Practical teaching, all I want is your reward.

"When was the master?"

This was the first message from Kikyo Kushida. She betrayed Class D without hesitation, telling Tetsu Suzuki her location and time.

"7:20 PM."

"Oh, what a pity!"

"Do you feel much more relaxed now?"

"My master is really something!"

Suzuki Toru then looked at Ichinose Honami's message; the other person was at the same time as him, just in a different location.

"It seems that it's not just one or two classes; the students in the entire grade have probably been separated and grouped up with other classes."

"I guess it means we should split into groups."

"I can't go on a date tonight, sob sob ≥﹏≤"

Next came news about Sakayanagi Arisu, Katsuragi Kohei, and Shiina Hiyori. Suzuki Toru clicked his tongue, feeling as if he had suddenly returned to the past.

However, I didn't expect that Hiyori Shiina was from the same place as me. There are too many acquaintances here.

"Everyone's schedule is different. Some people can know the exam questions in advance, while others need to be an hour or two later. Isn't that unfair?"

"No, perhaps it doesn't matter even if someone knows the questions in advance."

"That makes sense, but what exactly do they want us to do in such a short time?"

Shinji Matoba and Masayoshi Hashimoto were still discussing the unexpected exam. Although they complained a little, it was clear that they were maintaining a rational mindset.

But Totsuka Yahiko was different; he simply put on his shoes and prepared to go out.

"Totsuka-kun, where are you going?" Shinji Toba asked.

"Of course! At this point, we can only turn to Katsuragi-kun!" Totsuka Yahiko said confidently. "Katsuragi-kun definitely has a way. He's the best guy in the whole grade!"

So the loyal follower left the room.

"Suzuki, what do you think is the purpose of this exam?" Hashimoto Masayoshi looked at Suzuki Toru on the bed. "Since the last exam was about our teamwork, isn't this one about individual performance?"

"It's hard to say. Anyway, there are only three days left. With such a short time, it probably won't be too difficult." Suzuki Tetsu thought about lying down for a while. He wanted to see how Sakayanagi Arisu would clear the game.

Masayoshi Hashimoto stroked his chin, and Shinji Matoba patted him on the shoulder.

"You're all ahead of me, so please tell me what the exam questions are later."

……

Around 7pm.

Suzuki Toru and Hashimoto Masayoshi arrived together in the second-floor corridor, where several students were already loitering.

As soon as I knocked on the door, a cold voice came from inside.

"Come in."

Pushing open the door, I saw a woman with an aloof expression sitting in a chair. She was wearing a black blazer over a simple white shirt, and her high, prominent breasts stretched the fabric as if they were about to burst out. This classic office lady outfit perfectly showcased a woman's curves, making her full in the right places and slender in the right places, without an ounce of excess.

It's a pity that she was sitting at the table and couldn't see what was below, but she must have been wearing a tight-fitting skirt. Suzuki Toru could already see the black pantyhose and her jade-like feet in high heels under the table.

[Little woman, wait for the mugwort!], [Sensai, you smell so good!], [If you want to get into Class A, you have to learn to seize the future], [Sorry, Chabashira-sensei, I'm going to talk back to you now], [Lick Chabashira Sae's jade feet until they're raw], [Want Sensai's gentle comfort], [Want to put the collar on Sensai myself]...

Although we've met before, it's no wonder that the wish-granting opportunity threw me here, since even a female teacher could make a wish.

Just as Suzuki Tetsu was about to close the door, he suddenly heard a loud bang and his hand trembled slightly.

"It hurts so much, waaaaah..."

Miki Yamamura covered her forehead with both hands, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at Toru Suzuki, as if asking why she had closed the door earlier.

"Sorry, I didn't notice you just now." Suzuki Toru was a little puzzled. Where did this guy come from?

"N-nothing, I'm used to it." Miki Yamamura carefully slipped in from beside him, then sat obediently in her seat like a hamster.

Suzuki Toru looked outside again; it seemed no one was there.

After closing the door, he sat down in front of Chabazusa, with Yamamura Miki and Hashimoto Masayoshi beside him.

"Everyone's here. Let's begin the exam." Chabashira Sae scrutinized the Class A students with a slightly cold gaze, but saw no reaction from them; each one was more indifferent than the last.

Compared to the students in Class D, the students in Class A were indeed more composed in the face of danger.

"This special exam will divide all first-year students into 12 groups based on the Chinese sexagenary cycle, and then conduct exams within each group. The purpose is to assess your thinking abilities."

Thinking, in this context, means to ponder or reflect.

"In society, a normal adult should possess three abilities: action, critical thinking, and teamwork. In the previous exam on the deserted island, the school prioritized teamwork. Correspondingly, this exam will test your other ability, namely critical thinking."

After delivering this rather lengthy explanation of the exam opening, Chabashira Sae took out a document.

"To reiterate, this exam will be conducted in groups. Everyone present is a member of the same group, and the students receiving instructions in other rooms are also members of your group."

Hashimoto Masayoshi looked slightly surprised and couldn't help but interject, "So, we're going to work together with the other classes?"

“That’s right, but please let me finish speaking.” Chabashira Sae said calmly, “You’ve been assigned to group 巳. Here’s the group member list. You can’t take it with you. You need to return it to me before you leave. You can do whatever you want with the rest.”

What is the "巳" in the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches?

Suzuki Tetsu suppressed his doubts and took the documents from her hand. Hashimoto Masayoshi and Yamamura Miki, who were standing next to him, also came over.

Class A: Miki Yamamura, Toru Suzuki, Masayoshi Hashimoto

Class B: Honami Ichinose, Rin Hirano, Izumi Takashi Nakanishi

Class C: Hiyori Shiina, Yogo Komiya, Albert Yamada

Class D: Kyosuke Okiya, Hayato Kikuchi, Meili Wang, Haruka Hasebe

There are four classes, with a total of thirteen students.

Out of the corner of his eye, Suzuki Toru noticed a snake symbol in the upper right corner, indicating that the twelve groups were also arranged according to the twelve zodiac animals.

"From now on, you will not act as students of Class A, but as members of the Snake Group. The results of the exam will be determined based on the group's performance."

click-

Suzuki Toru and Hashimoto Masayoshi took a photo at the same time, then looked at each other, the latter giving a knowing look.

"You can take photos now, but you are prohibited from taking photos of this document, and you are also prohibited from taking it away." Chabashira Sae gave a warning in advance, her pretty face frosty.

As she spoke, she handed over another paper document, which was clearly wrinkled at the edges, indicating that it had been flipped through by a previous student.

Suzuki Toru took a look and saw that it was filled with detailed exam content.

1. At 8:00 AM on the day the exam begins, all students will receive a text message, and individual students will also receive a message indicating who will receive preferential treatment.

2. The exam will run from tomorrow until 9 PM the day after tomorrow;

3. Group members will meet twice a day at a designated time and place for a one-hour conversation;

4. The content of the dialogue is entirely decided by the group members themselves;

5. Answer exam questions and receive text messages about exam results from 9:30 PM to 10:00 PM after the exam ends. Each person has only one chance to answer questions.

6. Only answers sent to the designated email address via your own mobile phone will be accepted;

7. The recipient of the preferential treatment has no right to send a reply via SMS;

8. If the answer is sent to a group other than the assigned group, it will be considered invalid;

9. Send detailed exam results via text message to all students at 11 p.m. on the last night.

……

“In this special exam, there can only be four possible results for each group; there can be no fifth result.” Chabashira Sae gestured for them to continue watching. “Each group will have a privileged individual, and the privileged individual’s name will be the answer to the exam.”

On the black and white paper, Toru Suzuki saw two different results.

Result 1: If everyone in the group, excluding the recipient of preferential treatment and their classmates, answers correctly, all group members will receive individual points. Additionally, the recipient's classmates will also receive corresponding individual points.

Result 2: If, excluding the recipient and their classmates, one person in the group fails to answer or answers incorrectly, the recipient will be paid 500,000 personal points.

According to the above explanation, Result 1 requires the beneficiary and their class to trust others, and then everyone can get personal points.

The second outcome is a solo victory for the favored individual, who gains 50 personal points simply by inducing one person to answer incorrectly.

At this moment, Chabashira Sae revealed some startling news.

"If you can achieve Result 1, the school will allocate 500,000 personal points to all members. Furthermore, the reward for guiding preferential treatment members to Result 1 will be doubled, which is 1 million personal points."

Even students in Class A, such as Masayoshi Hashimoto and Miki Yamamura, were taken aback; for them, 100 million yen was no small sum.

Chabashira Sae noticed that only Suzuki Toru remained unresponsive, and had even flipped to the back of the document to read the last two possible outcomes.

In an instant, she frowned. Although she paid attention to this student, she was not afraid, after all, her own trump cards were not bad either.

"Do you understand the explanation above?"

“Yes, please continue, teacher.”

"Okay, but Suzuki, you've finished reading it, right?" Chabashira Sae asked casually. "Is there anything you don't understand?"

Suddenly called out by name, Suzuki Toru looked up at the beautiful teacher in front of him. His eyes, which seemed indifferent and businesslike, seemed to hide some strange light.

[Should we use "emotion perception"?]

Please note that this item is a special skill; activating it will consume stamina!

[Currently sensing...]

[Tea stalk Sae-e: resentment, annoyance, curiosity, wariness...]

[It is recommended to stroke the target's head, chin, and chest, which can effectively ease their wariness.]

I originally planned to try out the skill on Chabashira Sae, and it went well at first, but what's with the suggestions later on?

Suzuki Toru ignored the skill's effect and said calmly, "The exam rules are quite clear, and there's nothing particularly difficult to understand."

There are two more possible outcomes at the end of the document, but they are somewhat more risky than the previous ones.

Result 3: If, before the exam ends, someone provides the correct answer to the school, the class of the student who provided the correct answer gains 50 class points, the class of the student receiving preferential treatment loses 50 class points, and the student who provided the correct answer receives 500,000 personal points. The group exam then ends. (If the student who provided the correct answer is a classmate of the student receiving preferential treatment, the answer is invalid, and the exam continues.)