Chapter 3: An Infinite Variety of Wishes

Chapter 3: An Infinite Variety of Wishes

Chapter 3:

An Infinite Variety

of Wishes

B reakfast time. I avoided the buffet that was popular with a lot of the students, and made my way toward the ship’s deck. There was a café called Blue Ocean, which had hardly any students early in the morning. I took a table in the shaded back, where there weren’t many people around. It was 7:55 in the morning.

Just one minute before the designated meeting time, the person I was waiting for appeared. She wore an emotionless expression, like always.

“You’re rather early.”

Horikita sat down next to me. She was the one of the very few people at this school whom I could call a friend. She was unusually talented, and a thorn in my side, because she knew something about my hidden life.

“I was waiting for an hour.” I tried teasing her a little.

“That’s not my problem, as I’ve still arrived before the designated time. Besides, how would I know if you’d been waiting even ten hours or more?”

It really wasn’t easy to tease her. Pointless, actually.

Horikita wasn’t good at chit-chat. After I gave her my information yesterday, she hadn’t been able to reciprocate. All she did was propose we meet here. Was this some sort of trick? “So, did you get any more details?”

“Just what you already told me. There are twelve groups, and four outcomes. Also, the school said they would send the names of the VIPs via email at 8:00 a.m. today. Any minor differences in the explanations they gave us could be attributed to differences in the way teachers communicate.”

“Who’s in your group? How many people do you have?” I’d seen some of the lineup yesterday, but she knew that already.

“The list is honestly surprising. It’s biased to the point where I can’t imagine it’s a coincidence.”

Horikita handed over a slip of paper, looking a little depressed. She’d written this down on her own notepad, and had memorized all the names. I took the list and looked it over. Her group name was Dragon. I understood what Horikita meant about bias when I looked at the names.

CLASS A: Katsuragi Kouhei, Nishikawa Ryouko, Matoba Shinji, Yano Koharu

CLASS B: Andou Saya, Kanzaki Ryuuji, Tsube Hitomi

CLASS C: Oda Takumi, Suzuki Hidetoshi, Sonoda Masashi, Ryuuen Kakeru

CLASS D: Kushida Kikyou, Hirata Yousuke, Horikita Suzune

First, the Class D students, Hirata and Kushida: They were both excellent students, and representatives of our class. Excluding the fact that Horikita was far too much of a loner, she definitely had outstanding talents that let her stand shoulder to shoulder with the other two. To be perfectly honest, it was the strongest hand Class D could have dealt.

I’d thought they’d have at least one more person, but that wasn’t the case. In terms of latent ability, Kouenji had an abundance, but he probably wouldn’t contribute any of it to the team. I didn’t know what group he was in.

“I see. This really seems like an inevitable grouping,” I muttered.

Even if I just limited it to the names I knew, they had Katsuragi from Class A, Kanzaki from Class B, and Ryuuen from Class C. All class representatives. If you thought of their group like players in the qualifying rounds of a soccer league, they were the dream team, and this was a death match.

“But something feels unnatural,” I added. I didn’t really know many students, but it was somewhat unnatural for Ichinose to be in Rabbit and not Dragon.

“You mean Ichinose-san being in your group, don’t you? I suppose only the Class B students know if she’s really excellent or not. A leader’s qualities and level of excellence aren’t necessarily directly proportional,” said Horikita.

“Wait, are you talking about yourself?” I asked.

She glared, so I averted my eyes. However, Horikita did have a point. We didn’t know the finer details of Ichinose’s abilities. Perhaps her academic scores were unexpectedly low.

“From what we can deduce, I wonder if there’s a certain method they’re using to sort us into the twelve groups? Ayanokouji-kun, your grades are very similar to Karuizawa-san’s. Are they grouping us based on our scores? Oh, but Yukimura-kun has high academic ability, and so does Kouenji-kun. They’re at the top of the class,” said Horikita.

She was taking our midterm grades and final exams into consideration.

“But there’s probably a gap between me and the Professor, same as you and Hirata. There are too many details that don’t fit the score theory.”

If students were divided into groups based purely on grades, then Kouenji should have been at the top. Of course, I agreed that our grades were taken into account, but another variable was likely involved in the process. If at all possible, I would’ve liked to see the member lists of the other groups.

“At any rate, this is probably going to be difficult. Trying to lead the group and to outmaneuver everyone, I mean.”

Well, when you had several high-ability people gathered together, the inclusion of the rather orthodox Horikita wasn’t necessarily advantageous. She and Ryuuen were especially incompatible, like fire and water. I didn’t like it; they were bound to clash.

But if I told Horikita that, she would probably be pissed. I decided to stay quiet. However, Horikita would probably work well with a straightforward person like Katsuragi. They both believed that intellect led to victory, so they’d get along.

“Well, it’s just about time,” said Horikita.

Once the clock struck 8:00, both of our phones beeped simultaneously. We immediately checked our phones. After we’d finished reading the contents of the message at almost the exact same time, Horikita turned her phone to show me the message. I did the same. We compared what was on each other’s phones, confirming the finer details.

“After thorough consideration, you have not been chosen to be the VIP. Please remember to be a team player as your group tackles the challenges of this test. The exam begins today, and will be held over a period of three days. Members of the Dragon group should gather in the Dragon room located on the second deck.”

My message was almost the same as Horikita’s. Of course, the name of the group differed, but everything else matched up perfectly.

“I suppose neither of us was chosen, then.”

While putting our phones away, we shifted in our seats.

“No, we weren’t chosen. I’m not sure if we should be happy or sad.”

“Yeah. If you’re chosen, then you could lead your group to any of the outcomes,” I reasoned.

Being the VIP in this test placed you at an overwhelming advantage. If you kept up a good poker face, you could easily obtain 500,000 points.

“Even so, I don’t like how they wrote it. It’s like they’re saying I’m not qualified to be the VIP.”

Even though she was on the dream team, Horikita still thought of herself as working alone. That was just like her.

“In this test, there’s a huge difference between the chosen students and the rest. Everyone who wasn’t chosen will need to struggle to find the VIP. The school said there were no disadvantages, but that was a lie. Unless the VIP is in your class, there’s a high probability that the point difference between classes will widen even further.”

That was certainly true. Depending on how things went, the gap we’d managed to close after the first test might widen again.

“The leaders of each group should be coming up with a number of strategies already. If we don’t decide early on how we’re going to conduct ourselves, we probably won’t recover.”

“I understand,” Horikita responded.

She gave me a slightly frustrated look. I was trying to figure out how to fight this battle. As I considered the members of my group, and the underlying mechanics of this test, the goal began to take shape.

“Are you thinking about the results?” asked Horikita, observing my expression. She sounded hesitant.

“There are some things I can’t yet see, like how some of the students I don’t know will react. I won’t know until I meet with them directly. But I thought of a way to lead us to victory.”

Of course, we couldn’t behave recklessly. I’d need to time my move properly, and everything would need to be set up beforehand.

“I look forward to your results,” said Horikita.

“Me too. Can’t wait to see what you do with your group,” I answered.

But something about that message still nagged at me. “After thorough consideration,” it had said. That odd choice of words wasn’t by chance. Mashima-sensei had said something to the same effect. The VIP had been chosen based on certain considerations. There was something about the chosen that set them apart.

I couldn’t get too hung up on phrasing right now. I knew that one person had been selected from each group. That meant there were twelve VIPs.

“For the sake of reference, who are you most wary of? Based on how things have been going, I wanted your thoughts,” said Horikita.

Horikita’s attention had shifted slightly. Since she was assigned to the most intense group, that wasn’t surprising.

“Ryuuen,” I answered.

“That was fast.”

“There’s no one else I’d choose,” I replied.

“What about Katsuragi-kun? It’s because of him that Class A managed to quickly hold down that prime spot on the island. Isn’t he someone worth watching?”

“Of course. Considering he’s only a first-year student, he’s excellent. If you’d asked me who the most excellent student was, then Katsuragi would’ve been my answer. But if you’re asking who I’m wary of, then it’s Ryuuen, by a mile,” I answered.

Class D had been victorious during the test on the island, without a doubt. Ryuuen had come up short in several ways. He’d telegraphed his intentions, so it ended up easy to get a read on him. However, it was highly likely that Ryuuen had read my intentions, too. I wanted to avoid him finding out that I was the one responsible for Horikita’s success on the island.

“I’m curious about some things concerning the VIP’s identity. Even after reading the message and thinking about it, did you notice any unnatural-sounding phrases in the school’s email? And the strict—” Horikita said.

I silenced her by pressing my finger to her lips. Speak of the devil—a shadow appeared before us.

“Nice weather, eh Suzune? You having breakfast with this clingy beta male?”

Two people approached us, each wearing an unsettling grin. One of them was Ryuuen, the very subject of our discussion. The other person was…

“I’ve warned you not to call me by my first name, Ryuuen-kun. Also, considering you were a turncoat who only pretended to be our friend, it’s odd you’d show your face, Ibuki-san.”

Beside Ryuuen stood a female student, Ibuki Mio. She had a somewhat cocksure gleam in her eyes. She also happened to be in the Rabbit group with me.

“…”

Ibuki seemed slightly disapproving of Horikita’s light provocation, but didn’t snap back. Instead, she bit down lightly on her lower lip. Ryuuen, watching things unfold out of the corner of his eye, flashed a satisfied smile. During the test on the island, Ibuki had infiltrated Class D as a spy. Eventually, Horikita had caught Ibuki red-handed, but ended up catching Ibuki’s fist during their ensuing confrontation. Horikita firmly insisted that if she hadn’t been ill at the time, she wouldn’t have lost the fight, but right now, I wasn’t really concerned about who was stronger.

Ryuuen silenced Ibuki. He appeared to be mocking us. “You should have received the message already. What were the results? Were you chosen as the VIP?”

“As if I would tell you. Perhaps you’d like to tell us about your message?” Horikita responded.

“If you wish.” Ryuuen straddled one of the two vacant seats. “But before that, I want to ask you something. How did you wrangle those results on the island test?”

“I have nothing to tell you,” Horikita responded.

Horikita looked completely calm; she didn’t shake or waver in the slightest. There was nothing false about her attitude, either. She had incredible acting ability. She probably didn’t think she was acting, though. Even though she didn’t show any weakness, Ryuuen wasn’t convinced.

“I suppose you wouldn’t give anything away, but that doesn’t matter. According to my information, there’s no way that your farcical bumbling on the island should’ve led to victory,” said Ryuuen.

“I’m not so stupid that I’d let someone like her see through me. Things were simply more difficult because of my fever.”

In responsive to that more blatant provocation, Ibuki could no longer hide her irritation. “In that case, let’s have a rematch,” she challenged.

Horikita kept her cool as Ibuki became more and more riled up. “Regrettably, I must decline your offer. Violent actions are considered a violation of the test rules. If you do happen to strike me, I will not hesitate to report it to the school. At any rate, please feel free to do whatever you please,” she said flatly.

“Tch!”

Ibuki closed the distance between herself and Horikita, looking ready to lunge, but she stopped herself. If you thoughtlessly went on a rampage here, you wouldn’t escape punishment. More than anything else, though, Ibuki was working beneath Ryuuen. She didn’t have the right to act freely. While Ibuki clearly detested Ryuuen, she was also exceptionally talented. That was likely the precise reason why Ryuuen had chosen her as the spy to infiltrate Class D.

“Since we’re all together, how about we have some coffee? It seems a good time to enjoy a nice cup,” Horikita offered.

She seemed in a strangely good mood as she ordered her morning coffee. I ordered the same thing. Ryuuen showed no signs of leaving, apparently wanting to continue the conversation. He continued to observe the silent Horikita, and opened his mouth once again when the coffee arrived. “Yesterday, it seemed Katsuragi was rather cautious of you,” he said.

“Well, that’s understandable. He couldn’t have guessed that someone from Class D would do so well. Isn’t that why you and Ibuki-san are here? You came to check on me. Am I wrong?” asked Horikita.

“Heh. Well, I won’t deny that. I came here to measure your abilities for myself,” he answered.

“Of course,” Horikita answered, sipping her coffee. She seemed at ease, which was unusual.

“Katsuragi and I think differently. When I’m dealing with someone, I like to keep an eye on them.”

“You’re free to do as you please, but what exactly are you thinking?” asked Horikita.

“I’m remembering the test on the island. The result. The process that led to it. There are only certain types of people who would’ve been able to conceptualize and execute a plan like that. A girl like you is far too serious-minded to have come up with it,” reasoned Ryuuen.

“Think whatever you like. Though I wonder…how did you figure out my strategy? You only saw the results of the test. How do you know the way in which points were gained and lost? Those details are supposed to be unknown,” countered Horikita.

In response to Horikita’s calm demeanor, Ryuuen flashed his teeth in curious amusement. “Katsuragi probably didn’t know.”

Based on how he’d said it, Ryuuen most likely did know.

“Well, why don’t you explain it to me? If you’re correct, I’ll give you an answer. If you can answer, that is,” Horikita added. Ryuuen just laughed unnervingly.

“At the end of the test, I wrote down your name as leader, but that was wrong. There’s just one reason why that was wrong: Your class leader changed right before the test ended. The only explanation,” mused Ryuuen.

“Do you think that was hard to deduce? Any idiot could have figured that out if they thought about it for a minute. Even Katsuragi-kun, who you’ve been making fun of,” answered Horikita.

“Ah. However, Katsuragi thinks you planned the whole thing. But was that really the case? In my opinion, you becoming the leader and then retiring were both unexpected. Besides, I had my own strategy in place. I had Ibuki infiltrate your class to find out the leader’s identity. You did nothing to counter that strategy at first,” said Ryuuen.

“Is it possible that I’d simply taken the proper precautions? Preparing for the unknown is absolutely basic logic. The moment Ibuki-san met Class D, I took all possibilities into account. You were so confident, but your argument ended up being flimsy. You’ve said nothing surprising,” responded Horikita.

“The key question is who replaced you as leader. Personally, I think the second leader was pulling your strings from behind the scenes during the entire test.”

It was exactly as Ryuuen had said. Though he spoke to Horikita, he observed me quietly. If I appeared shaken for even an instant, he’d pounce.

“I’m afraid I can’t understand you at all. I have no close friends. The closest I have would be Ayanokouji-kun here, and he’s always dragging me down. I’d be hard-pressed to say that he’s working with me. Sad, but true,” answered Horikita.

By specifically drawing attention to me, Horikita had managed to make me seem useless. Well done.

“However, if we did change leaders, he wouldn’t be the most likely candidate.”

“I see.” Ryuuen glanced at me, but quickly looked away. “Well, I suppose that’s expected of a clingy tagalong.”

“So now you understand. Though I wonder what basis you had for your hypothesis,” said Horikita.

“That guy with you is considerably smart. Despite that, he hasn’t achieved anything significant, or gotten high grades. He has some excellent qualities, though I have my doubts,” said Ryuuen.

“You’ve investigated Class D rather thoroughly, it seems. Ayanokouji-kun, we’ve been putting you down mercilessly. Aren’t you going to defend yourself?” asked Horikita.

“I would if I had anything to defend,” I responded. My lazy façade had become the perfect counterattack. I’m not exactly sure how he figured that out, but Ryuuen appeared to understand me. Maybe he’d spent time measuring my academic abilities, physical abilities, and even communication skills. Grades were objective and reliable. You couldn’t deceive others with that information.

“Well, I’m sorry, but what you’re saying is complete nonsense. It’s a child’s excuse, used because he’s upset that he lost and needs to resort to fantasy. Does it embarrass you that a girl managed to see through your schemes?” asked Horikita.

“I see your point. I never imagined you’d trip me up. I’ll admit it. The results of the test shocked me,” answered Ryuuen.

Even though he’d admitted weakness, Ryuuen laughed. If anything, he acted like our actions had been almost irrational.

“Well, that’s too bad. I love surprise attacks, foul play, and subterfuge. That level of strategy was totally unexpected, but your victory high will soon come to an end. Whether it’s you, Suzune, or someone pulling the strings behind the scenes, you’re stupid. You’ve already made your best move. Class D is one or two steps behind the other classes in points. The challenge will only heat up from here. You already played your trump card during the survival test, when the game was just getting started. You couldn’t see what was in front of or behind you. I don’t think you’ll find this round as easy as last time. Tell that to whoever helped you ace the test,” warned Ryuuen.

“My goodness, that was rather thoughtful,” said Horikita.

“What can I say? I’m quite merciful.”

“It sounds like you really want to believe that we have a secret weapon in our class,” observed Horikita.

Ryuuen didn’t answer. Even though he didn’t have any evidence, he couldn’t restrain from doubting Horikita. Ryuuen believed in himself more than anyone else. He refused to accept even the slightest hint of advice from others. He didn’t appear to want to confirm anything during this encounter, only to chat with Horikita and pass the time amusing himself.

Ryuuen took out his phone and pointed it toward Horikita. He snapped a single picture, the shutter from his camera making a clicking sound.

“Don’t take my photo without permission!” snapped Horikita.

“Relax. Here, I’ll show you,” said Ryuuen.

Ryuuen looked at the picture he’d taken of Horikita, which showed her wearing a particularly sour expression. He put his phone away, looking satisfied.

“Someone in Class D other than you is quite clever. There’s no mistake about that,” he said.

“Well, isn’t that a good thing? I don’t particularly care. Besides, if you just arbitrarily jump to conclusions, why bother badgering me to confirm them?” asked Horikita.

“A conversation reveals many subtle things. I’m glad I could talk with you, Suzune. It’s a game to me. I’ll discover who among you is making moves behind the scenes. Everyone, including your clingy friend here, is a target,” said Ryuuen.

“Let me ask you something. I know it hurts that I saw through you, but why are you so fixated on me? Aren’t you concerned about anyone else? Like Ichinose-san, or Katsuragi-kun? Going by the rumors, there’s someone named Sakayanagi, too. Shouldn’t the people in the classes above C be your concern? You should be able to at least answer that, I think,” said Horikita.

Horikita was right to question him. Ryuuen’s focus was downright obsessive.

“I already know their abilities, to some extent. Neither Katsuragi nor Ichinose is my enemy. If I wanted to crush them, I could do it any time.”

“So what about Sakayanagi?”

Ibuki asked that, not Horikita. She wanted to confirm that information herself, apparently. Ryuuen, who’d been unflappable until now, was silent before responding.

“I’m saving her for the final course. It’d be a waste to eat her now. Let’s go, Ibuki.” Ryuuen stood and left with his lackey.

“You’re a person of interest, Horikita,” I mused.

“And who’s responsible for that, hmm?”

“Are you upset?”

“Not really. It’s just that I hate your sarcastic way of speaking. I’ve always aimed to reach Class A, so I assumed I’d be attracting a lot of attention,” she answered.

“I’m glad to hear that. Well, at any rate, this doesn’t seem good. Ryuuen isn’t an ordinary opponent.”

“Really? I think he just doesn’t like that I found him out, and wanted to trick me into revealing the truth. I can’t imagine he narrowed down the list of potential candidates to you. Besides, even if he knew your identity, you’d be the only one in trouble,” replied Horikita.

I knew he suspected me, but that wasn’t important. I didn’t know what Ryuuen was thinking, but the fact that he showed up here was dangerous.

“I think we were being spied on. Him suddenly meeting up with us is too convenient,” I said.

“Are you talking about Ibuki-san?”

“Maybe she was forced to keep an eye on us, or maybe she just happened to see us by chance. If that’s the case, it would help us,” I said.

Ibuki hadn’t looked tired. Someone else may have been keeping watch, but Ibuki was likely involved, considering she was walking with Ryuuen. If I had to guess, Ryuuen was already implementing his new strategy, and using this test to do so. I was the first person to join up with Horikita. There probably weren’t many people he’d suspect to begin with.

“A mistake,” I muttered.

He’d seemingly meant to say that there was someone smart here, someone just like him, but that was a little easy. Our encounter may have given Ryuuen an even bigger hint than I’d imagined. Was I just being overly concerned about the test?

“You’re overthinking things. No one thinks you’re involved. Despite what he said, he thinks you’re an ordinary person, considering your lackluster achievements in the first semester,” said Horikita.

I didn’t know if that was a compliment or not, but she certainly had a point. No matter how much Ryuuen investigated me, he would find nothing. An ordinary person would try to avoid being rendered useless, which should put me outside the purview of his concern. Even so, because I was close to Horikita, I was undoubtedly being watched. At any rate, since Ibuki was in my group, she’d be an obstacle. It was going to be very difficult to maneuver.

Students started popping up here and there around us, and I stood up. “I think we’re done for the time being. I’m still sleepy, so I’m going to head back to my room,” I muttered.

Horikita appeared fine with that, like she didn’t need any advice. “Discussion is likely useless from here on out. We’ll go our separate ways. Anyway, excellent work. If you make any progress, give me a report.”

Despite being surrounded by powerful foes, Horikita was indomitable. Well, Hirata and Kushida would hopefully keep her in check. I’d head back to my room and sleep until the afternoon. Even though the test had started, I’d be useless until the time came.

3.1

“S orry to keep you waiting! Urrp! Urp! If you eat three heavy meals for lunch, you’ll naturally have a full belly. I considered going on a diet, but it seemed futile,” said the Professor. He walked up to me while patting his full belly, which was more swollen than usual. He met Yukimura and me right in front of the appointed room.

“You’re rather relaxed, considering the test has just begun. Me, I can hardly eat.”

“If you’re not at full strength, there’ll be trouble. It’s like choosing a higher difficulty setting in a video game, wouldn’t you say?” the Professor responded.

“Stop talking like that. It’s weird,” said Yukimura.

Of course, all the Professor’s talk sounded like arcane magic to people who weren’t accustomed to nerd culture.

Once you got used to it, it was fine. However, if I tried joining in right now, I’d probably antagonize Yukimura, so I decided to refrain.

“Oh ho! Hmm, dost thou not care for my linguistic idiosyncrasies? Well then, Yukimura-dono, what wouldst thou like?” The Professor seemed like he wanted to antagonize Yukimura.

“Whatever, I don’t care. Just talk normal.”

“From now on, I shall be like the protagonist who appears weak, but secretly has massive strength. I normally have no motivation, but I’ll become a completely OP cheater with enough power to destroy the entire world. I mean, I’m just following the current trends!” the Professor mused.

The Professor seemed like he wanted to become some mystery character from a game or anime. I no longer understood what in the world he was talking about. If we’d been in a gag manga right now, this would be the moment when Yukimura’s glasses would probably crack.

Yukimura stormed away from us. The Professor and I hurried after him.

“Ayanokouji. There’s something I wish to ask you. Please give me a straight answer,” said the Professor.

The Professor was talking like he was Takakura Ken or something, like he really was the protagonist of a story. He even had the same brooding expression. I had to hold myself back from instinctively calling him “Ken-san.”

“You want to ask me something?”

“I’ve considered what kind of speech patterns you might like. Of course, a pleasant dialect that a cute heroine character uses would be good,” said the Professor. He spoke in a very cool, stoic way, but his words were the same as always.

“No, I don’t have a favorite speech pattern or anything. Not especially, anyway,” I answered. For someone who was born and raised in Tokyo, I didn’t really know much about other dialects and the like.

“Have you perhaps encountered a speech pattern that felt moe ?” the Professor asked.

Who the hell possessed such a speech pattern, anyway? Well, I’d keep talking to him for a little longer, since I wanted to kill time. “Well, Professor, what about you? Do you have a speech pattern you like?” I asked.

“Of course. I’ll rank them. In third place would be ‘Even if you say so, Kudo!’ That’s the old stand-by, the Kansai-ben! It tends to give a somewhat tough or crude impression, but it’s the obvious choice. It’s an essential dialect. In second place is the beautiful girl from a snowy country, the Hokkaido-ben! When they say, ‘Oh, sorry for the trouble, thanks,’ and stuff like that, it just makes me swoon! Those unique phrases are so moe they make me want to die! It also gets points because it’s not used very widely in the 2D world!” exclaimed the Professor.

Uh oh. I had almost no clue what anything he said meant. But before I was able to collect my thoughts on the matter, the Professor freely segued into the final part of his announcement, using his lips to make a bizarre drumroll sound.

“Dourururururururu… Coming in first place, jumping from little girls to the older sister, the universal Hakata-ben! When I hear stuff like ‘I like ya!’ or ‘Ya like me?’, it just sounds great! In addition to the wide variation the dialect offers, you could also say that it’s the broadest there is, even at its core! Those are the best three by far!” the Professor shouted.

Unfortunately, he was talking in a language I didn’t speak, but his passion came through loud and clear. At any rate, we’d killed some time. We arrived at a second-level room with a nameplate that read “Rabbit.” The test had just begun, so the hallways were packed with students. Even so, it didn’t feel cramped, most likely because the ship was so large.

“The time for screwing around ended yesterday. From here on out, we need to fight for ourselves and for our classes.” Yukimura directed that statement toward the Professor, but I nodded in acknowledgement.

“Ugh. No matter how you look at it, we really do have the worst team.”

Karuizawa entered the room, casting her eyes away from us. We had eleven people, Karuizawa included, and all sat in chairs arranged in a big circle. Given the low number of vacant spots, we were likely the last to arrive. I didn’t know everyone’s names, but aside from Ichinose and Ibuki, there was another student I recognized. It was the boy from Class A who I’d bumped into completely by chance during the previous test, who’d proposed that I betray Class D. I hardly recognized any of the other guys or girls. Rivals up until today, we suddenly had to cooperate with each other.

Naturally, the other classes were puzzled as well, not just Class D. Students mostly divided into natural groups based on their class, but Karuizawa and Ibuki both sat a little further away, as if isolating themselves.

“Why did they…?” I muttered.

“What’s the matter, Ayanokouji? Something on your mind?”

“It’s nothing,” I said.

I’d thought for sure that Karuizawa would confront Ibuki the moment she saw her. After all, Ibuki Mio had stolen Karuizawa’s underwear back on the island. You’d think she’d want revenge, but… Well, maybe Karuizawa was more mature than I’d thought, or maybe she’d already gotten her revenge. In any case, it was all rather unnatural.

Before I could speak, a voice came through the ship’s loudspeakers.

“The first group discussion begins now.”

A short, concise announcement. Naturally, no one was taking the lead. An awkward pall hung over the room. Then Ichinose Honami cracked a small smile and stood up.

“Your attention, please! I don’t know most of you, but I think we ought to introduce ourselves. After all, there are probably people here who haven’t met before,” she said.

It was just like her to immediately volunteer herself as the leader. It wasn’t easy to take initiative and pull a group of people together, no matter how popular you were. The fact that we were enemies didn’t make it any easier, but Ichinose didn’t seem to dislike her role. If anything, she seemed to be having fun. Some of the Class A students appeared somewhat perplexed.

“Is it really necessary to introduce ourselves, though? I don’t think the school seriously meant that. I think it’s fine if only the people who want to introduce themselves do it, right?”

“Well, if that’s how you feel, Machida-kun, I can’t force you to do anything. However, a microphone might have been installed somewhere in the room to record everything we’re saying, don’t you think? If that’s true, it may not be an issue for just the people who don’t introduce themselves. The entire group might end up shouldering the blame,” warned Ichinose.

She had a point. Individual non-cooperation here could be a problem for everyone. Put like that, not even Machida could refute her.

Ichinose introduced herself first. I tried to put a little effort into my self-introduction, remembering how I’d failed to introduce myself well during the entrance ceremony. But in the end, my introduction was just as monotonous.

“Hey there, Ayanokouji-kun. Looks like we’re in the same group! I’m looking forward to working with you,” said Ichinose.

She probably meant to comfort and console me. I took my seat. Once everyone had finished, Ichinose spoke again.

“Now that we’ve finished, how do you think we should proceed? Please tell me if anyone disagrees with my taking the lead,” said Ichinose.

Ichinose appeared ready for someone else to volunteer as leader. Of course, whoever opposed her would have to publicly volunteer him or herself. Some students might’ve been dissatisfied with how Ichinose handled things, but since they likely feared being burdened with leadership, no one raised their hand.

“Well, since it looks like no one especially wants the spot, I’ll take the lead. To begin with, I think if there’s any point that people don’t understand or are worried about, we should all discuss it. If we don’t, the situation will get worse over time. Does anyone have any questions?”

Because people never want to speak up in front of a group and make a fool of themselves, no one raised their hand. This was exactly what always happened when you had a bunch of strangers in one place. Being able to step up and take responsibility in such a situation was the hallmark of a leader. Ichinose put a hand on her hip and smiled, undaunted.

“There’s something I’d like to talk to you all about. I’d like you all to assume that no one here is the VIP, and I’d like for us all to work together and clear this exam. In other words, I want to know if you think our best option is to pursue Outcome #1,” said Ichinose.

“What the heck are you talking about? Isn’t that obvious?” snapped Karuizawa.

Karuizawa didn’t understand, but with that simple question, a hierarchy formed within the group. The dam had burst. Yukimura and a girl from Class C named Manabe followed suit. They agreed with Karuizawa and said they obviously wanted to cooperate. If everyone wished for it, we’d all pass the test with Outcome #1. A natural thing to say.

In response, one of the boys from Class B raised his hand. His blue, smooth hair swayed slightly. He was a thin, somewhat androgynous-looking young man who’d introduced himself as Hamaguchi Tetsuya. “I agree, of course. We’re a group, and it’s only natural for us to cooperate,” said Tetsuya.

This had been a good way to start things off. If Ichinose’s question sounded obvious to someone, that meant they weren’t the VIP. The VIP would be forced to lie, while checking to see if they shared the group’s feelings. If someone fell for it, then we could start narrowing down the list.

Of course, the situation wasn’t that black and white. It would be dangerous to assume anything based on this one question alone. Ichinose had spoken first, and Karuizawa had agreed first. Yukimura and Manabe had followed her closely. Then came Hamaguchi from Class B. It wouldn’t be surprising if one of them was the VIP. Boldly lying would divert suspicion, after all.

I decided to jump in. “I agree, too. We’re a group, like you said, and we could all use some private points. If it’s possible, I’d like us to work together. What do you say, Professor?”

The Professor, who’d been rubbing his swollen belly, recoiled in surprise when I called on him. “Of course I’ll cooperate. I want points,” he answered.

It seemed the Professor was still trying to play the part of “mysterious character,” based on his answer. I’d never heard him use that tone of voice before. The only ones who looked doubtful were the Class A boys. They seemed to calmly analyze the situation, considering each individual member’s opinion.

“Ichinose, that question was unfair, wouldn’t you say? If you say something like, ‘assume that no one here’s the VIP,’ aren’t you subtly calling the VIP a villain? Besides, no normal person would announce that they’re going to betray anyone.”

Machida spoke these words with an air of suspicion. His response was clearly different from those of Classes D and C. Machida seemed doubtful of Ichinose, and ready to criticize her.

Hamaguchi calmly responded to Machida almost immediately. “Isn’t that a perfectly valid question, though? Ichinose-san didn’t threaten us. She didn’t order us to answer. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to respond,” he said.

Hamaguchi had coolly brushed aside all of Class A’s criticism. Apparently, a war of words was brewing. Machida wasn’t fazed by Hamaguchi at all. Rather, he spoke as though he’d expected it.

“That’s most certainly true. In that case, I think all of us from Class A will remain silent.” Machida crossed his arms. The other two people from Class A seemed to share his attitude. Everyone else who hadn’t yet answered decided to remain silent as well.

“Maybe that question was too harsh?” mused Ichinose. She smiled bitterly.

“No, I think that your question was valid, Ichinose-san. Their wariness is extreme. I’d like to ask you something, Machida-kun. What question do you think would be appropriate? I don’t think discussing our favorite foods or hobbies would be relevant to the exam. If you simply refuse to engage, then I’m unconvinced you can offer anything of value,” Hamaguchi said.

“Nothing to offer? That’s not the case at all,” said Machida.

“I don’t know specifically why Ichinose-san asked that question. However, this test requires us to come to a solution through discussion. If the students from Class A want to sit in silence, then we’ll have to carry on without you. At the very least, why not tell us what you think we should be discussing?”

Hamaguchi was right. Machida knew this, but kept his arms crossed and refused to answer. Ichinose looked like she was approaching a locked castle gate. She readied her verbal battering ram.

“I’d rather not do this, but think of it this way. Sometimes we may need to make decisions based on a majority vote. People will most certainly be suspicious of those who don’t want to answer the questions, and the group might turn against them. What do you say to that?” she asked.

Ichinose had taken a battering ram straight to the doors of Class A's castle. Her logic was similar to Horikita’s, but the crucial difference was that Ichinose could bring people together. Being able to take tactical action while also gaining the group’s approval demonstrated her powers of persuasion. Since most of the people in this room were already on Ichinose’s side, she was the de facto leader. It was deceptively simple. I didn’t know of anyone else in our school who matched her talents. Not even Katsuragi or Ryuuen could do the same. Even Hirata and Kushida might find themselves outmatched, despite their overabundance of friends.

“Is that a threat?” asked Machida.

“Please don’t misunderstand me. I just want to talk. You may answer however you please, but I want everyone to step up to the plate in this test. In other words, I want you to participate,” said Ichinose.

Machida muttered to himself before snapping, “Will this test really be settled through discussion, though? Will you really discover the VIP through talking? Or are you going to bow your head and ask the VIP to help you?”

Apparently, Class A’s policy had already been decided. But I didn’t think that Machida himself held the power. I sensed someone else behind Machida, pulling the strings.

“Is there another way, then?” asked Ichinose. Nine times out of ten, there wouldn’t be. But Class A had apparently been waiting for her to ask.

“There is. There’s a way to clear this test easily, and come out on top,” Machida replied without the slightest hesitation or anxiety. Ichinose and Hamaguchi couldn’t hide their surprise.

“Would you mind enlightening us?” asked Ichinose.

“Of course. As a group, we ought to share valuable information,” said Machida.

Machida’s fake altruism didn’t fool anyone. He was talking about a Class A strategy. Something extremely simple.

“I recommend that we don’t discuss things at all,” he said, speaking loudly enough for everyone to hear. Karuizawa and the Professor appeared to understand him easily enough.

“Well, that’s a rather unique idea. How exactly will we come out on top without discussing things, though? Do you think we should let the VIP remain anonymous, and quit while we’re ahead?” Hamaguchi spoke up, looking mildly irritated.

“Yes. The shortcut to victory is to avoid extraneous discussion,” replied Machida.

“I can’t believe this. If anything, I’m starting to believe that the VIP is someone from Class A. Are you just sharing information with the VIP and taking measures to protect him or her?” Hamaguchi asked.

She had a point. Think about it. Let’s say the VIP was someone in your class. If you gave away that information, discussion would be pointless. Hamaguchi’s opinion was valid.

“It doesn’t matter what class the VIP is in. You can most definitely win if you don’t talk. That was Katsuragi-san’s proposal.”

“Katsuragi-kun? I see,” said Ichinose.

As soon as Ichinose heard Katsuragi’s name, she seemed to immediately understand. Machida politely explained in more detail to Yukimura and the others, who still didn’t get it.

“There are only four possible outcomes. You all should know what those are. Consider. Which outcome do you think we should absolutely avoid?” asked Machida. He turned toward Karuizawa, as if choosing her to answer.

“Umm. The outcome where someone figures out the VIP’s identity and then betrays the group?” she said.

“Exactly. If a traitor emerges, that will be our downfall. Whether the traitor discovers the person or not, we lose. But what if we flip things around?” asked Machida. This time, he looked to Yukimura.

“There won’t be any negatives, you mean?”

“Exactly. There are no consequences in the two remaining outcomes. Our class points won’t rise or fall much. However, we’d gain a lot of private points. The only one who suffers in this scenario is the school. So there’s no need to try finding the VIP. If we talk, we’ll start suspecting someone of being the VIP, and then someone might make a mistake,” said Machida.

“I do see what you’re saying. But if we don’t know which class the VIP belongs to, the point gap between classes could be widened further. What if the VIP’s identity is extremely biased, and all VIPs are only chosen from one or two classes? That class would get millions of points. Although our class points won’t be affected, I’m sure everyone understands the importance of private points,” responded Hamaguchi.

Hamaguchi was onto something. Private points were a hot commodity at our school. They could be used like pocket money, but also could purchase test grades. Depending on the situation, they gave you the power to do almost anything except move between classes. Hamaguchi asserted that as long as we didn’t know how the VIPs were distributed between the classes, we shouldn’t carry out such a strategy.

However, his argument wasn’t really going to work for Class A. After all, we were dealing with Katsuragi, who must have realized the test’s “trick.” Otherwise, he wouldn’t have suggested this strategy.

“Think about it. The school wouldn’t distribute the VIPs unfairly. They hate unfairness so much that they emphasized their commitment to fairness even before the test began. The fact that there is only one VIP in each group is not that important. What’s important is that all classes have equal opportunity to produce VIPs. Otherwise, the test would be unfair right from the start. Is that possible? No, it’s not. After all, the previous test on the island was fair, wasn’t it? There’s no doubt that Classes A through D are starting equally,” Machida responded.

Katsuragi proposed that the VIPs had been distributed fairly amongst the groups. His plan was to let the test pass calmly so that all classes would receive the same number of points. However, Hamaguchi wasn’t done.

“It’s certainly true that the school has made a point of emphasizing its commitment to fairness. If we believe that, then you’d be right,” he said.

The school probably wouldn’t be so careless as to inadvertently favor one class. That much was easy to guess.

“So you understand it now. If we talk amongst ourselves, we create doubt, which will tear us apart. As a result, our relationship as a group will crumble. We certainly could discover the VIP, but that strategy could inspire a traitor who wants victory for him or herself. There’s really no need for us to overthink things,” said Machida.

“I suppose so. It’s not a bad thing if the school is the only loser,” replied Ichinose.

Ichinose seemed receptive to Katsuragi’s strategy. Machida looked as if he’d expected her agreement, but Ichinose wasn’t done.

“However, it’s going to be unexpectedly difficult. It might even be more difficult than solving the test through discussion. If you don’t doubt your partner, you won’t betray him or her. All the first-year students would have to adhere to that. Because the school guarantees the VIP’s anonymity, you’re asking for trust amongst your classmates. It’d be great if the VIP stepped forward and the points were shared equally with the class, but couldn’t the VIP just monopolize all of those points?”

“We in Class A have established complete trust amongst ourselves. We’re not at all worried about that. Private issues ought to be solved by that private group,” answered Machida.

Katsuragi’s plan was to play defensively, almost like he was putting up barriers. In order to pull off his strategy, he’d need the cooperation of everyone in the group, a difficult proposition. However, it really was a simple plan that anyone could pull off. All it required us to do was not talk. You could say that this strategy was a way to break the test.

“Isn’t Class A’s strategy fine, though? I cannot say that I can find any problems with it. Once the exam ends, the classes can talk amongst themselves and share the points,” said the Professor.

The Professor, for some reason, had gone back to using his normal nerdy tone. Something must have resonated with what he said, because his sentiment spread to Class C. A girl named Manabe shared his opinion.

“I agree. Everyone sharing the same answer would be the most rewarding result, but if anyone lied or betrayed us, we’d be doomed. Finding the VIP just isn’t realistic.”

Yukimura was lost in thought, but didn’t seem opposed to the idea. At least, he wasn’t able to express an opinion. Conversation really posed a high degree of difficulty. Machida, feeling lessened resistance, smiled and showed off his white teeth.

“I see. So, do we agree it’s as Machida-kun says? Each individual class can deal with the problem after the test has ended?” asked Ichinose.

Arms crossed, she looked over Classes D and C.

“I’d like everyone’s opinions. Would that be all right? First, those who agree with the plan, please raise your hand.”

Yukimura and the Professor raised their hands. All the students from Class C, looking somewhat troubled, raised their hands as well, though some took more time to think than others. Ibuki was the sole holdout, her arms crossed as they had been since the beginning of the test. She didn’t move. She didn’t speak.

“What about you, Ibuki-san? If it’s all right, I’d like to hear your thoughts as well,” said Ichinose.

“Whatever. I don’t really have anything to add,” said Ibuki.

She clearly stood apart from the other three Class C students. Manabe and the others didn’t appear surprised by or suspicious of Ibuki. That must’ve just been how she acted normally.

“I see. Well, what about you, Karuizawa-san?” asked Ichinose.

“I… To be completely honest, I’m annoyed. Even though you say we’ll get points, whether I get any points is a separate issue. But we may get points even if we do have a discussion… I don’t want to waste time fighting over what we’re doing. I just want this test to be over so we can have fun.”

The other students seemed astonished by her response.

“What about you, Hamaguchi-kun?” asked Ichinose.

“We leave everything to you, Ichinose-san,” he replied.

It seemed like the trust Ichinose’s class had in her was unshakeable. The other two students from Class B nodded in agreement.

“Thank you. Lastly, we have one more person to ask.” Ichinose turned to me. “What do you think, Ayanokouji-kun?”

“I mean, the strategy’s fine. Besides, I think most people here agree, and I’ve never been good at talking,” I answered.

I promoted accepting the strategy. However, I doubted that Ichinose would just accept Katsuragi’s plan so easily. No, if she just gave up and went with the flow, Class B would be headed toward a dark end. Katsuragi’s strategy was hiding something.

“It’s decided,” said Machida.

“Wait. Machida-kun. Katsuragi-kun’s strategy certainly isn’t bad. With it, there’s no need to doubt, lie to, or hurt anyone. In the end, we’d receive an equal number of points. I understand the reason why many would follow this plan. However, I want you to consider something carefully. I can’t think of any downsides to this strategy, but wouldn’t you say that being in Class A allows you to propose such a strategy? There may be downsides we don’t see yet,” she said.

Ichinose’s comeback was swift and incredible. She was like a submarine everyone thought was deep underwater, only for it to suddenly surface without so much as a splash.

“A hidden downside? What in the world could that be?” asked Yukimura, sounding flustered. It didn’t seem he’d considered that point yet.

“If we assume that the classes all have an equal number of VIPs, then I do certainly think it’s possible to earn a large number of points equally across the board by not holding discussions. If that’s true, this plan has only upsides. However, wouldn’t it be unfair to the lower level classes to make them throw away this chance?”

“Well, that’s—”

“We don’t know how many special tests we’ll have before graduation, and the difference between Class A and the rest is remarkably clear. Class A also proposed the extreme idea of aligning all the classes back on the island. If Class A continues to recommend this strategy every time we have a test, our class positions will never change,” Ichinose continued.

After Ichinose pointed out that fact, Yukimura’s face visibly stiffened. It was like he wondered how he could have missed such a simple thing. Machida had cleverly constructed his proposal to focus everyone’s attention only on the idea of “loss and gain.” Yukimura had thought that option was better because he couldn’t see the bigger picture.

“I can’t just throw away a precious opportunity. Not even if your strategy yields solid results,” said Ichinose.

“We agree with Ichinose-san,” said Hamaguchi.

“Wait, Ichinose. I understand what you’re trying to say, but if we follow along with what you’re proposing, there’ll be only one possible outcome. Only if everyone answers correctly will everyone in the group get a large number of points. The outcome you want isn’t going to happen. Or do you intend to discover the VIP’s identity through discussion, and then have Class B betray the rest of us? You just asked everyone if they wanted the first outcome. You aren’t very trustworthy, wouldn’t you say?” countered Machida.

“You said this wouldn’t narrow the gap between classes, but that’s not correct. There are four students from Class D, and four from Class C in our group. There are three from B and three from A. In other words, if we clear the test with the first outcome, it’s possible for the lower classes to close the gap between themselves and the higher classes, wouldn’t you agree?” she asked.

“That’s true. But would B, a higher-level class, accept such a thing? There’s no benefit to sacrificing your class so that the classes below gain something,” Machida said.

“If we don’t follow my strategy, we let Class A lead unopposed. It would be especially hard in the event that the VIP happened to be in Class A,” responded Ichinose.

Of course, if the VIP wasn’t in Class A, Ichinose wouldn’t need to risk hurting her own class to deal a blow to Class A. However, if it was a possibility, she had to insist on establishing a dialogue.

“I agree. We can’t allow Class A to keep securing the lead,” added Yukimura.

Katsuragi’s proposal had surprised me, but Ichinose and Hamaguchi’s arguments made it seem like nothing more than a flustered attempt at a bluff—something they’d come up with on the spur of the moment. Ichinose’s understanding of Class A allowed her to turn things around with just a few words. The students who had once agreed with Class A’s plan were now mostly either neutral or aligned with Ichinose. Classes C and D were now more likely to follow her. It was like a duel between Class B, led by Ichinose, and Class A, led by Machida. Right now, the tide was turning in favor of Class B.

“So, you oppose our proposal. Please remember that Class A has already committed to its decision. No matter what, we will discuss anything. You may talk amongst yourselves about whatever you wish,” Machida answered.

As a demonstration of their separation, the three Class A students stood and went to the corner of the room. It looked like they planned to spend the rest of the time doing what they wanted. I was betting that the other Class A students in other groups were probably doing the same thing. Katsuragi’s strategy was the ultimate defensive move: something that would keep all of Class A behind a gate. If a VIP happened to be in Class A, it would be exceptionally difficult to find him or her.

“Now then, what should we do?” Ichinose faced the other three classes, who were still sitting around in a circle. “I wanted to avoid excluding anyone, but there’s nothing we can do if that’s your class policy. If you want to participate, just let me know,” she said gently.

However, the Class A students had already lost interest.

“Isn’t it going to be impossible to find the VIP without their help?” asked Yukimura, flustered by the sudden change. It sounded like he was complaining to Ichinose.

His attitude had changed from a few moments ago, when he was ready to go along with the more convenient Class A plan. Even Yukimura had wanted to avoid Class D getting the short end of the stick.

“Yes. If Rabbit’s VIP is in Class A, trying to narrow down the list of suspects won’t be easy. But in terms of sheer probability, there’s a three in four chance that the VIP’s in one of the other classes. Besides, even if we don’t know who the VIP is, if we at least know where that person is, we’ll have some options. Right?” asked Ichinose.

She didn’t seem focused on finding the VIP right off the bat. Instead, she wanted to first narrow down which class the VIP was in. At least, she wanted to know for sure if he or she was in Class A.

“Well, since they won’t talk to us, this is going to be difficult. However, if the VIP does happen to be in one of the other three classes, I think everything should be fine even if they don’t out themselves. However, if the VIP’s in Class A, what do you think we should do?” Ichinose was boldly striking back against Katsuragi’s strategy. She was trying to form an alliance.

“I can’t trust you,” muttered Yukimura.

After Yukimura rejected the offer, Manabe from Class C spoke up and also refused Ichinose’s plan. “Even if the VIP’s in Class A, would we be able to identify them? Wouldn’t that be difficult?” she asked.

“I don’t think it’s necessary for us to think that far ahead. Let’s just start by finding out which class the VIP is in,” replied Ichinose.

From the VIP’s perspective, three classes coming together to find you was probably terrifying. If they were on their own, or if they had a friend from another class, they really should consider the idea of cooperating with the search in order to blend in.

“This is just a spur-of-the-moment idea. If we work together, we’ll come up with even better ideas later. The test’s only just begun. I think it might be better to wait a bit and take our time before deciding whose plan we’ll move forward with,” Ichinose added.

Those who’d rejected both Machida’s and Ichinose’s plans had no third option. As Hamaguchi had said, it wasn’t fair for people to complain without first suggesting a plan themselves. At any rate, I decided to lay low until I saw how others acted. People with low communication skills tended to be highly reactive; they’d act before thinking. I couldn’t afford to get impatient.

“Hey, you’re Karuizawa-san, right? There’s something I wanted to ask you,” said Manabe.

Karuizawa quickly looked up from her phone screen. She hadn’t expected anyone to talk to her. “What?” she asked.

“I might be mistaken, but…did you have a fight with Rika earlier in the summer?”

“Huh? What are you talking about? Who’s Rika?” asked Karuizawa.

“She’s a girl from our class who wears glasses. She has her hair up in a bun, like a dango. Remember her?”

“I don’t know her. Maybe you’re thinking of someone else.”

Karuizawa lowered her eyes back to her phone, as if deciding this conversation had nothing to do with her. However, the next words out of Manabe’s mouth changed things.

“Isn’t that strange, though? I’m sure we heard about it. We heard that Rika was bulled by a Class D girl named Karuizawa. Rika told us you cut in line and pushed her aside when she was waiting at the café.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Like, do you have some kind of problem with me?” asked Karuizawa.

“No, not really. I’m just checking to see if it’s true. If it is true, though, I’d like you to apologize. Rika is the kind of girl to bottle everything up and stay quiet, so it’s up to us to help her deal with situations like this.”

Apparently Karuizawa had a reputation as a troublemaker outside our class as well. Class C was hard to deal with as a whole, so this made for big trouble ahead. Karuizawa decided to ignore Manabe. Manabe, looking frustrated, turned her phone’s camera toward Karuizawa.

“You won’t mind if we check with Rika then, will you? I mean, if it wasn’t you, Karuizawa-san, then there won’t be any problem, right?” asked Manabe.

Karuizawa looked up and knocked the phone out of Manabe’s hands. She must have done it more forcefully than she thought, because Manabe’s phone tumbled to the ground, spinning as it fell.

“What the hell?!” shouted Manabe.

“That’s what I should be saying! Don’t just take pictures of me without permission. I already told you that you had the wrong person,” Karuizawa snapped.

Both sides claimed the other was wrong. The conflict was heating up. Ichinose watched it unfold, a bystander. It was as if she was trying to determine who was right and wrong.

“What’ll you do if my phone’s broken?” shouted Manabe.

“I don’t know! Just ask the school for a new one,” answered Karuizawa.

“I have some really precious photos stored on that phone, though.”

After hurriedly picking up her phone, Manabe glared at Karuizawa with resentment. Two of the other Class C students, who’d been watching the situation unfold, came to help Manabe stare Karuizawa down.

“What? Are you saying I’m the bad guy here?” asked Karuizawa.

“If it wasn’t you, you wouldn’t get all angry and deny it like that, right? Let us take your picture,” said Manabe.

“But I don’t want you to.”

I thought that Karuizawa would’ve answered Manabe more forcefully, but her words were surprisingly weak. Or rather, there was some fear mixed in with her “tough girl” act. It might’ve been my imagination, though.

“Perhaps the reason you’re denying it so much is because it’s true?” asked Manabe.

Manabe pointed her phone’s camera at Karuizawa, as if intending to forcefully take her picture. The other two girls from Class C laughed like they were enjoying it. However, Ibuki didn’t share their sentiment. She looked scornfully over at Manabe, showing her contempt.

“Stupid,” said Ibuki.

“‘Stupid’? What? This has nothing to do with you, Ibuki-san. You’re not friends with Rika, after all.”

“That’s right. This absolutely has nothing to do with me. So I said what I thought as an outsider.”

Ibuki crossed her arms and looked away. Manabe didn’t appear to care for Ibuki’s attitude at all, but did not confront her. There was probably a clearly established hierarchy in Class C, and Ibuki was above Manabe.

“Anyway, just let me take your picture!” shouted Manabe.

“No, I don’t want you to! Come on. Please, say something to her,” Karuizawa pleaded. For some reason, she turned to Machida, begging him to intervene. “I won’t forgive you if you take my picture without permission. What do you think, Machida-kun?”

“I agree. Manabe, Karuizawa has told you that she doesn’t want you to take her picture. Stop it,” Machida added.

“M-Machida-kun, this has nothing to do with you,” answered Manabe.

“From what I’ve heard just now, I think you’re the one in the wrong here, Manabe. Karuizawa told you she doesn’t know what you’re talking about, so it’s wrong for you to forcefully take her picture. Don’t you agree? I think it’s best to talk to your friend again and confirm if the story is true.”

Judging this situation fairly, Machida was correct. I certainly understood Manabe’s feelings in wanting to take the picture to ascertain the truth, but if the person tells you no, taking a picture without permission is rude. Confronted with that argument, Manabe and the other girls had no choice but to back down, though Manabe didn’t seem wholly convinced.

“Come on, lay off me. Thank you, Machida-kun,” said Karuizawa.

Karuizawa looked up at him, her eyes full of gratitude. Even though the Class A students had distanced themselves from the rest of the group, they weren’t bad guys at all. Takemoto and the others didn’t appear to be too interested, though.

“All I did was the right thing.” Machida blushed slightly.

Perhaps this was the beginning of a new love? Karuizawa already had Hirata, though. Regardless, I got the feeling that the friction between Karuizawa and those Class C students would spark some real problems down the road.

3.2

I n the end nothing was settled, but at least we’d spent the hour in discussion like we were asked to. The announcement came that we were free to go. The students from Class A all gathered together and left right away.

“Well, you’re free to do whatever you like,” they told us.

After they’d marched out the door, silence enveloped the room once again. Ichinose had dismissed Katsuragi’s strategy, but hadn’t managed to reach a new resolution. Was she hiding something else up her sleeve? Or was she thinking of something else, perhaps? Let’s see what you’ve got, Ichinose.

“Well, we have five more discussion periods left. How about we bring this session to a close?” Ichinose spoke kindly.

The consensus seemed to be that it was better to spend some time on our own before meeting up again to discuss. We’d all taken in quite a bit of information and hadn’t had the time to process just yet. At the very least, the Class D members were exhausted. The Class C students seemed to be in the same boat.

“Well, I’m going to head back—Aaah?!”

Karuizawa, completely exhausted, got up to leave but accidentally pitched forward. Perhaps her legs were numb from sitting for so long.

“Ouch!” shouted Manabe.

In a panic, Karuizawa had attempted to correct her footing, but staggered and stepped on Manabe’s foot.

“Ah, I didn’t mean to do that. I’m sorry,” Karuizawa mumbled, apologizing quickly before leaving the room.

“Hey, what the hell?!” shouted Manabe. She yelled at the rest of us as we left. I didn’t want to get caught in the middle of anything, so I averted my eyes and got out of there.

“Well, we’re heading back, too. I want to talk to Hirata about some things,” I said.

The other classes were already making their moves. Yukimura seemed like he wanted to hurry up and start a discussion about our own strategy. To be honest, our class didn’t boast a ton of competent planners, so it was a difficult decision. The Professor stood up slowly. In the end, the last people left in the room were the three Class B students and Ibuki.

“I’m hungry again. I wonder if there’s a lunch buffet,” mused the Professor.

How could he already be hungry again? What kind of body lets you digest all that food in just an hour?! Besides, if you eat that much, you’ll get fat. I kind of doubted that my heartfelt advice would reach him, though.

“Hey, Yukimura. Wasn’t Karuizawa acting strangely?” I asked.

“She’s always acting strangely,” he replied.

Well, that was a straightforward and honest response, but not exactly what I wanted to hear. I wasn’t sure what, but something felt off about her. Maybe I didn’t really know her at all…

The Professor didn’t seem to have noticed anything in particular. In fact, he forgot it’d even happened. My phone had been turned off in the room so I wouldn’t be distracted. I turned it back on as we left, and noticed an instant message from Sakura. She wanted to meet if we had time.

“Hmm. Perfect timing,” I murmured.

I wanted opinions from people other than Hirata and Horikita. I wanted to hear what they thought about this strange test. I’d probably gain insight after learning more about Sakura’s group.

“Let’s see, where should we meet?” I asked aloud.

I thought the same place as yesterday should be fine. When I pitched that idea to Sakura, I immediately received a confirmation. There were going to be lots of students around right now, but they probably wouldn’t pay any attention to us. Loners learned the art of dealing with crowds.

Since the first group discussion had just ended, the elevator was going to be intensely crowded. Because only about ten people could ride at a given time, it’d be faster to just take the stairs. I made my way toward the deck. On the way, I received a new instant message:

Since there are so many people around, I’m going to head to the bow instead. I’m sorry .

“Ah. Guess she couldn’t deal with the crowds after all.”

I made my way toward the bow. The ship’s interior had many luxurious facilities, but toward the bow there was only a large deck, which provided a good view of the water. Because of that, it was usually quiet. There didn’t seem to be anyone else around, which meant I had the entire deck to myself. Sakura was waiting for me, standing behind a pillar in the corner. Deciding not to shout in case I spooked her, I approached slowly.

“I was thinking about it, but…h-how do I do it?” she murmured out loud.

Hmm? As I drew nearer, I heard Sakura muttering to herself. She spoke in a quiet voice, and it was hard to hear her over the wind. I couldn’t make out what she was saying too well.

“I-I…wanted to…d-d-d-da…” she stammered.

I thought she might be talking to someone, but there was no one else around. She didn’t seem to have her cell phone out, either, so the whole thing was a little creepy.

“Sakura? What’s the matter?” I asked, trying not to surprise her.

“Aaaieeeeeeeeeeee!” Sakura yelped, practically jumping out of her own skin. Seemed like I’d surprised her after all. “Wh-wh-when did you get here? How much did you hear?” she asked frantically.

“I didn’t really hear anything. I just got here now.”

No one else was around. She was like a frightened little animal.

Had Sakura been talking to a ghost, or had she lost her mind? I wasn’t sure which.

“Were you listening?! Did you hear what I was saying?!” Sakura shouted.

“I only heard bits and pieces. I have no idea what you were talking about,” I said.

Sakura appeared relieved.

“So, why did you call me out here?” I asked.

“Um, well. You see, it’s…ah… I was s-stressing out over the test!” she shouted.

Sakura, looking incredibly depressed, handed me a list. I read over the names written on it.

CLASS A: Sawada Yasumi, Shimizu Naoki, Nishi Haruka, Yoshida Kenta

CLASS B: Kobashi Yume, Ninomiya Yui, Watanabe Norihito

CLASS C: Tokitou Hiroya, Nomura Yuuji, Yashima Mariko

CLASS D: Ike Kanji, Sakura Airi, Sudou Ken, Matsushita Chiaki

It looked like the other Class D students assigned to the Cow group were…intense. Considering the boys in her group, like Sudou and Ike, I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for Sakura. During this test, you had to spend time with the other members of your group no matter what. I’d have liked to help her out a little bit, but there was nothing I could really do. Once it was time for the groups to come together, we had to be part of our teams. We couldn’t afford to be scattered. I could help her secretly, but if I acted unnaturally during the test, someone would immediately notice. In a test like this, breaking the rules could mean death.

“I thought I might know someone from another class but…amazingly enough, I don’t know anyone. No one who would remotely consider me a friend,” said Sakura.

I tried thinking about it, but the only people who could help were Ichinose and Kanzaki. But since Ichinose was already in my group, she was stuck. I couldn’t really leave it to Sudou or Ike to take care of Sakura, either.

“Sorry. I don’t really have any friends, either,” I said.

“Ah, it’s okay. You don’t need to apologize. It’s just that…I don’t have any friends!” Sakura responded.

This was a pathetic conversation, the two of us competing to see who was worse off. Rather than take pride in our lack of friends, I changed topics. “By the way, there was something I wanted to ask you, Sakura.”

“Huh? Me? What is it?”

“Has Yamauchi gotten in touch with you at all since the discussion ended?”

“Yamauchi-kun? No, he hasn’t. Is something the matter?” she asked.

“Ah, I see.”

During the test on the island, I’d indirectly used Sakura while I was also using Horikita. I’d manipulated Yamauchi by taking advantage of his crush on Sakura, promising him Sakura’s email address. Of course, I hadn’t intended to give Yamauchi her email address without her permission, but I hadn’t talked to him about it yet. I was worried that he might’ve reached out to Sakura in the aftermath, but apparently it was all right. Since I’d planted the seeds myself, if Yamauchi made a move, I would have to act.

“For the time being, contact me if something’s bothering you. You can tell me anything,” I said.

“Is that okay?” asked Sakura.

“Yeah. That’s the least I can do.”

Even though I didn’t know how much help I’d be, Sakura’s eyes sparkled like a child’s. Maybe she was just glad to be able to talk to someone.

“I’ll definitely contact you!” she said.

“S-sure,” I responded.

Sakura was a little different from her usual self. She was overjoyed, and had a bit more vigor behind her words than usual. Maybe she was becoming a little more assertive or something? Even though only a few days had passed since the test on the island, Sakura was developing quickly. It had been an insane test, but maybe it changed her life in unexpected ways. She hadn’t transformed completely, but I sensed she had learned to stay positive and keep going in a tough situation.

3.3

“A aaaaaayaaaaaanooooookooooouuuuujiiiiii!”

As soon as I went back inside the ship, a shadow loomed over me. I felt hands grabbing me, and the mystery assailant tightened his grip on my neck. I frantically tapped his arms, but he showed no sign of loosening his grip. I thought that was it for me for a moment. After I shook myself free, I quickly turned around and saw the face of my attacker. It was Yamauchi Haruki, looking like some sort of oni o r an asura.

“Wh-what’s the matter?” I knew the reason, but asked as a formality.

“‘What’s the matter’ my ass! You said you’d tell me Sakura’s email address, for chrissakes! And you were talking with Sakura just now! I knew it. You were after her all along!” he shouted.

Apparently, my luck was terrible. I needed to think of something. “I never meant to go after her. Well, this is kind of hard to say, but…I lied to you before,” I croaked.

“Wait. You lied?”

“Do you really think that a loner like me would know Sakura’s email address?” I turned toward him, trying to show my sincerity.

“So… Wait, so just now you were trying to ask Sakura for her email address?”

When I nodded, Yamauchi looked shocked and fell to his knees.

“So… You didn’t know her email address at all, Ayanokouji. You lied to me?” he sputtered.

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“So how’d it go? Did you get Sakura’s email address?”

“Er, sorry.”

“Sorry? What does that mean? I’m not looking for an apology, I’m looking for her email!” Yamauchi muttered to himself, reflecting the depth of his disappointment. “How are you… How dare you trick me!” he shouted.

I did feel bad for tricking him, certainly, but I couldn’t give him Sakura’s contact information without her consent. Since he had obvious ulterior motives, I really had to refuse. “Can you give me just a little more time?” I asked.

“More time?! ‘Show me a liar and I will show you a thief’!” he shouted.

I never would’ve expected a Class D student to throw out a proverb like that. I was shocked. “Then are you going to make Sakura tell you?” I asked.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

He was probably blinded by anger. It seemed like he intended to get Sakura’s contact information by force, if necessary.

“You know, Sakura said she hates guys that are all talk.”

“You mean guys like you , Ayanokouji?!” he shouted.

“Of course she hates me. But it should be obvious why I couldn’t give you her contact information. I don’t want you to make the same mistake I did, Yamauchi. If you forcibly asked her, it wouldn’t go anywhere. It’d be pointless.”

“You’re just making excuses. You never knew her info in the first place.” Yamauchi lowered his head.

“Yeah. And I’m sorry. But I know for sure that she doesn’t hate you,” I answered.

“But what the hell should I do?” he asked.

“Did you know that Sakura loves digital cameras? I’ve heard that her camera doesn’t work, and she doesn’t have enough points to buy a new one. But what if you got one for her, Yamauchi? If you gave it to her as a present?” I asked.

“Oh, she’d be happy, for sure, but…I don’t have any points, either.”

“Well, there a few options in this special test. If you were the VIP and managed to make it through without being found out, or if you became a traitor and sold out your group, or if you managed to guide your group to clear the test, you’d get enough points to buy tons of digital cameras. Right?”

“So if I do my best, there’s a chance I can get a new camera for Sakura?” he asked.

Yamauchi was about to burst. He could see the solution to his problems.

“Now, Yamauchi Haruki, you need to achieve real results. Work hard, and show Sakura how manly you are. Only then would you be a guy who deserves to go out with a former idol.”

Whatever his ultimate goal, Yamauchi clearly had a crush on Sakura. If I gave him the right stimulus, he could unearth greater potential.

“I’ll do it, I’ll do it, I’ll do it, I’ll do it! I’ll give it everything I’ve got and win Sakura!” he shouted.

“That’s right, Yamauchi. You can definitely do it.”

“Yeah! I’m definitely going to win!” he shouted.

I’d managed to redirect his energy into participating in the test. If he didn’t get anything out of this, his bitterness and rage might return toward me, but this was a temporary fix. Well, if we managed to secure a surprise victory, everything would be fine…though if Yamauchi was too fired up, he might let the target slip past him. I worried that he could miss the VIP completely.

“Let me tell you something, just in case…” I started. I wanted to urge Yamauchi to be careful, but then refrained from doing so.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing. Just do your best. But if you find the VIP, don’t let the other classes beat you to the punch, okay?”

“Of course.”

If Yamauchi missed the target by mistake, that would probably be fine. The bigger picture was more important than the short term, anyway.

3.4

B ecause only Class A had been promised advancement into higher education or employment upon graduation, we’d never gain their cooperation. Classes B and D had joined hands to defeat Classes C and A, so Classes C and A had likely formed an alliance to defeat us in return. What would happen when the classes came together? It would be dangerous, like putting carnivores and herbivores together in the same cage. It was almost impossible to organize such a group. If people with strong character like Hirata and Ichinose took the lead, it might work. Even then, it would be absurdly challenging.

Class A didn’t participate in the discussion during our second gathering, either. Of course, with one class absent, we couldn’t really speak frankly, so we had to kill time. I was interested in how students from the other classes would act, but the instability already had everyone holding their breath. We were all so on guard that it was impossible to be candid.

“Well, this is the second time we’ve gathered like this. Don’t you think we should start having open, honest conversation? We’ll only meet so many times,” reasoned Ichinose.

Of course, Ichinose had taken the lead and got things moving. As expected, she wished for peace. Hamaguchi and the other Class B students were exactly like that, too. They were ready to make alliances without hesitation. It was like how Hirata operated. They were similar, but still fundamentally different. Ichinose and her friends should have been striving for a Class B victory.

Last time, people were flippant, but now things had changed. The atmosphere was oppressively gloomy. Everyone was jumping at shadows and incredibly wary. However, the three Class A students weren’t bothered by anything, freely tapping away on their phones. There wasn’t any rule against contacting other groups, after all. They could even talk on the phone.

Well, the old saying was true: the rich are rich, and the poor, poor. Class A was winning the interclass competition by a landslide, so they had no reason to be worried. I thought their loss during the test on the island would’ve changed them, but Katsuragi had them maintaining their calm image. It was an exceptionally effective strategy.

Anyway, it wasn’t going to be easy for a lone wolf like me to break down Class A’s walls.

“I don’t think we need a breakthrough right now, but we do need a discussion. Class A might be breaking away from this test, but I think we need to pinpoint the VIP,” said Yukimura.

Yukimura’s words helped motivate us somewhat. If the VIP was in another class, we couldn’t afford to let this chance slip by. Or perhaps he was the target, and Yukimura was suggesting this as an attempt at camouflage.

“But can we really find the VIP by talking? I just don’t think we can. It’s just, like, this test is so unfair. It’s too hard. The VIP has way too much of an advantage,” said Karuizawa.

“I understand, Karuizawa-san. But doesn’t that just depend on your point of view? I mean, the test on the island was also a surprise to the students,” said Yukimura.

“Sunrise?” Karuizawa looked puzzled.

“If it’s Sunrise, leave it to me! That’s my specialty. I’m fired up!” shouted the Professor.

No, I thought. No, they said “surprise,” not “Sunrise.”

“You know, life on a ship’s not bad. It’s really fun, right? Even though we have to get together twice a day, we’re still free to chat and use our phones. It’s not like class,” said Ichinose.

“Well, yeah. It is pretty fun,” said Karuizawa.

“Right? So, that’s why we need to get more comfortable. We need to talk like we’re all friends. Don’t you think it’s hard, putting up walls like that? Machida-kun and the others always look so stern, you know?”

Ichinose had a point. This was all an issue of perception. If you stayed positive, the test would be easier.

Machida, who’d been listening to Ichinose’s optimism, let out a snicker. “You’re free to do whatever you want, but you probably won’t find the VIP. I don’t know who the VIP of our group is, but if the VIP doesn’t share information, they may be devising a way to gain points for themselves. They’re probably staying hidden on purpose. Besides, the VIP might be in Class B, right? How can you trust these guys?” he asked.

He was trying to shake us all up.

“But couldn’t I say the same thing of you, Machida-kun? Can you really trust your allies?” asked Ichinose.

“Of course I can.”

Machida looked at the student next to him, named Morishige. However, he quickly focused again on Ichinose, projecting the usual calm, Class A image.

“We have no reason to fuss over finding the VIP. We have more than 100,000 points deposited into our accounts every month. No one in our class would lie just to get a mere 500,000.”

“Really? You know what they say: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Are you trying to tell me that no one in your class would want even one extra point? It’s not like the school will be bothered if you get more,” replied Ichinose.

“That’s stupid. Go ahead and keep being delusional. You’re just grasping at straws.”

Ichinose smiled at Machida. She’d certainly gotten a response out of him. Even though Machida said he wouldn’t participate in the discussion, he’d taken Ichinose’s bait. If he started talking, we might pull information out of him. By using Yukimura and Karuizawa, Ichinose had started collecting information. The only problem was, when would Machida notice her ploy?

Karuizawa sighed and went back to fiddling with her phone. While there wasn’t any rule prohibiting phone use during the test, doing so while we were trying to find the VIP was a little rude. Or maybe she was like the CIA or FBI, communicating with Hirata in real time so he could listen to our conversation? I’d respect her if that were true, but it probably wasn’t the case.

Of course, knowing that Karuizawa didn’t usually put serious effort into anything, this wasn’t out of character. But something felt off. It felt like something had been off ever since the test started. Karuizawa; the reunion with Ibuki; confronting Manabe.

I realized that none of the things she’d been doing lately seemed like the “usual” Karuizawa. She was a strong presence in Class D. Whatever her reputation, she and Hirata often brought the class together. But here, she was practically a background character. She had the potential to motivate others, and she wasn’t using it. When someone spoke to her, she would answer and then immediately shrink away. Hirata was always Hirata, no matter the situation, and Kushida was always Kushida. However, that didn’t seem to be true for Karuizawa.

If I were to create a hierarchy for the group, she’d be below Manabe and the other Class C girls. Maybe that’s why she was acting strangely. My doubts and suspicions slowly grew.

For Class D to reach a higher position, we didn’t just need to increase our points. We needed to create a system in which we could increase points. In comparison to Classes A and B, Class D lacked cohesion. And for that exact reason, Karuizawa Kei was irreplaceable. She controlled the rest of the Class D girls. That’s why I was worried about her behavior. I’d thought she’d be more aggressive and dominate the field.

I needed to determine if she was useful or not. Considering that the test period was rather short, I couldn’t afford to take things slow. I needed to stir the pot, even if it meant being forceful.

The Class A students immediately left the room at the hour’s end. They were sticking to their class plan and staying quiet for the remaining four discussions. As Ichinose watched the students leave, she gave a heavy sigh.

“Hmm. I suppose this is going to be tough. What do you think, Ayanokouji-kun?”

Ichinose turned to me. She was even calmer, wittier, and clear-headed than I had previously thought. She noticed that I kept quiet during these discussions, but didn’t put me on the spot. If I had been her classmate, I would’ve had a crush on her. She was just that charming. The Class B guys probably weren’t alone in falling for her; she had to have admirers from other classes, too. She probably rivaled Kushida in terms of popularity.

“To be perfectly honest, I’m the type to just sit things out. I’m just a bystander,” I said.

“It’s far too soon to give up. Let’s work hard together!” Ichinose seemed determined to do her best.

“Well, even if we keep having these discussions, I don’t think anyone will come out and say they’re the VIP. The benefits of staying hidden are just too great, same as the downsides for being discovered. At this rate, Class A’s worst-case scenario prediction will probably come true,” said Ichinose.

Though her comments sounded negative, she looked fearless. Whatever I felt about her, she was clearly always ready for a challenge.

“At any rate, we’re done for today. Good work, you two.”

“No, we didn’t do much of anything. Well, shall we?” said Hamaguchi.

The change was immediate. The three Class B students relaxed, almost as if someone had flipped their switches to OFF. I still didn’t really know what the deal with them was. I didn’t understand what Ichinose’s and her group’s aims were yet.

Of course, she might have some kind of strategy that she couldn’t tell anyone outside of her group. When Manabe and the others from Class C got up to leave, I trailed after them. Once they reached the elevator, I meekly called out.

“Hey. Do you have a minute?”

Manabe looked slightly on her guard, probably because she hadn’t expected me to come after her.

“I heard about your problem with Karuizawa. Something about her pushing someone at the café, right?”

“Yeah. Why do you ask?” snapped Manabe.

These girls wouldn’t normally want to chat with me, but that topic seemed to interest them. All three focused on me, like they were checking me out.

“I’m not 100% sure, but I think I saw Karuizawa fight with a girl from another class,” I said.

“That’s… Are you sure?” asked Manabe. Her voice was stiff, and she drew nearer. I shrunk slightly and nodded.

“I think so. Well, I just kind of got this bad vibe, you know? I felt like she was acting like a jerk, so I thought I’d go ahead and tell you.”

I kept it vague to set things in motion, and then turned and went back the way I came. Honestly, I hadn’t actually seen anything. If I’d kept talking, I would have probably been exposed as a liar. Now that the fuse was lit, Manabe and the others would react. How would the newly docile Karuizawa respond? I wanted to find out.

3.5

I headed back to my room. It was late, so I sat down on my bed without talking to anyone. It was getting close to midnight. I’d thought that everyone would be asleep already, but Hirata looked at me anxiously, like he’d been worried. Yukimura sat on the sofa and faced me.

“Good work today, Ayanokouji-kun. You’re rather late,” said Hirata.

“Yeah, a bit. Ah, that reminds me. I wanted to talk to you for a minute, if you have the time.”

“I’m sure you’re tired, but if you’re up for it, do you mind talking with me?” he asked.

Hirata and I asked each other the same thing at the same time.

“Huh? What did you want to ask me?” said Hirata.

“Oh no, that’s okay. You go first, Hirata. We can talk about my thing later.”

Yukimura was trembling, like he was on edge. He probably wanted to talk about the test, too. I changed into my jersey and rejoined them. Hirata moved a bit to give me some space on the sofa. I wanted to talk to Hirata about Sakayanagi, since I figured such a popular guy would likely have information. But I didn’t mind waiting.

“I just chatted a bit with Yukimura-kun. We decided to share information about the test,” said Hirata.

“I did say that it was pointless to include you, Ayanokouji,” added Kouenji. How nice.

“I would’ve been glad if Kouenji-kun participated, but he unfortunately declined,” said Hirata.

Yeah. I couldn’t imagine Kouenji teaming up with anyone.

“Sorry, Hirata Boy. I’m far too busy with the pursuit of physical beauty.”

Kouenji, naked from the waist up, was doing push-ups. He was soaked with sweat, but didn’t seem bothered at all. No ordinary high school student could pull that off. He really was exceptional in every way. Honestly, I wondered if Kouenji was even participating in this test. Hirata seemed to guess my thoughts.

“Kouenji is participating in a group. After all, students are required to participate, and points are taken away if a student fails to participate,” said Hirata.

Trust Hirata to read the rules thoroughly.

“To tell you the truth, I got word that two of our classmates have been selected as the VIPs in their groups,” he whispered.

“What? Who?” I asked.

“That’s… I can’t say. They only told me because they trust me.”

“So you can’t trust us, Hirata? If you know, then I have the right to know, too. Besides, if you know who a VIP is, that might give us some kind of hint. We should all be sharing information with each other in the first place. It’s only natural, after all,” said Yukimura.

“Yes, you’re right. That’s why I wanted to consult with you. It’s just that—” Hirata started.

“Hey, Hirata. Wouldn’t it be better to give us that information by phone? We don’t know who’s listening in on our conversations,” I said.

“Yeah, you’re right. Wait just a moment.”

Two names showed up on Hirata’s phone. He turned the screen to us.

“ Dragon Group, Kushida-san. Horse Group, Minami-kun.”

Immediately after I saw the names, Hirata erased them.

“I see,” murmured Yukimura. He was careful not to say too much.

So Kushida was the VIP. Having that position in the extremely well-stacked Dragon group meant they had an enormous advantage. However, being the VIP was terrifying. Once they knew her identity, she was at their mercy. If the VIP had been from another class, we wouldn’t have taken the brunt of the damage even in the worst-case scenario.

“Don’t worry. Everything is all right,” said Hirata.

He’d noticed I was worried. The three Class D people in the Dragon group were the best we had to offer. They’d never be careless enough to reveal the VIP’s identity.

“Speaking of Rabbit Group, it’s equally possible for the VIP to be from any of the four classes. So in Class D, there are two VIPs that we know about. There should be one more VIP keeping his or her identity secret,” said Yukimura.

“Yeah. I think your logic follows. They certainly haven’t talked to me about it, but they might’ve consulted someone else. After all, there’s a high risk of being discovered if you talk,” Hirata said.

While we talked amongst ourselves, Kouenji started humming. Yukimura, who’d been patient up until that point, bolted out of his chair in frustration.

“Kouenji, stop the happy-go-lucky act already! I’m not going to tell you to take things seriously, but you need to at least participate. We don’t want you to screw everything up like you did back on the island,” he shouted.

“Well, I couldn’t exactly help it. I was in awful shape. I couldn’t force myself to do the impossible,” answered Kouenji.

“You just faked being ill to get out of it!”

“My, this test will be nothing but troublesome, wouldn’t you say?” Kouenji sniffed.

He continued his push-ups, then stood gracefully. He grabbed the towel from his bed and started wiping his neck.

“Troublesome? You’re not even thinking about this test at all!” countered Yukimura.

“Well, there isn’t any point to continuing a test that isn’t interesting, is there? Finding a liar is simple.”

Kouenji, phone in hand, started to fiddle around. Soon after, all four of us, including Kouenji, received a notification from the school on our phones.

“What did you just do, Kouenji?!” shouted Yukimura.

Hirata and I read over the email we’d just received from the school.

“The test has now ended for the Monkey group. Those in the Monkey group are no longer required to participate any further. Please do not disturb the other students.”

“Monkey Group? Hey, that’s your group, Kouenji!” shouted Yukimura.

“Of course. And now, I finally have my freedom once again. Adieu.”

He tossed his phone aside before slipping into the bathroom. The rest of us were simply dumbstruck.

“Y-you’ve got to be kidding me! We’re desperately trying to think of a way out of this, and that guy, he just…”

“We still don’t know anything yet. He probably had his own ideas,” replied Hirata.

“You’re being way too generous! That guy will screw anyone over, so long as he’s able to enjoy himself and take it easy. This sucks!” shouted Yukimura.

Well, Kouenji didn’t take the test seriously at all. That was true. However, he was remarkably perceptive and observant. He had boldly stated that the test was nothing more than a “simple quiz” to find the liar. If that were true, he’d probably hit the mark.

Kouenji’s sudden actions soon became known to the rest of the students. Hirata’s phone started to beep continuously as new notifications poured in. Classmates were desperate to know what’d happened. Katsuragi, Ryuuen, and Ichinose would all be surprised by this. Probably no one had imagined that someone would turn traitor so soon. Horikita messaged me:

I’m sorry. Things seem really confusing right now. I’m going to give you a call.

“Damn it. Thanks to Kouenji, things have escalated,” said Yukimura.

“I’m stepping out for a bit,” I said.

Yukimura seemed like he was so irritated he wouldn’t be able to sleep. I stepped out of the room. Even though the test had ended for Kouenji, I couldn’t dwell on that. To be honest, I was seeing my own limitations in this test. No matter how much I schemed, it would be extremely tough to lead the Class D students from all the remaining groups to victory. You could even say it was impossible.

If the students came together, we could do something. Otherwise, we were beyond help. We had no connection. You couldn’t interfere with another group’s answers using your own phone. There wasn’t enough time to find another method, and the risk was high. If I had some information that could decisively turn everything around, that would be another matter. The ringleaders were Hirata and Kushida. If I could use them…

“It’s impossible,” I muttered. There were three days left. Even if I did manage to gain their cooperation, I still didn’t have enough eyes and ears. I needed to understand what was going on in each group’s discussions. Of course, I might still be able to use Horikita and Sakura, but…

Well. Right now, I needed to get more eyes and ears on my side.

3.6

T he starry skies stretched out before me as far as the eye could see. I wandered around, and stumbled onto the deck.

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

The view was more beautiful than anything I had seen in a movie or envisioned in a book. It was the kind of sky you couldn’t see in a large city. There were a few couples holding hands, looking up to the stars shoulder-to-shoulder. I felt a little lonely. Because there was almost no light, I couldn’t make out their faces, but I didn’t particularly care. I wasn’t interested in other people’s romances.

But amongst all the couples, there was one student looking up at the starry skies alone. A girl, judging by the silhouette.

I couldn’t just walk up and say something like, “Why don’t we look at the stars together?” I’d probably come off sounding like one of those sleazy pick-up artists. Besides, if a boyfriend came along and joined her in the middle of me making a move, it would be bad. But part of me was interested in discovering her identity. I tried getting a little closer.

The girl turned toward me.

“Huh? Oh, Ayanokouji…kun?”

“That voice… Kushida?”

Kushida stepped out of the shadows. She looked at me with an expression of shock.

“Are you…alone?” I asked. Perhaps she was waiting to meet her boyfriend. Just imagining that made my chest tighten and ache.

“Yeah, I am. I just couldn’t seem to sleep.”

“I-I see,” I answered.

Well, now I knew she wasn’t on a starlit date. In that case, I figured she wouldn’t mind, so I got closer. Kushida wore a jersey. She must have just gotten out of the bath, because she smelled nice. It should have been the scent from the complimentary shampoos in our rooms, but it wasn’t. How mysterious.

“Aren’t you cold?” I asked.

“I’m fine. What about you, Ayanokouji-kun? Are you all alone?”

I nodded. When I did so, Kushida laughed happily.

“So we’re both alone? I admit, I felt a little ashamed being alone. This makes me feel better.”

“…”

I should’ve spouted off a witty one-liner. But I couldn’t. Besides, being alone with Kushida in a place with a ton of couples spiked my heart rate. Deep down, though, Kushida must’ve been thinking how much she hated this.

“Well, I’m gonna head on back,” I said.

“You’re already leaving?”

“I’m getting tired.” That was a total lie. I didn’t want to sleep in the slightest.

“I see. Well, I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night, Ayanokouji-kun.”

“Good night, Kushida.”

I turned around and began to make a pathetic retreat.

“Wait!”

Unexpectedly, Kushida wrapped her arms around my chest. Even in this cold, I felt the warmth of her body through her jersey.

“K-K-Ku…Kushida? Wh-what’s the matter?” I squeaked.

Of course, I was completely flustered. It was only natural that I’d panic. I couldn’t understand what was happening.

“…”

But Kushida didn’t answer right away. She finally responded in a small voice.

“I’m sorry. I…I just felt so lonely, I think,” she whispered. Her words hit me hard, like a fighter smacking me right in the jaw. I felt dizzy. Kushida buried her face in my chest for a few seconds longer, without saying a word. Then she pulled away, flustered, as if breaking from a spell.

“S-sorry. I, um…I just hugged you so suddenly, Ayanokouji-kun. Good night!” she stammered.

I couldn’t make out Kushida’s face too well in the dark, but she might have been blushing slightly. Kushida quickly scurried away before I could speak. I stood there, hand on my chest, feeling the warmth that remained. I already couldn’t sleep, and after all that, I couldn’t just return to my room. I decided to wander around the boat before heading back.

“Now that I’ve calmed down, I’m feeling thirsty.”

There should’ve been a few vending machines on the first level, so I decided to head there. But as I approached, I found an odd three-person group: Chabashira-sensei; the Class B homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya-sensei; and Mashima-sensei from Class A.

The teachers were relaxing on the sofa. The area wasn’t technically off limits to students, but since things like izakaya and bars weren’t open to us, no one came around. I’d taken this route just for a change of scene, but had stumbled onto an opportunity. I hid myself and drew nearer.

“You know, it’s been a long time since the three of us all got together.”

“It is what it is. Fate. After bouncing around from one thing to the next, we all chose the teacher’s life.”

“Enough. There’s no point talking about that.”

“Ah, that reminds me. You were on a date the other day, weren’t you? You’ve got a new girlfriend, huh? Mashima-kun, you’re quite the playboy. And here I’d thought you were the quiet, unsociable type.”

“Chie, what happened to the man you were with?”

“Ah ha ha! We broke up two weeks ago. I’m the type of girl who breaks it off once the relationship starts getting serious. It’s just like, see ya later!” Hoshinomiya-sensei said.

“That’s what you’d usually hear from the guy.”

“Ah, but I’d never do that to you , Mashima-kun. You’re my best friend, after all. I’d hate to ruin our friendship.”

“Relax. I’m not worried about that.”

“What a shocker.”

Hoshinomiya-sensei poured whiskey into an empty glass. She downed it in one gulp. Must’ve been a drinker. On the other hand, Chabashira-sensei sipped her drink like a cocktail.

“What are you planning, Chie?”

“Huh? What are you talking about? What’d I do?”

“It’s customary to place all of the class representatives into the Dragon group, isn’t it?”

“I’m not screwing around or anything. It’s certainly true that as far as grades and attitude are concerned, Ichinose-san is number one. However, someone’s true place in society cannot be measured by numbers alone. I determined that she needed a challenge. And besides, rabbits are just so cute, aren’t they? The way they hop around. Doesn’t that suit Ichinose-san?” Hoshinomiya-sensei asked.

“I hope you’re right.”

“I think what you’re saying makes sense, Hoshinomiya, but what are you getting at?”

“We wouldn’t want you to base your judgment on personal grudges.”

“Oh, are you still talking about what happened ten years ago? I thought that was all water under the bridge.”

“I wonder. I mean, you can’t seem to stop yourself from running your mouth. You’re not satisfied unless you’re one move ahead. That’s why you put Ichinose in the Rabbit group, isn’t it?”

“I genuinely thought that Ichinose needed to learn a lesson, so I removed her from the Dragon group. You know? By the way, Sae-chan, I couldn’t help but notice you’ve been focusing on Ayanokouji-kun. Anyway, it’s just a coincidence. Coincidence, coincidence. When the island test ended and Ayanokouji-kun became a kind of leader, you weren’t surprised at all, were you?”

“I see.” Mashima-sensei nodded as though convinced of something. However, he then strictly addressed Hoshinomiya-sensei. “There’s no rule against this, but I want to be clear. Stop spying on other colleagues’ classes.”

“Agh, it’s like you don’t trust me at all. Well, I’m not the only one to blame. Sakagami-sensei is part of the problem, too. If we evaluated the Class C students properly, another student should’ve been placed into Dragon. But they threw Ryuuen in there.”

“That’s certainly true. This isn’t your average year. The students seem rather special.”

With this newfound information, it was about time for me to head back. If I stayed any longer, I might be seen. Just knowing that Ichinose had been sent to spy on me was enough for this little reconnaissance. Apparently I was under heavy scrutiny.