(Sigh...that was the worst test. I hate you, President Nagumo...)
When I heard the explanation about the exam, I was shocked at how little time men and women were allowed to interact with each other, and inwardly complained to Nagumo, who created the exam.
There are too few opportunities to meet girls due to the exam rules. Boys use the main building and girls use the separate building, but boys are prohibited from going to the separate building, and the same goes for girls.
As far as I know at this point, the only exceptions are lunchtime and Sundays, which are holidays.
Naturally, I'm supposed to spend all day on Sunday with my three lovers, but that's not enough, and I want to find holes in the rules somehow.
While I was thinking about that, my cell phone rang. When I looked, I saw that Arisu had contacted me.
"I have something to talk to Hachiman-kun, is that okay?"
"No problem. Have you decided on a group yet?"
"As I already talked to Hiyori-san, I will form a small group of 14 people, 10 people from A class, 2 people each from B class and D class. Hiyori-san can join there, but Hachiman-kun, please instruct Matsushita-san to join my group.''
"Understood. By the way, isn't Ichinose's Class C allowed?"
"That's my intention. I will criticize Ichinose-san from this training camp.''
"Well, I'm a complete outsider so I can't say anything, but is there anything you want me to do, Arisu?"
"As for the boys, we will select 14 out of 20 and invite one person from another class. Hachiman-kun, please join that group if possible.''
"Understood. However, that group is mostly a safe group, so there's a possibility that other people might want to join.''
"I won't force you. Also, in case Hachiman-kun doesn't get expelled, I'm going to give him points, but how many points do you currently have?"
"A little over 6.8 million.''
"Then I will send you 13.2 million yen, so please confirm."
Then my cell phone rang, so I checked my point balance and it showed 20,025,862.
Arisu probably collected points from the students of the faction for me, but I feel love and am happy.
"Thank you, Arisu. I love you"
"I love you too. And if you find a hole in the rules, let's spend some time together.''
"Of course, I'll have you hang out with me all day on Sunday, which is my day off.''
"Of course. Good luck.''
"Thank you"
After that message, I cut off contact with Arisu and sent a message to Matsushita.
"Arisu will form a group of 14 people, including 10 people from A class, 2 people from B class, and 2 people from D class, so you can join them.''
After sending the message, a message was returned from Matsushita shortly after.
"I really want to do that, but Horikita-san, who is sitting next to me, told me not to do anything during the exam, so I don't know if I'll be able to get in.''
I see. Horikita knows that Matsushita is my pawn, so it wouldn't be surprising if she stabbed me in the nail.
...It can not be helped.
"Then I'll lend you 20 million points now, so you'll show the balance to Horikita and say, "If you're going to get in the way of my actions, I'll have to drag my feet and get expelled, and I'll use the relief measures without permission from class D. Threaten her to reduce her points by 300.''
While saying this, I sent 20 million points to Matsushita's cell phone.
Immediately, I received a reply from Matsushita.
"How did you get it? "
"Arisu gave it to me so I wouldn't be expelled. If you succeed in threatening Horikita, give it back.''
"Got it"
After confirming that Matsushita had replied, I let out a breath and looked out the window to see the bus getting off the expressway.
Judging from that, I can understand even if I don't like it because the destination is getting closer.
For now, I would like to take this exam to find out who is an excellent senior among the 2nd year students, if I have the time.
There may be an exam next year where I will be paired with a senior.
Just then, my cell phone rang, and when I looked it up, I saw a message from Matsushita.
"I got the OK, so I'll give you points back."
At the same time, the points will be returned to my cell phone.
There's no problem with this.
As I was thinking about that, Hirata stood in front of me and started talking.
To summarize, it's about how to survive the exam and how to be divided into groups.
Well, if that was all there was to it, there would be no problem, but the topic also included whether or not to share the private points earned after the exam.
When that topic comes up, I agree with Yamauchi and other small fry in D-class about not sharing the points, I am firmly against it.
The number one reason is that I simply don't want to give up the points I've earned.
But there are other reasons as well.
If it becomes commonplace to share private points, there is a risk that the small fry in the class will lose motivation, thinking, "I'll get points even if I don't work hard.''
And even people who can earn points may lose motivation, thinking, "No matter how hard I try, I only get a few points.''
Sharing the points would eliminate inequality from the perspective of small fry, but from the perspective of people who can earn points, it's nothing but inequality.
This world is unequal.
Even if you try to make things equal, there will always be people who will lose out.
Generally speaking, this school is meritocratic.
It is out of the question for people who can make money to share points with people who can't.
Therefore, it is a bad idea to divide the points.
While thinking about this, I watched the people talking about how to move the rewards, feeling blank.
20 minutes later…
"We've arrived. I'll give the students their cellphones in order of arrival and ask them to get off the bus. Ayanokoji..."
Chabashira-sensei says this as we arrive at our destination parking lot.
At the same time, Ayanokoji hands the cellphone to Chabashira-sensei, and then Ike makes the same movements as Ayanokoji.
After waiting for a while, my turn came, and as I got up from my seat and started walking around, I felt someone's eyes on me, so when I looked in that direction, Horikita was glaring at me, and Matsushita, who was sitting next to me, was waving a little.
It seems that Horikita is convinced that I gave the order to Matsushita.
While thinking about this, I handed my cell phone to Chabashira-sensei and got off the bus.
At the same time, your body reacts to the cold. Perhaps because it's a mountainous area, it's much colder than when I left school.
Looking around, we were in what appeared to be a field, and in the distance were two huge wooden school buildings.
I expected it to be large since there were nearly 500 students, but this was more than I expected.
As I was thinking about it, I felt someone's eyes on me again, so I looked to the side and saw my three lovers, who were a little far away, looking at me.
Hiyori and Arisu are smiling and waving, but they are more gloomy than usual, and even Masumi, who has become a spoiled child, is looking at me with an anxious look on her face.
When I saw their expressions, I felt the urge to hug them, but the boys and girls had already had to take separate action, so I couldn't approach the three of them.
While sighing inwardly, we parted ways with the girls and headed towards the main school building.
When you enter the building, you can smell the nostalgic smell of wood. It may be old, but it doesn't seem dirty or well-maintained.
The classroom I pass by doesn't have an air conditioner, but has a stove, which is not a bad thing to have.
I think it would be nice to have a state-of-the-art building, but if I marry Hiyori and the others, it might be a good idea to live in a building in the countryside.
What can I say... I'd say we're free, or rather we're giving love to each other in a relaxed atmosphere at home...
It's crazy, just thinking about it makes me happy.
While thinking about the future, we were taken to a place that looked like a gymnasium.
The boys from A, B, and C classes have already arrived. After this, the 2nd year boys and 3rd year boys will probably come.
The boys in each class didn't chat and looked calm, so they must have some sort of plan in place.
About three minutes later, boys from all grades gathered in the gymnasium, and a man who appeared to be a teacher from another grade went up to the podium, grabbed a microphone, and called out to them.
"We will proceed with the exam assuming that everyone understands the content of the exam through explanations on the bus. From now on, we will set aside time to create small groups. For each grade, we will create 6 groups based on discussion. We will also proceed with large groups. The time for creating groups is set to start at 8 p.m. I also want to let you know that the school will not be involved in any way in creating groups, no matter how big or small. That's it.''
With those words, the man stepped down from the podium. The school seems to think that they should really do whatever they want.
At the same time, most of the boys in the area where the A-class boys were gathered gathered together and came towards the D-class.
This attracts attention from those around him, but is the man in the lead...? , faced me and opened his mouth.
"Hikigaya-kun. I believe you have heard from Sakayanagi-san, but please join our group. You receive insurance, right?"
He say that and extend his hand.
When I looked at Matoba's group, the first thing I noticed was Katsuragi, but what I didn't expect was that Hashimoto, the leader of the Sakayanagi faction, was missing.
I definitely thought that Katsuragi wouldn't be in the 14-person group and that Hashimoto would invite me.
In that case, Hashimoto is probably receiving instructions from Arisu.
Well, anyway...
"Ah. Thank you."
I accept the offered hand. Since you have insurance and are invited by an excellent group, there is no reason to refuse.
With this, the first small group is established. "Wait. Don't just decide on your own.''
...I guess it won't work out that easily.
Sighing inwardly, I looked around and saw that most of the students other than Class A had unconvinced expressions on their faces.
...It's a pain to explain.
"Why are you just letting it go? Don't be so quick to do it!"
When I accepted Matoba's invitation, Sudo was the first to complain.
In addition, most of the people other than A-class had unconvinced expressions on their faces, and I judged those with unconvinced expressions to be small fry who couldn't see the future.
In fact, the leaders of each class, former leader Ryuen, Ayanokoji and Koenji, who have extraordinary potential, don't show any dissatisfied expressions.
Most importantly, Ryuen and Koenji don't seem to have any interest in the discussion.
Matoba tries to open his mouth in response to Sudo's complaint, but I stop it with my hand.
If Sudo were to make a move, Matoba's physicality would be easily defeated.
"Are you an idiot? I haven't broken any rules, and this group is made up of students from two classes, so the multiplier when getting rewards will be lower, right?"
"No, but 14 people is cunning, isn't it?!"
"There's no way. If you want to be crafty, you can just create a group with the same composition for the other classes. Also, you can join forces with three classes other than A class or create a group with all four classes."
If I were to join Matoba's group, the remaining six A-class boys would inevitably be free.
Therefore, if you use those 6 people, you can create multiple groups of 4 classes together, which is also a chance to earn points.
"And if I join this group, the rest of us can solve one of the problems, right?"
"Is that a problem?"
"It's about disposing of bombs. When forming a small group, the most difficult thing to do is how to dispose of bombs. You don't know how to dispose of bombs like me, Ryuen, and Koenji."
The biggest problem with creating groups like this is how to deal with the haters.
When deciding on a group, no one wants to include someone they don't like, so that's definitely going to cause trouble.
And the person who is disliked by the first year students is...
Ryuen Kakeru, Class B's tyrant.
I'm not interested in classes, my lover comes first.
Koenji, the ultimate free man.
There is no doubt that these three people are bombs.
"If I, the bomb, join the group first, the time it takes for you guys to form a group will be shortened."
I really think so about this. Well, I don't think it will be shortened much since there is Ryuen who is hated even more than me.
There is also the advantage of being able to team up with talented members.
I don't know all the students in class A, but their basic ability is probably higher than any other class.
With the exception of Ayanokoji and Koenji, most of the boys in Class D are small fry, so I have no intention of teaming up with them.
I don't think Ayanokoji and Koenji will give their best, either.
Class C is a former B class, so I think there are many students with high potential, but this class's weapon is unity, and it doesn't go well with me.
Regarding B class, I don't find it that appealing since Ryuen has stepped down as the leader.
Therefore, it would be ideal to join a group based on A class.
Plus, there's no way these guys could kick me down. Because Arisu collected points from her classmates for me.
Well, aside from that, the leaders of each class have a satisfied look on their faces, and I'm sure there will be no opposition to me joining this group.
But it would be too lazy to wait that long, so I'd rather finish it early.
"In any case, it seems like the leaders of each class are not against it, so I'll be allowed to join this group... Well then, it's time to go. I'll go and report quickly."
"Yes. Thank you."
After receiving a reply from Matoba, my group started walking toward Mashima-sensei in the corner.
At that time, the leaders of each class and Sudo didn't stop me, so I guess they agreed with my opinion.
"So? Who will be in charge in the end?"
"Katsuragi-kun is supposed to do it, but if Hikigaya-kun doesn't like it, I'll give it to someone else."
"No, no problem."
Even if Katsuragi hates me, I won't be expelled because I borrowed points from Arisu.
Even if they don't borrow points, this group won't fall below the borderline.
"Mashima-sensei. The group has been decided."
"Okay...Registration is complete. You guys can stay outside."
Mashima-sensei said this while operating his tablet, so we followed his instructions and started walking outside of the gymnasium.
As soon as I stepped outside, the cold wind blew and I shivered, but I held back as I looked around.
There were already around 80 students there. If you look closely, they're all second year students.
The small groups for second-year students were decided too soon. In other words, President Nagumo, who is in control of all second-year classes, must have given orders to other classes about forming groups while he was riding the bus.
It seems that Pres Nagumo has more control than I imagined. At this, even the first year A class students widened their eyes and expressed their surprise.
And Pres Nagumo, the ruler, seemed to have noticed me as well and approached me.
"Yo Hikigaya. It's been a while."
"Long time no see"
"It was decided faster than I expected. I thought it would take about 20 minutes."
"I accepted the invitation right away. But what is President Nagumo planning?"
When I asked, Nagumo smiled meaningfully. The students who were around Nagumo just before we left the gymnasium are probably members of Nagumo's small group, but there is something that doesn't make sense to me.
The only member of Nagumo's small group whom I knows is Vice Chairman Kiriyama of 2-B.
Of course, it may not be strange to have Vice President Kiriyama as an assistant, but Secretary Mizowaki and Secretary Tonokawa, who are members of the same student council and classmates, are in a different small group from President Nagumo.
If you want to succeed in the exam, it's a good idea to gather people close to you.
No matter how much he dominates all classes for two years, if he wants to take first place, he should solidify his class with his classmates.
However, there are few A-class students in Nagumo's small group. Judging from that, it's clear that Nagumo has no intention of winning in the exam, and is planning something else.
"Well, it's a lot of things. I'll just say that the school will change after this exam."
"I see. In that case, I hope that my time at this unusual school will be easy."
"Don't worry. I'm sure it won't be a bad future for you...Well, it looks like the third year is starting to be decided, so see you later."
After Nagumo said that, he began to return to his group. When I glanced behind me, I saw some third-year students coming out of the gymnasium, so we first-years made a path.
Third-year students stand apart from second-year students and separate into small groups.
If you look, next to Horikita-senpai is Fujimaki-senpai, who gave an explanation to the first-year students at the sports festival.
Fujimaki-senpai is famous for being the main force in the 3rd year A class, and judging from that, it seems like Horikita-senpai has created a small group that is going to win.
"You're also good friends with the student council president."
At this point, Matoba spoke to me. As expected, the existence of the student council president seems to be huge.
"Well, in its own way. Or rather, was it a good idea not to include Hashimoto in this group?"
It feels strange that Hashimoto, the leader of the Sakayanagi faction, is not present.
"Hashimoto-kun was ordered by Sakayanagi-san not to join this group. I don't know anything more than that, but I think he's trying to get information on someone."
In that case, it would be Ayanokoji or Ryuen. The person Arisu shows the most fighting spirit against is Ayanokoji, and as for Ryuen, it's doubtful that he has quit being the leader.
Or maybe Koenji is a big hole.
"I have a question as well, but when are you planning to move up to A class? Personally, I think it's okay to move up immediately after this exam is over."
Even the A class students other than Matoba listen to those words.
It's well known that I'm going to save up 20 million yen and go to Arisu's class, but from the perspective of the A class students, I guess they can't help but wonder when I'll come.
Personally, I would like to go now, but I don't think it's the right time yet.
"For me...well, another year has come, so I'll talk about it later."
Some first-year students come out of the gymnasium, but I don't want the students in classes B to D to hear it, so I'll put it off until later.
Matoba seemed to agree and distanced himself from me.
Well, for now we have formed small groups for each grade, and the next step is to form large groups.
Personally, I would like to join the same group as Nagumo, who is changing schools in the future...but I wonder what will happen.
Well, I'm already starting to want to meet Hiyori and the others, so it's time for dinner soon.