Yesterday I made a promise with Horikita, so I decided to eat breakfast with her at the restaurant.

It was probably about the Dragon Group.

I’d already received some contact from Kushida, so I had a rough grasp of things.

After waiting a bit, Horikita arrived.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I kept you waiting. Knowing you, I thought you’d show up right at the last minute.”

“Yeah, that used to be the case. But I got scolded by Kei the other day, so I’ve been trying to come a little earlier.”

“…I see. I don’t mind, but you should probably refrain from bringing up another woman’s name in front of a woman.”

“Is that how it works?”

“That’s how it works.”

I don’t really get it.

* * *

“Since you’ve probably already heard from Kushida, I won’t go out of my way to talk about the members. What do you think about the Dragon Group?”

After we finished eating and were sitting together drinking water, Horikita finally brought up what was clearly the main topic.

“There’s definitely some kind of intention on the school’s side. It’s a group made up entirely of leader-level people, so the homeroom teachers probably decided it.”

Class A has Katsuragi, Class B has Kanzaki, Class C has Ryūen and Class D has Kushida, Hirata and Horikita.

You could call it blatant.

“That may be true, but it doesn’t quite sit right with me. Why aren’t you in the Dragon Group? And Ichinose-san isn’t in the Dragon Group either, yet she seems to be in the same group as you.”

“Maybe Chabashira judged that you guys alone were enough to fight in the Dragon Group. Or maybe she wanted to increase the number of groups that could win by putting me elsewhere.”

As for why Ichinose is in the same group as me, it’s probably because Hoshinomiya-sensei, the homeroom teacher of Class B, either doesn’t want to let me act freely or wants her to observe me.

If Chabashira were truly serious about winning, I feel like she could’ve just put me alone into the Dragon Group and then scattered Kei, Kushida, Horikita and Hirata across the others.

Ryūen is tough, that much is true, but he’s still not enough.

With Sakayanagi not around, there’s no real need to worry about Class A at all.

Rather than focusing on small, immediate victories, this grouping might be meant for growth going forward.

Being able to closely observe how the leaders of other classes think should be a valuable experience.

If she thought this far ahead when arranging things, then maybe Chabashira really is a respectable educator.

At least, I want to believe that.

Well, that’s assuming the exam doesn’t end immediately after it starts.

To prevent that, I’ve already scheduled a meeting with Ryūen later, so it shouldn’t be a waste.

Or maybe she judged that if I were put into the Dragon Group, the other class leaders would end up scattered elsewhere.

Since not all the powerhouses are gathered in the Dragon Group, that explanation seems more plausible.

“Do you plan to do something again in this exam? How do you think I should act?”

“You don’t need to worry too much. If there’s a VIP in your own class, just make sure it doesn’t get exposed. If the VIP is in another class, then try to find them. With these rules, almost no one would willingly reveal that they’re a VIP, so at first we’ll have to feel our way forward. With Ryūen around, any strange moves would just raise suspicion.”

“I see. That’s a relief. If I were forced into something reckless again, I don’t know what would happen.”

Just as Horikita’s grudge-filled tone flared up, a sharp chime rang out.

It seemed it was now eight in the morning.

At least for now, it looks like I’m not a VIP.

Like me, Horikita was checking her phone and I got a ‘no’ message from her.

I also received ‘no’ messages from Sotomura and Yukimura.

The problem was Kei and Kushida.

Both of them were ‘yes’.

For now, I deleted all the emails.

“‘After a strict adjustment process,’ huh… The teachers said this was an exam that tests thinking ability, so that means there must be some kind of rule governing the VIPs.”

I deliberately didn’t respond.

Whether I answered or not, Horikita would conclude that there was a rule anyway.

More importantly, my mind was racing with something else.

‘Even if it’s only two people, we already know some VIPs at this point. Combined with yesterday’s hypothesis, the condition for VIPs is probably the attendance number order within each group, matching numbers tied to the zodiac.’

It’s still just a hypothesis, but it seems fairly accurate.

I was worried it might be something like birth order, so this being relatively simple is a relief, but that also means Ryūen could arrive at the answer very quickly.

The latest possible deadline is when Kushida passes information to Ryūen.

By then, the rule would almost certainly be exposed.

At this stage, I want to believe that Ryūen hasn’t reached full certainty yet.

I’m glad I arranged to meet him early yesterday.

Thanks to that, this should somehow work out.

Still, Kei and Kushida being VIPs complicates things.

With this, we can’t just end our exam early with a quick solution.

If Result Three were allowed even when the person is in the same class as the VIP, this would’ve been easy.

If we want to end the exam early, we’ll need to think of some strategy, but that can wait for now.

“I’ll take your silence as confirmation. Then I’ll look for the rule myself.”

“Yeah, do your best. I’m rooting for you.”

Since Kushida is the VIP in the Dragon Group, it probably won’t mean much anyway.

* * *

At eight o’clock, I gathered everyone in Class C, had them quickly check their emails and then dismissed them.

That was because Ayanokōji had specified eight-thirty yesterday.

I was able to learn who the three VIPs were, but that was all for now.

At a glance, there didn’t seem to be any obvious common points between them.

While turning things over in my head, I headed to the designated location and he was already there.

“Yo. I didn’t expect you to contact me directly yourself. Did you not consider the possibility that I’d beat you to a pulp as payback for the last uninhabited island exam?”

“I’ve taken measures against that, so it’s not a problem. Even now, this conversation is being listened to by a third party and it’s also being recorded. Besides, you don’t really have a choice but to come alone anyway, so there’s no issue.”

In the end, if it were exposed that I’d fabricated a violence incident or was skimming classmates’ points, it would be bad news, so moving alone is preferable for me.

I need to deal with this quickly.

“Hmph. Spare me the nonsense. Get to the point already.”

“You’re right. It’s best to settle business quickly. This time, I want you to refrain from submitting an answer targeting Class D’s VIP.”

Huh?

“Are you screwing with me? Considering the point gap between us, there’s no reason not to target Class D. Every correct guess nets a difference of 100 CP and 500,000 PP. There’s no way I’d throw that away.”

“That might be how it looks from your side, but you have no choice but to comply. The fact that the exam hasn’t ended yet means you still haven’t figured out the rule behind the VIPs. Am I wrong?”

“Who knows? Maybe I’m just not making a move yet so you’ll think that.”

It’s a complete bluff.

Saying this much is dangerous, but if I say nothing, I’ll lose all initiative.

All I need to do here is hint at it.

“I see. If that’s the case, then calling you here was worth it. I’ve also figured out the rule. Your Class C VIPs are ○○, ×× and △△, right?”

“You think I’d answer that? And even if I did, you wouldn’t believe me anyway. Same goes for me.”

I feel cold sweat running down my back.

I force myself to control my expression and carefully choose my words.

It’s only been about an hour since the VIPs were decided.

Still, it’s hard to believe there’s a traitor in our class.

After all, the only one who knows exactly who all of Class C’s VIPs are is me, since I personally checked everyone’s phones.

There’s no way all three VIPs are traitors.

If they were, that would mean they’d identified all VIPs even before they were decided.

That’s impossible.

You can guess, but that’s nowhere near certainty.

Right now, he’s baiting me.

I can’t let him read anything.

“…Just so you know, the one listening in on this conversation is my girlfriend, Kei. If these negotiations fall apart, we’re prepared to contact everyone individually with all the answers. If you’re going to listen, now’s the time.”

“…Tch. That would be a real problem.”

Dragging this out is pointless.

If he says he’ll do it, he will.

“So what do you actually want from me?”

“I said it at the start. I just want you to stop answering with Class D’s VIP as the target. Since that gives you nothing, how about this instead? Class D will only submit answers after the exam ends.”

I do mess around for my own amusement sometimes, but what the hell is this guy thinking?

I honestly can’t understand it.

Still, there’s no point pushing the issue.

There’s something in it for us.

That’s enough for now.

“…Yeah. That works perfectly for me too. We can crush A and B freely and it’s guaranteed that D won’t gain many points.”

If Class D doesn’t betray anyone mid-exam, they won’t target Class C’s VIPs.

That means the outcome will almost certainly be Result Two.

That’s fine.

“One more thing and this is a bit of an apology. Kōenji will probably act freely, so please overlook that part. We should be paying sufficient compensation for it.”

“That’s fine, but put it into a document. I can’t feel at ease with just a verbal promise. As things stand, we could get hit with an indiscriminate attack from Class D on day one and have the exam end immediately.”

In reality, only the group with Class D’s VIP would remain, but frankly, that’d be a mop-up match.

“I figured you’d say that, so I already prepared a document. All that’s left is for you and me to sign it.”

Just how far ahead has this guy thought things through?

Well, given there’s effectively no option to refuse, I have no choice but to accept.

Someday, I’ll crush him.

For now, I need to build up my strength.

I quickly signed, clicked my tongue and left.

First, we in Class C need to find the rule.

I’m confident in my cunningness, but that doesn’t mean I’m smart.

I should also have Kaneda, our strategist, think about it.

If that airhead helped, things would be easier, but he’s not keen on class warfare.

I don’t want to rely on this, but it might be better to gather information from Kushida and increase the VIP sample size.

Given how popular Kushida is, there’s a high chance some information reaches her.

While I’m at it, I should also probe Kushida’s reactions and way of thinking.

* * *

He got through it with an almost perfect poker face, but judging by his body’s reactions, my guess about Class C’s VIPs is probably correct.

Erasing unconscious behavior takes serious training.

That means my VIP rule hypothesis is likely correct.

There are various conditions attached, but Ryūen won’t deliberately cross an overly dangerous bridge.

Considering that D and B aren’t attacking each other and that Class A will likely focus on defense, any lie here would be exposed anyway.

Even if I revealed the VIP rule now and secured a massive victory, the class wouldn’t grow.

There are capable people, sure, but there are still far too many defective individuals for Class D.

Yamauchi would get carried away immediately and many others would follow.

In my experience, the more incompetent someone is, the louder they bark.

If I had to predict the outcome of this shipboard exam, Class D probably won’t lose outright, but it won’t earn that much either.

If people feel the sense of danger that victory isn’t guaranteed, fewer will think they can just leave everything to me.

That’s better for the future.

As for those who still don’t improve…

I’ll think about that when the time comes.

* * *

Contract Regarding the Second Special Exam

• Class D will only submit answers after the exam has ended.

• Class C will not carry out any betrayal targeting the group that contains Class D’s VIP.

• Since Kōenji is uncontrollable, the Monkey Group that includes Kōenji will be overlooked.

• If Class D carries out any betrayal other than the above, they will pay a penalty of 5 million PP.

• If Class C carries out a betrayal targeting Class D, they will pay a penalty of 5 million PP.

• If asked which class was targeted for a betrayal in order to verify whether any betrayal occurred, one must answer accurately and honestly. Failure to do so will result in a penalty of 10 million PP.

* * *

The first discussion session of the Rabbit Group began and introductions were finished.

However, everyone was probing each other and an unpleasant atmosphere hung in the air.

On top of that, a lot of eyes were on me.

Well, given everything I’ve done so far, it’s only natural I’d stand out.

“Hey, it’s uncomfortable being stared at like that. Did I do something?”

“Well, having you here would make the atmosphere like this, wouldn’t it? You’re the ‘Emperor of Class D, the Harem King’ who led Class D to victory on the uninhabited island, Ayanokōji-kun.”

Wasn’t something off about that just now?

“I didn’t really do much. I left everything to everyone else and just kept an eye on Ibuki. In the end, on the sixth day, the key card was stolen from me quite neatly.”

“…Don’t mess with me, Ayanokōji! You deliberately left an opening so it could be stolen, all to force us into self-destruction through a leader change, right?!”

Ibuki explodes.

That’s understandable.

After all, a lot of the blame was pinned on her.

“That plan only worked because Horikita was in poor health. Isn’t it Ibuki’s fault for failing to notice Horikita’s condition, despite being a spy in Class D from day one?”

“Argh!!!!!!”

“Well, well, Ibuki-san. I’ve got things I want to say too, but I’m holding back. Let’s just call it even, okay?”

Since the underwear thief is Ibuki ‘officially’, if Kei presses her on it, Ibuki will have a hard time moving.

In reality, Kei knows full well that Kushida was responsible, but Kei has trained her expressions and habits together with Kushida, so others won’t notice.

Ibuki herself probably thinks it’s more advantageous to let the underwear theft stay pinned on her.

She can’t let it be exposed that Kushida betrayed us.

With a single click of her tongue, Ibuki fell silent.

“Um, this is really hard to say, but since we’re in the middle of a special exam… Do you think Karuizawa-san sticking so closely to Ayanokōji-kun could maybe be toned down a bit?”

Ichinose says this with an awkward laugh.

“We were apart for a whole week on the uninhabited island, so we couldn’t be together as much as usual. And right now, Horikita-san and Kikyo-chan aren’t here, so it’s kind of a chance.”

I can only give a wry smile.

That might be a big reason we’ve been getting stared at.

“Well, there’s still plenty of time to talk things through. For now, I’d love to hear more details from Karuizawa-san.”

“Huh?! There’s really nothing to talk about though—”

I’ll just leave the two of them as they suddenly launch into girl talk.

Honestly, my presence here is painfully awkward.

Class A has stayed silent aside from introductions, probably on Katsuragi’s orders.

Class C is the same, aside from Ibuki snapping.

Once Ryūen finishes analyzing the VIP rule, discussion itself will become meaningless, so Class C likely won’t act.

As for Class B… it’s rude to say, but in this group, everything depends on Ichinose.

Without her, they’d basically be nonfunctional.

Since Ichinose loosened Kei’s grip on me, I’ll use this chance to talk with Yukimura and the others.

“Is it really okay to leave things in such chaos?”

“It’s fine. Class A will stick to silence anyway and honestly, trying to do anything would be pointless. It’s better to just kill time quietly.”

“But 500,000 PP and 50 CP are huge! Isn’t there something we can do?!”

Yukimura raises his voice, but I already know that Kei is the VIP in this group, so it’s hard to move.

If anything, we’ll wait until Kōenji goes on a rampage.

“Precisely because the reward is so big, VIPs won’t easily talk when you consider how information could leak. To find the rule, you’d need at least two people and realistically three or four. It’s basically impossible.”

Unless you forcibly confirm things like Class C did, or end up in a bizarre situation like me where two close associates happen to be VIPs, you won’t even have a chance to confirm multiple cases.

Without information on other classes’ VIPs, you can’t even ask about a fourth person and three shared traits just aren’t precise enough.

I’m fine thanks to talking with Ryūen.

Honestly, I got lucky.

Even with Kushida being popular, it’s doubtful everyone in Class D would tell her they’re a VIP.

“I get that, but… I’ll think about it my own way too. If you find anything, let me know.”

“Yeah. Will do.”

Yukimura wears his emotions on his face, so if I tell him anything, it’ll be after everything’s over.

“…Normies should explode, I say.”

Sotomura mutters a curse, but I ignore him.

* * *

The discussion time ends and students from other classes start leaving.

“Kei, it’s over. Let’s go back.”

“Already?! Thanks for listening to me ramble. I’d love it if you let me vent again sometime.”

“Ahaha. See you.”

Ichinose looks like she’s on the verge of collapse.

Was it really that brutal?

I don’t recall doing anything.

“Oh, sorry. Come on, Kiyotaka, let’s head back.”

Kei lunges toward me energetically and ends up knocking over a nearby student.

“What’re you doing after this, Kiyotaka? Wanna hang out together until the next meeting?”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll probably still be free today.”

It’s a luxury cruise ship.

It’d be a waste not to use it while we can.

Remembering the anger in the eyes of the girl who got knocked over, I walk as usual with Kei, our arms linked.

* * *

Everyone’s flirting nonstop.

It’s annoying beyond belief.

Especially that woman, so absorbed in flirting with her boyfriend that she shoved me aside.

Just thinking about it again makes me irritated.

“You shove someone aside and then go on flirting without a care—give it a rest, Karuizawa!!!”

Giving in to my impulse, I kick the wall.

With a loud thud, a voice reaches me.

“Hehe. You had such a good expression that I decided to follow you. Looks like I was right.”

“Who’s there?!”

I was seen.

I came all the way to a place where no one should find me.

“There’s no need to be so scared. I don’t like Karuizawa-san either.”

The one who stepped out was a woman wearing a mask.

Her hair was probably a wig too.

Honestly, she looked like nothing but a suspicious person.

“…Don’t worry about my appearance. I don’t want to be recognized either. But both you and I don’t have very good feelings toward Karuizawa-san. That’s why I’m on your side. And that’s exactly why… I’ll tell you Karuizawa-san’s weakness.”

It was truly a devil’s whisper.