I'm in a real religion, why are all the people who confess to me girls?

She just changed her clothes on a whim, and her students are actually hoping she gets fired. What kind of nonsense is this?

"A little... cough cough, I mean, I think Chabashira-sensei looks a bit... girly in a skirt..."

Shinohara's words caused the class to burst into laughter.

Even the usually stern Katsuragi couldn't help but cover his mouth, clearly amused by Shinohara's words.

"Shinohara-san, what are you saying! Don't I usually look like a woman? Your gazes... you're all such a despicable bunch. But since you've achieved good results, I'll forgive your rudeness this time. Now I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"

Tea Pillar abruptly raised a question.

Good news and bad news?

If it were in accordance with Amane's personality, she would usually choose to hear bad news first, but everyone's expectations for good news are obviously higher, so Chabashira-sensei decided to announce the good news first.

Teacher Chazhu picked up the chalk and wrote a string of class names and numbers on the blackboard.

Class A: 1125. (Sakayanagi Class)

Class B: 906. (Miyako Class)

Class C: 676. (Longyuan Class)

Class D: 0. (Kanzaki class)

It's clear that the good news Mr. Chabashira was referring to was the significant increase in the class's points. Although there's still a gap between them and Class A's points and those at the beginning of the semester, it's a qualitative leap for them, who had zero points nine months ago.

Moreover, they are only a little over 200 points away from Class A, and with just one more special exam opportunity, they may be able to surpass Class A.

"As you can see, our points have been steadily increasing over the past year, and we are now just a little bit away from Class A. This is a huge victory for our class, which started from scratch!"

Teacher Chabashira's words became more enthusiastic, and many students in Class B began to laugh happily and boast, saying things like they would surpass Class A next time.

Only Katsuragi's expression wasn't very good, because he was the one who caused the gap between the later classes and Class A to gradually narrow. Under Sakayanagi's leadership, although he didn't want to admit it, Sakayanagi was indeed leading Class A to continuous victories, to the point that they once again broke through the thousand-point mark.

This means that each student in Class A can earn more than 100,000 personal points per month, resulting in a significant leap in their standard of living.

The laughter didn't last long.

They noticed that Mr. Chabashira's expression was starting to turn ugly.

There is no other reason.

The next announcement will likely be the bad news that Chabashira-sensei mentioned.

"Now that the good news is over, here comes the bad news. We are about to have a special exam, and this one is in a format that has never been seen before. I hope everyone can seize the opportunity and do their best to win this special exam."

"If we can win this special exam... becoming Class A might not just be talk."

Upon hearing what Teacher Chazhu said, everyone immediately perked up.

Originally, the class was too busy with Kushida and Sato to focus on the competition for class points, but they were now the closest they had ever been to Class A. If they didn't take a gamble, they could imagine how much they would regret it later. Whether it was for their allowance or to graduate from Class A and realize their dreams, they had to win this special exam!

Horikita's gaze sharpened. This might be her last chance to prove to her brother that she was the best sister. If she missed it, she might never have another chance to prove herself to him.

However... Chabashira-sensei's words still bothered Horikita quite a bit. First, she said it was bad news, and then she said it was a format that had never appeared before. Could it be that this special exam was different from the usual ones?

"Tea Pillar Teacher, please stop keeping us in suspense. We've all worked together to get through so many exams, so why would we be afraid of this special exam? Maybe we'll even get promoted to Class A after this exam."

The optimistic voice was echoed by many students in the class, and upon seeing this, the serious expression on Ms. Chabashira's face softened somewhat.

"I'm glad you're all so optimistic. However, this special exam is quite unusual, so please listen carefully to what I'm about to explain. The special exam is called 'You Ask, I Answer.' Each class has one week to prepare a question for other classes to answer. The question must be marked with class points. If the other class answers the question successfully, the class that asked the question will have the corresponding class points deducted. The minimum amount of marked class points is one-fifth of the existing class points, and the maximum is 500 points. If the other class wants to answer the question, they need to pay a challenge fee, which is one-tenth of the marked class points. For example, if a question is marked with 500 class points, then the other class will have to pay 50 points as a challenge fee for each person they send to answer, regardless of whether the answer is right or wrong."

"If the challenger answers correctly within the allotted time, the class that challenged the question will receive the class points indicated for that question. If the challenger's class still fails to answer correctly after the allotted time has expired, the indicated class points will be deducted."

"It's worth mentioning that although it's called a question, the way it's presented is more like requiring each class to prepare a question-and-answer challenge. During the challenge, the challenged student can ask multiple smaller questions, but all of them must be related to the first question and have reasonable answers. For questions that are beyond the understanding of high school students or that do not have a definite answer, the student can choose to report them, thus invalidating the other student's question and directly winning the challenge."

Many people were speechless upon hearing such a rule.

No wonder Mr. Chabashira said that such a special exam was unprecedented. This kind of special exam is practically a gamble on the fate of the class. For example, no matter what questions Class A prepares, they must prepare questions worth at least 225 class points. Regardless of whether Class B solves the problem, as long as the opponent succeeds in challenging it within ten attempts, Class A will fall from its current position.

Similarly, if any class solves the problem, Class B will fall from its current position.

In other words, this special exam was essentially a high-stakes gamble that utilized the collective wisdom of everyone involved.

Chapter 162: Come help me blow on it~

"Tea Pillar Teacher...I have a question..."

When Chabashira-sensei heard someone call her name, she looked closely and saw that it was Ichinose timidly raising her hand.

Logically speaking, Ichinose shouldn't be nervous in such a situation, unless she's not used to the environment or... the question she's about to ask will make her feel awkward.

"Ichinose-san, you can ask me any questions you have. I'm here to answer everyone's questions, so it's okay if I'm wrong."

Encouraged by Chabashira-sensei, Ichinose stood up and asked her question.

"I just heard you say, Mr. Chazhu, that the difficult problems prepared for each class should be marked with at least one-fifth of the existing class's points, is that right?"

"Well, Ichinose-san, do you feel there's something unreasonable about this?"

Teacher Chazhu recalled the rules and found that there was nothing particularly noteworthy about them. The maximum number of points for this mark was 500, but it was almost impossible for any class to gamble with 500 class points. Even if Class A, which was far ahead, lost 500 class points, it would take at least a semester (a year consists of two semesters) to recover.

This kind of game, which even Class A can't afford, is even more impossible for other classes, so Chabashira-sensei didn't know for a moment what Ichinose was concerned about.

"What about classes like Class D that don't have any points? We can't just have them mark zero, can we? Wouldn't that make it meaningless regardless of winning or losing?"

Ichinose's question drew some attention to Class D, which is currently the most easily overlooked class. If the special exam requires marking questions worth at least one-fifth of the class's points, wouldn't Class D be ineligible to even participate? Surely, marking a class with zero points means zero entry fee? In that case, the effort of participating in Class D's questions would be completely unnecessary.

"So that's what it is. Don't worry, the school has already thought of this. All classes with zero points will be given one hundred special class points for the exam. That is to say, the questions of classes with zero points will be automatically marked with one hundred class points. But don't think that this is free."

Teacher Chabashira's tone took on a serious tone.

"The punishment for a class that has earned special exam points and then loses the special exam is extremely severe. One member of the class will be expelled. Other classes with class points will only have their class points deducted normally if they lose the special exam. If they want to add more points after using the special exam points, then for every fifty special exam points they withdraw, one member will be added to the withdrawal list. The minimum one-time addition of special exam points is fifty points. It's not so easy to take advantage of the school."

Upon hearing this, Ichinose's expression turned somewhat grim; she seemed to have already foreseen the fate of Class D.

In order to charge higher admission fees, it is conceivable that Class D will almost certainly add special exam points, which would result in multiple students being expelled if they lose the special exam.

"In addition, there are some details to pay attention to. For example, when preparing questions, you can consider preparing an improved version that is relatively more difficult in this question, because this special exam allows for betting. For example, if someone chooses to bet on the challenge fee, they can get a higher amount of class points. However, the challenged party has the right to increase the challenge difficulty. If the challenge is successful, the challenger will get the original marked points plus the number of class points added. The maximum number of class points that a single person can bet is 100."

"I will send you the manual with detailed information. Please pay attention to all the points listed therein."

After receiving the manual, Tenon glanced through it and found that it wasn't too different from what Teacher Chaba had explained.

In general, this special exam is called "You Ask, I Answer".

(1) In the special test of you ask and answer, each class needs to prepare a difficult question for students from other classes to challenge. The difficult question must indicate the class points that can be obtained if the challenge is successful. The minimum number of points is one-fifth of the class points, and the maximum number of class points is 500. If the question setter successfully defends, he will receive the corresponding class points of the challenger's class.

(2) When a challenger initiates a challenge, he must pay a challenge fee, which is one-tenth of the standard points of the question. He can also choose to add points to the challenge. If the challenge is successful, he can get additional class points. The maximum number of points added is 100. When the challenger chooses to add points, the question setter has the right to increase the difficulty.

(3) There are no restrictions on the question and answer recipients. The time allotted for thinking about the question and answer is two minutes. If the time is exceeded, the question or answer will be invalid.

(4) The question setter shall not set questions containing disputed answers. If such questions are found and the questioner cannot prove that the answer is correct, the question shall be deemed invalid and the challenger shall win.

(5) Each class can only designate one class as the challenge target. There is no upper limit on the number of challengers. Once the challenge is successful, it cannot be challenged again.

(6) On the day of the special exam, all classes will take the exam in a designated room. Students who participate in the challenge will have to pass the inspection and hand in their mobile phones. If the challenge fails, they will enter the waiting area and must not communicate with other people. If any communication or cheating is found, the entire class will be disqualified from the special exam.

(7) Classes with zero class points can obtain special exam points. The initial points are 100 points. Additional special points can be added. If the special points provided by the school are used, the class will vote to expel one student after the challenge is successful. For every additional 50 class points, one more student will be expelled.

The rules are very simple and clear, even simpler than those of the sports festival. It's simply about posing a problem for the other side to solve while also challenging their own problem.

The only thing that might be a bit of a challenge is the challenge fee. Everyone who initiates a challenge has to pay the fee regardless of whether they win or lose. Although there is no limit to the number of participants, it's unlikely that any class will send out a bunch of useless players to waste points.

Almost every team will send out their strongest members to try and solve the problem in one fell swoop. However, because they cannot communicate, they cannot solve the problem through experience. If their strongest members rashly go in to answer the question and fail, it will be a serious blow to the morale of the rest of the team.

Moreover, once you stop answering questions, the challenge will be considered a failure, and you will lose the standard points for that question. Combined with the challenge fee you paid earlier, you will lose a lot of money.

Therefore, the challenger side must send out an elite team to participate in the challenge, but cannot let the strongest combat force fail at the beginning and thus damage morale. This is a matter that tests the class leader's judgment.

On the other hand, the questions must be challenging, but they cannot contain content that is controversial, unanswerable, or beyond the understanding of high school students. This is a huge test for the question setters, especially since they only have one week to prepare for this special exam.

This means that all classes have to complete the complicated and tedious tasks such as preparing questions and gathering information within a week. Otherwise, it would be almost unrealistic to exchange information when class members are unable to communicate on the day the special exam begins.

When school ended in the evening, Hirata, Ayanokouji, Katsuragi, and Yukimura waited for Amane at the door as if they had agreed beforehand, with Horikita, Ichinose, Matsushita, and Karuizawa following behind Amane.

Such a lineup is quite dazzling even in the entire school.

"It's rare that everyone's here, how about we have dinner together tonight?"

Hirata took the initiative to make a suggestion. Although it seemed like a meal, everyone knew that Hirata wanted to find a place for everyone to discuss their next steps.

"Great! It's been a long time since we've all had a meal together. Katsuragi and Ichinose just joined us, so we're not familiar with each other yet. We haven't really eaten together all this time. Let's have a little celebration since the points were just distributed at the beginning of the month!"

With Karuizawa's approval, the others had no objections and they all sat down at a reasonably spacious restaurant.

As soon as he finished ordering, Hirata couldn't wait to speak.

"Tianyin, what are your thoughts on this special exam?"

As Hirata spoke, the others' attention immediately turned to Amane. After all, Amane had moved from behind the scenes to the forefront again, and the entire Class B would be making arrangements for the special exam with Amane as the core.

"This exam is both easy and difficult. Did you notice something? The special exam questions are called 'you ask, I answer,' so why does the handbook state that there are no restrictions on the questioners?"

Amane's question made Horikita frown slightly. She had noticed this as well, but she couldn't understand what this condition meant. Surely, one couldn't just ask and answer their own question without restricting the recipient?

That would be too illogical.

"I understand, Miyako, you mean... the challenger isn't necessarily the one who answers the question, right?"

Surprisingly, Katsuragi was the quickest to react among those present. Perhaps Ayanokouji had also thought of this, but given his personality... if Amane hadn't asked him directly, he would most likely have kept a low profile until the end of the meal.

"Katsura-kun, do you mean... we can turn this special exam into a format where others ask questions and we answer them? But while that might catch them off guard, if we can't answer their questions, wouldn't that be tantamount to handing over victory?"

Ichinose's question calmed Katsuragi's expectant expression.

"That's true. The school only said that the question setters cannot set questions without answers or that are beyond the syllabus, but they didn't say whether the questions asked when others challenge us can be beyond the syllabus. The risk is indeed very high."

Katsuragi and Ichinose's conversation caused Yukimura, Matsushita, and the others, who thought they had found a new angle, to show a hint of disappointment.

"Does that mean this problem can only be solved by addressing it head-on?"

Hirata couldn't think of any special solution, so he could only place his hopes on Amane.

"The most likely approach is to confront the problem head-on, but it's not entirely without room for maneuver. Since it's a question-and-answer format, it means the entire special exam will revolve around 'question and answer.' What if lies are mixed into the question and answer?"

Amane revealed a meaningful smile. She knew that this special exam must have been the work of Sakayanagi, and that Sakayanagi had probably been preparing for it for a long time.

On the day of the special exam, we might surprise Amane. There's only one way to break Sakayanagi's pace.

Instead of getting bogged down in solving problems from other classes, it's better to create a problem that others can't solve.

What kind of problems are unsolvable?

The school's rules severely limit the range of questions, preventing the appearance of outrageous ones. Within the rules, not only can people like Amane or Sakayanagi solve most of the questions, but even some of the top students in the class can solve them.

Therefore, to defeat the well-prepared Sakayanagi in the questions, one must take him by surprise.

"I understand, Tianyin, you're planning to turn this difficult problem into a test of humanity... No, if there can only be one challenger, how can you test humanity like this..."

"Who says there can only be one challenger?"

Before Horikita could finish speaking, Amane interrupted him.

Horikita's eyes gradually became more lively.

"Indeed, the school didn't specify how many people would participate in the challenge at the same time, so does that mean we can make some preparations in that regard?"

Horikita already had a general idea. Since he couldn't guarantee that the problem would stump the other party, he would use something else instead. And the most unpredictable things in this world are lies and trust, which is human nature.

If you start with human nature, the probability of the other party making the wrong choice is quite high, which is very advantageous to those who set the questions.

Did Tianyin intend to start from this angle from the beginning? In other words...

"Tianyin, have you decided which class you want to challenge?"

Horikita's words made Karuizawa, who had already begun to enjoy his meal, look up at Amane.

Tenon's opinion was very important to Class B's decision-making.

"Since Arisu wants to play with me, then I'll have a little spar with her. It's been a long time since we've had a serious match. I hope Arisu will like the little gift I gave her on the day of the special exam."

Tianyin's expression was exactly like Tianyin's when she was serious, but this time Tianyin was saying these words while maintaining a smile. Thinking about it carefully, Tianyin seems to be becoming more and more human lately...

Uh… that’s a very strange description, but Horikita couldn’t find a more suitable adjective for the time being. Compared to the innocent and carefree person she first met, and the monster she was during the sports festival, Amane was far removed from a normal person to Horikita.

When she was innocent and carefree, Tianyin was so cute that people wondered if she was even a real girl. Wherever she went, people would be drawn to her cute and innocent appearance. There was a post on the forum that commented on what photo was the most pleasing to the eye and mind the previous year.

The photo that received the most likes was actually a secretly taken picture of Amane participating in a ramen shop eating contest.

Most of the comments below expressed how seeing Tianyin's happy expression while eating made them feel healed. Although many people recognized Tianyin and commented that the person eating was a devil, these comments were drowned out by many girls' comments that cuteness was everything.

It's hard to reconcile the image of Tianyin happily eating with the image of her covered in the blood of others and herself, revealing bloodstained teeth as she mocks those overconfident enemies—an image that can only be described as utterly brutal.

But now, those two figures seemed to overlap with the girl in front of him.

"Ah~"