chp4 intro 2-2

5. The battle of the 1st years and 3rd years


Now, nearly 3 months into the school year, the 1st years had gotten to understand the Advanced Nurturing High School and its rules a little better.

They were also in the process of forming groups for the next special exam.

However, due to unforeseen circumstances, their process wasn’t going as smoothly as expected.

Students of Class 1-D, led by Kazuomi Housen, were making their move, stubbornly refusing to participate in the groupings and wanting to trade their cards at exorbitant prices. They were demanding points without which they were unwilling to cooperate with the remaining year.

Housen’s goal was to put each class into a situation where no one could freely form groups.

Although representatives from each of the classes had hoped that Housen would have changed his mind come July 1st, his stance on the matter hadn’t changed.

However, there was a chorus of voices from the 1st years to just ignore Class-D in the team formation process. Nevertheless, Takuya Yagami from Class 1-B was still waiting for the situation to resolve itself. While it would’ve been easy to simply ignore Housen’s class, cooperation was essential in this exam as it was a battle within all three school years instead of just the 1st years. He believed it was necessary to select talented people from the entire year in order to maximise their chances of winning. Some students who had the same idea as him expressed their support, and an agreement was formed by the three classes to wait until July came.

Housen, however, had gone through the entire time with a negligent attitude, causing their negotiations to bear no fruit

Finally, the deadline had arrived and representatives from all 4 classes had to come together to discuss.

In order to keep the negotiations an open matter for the 1st year, Yagami had advocated for a simple gathering. Although all the class leaders had agreed on this, there was still no reply from Class-D by the end of the school day.

Yagami had arrived in the corridors of one of the empty 1st year classrooms. As the one who had proposed this, he felt obliged to arrive before anyone else did.

Not long after that, Utomiya Riku from Class C showed up.

"Looks like it's only you, Yagami."

"Utomiya-kun. I thought you would be the last person to attend this gathering."

"Although I'm not the leader of my class or anything, the other students didn't want to come. While I prefer speaking my mind on most topics, I don’t have much taste for these troublesome matters."

“Isn’t it because they believe you to be a reliable student that they sent you? I saw this month’s updated OAA, and your Social Contribution has been raised to a B.”

Yagami said so with a bright smile.

Utomiya frowned, despite the praise he received.

Although Yagami had a C in Physical Ability, his Academic Ability was rated A. Moreover, due to his repeated contributions to his class his Adaptability and Social Contribution scores had both risen up to A.

Since Utomiya’s Class-C didn’t have anyone with similar talents, he was resentful of the fact that Yagami did.

"We've recently lost a comrade. Honestly, it's turned out to be a pretty heavy loss."

"I also didn't think that Hatano-kun would get expelled. How regretful."

"... Ah!"

Hatano had been one of the boys in Class 1-C, a valuable student with an A in Academic Ability.

However, the penalty for breaking any of the school rules was expulsion and that had been a fatal blow to Class-C.

This had provided the lax 1st years a much needed wakeup call and showed them how harsh the school could be.

That being said, it had been a month since Hatano had been expelled.

Utomiya, who was his fellow classmate, didn’t even get the time to mourn his loss.

Having lost such an excellent student, getting a solid result on the next exam became necessary.

"Looks like you got along with Hatano very well."

“We had made a pact to join the student council together and create a livelier environment for everyone in this school”

 Utomiya nodded lightly, and turned his attention to Class 1-D’s classroom

"What do you think are the odds of Housen actually coming

Utomiya asked Yagami.

"50/50, I think."

"50/50? You seem to trust Housen quite a bit, I bet he won’t come at all."

“If he fails to show up this time, then we’ll just form groups within the remaining classes. With that, Class-D who were trying to extort us would be left behind, and their chances of winning would eventually disappear ”my edit still works then?

“If he thinks he can simply force us to hand over our points like that, he is too arrogant. The most important thing to ensure was the formation of the groups, since we’ll also be facing the other years this time around. However, Housen has refused our offer time and again”

Although they were all 1st years, they were wasting time and energy fighting in areas where they didn’t have to.

“It might seem like that on the surface, but I don’t think that’s Housen’s endgame.”

"I understand that this is his strategy. However, it stands no chance of winning."

“If he’s truly intent on carrying out this strategy, it would be a blessing  Our class doesn’t think that Housen is much of a threat at all ”

"...Yeah."

Yagami was busy conjecturing what Housen’s real strategy might be, when suddenly a third person appeared----

"Oh! Riku, Takuya. It's you guys."

Takahashi Osamu of Class 1-A waved his hand and approached them boisterously..

Although he was an unassuming figure with only a C+ in Academic Ability, he was approachable, and as a result often invited out to any social gatherings that took place. He had amassed many friends in the other classes and years in the short time he’d been here.

"Osamu-kun, you're here? Were you forced to come again?'

"The leader of my class is the type who hates these kinds of troublesome things. That's why they sent me here instead of them."

“Well it's better since you came, Takahashi.”

Like Utomiya, it was fine if the student who came to this forum wasn't the leader of their class.

Not to mention, if a student with good communication skills came, it would be appreciated by the other classes as well

"The only one left now is Kazuomi."

There was still about three minutes to go before this meeting started. If he didn’t show up they would simply start without him

“Isn’t it better to work together now? I seriously just want to isolate Class D and crush them as soon as possible.”

“We were told that this uninhabited island exam would take all skills including academic ability into consideration. While Class D might be last place in terms of overall academic ability, their physical abilities are second in our year. That makes them a valuable asset in forming optimal groups for this exam. ”

“I understand what Riku has to say, even for our class this has created a troubling situation. However, it’s too soon to simply brush aside, Right? There’s no guarantee that cooperating with each other in an exam will be a yearly thing and that it won’t take place in the future.”

While Riku planned to destroy Class-D, Yagami wanted to work with them. Takahashi, on the other hand, held a neutral position on this matter.

“The cooperation within our three classes is good enough. While it’s true that Class D has some students that could be valuable assets, they aren’t worth bending over backwards to meet Housen’s demands. It’s almost time, I hope we can work together with just the three of our classes.”

"That also doesn't seem like it will work out, Riku."

This man slowly walked out, seemingly as if he had seen how this conversation would pan out.

"Looks like you came after all, Housen-kun."

Housen, after being greeted by Yagami, approached with all of his terrifying white teeth on full display. Utomiya averted his eyes to the window sill after a quick glance.

"You've shown up at a great time, Kazuomi."

Takahashi didn't shy away from Housen, instead striking up a friendly conversation.

All he wanted was for everyone to get along.

“Don’t address me by my first name like we’re friends, or I’ll kill ya”

Having intimidated Takahasi, Housen then turned to Yagami and Utomiya once again.

"So have you guys decided upon paying up?"

"That’s hilarious. I am not giving you a penny."

"Anyway, let's calm down first. There's no way to have a discussion if you're bickering from the start."

"Then, now that everyone’s here, let's start with the contents of the conversation. The groups—"

"Don’t just go off on me like that."

Housen suddenly pushed Takahashi's shoulder, causing him to fall on his butt.

Utomiya, who was unhappy with this display, shot a steely glare at Housen.

"Housen, keep your violent behaviour away from us.”

"Oh? Do you want to get in my way?"

"If it’s necessary."

"Interesting. Come and try, if you can."

As soon as he raised his left hand, Takahashi, who was sitting on the floor, called out in a panic.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute. I just slipped and fell, calm down, Riku."

"That does seem to be the case, no?"

"Unfortunately, I'm not as forgiving as Takahashi."

"Then let’s see what you got."

Utomiya grabbed Housen’s arm before he was able to clench his fist.

"Oh..?"

Housen smiled happily upon feeling the strength of his opponent’s grip. Utomiya's gaze didn't just stop at the surface, his eyes burned with determination as if he was willing to fight him here and now if need be.

Housen thought getting into a fight then and there would have been fun, but reconsidered.

Although his approach might have been different, Housen was probably the most eager to fight the students in the other years.

“Looks like playing with you is going to be fun, I’ll save it for the next time we fight.”

"Do you think of violence as a game?"

"Ahah, of course it's a game."

"How boring, but, if that's what you want, you don't have to wait until next time. I am more than happy to entertain you whenever you want. That is only if you promise not to attack any more of my classmates."

[insert illustration here]

In that tense atmosphere, both of them looked at each other with an unyielding look in their eyes.

"Huh, what do you mean by that?"

"I know you're the one who got Hatano expelled. He's not the kind of student who would deliberately break the school rules."

"It's only natural that small fries would get expelled. Nothing more than an implosion on his part."

"I still remember the look on his face when he got expelled from school. He had been tricked."

"And, you're saying it was me?"

"Who else could it possibly be?"

Although Utomiya tried to calm down, Housen began antagonising him again.

"Calm down, both of you. If you start a fight here, you'll be doing exactly Kazuomi wants."

"Takahashi is right. The most important thing now is to focus on the uninhabited island exam."

"Ah, that's right, the next special exam will have us group together with other classes."

Housen said that as if he hadn't thought about it until now.

"What's wrong with you? Since you have refused to work with the other classes, this has nothing to do with you."

"Well if you insist, I'll work with you. Reluctantly, at least."

"Don't be ridiculous. I wouldn’t group up with you if you were the last man remaining."

"How cold."

Utomiya slowly let go of Housen's arm.

Yagami, who was watching, seized this as the right moment to speak.

"We're wasting time, shall we begin?"

"Who said I'd join your little conversation? Don’t get started with me"

"So why are you here? To simply pass the time?"

"What if I said yes?"

"I don't believe that, you're not that stupid.

Confronted with Housen, Yagami answered with a timid smile.

"Although the uninhabited island survival exam is a bizarre thing, the 2nd and 3rd years have already experienced it once. We 1st years have to challenge this test against overwhelming odds."

"But we were given an advantage, right?"

Faced with the optimistic Takahashi, Yagami continued in a gentle manner.

"That doesn’t change the fact that the 2nd years have the advantage over us in terms of overall academic and physical ability. So, if we can't cooperate with each other, we might just become food for the older students, right?"

Yagami stressed that because of that, cooperation between the four classes was essential.

"Your meek attitude is pissing me off, Yagami. 2nd year, 3rd year, I can crush them all.”

"Of course, there are some individually outstanding students. However, you can’t deny that we are weaker in terms of overall ability. Not everyone is as lucky as you, Housen-kun."

Yagami's gentle attitude and him praising Housen was what kept the conversation going.

"That's why-- I think we should at least form one strong group of 4 in our year. Just like what Housen said, a group that won’t lose to the 2nd and 3rd years."

"In other words, we won't compete with each other for class points in this special exam?"

"Exactly, the 2nd and 3rd years who don’t have much time left, can’t squander this opportunity away to gain Class Points and recuperate any losses they might incur. We 1st years on the other hand have more than two years left, which is why I think we should simply give up on the Class Points.”

From Class A to D, the difference between Class Points was only about 300 points. Compared to Yagami, who thought there was no reason to panic, Utomiya thought differently, and frowned.

"The benefits of cooperating with the other classes are too small. It's not smart to simply give up on obtaining any Class Points."

"Losing class points won’t be our only concern if we end up becoming food for the upperclassmen

"If we go with that strategy then we won’t be able to make any difference to our current class standings.”

Utomiya emphasized that if they were going to fight, then there was no helping it.

"Ah, wait a moment. I'm a little concerned about what Takuya said. Why only make one team? All the top three teams will get Class Points, right? If we're considering merging the teams during the official exam, shouldn't we form more than just one strong team?"

Yagami immediately replied to Takahashi's question.

"Of course, that's the way it should be. However, if we want to create a lot of strong groups from the get go, we’ll have to consider the balance of each team. Our opponents are older students, and won't be easy to beat. That's why our highest priority should be to form the strongest group of 4, that can get first place. During the official exam, it'll be difficult to form bigger groups freely, so even if the older students cooperate with each other, they can only choose 3 people from 3 classes to work together."

Takahashi, who had been listening to what Yagami said, realized what he meant.

"So as long as we get 1st place, it doesn't matter what we sacrifice to achieve it.”

"If we ignore Housen-kun, and cooperate with just three classes, we can still form a really strong group. But if we do that, we'll be on the same playing field as the other years. That's why I really hope that all four classes will cooperate with each other, not only for the sake of selecting strength from the classes but because I think that unity in our class year would be essential in this exam.
Forming "groups of 4 or less" for us 1st years. We need to take advantage of this rule. It would be a shame to throw away the upper hand that we were given."

Ostracising Class-D would be detrimental to our plans of winning first place.

If that happened, then they would do their best to sabotage the other 1st years during the exam.

Yagami hoped that they were ideally able to get all 4 classes working together.

And then, Yagami confronted Housen once again.

"You're the only one who fully understands how the upperclassmen battle, so I hope you can help us."

Yagami said that the cooperation of all 4 classes was necessary, no matter what, but Utomiya still suspected Housen.

He didn't think that Housen would agree to it, since he had refused all negotiations for more than two weeks now.

"Alright, I'll help you."

However, Housen readily accepted Yagami's proposal.

"... What are you trying to do? Housen."

"What am I trying to do? Doesn’t he want my help? Aren’t I just listening to his cute wishes?"

"Then let me ask this. What are your conditions?"

Yagami didn't want to waste any time so he urged Housen, who had suddenly changed his attitude.

"The remaining two spots in the strongest team must be reserved for Class D. That's a must."

"What?"

Utomiya was disgusted by Housen’s proposal that only benefited his class.

"But what if we can't form big groups at will?"

"Didn't I just say? My only condition is that 2 students from Class D must be in the group."

"I see. If we can't group with the two Class D students, we would have to clear it with just the four of us."

"After all, you’ve already prepared the strongest four person group, so there’s no question that you’ll win, right?”

"You've got to be kidding, Housen."

"It's not a joke. If you don't want to, fuck off."

"You bastard..."

Utomiya clashed with Housen on his unreasonable demands.

But, Yagami jumped in between them, as if he were jumping a queue.

"Calm down, Utomiya, I don't think it's that bad of a condition."

"You're just going to give all the benefits to Class D like this?"

"The most important thing is that the 1st years work together as a team, and don't lose to the other years."

"If we let him take advantage of us now, he'll be sure to do it again."

"Then, what do you think will happen if we just abandon Housen-kun's Class D here?"

"That..."

"The most important thing in this exam is for us 1st years to get first place. If we get that, nothing else matters.”

"I agree. I understand how you feel, Riku, but first, we should have the 1st years work together."

Utomiya made a face, but gave in, at the request of Yagami and Takahashi.

"Is there anything else, Housen-kun, if not thank you and goodbye.”

Housen turned his back without a care in the world, as if to signal the end of their conversation.

"There's one last thing we have to do. In order to avoid any dispute regarding the rewards, we’ll need to redistribute the item cards that everyone has in order to make the most out of them. It's also important that  students in the lower tier groups have Half-Off cards. Are you fine with that, Housen-kun?"

"Do what you want."

Housen immediately left, without any reluctance on his expression.

While the three of them were watching him leave Takahashi said to Yagami.

"Anyway Takuya, who are you going to choose from Class B?"

"At least, I think that all of us who participated here can be in the strongest team, including even Housen-kun. Right?"


Yagami looked at Takahashi and Utomiya with a gentle yet sharp gaze, and kept an eye on Housen’s retreating figure.

"Even if his strength is the real deal, it would be a mistake to let him join the group. That guy-"

"Well, we'll decide on that later. For now, it's enough that we're on the same page."

"... I understand."

"Let's work together to get 1st place. That's our objective."

Although Utomiya was reluctant, he accepted the proposal after listening to Yagami’s words, after which they all disbanded.