The scene rewinds three hours before the start of the second group discussion.
On a deserted terrace, I wait for someone.
The sun has set, and the lingering summer sunset—characteristically late—serves as a gentle marker for my internal clock.
The clouds have mostly cleared, leaving the view flawless. The wait does not feel long at all.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
A familiar low voice reaches me from behind. My appointment has arrived. No more wasted time.
"You're late."
I was only marginally earlier myself—I hadn't truly been waiting—but the line felt like the standard thing to say.
"I got here as fast as I could."
"When you're meeting a girl, you should make it a rule to arrive at least ten minutes early. That's why you'll never be popular."
"…'A girl,' huh."
"Got a problem with that?"
I silence his displeased expression with a sharp glare.
He—Ayanokouji—shakes his head in denial.
"Your face has changed. It's completely different from how you looked three hours ago."
"Yes. I suppose finding a countermeasure for the exam gave me some breathing room."
"Looks that way. I half-expected you to snap at me for talking down to you, but you seem surprisingly fine."
"Having breathing room doesn't mean I won't get angry at your comments, you know."
I clench my fist and raise my arm.
He lifts both hands in mock surrender.
Recognizing that we have enough margin for this kind of banter, I cut to the chase.
"Let's compare answers. The conclusion I reached using the hint you gave me."
"Go ahead. Tell me how you plan to win."
"…First—we end the Dragon Group."
Ayanokouji's eyebrows twitch at the words. The fact that he reacted at all suggests I'm not wrong.
"How? What advantage is there? Do you even know who the VIP is?"
"The VIP is Kushida. …You already suspected who the Dragon Group's VIP was, didn't you? That's why you gave me that hint."
"To be accurate, I inferred it. During the first group discussion I got a rough idea of the Rabbit Group's VIP, and after seeing the member lists for both the Rabbit and Dragon Groups, I noticed what seemed like a pattern.
Of course, I've only seen two groups, so the information is limited. Even now, I'm not entirely certain."
"I see… Still, there really is a pattern to the VIPs. Which means Kamukura probably…"
"He must have checked every group member across Class C. The difference in leadership is showing."
Disunity is Class D's greatest weakness. The gap with the other classes is stark.
Whether a class can share information and cooperate—or whether betrayal is possible—creates differences that heavily influence the final outcome.
Only now do I fully acknowledge that we are the defective products of this school.
"So how exactly do you intend to win? I understand wanting someone to guess our own class's VIP, but I don't see the advantage."
I had fallen into thought for a moment, pausing the conversation, but Ayanokouji quickly picks it back up.
"Reveal the Dragon Group's VIP and force the discussion to end. Sure, if that were all, the disadvantages would far outweigh any benefit."
The class whose VIP is identified loses 50 Class Points. The person who guesses correctly receives 500,000 Private Points, and their class gains 50 Class Points.
A total shift of 100 Class Points. Since Class Points determine monthly distributions, they are something we cannot afford to lose.
If that were the whole picture, there would be only downsides—no upside at all.
"But there is a major advantage. It removes Kamukura's playground. His playground disappears. In other words, his exam ends.
He can no longer casually eliminate other classes' VIPs, depriving them of points they should have earned, nor can he disrupt the exam through interference. And there's one more thing—we can also eliminate the unpredictable factor that is Kushida."
Removing Kamukura is, needless to say, a clear benefit. It's far better to force an interferer off the stage.
And the same goes for Kushida. Her mental state is unstable right now. From my earlier conversation with her, it's clear the cause is her contact with Kamukura.
When someone who calmly engages in cross-class contact—behavior that amounts to betrayal—is present, you never know what she might do.
"It's certainly a big advantage. But when you weigh advantages against disadvantages, does it truly lead to a net positive? I don't think it's worth sacrificing Class Points for."
Ayanokouji probes the flaw in the plan.
He's the very person who handed me the hint. He must already know the full scope of my solution. Yet he asks anyway.
His stubbornness and personality are truly something else.
"If we simply had the VIP guessed normally, yes. But—if we cooperate with another class, the story changes."
"Cooperation with another class… what exactly do you mean?"
"We negotiate with one of the classes, exchange information about each other's VIPs, and then have each side guess the VIP we were told. That way, the point fluctuations that would normally occur cancel out to zero."
"I see. A one-for-one trade, essentially."
What I'm describing is a 1:1 exchange—an equivalent trade.
Suppose, for example, we partner with Class A. We tell them Kushida is our VIP, and in return Class A tells us the VIP from their own class.
Then we each guess the VIP the other side provided. The strategy concludes. It's hardly complicated.
In this case, both Outcome 3 and Outcome 4 come into play simultaneously.
Outcome 3 awards 50 Class Points to the class of the student who answered correctly and 500,000 Private Points to that student personally, while the class whose VIP was identified suffers a 50 Class Point penalty.
Outcome 4 imposes a 50 Class Point penalty on the class of the student who answered incorrectly, awards 500,000 Private Points to the VIP, and grants 50 Class Points to the VIP's class.
"This lets us secure as many points as we can while minimizing the risk of loss."
"And it reduces the chance of severe negative outcomes. The most terrifying possibility in this exam is one class monopolizing all the points.
Normally, pure discussion makes monopoly impossible—someone will always betray. But if the VIP pattern is real, sooner or later someone will notice it. Letting one class exploit that for massive gains would be total defeat."
A 1:1 trade neutralizes point changes between the cooperating classes and lowers the maximum points any single class can obtain.
At the same time, shrinking the pool of remaining groups reduces the potential damage—the points that could be stolen from us.
The exam is built on twelve zodiac-themed groups. Excluding the group containing our own class's VIP leaves nine targetable groups.
Using this strategy once drops the targetable groups to eight, for a total of ten remaining groups overall. Using it twice drops it to seven targetable, eight total.
The number of active groups steadily decreases, and with it, the scale of point fluctuations shrinks.
"And if we thoroughly cooperate with just one class, as long as we don't miss any VIPs, our points won't decrease—and they'll actually increase."
For instance, if we fully partner with Class B and mutually reveal all of each other's VIPs, only six groups remain. Those six groups' VIPs would then be limited to either Class A or Class C.
We would no longer lose points; we would only gain them. The total points earned would be lower than the theoretical maximum, but both Class Points and Private Points would rise with high probability.
For Class D—where some students already struggle with daily expenses—that would be a blessing.
"…Exactly. And the success rate of this plan is—"
"—high. No one will object to ending the Dragon Group, after all.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend. With a common enemy present, he becomes the top priority for removal. Kamukura bought far too much hatred."
He cuts in and speaks for me without being asked. Brazen. His self-centered attitude feels almost insolent.
A vein throbs at my temple, but I hold it in and continue.
"After that… either the three remaining classes gang up on Class C alone, or we partner with Class B or Class A to target the last two classes' VIPs. Either way works in our favor."
Ayanokouji continues explaining while shifting his posture. He still faces me as he speaks, but his stance startles me enough to forget my irritation.
He rests both hands on the wooden railing and leans his hips against it. There is nothing behind him to support his back. And this is on a ship.
The waves are irregular; no human can predict sudden shifts. It's dangerous. I should probably tell him to get down in case something happens.
Yet he doesn't budge an inch even when he releases his grip—a testament to his excellent core strength. It almost looks as though he's casually leaning back and relaxing.
"…You really do have a terrible personality."
His calm, overseeing demeanor invites sarcasm.
He isn't laboriously thinking things through; he's simply, calmly laying out the strategy.
It's something he could only do if he already knew the entire plan. His expression doesn't change, but his nonchalant air is more than enough to remind me of the gap in our abilities.
"So, assuming we make this the core strategy—what do you think the biggest obstacle is?"
Somehow the lead in the conversation has passed to him; I've become the listener.
"There's no real obstacle to the strategy itself. Only a concern."
"…I see. And that concern is?"
His brief pause before answering bothers me, but I answer the question anyway.
"Kamukura. He's already aware of the exam's pattern—the trick behind it. Even if we end his personal exam, if he shares that pattern with the rest of Class C…"
"In the worst case, the entire exam ends. Honestly, I think the odds of that are low… but we do need a countermeasure."
If Kamukura tells Ryuuen or any other key figure in Class C about the pattern he discovered, we're finished.
This exam may have removed class barriers on the surface, but at its core it remains a battle between classes for points.
Classes devise plans and cooperate to win.
An individual's exam ending does not mean their class's exam is over.
"What would you do?"
"…Finish every remaining exam before he has the chance."
That's probably the correct answer. But for me to execute it… would be impossible.
This is the fatal flaw I had foreseen.
To end all the exams, one must know the pattern—just as Kamukura does.
I couldn't do that, which is why I agonized so much.
Yet…
"You don't look as down as I expected."
It's impossible for me… but for Ayanokouji… it might not be.
He's poor at dealing with people, dislikes unnecessary communication, and prefers to go with the flow.
Yet he possesses unknown, extraordinary ability—and there's a high chance he could deliver even better results than I could.
The person my brother acknowledged is right here.
After worrying myself into a corner, I painfully realized the limits of acting alone.
—So I turned to someone else. Or rather, since it was entirely one-sided, "exploited" is the more honest word.
I still have a long way to go, I think with a self-mocking inner smile.
During the uninhabited island exam, he told me to become his shadow.
To present his strategies as if they were my own. To be the one who adds the final polish to the results.
I'm not thrilled about it. But if the relationship is usable, I'll make full use of it.
"Yes. Because I believed you could do it."
"That's awfully selfish of you. Besides, I don't have that kind of ability."
"Enough with the act."
I give a faint smile. For some reason, his expression seems a little brighter too.
"Can I leave it to you?"
And then—
"Yeah. It suits my interests too… or maybe it's just pride."
His flat voice gradually trails off.
I can't catch the very end, but for him, the hint of motivation on his face gives me expectation—gives me hope.
"I'm heading to Class B now to explain the plan."
"Smart choice. And Class A?"
"…I'll leave it to how the group discussions unfold. If they cooperate, great."
"Got it. …I'm heading out too. I've got a mountain of things to take care of."
Ayanokouji steps down from the railing and prepares to move.
"Please. I really wanted to wrap everything up before the second group discussion…"
"That's impossible. Since other classes' intentions are involved, acting unilaterally would only erode trust. There's preparation needed too. We should protect what we've built."
"You're right. Then I'll be going as well."
We walk the same direction for a while.
Eventually, for our separate goals, we part ways.
...
I continue walking down the long corridor until I arrive near the area where Class B students are using their rooms.
My goal is to meet Ichinose and Kanzaki—to discuss whether the strategy I've devised can be put into action.
I don't have an appointment. Unfortunately, I don't even know their contact information. I had the chance to get Ichinose's during the violence incident, but at the time I went through Ayanokouji to reach her.
Back then, I believed friends were unnecessary and arrogantly thought there was no need to hand out my own contact details.
That excess pride is now wasting my time. Still, I remind myself that I should move my hands and feet before my mouth, and I take action.
"Excuse me—you there. Do you know where Ichinose is right now?"
I call out to a girl who seems to be heading back to her room.
She startles, her shoulders jumping, before turning to face me.
It's a familiar face. Her name is… Shiranami Chihiro, if I remember correctly. The one who served as leader of Group B during the uninhabited island exam.
"You're… Horikita-san. What do you need with Honami-chan?"
Her timid demeanor suggests she's not good with people.
I can't shake the feeling that my own forceful attitude is only making her shyness worse.
"I want to discuss this exam. I'd like your cooperation to win it. And if possible, I'd also like to get in touch with Kanzaki-kun."
"To win the exam… I understand. Honami-chan is in the same room, so I can call her right away. But Kanzaki-kun… I'm sorry, that's not possible right now."
"Not possible" is a rather harsh way to put it. I thought Kanzaki was considerate, but I can't help wondering if he's disliked by girls.
People have compatibilities, so I won't pry deeply, but it's still unexpected.
I thank her, and she tells me to wait a moment before entering one of the rooms.
Less than a minute later, she returns—with Ichinose by her side. She kept her promise without issue.
As I think that, Ichinose approaches with her usual friendly smile.
"Hey, Horikita-san! It's been since the uninhabited island exam! You said you have something important to talk about."
"Yes, about this exam. But before that, there's one thing I want to confirm."
I move the conversation along smoothly to get the preliminaries out of the way quickly.
"Confirm?"
"Yes. Whether the cooperative relationship between Class B and Class D is still in place."
"Hmm… Personally, I'm totally fine with it. In fact, after the violence incident and the uninhabited island exam, I'd rather stay on good terms with Class D, who were so cooperative."
"The relationship is good… Is it safe to interpret it that way?"
"Pretty much. Chihiro-chan thinks Class D is on good terms too, right?"
Shiranami, standing beside her, nods. It seems the confirmation wasn't even necessary.
"Then all the more reason for me to share this. It's about a strategy to win this exam."
"…You're really something, Horikita-san. The exam hasn't even been going for a full day yet. You move fast."
"To be precise, I had no choice but to move. You know why the Rat Group's exam ended so early, don't you?"
"…Yeah. I was thinking I needed to take action soon myself."
Ichinose rubs the back of her neck with a wry smile.
As expected, I can assume she's already considered at least one countermeasure.
"Um, Honami-chan… why did the Rat Group end?"
Shiranami asks in her gentle tone.
Ichinose's face stiffens for a moment before she quickly smiles and answers.
"I can't reveal that yet. There's no 100% guarantee, so I'll tell you later.
More importantly, Chihiro-chan, I'm planning to talk with Horikita-san and include Kanzaki-kun…"
"…With Kanzaki-kun? Okay. Thanks for being considerate."
She must really dislike Kanzaki. Thanking her for that feels almost rude to him.
I watch Shiranami head back into the room.
In the meantime, Ichinose takes out her phone and puts it to her ear.
She's calling Kanzaki. It seems she's summoning him.
I genuinely admire her efficient use of time and communication skills.
"He says he's free now. I've decided on a meeting spot, so let's head there."
I have no objections to her instructions, so we start walking immediately.
The destination is the lounge. It's spacious, making it ideal as a meeting place.
Knowing her, she's already aware of spots out of earshot. Unless a class gathers there, the lounge stays mostly empty.
"Sorry about this. You came all this way."
"Don't worry about it. I'm the one who showed up without an appointment."
"Right. We never exchanged contacts, did we, Horikita-san? Let's do that."
"…I'd appreciate it. We can exchange when we reach the lounge."
It's dangerous to take out phones while walking.
If we're at the lounge, I might get Kanzaki's contact too—a nice bonus.
"Shiranami really seems to dislike Kanzaki, doesn't she?"
Along the way, with time to kill, I bring it up as small talk.
Objectively, Kanzaki is good-looking and doesn't give a bad impression.
Seeing Shiranami reject him to the point of avoiding meeting him piques my curiosity.
"Um, it's not exactly like that. Chihiro-chan is actually grateful to Kanzaki-kun."
"What do you mean? It didn't look that way."
Ichinose's expression turns a little somber as she continues.
"After the uninhabited island exam, Chihiro-chan developed a fear of men, so it's not that she dislikes Kanzaki-kun specifically—it's men in general."
"…I see."
"Yeah. But Kanzaki-kun was kind and encouraged her through it. So the embarrassment and fear overlap, making it even harder for her to face him."
She adds with a laugh, "Kanzaki-kun can be quite the charmer, surprisingly."
"Mixed-gender exams like this do tend to stir up trouble within classes."
Ichinose responds to my offhand remark with a wry smile.
"It wasn't trouble within the class."
"Is it okay for me to hear this?"
It's not good to casually share someone's private matters. Ichinose should know that.
But she nods and continues.
"During the uninhabited island exam, Class B got outmaneuvered by Class A and Class C, remember?
The reason we were outmaneuvered lies with Chihiro-chan. But it wasn't something anyone could blame her for. She's calmed down now, but she still carries the trauma."
Her wry smile fades, replaced by a serious expression. It's rare for her—usually all smiles—and I catch a glimpse of anger.
"She was threatened by Ryuuen-kun. He even used me as leverage.
He told her that if she didn't want me or the rest of the class to suffer terrible things, she should betray the class to protect it. So to protect us, Chihiro-chan chose to play the villain… No one could blame her."
I draw in a sharp breath. So that's what happened behind the scenes of that exam.
Ryuuen is dangerous. On top of his delinquent behavior, he doesn't hesitate to use violence.
He probably dangled the threat of it during his deal with Shiranami. Indeed, no one could blame her.
Though we lost the exam, the fact that no one in Class B was hurt is thanks to her.
"I can't forgive Ryuuen-kun. Sure, his move was clever. But there's no one who deserves to be hurt like that."
"Then let's make him pay for it."
Ichinose looks taken aback by my words.
"The strategy I'm thinking of targets Class C. If we overwhelm them in this exam, Ryuuen won't have a word to say. Don't you think that's good revenge?"
"…Ahaha, you're right. Now I'm even more excited, Horikita-san."
"And while we're at it, we'll knock Kamukura down a peg too."
We both laugh. To anyone watching, we probably look like good friends.
I feel myself changing a little. Connections with people really are important.
She's easy to talk to—I can see why she has so many friends.
"Ichinose, Horikita."
We've arrived at the lounge without noticing. Kanzaki is already there.
He seems fully prepared.
"Horikita, is it true you've come up with a strategy?"
"Yes. But executing it requires absolute cooperation from Class B."
"I see. Then let's hear it."
Kanzaki agrees without hesitation.
Class B really does have a lot of good people. No one mentions the risks of failure, which puts my mind at ease. Yet that very fact makes me worry about the possibility of failure.
"…It's awkward to say myself, but during the uninhabited island exam, I asked for your cooperation and still failed. Are you sure you're okay with that?"
"We in Class B had no objections to that plan. Failure happens to everyone. We cooperated because we believed it was the best option.
We won't pin it all on you or hold it against you. And we certainly wouldn't say we won't cooperate anymore."
"That's how it is, Horikita-san."
The two smile and encourage me.
It feels good. Coming from them—so genuine—I can't even suspect deception.
"Thank you. Then I'll explain the strategy right away."
And so I lay out the plan Ayanokouji and I formulated.
I slowly explain everything... the VIPs, the 1:1 trades, Kushida, how to deal with Kamukura—all of it.
They nod along, take notes at times, and at the end ask thorough questions about anything unclear or concerning.
And then they tell me they'll cooperate.
Joy wells up from the depths of my heart.
At last, a path to victory is in sight.
"You never cease to surprise me. You're completely different from how you were during the first group discussion. Something changed your mind, didn't it?"
"…Well, yes. I can't keep standing still forever."
I feel the corners of my mouth lift.
Before I know it, I'm smiling as I speak. That's how good I feel right now.
"…Haha, I see."
Ichinose teases Kanzaki over his awkward response.
"Hey, Kanzaki-kun. Could it be you're smitten with Horikita-san?"
"…No… it's not like that."
"Really~?"
Ichinose grins mischievously while Kanzaki looks slightly flustered.
Watching their friendly exchange brings a smile to my face too.
But then I realize I forgot part of the explanation. I immediately address Kanzaki.
"I forgot to mention something, Kanzaki-kun. About Kushida."
Kanzaki instantly switches to a serious expression and prepares to listen.
"If she goes out of control... I'm counting on you."
"…Are you sure? It feels a bit too forceful."
"Right now, honestly, I don't know what she might do. There's a chance she's in contact with Kamukura and might even betray us. So this is fine. And it's only as a last resort."
"Understood. We'll handle the judgment. Leave it to us."
With that, the discussion ends, and we each head back to our rooms.
Two new names are added to my mostly empty contact list.
...
In his room, the emotionless man lies on his bed, mentally reviewing what he needs to do.
The state of his own class, usable assets from his group, ways to end the exam, the pattern for clearing it.
While considering what's necessary, he doesn't forget the means to secure his own future stability.
And one concern crosses his mind.
The concern that he lacks pawns who will move like his own limbs.
Horikita Suzune has shown growth beyond expectations and will become the face of Class D from now on so no.
Sakura Airi fundamentally lacks ability, and her personality is far too gentle so no.
Sudou Ken has no issues physically, but his behavior and personality are problematic so no.
Kushida Kikyo has no issues ability-wise, but her hidden personality is fatally flawed so no.
Hirata Yousuke stands out too much for behind-the-scenes action, and his hypocrisy sometimes gets in the way so no.
He lists promising candidates, yet none seem capable of becoming his limbs and acting accordingly.
However, the face of one particular girl floats into the man's mind, and he begins analyzing her abilities.
Pleasingly, the analysis concludes that she may possess the "talent" he seeks.
The man's course of action for this exam is decided.
Using the connection he gained during the uninhabited island exam, he will perfectly expose the exam's pattern, make use of Horikita Suzune, and win the exam.
And additionally he will bring the girl in his group, Karuizawa… Kei, into his fold as a pawn.
"Well, let's get started."
The man sits up and begins to move.
***
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