"As a club regular, your skills are mediocre..."
"You rely on your classmates to score; you're useless..."
"Even we beginners can score against you. Your team must be terrible!"
Kito followed Sakayanagi's orders, taunting Sudo.
Class B's students looked worried, fearing Sudo might lose his temper and act impulsively.
Though Class B led, the other students were exhausted. Victory wasn't guaranteed.
"Sudo!"
Ike Kanji approached, concerned.
But Sudo smiled awkwardly.
"Even as opponents, your words make me blush."
Sudo scratched his head.
"Huh?"
Kito was confused. He meant to provoke Sudo, but Sudo seemed to take it as a compliment.
Thanks to Saiki's powers, Kito's words sounded like praise to Sudo.
"As a club member, your skills are impressive!"
"Your classmates must score because you trained them well."
"We've learned basketball, but we can't keep up with you..."
That's what Sudo heard.
...
Ten minutes later, the game ended. Class B won, 36-14.
"Great game!"
Sudo smiled, offering Kito a handshake.
"..."
*This isn't how I imagined it.*
Kito was stunned. He'd taunted Sudo, yet Sudo wanted to shake hands.
For a moment, Kito felt guilty.
...
"Class B won the first round!"
In the multipurpose room, Hoshinomiya Chie exclaimed.
Saiki turned to Sakayanagi, who seemed calm.
"I thought we had a chance. He's more skilled than I expected."
Though she spoke calmly, Sakayanagi was puzzled.
*Strange. Sudo's reaction is off. Can he laugh off taunts and chat with opponents? Did I have bad intel, or has Sudo grown significantly?*
*Because to Sudo, it's all compliments.*
Saiki thought.
"Let's draw for the next event."
Sakagami Kazuma continued, starting the computer draw.
Saiki used his powers to ensure Class B's chosen event was drawn.
The second event was typing skills: one participant, 30 minutes.
Rules: Compete in single words, short articles, and long articles for speed and accuracy.
Command tower: Point out one mistake during the exam.
*Hmm, this event was proposed by the professor.*
Saiki thought.
Sotomura Hideo, in Saiki's group during the special exam, had occasional contact with him. Though his grades were poor, and his personality was sleazy, he had strange talents in specific areas.
Saiki knew Sotomura had unmatched typing speed in Class B, even surpassing the national average.
"Class B chose an interesting event. It seems like a game, but typing is an essential skill today. It's natural the school included it."
Sakayanagi turned to Saiki, smiling.
"Everyone has a talent, but competing in it might shake their confidence. You must have someone confident in typing."
She entered Yoshida Kenta's name into the system.
*Yoshida Kenta, another one-chapter wonder.*
Saiki thought, looking at Sakayanagi.
*Yoshida's typing is decent, but not enough to win. Class B will take this round. Two draws in their favor—lucky.*
Sakayanagi thought.
The match began. Sotomura's typing speed exceeded Saiki's expectations, his fingers a blur.
Saiki knew Sotomura would win without his intervention.
The result was announced quickly.
"Class B's Sotomura Hideo: 92 points. Class A's Yoshida Kenta: 83 points. Class B wins."
Sakagami announced.
"Class B took two rounds! You're doing well!"
Hoshinomiya smiled at Saiki.
But Saiki heard her thoughts.
Her inner monologue was terrifying, contrasting her cute appearance.
*Sae's class became Class B, replacing us! If they win, they might become Class A—unacceptable! I won't forget Sae's mistakes!*
Hoshinomiya's thoughts revealed a dark obsession with Chabashira Sae.
"Close, but not enough. Too bad."
Sakayanagi shook her head.
*Class B got two events. The next draw will likely favor us.*
*Two losses are acceptable. The real battle is ahead, Saiki.*
Sakayanagi remained calm despite the losses.
*Sorry, but psychics don't believe in probability.*
Saiki thought.
The third draw was archery.
*Another Class B event?*
Sakayanagi was puzzled.
*I'll send Miyake.*
Saiki entered Miyake Akito's name.
As expected, Miyake, an archery club regular, won.
"Class B leads 3-0..."
Hoshinomiya was shocked.
One more win for Class B would end the match.
Is Class A really pushed to this extent?
Sakagami, standing nearby, was also somewhat surprised.
Although Class A and Class B had similar points, in the eyes of all teachers, Class A's strength was far ahead of other classes. Moreover, Class B was originally Class D, which should have the weakest overall strength.
Now, the former Class D had the potential to rise to Class A...
Class D rising to Class B is unprecedented... and now they might even reach Class A... Why? Is it related to the student named Saiki? He's been surprisingly outstanding in previous exams. Is Class B's current lead also because of Saiki Kusuo?
Sakagami's gaze shifted to Saiki, but he quickly shook his head.
No, although the command tower can interfere in this exam, its capabilities are still very limited and far from influencing the outcome. It's probably just because Class B's projects keep getting chosen.
*'Yare yare, this is why I chose to be the command tower in the first place,'* Saiki thought, a slight smirk on his lips.
Since he didn't participate in the exam, even if his class won, no one would suspect his involvement.
Everything was under control.
"Teacher Sakagami, I have a request," Arisu Sakayanagi suddenly spoke up.
"What is it?" Sakagami adjusted his glasses.
"I know it's unlikely, but could you confirm if there's a glitch in the lottery system? It's just... Class B's projects have been chosen three times in a row."
Arisu's concern was valid; such a probability was extremely low.
Damn... Class B has already won three rounds? If their project gets chosen again, we're in trouble.
According to the rules, all seven rounds must be completed, even if a winner is decided. But losing the first four rounds would severely impact our students' morale, potentially costing us points.
And it would be an absolute humiliation! Damn, why am I panicking? I can't let the enemy see my anxiety!
Though Arisu's face remained calm, her thoughts betrayed her.
Saiki, of course, heard her inner turmoil clearly.
The once-arrogant Arisu was now rattled.
Could Saiki have tampered with the exam system?
Arisu's suspicion of Saiki grew.
"Please wait, I'll contact the higher-ups," Sakagami said, leaving his seat. Five minutes later, he returned.
"They confirmed the system is fine."
"I see. Looks like luck is on your side, Saiki," Arisu said, turning to him. Saiki remained silent.
*'Yare yare, if our projects keep getting chosen, it might raise suspicion. And a 7-0 win would be too obvious. I'll ease up a bit...'*
Saiki quickly calculated and selected Class A's project for the next round.
Project: Mental Calculation
Participants: 2
Time: 30 minutes
Rules: Compete in mental math accuracy and speed. The winning student's class takes the round.
Command Tower Ability: Alter any answer.
"Finally, our project," Arisu said, smiling.
With this, victory is certain. Class B will assume Katsuragi will betray me, so they'll send weaker students. But that's just a trap! When Katsuragi wins, they'll be shocked.
*'Yare yare, that's annoying,'* Saiki thought, changing his plan.
Normally, he'd avoid standing out, but this exam depended more on individual skill. Winning wouldn't bother him.
Following Suzune's strategy, the intended participants were Kōenji and Matsushita. Kōenji was reliable, and Matsushita, though unremarkable, had strong math skills—Saiki knew she was hiding her true abilities.
But after hearing Arisu's words, Saiki decided to ignore Suzune's plan.
He entered the first name: Matsushita Chiaki.
Then the second:
Horikita Suzune.