Meanwhile, in another classroom, Class B students were on standby.
Though Suzune had briefed them, those yet to compete were nervous.
"Good work, Miyake," Suzune said, approaching Akito Miyake, who had just returned.
Fate is on our side. Three consecutive wins in our projects—this is our chance! One more win, and we'll secure victory!
Suzune's eyes gleamed with determination, but she knew nothing was certain until the end.
Just then, the announcement blared.
"Round 4: Class A's project—Mental Calculation."
"Mental Calculation? Just as Katsuragi predicted," Suzune murmured.
Katsuragi's intelligence seemed accurate, increasing the likelihood of his betrayal.
"Next should be Matsushita and Kōenji..."
"Class A participants: Katsuragi Kakeru and Tamiya Emi."
"Class B participants: Matsushita Chiaki and Horikita Suzune."
"Students, proceed to Exam Room 2 within 10 minutes or forfeit."
"What?" Suzune was surprised to hear her name, as it deviated from the plan.
But after a moment's thought, she nodded.
"I let Saiki choose the participants. He picked me—a wise decision. We're one win away from victory. Whether Katsuragi holds back or not, we'll secure this round."
With that, Suzune hurried to the exam room.
...
Arisu, watching the screen, was stunned.
She hadn't expected Class B to send Suzune.
"Is it because it's the deciding round?" Arisu narrowed her eyes, turning to Saiki.
"Sending Suzune to ensure victory? What about the remaining rounds? You need six wins to surpass us. Without your main players, are you giving up on overtaking us now?"
"Ensuring victory is one thing. But do you think we'd believe Katsuragi's betrayal?" Saiki replied flatly.
"We never believed Katsuragi would betray Class A."
"I see," Arisu said, forcing a smile.
Saiki is truly remarkable...
"It was Ayanokōji who figured it out," Saiki added. Arisu didn't respond directly.
"Still, Katsuragi is exceptional. We might not lose this round."
Their eyes turned to the screen as the competition began.
The first problem appeared: Single-digit, 3 numbers, 5 seconds.
*9, 6, 1 = 16.* Easy.
All students answered correctly. Ten problems in total, increasing difficulty. If both sides answered the 10th correctly, it would go to overtime.
By the 3rd and 4th problems, double-digit numbers with over six digits appeared.
Matsushita's math skills shone as she answered correctly.
But from the 5th problem onward, the difficulty spiked.
Problem 5: Triple-digit, 6 numbers, 5 seconds.
Problem 6: Triple-digit, 8 numbers, 5 seconds.
Matsushita reached her limit, and Class A's other student was equally lost.
Now, it was Suzune vs. Katsuragi.
Arisu, watching, instantly calculated the answers faster than either competitor.
*'Yare yare, she's terrifying...'* Saiki marveled at Arisu's speed.
But for him, it was an opportunity.
Problem 7: Triple-digit, 12 numbers, 4.5 seconds.
Problem 8: Triple-digit, 15 numbers, 3.5 seconds.
Problem 9: Triple-digit, 15 numbers, 2.5 seconds.
On Problem 8, Katsuragi and Suzune answered simultaneously.
But Problem 9 exceeded their abilities—even the school's top students couldn't solve it instantly.
Arisu, however, answered in her mind instantly.
Saiki used this moment to telepathically send the answer to Suzune.
"I... I got it!" Suzune's eyes widened, but Saiki's presence felt natural. She nodded and wrote the answer.
Then came Problem 10.
Arisu used her command tower ability to answer it, while Saiki did nothing.
"Which problem did you tell her? The answer? I answered Problem 10: 7,619." Arisu turned to Saiki.
"I didn't answer. I couldn't calculate it," Saiki lied casually.
"Is that so?" Arisu narrowed her eyes.
Soon, the exam's end was announced.
"The final results are in—first place goes to Horikita Suzune, who answered nine out of ten questions correctly, securing the highest score. Class B wins!"
Sakagami announced the victory over the broadcast.
Class B erupted in cheers instantly.
4:0
No one had expected such a result.
"We beat Class A!"
"Are we really that strong?"
"Everyone did amazing!"
Class B students celebrated, while Class A's expressions darkened.
For the first time, they tasted defeat.
A crushing 4:0 defeat.
*Former Class D beating Class A... How is this possible...*
Even Sakagami struggled to believe his eyes.
Meanwhile, Horikita Suzune returned to the resting area, surrounded by classmates.
"Horikita, you're incredible! How did you solve it?"
"I... I'm not sure. It felt like a sudden flash of insight."
Horikita shook her head. She doubted she could replicate it.
"We finally beat Class A! Time to celebrate!"
"But it's not enough yet!"
At that moment, Horikita's expression turned serious.
"If we win four or five matches, we remain Class B. But if we secure six victories, we can use this exam to ascend directly to Class A! So, let's push harder and aim for the top!"
Her words boosted the class's morale.
---
Multipurpose Room.
*I lost?*
*Though it's a mix of skill and luck, the fact remains... I lost.*
*How...*
Sakayanagi Arisu bit her lip, then forced a smile, hiding her thoughts.
"Katsuragi wouldn't betray us. Reaching the eighth question was his limit."
"Class B won this round, and we lost thoroughly. But the battle isn't over. Now, it's about Class A defending its position."
"Let's look forward to the next matches."
Sakayanagi knew she couldn't avoid defeat, so she focused on saving face in the remaining rounds.
"Our classmates are really trying hard," Saiki Kusuo remarked.
"Are they?" Sakayanagi glanced at him.
*Saiki could've solved the last question, but he trusted Horikita to beat Katsuragi and believed Katsuragi couldn't solve the ninth. Does Saiki already know their limits?*
Sakayanagi shivered, clenching her fists.
*Hmm, does this apply to me too? In a way, it's not wrong.*
"Next round begins," Sakagami announced, resuming the draw. Saiki decided against using his powers again.
Round 5: Math Exam
*Participants: 7, Time: 50 minutes*
*Rules: Solve questions from the annual curriculum. Compare total scores.*
*Command Tower: Answer one question.*
Following Horikita's plan, Saiki selected Hirata Yousuke, Yukimura Teruhiko, Ishikura Kayoko, Wang Mei-Yu, Asahina Nazuna, Kushida Kikyō, and Nishikawa Ryoko—Class B's best mathematicians.
Class A countered with Osaragi Shinju, Morishige Takuro, and Nishino Takeko—equally skilled or stronger.
After the exam, teachers tallied scores.
"Class B scored 631 points."
"Class A: 655 points. Class A wins."
Class A's academic edge was clear, especially without Horikita and Koenji as wildcards.
*Stick to Horikita's plan. No credit for me.*
Saiki thought.
"At least we avoided a shutout," Sakayanagi sighed, relieved.
Defending Class A's position felt slightly easier.
"Round 6 draw begins."
Sakayanagi's expression hardened. One more win would secure Class A's rank.
The next exam was announced—a twist of fate.
Chess
*Participants: 1, Time: 1 hour (loss if time runs out)*
*Rules: Standard chess. No time extension after move 41.*
*Command Tower: 30 minutes to instruct.*
*Chess, huh?*
Saiki knew chess was Sakayanagi's specialty. Despite losing in class exams, she remained fixated on it.
*Finally, my chance!*
Sakayanagi's eyes lit up. She nominated Hashimoto Masayoshi.
Saiki had no choice.
*Only one option now.*
He wrote Ayanokōji Kiyotaka's name.
Sakayanagi nodded, satisfied. Her long-awaited showdown with Ayanokōji was here.
"Saiki, if you both compete..."
But Saiki was chatting with Hoshinomiya Chie.
"Need water?"
"Any milk tea?"
"Yes, what kind?"
"Regular milk tea."