Chapter 4: Double Question

"You're joking, right?"

The first thing out of Horikita's mouth sounded very accusatory. "Unfortunately, it's the truth. Kouenji just ended the test for his group,"

"Are you an idiot? Why didn't you stop him? Wasn't that your

responsibility as his roommate?" she asked.

"That's an impossible task. Besides, there's nothing I can do about it now. No use crying over spilt milk."

Kouenji's treasonous act had circulated around the ship, and naturally the classes were in an uproar. Even though we'd chatted yesterday, Horikita wanted to meet face-to-face today. She seemed unconvinced by my words, because she was still shaking her head.

"When I see him next time, I'll reprimand him myself. I'll make him beg for mercy."

"You already know that's pointless, right? He won't listen. He'll just confuse you and waste your time. It'll be a headache. For the time being, we should concentrate on our own groups."

She'd keep blaming me for Kouenji because he was my roommate. I decided to change the subject.

"It's true that my group is filled with troublesome opponents, but I've no intention of falling behind," said Horikita.

She certainly had an iron will. Well, I supposed I would have to leave the matter to her. I had problems of my own, specifically with Ichinose and the others who'd been secretly sent by Hoshinomiya-sensei to spy on me.

"I was thinking. You're a girl, more or less. I wanted to ask you something," I said.

"I really don't like the way you said that. 'More or less'? I am a girl."

Horikita had misunderstood what I'd meant. She looked disgruntled, and turned away from me.

"Oh, uh, that's not really what I meant. I meant there was something I wanted to ask you, as a girl." Since she'd probably get angrier no matter what I did, I cut to the chase. "I want information on Karuizawa."

I'd planned to contact Karuizawa, but had never talked to her before. If Karuizawa ranked the boys in our class, I likely would've been last.

"You want to talk to me about Karuizawa?"

"Yes, exactly." I nodded. "I'd like to know more about the people in my group, but it's not easy. I should be able find out whatever I need to about the Professor and Yukimura, but I'm at a complete loss with Karuizawa.

After the test on the island ended, Karuizawa invited you out to lunch. Right?"

"I turned her down, though. You know that. I have no interest in Karuizawa-san. If you want information on her, why not talk to Hirata-kun? If he's helping you, you'll be able to contact her easily."

That was certainly true. Unfortunately, prior to the test, I had also passed on the opportunity to have lunch with Karuizawa. Hirata probably remembered that, so I wanted to avoid asking him about this.

"Do you think she's the VIP? Is that what you're worried about?" Horikita asked.

"There's that. But more than that, I can't understand Karuizawa's behavior. That's why I'm worried."

"Well, isn't that none of your business? Besides, her behavior isn't logical. I think it's a waste of time," she countered.

"Horikita, I don't think it's good to write people off like that." "Write them off? What are you talking about?"

"You and Karuizawa don't get along at all because you're both willful, so you see her as nothing more than a nuisance. You understand that she may also have strong points, too?"

"She has strong points? I can't really imagine any. Isn't she just flawed?"

In terms of cooperativeness, Horikita was probably at the same level or even worse than Karuizawa.

"When you first see someone, you make judgments based on their appearance. You might determine if someone is cool or cute, for instance. Basically, you read people. Call it your first impression; that's simple enough. Next, you learn about their inner self through conversation and seeing them in action. You'll see whether they're sociable, belligerent, passive, etc."

Horikita crossed her arms, acting like my words were obvious. She waited for me to continue.

"But that's still just as superficial as their outside appearance. Their innermost thoughts aren't going to be immediately apparent from that. For example, take Kushida, Ibuki, or even me. There's a difference between a person's outer and inner selves."

"So Karuizawa has some secret self?"

"Almost everyone does. They may not be aware of it themselves. You do, too." Whenever she came face to face with her older brother, she exposed her fragility.

"I'm still not entirely convinced. However, I imagine you'll learn more about her by spending time together," she said.

Of course, that was easier said than done.

"So, what are Karuizawa-san's good points?" Horikita asked.

"I still can't really describe it, but so far I'd say it's her ability to assume control. She can take the initiative. In fact, her position in Class D is unshakeable."

However, in the Rabbit group, that part of her stayed hidden, which exactly why I needed to uncover Karuizawa's true nature as quickly as possible.

"Okay. Let's say for the sake of argument that you're right, and she has that ability. What do you intend to do? Are you thinking of making her your ally, too?" asked Horikita.

"Hmm, I have to think about that."

While I thought about how to answer, Ryuuen approached us. "Hey, you two. Having yourselves a nice date in the shade? Let me in on the fun."

He wasn't with Ibuki, apparently. He drew closer to us, wearing a creepy smile.

"It seems like you have an awful lot of free time. Not that I care, but there's nothing for you here," said Horikita.

"That's for me to decide. Well then, have you decided how to find the VIP?" he asked. Ryuuen sat down without bothering to ask permission.

"Whatever my plans may be, I've no intention of telling you," said Horikita.

"That's too bad. I wanted to get your opinion. However, it looks like you haven't made any progress at all in your search."

"That's an interesting thing to say. Are you saying that you know who the VIP is?"

Ryuuen smirked slightly at Horikita, as if expecting her to express disbelief. "I've already started to discover the VIP's identity. Would you believe me if I told you that?"

"No, I wouldn't. You don't have any support like Ichinose-san and Katsuragi-kun do. You only have enemies. I can't imagine you have reliable information," she countered.

"Well, you're right that I'm not a professional friend-collector, but making friends has nothing to do with whether or not I can gather information." He spoke like a teacher rebuking his student for not getting the correct answer. "Unfortunately for you, I've already gotten a handle on the fundamentals of this test. Depending on how things go, Class C will win by an overwhelming majority."

"No, you can't be…"

No, what he was saying was probably true. The school always created tests with fundamental laws or rules at their core. That was true of our midterms, final exams, and even the test on the island. If you understood the logic behind those rules, it would be possible to win. This test was likely no different. He must have noticed that.

"It's an extremely simple matter. All you need to do is find out what

class the VIP is from. Then, your next move is to analyze the group," said Ryuuen.

"I see. Anyone could think of that. But are they going to answer honestly? If the school has a rule that guarantees your anonymity, all they need to do is lie and gain 500,000 points, right?" Horikita countered.

Ryuuen appeared calm in the face of Horikita's doubts. "You just have to make sure it's a situation where someone can't lie," he said.

"Where someone can't lie?"

"I take everyone's cell phones. So if someone lies to me, all I have to do is check everyone's email, one by one," said Ryuuen.

"Are you insane? The school doesn't allow that. If you were discovered, you'd be expelled," snapped Horikita.

"It's not really a problem at all, actually. I'm here because it's not a problem. Do you get what I mean?"

It was a brute-force method that only he could pull off, because he was an absolute tyrant. If he forcibly looked at another student's phone, then Ryuuen would be punished. However, even if Ryuuen rampaged through Class C, he believed no one would lodge a complaint against him. And if no one complained to the school, that meant they were practically giving him consent.

Ryuuen's calm proved that what he said was true—that he was operating within the rules. His strategy was to forcibly lay bare all of Class C's secrets. At any rate, if what he was saying was true, Ryuuen had identified three of the VIPs. That was a huge step toward completing this test.

It was comparable to a quiz where you could turn the page over and find the answer written on the back. If you didn't flip the page, no one would know the answer, but if you flipped it just a little, you could spy the answer. In other words, Ryuuen probably knew the identities of every class's VIP.

"Looks like you finally understand."

"Yes. But you haven't got the answer yet. If you had, you would've sent an email to the school immediately," answered Horikita.

"Maybe I'm just playing around?"

"You don't know when someone else is going to figure it out. You shouldn't be so laid-back," Horikita snapped.

She didn't have any proof, but Horikita was probably correct. If he already knew the answer, there'd be no benefit to delaying the result. He should have ended it.

"Now, then. Suppose I'm about to reach checkmate?" he said. "Ryuuen-kun. While you're here, I'd like to ask you something. The

test ended for the Monkey group yesterday. What do you think about that?" she asked.

"I don't think about it at all. I don't really care about small fry. See you again, Suzune."

Ryuuen left. His parting words made me wonder if he planned on reporting back regularly. I flipped him off, and Horikita made a face.

"I don't know how much of what he said is true," she said.

While we kept silent, we peeked underneath the chair that Ryuuen had been sitting in. Under the chair was a single cell phone set to record audio. A single chat message had been sent to that phone. There was no sound because the phone had been set to silent. I couldn't see everything on the screen because of the angle, but I instantly made out the words "Sorry for yesterday!"

Perhaps there was some kind of drama in their class? I didn't want to court disaster by continuing to look, so I sat back up. Horikita quickly understood, took out her own phone, and sent me a short message:

If that phone is his, we probably shouldn't say anything careless.

Well, she wasn't wrong, but who knew what the correct answer was?

This was difficult, but it would also be suspicious for us to just go silent.

"Do you think what Ryuuen said was true? About finding out the VIPs from every class," I said.

Horikita looked perplexed for a moment. However, she seemed to quickly pick up on what I was getting at.

"I have to wonder. I can't say I'm 100% sure. But…there's a possibility. I don't think we can keep up this test much longer, though."

"Sounds like things are rough for you, too," I said.

"I've got a lot of work for you to do. I need you to find the group's VIP as soon as possible," said Horikita.

"Easy for you to say. It's not like I can find them."

"I won't expect too much from you. I just want information about the Rabbit group."

Our conversation only highlighted Horikita's capability and my incompetence. That way, suspicion would probably be directed away from me. At any rate, Ryuuen was using his own phone to try and find out more. He was looking for anything he could get.

"If you're not expecting too much, I'll do what I can," I answered. Without saying anything else, Horikita got up, walked to the elevator,

and left. Should I head back to my own room? Or should I come up with a strategy to win the test? I left Ryuuen's phone alone and walked away.

Eventually, I decided to head back to my own room. I could learn more detailed information about Horikita's group from Hirata, more or less. Also, Hirata would likely approach this test from a different perspective than Horikita.

However, Hirata wasn't in the room when I came in. I only saw Yukimura. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking grave.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

He was my roommate, after all, so I couldn't just ignore him.

Yukimura noticed me, but he didn't respond. He sighed quietly and muttered something to himself.

"For crying out loud, why did we get stuck with this group? Why am I partnered with Karuizawa and Sotomura? We can't win," he mumbled.

"What's with you all of a sudden?" I asked.

"Didn't you hear? There's a rumor going around saying that they use guidelines to create the groups. When I heard that all the superior students got grouped into the Dragon group, I knew it was true," he answered.

So that's what he was agonizing over. It was certainly true that the Dragon group did seem to feature the best of the best. Considering the

conversation I'd overheard between the teachers and what Ryuuen had said, there wasn't any doubt. Based on pure academic ability, Yukimura certainly wasn't inferior to Hirata or Horikita. He was probably dissatisfied at being placed in the Rabbit group, which was stuck somewhere in the middle.

Yukimura didn't use a certain person's name, but when he looked at me it was clear he was thinking about Horikita. Unfortunately, I couldn't help him. While I continued listening to him, I returned to my bed and laid down on my side. I thought I'd take a nap until Hirata returned.

Unfortunately, I felt a disagreeable gaze on me. Yukimura stared at me suspiciously.

"Ayanokouji. You aren't the VIP, are you?" he asked.

"Even if I did deny it and said you're wrong, what's the point in checking?"

"Cooperation is vital in this test. We need to adhere to that. If we cooperate, we won't lose."

"I see. Unfortunately, I'm not the VIP."

"Are you sure? You're not being selfish and trying to hoard points, are you?" Yukimura seemed to doubt everyone as a rule, so this didn't surprise me.

way." allies.

"I'm not the VIP. Can I believe that you're not the VIP, Yukimura?" "Yes, of course you can. I'm not the VIP. Neither is Sotomura, by the

That was sort of like a secret handshake, a magic contract between

"I checked with Karuizawa, too. She said that she's not the VIP, but

whether I believe her is another issue."

Yukimura normally showed disdain for Karuizawa, so he tended not to believe what she said. He'd know the truth for sure if he checked her phone, but given that they had a tenuous relationship, that would be difficult. You could say their relationship was the embodiment of "good fences make good neighbors." They liked to keep their distance. They wouldn't flaunt their good fortune to one another.

Yukimura seemed satisfied for the time being, because he didn't press the matter any further. I laid my head on my pillow and closed my eyes. I couldn't really relax with someone else in the room, but it wasn't too unpleasant. When I really focused on trying to make friends, I could be as adaptive as a chameleon, and it seemed even Yukimura was starting to warm up to me.

I fell into a light sleep, punctuated by Yukimura's occasional sighs.

4.1

In the afternoon, I went to the Rabbit group's discussion room. Despite the fact that it was a bright, sunny day, the atmosphere could completely change depending on the company. I arrived ten minutes before the discussion was set to begin and appeared to be the first one there. The next to arrive was Karuizawa. When she saw me, her expression changed to one of apparent disgust, and she quickly averted her eyes. After that, she moved as far away from me as she could and sat down. She took out her phone and started fiddling with it.

We didn't exactly get along. We didn't really fight, though. She simply disliked me. But that was actually the most bothersome kind of relationship. If she disliked me for a reason, there was room for improvement. However, if she just instinctively hated me, then there was no chance of a breakthrough.

I could've killed time out in the hall until Ichinose and the others arrived, but since I was here first, it would look awkward if I left. I decided to adjust my posture to look more manly and dignified. What a bother this test was. Because it centered around conversation, you had to participate no matter what, which was difficult for me. Even after the first semester ended, I still couldn't bring myself to strike up a conversation.

Karuizawa didn't seem like she planned to pass the time quietly. She put her phone to her ear and started talking. "Oh hi, Rinocchi? How are things with you right now? Me? Ah, things here suck so bad. Like, I'm seriously fed up with everything," said Karuizawa.

Since we were the only two people in the room, I could naturally overhear every bit of Karuizawa's conversation, including how she skillfully wove together expressions of both joy and melancholy. It was an incredibly awkward situation with only two people in the room. Immediately after her call ended, there came a moment of silence.

"That reminds me. So, are you the VIP? It seems like…Yukimura-kun and that Soto…kun aren't," said Karuizawa.

Wow, she was talking to me. At least she could remember Sotomura's name. Yukimura had asked me that same question a little while ago. I suppose it made sense that everyone wanted to check.

"Nope," I answered. "Ah, okay. That's fine."

However, unlike Yukimura, she didn't double-check. "Do you believe

me?" I asked.

"Huh? You said you're not, didn't you?"

Even though we didn't get along well, she seemed to believe what I said. Well, there really wasn't any need to press the issue. I wasn't looking to get more points in this test. What was important was ascertaining whether Karuizawa could be useful to me.

"You two sure are early," said Ichinose. The three Class B students had arrived together.

"Nice to see you," I said. I raised my hand slightly. Ichinose spoke to Karuizawa as well, but Karuizawa was so busy on her phone, she didn't respond.

Everyone in our group showed up before the start time. However, the situation hadn't changed at all from yesterday.

Class A kept its distance from the rest of us, so the rest of us formed a circle. Then, Karuizawa got up and sat down next to Machida from Class A. Probably a defensive measure against Manabe. Machida didn't participate in the discussion, but we felt his presence very strongly. There was also a power imbalance, and Class C, which only had girls like Manabe, didn't really have any charismatic members who could go up against Machida.

Had Karuizawa instead gone to someone weak, like me or the Professor, for support, Manabe and the others could have hounded her. Karuizawa had definitely made the correct decision.

"Don't worry. If anything happens, I'll help you," said Machida. "Thank you, Machida-kun," she replied.

Since Karuizawa had started depending on Machida, he seemed very conscious of her. I mean, she was a really cute girl, so it was understandable that he'd want to protect her. Even if they were from different classes.

Leaving aside their new (and dangerous) affections, the test was the problem. We all understood that. We understood that what separated victory from defeat was finding out whether your class had the VIP.

"Now then. I'm sure we all discussed this amongst ourselves last night, but I think we should try and find the VIPs after all," said Ichinose.

"This again? Don't you get that some people here won't go along with it? If we don't all participate, there's no way you'll find the VIP," said one of the Class A students mockingly.

"I don't think that's true, though. It's a problem of trust. That's why today, I'd like us all to play cards together. Of course, I won't force anyone to participate. Only jump in if you want to," said Ichinose.

She brought out a deck of cards, all while smiling.

"Ha ha ha ha! Building trust through playing cards? That's so stupid!"

"You can say it's stupid, but if you give it a try you might like it.

Besides, spending an hour in complete silence sounds awfully boring. Why not kill some time?"

Of course, all the other Class B students agreed to participate.

"I shall play as well. I am currently at liberty," said the Professor.

Well, the Professor was right. We didn't have anything else to do right now. No one else was joining, so I slowly raised my hand.

"Five people, then. Well, I thought we could play Daifugō, but does anyone here not know the rules?" asked Ichinose.

I had a grasp on the rules, to a certain extent. I knew about Daifugō. No one seemed to have a problem, so we got into a small circle and started playing. The people not playing either chatted amongst themselves, or occasionally shot us an indifferent glance. Ichinose shuffled the deck and divided the cards evenly among the five of us.

I had a Joker, a pair of twos, and three other cards. Considering the hand I'd been dealt, I could've seemingly overwhelmed the others, but the winner isn't always the one with the strongest hand. The smallest upset could weaken your hand, and then you'd be defeated.

However, I clearly had the superior hand. I needed a solid strategy to make use of the cards. This game was more profound than I'd expected.

Also, everyone's idiosyncrasies were on clear display. Ichinose didn't just concentrate on her own hand; she played her opponents' as well. Hamaguchi focused on the endgame. He also got rather worked up at times, like the Professor.

"Once more!"

I would've thought that the Professor, who was a huge otaku, would be relatively calm. But when it came to games, he was the type to get fired up easily. At least he was also the type to cool off quickly, since he calmed down as soon as the game ended.

This was probably what Ichinose wanted to see. By learning the unique characteristics of our group, she would know how to talk to them. It wasn't much, but considering that talking was useless at present, it was effective. It

also meant that Ichinose was observing my behavior, just as I'd observed the Professor.

I wondered how I looked from Ichinose's perspective. From an objective perspective, I probably looked dull. I pushed ahead when I had a good hand, but turned passive when the situation went downhill. A common kind of person. However, rather than forcibly changing the way I played and confusing Ichinose, it was probably better for me to be consistent. I continued the game as I normally would. We started off playing Daifugō, and played about five games before switching to Old Maid. The hour passed. In the end, neither Class A nor Class C joined in, so the five of us played from beginning to end.

"Heh, my my, that was quite enjoyable. Playing a traditional game on occasion is no bad thing," said the Professor. He seemed to have enjoyed spending the hour playing games rather than talking. However, even after this session of psychological revelation, I still couldn't understand Class B's true plan. Only Ichinose had that information.

"Well, I suppose I'll be going now," said Ichinose. "Where are you going?" asked Hamaguchi.

"I can't let Class A just get away from us like this."

"You're going to see Katsuragi-kun, then?"

So. Ichinose intended to confront the man who'd devised Class A's "castle gate" strategy. Even though I wasn't a fundamentally social person, I knew I should take advantage of this.

"If you don't mind, can I go along with you?" I asked.

"Hmm? Sure, that's fine with me. Do you want to talk to Katsuragi- kun, too, Ayanokouji?" asked Ichinose. She didn't seem wary of me. Rather, she looked simply curious. She tilted her head.

"No, that's not it. Horikita's in the same group as Katsuragi." "Ah, okay. Well then, let's go together. See you later, Hamaguchi-

kun," said Ichinose.

Hamaguchi nodded and watched us walk off. Even though Ichinose had taken the lead, they all seemed to respect one another. That wasn't at all the type of relationship that Katsuragi and Ryuuen had with their subjects.

If the group discussions were happening at the same time, then each group would be breaking up at about the same time, too. Ichinose walked quickly, hoping to arrive before the Dragon group dispersed.

"Let's hurry," she said.

Ichinose picked up the pace. At least the rooms were all on the same deck, so it wasn't too long a walk. Since the discussion had only just ended, there was a scattering of students in the hall. Soon, we arrived at the Dragon group's room.

We couldn't hear any voices, but we got the sense that people were still in the room. We stopped right outside the door. They might still be talking in there. I sent Horikita an instant message, but I didn't think she read it.

"Looks like they're really taking their time," said Ichinose.

"I can't imagine Ryuuen and Katsuragi holding a discussion. Maybe Class B is showing off their power?"

"I'm not sure about that. Kanzaki-kun isn't the type to take the spotlight. On that note, you have Horikita-san in there with some others from your class, right? She's a star player in the Class D line-up."

Horikita, Hirata, and Kushida were all star players. Ten minutes passed until, finally, the door opened. The first person to exit the room was Ichinose's target, Katsuragi. Other Class A students trailed behind him.

Katsuragi immediately noticed Ichinose. "Ichinose? What are you doing here?"

"I'd like to talk to you, Katsuragi-kun. Do you have a minute?"

"Well, the testing period is three days long. I have several minutes available."

He didn't ignore Ichinose. Rather, he looked happy to engage with her.

The other Class A students understood and continued on their way. "It's fine if I stay behind alone, yes?" he asked.

Ichinose nodded. They moved out of the way of passersby. I somehow

managed to remain in the conversation, so I stood close to Ichinose. From Katsuragi's perspective, I was nothing more than a single spectator. He didn't say anything about me being there.

"I think I know what you're planning, Katsuragi-kun. You ordered your classmates to refuse to participate in discussions, yes? Would you possibly reconsider? We need communication to get through this test, after all."

In the three discussions we'd had so far, the Class A students had passed the time in complete silence. Ichinose couldn't break down those walls on her own. She needed someone to lower the castle gate and let her in. Now, what would be Katsuragi's response?

"That's extremely reasonable. But I've heard this question so many times that I feel like my ears are going to fall off. Unfortunately, Ichinose, you've wasted your time," said Katsuragi.

Apparently Katsuragi's strategy had gotten a lot of attention.

"I have my own situation to deal with. Katsuragi-kun. I don't think forcing people to be quiet is a good strategy. Would you reconsider?"

Katsuragi, who'd probably been answering the same questions to multiple classes over and over, went straight to the heart of the matter.

"The answer will always be the same. I developed that strategy to win. My reasons are good. You think this test requires communication. That's why you don't agree with me, but you're wrong. This test is about thinking. If you miss that, it's a big problem. So, in keeping with the theme of the test, I've decided to stifle discussion."

"But, Katsuragi-kun, your idea is basically a rejection of the test itself," countered Ichinose.

"What I've said might sound bad, but it's not. I'm looking out for my class, looking for ways to not only preserve our standing in this test, but in tests to come. Do you agree that there's nothing wrong with me protecting my class?"

"If this test were a direct competition between the classes, sure. I'd agree. But in this test, when all the classes are blended together, do you really think that's right?" asked Ichinose.

But Katsuragi's opinion was correct. There were four possible outcomes in this test. As long as you chose one of those outcomes, it was legitimate. Katsuragi wasn't interested in small intergroup competitions; he

was solely focused on maintaining Class A's lead.

"Any further discussion is meaningless, Ichinose. You can't change my mind," he said.

"So. Like the old saying goes, an immovable object meets an irresistible force?" Ichinose wore a wry, pained smile as she rubbed the back of her head. She didn't appear disappointed, but she probably understood there was no budging Katsuragi.

"Do you still intend to fight?" asked Katsuragi. "Of course. This is a test," answered Ichinose.

Ichinose and Katsuragi—two powerful, influential forces—were facing

off against each other.

"I'm sorry, but the result's a foregone conclusion. If Class A doesn't participate, there's not much you can do. There shouldn't be any way for you to win," said Katsuragi.

Even if the three other classes were united, winning wouldn't be easy. If they discovered the identity of the VIP, anyone could become a traitor. As long as the potential traitor stood to gain something, it'd be difficult to maintain cooperation until the bitter end. If the reward wasn't distributed evenly, there'd be no reason to cooperate.

"I want to ask you one thing. If you were Class A's leader, what would you do? Wouldn't you implement the same strategy?" asked Katsuragi.

"Hmm…I wonder. Well, I can't really consider things from Class A's perspective. If you're being chased, I imagine it would be better to have experience with chasing. Always running is pretty tough, isn't it?" asked Ichinose.

Katsuragi closed his eyes and crossed his arms, as if dismissing her words. He then met Ichinose's gaze once again.

"In my opinion, if you were standing in my position, you would've come up with the same strategy I did. If it's to protect my class, I don't particularly mind being criticized by others." Katsuragi locked eyes with Ichinose.

In response, Ichinose smiled softly. "I'm sorry for taking up your time. I think I understand now. Understand your thoughts and ideas, I mean," she

said.

"I'm glad to hear that. Well, if you'll excuse me." Ichinose watched Katsuragi leave.

"This test is easier if you're playing defense. I guess I'll have to do

even more," she mused.

The lower classes were frantically fumbling around for hints, but that was risky. If you missed the VIP, you'd let down the rest of the class.

"Anyway, Kanzaki-kun and the others haven't come out yet," she said. Only Katsuragi and the other Class A students had shown themselves.

So far, no one else had left the room. One hour was the minimum requirement, but it was okay to discuss things further.

"Are you going to wait for Kanzaki?" I asked.

"You're waiting for Horikita-san, right? I wanted to ask her something, too. Let's wait together."

She could talk to Kanzaki whenever, but her chances to speak with Horikita were probably limited. Since Katsuragi had brushed her off, Ichinose probably wanted to gather opinions from the other classes. But I couldn't see how she was planning to break through Katsuragi's strategy.

We waited for nearly thirty minutes until, finally, the door opened. All of the Class C students left, except for Ryuuen. Kushida and Hirata came out next.

"Huh? Ayanokouji-kun, what are you doing here? Are you waiting for Horikita-san?" asked Kushida.

Kushida approached me, looking puzzled. I remembered the scene from yesterday and quickly stiffened. Unfortunately, Kushida seemed to have gone back to her usual self, as though nothing had changed.

"Hello, Kushida-san."

"Oh! Ichinose-san! Hello. Now, this is odd. Well, I should say I didn't expect to see the two of you together," said Kushida.

Apparently Kushida didn't know that Ichinose and I knew one another.

She couldn't hide her surprise.

"We're waiting for Horikita-san and Kanzaki-kun. Are they still talking?" asked Ichinose.

"Oh, those two. They're still discussing things with Ryuuen-kun right now. Maybe you could step inside?" Kushida gestured toward the door, as if inviting us in.

"Oh no, it's all right. If they're still in the middle of something, we can

wait."

"Oh, I think it's fine. Besides, the test period is only one hour. Any

time after that, we're free to come and go as we please. Besides, they may not be talking about the test."

Kushida opened the door and called us in. Ichinose and I couldn't refuse her invitation, so we entered. Hirata and I briefly exchanged looks as we passed each other. Inside, Horikita, Kanzaki, and Ryuuen were sitting slightly apart from one another. It was a three-way deadlock.

Although the mood wasn't necessarily tense, it wasn't relaxed, either.

As we entered, everyone turned their attention toward us. Horikita and Kanzaki didn't change their expressions, but Ryuuen chuckled, as if we amused him. Then, he raised his hand to Ichinose.

"Yo. Did you come all the way here to do some reconnaissance? Don't be shy. Take a seat."

"This is a rather interesting group. I want to know what you're all talking about, especially since the required hour is up," said Ichinose.

"Heh. Ah, of course you do. Originally, I thought you would have taken Kanzaki's place in here. But you ended up in a different group. What's more, you got shoved into a completely hopeless, hapless group. Or maybe you are a hopeless, hapless kind of person," said Ryuuen.

"Come on, Ryuuen-kun. You know that we can't understand the school's strategies. We're just doing our best with the information we have and the situation we were placed into. But it sounds like you think there's a reasoning behind the group formations. Do you think the school had some kind of plan in mind?" asked Ichinose.

Ichinose pretended she hadn't noticed anything, but Ryuuen wasn't the type to believe a woman so easily. Chuckling slightly, he drew closer to

Ichinose. He didn't pay any attention to me. Well, that was okay by me.

"If you haven't realized it yet, I'll explain it to you. The teachers intentionally decided how the groups would be divided. It's obvious, don't you think? If so, that means you were put into the losers' group despite being at the head of Class B," Ryuuen said. "There has to be a reason."

"Hmm. So it wasn't random? They deliberately chose how to split us up? I noticed that your group is full of exceptionally gifted people, Ryuuen, but I suppose the other groups were all made for a reason as well. Thank you for the helpful advice. But should you really give me so much information?" asked Ichinose.

She responded as promptly as expected. I noticed Ryuuen's face change, though. Normally, when confronted with surprising new information, a person expresses shock, confusion, or perhaps even doubt. However, Ichinose looked completely calm, and thanked Ryuuen for the advice. Not a normal response.

Of course, she might have been purposefully hiding something.

Considering how bright and lively Ichinose normally was, you might think she was incapable of deception. I didn't know how intuitive Ryuuen might be, but he likely recognized that something was going on. It was a brief conversation, but both parties seemed to gain quite a bit of information.

In any case, what Ichinose did or didn't know about the school's plans wasn't really important. What was important was that she was staying quiet about it. Ichinose and Ryuuen were trying to get a read on each other.

"Even so…" Ryuuen, looking exasperated, turned to me. "You know, I love chasing skirts, but you're on another level. First Suzune, now Ichinose. You're always sniffing around some chick, aren't you?" he said.

I couldn't exactly deny what he was saying. Besides, Ryuuen probably wasn't all that interested in me, since he didn't say anything more.

"Well, you've come at a good time, Ichinose. I have an interesting proposal for you," said Ryuuen.

"A proposal? I suppose I'll hear you out. What is it?"

"It's completely stupid. Listening to him would just be a waste of time." Horikita must have already heard this proposal, because she was quick

to urge Ichinose to reject it.

"A proposal to crush Class A. I don't think that's such a bad plan.

Suzune and Kanzaki seem to disagree, though," said Ryuuen. "What do you mean?" asked Ichinose.

"I told Suzune this earlier, but I already know all of the identities of the

VIPs from Class C."

There it was. Just as Katsuragi had his own strategy, Ryuuen had come up with a very Ryuuen-like plan. And it seemed like things were evolving beyond where they'd been this morning.

"Three classes will share information about all the VIPs. That way, we'll bypass the school's rules," said Ryuuen.

So, he wanted the three of us to join forces.

"It sounds like a pretty bold idea, but I don't think it's realistic. How do we know for sure that you have all the Class C VIPs, Ryuuen-kun?" asked Ichinose.

"It's natural that you wouldn't trust me. In that case, why don't we make a contract? We'll pledge to share the identities of our three VIPs and go after Class A. That way, our three classes will benefit, but Class A won't."

If Class A's refusal to engage with us was difficult, this proposal only increased potential school-wide enmity.

"A contract is meaningless, since we won't know who might betray whom. If Class C betrays us, it'll all be over," replied Horikita.

Her flat rejection was completely expected. It seemed that Ryuuen had already been allied with Class A for a while. Also, during the test on the island, Ryuuen had been quick to betray others. That alone was all the proof we needed as to how devious he was. His strategy wasn't necessarily a bad one, but Ryuuen himself was the issue.

"Your thinking is solid, Horikita-san. If we don't have a guarantee that Ryuuen-kun is telling the truth, then this is meaningless," said Ichinose.

"There's no point in playing a part anymore, is there? It's not like you don't have a handle on all of Class B's goings-on," said Ryuuen.

The two were all smiles, but the mood changed. It grew tense, and it

felt like we were all on tenterhooks.

"You're giving me far too much credit. People don't have that much trust in me. Besides, your proposal is high risk, low return. I can't agree to it," said Ichinose.

"Being secretive is prudent, but sometimes you need to act." "Maybe from your perspective. You're casting a wide net right now,

and gathering information. Haven't you ever dreamed of rising up to Class B?" asked Kanzaki.

"Horikita-san rejected your proposal. Therefore, this plan is off to a bad start," added Ichinose.

"Well, there's no denying that. Even if Suzune wanted to agree, there's a reason why she can't," said Ryuuen.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Horikita.

"You already know what I'm getting at, don't you? For this strategy to work, you need to understand your own class perfectly. For Class D, which lacks any spirit of teamwork, this is an impossible undertaking. Right? It's also impossible for Class A, since they're split into two factions."

The atmosphere in the room changed again. This time, the air felt heavy, like before a storm.

"But I can make this strategy work, since I rule my class. And it's smart for Ichinose, since she's incredibly popular within her class. I originally pitched the idea of a three-class alliance, but it's also possible with just two classes. The chances of a perfect outcome might be lowered, but since it's me we're talking about, I can see it through. If we pull this off, Classes A and D will be stripped bare and left with nothing," Ryuuen said.

He was willing to leave both Class A and D in the dust. "You really overestimate me."

The fact that Ryuuen had openly shared his idea and asked Class B to double-cross us right in front of Horikita, myself, and Kushida was very unsettling. Even if his proposal wasn't perfect, Ryuuen was actively working to discover each class' VIPs, and he could get there without too much trouble.

If so, then this was a crucial point for Class D.

"I might be overstepping here, but I doubt you'll be able to pull this off," Horikita said.

I thought it'd be smart to sit and observe silently, but apparently Horikita thought otherwise. Even if Ichinose decided to ally with Class D, we had no idea how much we could trust her. The possibility of Ichinose and Ryuuen teaming up was extremely dangerous.

"So do you understand the situation now, tagalong?" Ryuuen mocked me, but I didn't fall for his cheap tricks. Instead, I offered my honest opinion.

"Suppose Classes B and C did become allies. Wouldn't that mean that Classes A and D would become allies as well? I admit that Class D is fractured, but if faced with certain defeat, I think we'd come together. I believe Class A would do the same."

"Ichinose and I haven't entered into an alliance yet, so you have no way of knowing. Are you sure Katsuragi will cooperate with you?" asked Ryuuen.

Katsuragi was most definitely cautious. He probably wouldn't make any moves without evidence. However, since he'd also suffered losses on Ryuuen's account, there'd be some room for negotiation. After listening to me, Horikita had also realized that we couldn't afford to let Class B and Class C's alliance form.

"There's no point continuing this discussion any further. In the end, both parties would just crush each other," she said.

"What do you mean, Suzune?" asked Ryuuen.

"I mean exactly what Ayanokouji said earlier. If you insist on continuing to act as if this were a strategy meeting, we'll just have to assume that this is your intent and respond accordingly."

"As you wish. I'm looking forward to seeing whether you or not you can get your class to come together," replied Ryuuen.

Despite his open hostility, Ryuuen shamelessly extended his hand to ask us to work together. Horikita, meanwhile, was exhibiting her determination to fight to the bitter end. This would also be a determent to Ichinose. If she betrayed Class D right here, right now, she would probably

be branded a traitor by all the classes. She'd be seen as someone who'd betray her allies whenever convenient, for the sake of a few points.

If Ichinose got saddled with that kind of reputation, it would weigh her down for a long time, probably for the rest of her high school days.

"I'm sorry, Ryuuen-kun. But you've hurt people in Class B with your actions. Even if it's possible for us to get more points, I can't ally with you on that reason alone," said Ichinose.

"Well, that's unfortunate," answered Ryuuen.

He didn't look the least bit disappointed, but rather like he'd guessed that his plan wouldn't fly from the get-go. Ryuuen got up and left the room, passing us by. As he left, Ryuuen glanced at me one more time. Our eyes happened to meet.

"It can't be," he muttered.

Of course, I didn't respond. Ryuuen lightly shook his head.

"Ah, I should be going. My friends are calling me," said Kushida.

She quickly retreated from the room. In the end, I was left with my usual partners in crime.

"Whew. I guess he saw through me," said Ichinose. Even though Ichinose didn't look particularly flustered, she sighed deeply.

"This will be tough. He's gunning for us," Horikita said.

"Ryuuen might think himself a dragon, but he's really a snake. He's so tenacious that when he finds his prey, he'll go to any lengths to bring it down. But don't you have it worse than me right now, Horikita-san? Ryuuen-kun is naturally wary of Class A, after all. He probably thinks that Class B will one day be his enemy, too. But right now, he's got you in his sights," said Ichinose.

Well, that was true. Class D had been stuck at the bottom, but the island test had allowed us to climb up a bit. Because of that, Class D might evolve into real competition.

"Don't worry. Horikita isn't the type to crack under pressure. Isn't that right?" I said.

"Naturally," Horikita replied.

Well, she appeared that way from the outside. But even if she were just putting on a brave face, it was possible she'd reveal her true, hidden self. I just didn't know when she would. Maybe today, or maybe in ten years' time. Most people fall short of becoming the people they were meant to be.

"Horikita-san, Ayanokouji-kun. I wanted to ask you something. Do you think this test will create trust between people of different classes?"

"No one's looking to make enemies, but bringing people together like that will always be difficult. Even if two classes could become friendlier, it won't be enough. We'd need unwavering cooperation between everyone in Classes D and B, and I don't know how we'll make such an alliance," said Horikita.

"Yeah. Just like I'd expect of you, Horikita-san. You understand this test very well. Ryuuen-kun's just full of hot air. I was right to choose your side." Ichinose seemed happy to be standing with Horikita. "Yes. Ryuuen- kun's plan will fail. It's probably best not to worry about it. The real problem is Katsuragi-kun's iron fortress strategy. What do you think about it now that you've spoken to him?"

"I said this yesterday, but Katsuragi is completely unapproachable. He'll talk to you, but he won't give an inch. I doubt he'll change his mind before the exam ends. At this point, I think all of Class A is taking the same stance. Don't you?" asked Kanzaki.

"Yeah. I think it's hopeless, too. We have no choice but to find a different way," said Ichinose.

We had three discussion periods left. After that, each individual group would have to submit their answers. Did we work in favor of our class, or our group? Or should we take action for our own sake?

"Well, I'm going to head back to my room," Horikita said flatly.

Since everyone else from the Dragon group had left, Horikita walked away without another word. As she made her way out, she met up with Hamaguchi, who appeared to be waiting for her. Ichinose watched Horikita's back as she left, then turned toward me.

"Would you walk with me for a little bit?" she asked. "Sure. I don't mind."

I strolled out with Ichinose and two other students from Class B. It felt a little crowded. After we split from Kanzaki and reached the ship's deck, we slipped into a large crowd of students. Everyone looked as though they'd shaken off the test and were in the mood to have fun.

"I understand what Horikita-san said earlier, but I think there's still room for cooperation," said Ichinose.

"Cooperation?"

"Yes. I was surprised when Class A distanced themselves, but I think we have a chance. But to pull it off, we might have to reveal everything."

"Everything?"

"This entire test boils down to finding the VIP. That's the point, right?

So if we play things by the book, we increase our chances by narrowing down the list and finding out who isn't the target. So, I'll tell you right now: I'm not the VIP. But I intend to find them and lead my group to victory."

Ichinose said that with confidence as she looked me square in the eye.

She continued.

"You might think that if I'm the target, I could just be hiding my identity. But Ayanokouji-kun, the reason I'm not is simple. Everything I do is for the sake of Class B," she said.

Her words held a mystery that was hard to explain. Considering Ichinose's behavior until now, there was only a fraction of doubt left in my mind. If she wanted my full cooperation, then she needed to take things a step further. If she showed me her phone voluntarily, right now, she would gain all of my trust.

However, she didn't display any signs of doing that. She didn't even try to take her phone out. Should I accept her statements as the simple, thoughtless pledge of an ordinary girl? Or did I detect a layer of intrigue? I couldn't tell, and that was why I felt what she said was mysterious. It was probably safer to just accept what she said.

"It must sound strange," said Ichinose, seemingly a little dissatisfied with my silence.

"Ah, no. Sorry. I don't think it's strange at all, really. I was just a little surprised that you came straight out, that's all. You said that if you were the

VIP, you'd choose to lead your class to victory," I answered.

"I'm not lying. I think that lying might be necessary in competition, but I like to be honest as much as possible. I do want my class to win, fair and square. I thought the road to victory lay in narrowing down who the VIP is.

Ah, you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to, Ayanokouji-kun. I just wanted to explain my feelings. I thought if I told you, things might be easier."

"Even if perfect cooperation is impossible, trying to form solid relationships is no bad thing. If I don't answer now, it might hurt our relationship down the line."

"No, no, I don't think so." She sounded flustered, but this wasn't the time to hide.

What Ichinose was saying was true. Even if she fooled me and lured me into a trap, her reward would be rather small. Breaking the truce with Horikita and exploiting Class D would be nonsensical. Sure, I couldn't

be 100% certain she wouldn't betray us, but I couldn't be 100% certain I wouldn't be killed by a meteor, either. No one should spend their time worrying about all the things that could possibly happen. I decided to be honest with her.

"I'm not the VIP. Neither is Yukimura, I can say that with absolutely certainty. Unfortunately, I don't really know about Karuizawa or the Professor…err, I mean, Sotomura. It's not clear yet. Personally, I agree with you on principle."

I'd heard from Yukimura that Karuizawa and the Professor weren't VIPs, but I thought it'd be best to leave that part unsaid. If I was careless and one of them turned out to be the VIP, I'd only lose Ichinose's trust. I'd determined that Yukimura wasn't the VIP through his actions and attitude.

"S-sorry. It seems like I forced your answer," said Ichinose.

Ichinose lowered her head, as if burdened by feelings of guilt. She didn't need to apologize, though. I'm the one who will need to apologize to you someday, I thought.

"Hey, Hamaguchi-kun. Got a minute?" asked Ichinose. "What is it, Ichinose-san?"

Hamaguchi approached us, looking relaxed. Ichinose filled him in on the current situation. Surprisingly, she concealed her cooperative relationship with Class D. Considering Ichinose's character, I would have guessed she'd get her class' approval.

"If Ayanokouji's confirmed it, there's no reason for me to refuse. I'm not the VIP," said Hamaguchi.

When I considered his relationship with Ichinose, I believed him. There'd be little merit in lying. That just risked fracturing the truce with Horikita. However, if we wanted to adopt a strategy without the risk of being exposed, we could do better than this.

"You haven't checked with your own class yet," I observed. Ichinose should have been able to get everyone in her class on board without having to resort to scare tactics like Ryuuen.

"I prefer to let my classmates act autonomously. There are people in my class who want points. It's not like I can arbitrarily transfer the VIP's rights to myself," said Ichinose. "This might sound impertinent, but I'll check with the remaining person myself. If that person answers me honestly, I'll tell you later, Ayanokouji-kun," she said.

"That's nice of you, but it's not like I've told you everything about Class D. We still haven't really established an open and honest relationship yet, and there's no guarantee I've told you the iron-clad truth."

"Oh, don't worry. As long as I just have your cooperation, Ayanokouji- kun, I'm happy," answered Ichinose.

With that, real cooperation in the Rabbit group began. I was sure that neither Ichinose, Hamaguchi, nor I were the VIP. After considering his behavior and attitude, we were convinced that Yukimura wasn't the VIP, either. Excluding us four, that meant there were ten suspects remaining. One of them was the VIP.

It'd be just as hard as finding the leader on the deserted island, or perhaps an even more difficult task. The VIP would certainly feel the pressure, so he or she would naturally try concealing themselves. Though the test had seemed unreasonable at first, the school found a way to make it balanced.

"How do you plan on finding the VIP? Even if we try asking people

directly, I can't imagine that they'll openly admit to anything. It'll probably be difficult to persuade them with words alone," said Hamaguchi.

"Well, isn't the point of this test for us to figure it out?" asked Ichinose.

She was right. This was an exceptionally difficult exam. You needed to extract information from someone who wanted to conceal the truth. With Ichinose making her move, the once-hopeless situation was starting to change.

4.2

Unless you were psychic, finding the VIP wasn't going to be easy.

People are born liars. If a person ever claims to live their life without telling a lie, their life itself is probably a lie. Lies are inescapable parts of us. A kind lie is no exception; it's still a lie.

Somewhere in this group of students was the VIP. We still had time until the discussion period began. Like last time, I was the first to arrive. I'd come early to observe everyone's behavior.

A group of Class C girls were the first people to enter. They were chatting loudly, looking like they were enjoying their conversation quite a bit. However, when they saw me, they instantly lowered their voices and sounded disgusted. They made sure to sit a good distance away from me. Next in was Yukimura, who was grinning. We briefly exchanged glances, and then he sat near me. He didn't seem particularly different from his usual self.

Next came the Class A group, Machida and Takemoto. Morishige came in by himself. Since they'd decided not to discuss anything, they once again sat at the far end of the room, close to the Class C girls.

"Hey, Machida-kun. After we're done here, do you want to hang out with us? The three of us were looking to have some fun."

"I see," replied Machida.

Even though Machida wouldn't participate, all the girls noticed him. Apart from Ichinose and Ibuki, they seemed interested in Machida. I wasn't especially jealous or anything… Okay, I might've been a little jealous. The girls were probably inviting Machida to hang out because they'd given up on finding the VIP. Or maybe that was part of their plan. Was this how men and women formed relationships? Machida didn't seem perturbed by this. In fact, he looked pleased.

Next came the other Class D students: the Professor and Karuizawa. Rather than coming here together, it looked like they'd arrived at the same time by sheer coincidence. Karuizawa appeared openly disgusted by the Professor's presence. After they entered, she quickly moved toward the back of the room.

"Hey, aren't you sitting in my seat?" asked Karuizawa. Despite being late, she glared at the Class C girls. After seeing them being so friendly with Machida, she seemed even more frustrated.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. What do you mean, your

seat? Just sit anywhere. Any spot should be fine."

"Well, that's the seat I want. That's my spot. Move," urged Karuizawa. "Huh? I'm talking to Machida-kun right now. He promised to hang out

with me tonight," said Manabe.

"Hey, Machida-kun. Could you please tell her that you want me next to

you?"

Machida looked a little troubled by the situation, hesitating over which

girl he should pick. However, Karuizawa quickly inserted herself between Manabe and Machida, and grabbed his hand.

"How about we spend some time together, just the two of us? Or have you promised that girl you'll go with her? I hate two-timers. If you're going to mess around with that girl then that'll be the end of it, I guess," said Karuizawa.

Whoa. I was amazed she could say that with a straight face, given that she was already dating Hirata.

The "just the two of us" part really seemed to strike a chord with Machida. It appeared he'd made his decision.

"Excuse me, but would you please move? That's the seat Karuizawa's been sitting in," said Machida.

"Huh? What the hell? Ugh, this is bull," Manabe whined.

The girls, looking upset, promptly got up and left. Karuizawa moved into the empty seat. Actually, she scooted so close that she was practically glued to Machida. Seriously, they were right next to each other, their bodies pressed together. Karuizawa's actions didn't seem petty or frivolous to me, but that was probably because I already knew what kind of person she was.

Karuizawa was dating Hirata. Whether or not Machida knew that, it looked like he'd started to fall for her. Appearance-wise, she was most definitely cute. Also, from the perspective of someone with a crush, it made sense that he'd want to protect her.

The interesting thing was that, despite how recently our group had formed, we'd already developed our own unique hierarchy, including power dynamics. The loners were loners, and the popular kids were popular. The organizers were organizers. However, not everything was business as usual. For example, if there were two organizers in the same place, one would take charge, and the other would be dropped. It was like a microcosm of the jungle, survival of the fittest.

The person who lost that battle was demoted in terms of social status.

In some cases, he or she might drop all the way to the lowest rung on the ladder. They'd be so low that their presence wouldn't matter to those around them. You could say I was such a person.

The interesting thing about this exam was that it made people who would normally be wary of one another come together and join hands.

Ichinose might have been incredibly popular among her friends in her class, but among people who were obviously her enemies, she had a low level of influence. Would Hirata have been able to get us a little more organized?

"Hello, everyone!"

Speak of the devil. Ichinose arrived, bringing life into the depressing room. I found the air in the room especially heavy today, but thought it best not to speak carelessly. Even so, Karuizawa's actions seemed overbearing and a little baffling. Even if she really wanted to get to know Machida better, she didn't need to openly antagonize the Class C girls.

However, that weird situation didn't seem all that important to the exam itself.

As someone who knew what Karuizawa was like, I could already see how her personality informed her actions. I wondered if Karuizawa always wanted to be at the very top, whether it was in class or this group. Of course, it wasn't an easy thing for a girl to stand at the top. I mean, if it was an extremely charismatic girl like Ichinose, that was one thing. But if you didn't naturally excel, it was impossible.

However, in our school lives, relationships determined whether someone placed high or low in the caste system. Through her overbearing behavior, Karuizawa had become a leader for the Class D girls. She'd also gained a lot of influence over both guys and girls by becoming Hirata's girlfriend.

So if you applied what you knew about Karuizawa's behavior to how she was acting now, the truth was clear. She'd forcibly pushed herself onto the most confident man, Machida, and with him in the palm of her hand, she'd taken control of the room. That was why the Class C students couldn't go against Machida, and had reluctantly left their seats.

If you didn't mind being hated, what did you gain by dominating the field? A sense of superiority? Self-satisfaction? The spotlight? I still couldn't understand the root cause of her behavior.

"This isn't good."

"Yeah. If things continue like this, the VIP will get away."

Yukimura sat next to me and muttered his concerns. I opted to just roll with it.

"Now then. Will Class A not participate this time, either?" asked Ichinose.

"Of course we won't. Feel free to talk amongst yourselves, though. We haven't changed our policy," answered Machida.

Beside him sat Morishige, who had erased all semblance of human emotion from his expression. I had seen him around before this test.

According to rumor, Class A was divided into two different factions, one led by Katsuragi and one by Sakayanagi. Morishige was one of those who'd turned against Katsuragi during the test on the island.

Under normal circumstances, he probably wouldn't have followed Katsuragi's orders, but Sakayanagi was sick and thus absent from the trip. Without the presence of his leader, Morishige had no choice but to do as he was told.

I'd thought that Katsuragi would've lost influence, considering the damage he incurred by failing the island test. However, it looked like he wasn't going to crumble that easily. Since Morishige had remained silent for two days now, it looked as though even he had no choice but to follow orders.

"Since it would be a waste to spend an hour in complete silence, how about we play cards again?" asked Ichinose.

Ichinose took out her cards immediately. How you approached your

goal was a major aspect of this test. She wanted to narrow down the list of suspects through open, honest conversation. On the other hand, Katsuragi aimed for stability by suppressing all conversation. Then there was Ryuuen, who wanted to turn everyone into his enemy while taking complete control of his class. He said that he'd found the secret logic underlying the test.

However, I wasn't sure.

In the end, we became absorbed in playing cards for the hour, and then disbanded. Yukimura frantically searched the area for something, but unfortunately it didn't seem like he'd gotten any clues as to the VIP's identity. I'm sure it was the same for all the other students.

Even if we did talk, it wasn't as though the VIP was just going to step forward. I watched the order in which all the students left. The Class C students were usually the first out the door, but they hadn't moved.

Meanwhile, the Class A students, typically the last to leave, were the first out the door. Well, not everyone in Class A had left yet. Machida and Karuizawa were exchanging contact information. Yukimura and the Professor got up.

"I think it's time to head back. You coming, Ayanokouji?" Yukimura asked.

"Yeah."

While we spoke, Karuizawa answered her phone and stood. She exited the room, chatting away on the phone, seemingly talking about something funny or interesting. As she walked away, the three Class C girls brushed past me and made their way out.

"Hey. Did you get a weird vibe from those three just now?" asked Yukimura. He turned to me with a slightly puzzled look.

"You think so? I can't say that I noticed anything of the sort," answered the Professor.

The Professor's tone was ridiculously pompous. However, I thought Yukimura's feelings were right on the money. The Class C girls had looked considerably angry. Yukimura and I peered into the hallway to see what was going on. We saw the three girls closely following Karuizawa. Being alone, she was at a disadvantage. The situation had me worried. Also, Ibuki, who might've mitigated the other three, wasn't around.

"You think they have a bone to pick with her?" asked Yukimura.

"Let's follow them. I don't think there'll be violence, but it could lead to an uproar."

"Damn Karuizawa. She's always making people hate her. I wanted us to spend our precious time finding the VIP," Yukimura grumbled.

While the Professor headed back to his room, Yukimura and I quietly chased the four girls. When we turned the corner, I heard the ka-chack sound of an emergency exit door slamming shut. The elevators weren't even crowded, so it wasn't like there was any reason to use the stairs. There had to be another reason why they'd gone in there. I opened the door and heard voices.

"Hey. why'd you bring me to a place like this?!"

"Stop playing dumb! You did push Rika, didn't you? Start talking." "H-huh? I already told you, you've got the wrong person!"

The three girls surrounded Karuizawa, forcing her up against the wall.

They were preventing her from escaping. However, even surrounded, Karuizawa offered no apologies. She continued to deny what they were saying. Maybe she really was innocent.

"Look, I have plans later. Can you please move?" asked Karuizawa. "Okay, let's confirm it right now. I'm going to call Rika. If it wasn't

you, we'll forgive you."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I'll call the teacher." "And what will you tell the teacher, exactly? It's not like we're being

violent with you or anything. Besides, if you talk to the teacher, we'll tell on you, too. We'll say you pushed Rika. You'll also get in trouble."

Neither side intended to back down. Karuizawa tried to escape, but the girls grabbed her arm and pushed her up against the wall. One of the girls took out her phone, probably to call Rika.

"W-wait!" Karuizawa pleaded with them to not call. "What? Why should we wait?"

"I just remembered something. I bumped into that girl before."

"You're a total liar. You remembered her from the very beginning, didn't you? Well, whatever. So, are you going to apologize to Rika

properly?"

"No way. She was in the wrong. She's a complete airhead."

I would've thought Karuizawa would take responsibility for her actions, but instead, she refused. She refused despite knowing it would upset them.

"You're seriously pissing us off. We might've forgiven you if you'd actually apologized to Rika. But now, we definitely won't forgive you."

The girl pressed down against Karuizawa's shoulder. "Whatever. You probably never planned on forgiving me."

After Karuizawa spat out those words, one of the girls, Yamashita, lost her patience. "Shiho-chan. I've had enough. Karuizawa's unforgivable."

"I know, right? She should understand exactly how Rika felt. Why don't we bully her for real?"

She struck Karuizawa's shoulder with a little extra force. Yukimura started to throw the door open, but I grabbed his arm. Even if we stepped in now, Karuizawa would be threatened again at some point. However, if they got even a little violent while we were watching them, it'd be a deterrent for later. Also, depending on how violent they got, we could possibly threaten them, telling them we'd report them to the school.

More importantly, Karuizawa Kei looked like she was starting to change.

"Ahh…ahh…" She panted as if she were having a hard time breathing. She held her head in her hands as if she were in pain. When Manabe and the others saw her suffering, they weren't sympathetic. The opposite, actually. It irritated them.

"Act as girly as you want, we're still not going to forgive you." They grabbed Karuizawa's hair and forcefully yanked her head up.

"I've always hated your face, Karuizawa. I mean, don't you girls think she's just butt-ugly?"

"Yeah, for sure. Don't you just want to cut her face?" "St-stop. Stop it."

"'St-stop it', she says. What happened to your big attitude?"

The more you envied your enemy, the more you hated them, to the point where you wanted to strip away their advantages. If we were talking looks, then Karuizawa had them all beat. But Manabe, Yamashita, and Yabu wouldn't be satisfied until they'd verbally torn Karuizawa's pretty face apart. Karuizawa trembled, frightened. She was on the verge of tears, still unable to move.

People show their true colors when they're in jeopardy. A little more pressure, and I'd know who Karuizawa Kei really was. However, Yukimura couldn't stand by any longer. He threw open the door. The three girls were naturally shocked by his sudden appearance. Karuizawa, on the other hand, looked like he'd saved her life.

"What are you doing?!" Yukimura shouted.

"What? Nothing. Right? We were just talking to Karuizawa-san.

Yeah?"

Manabe glared at Karuizawa, as if telling her not to say another word.

But Karuizawa wasn't the sort to shy away.

"Yukimura-kun, these girls just abducted me and started getting all violent. They're seriously the worst, aren't they? They were being, like, super annoying, so I told them to get lost," said Karuizawa.

She'd normally never talk to Yukimura, but she was probably grateful to him now. Meanwhile, the Class C girls glared at Yukimura. Their eyes seemed to say, "This has nothing to do with you."

"Well, I'm just talking with Karuizawa about her problem, what she did to Rika. You heard how Karuizawa slammed into her, right?"

"Don't you think it's better to just let things go? They bumped into

each other. It's not like Karuizawa was at fault," Yukimura said. "You shut up. This has nothing to do with you."

"…"

Under the weight of their glares, he fell silent. Karuizawa shot a look at Yukimura, like she thought he was pathetic. She quietly took out her phone.

"Just leave me alone. If you don't, I'll call someone."

"Who are you going to call? Hirata-kun? Machida-kun? I mean, I guess a slut like you has a hundred guys on speed dial, right?"

Fights between girls often got dirty, and unlike with men, violence wasn't really an option. This was painful to watch.

"A teacher was just here. I think it'd be better if you left," I said.

I had no other choice but to step in and break this up. Class C probably didn't want to cause a scene.

"You better bow your head and apologize to Rika."

The Class C girls kept intimidating Karuizawa, who desperately tried to keep a brave face. But it was obvious that she'd lost her confidence. The other girls seemed to know that. They continued their hostility.

"Are you okay?" asked Yukimura, who seemed unable to leave Karuizawa to their mercy. She was hyperventilating.

"Just leave me alone!" As Yukimura drew nearer, Karuizawa slapped his hand away.

"Hey, what the hell? I only came to check on you because I was worried!"

"God, shut up! Nobody asked you!"

Karuizawa's breathing grew even more ragged. Yukimura stepped back, overpowered. I decided to let sleeping dogs lie and stepped back, too. Karuizawa glared at me as she opened the emergency stairwell door and slammed it as hard as she could after she left.

"Jeez, what's with her? She's always, always causing trouble for people!"

I understood Yukimura's feelings of resentment. Karuizawa was

certainly a troublemaker. Yukimura, seemingly exhausted from the ordeal, left without saying another word. I stood alone in the emergency stairwell and thought about Karuizawa. The leader of the Class D girls had shown her vulnerable side. However, the threats hadn't frightened her; she'd been terrified for another reason.

4.3

It was the middle of the night on the second day. The pool, which was crowded during the daytime, had once again grown silent. There was no one around. I took out my phone to make a call. Because the phones already had teachers' contact information stored in them, getting in touch with Chabashira-sensei was a relatively simple task.

Though it was the middle of summer, we were still on the ocean, and the night wind that passed over the ship's deck was quite chilly.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Ayanokouji." "It's okay. I'm sorry for calling you so late."

"An instructor is obligated to consult with a student. It's nothing out of

the ordinary. Besides, for better or worse, this is the first time you've actually called me."

Chabashira-sensei didn't exactly treat Class D with love. She wasn't well-liked by the students. Even if someone was having trouble, they probably wouldn't have gone to her.

"There's something I wanted to ask you, sensei, but… You know, you look pale."

At first I hadn't noticed because it was dark, but Chabashira-sensei looked so pale that I thought she might be deathly ill.

"Don't worry about it. Adult issues. Anyway, what did you want to

ask?"

Considering I could smell the alcohol on her breath, I thought I had the

situation well figured out. "You told me that we can use our points to buy anything, but there are still some exceptions to that rule. Right?"

"Yes. Exceptions exist, naturally. For example, if you request to buy the life of a teacher or student, we cannot honor that request."

"So I was wondering. What's the most expensive thing that someone has bought with their points?"

Right as I was speaking, I felt the presence of someone else nearby.

"Yoohoo, Sae-chan! How you feeling?"

Hoshinomiya-sensei arrived. Was it just a coincidence? Unlikely.

She'd probably followed Chabashira-sensei.

"You're drunk, aren't you?" Chabashira-sensei said.

"Hmm? Oh no, of course I'm not, I'm not drunk. I was just acting all sleepy, you know?"

"Jeez. You can really hold your liquor. You handled yourself today, and you're fine now, too."

Apparently, Hoshinomiya-sensei had an iron liver. "Good evening, Ayanokouji-kun. How are you doing?"

Hoshinomiya-sensei was acting a little overly familiar with me. She placed her hand on my shoulders, and then hugged me so tight I could smell the alcohol on her body and breath. Of course, a minor such as myself would have no clue, but was alcohol really that delicious? Just the smell of it made me not want to drink it.

"I'm fine. If I wasn't, I wouldn't be here," I said.

"That answer was so not-cute that I'm impressed! So, Ayanokouji-kun, do you love the tsuntsun older sister types, like Sae-chan?" asked Hoshinomiya-sensei.

"Don't wrap yourself around a student. You're getting in the way of my work."

Thankfully, Chabashira-sensei grabbed Hoshinomiya-sensei by the nape of her neck and dragged her off. I recalled the teachers' conversation I'd overheard the other day. Even the instructors were wary of each other, competing with and deceiving others as they aimed for the top class. I didn't know if it was because getting to a higher class meant an increase in their salaries, or if there was a longstanding rivalry between Chabashira-sensei and Hoshinomiya-sensei from their school days.

I had no doubt that the school and the teachers kept things fair. Leaking answers to students would be a huge problem. That meant it was likely that Ichinose had been placed into the Rabbit group without knowing why. She had keen insight and sharp observation skills, though. Sooner or later, she'd probably think something was off. She'd wonder why she was in the Rabbit

group.

It'd be nice to write it all off as sheer coincidence, but Hoshinomiya- sensei was bad at hiding her emotions. Ichinose might soon discover that she'd been put into the group to find out about Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. If that happened, how should I respond? While I thought about that, I began to choose my next actions.

"So what were you two talking about in the middle of the night? Isn't that in itself a really big problem?" asked Hoshinomiya-sensei.

"A big problem? As a teacher, it's only natural for me to consult my students and soothe their anxieties," answered Chabashira-sensei.

"If that's true, wouldn't it be better for you to do it with more people around? If you look like you're sneaking around, I can't help but think it's suspicious."

Even though Hoshinomiya-sensei was trying to unsettle her, Chabashira-sensei remained calm and collected. "Ayanokouji requested this location. He wanted to consult me in private," Chabashira-sensei stated matter-of-factly.

"Hmm. Well, I suppose you're not violating any rules," muttered Hoshinomiya-sensei.

"Good. Now hurry up and leave already. I'll head back soon myself." "Okay, okay. But remember, no sexy times," teased Hoshinomiya-

sensei.

She left, with that very unnecessary comment as her parting shot. "Sorry. She's troublesome."

"'S all right."

Chabashira-sensei didn't say anything about being investigated. Well, maybe it was just a personal problem. I didn't know what there was between them, but it had nothing to do with me.

"Anyway, picking up where we left off. I was wondering, what's the largest amount of points someone spent in the past?"

Chabashira-sensei nodded, looking like she was lost in thought. "Well, I can only speak from my own experience, but it was when someone wanted

to change the school rules. Of course, you're limited to a certain realistic scope. For example, you could change the class start time in order to avoid being late to class," she answered.

Chabashira didn't provide facts, only hypotheticals. "Can you give me examples?"

"Are you dissatisfied with my answer?"

"Nah, I don't really mind. I understand how the school's systems operate," I answered.

Depending on how you used your points, you could make changes to the system in even the most trivial of ways. In other words, the possibilities were endless. Private points were of incredible significance.

"You could have just emailed me that question. I don't understand why you wanted me to meet you."

"If I sent you an email, there would be a record. I wanted to avoid

that."

I decided to leave it at that. I walked away, in a different direction from

the way Hoshinomiya-sensei had exited. While I still had more questions, this was good enough for the time being.

"I'll ask you for a favor in the near future," I called.

When I looked back over my shoulder, I saw Chabashira-sensei eyeing me with suspicion.