COTE : There is Something Wrong With Hikigaya-Chapter 201: Information Warfare

To explain this special exam, Sakagami-sensei even used the game "Werewolf" as an example. The rules were indeed similar—the main goal was to find the "wolf," or in this case, the privileged student.

However, unlike Werewolf, simply identifying the privileged student wasn't enough. The outcome also depended on the choices made by the other group members.

Put simply, there were four possible outcomes based on two key factors: whether the privileged student was identified and whether the answer was submitted during the "answer phase."

If the privileged student was identified and the group chose to submit their answer during the designated "answer phase" after the exam ended, and everyone answered correctly, that would be Outcome One. If they failed, it would be Outcome Two.

If someone answered outside the designated "answer phase"—meaning anytime other than between 9:30 and 10:00 PM on the last day—it would be considered a "betrayal." Regardless of whether they were correct or not, both the privileged student and the betrayer would receive corresponding rewards and penalties, leading to Outcome Three or Outcome Four.

Of course, there was no such thing as a free lunch. At first glance, Outcome One seemed like the best option, offering huge benefits to the entire group. However, the school deliberately introduced a way to "cheat." Since each group was made up of students from four different classes, this rule effectively prevented complete cooperation. The difficulty was far greater than it appeared.

On the other hand, Outcomes Three and Four aligned more with individual class interests, turning this into a game of deception and betrayal.

Hikigaya also noticed a subtle but intentional detail in the rules. The "exam phase" ended at 9:00 PM on the final day, but the "answer phase" only started at 9:30 PM. This created a 30-minute gap. According to Sakagami-sensei, students were forbidden from communicating after the exam ended. Violating this rule would result in immediate expulsion, making the penalty extremely severe.

The school's intention was obvious. Even if a group wanted to achieve Outcome One, the privileged student would have to reveal their identity before the "exam phase" ended. This prevented students from making last-minute announcements right before the answer phase.

Exam Phase → 30-minute gap → Answer Phase

Once the privileged student revealed their identity, they would be left in complete uncertainty for 30 minutes. There was no way to know if someone would betray them during that time. If betrayal occurred, Outcome Three would happen instead, meaning they would lose the easy 500,000 private points and also cause their class to lose 50 class points.

"No wonder they set such a long gap after the exam phase."

Hikigaya muttered to himself.

The rules for this exam were also very detailed, making it nearly impossible for any outside cheating or tricks. Hikigaya's voice wasn't loud, but in the quiet room, it was easy to catch people's attention.

Sakagami-sensei narrowed his eyes. Although he didn't want to admit it, this student from Class D was indeed very sharp. He had figured out the essence of this special exam so quickly, while the two girls beside him still seemed unsure about how it really worked.

"Sakagami-sensei, I have a question. May I ask?"

Hikigaya thought for a moment, then suddenly looked up at Sakagami-sensei.

Sakagami-sensei gave a slight nod, his tone as cold as ever. "What is it?"

"For this exam, will the school interfere with students' discussions or actions?"

His question was so unexpected that everyone was confused.

Sakagami-sensei furrowed his brows. "As long as students follow the exam rules and don't do anything outside of them, the school will not interfere."

"I see..."

Hikigaya nodded slightly. "Thank you, Sakagami-sensei. I have no more questions."

Sakagami-sensei then turned to Hasebe and Inogashira. "Do you two have any questions? If anything is unclear, you should ask now."

Inogashira Kokoro silently shook her head, but it was obvious that she didn't fully understand the exam. She just didn't dare to admit it and forced herself to nod.

Hasebe didn't say anything either. Seeing this, Sakagami-sensei told them to pack up and leave.

As they walked out of the room, they were about to go their separate ways when Hasebe suddenly called out to Hikigaya and Inogashira Kokoro.

"Since we're teammates for this exam, we should get to know each other better."

Inogashira Kokoro wanted to refuse, but after thinking about it, she realized Hasebe had a point. So, she nodded in agreement. Seeing that, Hikigaya had no choice but to nod as well.

At Hasebe's suggestion, the three of them went to a café.

"Hikigaya, what do you think about this exam?" fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

After ordering drinks, Hasebe got straight to the point and looked at Hikigaya. "You seemed to have your own thoughts earlier, but it looked like you didn't want to say them in front of Sakagami-sensei."

Hikigaya was a little surprised. He didn't expect this blue-haired girl to be so observant. He nodded.

"Since we're all in the same class, I won't keep it to myself. This exam looks like it's just a test between students within each group, but if you think about it carefully, you'll realize it's actually a test between all twelve groups."

Hasebe fell into deep thought after hearing that, while Inogashira Kokoro still seemed lost.

"W-What do you mean?" she asked hesitantly.

Hikigaya didn't answer right away. Instead, he asked, "Why do you think the school announced the exam details at different times? If it was just for different groups, that would make sense since there are a lot of students. But even within the same group, why go through the trouble of holding separate briefings for students from different classes?"

"You mean... the school has a specific reason for making things this complicated?" Hasebe replied.

Hikigaya nodded. Internally, he sighed. Just from her response, he could tell that she had some ability, but she was still lacking in many areas. As for the other one... he had no expectations at all.

He didn't keep them in suspense and explained directly.

"The school deliberately separated the group members because they wanted to make us think this exam is about competing against students from other classes in our group. That way, we would overlook another important detail."

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"The truth is... this special exam isn't about competition within the group at all. It's a battle of 'information' between the twelve groups!"

Hikigaya's expression turned serious.

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