Chapter 122 Another Special Exam!
"Kei, Maya, what do your messages say?"
"My time is 9:00 PM sharp, Room 301 on the third floor."
Matsushita Chiaki was the first to regain her composure and confirmed the contents of her text message.
"Mine is 9:30 PM, Room 308."
"Mine is 9:15 PM, Room 305."
Karuizawa Kei and Sato Maya each confirmed their messages as well.
"The school is so annoying! We just finished the special exam on the uninhabited island; why is there another one already?" Sato Maya muttered, complaining incessantly.
"What's going on?"
"Students from the same class are being split up into different time slots and assembly points..." Karuizawa Kei's brow furrowed, a flicker of hidden gloom passing through her eyes.
Is she worried about being alone?
Hikigaya keenly noticed this and made a seemingly casual remark: "My assembly room is 305, right next to yours."
Hearing this, Karuizawa's brow relaxed slightly, though her face remained a bit tense.
"There's still some time before the assembly.
Should we go grab breakfast together first?"
Matsushita Chiaki grabbed Karuizawa's hand with one hand and Hikigaya's wrist with the other.
Hikigaya really wanted to say, the three of you can go, why do you have to bring me along?
Just like that, one man and three women sat down at a dining table together. Hikigaya could clearly feel the envious glares stabbing him from every direction!
"Hee hee~ Three gyarus and one guy—doesn't this combination feel like a manga plot?" Sato Maya joked.
'That would be a doujinshi plot, wouldn't it?'
Hikigaya didn't dare voice that particular joke.
After breakfast.
The four of them walked to the third floor together. Matsushita Chiaki and Sato Maya arrived at their respective rooms one after the other. For the short remaining distance, Hikigaya walked alongside Karuizawa Kei.
"..."
Karuizawa Kei instinctively grabbed his sleeve, looking at him expectantly.
'You're way too timid, aren't you?'
The "fake gyaru"—she gets exposed the moment she's left alone!
"Don't be afraid. I'm in the room right next to you.
If anything happens, just shout loudly and I'll appear."
Hikigaya could only do his best to comfort her.
"Mm!"
Karuizawa Kei nodded heavily, appearing much more composed. After seeing her to Room 305, Hikigaya returned to his own assigned Room 304.
He pushed the door open and entered. Inside the spacious conference hall, about a dozen people had already gathered. Surprisingly, the students gathered here represented all four classes: A, B, C, and D.
"Hikigaya? Tch~"
The representatives from Class D were Sotomura Hideo, Okitani Kyosuke, and Inogashira Kokoro.
The first two were part of "Yamauchi's gang" and had always been at odds with him.
The other girl was close with Shinohara Satsuki and similarly looked at him with distaste.
Facing the blatant rejection from his own classmates, Hikigaya naturally didn't bother approaching them; he chose a seat far away from Class D by himself.
He didn't know anyone from Class C. From Class B, there was Himeno Yuki, whom he had met a few times; after their eyes met, she gave a friendly nod as a greeting.
Yahiko from Class A, needless to say, was glaring at him intently.
The last person to enter the room was Kamuro Masumi. After her cold gaze swept over the people from Class A, she likewise chose not to sit with her own classmates. Those people probably happened to be part of the Katsuragi faction.
When she spotted Hikigaya in the corner, Kamuro Masumi's eyes lit up, and without a word, she walked straight toward him.
'No, don't come over here! This is a special exam!'
"Dammit, Kamuro!
As expected, she's betrayed the class."
Yahiko and the others gritted their teeth in anger. Kamuro Masumi ignored them completely, sitting down beside Hikigaya as she pleased.
"Kamuro, you're being ostracized by your class."
"Hmph! I'm returning those words to you exactly as they are!"
"No, I'm the one ostracizing them."
"Then I'm the same!"
The two stared at each other, the corners of their mouths unintentionally curling up slightly.
When the assembly time arrived, a female teacher carrying a stack of documents arrived late.
"Dear students, sorry to keep you waiting~~"
Putting on a cutesy voice was Hoshinomiya Chie, the homeroom teacher of Class B. Her gaze quickly swept the room, and a sharp glint flashed in her eyes when her sight landed on Hikigaya.
"Hello, Hoshinomiya-sensei~~"
The atmosphere relaxed, and everyone greeted her in unison. With her sweet looks and pleasant way of speaking, Hoshinomiya-sensei had a good reputation across all classes.
Hikigaya, however, didn't have a great first impression of this teacher. Their first meeting was in the infirmary when he brought Ibuki to treat her wound. To test him, Hoshinomiya-sensei had deliberately incited him to help treat Ibuki's injury, using frivolous and provocative language.
Unlike Chabashira-sensei, who pretended to offer "fanservice," Hikigaya always felt that Hoshinomiya-sensei's words and actions carried a sense of flirtatious charm. In short, she was a veteran "man-hunter."
"Is everyone here?
Next, I will explain the special exam to you."
Hoshinomiya Chie sat at the head of the conference table and got down to business.
"For this special exam, the school will divide all first-year students into twelve groups according to the order of the Chinese Zodiac.
This exam is conducted on a group basis. The goal is to test your Thinking ability."
Okitani Kyosuke from Class D asked foolishly: "Huh? What does Thinking mean?" (thinking was said in English)
"I'm sorry~ I'm not accepting any questions at this stage. Please bear with it for a moment, student~"
Hoshinomiya Chie responded gently, though a trace of contempt flashed in her narrowed eyes.
Hikigaya began to ponder. First of all, the names of the groups were very intriguing. Why use the twelve zodiac signs instead of a simple 1, 2, 3, 4, 5? Was it specifically to hide the numbers?
"From a sociological perspective, abilities can generally be divided into three basic categories.
Thinking, Action, and Teamwork. Only those who possess these abilities can become excellent adults.
Just like the previous special exam on the uninhabited island, the focus of testing everyone was Teamwork."
Hoshinomiya-sensei continued her lecture fluently. Hikigaya, however, maintained reservations about these words that sounded technically correct.
Taking the uninhabited island exam as an example, Hikigaya didn't think teamwork was the main point. Although, looking at the results, the most united Class B took first place. But in reality, the one who seized the greatest battle results was Class C, which practiced violent autocracy. Even the disorganized Class D took second place.
'You call this teamwork?'
However, he guessed that the teaching syllabus was written that way, and Hoshinomiya-sensei was merely reciting from the book.
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New Fanfiction!
Hachiman please tone down your Inner Thoughts
While waiting for Yukinoshita in the clubroom, he unexpectedly travels to the world of Classroom of the Elite and becomes the representative of Class B.
Initially, he only intended to keep a low profile while helping Class B escape its tragic fate from the original story, and incidentally saving Ichinose Honami.
However, why these girls seems to know what am I Thinking?
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting