COTE :  Oh No, I've Become the Substitute

Having explained the extensive set of rules in one breath, Chabashira leaned back in her chair to catch a brief respite. After resting for a moment, she looked at the three again and continued.

"Well then, the explanation ends here. Do you have any questions?"

Kito, seated off to the side, slowly raised his head. A sharp glint emerged in his eyes as he raised his hand, signaling that he had a question.

Chabashira nodded. "You may simply ask directly."

A low voice spread through the room. "Are the briefings for other members of the same group also taking place right now?"

"That is correct. At this very moment, in other rooms, the students from other classes who are in the same group as you are also listening to the same rules being explained."

So that's how it was...

Fuyuji's gaze shifted away from Kito. He had asked Kito to confirm this once more, just to be safe.

The students from other classes were deliberately separated. Was it because they were worried that if the explanations were combined, something might be discovered?

And having the homeroom teachers of other classes conduct the briefings, rather than each one corresponding to their own class—it was probably because the teachers themselves also knew the answers to this special exam and had participated in some part of the exam preparation process. This was to prevent them from giving their own students special treatment.

That was why the arrangement had been shuffled. Otherwise, if each homeroom teacher were responsible for their own class's students, things would surely be much easier.

At this thought, the corner of Fuyuji's mouth twitched a few times. He was starting to lose it.

What are you doing?! Mashima Tomonari!

That list clearly had something fishy about it, and you still assigned me here!

The homeroom teachers of the other classes are all pulling little tricks behind the scenes. Only you—still rigidly, stiffly playing by the book! No wonder you have no bonus!

"In other words, we'll be competing against students from other classes within the same group?"

Looking at the name of Sakayanagi Arisu in the same group, Kamuro's expression grew somewhat complicated.

"No. This competition could also be called cooperation." Chabashira shook her head and once again produced three sets of documents. "How you interpret it depends on the actions your group takes going forward."

The documents were gently pushed in front of the three, producing a faint rustling sound.

"The exam has been designed so that it will inevitably result in one of four outcomes. There will be no exceptions. To help you understand more easily, the school has prepared materials detailing the results and rules. Once again, these documents are also prohibited from being taken out or photographed. Please confirm them carefully here."

After a brief pause, Chabashira continued with an unchanged expression. "Incidentally, it may be more beneficial in this exam to first set aside your class affiliations and focus on your own group."

Fuyuji: "..."

Don't you think it's a bit strange for a homeroom teacher like you to say something like that? Especially tucked in among a whole heap of rules.

What do you mean, "incidentally"? This is clearly something the school required you to say, isn't it?!

After mentally snarking a couple of times, Fuyuji accepted the documents and lowered his head to flip through them.

The exam would last three days in total. Group members were to assemble at designated times in designated rooms for discussions—twice a day, one hour each. There were no restrictions on the content of the discussions.

Within each group, there would be one [VIP]. The school would simultaneously send out notification emails to students at eight o'clock in the morning on the first day of the exam. At the same time, the person selected as the [VIP] would also be notified of their selection.

For the answering portion, students could only send their answers via text message to the school identifying who the VIP was during the period from 9:30 PM to 10:00 PM after the exam had ended. Furthermore, each person could only answer once, and only for their own group. The VIP themselves did not have the right to submit an answer.

Finally, the school would inform all students of the detailed exam results via text message at 11:00 PM on the final day.

These were the basic rules.

Skipping past the dense thicket of warnings and conditions below, Fuyuji's gaze lingered on the exam results.

O Result One: If everyone aside from the group's VIP and the teammates belonging to the VIP's class answers correctly, the school will pay the remaining group members 500,000 private points and the VIP 1,000,000 private points. (Group members belonging to the VIP's class will each receive the same amount of points.)

O Result Two: If anyone among the group members aside from the VIP and the classmates belonging to the VIP's class fails to answer or answers incorrectly, the school will pay the VIP 500,000 private points.

...

...

The school was being this generous? 500,000 points per person for over a dozen people in a group?

What about the rest? Why was there such a large gap deliberately left blank? There should be more than just these two results. The increase or decrease in class points hadn't appeared yet.

Out of the corner of his eye, Chabashira caught Fuyuji's page-turning motion and spoke up at the right moment to stop him.

"Regarding the remaining results—they are printed on the back of the document. However, I ask that you listen to my explanation first and turn it over later."

Another explanation? Why not just finish saying everything in one breath earlier?

Still, Fuyuji had no habit of butting heads with teachers. He silently stopped his page-turning motion and waited for Chabashira to speak.

"Before explaining Results Three and Four, allow me to ask a question first... Have you ever played the Werewolf game?"

Instantly, Kamuro and Kito turned their gazes in unison toward Fuyuji.

The reason was simple. Whenever this guy played Werewolf in class, he would frequently throw the rhythm into chaos, leaving the situation on the field in complete disarray.

"It seems you have." Seeing the three nod in unison, Chabashira extended her palm. "In that case, please now turn over the document. If the VIP's identity is ever exposed, the situations described in Results Three and Four will occur."

O Result Three: If someone other than the VIP reports the correct answer to the school before waiting for the exam to end, the class to which the answering student belongs will receive 50 class points. At the same time, the school will pay the student who answered correctly 500,000 private points. Conversely, the class whose VIP's identity was exposed will be penalized by losing 50 class points. The group exam will conclude at that point in time. Furthermore, if a classmate of the VIP answers correctly, the school will treat the answer as invalid and the exam will continue.

O Result Four: If someone other than the VIP reports the answer to the school before waiting for the exam to end and the answer is incorrect, the class to which the student who made the mistake belongs will be penalized by losing 50 class points. The VIP will receive 500,000 private points, and the VIP's class will also receive 50 class points. The exam will conclude at the point in time when the incorrect answer was submitted. Furthermore, if a classmate of the VIP answers incorrectly, the answer will be treated as invalid and will not be accepted.

This teacher was deliberately trying to lead students into a trap. The current documents combined with the explanation were already very clear.

Before the students were about to check Results Three and Four, she had singled it out. On the surface, it seemed like she was warning students to be wary of traitors.

But this clearly didn't match your persona, humanoid teacher.

Was this arranged by the school, or was it something this teacher had done on purpose? He'd know once he went back and listened to the recordings from the other classmates.

Without excessive words, the three quietly listened as Chabashira finished explaining the special exam.

"Finally, a supplementary rule specially added by the school administration!"

"During these three days, all contracts signed regarding this special exam will be considered null and void. In other words, within this exam, all promises made by other classes will become mere scraps of paper."

"That is all!"

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