—Which events would be most advantageous for us? Honami asked beside me.
—All of those that are academically focused; after all, our class is the best at that, right? I replied.
—And what about physical events? Do we have any standout students in sports?
—That's true, we could propose soccer, the 100-meter sprint, or women's volleyball. If we focus on those, I seriously doubt we'll lose.
—But we also need to consider which class we would face. Which one do you think would be the most challenging?
—Academically, Class B is the toughest. As for physical performance, both Class C and Class D have some good students. I'd need to analyze it a bit more.
—Horikita-san's class has very strong students physically, like Sudou-kun, Koenji-kun, Ayanokouji-kun, Hirata-kun, and of course, Horikita-san herself. Though I would rule out Ayanokouji-kun since he must be the commander after earning the protection point.
—Correct. In Ryuuen's class, there are Ichizaki, Ibuki, Kinoshita, Albert, and other boys who play basketball, though I can't recall their names. If we analyze it, I'd say Class D is superior to C in terms of physical performance. Of course, excluding Koenji, I doubt that guy will participate in anything.
Honami and I kept discussing which events we could select to maximize our chances of winning. I was confident that our class would win most of the competitions, whether academic or physical. However, my ambition went further: I wanted to win every possible event. That's why I had already started preparing my classmates for this special exam; everyone was studying and training more intensely.
In the end, Honami and I agreed that our main rival would be Class B, the closest to us. Even though the gap between both classes is considerable, I didn't want that gap to shrink, so facing them would be my best option.
—Of course, we'd need some luck, since the matchups will be decided at random. Though there's a chance to arrange a duel between both classes, it would require the other classes to agree — I said, sighing at the tediousness of the situation. — Let's leave it to chance; let destiny choose our rival.
...
After several days of planning, Honami and I had designed the 10 required events: five official and five to confuse the rest. The selected events were as follows:
Official events
Event: Women's Volleyball
Rules:
Best of three sets: Each set is played to 15 points.
Quick tiebreaker: If there's a third set, it's played to 10 points.
No extended timeouts: Each team gets one 30-second timeout per set.
Direct point: In case of a foul, the point goes directly to the opposing team.
Members:
6 active players on the court.
2 substitutes (can be swapped once per set).
Event: Men's Soccer
Rules:
40-minute match: Two 20-minute halves, with a 5-minute break between them.
No ties: If the score is tied at the end of regular time, the match will be decided by a 5-penalty shootout per team.
No extra time: Only the 40 minutes of regular play and, if necessary, the penalty shootout.
Members:
11 players per team, including the goalkeeper.
5 substitutes, with a maximum of 3 substitutions allowed during the match.
Event: English Test
Rules:
Duration of 40 minutes: The test must be completed in this time to ensure it doesn't drag on too long.
Question format: 30 multiple-choice questions covering grammar, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and conversation structures.
Direct score: Each correct answer earns one point; no penalty for incorrect answers.
Tiebreaker: If there's a tie, an additional 10 questions will be asked to those tied.
Members:
8 participants per class
Event: Arithmetic Test
Rules:
Duration of 30 minutes: The test must be completed in this time to maintain focus and speed.
Question format: The test will consist of 25 multiple-choice questions and numerical problems covering basic operations, algebra, geometry, and logic.
Direct score: Each correct answer earns one point; no penalty for incorrect answers.
Tiebreaker: If the classes score the same, 5 additional higher-difficulty questions will be asked to determine the winner.
Members:
8 participants per class
Event: Chemistry Test
Rules:
Duration of 45 minutes: The test must be completed within this time to keep a steady pace.
Question format: The test will include 30 multiple-choice questions covering general chemistry concepts, chemical reactions, thermodynamics principles, acids and bases, and properties of elements.
Direct score: Each correct answer earns one point; no penalty for incorrect answers.
Tiebreaker: If there's a tie, 5 higher-difficulty questions will be asked to break it.
Members:
6 participants per class
Fake events
Men's Swimming
Shogi
Basketball
Treasure Hunt
Rock, Paper, Scissors
This was our list. We weren't trying to hide the official events; it didn't matter if they found them, since, according to my calculations, the results would be favorable for us. With the events ready, all that was left was to submit them. Honami, who had earned the protection point, would be in charge of this task and would also assume the role of commander due to her analytical skills.
Once the event list was in the hands of the organizers, the draw would be held to determine the matchups. All the class commanders would be present at that moment. Although I didn't know how the matchups would be decided, I trusted that Honami would handle the situation from that point onward.
...
Honami POV
Finally, I had submitted the list with the events that Kayden and I had created. It took us a few days to complete everything, but in the end, we were satisfied with the result. If at least four of the seven events were from our proposed list, victory would be practically guaranteed. And no, it wasn't arrogance or overconfidence, but a simple certainty. I know how much my classmates have been pushing themselves, and I know each of their levels. I can say with total certainty that our class has no rivals.
After submitting the list of events, the teachers took us to a room where the other leaders from the other classes were. Just as I expected, there they were: Sakayanagi-san, Ayanokouji-kun, and Ryuuen-kun. We exchanged some glances, but that was all. Maybe they were nervous or focused, since today the rival class would be decided.
"Well, now that we're all here, I'll explain quickly. In this box are four papers, two with the number 1 and two with the number 2. You'll all draw a paper at the same time, and the person who draws the number 1 will face the person who also has the number 1. Understood?" explained Professor Mashima-sensei.
Since it was so simple, we quickly reached into the box and drew our papers at the same time. Mashima-sensei asked us to show the numbers.
"I have the number 2," I said.
"I have 1," said Ayanokouji-kun. "I guess I won't have to face Horikita-san's class."
"Kukuku, looks like I'll have to face Suzune's class, huh?" said Ryuuen, showing the number 1 on his paper, leaving Sakayanagi with the number 2.
"Wow, I guess I'm lucky," I commented. "Just as Kayden and I wanted, we'll face Class B." But for some reason, Sakayanagi's expression seemed somewhat unsatisfied.
Once the selection was over, we dispersed to leave, but Sakayanagi stopped me.
"Ichinose-san, can we talk for a moment?" she said.
"Sure, what's up?"
"Would you like to change rivals?" she asked, leaving me confused.
"Do you mean change the class we face?" I replied.
"Yes, exactly that," she said, with her usual smile.
I didn't know what she was planning, or if she had any other goals regarding another class, but sorry, Sakayanagi-san. I don't know what plan you had, but it's not going to go as you want.
"Sorry, Sakayanagi-san, but I'll have to decline," I replied, and her face shifted slightly.
"May I know why? I think it would be easier for your class to fight another, don't you think? I think it would be beneficial for your class," she insisted, trying to convince me.
"As I said, sorry, but I refuse. Our class wants to face yours, and that decision won't change. See you on the day of the confrontation," I said, not allowing her to respond as I turned and left the room.
I had nothing else to do there. I didn't care about the reason why Sakayanagi wanted to face another class. Kayden and I already had her class in mind, so tough luck for you, Sakayanagi-san.