1.1
Today, two hours were set aside in the morning for matters related to the school trip.
In a normal school, they might’ve briefed us a little earlier, but for the students of this school, the final exam is more important. They have to know the result of the finals first.
It wouldn’t be humorous if, after being informed of the school trip schedule, a student dropped out of school because of the final exam.
“So, I will now announce the results of the second semester final examinations.”
The air was tense. However, no students were discouraged. This time last year, there was a different exam called the Paper Shuffle. Kushida's plans and Ryuen's influence nearly jeopardized the exam, but Horikita's strategy and capabilities were equally as strong. However, this year was different.
The rules were standardized: students were required to take a test designed by the school, and if they scored below the cutoff point, they would be expelled. It was also a class-based competition, with first place gaining 50 Class Points, second place gaining 25 Class Points, third place losing 25 Class Points, and fourth place losing 50 Class Points. It was purely a competition for class points.
The cutoff scores were averages of 39 points or less in all subjects. A close examination of the content revealed that the students could easily avoid red marks in any subject if they took their studies seriously.
“Regarding this year's final exam results, I'll start with the lowest-ranked student.”
Chabashira-sensei’s expression was firm. It seemed as though she was trying to agitate the students, but I guess maintaining a proper sense of tension was necessary.
“The student who got the lowest grade...”
The bottom grades are considered more important than the top grades.
“...Was Hondō, who got an average score of 53.”
“Wow! Me? But I got 53 points, so that's not so bad, right? I should be happy!”
Hondō’s joy must’ve been bittersweet, considering he didn’t fail but was still at the bottom of the class.
Although he had always been in the lowest group, this was probably the first time Hondō placed last.
After the names of the lower-ranked students were announced one by one, the names of the higher ranks began to be called soon after. It was safe to say that the scores of the lower ranks have definitely been raised.
The first of these factors was undoubtedly the Unanimous Vote Special Exam that led to Airi's expulsion from the school.
Since that exam, students who ranked the lowest in OAA developed a sense of urgency to avoid being expelled, so they no longer disregarded giving their best in any exam.
Kei also didn’t do as badly as expected, scoring an average of 56 points. She, who only wanted to study with me, was steadily improving her grades. However, I will have to solve her academic issues as soon as possible. Since I only plan on teaching the bare minimum, there’s a risk that she’ll be separated from the other students due to a gap in growth potential. I should ask Horikita, Keisei, or even Yōsuke to teach her.
The monitor also calculated and sequentially displayed the score, total score, and average score amongst the subjects for each of the students whose names were called. I was in 12th place, slowly and steadily rising in the rankings.
Finally, the top 10 in the class were announced.
In 10th place was Sudō. Although we were a little concerned, the result was similar to the previous time, Sudō attaining a solid score to move into the top group. He improved his ranking by one while also setting a new personal best.
Finally, first place went to Horikita and Keisei with an average score of 93.5 points, who usually tied for first place anyways.
“Regarding the scores of each class, we surpassed Ichinose's class, taking second place. Well done.”
First place went to Sakayanagi’s Class A, second to Horikita’s Class B, third to Ichinose’s Class D, and fourth to Ryuen’s Class C.
This raised the class points by 25. However, in Sakayanagi's Class A, even the lower-ranked students performed fairly well, and we failed to get first place once again. The gap between the two classes was minute, but it was still there.
“Now, I know that you’re looking forward to the school trip, as shown by your hard work on the final exam. But there’s one thing I want you to do before we discuss it.”
With these words, an image appeared on the monitor.
Following Chabashira-sensei’s instructions, each student's tablet displayed a chart with the names of his or her classmates. It was the same as the monitor in front of us.
“There are three items: name, gender, and number, of which the name and gender are already filled in.”
As Chabashira-sensei said, all the classmates' names were listed. Only the number was blank, which meant that the numbers were to be entered right now.
The general table could be understood at a glance, but it was unclear what the numbers would represent. Not a single student understood what to do.
“The table lists the students in the second year Class B, that is, this class. You can see that there’s a blank space next to the names and genders with a small number next to it. You will start numbering from the first number until 37, which is the amount of students in the class excluding yourself. You cannot use the same number twice. First of all, you must type “myself” in the number field of your name.”
There were 38 students in the 2nd year Class B, excluding Airi and Yamauchi, who had been expelled from the school.
A different number, up to 37, can be allocated to each student, except for myself. The question is, what did this number mean?
It was unthinkable to assign them randomly without any meaning.
Everyone operated their tablets and typed in their own box as instructed.
After confirming this, Chabashira-sensei began to explain the numbers.
“The numbers you’re about to assign represent how you evaluate your fellow classmates from your point of view. In any case, it’s important that you give your evaluations according to your own criteria.”
Did this mean that we’re ranking our classmates?
No… Moving down the chart, it seemed that this chart existed for not only our own classmates, but the other three classes as well in the second year.
“As some of you may have already noticed, I'm going to ask you to do this ranking for the entire second year, class by class. With the students in the other classes, there may be some that you have never even spoken to, but that’s also the same criteria that they have. All of them are to be assigned a number.”
Students evaluating students. We did something somewhat similar last year, but I would say it’s also very different. What could be the point of making the students do this?
“Of course, we don't tell the students what numbers they have assigned to each other and we, the homeroom teachers, will never know how the students have ranked each other,” she said.
In other words, the chart is controlled by the people in charge of running the school.
“And while you're filling out this form, you’re not allowed to speak or refer to the OAA. You're only allowed to use the information you remember. It defeats the purpose if you set the order based on the school's evaluation without considering any of your own personal feelings.”
They're also restricting us from assigning numbers based on any data collected from the school.
“Seriously, there are a lot of girls I've never spoken to, and I have no idea about their OAA or anything like that, so it's going to be random, is that okay…?'
Unlike some of the students who boasted a wide range of friendships, Hondō muttered apprehensively.
“Yes. The most important thing to remember is that you can't just take a look on the internet. The school will use this list for a certain purpose, so you’re on your own no matter what the outcome is.”
Basically, it should be in the order of a certain criteria, but in the end, it would be up to the individual filling out the form to input numbers at his or her own discretion. In return, they couldn’t complain about the consequences that may ensue in the future.
The liberty to evaluate each student based on the interactions we've had with them so far.
Doing it randomly may come back to bite you, so take the challenge seriously. That's what she’s saying.
“You have one hour to finish. If you fail to finish within the time limit, you will not receive the full explanation for the school trip.”
No one would’ve thought that they would be asked to do this before the school trip.
While the students remained puzzled, Chabashira-sensei instructed us to begin immediately.
We all started with our minds still unprepared.
I decided to start with Class A, postponing the most time-consuming class, my own. If it were just about raw ability, I would have chosen Sakayanagi as the first, but what I was considering this time was an overall evaluation.
It would be fine to base all decisions on simple likes and dislikes as a person. It was also up to the discretion of the individual to choose the person who was easy to get along with and whom he or she liked the most. Whatever the case may be, the numbers should be allocated based on clear criteria.
I intended to start filling out the chart right away, but it was surprisingly difficult. The safest thing to do would be to consider the current overall ability value from my point of view. For students with whom I had no contact, it was fine to rank them based on the OAA value I remembered.
Once I was content with this method, I started from number 1. This was probably the same for many students, but I would say that it was set in stone that Sakayanagi will place as number one in Class A.
It took me approximately 20 minutes to complete the evaluations for the other three classes. The only one remaining was Class B, where I am.
This wasn’t a simple class to grade, as they required more consideration regarding various factors besides the OAA.
I'll consider their hidden potential, communication skills, and growth potential. Although there will be some overlap with the OAA, I think Yōsuke would be first at this point.
If you take into account not only his simple overall value but also his day-to-day contribution to the class, he’s the best choice. Without Yōsuke, there would be no cooperation in this class.
And for No. 2, I chose Kōenji. His hidden potential and the concrete benefits he brought to the class, such as his contribution in the second-year desert island test and his unintended contribution in the sports festival, are extremely significant. Even if we ignore his strange personality and lack of cooperation, it would still be a fair evaluation.
Kōenji is undeniably responsible for the current status of Class B.
The students who have always performed well academically, such as Horikita, Keisei, and Mii-chan, are also highly rated.
I looked up after inputting the evaluations of all the students. Nearly 40 minutes had passed, but no one had finished other than me.
That was what I thought, but when my eyes met those of Chabashira-sensei’s, who was observing the students, I realized that Kōenji, who was sitting beside me, had finished first.
I couldn't be sure, but I guess he must have assigned the numbers without thinking about it. He was already blowing lightly on his fingernails without even looking at the tablet again.
What special test could these numbers be used for other than group formation?
When the school inspects these results for example, is it possible to conduct an exam with only the students who were selected as the first and second in each class overall? On the other hand, if only students with low overall ability are gathered, they will have to do a well-balanced task.
However, if this is the case, the students should be told in advance that they will be assigned a number based on their abilities, and there would be no need to have them evaluate it themselves. The risk of distorting the competition by assigning numbers based on likes and dislikes would be much higher.
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