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

"How can this be? You are the commander. Although we are the ones making the plans now, you will be the real commander when we get to the special exam. If you are always so detached in every discussion, it will be hard for the participants to trust you."

Horikita's words only elicited a slightly contemptuous smile from Koenji.

"What difference does trust or distrust make? You've been discussing things that seem almost worthless to me, because no matter how much you discuss, you can't get around the problem of those burdensome students in the class, can you? And I don't even need to think to know that your so-called special exam strategies are just about organizing book clubs or something. But... if holding a few book clubs could improve their grades, then if everyone held book clubs every day, wouldn't that make those trash as good as the top students in Class A? Just think about it with your brains and you'll know that this is simply impossible."

Koenji clearly expressed his disgust towards those students who failed.

If today's meeting hadn't been a private one, but rather a public discussion in the class, Koenji's single remark would likely have sparked an argument within the class.

Sometimes it is really going too far to demand that others meet your own standards.

However, Koenji himself doesn't seem to have this awareness at all; on the contrary, he feels that it's only natural for others to be just as excellent as him.

"Do you have a better way than a book club?"

Katsuragi glanced at Koenji, whose arrogant attitude as a young master of a chaebol family had long annoyed Katsuragi.

If he weren't currently lacking in influence, he probably would have already slammed his fist on the table and berated Koenji.

Who wants to associate with failing students? Who wants to hold reading groups every day for students who just can't seem to understand no matter how they're taught?

But what else can they do right now besides these things?

Anyone can criticize others. Is it so hard to find a problem?

The difficulty lies in figuring out how to solve the problem, not in constantly complaining. Can complaining make bad students disappear?

If he could really do that, Katsuragi would be willing to sit here and listen to Kōenji complain all day long.

"I'm only responsible for raising the questions. Isn't it your job, bald boys, to figure out how to solve them?"

"you---"

"Hey, I've been keeping quiet until now. It was the Horikita girls who insisted that I give my opinion. Now that I've spoken up, this is the attitude you're showing. I'm starting to doubt... whether you guys really want to win this special exam."

While admiring his flawless reflection in the mirror, Koenji added fuel to the fire for Katsuragi, who was about to explode in anger, without even looking up.

"That's enough!! When are you going to stop this nonsense? If you lose this special exam, Koenji, you'll be expelled. Do you even understand your own position?"

Horikita's attitude towards Koenji has reached its limit. She originally thought that Koenji's willingness to participate in the discussion would be a good thing for the class, but she did not expect that Koenji would still show such an attitude when it was clear that her expulsion was in danger. For a moment, Horikita even considered whether to give up on Koenji.

"Oh? Stance? It's just that if I lose this special exam, I'll drop out. To be honest, I don't want to leave this place. I'm very happy here, but... even if I really have to drop out, what difference will it make? I don't have the pressure of further education or employment. The only help this school can give me is to make my resume more perfect, but that's just icing on the cake for me. I don't care about these things at all. Just look at the Miyako girls over there, and you'll understand."

Koenji raised his head and gestured for Horikita to look in the direction of Amane.

At this moment, Tianyin simply watched the group argue silently, her eyes devoid of joy or sorrow, and her expression conveying no particular opinion about the argument. In short, if one had to describe Tianyin's current expression, it would probably only be one of indifference.

It wasn't that she was giving anyone a hard time, but rather that she simply found it all too boring. Almost every discussion resulted in an argument, which Tianyin was already used to. In fact, in Tianyin's opinion, many things were simply not worth taking seriously.

So what if the other side draws five academic competition categories?

Could it really be a game-changer? If the decision is right, we can use two teams of top students to draw with the other side, and then Koenji and Amane can each take down one of them. At most, we can lose two rounds and completely take down Class D.

Both Horikita and Hirata aimed to win the special exam as steadily as possible. What does "steadily" mean? It means improving everyone's average ability and then winning the competition through collective strength.

That's certainly not wrong, but some people are simply not cut out for learning. Learning is something that can't be improved by tutoring or forcing. For example, if someone is bad at math, no matter how hard you push them, they still won't be able to solve the problems they can't solve. Or, for example, asking a student who scores 20 points in English to get 80 points in a week is something no human being can do.

It's really too much to expect a student who finds vocabulary like gibberish to suddenly understand it in a week.

Therefore, Tianyin has no objection to holding book clubs and tutoring to improve the average academic level of the class, but it is impossible to surpass Class D or solve the problem of failing grades in a short period of time by relying on this.

Moreover, the school still has the authority to set the exam questions, which means that this is a tutoring session without a defined exam scope, so it's easy to imagine how effective it will be.

Therefore, this debate was destined to be fruitless from the very beginning, and arguing for a result that will not come to a conclusion is itself a big problem.

"Last-minute cramming is very ineffective. We don't even know the exam scope, so how are you going to catch up? You can't expect them to learn the entire book in a week, can you?"

As soon as Amane finished speaking, Hirata was about to speak, but Amane raised her hand to interrupt him.

“I know Hirata-kun, you want to say that doing nothing is even more outrageous, right? But the problem is... doing things is one thing, but you can’t expect that to definitely work. Instead of trying to find solutions for those poor students, you should consider things from a tactical perspective.”

"Tactical level?"

Ge Cheng looked at Tian Yin with confusion.

He didn't understand how a simple exam could be related to tactics.

"That's right. Their exams only allow five people per group. That means if we draw five academic competitions, we need to prepare at least twenty-five people to compete against them. But they only have thirty-three people who can participate. Do you know what that means?"

Amane glanced around and realized that apart from Ayanokouji and Koenji, no one else could understand her meaning, which made her feel somewhat disappointed.

But she couldn't just stop there since she'd only spoken halfway through.

Tianyin stood up from her seat, walked to the podium, and wrote down the two numbers.

"This means their personnel arrangement is at its limit. Since there are seven matches in total, we are guaranteed to draw two matches. Our matches all have a fixed four participants. If they all participate, we will have just enough people. However, if they are short one person, they will automatically lose one of their matches. According to the rules, when there are insufficient personnel, one-on-one duels or command tower intervention are not allowed to avoid defeat."

"Winning a game only requires having more wins than the opponent, which means that if the opponent is missing a player, we only need to win three more games. Is that really that difficult?"

Sometimes, Tianyin really couldn't understand why everyone would take such a serious attitude towards this kind of exam.

Firstly, the strength of Koenji and Amane determines that the opposing team will not dare to request a one-on-one duel or have the command tower intervene in any event. As a result, Class D cannot make up for their numerical disadvantage by using one-on-one duels or the command tower to intervene, unless the opposing team chooses to give up a round by having enough people. In that case, Amane will also easily win a round. Moreover, each type of competition can initiate one one-on-one duel, which means that Amane and Class D each have the right to request one-on-one duels with the opposing team twice. In other words, Amane alone is confident of winning three matches.

Even if Koenji was slacking off the whole time, in a best-of-seven series, wouldn't so many other players besides Amane have managed to win at least one game?

From the very beginning, everyone's discussion focused on improving the strength of the weaker students in the class, without any flexible tactics. If the opponent in this special exam had been Longyuan, Class B would have been torn to shreds without Tianyin's presence.

The biggest flaw of this class right now is its inability to adapt. Both Horikita and Hirata still hold the idea that "we should all graduate from Class A together." Amane doesn't think this idea is wrong, but sometimes the best choice is to win on your own and not bother with those students who are just dragging you down.

Just like this time, as long as one student from Class D is unable to participate, it will trigger a series of chain reactions that allow Class B to secure three victories. Since it is only necessary to use some means to win the game.

Why do Hirata and his friends keep thinking about tormenting the group of underachieving students in their class?

Chapter 209: Can you do better than her?

Tianyin's suggestion elicited different expressions on the faces of those participating in the discussion.

They seemed to have their own secrets, but for some reason, they couldn't openly discuss them with Tianyin.

Tianyin naturally noticed this situation, but if no one was willing to break the deadlock, then no matter how much she tried to lead the conversation, everyone would choose to respond with silence. In that case, there was no need to continue the discussion. It would all depend on individual performance. Anyway, even if it was a mindless competition, the probability of defeating Class D was quite high.

Seeing that the discussion had reached a stalemate, Katsuragi couldn't help but speak up and offer his opinion.

"Miyako, your suggestion is very good, but... isn't it a bit dishonorable to win the game by using some underhanded means?"

Katsuragi's words made Amane's blood pressure rise for a moment. Just as she was about to refute Katsuragi, she noticed that Katsuragi's gaze was moving back and forth between Hirata and Ichinose. Amane immediately understood that this seemingly outdated opinion was not Katsuragi's own.

Although Katsuragi's personal style is conservative, conservatism does not mean pedantry. In Amane's impression, Katsuragi is a guy who is by no means pedantic.

That makes Katsuragi's suggestion quite interesting.

Was Katsuragi speaking on behalf of someone else, or was he trying to subtly convey some information to Amane that was inconvenient to say openly?

Recalling what Katsuragi had just said, Amane suddenly understood. Katsuragi probably didn't care about being honorable or disgraceful at all, but rather wanted to remind people that using special methods would cause some opposition.

For example, Hirata and Ichinose would most likely oppose using methods that would harm the members of Class D, but they would never say such a thing in a discussion like this.

If Hirata opposes this approach, he must come up with a tactical plan that is more advantageous to Class B and can ensure Class B's victory. Given that he has always focused on improving the level of the underachieving students, it is difficult for Amane to expect Hirata to come up with a better plan. Moreover, this special exam happens to be a crucial battle for Class B to advance to Class A. No matter what means Class B uses, it is justified.

Hirata's current situation is that he doesn't want to use despicable tricks, but he's also afraid that if he doesn't use such tricks, there's a possibility of failure. If his suggestion causes everyone to fail to advance to Class A, he won't be able to forgive himself for doing so. This is a complicated state of mind.

To put it more bluntly, it's about oscillating between morality and reality, wanting practical benefits but not wanting to compromise moral integrity.

Such a person is undoubtedly the most conflicted. This has nothing to do with being old-fashioned or not; it's a mental illness. It's impossible for him to see things clearly just by presenting facts and reasoning with him. Only Hirata himself can figure it out.

Having figured out Hirata's situation, Amane looked at Ichinose. The reason Katsuragi looked at Ichinose just now was probably because he thought Ichinose would oppose harming his former comrades.

If Ichinose were to object, Amane would say she could understand. After all, even if she transferred classes, most of her interpersonal relationships and social circles would still be in her previous class. It would be almost impossible to completely sever ties. Ichinose's unwavering stance was commendable in some ways, but to ask her to hurt her former friends... Amane had never considered such an inhumane thing.

So... how should Amane answer Katsuragi's question?

"I believe that if we want to achieve a foolproof victory, some necessary measures are unavoidable."

Amane's answer completely shut down Hirata's previous arguments. Amane made this suggestion for the sake of victory. It would be more effective to use some tricks than to urge the poor students to study every day.

Upon hearing Amane's reply, Hirata immediately wore a wry smile. He knew that Amane had seen through his thoughts. He was indeed unable to cross that threshold at the moment, but that did not mean that he would stand against Amane just to satisfy his own morality.

Hirata would compromise on anything that was beneficial to the class, even if he felt it was inappropriate.

This is also one of the important reasons why Amane would let him participate in the discussion group, that is, Hirata can be considered the truly selfless one in this class.

“I think Tianyin is right. Using some underhanded tactics to win is unavoidable. Besides, our class is taking this special exam at the risk of some students dropping out. How can we let our classmates drop out just because we're afraid they'll get hurt?”

To Amane's surprise, Ichinose not only did not oppose Amane's plan, but also took the initiative to express his support. If even Ichinose, a former member of Class D, was willing to support making some small moves against Class D, then surely the remaining members of Class B could not be more like members of Class D than Ichinose?

If you're a student in Class D, it's best to leave this class as soon as possible.

"Ichinose is right. I risked dropping out of school to become the commander. If I can't win the competition, I'd rather withdraw now. I'm going to be expelled anyway, and I don't want to see my classmates embarrass themselves on the field."

Koenji's attitude directly changed the atmosphere of the discussion group. The Commander and the former leader of Class D both believed that they should start with Class D. What right did the others have to object?

And so the conversation moved on to the next stage.

"How do you plan to cause trouble for them that day, Yin? You know, the school is cracking down on violence now, and a huge amount of personal points is very easy to expose. It seems difficult to act secretly."

Horikita raised the most direct question. In Horikita's view, if Amane wanted to make one person absent from Class D, the only methods she could use were coercion and defection through points.

Following the uproar caused by the sports festival, the school has begun to crack down on campus violence, and the disciplinary department has also taken action against some students who threaten others. This has led to a sharp increase in the risks and costs of using what was once the most convenient and practical method in the school.

As a result, Class C no longer possesses the same sharp edge it once had.

The transfer of huge sums of points is also very easy to detect. In a class like Class A, others might not even notice if someone receives a huge sum of points.

Everyone is well aware of the monthly point income of Class D. Even if they are frugal, everyone still has to eat the mountain vegetable set meal for a period of time every month.

In such an environment, even the slightest improvement in someone's quality of life will be quickly noticed, making it easy to identify those who have been turned and demand that the school severely punish Class B.

Of course, Tianyin can ask the other party not to suddenly improve their quality of life as much as possible, but... what's the point of someone who can be turned by personal points if they don't improve their quality of life after getting the points?

For an ordinary person to accumulate 20 million points to advance to the next level is a pipe dream.

Any normal person can see this clearly.

Therefore, it is quite difficult to bribe members of Class D by paying personal points. Horikita is very curious about how Amane will make the other party absent from the competition.

Upon hearing this, Tenon narrowed her eyes slightly, as if she was plotting something. After a moment, Tenon slowly answered Horikita.

“As Rinne said, the risks we face no matter what we do are enormous, so... why don’t we wait for them to make mistakes on their own?”

Amane's answer made Horikita's eyes widen, and then he shook his head helplessly.

"Tianyin, are you kidding us? At such a crucial moment, Class D will definitely be careful not to let anyone in their class make a mistake. How could they possibly make a mistake? Even if someone makes a mistake, it doesn't necessarily mean that they will lose their qualification for the competition."

Logically speaking, Horikita's words were not a problem. The closer the special exam gets, the more careful the students will be. At this critical moment, no one wants to make a mistake and be blamed or even scolded by their classmates.

Even if some people make minor mistakes, the most common punishment is to forfeit personal points and deduct class points. It is simply impossible to disqualify someone who is about to take a special exam from the competition.

Therefore, Horikita thought that Amane's idea was a bit far-fetched. Rather than sitting there waiting for the other party to make a mistake, it would be more reliable to try to take a gamble and see if they could bribe the other party with personal points.

"That's not necessarily true, Ayanokouji, what about Sato-kun's side..."

"Maya should be fine, but we can foresee that we might suffer some losses in the process of conflicting with Class D, so we need some compensation."

Ayanokouji didn't need Amane to explain in detail to know what Amane was planning. After thinking for a moment, he agreed on Sato's behalf.

On the one hand, it is because taking the initiative is the right strategy at present, and Sato is probably the only one who can execute this strategy perfectly without being suspected. So Ayanokouji agreed on Sato's behalf.

With his assistance, it would be very easy for Sato to complete Amane's plan.

However... Ayanokouji wouldn't let Sato do such a thankless task for nothing. Without sufficient benefits, and with his alliance with Amane already broken, Ayanokouji wouldn't let Sato agree to Amane's request, even if it meant bearing some blame.

Name your price.

Having already prepared herself mentally, Amane wasn't surprised by Ayanokouji's impromptu request. It was impossible to get the other party to sacrifice something for the class without offering some benefit.

Cooperation can only be established and maintained if everyone feels it is beneficial.

"Five hundred thousand points."

"impossible."

"Doing this kind of thing can lead to injury, so even the lowest possible score cannot be below 30 points."

Ayanokouji immediately revealed his bottom price. In his opinion, he should be able to get Tenon to agree to the price cut by 200,000 points, since she was not someone who lacked those points.

To his surprise, Tianyin still shook her head.

"20 points."

"That's impossible. We can't get things done without sufficient benefits."

Ayanokouji rejected Amane's offer of 20 personal points without the slightest hesitation. Amane was planning to use Sato as a pawn to find a way to make Class D make a mistake, which would inevitably lead to arguments or even physical fights.

With a mere 200,000 points, there's still the risk of getting beaten up. The losses are completely outweighed by the gains. Under such conditions, even if Ayanokouji agrees, Sato will choose to refuse to carry out Amane's plan. He might even slack off and give Amane a perfunctory excuse that the mission failed.

Is it really impossible?

"I know you value your personal points a lot, Tianyin, but isn't this expenditure a necessary expense? If you were in this situation, would you be willing to take on the burden of changing the course of the battle for 200,000 personal points?"