Miyabi couldn't believe what he was hearing.
Forty million points? How could that be possible?
It was 10:05 PM on June 25th, and the school had just received the test results in real-time.
In that exam, he had only managed to earn just over 5 million points — already an impressive achievement.
And yet... Could this really be happening?
Manabu smiled as he took out his glasses cloth for another cleaning.
"Nagumo, do you understand the optimal solution for the VIP Exam?"
"..." Miyabi hesitated, "The VIP Exam…"
"The VIP Exam has four possible outcomes, divided between early and late responses. For responses submitted between 9:30 PM and 10 PM on the third day of the exam:
Outcome 1: Group members correctly identify the VIP. (50,000 Points per group member, 100,000 for the VIP)
Outcome 2: Group members fail to identify or guess incorrectly. (VIP receives 50,000 points, no deductions for others)
For early responses: Outcome 3: Correctly identifying another group's VIP (+50 Class Points for guessing class, +50,000 Private Points, -50 Class Points for VIP's class)
Outcome 4: Incorrectly identifying another group's VIP (-50 Class Points for guessing class, +50,000 Private Points for VIP, +50 Class Points for VIP's class)
These comprise the four possible outcomes."
Manabu was reviewing the past exam with him. Of course, Miyabi was familiar with it.
"For Oreki to get so many points, he must have chosen Outcome 1. If he wanted to collect from the students, they needed to have money first. That guy really did copy you. You controlled the second years, and he united the first years."
Miyabi: "..."
He still didn't understand. His control over the second years was a fact — there was no denying that.
But hadn't Houtarou himself criticized the school's disapproval of him controlling the second years? So why did he do the same thing?
"But with such an enormous amount of points, surely the school wouldn't approve of Houtarou demanding so much!" Miyabi protested, "Paying out that many points would strain the school's finances."
Manabu: "..."
It was clear this guy still hadn't understood. The issue wasn't about the school's approval — rather, the school probably realized these students hadn't seen the true solution.
Or perhaps everyone had been wrong from the start.
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Indeed, Miyabi still hadn't understood.
His shock was understandable — even the chairman's long-time staff members shared similar thoughts. These veteran employees had worked at the school for ten years, seeing off several graduating classes.
While the school's exams frequently changed, some remained constant.
For example, new students always faced the behavioral standards exam in their first month, which helped them discover the school's unique nature. The second month brought a written exam testing previous questions, deepening students' understanding of the school's flexibility. The third month's island exam and VIP Exam were also standard fixtures, followed by the training camp exam during the crucial third year.
Since these exams were consistent, staff could compare how different classes performed over the years.
This year's island exam and VIP Exam left them amazed.
The island exam challenged students to endure hardships while searching for and competing over strongholds, followed by a leader-guessing segment.
Previously, students' results had been mediocre — the better performers scored only 200-300 points, with the highest achievement being 402 points.
But now, every first-year class except Class C had gained substantial points, with Class D shattering records at 650 Class Points.
It was astonishing — the staff could hardly believe such high scores were possible on the island.
The VIP Exam showed similar unprecedented results.
In previous years, students who had performed poorly in the island exam would desperately try to make up points, while successful classes would play defensively to protect their advantage. This typically led to middling results.
But this time, the test results were so extraordinary that even the chairman double-checked the scores.
Even the exceptional Student Council President Manabu Horikita had only achieved 402 points in that exam.
When they received Tomonari's exam process submission, the source of these impressive points became clear.
The strategy involved exchanging Base Points between classes, completely surrounding bases, and cleverly exploiting the "leaders cannot be changed without proper reason" rule.
These performances were, without question, brilliant.
Moreover, they gained something else: students had finally begun examining problems from the school's perspective. The specially designated Base No. 41 was discovered and captured — a first in three years.
The school aimed to guide students toward developing a broader perspective, enabling them to see situations from multiple angles.
As a government-funded institution dedicated to cultivating talent for society, the school attracted significant attention. Graduates were likely to receive valuable opportunities due to this prestigious standing.
Therefore, they needed to produce exceptional students with both high capability and vision.
Now, they eagerly anticipated the VIP Exam results.
After the surprising achievements in the island exam, would the VIP Exam prove equally remarkable?
The results soon arrived.
"A total of 146 students participated. The 11 VIPs will each receive 100,000 points as a special treatment reward, and the remaining 135 students will each receive 50,000 points as compensation."
The staff member reading the report could barely maintain their composure.
This unprecedented payout of nearly 80 million points for a single exam was extraordinary.
Nothing like this had ever happened before.
After all, wasn't this meant to be a competition between classes?
The high point total meant every student had chosen Outcome 1 — they had all foregone the opportunity to undermine other classes' VIPs and instead opted for peaceful cooperation.
"Chairman..."
All staff members turned to look at the silver-haired man in the highest position.
"Hmm." Narumori removed his glasses and wiped them, "This year's students are truly exceptional. I never expected them all to choose cooperation in the VIP Exam."
"They must have grasped the exam's true purpose." The staff member replied, "This is their only opportunity in first year to earn such substantial points. Those with a narrow perspective would focus solely on the 50 or 100 class evaluation points."
"And the VIP Exam." Narumori said, "Have you considered why it's called VIP? Being a VIP means receiving special treatment as a very important person — which implies taking the exam peacefully because you'll be treated well. The island exam represents hardship, while returning to the ship symbolizes special treatment."
This suggests the school won't make things overly difficult anymore. Few students grasp this concept. Those who understand this pattern of special treatment were able to achieve these remarkable results.
"So this is the optimal solution?" The staff member said, understanding dawning in their eyes.
"This year's first-years are exceptional." Narumori said, "I believe each class will accumulate substantial points. When they face future exams that require spending these points, I'm curious to see whether they'll be willing to part with them."
"Then we can expect even greater growth from them." The staff member said.
The staff member felt inspired.
After all, as an institution dedicated to nurturing young minds, watching students grow was truly rewarding. It was far better than observing the current second-years with concern — students who had lost their ability to think independently, making the staff wonder if Class 2-A would be ready for graduation.
"Yes. Bring the bill." Narumori said, "Let's begin signing. Everyone needs to get to work."
Get to work...
Indeed — 146 student accounts needed updating, which meant a considerable amount of verification and fund transfers.
They would be busy for quite some time.
The chairman's office remained brightly lit.
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