I Reincarnated As Yamauchi in COTE

This partner selecting special exam was quite straight forward in my opinion.

The immediate crisis was the risk of getting expelled for us, second years, if our combined score falls below 500 mark.

That's why, even if you are a meritorious student, and score pretty well, if your first year partner's score is pretty low, then there is a chance of your expulsion.

So, naturally, everyone from our grade would be searching for students with good academic grades from the first year.

The OAA application is very helpful in that case, which displays a student's abilities through a general grading system.

However, I was wondering about the first year students' point of view towards this special exam.

Our first special exam of first year occurred pretty later than what's happening right now.

The students of my grade didn't even know about the point system, due to which class D had 0 points at the end of first month itself, as went on, in the original novel.

But, now that a special exam had been announced, I think they would have already been noticed about the S point system and it's limitations.

The first years would naturally be cautious.

On the other hand, they have a slight advantage.

No, it's a huge advantage for them, if you think deeply.

The penalty for second years getting below the 500 mark is direct expulsion, while the first year counterpart would just have to give up the private points for a limited amount of time.

If the current first years have already understood the point system well, then this partner hunting phase would be very difficult for us, especially for the students with low academic ability.

They would definitely try to team up with someone of high academic ability or whoever is giving them private points.

It wouldn't be a surpise if this whole partner hunting phase becomes a battle of private points among second year classes.

Moreover, even if our class has managed to reach class B, our overall academic ability is lower than Ichinose and Sakayanagi's class.

That's why it would be better for our class leader, Horikita, to formulate a plan for pairing up, for the whole class.

Because, the reward is not much for winning, but the penalty for losing is a huge setback.

Well, in my case, as the grades in the OAA app were based on the previous exam, and I transmigrated into this body after the exams were over, my academic ability is D+.

It's below average at best.

So, it would be pretty difficult for me to find a partner.

If Horikita takes everything in her hands then, she would try to pair up students like me with below average academic ability, with a first year having at least B in that section.

However, it would not be so easy to achieve due to the abover reasons I mentioned.

Hence, I would try to search for a suitable partner myself, with Horikita's arrangement as backup.

With that in mind, I was walking along the hallway after classes were over.

The hallway was completely devoid of students, silent and bathed in the soft amber glow of the setting sun.

Outside the window, the gentle sway of tree branches and the rippling surface of a pond painted a picture of tranquility.

It was a sharp contrast to the chaos of the past I remembered—a world filled with shouts, clashes, and relentless noise.

Now, everything was calm, still, and peaceful.

A reminder of how far I had come.

No nagging from that bitch of a senior, no overworking.

Just me and my peaceful days.

I have a few acquaintances with whom I can talk, an interesting school life due to the unique concept of COTE novel.

And most important of all, an uncertain future, that can be shaped according to my wishes despite the circumstances.

I still don't understand the concept of transmigration and all, but there is one thing I know for sure.

My life in this world feels more real to me than the previous one.

However, as someone wise once said,

Change is the only constant in the world.

I had forsaken my past for good.

But, I had a feeling that the ghosts of my past would haunt me till the end.

End of it all.

Why, you may ask?

That's because, deep down I knew.

I had this feeling, ever since I entered this world.

A deep rooted feeling of disgust for myself.

Cause, deep down I knew, I was a sinner.

***

It was already two days since the special exam was declared.

Some pairs had already been made.

I was scrolling through the OAA application to view the pairs and the remaining students.

On Monday itself, Ichinose conducted a kind of gathering for first ad second year students for the purpose of socialization.

Despite their advantage in this special exam, the first years are new to this system, so it was completely understandable that they were anxious about their situation.

So, this gathering must have helped some of the first year students to acquaint with the second years.

The pair formation was not too fast, as most of the students were waiting for the right time.

Various schemings were under way, beneath the pretense of partner hunting.

This special exam was important for first years because they get to work together with the second years from the get go.

It would definitely help them in the long run, and they won't suffer as much as our class did at the starting of our first year.

Things have changed for them, for sure.

Well, something is definitely fishy among the current first years, and I would come to know of it eventually.

As I was limping along the corridor,keeping an eye on the pairings of yesterday, a sudden notification popped up in the school's official app, under the notice section.

I was surprised at the fact that the sender was a first year student.

Curious about what would a first year student would want to announce to the entire school, I opened the notice, and it read like this.

"To all the second years searching for partners, we first years from all four classes have arranged an auction. From each of our classes the top 5 students would be up for auction. Interested second years should visit the auditorium in the special building, today after classes."

.....

Auction?

As I was processing the content of the notice, someone called out to me from behind.

"Yamauchi Haruki senpai."

I turned around to witness a girl, a little shorter than me, withlong blonde hair.

She must be a first year, considering the fact that I have seen her face somewhere before.

"Yes? ", I responded, unsure of how to react.

" Good morning, senpai. Myself Rika Hoshino from class 1B."

She paused for a moment to continue with a firm voice.

"If it's alright, would you like to pair up with me for this special exam?"

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A/N :

Please comment down your thoughts on the chapter.

I am thinking of changing this arc from how it went in the original novel.

Share your ideas too.

Next chapter : I Just Wanted To Help

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