Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e - Volume 6 - Chapter 5.1

5.1

THE DAY OF THE SHORT QUIZ arrived, and though I expected us to start immediately, Chabashira-sensei had something to discuss first.

“We will begin shortly, but I’d like to say something. You nominated Class C as the class you wanted to attack for this test. Since there was no conflict with any other class, your nomination was approved,” said Chabashira-sensei.

“Did Classes A and B both nominate Class D, then?” It seemed we’d managed to overcome our first obstacle, and Horikita was relieved. “In any case, the fact that we’ll be able to challenge Class C, with their chronically poor performers, is a huge bonus for us.”

“Class C will attack Class D. They also had no competing nominations that conflicted with that decision.”

So, the battle was going to be Class D versus Class C, and Class B versus Class A.

“That’s an ideal match-up,” said Horikita.

“Seems that way.”

In summation, the higher classes had chosen to attack their direct rivals. Each class was fighting to either lengthen the gap between themselves and others, or to shrink it. 

Sakayanagi had likely chosen Class A’s nomination. Katsuragi probably would’ve nominated Class D, as that would give Class A the highest chance of winning. You could sense that Katsuragi’s influence was on the decline.

Class C was our challenger, just as Horikita had hoped it would be.

“At any rate, you look like you’re doing quite well, Ike. Yamauchi, you usually have dark circles under your eyes right before you take a test. Did you happen to come up with some secret strategy?”

“Heh heh heh. Watch and learn, sensei.” Ike was completely self-confident, as expected. He hadn’t needed to study at all.

What he should have been afraid of was getting a middle-of-the-road score. The test questions were almost implausibly low difficulty, but he could just write down his name and turn in a blank sheet of paper. If he seriously tried to take this unique exam, it would only increase the risks we’d face.

Chabashira-sensei had to see what was happening. “Don’t do something you’ll regret later. It would be better if you took this quiz seriously.”

“Wh-what do you mean? This isn’t going to have an effect on my grades, right?”

“Right. Your final grade won’t reflect your score on this at all.”

“In that case, I don’t need a good score,” said Ike.

“Sure. If things go the way you expect them to go, that is.”

What Chabashira-sensei said stirred our class’s anxiety. “Should we try to get good scores after all?” muttered Sudou, letting his feelings slip.

“Don’t get flustered. There are no problems with our plan,” said Horikita.

Her calm, collected response managed to settle the students. Sudou regained his composure instantly. “Yeah. All I have to do is believe in Suzune.”

Chabashira-sensei scanned the class to confirm that everyone had returned to normal, then produced the quiz papers. “Well then, let’s begin. I needn’t remind you that no form of cheating is allowed. If someone gets caught cheating, then there will be no mercy.”

The teacher handed stacks of paper to the students in the front row and had them pass the tests back. Because we had to keep the paper facedown until the test started, I immediately flipped mine upside down when I received it. 

“Aren’t you worried that you’re wrong about how the pairs are selected?” asked Chabashira-sensei.

“Not at all. I’m confident that I’m right,” said Horikita.

She was unfazed by what Chabashira-sensei said. Ike and the others could stand tall because of their leader’s confidence.

Class D was changing. They were slight changes, but I figured that our homeroom teacher had taken notice. After all, she was watching over us day in and day out.

“Begin.” Chabashira-sensei gave the signal, and the test started. 

I slowly turned the papers over. “Oh…”

I couldn’t help but make a noise. I probably wasn’t the only one who was surprised. Though we’d expected that the difficulty level would be rather low, it really was extremely easy. Even small children could have completed this test. Of course, there were a few difficult questions in there, but even someone like Ike could easily score around sixty or higher if he didn’t panic.

It was a very tempting trap. If we’d gone rushing into this test thoughtlessly, it could have been a disaster. However, that was exactly why Horikita came up with her strategy.