By the time class let out.
No matter how complicated their feelings were, the students of Class B and Class D had no choice but to accept it — from this point forward, fighting monsters was their reality.
The hot-blooded fire that had lit up Ikebe Koji's eyes only minutes ago had cooled. Reason had reclaimed its territory. He scratched at his hair and said, with the very specific energy of a man lying to himself:
"Yamauchi — do you think it's possible I'm actually the Chosen One?"
"Think about it. The random lottery? Didn't pick me. The random-entry ambush last time? Also didn't pick me. As long as I don't go out of my way to get myself killed — just stay in the safe zone, keep my head down — I might actually coast all the way to graduation."
"Ha?"
Yamauchi Haruto, fellow member of the so-called Problem Trio, couldn't help but let out a short, derisive laugh.
"If you were the protagonist, shouldn't you have been the first one the Black Sphere picked? You know — punch the zombies, kick the demons, rally us all to greatness and conquer the whole thing?"
"What kind of protagonist power is 'master of doing absolutely nothing'?"
"Tch. What do you know."
Called out completely, Ikebe's face went red. He tried to salvage whatever dignity he had left:
"This is called the passive protagonist! Ever hear the expression — 'don't mock a man for being poor in his youth'? Sometimes when your starting stats are low and your goal is far away, you have to take the long way around..."
Chris listened to the two of them trading nonsense that had no nutritional value for anyone, and let himself find it quietly funny.
He glanced around.
The students were either deep in their own thoughts or had clustered into small groups, whispering to each other — nobody was dispersing. The invisible Sword of Damocles hanging over all of their heads had turned every single one of them into a frightened bird startled by the twang of a bow.
About time.
Chris counted down quietly in his head.
Three. Two. One.
The next second.
Ding —
Ding. Ding. Ding —
Notification chimes cascaded through the crowd like a row of falling dominoes, one after another in rapid succession.
Everyone scrambled for their phones.
"This is..."
Someone stared at the red-highlighted message on their screen, voice going sharp with disbelief:
"A... preliminary test for the special exam?!"
Not far off, Ichinose Honami — who had been in the middle of negotiating with the PE teacher about compensation for the basketball she'd exploded — heard the commotion and pulled out her phone.
When she read the school-wide announcement that had been sent directly to her, she went completely still.
[After careful deliberation, the school has determined that in order to help students acclimate more effectively, preliminary tests will be held on an irregular basis prior to future special exams. One student per class will be selected at random. The winner is exempt and receives a reward. The loser will be forcibly entered into that evening's Black Sphere exam as a random participant.]
This...
Ichinose's hand trembled slightly around her phone.
This was too much of a coincidence.
Just last period — Kushida Kikyo had been trying to calm everyone's panic, and had thrown out an offhand guess that the school might introduce some new evaluation standard.
The bell had barely finished ringing. No one had even had time to take a breath. And the school had actually done it — announced a so-called "preliminary test" out of nowhere?
The same unease rippled through Horikita Suzune and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
Horikita's brow furrowed, her thoughts full of reluctant respect — Kushida Kikyo's instincts were terrifyingly accurate. The girl had something.
Ayanokoji, meanwhile, slowly raised his head. His eyes swept across the security cameras dotting every corner of the area.
...Is the Black Sphere watching us?
With the gaps in his information, he couldn't connect all the fractured threads in his memory into a complete picture.
While he was still turning it over — his phone buzzed again in his palm.
A private message had appeared, abrupt and unannounced.
[Lucky winner — please make your way to the first-floor hall of the academic building before 4:00 PM and begin the game.]
[Failure to arrive within the time limit will be treated as forfeiture. Forfeiture is equivalent to a loss.]
[Note: You may substitute this slot by voluntarily registering for that evening's special exam.]
"..."
Ayanokoji stared at the notification on his screen without expression.
Beside him, Hirata Yousuke had leaned over at the sound — caught a glimpse of the screen — and his expression shifted.
"Ayanokoji — you were selected?"
Hirata's brow drew tight. Concern threaded through his voice:
"Are you going to sign up for the evening exam instead?"
"Chabashira-sensei already put a notice in the group chat — anyone who wants to register can go find her now."
He paused, then added:
"I know the main exam is dangerous too, but at least we'd have information going in... and I'm sure Horikita-san wouldn't be petty about something like this."
Using one certain risk to sidestep one unknown risk — in Hirata's eyes, that was the best available move right now.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was quiet for a moment. Then he gave a small, unhurried shake of his head.
"No need."
"Whether it's good luck or bad luck — there's no running from it. Better to go see it with my own eyes now than to spend every day after this on edge."
"Besides — even if I lose, all that happens is I get dropped into the exam as a random participant. Same as before."
As long as it wasn't outright death, it was still within acceptable range.
More importantly — he needed intelligence.
About this Black Sphere. About this school. And...
Seeing that his mind was made up, Hirata Yousuke didn't push further. He just pressed a firm hand onto Ayanokoji's shoulder.
"Stay safe out there."
Compared to the quiet calm on Class D's side —
Not far away, Class B had erupted.
"How is it her again — Shiranami-san?"
"That's such terrible luck! Why is the Black Sphere so cruel?!"
Shiranami Chihiro could only manage a helpless grimace. In the end, she chose to register for the special exam.
Not that she actually had any real choice.
She was already carrying a negative score from the last exam. If she lost the preliminary test on top of that and got force-dropped into the exam as a random participant — without any idea where the Black Sphere drew its lines, and without the protection of the combat suit — that was functionally a death sentence.
But it was precisely because of this that Shiranami Chihiro noticed something — a hidden rule tucked inside the system.
"If I register for the special exam... I can designate one person to take my place in the preliminary test?"
"I'll go."
Just as Ichinose Honami was about to speak up, Kanzaki Ryuuji stepped forward first.
"Shiranami's not in a good place to be taking risks right now. And with Ichinose in the main exam tonight, she'll actually be safer there."
"As for this preliminary test..." He held it for a beat. "Perfect timing, actually. I've been wanting to see what this Black Sphere game is really worth."
"Kanzaki-kun..."
Ichinose Honami looked moved — quietly convinced that her efforts had finally been getting through to people.
And just like that, the slot was transferred.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka watched the whole exchange with sharp, quiet eyes.
...Targeting people who survived the previous exam, specifically.
Both he and Shiranami Chihiro had made it through last time. Was that random? Or was it something deliberate — a pointed message?
Turning that over in his head, Ayanokoji started walking toward the academic building.
At the same moment, Kanzaki Ryuuji said his goodbyes to the rest of Class B and fell into step beside him, taking two strides for every one.
"You're one of the three who got pulled into the last special exam and made it out alive, right?"
Kanzaki studied the Class D student walking beside him — someone who, at first glance, was completely unremarkable — and extended his hand.
"Class B. Kanzaki Ryuuji. Nice to meet you."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka shook it, once, politely.
"Class D. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka."
...
Feeling the atmosphere around them gradually shift and thicken, Chris opened his phone and scrolled through notifications — or at least did a convincing impression of it.
In truth, this preliminary test hadn't entirely come about because of Kushida's offhand comment. He'd already had this idea independently. Kushida's words had simply been a convenient trigger to move it forward a little sooner.
Because no matter how you looked at it — the intellectual battles that defined Classroom of the Elite were, in their own way, comparable to Zhongli's legendary staged death. The intricate, slow-burn mind games were the whole appeal of the source material.
All action, all the time, would be a waste of everything the setting had to offer.
The original story had been constrained by realistic settings and the walls of law and public morality — limiting the kinds of games that could be played. But now, as the absolute authority over this world, holding a full deck of items in his hand...
If he grafted the games from Alice in Borderland onto the structure of this school's exams — what kind of spark would that ignite?
Let's try the Wolf and Sheep game first and see how it goes...
Just as Chris was pulling up the interface only he could see, already settling in to spectate in style —
A scent drifted over on the breeze. Not perfume. Something warmer and more honest than that.
Ichinose Honami had appeared at his side without him noticing. The expression on her face was serious.
"Chris-kun..."
"I didn't expect the Black Sphere trials to start again so soon. And in this form, no less."
Chris pulled his attention back to the present.
"Nothing we can do about it."
"We don't get to choose. We only get to be chosen. Might as well make peace with that."
But Ichinose Honami shook her head. There was a stubbornness in the set of her jaw — something biting down hard, refusing to buckle.
"I don't see it that way."
"Yes, the situation is cruel. But I still believe — effort doesn't always guarantee success, but effort always produces a result that's worthy of the effort. If we don't give up, we'll find a way through this. I know it."
"Then let's believe it and hold onto that," Chris said quietly.
He didn't argue. And somehow, that was exactly what Ichinose needed.
Something warm and emboldened flickered in her eyes.
She hesitated — then lowered her voice, just slightly, the faintest tinge of embarrassment coloring her tone:
"Actually — Chris-kun. About the Gantz Suit."
"I've been experimenting on my own a few times... The strength increase is definitely real. But I still can't figure out what you meant before — about the difference. Could you explain it in a bit more detail?"
Ichinose's ears had gone a shade of pink.
"Is it something I'm doing wrong... or is it that the way I'm using it is off?"
——End of Chapter——
Tomorrow's update will go up in the evening — and as compensation, there'll be a bonus chapter.
While I'm here — please spare a free recommendation ticket, monthly vote, or blade if you have one. It genuinely means a lot to a small author.
orz
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