3rd Person POV

[Different Timeline]

???: The next video is going to be about an interesting special exam which took place instead of the Class Poll exam.

The mood immediately dampened, as the students and teachers reminisced the horrific special exam which took place at ANHS.

Ike, Sudou, Hondo and many others who lost their close friend became upset. They had already more or less moved on, but the human heart was a fragile thing.

The Video starts:

"And that's the gist of it," said Chabashira sensei, finishing her explanation.

The students of Class C were in a daze, processing what they just heard.

Hirata Yousuke raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"So what you are saying sensei...is that all of us will rate each other without any definite categories?" asked Hirata, incredulously. The class had the same thought.

"You are right. You could rate the other person out of 10 based on their first impressions, looks, abilites, or anything that comes to mind. It's completely up to you."

It was almost the end of their first year. Next week is the event selection exam. So the students were mentally preparing themselves for it. It was already a tense enough situation, when suddenly, an absurd task is given upon them. To rate the students among themselves based on anything.

"This game will be conducted in all three years and there won't be penalties as well."

There was a small commotion.

Ike: What the-?

Sudou: That's it? Seriously?!

Miyamoto: How is that even fair?!

Shinohara: No way...

The second year students except Class A, were showing their discontent about it.

Kiyotaka: So that could have happened if Tsukishiro hadn't come.

Akito: How relieving for them.

Keisei: Yeah.

Hirata: This brings...painful memories.

Kushida: Heh. Good for me since that good for nothing pervert was expelled anyway.

Amikura: Our class barely managed to scrap by.

Hamaguchi: It was thanks to Ichinose-san.

Honami: We only managed to face it because of Ayanokoji-kun's help though.

Chairman: I feel responsible for the students who were expelled unfairly.

Mashima: It was a nasty period.

Some students heaved a sigh of relief when she said that.

"However, the students with the highest average rating will be given private points as a reward."

There were murmurs inside the classroom.

"So...what is the amount?" Ike hesitantly asked.

Chabashira paused a bit before replying.

"One million points."

"WHAT?!"

Ishizaki: No way!

Hashimoto: That high?

Shibata: They're in heaven!

Ike: We are the only ones in a shitty timeline!

Sanada: I feel like it is kind of unfair too.

Nishikawa: I agree.

Suzune: Only the popular students will get the points, but that's good in it's own way.

It wasn't Ike who screamed, but his soon to be unfortunate friend, Yamauchi Haruki.

"Is something wrong?" Chabashira glared at him.

"U-uh no...I mean...isn't it kinda unfair?"

Everybody knew what he meant. Because every class had at least one popular person, it was easily predictable who would get the highest rating.

"It is, but think about it this way."

Everyone paid attention to her next words.

"You can make sure to get enough votes for your class from the whole school. If the number of students who passes the threshold is more than once in a single class, what do you think would happen?"

"....we would get more private points?" Kushida asked.

"Exactly. So this game is basically about which class secures the most amount of private points while rating each other."

There was now a wave of excitement among the students.

Katsuragi: Interesting.

Komiya: Hm, I didn't think of it that way.

Hiyori: Well, it's kind of troubling too.

She didn't share her thoughts about how they were in a disadvantage, because of their reputation as a delinquent class.

Nagumo: I can think of a few ways to completely secure the points for ourselves.

Ryuen: Kuku me too, but not in the way you would expect.

Manabu: I can see what you're thinking Nagumo, but there is bound to be some restrictions.

Nagumo: Well, it can't be helped then.

"Heck yeah, this will be fun!" Sudou exclaimed.

"I know right?"

"Those one million points are coming to me!"

"Yeah right. Have you seen your face?"

There were a few laughters.

Ryuen: Since it's solely based on first impression, I can't imagine him getting a high score.

Hashimoto: Oh! Maybe princess will-

Arisu: Shut up, Hashimoto-kun.

Hearing her cold tone, he became quiet immediately. Kamuro stifled a laugh.

Kushida: Poor Yamauchi-kun. Please get fucked again!

The increasing noise gradually died down when Chabashira signalled to stop.

"Now, I'll be explaining the rating system."

After class, everyone got ready to head to their clubs or hangouts.

Kiyotaka was packing up his stuff when the Ayanokoji group approached him.

"This exam is pretty interesting, right?" Haruka posed the question.

"I wouldn't call it an exam," Keisei muttered.

"It's pretty unique I would say," Akito commented.

"Yeah. Rating others seems like fun!"

"It actually depends on the perspective," Keisei interjected.

"What do you mean Keisei-kun?" Airi curiously asked.

"I think he means it can be fun for some people and hell for others," Akito guessed.

"Ah...I see what you mean," Haruka nodded.

It felt weird for Kiyotaka to see him interacting normally with them. He was sure that it wasn't possible anymore. Ignoring some particular stares, he kept watching.

Each of the students were given a tablet, which contained a list of all the students. When the rating starts, students can approach each other and discuss about who to rate and who to not.
Suppose, Kiyotaka can rate every other student in the school except himself. But a student from different class, say Ryuen, can approach him and convince Kiyotaka to give him the highest rating. The method of convincing will be left upto Ryuen. But Kiyotaka has the choice to ignore him either way and rate however he wants. On the other hand, he can take private points from Ryuen in exchange for giving him the highest rating. That's pretty much how it'll go.

Ryuen: The method of convincing is up to me, huh?

His grin gave a disturbing feeling to others.

Hosen: Easy.

Chairman: You know, I think we can actually conduct one like that.

Chie: Yep! It seems fun.

Mashima: Sounds good.

"There is definitely going to be trouble by giving this sort of freedom to the students," Keisei criticized.

"Yeah, it honestly doesn't make sense," agreed Akito.

"Aw c'mon guys. I think it's going to be fun. What do you say Kiyopon?"

"Yeah. It definitely is an interesting event," Kiyotaka expressed his honest opinion.

"Well, they said it would begin tomorrow morning. And only half of our classes will be held. That's a win already in my opinion," Akito smiled as he said that.

"I agree," nodded Kiyotaka.

"Yeah, you two always look so sleepy in the class," Keisei pointed out with a smirk.

"I-I think we should rate ourselves highly," Airi suggested.

"Of course! Let's all agree to give ourselves a ten, alright?" Haruka asked, as the rest of the group nodded.

"With that out of the way, let's hangout as a group today. It's really been a while," Haruka demanded.

Akito thought about his club, but decided not to spoil the mood. His seniors are pretty lenient anyways.

Kiyotaka didn't have anything to do as always, so all of them left the school together.

Haruka: How nostalgic.

After their hangout, Kiyotaka entered his room. He put his bag on the chair and laid down in the comfort of his bed.

He glanced at his phone, but there wasn't any message from the leader of their class. She didn't give any concrete instructions in the class nor asked him for his opinion.

Kiyotaka and Suzune looked intrigued.

He would have personally advised to join forces with Ichinose's class. By giving the highest rating to the students of each class, both classes would be benefited with private points. But there was a rule restricting from doing such an action. It was all in all, an individual exam about who would gain the most favourable outcome.

Nagumo: Ah! You were right, Horikita-senpai.

Apparently, he had thought of something similar, but in a large scale.

Arisu: So this exam is completely upto each individual.

Katsuragi: It feels like the opposite to the class poll exam.

Kaneda: Same concept, but different execution.

One's own freedom of approach.

Kiyotaka liked that idea.

Thinking that tomorrow would be a long day, Kiyotaka went to bed early that night.

The next morning, Kiyotaka found his tab screen glowing.

He checked it to see that someone has already gave him a rating.

✅ Karuizawa Kei from Year 1 Class C has given you a rating : 10/10

He was a bit surprised, that she would give him a rating so early. It also makes sense since the exam has already started.

Kei looked proud and happy that she was the first to rate him.

Sato: You guys still weren't dating, right?

Chiaki: How quick, Kei-chan.

Kei: I-it's not like that! Just rating each other out as quickly as possible.

Mori: Early in the morning?

Ichihashi: Nice try.

Azuma: It looks like you were interested for quite a while~

Because of the constant teasing, she blushed and looked away.

Honami: I should have been quicker. What was I doing?

Kiyotaka also gave a full rating to Kei in return.

On the way to school, he got a few more messages on his tab.

✅ Horikita Suzune from Year 1 Class C has given you a rating : 10/10

✅ Hirata Yousuke from Year 1 Class C has given you a rating : 10/10

✅ Miyake Akito from Year 1 Class C has given you a rating : 10/10

✅ Yukimura Keisei from Year 1 Class C has given you a rating : 10/10

✅ Hasebe Haruka from Year 1 Class C has given you a rating : 10/10

✅ Sakura Airi from Year 1 Class C has given you a rating : 10/10

For a moment, he was stunned.

Even though they were more or less predictable, seeing so many high ratings at once was bound make someone feel good, even if it was Kiyotaka.

Even the crowd was a bit startled.

Ike: Damn Ayanokoji!

Sotomura: What a great start!

Kanzaki: He got himself a lead already.

Honami: What in the world are you doing, Honamiii?? >_<

Hashimoto: Why the hell haven't I rated him yet?

Ichika: It's a shame that I wasn't there too~

Kei: You're getting popular, Kiyotaka...

Kiyotaka: You don't sound happy.

Kei: O-of course, I am!

Kiyotaka quickly made sure to return those ratings exactly as they were, before he made his way to the classroom.

As he entered, he could feel the rush and excitement in the atmosphere of the class.

A game where they would be rated on anything from others and probably be rewarded as well?

It's enough to entice any teenager.

Kiyotaka took his seat silently, as always. He exchanged greetings with Akito and Horikita.

"Thanks for the rating," Kiyotaka said.

Horikita looked at him and softly nodded.

"It was only the truth, nothing else."

Kiyotaka: Thanks.

Suzune:....sure.

She only muttered in response.

Manabu looked at them with interest.

Times like this reminded Kiyotaka about how honest she was about her feelings, whether it was good or bad.

It was right then, Kiyotaka's tab notified him of another message. He curiously looked at it.

✅ Satou Maya from Year 1 Class C has given you a rating : 10/10

Satou: Kya~ It's me!

Kiyotaka: Thank you Satou.

Satou: Hehe, you're welcome!

The girls curiously looked at this exchange.

He quickly looked at Satou, who was smiling at him with a wave. Kiyotaka nodded in gratitude and gave her a similar rating in respond. He suddenly wondered, if it was all Horikita's plan for everyone in the class to give each other a full rating. He was contemplating whether to ask her or not.

Suzune: I don't think I could do that.

However, the next few messages on his tab cleared his doubts.

✅ Ike Kanji from Year 1 Class C has given you a rating : 6/10

✅ Yamauchi Haruki from Year 1 Class C has given you a rating : 4/10

✅ Hondo Ryotarou from Year 1 Class C has given you a rating : 5/10

✅ Miyamoto Soshi from Year 1 Class C has given you a rating : 5/10

A hard reality check for our protagonist, as he once again realized that people are not equal.

He sighed, and started to give them the same rating.

The mentioned people received looks from the whole class, and even from the other classes and years.

Ike: W-what?

Shinohara sighed.

"It can't be helped since you were stupid."

"W-what's that supposed to mean?!"

Akito: Really Hondo, Miyamoto? What makes you think you can judge Kiyotaka?

Mori: Yeah, what's with that rating?!

Hondo: H-hey! How were we supposed to know that he was someone important?

Satou: But-!

Suzune: Well, they have a fair point.

Keisei: Besides, this exam is about individual standpoint. You can't change how others think of you.

Chiaki: That's right. Unless you offer a fair deal.

Everybody understood, since they forgot that it was that type of exam.

Hashimoto: I don't know about them, but seeing that Yamauchi giving him a 4, kinda ticks me off.

Arisu: fufufu I honestly feel like admitting him again in this school just to expel him once more.

Ishizaki: Yeah. Four is too low.

Albert: BRO IS TEN!

Kiyotaka: I won't be surprised if I get a few other low ratings, since I disliked attention.

Just as he finished, two more messages came to his tab.

✅ Kushida Kikyou from Year 1 Class C has given you a rating : 10/10

✅ Ichinose Honami from Year 1 Class B has given you a rating : 10/10

Kiyotaka quickly glanced around to see if anyone was watching. It would have turned pretty troublesome if one were to even accidentally see his tab.

Seeing this consecutive explosives ratings from two of the most popular person in the school, everybody was shocked.

Honami: Hah~ inner peace

Kushida: Knowing me, I would probably give everyone a full rating, so that they would give me one too in return.

Amikura: Oh wow...Honami-chan didn't hold back~

Kobashi: It's expected, isn't it?

Hamaguchi: It is.

Watanabe: He is a lucky guy.

Andou: So sweet!

Honami blushed and just smiled happily, without respond to their teasing for the time being.

Shibata: Huh? What are they talking about?

Nagumo: You seem to be quite popular with the opposite sex, Ayanokoji.

Kei: What he said...

Kiyotaka: It's just a coincidence.

Kouenji: It is to be expected. Since he has something that you don't.

Nagumo: No one asked Kouenji.

Ike: A full rating from Ichinose-san? Suspicious, if you tell me.

Sudou: Don't twist it man. It's just...as a friend......maybe?

Onodera: You sound unsure.

He cleared his throat.

Sudou: A-anyway. Ayanokouji's too good to be just Karuizawa's-

Kei: Hey! Take that back!

Satou: Ooohh! I like how you think, Sudou-kun.

Mori: Me too!

Kei: G-guys?!

Arisu: They seem to be having fun, fufu.

For Kushida's case, she had been giving everyone in the school a full rating, since she was sure that 95% of them would return the same. The points were already in her account the moment this game was announced yesterday.

Knowing her mindset, Kiyotaka quickly rated her and Ichinose with a full number. He could see Kushida smiling at him in the corner of his eye. Kiyotaka mentally reminded himself not to get on her bad side.

Everyone except Kiyotaka's class was confused about what that meant.

Ryuen: He is quite a comedian in his mind.

Kushida: I wouldn't....cause you trouble. Not anymore...

"Hey! What the hell! Why are all of you rating me so low?!" Yamauchi's repulsive voice rang across the classroom as everyone looked at his direction.

"Duh. Cause you haven't gave anyone a high rating either," Sonoda pointed out as everyone agreed with him.

"H-huh? But...Kushida-chan-"

"Don't be an idiot Haruki. She has been giving everyone a full rating," Sudou reasoned.

After a flurry of arguments and insults, Yamauchi sat down disappointedly.

Shinohara: Hah! So he was just giving everyone the same treatment!

Nishimura: Pervert...

Azuma: Is there a negative rating?

Ichihashi: They should have it, for guys like him.

Keisei: I can't believe he expected full rating for himself while rating everybody else like that.

Akito: He has always done things we couldn't believe.

Sotomura: As expected of Yamauchi-dono. Even without being here, he is surpassing expectations.

Kiyotaka shook his head as stared at his tab. In the meantime, Professor has rated him 10/10 and Sudou gave him a 9/10. He was confused as to why they would rate him so highly, but then decided to give both of them a 10 anyway. Mii-chan and Matsushita both gave him a 9/10. Again, he was confused about being rated high by the latter one.

Mori: Hoooh~? What is this Mii-chan? You too Chiaki-chan~

She didn't waste time and immediately started the barrage. Chiaki only smiled calmly while Mii-chan became flustered, making her the obvious target.

Azuma: I thought you were going for Hirata-kun?

Ichihashi: Maybe you noticed his charm before us?

Nishimura: How sneaky of you~

Mii-chan: N-n-noo! I-It's just- this happened....and well...!

The girls kept teasing her while the Kiyotaka received another look from the boys.

Ike: Have you been picking up girls right under our nose?

Kiyotaka: No. It's just another coincidence.

Akito: You sure seem to use that a lot.

Hondo: Dammit man. Leave some for us!

Honami unconsciously narrowed her eyes at the girls who had rated him high.

Hirata: Good for you, Ayanokoji-kun.

Kiyotaka: Please don't misunderstand.

Kiyotaka was already rated by almost half of his class before homeroom began. When Chabashira sensei entered, everyone quickly became silent and put away their tabs on Horikita's instructions, as to not hamper their class points.

Ike: That's it? They won't show the other ratings?

Sotomura: It's not important Ike-dono.

After the third period,