In the end, the results of the special exam were vastly different from expectations, but most students had no objections.
Someone like Yamauchi naturally had no clue what had happened.
Throughout the exam, he ate, drank, and lazed around the camp, only moving when absolutely necessary—like during fruit-picking.
He didn't need to think about strategies or class points. He simply enjoyed a safe, low-cost existence.
Then, there were people like Kure Ragna—those who had mastered nearly every development across the classes within a week.
He had observed every shift, every subtle change, and understood the exam's structure down to its core. To him, the outcome was hardly surprising.
And then there was Ichinose Honami, who—though not as meticulous as Kure—had also grasped the situation well enough to accept the results.
The only one who seemed genuinely shocked was Yukinoshita Haruno.
While she believed she understood the dynamics of the exam, the actual results suggested otherwise.
Reality had unfolded in ways she hadn't accounted for, leaving her unsettled.
Regardless, the week-long special exam had finally come to an end.
---
The Boarding Process
As expected, the return process followed the standard A-B-C-D order.
However, since Classes A and D had already left before the exam ended, the sequence changed to B first, then C.
One interesting thing to note was how Horikita Suzune kept shooting murderous glares at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
Kushida Kikyo, noticing this, leaned toward him with a curious expression.
"What did you do to her?"
Ayanokoji shrugged, feigning ignorance.
"No idea. We're barely even acquaintances."
Kushida's lips curled into a knowing smile, but she didn't push further.
---
While waiting for the speedboats to dock, a voice suddenly rang out from Class B's formation.
"Wait a second—"
A student known as "Doctor", a relatively unnoticed figure, raised an important issue.
"If Class C earned 230 points in this exam… doesn't that mean that starting next semester, we'll be Class C?"
A stunned silence followed his words.
All eyes from Class B immediately turned toward him. He wasn't used to receiving this much attention, and for a moment, he looked overwhelmed.
"Wait, Doctor, are you serious!?" Ike Kanji blurted out, eyes wide.
"Y-Yeah," Doctor nodded, using his fingers to break it down.
His logic was simple. Before the midterm exam, the class points had been fairly stable—with differences ranging between 100 and 200 points.
Class A had led with 940 points, holding a 790-point gap over the original Class D, which had 150 points.
The difference between Class B and Class C was about 100 points.
The difference between Class C and Class D was also 100 points.
However, because Class C had gained a massive 230 points, they had not only closed the gap with Class B, but even surpassed them by over ten points.
A harsh reality dawned upon them.
"Damn… we actually got demoted?" a girl muttered, disbelief lacing her voice.
Even the students who never cared about rankings before suddenly felt the frustration of losing status.
Standing at a distance, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka watched his classmates in silence.
Through careful observation, he had already pieced together what had happened.
He had made a deal with Yukinoshita Haruno. Judging by Kure Ragna's sudden lack of contribution and his more casual attitude, Ayanokoji deduced that Haruno wanted to seize the opportunity to gain points and assistance in her pursuit of Class A. Even if she wasn't fully confident in the plan's success, she was desperate enough to take the gamble.
Then there was Kure Ragna's behavior. Ayanokoji had already anticipated his lack of motivation during the exam.
First, Kure's relationship with Sakayanagi made his actions unpredictable.
Second, if he truly had no interest in participating, it was either due to Sakayanagi-related reasons or simple disinterest.
Third, Ayanokoji knew exactly how to change that—by offering him free assistance to strengthen Sakayanagi's faction.
After all, if something is handed to you freely, there's no reason to reject it.
Another crucial element was how he had showcased his overwhelming physical prowess early on.
It was a calculated move.
By doing so, he had cemented himself as "Kure Ragna." After all, only Kure Ragna could pull off such feats.
The pieces had fallen into place exactly as he had planned.
---
(Ayanokoji's Monologue)
Ayanokoji's gaze lingered on the sea as he reflected on his past.
"I knew all about fear born through pain. I had witnessed terror and misery firsthand. I had seen people break—reduced to nothing but hollow shells. Time and time again, I watched as they fell into despair."
"But eventually… I stopped feeling fear."
"Instead, all I felt was cold indifference."
"Because no matter how much suffering others endured, the same fate would never befall me."
"As long as I have the means to protect myself, that's all that matters. As long as I can keep myself safe, I will always win."
"For that, I will do anything. The means don't matter."
"Winning is everything."
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