4.1

In the afternoon, I went to the Rabbit group’s discussion room.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Nope,” I answered.

“Ah, okay. That’s fine.”

However, unlike Yukimura, she didn’t double-check. “Do you believe me?” I asked.

“Huh? You said you’re not, didn’t you?”

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

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

“Nice to see you,” I said. I raised my hand slightly. Ichinose spoke to

Karuizawa as well, but Karuizawa was so busy on her phone, she didn’t respond.

Everyone in our group showed up before the start time. However, the situation hadn’t changed at all from yesterday. Class A kept its distance from the rest of us, so the rest of us formed a circle. Then, Karuizawa got up and sat down next to Machida from Class A.

Probably a defensive measure against Manabe. Machida didn’t participate in the discussion, but we felt his presence very strongly. There was also a power imbalance, and Class C, which only had girls like Manabe, didn’t really have any charismatic members who could go up against Machida.

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

“Don’t worry. If anything happens, I’ll help you,” said Machida.

“Thank you, Machida-kun,” she replied.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Ha ha ha ha! Building trust through playing cards? That’s so stupid!”

“You can say it’s stupid, but if you give it a try you might like it. Besides, spending an hour in complete silence sounds awfully boring. Whynot kill some time?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Once more!”

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

This was probably what Ichinose wanted to see. By learning the unique characteristics of our group, she would know how to talk to them. It wasn’t much, but considering that talking was useless at present, it was effective. It also meant that Ichinose was observing my behavior, just as I’d observed the Professor.

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

“Heh, my my, that was quite enjoyable. Playing a traditional game on occasion is no bad thing,” said the Professor.

He seemed to have enjoyed spending the hour playing games rather than talking. However, even after this session of psychological revelation, I still couldn’t understand Class B’s true plan. Only Ichinose had that information.

“Well, I suppose I’ll be going now,” said Ichinose.

“Where are you going?” asked Hamaguchi.

“I can’t let Class A just get away from us like this.”

“You’re going to see Katsuragi-kun, then?”

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

“If you don’t mind, can I go along with you?” I asked.

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

“No, that’s not it. Horikita’s in the same group as Katsuragi.”

“Ah, okay. Well then, let’s go together. See you later, Hamaguchi-kun,” said Ichinose.

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

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

“Let’s hurry,” she said.

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

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

“Looks like they’re really taking their time,” said Ichinose.

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

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

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

“Ichinose? What are you doing here?”

“I’d like to talk to you, Katsuragi-kun. Do you have a minute?”

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

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

The other Class A students understood and continued on their way.

“It’s fine if I stay behind alone, yes?” he asked.

Ichinose nodded. They moved out of the way of passersby. I somehow managed to remain in the conversation, so I stood close to Ichinose. From Katsuragi’s perspective, I was nothing more than a single spectator. He didn’t say anything about me being there.

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

In the three discussions we’d had so far, the Class A students had passed the time in complete silence. Ichinose couldn’t break down those walls on her own. She needed someone to lower the castle gate and let her in.

Now, what would be Katsuragi’s response?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But Katsuragi’s opinion was correct. There were four possible outcomes in this test. As long as you chose one of those outcomes, it was legitimate. Katsuragi wasn’t interested in small intergroup competitions; he was solely focused on maintaining Class A’s lead.

“Any further discussion is meaningless, Ichinose. You can’t change my mind,” he said.

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

“Do you still intend to fight?” asked Katsuragi.

“Of course. This is a test,” answered Ichinose.

Ichinose and Katsuragi—two powerful, influential forces—were facing off against each other.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I’m glad to hear that. Well, if you’ll excuse me.”

Ichinose watched Katsuragi leave.

“This test is easier if you’re playing defense. I guess I’ll have to do even more,” she mused.

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

“Anyway, Kanzaki-kun and the others haven’t come out yet,” she said.

Only Katsuragi and the other Class A students had shown themselves. So far, no one else had left the room. One hour was the minimum requirement, but it was okay to discuss things further.

“Are you going to wait for Kanzaki?” I asked.

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

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

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

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

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

“Hello, Kushida-san.”

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

Apparently Kushida didn’t know that Ichinose and I knew one another. She couldn’t hide her surprise.

“We’re waiting for Horikita-san and Kanzaki-kun. Are they still talking?” asked Ichinose.

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

“Oh no, it’s all right. If they’re still in the middle of something, we can wait.”

“Oh, I think it’s fine. Besides, the test period is only one hour. Any time after that, we’re free to come and go as we please. Besides, they may not be talking about the test.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ichinose pretended she hadn’t noticed anything, but Ryuuen wasn’t the type to believe a woman so easily. Chuckling slightly, he drew closer to Ichinose. He didn’t pay any attention to me. Well, that was okay by me.

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

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

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

Of course, she might have been purposefully hiding something.

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

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

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

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

“Well, you’ve come at a good time, Ichinose. I have an interesting proposal for you,” said Ryuuen.

“A proposal? I suppose I’ll hear you out. What is it?”

“It’s completely stupid. Listening to him would just be a waste of time.” Horikita must have already heard this proposal, because she was quick to urge Ichinose to reject it.

“A proposal to crush Class A. I don’t think that’s such a bad plan. Suzune and Kanzaki seem to disagree, though,” said Ryuuen.

“What do you mean?” asked Ichinose.

“I told Suzune this earlier, but I already know all of the identities of the VIPs from Class C.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The two were all smiles, but the mood changed. It grew tense, and it felt like we were all on tenterhooks.

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

“Being secretive is prudent, but sometimes you need to act.”

“Maybe from your perspective. You’re casting a wide net right now, and gathering information. Haven’t you ever dreamed of rising up to Class B?” asked Kanzaki.

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

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

“What do you mean by that?” asked Horikita.

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

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

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

He was willing to leave both Class A and D in the dust.

“You really overestimate me.”

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

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

“I might be overstepping here, but I doubt you’ll be able to pull this off,” Horikita said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What do you mean, Suzune?” asked Ryuuen.

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

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

Despite his open hostility, Ryuuen shamelessly extended his hand to ask us to work together. Horikita, meanwhile, was exhibiting her determination to fight to the bitter end. This would also be a determent to Ichinose. If she betrayed Class D right here, right now, she would probably be branded a traitor by all the classes. She’d be seen as someone who’d betray her allies whenever convenient, for the sake of a few points.

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

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

“Well, that’s unfortunate,” answered Ryuuen.

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

“It can’t be,” he muttered.

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

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

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

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

“This will be tough. He’s gunning for us,” Horikita said.

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

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

“Don’t worry. Horikita isn’t the type to crack under pressure. Isn’t that right?” I said.

“Naturally,” Horikita replied.

Well, she appeared that way from the outside. But even if she were just putting on a brave face, it was possible she’d reveal her true, hidden self. I just didn’t know when she would. Maybe today, or maybe in ten years’ time.

Most people fall short of becoming the people they were meant to be.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Well, I’m going to head back to my room,” Horikita said flatly.

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

“Would you walk with me for a little bit?” she asked.

“Sure. I don’t mind.”

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

“I understand what Horikita-san said earlier, but I think there’s still room for cooperation,” said Ichinose.

“Cooperation?”

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

“Everything?”

“This entire test boils down to finding the VIP. That’s the point, right? So if we play things by the book, we increase our chances by narrowing down the list and finding out who isn’t the target. So, I’ll tell you right now: I’m not the VIP. But I intend to find them and lead my group to victory.”

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

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

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

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

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

“Ah, no. Sorry. I don’t think it’s strange at all, really. I was just a little surprised that you came straight out, that’s all. You said that if you were the VIP, you’d choose to lead your class to victory,” I answered.

“I’m not lying. I think that lying might be necessary in competition, but I like to be honest as much as possible. I do want my class to win, fair and square. I thought the road to victory lay in narrowing down who the VIP is. Ah, you don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to, Ayanokouji-kun. I just wanted to explain my feelings. I thought if I told you, things might be easier.”

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

“No, no, I don’t think so.” She sounded flustered, but this wasn’t the time to hide.

What Ichinose was saying was true. Even if she fooled me and lured me into a trap, her reward would be rather small. Breaking the truce with Horikita and exploiting Class D would be nonsensical. Sure, I couldn’t be 100% certain she wouldn’t betray us, but I couldn’t be 100% certain I wouldn’t be killed by a meteor, either. No one should spend their time worrying about all the things that could possibly happen. I decided to be honest with her.

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

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

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

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

“Hey, Hamaguchi-kun. Got a minute?” asked Ichinose.

“What is it, Ichinose-san?”

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

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

When I considered his relationship with Ichinose, I believed him.

There’d be little merit in lying. That just risked fracturing the truce with Horikita. However, if we wanted to adopt a strategy without the risk of being exposed, we could do better than this.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“How do you plan on finding the VIP? Even if we try asking people directly, I can’t imagine that they’ll openly admit to anything. It’ll probably be difficult to persuade them with words alone,” said Hamaguchi.

“Well, isn’t the point of this test for us to figure it out?” asked Ichinose.

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

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