In fact, I can add unlimited points

347. The project rules established by Class A; Sakayanagi Arisu's fear

March 15th.

This is the deadline for the four first-grade classes to submit their exam materials.

It seems that Shun Aragaki has been spending a lot of time with his girlfriend lately and hasn't been paying much attention to this aspect of his work. In reality, it's because the rules for the selection exam were released not long ago, and Class A had already devised a winning strategy.

Therefore, after being caught by Ryuji Kanzaki, the student council president simply and calmly accepted the stack of documents from his hand.

The document contains a list compiled by Kanzaki detailing the strengths of the students in Class A. On the topmost page, nearly twenty exam items suitable for submission to the school have been specifically selected.

After a quick glance, Shun Aragaki confidently circled five of them without much thought: [Quick Mental Arithmetic], [Mathematics Exam], [Physics Exam], [Chemistry Exam], and [Biology Exam].

"Our ultimate goal is these five projects. Then you can choose five smoke bombs as needed and hand them over to the Hoshinomiya homeroom teacher."

According to the rules set by the school, each class must disclose ten items and their rules after the deadline.

However, only half of them will be used on the day of the actual exam; the other five are simply a smokescreen to obscure the vision and thinking of rival classes.

The five Class A projects that Shun Aragaki circled were, unsurprisingly, all of them brain-intensive projects, such as written tests:

[Quick Mental Arithmetic] —

Number of people needed: one;

Time limit: 30 minutes;

Competition rules: The class that wins first place in mental arithmetic will be the winner, based on accuracy and speed.

Command Tower: Can provide answer suggestions at any time, and participants can decide whether to adopt them.

[Mathematics Exam] —

Number of people needed: Two;

Time limit: 50 minutes;

Competition rules: The class that answers the questions within the scope of this year's curriculum first wins;

Command Tower: Only one participant can be selected. At any time, the Command Tower can provide answer suggestions from the side, and the participant can decide whether to adopt them.

[Physics Exam] —

Number of people required: three;

Time limit: 50 minutes;

Competition rules: The class that answers the questions within the scope of this year's curriculum first wins;

Command Tower: Only one participant can be selected. At any time, the Command Tower can provide answer suggestions from the side, and the participant can decide whether to adopt them.

The remaining Chemistry and Biology exams are exactly the same as the first two exams, except for the number of participants required.

From this perspective, Class A's strategy couldn't be more obvious.

That is to extend the scope of the command tower, namely Shun Aragaki's, interference in each project to the maximum extent possible.

As the strongest first-year student, as long as he can provide answers and suggestions to the contestants at any time, then no matter who is sent by Class A, they will definitely be able to defeat the opponent from Class B.

This is the unwavering belief that all the students in the class held in their hope of defeating Shun Aragaki.

The advantage is in my hands!

Is there a more reliable competitive strategy than this?

Obviously not!

So Shun Aragaki handed Kanzaki the paper with all ten items in it, telling him to go and deliver it to Chie Hoshinomiya right now.

As someone's right-hand man, the young master of Kanzaki Heavy Industries had long since grown accustomed to his class monitor's inhuman behavior over the past year. So, with a tense expression, he turned to leave Class A and head to the teachers' office—after all, he wasn't too comfortable letting someone else take him.

Before Kanzaki Ryuji could leave, Aragaki Shun suddenly heard a somewhat spoiled voice:

"Please wait a moment, Kanzaki-kun," Arisu Sakayanagi said earnestly as she approached the two of them, leaning on her cane. "I wanted to ask if the chess project I recommended was selected by Aragaki-kun?"

Upon hearing this question, the leader of Class A raised an eyebrow. He remembered that chess was indeed among the nearly twenty candidate items on the document.

As for whether or not he was selected?

That is without a doubt!

"...I remember we played a game of chess at the beginning of the semester, didn't we?"

Somewhat speechless, Aragaki Shun waved to Kanzaki, who was wearing a beret, and said, "Have you forgotten how you lost back then?"

Of course she hasn't forgotten, how could she possibly forget!

Upon hearing Aragaki Shun bring up the old story again, Sakayanagi Arisu's expression became particularly interesting, clearly recalling the moment when she lost to her opponent at the chess club due to exhaustion.

As the loser, she had no idea what to say at this moment, and the request she wanted to make was swallowed back.

Seeing her lost in thought, Ryuji Kanzaki shook his head helplessly, exchanged a glance with Shun Aragaki, and then simply turned and left the classroom.

This time, naturally no one stepped forward to stop him.

After Kanzaki's figure completely disappeared, Class A leader Arisu Kanzaka remained standing there in silence. He then invited her to come to a secluded spot in the corridor.

"Tell me, it's just that I wasn't selected for a chess event, why are you looking so pitiful?"

Sakayanagi Yusu: "..."

It's all over now, what's the point of saying anything?

The silver-haired girl felt a pang of resentment, but after hesitating for a moment, she parted her cherry lips slightly and softly explained:

"Does Aragaki-kun remember what I told you before, that I was determined to destroy the White Room and prove that true genius is determined only by parental genes, and that so-called artificial geniuses are meaningless?"

"On that day, with my father's help, I met Kiyotaka Ayanokoji in that facility. This masterpiece had displayed extraordinary strength in chess at the time, so I've always dreamed of having the opportunity to bury him in the same field someday..."

"???"

After hearing Sakayanagi's account, Shun Aragaki's doubts not only remained unresolved, but actually multiplied—

Why do you consider someone who can beat their peers on the chessboard to be a genius?

You were only seven or eight years old then, right? Just because you watched Ayanokoji Kiyotaka win a game of chess through the glass window, you held onto him for eight years.

So, the way you dream of burying the White Room's greatest masterpiece is actually to defeat your opponent in the game of chess?

Sakayanagi, do you even know what kind of nonsensical things you're saying?

Shun Aragaki rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit of a headache, completely unable to make sense of the logic involved.

"Fine, I won't dwell on the reasons behind it. In short, you just want to play a game of Go with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka to resolve your long-held obsession, right?"

"If that's the case, then I'm sorry, as the leader of Class A, I bear the expectations of everyone, and I have absolutely no reason to indulge your willful behavior in this regard."

The boy's words sounded very impolite.

But without a doubt, the one who went even further was Arisu Sakayanagi, who was determined to make Shun Aragaki sacrifice the interests of Class A and specially arranged a duel stage for her and Ayanokoji.

“You are the little princess of the Sakayanagi family. Even if you have a physical defect, you will still live a wealthy life under the protection of the Sakayanagi family. But most of the students in Class A don’t have your confidence. They follow me wholeheartedly because they trust me.”

"I don't expect you to understand the pursuits of ordinary people, but at least be more reasonable, handle your own affairs, and stop dragging innocent people into your lives. Can you treat your classmates like toys?"

"Aragaki-kun..." Seeing the man's tone suddenly turn stern, the silver-haired girl couldn't help but show a hint of panic on her face. "Do you think I'll lose the game and cause the class to lose points?"

"But each section of this special exam has a time limit, and under these circumstances, I will absolutely not lose to that hypocritical genius!"

You really are someone who only thinks about yourself.

Aragaki Shun met Sakayanagi's gaze with a haughty look, causing the girl's delicate body to tremble instinctively.

"If you only have confidence to win when there are time and type restrictions in chess, then what is the point of the game? Is it just for your own self-satisfaction?"

At the beginning of the semester, this guy almost had a heart attack and had to be sent to the hospital after just half an hour of intense mental work. And now he's still trying to be tough.

"Do you know what the other sure-win strategy is for an average person playing chess against you, besides the 'hawk-training' tactic?"

"...That's absolutely impossible!"

Sakayanagi Arisu pursed her lips, countless thoughts swirling in her mind, only to be extinguished in an instant.

Perhaps in official competitions, due to physical reasons, she is indeed unable to defeat those professional players, but apart from professional level, what qualifications do ordinary people have to compete with her?

"Impossible? I think it's very simple!"

Shun Aragaki expressionlessly reached out and pressed down on the silver-haired girl's shoulder. "If I were to grab the chessboard and slam it in your face when you're about to lose, do you think you could dodge it with your legs?"

Sakayanagi Yusu: "!!!"

Wait a minute, what kind of winning strategy is this "face-slapping" on the chessboard?

"This is the ultimate skill of the Great Han Chess Saint, which is specifically designed to counter those weak and feeble-minded individuals who like to make sarcastic remarks."

Historical records indicate that during the reign of Emperor Wen of the Western Han Dynasty, Liu Xian, the son of the King of Wu, entered the palace to pay homage and drank with Emperor Jing of Han, who was then the Crown Prince.

Later, when the two were playing Liubo, Liu Xian got into an argument with Crown Prince Liu Qi in order to win, and his attitude was very rude.

Enraged, Liu Qi picked up the chessboard and smashed it over Liu Xian's head, killing him instantly.

The fact that even the heir of a powerful feudal lord could die so hastily shows just how dangerous it is to play chess without a helmet.

Sakayanagi Arisu enjoys reading and is naturally familiar with such well-known historical events on the mainland, but at this moment she can only feel speechless... No, in this day and age, who would cause someone's death because of playing chess!

"It's hard to say~" Shun Aragaki shook his head dismissively, his tone indifferent. "You yourself like to break the rules casually just to have fun. If you're pushed too far, why can't others just flip the chessboard?"

To be honest, he couldn't understand why the eldest daughter of the prestigious Sakayanagi family would resort to such underhanded methods as spreading rumors and backstabbing.

People with significant flaws, like this young girl, are the ones who most need the protection of rules.

Could it be that she really thinks only she has the right to act recklessly, while everyone else is a law-abiding citizen, and that being able to trample on the rules is a manifestation of her power?

"In the early Western Han Dynasty, the system of rites and rituals of the unified dynasty was not yet perfect. The heirs of the feudal kings could all be called crown princes. But even though Liu Xian was of such noble status, he was killed by a chessboard without much of a splash. Later, when Liu Qi ascended the throne, the Seven Kingdoms rebelled, and even Liu Xian's father, the King of Wu, was sent down to accompany him. The whole family was completely wiped out."

As he recounted stories from history books, Shun Aragaki applied slight pressure to the girl's shoulder with his right hand, causing the silver-haired girl's face to contort and her to cry out in pain repeatedly.

"You see, the human body is such a fragile thing. Let alone firearms or knives, even bare hands can easily cause all kinds of damage."

Releasing his grip, letting the girl take two steps back in fear, Aragaki Shun gazed at the clouds in the sky with a slightly bored expression.

For some reason, he always seemed to be more violent than usual when facing Sakayanagi. Perhaps it was because she really needed to be taught a lesson, but once he actually laid a hand on her, she would have to kneel down and beg her not to die.

To put it more bluntly—

"Sakayanagi, you're really weak. Can't you just stay put and stop causing trouble all the time?"

"If you just want to play against Ayanokouji on the chessboard, then find a time to invite him to the chess club. It's a simple matter of paying personal points, whether it's a classmate or a teacher acting as referee. Why do you always want to drag the class into such trivial matters?"

Do you think that without the other first-year students as a backdrop, your genius can't be highlighted?

Or is it simply a perverse sense of humor, finding it amusing to gamble with other people's futures for one's own amusement?

"I, I..."

Facing the cold gaze of the A-class leader and feeling the lingering throbbing pain in her shoulder, a look of fear flashed in the silver-haired girl's eyes, and she was too scared to speak.

Instinct told her that Shun Aragaki in this state was terrifying, like a monster that had been restraining itself for years, sharpening its claws and teeth, wanting to tear something apart.

Wait! Wait! This is strange!

Although everyone has a destructive urge when they encounter something that doesn't suit them, I'm clearly cute, so why does Aragaki-san have this attitude?

Sakayanagi Arisu was very puzzled, wondering if there was something wrong with her charm or with the person in front of her.

"I understand. I won't involve my personal matters in class competitions anymore..."

The silver-haired girl subconsciously swallowed, feeling that Aragaki really wanted to beat her up.

Or, if it weren't for the congenital heart disease, would the other party have taken direct action when the rumor-mongering incident occurred in the first semester?

This guess is terrifying!

Unfortunately, the other party's background shows they're not afraid of offending the Sakayanagi family.

Thinking about this, Sakayanagi Arisu felt that being alone with someone like this was too dangerous, so she made up an excuse and ran away with her cane.

Shinjuku Shun naturally didn't stop him, and continued to stand in place, gazing up at the blue sky and white clouds—

Since transforming into an extraordinary being and gaining superpowers, he has always felt that the space in this school is too cramped, making it difficult to relax.

In any case, stepping over ants without harming them is quite a difficult task...

348. God cannot be wounded or shed blood; He gives you despair.

After all four first-grade classes submitted their prepared projects, and after two weeks of preparation, the final special exam of the school year was finally about to begin.

The date was March 22nd.