442 Chapter 6 : The Square of Offense and Defense
IT SEEMED THAT the teachers had completed the preparation for the special exam the day before. When I went to school at the usual time this morning, the inside of the classroom had slightly changed.
The five desks in the front row where Horikita and the others sat were slightly pushed forward, with a tablet and pen placed on each of them. Furthermore, dividers were installed at each end of the desk. Looks like they implemented measures to prevent students from cheating when they look to the desks adjacent to them.
Even if there were no dividers, there was still a peep-proof filter applied to the tablet. Therefore, the role of the dividers may have been to prevent indirectly communicating information, such as via eye contact.
Five new desks and chairs were placed behind the last row, probably set up for the five students who originally sat in the front row.
A maximum of five nominated students would sit in the new front row and solve the problems.
It was practically impossible to easily cheat with the new setup. It allowed teachers to closely monitor the students.
"Did you sleep well last night?"
I asked Horikita, who had just taken her seat behind me.
"About the usual. There was nothing more I could do, and all I had to do was manage my health appropriately."
"You had a tough time when you got a fever during the first deserted island exam."
"Shut up. I'll stab you."
"I'm sorry."
I didn't know why I'd get stabbed, but I didn't want to, so I apologized.
"Do you feel at ease?" she asked.
"Not at all. In fact, I might become a burden, so please be understanding."
There was no way Sakayanagi or Ichinose would attack me with a straightforward academic question.
"I'm sorry, but I absolutely won't use the protection on you."
"You absolutely won't, huh..."
It was disheartening to be in a position where no one would protect me from the start. I thought she was half joking, but it was better to think that I wouldn't be getting any support.
Shortly thereafter, with everyone in Horikita's class confirmed present and without any absences, Chabashira-sensei left the classroom with words of encouragement.
In this type of special exam, it had become customary for a homeroom teacher from another class, not the students' own teacher, to oversee the test. It was an inevitable measure to ascertain fairness.
Shortly after, Sakagami-sensei, Ryūen's homeroom teacher, appeared in the classroom.
"I am Sakagami, appointed as the teacher in charge of this class for this exam. I will notify you of the order of attack and some notes for this special exam."
Sakagami-sensei announced, calmly and concisely, and then stopped talking.
He silently operated the tablet and displayed the layout and a notice on the monitor.
Special Exam Layout
①Class B→②Class C
↑ ↓
④Class A←③Class D
NOTICE
The toilet is to be used only during the 10-minute break every four turns.
A 40-minute break, including lunchtime, will be given after 10 turns (first half).
Whispering or using your phone is allowed except for when the selected students are solving the problem.
Students who are unable to continue the exam due to ill health or other reasons deemed to be disruptive will be treated as eliminated.
Students found cheating will be immediately treated as eliminated and all their points will be forfeited.
Although the instructions included some new information, there was nothing particularly surprising. The selected students couldn't escape an attack by feigning, nor could they delay it. Unlike regular written exams, the questions were different for each participant, so there wouldn't be a situation where students hid in the bathroom to share their answers with each other. Because of that, students from other classes running into each other wouldn't be an issue. In any case, it was irrelevant if phones could be used.
The class arrangements and attack order seemed more critical.
First, the turn began with Class B, Horikita's class, attacking Ichinose's Class C. Then Ichinose would attack Ryūen's Class D, followed by Ryūen attacking Sakayanagi's Class A. Finally, Sakayanagi's Class A would attack Horikita's class to complete a single turn, which would be repeated for a total of 10 times.
All of this will be reversed in the second half as the order goes counter-clockwise.
Horikita started looking at her phone immediately after confirming the flow of the offense and defense on the screen.
At this point, all strategies against Ryūen's class became unnecessary for Horikita.
She must've switched to pulling up offensive and defensive strategies against Ichinose's class and Sakayanagi's class.
With only a surface evaluation, it was a positive having Ichinose's class as an opponent, a class that was expected to only take straightforward approaches. On the other hand, it would be a negative having to wear down our nerves during a confrontation with Sakayanagi, who had a sharp mind in addition to the overall strength of her class.
As a participant, I decided to watch how it would turn out.
However, there was no time to be so leisurely.
Reviewing the 16 categories of this special exam again, I didn't plan to invalidate the interpretation that being eliminated meant expulsion; this unusual rule even made me bear the risk of expulsion when considering special exams over the last two years. I'd be able to pull through in academic subjects, but in other categories such as 'Subculture' and 'Entertainment,' to put it bluntly, I was below average. Even if there were three exemptions to protect me, there were still chances I would encounter problems I didn't know the answer to, and I couldn't deny the possibility that I could be eliminated.
If Sakayanagi and Ichinose conspired against me and made me the only eliminated student in this class, and the class dropped to last place, expulsion was inevitable.
I didn't think this rule was irrational as a student. Rather, it was only such an exam that made some students shine. It was a way to make the existence of new talents known.
"Now, let's commence the special exam. For the first turn, this class makes the first attack. Please select the category and difficulty level as previously explained and nominate five students."
Sakagami-sensei signaled to start the special exam.
The time limit for the offensive and defensive selections was just three minutes. It wasn't a very generous time limit.
There was no place for thinking during our turn, but for conveying our thoughts. It'd be better to have discussions during the longer time we get observing other classes' movements.
The only time that pattern would break would be in unexpected situations.
"We're starting while flying blind. Let's just proceed as discussed with Hirata-kun and the others."
With a firm confirmation, Horikita reached out to the main tablet.
Since I didn't participate in the discussion, I didn't have any information on their strategies.
The category, difficulty level, and nominees were to be verbally communicated to the leader.
Following Horikita's instructions, Sakagami-sensei immediately reflected her choices on the monitor.
Category 'English' Difficulty Level 1
Offensive's Nominees:
'Kobashi Yume,' 'Watanabe Norihito,' 'Sumida Makoto,' 'Ninomiya Yui,' 'Shibata Sō'
The category was 'English.' The targets were students in Ichinose's class who weren't academically inclined. The class made a strategic choice for a subject that could be easily evaluated; a safe selection. We couldn't be flexible in selecting the difficulty level since the score was still at zero.
Given the fact that we were the first ones up, it was natural to choose an academic-related category. All of the classes, including Horikita's, would determine the tendencies of the questions and the standard difficulty level depending on the first problem.
However, many of Ichinose's students were well-rounded academically, and all their grades were currently C or higher. The students who were called upon became inevitably crucial, but who were struggling with which subjects could only be discerned from past exam results or individual interactions.
It was easier to exploit the opponent's weaknesses with non-academic, irregular categories.
This was because it could easily be fatal for students who weren't familiar with 'Subculture' or 'Entertainment.'
However, it took courage to attack like that in the first move. Because it was irregular, it would be more difficult to judge others' strengths and weaknesses than in academic-related categories, and it was also difficult to anticipate the level of difficulty.
Now, I quietly watched to see who Ichinose was going to protect.
The defensive's nominations were finished, and the screen changed.
Defensive's Protected Students:
'Ninomiya Yui,' 'Watanabe Norihito'
"So that means these two are protected, right?"
Looking at the monitor, Nishimura, who hasn't fully understood the situation, confirmed with Horikita.
"...That's right. Ichinose-san's class has unconditionally earned two points. It was up to the remaining three to decide whether they get more points or not."
In Ichinose's class, three students had opted out of doing the 'English' category. While they had the option to choose from 36 students, excluding the leader, the fact that two of them were protected wasn't a favorable outcome.
This wasn't surprising. It seemed that they directly defended classmates who weren't good at English.
It might've been because it was the first turn, but it was a very straightforward move.
The question shown to the opponent's class was also displayed here.
'Add one word to the following sentence and rearrange it so that the meaning remains the same:'
In order for everyone to grow, a certain amount of hardship is always necessary.
[everyone/amount/necessary/always/a/grow/of/hardship/for/is/to][10]
[10 : The text in brackets was originally English in the raw Japanese text, while the sentence above that is in Japanese. The students are supposed to use words from the brackets to solve the translation question]
"What is this? Isn't this difficult!?"
Some students similar to Ike cried out, standing up from their seats and with their heads in their arms.
At the same time, academically capable students like Horikita and Yōsuke exchanged complex glances.
"The difficulty seems just about right."
"Right. It's not too difficult if you regularly study."
Looking at the given problem, the class's thoughts would've been divided in two.
Ichinose's class was academically stable.
How much the lower performing students could achieve was going to be revealed—
The results of the remaining three students who answered the first question were displayed on the monitor.
Correct Students:
'Kobashi Yume,' 'Shibata Sō'
With those two protected, the total points amounted to four. It was more than enough to start.
Next, Ichinose's class launched an attack on Ryūen's class. The category was 'Economics.'
In response, Ryūen managed to protect one person.
However, they were unable to produce any correct answers and only managed to secure one point.
The disadvantage of having many students who were weak at studying was already showing.
It was a painful situation, as Ichinose had gained four points in comparison, but there was no time to be disheartened.
They had a chance to cancel out the score if they had secured four or more points when they were on the defensive. It was important to avoid having the nominees protected and to prevent the opponents from getting the correct answers, but what was more important in this special exam was to get a high percentage of questions right when on the defensive side. Only then could they earn points.
In Ryūen class's attack, Sakayanagi protected one person, and three answered the question correctly and received four points.
Then, at the end of the first turn, Sakayanagi's class began their attack on Horikita's class.
"It's about to start."
"Yes. I wonder how Sakayanagi-san will attack..."
Sakayanagi's chosen category was announced.
Category 'Arithmetic' Difficulty Level 1
In arithmetics, there were questions like simple mental math with addition and multiplication or fill-in-the-blanks. How challenging would they be at difficulty level one? There were a surprising number of students who were weak in math; seven people in Horikita's class had chosen it as one of their excluded categories.
However, the point of contention was certainly how Kōenji was treated.
If we were to stick to the promise, we'd need to protect him.
He was a guy who demonstrated exceptional talent in the deserted island exam, but he basically lived freely and didn't have a proactive approach toward special exams. Yet, there were few reasons for other classes to specifically target the highly talented and quick-witted Kōenji.
But a promise was a promise. How would they judge based on that—
Defensive's Protected Students:
'Sonoda Chiyoda,' 'Ichihashi Ruri,' 'Okitani Kyōsuke,' 'Ike Kanji,' 'Makida Susumu'
Kōenji's name was not included in the five that Horikita had chosen to protect.
Kōenji, who didn't care about the special exam, showed no reaction to the result.
"H-hey, Suzune. Are you sure you don't need to protect that guy?"
Sudō panicked. He seemed to have been keeping an eye on Kōenji the whole time.
"The exam only puts you at risk of expulsion if you get eliminated. I decided he was safe until he got two questions wrong. There's no other reason to protect him from the onset."
"Well, yeah, that makes sense..."
Sudō was surprised for a moment, but he was immediately convinced.
"However, in return, of course, Kōenji-kun is free to either answer the given task seriously or leave it blank. Are you fine with that?"
Kōenji didn't seem to have been bothered by the fact that she had asked after the plan was already established.
"Do as you like."
Even though she promised not to let him get expelled, it wasn't like she could protect him from everything like a baby. The measures Horikita took were the minimum required strategy.
Moreover, she assured him that he could freely answer the questions, but if he actually got selected, it was possible that even Kōenji would want to avoid being pointlessly eliminated. Even if someone was said to be 99% safe, they usually still worried about the remaining 1%. They wouldn't strangle themselves.
Defensive's Successfully Protected Members:
'Okitani Kyōsuke,' 'Ike Kanji'
Offensive's Nominees:
'Ishikura Kayoko,' 'Kikuchi Eita,' 'Inogashira Kokoro'
Horikita successfully protected two members in her first defense.
That was a large score of two. Although it was the first turn, she managed to rank third at this point.
If all three nominees were to answer the question correctly, she could temporarily rise to first place. But would they?
The nervous participants sat in front of the tablet displaying the question and confronted it.
Until they were finished answering, they had to remain silent, so the spectators quietly watched over them.
'Time limit 1 minute. 15 x 24 x 16 = ?'
They were asked a multiplication question. Of course, the three of them had no choice but to solve it mentally.
The difficulty would greatly increase if they had to solve it in their heads, even for an answer that could easily be found calculating on paper. It appeared to be an easy question, but seeing the panic in the participants, it was clear that they were struggling.
The minute flew by, and the result was... one correct answer.
The other two, excluding Ishikura, missed the answer and returned to their seats apologetically.
Upon seeing the choices and their results, I was curious about Sakayanagi's interesting decision in the first turn.
Ishikura is one of the strongest math students in the class. Arithmetics and math, to some extent, call for two different skills, but numbers are involved in both. Ishikura didn't need to feel at risk when trying to select the right answer. There were other holes that Sakayanagi could've targeted besides the seven that were exempted from 'Arithmetics.'
It was possible that Sakayanagi was ignorant of Ishikura's abilities, but she saw Ishikura tackle a math problem in our first year's final exam. Some other random student could've missed it, but I can't imagine Sakayanagi doing so.
Alternatively, she could've decided that we wouldn't protect students good at arithmetic like Ishikura, and therefore chose her to ensure that she would take on the task.
With all the offensive and defensive tasks over, the first turn had ended.
With three points, it wasn't a bad start, and the class got off to a safe first turn.
In the second turn, Horikita announced five names as the attacker.
Ichinose's class failed to protect any students, and two of them got the question right, earning them a total score of 6 points.
Ryūen's class successfully protected one student and one of them got the question right, earning a total score of 3 points.
Sakayanagi's class successfully protected 1 student and 3 of them got the question right, earning a total score of 8 points.
It had just started, but a slight difference among the classes had begun to form in just the second turn.
It was now the second defensive turn for Horikita's class.
Sakayanagi changed her chosen category from 'Arithmetic' to 'Gourmet Food,' with a difficulty of 1.
Even though I wasn't asked, I'd wager that my classmates have already assessed who excels or falters in this type of category. Horikita confidently told Sakagami-sensei the names of her five protected members.
Defensive's Successfully Protected Members:
None
Offensive's Nominees:
'Kōenji Rokusuke,' 'Hasebe Haruka,' 'Hirata Yōsuke,' 'Yukimura Teruhiko,' 'Onodera Kayano'
Unfortunately, the protected slots ended up being a complete miss.
The problem laid in the list of people who had been nominated. Kōenji's name was listed first among the five candidates.
It was a long, 20-turn battle, and it wasn't strange that Kōenji would be nominated…
But what mattered was how Kōenji would behave when he was given a task he could solve on his own.
'State the meaning of a knife and fork being placed on a plate in the shape of '八' while eating French cuisine.'
[11 : 八 is the kanji for 8, they are meant to trace this shape]
It was a simple question that could easily be answered with the knowledge learned since entering school.
But Kōenji's result was… incorrect due to him leaving it blank.
He clearly hadn't even moved to pick up the pen.
Of the remaining four, it seemed that Keisei had unfortunately made a mistake in answering.
Immediately after it was announced that he was incorrect, he smacked the table as if suddenly remembering the correct answer.
Although this was a bit of a setback, an additional three points were earned, bringing the total score up to six.
"Hey! Kōenji, you're not taking this seriously, are you?!"
Although he wasn't shouting, Sudō expressed his anger.
This wasn't just his personal opinion. You could say this was him taking the initiative to represent the class and warn him.
It was only natural for the others to be upset if he showed no intent to try to solve the problem.
"You're wrong to blame me. If you're dissatisfied, all you have to do is guard me next time."
"Screw you... You're just saying whatever you like..."
It was natural for him to feel dissatisfied, but there was no need to worry unless two mistakes were made.
The class must've felt a little relieved seeing Horikita's unconcerned stance on the blank answer.
It would be a problem if she didn't keep their promise and went on a rampage to expel Kōenji, but she probably didn't want to use the valuable protection slot in vain.
Kōenji, who held his ground, gave Horikita a smirk and returned to his seat.
On the other hand, Keisei, who had genuinely made a mistake on the problem, came down to apologize to Horikita.
"I'm sorry, Horikita, I was so nervous that the answer didn't come to me right away... even though I was supposed to know it."
"I'm not that worried about you. But, just to be safe, if I feel like you're being attacked in the same category again, I'm going to protect you. Alright?"
Sakayanagi would never leave any stone unturned. That was why Keisei obediently nodded, knowing that if Horikita sensed danger, she would firmly protect him. In return, Horikita also nodded.
The battle began this way, alternating between offense and defense.
Every time a question was presented, the students probably had no spare time to keep an eye on their phones as part of their strategy.
On the other hand, the leader didn't have to worry about being nominated, but they also didn't have a moment's rest.
Were they ready to appropriately change the nominated students and how would they deal the question to the opponent?
With almost no time to even talk, Horikita was scrambling between her phone and the opened notebook.
Sakayanagi's turn came around for the third time. She attacked again with a 'Gourmet Food' question.
And yet, the difficulty level remained at one. It would be an easy question. Given that we had answered correctly on our own three times, I didn't think she would pick the same category again, but it seemed that her aim was different.
Did she see a gap in how Kōenji and Keisei, two capable class members, had gotten it wrong?
As per the strategy communicated beforehand, Horikita was to protect Keisei while selecting four others.
However—
Defensive's Successfully Protected Members:
None
Offense Side Nominated:
'Kōenji Rokusuke,' 'Sōshi Miyamoto,' 'Wataru Ijūin,' 'Satō Maya,' 'Sana Azuma'
This made it the second consecutive nomination for Kōenji. Moreover, the rest of the lineup was totally changed.
On the contrary, Sakayanagi hadn't nominated Keisei, whom Horikita had protected.
"Did she read us? I wonder..."
As the words suggested, attacking and defending was a game of reading each other. If they attacked in the same category, it was standard for the defense to move to prevent elimination. Naturally, there was no point in aiming for Keisei, who could potentially be protected.
However, the same went for Kōenji.
For both Kōenji and Keisei—I wondered what different criteria Sakayanagi had in mind.
One thing was for sure, it was a precise read, as if she'd seen right through our thoughts.
Kōenji, who rose from his seat again, walked up with confidence.
"Kōenji-kun. Although we can't force you as a class, I think it would be prudent to get this right for your own sake."
Once everyone was sitting at the test-taking seats, conversing was strictly prohibited, so Yōsuke had to tell him as Kōenji passed by.
However, seemingly unconcerned about being protected in future turns, Kōenji once again submitted a blank answer. This was too much for his classmates to endure, but the saving grace was that the remaining four had answered correctly.
In other words, the third question was simpler and more common sense.
It was hard to be content with Kōenji's performance. If he was participating properly, there was a chance he could answer everything perfectly, and he wouldn't even need to be protected.
At the end of the third turn, Sakayanagi's class was in first place with 11 points, Horikita's class in second place with 10 points, Ichinose's class in third place with 9 points, and Ryūen's class at the bottom with 5 points. If Kōenji had cooperated, we would've had 12 points and been in first place.
There was nothing that could be done with Kōenji refusing to respond to Yōsuke's request.
Sakayanagi's class, which had consistently held first place since the start, should be stopped as soon as possible, but we could only wait and see what would happen in the first half of the exam, and everything depended on Ryūen's skill. However, Ryūen's class clearly seemed to be behind and struggling in both offense and defense.
Rather than being about luck or the ability to read each other, it seemed like the difference in capabilities among the class was apparent.
It was the fourth turn, and Horikita's defensive turn came.
Category 'Gourmet Food' Difficulty Level 2
Here, Sakayanagi surprisingly picked the same genre for the third consecutive time.
However, this time, the difficulty level had increased to 2, meaning she had spent one point to attack.
"Again with the 'Gourmet Food.' What the hell is Sakayanagi thinking?"
However, the class was more preoccupied with the repeated selection of the same category than the difficulty level.
Given that Kōenji was now on the brink of elimination, were they planning to intensify their attack?
Among all the classes, this was the first time the difficulty level had been raised, probably as an experimental attempt, considering that the first and second problems were simple.
"No matter how you look at it, Kōenji won't try here, right?"
"Don't you know? They might think this is a chance to defeat Kōenji-kun."
Up to this point, Kōenji had consistently left 'Gourmet Food' questions unanswered. He no longer had any leeway. Should he defend himself because of this, or was he deliberately not trying precisely because of his vulnerable position?
This category choice was clearly being swayed by the enemy with Kōenji at the center.
However, the circumstances of this class were unlike those of a typical one.
If he failed here as well, Kōenji would become the first eliminated in the class.
Given that she had agreed to protect him beforehand, if Horikita were to uphold her honor, she would have no choice but to put it into action.
If the enemy was targeting Kōenji, he could secure them a point.
However, while all eyes were on Horikita, Kōenji's name was not among the five mentioned.
Defensive's Successfully Protected Members:
'Shinohara Satsuki,' 'Sudō Ken'
Offensive's Nominees:
'Kōenji Rokusuke,' 'Sotomura Hideo,' 'Miyake Akito'
The classmates who had been quietly watching until now were visibly confused.
"H-Horikita-san?"
Yōsuke was the most astonished. He'd believed in the promise and sprang up.
"Suzune, are you okay? I mean, if Kōenji fails again, he will be eliminated, right?"
Sudō also asked the same question. However, Horikita quietly stared ahead without responding. Even though he was the one who should be most alarmed, Kōenji was the only one in this situation who didn't change his expression.
"Hahaha. You did it, Horikita girl."
To those who didn't think deeply, it looked as if Horikita had abandoned Kōenji.
A person who broke promises. Such an act of treachery could stick with you. Losing the trust of your class was not a wise move, considering the flow of the unanimous voting exam.
Kōenji, without uttering any more words, came forward and sat down, like the other students.
The question was indeed harder than the last two. Students looked at each other and expressed their confusion by nodding. Normally, it was uncertain how well Kōenji knew gourmet food, but there was a suspicious atmosphere about him.
The three moved to answer.
Then, the man who didn't even hold his pen twice finally moved.
From what was seen, his hand moved smoothly without any hesitation, but is he really…?
Correct Students:
'Kōenji Rokusuke'
For the first time, Kōenji's name appeared in the correct students column, avoiding both a blank and incorrect answer.
This meant that Kōenji had solved the question in order to avoid elimination.
"What's the matter, Kōenji? You were scared after all, weren't you?!"
Sudō made fun of Kōenji, who had seriously answered the question, and expressed his relief.
He expressed an attitude that he wouldn't want people to be eliminated, even if he disliked them.
"I'll leave that for you to decide."
Kōenji's thoughts were unclear, but according to common sense, it was only natural.
If he didn't get the right answer, he'd be eliminated and become a candidate for expulsion.
The current concern would be Horikita's choice.
The reality was that she didn't protect Kōenji, who left a blank answer twice and was on the verge of elimination.
Even if he answered seriously when cornered, one mistake would have meant the end.
It was a situation where she had to protect him, even if she was confident he'd get the correct answer.
The class was troubled by this, and even Yōsuke couldn't easily verify the truth.
Of course, this man who was directly involved was an exception.
Kōenji, who passed me by and stood in front of Horikita, muttered.
"What's your intention? I'd like to hear your reasons."
"Reasons? Was there a problem?"
"Oh?"
Kōenji smiled at Horikita, who looked up at Kōenji without any embarrassment.
"You're not out. You don't have to worry about being eliminated at this point, right?"
"But if I hadn't gotten the right answer, I would have been eliminated. What'd you think of that?"
"But you gave the correct answer."
"Hmm, indeed. My apologies, it seems I acted preemptively."
"If you understand, could you go back to your seat? From your height, you're blocking my view of the monitor."
Everyone except Kōenji was confused by the conversation. It seemed as if she had abandoned him.
I could've calmed everyone down by explaining Horikita's thoughts and the benefits of not protecting Kōenji, but of course, I continued to watch silently.
It wasn't that I wanted to make the class nervous for no reason, but I had another aim.
The fact that Horikita, the leader, didn't explain things to her classmates was the best evidence of this.
Horikita didn't panic in the face of the class's suspicious looks. She didn't nominate Kōenji to be protected even under Sakayanagi's attack in the fifth round, which was likely to be more serious.
But at the same time, Kōenji's name disappeared from the list of those being attacked.
From other students' perspectives, without any protection on Kōenji, since he had reached this point, he would be the one to target, but Sakayanagi had avoided doing this.
There was a chance that Kōenji, who had seriously answered the question and was the only one to correctly answer the difficulty level 2 'Gourmet Food' question, was recognized as a tough competitor.
Many students probably misunderstood it this way. By Kōenji answering correctly instead of submitting a blank paper, it could no longer be expected that he'd make more mistakes. So, they started avoiding nominating him.
It was a risky bet that could've lost the trust of her peers, but Horikita won with her intuition.
Kōenji's name was absent from the nomination. Upon seeing the results, Horikita's face darkened.
"I guess the opponent won't easily fall for it…"
Being close to her, I was the only one able to pick up on her quiet mumbles.
The first half of the special exam went smoothly as countless exciting offensive and defensive battles unfurled.
It was a common occurrence in all classes, but the number of students who answered wrong gradually increased. By the end of the 7th turn, Ishizaki from Ryūen's class was the first to be out. He was followed in the 8th turn by Sotomura and Ijūin from Horikita's class, along with Isoyama and Yano from Ryūen's class. Kamuro from Sakayanagi's class was eliminated as well. As the last turn of the first half came to an end, Hondō from Horikita's class, Morofuji from Ryūen's class, and Yamamura from Sakayanagi's class were also eliminated.
Results at the end of the first half:
1st: Sakayanagi[Class A]29 points, with Kamuro and Yamamura out.
2nd: Horikita[Class B]28 points, with Sotomura, Ijūin, and Hondō out.
3rd: Ichinose[Class C]24 points, with no losses.
4th: Ryūen[Class D]19 points, with Ishizaki, Isoyama, Yano, and Morofuji out.
A total count of nine people were out. It seemed like a lot, but I was sure the second half would only accelerate things.
Many students were already on the brink after making their second mistake, so the number could increase.
In spite of this, only Ichinose's class had yet to have any eliminations.
At first glance, this could've been seen as Ichinose's fine play, but it wasn't.
"Your strategy worked out, Horikita-san," Yōsuke praised, approaching Horikita.
"Yes, her stance hasn't changed even in this special exam. Thanks to that, we managed to keep things under control."
I wonder how many of her classmates realized that Horikita had been strategizing against Ichinose.
The reason there were no dropouts was due to Horikita's tactics. She intentionally targeted attacks to ensure that five members of the opposing side were perpetually on the brink of elimination.
Ichinose was determined to protect her classmates at all costs. Hence, to ensure that a sixth member wasn't pushed to the brink, Horikita diversified her attacks.
On the other hand, even though Ichinose understood that the attacks were being spread out, she seemed determined to continue protecting those on the brink.
Ever since those five members were put at risk, not a single protection had been successful.
If even one person failed to be protected and was eliminated, there would be a chance of expulsion.
"But she really is unyielding. Normally, no one would take such a reckless defense strategy. She knows that even if she manages to protect people in the first half, it will gradually become tougher."
Exactly. As it stood, her class had the highest number of students who answered incorrectly.
"In the second half, Ichinose-san will have to protect her class from Ryūen-kun. That could be tough."
"Assuming she gives up protecting everyone in the second half, perhaps, but..."
Knowing Ryūen, he might make a big move in the last turn or two.
"But for now, we need to focus on ourselves. With only one point behind, we still have a chance."
Sakayanagi's class was a step ahead from the beginning, but Horikita was catching up. Her class seemed to be covering for her being slightly behind.
"As far as I can tell, the school designs the questions so that, excluding cases where students have been successfully protected, roughly half of the students will be able to answer them correctly. However, when the difficulty increases by one level, the success rate drops to about 20%, and at difficulty level three, it's only around 10%."
Difficulty level three hardly left any possibility of a correct answer, and you couldn't use two points often.
Being protected could offset the losses, but the second half likely wouldn't see an increase in the usage of it.
It was interesting to watch the two top-ranked classes battling it out, but the bottom two classes were concerning too, especially Ryūen's class, which had fallen quite behind in the first half.
Assuming the trend continued and more were eliminated, the first-place line was set to be around 50-55 points. In the second half alone, Ryūen would need to score at least an extra 30 points to compete.
In general, students with higher academic abilities tend to be less targeted. However, at the same time, they may also be less protected, and there were instances where some students made mistakes in unexpected categories.
It seemed that non-academic questions, such as those related to 'Subculture' or 'Gourmet Food,' were often set to be easier due to their wide range, despite being of the same difficulty level.
Incidentally, I had slipped up once in a similarly unrelated category.
'What was the name of the animal that made headlines for being adorable when it stood on two legs in a zoo?'
On this 'News' question, not knowing what the animal was, I casually wrote 'dog' and received a cold stare from Horikita.
By the way, the correct answer was a red panda.
