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However, Horikita Manabu was more curious to know what Akira thought about this month's exam.
"I'm suddenly a bit curious. Have you figured out the specific content of this month's special exam, and the secret hidden in the test papers?"
"More or less."
"Tell me your thoughts."
"I can probably understand what the school wants to test students through the exam." Akira looked up at him. "But there's one thing I'm not clear about. Why is the 'test paper' itself the theme of this exam? Since it's a school, shouldn't it logically focus on basic academic ability as the core? Also, what exactly is the background of this school? Aren't they afraid of being reported?"
"The background of this school is far deeper than what you see." Horikita Manabu tapped his fingertips lightly on the table. "But it's just making the 'test paper' a special exam. There are many more exams to come."
He paused before answering Akira's question. "As for the exam theme you mentioned, this special exam is actually the school simulating a workplace environment. The test paper is equivalent to work results. Unless your 'professional ability' is so good that you can get a perfect score, you have to learn to find alternative solutions. Just like the first-years buying test papers from the second-years, the school's actually trying to convey a message: when you enter society, don't just focus on working hard. Occasionally be a little 'clever' and know how to use outside help. It's not a bad thing."
"So, the school's encouraging this kind of 'trickery'?" Akira asked.
"Not at all." Horikita Manabu immediately denied it, listing points one by one. "First, this kind of special exam is only held once a year. Subsequent final exams will never use old questions to prevent opportunism from becoming the norm. Academic ability is the most fundamental thing for every student. Second, this is also a 'grace period' left for first-year students, allowing those with temporarily lagging grades to have room to buffer, so they aren't eliminated too quickly. Third, what you mentioned about 'unfair test papers,' there were indeed large-scale reports a few years ago, and then the school directly replaced the entire set of test papers."
After a half-second pause, he added, "The school allows 'trickery,' but absolutely doesn't tolerate 'reliance on trickery.' This school always values 'academic ability' the most. After all, solid ability is the foundation. But the school also doesn't want to cultivate people who only know how to study by rote. Those who value fundamentals and know how to think can climb higher in society. Do you understand?"
"I understand." Akira nodded slowly.
He'd vaguely felt before that this kind of special exam, which allowed "trickery," could never become the norm. And sure enough, subsequent final exams wouldn't use old questions.
Horikita Manabu was right. Taking Class D as an example, eight people failed the last assessment, and he himself was among them.
If there hadn't been this special exam as a buffer, and if they hadn't been willing to study hard this month, these people would've probably faced expulsion long ago.
What needs to be learned still needs to be learned. After all, by the time of the final exam, there'd be no more opportunities for such "trickery."
What concerned him even more was the matter of "reporting test papers." It turned out someone had actually tried it, and the school would indeed change the test papers because of it.
He looked at Horikita Manabu, a hint of understanding in his eyes. "So, the school's actually considered all possibilities long ago."
"The school's ultimate goal is precisely this, constantly striving to cultivate people who possess both solid abilities and adaptability." Horikita Manabu got up and walked to the window, watching the students walking in twos and threes downstairs. "Those who only study by rote can only get basic scores, and those who only know how to be opportunistic won't go far."
Akira was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "Are you reminding me not to always think about taking shortcuts?"
"I'm reminding you that shortcuts can be taken, but you can't rely solely on shortcuts." Horikita Manabu's gaze, when he turned back, held a rare seriousness. "Your ability to think of renting surveillance cameras to earn points last month, and to see through the exam rules and the tricks in the test papers, is indeed excellent. But basic abilities must also be emphasized. These are the most fundamental stepping stones."
His tone deepened slightly. "In this school, the standard for measuring basics is still simple, nothing more than 'academic ability.' But in society, this 'basic' becomes your core competence. To put it simply, these are the qualifications and hard skills that allow you to stand firm."
"Of course, there are two very special types of people who are exceptions. One type is the top students with extremely solid fundamentals. Even for 'bonus questions' far beyond the scope of textbooks, they can consistently get perfect scores. Such people don't need to be good at socializing. Their excellent skills are their inherent confidence and are equally effective in society. No company would fire highly skilled personnel."
"The other type are those who are 'opportunistic' to the extreme. They can find unseen gaps in social rules that others miss, and by relying on this, they can acquire a large amount of resources. Even if such people don't understand basic abilities, they can still find their own way to survive in society and thrive."
Manabu's understanding of the school was very thorough. He could logically connect the rules of an exam to the logic of social survival.
And what Horikita Manabu said, when you thought about it, really wasn't wrong.
No wonder students from Class A at this school can be recommended to any university after graduation. People cultivated with this logic can indeed be called "versatile."
Such individuals, no matter what goals they enter society with, will likely quickly gain a foothold, rise to senior positions, and succeed everywhere.
"Have most of the upperclassmen who graduated from Class A already become top talents in various fields?"
"Precisely. The rapid development of this school in previous years is inseparable from the support of Class A elite graduates from all walks of life. Otherwise, it wouldn't have become the best high school in Japan today."
"Let me give you the simplest example." When Horikita Manabu spoke of this, he specifically sat back down. "Among the graduates of Class A, many are young masters and ladies from wealthy families. Just last year, one of them directly donated a small island to give back to his alma mater, specifically for holding special exams."
Akira's interest was immediately piqued upon hearing this.
So, when the school held special exams, it'd specifically change venues.
But to take the exam on a small island?
What would they test? It couldn't be survival, could it?
But they were high school students after all. The school wouldn't just abandon students on a deserted island.
"The topic's strayed, Shimizu. Tell me about the second thing you want to do. I hope what you say doesn't disappoint me."
Horikita Manabu cleared his throat, secretly feeling he'd said a bit too much just now. For a first-year high school student, those words might've been a bit profound, but he believed Akira should be able to understand them.
It was precisely because he thought highly of him that he'd unconsciously gone on for so long.
"It's about the 'exam papers.'" Akira pondered for a moment. "Like last time, it should be another good opportunity to earn points, so I hope to get the President's assistance."