Chapter 083 The Unanimous Decision Exam Begins / Chabashira: Shimizu is Great!
On Saturday, Chabashira Sae woke up around seven o'clock. Thanks to Shimizu Akira's enlightenment yesterday, she had slept quite well. After a quick freshening up and breakfast, she arrived at the designated classroom before eight for the meeting of all second-year homeroom senseis.
"In this special exam, each homeroom sensei is only responsible for their own class. Senseis should observe as much as possible and avoid interfering with the students."
Beside her, Hoshinomiya Chie, still nursing a hangover and looking listless, raised her hand: "This is completely different from the exam implemented eleven years ago. May I ask why?"
Director Ikari, in charge of monitoring this special exam, said calmly: "I can only say it was the school's decision. Personally, I suspect it's to prevent homeroom senseis from other classes from using this Unanimous Decision exam to spy on the inner thoughts and information of certain students. However, rest assured, an ordinary sensei will be working with you to conduct the exam."
Mashima Tomonari nodded: "Fair and reasonable. In fact, it should have been like this eleven years ago."
He had also participated in that exam eleven years ago; he was a contemporary of Chabashira and Hoshinomiya, just in a different class.
"While homeroom senseis have the responsibility and obligation to lead their class to Class A, you are not allowed to give students any effective advice or hints during this exam. If the monitor judges a statement to be advice, a warning will be issued the first time. If it happens again, a salary cut will follow. If the monitor determines a sensei has committed malicious interference—such as deliberately inducing an option that should be decided by students—the worst-case scenario is demotion. Please do not forget this."
Although it was "only" demotion, for these four homeroom senseis, it meant losing the qualification to lead a class and becoming a mere substitute sensei—in a sense, a very severe punishment.
"That is the general overview of the special exam. Senseis, are there any other questions?" Ikari asked.
"What if it's completed early?" Mashima Tomonari asked.
"Complete it early, end it early," Ikari said. "But ending early doesn't mean leaving the classroom. Students must stay in the classroom until the exam end time. The exam starts at 1:00 PM, so school ends at 6:00 PM, though students will be allowed to use their phones."
"Why?" Sakagami Kazuma adjusted his glasses.
"To prevent collusion," Ikari glanced at him. "If someone leaves early, they might communicate the exam contents with students from other classes. The school does not wish to see that."
"Understood," Mashima nodded.
"What if a conflict breaks out between students?" Hoshinomiya asked.
"The proctoring sensei will intervene," Ikari said. "But if it's just a disagreement, it doesn't fall under the scope of intervention."
Hoshinomiya asked no more.
"Any more questions?" Ikari scanned the room. No one spoke. "Then that's all. Senseis, you can rest briefly this morning and prepare for the afternoon exam. Good luck to you all."
The four homeroom senseis stood up and walked out of the meeting room. In the hallway, Chabashira walked in front while Hoshinomiya followed behind.
"Sae-chan?" Hoshinomiya suddenly spoke.
Chabashira stopped: "What is it?"
"Did you... go see Shimizu Akira yesterday?"
Chabashira said coldly: "How did you know?"
"I saw you." Hoshinomiya walked up to her side. "So, what did you go there for?"
"It's none of your business."
Hoshinomiya stared at her for a few seconds with a half-smile: "Sae-chan, you aren't trying to copy me, are you?"
Chabashira turned around: "Copy you in what?"
"Copying me by using your body to win him over," Hoshinomiya said with a smile. "But I failed. Do you think you can succeed?"
Chabashira said nothing.
"You're someone who never does anything without being certain," Hoshinomiya continued. "So you should know, you won't succeed either."
"I didn't think I'd necessarily succeed." Chabashira's expression was calm. "I just did what I had to do, just like back then."
"What you had to do?"
"Yes." Chabashira looked at her. "Unlike you, who has been doing what you shouldn't since eleven years ago."
"How funny. You still think you're not in the wrong?"
"I was wrong, it's true, but you were also wrong—perhaps even more so than I was."
"You think I'll listen to your nonse—"
"This is Shimizu-kun's judgment."
Hoshinomiya froze instantly.
'Shimizu Akira said that personally?'
"Really?"
"I don't like lying."
Chabashira turned and left after saying that. Hoshinomiya stared at her back, her mind racing.
'What the hell? What did this Chabashira do to make the habitually cold Shimizu Akira say such comforting words?'
She chased after her a few steps: "You didn't actually do it with Shimizu Akira, did you?"
To her surprise, Chabashira shook her head: "No. He rejected me. He just said 'for now.' Meaning, through fostering our feelings, I still have a chance. My person will definitely not be snatched away by you. And in this Unanimous Decision exam, I absolutely will not lose to your class."
After saying this, she walked away without looking back.
Hoshinomiya Chie really wanted to curse.
'Is this person crazy? 'No interest for now' is just a polite way of rejecting someone, isn't it? Yet this love-brain actually thinks she has a chance.
He rejected me so firmly, so why, when facing Chabashira, did he add that extra 'for now'? Preferential treatment? What is the difference between her and me? Is that 'membrane' really that important?'
Hoshinomiya Chie felt a surge of nausea—she couldn't tell if it was from thinking too much or from drinking too much yesterday. She leaned against the wall and gagged a few times, but nothing came up.
"What an idiot," Hoshinomiya muttered, not knowing if she was insulting Chabashira or herself.
.
.
.
After the lunch break, the Unanimous Decision special exam began immediately. Shimizu Akira arrived at the classroom ten minutes early. A strange sensei was already sitting behind
the podium; scanning the room, he noticed that many students' seats were different from before, likely randomly assigned by the school.
According to the nameplate on the desk, Shimizu Akira sat in the second row.
"Shimizu! Good morning."
"Shimizu, what a coincidence."
This time, his seatmates were Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and Hirata Yousuke.
"Oh! Let's prepare well for the exam!" Shimizu Akira waved back at the two.
Once everyone in the class arrived, the sensei responsible for collecting phones began moving from desk to desk. There were no textbooks, not even a pen; everyone only had their tablet. The tablets were fitted with privacy films, making it hard for neighboring seats to see the content.
About five minutes later, Chabashira-sensei walked in. She glanced at the proctor and began stating the exam rules: "The time limit for the special exam is from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM, totaling five hours. You may not leave your seats during voting.
I will repeat the rules: the school will present five tasks. Everyone must choose an answer from multiple options and vote repeatedly until a unanimous decision is reached. That is all.
If you fail to pass the exam within five hours, 300 class points will be deducted, and you will also lose the 50 class points awarded for completing the five tasks. I assume you all understand?"
The proctor did not stop Chabashira, as the rule reminder was a necessary part of the procedure. After yesterday's preparation, the students already knew these rules by heart and had nothing more to say.
"Then, it's about time. Next, we begin the special exam. Because the exam is long, a maximum of four bathroom breaks will be arranged. Basically, you can only rest when a unanimous decision is reached and you are preparing for the next task; you cannot rest in the middle of a vote that hasn't passed yet. Additionally, each break is at most ten minutes, but the exam timer will continue to count down. If you judge that a break is unnecessary, skipping it is also important."
Considering the five-hour duration, most people in the class, including Shimizu Akira, had used the restroom in advance. Breaks were necessary; after all, people needed to catch their breath.
"From now on, I will proceed according to the rules. If you leave your seat outside of a break, or chat during the forbidden period, I will issue warnings without mercy. Pay close attention."
The screen switched, and a thirty-second countdown began. Soon the countdown hit zero, and the first task was displayed.
Task 1: Choose which class to face in the final exam held in the third semester. (Even if class ranks change, the choice made here will take priority.) ※ The numbers in brackets are the additional class points gained upon victory. Options: Class B (100) / Class C (50) / Class D (0)
"This is for the end-of-third-semester special exam for the second-years to decide the opponent. As stated in the supplementary notes, if the unanimous choice is the current Class B, even if that Class B falls to Class C before the end of the third semester, the opponent remains the Class B selected during this vote, and the additional class points remain the same. Furthermore, if the combinations of options desired by all classes do not match, the school will randomly determine the opponents."
Since their class was currently Class A, challenging Sakayanagi's class (currently B) would grant a maximum of 100 points. However, the points in the brackets were rewards only obtainable after winning. At this stage, it was essentially just picking an opponent.
"Now, the first round of voting begins. The time limit is sixty seconds."
Exceeding sixty seconds would result in penalty time; if the penalty time became too long, one could even face unconditional expulsion. However, Horikita Suzune had emphasized this rule in yesterday's class meeting, so most people didn't waste time and quickly pressed the voting buttons on their tablets.
Shimizu Akira thought for a moment. Last year's Event Selection exam had already been a head-on collision with Class A; this time he wanted to try Ryuen Kakeru's Class C, so he chose Class C.
"Everyone has finished voting. Now, the voting results will be announced."
First Vote Results: Class B: 10, Class C: 21, Class D: 8.
"Since a unanimous decision was not reached, a rest period is now established."
According to the rules, there was a ten-minute free discussion period where students could leave their seats and talk. Hirata Yousuke signaled by raising his hand as planned, looked around, and spoke:
"Class D is Ichinose-san's class; they cooperated with me last year. Choosing them brings no class point rewards, so I believe they should be excluded first.
That leaves Class B and Class C. Choosing between Sakayanagi's Class B and Ryuen's Class C. I'll state my thoughts first: I lean toward Class B. First, we can get the most points (100). Second, we don't have to worry about Ryuen playing dirty tricks; we can compete purely on strength. Third, we defeated Sakayanagi's class once last year."
Kushida Kikyo also expressed her opinion: "I slightly disagree with Hirata-kun's opinion. The opponent is Sakayanagi Arisu; she is also capable of playing dirty. Nobody has forgotten how
she personally set up Katsuragi Kouhei during the uninhabited island special exam last year, right?
Furthermore, we did win against Sakayanagi last year, but on what premise? It was because Koenji-kun stepped in, and the last event drawn was boxing. Does everyone really think our luck will be that good this time?"
Someone turned to look at Koenji Rokusuke: "Koenji, the rules say this is the third semester; you should finally be able to contribute to the class, right?"
Unexpectedly, Koenji Rokusuke flicked his hair. "Who knows? I've paid back my favors, and I still have a layer of Protection Points on me. I might consider spending those first."
"Koenji-kun," Hirata said with a serious face, "this is an exam concerning the final class ranking. If possible, I hope you can take it seriously."
Koenji said nonchalantly: "As for me, I only ever do what I want. Favors paid back are favors paid back. As for Protection Points, they are my property; how I use them is my freedom, isn't it?"
Sudo Ken couldn't help but slam the table: "You—!"
Horikita Suzune stood up and said: "Arguing over whether Koenji-kun will contribute is meaningless. We can only control ourselves. Instead of relying on others, better to think clearly about one question: Which class gives us the highest chance of winning?"
Hirata nodded: "As I said, I choose Class B."
"I've heard your reasons." Horikita didn't state her position immediately but looked at Kikyo: "Kushida, your opinion?"
Kikyo smiled: "I'm not completely rejecting Class B. I'm just reminding everyone not to think Sakayanagi is too simple. That woman looks gentle and soft, but nobody knows what she's thinking deep down."
"So you choose Class C?"
"You could interpret it that way. Because it's the choice with the highest win rate."
Horikita looked at her for two seconds and then voiced her own opinion.
"Then I'll say what I think too. I agree with Kushida-san's judgment; I lean toward choosing Ryuen Kakeru's Class C."
Kushida Kikyo looked at her with some surprise. However, Horikita Suzune herself didn't care about the glance and continued. "I thought carefully back to last year's Event Selection competition. If we truly remove the variable that is Koenji, we were undoubtedly the losers in mental arithmetic. The final boxing match appeared randomly; if a test of academic ability had been drawn instead, we would have most likely lost to Class B."
"We certainly have Akira-kun, but it's undeniable that challenging Class B carries a risk of losing. And if we choose Class C? Class C's strength lies in physical force, and our class has Sudo Ken and Shimizu Akira. In terms of academics, Class C's overall ability doesn't compare to ours at all. Our probability of winning is indeed much higher than facing Class B. Even if the opponent tries some tricks, I believe we have the ability to handle it."
Sudo Ken subconsciously clenched his fists: "Horikita is right. I've never been afraid of anyone in a fight. If that Ryuen guy tries anything, I'll be the first one in."
"Then there's nothing to worry about." Ike Kanji nodded heavily. "Choose Class C, win, get points—perfect."
No further opposition appeared during the remaining three minutes of the break. Chabashira restarted the paused process.
"Now, as the rest period is over, we begin the second round of voting. Once the tablet screen switches, please vote as quickly as possible within sixty seconds. As explained beforehand, penalty time will accumulate after sixty seconds. Keep that in mind."
The screen immediately displayed the tallied results.
Second Vote Results: Class B: 0, Class C: 39, Class D: 0.
Chabashira said with a rare trace of a smile: "Since a unanimous decision was reached, Task 1 is confirmed as Class C. You will be informed of the opponent for the final exam after the official decision, though it will likely be tomorrow or later."
'Thank goodness Kikyo and Suzune shared the same opinion. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known who to support.'
"Now, we proceed to the second task."
Task 2: A school trip is scheduled for late November. Choose the desired travel destination. Options: Hokkaido / Kyoto / Okinawa
"We actually get to go on a trip?" "For real?" "Is this still Advanced Nurturing High School?"
Several students couldn't help but whisper. The monitoring sensei at the back immediately warned: "Talking is prohibited during the voting period!"
Shimizu Akira thought to himself; the rumors circulating on the school forums were true—they really could go on a trip.
"This vote is similar to the last one; it's not decided by this one vote alone. Depending on the voting situation of the other three classes, the result may change. You must understand this first."
Shimizu Akira cast a vote for Hokkaido. In the third semester, it would be snowing; they could go skiing there.
First Vote Results: Hokkaido: 17, Kyoto: 3, Okinawa: 19.
The other students' votes reflected similar thoughts; currently, Okinawa had the most.
"Since a unanimous decision was not reached, we enter a rest period."
Hirata Yousuke thought for a moment and said: "This question should be purely for welfare, and the final result isn't decided by our class alone; it depends on the total results of all four classes. So, everyone can just vote according to their preference."
Horikita Suzune's expression relaxed quite a bit. "In these ten minutes, representatives for Hokkaido, Kyoto, and Okinawa can each give a short speech on the benefits of their choice. During the second vote, whichever item has the most total votes, everyone else will switch to that one."
Naturally, no one had any objections. Sudo himself really wanted to go to Okinawa; Ike was in charge of explaining the benefits of winter skiing in Hokkaido; Yukimura Teruhiko unexpectedly supported Kyoto.
The three gave their brief reasons. Then came the second vote, and this time Hokkaido got 22 votes. Since unanimity was still not reached, they entered a third round of voting. This time, the people for Kyoto and Okinawa switched to Hokkaido, and Hokkaido unsurprisingly got all 39 votes.
"Doesn't it feel easy? I checked the time; only half an hour has passed!" one student couldn't help but say proudly.
"Idiot! The questions definitely get harder as they go!" another steady student patted his shoulder.
Chabashira glared at the two: "Silence! Now, for the third task."
Task 3: Personal points issued monthly based on class points will become zero, but three students randomly selected from the class will be given Protection Points. OR: Issued personal points will be halved, but one student of your choice can be given a Protection Point. If you do not wish to choose either of the above, the personal points of the bottom five students in the next written exam will become zero. ※ Regardless of the option chosen, the confiscation of personal points will last for six months.
This question was somewhat similar to the "exchanging class points for personal points" Chabashira had discussed two days ago, except this time it was using personal points to buy so-called Protection Points.
Shimizu Akira did some mental math. Their class currently had 1,380 class points. With 39 people, each person would get 138,000 personal points, roughly 23,000 per month. If it lasted for six months, they would have to give up a total of 32.28 million personal points in exchange for three random Protection Point slots.
The second option involved paying roughly 16 million personal points to get one fixed Protection Point slot.
"Before voting, a clarification: if Option 2 'Give a designated student a Protection Point' reaches a unanimous decision, it does not mean Task 3 is passed. Instead, a next round of voting will follow to decide specifically which student is given the Protection Point. You remember the example from the day before yesterday, right?"
It was the same process as giving Karuizawa Kei the Protection Point a few days ago.
"Now, with those premises in mind, the first vote results will be announced."
After a minute, the first vote results were as follows: Randomly give three Protection Points: 8 votes; Choose one to give a Protection Point: 5 votes; Give to no one: 26 votes.
The bottom five—Ike Kanji, Sotomura Hideo, and a few others—were clearly unhappy.
"Wait! So many people voted for Option 3?" "If we have no points for half a year, what are we going to eat?!" "Exactly! What are we going to eat?!"
In contrast, Karuizawa Kei waved her hand nonchalantly: "But if we choose the other options, our personal points will be halved or even gone entirely, right? This is a necessary sacrifice for the class!"
Shinohara Satsuki also said: "Exactly! Kanji, sacrificing you five for the interest of the majority of the class seems fine to me."
Ike Kanji complained: "That's because you aren't in the bottom five, Satsuki!"
Hirata Yousuke offered comfort: "Please rest assured, you five. I feel this option is somewhat unreasonable, which is why I agreed to the option of randomly giving three people Protection Points."
"Whoa, are you serious, Hirata? If we pick that, no personal points will arrive for half a year! What are we going to eat and drink then?"
"We finally made it to Class A; we've only enjoyed the taste of receiving personal points for a few months. Why should we have to go to the cafeteria and eat those free, disgusting vegetable sets?"
Many in the class immediately began to argue back.
"Everyone, these are Protection Points for three people; it can protect three more. With three Protection Points, maybe absolutely no one in our class will be expelled before graduation!" Regarding protecting comrades, Hirata Yousuke was always willing to pay any price.
But Shimizu Akira couldn't help but raise his hand: "Um, Hirata, Protection Points aren't as omnipotent as you think. In this specific exam, Protection Points can't play any role. For people like me or Koenji, if the voting time exceeds the limit and we can't produce 20 million personal points, the school will expel us without hesitation."
Hirata Yousuke was stunned, only then remembering that was indeed a factor.
Horikita Suzune seemed to aim for this moment: "I just did the math. According to our current class points, we would need to pay a full 32 million personal points to get three random Protection Points. If Protection Points could definitely avoid an expulsion, that would indeed be a reasonable price. But as Akira-kun said, Protection Points aren't omnipotent; they have their own limitations.
Being unable to obtain personal points for half a year is a significant loss. Not only will there be intense pressure in daily life, but with the upcoming Sports Festival and Culture Festival, everyone won't be eating or drinking well, so they certainly won't perform at their original level. It's very likely we will slowly fall from the position of Class A."
A portion of the students couldn't help but nod.
Shimizu Akira patted Hirata Yousuke on the shoulder: "Protection Points only work when they are used; personal points can be used anytime, anywhere. If you don't use them before graduation, Protection Points are no different from scrap paper. To give a simple example—it's already the second semester; have you seen my Protection Point being used yet?"
Hirata Yousuke wasn't the same person he used to be. Hearing Shimizu Akira advising him, and feeling the other's words were indeed logical, he finally lowered his head honestly: "Shimizu has a point. It seems I was being too naive. I apologize to everyone for not considering the overall interest."
Kushida Kikyo also added: "Everyone worked hard to get to Class A. If we have to live like ascetic monks for another half year, I personally couldn't accept that. So Option A is a no-go regardless. Option B requires half our personal points, and we'd have to pay around 16 million—it would be better to just keep that as class funds. At least 20 million personal points can absolutely prevent any single expulsion case."
"That makes sense!" "Kushida is right!" "No flaws."
However, Ike Kanji, Sotomura Hideo, and the others still looked a bit miserable: "Then what about us?"
Horikita Suzune made a decision: "How about this? The rules don't prohibit transfers between students. Aside from you five, the remaining 34 students will pay you an amount equal to that month's personal points from their own accounts every month. That way, it's fair and just."
Seeing that he had received extra compensation, Ike Kanji and the other four accepted this choice one after another.
Thus, once everyone reached a conclusion, the voting was finished in less than 30 seconds.
Second Vote Results: Randomly give three Protection Points: 0; Choose one to give a Protection Point: 0; Give to no one: 39.
"Alright, Task 3 ends here. For the next half year, only the bottom five in the class will not receive their monthly personal points; everyone else will receive them as normal."
Chabashira Sae watched this scene with a strange sense of emotion. Only forty-five minutes had passed for three tasks. This group of students she led was already able to make various rational choices very logically.
She hadn't been mistaken; Shimizu Akira had played a huge role in the third task, both proving that Protection Points weren't omnipotent and convincing Hirata Yousuke, who she suspected would be difficult to handle.
He hadn't agreed to her terms, yet he had still done what she hoped he would do. This was Shimizu Akira's kindness.
Thinking of this, Chabashira unconsciously looked up, happening to meet the eyes of Shimizu Akira, who had glanced up accidentally. He himself was a bit dazed.
'Wait, why look at me with such a grateful gaze? During the three tasks just now, this was the only time I said more than two sentences. I was basically slacking off during the first two. If you're going to thank someone, shouldn't you thank Kikyo or Suzune more?'
Read ahead (120 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting