chap 4

Introduction

Students from all four classes gathered in the classroom

by 9:00 AM, now receiving instructions from unfamiliar

examiners. The room contained nothing unusual: the

same desks and chairs as always. At this moment, no one

could predict what the upcoming exam would be like, so

the students continued to listen carefully to the rules.

However, the examiner did not mention any conditions for

victory or defeat, limiting his explanation to the fact that

students were to engage in a discussion based on the

roles they received. Having finished the explanation, the

examiner took a short break, and the students began to

exchange puzzled glances.

— The most important thing for you to remember is that

during the discussion, you should not try to contribute to

your class's victory. It would be better to focus on your

own role.

This was how the unfamiliar examiner concluded his

speech.

— We understand the exam conditions, but does that

mean that only the representatives can achieve victory?

Matsushita decided to speak up for all her classmates.

For the students, the exam is essentially a competition to

earn personal points, whereas the representatives are

currently shaping the future class rankings. It is natural to

try to gain long-term benefits rather than chase short-term

value. But the examiner was adamant.

— It is exactly as I said. All you can do is pay proper

attention to your own role and the discussion. Guessing is

pointless. Your class representatives are fighting

according to their own rules, the nuances of which you will

only learn after the special exam concludes.

The examiner did not try to hide this information from the

students, but he was not allowed to share it with them

prematurely. The will of the school administration was law

for him.

— So... we won't know how the exam is going until it's

over?

— Exactly.

Shinohara was about to complain about the unfairness,

but the examiner nipped her complaints in the bud. It was

clear that the rules for the representatives would remain a

secret until the very last moment.

— Remember: if you don't take the discussion seriously,

you definitely won't benefit your class.

One could openly declare their role, but in that case, you

couldn't be 100% sure it would only benefit your

representative. Since the boundaries of victory or defeat

remain hidden, the option with the least risk is to take the

discussion seriously, as the examiner said. With this, the

explanation of the rules came to an end.

Part 1

After hearing the explanation, at 9:30, the students left the

school and headed to the special building. They were then

brought into a classroom specially prepared for the

discussion. Around the perimeter of the room, there were

numerous stationary cameras. Under such conditions,

there were no blind spots. The desks and chairs formed a

circle designed for two groups. Each desk had a tablet

with partitions that prevented views from both sides. This

system seemed to be designed specifically to prevent

premature revelation of "excellent" students and other

active roles simply because they actively used the tablet.

Additionally, ribbons were attached to the back of each

chair: red for Class B and blue for Class D. The seating

was intentionally arranged so that students from different

classes sat next to each other. At the same time, a

separate large monitor displayed important rules on the

wall.

"Rules During the Discussion"

- "Students who decide to participate in the discussion

must ensure that their words are clearly heard by

everyone present."

- "During the discussion, it is forbidden to whisper or speak

to each other outside the general number of participants."

- "If a violation is confirmed, such as if it repeats several

times, you will be ordered to leave the room."

- "Excessive verbal abuse, inappropriate remarks, and the

use of physical force are prohibited. Violations will be

punished by exclusion from the discussion room."

- "If you leave the room due to a rule violation, your class

representative will receive a penalty. The penalty size

depends directly on the severity of the punishment."

— Intermediate and final results will also be displayed on

the monitor.

With these words, the examiner switched the monitor's

image, showing an example of what might happen at the

end of the discussion.

"Final Results"

- "Students: 4"

- "Excellent Students: 0"

- "Teacher: 1"

- "Graduates: 0"

- "First-year Student: 1"

- "Third-year Student: 0"

- "Traitor: 1"

- "Please immediately leave the discussion room to give

another group the opportunity."

- "Remaining interval time: 10:00"

— As I said, the results of your discussion will appear on

the monitor. After the discussion ends, you will need to

leave the discussion room. Now, please proceed to the

waiting room.

The examiner ordered all the students to leave the room

and proceed to the waiting room.

— The exam is about to start. Students whose names are

called must immediately enter this room.

The exam was about to begin in a few minutes, so no one

had even a single extra minute to ponder the rules

provided to them.

Part 2

10:00 AM. The monitor in the waiting room lights up.

"First Discussion Group"

"Participants:"

"Class 2B"

- "Hideo Sotomura, Hakko Minami, Susumu Makida,

Teruhiko Yukimura, Sana Azuma, Kei Karuizawa, Maya

Sato"

"Class 2D"

- "So Shibata, Jiro Nakanishi, Susumu Moriyama, Sayo

Ando, Hina Yamagata, Yuriko Ishimaru, Nagisa Onuki"

"Designated students should proceed to the

discussion room."

— Oh... I was chosen first... And you too, Maya-chan...

Karuizawa, whose mobile phone had been confiscated

back at school, stood up from her seat, having grown quite

bored. Sato, also assigned to the first group, quickly joined

her. Once all 14 students had left the waiting room, they

moved as a column towards the discussion room.

— Hey, Yukimura-kun... What should we do?

Sato decided to seek advice from Yukimura, who was

walking nearby.

— At the very least, follow the instructions. Remember,

during the discussion, we are not part of the same class.

We are all "excellent students" and "students," meaning

our former allies in this special exam can turn into

enemies.

Yukimura spoke coldly, almost indifferently.

— The best strategy is to follow the examiner's

instructions and give it your all.

— That's true, but we still don't know how best to

behave...

Watching Karuizawa and Sato's worries, Yukimura sighed

softly. Their doubts and torment made Yukimura himself

feel uncomfortable. He was no longer the selfish person

he had been at the beginning of their school life. Thanks to

Hasebe and Miyake, he had learned to get along with

people.

— It's likely we're not the only ones nervous right now. I'm

sure the other class feels the same way. Besides, try to

get used to this atmosphere. Have you ever played

"Werewolf"?

— "Werewolf"? That's what this exam reminded me of...

— I've never played it. Any advice?

— Actually, yes. For example, even if you have the role of

an "excellent student," you shouldn't cast sideways

glances at your teammates. It's surprisingly easy to notice,

and then you'll both be exposed.

Though Yukimura wasn't used to interacting with

classmates, he could give a few tips. This was because

winning this special exam was extremely important to him.

Despite all the obstacles the school had set before him,

Yukimura was determined to win. This was the goal he set

for himself in this special exam.

— By the way, it's also important to stay completely calm!

Having finally understood the essence of the exam,

Karuizawa started giving advice to Sato.

— Peace of mind, huh...

Yukimura whispered this softly, so no one else could hear

it. The fact that he helped two seemingly not-so-close girls

gather their courage warmed his heart. This is what

Yukimura thought as he entered the discussion room.

Along with him, 13 other people entered as well.

Karuizawa and Sato exchanged glances and agreed to sit

next to each other visually. So Shibata sat between them.

They seemed more concerned with being close to each

other than with the fact that they couldn't whisper to each

other. Other students also took their seats based on their

preferences. Some sat closer to the door, others by the

window.

Shortly after the first 14 students took their seats, it was

announced that the discussion would begin immediately.

— Let's start our final special exam. Each participant's role

is displayed on your tablets. Confirm it, and then we'll start

the discussion.

All students quickly checked the tablets on their desks.

After everyone confirmed, the monitor screen on the wall

changed.

"Students: 8"

"Excellent Students: 2"

"Teachers: 1"

"First-year Students: 1"

"Third-year Students: 1"

As explained in the rules, each student was assigned a

role. No one dared to start speaking first, when suddenly...

Teruhiko Yukimura opened the discussion:

— Let me clarify right away. Is Nakanishi an "excellent

student"?

— Me? Why would I be an "excellent student"?

— Because I saw your look.

Yukimura, seemingly just an ordinary student, attacked

from the first words. He clearly understood what this might

lead to but had no intention of backing down..

Part 3

Hirata and Hamaguchi observed the discussion through

the monitor for 5 minutes. During the conversation, the

participants tried to figure out each other's roles, but at this

point, it was impossible to accurately determine anyone's

role. Suspicions naturally fell on certain students, but were

they really "excellent students"? Without information on

who was who, the representative has only two outcomes:

take a risk and try to determine the role of one of the

discussion participants or skip the turn, avoiding the risk.

At least these two representatives would certainly not

choose the first option.

— Please nominate candidates or skip your turn. Time

limit: 1 minute.

After this announcement, there was a brief silence. In the

observation room, apart from the two representatives,

there was another person—an examiner. This was another

unknown examiner. She observed the exam from the

corner of the room and did not intervene in its course,

occasionally issuing technical phrases.

— This is a tough exam. You, Hirata, seem to be confused

too?

The first skeptical question came from Hamaguchi. Hirata

didn't like to beat around the bush, so he gave a

straightforward answer:

— When you watch this from the sidelines, everyone

seems suspicious. It's not easy to make a decision on the

first try.

The two representatives conversed. They shared the trait

of being bad at lying because they knew where lies could

lead. Both showed a distaste for such methods. Without a

clear answer, the risk was too high. Hirata couldn't and

didn't want to take the risk.

Among the roles the representative had to distinguish

were six people: two "excellent students" and one each of

"teacher," "graduate," "first-year student," and "third-year

student." In other words, the ratio of successful cases to

unsuccessful ones was 6/8, meaning the probability of

hitting a student with a role when nominating was about

42.9%. Some might think this chance was high enough to

take the risk, but it wasn't that simple. In reality, the

representative's goal was to accurately identify the role of

a discussion participant, significantly lowering the

chances.

As both representatives opted to "pass," the phase actions

from the "excellent students," "teacher," and "graduate"

began. It turned out that the "excellent students" decided

to exclude Karuizawa from the room first, so she quickly

got up and left the room. Thirteen people remained in the

room. The second round of discussions began. Both

representatives, holding their breath, stared at the

monitors. The five-minute discussion seemed endlessly

long. Participants stumbled over their words, and many

still didn't understand what they had to do. The

representatives eagerly watched every slight gesture and

change in facial expression. Everyone now seemed

suspicious.

Finally, it was time to nominate a student again.

Hamaguchi frequently glanced at Hirata. Hirata, in turn,

kept his eyes on the tablet. Just as before, Hirata chose to

"pass," as he still hadn't gathered enough information.

Hirata quickly looked at Hamaguchi. Their eyes met,

exchanging a moment of warm wishes. After the minute

expired, Hamaguchi followed Hirata's lead and skipped the

round to avoid the risk. Another student was nominated by

the "excellent students" and left the room. Their role, of

course, was not revealed. The denominator of the

successful probability fraction steadily decreased. The

number of participants had already reduced by two, but

the priority target for each representative remained the

"excellent students," capable of taking away three lives

from the opponent at once. Considering the vanguard had

only five lives, nominating an "excellent student" would

quickly corner the opponent.

The third round of discussions began. Yukimura continued

to press Nakanishi. Nakanishi, on the other hand, seemed

so distressed that he was on the verge of hysteria. The

situation unfolded so that Hamaguchi, a classmate of

Nakanishi, understood well that his emotions were

genuine, so he decided to take the risk and nominate him

as an "excellent student." Hirata didn't share these

thoughts. On the contrary, Nakanishi's words and actions

seemed staged to him, making him almost certain he

wasn't an "excellent student." However, he admitted that

Nakanishi might have some role. Although both were

thinking about the same person, they reached completely

different conclusions. Hamaguchi quickly designated

Nakanishi as an "excellent student." Hirata chose to pass

again.

— Now I will announce the results. Hamaguchi-kun

nominated Nakanishi-kun as an "excellent student," so

Hirata-kun loses three lives.

Hamaguchi's actions were successful. Nakanishi was

indeed an "excellent student."

— Tch...

Hirata hoped his defensive strategy would allow him to

preserve the most lives, but Hamaguchi dealt a significant

blow by the third round. On the other hand, while

Hamaguchi took the lead, he understood this choice was

too risky. He interpreted Nakanishi's behavior as that of an

"excellent student" when there was a substantial chance

he might have had another role. Having gotten lucky once,

he decided not to push his luck next time. Nevertheless,

Hirata lost three lives, leaving him with only two. When

they initially had equal lives

, this was a significant difference.

With only one "excellent student" left, Hirata's chances of

encountering a student with another role increased

sharply. When the fourth round of discussions began,

Hirata pondered the complexity of his choice now. He had

used "pass" for three consecutive rounds, so he couldn't

continue acting carelessly. Hoping the discussion in the

fourth round would bring some clarity, Hirata continued to

watch the monitor. As expected, it wasn't that simple. Now

that Nakanishi had left the discussion room and everyone

was informed of his role, the second "excellent student"

decided to hide even more carefully. Therefore, Hirata

decided to focus on students with other roles.

— Hirata-kun, let's not hold any grudges?

— Yes, of course.

The discussion progressed too slowly. The bits of new

information that emerged seemed almost impossible to

connect. However, two minutes into the fourth round,

Yukimura finally revealed himself as the "graduate." He

also mentioned that he hadn't found the second "excellent

student" in three rounds. For Hirata, even this news was

like a breath of fresh air. If he nominated Yukimura, he

could take away two lives from Hamaguchi. Hamaguchi, of

course, would also nominate Yukimura as the "graduate,"

but in that case, at least the situation wouldn't worsen.

Perhaps the outcome of the discussion would be decided

in the fifth round.

At the end of the fourth round, both Hirata and Hamaguchi

nominated Yukimura as the "graduate," but...

— Due to Hamaguchi-kun and Hirata-kun's incorrect

nominations, both lose one life.

Yukimura left the room. As it turned out, he was not a

"graduate." He had only pretended to be one to gain the

favor of the people in the discussion room and likely to

protect the real "graduate" from the "excellent students'"

nomination. If Hirata had known Yukimura better, he might

have recognized this deceit, but his impatience had played

a cruel joke on him. Hamaguchi also fell into this trap, but

Hirata now had only one life left. He was in a completely

helpless position.

A few rounds ago, Hirata hadn't fully realized the

significance of the final special exam, but now, being on

the brink of defeat, the harsh reality hit him. The

discussion continued, but after Yukimura's false revelation,

it now dragged on twice as long. The two representatives

decided to continue playing cautiously, but the "excellent

student" showed no signs of stopping. One by one, they

excluded four participants: Makida, Yamagata, Onuki, and

Azuma. Thus, by the end of the eighth discussion round,

only six people remained in the room.

And...

— Hirata-kun loses one life for incorrectly nominating a

candidate. Therefore, his total lives become zero. Hiratakun, please leave the room.

This was the announcement of the end of the first

vanguard clash. The participants had reached an impasse,

and the discussion was not progressing. Hirata lost

patience due to the lack of progress and decided to act,

but the result was unsatisfactory. The successful

nomination of Nakanishi and the defensive strategy

allowed Hamaguchi to win with a score of 5:1.

Part 4

The representatives conversations and nominations were

private information, so all the other representatives waiting

in the room could do was watch the lives' changes. This

could be both a physical and moral burden.

— Due to Hamaguchi-kun's victory, Hirata-kun leaves the

room. Student of the "main forces," please prepare.

Naturally, Horikita didn't want to hear about her

classmate's defeat, but she faced just that. She sighed

softly and said:

— It's my turn.

Horikita said to Ayanokoji before leaving. Some might find

Ayanokoji's words too cold, but Horikita knew well that no

matter how cold and unfriendly his words seemed, he

contributed to the class in his own way. This special exam

was no exception. He had asked for something in return

but also took on the role of leading the class as the

"general." Therefore, right now, Horikita could fully commit

to the fight without worrying about defeat. She clearly

understood that even if she lost to her first opponent,

Hamaguchi, Ayanokoji would take control and lead the

class to victory. And while this feeling reassured her, she

couldn't let it consume her mind. With these thoughts, she

left the waiting room and headed to the classroom for the

second round.

— Sorry, Horikita-san, I couldn't help.

— I understand how hard it was for you. Don't worry.

Hirata was never suitable for this special exam. He was

excellent at understanding people but entirely incapable of

doubting them, making this exam insurmountable for him.

So Horikita didn't even think about being upset or angry.

The interval before the next round was 10 minutes. The

school must have foreseen that the representative who

had just left the room might encounter the one who hadn't

entered yet, so if it wasn't forbidden by the rules, Horikita

and Hirata could talk a bit.

— Did you learn anything useful?

— I think so... You can't influence the discussion, but it's

crucial who attacks first. I think this decides if you win or

lose.

Horikita listened carefully to Hirata's experience.

— But even so, if the discussion participants delay, the

situation can suddenly change.

Horikita agreed that they couldn't influence slow

participants, but she was entirely confident she could

handle it.

— Thank you. Have a good rest.

Horikita watched Hirata for a moment, then continued her

way to the classroom. She approached the door and

placed her hand on the handle.

— Ahem...

She cleared her throat and turned the handle down. Once

she entered, there would be no turning back. She took a

deep breath and slightly shook her head. Then she went

inside.