After school, Saiki headed to the multipurpose room after some discussion.
The events weren't finalized yet, but they needed to decide which class to compete against. Class D was the obvious choice.
They were the weakest, and Ryūen Kakeru wasn't very involved.
But Saiki had another target in mind—Class A.
*'If I don't choose Class A, Sakayanagi will probably cause trouble later. Better settle this now and avoid future headaches.'*
Saiki soon arrived at the multipurpose room. Chabashira was surprised to see him.
"Didn't expect you to be the commander, Saiki."
"No one else wanted to," Saiki replied casually.
"Your performance in the last exam exceeded my expectations. I'm sure your classmates didn't expect you to top either."
"I'm curious about that too," Saiki admitted.
*'Saiki… he's definitely hiding his strength… both the exam results and Tsukishiro's behavior prove it. I was completely fooled before, even overlooking him. If Ayanokōji said Saiki wasn't worth worrying about, they might already be working together…'*
*'Wait, could it be… that the class's actions weren't just Ayanokōji's doing?'*
*'Saiki might be an even bigger threat than Ayanokōji.'*
"Saiki, you're an exceptional student, right? Even more than Ayanokōji?" Chabashira asked with a smile.
Just as Saiki was about to deny it, he sensed her thoughts.
*'This question might reveal Saiki's true strength. If he can see through Ayanokōji's abilities, he's no ordinary student.'*
"Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean. If it's academics, Ayanokōji and I are probably on the same level. I just got lucky in the last exam."
"Is that so?" Chabashira narrowed her eyes.
"This exam is important for us. If we win and Class A loses, we could overtake them."
"Hopefully. It depends on the opponents and the events we're assigned."
Chabashira didn't press further.
"Go inside."
Saiki followed her into the multipurpose room, where the class representatives and teachers were gathered.
Class A's representative was Sakayanagi Arisu, Class C's was Ichinose Honami, and Class D's was Kaneda Satoru. All had protection points.
"Now that all commanders are here, we'll decide the matchups. Draw a slip from the box. The one with the red dot gets to choose their opponent."
Class A's teacher, Mashima Tomonari, instructed, and the students lined up.
The teacher urged them to start with Class A, but Sakayanagi refused.
"They say the last one has the best luck. I'll go last. Saiki, you can go first." Sakayanagi smiled at Saiki.
*'So Class B's leader is Saiki?'*
"Alright." Saiki stepped forward.
With his telepathic abilities, he knew which slip had the red dot.
He planned to face Class A, but—
Saiki drew a slip without the mark, revealing plain white paper.
Next, Ichinose and Kaneda drew, but neither got the mark.
*'Perfect, just as planned.'* Saiki thought.
He wanted Class A as his opponent but didn't want to choose them himself. His classmates wanted the weakest, Class D, and if he chose Class A, it would cause trouble.
Better to let Sakayanagi decide.
So, Saiki had used his powers to ensure Ichinose and Kaneda wouldn't get the marked slip, leaving the choice to Sakayanagi.
"Just as I thought."
Sakayanagi Arisu smiled faintly, drew a lottery, and opened it to reveal a red slip inside.
Upon seeing Sakayanagi win the selection right, Kaneda Satoru's heart skipped a beat.
*"Damn, Class A got the selection right? This is the worst-case scenario... The class with the right will probably choose the weakest one... It'll likely be Class A vs. Class D."*
"In that case, I'll choose Class B!"
Sakayanagi turned to Mashima Tomonari and declared.
"Class B? Explain your reasoning."
Mashima asked, puzzled. After all, the class with the selection right should logically choose the weakest opponent.
"Because I want to widen the gap with Class B."
Sakayanagi's smile remained unchanged.
"Class B is close to us in points. If we beat them, we can double the gap."
Sakayanagi sounded confident.
"Next, I'll explain the duties of the command tower..."
Mashima demonstrated how the student in the observation tower should operate: inputting test items, selecting participants, and intervening during the exam.
The competition would be projected on a computer screen. The student in the tower could write messages for intervention, which would be relayed by the school's system. Only one participant per event could wear headphones to receive instructions.
*'This seems so tedious... Telepathy would be way easier—but if Horikita's right, and we prepare in advance, I won't have to do much. I guess there's no rule against eating here, right? I could just chill, eat cake, and read manga... Will there be teachers supervising? If so, I can't slack off like that.'*
Saiki Kusuo rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Beside him, Sakayanagi's gaze fixed on Saiki.
*"Saiki looks deep in thought. Is he already planning a strategy?"*
Sakayanagi had no idea Saiki was only thinking about how to slack off.
"Any questions about the command tower's duties?"
Mashima asked.
"None."
"Alright, that's it for today. If you need to review the procedures, you can do so in the multipurpose room with a teacher's supervision, up to a week before the exam. Dismissed."
Afterward, Saiki returned to his dorm and shared the information with everyone, including Ayanokōji Kiyotaka.
"Honestly, if this were an individual competition, we'd almost certainly win. But this exam requires commanding the entire class, which means we need to understand our classmates better."
Ayanokōji said slowly.
*"Even a genius strategist like Sun Tzu couldn't win with a child's army against seasoned adults. To fight, we need one thing: understanding Class B's potential—who likes or dislikes whom, their strengths and weaknesses. Without this, victory is impossible."*
'...'
Saiki felt helpless but asked, "Any ideas?"
"We can ask Kushida or Karuizawa about the students. Girls shouldn't be an issue, but for boys... Hirata's been off since the last exam."
Ayanokōji replied.
'Why not just start a group poll? This is way too complicated...'
Saiki didn't want to ask everyone individually, so he waved his hand.
"Not necessary."
"Hmm?"
Hearing Saiki, Ayanokōji's mind raced.
*"Saiki says it's not necessary to gather info... Does he already know everything about our classmates?"*
Ayanokōji wondered.
'No way...'
Saiki was surprised by Ayanokōji's conclusion. In a sense, Ayanokōji wasn't wrong—Saiki knew everything about the class.
But now, Saiki had to play along:
"Making a big deal out of this is too much. We can split up: you ask Kushida about the class, and I'll ask Karuizawa tonight."
"Got it. Thanks."
Ayanokōji seemed to remember something.
"Oh, for this exam, there's only one 1v1 event. Any thoughts?"
"Not yet."
"I see... We'll figure it out later. Horikita's probably already investigating the other students."
After a brief conversation, Ayanokōji and Saiki parted ways.
...
That evening, Saiki called Karuizawa Kei to his room to ask about the girls.
Though it meant nothing to him, not doing anything would raise suspicions.
Soon, Karuizawa shared what she knew.
"Thanks, you can go rest now."
Saiki pretended to take notes before escorting her out.
But Karuizawa stopped.
"Kusuo, I'm surprised you volunteered for the command tower. Why?"
She asked curiously.
"Because the command tower student can do nothing, right?"
Saiki answered honestly—though no one would believe him.
*"Kusuo must be protecting the class!"*
Karuizawa thought, smiling. She continued,
"By the way, why do you think you got votes from other classes?"
Karuizawa couldn't figure it out.
"I don't know... Maybe Sakayanagi wanted Yamauchi expelled, so he lied and targeted me randomly."
"I see... But about Manabe's expulsion from Class D, did you do anything?"
Karuizawa looked at Saiki.
*"If it's Saiki, he could've manipulated the exam results... Did he intentionally get Manabe expelled? Manabe knew about my past..."*
"Nope."
Saiki replied firmly.
"Really? Sounds like something you'd say!"
Karuizawa's smile widened.
"Anyway, I'm heading back. Rest up!"
She left quickly.
But before she did, Saiki heard her thoughts.
*"White Day's coming up. What should I give Saiki?"*
'Huh, White Day?'
Saiki shook his head.
"Never mind, focus on the present."
...
The next day, Saiki arrived in class. Horikita Suzune quickly called a meeting to discuss the exam.
Before it started, Hirata Yōsuke left the room.
Since the class vote, Hirata had changed, avoiding others and skipping activities.
*"I failed to protect anyone..."*
Saiki could hear Hirata's self-blame.
'This could get worse. Hirata's one of the few normal students here.'
"Hirata!"
Some students tried to stop him, but Horikita intervened.
"We're about to discuss. Do you want fewer participants?"
Hearing her, the students stopped.
"Hey, Kōenji, you stayed?"
Sudō Ken looked surprised at Kōenji Rokusuke.
"Of course. I'm part of this class."
Kōenji smiled, though no one believed him.
"Let's wrap this up quickly. I'm busy."
"This exam can't be rushed. Even after deciding the events, we need long-term preparation to win."
Horikita said seriously.
Kōenji just smiled and said nothing.
"Let's begin the discussion."
Horikita scanned the room.
"What exam events should we choose?"