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Chapter 151: Epilogue: Each Person\'s Difference

"Waah. I pulled it again! Maybe I\'m just bad at Old Maid?" Ichinose says while scattering the cards in her hand in front of me. Despite this being the fifth discussion period we\'ve had, Ichinose once again suggested playing cards. I would have questioned this approach, but it seems no one in Class A is willing to come forth for the discussion. So only a small group of people who thought it would be better to play than spend time aimlessly joined in the card games.

Manabe and the others\' contact with Karuizawa was a bit worrying, but it seems the effect of sending her those images worked excellently. And now they\'re obediently steering clear of her. Karuizawa also believed in that and acted normal as usual.

On the other hand, looking it from Manabe\'s perspective, the mysterious person who sent the chat must have been either me or Yukimura who were both present at the emergency staircase incident. I did add in the chat that I received the images from a fellow classmate, but it\'s clear that either one of the two who were present there must have been the one to have taken the pictures.

Either that or those pictures must been spread around to the mysterious person who sent the chat as something interesting. Manabe must have gotten that sort of idea from all this.

As long as she cannot ascertain for sure that it was me who was responsible for that, she cannot take action against me. Because there\'s no point in figuring out the identity of the person who took those pictures after all.

"Is it ok for me to stay here like this?..."

Yukimura said that while sitting next to me with a gloomy, depressed expression.

"You\'re being gloomy, Yukimura-kun. This is where you play your heart out and shake out your anger. Rematch. Rematch!".

"I\'ll pass on that. I don\'t feel like it anyway. More importantly, is this fine, Ichinose-san? Ending the exam like this. I thought you were the one holding the reins to this group and guiding us all through the dialogue" Yukimura asks Ichinose.

And in response to that, Ichinose, whose hands had been holding the cards, briefly stopped.

"Isn\'t that being too convenient for yourself, Yukimura-kun? If you really want to win, don\'t rely on someone else to do it for you and use your own power to win" Ichinose retorts to Yukimura.

"...I understand that much. I understand" Yukimura replied.

The fact that he cannot afford having that responsibility thrust onto him, I\'m sure Yukimura is also aware of that fact. But despite knowing, I suppose he still wanted to change this resigned atmosphere.

Yukimura, who holds top level grades, would be one of the most reliable ones if the exam were purely measuring our academic prowess. But just because you are gifted academically, that doesn\'t not always translate into raising people\'s spirits up. It\'s not like they can come up with novel ideas just like that. There are things in the world that cannot be done simply by memorizing words and equations.

Over the summer holidays, the two special exams we\'ve had, even Horikita was forced to confront her powerlessness in the face of that.

I wonder whether in this stalemate of a situation, Ichinose and Machida and the others also feel this irritation.

However, even that frustration, as long as it does not end up breaking your spirits, can eventually be used to power you.

1

"And with the next meeting, the exam will be over. How are things on your side, Ayanokouji-kun?".

I am having my last meeting with Horikita. The world outside has already been enveloped by darkness. The records of our conversation remain in the chatlog. To avoid that, we are currently meeting face-to-face.

"No particular change on my side. It looks like the "target" will be able to safely escape. How about you?" I asked her.

I had thought I couldn\'t expect much from Horikita, but...

"I will win" she briefly replied like that.

"So you\'ve found the "target" then?" I asked. "I don\'t know who\'s listening in on us where so I cannot tell you the details yet, but, I won\'t mind if you believe in me. Everything will go well" Horikita replied to me. From Hirata I\'ve already heard that the (Dragon) group\'s "target" is Kushida. Of course, I\'m sure Ryuuen and Kanzaki have already done everything in their power to figure her out. But it looks like Horikita has successfully navigated the way to safety and survived it.

If she\'s this confident, I\'m sure there\'s not much to worry about. We\'ll just have to wait for 500,000 points to roll in later on. It could even be described as a solid victory for us in that case. "Did you perhaps want to consult me?" she asks.

"There\'s no need for that. You make your move however you like" I told her. Even if she told me about the (Dragon) group, it\'s not like I can do much to help her anyways. "So, you said you needed to talk to me about something, what is it? I would like to avoid careless contact if possible" Horikita tells me.

Perhaps she\'s wary of the existence of Ryuuen who has been stalking Horikita...perhaps. I don\'t feel any kindness from her attitude, but it would be troublesome for me even if Horikita suddenly takes a kind attitude towards me.

"You can\'t afford to be terrified by Ryuuen\'s gaze forever you know" I told Horikita. "Judging from that tone, can I assume you have a plan?" she asks me.

But it looks like she wasn\'t expecting much from me, since she seemed surprise when I nodded in response to that. "I\'ve pulled Hirata over to our side. I believe I can build a cooperative relationship with him in the future" I told Horikita.

"I don\'t really want any of that" she replies. "That\'s fine. I\'m not asking you to get involved with Hirata personally. I will handle the talk with Hirata so just match my pace" I said. "...I don\'t like this. I don\'t like you moving around like that behind my back" Horikita told me.

I thought she\'d say something like this.

"Then show your face when we discuss things then. Even if you can\'t force yourself to say something, you can keep up with the discussion so there\'s no problem there right?" I asked her.

"I....suppose so".

It still seemed as though she were dissatisfied, but if I give Horikita the option of participating or not participating, she can\'t refuse. Also, the existence of Hirata is a boon for the class, and after seeing his leadership on the uninhabited island, Horikita will surely understand that too. "Including Hirata too, there\'s a person I\'d like to introduce you to. Please free up some time before the end of the exam" I told her.

"I still don\'t like it. Don\'t include more people than needed" she replies. "Please consider it a consequence of you standing on the front lines. Besides, that person will surely be useful to us" I told her. "I think I can more or less understand what\'s going on...but fine. Let\'s meet here right after the exam ends then" Horikita replied to me. After exchanging that promise, I look at the time on my phone. The last discussion will take place in 30 minutes.

"In this exam, I wonder how many groups will be decided by traitors?" Horikita said. "I wonder. I was surprised that the (Cow) group\'s exam suddenly ended, but I doubt something like that will be repeated. I think the likeliest outcomes will be the "target" escaping with the time of the exam running out" I replied. "I suppose so. I think that too".

And only for a moment, Horikita averted her eyes. That\'s an unconscious gesture humans make when they are concerned about something. "What\'s wrong?" I asked her. "Nothing. It\'s just, I just sensed something wrong with the way this exam developed. But there shouldn\'t have been any errors. I definitely shouldn\'t lose" she told me. It seems some of the anxieties she\'d been storing up in her slightly leaked out. Even if I offered words of encouragement, I\'m sure she\'ll see it as unnecessary trouble. So I decided to simply keep quiet.

2

The members of the (Rabbit) group, without having come any closer to making a breakthrough in the exam, entered the sixth and final discussion. Since I wanted to consider my idea calmly and rationally for a bit, I decided to leave the room where Hirata and the others were and started heading for the group discussion room. Since there was still around 30 minutes left until the start of the discussion, it was obvious that no one would be there yet.

But, those expectations were overturned by the unexpected existence of a person...

"...a prior arrival huh?"

It was the figure of a girl sleeping on the floor in a room when nobody was supposed to have been there yet. Even so, I wonder why her skirt tickles a man\'s heart so much. This is bad, bad. Since she was lying down, Ichinose\'s plump thighs were even more apparent than usual and towards the skirt which I cannot see the inside of, I found myself unable to take my eyes off them. If there was a man here who did not feel that towards Ichinose, then he\'s either gay or bisexual. This is a fate a healthy boy cannot escape from.

Even though I thought it was pointless, I couldn\'t help but look from her thighs to her feet, then to her face, then to her breasts, and then back down to her thighs. My gaze flickers between them. While feeling frustrated at this age, I was suddenly distracted by something further back to the back of Ichinose\'s head. Namely, the phone she must have been using prior to falling asleep.

In the phone assigned by the school, quite a bit of information is recorded. And not only does it play an important role in this exam, but it also allows you to determine each individual\'s points. Naturally to confirm this, things such as a personal ID and passwords are required, but to avoid the hassle of having to log in every time one wishes to check this, there are many cases of students storing such information on a mobile terminal as well. That means, in other words, if I can steal Ichinose\'s phone right now, I would be able to ascertain Ichinose\'s living standards and the amount of points she holds. A while ago, I\'ve already determined that to bypass her ID and password, Ichinose also stores her information on a mobile terminal.

If that situation has not changed, I will be able to gain information. Slowly and cautiously, I approach her.

"...uuuuu".

"Woah"

As the distance between us closes, perhaps the atmosphere changed and she sensed another person\'s presence, but Ichinose slightly stirred. But then she immediately fell asleep again. It seems I\'ve managed to make it without waking her up. I close our distance again.

"...nnn".

I wonder what I\'m even doing. Even though it\'s for the sake of gathering information, if anyone sees this, they would only see me as a pervert. What if Ichinose wakes up while I have my back to her? I feel like I\'m doing something I shouldn\'t be doing.

Since the discussion starts in 30 minutes, there\'s no problem even if I came early, but if so, shouldn\'t I be calmly waiting inside the room? If there\'s nothing I should feel guilty about, I should act normal. Step by step, I close my distance with Ichinose.

"...nnnnn...munyumunyu".

This is impossible. Every time I make a move, Ichinose constantly shows signs of waking up. To test this hypothesis, I try moving my feet on the spot without actually moving. If Ichinose responds to this, I can infer from that that she\'s a light sleeper. It\'s said that people who are light sleepers cautious people...

...this is pathetic

Why am I sneaking around like this? But strangely, she doesn\'t talk in her sleep though.

But if anyone sees me now, all they would see is the word pervert.

Having recognized my own behaviour as a stupid endeavor, I gave up on stealing her phone and took my distance from her again.

Then I sat down at a far distance from Ichinose.

From this vantage point, there\'s no risk of accidentally seeing the secrets hidden up her thighs.

And I won\'t accidentally make contact with her as well this way.

More importantly, since it\'s quite early. I wonder when exactly Ichinose arrived here.

Then, around 20 minutes before the discussion was due to start, cute music rang out in the room. It came from Ichinose\'s phone.

"...nnnn"

While still keeping her eyes closed, she reaches out for her phone and operating her phone\'s screen, she stops the music. It seems the music came from the alarm she had set. While still looking sleepy, Ichinose raises herself off the floor and notices the foreign presence, namely my existence, in the room.

I was wondering what to do if she made a disgusted face towards my presence, but she wasn\'t even worried about it at all.

"Goooood morning, Ayanokouji-kun. Sorry, did my alarm startle you?" she asked.

"No. Not particularly. Looks like you slept well".

"Ahahahaha. Sorry sorry. I just suddenly fell asleep. You\'re early, there\'s still 20 minutes left".

"Same to you. Since when have you been here?"

"Since an hour ago. I just wanted to spend some time quietly. If it\'s in my room, it\'s quite rowdy with my friends going in and out after all" she replied.

It seems this was the best place for her to take a nap.

"Besides. I wanted to collect my thoughts too"

More than being refreshed from her sleep, her face seemed more as though she\'s had a flash of insight.

"Did you get any results?" I asked.

"More or less"

Then standing up, Ichinose for some reason, walked across the room to me and sat down beside me.

A room with only two people present, and an ever closing distance. I couldn\'t hide my nervousness in this situation but it seems Ichinose hasn\'t noticed at all.

"There\'s still time left before the exam so shall we have a little chat? If I\'m not annoying you, that is" she asks.

"No. It\'s not annoying in particular. If you\'re ok with it, I\'m down to chat" I replied to her.

"Then it\'s decided. The truth is, there\'s something I wanted to ask Ayanokouji-kun. I\'ve also asked this of all my classmates, including the boys like Kanzaki-kun too. But I haven\'t heard the opinions of the other classes too, so I got curious. Ayanokouji-kun, have you ever strongly wanted to rise to Class A?" she asks me.

I was wondering what question she would choose to hit with me, but it was a surprisingly common question to be asked.

"Of course, I do think about that. No...More than wanting to rise to Class A, it\'s more that I \'have\' to aim for Class A. That would be a more appropriate way of putting it" I tell her.

"In other words...because of the guarantee of a good career and job placement?"

In this school, students are divided into classes A to D and made to compete. But the maximum privilege of being able to go to any university and gain any employment after graduation is only afforded to Class A. It was written ambiguously on the school pamphlet so it might seem like fraud at first though.

"In this day and age, after graduation you won\'t be able to keep up with your life and job, especially when it comes to being employed" I said.

"I suppose that\'s true. I think so too. But having too much faith in the system is also dangerous, don\'t you think? In 99.9% of the words they say, there are invisible pitfalls that our eyes cannot see" she said.

Of course the pitfall that Ichinose is talking about is likely the \'99.9% guaranteed employment rate and educational advancement\' touted by the school. For instance, if I wanted to become a professional basketball player yet lacks the necessary experience, the school would attempt to find me ways to push me up to the professional level. Furthermore, this school is also a breeding ground for interpersonal connections. But just because you play basketball regularly, or have graduated from a famous university or school, does not necessarily guarantee your future.

The people who achieve the dreams they\'ve stated from the start, are only a small fraction. According to certain statistics, only one out of six elementary school students achieve their dreams.

At first glance, this seems like a high probability but the data is ambiguous at best and the standards of the statistics are blurred. Becoming a professional basketball player successfully does not mean you become a first-rate player. Players belonging to professional basketball for instance, including trainees, will number around 900 or 1000 people. However, only by playing on the regular and competing against and winning against your rivals can one achieve their dream. In the end, only 100 of those people will have successfully achieved their dreams.

In order words, aiming for your dream and successfully accomplishing it has a very low probability. In any case, achieving a dream is extremely difficult to do. Many students simply repeat their boring lives over and over while speaking vaguely of their dreams. But if one seriously desires to make their dream come true, they would need a lot of effort and luck.

"But even so this school...if you think about it, has massive influence doesn\'t it? And many people have succeeded in life because of its assistance. Or are you saying you\'re not interested in it, Ichinose?" I asked.

"No such thing. Even I have a dream, to graduate from Class A. And also a dream I want to fulfill" Ichinose said. And even though she said it with a smile, I could see an unwavering, strong feeling in her eyes.

"The school system is good and all, but if you cannot graduate from Class A, your prospects are dim. Because the school operates on realism, if you cannot win using your own talents, there\'s nothing you can do about it. And most importantly, students are assigned to classes based on their merits so right now, between me and Ayanokouji-kun here, only one of us could achieve their dreams by moving to the top. Aah, but there are also cases where neither of our dreams can be fulfilled though" she continued.

In other words, even though we are sitting here and chatting like friends, only one class can be the winner in the end. The remaining three classes won\'t share in those rewards.

"Did you hear there are also exceptions to those rules?" she finally said.

"Hmm? Is that where individuals accumulate 20 million points?" I asked.

"Yep. It seems no one has achieved something like that in the history of the school, but there are Ultra C\'s like that too" Ichinose replied.

"Yeah, yeah. If we factor that in too, it\'s possible that the two of us can both graduate from Class A" Ichinose said.

"The problem is whether you can save up 20 million points or not in the first place, even if you save up points in the exams, the system\'s already set so it won\'t reach 20 million" I replied.

If we only look at this special exam, depending on your actions throughout it, it is possible to receive a large amount of points. And only two such exams have been conducted so far. From this point onwards, it\'s possible for both the amount of points that can be earned to be narrowed down and for them to be eaten up by large penalties.

"I suppose that\'s right. If you start saving up your points, by only reaching half of that amount, you would already raise suspicion" Ichinose said.

"That\'s true. The financial situation in Class D, especially, is terrible. Even though Horikita is doing her best for us, the points earned from the uninhabited island is still far off. No, it\'s even possible that we may lose those points in this exam. Ichinose, are you saving up points? It doesn\'t seem to me like you\'re the type to work hard on getting points" I asked her.

"Ummm...I wonder. I don\'t know about the others, but I use points sometimes and save them too sometimes I guess. Even though I\'m in Class B, I still don\'t have that many points you know" she said.

In response to my question, Ichinose responds in a very natural tone with no indication that she\'s hiding something judging solely from her behaviour.

"Ayanokouji-kun"

"Hmm?"

In the next moment, Ichinose suddenly closes the distance with me and turns to face me while staring at my face.

"Looks like you saw it after all, that time"

Beautiful eyes that seem to be sucking me in looked at me without letting go. It seems Ichinose is far smarter than I expected, she\'s seen through my plans.

"...sorry. While you were using your phone earlier, I just happened to see the screen. I got curious and just wanted to ask you" I replied.

"Ahaha...it\'s not like I\'m blaming you for it. Certainly that\'s a large amount of points, right?" Ichinose said.

That\'s right. Before even the end of one semester, Ichinose had already accumulated a large amount of points. Even if I save every point assigned to me monthly every day without usign a single point, I still wouldn\'t be able to save up that much.

"Don\'t worry. I haven\'t told anyone else. There\'s also the possibility that I saw wrong after all. I won\'t investigate further" I told her.

Even if I investigated, I doubt I would be able to get a satisfactory answer.

"Have you been able to find a way to win?" I asked.

"Ummmm...I guess so. I think I\'ve found a hint".

I thought there was no way she would answer honestly, but whether it be due to her confidence, Ichinose answered in a relaxed tone. It seems like Ichinose is the type to act on her convictions without wasting time after all.

"Then this fight...it becomes a battle to see whether A will win or B will end" I said.

"I won\'t know that until the curtains fall. The victory I\'m aiming for is---"

But before she could finish, as the time for the group discussion to begin draws closer, members of the group started appearing one after the other. The Class A students were the first ones to arrive, however, without so much as exchanging a greeting with us, they simply took their seats.

"What? You\'re already here, Ayanokouji?"

"Together with Ichinose-dono. Just the two of you. What kind of secret rendezvous were you planning here?".

Both Yukimura and Sotomura bombarded me unilaterally with those questions as they entered the room together. I couldn\'t register either anxiety nor depression on their faces, so perhaps they have already given up on victory at this point. On the other hand, the students of Class B seemed almost relaxed.

"This is the final one, huh? Have you found any hints?" Hamaguchi asks me after having quietly waited for the group discussion to start in earnest. "Honestly, I have no idea. We haven\'t been able to establish proper dialogue at all" I answered him.

I did say that, but I have already executed the strategies I had planned out from the start of the exam. It was by using the mail the school had sent to our phones that the "target" had been successfully camouflaged. The (Dragon) group\'s "target" is Kushida, but what happens if, for instance, Kushida and Horikita were to swap their phones. When looking at that phone, anyone would only suspect Horikita of being the "target" instead.

And if there were a traitor who learned of this fact, by submitting Horikita\'s name as the "target", they would make a mistake and victory would be achieved that way.

"Good evening, let\'s get along". Having briefly said that, Ichinose resumes her stance and smiles as usual. But it\'s still too soon, because there\'s still no telling what the other members are hiding and planning.

Besides, if everyone were to focus on the subject at hand, it would become increasingly difficult to camouflage the "target". I had been waiting for Ichinose to continue speaking earlier, but I decided to cut in now.

"If everyone\'s ok with it..."

"There\'s something I\'d like to say"

Oddly enough, both me and Hamaguchi spoke those words at the same time. "Excuse me, please go on ahead Ayanokouji-kun" he says. "No...by all means, you first. I\'m fine speaking later" I replied.

I never expected this coincidence with this timing. A terrible coincidence. My plan itself has no flaws, but if an unexpected problem like this occurs, the effect of my plan may become unstable.

I suppose I can listen to what Hamaguchi has to say first before timing my speech and trying again. In response to me who had been thinking along those lines, Hamaguchi destroyed my expectations in an unexpected manner.

"Then, with your permission. For the past three days, I\'ve been constantly thinking on how best to achieve the first outcome". Hamaguchi then starts speaking of his plan to the others of (Rabbit) group.

Surprisingly, the contents of his proposal were strikingly similar to the strategy I had planned.

"And finally I came up with only one conclusion, that it\'s possible for the entire group to aim for the first outcome and a way to make it possible" Hamaguchi continued.

"Is that really true, Hamaguchi?". To the crestfallen eyes of Yukimura and the others who had given up all hope, a glimmer of hope had returned. "Of course. It\'s an idea I came up with after listening to everyone here, including Ichinose-san and Machida-kun" Hamaguchi said.

"Unbelievable. There\'s no way the first outcome can be achieved through dialogue alone". The one who objected to this naive, dream-like proposal was of course, Machida. "Let\'s hear him out first. Hamaguchi-kun isn\'t the type to speak before thinking". Ichinose followed up for Hamaguchi and created an environment conducive to discussion.

"I will now proceed to show you all my phone. Naturally, there is a mail sent to me by the school. I\'m sure you understand what I\'m getting at. Since it is prohibited to falsify or alter the mails from the school in any way, there\'s no risk of being deceived this way. That\'s why it\'s a simple matter, just by showing each other our mails, we can find who the "target" is, that is my way of finding the truth" Hamaguchi told us.

"This is stupid. Who would show their mails like this? We still don\'t know that someone won\'t betray us the moment we show our mails, there\'s no one who would go along with this". In response to this plan anyone could have thought up, but no one would agree to, naturally the onlooker Machida was flabbergasted.

"Indeed, because they know there is the possibility of betrayal, the "target" will not show the mail on their phone. But looking at it from the perspective of those who are not the "target", there is little risk in showing the mail. The exam will soon be over, if we don\'t make our move now, we will not win. If a class were to collaborate to protect the "target", none of them would show their mails. Through this, cornering the "target" is possible" Hamaguchi continued.

"Even if you know the identity of the "target" or the class they belong to, if somebody betrays us it\'s over. The problem won\'t be resolved. Are you planning to play the game where the quicker one to betray wins?". Using this strategy, it is indeed possible to figure out the "target"\'s identity. But that\'s all it can do. In the end, it\'s not like everybody will play fair with each other and answer accordingly.

"Then please shut up. It\'ll be fine if Machida-kun doesn\'t participate after all" Hamaguchi said that while refusing to succumb to the uncooperative attitude of the others and proceeded to show us the mail on his phone.

"I agree with Hamaguchi-kun\'s idea. I\'ll show mine too". And Beppu of the same Class B also followed suit.

It seems this is not a random, isolated event but rather, without a doubt Ichinose\'s strategy in action. The development is the same as the strategy I had planned. But, I don\'t know how far they have thought this through. But if they think everyone will obediently believe those words and show the mails on their phones, that would be nothing but reckless...

"I think this is unexpectedly a good idea. I have no objections to showing my phone too" Ichinose once again smiled as if agreeing to follow with Hamaguchi\'s plan. Matching the actions of the others, Ichinose also reaches into the right pocket of her skirt to take her out phone.

"I\'ve been pondering this for a long time now but, I finally understand now after hearing what Hamaguchi-kun\'s said. Sorry I\'ve kept this hidden until now but..." and with those purposeful words, Ichinose brought out her phone.

I decided to strike now before Ichinose could complete her strategy.

"You\'re serious aren\'t you, Ichinose? If you\'re going to bet on that, then I\'ll take you up on that offer". Before Ichinose could disclose the contents of her mail, I offered up my own phone. But this was not my own phone but rather, one I had exchanged with a certain person. "Ayanokouji-kun...are you fine with that?".

"Yeah. After listening to Hamaguchi, I think there\'s no other way than this. Since I\'m bad at communicating, the only thing I can do is show you the truth, so that\'s what I\'ll do" I told her. "Wait Ayanokouji. I object. There\'s no way this kind of blunt strategy is going to go well". Yukimura desperately tried to stop me, but I shrugged his words off and simply showed my mail.

And with that, I proved that I was not the "target". And a large amount of water had already accumulated in this invisible dam. If even a hole of 1 centimeter were to be opened, the dam would surely collapse and turn into a muddy stream. This action was the trigger to open that hole. "Hmm...certainly it seems Ayanokouji-kun isn\'t the "target" either". "Then I\'ll show mine too".

Now who will follow up? From amongst the large crowd of people still laughing at Hamaguchi\'s strategy, one girl voiced her approval and consent. It was the person anyone would have least expected. Ibuki Mio. "Are you insane? There\'s no profit for us in doing this". It was Manabe who objected to Ibuki\'s risky actions.

But the words Ibuki said in response were indeed, well-reasoned ones. "The ones who are not the "target" themselves, nor belong to the same class as the "target", gain no advantage in keeping the status quo. Class B understands that too. If we do nothing, we will never catch up to the classes above us. That\'s why they are showing their phones. And I\'m thinking the same thing as them. That\'s all" Ibuki said.

"But that\'s...".

"Or perhaps, are you the "target" then?" Ibuki said that to Manabe, who was supposed to have been her ally, in a hostile manner befitting an enemy. "N-no t-that\'s...".

"Then you should be able to show it too, your phone that is" Ibuki tells Manabe. In a way, her words could have been taken as threats to her own allies, but as though they finally understood, Manabe and the others also brought out their phones. The hunt for the "target" was underway. Karuizawa also takes out her phone with a strap on it, and hands it over in front of everyone.

"Karuizawa, you\'re also going with Ayanokouji? Are you going to follow this strategy too?" Yukimura asks. "I\'m just doing this for myself, because I want private points too" Karuizawa replied. The mail from the school had said she was not the "target" too. Karuizawa was considered clear too.

"...ehhh. What should I do?" Sotomura mutters. "Think for yourself, Sotomura. This isn\'t a compulsory check but a voluntary one, you know". "Uuuu...just get it over with I guess".

In the situation where a lot of students have joined in, having judged that he has no other choice too, Sotomura also moves to show his phone. However, before he could, Yukimura quickly stopped him. "...do you really think showing it is the right move?" he asks. "Since a while ago, why are you butting in? Perhaps you\'re the "target" then?". In response to Yukimura who strongly objected to the strategy, Ibuki batters him with that question.

At that moment, everyone could see that Yukimura\'s expression hardened. "Uwa...you serious?". "No. Yukimura isn\'t the "target". I heard so earlier after all". I quickly followed up for him. But spontaneous laughter came from some of the students. "Do you really expect us to believe just your words? You might be lying". Manabe said that while casting doubt on Yukimura as a matter of fact.

Indeed, continuing to deny that he is the "target" here will only invite further suspicion on him. He should know that as well. But I cannot make a move here yet. Because Yukimura is---

"It\'s still too soon to draw a conclusion. Because Yukimura-kun also has a point". Ichinose, who had been watching the series of events unfold, said that as she once again brought out her phone from her left pocket. "I got caught up in the flow for a bit, but I\'d also like to show my phone" she said as she once again proves that she is not the "target" to the group. "Wait, Ichinose. Earlier, you said there\'s something you wanted to tell us. You said you\'ve been keeping quiet about it the whole time?". Not having forgotten about that statement, Machida presses the question onto her. "That? It\'s just the fact that I also always had the same idea too, that\'s all" she replies to Machida.

"...the same idea?". "I say the same idea, but as the leader of Class B, I was just regretting having been beaten to the punch by Hamaguchi-kun" Ichinose replies to Machida. In any case, it seems everyone besides Class A and Yukimura have proven themselves to the group that they are not the "target".

"..."

The students here aren\'t so imperceptive as to not understand the meaning behind Yukimura\'s silence. Machida and the other students of Class A too, at some point had approached Yukimura to stare him down. "...fine I understand. I\'ll show you. I just have to show you right?". No longer able to bear the peer pressure of everyone being directed at him, Yukimura broke and took out his phone as well. "But before I do so, I want you to promise me just one thing" he said. "Promise? What do you mean by that, Yukimura-kun?".

"That nobody here turn traitor. Everyone here. Especially Class A, I want you to take out your phones and place them where I can see them. No, everyone too. Everyone put your phones where I can see them" Yukimura said.

He had directed that statement at the representative of the group here, Machida, but Machida replies to him in an unamused tone. "I don\'t understand what you\'re getting at. What do you mean?" he said to Yukimura. "Exactly what I said. Nothing more and nothing less" Yukimura replies. "Fine. If it\'s just placing them there". Approaching Yukimura, all the students from Class A took out their phones and placed them in front of him. Having confirmed that fact, without even a cloud of doubt on his expression, Yukimura made his move. Yukimura pulls his phone out of his pocket and lights up its screen, then enters its required 6-digit password and logs into his phone.

Then he opens the mail sent to him from the school and lifts the screen up directly for everyone to see. "...I\'m sorry for lying to you, Ayanokouji..." Yukimura apologizes as he opens up the mail sent from the school. The ones most surprised after seeing the sentence written in the mail would, of course, have to be the members of Class D. "I am the target..." Yukimura said. On the screen was a mail different from what everyone else had received. "W-what Y-Yukimura-dono was the "target" all along?" Sotomura looks at him with astonished eyes. This also means that we have effectively relinquished the 500,000 points that would otherwise have been given to Class D. However, this very Yukimura is the person who I have exchanged phones with in secret.

"If I knew things would end up like this, I would have talked from the start" Yukimura said. Karuizawa also seemed shocked from the bottom of her heart and her expression showed unease. Looking at the perspective of those two who would have never thought of Yukimura as the "target", it makes sense. Machida then stood up and peered at the mail on Yukimura\'s phone once more. "It seems the mail is real. All the other personal mails also seem to be Yukimura\'s without a doubt" Machida said after having checked even Yukimura\'s private chats without permission.

Towards the Machida who approached the situation with suspicion, Ichinose tried to explain the situation calmly. "There\'s no way it would be a fake. After all, you know the rules the school put in place. In regards to the mails sent by the school concerning the exam, copying the mail and transferring it are explicitly forbidden. As long as the mail is sent from the school\'s address, the possibility of it being fake is zero" Ichinose says. Exactly, from the start, fabricating information in this exam is expressly forbidden. Since the punishment known as expulsion awaits those who break the rule, everything that\'s laid out here has to be nothing but the truth.

Even if one overcomes this obstacle by lying here, the problem will still await them after the end of the exam hence the outcome would be the same either way. "That means it\'s definitely Yukimura-kun then". Manabe nods in agreement. The important thing here was the condition that Yukimura\'s mail be shown after all. Whether the person holding that phone is indeed the owner of that phone or not...is irrelevant. In other words, making a decision on whether the person in question owns the phone or not is a surprisingly difficult task.

Especially for students on guard during the exam, the idea that someone may have switched out their phones with another person is not a particularly unexpected hypothesis to make. However, casually entering the 6-digit password and unlocking the phone in front of them makes things different.

There\'s no way a student can know another student\'s password. They would inevitably draw such a conclusion almost unconsciously by assuming it would be so if it were their phone. This is not rooted in reasoning but rather a preconception that\'s been planted in their minds over many years.

"I\'m sorry Yukimura-kun...I thought of this as a last resort...".

"No. I think this is the right thing to do. I tried to somehow lie my way out of this. But that was wrong. I\'m sure Ayanokouji and Sotomura, and also Karuizawa would feel this is the right thing" Yukimura replied.

By saying that, he made himself out to look like the person who tried to safely secure points only for himself.

"...with this everyone should know the "target" is me. So you should\'ve all arrived at an answer" he continued.

That\'s right, by clearing the exam together with everyone, the entire group can earn 500,000 points. The first outcome that seemed unachievable at first may be obtained now.

Ichinose nods her head once then once again, with more strength than before, she pleads with Class A.

"Please. Let\'s not waste Yukimura-kun\'s courage. Please cooperate with us. Don\'t betray us". "We were just following Katsuragi-san\'s instructions from the start. We won\'t do anything on our own" Machida replies to Ichinose.

He did say that, but before the end of the exam, there will be a period in which we will definitely have to disband as a group. Before the exam ends, for that blank period of 30 minutes, we must trust in not only our classmates but students of other classes as well.

"I want to believe...no, I believe in everyone..." Yukimura says that as if it were a wish. And every class receives that equally. I wonder if the students who spent the same time together over the past few days have gained something resembling a friendship.

I wonder if they\'ll accept Yukimura\'s feelings, and be able to cooperate together to victory. No, such a thing is impossible. I\'m sure with this, somebody will definitely turn traitor.

And if so, we of Class D who have switched our phones amongst each other will surely win.

Yukimura must have surely believed in that. He must have been struggling to keep himself from bursting out in laughter. However, the pleasure he must have been feeling evaporated, when the phone Yukimura was holding in his hand suddenly rang and resounded in the room. Yukimura was the one shocked more than anyone else by the incoming call. In his rush to grab the phone back from the table, he stumbled and lost the phone from his hand. By a coincidence, with its screen the right side up, it fell right in front of us. Since it was in silent mode, it sent vibrations through the table as it continued to vibrate.

The name of the caller was---\'Ichinose\'.

She, while holding the phone up to her ears, looked at Yukimura, and then me with serious eyes. "What are you doing, Ichinose? There\'s no point in calling Yukimura\'s phone at a time like this". Machida said that while looking at Ichinose with an astonished face. Having created a situation where only me and Yukimura could possibly understand the meaning, Ichinose quietly ends her call.

"The school said that \'altering or copying the mail\' is forbidden. That\'s why we believed the mail in front of our eyes was undoubtedly real. That much is certain. But there\'s no rule saying you cannot deceive someone with the phone itself. Do you understand what that means?" Ichinose says while picking up the fallen phone and giving it back not to Yukimura, but to me.

"The person who owns the phone with the "target" mail written on it, it\'s you isn\'t it, Ayanokouji-kun? Because just now, I didn\'t call Yukimura-kun\'s phone, but Ayanokouji-kun\'s after all" Ichinose said.

I exchanged my contact number with Ichinose a while ago. That\'s why she knew my number. No, even if she didn\'t know, she would have done her research to figure out my number anyways. "B-but isn\'t it strange? Yukimura was able to unlock the phone\'s password in front of our eyes. I also checked his private mails and history in front of everyone\'s eyes" Machida said.

"That\'s faked. He could easily know the password just by asking Ayanokouji-kun beforehand. Also, all call history, mail and even applications can be replicated even though quite a bit of effort must have been needed for that" Ichinose replied.

After having heard that, Machida changed his expression and quickly grabbed the phone that had been returned to me.

"People can\'t lie so easily, you know. Especially when the goal is in sight, they will inevitably become anxious and openings will reveal themselves. Yukimura-kun lied, and that\'s why his gestures and attitude appeared different from usual and appeared suspicious" Ichinose said, having completely seen through my attempt at a camouflage.

Having heard her deduction, Yukimura\'s face had already turned pale. No, it\'s doubtful he even heard it all.

"We\'ve also been thinking about it for a while, if the "target" were in our class there\'s always the option of simply switching phones with them. Using the password to pass oneself off as the "target" was also one of the things we thought of" Ichinose said.

It seems, the strategy I came up with was already thought of by Ichinose and the others.

"But you see, there is a weakness in that strategy. It\'s the fact that a phone number exists. Even if you can perfectly replicate your history and apps, you can\'t do anything with your number. Once, me and Hamaguchi-kun tried swapping out SIM cards, however, the SIM cards we were provided were locked onto our specific terminals so even if we swapped it, we couldn\'t use our swapped SIM cards. That means if you\'ve swapped your cards too, I wouldn\'t have been able to call you. It doesn\'t matter who switched phones with who, as soon as I call that number, I can easily find out who the real owner is. If I couldn\'t do this, I wouldn\'t have even come up with the plan to reveal our phones after all" Ichinose continued.

In other words, Ichinose and the others only used this sort of forceful tactic to see through the lie. The fact that Hamaguchi suddenly started on this topic too, was naturally a part of their plan. So this is the moment the truth that Yukimura and I had changed our phones comes to light.

"Simply exchanging phones and replicating the history went perfectly this far, but you must have never expected that we would use the fact that the SIM cards are locked to specific terminals to check, did you?" Ichinose says. Fuuuu~ she then exhaled. At that moment, the announcement that that the 1 hour discussion period ends in five minutes came in.

We were ordered to disband the group within five minutes and promptly return to our own rooms.

"Shit!". That scream by Yukimura came from his heart. It was a truthful and honest scream without any deception behind it.

"Too bad, Yukimura. That was a good try, though" Machida and the others said that while grinning and laughing.

They said that so that Yukimura, who was seen through completely, would be thoroughly humiliated.

They also glanced at me, the person they must have believed to be the orchestrator of this strategy. But even with the anxious Yukimura and Class D, and the surprised Class C and A. There must have been a lot of things they wanted to talk about, but the rules now prohibit us from discussing any further.

"In any case, we\'ve already determined that Ayanokouji-kun is the "target". Machida-kun, promise me that we will aim for the first outcome together without betraying anyone" Ichinose asks Machida that.

"Naturally. Trust in me, let\'s go" Machida promptly replied to her.

Having been called by their friends, the three students of Class A were the fastest ones out of the room.

"The ones who believe will be saved, you know. I will never betray you. That\'s why I also want Class C to do the same. You just have to bear with it for 30 minutes" Ichinose tells the students of Class C.

Manabe and the others simply nod their heads in response. Yukimura glanced to the phone I held in my hands.

"I was a fool for following your plan. This is the worst" he said.

And then one after another, everyone left the room, leaving me and Ichinose alone.

"Now we just have to trust everyone" she said.

"Yeah...I suppose so"

"Ayanokouji-kun, you\'re quite calm. Aren\'t you worried?" she asks.

"I can\'t do anything but believe in the others after all...I\'m going back to my room" I told her.

There\'s nothing else to be gained even if I stay here any longer.

"Hey, wait a minute"

Ichinose stops me by putting a hand on my shoulder.

At that moment I sensed that the space between us would soon become a tense one.

"Who was the one that came up with this plan to swap phones?" she asks me.

"Of course, that\'s Horikita" I replied.

"I see. Then please tell Horikita-san, that her plan was a huge success"

"Huge success? Don\'t you mean to say huge failure? It was a crushing and disastrous defeat. Ichinose saw through everything after all" I told her.

"Ahahahaha. You didn\'t expect us to have thought of the same plan did you?" she replied.

"Sorry. For lying to you like that, even after I agreed to an alliance with you. Are you angry at me?" I asked Ichinose.

"Of course not. We also started our own plan without your knowledge, so we\'re even" she replied to me.

"I see. I\'m sure Horikita will also be relieved to hear that" I told her.

Having said that, I grabbed my phone and moved to leave the room.

"Waa, wait wait. The important part\'s not over yet" she stopped me again.

"The important part?"

"Mou---You\'re bad at dealing with people, Ayanokouji-kun. Indeed the SIM cards we\'re given are locked onto their terminals. But, there\'s a way to release that lock...right? I asked Hoshinomiya-sensei to check but, it seems with enough points, you can unlock the terminal lock right away. That\'s what she told me" Ichinose said.

Chiri. In that instant, I felt as if an electric current ran through the back of my head.

"The answer that comes after a false answer is revealed. Most people will take that to be truth. After Yukimura-kun, who solved the password to unlock the phone, was outed as not being the "target". The moment that lie was revealed, the truth that Ayanokouji-kun is the "target" reared its head. And the fact of the SIM card sealed the deal. Nobody would suspect anyone other than Ayanokouji-kun now. But that itself is the real trap. I did say the swapping strategy is imperfect, but that was a lie. Because that strategy is an extremely effective one. But of course, you need to make a double-layered trap for it. If this trap is laid out, the truth will forever be buried in darkness. There would no longer be a way to ascertain who the real "target" is with 100% certainty" Ichinose continued on.

This Ichinose, she\'s seen the plan behind the plan. She\'s realized the truth that I\'d kept hidden even from Yukimura. Firstly, the premise is that I\'m not the "target". But I approached Yukimura under the guise of being the "target". As proof, I had used the real "target"\'s phone to make contact with him after all. But the real "target" and owner of that phone was Karuizawa. She\'s hidden that fact very well. The only one she secretly told that fact to was Hirata. Hirata also kept that truth hidden from both me and Yukimura who belonged to that same group at first. That\'s why he pretended not to know anything when we talked about the "target". But after I learned about Karuizawa and Hirata\'s pasts, he told me about Karuizawa\'s identity as the "target". And after I used Manabe to bully Karuizawa, I used that situation to swap our phones.

Naturally replicating the same mails and history as I did with Yukimura. Then I released the SIM card lock using points. This procedure was hardly illegal and can easily be done at a mass retailer as a complimentary service. This may be a ship, but as long as this exam requires the use of phones, a place was prepared where students can have their phones repaired or replaced in case of damage. That\'s why, while using Karuizawa\'s phone, I was able to transfer over the number as well. Furthermore, from that point onwards, I had swapped that phone with Yukimura\'s. Of course, I only told him that it was \'my\' phone and Yukimura had believed me. If the truth ever comes out, he will surely be upset and irritated at me.

If it were a simple person, they would have never noticed Yukimura and I had switched phones. If it were a smart person, they would have noticed the swap and accused me of being the real "target" instead. But they would have never arrived at the conclusion that Karuizawa was the real "target". That was the cell phone swapping plan I had come up with.

"If Class D didn\'t have the "target" in it, what would you have done?" Ichinose asks me.

"Same as you. I\'d tried to figure out who was the "target" amongst the classes, swap phones with them, and pass myself off as the real "target" instead" I replied.

If the real "target" comes out after that and points out the deception, the search would be successful, and if for instance they believed Ichinose to be the real "target" instead, the traitor would inevitably answer wrong and the exam would end. In that latter situation, no points would be allocated to Class B and it may be possible to decrease the gap of points between some of the classes.

"So it\'s out, huh?"

Ichinose then started pulling out phones from her left and right pockets. One of them belonged to the "target" from Class B from another group, one of them from another student who wasn\'t the "target" from another group.

"By the way, this is just my prediction but if I go from the flow of today\'s discussion---"

Ichinose than quickly wrote a message on her phone.

"The identity of the "target" is Karuizawa Kei-san. Correct?"

Having wrote that, she shows me her screen. That was the \'betrayal\' mail she was going to send to the school now. But before anything could happen, my phone and Ichinose\'s both rang at the same time.

"The exam for the (Rabbit) group has now ended. Please wait for the announcement of results"

"Aaah...somebody betrayed us in the end, huh? It\'s either Class A or C, one of them" she said.

"Why did you suspect Karuizawa?" I asked her.

"The same reason as Yukimura-kun. Because she\'s been acting different from usual too. She usually doesn\'t care about Ayanokouji-kun, but she\'s been looking at you quite a lot, and she\'s been making faces at you more than necessary. But that wasn\'t certain proof that Karuizawa-san was the "target" either, so either way I wouldn\'t have sent that mail" Ichinose replied to me.

It seems the plan I had set up, has been completely seen through by Ichinose.

"Why didn\'t you tell anyone about that? That way, the lie would have been revealed" I asked her.

Ichinose just laughed. Her smile right now was a deep and genuine one, the deepest and most genuine one I had ever seen.

"That\'s obvious, isn\'t it? A or C, if either one of them gets it wrong, it\'s still a plus for us. From the start, I had neither intended on clearing it together with everyone through outcome 1 nor betraying everyone through outcome 3. The moment the "target" wasn\'t in Class B, I had always intended to let another class betray us on purpose. I think the betrayer this time is from Class A" she said.

"Machida, huh?"

"No, no. It\'s Morishige-kun. He\'s from Sakayanagi-san\'s faction. He probably doesn\'t want to meekly obey the Katsuragi faction. He probably thought it was better to betray and just take the points, that would be about it?" Ichinose replies to me.

While strangely laughing, she turns her back to me.

"Ayanokouji-kun, you\'re unexpectedly amazing. The conversation you just had with me, was made up on the spot wasn\'t it?" she asks.

"If you\'re going to praise, praise Horikita. She just gave me several hypothetical situations and I obeyed her orders is all" I told her in reply.

It seems I\'m going to need to reevaluate the person known as Ichinose Honami. She\'s managed to thoroughly avoid taking any risks at the same time devising a strategy to come out victorious. I have no right to complain.

"I\'ll be leaving then. It\'ll be bad if we end up breaking the rules" she told me.

But as Ichinose was saying that, our phones played a unique tone simultaneously. And not just once or twice, but four consecutive times in a short amount of time.

"W-What does this mean?"

Ichinose seemed to be genuinely shocked from the bottom of her heart, as we both gazed at the screens of our phones.

3

The ship sailing in the deep dark sea, seemed somewhat lonely.

But as the time approached 11 PM, the presence of people gradually increased. When I had noticed, the cafe I was planning on returning to had already shown a huge success and seats were rapidly being filled up one after the other. In front of me, who had secured four seats in advance, a girl approaches.

"...sorry for making you wait". The girl who shyly came over was Karuizawa Kei. Something about her expression seemed to be different than usual.

"Sorry for calling you out this late" I told her.

"No, that\'s fine...".

Since I had nothing in particular to talk to her about, I simply stared at the scenery colored by silence. But since Karuizawa seemed to be staring at me, I turned to face her as well.

"Ahh, umm...I was wondering if everything went alright" she asked.

"It\'s fine. I\'m sure the guys from Class A sent the mail to the school with my name on it".

I was able to say this because as insurance, there was one more thing I had besides swapping Karuizawa and Yukimura\'s phones. Since we had worked together with a predestination in mind to ensure we would be able to synergistically work together, there would be no worries on that front.

"How can you say that for sure?" she asks. "Isn\'t that because the paper you gave me meant something, Ayanokouji-kun?". The existence that creeped up from behind me, surprised us enough to make Karuizawa jump a little. It couldn\'t be helped, because that existence was the boy that Karuizawa had tried to break up with, Hirata.

"Good work on the exam, both of you. Mind if I take a seat?" he asks. "Of course".

Karuizawa shifted uncomfortably and looked away from Hirata, but did not show any signs of outright rejecting him. It is now 10:55 PM. In 5 more minutes, a mail will be sent to all the students.

"It\'s almost time. Is Horikita-san not coming yet? Shouldn\'t we contact her?".

"She\'s the type to always cut it close. We can afford to wait another four minutes" I replied.

"Ahh. It looks like she\'s here". It seems at least in this case, Horikita has arrived faster than I had expected her to.

"Haa~ If I see this bunch meeting in front of my eyes like this, I can\'t help but sigh" Horikita said.

"You\'ve finally arrived. By the way, what\'s that behind you?" I asked her.

"If you pay any attention to him, you lose. Just think of him as a ghost riding my back and ignore him that way" Horikita replied.

"Don\'t say that, Horikita. I thought you would be anxious during the exam period and I got worried about you, that\'s why I called out to you like that"

I had not seen him around recently, but Sudou Ken stood beside Horikita almost as if he\'s stuck to her.

"You\'re in my way, get lost" Horikita told him.

"D-Don\'t say that. I challenged this exam with my very best efforts, you know" Sudou replied.

"Then do you have any confidence that you left behind a good result?" she asks.

"...I was only a step away from that. But it looks like someone faster than me sent the mail first" Sudou said.

After having heard that half-hearted excuse from him, it seems Horikita had stopped paying any attention to him. Horikita then takes a seat in the last vacant seat. Sudou panics and quickly moves to pull over a chair from a nearby table.

"You\'re still in the way" Horikita tells Sudou.

"It\'s fine, right? I\'m just going to listen to you. Also, don\'t exclude me" he replies to her.

Despite this being a rather unusual gathering of members, it seems Sudou has no interest in hearing our side of things.

"More importantly, the chain of mails we got earlier...".

"Yeah, I was also curious about that"

About roughly 2 hours ago, it was an incident that occurred just as I had parted ways with Ichinose. Four mails were sent to our phones one after another. The contents of those mails informed us of the end of the exam for several groups.

The (Rat) group, the (Horse) group, the (Bird) group and the (Boar) group. All those groups had their exam ended by the appearance of a traitor.

"The (Horse) group is the one where the "target" was Minami-kun, right?"

"Yes. In other words, there\'s a possibility his identity was uncovered by someone"

"In the other groups, is there a possibility that one of us had sent the mail?" Horikita anxiously asks. If the "target" makes a mistake, the damage they would incur is nothing to laugh at.

"I was inquiring about that and asked around in several groups earlier. As far as the boys\' side goes, they\'re saying none of them are the traitor that sent the mail" Hirata tells Horikita.

This is of course, assuming they haven\'t fed us a lie. But to a certain degree, I\'m sure we can trust them.

"Was Yamauchi fine?". I asked about the man who was ready to go to extremes if necessary.

"Ahh, umm. That one\'s fine. Yamauchi-kun was in the (Bird) group, and it seems he did try to send a betrayal mail. But he hesitated for too long, and the exam ended before he could send the mail" Hirata replies to me.

"I don\'t know who it was from where, but betraying us first before we could was a fine play".

Horikita had predicted that if Yamauchi were to send the betrayal mail, he would have completely gotten the answer wrong. I\'m sure she\'s correct too. He had lost his chance the moment he did not send the mail straight away and hesitated after the end of the exam.

"But we don\'t know the girls\' side" Horikita points out.

"That\'s fine. I\'ve already checked the girls\' side. Nobody sent the mails" Karuizawa replies to Horikita bluntly without any hesitation at all. Since she rules over the girls of Class D, her information gathering abilities are almost as fast as Hirata.

"...I see".

Of course Horikita, who has no such information gathering ability, has no other choice but to accept that answer.

"In the end, this exam. I wonder why the briefing was done with such a small group of people?" Hirata murmurs that question was though he could not grasp the meaning behind it.

"This exam is one that tests \'thinking\'. In other words, how we think. It\'s not like every question has an answer...or something like that" Horikita replies to Hirata.

Indeed, it could be that only by seeing through those pointless bluffs, can we find the answer hidden beneath all the questions. It might be natural to assume that.

"More importantly than that, what I\'m worried about is the fact that those four mails came in almost simultaneously. The window for betrayal is 30 minutes. But even so, having all the betrayals happen within the first 1 and 2 minutes. Is it even normal?" Horikita asks.

"Isn\'t it just...a coincidence?".

It seems from the perspective of Sudou who had just been listening in on our conversation, it may all have seemed like a coincidence.

"When Kouenji-kun sent the betrayal mail, the response from the school was immediate. If we assume that they reply as fast as an automatic response..."

"The possibility that the mails were sent together at once is extremely high. In other words, it may be that it\'s one class responsible for all the betrayals".

Precisely. I also thought that there was no other possibility but that for four mails to be sent with that timing.

"It may have been that they timed their betrayal mails to let us know it was them who did it"

"Yes. I also cannot think of any alternative reason than that. And there\'s only one man who would do something like that..." Horikita said.

Horikita and Hirata naturally exchange those words. I\'m just grateful this would end without me having to say anything unnecessary.

And there is meaning in using this cafe that we have used many times before, to meet tonight.

"As expected, you were here".

It was so that I could invite the 6th guest, that man. To this place.

"Ryuuen...!!!". Having realized Ryuuen\'s presence, Sudou stood up as if to intimidate him but Ryuuen did not pay him any attention and simply grabbed a vacant chair before sitting down next to Horikita.

"I thought I\'d come and enjoy the results with you. Thanks for being here in such an easy-to-tell place" Ryuuen said.

"Yes. I chose this place especially so that even you with your stupidity would be able to find this place. Thank me" Horikita replied to him.

"But even so, Suzune. This is a rather large gathering for you. What\'s with the change of heart?" Ryuuen asks Horikita.

Ryuuen said this while looking at the four of us gathered at the table (while ignoring Sudou completely).

"I was bothered by your persistent nagging. I was consulting them about it here" Horikita replies.

"Don\'t give Horikita any trouble!" Sudou roars at Ryuuen.

"Sudou-kun, shut up" Horikita said.

".....ou...".

Having been stopped by Horikita, Sudou obediently sinks back into his chair. He\'s a surprisingly honest one.

"I thought you didn\'t have any friends that were actually friends. Well that\'s fine".

This itself is yet another defensive plan I had prepared against Ryuuen. By increasing the amount of people Horikita interacts it, I had effectively created a dummy. Naturally, the amount of people he\'d need to keep an eye on would increase and it would become unsustainable for him.

"The results will be announced soon. Did you get any results?".

"More or less. You look pretty relaxed" Horikita replies to Ryuuen.

"Kukuku. I wouldn\'t be out here if I weren\'t. It also seems like the same people from last time are here".

"Oh that\'s right. Last time during the results announcement after acting all high and mighty, you lost miserably" Sudou laughs at Ryuuen after seemingly having remembered something and points a finger at him.

And as if to match Sudou\'s actions, Horikita also looks down at Ryuuen with a disgusted expression.

"Stop it, Suzune. If you do this now, you\'re just going to embarrass yourself later, you know? I already know the "target" of our group" Ryuuen said.

Whether those words were the truth or a lie, Horikita was not shaken one bit. Perhaps it\'s because she already had confidence that she would not lose to Ryuuen.

"I\'m glad about that. I look forward to the results" Horikita tells Ryuuen.

"We don\'t even need to wait for that. I can tell you who the "target" for the (Dragon) group is now" he replies to Horikita.

"I\'m sorry but you just sound like a loser at this point. The exam is already over and no one from the (Dragon) group turned traitor. It can only mean one thing" Horikita said.

It would only mean that Ryuuen had finished the exam without realizing that Kushida was the "target". That would be the undeniable truth.

"If you come to know my kindness, you\'ll be so grateful that you\'ll wet your crotch" Ryuuen tells Horikita.

And using such vulgar language, Ryuuen laughs as though he were amused.

"...tell me then. Who is the "target" of the (Dragon) group?" Horikita asks him.

And as if he were waiting for her to say that, Ryuuen raised his hand while laughing. He peeps through the gaps of his fingers like a beast, as if he were preparing to leap on the throat of his prey.

"Kushida Kikyou". Ryuuen said that name.

"Ehh?".

Horikita, who had not reacted to any of Ryuuen\'s words until now, froze with a small, surprised voice. It must have been because she was confident that he would absolutely not uncover that identity that she was overwhelmed now. And also, Hirata from the same (Dragon) group seemed shocked too.

"I\'m sorry but from the second day of the exam, I already knew that Kushida was the "target" of the group" Ryuuen told them.

"This is a joke...right? If so, you could have ended the exam by sending the betrayal mail. But the exam didn\'t end like that. That means you only realized it after the exam ended through some other means, am I wrong?" Horikita asks him.

"I just felt sorry for you after seeing you try so desperately to protect the identity of the "target", then seeing you so confident, so relaxed and sure about your victory that you would even look down on others. That\'s why I led you on until the end" Ryuuen told Horikita.

"How did you figure it out?" Hirata asks Ryuuen in response to his words in a tone that was a mixture of curiosity and fear.

After they tried so hard to protect Kushida\'s identity, and the fact that there was apparently no traitor. They must have been curious about that.

"Unfortunately the answer to that...involves you, Suzune" Ryuuen tells Horikita.

"Me?".

Horikita, right about now, is surely desperately reflecting on the events of the exam in her head, while pretending to still be calm. When, where and how she got seen through.

"I realized it from the movement of your eyes, breathing, movement of your mouth, your tone of voice and everything else about you" Ryuuen told Horikita.

"Stop with the jokes".

"Joke? Then are you claiming to know how else I would have known the truth?" Ryuuen quickly replies.

"That\'s...surely you heard that from someone else just now".

"I understand your feelings of not wanting to admit it. That out of everyone in the group, you are the most worthless one. But don\'t blame yourself for that, Suzune. You just picked the wrong guy to mess with. And besides, the exam was chaotic anyways. In particular, the ones you watched out for most was Class A. Relax" Ryuuen told Horikita.

"W-What are you s-saying you\'ve done?" Horikita asks Ryuuen.

"You\'ll know the answer soon enough" he replies.

Apparently the four betrayal mails were all Ryuuen\'s work.

And once 11 PM arrived, a mail arrived in our phones all at once.

And without sparing Ryuuen a gaze, we all looked down to see the results.

(Rat) ---> Due to the traitor\'s correct assessment. Outcome 3.

(Cow) ---> Due to the traitor\'s wrong assessment. Outcome 4.

(Tiger) ---> Due to the target\'s identity being protected. Outcome 2.

(Rabbit) ---> Due to the traitor\'s wrong assessment. Outcome 4.

(Dragon) ---> Due to the entire group\'s correct assessment after the exam\'s end. Outcome 1.

(Snake) ---> Due to the target\'s identity being protected. Outcome 2.

(Horse) ---> Due to the traitor\'s correct assessment. Outcome 3.

(Sheep) ---> Due to the target\'s identity being protected. Outcome 2.

(Monkey) ---> Due to the traitor\'s correct assessment. Outcome 3.

(Bird) ---> Due to the traitor\'s correct assessment. Outcome 3.

(Dog) ---> Due to the target\'s identity being protected. Outcome 2.

(Boar) ---> Due to the traitor\'s correct assessment. Outcome 3.

And based on those results. Increases and decreases in the class and private points in this exam would be as follows. In this case, cl and pr would represent class point and private points respectively.

Class A - Minus 200cl Plus 2 million pr

Class B - No change in cl Plus 2.5 million pr

Class C - Plus 150 cl Plus 5.5 million pr

Class D - Plus 50 cl Plus 3 million pr

"Class C...is the top". Horikita and the others seemed shocked at the results.

"Isn\'t it great, Suzune? Thanks to your misfortune, the (Dragon) group has gotten the unexpected outcome 1. Now, all the classes should equally receive a large amount of points" Ryuuen tells Horikita.

Ryuuen then claps his hands and laughs satisfactorily.

"If you bow your head before me and beg. I can tell you the answer" Ryuuen tells Horikita.

"Who would do something like that?".

Horikita had started to say that, but quickly and strongly closed her mouth.

"Man. That expression of yours. It\'s pretty sexy" Ryuuen tells Horikita.

Ryuuen then takes out his phone from his pocket and places it on the table in front of us for all of us to see. On the screen seems to be a list that Ryuuen has managed to put together. Rat, bird, boar. In those groups were written the names of the students suspected to be the "targets" from Class A.

"I discovered the root of this exam and arrived at that. Then I focused on targeting only those of Class A. And this is the proof of that" Ryuuen tells us.

In other words, it means Ryuuen managed to clear this exam without targeting neither Class D nor Class B an only attacking Class A. Normally, it would have been impossible to pull off such an inconvenient feat. But there\'s no denying that Ryuuen did, in fact, pull it off.

"And I\'m sorry to tell you this. But unfortunately, my next target is you, Suzune. In the next exam, I will make sure to especially target you. I will keep going until I have completely torn your mind and heart to pieces" Ryuuen declares to Horikita.

No longer having any words to reply to him with, Horikita just kept staring at the results in the mail.

It would mean that Class C now possesses an overwhelming lead on the other classes, having obtained a large amount of points here in this exam.

Now looking back at it, even though Kouenji seemed to have been messing around back then, it was a fine play by him to secure some points for us back then. Otherwise, it would have been Class C\'s exclusive victory.

Of course Kouenji\'s actions ended up sending stray bullets flying into the "targets" of the other classes as well.

"Look forward to the second semester". Having paid back the debt from the island test, Ryuuen seemed satisfied as he walked away. And the students, despite their victory, did not seem to be celebrating but rather looked worn out.

"I can still accept that Ryuuen-kun simply gathered information on Class A\'s "targets". I can chalk it up to him having a talent we don\'t have. But how did he get (Dragon) group\'s result?" Hirata asked.

But there\'s no need to think particularly hard about this.

"It\'s not that hard of a task. If you put your mind to it, it\'s pretty simple".

"What do you mean?"

"Leaving aside the manner of how Ryuuen found out the "target"\'s identity. All he had to do was announce \'Kushida is the target\' before the end of the exam. Of course, nobody would believe in the words of someone like Ryuuen. Especially a group of gifted people like that group. But, the closing period alone is different. Even if you answer mistakenly during that window, there would be no risk. As such, even someone playing defense like Katsuragi would be tempted to vote. If even there is 1% chance that Kushida really is the "target", the first outcome would be most convenient to all of them after all" I said.

If he had planted the seeds of it earlier, it is an extremely simple task. But it is something impossible to do normally. It\'s a task that cannot be accomplished unless everyone trusts that it is indeed Kushida. Is this really possible? Even I cannot imagine how it could have happened. This could not have been a success. How did, leaving aside Class D, he guide everyone to outcome 1 while gaining their trust? Unless he had an \'absolute proof that everyone must believe in\'...perhaps.

"Horikita. Just perhaps but---we may far some hurdles in the future".

And not just once or twice, depending on the circumstances, it may involve the whole of Class D even.

"...hurdles from Ryuuen-kun? Indeed he managed to do well in this exam, that much is true. But there\'s no guarantee that he will be able to repeat this in the future. In fact, your group actually won, am I wrong?" Horikita asks me.

"That\'s right. I might just be overthinking this. Don\'t worry about it" I replied to Horikita.

Right now it\'s still nothing but a premonition. But what if this premonition comes true? I can\'t help but think this may be the first step towards despair. But at the same time, I also began to feel the emotion of \'excitement\' start to grow inside of me.