"Hmm? You're saying something pretty far-fetched. Is there really a benefit to getting a result of 4, even if it means sharing the VIPs and reducing the time to find the rule?"
"Yes, there is, Ryuen-kun. It's the elimination of the danger of going rogue and making each other's minus points zero. I don't think Saitou-kun, who you betrayed in the previous uninhabited island exam, would so defenselessly tell you who the VIPs are."
That's some insight. She's completely read my intentions. And Ryuen-kun, who doesn't change his relaxed demeanor even when he's been hit the nail on the head, is impressive too.
Yes, what Ichinose-san said is all correct. The condition I presented for cooperating with Ryuen-kun was to 'approach Class B for cooperation, and then wait for their reply before revealing the VIPs.' Although we're tightly bound by multiple contracts, there's no guarantee that Ryuen-kun will obediently follow them.
"Hey, hey... it sounds like I'm not trusted, huh?"
"I think it's just your daily behavior."
As I replied with a wry smile, Ichinose-san also nodded in agreement.
"You're right, Ichinose. Saitou and I don't know the VIPs of each other's classes."
"You're admitting it so easily. Wouldn't not knowing the VIPs put you at a disadvantage in the negotiation?"
"Don't get the wrong idea. If you refuse this negotiation, Saitou and I will immediately exchange information and figure out the rule. Whether the result is 3 or 4, you'll still be one step behind."
That's what Ryuen-kun said, but the truth is, there's not no countermeasure at all. It's questionable whether Ichinose-san has realized that. While thinking about when to make my move, I watched the back-and-forth unfolding before my eyes.
"But it also doesn't change the fact that the points you've earned are zero, right? If so, Class B still has a chance to turn things around, so isn't it strange to ask us to pay 600,000 private points every month?"
"Then how much will you accept? Want to haggle?"
"'No point payment, and we'll correctly guess one VIP from each of the A-class groups.' I won't accept any other conditions."
If that happens, the final result will be 50 points for classes D, C, and B, and -150 points for Class A. We could erase the point gap with Class A, but the income would be greatly reduced compared to the initial contract, which could have earned us about 200 points including private points.
"Hah, well, the negotiation is off then. Hey Saitou, let's just hurry up and end this boring exam."
"Okay, okay... Are you sure about this, Ichinose-san?"
If you only look at this part, you would think that Ichinose-san got greedy and failed the negotiation. However, despite the desperate situation, there was no sign of despair on her face.
"Ah... I guess it's not that easy after all."
"You regretting it now? If you lower your head, I'll talk to you again, you know?"
"Regret? You seem to have the wrong idea, Ryuen-kun. I didn't come here to talk about that."
"Huh?"
Ichinose-san calmly placed her smartphone on the table in front of her.
"Well, I never intended to betray you in the first place, Sakayanagi-san."
『────Please don't surprise me like that, Ichinose-san. It's bad for my heart.』
What was displayed on her smartphone was a call screen. What I heard through the speaker was a voice I've known for over 10 years.
"...This is getting interesting. Hey, Ichinose. Did you set this up?"
"No. Sakayanagi-san did."
『It's been two days, Ryuen-kun. It's quite a fresh feeling to talk over the phone. And... you're there, aren't you, Tsugumi-kun?』
"Haha... good morning, Arisu-chan. Sorry I turned down your invitation this morning."
It's a direct call from the young lady. I have to be careful not to be rude, or I might get hit with her silver cane.
『We spent such a passionate time together two days ago, and you already hate me?』
"Huh..."
"No, that's not it, Ichinose-san. She's like this sometimes, so don't mind her."
Ichinose-san, don't look at me with a red face. You're too pure... Where did all that sharp intuition from before go?
『Well, let's put the jokes aside. Are you ready, Ichinose-san?』
"Yep! Let's go all out!"
『Understood. ...Tsugumi-kun?』
"...Yes."
『────Tonight, please tell me all about it properly, okay?』
『The Rat Group's exam has concluded.』
『The Ox Group's exam has concluded.』
『The Monkey Group's exam has concluded.』
『The Rooster Group's exam has concluded.』
『The Dog Group's exam has concluded.』
『The Boar Group's exam has concluded.』
『────All exams have concluded. The exam results will be announced at 11:00 PM. Good job, everyone.』
---------
It was almost 11:00 PM. With about 10 minutes to go until the exam results were announced, Saitou was heading to the location Sakayanagi had called him to. She had designated the lounge at the front of the ship. It was covered in darkness now, but during the day, it was a popular spot with a view of the horizon.
When Saitou entered the lounge, he saw a few students who seemed to be waiting for the results. It was unusual for Sakayanagi, who preferred private meetings, to choose this location.
"I've been waiting for you, Tsugumi-kun."
"Good evening. What's this all about?"
Sakayanagi was sitting in front of the obtuse-angled front glass, the most prominent spot. Usually, Saitou would sit next to her, but seeing her no-nonsense demeanor, he judged it to be a bad move and sat down opposite her at a four-person table. A considerable stir could be heard from the students watching them from the side.
"It's about this exam. You understand, don't you?"
"Well, yeah. Was it that strange that I teamed up with Ryuen-kun?"
"Yes. After all, it's a well-known fact that he gave you a hard time."
"Thanks for that."
Saitou replied with a tired look. He probably wanted to avoid having the name of a panty thief, even if it was a false accusation, spread around. To Sakayanagi, who seemed to want to say something, Saitou crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair.
"I might have been a shock to you, Arisu-chan. But I'm also serious about aiming for Class A. The previous uninhabited island exam was only possible with everyone's cooperation."
"...I understand that, but..."
"Then isn't it time to stop being so spoiled? I'll even team up with the Ryuen-kun I dislike if it's a move that leads to a win."
The usually confident Sakayanagi was nowhere to be found. She looked like a child being scolded by her parent... no, perhaps the most fitting analogy would be a girl being dumped by a guy for a selfish reason? At least, that's what it looked like to the onlookers.
Just then, a man entered, as if on cue.
"Hey, hey, after a fight with Suzune, it's Sakayanagi? You're quite the ladies' man, aren't you? I'm so jealous."
"Ryuen-kun..."
The person who sat down next to Saitou was Ryuen, who had teamed up with him for this exam.
"It's almost time. We know the results, but shouldn't we check?"
And as 11:00 PM struck, a flood of emails arrived on everyone's phones. The sound of smartphones ringing could be heard from a large number of people besides them. The students who had gathered in the lounge after hearing the commotion already numbered over 30. The collaboration between Ryuen and Saitou, and the strange alliance between Sakayanagi and Ichinose, were things that most students knew nothing about. On top of that, when Sakayanagi and Saitou, who were supposedly on good terms and class representatives, faced each other with a tense atmosphere, it was bound to attract attention.
"Well now, I wonder if Kouenji-kun managed to guess the VIP?"
Rat Group ─── Result 4 due to a traitor's incorrect answerOx Group ─── Result 4 due to a traitor's incorrect answerTiger Group ─── Result 4 due to a traitor's incorrect answerRabbit Group ─── Result 4 due to a traitor's incorrect answerDragon Group ─── Result 4 due to a traitor's incorrect answerSnake Group ─── Result 4 due to a traitor's incorrect answerHorse Group ─── Result 4 due to a traitor's incorrect answerSheep Group ─── Result 4 due to a traitor's incorrect answerMonkey Group ─── Result 3 due to a traitor's correct answerRooster Group ─── Result 4 due to a traitor's incorrect answerDog Group ─── Result 4 due to a traitor's incorrect answer
---------
Based on the above results, the increase/decrease in class and private points for this exam is as follows.
Class A... No change +1.5 million private pointsClass B... No change +1.5 million private pointsClass C... -50 class points +1 million private pointsClass D... +50 class points +2 million private points
---------
"Tch, well, whatever... Hey, Saitou. Make sure you collect."
"Of course. It's a shame this time, but it can't be helped. I'll ask for your help again if there's an opportunity."
"I hope that time comes."
Leaving those last words, Ryuen walked up the stairs to leave. A student watching him from the upper level of the lounge raised his voice.
"H-hey! What's the meaning of this?! Why did the exam suddenly end and almost all the results are 4?!"
"Hah. Don't make a fuss, you little shrimp who knows nothing."
Ryuen replied, his hands in his pockets. The student, who was laughed at, gnashed his teeth in frustration, but he couldn't say anything back since it was true that he didn't know the circumstances.
"...Honestly. Doesn't that attitude of his get tiring... Well, I should be going too, Arisu-chan."
"...This time."
"Hm?"
Sakayanagi muttered with a frustrated look. Saitou's reaction was unusually indifferent to her, but Sakayanagi continued without minding.
"It's my loss for not completely trusting my class. However, don't think that things will go the same way next time."
"...I see. Good luck."
Saitou gently patted Sakayanagi's head twice and left the place.
---------
"I'm sorry, everyone. For doing something like this without telling you anything."
The location had changed to the Class B lounge. At the late hour of 11:00 PM, the fact that no one was absent was truly abnormal. Bowing her head in front of the group was Ichinose, one of the key figures in this exam.
"There's no need for you to bow your head, Ichinose. Objectively speaking, these exam results aren't bad at all."
"That's right! You managed to get a jab in at classes D and C, so that's amazing!"
Her classmates spoke to her. There wasn't a single student who complained about her actions; they were all grateful.
"But... we missed out on a chance to get some valuable points..."
"That's fine, we still have two and a half years left, right?"
"Right."
"We were doing well in the uninhabited island exam too, even though we lost to D."
"No, that was cheating."
They had various reactions, but none of them blamed Ichinose.
"Everyone... thank you! Let's keep working hard together from now on!"
"Yeah!"
---------
Afterward, the group disbanded, and Ichinose was seeing her classmates off by the door. The last student to leave called out to her.
"Ichinose. Can I talk to you for a bit?"
"Huh? What is it, Kanzaki-kun?"
The student's name was Kanzaki. He had acted as Ichinose's strategist in both this and the previous exam and had a close relationship with Class D and Saitou personally.
"It's about our cooperative relationship with Class D."
"...Okay."
Ichinose's expression visibly darkened, as if she didn't want to talk about it. Kanzaki felt guilty about that, but for Ichinose's sake, he steeled his heart and spoke.
"In this exam, it's clear that Saitou betrayed us. Although we weren't officially in a cooperative relationship, we can't just blindly cooperate from now on."
"Yeah. I think so too."
"Then what are you going to do? Personally, I don't hold any anger towards what Saitou did. In fact, teaming up with Ryuen was arguably the best strategy."
But, Kanzaki took a big pause and continued.
"For the rest of Class B... the people who don't have a personal relationship with Saitou won't feel the same way. The person who they had a friendly relationship with suddenly showed his fangs without any warning. If we're going to continue cooperating with Class D, you'll need to explain the benefits of it."
"Yeah... but, I don't intend to hesitate to cooperate with Class D."
Even in the face of Kanzaki's valid point, Ichinose wasn't going to change her positive stance. She added to her explanation for Kanzaki, who was furrowing his brows at her words.
"Of course. It's not going to be for free, you know? But I've become certain of one thing in this exam. About Saitou-kun."
"Become certain of something?"
"Yeah. I think Saitou-kun is a person who prioritizes profit over personal relationships. That might be a given, but he was like that even with Sakayanagi-san, whom he's been friends with since he was little."
Ichinose remembered the time before she was called out by Ryuen, when she was approached by the shaken Sakayanagi to make a deal.
"...I see. So, if you cooperate in a way that benefits both sides, you can get a powerful ally."
"That's right! Isn't that a relief? The Saitou-kun's before were too nice. In the previous uninhabited island exam, they even went out of their way to bring us tools and leftover food they didn't need."
"Is that so... Then I have nothing more to say. But, I'll have Saitou treat me to something next time. He'll get some points, after all."
It seemed Kanzaki himself didn't have any personal grudges, as he joked with a laugh.
"Oh! That's a good idea! It was so much fun when we went out to celebrate the other day!"
The two of them, along with Saitou, Ayanokouji, and Horikita, had gone out to eat once before. It was to thank them for their cooperation in the Sudou incident. The story of Saitou forcing Ayanokouji and Horikita, and Ichinose forcing Kanzaki to come along, had become a funny story among them.
"...Things are going to get busy from now on."
"Yeah... but, I believe we can definitely overcome it together, everyone."
────This exam became the catalyst for Class B to further refine their unity.
---------
"This exam and the last one were both failures. Aren't there some students who are dissatisfied with you?"
At the same time, in Class C, Ryuen had gathered his most trusted students in a room. Ryuen didn't seem to mind Ibuki's sharp words, as he happily intertwined his fingers.
"Let them be. It's even better if some of them are proactive."
Before, Ryuen was merciless towards those who opposed him. However, this time, he made a statement that seemed to acknowledge a rebellion. What kind of effect did this defeat have on him?
"...Whatever. I won't say anything, but can you please increase our points already?"
"Hey, Ibuki...!"
Ishizaki protested Ibuki's attitude, but Ryuen cut him off and asked the two of them a question.
"You two. Was it really true that Sakayanagi and Saitou weren't talking the day before yesterday?"
"I already told you that. Don't make me remember it."
Ibuki looked a little tired. The atmosphere between Saitou and the others at that time must have been a trauma for her. Hearing her words, Ryuen put his hand on his chin and thought for a few seconds. And then he came to a conclusion.
"...We've been played."
"Played? ...What do you mean?"
Ishizaki asked for the meaning of Ryuen's cryptic words.
"I think... that whole situation was orchestrated by Saitou and Sakayanagi. If you think about it carefully, it makes sense. First of all, their actions were both too slow and too fast. Saitou contacted me on the second night. He demanded that I 'stop the bullying of Manabe and the others' in exchange for cooperation. At first, I thought that the bullying of those idiots was the reason for the cooperation, but since they had evidence of the bullying, there was no need to take such a risk."
Ryuen continued his explanation. His intuition, without him even realizing it, was sharpened to its maximum.
"And then there's Sakayanagi. In less than an hour after the exam ended at the same time, she had a perfect grasp of each class's movements, contacted Ichinose, and even prepared to remove the VIPs as soon as we made our move. There's no way to explain it other than that she had already anticipated it and was making her move."
"So what? At the beginning, there was no risk. Even if Class B was involved, there would have been time to think about it again, right?"
Ibuki protested, not quite understanding. But her words were correct, despite her lack of comprehension.
"Yeah. And that's exactly where they were going to stop. That parasite never had any intention of cooperating with Class B or crushing them from the start."
"...What's the benefit of that? It sounds like Sakayanagi and Saitou cooperated, but if it was a close draw, wouldn't they have gained nothing?"
"Do you know what kind of situation Sakayanagi is in, in Class A right now?"
It was a vague question, 'what kind of situation,' but Ibuki was irritated that she understood the meaning. She crossed her arms and answered gruffly.
"Probably just normal. In fact, she might even be praised for bringing it back from that situation to zero."
"That's it. And if the reason for being in a pinch was 'a betrayal by a close friend in private,' how would you react?"
"How... I'd feel bad for her, but...! Don't tell me!"
Ibuki, who had been tortured by watching the two's sickly sweet meals, could easily imagine the reactions of the students around them if Sakayanagi had been bragging about how close she was to Saitou.
"Katsuragi's system was in tatters from the previous exam. In this unstable situation, the action Sakayanagi took was to 'solidify her class's foundation'... That's my guess, and it's not a bad one."
"...To waste one exam just for that..."
Indeed, if this whole situation was orchestrated, then it would make sense why Sakayanagi had already contacted Ichinose the moment she was called in the morning. Ibuki, however, couldn't hide her shock at the difference in values between herself and them.
"But when they do come together, they'll be a pain to deal with. ...And now, doesn't the story about Totsuka's keycard being stolen also make sense?"
"...Are you saying they planned everything?"
The image of Saitou, who mowed down Ryuen's group like a demon, came to mind. Even for Ibuki, who practiced martial arts, his movements were not something a high school student could do.
"Putting someone to sleep without even showing your face isn't something a normal high school student can do. You need athletic ability, technique, and a ridiculous amount of guts and confidence. As far as I know, the only person who can do that is Saitou."
"Saitou... I'll get my revenge next time."
Ishizaki, who finally found a timing to join the conversation, made up his mind with determination.
"Oh, you were here, Ishizaki."
"...No difficult topics, please."
With Ishizaki's entrance, the tense atmosphere between the two of them instantly relaxed. The topics they were talking about were quite dangerous, but since he was the type of honest idiot that was rare in this school, it couldn't be helped.
"Don't talk about stupid things. Things are about to get interesting."
"Are you going to crush Class D again?"
"No, I'm not going to crush them, I'm going to break them down. It's a common story for something to look perfect on the outside, but be rotten on the inside."
Ryuen then took out his smartphone and reviewed his message history with a certain student.
"...Can you trust them?"
"Who knows. As annoying as it is to say, if what I just said is true, it would be impossible to challenge Saitou and Sakayanagi head-on."
Saitou, who was flawless in terms of academic ability, athletic ability, leadership, thinking ability, and violence, and Sakayanagi, who, while not athletic, was close to him in everything else. Ryuen assumed these two were the final bosses and began to formulate his next plan.
"I'll continue to take the kind of measures that annoy them, in my own way. ...That's right, first, I'll contact one more person. They must be feeling pretty out of place in Class A, right? When even the head of the family has abandoned them, they probably don't have a place to belong anymore."
"...Yeah, that's more like you. Well, you're probably the only one who can keep up with that level of conflict. Don't lose this time."
"Don't have to tell me twice."
────In the dimly lit room, Ryuen's small laugh echoed.
============
🚀 Want Full Access NOW & Bonus Content?
"Loving this story so far? You can read ALL chapters RIGHT NOW by joining my P4tr3on!
✨ Unlock instant access to the full completed novel
✨ No waiting for daily updates
✨ Support your favorite degenerate author (that's me!)
Only $5.99 for the full experience!
🔗 Check my profile for the Link!!
Free readers - don't worry, I'll still be posting daily updates here. But P4tr3on members get the VIP treatment!
Your support helps me create more wild stories like this. See you on the dark side! 😈"