COTE : Backed By Black Technology System

On the first day of school, Class D suffered a major blow, losing 20 million points. Even though a few students were chosen as candidates for expulsion, this didn't help calm everyone down. 

Class D might not have technically lost anything, but someone else gained 20 million points out of nowhere—how could they be happy about that? 

Of course, Kanda Shuichi felt great. He didn't need that many points anyway, so giving them to Kamuro was fine. She wasn't like Kushida or Miyake. At least Kamuro wasn't under his direct watch, and if something happened to her, he might not even have a chance to step in. 

But what puzzled him was that the usual high-tech gadget, which was supposed to be delivered at around 8 or 9 AM on the first day of every month, hadn't arrived. That made him a little nervous. Could it be that his cheat system had a time limit? 

Thankfully, this question was answered over lunch with Miyake. 

[First semester results have been processed. Phase rewards will now be distributed.] 

Phase rewards? What's that? 

Hearing the doubt in Kanda Shuichi's mind, the system immediately responded. 

[Twice a year, at the beginning of the first and second semesters, additional items will be given as phase rewards.] 

Oh? That's a nice surprise! The more, the better. 

Kanda Shuichi's eyes lit up with anticipation. Out of all the high-tech gadgets he had received so far, the one he used the least was the gourmet tablecloth. But even that wasn't useless. 

Sometimes, it was more practical than other tools, so he never underestimated what the system gave him. 

[September's high-tech gadget has not been delivered yet. Would you like to combine it with the phase reward and receive them together?] 

Combine the rewards? What does that mean? 

[Hint: Combining multiple rewards into one has a chance of generating a stronger high-tech gadget.] 

A stronger one? 

Of course, he wanted a stronger one! The system was basically telling him to go for it—no reason to hesitate! 

Confirming the fusion! 

The moment Kanda Shuichi made his choice, the system delivered the new high-tech gadget. 

[September's gadget: Medical Kit.] 

Holy—! 

This is "stronger"? This is way too overpowered! 

In Doraemon's stories, this kind of thing didn't just diagnose illnesses—it could also generate the exact medicine needed for treatment. Just one pill, and the illness was gone. 

Of course, knowing this system, the effect probably wouldn't be that ridiculous. But no worries—he'd check the manual after claiming the item. 

After lunch, Kanda Shuichi found an excuse to head to the restroom and retrieved the medical kit. 

It looked like an ordinary box, except a stethoscope extended from one side. 

One panel on the side could be opened—probably where the medicine would come out. 

After a quick inspection, he stored it in his four-dimensional pocket. Since it was a system-generated item, it was super convenient to carry. 

Then, he picked up the manual and started reading. 

**Item Name: Medical Kit** 

**Usage Instructions:** 

Step 1: Place the stethoscope on the patient's heart. After ten seconds, all detected illnesses will be displayed. 

Step 2: Select the illness you want to treat. The medical kit will generate the corresponding medicine using universal elements. 

Step 3: After taking the medicine, the patient will recover in a time frame ranging from one minute to one month, depending on the illness. 

**Notes:** 

1. Each dose of medicine can only treat one illness, but multiple illnesses can be treated at the same time. 

2. The medical kit comes with ten doses of universal elements initially, with no current way to replenish them. Future items may offer a way to restock. 

3. The medical kit can only treat physical illnesses (in theory, it can cure all known human diseases, including genetic disorders). It cannot treat mental illnesses. 

Damn, this thing really is overpowered! 

For once, the manual wasn't just a simple description—this was the most detailed one he'd ever seen. 

And that third note... It clearly stated the treatment range. So basically, as long as someone was still breathing, this thing could bring them back? 

Now that's insane!

This is absolutely insane! 

It's just a shame that there are only ten doses of the medicine. We have to use them carefully, and under no circumstances can we let anyone find out, or it could cause big trouble. 

If the time and place were right, Kanda Shuichi would have loved to diagnose himself with it. Who knows, maybe it could help with his weak constitution. 

When he returned to the classroom in a good mood, he noticed that most of the students in Class D looked a bit down. Of course, some didn't care about losing 20 million points. 

But soon enough, no one in Class D had time to feel sad about it anymore. 

After lunch break, the afternoon class was replaced with a two-hour homeroom session. As soon as class started, Chabashira-sensei walked in, holding a stack of papers. 

"Classes will resume starting today, but from September to early October, extra PE lessons will be added to prepare for the sports festival. 

I'll hand out the new schedule—make sure to keep it safe and don't mix up your classes. Also, the details about the sports festival are included." 

With that, she placed the stack of papers on the desk of the student in the front row. "Pass them back." 

Straight to the point, as always. 

But the moment Kanda Shuichi heard the words "sports festival," his face stiffened. What? A sports festival? You've got to be kidding me! 

He wasn't the only one with that reaction. The students who weren't physically fit looked just as unwilling, and some even started groaning. 

Of course, there were also those who were excited about it—like Sudou, for example, and the guy sitting in front of Kanda Shuichi. 

"Shuichi! This is finally my time to shine!" 

Miyake grinned proudly as he handed over the papers. 

Yeah, yeah, we get it. You're in great shape! Everyone loves you! 

So why do I feel like smacking you in the face with this stack of papers? 

Annoyed, Kanda Shuichi took the papers from Miyake, grabbed one for himself, and passed the last copy to Horikita Suzune behind him. 

"Also, the school's official website has posted information about the sports festival. If you think it's necessary, you can check it out yourself." 

"Can we look it up on our phones now? It won't cost us class points, right?" 

Chabashira glanced at Kanda Shuichi and gave a definite answer. 

"Don't worry. Homeroom isn't that strict. You can check it now if you want." 

As soon as she said that, several students immediately pulled out their phones. Some actually looked up the website, but most just started chatting. 

"Sensei, does this sports festival count as one of the school's special exams?" 

Reliable as ever, Hirata, the class representative, raised his hand and asked the question the moment Chabashira-sensei nodded at him. 

"That's up to you to decide. But no matter how you look at it, this sports festival will have a major impact on your class points." 

So basically, yes. 

After all, as far as the students were concerned, any event that affected class points could be considered a special exam. 

Yeah, that made sense. 

The students who weren't good at sports immediately let out miserable groans. If this were a regular school, no one would care if they slacked off or skipped it. 

But here, this was about their future. There was no way to avoid it. And if they got on the bad side of their classmates, well, the four students who had been expelled were a clear warning. 

Meanwhile, Sudou and the other athletic students were getting pumped up. 

Their excitement was like Yamagami Tetsuya holding a homemade shotgun and standing in front of Prime Minister Abe—just one step away from pulling the trigger! 

But Kanda Shuichi had no time to bother with them. He was focused on reading the information Chabashira-sensei had just handed out. 

Most students, however, didn't have that kind of awareness, so Chabashira-sensei began explaining the rules—or rather, the key points—of the sports festival. 

"If you've read through the information, you should have noticed that this festival will divide all grade levels into two competing teams."

Class D was assigned to the Red Team, and Class A will also be part of the Red Team in this competition. That means, during the sports festival, Class A students will be your teammates. 

After September, Ichinose's Class B reached 969 class points, making them Class A, while the current Class B has 842 points. 

According to the rules, Class D's allies this time will be Ichinose's class. The students of Class D will form the Red Team with Class A and compete against the White Team, which consists of Classes B and C. 

Yeah, that works. 

I have a feeling they'll be really reliable in this kind of situation. 

Besides, Class B was betrayed by Ryuen in the past. If he hadn't set them up, they probably wouldn't even be in Class B right now. So, it's probably going to be hard for them to cooperate. 

That's another good piece of news. 

On top of that, second-year Class A and Class D, as well as third-year Class A and Class D, will also be part of the Red Team. 

Looking at this lineup, Kanda Shuichi couldn't even imagine losing. 

But the idea of working together surprised the students since most previous exams were all about individual competition. Even the special exam with the "preferred student" system only had small mixed groups from different classes. 

This sudden cross-grade collaboration left many feeling a bit lost. 

So, that means we'll be working with Nagumo and Horikita, the student council president? 

Thinking of that, Kanda Shuichi turned to look at Horikita Suzune, who was standing behind him. 

Horikita, noticing his gaze, lifted her head, and Kanda Shuichi caught a glimpse of the panic in her eyes. 

Come on, you're just on the same team as your brother for the sports festival. No need to freak out like that. 

"What are you looking at?" 

"Nothing. I just thought I should congratulate you." 

"Shut up!" 

Tch! So stubborn! Just like your brother! 

"I'm only going to explain this once, so make sure you listen carefully." 

Chabashira-sensei tapped her documents lightly, signaling everyone to pay attention. 

The rewards for this sports festival are pretty harsh. First, in the Red vs. White Team battle, the losing team will have 100 class points deducted from each class. The winning team won't lose any points, but they also won't gain anything. 

Additionally, each grade will have its own internal ranking. The class with the highest total score will earn 50 class points. The second-place class will remain unchanged, the third-place class will lose 50 points, and the fourth-place class will lose 100 points. 

To put it simply, even in the best-case scenario—winning both the grade-level ranking and the overall team competition—a class can only gain 50 points. 

But if a class ranks last in their grade and their team loses, they'll lose 200 class points. 

This sports festival is all about "keep moving forward or fall behind!" 

Honestly, this special exam feels strange. It doesn't seem designed to help classes earn points but rather to take points away from students. 

Don't tell me the school is running out of money and trying to squeeze it out of our living expenses? 

That would be way too cheap. 

Next is the point system for each event. 

The sports festival consists of two types of events: required events that everyone must participate in and optional events. 

In individual competitions, each group has eight participants. The first-place winner earns 15 points for their class, second place gets 12 points, third place gets 10 points, and fourth place gets 8 points. 

From fifth place onward, the points decrease by one for each ranking. In team competitions, the winning team earns 500 points. 

Aside from the required events, there are also optional events with limited spots. However, some students must participate because the points from these events will also be counted toward the class total. 

"The winning team doesn't even get class points? That's so unfair!" 

Students groaned, their motivation dropping even further. 

"But if we lose, we could lose up to 200 class points." 

"In that case, no way! I don't want to go back to being broke!" 

… 

"Don't worry, there are still some benefits to this exam." 

In individual competitions, students who place in the top three will receive private points from the school—5,000 points for first place, 3,000 for second, and 1,000 for third.

If you don't need private points, you can choose to receive a score bonus for the written exam instead. The options are five points, three points, or one point. 

The score bonus can be used for the midterm exam after the sports festival. 

Of course, where there are rewards, there are also penalties. The student who ranks last in each event will lose 1,000 private points. If they don't want to lose points or don't have enough, their midterm exam score will be reduced at a rate of one point per 1,000 private points. 

Additionally, the student with the highest total score across all individual events will receive 100,000 private points from the school. The top three students in each grade will also be rewarded with 10,000 private points each. 

But this kind of thing had nothing to do with Kanda Shuichi. He wasn't aiming for any of it. In fact, he was already prepared to finish last in every event. 

Then, he suddenly thought of someone—someone who might not even be able to compete at all. After all, with a heart condition like that... well, heh. 

At that moment, far away in Class B, a certain white-haired girl listening to Mashima Tomonari explain the sports festival rules suddenly sneezed. It was ridiculously cute. 

It's true—when someone who's struggling finds out there's someone worse off than them, they instantly feel a little better about their own situation. 

Meanwhile, the students in Class D were clearly very interested in the rewards for placing in the top three. 

"Uh, Chabashira-sensei! About that special reward for placing in the top three! What does it mean to get a written exam score bonus?" 

"Does that mean we can use the extra points for any subject?" 

The weaker students immediately took the chance to ask Chabashira-sensei. 

"That's right. For example, if you're bad at English and you fail the midterm, you can use the points you earned in the sports festival to make up for it. 

Of course, the total score still has to be high enough to pass. Also, the reward cannot be saved for later—it can only be used for the next midterm exam." 

"Nice!" 

After Chabashira-sensei's explanation, Sudou, who was great at sports but bad at studying, cheered. 

There were several individual events, and if he managed to win them all, he could get around 30 extra points for the next exam. 

That was definitely good news for him. 

But as always, rewards for top performers meant punishments for those at the bottom. 

Just like how the last-place finisher in an individual event would be penalized, the ten lowest-ranked students in the school's overall results would also face consequences. 

After the festival, the school would calculate the total scores for each grade. The ten students with the lowest scores would receive a penalty. The details varied by grade level, so they would need to check with their homeroom teacher. 

"Sensei, what's the penalty for the bottom ten?" 

"I can't speak for the other grades, but for first-years, the penalty is a point deduction in the next midterm. The bottom ten students will have ten points subtracted from their scores." 

"As for how the deduction will work, I'll explain it again closer to the exam. No questions on this for now. Also, the list of the bottom ten students will be announced at that time." 

As she spoke, Chabashira Sae glanced specifically at Kanda Shuichi. 

Come on, I admit I might end up getting punished, but did you really have to look at me like that? 

"Sensei, is the bottom ten ranking calculated with boys and girls together?" 

"Yes, all students are treated the same." 

I see. Well, at least I know for sure someone will be at the very bottom, so as long as I'm not dead last, I've already won. 

"Ah-choo!" 

"Princess, are you catching a cold? That's your second sneeze in a row." 

The soft sneezing sound caught the attention of a Class B student sitting next to Sakayanagi. 

"No, this feels more like someone's talking about me," Sakayanagi said with a small smile, pulling a handkerchief from her pocket to wipe her nose. 

Then, she turned to Katsuragi. 

"Katsuragi, could you take care of arranging things for the sports festival? With my condition, I really can't participate."

"I got it. I'll do my best." 

Katsuragi didn't refuse. Instead, he gave a serious response to Sakayanagi. 

"I'll leave the girls' side to you, Masumi." 

Hearing Sakayanagi's words, Kamuro frowned slightly but still nodded in agreement. 

Meanwhile, in Class D, after Chabashira-sensei finished explaining the rules, she moved on to discussing the event schedule. 

First, there were nine events that everyone had to participate in: 

100-meter sprint, 110-meter hurdles, men's pole-knockdown event, women's ball toss, tug-of-war (split by gender), obstacle race, three-legged 100-meter race, cavalry battle, and finally, the 200-meter sprint. 

Then there were four recommended events: 

Scavenger hunt, four-way tug-of-war, mixed-gender three-legged race, and a 1,200-meter relay for the entire grade. 

Looking at the list, Kanda Shuichi already felt a headache coming on. And they expected all of this to be finished in one day? What kind of cruel joke was this? 

It wasn't just Kanda Shuichi—anyone who wasn't in top shape would struggle to keep up. 

Since that was the case, he figured it was best to conserve his energy by giving up on events where he was bound to come in last anyway. At the very least, he had to avoid placing dead last in everything, or Sakayanagi would definitely have a field day making fun of him. 

As the classroom settled down again, Chabashira-sensei held up a sheet of paper and showed it to the students. 

"What I'm about to say is very important. This is the entry form. It lists all the event details. You will need to decide who competes in what event and in what order. Once you've filled it out, submit it to me. Keep in mind that after the deadline, no substitutions will be allowed for any reason." 

In a normal school, sports festivals were like a day off for most students, and for the athletic ones, it was a fun competition. The sign-ups didn't really matter—winning or losing wasn't the point; it was all just for fun. 

But this school was different. 

This entry form could directly determine the outcome of the sports festival. Class D had fought hard to earn over 500 class points, and if they wanted to keep them, they had to protect their entry form at all costs. 

If someone like Ryuen got his hands on it, Class D would be doomed. There was no doubt they'd be targeted and suffer a crushing defeat. 

"The deadline for submitting the entry form is from one week before the sports festival up until 5 PM the day before. If you miss the deadline, your lineup will be assigned randomly, so make sure to keep track of the time." 

After finishing her explanation, Chabashira-sensei didn't leave right away. Instead, she looked at the students, as if she already expected someone to ask a question. 

"May I ask something, Chabashira-sensei?" 

Horikita, who had been silently listening the entire time, raised her hand and spoke. 

"Of course. If you have any questions, now's the time to ask." 

Chabashira-sensei gave a faint smile as she looked at Horikita. 

Even though this sports festival probably wouldn't create a huge gap between classes, any difference—no matter how small—was still a difference. Winning required slowly building up every little advantage. 

For this event, she was hoping to see Kanda Shuichi perform at a high level again. But this time, things wouldn't be so easy for him. 

As long as the class could protect their entry form, the competition would come down to stamina and physical strength—both of which were Kanda Shuichi's biggest weaknesses. 

"Chabashira-sensei, you mentioned that once the entry form is submitted, no changes can be made. But what happens if someone is absent on the day of the festival? In individual events, I assume they would be disqualified. But in team events—like the three-legged race or cavalry battle—if someone is missing, wouldn't that make it impossible to compete?" 

"For the three-legged race, if the required number of participants isn't met, the team will be disqualified. However, for the cavalry battle, the team can still compete with one fewer horse formation. So it would be wise to pick teammates who are healthy and strong." 

That made sense. After all, at the Olympics, they don't make exceptions just because an athlete isn't in peak condition.

Winning in sports isn't just about skill—it's also important to take care of your body. 

"But, there are exceptions," Chabashira-sensei continued. "For the mandatory events, substitutions aren't allowed. However, for the recommended events, you can swap participants by paying 100,000 private points." 

"If you have enough points, you could even spread false information and then switch in the real competitors at the last moment." 

"I see… thanks." 

After thanking her, Horikita sat back down. Since no one else had questions, Chabashira-sensei wrapped up the discussion. 

"The next class will be held in the First Gym, where you'll meet students from other grades and classes." She checked her watch. "There are about twenty minutes left in class. You can use the time however you like—whether you want to chat or discuss strategies, it's up to you." 

As soon as she gave permission, the tense silence in the room disappeared. 

Small groups started forming, each discussing the sports festival however they pleased. 

Kanda Shuichi patted Miyake on the shoulder and pulled him over, then turned toward Horikita. 

Sudou, along with Ike and Yamauchi, also joined them. Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was already seated next to Horikita. 

"What do you think?" 

As soon as Kanda Shuichi turned to her, Horikita asked the question. 

"Nothing much. I'm not interested in sports, and I've already reserved last place in every event." 

His half-hearted response made Horikita freeze for a moment. 

Then she suddenly realized—when did she start relying on Kanda Shuichi so much? 

"It's fine. I'll get first place in every mandatory event, and I'll join all the recommended events too. That way, we'll definitely win, right?" 

Sudou wasn't discouraged by Kanda Shuichi's lack of enthusiasm. Instead, he looked even more fired up, full of confidence. 

To be honest, Kanda Shuichi had always performed so well that Sudou worried Horikita might start liking him. But now, finally, there was something he was better at—something Kanda Shuichi wasn't good at. 

If the timing weren't so off, he would've jumped up and celebrated. 

But… would things really go as smoothly as Sudou said? 

Sure enough, as soon as she heard him speak, Horikita let out a deep sigh. 

"Sigh… I was stupid to expect anything from you." 

"...Come on, you can trust me once in a while. I might suck at studying, but I'm great at sports. Can't you believe in me just this once?" 

Sudou scratched his head, looking helpless. 

"I think Sudou's right. Those who are good at sports should try to score as many points as possible, and those who aren't should at least avoid coming in last." Kanda Shuichi shrugged. 

Then, he chuckled. "Anyway, I'm useless for this exam. You guys just do your best." 

"You just said people with low stamina should at least avoid last place, didn't you?" 

Hearing Kanda Shuichi's blatant attempt to slack off, Horikita frowned. 

"Heh, let me put it this way—expecting me to do well in this sports festival is about as realistic as expecting Sudou to place in the top eleven in a written exam."

"Sudou getting into the top ten on the written exam might be possible if he works hard, but expecting me to get a good score is just wishful thinking. This isn't something effort alone can fix." 

"I'm not good at much, but at least I know my own limits." 

Kanda Shuichi had made his stance clear, and Horikita could only nod. Forcing someone with poor health like him to perform well was unrealistic—it made more sense to rely on other students to put in more effort. 

That being said, Kanda Shuichi wasn't as weak as he made himself sound. Based on his own judgment, his physical condition had more or less returned to an average level. 

Well, maybe about the same as a middle-aged man in his 30s or 40s who doesn't exercise much? 

"I think Shuichi is right. As long as everyone does their best, that's all that matters. If we still can't win after that, then it just means the other classes are stronger than us overall." 

Miyake, who had been listening the whole time, agreed with Kanda Shuichi's opinion. 

"But aside from that, keeping our entry list safe is also really important. No doubt the other classes will guard their lists as well and won't let any information leak." 

That was true. This exam wasn't just about raw strength—it was a battle of both strength and intelligence. 

"But if all four classes keep their entry lists secret, wouldn't it just come down to luck?" 

Kanda Shuichi gave Miyake a speechless look. 

"Uh… did I say something wrong?" 

"Not exactly, but that won't happen." Kanda Shuichi shook his head. "Because if no one shares any information, the uncertainty would be too high. Someone will definitely spread fake information to confuse the other classes." 

Hearing this, Horikita Suzune nodded as well. 

With the skill levels of each class being relatively close, how they arranged their participants would be crucial. 

For example, if they could make sure Sudou—who was almost guaranteed to win—went up against the strongest competitors from other classes, it would not only hurt the opponents' morale but also greatly reduce their total points. 

Of course, while that would be ideal, things weren't that simple. The chances of it playing out exactly like that were slim. 

Unless Class D somehow got their hands on Ryuen's entry list. 

No, even if they did, they couldn't trust that it was real. 

What if that guy was setting a trap by giving them a fake list? 

So this whole thing was just a spy-vs-spy game? 

Wait… that phrase sounds familiar... 

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