Y3V4 Trial: Token Collection Special Exam
〇 Token Collection Special Exam
"We will now begin the Uninhabited Island Special Exam."
As if leaving the bewildered students behind, Mashima-sensei took the lead and began his explanation. Just when it seemed the uninhabited island exam was over, a new Uninhabited Island Special Exam was set in motion. So the survival game we just had was the first half, and from here on is the second half, huh? Of course, I couldn't rule out the possibility of another twist where they make us believe this is the second half when it's actually just the middle stage, but considering the health condition of some students, three consecutive exams might not be realistic. Either way, it's a harsh situation. Moreover, it's already just before 5:00 PM. The third-year students, who have faced numerous special exams and built up up some resistance, could not hide their bewilderment for entirely different reasons this time. "They seriously intend to hold a special exam starting now. Yamamura and Shiraishi are already at their limits, aren't they?" Hashimoto muttered with a half-smile, as if sympathizing, but the school showed no signs of stopping. "The special exam that will take place from now on will be conducted in 10 groups of 16 people each. One adult supervisor will be assigned to each group and will issue instructions as needed. You must strictly obey your supervisor. As I'm sure you already know, due to the students who have been expelled so far, there will inevitably be groups that start with fewer people. However, this special exam has been adjusted so that having more or fewer members will not create an advantage or disadvantage compared to other groups, so you don't need to worry about that." If a 16-person group is the baseline, it's highly likely that this isn't a simple class-vs-class special exam. As if to prove that, Mashima-sensei's next words slowly brought the current situation to light. "The plastic bottles you were instructed to pick up when disembarking. Some of you may have noticed something odd; this is the key to determining the groups this time. There are 5 types of labels on the bottles: red, blue, green, yellow, and purple. We prepared the exact number for each class, made adjustments, and guided you to pick them up." The students, including myself, looked down at the plastic bottles in our hands. The label color of my mineral water was blue. Hashimoto's, standing next to me, was purple. At this point, it was safe to say that at least Hashimoto and I were not in the same group. However, there are only 5 label colors, which isn't enough to divide us into 10 groups. That means... there's still another trick to it. If you peel off the label, it just becomes unnecessary trash. If the wind blows it away, it could easily end up in the sea. Considering randomness, it was simplest to assume the cap was the key. I opened it with my hand, removed the cap, and looked at the underside. Seeing my actions, Hashimoto followed suit. "My cap has nothing on it. What about yours?" "It does. There's a single black line drawn on it." "I want you to take off the cap of your plastic bottle and look at the back. We have prepared two types of caps: one with no markings and one with a single black line. Students holding a cap with no line and a red label are Group 1. Students holding a cap with a line and a red label are Group 2. That will be your designated group." Mashima-sensei continued to verbally explain the remaining 8 groups. Blue was for groups 3 and 4. Green for 5 and 6. Yellow for 7 and 8. And purple for 9 and 10. He also added that the 10th group would be the only leftover group with fewer than 16 people. "So I'm in the minority Group 10. And Ayanokouji is in Group 3... From here, it's pretty much impossible to tell which group the others are in," Hashimoto said, looking around. Even if you could see the color of the label, it was very difficult to confirm whether the cap had a line or not, so we wouldn't know who we were teamed up with until we actually gathered. This mechanic might also be designed to prevent students from swapping bottles. We would find out who our unseen members were soon enough, whether we wanted to or not; it was better to focus on the content of the rules. In fact, Mashima-sensei and the other teachers were already moving forward with the preparations. "Now, we will announce the details of this special exam. We will distribute a document summarizing the exam outline so it's easy to understand. Please look it over." After a brief pause, on Mashima-sensei's cue, the materials began to be handed out to the students. The multi-page document, complete with maps, had a binder ring attached to the corner, likely so it wouldn't blow away in the wind. Then, the details of the new special exam held on the uninhabited island were announced by the teacher. "You will be divided into your groups and challenge various tasks. You are required to collect 'Tokens' which can be acquired based on your results. Additionally, the homeroom teachers have pre-selected one leader from each class. Note that while some classes have temporarily swapped ranks due to the results of the survival game special exam, this will not be finalized until the end of the month, so there are no changes for this exam. Class A is Horikita Suzune, Class B is Ryuuen Kakeru, Class C is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, and Class D is Ichinose Honami. These students will serve in the leadership role." While listening to Mashima-sensei's voice, I lowered my eyes to the document in my hands.
[Token Collection Special Exam]
Overview: During the 4-day, 3-night exam, challenge various tasks to collect tokens and reach the goal.
Goal Rewards: A token multiplier and Private Points will be awarded as a reward based on the finishing rank. (The rank is determined the moment a majority of the group's students reach the goal).
Group
Group 1st Place: Token Multiplier 100% | 100,000 Private Points
Group 2nd Place: Token Multiplier 95% | 80,000 Private Points
Group 3rd Place: Token Multiplier 90% | 50,000 Private Points
Group 4th Place: Token Multiplier 85% | 30,000 Private Points
Group 5th Place: Token Multiplier 80% | 20,000 Private Points
Group 6th Place or lower: Token Multiplier 75% | 10,000 Private Points
Group Disqualified: Token Multiplier 70%
Rewards and Penalties by Token Count: The group to which each class's leader belongs will obtain the following results based on their total number of tokens:
1st Place in Tokens: Class Points +100
2nd Place in Tokens: Class Points +50
3rd Place in Tokens: Class Points +20
4th to 9th Place: No change
Last Place in Tokens: Class Points -50
It seemed that how to acquire tokens, how fast to reach the goal, and maintaining a high multiplier were the crucial factors. "The Private Points rewarded upon reaching the goal mean that if your group places 1st, every single student in that group receives 100,000 Private Points. As for the other reward, the token multiplier, this is linked to your ranking by token count and the individual rewards I will explain later. If your group is in 3rd place, the tokens used for calculation will be subject to a 90% multiplier. If you are 6th or lower, it's 75%. Furthermore, the number of tokens calculated with the multiplier will be rounded up." In other words, even if the entire group acquires 1,000 tokens by the end of the exam, the lower your finishing rank, the more your total collected tokens will be reduced. The exact definition of the "goal" and its conditions were unknown, but ranking high was an absolute requirement. "Up until here, it's all good news for the students, but this special exam also carries several severe penalties. And... some of them cannot be avoided." On the next page, the penalties Mashima-sensei was about to explain were detailed.
[Penalty List]
At the end of the exam, the 1 student with the lowest number of tokens across the entire school year will be expelled. If multiple students tie for last place, the student with the lower Overall OAA Ability as of June 1st will be chosen. If they are tied in overall ability, previous months' OAAs will be checked sequentially.
During the exam, if a student's token count drops to 0 even once, they will be expelled. If the student possesses a Protection Point, they will withdraw and wait on the ship. This penalty applies ONLY to the first person.
At the end of the exam, for every student who fails to reach the goal, their class will lose 5 Class Points. Additionally, the student who fails to reach the goal will have their token multiplier fixed at 70%, regardless of their group's rank.
After the majority of the group has reached the goal and the rank is finalized, the class will lose 1 Class Point for every 30 minutes a late student takes until they reach the goal.
For every 1 hour a student is away from the area where the supervisor is stationed, they will lose 1 token. If they return to the area, the count resets.
These multiple heavy penalties were not punishments for breaking rules; while some were avoidable, others were mandatory and unavoidable. It seemed the contents were a step up in severity compared to the survival game special exam. "So this is where the real thing begins, huh," I said. "Seems like it," Hashimoto replied. Considering Horikita likely took the penalty for the survival game special exam, Kouenji is the only one definitively holding a Protection Point. While other classes might potentially have one, intentionally dropping tokens to 0 to burn through that expulsion slot benefits the enemy more than allies, so it's unlikely anyone would do it. Now that we've lost our valuable Protection Points due to the defeat in the survival game, Class A is in a particularly severe situation. "Next, I will explain the tokens in detail, as well as the individual rewards."
[Details Regarding Tokens and Individual Rewards]
Regarding the Front and Back of Tokens:
There are two types of tokens: Front and Back.
Tokens recognized as an individual's achievement are Front, tokens acquired by any other means are Back.
The victory rewards based on token possession count the total number regardless of Front or Back.
Individual rewards only count Front tokens.
Transferring Tokens:
Tokens can be transferred (requires performing a specific operation and touching smartwatches together).
There are no limits on the number of tokens, frequency, or targets for transfer.
All tokens used in a transfer become Back tokens and cannot revert to Front.
Once a student reaches the goal, their token count is locked, and no further transfers are permitted.
Use of Tokens:
Consuming 1 token allows you to converse with any student for 5 minutes.
Consuming 1 token allows you to check the current location of any student.
Individual Rewards:
Special Award: The class of the student who collects the most Front tokens will receive 100 Class Points. The student will also receive 500,000 Private Points. (If multiple top students tie, the reward is split evenly among them).
All Students: Will receive Private Points equal to [Front Token Count × 1,000].
The provision allowing tokens to be transferred at any time could be effective in avoiding certain penalties. It could save an ally facing major disadvantages, such as their tokens dropping to 0 or ending up in last place. On the flip side, because they turn from Front to Back the moment they are transferred, they become useless for securing individual rewards. The Special Award, which grants 100 Class Points, couldn't be overlooked. It's a massive amount of points equivalent to winning an entire special exam, but the catch is that the more people tie for it, the more it gets divided. Regardless, collecting as many tokens as possible individually was a benefit for any student. For better or worse, the full picture had been revealed, and a moderate amount of tension surely ran through the students. If a group cooperates to gather tokens and ranks high, naturally, the students in that group receive a massive amount of Private Points. That's a pure advantage. However, at the same time, if a student from another class within your group holds a large number of Front tokens, they might steal the Special Award. Practically, this means the gap between you and a rival class would widen significantly. Next, we received an explanation about a new feature on our smartwatches. "By entering the 6-digit PIN set on your smartwatch, you can check your current token count or transfer them. I will have you operate your smartwatches right now as part of the explanation, but there is one important note. All students have been granted a minimum of 2 tokens at the start, however, this initial token count varies depending on the student, so how many you start with is crucial information. I highly recommend you take care not to let a third party see it." We thought everyone would start equally, but apparently, that wasn't the case. The smartwatch display is designed so that it's nearly impossible to peek at it unless someone is sticking right behind you or directly beside you while you operate it. The students, being mindful of their surroundings, operated their devices to check their initial token count. The number of tokens displayed on my smartwatch was [11], and it also indicated they were 'Front'. It felt like a lot at first glance, but since we only knew the minimum was 2, I wouldn't actually know without gathering some data. The send and receive buttons for transfers were also displayed simultaneously; it seemed the mechanism required you to touch smartwatches after pressing them. Without a word, I extended my arm and showed the tokens displayed to Hashimoto standing next to me. He made a surprised face comparing it to his own, and then turned his display toward me. The number shown on Hashimoto's arm was 9. A similar count, but slightly fewer than mine. It was hard to imagine this was based on overall OAA or grades. It was safer to assume it was related to one's role in the previous exam—or rather than contribution, the amount of time one managed to survive. Students like Yamamura and Shiraishi, who lasted until the end, exhausted their physical strength and were worn out. On the other hand, students who retired early would be in perfect health with energy to spare. It's a convincing measure if viewed as insurance in exchange for not forcing them to carry that risk. But it was also true that we couldn't just rejoice unconditionally. Even if others could deduce to some extent that we started with more tokens than them, it was best to keep the exact number hidden. "And finally, although everyone is present right now, some may unexpectedly fall ill during the special exam. Because the handling of such cases is highly delicate, I want you to read through the document thoroughly." I looked at the retirement section written on the last page of the handout.
[Regarding Conditions Rendering Exam Continuation Impossible] Only in cases of sudden illness or severe injury that make continuation impossible, students may request to withdraw by verbally informing the supervisor. If no supervisor is nearby, the smartwatch function can be used to declare a medical emergency.
Note: The moment a retirement is decided, the possessed tokens are locked.
Relief Measure: Any student can transfer tokens to the retired student regardless of distance.
Group Ranking: The group the retired student belonged to will only receive a valid ranking if everyone else (excluding the retired student) reaches the goal.
Prohibitions: Faking illness, or intentionally hiding sudden illnesses or severe injuries to continue, is strictly prohibited. If judgement is difficult, consult the school. If a violation is discovered, the penalty will be expulsion.
During uninhabited island exams, physical ailments and injuries are a constant companion. Because the underlying premise is that no one wants to reduce their group's numbers, the school absolutely will not tolerate false declarations. The more classes are mixed together, the more of a disadvantage it becomes, tempting some to hide their poor health. This is a crucial rule designed to prevent that. Since faking illness wouldn't work either, it was safe to assume Kouenji wouldn't just retire on purpose and throw the exam. "These are pretty strict rules. So they won't show any mercy even if you get sick and retire, huh," Hashimoto noted. Relief measures are in place, but if a student lacking ability or popularity retires early, there's a possibility the class will mercilessly abandon them. Conversely, if it were a student like Ichinose, there's a high probability the entire class would scrape together tokens to save her. Whatever the case, token counts—whether Front or Back—were essentially a black box; there was no way for a third party to voluntarily know them. Grasping the token counts of people outside the group would be impossible, let alone keeping track of them within the group. They mentioned you can consume tokens to make contact, but using it frequently will reduce your maximum limit. Unnecessary consumption must be avoided except in emergencies. Regarding subsequent explanations for food and tents, we were informed we'd be given a designated backpack and could take whatever we liked however we liked. However, since the method for dealing with shortages over the 3 nights wasn't clarified, it was better to be prepared even if it added some weight. That naturally puts girls with less muscle mass at a disadvantage, but I doubt the school hasn't considered that point. There is a high probability some form of support will be provided. "We will now take a 10-minute break, after which you will gather by your respective groups. That is all." With Mashima-sensei wrapping it up, the explanation of the special exam concluded. "I want you to pass on a message to our classmates," I said to Hashimoto. "Alright, tell me anything." "First of all, tell them that while they are free to decide whether or not to share token info among allies, they should consider it very carefully right now." "...Consider sharing carefully? Well, personally I agree with being secretive, but isn't sharing a good way to avoid risks?" "It's fine if it's among comrades who you're absolutely certain are prepared to sink with the ship from the start, but at the end of the day, classmates are still other people. When it comes down to whether you fall or someone else falls, the answer is obvious." Especially in my class, over half the students have high abilities and are full of confidence. As long as they hold a strong will to graduate in Class A, carelessly sharing information is also a risk. The students from each class assigned to the groups will be forced to choose whether to constantly share token info within their inner circles or keep it hidden. If strictly managed, everyone could support a student who falls short, which has the advantage of lowering the risk of expulsion. In that case, they couldn't hope for the token rewards gained from hoarding many, but it's not a bad trade-off if it means not losing an ally. However, even if 3 or 4 people cooperate and distribute tokens evenly, if that causes them to end up in last place, it doesn't mean expulsion is 100% avoided. In the end, they would drop out due to the difference in OAA. But if you support the student with the lowest OAA out of the 4 and give them even one extra token, then the student with the second-lowest OAA is put in danger. No matter how you join hands, trust and moral hazard are two sides of the same coin. It all starts with whether everyone can truly agree with the policy set from the beginning; even within the group, it's easy for distrust to fester with thoughts like 'That guy has more' or 'He's not helping as much as I thought', and on top of that, there's no telling where information might leak. If it escapes the group, those who are earning the most will be burdened with expectations from all sides to act as saviors. On the other hand, there's also the perfectly valid choice to absolutely never share token counts even among classmates, precisely to avoid that risk. However, complete non-sharing also has its concerns and isn't something I can recommend unconditionally. If there is absolutely no sharing, you can't save an ally on the borderline of expulsion in an emergency. Students who lie to draw out support gain an advantage. Paranoia deepens internally, and everyone suffers. Things like that could also happen. For rational participants, the most likely choice is to not state the exact number, simply saying 'I don't have any to spare', and only contributing the bare minimum when a comrade is truly in danger. "So basically, don't trust your allies too much." "Exactly." Because Hashimoto himself held similar views, he seemed to swallow the logic effortlessly. I then asked him for a few additional favors, which he gladly accepted with a strong nod. "Leave it to me for now." Answering confidently, Hashimoto quickly ran off. Replacing him, walking slowly toward me, were Shiraishi and Nishikawa. "I just saw the faithful dog Hachiko—I mean, the faithful dog Hashimoto Masayoshi—running energetically across the sandy beach. He looked like a child unable to contain his joy at being asked to run an errand," another voice noted. And there was a third person with them: the eccentric Morishita. "You look a lot more lively than I expected, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. Was your heart not fluttering with anxiety and an insatiable desire to see me by now?" "Not at all. More importantly, you look energetic for someone who retired on the second day, Morishita." "I am. The ship was unexpectedly comfortable. I burned through Private Points like water, eating, drinking, and playing with delicious things. I almost wanted to live that elegant lifestyle a little longer." Morishita didn't hide a single thing about what she had been doing on the ship. "Sounds like it was a very meaningful time. Did anything unusual happen on the ship?" Figuring there was no point asking Morishita, I directed the question to Nishikawa, who had also dropped out early. "The third-years who retired had free time until the survival game special exam ended, but it seems the first and second-years were doing special exams separately. We haven't heard the results, so I don't know the details though. Sorry." So they weren't getting an early summer vacation; they were placed in a similar environment. "The first-years must have it rough too. I wonder if they're suffering from the gap between that and the luxury cruise," Shiraishi said with concern, but Morishita immediately clicked her tongue and wagged her finger. "They're still naive, far too soft. Our juniors, especially the first-years, should step down onto the island and suffer the same hardships we did. We've been struggling ever since our first year, and they are incredibly insolent." Morishita, who hadn't suffered much at all this year, had no brakes on her venomous tongue. "I ran into Yamamura Miki earlier, and my, she reeked of sweat and dirt." "Don't call her smelling like dirt, even as a joke. It's thanks to Yamamura staying until the end that the class was saved. Of course, the same goes for Shiraishi here. How is your health?" I asked Shiraishi. "To be honest, it's a bit tough, but I can't afford to whine. The class managed to take 2nd place, and we've closed the gap to be neck-and-neck with the top classes after all." In the Survival Game Special Exam, Ichinose's class was 1st, Ryuuen's class was 3rd, and Horikita's class was dead last. The class point gap above and below us shrank significantly. Although our class had provisionally become Class D after swapping places, the gap with Ryuuen's class was minuscule. Depending on the results of the special exam starting now, all classes had the potential to be anywhere from Class A to Class D. "We came over here because we wanted to confirm our initial tokens." Saying that, Shiraishi quickly operated her smartwatch and turned the dial toward me. The tokens displayed there were 12. Nishikawa also showed hers: it was 2. A massive difference. "What about Morishita?" I asked. "Hmph, I am a believer in secrecy." "I had the privilege of checking Morishita-san's tokens earlier; she had 5," Shiraishi revealed. It seemed the believer in secrecy had thoroughly shared her information already. "Well, for someone of my level, 5 is more than enough. However, just in case of an emergency, I plan to exploit you thoroughly, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, so make sure you earn plenty." Shiraishi had 12, the highest so far. I had 11, Nishikawa 2, and Morishita 5. "Hashimoto had 9. I think it's safe to assume that students who remained on the field longer during the survival game special exam were given a larger advantage in their initial tokens." Class rankings, movements during the exam, roles, or contributions might also have an impact. But it was certain that survival time was related. How effectively that initial token handicap would work could be a key factor. "Since the number of tokens starts at a minimum of 2, is it safe to assume the severe penalty of expulsion for reaching 0 won't happen easily?" Shiraishi asked. "Not necessarily. The fact that unrestricted token transfers are provided means the means to scrape them together are always available. If a task is presented that could potentially make you lose multiple tokens, you would need to receive tokens from a third party before attempting that task." This was an extreme scenario, and things likely wouldn't escalate to that level, but it was a good lie to tell just to instill some tension in Morishita, who was nodding half-heartedly beside me. "Are you sure you'll be okay not supporting the rest of the class?" "I've asked Hashimoto to relay various things. Besides, no matter how thorough we are, until they secure a certain number of tokens in the early stages, they won't be free from the risk of the 0-token expulsion penalty. Since we are in different groups, this is a problem they'll have to overcome on their own." If someone lost their tokens that easily and hit 0, they'd have no choice but to accept notice of their expulsion. Gathering everyone, distributing the surplus, and handing it out to those with the lower limit like Nishikawa was an option, but it carried the inherent disadvantage of lowering the upper limit as well. To make the class win, it was crucial to gather tokens through one's own power. Since it's a special exam where protecting 100% of everyone is impossible, a certain amount of risk must be accepted. "By the way, Ayanokouji-kun, what group are you in? I'm in Group 1. I was hoping I could be with Asuka though~" Nishikawa mentioned. Shiraishi was apparently in Group 2, so that wish did not come true. "Do you want to know my group? What a closet pervert of a man you are. I am in 3, Group 3," Morishita said. "I have absolutely no memory of trying to ask you... Don't tell me we're in the same group..." "Eh! No way, we're in the same group!?" She dramatically covered her mouth with both hands in feigned shock, but her eyes didn't change one bit. "This is going to be an exhausting special exam..." I muttered. Imagining the noisy special exam that awaited, I felt slightly depressed.