By 5 p.m., the exams had officially concluded.
Kaoru and the others gathered on the track field, where the girls gradually appeared as well.
Their faces showed varying degrees of exhaustion—after a whole day of grueling tests, those with poor stamina were likely suffering.
But none of that mattered.
The atmosphere among the senior teams seemed particularly tense, with Nagumo interrogating several students while Tonokawa Sosuke and others wore expressions of deep suspicion.
"You fell during the competition?"
"Y-yes, it was Yamamoto-kun who accidentally—"
"Don't joke around. Didn't I warn you all to give 100% focus to this exam?"
"..."
"And besides your group, someone from Sato's team claimed to be physically unwell?"
"I-it seems they said it was food poisoning..."
There was no need to ask further.
Suppressing his anger, Nagumo Miyabi had spent the past two days waiting for Kaoru and Horikita Manabu to make their move, never expecting they'd hold out until exam day itself.
Throughout this period, he hadn't received even a whisper of information.
Nagumo had considered the possibility that Mitoma might seek a breakthrough through Muto Hiromichi's group.
Just yesterday, he'd specifically sought out Muto to probe for information.
If Muto had defected to Kaoru's side, Nagumo could always buy him back.
The problem was—Muto Hiromichi didn't appear to have joined Kaoru.
Though Muto's evasive responses gave Nagumo an uneasy feeling, what right did lower-class students have to betray him?
Through his carrot-and-stick approach, Nagumo had established absolute authority over these lower classes.
He refused to believe Kaoru could possibly undermine his influence.
Yet now, Nagumo was beginning to sense something amiss—though he resisted acknowledging it.
After all, he'd specifically promised Muto Hiromichi five million Personal Points if no second-year Class A students were eliminated from his group.
As group leader, would Muto really sacrifice himself to wholeheartedly assist Kaoru?
Whatever Nagumo's thoughts might be, the exam was now drawing to a close.
"Over these eight days at the forest school, you've all worked hard," the teacher in charge of the camp announced from the podium.
"Though the exam content differed, this was a special test held only once every few years, and overall results have surpassed previous performances."
"Today, I'll keep it brief," the teacher continued with a smile. "In this exam, all female groups scored above the school's benchmark. With zero expulsions, this is the best possible outcome!"
Without question, Nagumo Miyabi had failed.
His chosen pawns proved insufficient to overpower Kaoru and Horikita Manabu, suffering consecutive defeats across both first-year and third-year cohorts.
"We'll now announce detailed results. For the female groups, first place goes to—third-year Class B's large group led by Saikawa Harumi!"
As rankings were announced, cheers erupted from the female teams, with first-year Classes B and D appearing particularly delighted.
Kaoru noticed Sakayanagi maintaining her usual serene expression. Of course—with their delicate princess present, first-year Class A's meditation and relay events had naturally been one member short.
Surprisingly, first-year Class D secured second place.
Horikita Suzune must have been working hard beyond his observation.
"For the male groups, first place goes to—third-year Class C's large group under Ninomiya Kuranosuke's leadership!"
This was the group containing Horikita Manabu, Kiriyama Ikuyo, and Katsuragi Kouhei.
As expected, first-year Class A secured over three hundred points.
Second place went to the large group led by Nagumo Miyabi and Ryuuen Kakeru, while third place was claimed by Kanazaki's team.
As for Kaoru—
"However, regrettably, among the male participants, one large group fell below the average score—the last-ranked group from Class 3-C, led by Sato Keisaku."
This announcement likely took everyone by surprise.
A faint smile appeared on Kaoru's face.
Having already subdued the third-years and manipulated the second-years, it was no wonder this group ended up in last place.
Nagumo's expression darkened at the news.
He had received no prior intelligence about this.
The realization sent a chill through his limbs.
Indeed, aside from Ryuuen's attempt to extort him, he hadn't gotten even the slightest warning.
Thunder always precedes rain—yet he had heard no rumors about this group's downfall, despite deliberately placing two to three students from Class 2-A in each team.
Not a single one had alerted him in advance.
Nagumo glanced at Tonokawa Sosuke and the others, only to find these fools equally stunned.
Clearly, Kaoru Mitoma had even managed to keep them in the dark.
"The group that failed to meet the benchmark is the second-year team led by Mutou Hiromichi. As per the rules, the leader will face expulsion. That is all."
As the announcement concluded, some sighed in relief, while others wore even grimmer expressions.
Kaoru turned his gaze toward the second-years, locking eyes with Nagumo Miyabi.
The darker Nagumo's expression grew, the wider Kaoru's smile became.
'Well then, it's your turn now. Will you save him or not?'
'If you don't, you'll still retain millions in Personal Points, losing only one classmate and a hundred Class Points. You could still pose a threat to me.'
'But in exchange, this failure will shatter your authority.'
'The only reason people tolerate you is because you've led them to victory.'
'Now that you've failed, they might abandon you at any moment.'
'If you do save him, the losses will be even more severe, and your authority won't recover—just a slow, inevitable decline.'
"Unbelievable. The one getting expelled is actually a second-year."
Hashimoto sidled up to Kaoru. "I heard someone in their group got injured, which is why they ended up in last place."
Though he didn't say it outright, the implication was clear—Did you have a hand in this?
"Quite unexpected. Can they designate someone else for expulsion?"
Kaoru noticed Tonokawa Sosuke stepping forward to negotiate with Mutou Hiromichi, likely trying to uncover the truth or even pay their way out of trouble.
But that wouldn't work.
---------
Read 50 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator