Ayanokouji What If: Popularity Time

V8 Chapter 1: Unhappy Campers

                          Kiyotaka Pov

Bump bump

The bus traveled along the bumpy old road.

Are all humans truly equ-

Wait, wrong bus ride.

It was Thursday morning and the first day of the third semester. Every class was jammed into a bus and sent off to an unknown location in the mountains.

If this were the first exam, nobody would blame somebody else for thinking this school was an organ farm disguised as a high school.

I sat in the middle of the bus, speaking to people across the aisle, at my sides, in front of me, and behind me.

At the front of the bus, Chabashira suddenly stood up with a microphone.

"Congratulations on reaching Class C once again," she said, her always steely gaze lifting up in happiness, "This truly is an interesting class. However, the time has come to see how you can hold up under intense pressure."

Ike sighed loudly, "Another physical exam?!"

Chabashira smirked, and said, "Partly. This exam is focused on testing your mental fortitude and improving upon it through multiple disciplinary courses to mold your mind. No matter the risks of this school, we aim to still educate you."

An exam aimed at making us mentally stronger. Does that mean in the coming months the exams will become more dangerous?

The final exams are rapidly approaching, so I wouldn't be shocked if there were a few expulsions in our future.

Still, this generation seems to be stronger than the ones before, as Nagumo has explained to me.

"Our destination is a special facility owned by the school. Every grade level will participate and communicate with one another. The rules of this exam are as follows," announced Chabashira, taking a clipboard from her seat at the front.

"Following your arrival at the campgrounds, each gender will be separated. You will be given time to mingle, which you will use to form 6 groups consisting of every grade."

She continued, "There is a lower and upper limit to the number of students in a group. Due to a single expulsion occurring, the upper limit is 14, and the lower limit is 9. You will form small groups within your year, and then the large groups will be formed with all students of the same gender in mind."

Chabashira's eyes met mine to see if I was paying attention, which I was.

With the group's limitations, a few groups would end up with a mixture of classes. I do not doubt that a class will choose to try and consolidate all of their boys and draft a strong member of another class to make their winning potential higher.

Not only that but in the case they do win, whatever reward there is will go to their class.

"Unlike the prior exams," started Chabashira, "Withdrawing is strictly prohibited. The school will be the sole decider if a student is forced to withdraw from the exam. In the case a student is removed, the group will have to fill the gap themselves."

A few eyes drifted to Koenji at the back, who was hogging up an entire back row to himself, splayed across it as if it were a bed.

Koenji had a reputation due to him withdrawing whenever he felt like it, so now that it was impossible, he had to participate.

To how much of his ability, there was no way to tell. This is the nature of the wild card known as Koenji Rokusuke.

Chabshira continued, "An average is expected from every group by the school. If the group does not meet these requirements, they will most likely face the expulsion of one or two members. One of these members is the group leader, who will be chosen by consensus of the group. At the end, if the leader is expelled, they may drag another student down with them. Alongside the leader's expulsion, every classmate of the leader in that group will lose 100 private points per person."