COTE : Backed By Black Technology System

In the final minutes of the exam, Kanda Shuichi slipped into a tent by himself. He pulled out the Time TV again to confirm the identity of Class A's leader and check on Totsuka Yahiko's whereabouts.

After spending 100,000 private points, Kanda Shuichi walked out of the tent with a relaxed expression.

He was curious to see how Katsuragi from Class A would react when he saw both Koenji and Miyake Akito appear in Class C's camp.

"Have you decided?"

Chabashira-sensei handed Kanda Shuichi a piece of paper from her clipboard.

"Ah, of course."

The paper Kanda Shuichi received had the classifications of Classes A, B, C, and D on the left, with blank spaces on the right for the names of the leaders.

Class D, unable to guess their own leader, had been crossed out.

After glancing at it briefly, Kanda Shuichi wrote down the name of Class A's leader—Totsuka Yahiko.

Though he also knew the leaders of Class B and Class C, he had no intention of disrupting the current harmony. 

The way Class A lost this time was still fresh in his mind. If he went too far, it could lead to an alliance against him, which would be troublesome.

While that is not something to fear, it would be exhausting. Plus, working with Ryuen had been pleasant so far. Kanda Shuichi didn't want to ruin things with him yet. He believed Ryuen felt the same.

Besides, both parties had signed a contract, making betrayal impossible.

At the same time, at each class's base, the respective leaders were handed answer sheets by their homeroom teachers to write down their guesses for the other class leaders.

Katsuragi from Class A received the guessing sheet from their homeroom teacher, Mashima, and after a moment of hesitation, wrote down the name of Class D's leader—Miyake Akito.

As for Class B and Class C, their sheets were left blank. Although Ryuen had informed them that Class B's leader was a girl named Shiranami Chihiro, they had no evidence to back it up, so they chose to play it safe and pass.

After retrieving the form Katsuragi handed back, Mashima-sensei couldn't help but let out a silent sigh.

This exam had been a one-sided victory for Class D. Seeing Katsuragi write down Class D's leader, he already knew Class A was doomed to fail this time. What remained unclear was how far Class D could go.

As a fair teacher, Mashima-sensei showed no reaction in front of Katsuragi. He simply took the form calmly and informed Class A to gather on the beach within an hour.

Meanwhile, Class B's homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya Chie, handed the guessing form to Ichinose Honami.

Ichinose Honami glanced at Kanzaki Ryuji before quickly writing down Class A's leader—Totsuka Yahiko.

"You hardly left the camp, yet you still figured out the leaders of the other classes. Impressive," 

Hoshinomiya Chie remarked with a smile as she accepted the form from Ichinose Honami.

"Actually, it's thanks to Class D's support," Ichinose replied, scratching her cheek in embarrassment. Class B had an easy time in this exam, mostly because of Class D's assistance.

Since they were confident about Class A's leader, Class B was more than willing to interfere and give Class A a final push.

Hoshinomiya Chie couldn't hide her excitement. As a teacher, she was aware of the students' movements and knew that Class A's leader was indeed Totsuka Yahiko.

It's just... 

*Sigh* What's the deal with that kid, Kanda Shuichi? Using such reckless methods and somehow actually succeeding with them. 

At this moment, Hoshinomiya felt an intense urge to reveal Class D's leader to Ichinose and have her write it down. 

But as a teacher, if she did something like that and got caught, she would definitely be fired on the spot. 

Besides, knowing Ichinose as well as she did, even if Ichinose learned the leader's identity from her, she likely wouldn't write it down anyway. 

"Damn it! Why does Class D have such a freak like that!?" 

While feeling a mix of excitement and frustration, Hoshinomiya Chie couldn't help but feel jealous of Chabashira Sae. 

Over on Class C's side, Ryuen Kakeru had no hesitation in writing down Class A's leader—Totsuka Yahiko—and Class B's leader—Shiranami Chihiro. 

"Aren't you going after Class D?" 

"That guy's like me—if you don't finish him off in one move, he'll come back with a crazy counterattack. So unless I'm absolutely sure, I won't make the first move. Besides, I haven't figured out who he's keeping as the leader. This much is enough for now." 

Handing his form to Kaneda, Ryuen stretched a bit before heading toward the beach. 

At the same time, students from each class began packing their belongings. After sorting their trash into categories, Class D's students prepared to leave the island under Chabashira-sensei's guidance and head to the beach for the final assembly. 

Although this small island held many fond memories for them, camping here for seven days had been exhausting. 

Thankfully, students didn't need to deal with packing up the tents, toilets, or kitchen equipment—otherwise, they'd probably be busy until the afternoon. 

Following their respective homeroom teachers' instructions, students from all four classes gradually made their way to the beach. 

"Ah, it's finally over. Camping was fun, but it was so tiring." 

"Same here. The first thing I'm doing on the ship is taking a long shower." 

"I can't wait to eat a huge meal!" 

"I just want to sleep as soon as I get back!" 

Class D, and even students from the other classes as they arrived, all seemed excited to have finished the exam. 

Before long, the remaining students from Classes A, B, and D had gathered. Only Class C's area was still empty. 

This didn't last long, though—Ryuen emerged from the forest with Ibuki and Kaneda. 

Soon, each class began taking roll call. 

Over in Class A's area, Katsuragi noticed something strange the moment he walked out of the forest. 

Among Class D's group, Koenji's striking blond hair was hard to miss. 

What's going on? 

Wasn't Koenji supposed to have withdrawn from the exam? 

Katsuragi couldn't hide the confusion on his face. 

Sensing someone's gaze, Koenji turned his head toward Class A. Spotting Katsuragi, he flashed a smile. 

Damn it! 

I've been tricked! 

Even though Katsuragi's heart sank with the realization, he still clung to a shred of hope. Maybe they hadn't replaced the leader due to illness but through some other method. 

Once roll call was completed, all the students, except for the numerous dropouts from Class C, were present. 

*Click*—the sound of a microphone turning on echoed across the beach. Moments later, Mashima-sensei appeared at the front of the student assembly. 

The first-year students hurriedly tried to line up, but Mashima-sensei raised his hand to stop them. 

"Relax. The exam is over, and this is already part of your summer break. It's a short time, but there's no need to be so formal." 

Even though he said that, the atmosphere among the students remained tense, and the chatter gradually faded away.

"This past week, we teachers have truly witnessed your dedication to the special exam. Some of you tackled it head-on, others found creative approaches, and a few even made unprecedented moves that amazed all the staff. While the methods varied, overall, I believe the results of the exam were excellent. Well done."

Hearing Mashima-sensei's direct praise, the students looked visibly relieved. 

The week-long exam was finally over—everyone must have felt that sense of completion.

"Now, I'd like to directly announce the results of the special exam. Additionally, we won't be accepting any questions regarding the outcome. I encourage you to reflect on the results, analyze them yourselves, and use what you've learned for the next exam."

The room fell silent as everyone waited for the results to be announced.

Soon, Mashima-sensei's voice came through the loudspeakers.

"Next, I will announce the rankings for the special exam. In last place is... Class A with 70 points."

"What..."

"Impossible!"

"Could there be a mistake?"

At this moment, even the students in Class A were visibly shaken. Not only would they each have to pay 20,000 private points per month, but they had also performed so poorly in this exam. 

Katsuragi closed his eyes in frustration. *Ryuen, you really did betray us, didn't you?* 

Or perhaps Classes B, C, and D had joined forces? Katsuragi couldn't think of any other explanation.

"Next, in third place is... Class C with 125 points. Second place is Class B with 210 points."

The students began to murmur. The rankings and scores were completely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Class D eagerly awaited Mashima-sensei's final announcement.

"And Class D is..."

Mashima-sensei hesitated for a moment but then quickly continued.

"...371 points, in first place. That concludes the announcement of the results."

As soon as Mashima-sensei finished speaking, Class D erupted in cheers so loud that the entire beach seemed to tremble.

Out of the 371 points, 50 were earned by correctly identifying Class A's leader, while the remaining 321 points came from the hard-earned temporary points gathered by Koenji and his group.

Even Horikita Suzune, usually serious and expressionless, showed a relieved smile upon hearing the score.

Kanda Shuichi exchanged glances with Koenji, and the two raised their right hands to high-five in celebration.

"That was a flawless plan, sickly boy."

"No, your execution was impressive too, beautiful guy."

"Beautiful guy? Hmm, I like that nickname. Hahaha!"

From this moment, the balance of power among the four classes shifted once again. It might even be time to call Ichinose's class the new Class A.

Katsuragi, who had spent the past week trying to widen the gap between his class and the others, suffered a crushing defeat.

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