Chapter 355 Second Year, OAA Rating Mechanism
As the saying goes, "When men and women work together, the labor is never tedious."
With the addition of Kamuro Masumi, Ibuki Mio, and Horikita Suzune, Hachiman's workload in the Public Morals Committee finally became a bit easier. Especially within the various first-year classes; perhaps because the committee now included members of their own classes, most students were willing to cooperate and accept supervision.
The only unhappy group was Class B. Ichinose Honami had complained to him multiple times: Why didn't he recruit students from their class? It wasn't fair!
In truth, it wasn't that Hachiman was giving Class B the cold shoulder; it was mainly because Class B was full of "goody-two-shoes," and there were only a few who could actually fight: Shibata Souta and Kanzaki Ryuji.
Hachiman had invited both of them, but Shibata Souta declined because he disliked conflict and didn't believe in using force to resolve disputes. Kanzaki Ryuji, believing that joining the Student Council would benefit Class B, accepted Hachiman's invitation.
This sparked Nagumo Miyabi's vigilance. After an investigation, he discovered that Kanzaki was the young master of the "Kanzaki Heavy Industries" enterprise. He had received various types of training since childhood and excelled in both academics and athletics. Proficient in Judo and Karate, he possessed the best grades and athletic reflexes in Class B.
He was practically a "Horikita Manabu - SE" Youth Version!
Nagumo Miyabi strongly suspected that Hachiman had recruited Kanzaki Ryuji with the specific goal of usurping his position as President! Nagumo wasn't about to repeat Horikita Manabu's mistake of "inviting the wolf into the house." Since Nagumo himself was a wolf cub, he naturally understood the importance of nipping threats in the bud.
Ultimately, Nagumo firmly rejected Kanzaki Ryuji's application.
Hachiman didn't care much; with four people, the Public Morals Committee had enough manpower. It was just that Ichinose Honami was a bit annoying, constantly pestering him to treat everyone equally.
Having no other choice, Hachiman spent an entire night "persuading" her.
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The short spring break came to an end.
The former first-year students were promoted to second-year seniors. Most people needed some time to adjust to the shift in status. Horikita Suzune appeared with a short haircut, which drew significant attention in class.
"Horikita-san? What happened to your hair?"
"Is there something strange about me cutting my hair short?"
"That's quite a decisive image change... you didn't happen to have a broken heart, did you?" This sarcastic remark, naturally, came from Kushida Kikyo.
"It's just to show my determination," Horikita Suzune turned her gaze toward Hachiman in the neighboring seat. "Besides, as long as Hachiman-kun likes it, it's fine."
"..."
"It certainly feels fresh," Hachiman spoke the truth.
"Fresh, huh..." Kushida Kikyo twirled a strand of hair by her cheek with her finger. "Then maybe I should go the opposite way and grow mine out?"
"That would probably be quite nice." Hachiman recalled the "Hikigaya Kikyo" from his dream; she had long hair after they were married.
"Airi-chan~ In the new semester, I feel like you've gotten a bit bigger again~~"
"N-No, I haven't! Haruka is the one who... got more 'Haruka-y'..."
"Kei, this morning I saw some really cute girls among the new students.
Do you think Hachiman-kun will make a move on them?"
"On the contrary, I wonder if they'll cling to Hachiman..."
"Eh? Why?"
"Stupid, Hachiman-kun is the famous 'Great Demon King Senior' now. Anyone who asks around even a little will find out about that, right?"
"Hey! Ayanokouji, crouching at the school gate first thing in the morning... you aren't planning to prey on cute kouhai, are you?"
"No, I'm just gathering information on the freshmen."
"Gathering info? Don't joke around. A guy like you who hides his strength all day—how could you possibly care about class affairs?"
"That was a sign of my past immaturity. Now, I will work hard to contribute to the class." Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's tone was sincere, sounding as if he meant it, drawing many sideways glances from those around him.
Hachiman raised an eyebrow. His first thought was: 'Is there someone Ayanokouji cares about among the freshmen?' According to Arisu's description, hadn't this guy been in a strange laboratory called the White Room since he was a child?
Or rather...
Among this batch of freshmen, was there someone from the White Room!
"You all seem very energetic for the new semester.
Quickly, return to your seats."
Chabashira Sae entered the room in her high heels, her attitude significantly better than it had been during their first year. Perhaps her mindset had changed, or perhaps she had seen Class D's growth.
"Next, I will explain the update to the student evaluation system, the S-System." Chabashira Sae held up her phone. "First, log in to the school's portal and download a new application. The full name of the app is Over All Ability, or OAA for short."
"OAA?"
The students of Class D looked puzzled as they browsed the school's official website.
"This app will be popularized throughout the entire school, including the newly enrolled first-years. It will bring more benefits to campus life in the future. For example, it contains the personal profiles of all students in the school. Check your own profiles first."
Following Chabashira's explanation, everyone downloaded and operated the app. Hachiman clicked on the OAA app, which showed his avatar, name, and various parameters.
[Hikigaya Hachiman, 2nd Year Class D]
Academic Ability: C (52) Physical Ability: C+ (60) Adaptability: E (14) Social Contribution: D (25) Overall Ability Score: D+ (39) (This data is the initial assessment upon enrollment in the first year; data will be updated after the second-year special exams.)
Hachiman clicked on the detailed explanations for the parameters.
Academic Ability was primarily based on written test scores. Hachiman's previous math score was in the single digits, but his language scores pulled him up; averaging the two to a C rating was reasonable.
Physical Ability was assessed based on PE grades, school sports festival results, and club activities. Hachiman's PE grades in middle school were okay, but he was passive regarding sports festivals and hadn't joined any clubs, hence the slightly low score.
Adaptability (Quick Thinking/Mobility) was calculated based on the size of one's social circle, communication skills, social status fitness, situational reaction time, and problem-solving ability. This went without saying; Hachiman's social life in middle school was practically zero, as he spent a long time in a state of one person isolating the entire class.
Social Contribution was a comprehensive consideration of classroom attitude, attendance records, presence or absence of violations, and contributions to the school through class representatives, the Student Council, etc. During his second year of middle school, Hachiman had been a vice-representative for a semester due to a class lottery. At first, he got along okay with the female representative, which gave him the wrong idea. He confessed to her and was brutally rejected, and the news even spread. This led to a complete halt in class management—a very failed experience as a class officer.
The Overall Ability Score used a weighted calculation method, where Social Contribution was halved. The formula was as follows: Overall Ability Score = (Academic + Physical + Adaptability + Social Contribution × 0.5) ÷ 3.5.
"Chabashira-sensei, my grades have been turned into values like in a game."
"Yes. This is the school's initial assessment based on your entrance results. It is not limited by class; all students can view it."
"What the... my Academic rating is only an E? I clearly made huge progress on the final written exams!" Sudo Ken was the first to protest.
"Don't worry, Sudo. The evaluation data will be updated after the first exam of the second year. Sudo, your Academic Ability at enrollment was an E, but as long as you get a perfect score in this exam, you can immediately obtain an A+ rating."
"Oh! So that's how it is!"
"That being said, bad grades will only become a personal stain, and they'll be seen by the whole school." Yukimura Teruhiko looked troubled. His academic ability was excellent, but his athletic results were trash. Having his weaknesses exposed to everyone without cover was truly embarrassing.
"The entrance assessment only represents your past and will not affect your future OAA ratings. This new mechanism allows for the modification of poor evaluations to encourage student growth."
A convenient and intuitive tool for confirming grades. No, it was likely more than that.
Hachiman frowned, thinking to himself: Why publish enrollment data during the second year? That's outdated personal information.
"The OAA evaluation is fair, and as a tool to promote interaction among students across all grades, it will undoubtedly be of great help.
However, I don't think it's that simple." Chabashira Sae paused, her tone turning serious. "This is just my personal guess, but from now on, students whose overall ability does not reach a certain level may face some kind of penalty."
"Penalty...
Could it be expulsion again!" Hirata Yosuke clenched his fists, his face darkening instantly. During their first year, four people in the class had already been expelled.
"I know some of you are surely dissatisfied with the numbers." Chabashira Sae offered encouragement. "Then you should work harder to refresh your OAA evaluation in the next exam."
"It's practically encouraging everyone to fight alone." Horikita Suzune's interpretation was sharp. She then looked at the calm Hachiman. "Hachiman-kun, you don't seem surprised. Did you know about this beforehand?"
"No, I didn't," Hachiman said. "However, President Nagumo has indeed publicly advocated many times for turning the school completely into a place that strictly follows meritocracy."
The Student Council has the right to propose reforms to the school, but specifics still require the school's approval. The fact that this was approved so quickly made it clear that Nagumo Miyabi and Tsukishiro Tokinari had reached some kind of cooperative relationship.
"Alright, now I will talk about your first special exam since entering the second year. It will also introduce an unprecedented new experiment...
That is, you second-years need to form 1-on-1 pairs with the first-year freshmen to participate in a written exam together." Chabashira Sae began her explanation.
"Form pairs with first-year students?
Isn't that too reckless? They're all strangers."
The students of Class D began to complain. Especially for students with low [Adaptability] ratings, this was practically a day of suffering for those with social anxiety. Hachiman was originally socially anxious himself, but for various reasons, he seemed to have become a different kind of "socially anxious"—a "social terrorist."
"The school has never allowed you to interact deeply with other grades before; the only time was the forest exam, and the results didn't meet expectations. The school believes your communication skills still need improvement," Chabashira Sae continued.
"But aren't we competing against the other second-years?"
"Class competition only exists within the same grade; this feels like a pain..." The students of Class D were confused.
"If you think about it carefully, you'll understand. The people you encounter in society naturally won't just be recent graduates. Future special exams will break existing grade boundaries. I hope you are fully mentally prepared. The special exam will take place at the end of the month, two weeks from now, which gives you plenty of time to find a partner."
That was easy to say, but wanting to build a relationship of trust from scratch with kouhai they had never met was clearly not an easy task. OAA was developed based on this point.
Hachiman clicked on Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's OAA information.
[Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, 2nd Year Class D]
Academic Ability: C (50) Physical Ability: C (50) Adaptability: C (50) Social Contribution: C (50) Overall Ability Score: C (50)
An overall evaluation of 50—not a point more, not a point less. Even if Ayanokouji was controlling his scores, it was impossible to be that precise.
This was clearly something Tsukishiro Tokinari had filled in arbitrarily. It was practically telling everyone: There is something wrong with this student!
"For this special exam, two types of rewards will be set based on class victory and individual victory. Partnerships are formed based on mutual consent; forcing an agreement in any form is prohibited. Once a team is established, it cannot be dissolved for any reason."
Chabashira Sae had explained it clearly enough. To put it bluntly, students with high Academic grades would be sought after, while the opposite would be shunned. This was similar to the previous [Paper Shuffle] exam, but negotiating within the same grade was relatively easy; negotiating with unfamiliar first-years would be far more difficult.
"Um... Chabashira-sensei, what happens if we can't find a partner by the day of the exam?" Sudo Ken asked with an urgent face. His Academic OAA value was an E—the bottom of the barrel among slackers.
"If you don't find a partner, the school will randomly assign one on the day of the exam. At the same time, 5% will be deducted from your individual exam score."
Sudo Ken broke into a cold sweat. "W-Why is there a deduction? I barely managed to pass my exams!"
"Finding a suitable partner is also part of the exam. Relying on a powerful partner when your own strength isn't up to par is also a strategy for dealing with the exam. Of course, the premise is that you can find an excellent partner."
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