The discussion didn't last long, and a preliminary consensus was quickly reached.
The safest approach was to nominate Class C and accept nominations from any class except D, maximizing Class A's benefits.
Ideally, mutual nomination with Class C could settle the outcome in one decisive move.
However, the problem was ensuring the process would go smoothly.
"There's no need to worry about Class C," Sakayanagi Arisu's voice, clear as a spring, cut through the murmurs just as things seemed settled.
"Class C has 522 points, while Class B has 966. Compared to the former, Class B is clearly closer to us. I don't understand your reasoning."
"If we can take 100 points from Class C, it would still put us 100 points ahead of Class B. What's so hard to understand?" Shinji Matoba frowned slightly.
He grasped Sakayanagi's point, but targeting Class C also meant indirectly targeting Class B.
"In that case, Class B would only have Class D as their opponent. Do you think Class B would lose to Class D, Matoba-kun?" Sakayanagi's tone was calm, her expression serene.
Shinji Matoba hesitated.
Of course, he didn't believe Class B would lose to Class D, but Class D—
"What does it matter? Class D's trash has no points to begin with. Even if Class B wins, it's meaningless," Totsuka Yahiko said dismissively, echoing the thoughts of Matoba and many others.
"Mashima-sensei mentioned that Class D is allowed to go into debt, meaning they could very well owe Class B 100 points," Sakayanagi sighed softly.
"In that scenario, how are we any different from Class B?"
The only difference was that Class A would have already gained 100 points, while Class B hadn't yet.
But in reality, the net increase for both classes would be the same.
In other words, the gap between Class A and Class B wouldn't change at all.
Soon, some students in the class realized this.
"Sakayanagi-san, do you really think Class D can repay 100 points?"
"Class D started the term with zero points, but by summer break, they'd already climbed out of that hole."
"Is it possible for Class D to clear their debt before the end of the academic year?"
"Heh, I believe they have the ability to repay it."
Katsuragi Kouhei took a deep breath.
Privately, he favored Shinji Matoba's idea because it was a stable strategy—Class C's academic ability couldn't surpass Class A's.
"I think both Sakayanagi-san and Matoba-kun's ideas have merit. First, Matoba-kun's plan: nominating Class C benefits us, but our only real rival is Class B. This approach doesn't effectively weaken Class B and might leave the actual gap unchanged."
Katsuragi acknowledged Matoba's reasoning before gradually outlining Sakayanagi's concerns, prompting nods of agreement from the students present.
"However, there's one more point. If Class B wants to surpass us, they'll also consider this. Nominating Class D obviously won't help them catch up." Katsuragi Kouhei suddenly shifted his tone.
"Assuming Class B doesn't pursue stability, they might very well nominate us."
Yes, that was indeed one possibility.
Class B's academic abilities were also superior to Classes C and D. No matter whose nomination they accepted, Class B would have an advantage. In that case, why not take a bold gamble?
By nominating Class A while accepting nominations from either Class C or D, even if Class B lost to Class A, they could still recover their losses from Classes C and D, minimizing the overall impact.
If Class B managed to defeat Class A, they would not only gain 100 points but also cause Class A to lose 50 points, effectively narrowing the gap by 150 points.
Sakayanagi Arisu glanced around the classroom and chuckled softly.
"I see. In Katsuragi-kun's view, should we nominate Class C and accept Class B's nomination?"
Assuming Class B would nominate Class A, the more stable approach for Class A wasn't to counter-nominate Class B and engage in direct competition but to promptly nominate Class C instead.
The reasoning behind this was the same as Class B's.
"This is the safest approach at the moment. Of course, I can't guarantee that both Class B and Class C will cooperate as we hope," Katsuragi replied calmly.
Sakayanagi Arisu scanned the room.
Many seemed swayed by his argument.
Although the failure in the sports festival was still fresh, the class's seemingly lively atmosphere masked underlying anxiety—anxiety about whether they would fail again in the next special exam, anxiety about whether Class A would be overtaken.
For them, what they needed now wasn't risk-taking but stability—a strategy to ensure Class A remained unbeatable.
It was out of this concern that Shinji Matoba had proposed his earlier plan.
Now, Katsuragi Kouhei's suggestion struck a balance between Matoba's approach and hers—neither too risky nor too conservative.
"I understand. I hope reality aligns with your expectations," Sakayanagi Arisu smiled.
Though she said nothing more, her expression made it clear: she would undoubtedly nominate Class B.
Seeing no opposition from her, Katsuragi Kouhei breathed a sigh of relief.
If they had argued, even with Class A's advantages, they might have wasted precious time and potentially lost.
But something felt off.
Wasn't she trying to seize control of the discussion?
However, Sakayanagi Arisu soon provided the answer.
"Setting nominations aside, the urgent matters are pairing partners for the exam and preparing the test papers," the girl maintained her smile.
"Though I don't believe any of our classmates will face expulsion, striving for higher scores is always preferable."
Hashimoto Masayoshi spoke up as if he'd anticipated this.
"Regarding pairings, Mashima-sensei already explained—top-performing students will be paired with weaker ones. I don't foresee any issues. We should prepare for the exam as usual."
Katsuragi sensed trouble.
His opponent clearly knew where her strengths lay and had deliberately let go of the earlier topic.
"Therefore, we must now focus on one important task—I believe you all know what it is," Sakayanagi Arisu said softly.
"Regarding the exam paper preparation, I think it would be best handled by students with high academic abilities, such as the top ten in our class."
The top ten in the class—unsurprisingly, Katsuragi let out a sigh.
He had no reason to oppose this suggestion.
Hashimoto Masayoshi added, "There are eight subjects for the exam, fifty questions each, totaling four hundred. That works out to forty questions per person."
"With one month left until finals, this workload shouldn't be a problem, right?" Sakayanagi glanced at the other students—more precisely, at the top ten.
The rest had no chance to interject.
"We have no choice but to proceed this way," Katsuragi Kouhei quickly agreed with Sakayanagi's proposal.
After all, she was the top-ranked student in their class, consistently scoring near-perfect marks in every exam, while his own grades fluctuated between second and third place.
Thus, Sakayanagi Arisu had to take the lead in drafting the exam questions—her academic prowess was unmatched in Class A.
Aside from Sakayanagi and Katsuragi, the top ten included Kaoru, Hashimoto Masayoshi, Sanada, Morishita Ai, and others.
From then on, Class A would form an exam preparation committee consisting of these students, responsible for setting the test papers.
Additionally, to maximize their overall scores, supplementary tutoring couldn't be neglected.
Therefore, Sakayanagi proposed that high-achieving students guide their assigned partners while also providing regular tutoring for their classmates.