The winter break wasn't very long, lasting only about two weeks.
During these two weeks, Saiki didn't do much besides staying in his dorm, reading manga, and occasionally picking up a book.
For Saiki, this was the best way to relax, as it meant he didn't have to deal with the usual annoyances from the people around him.
However, this peaceful winter break soon came to an end, and the third semester of the first year began.
At this moment, a long line of buses was speeding down the highway.
The buses weren't just carrying first-year students; second and third-year students were also on board. This was a large-scale movement of the entire school.
'Yare yare, is the school up to its usual antics again?'
At this moment, Saiki sat by the window on the bus, gazing out at the scenery.
Not long after the semester started, the school instructed the students to prepare several sets of spare gym clothes and underwear, then board the buses to an undisclosed location.
The school never revealed their destination or what they would be doing, but Saiki, using his telepathy, already knew that this was another special exam.
If it were just a regular exam, it wouldn't be a big deal…
But this time, multiple grades would be taking the exam together.
This meant that Saiki might have to interact with that troublesome second-year student.
For example, Nagumo Miyabi.
However, Saiki also knew that Nagumo Miyabi was likely to pull some outrageous stunts. Moreover, since he had promised Horikita Manabu to keep Nagumo from going too far, Saiki needed to keep an eye on Nagumo's actions.
"Are we going on another trip?"
"That's unlikely. It's probably another special exam from the school."
"Exactly."
After more than half a year of experience, the students had a pretty good idea of what the school was like. They no longer naively believed that the school would take them on a fun outing.
Still, the atmosphere on the bus was relatively relaxed, with everyone chatting casually.
As the buses entered a tunnel, Chabashira Sae stood up from her seat at the front, looked around, and began to speak.
"Sorry to interrupt your fun, but please quiet down now."
Chabashira Sae held a microphone and continued,
"I think you're all curious about where this bus is heading and what we'll be doing next."
"Of course we're curious. It's not another deserted island, is it?"
Ike Kanji loudly complained. Although their class had performed exceptionally well in the deserted island exam and successfully advanced to Class A, the experience hadn't been pleasant for most of the class.
"It seems the deserted island left a lasting impression on you, but rest assured, we won't be holding such a large-scale special exam so soon—we're not cruel enough to force you into another similar exam right after the summer one."
Chabashira Sae said with a smile.
'I feel like this school would totally do something like that.'
Saiki complained inwardly, though he already knew that this exam would be quite different from the previous ones.
"However, as you've probably guessed, a new special exam is coming up. Compared to the deserted island, this one will be much simpler. Let me explain the rules of the upcoming special exam."
"We're taking you to a mountain retreat school. We'll probably arrive in less than an hour. The shorter the explanation, the more 'buffer time' you'll have."
"In normal school life, especially for students who aren't in clubs, opportunities to interact with upperclassmen are rare…"
'But some upperclassmen will come looking for you on their own.'
Saiki thought to himself.
He wasn't part of any club, but Horikita Manabu, the former student council president, had sought him out…
"...But during this retreat, you'll be participating in an eight-day, seven-night cross-grade group activity. It's even more intense than the sports festival. This special exam is called the Mixed Training Camp. Since verbal explanations might leave you uneasy, I'll now distribute the materials."
As she spoke, Chabashira Sae handed a stack of documents to the front row, which were then passed down. The materials were quite thick, totaling twenty pages, and contained information about the students' accommodations, the communal bath, the dining hall, and more.
"It's up to you whether you want to read the materials now. I'll start explaining the Mixed Training Camp. The materials will be collected before we get off the bus, so make sure you understand the rules. I'll take questions at the end. Please listen quietly. Understood?"
Chabashira Sae's gaze fell on Ike Kanji, who pursed his lips and didn't say anything more.
"The purpose of this special exam is to foster mental growth. To achieve this, you'll be focusing on the basics of surviving in society, confirming whether you can build relationships with people you don't usually interact with, and learning how to navigate interpersonal relationships."
'Having to live with people we don't usually interact with…'
Although Saiki's expression didn't change, his mind was racing.
Dealing with the remaining thirty or so people in his class was already troublesome enough, and Saiki still hadn't interacted much with many of his classmates.
Moreover, this exam would require him to live with people he didn't usually interact with—students from other classes, or even upperclassmen.
Just thinking about it made it clear how much of a hassle this would be.
If he ended up grouped with a few troublesome individuals…
Saiki would rather take another deserted island exam, as that would at least give him some personal time.
"First, after arriving at the destination, the school will separate you by gender. After a discussion across the entire grade, you'll be divided into six groups."
"Each group has a limited number of members, determined by the total number of students in the grade, separated by gender. For example, if there are more than sixty male students in the same grade, the group size will be eight to thirteen; if there are more than seventy, it'll be nine to fourteen; if there are more than eighty, it'll be ten to fifteen. These are the lower and upper limits for group size."
"I think you already know that forming six groups by gender means you'll have members from other classes in your group. During the retreat, you'll have to spend the special exam as a group, which means you might have to work together with members from other classes."
'Yare yare, just as I thought.'
Saiki sighed inwardly.
Their class had a total of forty students, evenly split between boys and girls. Since no one in the first year had dropped out, there were about eighty male students in the entire grade.
With group sizes ranging from ten to fifteen, Saiki might have to interact with quite a few students from other classes.
"But it shouldn't be a big deal, right? Our Class can just form our own groups!"
Ike Kanji said with a laugh, seemingly ignoring Chabashira Sae's earlier explanation.
[I'm so smart!]
Ike Kanji thought to himself.
"You're right, but it's not that simple. Forming a group with only one class is against the rules. As long as the group size is within the limit, you're free to team up with anyone from any class, but the group must include members from at least two different classes. Most importantly, the group formation must be unanimously agreed upon through discussion, with no objections."
Hearing Chabashira Sae's words, the students immediately began to chatter.
"At least two classes… but aren't the other classes our enemies?"
"If we have to choose, Class C would be better, right?"
"As long as it's not Class D…"
"The groups will essentially be temporary classes during the retreat. During this time, you'll attend classes together, cook, do laundry, bathe, and sleep together—basically, you'll share everyday life. The results of the special exam will be determined by a comprehensive exam held on the last day of the retreat. A rough outline of the exam content is on page seven of the materials. Please read it first."
'This is such a hassle.'
Saiki muttered to himself but still opened the materials and skimmed through them.
The materials listed subjects that were rarely taught in school, but there was no specific mention of what the exam would entail—it was all very cryptic.
Saiki's eyes continued to scan the pages, which detailed the students' daily schedule.
In the morning, after waking up, they'd complete morning tasks, then meditate in the dojo, perform chores (like cleaning), have breakfast, and attend classes to learn various subjects.
After lunch, they'd tackle afternoon tasks, meditate again, have dinner, bathe, and then go to bed. Classes would also be held on Saturday mornings, with Sunday being the only day off.
Looking at this schedule, Saiki's mind was filled with a big question mark.
'Meditation? Why are we learning meditation?'
Saiki didn't even know how to complain.
And given the school's usual style, it was highly likely that this would be part of the exam…
'Could it be… a competition to see who can meditate the most properly…'
"After the first-year students form their six groups, they'll merge with groups formed by the second and third-year students. In the end, there will be six large groups consisting of about thirty to forty-five students from all three grades. In simple terms, the first-year groups will combine with groups from other grades to form larger groups. Do you understand?"
As Chabashira Sae spoke, she looked around to gauge the students' reactions. Everyone nodded.
[No, I don't understand.]
Saiki didn't even need to turn his head to know that this thought belonged to Sudo Ken.
However, even though Sudo Ken didn't understand, he nodded forcefully, pretending he had fully grasped the explanation.
"Additionally, the rewards for the group rankings in this exam are also written in the materials. Please take a look."
At the bottom of the materials in each student's hands were the rewards for the exam.
Basic Rewards:
1st Place: 10,000 personal points, 3 class points.
2nd Place: 5,000 personal points, 1 class point.
3rd Place: 3,000 personal points.
These rewards will be distributed to each student.
Basic Penalties:
4th Place: Deduction of 5,000 personal points.
5th Place: Deduction of 10,000 personal points, 3 class points.
6th Place: Deduction of 20,000 personal points, 5 class points.
These are the points each student will lose.
[The lower ranks have to lose points too…]
[Even if the top ranks get class points, it's still too little…]
[This is so annoying…]
The students' expressions gradually grew more complicated. This school was really up to its usual tricks.
Meanwhile, Horikita Suzune was carefully calculating the potential impact of this exam on each class's points.
[Even in the most extreme scenario, it won't be easy for us to surpass Class A in this exam.]
Although their class had risen to Class B after several special exams and had narrowed the gap with Class A, after a few regular monthly exams, the gap hadn't shrunk further—in fact, it had widened slightly.
Even though Class B's performance could be considered quite good, it was clear that Class A's academic prowess was on another level.
Especially after the sports festival, Class A seemed to have undergone a complete transformation. In the last midterm exam, they had overwhelmingly defeated Class C.
[After the sports festival, Katsuragi seems to have lost a lot of supporters. That Sakayanagi person has taken control of Class A.]
[We haven't had much contact with her yet, but there's no doubt she'll become our class's greatest enemy in the future.]
[If we want to rise to Class A, Sakayanagi Arisu is an enemy we must defeat.]
After Horikita Suzune's calculations, even in the most extreme scenario, Class B would struggle to surpass Class A in this exam—and such a scenario was unlikely to happen in reality.
However, as long as they could narrow the gap, they would have a chance to surpass Class A in the future.
"The exam has a reward multiplier based on the number of classes in each group. If the total number of people in a group is large, the multiplier will increase. This applies to the rules for 1st to 3rd place but not to the penalties for 4th place and below, so don't worry."
At this point, Chabashira Sae's face showed a meaningful smile.
"Of course, the last-place group will face a severe penalty—yes, students will be expelled."
After Chabashira Sae finished speaking, the previously lively bus fell completely silent, the atmosphere becoming incredibly tense.