COTE: Popularity System

The Real World.

After Takada Hikaru stated the classic line, viewers following the show began enthusiastically creating meme images.

Andō Sayo: Are you confident you can beat Class B in the Paper Shuffle exam?

Takada Hikaru: If it's Class B united under Arisu's leadership, it would be a bit difficult.

Andō Sayo: But would you lose?

Takada Hikaru: Nah, I'd win.

Even Burner, a major content creator in the animation sector, participated.

"The Try Not to Laugh Challenge begins!"

First picture: Nah, we'd win.

"Pfft!"

The challenge hadn't lasted two seconds before he met a humiliating defeat.

In the eyes of the audience, Money-Giving Guy was so arrogant, even setting up a specific flag, that there was a high probability he would lose this Special Exam.

After all, this was Sakayanagi Arisu's debut battle. Although she rarely appeared in the plot, every time the work mentioned her, she left a profound impression on the audience.

For instance, blackmailing Ryūen Kakeru, backstabbing Katsuragi Kōhei, and also backstabbing Katsuragi Kōhei.

The audience already knew that this seemingly petite girl would stop at nothing to achieve her goals, and was even willing to actively betray her class.

In everyone's imagination, Sakayanagi Arisu, as the former Class A's leader, must possess considerable strength, likely surpassing Money-Giving Guy, who was initially assigned to Class B.

Furthermore, since the confrontation between Class A and Class B in the Paper Shuffle Exam was Sakayanagi Arisu's debut battle, she definitely had to win.

However, when the results of the latest episode were released, the audience was stunned.

[Holy crap, Money-Giving Guy really won.]

[Quick, change the image!]

Before the latest episode aired, a viewer specifically drew an image showing Takada Hikaru facing the camera and saying the catchphrase of the Strongest Sorcerer.

The original intention was to wait for Takada Hikaru to lose the Special Exam and use it to amuse everyone.

Unexpectedly, the Animation Production Team took an unconventional route and made Sakayanagi Arisu, who had been built up for so long, lose.

[Guys, I've already photoshopped the image.]

It was still Takada Hikaru facing the camera. Only the spoken phrase had changed.

It changed from "Nah, we'd win" to "Really won."

[Damn it, I don't know why, but it feels even more mocking now!]

[Money-Giving Guy: Really won!]

— — —

The Classroom of the Elite World.

After the Paper Shuffle Exam ended, the class points of the first-year classes changed.

Class A: 1220 → 1320 (Gained 100 points by achieving victory in the direct confrontation with Class B)

Class B: 924 → 824 (Lost 100 points due to defeat in the direct confrontation with Class A)

Class C: 220 (Points unchanged due to a draw in the direct confrontation with Class D

Class D: 200 (Points unchanged due to a draw in the direct confrontation with Class C)

"For our victory over Class B in the Special Exam, cheers!"

The restaurant.

The Class A students raised their glass cups, clinked them together, and then happily drank the orange juice inside.

Watanabe Norihito remarked emotionally after finishing his orange juice, "I can't believe we actually managed to beat Class B academically. I was worried we'd lose right up until the results were announced."

Amikura Mako said optimistically, a smile appearing on her face, "Everyone has been studying diligently and helping each other since the entrance exam, so surpassing the original Class A is perfectly normal."

Andō Sayo said, "But Class B must have been studying hard too."

According to the school's initial class assignments, in terms of academics, sports, and other areas, the overall standard of the original Class A was superior to the other classes.

The two first-year Special Exams were originally meant for the original Class A to rack up points. The result, however, was the exact opposite.

In just two exams, the original Class A had already lost 300 points, and the gap between them and the current Class A was nearly 500 class points.

"Takada-san's questions were better designed, weren't they?" Hamaguchi Tetsuya looked toward the boy beside him.

In this exam, the questions for all subjects were created solely by Takada Hikaru. Creating so many questions in such a short time should normally lead to a decrease in quality. However, the questions Takada Hikaru set stumped Class B, resulting in their average score across all subjects being only 30 points.

In the Paper Shuffle Exam, there was actually also a rule that failing would result in expulsion.

Students took the exam by pairing up—one high-scoring student and one low-scoring student—and their scores were added together for each subject.

If the combined score for any subject fell below 60 points, both students would be expelled.

Yet, Takada Hikaru managed to control their scores perfectly—not one point more, not one point less—so that the two combined exactly reached 60 points.

This level of Score Manipulation Ability was truly terrifying.

"Even if I hadn't set the questions, everyone would still have been able to defeat Class B." Takada Hikaru said with a slight smile.

"Takada-san, don't be so modest. In terms of academic ability, we definitely still have a gap compared to the original Class A."

The surrounding classmates heard his words and simply thought he was being modest. But in reality, he was telling the truth.

The original Class A's overall academic ability was indeed very good. But due to the conflict between Sakayanagi Arisu and Katsuragi Kōhei, the original Class A students spent a lot of energy on factional struggles.

Furthermore, the school previously gave the impression that it didn't prioritize academic results, so the original Class A students weren't as proactive about studying.

However, the class led by Ichinose Honami had been constantly organizing Study Sessions since the first semester, and now they had even transitioned to a more targeted one-on-one tutoring method.

Academically, the current Class A was already on par with the original Class A, and perhaps even superior.

In the original work's version of this exam, when comparing the total scores of all students in both classes, Sakayanagi Arisu's class only managed to win by a narrow margin of 2 points.

If Ichinose Honami's class, using the less-than-ideal study methods from the original series, could catch up to Sakayanagi Arisu's class, it goes without saying that they are far ahead now with the improved teaching model.

However, Takada Hikaru was the only one who knew this.

In the eyes of others, the main reason for the victory in this exam was his highly tricky question-setting, which caused all Class B students to perform poorly, securing the win for Class A.

"Takada-kun!"

Just then, their homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya Chie, hugged him from behind and said in a coaxing tone, "Takada-kun, please just keep leading the class. Just one more exam, okay? Just lead us through one more~"

According to Takada Hikaru's previous promise, he would only lead the class through two Special Exams. Now that the two exams were complete, he could return to normalcy and participate in exams as a regular student.

Takada Hikaru said, shaking his head and chuckling lightly. "Chie-sensei, your coaxing won't work. Leading the class to win a Special Exam is simply too easy. I can't get interested in it at all."