As usual, I arrived at class earlier than most other students.
Somewhat unusually, I noticed that someone was sitting in my seat. It was a girl who I had talked to a little since the beginning of the Tachibana system, although we hadn't really been acquainted very deeply. Whilst the seating plan wasn't designated, generally, people would just sit in the same spot they always sat.
I didn't really care that much and simply sat down in the seat one spot forward.
"Mizuhara, aren't you going to say anything about how I'm sitting in your seat?"
I placed my bag on the ground.
"I don't mind."
I took out the book that I had been reading the past few days. For some reason, it seemed that she didn't stop glaring at me. I guess I couldn't just ignore it.
"You know, I've thought that you're a little weird."
I sighed, flipping to the page I left off last night.
"That's not very nice."
"I mean it. Shouldn't you care if someone's in your seat?"
Not particularly.
"I'm not sure what you expect from me, Hamasaki."
She was acting differently than usual. Although her cold, icy demeanour hadn't changed. I wonder why she held up a persona for the first few days of being here.
• ───────────────── •
Eventually, the class filled up with students, and everyone got into their seats. It took a few minutes, but all the students quietened down, allowing the teacher to begin explaining the special exam.
"You will be doing your first spin of the lottery in a few minutes. Feel free to talk during the process; however, remember that there will be an event at the end. If you want to skip the specific spin, press the skip button that will be located at the bottom. Keep the app open and wait for the next screen to appear."
Hamasaki tapped me on the shoulder.
"Mizuhara, don't you think that Kaoru's been acting weird?"
I looked over.
"I suppose so."
She did seem a little more on edge than usual. Normally, she'd take the lead immediately, having a discussion with the class regarding this exam, but for some reason, she was silent.
After a little while, the first screen appeared.
- *** -
[Lottery 1]
- Gain ONE attack token - 30%
- Gain THREE defence tokens - 20%
- Lose a life - 20%
- Gain ONE skip - 20%
- Gain ONE special bonus - 10%
[Lottery 1]
Attack tokens can be used to take a life of another student at the end of the exam. A defence token will cancel out an attack token; however, it can only be used on yourself.
- *** -
The first one was a pretty easy choice. There was only a very small chance of receiving a negative effect. The only reason someone would choose to skip this was to attempt to preserve their lives no matter what. In reality, the defence and attack tokens have much more utility, although choosing to skip could still make sense if you wanted to be very passive.
Also, just observing the conditions of the attack and defence tokens, they would appear to be very similar at first glance. However, the fact that defence tokens could only be used on yourself meant that groups of attackers would always have the upper hand. If you were targeted by a group of people, there was basically no way to defend yourself.
That seemed to be the undertone of the exam.
I decided to roll the lottery wheel.
...
[You received: ONE attack token]
It was fine.
Suddenly, Furukawa stood up.
"Guys, before we make a decision, we should discuss this as a class. Looking at possible outcomes, it's very likely that we can use this as an opportunity to attack other classes."
Itsuki was backing him up as usual.
Noticing Furukawa, Kaoru also quickly got up. It seemed that she finally wanted to lead the class again.
"Furukawa is right. These attack tokens aren't very strong on their own, but if we work together, we can basically expel someone of our choice from the other classes."
Chatter began to grow in the class. I had already made my decision, so I didn't really care.
They placed a lot of emphasis on the notion of attacking other classes. However, class structures at this school were very fluid, meaning there wasn't much benefit in necessarily grouping up against another class. I suppose Karou saw this as an opportunity to regain some influence in the group, though.
"Kaoru seems desperate," Hamasaki whispered to me.
"Somewhat."
I wondered why she was talking to me out of everyone. She wasn't exactly unpopular with other students in the class.
Furukawa and Kaoru seemed to be sharing leadership in this exam.
"We can have a vote near the end of the lotteries. This way, we can coordinate an attack and act more effectively," suggested Karou.
"That sounds good, Kaoru," Furukawa added.
There was a little more discussion before the next screen appeared. The second lottery was up, and there were some different odds to last time.
- *** -
[Lottery 2]
- Lose a life - 40%
- Lose two lives - 20%
- Gain TWO attack tokens - 20%
- Gain FOUR defence tokens - 20%
[Lottery 2]
- *** -
This time, the risk was much higher. 60% of the time, you would be penalised. However, the rewards were also greater. It seemed like a pretty standard next event. More students would be skipping this one compared to last time.
It was still worth it for me to try to gather defence tokens at the risk of lives. In the end, a defence token was basically directly convertible for a life.
Anyways, as long as I didn't lose all my lives during the lottery phase, there were no real risks to me.
[You received: TWO attack tokens]
Ah, I would've preferred defence tokens, but such was the nature of the lottery.
I suddenly heard some cries.
"—ah! I just lost two lives!"
"—You should've skipped, you idiot!"
It didn't really matter; judging by the progression of the exam, I could somewhat predict what the next few lotteries would involve. It helped with decision-making.
...
Just as expected, the next lottery involved some pretty extreme items.
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