January 4th – winter break had just two days left. Its balance was dangerously low. Yet despite that, key members of all first-year classes – and even Kiriyama from second year – had convened in the Student Council office.
The reason was simple: the school had notified Yukio of an upcoming special exam. Whenever a special exam took place, the Student Council had a related meeting to discuss (and, if needed, revise) the exam's content in order to safeguard student interests.
So even though it was still winter vacation, Yukio summoned all Student Council members for this gathering.
Ichinose was her usual self, cheerfully greeting everyone. Kushida behaved similarly, seated next to her, both exuding the aura of consummate social butterflies.
Ryuuen, meanwhile, slouched with a roguish air, wearing a wild grin, showing zero concern about posture. Sakayanagi retained her customary poise, lips curved in a refined half-smile, half-lidded eyes suggesting she was quietly calculating something at every moment.
Among the first-years, only Horikita appeared truly serious; from her stern expression, you'd think they were discussing a murder case. But it made sense—this was the Student Council that her older brother, Horikita Manabu, had once participated in. For Horikita, it was a big deal: she wanted to do her absolute best and measure up to her brother's achievements. Naturally, she didn't tolerate any slacking off in Council business.
Under these varied moods—some cheerful, some sly, some solemn—second-year Kiriyama felt enormous pressure, wanting nothing more than to fade into the background. He couldn't help but grumble inwardly, 'Sheesh, every single one of these first-years has such intense presence! Can't us upperclassmen catch a break?'
Yukio took the top seat once occupied by Horikita Manabu. Seeing that everyone was present, he dispensed with formalities. The sooner they finished, the sooner they could get back to enjoying break. "School officials have informed me that the next special exam is titled 'Forest Camp Exam.'"
"Same old story: in order to cultivate students into future social elites, the school won't reveal any specifics. Even the name is vague— Forest Something or other—makes you think it's got something to do with the woods."
"As for that, Kiriyama-senpai, do you have any info?"
Kiriyama blinked. He hadn't expected to be the first target of questioning, but with Yukio asking, he couldn't dodge. Somewhat awkward, he nodded. "Well… I do know a bit," he said. "From past years, generally in third semester, the school organizes a 'forest camp.' When we were first years, we experienced it once—super tiring."
All the first-years nodded in understanding. A forest camp was a standard part of schooling in Japan, where classes left their comfortable campus environment to continue study in a more rugged mountain setting, thus training students' resilience. Because it usually happened in mountain forests or remote areas, the accommodations were often referred to as forest schools.
In the last decade, though, with the push for easier schooling, many such programs had turned into near equivalents of spring or autumn field trips. Still, for those present—top students at AN High School—it was plain that the school wouldn't just let them go on a casual outing. This upcoming forest camp exam would definitely not be easy.
Hearing Kiriyama's info, Ichinose didn't bat an eye, believing her class would handle any hardship. Sakayanagi seemed unsurprised, Ryuuen glanced briefly at Yukio, and Kushida put on a pensive face, though who knew what she was really thinking. Horikita's expression was grave—shock roiled in her mind. So the Student Council's authority is high enough to get intel on a special exam early, and can even modify it? Indeed, her decision to join the Council looked more correct than ever. If every other class had the info but hers didn't, that'd put her at a disadvantage from the start.
Once Yukio had the basics, he laid out the points the school allowed them to revise. "I'm not entirely sure what the school is planning. They said it will test morals, spirit, discipline, and independence. We can guess some potential exam details from those four words, but who knows how the school will arrange it?"
"Also, this time it'll be a big multi-grade exam. They'll shuffle all three grades' classes—four classes per grade—into mixed teams, once again pitting class against class, grade against grade. Finally, they noted that, unlike the Workplace Special Exam, this exam will be harsher, with the risk of expulsion as a penalty."
That last part caused each person's thoughts to race. The mention of possible expulsions overshadowed everything else. Ichinose in particular hated that, "Yukio-kun, can we alter the penalty so it's not expulsion but maybe a big class-point deduction? It's just too cruel to expel somebody—like losing a teammate without real wrongdoing. That's going too far."
That was Ichinose's genuine perspective. She viewed the entire student body as classmates; the thought of someone being expelled purely for not measuring up academically was unbearable to her. Such benevolence was unique to Ichinose, a trait seldom seen at this school.
Sakayanagi withheld comment, Kiriyama kept his mouth shut—likely because, in their own classes, there were people they wouldn't mind booting out. Ryuuen merely glanced at Yukio, not speaking, seemingly prepared to align with whatever stance Yukio took. Still, there was a faint undercurrent suggesting even Ryuuen didn't relish losing any of his own.
Kushida pretended to gasp in horror, covering her mouth like she was frightened, though Yukio recognized it for the act it was. Horikita frowned, expression tense. If they were talking about expulsion, Class D had a few prime candidates, like Ike and Yamauchi. Since the Sports Festival had exposed that bunch's scheme to covertly film the girls' locker room, Sudou had been forced to voluntarily withdraw to avoid constant condemnation. But Ike and Yamauchi, thick-skinned as they were, just carried on despite classmates' daily barbs. Maybe they believed that at such a top school, the administration wouldn't truly cast them aside, so they bumbled on, refusing to face reality.
Horikita herself didn't particularly mind as long as it helped them climb to Class A. Even if Ike and Yamauchi's attempt at voyeurism was hideously indecent, if they possessed some skill, she'd keep them around for the class's sake. Ike at least had shown decent wilderness survival skills on the uninhabited island exam, whereas Yamauchi was basically useless. But with no knowledge of the exact exam content, promising anything might lead to an unexpected meltdown and unwanted losses. So Horikita said quietly, "I'd also like to suggest altering that penalty."
Yukio's gaze swept around the room with amused curiosity. His outward manner was polite, but his words were anything but. "So, I have to ask—what's the point of you all making proposals?" he said. "Not to pick on anyone, but let me lay it out there, as Student Council president, my word is final. I'll be a dictator on this one. So you can propose all you like, but it's pointless."
"Originally, I was curious to see an actual expulsion scenario, but with the exam details up in the air, maybe my own class would get burned. Let's just remove that penalty for now."
***
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