded to go ahead and voice his concerns.

"Well, um… It's just…events? What's that about?" he asked.

"A written exam. Shogi. Cards. Baseball. You can go ahead and write in whatever events you think you can win at. Also, you'll have to establish rules for the events and how to decide who wins."

"Huh? So, we're free to pick whatever?"

Even though Chabashira had just told us we could write in anything we wanted, it seemed like the message hadn't quite sunk in for Ike and some other students.

"You are free to choose whatever you like, but there are some rules to follow when deciding which events you settle on. For instance, if you choose an obscure sport or some kind of game that not many people have heard of, then no one aside from the person who proposed the event stands much of a chance of winning. Moreover, the rules of the event must be fair and easy to understand. Therefore, after an event is submitted, the school will judge whether it is appropriate and will be implemented."

After some back and forth between students and Chabashira, the exam looked something like this, when I took a photo of the rules' handout.

Special Exam

MARCH 8: Special exam announcement date. Class match-ups also decided on this day.

MARCH 15: Confirmation of selection of ten events. The ten events chosen by the opposing class and their rules will be announced.

MARCH 22: Day of Event Selection Exam

EVENT SELECTION EXAM

Rules for Selecting Events:

Events that are too obscure, are too complex, or have exceedingly detailed rules may not be allowed. In the case of events with written questions, the school will provide the test questions to ensure fairness. Deviating from or altering the basic rules of the events is strictly prohibited.

Regarding usable facilities:

On the day of the special exam, the commanders will carry out their duties from the multi-purpose room. Additionally, school facilities such as the gymnasium, the sporting grounds, the music rooms, and the science labs may be used, though there are some exceptions.

Regarding event restrictions and time restrictions:

Duplicate events will not be accepted. If an event is determined to have the same content as a previously submitted event, it will not be accepted. Also, if an event is determined to take too long to complete or has no time limit whatsoever, it may not be accepted.

Regarding the number of participants:

The required number of participants for each of the ten submitted events must be different, excluding those acting as substitutes. The minimum required number of participants is one, while the maximum number of participants must not exceed twenty (including those acting as

substitutes). Only a maximum of two events that require more than ten participants per class (including substitutes) may be submitted. 

Regarding conditions for participation:

Each student may only participate in one event. Students may not participate in two or more events. However, if every student from a class has already participated in an event, then a student will be allowed to participate in more than one event. 

Regarding the role of commander:

The commander has the right to be involved in all seven events. Exactly how the commander is involved will be determined by the class that proposed the event. The scope of this involvement must be approved by the school before the event is adopted. 

***

Yeah. All I can say is that this is a quite difficult exam. 

From it's appearance and rule structure, it would take quite some time for me to fully grasp it. This exam would affect class points too. 30 class points would be transferred from the loser class to the winner class for each event.

Isn't it a bit unfair though? 

On the day of the Event Selection Exam, each class will narrow their respective list of ten events down to five and submit those five as their main choices. So instead of twenty events, the choices will be narrowed down to ten. And from those 10 events, seven would be selected randomly, 4 and 3 from the two classes' list.

Moreover, the roles of commander seem to be quite important and risky. Commanders will be granted private points individually in the case that they help secure a victory. But they'll also be held responsible for defeat. That's right. If their class is defeated, the commander will be expelled.

That reminds me of a protection point introduced in the last exam, and currently, only one student is in ownership of that point. It basically nullifies expulsion a single time.

That implies, he would be a suitable candidate for the commander position. 

And what's more? He is having a showdown with Sakayanagi in this exam, which means he would definitely apply for the position himself.

Hah! I am glad, I didn't mess with his criticism votes last time. 

It seems like this time, I would get to see a good fight among two geniuses. 

Well then, what would be my role in this turmoil?