COTE: Popularity System

"Takada-san, what are your thoughts?" Kanzaki Ryūji's voice was somewhat anxious.

He had just used Takada Hikaru's past words, trying to use the same logic to persuade him to strategize for the class. But in reality, he wasn't confident in his own argument.

After all, he didn't know Takada Hikaru's personality. If things went awry and instead caused the other party's displeasure, then he and everyone in Class A would be in trouble.

"Ryūji, showing off your cleverness in this regard is not commendable, at least not for me."

Takada Hikaru came back to his senses and said with a relaxed smile, "Also, simultaneously leading the class to become Class A and accumulating 20 million private points actually makes the difficulty simpler."

"What?"

Hearing his words, Kanzaki Ryūji was stunned.

Completing two difficult tasks at the same time makes it easier.

What kind of logic is that?

Takada Hikaru said with a smile, "It seems you haven't understood. For example, I'm confident I can bring Class A's class points to over 1500. This way, we can get 150,000 living expenses every month, and then ask the classmates to give me 50,000 each month."

"Don't you think it would be easier to gather 20 million private points this way?"

That seems to make sense.

But Kanzaki Ryūji still felt something was off.

After frowning and pondering for a moment, he said with some hesitation, "Takada-san, are you saying that if you help the class, everyone needs to give you at least 50,000 points per month?"

Takada Hikaru's eyes narrowed slightly, and he said with a light chuckle, "Ryūji, you think too badly of me. I wouldn't do such a thing to my own classmates."

But he would do such things to students from other classes.

Let's set a foreshadowing here.

"Is that so? Then I apologize, I misunderstood."

After apologizing, Kanzaki Ryūji's expression became even more complicated.

He understood the boy in front of him even less. He really didn't know how to harness Hikaru's power for the class.

Takada Hikaru showed a playful smile. "Given that this is the first special exam, I'll offer a small suggestion to the class. However, there's a good chance you'll oppose it once you hear it."

Hearing this, Kanzaki Ryūji's eyes lit up, as if he saw a turning point. "Please tell me."

Takada Hikaru said, "In this exam, Class A can decide not to actively choose a leader and not check in. That's my suggestion."

"Are you saying... a defensive strategy?" Kanzaki Ryūji quickly understood his meaning.

In the Deserted Island Exam, if the opponent guesses the leader, class points will be deducted, and the temporary points obtained by checking in will be reset to zero.

According to the rules, to check in, only the leader can use the special exam card to do so, which inevitably increases the risk of their identity being exposed.

It can be said that the leader's existence can both help earn points and very likely cause the class to lose points.

Protecting the leader's identity is definitely a major challenge in the exam. But according to Takada Hikaru, if no one in the class knows who the leader is, and they abandon the process of the leader checking in at the strongholds, then Class A wouldn't have to worry about being guessed by other classes.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it absolute defense.

However, Kanzaki Ryūji did not want to adopt this method.

"Takada-san, just as you said..."

He sighed softly, "Not just me, but most of the class probably won't agree to this strategy."

"From a defensive standpoint, your idea is indeed excellent, avoiding the situation where the class leader is guessed, leading to a reduction in points."

"However, our current class point gap with Class B is only 26 points. If we give up the temporary points from checking in, we might be overtaken by them."

If Class B chooses to check in, even if they only check in at one stronghold, they can check in 21 times over seven days, which means gaining 21 points.

If Class B is also frugal and spends 5 fewer points than Class A, then, after this exam, Class B will overtake Class A in class points and become Class A again.

Kanzaki Ryūji didn't want the hard-won advantage to be snatched away just like that.

"But what if I told you that we already have an advantage over Class B in this exam?" Takada Hikaru asked with a smile.

Then, without waiting for Ryūji to react, Takada Hikaru began to explain, "You don't seem to have noticed that Arisu-san from Class B is not participating in this special exam."

"Arisu... are you talking about Sakayanagi Arisu?" Kanzaki Ryūji thought for a moment and realized he indeed hadn't seen her.

His attention at the time was entirely on Hoshinomiya Chie explaining the exam rules, and he hadn't paid any attention to the situation of other classes.

But Takada Hikaru had obviously noticed, thus discovering that Class B's other leader was absent from this exam.

"Given Sakayanagi's physical condition, it's indeed not suitable for her to participate in this exam, which requires physical strength and endurance. Her absence should be unavoidable."

Kanzaki Ryūji frowned slightly, his expression becoming a bit strange. "What does this have to do with what you said about us already having an advantage over Class B?"

Takada Hikaru said, "Chie-sensei just said that attendance will be taken twice a day, and if someone is absent, 5 exam-specific points will be deducted per person per absence. Even being absent during attendance results in point deductions, so how many points do you think will be deducted for not participating in the exam at all?"

"Also, when Chie-sensei spoke in front of all the students just now, she deliberately guided the topic towards hoping students would withdraw from the exam. The male teachers around her immediately showed dissatisfaction when they noticed."

"The teachers naturally know more than us and understood that the cost of withdrawing from the exam was not low, which is why they wanted to stop Chie-sensei from continuing."

After hearing his statement, Kanzaki Ryūji stood frozen in place.

It was like this again. Hikaru had seen things he hadn't noticed before. Even though they were experiencing the same events, Takada Hikaru had discovered far more information than he had.

After listening to Takada Hikaru's analysis, Kanzaki Ryūji couldn't help but recall what had just happened, feeling that what the other party said indeed made a lot of sense. However, it wasn't absolutely correct.

"The school authorities might also have considered Sakayanagi's poor physical condition and, out of humanitarian factors, not penalized Class B with point deductions."

"Whether points were deducted or not, we might have to wait and ask Hoshinomiya-sensei to find out."

After stating his analysis, Kanzaki Ryūji continued, "Even if the school has indeed penalized Class B, if Class B checks in at multiple spots simultaneously, they could still surpass us in class points."

"Therefore, asking the class to give up checking in is still a bit too conservative."

Hearing what he said, Takada Hikaru rejoiced inwardly, thinking to himself, 'I've finally been waiting for you to say that.'

"If Class B checks in at multiple spots simultaneously, the risk of their leader being exposed will increase."

Takada Hikaru's eyes narrowed slightly, exuding a confident light. "At that time, I will use these eyes to find their leader and clear all of Class B's temporary points."

"Ryūji, are you willing to take a gamble?"

(End of Chapter)

[New Series] Naruto: Eye Gacha System

Uchiha Ryosuke transmigrates to the world of Naruto during a time of war. Survival seems difficult but fortunately, he has the Eye Gacha System. With enough Chakra, he can spin for eyes, whose abilities are similar to the Mangekyo dojutsu.

Amaterasu? He has an eye that can set enemies on fire with a gaze.

Tsukuyomi? He has an eye that can trap enemies in a Genjutsu with eye contact.