2.4

It was just before 6:00pm in the evening. The sun will soon set and night will fall. Today was supposed to be an ordinary day, although the next special exam was revealed.

It's been a difficult day with a lot of information to sort through. It would be easier if we could just move on towards the end of the day, but that's not going to happen. The reason is that the special 'unanimous voting exam' will begin tomorrow.

"Hey."

I went back to my room and waited, and the first person to show up was Yōsuke.

"Come on in."

When I thought about it, this was the first time I had invited Yōsuke into my room like this.

"Yoo-hoo!"

Not long after, Kei came to join us in my room.

"It's kind of new or unusual to get together like this, isn't it?"

"Maybe so."

I haven't told them why I asked them to gather together. Yōsuke might have guessed, though.

"Tomorrow's special exam, I thought I'd prepare some measures."

"Measures? You're simply trying to make the test unanimous, aren't you?"

"It certainly doesn't sound like a very difficult exam from the outline, does it? The special exams that have been held in the past have had much more difficult rules."

"I'm not sure what to make of it," he said.

"But maybe this special exam, like the difficult ones in the past, will not be straightforward. If you think about it according to the rules, it's an exam where you can get more class points simply by being unanimous.

Unifying the will of the class itself is not that difficult."

"I think so too."

"I mean, I guess the fact that it's easy means that there's a good chance that we'll be presented with a question that will divide opinions."

It's just as Yōsuke thinks. Although the individual students in the class have different ideas, they are willing to be flexible to a certain extent to align their votes if it will benefit the class.

If you're a first-year student, it might be a different story, but for us second-year students, the bonds of friendship have already deepened considerably. In addition, there is no penalty for not being able to reach unanimous agreement on the first try, and there is plenty of time for discussion.

It is because it's a test that individual opinions can be so covered up, though, that it can appear to be such a blessing.

"But, you know, what kind of questions are difficult to get unanimous agreement on?"

"I can't read through it completely, but... I think..."

What kind of question would trouble his classmates? It wasn't something that Yōsuke could immediately think of. I suggested a simple question.

"From now until you graduate, you will only be able to eat either rice or bread. Make your choice."

"Oh, what's that option~"

"If you ask me about rice and bread, it sounds a bit laughable, but this is a difficult choice to make."

"I would definitely eat bread. I wouldn't be able to eat no bread until I graduated."

"I'd probably go for rice. I only need bread once a week or so."

"I'm more of a rice man myself. And, well, even the three of us have different opinions, don't we? It's not so easy when the whole class has to vote. If there were 30 of us in the Rice camp, would you follow us?"

"No, I wouldn't. Because it's a ban until you graduate. I'll keep voting for bread."

Some students will resist, as Kei did, because if they do not follow the majority and bend, they will suffer later.

"On a more realistic comparison, all future special examinations will be based on 'academic' or 'physical' ability alone. What would be the outcome of such a question?"

Hearing this, Yōsuke and Kei looked at each other.

"If you're an athletic student like Sudō, you're definitely going to choose physical ability, and if you're like Keisei who's not very good at sports, you're going to have to bring your academic ability to a unanimous decision no matter what."

Of course, Sudō, who is currently putting a lot of effort into his studies, could compromise, but it would be better for his own reputation if he were evaluated on his physical abilities, and if it were a student who could not study at all, he would not be able to compromise like Sudō.

"If a question is passed unanimously, it's enforced, right? So does that mean that in some cases you have to be prepared to lose 300 class points in penalty for not choosing an option?"

"I don't know... There will obviously be some difficult choices, but losing 300 class points could mean giving up your ticket to Class A. I think the first priority would be to clear it."

"I'm starting to think it might be some kind of difficult special exam..."

"Is that why you invited us here?"

"Ah. The very next special examination will require a great deal of unity among classmates. It's okay to have one or two full disagreements, but if it's a long time, I'm sure it's going to be a mess. In the event that this happens, the two main figures in the class, Yōsuke and Kei, will need to be on top of things to get the vote to go one way or the other.

"Yes, you're right. But then, shouldn't Horikita-san also be included in this conversation? Because Horikita-san is also playing the role of a leader of the class in this exam."

Yōsuke's point is a natural one. The best way to control the class is for Horikita to lead the two of them, not me. Even if he wanted to, at this stage, he couldn't remove his support.

"This time, you will support Horikita from the shadows. Just keep what goes on here confidential."

"Why? Well, as for me, I don't like following Horikita-san's instructions."

"Both you and Yōsuke have the ability to read the atmosphere better than the average student. But I want them to be more flexible than they are now. If they can sense what Horikita is thinking and what she wants to do and match it, the class will be much stronger."

"Why don't you just do it, Kiyotaka? That's a better solution."

"It's not always possible for me to make a move. You have to be prepared for the unexpected."

"What's the contingency?"

"It could be a sudden illness or an unexpected withdrawal from school, right?"

"It's... Well... Expulsion is one thing, but surely it couldn't be a sudden illness?"

I can't be there for them all the time.

If they can't prepare for such a situation, the class won't make any progression.

"Anyway, I understand. All we have to do is follow Horikita-san well and make sure the special exam goes smoothly, right?"

"Also, I'm going to set some instructions and cues that only Kei and Yōsuke will know."

The interval allows for free discussion and movement, so there is no problem in giving an earful. However, it can be necessary in certain situations to give instructions without being seen communicating. Even in situations where private conversation is not allowed, it is possible to exchange signs by coughing or tapping on the desk.

After they'd learned a few patterns, I looked at Yōsuke.

"I'll give you one last piece of advice, Yōsuke. It's not necessary if the five questions are going to be completed smoothly, but if the time remaining is less than two hours and you still don't see the special exam clearing in time, you might have to resort to forceful measures."

I decided to tell Yōsuke to prepare himself now so that he wouldn't go out of control when that time came.