r/Classroomfolk

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Thank u/miraiwanai for her scathing post on u/The_Honoured-1's moderatorship for making this happen.

The amount of chemistry these mfs have is elite goonable ART JUST IMAGINE KUSHIDA BEING ON THE TOP WITH SUZUNE GETTING DOMINATED WHILE KUSHIDA CLAPS HER CHEEKS WITH STRAPON THIS IDEA IS SO PERFECT I EVEN IMAGINED IT WHILE GOONING ELITE TIER STUFF

https://preview.redd.it/o7slk9ihb62h1.png?width=660&format=png&auto=webp&s=b2db2e09c760fdea2f7334607f4a066b34905d13

Disclaimer: this was done using Google Translate with some light editing for readability. Apologies for any errors.

Chapter 2: From A Small Crack

It was past 5 p.m.

Although the sun sets late in the height of summer, it could certainly be described as evening.

Far from having recovered from the fatigue of the Uninhabited Island Survival Game Special Exam, some students were stepping into a new special exam while still shouldering the full weight of their accumulated exhaustion.

Before long, the time arrived for the group to tackle the special exam. Their supervisor made his appearance.

"I am Urushihara, and I will be serving as the supervisor for Group 3. It is a pleasure to meet you all." A man—an adult none of them had ever seen before—offered this greeting and began checking to ensure that everyone was present.

Of the ten groups, four had third-year homeroom teachers assigned as their supervisors. It appeared that this man was one of the six supervisors assigned to the remaining groups.

"In this special exam, you will be challenging various tasks to earn tokens; however, these tasks fall into three distinct categories. I will now explain the details, so please listen carefully. The three categories are 'Individual,' 'Group,' and 'Team.' 'Individual' is straightforward: it refers to tasks assigned to each student individually. Essentially, this involves competing one-on-one against someone within your own group or against someone from a different group. Next is 'Group': this involves the sixteen of you cooperating to tackle tasks set by the school, or competing collectively against the entirety of another group. Finally, the third category is 'Team.' This involves a further subdivision within the group, specifically referring to distinctions based on your respective classes. Since there are detailed and unique rules governing this category, I will provide a full explanation only when the specific tasks relevant to it are actually about to take place."

Confirming that everyone was following his explanation without any issues, Urushihara, the supervisor, continued.

"Now—I would like to move on to the subject of how tokens are awarded. However, before we do that, you must first select one 'representative' from each of your respective classes."

Up to this point—neither in Mashima-sensei's explanation of the rules nor in the accompanying materials—had the term "representative" appeared anywhere. Upon hearing of this role for the very first time, the students in the group exchanged bewildered glances.

"Is there any upside to becoming the representative? Oh—actually, if there are any downsides, I’d like to hear about them now, too." Sonoda took the initiative to cautiously ask Urushihara this very question.

"No, nothing in particular. However, we have adopted a system where any tokens earned by a class are collectively awarded to that class's representative. This becomes relevant when tackling challenges in the two categories that aren't the 'Individual' category. For instance, let's say Class A earns 10 tokens through a 'Group' or 'Team' challenge. In that scenario—assuming Ike-kun is the representative for Class A—all of those earned tokens would be awarded to Ike-kun."

Up until this point the students—myself included—had never doubted for a moment that any tokens they earned would be awarded directly to them as individuals. Now, that fundamental assumption was being completely overturned.

Whether tokens are awarded individually or collectively to a representative makes a massive difference.

"Huh? What kind of nonsense is that? So, does that mean if the representative feels like it, they could just pocket all the tokens for themselves and do whatever they want with them?" Realizing just how twisted this system was, Ibuki glared suspiciously at the overseer.

"The school administration has no such malicious intent, but strictly speaking, the rules do allow for that possibility. Since the degree to which individuals contribute varies depending on the specific challenge, your class may need to hold internal discussions regarding how best to allocate the rewards. In that sense, the role of representative may indeed require a certain level of personal integrity."

The overseer offered a plausible-sounding explanation, but the reality was that the level of risk involved had just skyrocketed.

As Ibuki had feared, entrusting the management of tokens entirely to a representative meant there was no longer any firm guarantee that you would actually receive any tokens yourself.

It appeared that the "Individual" category was an exception to this rule; however, assuming the challenges and token rewards were distributed evenly across all three categories, that would mean the tokens you could control entirely by yourself amounted to a mere one-third of the total.

"However, there is one thing I’d like you to be mindful of here: the distinction between 'heads' and 'tails' tokens. Tokens earned individually are treated 100% as 'heads' tokens; however, tokens earned through group or team activities are calculated on a case-by-case basis by dividing the total tokens earned for that specific task by the number of participants. For instance, if a group completes a task and earns 48 tokens, 12 tokens are initially allocated to the representative of each respective class. Since the group consists of 16 members, this means that three tokens per person hold the value of a 'heads' token—serving as the maximum limit recognized as legitimate individual earnings. In other words, if an individual were to receive four tokens, one of them would be treated as a 'tails' token. Since the rights associated with front-side tokens do not expire but rather accumulate, there are no negative consequences regardless of when they are actually distributed."

Roughly summarized, it breaks down like this:

Tasks fall into three categories: "Individual," "Group," and "Team."

• All tokens earned individually are treated as 'heads' tokens.
• All tokens earned through group or team activities are distributed via the designated representative.
• Furthermore, the total number of tokens earned—divided by the number of members in the group or team—establishes the maximum limit for 'heads' tokens; any tokens distributed beyond this limit are treated as 'tails' tokens. Since the maximum limit for 'heads' tokens accumulates over time, the timing of their distribution is left to the discretion of each respective representative.

"This rule sucks—seriously."

It seems safe to assume that the distinction between 'heads' and 'tails' tokens was established specifically to prevent representatives from monopolizing the tokens and making a solo bid for the "Special Prize."

Even so, the privileges held by a representative—such as the ability to earn personal Private Points or to help their classmates avoid expulsion for finishing in last place—could be said to carry even greater weight than the zeal of the overseers themselves.

We were also informed that any fractional remainders resulting from these calculations are simply disregarded; for example, even if a group were to earn 41 tokens, the maximum limit for front-side tokens—when divided among four members—would remain unchanged at 10.

"Very well. You are to now discuss amongst yourselves and decide who will serve as your representative. If you are unable to reach a decision within the allotted time, you will be required to settle the matter via a team vote."

"Going out of their way to concentrate all the earned tokens onto a single representative—that’s a rule that offers us students absolutely no benefit, only downsides."

"It looks like they’re trying to deliberately sow discord among us."

Sanada’s expression hardened in response to the unique restriction imposed upon them, while Yoshida voiced his own thoughts on the matter.

In all likelihood, they were right. The true test here was whether they could place their trust in their classmates—and, conversely, whether they could prove themselves worthy of that trust.

"I don't know who ends up becoming the representative, but whoever it is—you will be handing those tokens over to me, won't you?"

Immediately harboring suspicion toward this new rule, Ibuki cast a wary, distrustful gaze upon her fellow Class B members.

"Fundamentally, this situation shouldn't lead to anyone being sabotaged. And precisely to ensure that we don't end up with the sort of person who would do such a thing as our representative, we ought to settle this using a fair and impartial method."

Katsuragi responded to Ibuki’s inquiry, proposing a simple solution: deciding the matter via a majority vote.

It was, after all, the most straightforward and generally most agreeable method of selection available.

Meanwhile, in the other classes, different dynamics were already beginning to emerge.

"I’m thinking of stepping up to be our representative—that’s fine with you, right? ...Mii-chan?"

That intimidating voice rang out from within the Class A team, belonging to none other than Shinohara.

"Oh—uh, y-yes. I don't have any objections to that, but..."

Showing no signs of wanting to contest Shinohara’s bid for the representative role, Mii-chan simply nodded, albeit with a hint of bewilderment. Given that she herself was not the type to enjoy being in the spotlight, her mindset was likely that as long as someone else was willing to take on the responsibility, she was perfectly content to let them do so.

"Well, since Mii-chan says it’s fine, I guess there’s no problem then."

As if a single person’s opinion were all that was needed to officially secure the representative position, Shinohara flashed a smile, her expression radiating sheer self-confidence.

"Um... shouldn't we check with Ike-kun and Kushida-san, too?"

Seeing the discussion heading toward a conclusion that would be sealed by her own single vote, Mii-chan instinctively spoke up—but Shinohara paid her no mind.

However, in this special exam, finishing in last place in terms of token count carries the risk of expulsion. When looking several steps ahead, it remains questionable whether it is truly wise to casually select Shinohara—or even Ike—as their representative.

Kushida, too, understood this fact; she likely felt that simply going along with the flow, as Mii-chan had done, amounted to nothing less than taking a significant risk.

The brief silence that settled over the Class A group was just a shade too long—a heavy, lingering pause that stood out rather than blending into the conversations taking place with the other classes.

Before any of the four could explicitly open their mouths, the atmosphere itself shifted first.

Mii-chan glanced back and forth between Kushida and Shinohara just once, then immediately lowered her gaze.

Whether she was simply unaccustomed to having a decision entrusted to her, or whether she fully grasped the gravity of voicing an opinion in this specific moment, one thing was clear: she showed no signs of offering an immediate answer.

Shinohara, for her part, did not let that fleeting hesitation go unnoticed.

Even at this stage—before a definitive conclusion had been reached—her priority was to steer the momentum of the discussion in her own favor.

She held her gaze steady, applying pressure to ensure there was no avenue for escape.

And then—

"So, you're saying you don't want me? Is there some kind of problem with me being the representative?"

Kushida pressed the issue. Though framed as a question, in reality, the range of acceptable answers was severely restricted.

An affirmative response would create friction; a negative one would force a concession.

It was patently obvious that, by presenting this binary choice, Kushida was attempting to seize control of the situation.

"Um... well... yeah, I guess so... It's not that there's any 'problem' with you being the representative, exactly... it's just that I was actually thinking of volunteering myself..."

Shinohara spoke with a modest demeanor, yet her intent was articulated with firm resolve. But upon hearing Kushida's words, Shinohara’s expression stiffened, betraying a hint of displeasure.

"Why? Is it because you don't trust me?"

"No, it’s not that. I’ve actually intended to run for the position right from the start..."

"Oh? Well, that makes me feel like you don't trust me—and that leaves a bad taste in my mouth."

"But if we’re going by that logic... wouldn't that imply that you, Kushida-san, don't trust me?"

Kushida looked flustered and somewhat overwhelmed by Shinohara’s intensity, yet she did not back down from her counter-argument.

"Huh? It’s not like that at all, though—"

Smiling faintly, as if finding the situation slightly amusing, Shinohara continued.

"But tell me, Kushida-san—do you honestly believe you can earn someone's trust unconditionally?"

She raised her voice slightly. While they hadn't drawn a crowd just yet, if the exchange escalated any further, it would inevitably catch the eyes and ears of students from other classes.

"I... I certainly intend to make the effort to earn that trust. And precisely because of that, I didn't want to place any unnecessary burden on you, Shinohara-san."

With the eyes of other classes upon them, Kushida had no choice but to keep up the act—to continue playing the role of the "usual" Kushida. And it was precisely because Shinohara understood this all too well that she felt emboldened to press the issue so aggressively.

"Burden? What do you mean?"

"Well, managing the tokens is a hassle, after all. And even though it’s the 'representative' role, it’s really just glorified busywork—so I figured it would be better if I handled it myself."

"It’s not a burden at all, so don't worry about it. You can just relax and leave everything to me, Kushida-san."

"What do you think, Mii-chan?" Kushida turned to Mii-chan, her tone pleading for support.

But before Mii-chan—caught in the middle and looking utterly bewildered—could offer a reply, Shinohara shot her a look of sharp annoyance.

"You heard her say she’d left it entirely in my hands, didn't you? So why are you asking for confirmation all over again? Is it because you still don't trust me?"

"N-no, it’s not that. I just wanted to make sure I’d properly checked everyone’s opinions..."

"In that case, why don't you ask Kanji, too?"

Shinohara—convinced that he would instantly side with her—looked over at Ike with a dismissive snort.

"Hmm... Ike-kun, what do you think?"

Closing the distance slightly, Kushida looked up at Ike through her lashes and asked.

"Huh? Uh... well, I mean... Kikyo-ch—er, Kushida... yeah, she wouldn't be a bad choice at all, either."

Even though the class had already seen her true colors, Kushida still maintained the facade of an angel on the surface. When she turned that trusting, expectant gaze upon him, Ike blushed and flustered in embarrassment.

"Hey, Kanji...?"

It was Shinohara who took offense at Ike’s unexpected reaction. She gave his left ear a sharp, hard tug.

"Ow! Ow-ow-ow! That hurts, Satsuki!"

"Tell us: who is more qualified to be our representative—me or Kushida-san? Answer honestly."

"Of course! Of course!" Ike stammered, wincing in pain as he gave his answer.

"I-I’m sure we’ll be perfectly safe if we just leave it to Satsuki!"

Exposed to Shinohara’s blatantly suspicious glare, Ike scrambled to save himself.

"So, it looks like that settles it. That works for you, right, Kushida-san?"

"Alright. Yeah, if everyone else is fine with that, then I’m fine with it, too."

Kushida was likely harboring a great deal of frustration, but with Shinohara and Ike holding two votes between them, her hands were tied. Even if she were to dig her heels in and somehow manage to win Mii-chan over to her side, the votes would simply split, and no representative would be decided. Having already issued such a strong rejection, provoking Shinohara any further would be a tactical blunder; thus, it seemed Kushida had no choice but to back down.

Of course, neither Shinohara nor Ike were likely planning to use their control over the tokens to pull any dirty tricks on Kushida or Mii-chan—at least not at this stage. However, that was only because they hadn't been backed into a corner yet. If, down the line, they found themselves unable to increase their token count as planned—or worse, if they started losing them—the authority Shinohara held as the group representative could swell to a massive, unmanageable, and terrifying degree.

Once again, it simply underscored just how critically important the 'representative' position was.

There were likely very few students among the current third-years who lacked the insight to grasp something so obvious.

And precisely for that reason, Kushida, in particular, would find that navigating the situation from this point forward would require an extremely delicate touch.

"It looks like Shinohara ended up becoming the representative over there. Well, I suppose it’s only natural for a student facing the risk of expulsion to want to secure that representative role. Conversely, that’s got to be a real headache for people like Wang and Kushida."

Yoshida, who had been quietly eavesdropping, offered that calm analysis.

"So, what should we do for the time being? We’re sticking with you as our representative, right?" Yoshida approached me and asked for instructions in a hushed voice.

"You’re going to follow my lead?"

"Of course. I admit I panicked a bit back during the Survival Game Special Exam when it looked like we were going to lose, but since we ended up taking second place exactly as planned, I can hardly complain now. Besides, you’re the designated leader for this exam. Our ideal goal is to take first place within this group, after all."

Standing right beside Yoshida as he gave that reply, Sanada also nodded without a moment's hesitation.

"So, it is settled then—you will be our representative?"

"You can just ignore her. She’s not going to step up to the front lines anyway." Yoshida pressed on with the conversation, assuring me that I didn't need to pay any mind to Morishita—who stood there with her arms crossed, nodding repeatedly to herself.

"I’m sure Morishita-san realizes, just as we do, that entrusting this role to Ayanokoji-kun is our best option."

It felt as though Sanada was deliberately flattering me a bit too much, but I didn't let it bother me.

"One final confirmation: Are you absolutely sure you want to leave this to me? Once I become the representative, I’ll have complete freedom to allocate the tokens we earn however I see fit. I might even choose to act solely for my own self-preservation."

"You’re Ayanokoji—the eccentric who chose to drop down from Class A of his own free will. If you were to betray us and try to save only yourself, that would be the end of you; at the very least, you’d never be able to remain our class leader. So, it’s not just a matter of trust—your very position wouldn't allow for such selfishness."

That was how Yoshida explained his reasoning for accepting me as their representative.

As if to echo his sentiments, Sanada also nodded in agreement.

It was an attitude born of a firm resolve: unless they placed their complete trust in me, there was simply no hope for their class to rise.

"I don't trust you, mind you. But—well, let's put you to the test and see if you're truly fit to lead the class."

"Understood. If Yoshida and Sanada say so, then I accept the responsibility; I will serve as our representative."

We informed the overseer that I had been selected as the representative for the Class C team, and then waited for the remaining teams to make their decisions.

---

That's it for the trial. Thanks for reading. Hopefully the rest of Y3V4 won't disappoint.

Y3V4 Chapter 2: From A Small Crack (you are here)

Link to Y3V4 Chapter 1.3.

Link to Y3V4 Chapter 1.2.

Link to Y3V4 Chapter 1.1.

Link to Y3V4 Chapter 1: Special Token Collection Test.

Link to Y3V4 Ibuki Mio's Monologue.

Disclaimer: this was done using Google Translate with some light editing for readability. Apologies for any errors.

Chapter 1.2

Around the time Ayanokoji was making first contact with Group 3, Horikita—who had been assigned to Group 8—was likewise coming face-to-face with the members of her group.

A student with long pink hair, smiling as the sea breeze ruffled her locks, parted her lips to speak.

"Nice to meet you, Horikita-san."

"I suppose I did anticipate a fair probability that class leaders would end up in the same group, but to think I’d be paired with you—Ichinose-san."

Horikita felt a sense of relief, realizing that—among the other three leaders—Ichinose was, at the very least, the easiest to deal with.

This wasn't a matter of whether her opponent was strong or weak; rather, she was convinced that Ichinose’s presence—provided she was on their side—would bring immense stability to the group.

Although this special exam involved competition between classes, it also placed a heavy emphasis on the group's collective performance. With Ichinose involved, there was a high probability that things would turn out for the best.

"If this were a purely class-versus-class battle, things might have been tricky. But judging by the rules, cooperating as a group actually leads to mutual benefits—so it’s not a bad deal at all, is it? If you and I join forces, we might even be able to secure a safe victory for our group."

Almost simultaneously, Ichinose had been mulling over much the same thoughts.

As Horikita observed Ichinose standing before her, she sensed a powerful aura—one distinct from the presence she had felt from her in the past.

As an enemy, such a presence would be nothing short of a nuisance; but as an ally, it was a source of immense reassurance.

"Indeed. As leaders, we belong to a group where victory is the primary objective. Under normal circumstances, we’d likely be trying to probe one another’s true intentions—but instead, we’ll cooperate to aim for the highest possible rank... does that sound like a plan?"

Would they choose to cooperate, or to antagonize one another? Since it was entirely possible to divert tokens to other groups simply to prevent a rival from winning, a single decision regarding their strategy could drastically alter the total number of tokens the group ultimately acquired.

"Of course. If our group takes first place, the reward is 100 Class Points for each of us. It is, quite simply, the ideal scenario. It won't just be me; if necessary, I intend to strongly request the cooperation of every single student in Class D. Does that work for you?"

"I’ll take that as a gracious offer and accept it at face value. On our end, we also intend to unite behind the strategy of securing a solid total number of tokens for our group. Of course, that will likely depend on the moves of Classes B and C—whose intentions remain unclear for now."

Students from other classes had begun to trickle in, their faces appearing here and there.

Neither Ayanokōji nor Ryūen was among them.

Had all four class leaders happened to end up in the same group, cooperating to maximize their total token count would have been a simple matter; however, for any class other than the front-running Class A, such a scenario would have offered very little to celebrate. It would have meant squandering a precious special exam—a golden opportunity to widen the gap between themselves and the other classes.

"Sharing the mindset of working together to aim for first place in the group seems like it will go surprisingly smoothly; however, there is one issue—one that is crucial for both you and me—that we simply cannot overlook."

"What to do about the expulsions... isn't that it?"

Horikita’s gaze met Ichinose’s, and she gave a firm nod.

It had already been announced that this special exam would result in expulsions.

Moreover, one of those expulsions was a penalty that someone—inevitably—would be forced to accept. The only ways to prevent it were either for the designated victim to conveniently happen to possess a Protection Point, or to pay a ransom of 20 million Private Points.

"Horikita-san... I will absolutely not allow a single one of my classmates to be expelled. If aiming for the top spot in total tokens requires the sacrifice of a comrade, then—without a moment's hesitation—I will choose to save my comrade instead."

It was a message from Ichinose: If you have any objection to that, speak now.

Accepting that message head-on, Horikita took a deep, steady breath and offered her reply.

"I share that sentiment. I, too, have no intention of sacrificing my classmates."

"So, does that mean we’re allies—people facing the same direction, ready to join hands?"

"…Provided, of course, that you’re willing to place your trust in me."

At the very least, Horikita was not the sort of person who commanded the same level of trust as Ichinose. She was well aware of that much. Right now, she was in the position of having to prove herself worthy of being trusted.

"In that case, it looks like there’s no problem."

Saying this, Ichinose flashed a smile devoid of any hesitation and reached out her hand.

Observing her demeanor, Horikita let out a silent sigh of admiration deep within her heart.

It was the sheer strength of weathering more than two years of trials and tribulations with the power of trust. She had sensed it indirectly on several occasions before, but now that they had actually formed a group together, that strength felt far more vivid—and incredibly reassuring. Under normal circumstances, one ought never to place their trust so readily in a rival; yet, she found herself instinctively concluding that this was someone she could trust.

Of course, it was merely a probability approaching 100 percent; there was no absolute guarantee anywhere that she wouldn't eventually be betrayed.

Nevertheless, the fact that Ichinose’s presence alone could subconsciously instill in her the mental fortitude to accept the outcome—to tell herself, "If I’m going to be betrayed, I’d rather it be by Ichinose"—was, in itself, a remarkable feat.

"Before we join hands, there’s one more thing…"

Gazing at those slender, elegant fingertips, Horikita posed a probing question.

"It is all but inevitable that someone will have to be sacrificed. However, we are committed to ensuring that no students are expelled from either of our classes. We will do whatever it takes to achieve that end. As long as we adhere to this policy—or to put it another way—it means that the expulsions will have to come from either Ryūen-kun’s class or Ayanokōji-kun’s class. Are you truly prepared to accept that reality?"

In response to her inquiry, Ichinose closed her eyes for a moment, then gave a faint smile.

"I admit, the 'me' of the past might not have been so quick to nod in agreement. But now, I have no doubts. You can rest assured: I have absolutely no intention of holding back or showing any mercy to a rival class when it comes to protecting my own allies."

Once again, Horikita met her gaze head-on—staring into those eyes, now wide open and shining with unwavering, absolute resolve.

"I see... You’ve grown even more than I imagined, Ichinose-san."

Horikita recognized that Ichinose was a formidable opponent. Even so, there was still a part of her that underestimated Ichinose Honami.

Being a fundamentally good person often implies—by its very nature—that one also harbors a certain weakness beneath the surface.

Even the simple act of protecting one’s classmates is no easy feat. Time and again, both Horikita and Hirata had attempted to do just that, only to fall short. Yet Ichinose—despite her struggles and hardships—has managed to protect her classmates without losing a single one, right up to this very moment.

"I feel the exact same way about you, Horikita-san. You seem to have become far more formidable than you were when we first enrolled."

"I wonder about that. Personally, having more people to protect actually makes things more difficult for me... But putting that aside, there’s something that’s been on my mind ever since we received the briefing for this special exam. To maneuver in such a way that none of our teammates’ token counts drop to zero, luck is bound to play a role. What are your thoughts on that aspect?"

"Have you noticed the correlation between the number of tokens initially assigned to a student and their performance in the Uninhabited Island Survival Game Special Exam?"

"Yes; it appears that students who stayed in for a longer period tend to possess a higher number of tokens. Of course, I haven’t verified this with every single classmate, so it’s not an absolute certainty..." Horikita added this caveat, noting that her conclusion was based solely on inquiries she had made with a handful of students whose elimination times had varied.

"I share that assessment. In other words—compared to the classes led by Ayanokoji and Ryuen, both of which suffered numerous dropouts shortly after the exam began—one could argue that our class holds a slight advantage."

"Your class does, after all, include students who managed to remain in the game until the very end. If one extrapolates the answer from those maximum values, then yes—that would indeed appear to be the case. However, simply possessing a higher aggregate token count as a class does not necessarily guarantee a favorable outcome."

Ultimately, given that the tokens are distributed at random, the only result is a disparity in the total token counts across the various groups. Or, at most, it merely creates minor advantages or disadvantages for individual participants.

"But... having our class collectively hold a large number of tokens also means a significant difference in the number of times we can use our radios to relay information. If you and I work together to manage our tokens meticulously, we can keep a constant watch over any students who find themselves running low. Excluding Group 10—which has fewer than sixteen members—we can use our eight-person groups to transfer tokens and provide cover for one another."

"I see... So, aside from our own Group 8—which is aiming for first place—you want the others to maneuver in a way that ensures no one ends up as a casualty? Any tokens that are transferred become "tails", thereby losing their value as individual rewards. However, from our group's perspective, this also means that the other groups—the very ones we need to defeat—will be forced to fall behind."

In principle, attempting to unify two entire classes is no easy feat. First and foremost, it would mean "forcibly compelling" the students assigned to the remaining nine groups to give up any hope of winning a Special Prize. While such a strategy might be feasible for Ichinose’s class—which acts as a single, unified entity—convincing every single one of Horikita’s classmates to go along with it would be virtually impossible.

"It’s an interesting idea, but it would also mean asking certain students—those who might otherwise have the chance to pull off a major upset within their own groups—to make a sacrifice. After all, isn't it true that the groups that have the potential for an unexpected victory are the ones that don't include Ryūen-kun or Ayanokōji-kun?"

This point highlighted a fundamental difference in perspectives: Ichinose wanted to lean heavily toward a defensive strategy, whereas Horikita felt the need to maintain at least some focus on offense.

Even if they agreed to move forward in the spirit of cooperation, Horikita couldn't shake the strong premonition that this special exam was still destined to be a long and arduous journey.

"You're right. I do think there will be parts of our strategies that simply won't align. But this Special Exam lasts for four days and three nights. Let's take our time, talk things through thoroughly, and figure things out together, Horikita-san."

"True. We don't even know the specific challenges or how the tokens will flow yet. There's really no point in rushing things at this stage."

"I'll go and let the rest of my group members know."

Ichinose excused herself to Horikita and left. Alone, Horikita watched from a distance as she cheerfully greeted students from other classes.

"There’s no need to rush... I know that, but..."

Horikita recalled her conversation with Sudo immediately after the survival game special exam ended.

“There might be a traitor right here in our class.”

During the battle against Class A, she had been told that the opposing students had prioritized targeting Satou—the designated VIP—over Sudou, who should have been the far more formidable adversary.

Had she herself been Sudou’s enemy in that situation, she would undoubtedly have made him her primary target. Yet, they had focused their attacks on Satou instead. And if there were indeed someone pulling the strings behind the scenes...

"Are you saying... that there is someone within our own class leaking information?"

She spotted Ayanokouji in the distance. From Class A were four students: Mii-chan, Shinohara, Ike, and Kushida.

Even before the first semester had drawn to a close, the four classes had already settled into a state of near-perfect equilibrium.

If their internal affairs were truly being leaked, then any information Horikita conveyed would inevitably reach Ayanokouji as well. They might very well be forced to struggle through this special exam, too.

Deep within Horikita, a faint flicker of unease continued to smolder.

Link to Y3V4 Chapter 2: From A Small Crack.

Link to Y3V4 Chapter 1.3.

Y3V4 Chapter 1.2 (you are here)

Link to Y3V4 Chapter 1.1.

Link to Y3V4 Chapter 1: Special Token Collection Test.

Link to Y3V4 Ibuki Mio's Monologue.

As we all know, the official synopsis of the next volume mentions this line: “And by exploiting the rules, a certain student starts going on a rampage”. So the question is: who do you think that student is.

If the person you have in mind isn’t listed in the poll options, feel free to write your answer in the comments. Reddit only allows six choices per poll; otherwise I would have included other options such as Kanzaki.

And just to keep things fair, I didn’t make my own vote obvious. 🙏🙏

Here are my reasons for each option:

- Kiyotaka Ayanokōji — he goes on a rampage just to troll Ryūen with Ibuki’s expulsion… and Koenji with Mii‑chan’s.

- Rokusuke Kōenji — after realizing kind Mii‑chan is in danger, he unleashes divine rampage to troll Ayanokōji and everyone else.

- Kakeru Ryūen — after noticing his hair starting to resemble Katsuragi’s from the side effects of taking too many Ls, he snaps and goes all‑out on everyone, including Hiyori.

- Honami Ichinose — after sensing Ayanokōji is falling for Hiyori, jealousy takes over and she goes on a rampage to keep him by her side.

- Suzune Horikita — after losing Ibuki, she steels her resolve and finally reaches her full potential to protect Kushida, her true love and final line of mental defense.

- Kikyō Kushida — after losing Ibuki, she realizes she can’t lose Horikita too. Standing alone against the entire school, she fights to protect Horikita and make their love undeniable.

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