Chapter 5: Each and Every Difference

We had reached the final day of the test. Unlike on the island, time passed quickly aboard this ship, surrounded by luxury. While Ryuuen focused on his united frontal assault, and Katsuragi continued ahead with his iron fortress strategy, Ichinose Honami from Class B had not come up with a countermeasure.

"Gah! I drew it again! Am I seriously this awful at Old Maid?" Ichinose spread out her remaining cards and collapsed into a heap before my eyes.

Even though this was our fifth discussion period, Ichinose had suggested playing cards once again. I would have questioned this approach, but no one in Class A entered into the conversation, so no one stopped her. A small group of people had simply determined that it was better to spend their time playing cards than doing nothing.

I was a little concerned that Manabe and her friends would try to confront Karuizawa, but it seemed like the picture I'd sent them had had the desired effect. They were being obedient. Karuizawa was acting normal, too.

If I were to look at things from Manabe's perspective, she had to be thinking that the person who sent her those mysterious messages via chat must have been either me or Yukimura, someone who was there during the incident in the emergency stairwell. Of course, when I sent her the picture, I added that I had received it from a classmate. She could imagine that someone had sent the picture to someone else, and it had circulated.

In the end, Manabe couldn't conclude with absolute certainty that it was me. That meant she and her friends wouldn't be able to make a move against me. There was no point in looking for whoever took those pictures.

"Is it okay to just sit here like this?" Yukimura sighed. He sat next to me, sounding disappointed and melancholy.

"You're being a downer today, Yukimura-kun. You ought to play with

us and shake off that gloom and doom. Come on, let's have a rematch!" urged Ichinose.

"No thanks. I don't really feel like it. Really, is this okay, Ichinose-san? I mean, just doing this until the test ends. I thought you were the one leading the group here."

Ichinose stopped in the middle of shuffling the cards. "Isn't that excuse too convenient, Yukimura-kun? If you seriously want to win this thing, don't you think you should rely on yourself, rather than someone else?"

"Yeah. Good point," he answered.

Yukimura understood full well that he couldn't cope with having that responsibility thrust upon him. Despite that, he still wanted a way to change all this. If this test were measured solely on academic ability, then Yukimura would have been at the top of any group. However, being gifted academically didn't make you a natural leader. It didn't mean you could come up with novel ideas, either. Some things couldn't be solved by memorizing words and formulae.

In the two tests we'd had over the summer vacation, everyone had experienced the bitter sense of their own powerlessness, even Horikita. I wondered if Ichinose and Machida felt irritated about being locked into a stalemate. However, that frustration can become your strength if it doesn't break your spirit.

5.1

"Well, the test will be over after our next meeting. How do things look on your end, Ayanokouji-kun?"

I was having my last meeting with Horikita. The world outside was already cloaked in darkness. Carrying a conversation through chat would leave a traceable record. To avoid that, we'd met in person.

"There haven't been any significant changes. At this rate, it looks like the VIP is going to get away. How about you?"

I didn't think I could expect anything from Horikita, but then… "I'll win," she replied flatly.

"You sure you haven't made a mistake?" I asked.

"I'm not sure who might be listening to us right now, so I won't go into detail. I'll just ask that you believe in me. Everything will be fine."

I'd already heard from Hirata that Kushida was the Dragon group's VIP. Of course, I imagined that Ryuuen and Kanzaki had done everything in their power to figure that out, but it appeared Horikita had overcome the odds. If she was this confident, there probably wasn't anything to worry about. Nothing left to do but wait for the 500,000 points to pour in later. You could call this a solid victory for us.

"Did you want to consult with me?" she asked.

"No need. Make whatever moves you like." Even if she told me about the Dragon group, I couldn't do much to assist her.

"So what did you want to talk about? I thought we both agreed to avoid unnecessary contact."

Perhaps she was…concerned about Ryuuen, who pursued her frantically? "You can't keep being scared of Ryuuen forever, you know," I said.

"Judging from how you phrased that, I'm guessing you can do something about it?"

It didn't seem like she expected much from me, since she appeared

surprised when I nodded. "I've brought Hirata over to our side. I think we'll see a lot of cooperation from him."

"I don't particularly want that," she said.

"Well, that's fine. Besides, I'm not saying you have to get involved with Hirata. I'll handle him and maintain things. All you need to do is keep up."

"I don't really like how freely you're operating in the shadows," she answered.

I'd thought she'd say something like that. "In that case, show your face when we discuss things. Even if you don't talk, you can follow along, right?"

"Well, I suppose so," she sighed. She sounded dissatisfied, but if I gave Horikita the option to participate, she wouldn't be able to argue with me.

Besides, Hirata had a huge amount of pull in our class. After seeing his leadership skills in action, Horikita would likely come to understand.

"I'd like to introduce you to someone else later. Hirata, too. Make sure to keep some time open before they announce the results," I said.

"Okay, I really don't like this. I don't want you to just go ahead and recruit people as you see fit," she snapped.

"Think of it as compensation for putting yourself on the front lines.

Anyway, this person will be useful to us."

"I have a general idea of what you're thinking, but… Well, fine. At any rate, let's meet back here after the test is over."

With that, I looked at the time. There was half an hour until the final discussion.

"I wonder how many traitors will come forward in this test," said Horikita.

"Who knows? I was surprised the test ended so suddenly for the Cow group, but I can't imagine we'll see a repeat of that. In the end, the likeliest outcome will be that the VIPs escape, and time will run out."

"Yes, I think so, too." Horikita briefly averted her eyes, the sort of unconscious gesture people made when they were worried about something.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing. It's just, well… Something about this test doesn't make sense. But there shouldn't be any mistakes. I definitely shouldn't lose," she replied.

Some of Horikita's anxiety was finally leaking out. Even if I offered her kind words, she'd tell me they weren't necessary, so I just kept quiet.

5.2

The Rabbit group was about to enter our sixth and final discussion period, still without any hope of making a breakthrough. I'd wanted to quietly and carefully gather my thoughts, so when Hirata and the others left our room, I headed to the meeting alone. Since there was still about half an hour until the discussion started, I assumed no one would be there yet.

However, my expectations were dashed by someone's presence. "She must have gotten here early, huh?" I asked out loud.

Ichinose slept soundly on the floor. Why should the mere sight of her

tickle a man's heart in such a way? Ah, this was dangerous; it was really bad. Since she was lying on her side, I could see her plump thighs more clearly than usual.

Even though I knew I shouldn't, I couldn't help but look at her thighs, then her legs, then her face, and then her breasts. Then back to her thighs.

While my adolescent desires got the best of me, something near the back of her head grabbed my attention. It was Ichinose's cell phone. She must've been using it just before she fell asleep.

Our assigned phones held quite a bit of information. Not only did they play a vital role in this test, but they also allowed you to confirm details, like how many points someone had. Of course, in order to confirm this, you needed an individual's ID and password. But in order to avoid the hassle of having to log in each and every time, some students just saved their information. In other words, if I snuck a peek at Ichinose's phone right now, it might be possible to find out all kinds of information. Like Ichinose's living situation, or the number of points she had. And I had confirmed earlier that Ichinose saved her ID and password on her device.

I approached cautiously and carefully, one step at a time. "Ooh…ah…"

As I closed the distance between us, Ichinose stirred slightly, perhaps

sensing some change in the air. But she fell asleep again, and her breathing relaxed. It seemed I hadn't woken her. I tried to get closer again.

"Mmm…"

What in the world was I doing? Even if this was an effective way for me to gather information, if anyone saw me, they'd think I was a pervert.

What if Ichinose woke up? There'd be a huge misunderstanding. Even though it was okay for me to enter the room half an hour early, it was weird for me to wait around so openly while a girl slept.

Well, I didn't have anything to feel guilty about. Therefore, I would remain calm. Step by step, I drew closer to Ichinose.

"Ooh…um…" She muttered something unintelligible.

This wasn't good. Every time I moved, Ichinose began to wake up. As a test, I tried moving my foot back and forth on the same spot, without moving forward. If Ichinose showed any response, I'd assume she was an exceptionally light sleeper. They say many light sleepers are highly strung…

Creak, creak. I put my right foot forward, and then moved it back to its original position.

God, I'm pathetic.

Why did I have to sneak around like this? I'd definitely be branded a pervert if someone saw me right now. Realizing my actions were completely stupid, I gave up trying to sneak a peek at her phone, and instead moved away. I sat down on the other side of the room. From here, I couldn't glimpse the hidden place beyond her thighs. I didn't think I'd accidentally wake her, either.

Most importantly, it was still early. Why in the world is she here? I wondered.

About twenty minutes before the discussion period was supposed to begin, some cute-sounding music played throughout the room. It came from Ichinose's phone.

"Mmm…" she mumbled.

Ichinose, eyes still closed, grabbed her phone. She unlocked the screen and stopped the music, which apparently was her phone's alarm. Ichinose, still looking rather sleepy, started to sit up. Almost immediately, she noticed me.

I'd wondered if she would be disgusted by my presence, but she wasn't concerned in the slightest.

"Oh, good…yawn…to see you, Ayanokouji-kun. Sorry, did my alarm startle you?" she asked.

"Oh, no. Looks like you slept well."

"Ha ha ha, sorry about that. I just passed out; I slept like a log. You're here early, though. Don't we have twenty minutes until the discussion?" she asked.

"I should be asking you the same thing. When did you get here?"

"An hour ago, I think. I wanted some peace and quiet. Since my friends are going in and out of my room, it's kinda noisy."

Apparently, this was the best place for a nap.

"Besides, I wanted to gather my thoughts," she added. Rather than looking refreshed by her nap, she seemed struck by sudden inspiration.

"Any results?" I asked. "More or less."

She stood up. Then, for some reason, Ichinose walked over and sat down next to me. The two of us were alone in the room. The space between us was shrinking. Even though I couldn't hide my nervousness, Ichinose didn't seem to notice.

"There's still some time left until the discussion starts. Why don't we have a little chat? If it's not a bother, that is," she said.

"Oh no, it's not a bother. I don't mind."

"Okay. To tell you the truth, Ayanokouji-kun, I want to ask you something. I've asked all my classmates this question, including the boys. But I've been thinking about asking the other classes for a while now. I've just been kind of curious. Ayanokouji-kun, do you want to ascend to Class A?"

I'd been wondering what she would ask me, but the question was something surprisingly ordinary.

"Well, yeah. Of course I do. I've thought about getting up to Class A. No, wait…I guess it'd probably be more accurate to say that I must aim for Class A."

"Because of the guarantee of college or a career?" she asked.

In our school, students from Classes A through D competed against each other. The greatest privilege— being guaranteed to advance into any school or career path—was only limited to those in Class A. Many might think that sounded like a trick. The school pamphlet was rather ambiguous, so the details were murky.

"Nowadays, you can't just enter college or get a job that easily. Jobs, especially," I said.

"I think so, too. But don't you think placing too must trust in the system could be dangerous? There's something about that 99.9% percent they're not telling us. Something dangerous," Ichinose said.

Ichinose was referring to the "99.9 % college and job placement" rate that the school touted. She had a point about hidden pitfalls. Let's say I wanted to be a professional baseball player, but had no experience playing the game. How would the school go about making me a pro? Even with their professional connections, they were limited. And even if you did play regularly in school, that didn't guarantee you'd go pro. Even if you graduated from college or went on to graduate school, that didn't guarantee you any sort of future. Really, only a fraction of people really managed to accomplish what they set out to achieve.

Statistically speaking, only one of every six students can achieve their dreams. At first, you might think that's a high percentage, but the data's ambiguous and the statistics are fuzzy. Being a professional baseball player isn't the same thing as becoming a top-ranked player. If you gathered up everyone who qualified as a professional baseball player, including trainees, you'd have about 900 to 1,000 people. However, if the dream is to play as a regular on the team and take down your opponents on your first attempt, then maybe a hundred people max could do it. Finally, even if you secured a spot as a regular player, you must continue playing against your rivals, always a linchpin for the team.

In other words, no matter what you chose, it's unlikely you'd achieve your dream. And it's an extremely difficult thing to do. Many students just continue boring, tedious lives, with vague lip service paid to dreams as the years pass. To actually achieve a dream requires a lot of effort and luck.

"But this school… Well, it does have an incredible amount of influence, right? Most people who get anywhere in life succeed because

someone influential helps them. Or are you not interested in that, Ichinose?"

"No, I'm not saying that. I want to graduate from Class A. I have a dream I want to make real," she answered.

Even though she was smiling, her eyes were unwavering and serious. "The school system's all well and good, but if you can't graduate from

Class A, it's a mark of failure. This school is all about ability, and if your abilities can't carry you here, it's unlikely you'll ever be labeled an elite. Students are ranked based on perceived superiority or inferiority. Right now, between the two of us, Ayanokouji-kun, only one can achieve their dream.

Ah, but then again, we could both lose out on our goals."

Even though we were chatting like friends, only one of us could win. "You've heard there are exceptions to the rules, though."

"Hmm? You mean when someone manages to accumulate twenty million points?"

"Yeah. There hasn't been a single student in the school's history who's successfully pulled that off, but it is theoretically possible."

"Oh yeah, for sure. I suppose if we factor that in, it's possible for both of us to graduate from Class A," she replied.

"Be that as it may, whether or not you can really earn twenty million points is another problem. Even if you score well on the exams and save your points, it probably wouldn't be enough," I said.

Going by this test alone, it seemed possible to earn a great number of points, depending on how hard you worked, but we'd only had two such exams. From this point forward, it was possible that the number of such tests would be reduced, and the chances of being penalized could increase.

"That's true. Even if you're extremely economical, it's unlikely someone could manage to save even half that amount," Ichinose mused.

"Yeah. Class D's financial situation is especially awful. Even though Horikita's trying her hardest, the points from the island test have yet to be deposited. Actually, it's entirely possible we'll lose them in this test," I said. "Are you a thrifty person, Ichinose? You don't strike me as someone struggling to get by."

"Hmm, I wonder about that. Personally, I'll use points sometimes and save them sometimes, just like anyone else would. Even though I'm in Class B, I don't really have that many points saved." Ichinose responded to my question with ease. I didn't see any indication she was hiding something from me, but…

"Ayanokouji-kun." "Hmm?"

Ichinose suddenly turned toward me. She looked me right in the face.

"It seems like you saw it, a while back," she remarked.

I couldn't look away from her beautiful eyes. It was almost as if they were drawing me in. Ichinose was even cleverer than I'd imagined. I guess she'd seen right through my plans.

"Sorry. When you were using your phone earlier, I just happened to look at the screen. I was a little curious, so I was thinking of asking you about it."

"Ha ha, you don't need to feel guilty or anything. It's not like I'm blaming you. I mean, it certainly is a lot of points, right?"

Yeah, it was. Before the first semester had ended, Ichinose had already amassed an insane amount of points. Even if I saved all the class points that were doled out on the first of every month and didn't spend a single one, I still wouldn't have been able to save that many.

"But I can't really give you any details. Sorry," she added. "No need to apologize."

"Of course, if you did manage to obtain that information, Ayanokouji-

kun, and even if you shared it with Horikita-san, you wouldn't go blabbing to everyone, would you? I mean, even though you saw my phone, if someone else decided to ask about it, you wouldn't tell, right?"

"I don't plan on telling anyone else. Besides, I might've been mistaken.

I won't pry."

Even if I did pry, it wasn't like I'd get a satisfactory answer. "Have you found a way to win this thing?" I asked.

"Hmm, I think so. At least, I think I've found a hint." I didn't think she

would answer that honestly, but Ichinose sounded relaxed and confident. She seemed the type of person to act on her own initiative and not waste time.

"In that case, this contest will come down to a battle between A and B, I suppose."

"We won't know that until the end. My path to victory is—"

Right before she finished her thought, members of our group poured into the room, one after another. The Class A students were first to arrive, but they took their seats without giving us so much as a greeting.

"Oh, what's this? You're here already, Ayanokouji?"

"All alone with Ichinose-dono? My word, how suspicious. A clandestine rendezvous, wouldn't you say?"

Yukimura and the Professor bombarded me with questions as they walked into the room together. I couldn't especially tell if they were impatient or depressed, but it seemed they'd given up on winning. On the other hand, the Class B students seemed rather relaxed.

"This is the end, huh? So, have you found any hints?" asked Hamaguchi. He spoke gently to me as we waited for the final discussion to begin.

"To be honest, I have no idea. We haven't really been able to talk, which means we haven't been able to engage," I said.

That was my official answer, but I'd already executed the strategy I'd been plotting since the test began. My plan involved the phones we all received from the school. I had switched the VIP's phones as a means of camouflage. Kushida was the Dragon group's VIP, but what if Kushida and Horikita switched phones? If someone spied on her phone, they'd suspect that Horikita was the VIP.

Then, if a traitor submitted Horikita's name as their answer, they'd be making a mistake. We would win.

"Good evening. Nice to see you all," Ichinose said warmly.

She was smiling, just like always. I set the trap immediately. We didn't know who else had a hidden agenda, after all. I'd been waiting for Ichinose to talk, and decided to cut in before she spoke up again.

"Um, excuse me. If everyone's okay with it—" "I have something I'd like to ask—"

Both Hamaguchi and I started talking at the same time. "Oh, sorry. Go ahead, Ayanokouji-kun."

"Oh, no. You can go first. I don't mind," I said.

How annoying. Well, this didn't get in the way of my plan, but any unexpected trouble could make things unstable. I decided to let Hamaguchi speak first. I'd chime in after thinking things through. Then, Hamaguchi shattered my plans in an unexpected way.

"For the past three days, I've been thinking of how we could achieve Outcome #1," he said.

Hamaguchi launched into an explanation of his plan which, surprisingly, was quite like mine.

"There is a way for everyone here to achieve Outcome #1," he continued.

A faint glimmer of hope shone in everyone's eyes. "Is that really true, Hamaguchi?"

"Yes. I came up with this idea after listening to everyone here, including Ichinose-san and Machida-kun."

"I can't believe it. There's no way we can arrive at Outcome #1 without discussion," Machida huffed.

"Let's hear him out first. Hamaguchi-kun isn't the sort to speak without thinking," offered Ichinose.

"I'm going to show you all my phone. Of course, the school sent us all an email. I think you all understand what I'm getting at? Because we're prohibited from tampering with or misrepresenting the emails we've received in any way, there's no way to deceive one another. That's why the answer is simple. We show each other our emails, and then we find out who the VIP is. That's how we'll discover the truth."

"This is dumb. Why would anyone show their phone just because you told us to? Someone could betray us all the moment we show our emails. No one would do this," answered Machida flatly.

It was a hopeless plan. Naturally, Machida-kun was flabbergasted.

"It's certainly true that if the VIP knows they could be betrayed, they wouldn't show their phone. However, from the perspective of someone who isn't the VIP, there's no risk in exposing your identity. The test will be over soon. If we don't make a move, we lose our chance of winning. Suppose there's a class working together to cover for the VIP. It's true that none of them would show their phones. But this way, it's possible to narrow down the list of candidates."

"Even if you find out the VIP's identity or the class they belong to, the moment someone decides to betray you, it's over. The problem hasn't been resolved. Or are you suggesting that the first to betray us wins?" countered Machida.

Through Hamaguchi's strategy, it was possible to successfully weed out the VIP. But that was it. In the end, people weren't going to play nice.

"In that case, please be quiet and just watch. If you don't participate, Machida-kun, it'll still be fine," Hamaguchi answered.

Hamaguchi showed everyone the email that he'd received. "I agree with Hamaguchi-kun. I'll show mine, too."

After Hamaguchi showed his phone, Beppu from Class B followed suit. This didn't seem like some spur-of-the-moment idea. This seemed like a strategy Ichinose had come up with. Strangely enough, her plan was exactly the same as mine. However, I didn't know how far she'd thought this through, or what her moves were. If she simply believed everyone would go along with this, then it was quite simply reckless.

"I think it's a surprisingly good strategy. I don't have any objections," said Ichinose.

Smiling, Ichinose reached for her cell phone in her skirt's left pocket. "I've been agonizing over this for a long time now, but after hearing Hamaguchi's plan, I get it."

Ichinose pulled out her phone. I decided to step in and interrupt before she could execute her strategy.

"You're serious about this, huh? Well, if you're all going to bet on that, I think I'll join in, too," I said.

Before Ichinose could show everyone the contents of her email, I took out my own phone and offered it up. But it wasn't actually my phone; I'd switched it with someone else's.

"Ayanokouji-kun…are you okay with this?" Ichinose asked.

"Sure. After hearing Hamaguchi out, I honestly don't think we have another option. I'm really bad at communicating, so all I can do is show you the truth," I answered.

"Wait, Ayanokouji. There's no way this kind of strategy is going to work," said Yukimura.

He tried to stop me, but I showed everyone the email on my phone. Everyone saw that I wasn't the VIP. An incredible amount of water was building behind this unseen dam. If even the tiniest hole opened up, the dam would collapse, and we'd be left with a muddy stream of water. My actions opened that hole.

"Yeah. Okay. So you're not the VIP, Ayanokouji-kun." "Okay. I'll show mine, too."

Among the large number of people still scoffing at Hamaguchi's strategy, a lone girl agreed. It was the person I'd least expected: Ibuki Mio.

"Are you nuts? We don't get anything out of this!" shouted Manabe. However, Ibuki's response was well-reasoned. "Anyone who isn't the

VIP or who's not in the same class as a VIP gains nothing if things keep

going like this. Class B understands that. If we sit around, we won't catch up to the classes above us. That's why they're showing everyone their phones. I agree with their idea," she answered.

"That's—"

"Or maybe you're the VIP," said Ibuki.

Ibuki didn't talk to Manabe as if she were an ally. She spoke like addressing an enemy.

"N-no. I…"

"In that case, show everyone your phone."

Ibuki's words threatened her classmates. Manabe and her friends, as if accepting Ibuki's order, showed everyone their phones. The hunt for the VIP had begun. Karuizawa took out her phone, which had a strap attached, and handed it over.

"Wait. It's not just Ayanokouji-kun? You're going along with this, Karuizawa? You agree with this?" Yukimura was puzzled.

"I'm doing this for my own sake. I want those private points," said Karuizawa.

Her email said she wasn't the VIP. Karuizawa was in the clear. "Um, so what should I do?" muttered the Professor.

"Think for yourself, Sotomura. This is voluntary."

"Uh…well, I don't want to get wrapped up in this, so I'll just get it over with."

The Professor, seeing how the tide had turned, reached for his phone.

Yukimura grabbed his arm and stopped him. "Do you really think that

showing everyone your phone is the right move?" he asked.

"You know, you've been really jumpy. You're not the VIP, are you?" Ibuki asked.

Yukimura's expression stiffened. "Whoa, seriously?"

"Yukimura isn't the VIP. I heard as much earlier," I said. However, some of the students burst out laughing.

"You expect us to believe that? You could be lying." Manabe cast a doubting look over at Yukimura.

If I continued denying that he was the VIP, it would only invite further suspicion. But I couldn't make my move yet. That's because Yukimura was…

"It's too early to draw any conclusions. Yukimura-kun has a point," Ichinose said. Once again, she reached into her pocket and took out her phone. "I got a little caught up and missed my chance earlier, but I'll show you now," she said.

Ichinose proved that she was not the VIP.

"Wait, Ichinose. Earlier, you said you'd been keeping quiet about something until now?" Machida clearly hadn't forgotten.

"Ah, that? I had the same thing Hamaguchi said on my mind earlier, and wanted to talk about it. That's it."

"The same thing?"

"As Class B's representative, I'm a little jealous that Hamaguchi-kun beat me to the punch."

By now, everyone except the Class A students and Yukimura had proven themselves to not be the VIP.

"…"

Everyone understood the meaning behind Yukimura's long silence.

Machida and the other Class A students stared at him inquisitively.

"Fine. I'll show you. All I have to do is show you, right?" he muttered.

Yukimura, no longer able to deal with the pressure, pulled out his phone.

"Before I do so, I want you to promise me one thing," he said. "Promise? What do you mean, Yukimura-kun?"

"I don't want anyone here to turn traitor. Especially you, Class A. I want you to take out your phones and put them in front of you. That goes for everybody. Everyone, put your phones where I can see them," he demanded.

He directed his statement at Machida, who responded with a snort. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Exactly what I said. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Well, fine. Whatever. If you want to see my phone, here."

The Class A students, who'd been sitting some distance away, calmly came over and placed their phones on the table. After they did that, Yukimura made his move, looking downcast. He pulled his phone out and turned it on.

He entered the six-digit password, and logged in. Yukimura opened the school's email and lifted it up so we all could see.

"I'm sorry for lying to you, Ayanokouji," he muttered. Class D was the most surprised by the revelation. "I'm the VIP."

A different email from everyone else's was displayed on the screen.

"Wha— Y-Yukimura-dono, you're the VIP?!" the Professor stammered. He looked astonished, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. This basically meant we'd given up the 500,000 points that Class D had gained. However, I'd exchanged phones with Yukimura in secret.

"If I'd known things would turn out like this, I would've talked from the start…"

Karuizawa looked genuinely shocked and uneasy. To look at her and the Professor, you'd think the two of them could never have imagined that Yukimura was the VIP. Machida stood and peered at Yukimura's phone.

"The email seems authentic. All of the other personal emails are Yukimura's, so there's no room for error."

Machida, after checking Yukimura's private email and chat logs, confirmed the truth. He still appeared doubtful, and Ichinose tried to explain the situation calmly.

"There's no way it could be fake. After all, the school explained the rules, right? Copying and transferring the email is forbidden. As long as the email was sent from the school's email address, there's a 0% chance it's a fake."

She was right. Creating false information was strictly prohibited. If you broke that rule, expulsion awaited you. Therefore, everything laid out here had to be the truth.

"So that means it's definitely Yukimura-kun."

Manabe nodded. The important thing here was the process that had led to Yukimura's revelation. Whether the person holding that phone was actually the true owner of that phone was irrelevant. In other words, judging whether or not that phone belonged to Yukimura was a surprisingly difficult task. The idea that someone had switched phones wasn't outside the realm of possibility.

However, showing everyone the process of entering the six-digit password and unlocking the phone was a different story entirely. There was no way a student could know someone else's phone password. Everyone unconsciously acknowledged that Yukimura must be the owner of the phone. This wasn't the result of deduction, but rather of preconceived notions.

"I'm sorry, Yukimura-kun. This happened because I came up with this idea at the very last minute," I muttered.

"No, it's okay. It's probably for the best. I thought I could lie my way out of this, but I was wrong. I'm sure you, Sotomura, and Karuizawa would agree this was for the best," said Yukimura.

Everyone now thought of him as the sort of person who wanted to secure points for only himself.

"Well, now everyone knows the answer. It's me," Yukimura said.

If we all cleared the test together, everyone in our group would receive 500,000 points. Outcome #1, which at first had seemed impossible to achieve, now appeared to be in our grasp. Ichinose nodded, and pleaded with Class A more strongly than before.

"Please. Cooperate with us. Don't let Yukimura-kun's courage go to waste. I don't want you to betray us."

"We've been acting on Katsuragi-san's instructions from the very beginning. We won't do anything on our own," answered Machida.

He said that, but the group would disperse right before the test ended.

During that thirty-minute window of time, we had to trust not only in our own classmates, but in students from other classes.

"I want to believe… No, I do believe in everyone." Yukimura begged fervently.

He begged everyone, from every class. I wondered if the students who'd spent so much time together over these past few days had started to form bonds of friendship. I wondered if they would accept Yukimura's wishes, and if everyone would work together.

No, they wouldn't. I was sure of that. Someone would turn traitor. I had no doubt.

And if that happened, then the ones who had switched phones—Class D—would take the victory.

Yukimura must have believed that, too. I imagined that he was practically dying from holding back his laughter. However, his joy disappeared when the phone started vibrating with an incoming call. Panicking, Yukimura lunged forward to snatch the phone, but dropped it. By sheer coincidence, the phone fell face-up.

Since the phone was on silent, the table shook as it continued to vibrate. The caller ID said "Ichinose." Ichinose, holding her phone to her ear, looked at Yukimura and me.

"What are you doing, Ichinose? There's no point in calling Yukimura's phone at a time like this," said Machida, looking suspicious.

Only Yukimura and I understood what was going on. She quietly hung up the phone.

"The school said that altering or copying the emails is forbidden, that's true. That's why the email we saw was the real thing. However, there's no rule saying that you can't trick people with the phone itself. Do you understand what I'm getting at?"

Ichinose picked up the phone and handed it to me.

"The person this phone belongs to, the real VIP…that's you, isn't it?

Ayanokouji-kun? I called you just now, not Yukimura-kun."

I'd exchanged numbers with Ichinose some time ago. And even in the event she hadn't known it, she would've done her research just to be safe.

"B-but isn't that odd? Yukimura unlocked the phone right in front of us. I checked his private email history just to be sure," said Machida.

"That was all fake. He could've easily gotten the password ahead of time by simply asking Ayanokouji-kun. Besides, it's possible to replicate call history, email, apps, and so on, though it would take a bit of effort," said Ichinose.

Machida's face flashed a different, angry color. He snatched the phone out of my hands.

"It's not easy for people to lie like that, especially when the goal is within reach. In those last moments, either through negligence or nervousness, they'll leave some kind of opening. Yukimura-kun lied, and his gestures and behavior seemed different from the way he normally acts."

Ichinose had completely seen through my attempts at subterfuge.

Yukimura turned pale as she spoke. It was doubtful that he even heard her.

"We've been thinking about this for a while now, too. If the VIP was in your class, one option would be to swap phones. You could mislead people by showing off the password to unlock the phone."

Apparently, Ichinose and the others had come up with the same strategy that I had.

"But you see, there's a weak point to that strategy: a phone number.

Even if you perfectly duplicate everything from call history to apps, you can't change the number. Hamaguchi and I had tried swapping SIM cards once to see what would happen, but the SIM cards are locked to their designated phones. If you'd swapped them, I wouldn't have been able to call you. It doesn't matter who switches with whom: Once I hear the phone ring, I can find the owner. If I couldn't do that, I wouldn't have proposed this idea in the first place," said Ichinose.

Ichinose and Hamaguchi had been two steps ahead. They'd probably orchestrated everything, agreeing that Hamaguchi should be the one to

broach the topic. In one second, the truth had come to light.

"You did everything almost perfectly. But you didn't anticipate that our SIM cards are locked to specific devices, did you?" Ichinose gloated.

An announcement came through the speakers, telling us we had five minutes left before the discussion period was over. We were told to break in the next five minutes and return to our rooms.

"Damn it!" shouted Yukimura.

"Too bad, Yukimura. It was a surprisingly good try, though," said Machida. He and the others laughed, furthering the mockery.

They glanced over at me, the one also complicit in this plan. Yukimura was still visibly upset and shaking, and so was the rest of Class C. Classes C and A appeared shocked. I'm sure they had many questions, but the rules prohibited us from talking any further.

"Anyway, we've confirmed that Ayanokouji-kun is the VIP. Machida- kun, promise me that we'll aim for Outcome #1, and no one will betray anyone else," urged Ichinose.

"Yes, of course. You can trust me. Let's go," Machida said.

The three Class A students left the room right away, before anyone

else.

"There's so much to gain by working together. That's why we'll never

turn traitor. That's why I want you in Class C to do the same. Please, just bear with it for thirty minutes," Ichinose pleaded.

Manabe and the others nodded and left the room. Yukimura looked at the phone I was clutching.

"I was wrong to go along with your plan. This sucks," he fumed. One by one, everyone left the room, leaving me alone with Ichinose. "Now all we can do is to trust everyone," she said.

"Yeah. Guess so," I answered.

"You're really calm, Ayanokouji-kun. Aren't you worried?"

"Not especially. I can't do anything but believe, anyway. I'm heading to my room."

There was nothing to gain by staying here. "Hey, wait a sec."

Ichinose placed a hand on my shoulder. In that instant, I felt the tension

between us.

"Who came up with the idea of swapping phones?" she asked. "Horikita, of course."

"I see. Please tell Horikita-san something for me. Tell her that her plan was a huge success."

"A huge success? Don't you mean a crushing defeat? We failed, hard.

You saw through everything."

"Ha ha ha. You didn't expect us to have come up with the same plan, did you?"

"I'm sorry. Sorry for trying to deceive you like that, especially after I agreed to be your ally. Are you angry?"

"Of course not. We went ahead with our own plan without telling you, so we're even."

"I see. If you mean it, I'm sure Horikita will be relieved." I grabbed my phone and headed for the exit.

"W-wait, wait a second. We still haven't gotten to the critical part yet," she said.

"The critical part?"

"Come on. You're surprisingly bad at dealing with people, Ayanokouji-kun. It's true that the SIM cards are locked to their respective devices. But there is a way to release that lock. Isn't that right? I checked with Hoshinomiya-sensei to confirm. She said that with enough points, you can unlock the device right away," said Ichinose.

In that instant, I felt a faint electric current run down my spine.

"After a falsehood comes to light, most people will take the answer that comes after it to be the truth. Yukimura-kun was determined not to be the

VIP, even after he showed everyone how he unlocked your phone using the password. The moment that lie was revealed, the truth that you're the VIP came to the surface. The SIM card was the deciding factor. No one would suspect anyone else as the VIP now. But that was the trap. I said the idea of swapping phones was an imperfect strategy, but that was a lie. That's because swapping phones is extremely effective. Of course, it must be a double- layered trap in order to work. In that case, the truth will remain in the darkness. There wouldn't be any way for anyone to determine, with 100% accuracy, the real VIP's identity."

Ichinose had seen through my plan. She'd seen through the plan behind the plan. She realized the truth I'd kept hidden even from Yukimura. First, she knew I was not the VIP, but that I'd approached Yukimura under the pretense of being exactly that. As proof, I used the real VIP's phone to contact him. But the real target—the real VIP and the owner of that phone— was Karuizawa. She'd hidden that fact very well. The only person she'd secretly told was Hirata. Hirata kept that from both me and Yukimura at first. That's why he pretended not to know who the VIP was when we spoke about it. However, after I learned about his and Karuizawa's pasts, Hirata told me the truth. Then, after I used Manabe to bully Karuizawa, I took the opportunity to swap our phones.

Of course, I replicated the email and call history, just as I did with Yukimura. Naturally, I then used my points to do a SIM lock release. Doing so wasn't illegal and could be done free of charge at any major retailer. We may have been on a ship at sea, but I'd been positive that the school would have something prepared to replace or repair our phones should they be damaged. That's why, while using Karuizawa's phone, I was able to transfer over my number as well.

Then, I swapped that phone with Yukimura's. Of course, I had told him it was my phone, and he believed me. If my deception were revealed, he'd be extremely angry.

A simple person would have never noticed that Yukimura and I switched phones. A clever person would have noticed the swap and accused me of being the VIP. But they never would have come to the conclusion that Karuizawa was the real VIP.

"If the VIP wasn't in Class D, what would you have done?" asked

Ichinose.

"The same as you. I would've tried to find out who the VIP was, borrowed that person's phone, and had another one ready. Then, I'd step forward and claim to be the VIP myself."

If the real VIP then came forward to point out the lie, the writing would be on the wall. Simply believing that Ichinose was the VIP meant that the test would end with the traitor making a mistake. In the latter situation, Class B would be awarded no points, and the gap would either decrease or increase between the classes.

"So I've been found out, huh?"

Ichinose started pulling phones from both pockets. One belonged to the VIP from a Class B student's other group, and the other was a phone from a different student who, most likely, wasn't a VIP.

"This is just my prediction, but based on how today's discussion went…"

Ichinose quickly typed a short message on her own phone. "The real VIP is Karuizawa Kei-san. Am I right?"

She showed me her phone. That was the betrayal message she was

going to send to the school. However, before anything could happen, both my phone and Ichinose's rang at the same time.

"The test has now ended for the Rabbit group. Please wait for the results announcement."

"Ahh, I guess someone turned traitor, huh? I wonder, was it Class A or Class C?"

"Why did you think it was Karuizawa?" I asked.

"The same reason as Yukimura-kun. She's been behaving unusually.

She normally doesn't seem to care much about you, Ayanokouji-kun, but she kept looking over at you, and her face tightened. But there's still the possibility that she isn't the VIP, so I couldn't have sent that email."

Apparently, Ichinose had completely seen through my plan. "Why didn't you say anything? At the very least, you could have

exposed my lie," I said.

Ichinose smiled. The smile she wore now was perhaps the most genuine I had ever seen from her. "That's obvious. If either Class A or Class C makes a mistake, that's a win for us. From the very beginning, I never intended to clear Outcome #1, or to turn traitor and get Outcome #3. The moment I knew the VIP wasn't in Class B, I knew I would let another class betray us. I think the traitor was probably from Class A," she said.

"Machida?"

"No, no. Morishige-kun. He's a member of Sakayanagi's faction. I doubt he'd just quietly go along with Katsuragi's plan. He probably figured that, if anything, it was better for him to betray the group and take the points. Don't you think?"

Ichinose laughed and turned her back to me.

"Ayanokouji-kun, you're amazing. You know that? Our conversation just now proves how cunning you really are, doesn't it?"

"You ought to praise Horikita. She just gave me directions, that's all."

It seemed I needed to re-evaluate Ichinose Honami. She'd managed to thoroughly avoid risks while devising a strategy that led her to victory.

"Well, I'll be leaving then. It would be bad if we broke the rules, wouldn't you say?"

However, the moment Ichinose said that, both of our phones played a unique sound. It played four times, quickly.

"Wh-what does this mean?" asked Ichinose.

She seemed completely shocked as she slowly looked from her phone's screen over to me.

5.3

Our ship floated on the dark, lonely sea. As we got closer to 11:00, more and more people began to gather. The café, which had been completely silent, started to fill up with people. Eventually, the place was packed. I secured four seats well ahead of time. A lone girl approached me.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," she said.

Karuizawa Kei approached me rather meekly. Something about her expression seemed different.

"Sorry for calling you so late." "No, it's okay."

Since I didn't really have anything to talk to her about, I silently gazed at the nighttime scenery. However, Karuizawa looked as if she had wanted to ask me something. I glanced at her.

"Ah, um. I was just wondering if everything really went okay," she

said.

"Don't worry. I'm positive that one of the guys from Class A sent the

school an email with my name," I answered.

I'd had one more piece of insurance up my sleeve, besides the double phone swap. But because I'd laid my plans well, there was likely nothing to worry about.

"How can you say that for sure?" she asked.

"I'm guessing you're talking about that piece of paper you gave me. Right, Ayanokouji-kun?" Hirata's approach from behind made Karuizawa jump in shock. Well, that was understandable. After all, Karuizawa had screamed at him and said they were breaking up the other day.

"Excellent work on this test, both of you. May I sit?" he asked. "Sure."

Karuizawa shifted in her seat, clearly uncomfortable. She looked away, but didn't show any sign that she would refuse him. It was 10:55 p.m. In just five more minutes, an email should be sent to all the students.

"It's just about time. Is Horikita-san still not here? Shouldn't we contact her?" asked Hirata.

"She's the type to come at the very last second. We have another four minutes," I said.

"Ah, looks like she's here," said Hirata.

Apparently, Horikita had arrived earlier than I'd expected.

"Ahh. When I see you people, I can't help but sigh," muttered Horikita. "You're finally here. Hey, who's that behind you?" I asked.

"Ignore him. Think of him as a ghost that attached itself to my back," Horikita said flatly.

"Aw, come on. Don't say that, Horikita. I just thought you might be nervous during the test, so I was worried about you. That's why I came to check on you."

Sudou Ken. I hadn't seen him for several days. He stood so close to Horikita that they were practically attached.

"You're in the way. Get lost," she spat.

"H-hey, don't say that. I gave this test everything I had, you know." "In that case, do you believe you'll end up with good results?"

"I was just one step behind, that's all. Looks like someone else sent the email before me," he muttered.

Horikita stopped paying any attention to his lame excuses and sat down in the vacant seat. Sudou quickly went to grab a chair from a nearby table.

"You're in the way," Horikita grumbled.

"Come on. It's fine, isn't it? I'm just going to listen. You wouldn't cut out a classmate, right?"

This was a rather unusual group of people. Sudou didn't seem to show interest in listening to anyone else.

"Anyway, about the chain of emails we received earlier," Horikita began.

"Yeah. I was hung up on that, too," I said.

We were talking about what'd happened two hours earlier. Just as I was about to part ways with Ichinose, we'd received four emails at almost the exact same time, in rapid succession. They'd informed us about the end of the test for several groups. The test had ended for the Rat, Horse, Rooster, and Pig groups. They'd all had traitors.

"Minami-kun was the Horse group VIP, right?" asked Horikita. "Yeah. Someone discovered his identity," I reasoned.

"Did one of us send an email for the other groups?" asked Horikita.

She was anxious. If you guessed incorrectly, the penalties were high. "I was a little apprehensive about that, so I went around and asked

people in the individual groups earlier. None of the guys said they turned traitor," Hirata answered.

Hopefully, they hadn't lied to him. I thought we could trust them to a certain degree.

"Is Yamauchi okay?" I asked.

"Ah, he's probably okay. Yamauchi-kun was in the Rooster group. It seems he did try sending an email but agonized over it for too long. The test ended before he could actually send it," said Horikita.

"I don't know who it was, but betraying the group before he could was a fine move," I said.

Horikita had predicted that if Yamauchi sent the email, he most likely would've gotten the answer wrong. She was probably correct. He might consider himself a reckless, daring guy, but the moment he hesitated to send that email, it was all over for him. He wasn't the cocksure guy he imagined himself to be.

"But I don't know about the girls," Horikita said.

"I've already checked. No one sent an email," said Karuizawa without hesitation. As controller of the Class D girls, she could be as certain as Hirata of her information.

"I see," answered Horikita flatly. Of course, since Horikita did not have the necessary social pull, she had no choice but to accept what she was told.

"Still, I wonder why only a small group of people were given

explanations for this exam, in the end?" muttered Hirata, as if he still had lingering doubts that he couldn't quite shake.

"This exam was all about testing our thinking. It's not like every single question would have an answer," said Horikita.

Maybe we'd only truly grasp everything after seeing through all the meaningless bluffs. The truth hid among those many doubts.

"What I'm worried about is that those four emails came in at almost the exact same time. The school said we had a timeframe of thirty minutes at the end of the test to betray someone, but all the emails came within one to two seconds of each other," she said.

"Isn't that just a coincidence?" asked Sudou. Apparently, from Sudou's perspective, everything was a coincidence.

"When Kouenji-kun sent the email to betray his group, the school responded without delay. If you think about how fast it was, it must have been automated," Horikita began.

"So it's likely that all of the emails were sent together. In other words, the betrayal emails all came from one class." Hirata finished her thought.

That was it. I couldn't think of any other reason.

"They might have sent the emails at the exact same time as a way of showing off their supremacy," Hirata added.

"Yeah. And there's only one person I can imagine who'd do such a thing." said Horikita.

Horikita and Hirata had a natural rapport. I was grateful they were able to do this without me having to jump in. Meeting in this particular café, a place we'd used so many times before, had been a deliberate move on my part.

"So. You're all here after all, huh?"

It was so I could invite a particular sixth guest to join us. "Ryuuen!"

Sudou, after noticing Ryuuen, stood up as if to threaten him, but Ryuuen didn't pay any mind. He simply grabbed a vacant chair, forcefully slamming it next to Horikita before taking a seat.

"I thought I'd enjoy finding out the results with you all. Thanks so

much for gathering in such an easy-to-find place," he said mockingly.

"Yes. I chose this space because even an idiot like you would be able to find it quite easily. You should be grateful," answered Horikita.

"Anyway, Suzune, you've got a rather large group with you. Have you grown more sociable?" muttered Ryuuen, looking out at the other four people gathered around the table and ignoring Sudou completely.

"I disliked your persistent harassment. I was talking to them about it," said Horikita flatly.

"Don't you hang all over Horikita!" roared Sudou. "Sudou-kun, be quiet," Horikita snapped.

"Oh," he muttered dejectedly. Sudou obediently sank back into his chair. He was surprisingly docile.

"I didn't think you actually had any friends," Ryuuen teased. This was a defensive strategy I'd devised specifically to deal with

Ryuuen. By increasing the number of people in Horikita's social circle, I had successfully set up a dummy. With more people to keep an eye on, he would be unable to catch everything. He'd become negligent.

"The results will be announced any minute now. Are you expecting any results?" he asked.

"More or less. You look rather relaxed," Horikita said.

"Heh. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't. Looks like the same crowd as the last time," replied Ryuuen.

"And I remember that the last time they announced results, you were acting all high and mighty. But then you lost big," Sudou chided, pointing a finger at Ryuuen and laughing.

Horikita, as if agreeing with Sudou, gave Ryuuen a disgusted look. "Stop it, Suzune. You know if you get carried away now, you'll just be

embarrassed later. I already know our group's VIP," said Ryuuen.

Whether he was lying or not, Horikita wasn't shaken in the least. She was convinced that she wouldn't lose to Ryuuen. "I'm quite glad to hear that. I look forward to the results," she replied with confidence.

"There's no need to wait for the announcement. Want me to tell you who the Dragon group VIP is?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, but I'm hearing the irritating whine of a loser. The test has already ended, and no one in the Dragon group has turned traitor. That can only mean one thing," she answered. The exam had ended without Ryuuen figuring out that Kushida was the VIP.

"If you could only understand the depth of my mercy, you'd be moved.

So moved that you'll get wet between your thighs." Ryuuen laughed, as though such vulgar language was funny.

"All right, tell me then. Who is the Dragon group VIP?" asked Horikita.

Ryuuen, as if he'd been waiting for her to ask, covered his smiling face with his hand. He peered at us through the gaps in his fingers, like some kind of beast in a cage. He looked ready to tear out his prey's throat.

"Kushida Kikyou."

"Huh?" Horikita, who had been unconcerned until that point, cried out and stiffened. She'd been confident that he'd never get it right. Hirata, also in the Dragon group, was flabbergasted as well.

"I'm sorry, but I've known Kushida was the VIP since the second day of the test," Ryuuen said.

"You're joking, right? If that's true, you would have turned traitor and sent an email. But the test didn't end like that. That must mean you realized that fact after the exam had ended. There's no other way. Am I wrong?" asked Horikita.

"I just felt so sorry for you. You were oh-so-incredibly confident in your victory that you looked down on others. You were desperate to get your stories straight, assuming no one would get the answer right. That's why I went along with it until the end."

"How did you figure it out?" asked Hirata. His question contained a mixture of curiosity and fear. He must've been curious both because he'd so carefully protected Kushida, and because Ryuuen hadn't betrayed anyone.

"Unfortunately, the answer to that… Well, it involves you, Suzune," answered Ryuuen.

"Me?" she asked, dumbfounded. Horikita must have been desperately trying to remain calm while replaying the test in her head. When, where, and how had he gotten the answer?

"I figured it out because of your body. The movements of your eyes and mouth. Your breathing. Your behavior. Your tone. Everything about you told me that you were lying," continued Ryuuen in an eerie voice.

"Stop with the jokes!"

"Jokes? If it's a joke, then how do I know the truth?"

"That's… I'm sure you could've just heard it from someone else," Horikita stammered.

"I understand how you feel. You don't want to admit that you're the most incompetent person in the group. But don't beat yourself up, Suzune. You merely chose the wrong opponent. Besides, this exam was supposed to be pure chaos. At any rate, Class A is in for an especially rude awakening. Relax."

"What? What did you do?" asked Horikita. "You'll understand soon enough."

Apparently, Ryuuen had played a major part in the four betrayal

emails. Once the clock struck eleven, we received notifications at the exact same time. All of us, save Ryuuen, checked the results:

Rat: Outcome #3. The traitor answered correctly. Cow: Outcome #4. The traitor answered incorrectly.

Tiger: Outcome #2. The VIP's identity was not discovered. Rabbit: Outcome #4. The traitor answered incorrectly.

Dragon: Outcome #1. The entire group answered correctly at the end

of the test.

Snake: Outcome #2. The VIP's identity was not discovered. Horse: Outcome #3. The traitor answered correctly.

Sheep: Outcome #2. The VIP's identity was not discovered.

Monkey: Outcome #3. The traitor answered correctly.

Rooster: Outcome #3. The traitor answered correctly. Dog: Outcome #2. The VIP's identity was not discovered. Pig: Outcome 3. #The traitor answered correctly.

Based on those results, the increase or decrease in class and private points are as follows. "Cl" and "Pr" are used to denote "class points" and "private points," respectively.

Class A: Minus 200 cl; Plus 2 Million pr Class B: No Change cl; Plus 2.5 Million pr Class C: Plus 150 cl; Plus 5.5 Million pr Class D: Plus 50 cl; Plus 3 Million pr

"Class C…came out on top," muttered Horikita. Everyone looked stunned by the results.

"Isn't this great, Suzune? Thanks to your blunder, the Dragon group

managed to clear this test with Outcome #1. Because of that, all the classes should receive a boost in points," Ryuuen crowed. He clapped his hands and wore a satisfied grin. "If you beg for it, I'll tell you the answer. How about it?" he asked.

"Who would—" Horikita started to snap, but quickly shut her mouth. "Ooh, that look you have. It's pretty sexy."

Ryuuen took out his phone and placed it on the table. On the screen

was a list, and on that list were the names of the VIPs from Class A in the Rat, Rooster, and Pig groups.

"I made some adjustments and arrived at the root of the test. Then, I just focused on the Class A students," he said.

Ryuuen had managed to clear the test without targeting Classes B or D at all. No one should have been able to pull off something like that, but Ryuuen did.

"I'm sorry to tell you, Suzune, but you're my next target. I'm going after you with everything I've got. I won't stop until I tear you to shreds, both in mind and body."

Horikita, unable to attempt a comeback, simply kept staring at the

results. After obtaining such a huge number of points, Class C had gained an overwhelming lead. Looking over the results, it became clear that Kouenji saved our asses, even though we thought he'd been screwing around. If he hadn't done what he did, this victory would've belonged exclusively to Class

C. Of course, Kouenji's actions had ended up causing stray bullets to go flying at other VIPs.

"I'm looking forward to the second semester," said Ryuuen.

Ryuuen, his payback for the island administered in full, walked away with satisfaction. The rest of us weren't exactly in a celebratory mood. If someone saw the stern looks on our faces, they'd imagine we'd suffered a crushing defeat.

"I understand that Ryuuen-kun managed to discover the VIPs in Class A, sure, but I'm not convinced he has some kind of preternatural talent. Still, how did Dragon Group end up with that result?" asked Hirata.

No one answered, perhaps because no one could figure it out.

"I mean, it's not really a difficult problem. If you just put your mind to it, it's relatively simple," I told everyone.

"What do you mean?"

"Putting aside how Ryuuen found out the VIPs' identities, all he had to do was tell everyone 'Kushida is the VIP' before the end of the test, right? Of course, no one would believe what someone like Ryuuen says. Especially a group of such intelligent, gifted people. However, the final half hour was different. Even if you answered incorrectly, there wasn't any risk to class points. As such, even someone who'd been playing defensively like Katsuragi could vote, right? If there was even a 1% chance that Kushida was really the VIP, then they would've gotten Outcome #1, which was the most convenient for everyone involved."

If he'd just planted the seed earlier, it would've been extremely simple.

But something like that would've normally been impossible. It was a tightrope act; something that couldn't have happened unless every single person trusted that Kushida was the answer. Was it even possible? As I thought about it, I still had doubts. I never would've imagined he could succeed. How had he gained everyone else's—excluding Class D, of course

—trust? I was genuinely curious.

Perhaps if he had absolute proof?

"Horikita. I think that we might be in trouble," I said. There was no quick fix to our problem. Depending on how things went, Class D might be stuck with these obstacles for the long haul.

"By trouble, you mean Ryuuen-kun? It's true he did very well in this test, but there's no guarantee he'll be dangerous in the future. Your group won their test, after all. Didn't they?" she asked.

"You've got a point. I'm probably overthinking things. Don't worry."

Perhaps my feelings were nothing more than a premonition. But what if they came true? These might be our first faltering steps toward despair. But I also felt some alien emotion growing inside of me. It was something like excitement.