“Personally, if you’re able to offer me any advice, I would most certainly like to take it. What do you think?” she asked, prompting my opinion as she tried to figure out how she should divide up our classmates.
“I think that we ought to create a group of only excellent students. The same group has to take a break once after they participate, but I think just doing that would be a way to get an ace up our sleeve,” I replied.
When I said “excellent” students, I wasn’t referring to academic ability. What I meant was students who were quick-witted, who could read the room, and who had excellent communication skills. Additionally, students who could avoid attracting negative attention were preferable.
“I think that Kushida-san might have been a better choice for representative than I am for this special exam,” said Yousuke.
“There’s nothing we can do about that now. I made the best judgment I could based on the information provided to us ahead of time,” said Horikita.
If we had known everything, we could have planned out the best possible approach—and that went for all the classes.
“At any rate, it would be a good idea to count Kushida as an excellent student,” I replied.
“Yes. I have no doubt that Kushida-san will produce results, even on an individual level,” said Yousuke, nodding in response to my suggestion and looking over at Horikita.
“I sacrificed a lot to keep her,” she replied. “I’ll need her to really put in the work.”
With that, Horikita used the tablet to put together a specific group of solidly capable students. Horikita asked me and Yousuke for advice from time to time, and Yousuke answered to the best of his knowledge. I mostly just watched and rarely offered up advice without being asked. That was because Horikita needed to put together the groups that she thought would best handle things on her own as our assigned center.
“By the way…what did you think about this special exam, Horikita-san, when you heard the rules?” asked Yousuke.
Yousuke, being Yousuke, must have had his own thoughts on the matter after hearing the details earlier. He hit Horikita with that question as though he were seeking an answer to his own thoughts.
“I didn’t think that academic ability or physical ability alone would be the only things to directly affect the outcome of our exams or anything, but this was certainly well outside my expectations. In fact, I’m not sure what exactly will make the difference between winning and losing here. Sure, someone could say that it’s to create an ideal group, but what exactly is that ideal?” asked Horikita.
“Yeah. It all feels so fuzzy to me too. It’s like, even if we put together students like Kushida-san in one group, how is that going to lead to a win for our class?” wondered Yousuke.
The representatives in this room and the participants in the debate were made up of students gathered from two different classes. Furthermore, the participants weren’t fully informed on things like the winning conditions for the representatives and couldn’t be expected to provide any real assistance since they were simply expected to engage in debate. In other words, the issue of whether the students in a certain group were excellent was trivial. What was important was to see which representative could quickly identify who held what roles from the discussion being guided by the fourteen students that had been put together, solely through what they said.
“At the very least, representatives need to be people who have a discerning eye, as well as insight, and the ability to see things for what they are,” said Yousuke.
“Yes, I agree. But, in that case, then our opponent might be more trouble than we imagined,” said Horikita, stealing a glance over at Ichinose.
Fortunately for Horikita, Ichinose and her fellow representatives were engaged in serious discussion about group formation, and none of them were looking in our direction.
“This may not be tactful for me to say, but she might understand our own class better than even you or I do, Horikita,” I added.
“You’re probably right,” said Horikita.
I felt like this was going to be a fairly interesting special exam. I especially appreciated the fact that the format accounted for several ways the representatives could win. In most cases, certain biases about who would win and who would lose came out once the exam contents were announced, but here, Horikita, Ichinose, Sakayanagi, and Ryuuen each had a chance to win depending on how they went about it.
Under Horikita’s leadership, and with Yousuke’s assistance, our groups were formed. As I watched them, I felt like there was just one thing that I needed to ask and confirm. That was because after carefully reading through and analyzing the special exam rules, there was something that I felt was necessary.
“I want to come right out and ask you about something that has nothing to do with group formation. Could you hand the right to designate a traitor over to me?” I asked.
At my question, Horikita’s fingertips stopped skittering across the tablet’s surface.
“You’re asking something ridiculous yet again, I see. You’re the one who dumped these conditions on me. I had thought that would’ve been an indispensable trump card to make sure I gain the upper hand as the center. And yet you’re asking for it?” huffed Horikita.
Indeed, I was sure that Horikita was mentally prepared to try to defeat the opposing general, as the center on our team. And I’m sure she wanted to exercise her right to designate a traitor, which had the potential to be of great use as a weapon in that regard. But it was precisely because she thought so that I decided to butt in at this moment and ask.
“You sound a bit disgruntled. I take it you won’t be handing it over to me, huh?” I asked.
“That depends on the situation. First of all, what exactly do you need it for?” asked Horikita.
Her question was also her way of confirming something else with me, namely, Can’t you win without it?
“Our opponent is Ichinose. If I’m understanding the rules correctly, she’s going to be a very formidable opponent this time around. I’d appreciate it if you could win it all as the center and not make me have to take a turn, but as unlikely as it is, there’s a risk that you’ll lose after using the right to assign a traitor. With that in mind, I think it’s a better idea to leave that option open as a contingency,” I replied.
“I understand what you’re trying to say, I really do. You might even be right. Still, I cannot accept unless you relax your conditions at least a little,” replied Horikita.
If Horikita handed over the right to designate a traitor, then that would mean she would have to defeat Ichinose, who still had that right. In addition to the difference in Life Points, that handicap would weigh heavily on her.
“All right, then. In that case, how about this? If you let me handle it and we still lose, I’ll cooperate fully with your class until we graduate, Horikita. Once we do, then if you wish, I’ll take on any job you want. What do you say?” I asked.
“Meaning you’ll withdraw your ridiculously stingy statement about only helping for six months?” asked Horikita.
“Yes, that’s what I’m saying,” I replied.
“I don’t usually see you so willing to collaborate. You sound confident that as long as you can assign the traitor, you will definitely not lose… Okay, we have an agreement,” said Horikita.