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

"Oh? Tianze, did you discover something that's detrimental to us? By the way, what's wrong with your voice..."

Jiang Yan didn't have much of an opinion on the instructor's suggestion. From Jiang Yan's own perspective, neither weighted running nor playing any kind of no-rules fighting with the second-year students was a challenging thing, so it didn't matter whether he agreed or not.

However, if Tianze could see that the game rules were disadvantageous to Class A of the first year, then he would have a good reason to directly and decisively reject the instructor's suggestion from the perspective of protecting the interests of the class.

It was Tianze's voice that made him frown involuntarily.

The hoarse voice now contrasted sharply with the clear and melodious voice that was like birdsong in the morning. If Jiang Yan closed his eyes, he wouldn't even be able to tell that it was Tian Ze speaking to him.

"Don't worry about my voice. The most important thing is to find a way to refuse the instructor's suggestion. Since it's an unlimited combat event, the second-year students will definitely send out strong opponents, such as... Senior Amane. Most people who have watched the video of the Sports Festival know very well what Amane-senpai has done. What should we do if Amane-senpai is thinking of randomly crippling a first-year student?"

Tianze brought up a question that Jiangyan had never considered before. Jiangyan thought that the game proposed by the instructor was nothing more than a test of the physical fitness of both sides, but he overlooked the fact that unrestricted combat itself means the risk of injury. Jiangyan could accept losing the game, but he could not accept one or two people being forced to withdraw from the competition.

The reason for being disqualified is quite simple: this special training required attendance checks and a final exam to assess the training results. According to the school's regulations for special training, students who checked in less than fifty times would be disqualified from participating in the special exam.

Based on the calculation of checking in twice a day, it means that if you are absent for five days, you can be considered to have given up. Yesterday, because they did not choose to participate in the challenge, all the first-year students were considered to have missed one day, which means they were absent twice.

If we calculate it this way, beating someone so badly that they're bedridden for a week would disqualify them from taking the special exam.

This request is a very simple matter for an exceptional contestant like Tianyin, even if they swallow their anger and ignore the injured student today.

What about tomorrow? Who can guarantee that the instructors won't use the same trick again tomorrow? If second-year students injure one or two first-year students every day, what will happen?

That would be tantamount to admitting defeat, so after realizing that the other side might go for the kill, Tianze didn't want to send his classmates up to get beaten up.

Given Jiang Yan's personality, it's highly unlikely he would act as someone else's pawn in the previous term. Therefore, the only physically capable player that Class A can offer is Tian Ze.

In other words, if Tianze doesn't refuse now, she'll most likely be the one getting beaten up later.

The thought of being openly and brutally beaten by Tianyin made Tianze's stomach churn.

Therefore, no matter what was said, Tianze would firmly oppose the instructor's suggestion. However, what she didn't expect was that Jiang Yan agreed so easily.

Tianze thought that with Jiang Yan's belligerent personality, persuading him to give up the confrontation with the second-year students would be as difficult as climbing to the sky. Now it seems that Jiang Yan is not so unwilling to listen to advice!

Just as Class A of the first year established their battle plan, they saw Hayasaka and several other people walking towards the Class A students.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your conversation, but the result of your discussion is really bothering me~"

Hayasaka waved his hand as if to greet Masahiko and Amasawa, appearing very relaxed and casual. Seeing Hayasaka's behavior, Masahiko raised an eyebrow in dissatisfaction.

"Judging from Hayasaka-san's tone, could it be that she has some kind of advice for Class A?"

Seeing that Masahiko's tone was extremely unfriendly, Yagami immediately stepped in front of Hayasaka. He had heard that Masahiko had an exceptionally fiery temper, and if Masahiko suddenly went crazy and attacked Hayasaka, it would cause quite a bit of trouble.

"I wouldn't presume to offer guidance, but I simply want to discuss this with Class A regarding their suggestions about instructors."

"Discuss? I don't recall ever having any contact with your Class B before. Why are you coming over to discuss things with us now?"

"Eh? Miyako-san, you haven't forgotten that everyone voted in the meeting a few days ago to make Hayasaka-san the first-year leader for this special exam, have you?"

Nanase was the first to notice that Masahiko's reaction was too unusual, and couldn't help but ask him.

When Masahiko heard Nanase's question, he was also taken aback. He had indeed forgotten about this matter. Although he eventually arrived at the scene and believed that the strongest Class A should have the right to decide on this special exam, this suggestion was rejected by the other three classes. The reason, of course, was that as the younger brother of Miyako Amane, he could not convince the first-year students that he could protect their interests.

"Do you intend to use this title of leader to subdue me? I think Amasawa-kun's judgment makes some sense. Rashly agreeing to a match with second-year students now might result in injuries. If someone is killed due to such an incident, in addition to failing the exam, I think it would be a very bad deal. Hayasaka, what are your thoughts on this?"

Even after realizing that it was his fault, Jiang Yan had no intention of apologizing to the aggressive group. Firstly, this year's Class A was full of talented people; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe it as a class teeming with experts. Their overall strength far surpassed that of the other three classes, making them a class that truly deserved the title of Class A.

As long as the second-year students act as a group, no matter what happens, it's impossible to eliminate Class A alone. This is Jiang Yan's greatest confidence. In addition, in terms of individual strength, Jiang Yan is the first-year student who is closest to Tian Yin. If the second-year students really send out Tian Yin, no one on the first-year side except Jiang Yan can compete with Tian Yin. The importance of this is self-evident.

Hayasaka couldn't help but smile knowingly after hearing Masahiko's words.

"I wouldn't call it profound insight, but I'll offer some humble opinions. First, I admit that what you said, Miyako-kun, is correct. Getting injured is inevitable once you agree to participate in this unlimited fighting. However... is it possible that even if the opponent is strong, they can only participate once? If we use someone with D-level physical abilities to replace Miyako Amane, then we have a solution no matter who the second-year students send out, right? If they go all out, we'll go all out too. The second-year students are already fewer than us. I'd like to see which year will feel the pain first if we keep wearing each other down like this?"

Hayasaka's analysis drew nods from Utsunomiya and Nanase behind him. In fact, they had initially been against it, but after Hayasaka's persuasion, they realized that this competition might be an excellent way to test the opponent's strength while accelerating their attrition. So even someone like Hosen, who didn't get along with the other classes, tacitly allowed Nanase to represent Class D and persuade the other classes to join in and compete with the second-year students.

Admittedly, after hearing Hayasaka's analysis, even Masahiko had to admit that although Hayasaka's method was a bit mindless, it was indeed a good method. Trading one person's injury for two or three people on the other side was definitely not a loss. Even if it came down to numbers, the first-year students would win easily.

"Tian Ji's horse racing strategy?"

"Bingo! You guessed it! It's Tian Ji's horse race, and there's even a surprise among our inferior horses!"

Hayasaka waved her hand, and a girl wearing glasses walked out from behind her. She looked like a bookworm, and in short, she seemed dull and not very smart.

However, Jiang Yan, who had already fully grasped the information about the first-year students, couldn't help but light up when he saw the other party.

"Then Class A should join in and play with those second-year students too."

Soon, the news that the first-year students had agreed to engage in unrestricted combat with the second-year students reached the second-year students.

Tianyin convened a small meeting of all class representatives to assess everyone's opinions.

"Our Class D is in favor of fighting the first-year students, but we can't offer any help?"

Hime's words immediately made everyone present lose their composure. "You agree that if we fight, none of your Class D members are going to participate? Isn't that a bit too much? So, whether we win or lose, Class D won't lose out?"

"Hime-no-kun, I don't see any intention of supporting us in what you're saying. Are you D-class hiding in the back just to watch the show? If the victory you worked so hard to achieve is just to benefit others, then I would rather advise Tenon to refuse this competition."

Horikita directly questioned Class D's statement without any mercy. It should be noted that no-holds-barred fighting almost always results in injuries, and Class D made it clear from the start that they did not want to send anyone. If they really agreed to Class D's situation, what would happen if the other classes also did not want to send anyone? They couldn't just let Class A's people go out and get beaten up, could they?

Even if Class A is the leader of the second grade, they can't afford to suffer this kind of loss.

"Horikita-kun, you misunderstood me. What I meant was that Class D doesn't have any people who can be used in terms of physical ability. If you need cannon fodder with physical abilities of level C or D, we can provide them."

Horikita's face showed displeasure when she heard Himeno say that. She knew that Himeno was telling the truth. Now, if Class D had to find someone useful, it would probably be Kanzaki.

Besides, there is no other choice but to choose Hime, whose strength is still unclear. As for cannon fodder, they are definitely needed, but people with C-level physical abilities do not necessarily have to be cannon fodder. However, D-class students are generally not good at fighting, so sending them up would only result in them getting beaten up. It would be better to send students from C-class to try out than to choose D-class students.

Seeing that Horikita looked unhappy but didn't continue to criticize, Himeko helplessly shrugged. There was no one else available in the class, so she could only look at Amane and wait for Amane's instructions.

"It's one thing if Class D can't send anyone, but you can't drag the second year down in the exams, otherwise... you know the consequences very well."

Tianyin glanced at Jiye indifferently.

Tianyin didn't expect much from Class D in terms of physical fitness, but if they still performed poorly on the test, then Class D would be pointless. Those who were just filling in the numbers would be better off withdrawing from the exam as soon as possible.

"Phew... I'll try my best..."

"I must ensure that everyone in Class D achieves a certain level on the exam. This is my requirement for you, and you have no right to negotiate."

Tenon's oppressive attitude caused Ji Ye to show an unpleasant expression.

"Tianyin, I hope you can understand that we are just partners, not your subordinates. If we all choose to withdraw from the exam, I believe you will feel very distressed when your special exam points are suddenly reduced to the minimum during the special exam, right?"

According to school regulations, if a student loses their exam eligibility, they will lose 20 points from their maximum special exam points. Since there are 35 students in Class D, they will lose 700 points from their maximum. Therefore, second-year students will only have 300 points available for the special exam on the first day, which will have a significant impact on the outcome of the special exam.

"No, by doing this you are giving up your right to drink the soup. What's more... try announcing that Class D is withdrawing from the exam now, and I'd like to see how many people are willing to withdraw with you."

This check-in system allows each person to earn 100,000 personal points by completing a month of check-ins. Class D currently has 220 class points, which is roughly equivalent to five months' worth of personal points for Class D.

With such enormous benefits, Tianyin could never believe that everyone in Class D would choose to give up points as if they were dirt. Moreover, there would be another chance to earn class points every week. Only a fool would give up such a good opportunity to earn class points and go back to school.

Ji Ye's face darkened. She knew that Tian Yin was absolutely familiar with the current situation of Class D, which was why she used such a high-pressure attitude to force Class D to submit. Her threats had the opposite effect.

Humph.

Tianyin snorted lightly and turned her gaze to the others.

The representatives from Class B were Kamuro and Hashimoto. Before they arrived, Sakayanagi had instructed them to treat Amane as the leader of Class B when she was not around, so they unconditionally supported Amane from their standpoint.

As for Longyuan...

"Don't look at me like that. While I agree that we should teach the first-years a lesson, Miyako, do you really understand this game?"

Long Yuan grinned arrogantly.

"Don't worry, I don't need you to remind me that 'Tian Ji's horse racing strategy is a trap."

After glancing at Ryuen, who was planning to show off to Tianyin, Tianyin went back to reviewing the information of the second-year students on OAA.

"Are you kidding me? You've already seen through me?"

Long Yuan was surprised that Tianyin had seen through his thoughts so easily. His arrogant smile disappeared, and his gaze turned cold.

"Of course, don't try to test my skills with something so childish."

"Tianyin, Longyuan, what are you talking about? Why is Tian Ji's horse race a trap?"

Shiina curiously peered at the two people speaking mysteriously in front of her.

"Since Hiyori has asked, let me explain it to you. In any competition or game that compares the strength of people of the same or different levels, people will subconsciously think of the famous story of Tian Ji's horse race. To put it simply, it is about using a weaker horse to defeat the opponent's stronger horse. Since each level can only play once, using a weaker level horse to replace a stronger level horse is the optimal solution to win. This is the essence of Tian Ji's horse race."

Amane first gave Shiina a brief explanation of the significance of Tian Ji's horse racing strategy, but this only made Shiina more confused.

"But according to what you're saying, Tianyin, shouldn't we follow the strategy of Tian Ji's horse race, replacing the opponent's stronger player with the weaker one? In my opinion, this tactic is correct. Why do you and Longyuan both think it's a trap?"

Shiina tilted her head cutely.

Amane resisted the urge to poke Shiina's flushed cheeks and began to tell Shiina the key hidden beneath the surface of 'reasonableness'.

"But people aren't like racehorses. The school's ability ranking is based on recent performance and physical examination reports. If someone's physical ability is at level B, but they haven't shown any physical ability recently, they will be downgraded to level C+. In this race, they will occupy the spot of a level C student. Even if they encounter a student of the same level, they will likely win by surprise. This is the trap of Tian Ji's horse racing strategy. It makes people subconsciously want to exchange the weak for the strong, but it also makes people ignore the fact that the opponent's inferior horse may not be an inferior horse, and the average horse may not be an average horse."

After hearing Amane's explanation, Shiina finally realized that seemingly normal logic and tactics could actually be used in this way. This competition was going to be very intense.

"There is another possibility."

Long Yuan also chimed in at the opportune moment.

"There are many students like you, Shiina, who don't like fighting. In order to make themselves inconspicuous, they deliberately hide their strength. As a result, their stats will look very mediocre. But if they get serious, these people can unleash quite powerful strength."

Concealing one's abilities is a common phenomenon in high-level education, but ordinary people don't conceal much; at most, they might hide a hobby or special skill.

However, if certain monster-level individuals choose to conceal their strength, they possess the power to turn the tide of battle.

Take Ayanokoji for example.

Ayanokouji's original physical ability was C- level, but due to his outstanding performance at the Sports Festival, his physical ability jumped to B+ level after that. However, recently, due to his mediocre performance in the physical fitness test, he has fallen back to C+ level. So what is Ayanokouji's true strength level?

Even a conservative estimate would be an A+, such a huge contrast is enough to prove how rudimentary the school's evaluation system is, but there's nothing we can do since we're in school, we can only fight according to the school's rules.

Even if every part is full of loopholes, it's the same.

"Tian Yin, have you decided who you want to send out?"

When Horikita saw that Amane had turned off OAA, he immediately knew that Amane already had the answer.

"Me, Albert Yamada, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, and Megumi Karuizawa."

At first glance, this arrangement seems fine, but upon closer inspection, it is quite shocking.

There's no need to elaborate on Tenon's strength. Albert was originally rated A in terms of physical ability, but because he was ambushed and knocked down in a vital spot by Baoquan in the gymnasium, his rating dropped to B+, thus meeting the B-level physical ability standard for students to compete. Ayanokouji dropped to C because he had been idle for too long. The first three moves can be considered as no doubt as a decisive blow.

No matter who it is, they should be caught off guard. As for Karuizawa Megumi... Horikita believes that Amane intends to use her as cannon fodder.

Hashimoto and Ryuen didn't compete with Amane for the fact that the list was almost entirely composed of students from Class A. After all, this was about going up to fight, not picking up benefits. If you worked hard to get a spot on the field and then sent your own classmates up to get beaten up, you would really be seen as a clown by outsiders and your own classmates.

Soon, the instructors received confirmation that both sides had agreed to participate in this no-rules combat exercise. After a brief discussion, the instructors confirmed the rules.

1. The order of appearance for each contestant is the responsibility of their respective grade level. The order of appearance must be decided in advance before the competition and cannot be changed or replaced at the last minute.

2. Each participant may only compete once. There are no restrictions on the venue or weapons used in the competition, but weapons made of materials other than wood and plastic are not allowed.

3. The way to determine the winner is by one side choosing to surrender or being unable to continue fighting.

4. Participants must appoint one participant from each of the four levels (A, B, C, and D) based on their physical abilities, with special levels calculated as level A.

5. All participants will be awarded 5000 personal points regardless of winning or losing, and injured participants will be exempt from physical training until they recover.

At first, everyone just felt that the rules were a bit harsh. They could have used the theory of Tian Ji's horse racing to outmaneuver others, but the order of appearance was fixed in advance, which made this special test lose its tactical application.

Basically, the outcome was decided purely by luck and skill, which could also be seen as the instructors trying to catch both sides off guard.

However, when they heard the last rule, both the first-year and second-year students realized that this competition was definitely not something the instructors had arranged on a whim.

How could a school-hired instructor have the authority to distribute personal points?

The thought that the school's bigwigs might be watching this performance through surveillance cameras somewhere made many people feel dissatisfied.

Originally, it was just a competition between the two grades, but now that the school has intervened, neither grade wants to lose face in front of the school, so—

We have to play a serious game now.

P.S.: I still have some things to take care of tomorrow. If I can come back early, I'll update as usual as last time. If I can't make it, I'll ask everyone for a day off.

Thank you all for your support!

Chapter 91: Why won't you listen?

After the instructors had already selected the participants for the first and second year students, they announced that the competition would begin in fifteen minutes. Both sides could use this time to consider whether to make final changes and discuss the plan.

Most of the second-year students felt that the instructor's arrangement was a waste of time. Although neither side could see the other's selected personnel list, they could not arbitrarily change the order of the matches. This meant that the competition would really depend entirely on individual strength, and whether it could achieve an effect similar to Tian Ji's horse racing strategy was up to fate.

There's no need to discuss a match too much beforehand if you can't rely on strategy to increase your chances of winning or turn the tide.

However, compared to the second year, the first year was much more lively. Although the specific personnel arrangements of the other side could not be known, it did not prevent both sides from observing each other and guessing the possible participants from the other year.

So when the first-year students saw Amane start warming up, the whole grade erupted into a fierce argument. The original list of participants also included Takarazuka and Yagami, since their strength was already the ceiling among the first-year boys, apart from Masahiko.