Chapter 172 - Classroom of the Elite: Checkmate 30

Chapter 30 - Crush

My eyes fluttered open before the alarm rang.

I disliked being pulled out of my soothing, comfortable sleep, so I was used to waking up a few minutes prior. The biological clock that slumbered deep inside my body wasn't at all accurate or dependable, but my morning routine on the ship was already carved into my very conscience.

To my surprise, I hadn't been the first one to wake up.

Mako-chan, Yume-chan and Tsube-san were already awake, which was rather strange, as they would usually snore and turn in their beds until the alarm clock did its job. Even then, it was custom that they slapped on the snooze button for the traditional 'just five more minutes' plea, whereupon they wriggled around and dozed off again.

This time, they called out to me as I moved.

""Good morning, Class Rep.""

"Honami-chan, good morning!"

Their voices sounded different from usual, but I was too tired to narrow their change in behavior down to the most obvious reason. Instead, I was assured that they were just excited about how the new exam would play out and whether they had been chosen as the VIP of their group.

"Good morning everyone. You are up early." I rubbed my tired eyelids and sat straight before a yawn escaped my lips. "This has to be the first time that I don't have to drag you all out of bed, huh?"

Three joyful laughs rang through the cabin.

The girls pointed at the soft, warm and comforting object my arms had embraced with wide, teasing grins on their faces. My own grew beet red in response, as I realized that they must have seen my embarrassing and defenseless sleeping posture in which I embraced the stuffed animal Ayanokouji-kun had gifted me for my birthday.

"Mhhh..."

This low hum was all I could muster as I pushed my blazing face deep into the panda's fluffy head. My eyes began to tear up a little, not out of sadness, but because of the troublesome thought that they must have looked at me as I smiled like an idiot while I grabbed onto the soft toy that still smelled like him.

In my imagination, at least.

"Well, well Honami-chan. Now we finally know why you are always the first one to get up. You are lucky that we are all deep sleepers or we might have discovered this adorable side of our precious Honami-chan much sooner. Gosh, this cute scene is just too much to handle. My heart can't take anymore of this."

"You're the worst!"

A squeal slipped my lips as I threw myself backwards.

The mattress made multiple loud squeaking sounds as my burning hot fingers grabbed onto the comfortable, thick blanket, which I soon pulled over my person in order to conceal the crimson coloring that crept along my skin. My body gave off a searing heat, which gathered underneath the comforting layer of cotton. This sudden increase in temperature became too much to handle, forcing me to slip out of my hiding place.

We were dragged back into reality by four loud ringtones and the shrill sound of my alarm clock. The latter kept echoing through the room until I pushed my arm forward to pressure it into silence. I sat up, hugged the panda with both my arms and legs now that everyone had seen it anyway, and grabbed my phone from the bed.

"Let's go through them together."

""Yay!""

Everyone was excited about the announcement, so we had decided to look at each message with the four of us. There might not have been any deeper meaning, or any convoluted strategy involved, but it was always nice to spend such fun times with my classmates. We only had three years together, which was why we would enjoy them without regrets.

Yume-chan was the first to unlock her phone.

"It's not me..."

She lowered her head, disappointed yet relieved.

The so-called 'zodiac exam' was indeed a great opportunity to receive a lot of private points for one's own use, especially as the VIP candidate in the group. Having this role had huge upsides due to the potential payout, but brought an equivalent downside to the table, as the person in question needed to keep their status hidden at all costs.

She might have been looking forward to the chance to gain a lot of points, but she was also concerned about messing up for the class and herself. Ike-kun was the only group mate that stood out during our test on the island, but he wouldn't be someone she needed to worry about in this one.

We, as in Class B, had already determined that any points we received during this exam could be used as the person obtaining them wished. The VIP, for example, would be allowed to keep all the private points to themselves, share a part of their earnings with our classmates, or contribute a certain number of points to the class pool.

This also meant that nobody had to reveal their status.

If someone decided to part with their points for the class, then I would receive them as our designated bank. I was aware of the irony in trusting me with points after what I had done, but agreed to keep up appearances. None of my friends knew about my deal with Kouenji-kun, as I had chosen to hold on to this secret for the moment.

Matsushita-san might use this knowledge against me, but it was too dangerous to inform them during such an important examination as my betrayal might spark arguments among my friends, which would lessen our chances of winning. It was possible that she wouldn't use her cards for this test, as she was patient and cunning enough to keep her aces to herself.

At least I got the points back...

She may have given me this unexpected 'gift' to prepare another one of her schemes, but I would still save up the one million points I had spent to repent for the crime I had committed. Rather than living with the awareness that I had stolen from my classmates, I would come clean and spend extra points until all my sins were absolved.

Only then would I deserve forgiveness.

"I'm next!"

Tsube-san's excited expression vanished a few seconds after this passionate statement left her lips. Betrayed by her own heightened expectations, she lowered her head, informing us about her nonexistent VIP status. Words alone were unable to describe the sudden burst of disappointment that swept through the whole room.

"Maybe that's for the better. Your poker face is kind of..."

Mako-chan stuck out her tongue.

She was a master at teasing people, so it did not surprise me or anyone in this room that a short pillow fight broke out between the two of them. Their little brawl wasn't serious, and even Yume-chan and I joined for a bit to brighten up her despondent mood.

"Okay, okay... enough." One of the two main competitors slumped into my bed, accepting her ungraceful loss. "I give up. Mako-chan is too ruthless, nobody can win against her. It's impossible."

"Hehe!"

My friend formed a peace sign with her fingers and basked in the limelight of this victory. A bright grin surfaced on her face before she sat back down on my mattress and snatched her phone. She unlocked the device and scanned through the message we had received from the school.

"Well, it's not me either." The girl clasped her hands as if praying. "God, please don't let it be Honami-chan. She wasn't even able to stay in a room with Ayanokouji-kun without being weird, much less hide such a big secret from him."

"MAKO-CHAN!"

A loud sob emphasized my defeated expression.

It was quite uncomfortable to admit, but her statement was truthful.

The only blessing I had been granted during the last exam was the knowledge that Ayanokouji-kun wasn't as observant as I believed him to be. If he had been the mastermind, as I presumed, then he would have long since realized that I had fallen in love with him, just like Matsushita-san.

Then he wouldn't have clasped onto me like this.

This warm, kindhearted embrace...

Each passing second had been torture.

His neck had been so close that my nose rubbed along his smooth skin. I felt his moist breath brushing against my hair, listened to his heightened heartbeat as he embraced me with his strong, reassuring arms, and remembered the lingering scent before his muscular chest stopped pressing against my own.

The thought of kissing him had circulated through my mind like a bad dream before it was replaced by another, even worse, desire. This dark, unforgivable longing had almost consumed the kind, amiable Honami that everyone knew and loved. It had almost devoured the guilt I felt, because I was assured that I would be a better girlfriend.

I wanted to steal him — make him mine.

But I stopped, buried my desires, and let go of him.

My heart might have bled, but it was the right decision.

There would have been no going back if I continued this train of thought. This realization scared me to such a degree that I resolved myself to stay away from him as long as we were alone. Both my body and mind had been so close to just giving in to the temptation, but this would have been the last nail in my coffin.

Another reminder that I hadn't changed.

The movements of my fingers ceased, short of unlocking the phone.

"I can't do it. What if it's really me? If I know that I'm the VIP, I'm going to tank this exam so bad..." I squinted, typed in my password and handed Mako-chan the phone without thinking twice. "Here. You read the message."

Yes.

Without. Thinking. Twice.

"Ehh? Honami-chan, you little vixen."

She tried to hide her mischievous grin with her hand.

This, however, was impossible as her lifted lips went from one end of her face to the other. If I hadn't observed this situation with my own two eyes, I would have doubted that such an impish expression was physically possible.

"What, what?"

Yume-chan and Tsube-san prompted her with excited glances and flocked around the girl like a pack of gossip-hungry hyenas. The small circle on my bed broke as they got up and crawled towards Mako-chan's position, which was adjacent to mine. My confused, still somewhat tired complexion turned into pure horror as I recognized the gravity of my mistake.

"WAIT! NO!"

I lunged forward in a desperate, last ditch effort to save myself from the looming embarrassment, but the devil was faster. She jumped back onto her feet and let me drop face-flat into the mattress. A muffled 'ump' escaped my airways before the other girls walked behind her.

"MAKO-CHAN! DON'T SHOW THEM!"

But it was already too late.

They turned towards me with wide, horrific smiles that could only be described as diabolical. My whole body rushed through all the available shades of red, which grew deeper as the seconds passed.

"MAKO-CHAN!"

There might have been no escaping this situation, but my conscious mind didn't want to hear any of this. I felt my skin soften as I turned into a wobbly ball of goo that slumped over from shame. The liquified parts of the altruistic, 'perfect' Ichinose Honami spread over the mattress like hot pudding until I slouched along the side of the bed.

"What do you say girls, should we show this to Ayanokouji-kyun?"

"Yeah! For sure."

"I agree. I agree."

"NOOOOO!"

I woke up around three minutes before eight.

The exam would only start once we received the messages from the school, so there was no need to get up any sooner. My roommates were already awake and greeted me with bright, beaming smiles, as usual. I returned their kind gestures as we began to chat about the approaching test and who might have been chosen as VIP.

Our discussion changed to the newly available clothes we would return to, as well as accessories and makeup which we might be able to afford after receiving over 100.000 points per month. In their eyes, we had already won this exam before it even started because of Matsushita's stellar performance on the island.

But they were praying to the wrong god.

Four familiar sounds rang through the room, turning the joyous atmosphere upside down. We weren't depressed or felt gloomy, but everyone was curious and somewhat nervous about the messages they had received. The three glanced at each other for a moment, took a deep breath in unison, and unlocked their phones.

"I'm not the VIP, Kushida-san."

"Me neither."

"Not me, Kushida-chan."

You stupid fucking morons...

Matsushita had come with a strategy that would keep our VIPs as safe as possible, while it allowed some of us to work on a potential solution to this problem. The plan was beyond simple and demanded that only Class D's leadership was aware of the VIPs in our class. This way, none of our companions could leak our designated students by accident.

In theory, at least.

The whole procedure could be thrown into the dumpster and set aflame if everyone screwed up like this, as their safety would be endangered the more people knew about them. Even Kiyotaka mentioned that only a handful of people should be informed about the VIPs in order to make the approaching betrayal that would strike us more difficult.

My question about the apparent traitor remained unanswered.

Instead of supplying me with instructions that might have come in handy, I received a sly smile and a peck on my lips. Kiyotaka was sometimes frustrating to be around, but he could be so damn sweet that I wanted to kiss him even more. Our relationship might be strange or fucked up, but I didn't care about any of these negative labels because I was happy.

I unlocked my phone and skimmed through the message.

[08:00:00 AM][AHNS] After thorough consideration, you have 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 three days. Members of the Dragon group should gather in the Dragon room located on the second deck.

Afterwards, I rubbed my eyes and read through it once more.

Oh, fuck!

Someone else might have thought of this opportunity as a godsend since they could earn up to one million private points, but this wasn't as easy to achieve as it sounded, especially in a group like ours. I was a good — scratch that — great actress, but my instincts screamed in fear as I stood in front of Ryuuen.

My danger senses hadn't been as developed before, but I've begun to feel an imminent threat in front of certain individuals ever since Kiyotaka had punished me for my transgression. The first, aside from the devil himself, was Kouenji, back on the island. I kept telling myself that I was being crazy, that I was still affected by the things Kiyotaka had done to me, but my gut had been right on the mark.

A similar feeling surfaced when we met Ryuuen.

He was one of those dangerous people I shouldn't cross without the devil's consent. Class C's leader would pounce on me like a blood-starved beast if my behavior differed from the usual Kushida Kikyou. His claws wouldn't hurt as much as Kiyotaka's, but I didn't want to inconvenience my king.

"What about you, Kushida-chan?"

"Well, there was a sound, but there is no message." I confirmed the deletion dialogue that popped up on my display and showed them the message history with the school. "It's really weird since you all received them."

"But... that's horrible, Kushida-chan! You should hurry to Chabashira-sensei and tell her that something went wrong on your end. What if you'll get some kind of punishment because you didn't inform them?"

"You are right, Rino-chan. I'm going to get ready and ask her."

I took my phone and ambled into the bathroom, where I brushed my teeth. During that time, I received multiple messages from my classmates, informing me about their status, as we decided that I would gather all the VIPs.

[08:03:43 AM][Karuizawa] I'm the VIP.

[08:04:12 AM][Satou] I'm the VIP in the Horse group.

Ike, Sotomura, Hasebe and the others texted me that they hadn't been chosen, which brought our number of VIPs up to three. We were four classes with twelve groups, so it was safe to assume that everyone had the same amount of designated students, as this would bring some fairness into the exam.

My nimble fingers flew over the keyboard as I opened and edited the table to include our three VIPs. I made sure that everything was in order, converted the chart into a picture and forwarded the new information to Kiyotaka before I began to undress.

There were no more clicks, no more light flashes when my clothes fell to the ground with muffled sounds. My body had stopped shuddering in fear, as I was satisfied with the current situation between us. The gentle rippling sounds that echoed through the room after I turned on the shower were soothing, and I knew that this tranquillity would last for a long time.

Hot water pelted along my frame, dispersing the cold, uncomfortable feeling that had slithered over my bare skin. My feet carried me backwards, beneath the comforting stream, which moistened my hair. I reached for the shampoo bottle, put some pressure on it to reveal a green, apple-scented substance and massaged it deep into my scalp.

Soapy liquid trickled down my neck before I rubbed over my shoulders, the chest area, including my two mounds, and the rest of my body that hadn't been properly cleansed. A second set of illusory hands began to caress over my breasts, just like before, when he had disciplined me in May.

This time, however, they were affectionate and reassuring.

They made sure that I felt safe while they cleansed my skin, as if they were my own palms. The fear of throwing up because of these illusions had subsided as they became much more gentle and cherishing in their actions. Instead of hurting me, they tried to smooth over the deep gashes that had been caused by them.

I turned off the shower and stepped outside.

The message indicator from my text to Kiyotaka had changed to 'read' just as I finished drying myself off with one of the snow-white towels that had been placed on the metallic rack outside the cubicle.

[08:16:23 AM][Kiyotaka] Good job. Thank you.

A smile formed on my face as I read his answer.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

It's just a damn text.

[08:16:43 AM] No one else knows about the VIPs, since I didn't know how you wanted to play this. The girls in my room think that I haven't received a message, so I was showering to meet Chabashira, which gave me an excuse for not informing Matsushita either.

[08:17:11 AM][Kiyotaka] Good thinking, but unnecessary in this case because we couldn't hide much without endangering your position. Let Chiaki know about the VIPs and proceed according to her plan for now.

[08:17:22 AM] Okay. When are you done solving the exam?

I doubted that he would figure it out anytime soon, but I felt the need to poke some fun at him for being right with his assumptions and conclusions all the time. It wouldn't be that easy to determine the solution of an exam the school came up with, and not even he could manage something like this in less than a minute.

[08:17:27 AM][Kiyotaka] Oh, I'm already done.

"Huh?!"

My phone slipped out of my palms due to my surprise. I bent forward and lost half of the towel, but barely managed to catch the device before it crashed into the ground. An irritated sigh escaped my lips as I tapped back into our chat.

[08:17:49 AM] Are you serious? You are screwing with me, right?

[08:18:27 AM][Kiyotaka] Of course. Putting that aside, I want you to meet with Sakura today. Walk around with her and spend some time on the upper levels. Take Sudou if you have to, but get it done. Try to involve her into a long conversation about the exam, how she has been feeling in her group, those kinds of things.

[08:18:51 AM] What kind of dubious sounding task is that?

[08:18:59 AM] And Why Sakura of all people? She's frustrating...

[08:19:32 AM][Kiyotaka] She's struggling so we are helping. Report back once you are done. About our VIPs, I'll take care of Karuizawa myself. Satou... inform Ichihashi to play decoy for her if anything comes up. And you should be able to fend for yourself. If you are worried about Ryuuen, don't be. Remember what I told you and keep in mind that he will know about 'Apate' because of Ibuki. Don't feel pressured by him, I'll deal with this problem when the time comes.

[08:19:52 AM] Understood.

Yet another smile surfaced on my lips.

Even though he acted like he didn't care, he looked out for me, his queen. He paid attention to my needs and watched over me in his own distorted way. His attitude might seem cold and unloving, but he knew that I was concerned about Ryuuen and assured me of my abilities to keep him at bay.

Kiyotaka would protect me if I ever needed him.

That was what his mysterious presence felt like.

My secrets and general mental state had been a barrier to open up to another person for most of my life. It wasn't in my nature to put my faith into other people — to share my most cherished secrets — but Kiyotaka was different. He took everything by force and tended to the remnants of my broken self until he had formed them into something unique.

I had difficulties putting my thoughts into words, but I believed that I could trust him. Not because he was friendly and kind, strong and reliable, or anything positive a girl would look for in a boyfriend she could entrust herself to. He was — he could be — all of those things and so much more.

But none of it was real.

Due to this, I felt some kind of twisted understanding between us.

His actions were harsh and unforgiving.

Not anyone could follow him, knowing what kind of monster he had hidden beneath his 'nice guy' facade. I had shed my doubts because this man could be an angel, or worse than the devil, depending on your conduct around him. There was another detail about Kiyotaka that was the most important one to be aware of if a person wanted to survive in his vicinity.

If you were useful to him, he would move heaven and earth to protect you.

This truth assured me of three things:

As long as I believed in him, I would be fine.

As long as I did not betray him, I would be safe.

As long as I was protected by him, no one could touch me.

12:55 PM, day one of the exam.

The Professor and Azuma already waited inside the 'Rabbit Room' when I joined the group. She sat around three arm-lengths away from him and stared at me with a confused expression that betrayed her current distress. He kept talking to her with his usual peculiar zeal, unaware of the damages he was causing this poor girl.

"Hmm, if 't be true, t isn't Ayanokouji-dono." Clear excitement flashed over his face. "Art thee at least interest'd in mine own linguistic idiosyncrasies? Azuma-san doesn't seemeth fond of mine, but what doest she knoweth?"

"Ayanokouji-kun, could you help me?"

Azuma's plea resonated through the cabin.

She buried her head into her palms, unable to comprehend what Sotomura wanted from her while the boy in question began to embroider his narration with gestures and a fitting mimic to emphasize his notions further.

It must have been quite the struggle for her, considering that this was their first time exchanging such pleasantries. She wasn't too fond of most boys, for obvious reasons, but she didn't mind conversing with Hirata and me, or even Yukimura and Miyake, who weren't as perverted as the rest.

At least publicly.

Maybe Ike had corrupted them as well.

"We are not really interested. Thanks for asking, though."

He wasn't stupid and should have realized that neither of us were interested in his Shakespearean act. His negligence might have been caused by a new game, anime or novel he was reading. Sotomura was what they called a 'Chuunibyou', according to Karuizawa, who knew her way around the different factions in a classroom.

"From anon on, I shalt beest like the protagonist who is't appears weak but secretly hast massive strength. I normally has't nay motivation, but I'll becometh a completely OP cheater as lief as the time is right."

If his words were anything to go by, he must have read one of those isekai or game style novels that were popular at the moment. I've never seen one myself, but Ike and the others talked about how bizarre the reincarnations had been getting for some time. We Japanese seemed to be vulnerable to trucks and prone to being reborn into the strangest items.

Even Ichinose didn't manage to greet me.

She must have been so perturbed by the Professor's ramblings that she only managed to glance at me with a hint of second-hand embarrassment which shone through her rosy complexion. Himeno and Beppu acknowledged my presence with an awkward smile before they continued their own conversation.

The Class A students didn't lift their heads after I walked in, but Kamuro's guard went up by a notch. She was tense and changed her seating posture to reflect her involuntary muscle movements. Neither Kito nor Machida were fazed by my appearance as they busied themselves with their phones, which revealed that she was the only person who 'knew' me.

Manabe and the other Class C girls grimaced in disgust after walking in. They were taken aback by Sotomura's incoherent statements and chose not to interact with him. Yajima and she seemed to be decent friends according to their proximity to each other, while Nishino came across like a lone wolf type, similar to Ibuki.

"Could we concentrate on the exam, please?"

Azuma was quite diligent.

She was someone who'd mess around with people she was close to all day long if nothing major happened, but she would concentrate on the matter at hand as soon as something like an examination came up. Since she was one of Kikyou's followers, I noticed her behavioral patterns and thoughts in our current situation better than others might.

Karuizawa soon strode into the room.

The girl regarded me with a gentle nod, peered at Azuma for a moment and disregarded the Professor as if he didn't exist. She grabbed the last remaining chair, which stood next to Sotomura and pulled it towards me without paying the dazed reactions of our group mates any mind.

"Could you move?"

"Eh, uhm... sure."

Azuma slid a few centimeters to her left, where the modern Shakespeare sat, which gave Karuizawa enough space to sit beside me. This action destroyed the perfect circle that one of the staff members must have created with immense effort, which was quite painful to think about.

Ichinose sat to my right and peered at our gyaru.

Her warm breath tickled my earlobe as she leaned over. She placed her hand next to my ear, covering it and her lustrous lips, which drew closer. She was about to open her mouth when the cruiser's loudspeaker system came to life.

"The first group discussion begins now."

A disappointed sigh escaped her lips.

Before I could ask or wonder what she wanted, she switched into class leader mode, if one could call it that. Ichinose cracked a gentle smile and stood, attracting the attention of all students in the room with her shining presence alone.

Could they also smell her shampoo?

"Hello everyone. I know most of you, even if some are just familiar by name, but I think it would be a good idea for everybody to introduce themselves for the members who are still unfamiliar with each other."

She was impressive, as always.

Unlike her, I wouldn't have been able to stand up and take charge like that, even if I knew the people in this room. It was even more extraordinary if one considered that she would have acted the same way if these people were complete strangers. This behavior reflected what kind of person the girl named Ichinose Honami was.

No one in this group was better suited to take the lead.

"Is it really necessary to introduce ourselves? I don't think the teachers were serious and just threw around empty phrases. If people want to, then fine, but I see no reason to force the ones who don't feel like it."

"Mh, I can't force you to do anything, of course, but there is also no reason to believe that the school hasn't put microphones in each of the rooms prior to our meetings. If someone decided not to introduce themselves, the whole group might face a penalty. We should at least try to minimize the risks we can control, don't you agree?"

If someone like Ryuuen said those words, they would have come across as a clear threat, but out of her glistening lips, they sounded like genuine worries. Unbeknownst to most, she was quite astute, which was proven by this more or less ridiculous claim, which served another purpose aside from making everyone acquainted.

The sweet smile that surfaced on her lips after their nonexistent reactions confirmed that my theory was correct. None of our group mates were shocked by such a statement, even though a normal, ignorant student would have had a reason to be surprised. This feedback, or lack thereof, assured Ichinose that everyone in this cabin was aware of the hidden cameras in each of our classrooms.

With this, she arranged the board.

A group of students who reacted with surprise or bewilderment would have been out of competition, or at least, lower ranked on the danger scale than the others. Kamuro was the only one who noticed Ichinose's little trick, which meant that she held more information than anyone else in this room.

Would either of them use this during our discussion?

There was little to no indication that this would prove useful, but she attempted to check everyone's situation to gain a feeling of how the classes operated behind the scenes and on how many intricacies they might have picked up on.

Ichinose was the first one to introduce herself after this short disagreement had been put to rest. I hadn't expected to be surprised and fascinated by such a simple act, but she was even more remarkable than Hirata. Her smile was extensive, comforting and gentle, while she spoke in a loud and clear tone. She glanced at everyone for a short moment, which made each student feel like she was talking to them in particular.

Even her eyes beamed like two dazzling stars.

Would I ever be able to replicate such a genuine warmth?

The students after her paled in comparison.

Her charisma was off the charts and none of the other beautiful girls, like Karuizawa, Kamuro, Nishino, or Himeno, could beat the blinding example she had set. Neither of them tried to be fair, as the first was annoyed by this meeting while the second and third were in a bad mood for reasons I couldn't pinpoint.

My introduction was much better than my first.

The improvements could only be seen by the ones who saw and remembered the whole debacle during April, however, so I assumed that Azuma might have been the only one who was as proud of my accomplishments as I was. One point I had improved upon was the chair, which didn't rattle this time around. The second and third revisions were a more fluent pronunciation and the faint smile that spread over my lips as I stood in presence of everyone with great confidence.

"Alright. Now that we've finished with the introductions, how do you think we should proceed?" Class B's leader paused for a moment, whereupon my eyes had some time to wander along her fascinating thighs. "Please tell me if anyone disagrees with me taking the lead during our group sessions."

Due to my 'accident' on the island, I had been gifted the rare chance to feel their heavenly embrace. I had already expected that they felt wonderful, just by looking at them once or twice, but to experience these soft, pleasant, almost luxurious wonders of nature first hand was a miracle in its own right.

It was quite difficult to push back Ike's black-purplish miasma that crept forward and corrupted my brain, so I had no time to dwell in those fond memories any longer. At least not now, since it would be bad if she caught me staring at her.

I had a girlfriend, after all.

"Well, since no one seems eager, I'll take the lead. To begin with, I wanted to make sure that everyone understood the rules and regulations of this exam. If we are not all on the same page, things might get difficult further down the line."

She peered at each of us one by one.

This way, she made sure that she would pick up on the people who felt insecure and didn't want to voice their troubles. If just one person showed hints of uncertainty, she would explain the test again. Karuizawa and I weren't as clueless as yesterday, since we asked Chiaki and Hirata to explain the exam to us when we met up.

What would we two dorks do without them?

"Okay, with this in mind, I'd like for all of us to work together to clear this examination. I think Outcome #1 is the result we should aim for in this group. Does everyone agree with my opinion so far?"

"What the heck are you talking about? Isn't that obvious?"

Karuizawa was the first to voice her view on this idea. Her words were followed up by the Class C girls, as well as Azuma and the Professor, who were fine with cooperating for the first outcome. Himeno and Beppu, who must have spoken with Ichinose beforehand, nodded as well and supported her decision.

Her charming gaze darted towards me.

"I agree as well. We are a group now, and Mashima-sensei said that we should work together to solve this exam. Aside from this, I believe that we could all use some private points for our own expenditures."

"We —"

Machida opened his mouth before Kamuro cut him off.

"Yeah, we agree with what you said, but Class A won't answer any more of your questions from hereon out. You people may discuss on your own on how to proceed, if that's what you want, but leave us alone."

Another defensive strategy, as expected.

Katsuragi was easy to read, especially after the fiasco on the island. His position as class leader was already doomed after he lost all points during the previous exam, which allowed Class B and D to decrease the gap. Sakayanagi's influence would have risen as a result and he might not even be aware of his own VIPs, depending on who was designated.

Could she have cut a deal with him?

This was a possibility depending on her personality, which I could only judge through the rift between her and Katsuragi, since Kikyou couldn't gain much. He was a stickler for principles and abided the rules of the school without a second thought. If their ideologies overlapped, there wouldn't have been any reason for them to fight over the class leader position, which suggested that she might have used the hand I had dealt her to cut him out.

Ichinose was leading her class in a true democracy.

Everyone was heard, and the majority decided after deliberating it among themselves. A similar discussion must have taken place on the island where they decided to designate two representatives who would determine their approach while the rest took care of the base, the supplies and other miscellaneous things. If someone had voiced any doubts about joining us, for example, they would have been heard and addressed.

This was Class B's biggest weakness and their sole strength.

Ryuuen was a true tyrant.

The masses were expected to follow when the monarch decided on a course of actions. This method of leadership worked for the moment, as his classmates were more afraid of him than anyone else. He was also quick to adapt to unexpected changes and tried to turn certain people and or narratives to his favor, as demonstrated by his actions on the island when he was outclassed by our scheme to keep all spots occupied.

He wouldn't stop until Chiaki groveled before him.

Our leader was, for all intents and purposes, a puppet.

A capable, smart and quite beautiful one, but a simple tool of the puppeteers behind her. In her current position, she was as good a leader as Ichinose and Ryuuen. Her classmates trusted her due to the results she brought every time she acted. She also made a habit out of listening to everyone's opinion before dismantling them, demonstrating why some ideas are better than others in a particular circumstance.

Chiaki might not have dominated the island without help, but she wouldn't have lost either. Even her accomplishments during Sudou's trial were her doing, aside from the video she had received from Horikita Manabu.

Ichinose and she were on a similar level while Ryuuen would outdo both of them due to his merciless, cold-hearted nature. Class B's head-maiden was too naïve and wouldn't see the trap coming before it was too late, while Chiaki wouldn't be able to do anything against a relentless frontal assault. She might block some of his early attacks, similar to Kanzaki in Class B, but if the dragon kept hitting, both of their defenses would cave in sooner rather than later.

Katsuragi had shown no particular qualities so far.

He had higher specs than lower ranked students, but that was his one and only advantage. If he had been placed in a class similar to Ichinose's, he might have achieved some results, but they weren't playing in the same league or were otherwise close in ability to warrant a comparison in leadership potential.

Sakayanagi was a force to be reckoned with.

This frail, half-crippled, ailing girl wasn't anywhere near the island or this ship, yet she had singled me out as a threat, which was unbelievably exciting. Her followers included Kamuro, Hashimoto, Kito and some others who were all quite capable. It was a shame that her physical abilities were subpar and bordered on nonexistence due to her condition.

"This test requires us to conclude through discussion. If the students from Class A don't want to take part in any conversations pertaining this topic, then that is their right. But why don't you tell us what you have in mind? You should be heard as well, since we are considering all possibilities."

"Which is why we propose to sit in silence until this exam is over." Kamuro looked over the group and singled out the Class C students, in particular, while Machida spoke to everyone. "If none of us say anything or answer questions that might betray the VIP, we'll all get points at the end of the exam. Aiming for Outcome #1 is naïve. How do you propose to make sure that none of us betray the other? It's nigh impossible to get the best result for everyone, with the added anonymity, which is why Katsuragi-san proposed that we go for Outcome #2. If we let the VIPs win in every group, each class will get the same amount of points. How they'll ultimately deal with those points is up to each class."

Kamuro had complied with Ichinose before and was trying to narrow down the VIP to a specific class, which was a good first step. Her classmate Machida didn't seem to be aware of her thoughts, which indicated that he was still loyal to Katsuragi, and thus not a person she could rely on. They moved into different, contrasting directions, which would only make solving this exam harder on them.

Or was this their ploy?

"I get what you are saying, but how do you know that every class has the same number of VIP students?" Beppu raised his eyebrows in confusion. "It would lead to an imbalance in private points that would be hard to recover from if Class A had six, while the remaining classes only had two each."

He wasn't privy about their VIPs.

Class B might have allowed their students to keep their identities a secret to adhere to their democratic procedures. Unlike Ryuuen, they wouldn't force anyone to share their status, which meant that they might not know about all three of their VIPs, which was a huge disadvantage during this test.

Maybe they shared it in private?

Ichinose should know about one, at least.

"The school wouldn't distribute the VIPs unfairly. They even emphasized their commitment to fairness before the test began. It's more than safe to assume that each class has three VIPs, otherwise the test would be unfair from the start. Is that possible? No, it's not. After all, the previous exam on the island was fair, wasn't it? Every Class started with equal conditions. They even deducted thirty points from us for our missing student. Do you really believe that we wouldn't get the same number of VIPs if you take all of this into consideration?"

"I'm fine with Class A's strategy. It's safer than trying to go for the first outcome and we'll be at least gaining some points. There is almost no risk involved either, depending on what the classes discussed with each other."

Azuma nodded after listening to Sotomura.

None of my classmates were against the approach that bought us the most time with the least effort, since Chiaki had already decided how we would deal with this exam. She was assured that she could solve this puzzle with the help of Kikyou and Hirata, but she may have wanted to ask Mii-chan for help as well.

She seemed like a girl who would be into this stuff, at least.

"I agree." Manabe blew against her shiny nails after she was done filing them. "Everyone sharing the same answer would be more rewarding, but the risks are too high. It just isn't realistic or feasible."

"Mh... Then how about we hear everyone's opinion on this? Would that be alright? First, those who agree with Class A's plan to aim for the second outcome, please raise your hand."

My classmates, aside from Karuizawa, raised their hands similar to Machida and the others. Manabe, Yajima and Nishino lifted theirs one by one after thinking it over for themselves. They didn't act as a closed unit like Class A seemed to be, but decided that this would be the most optimal, hasslefree solution.

Had Kamuro already excluded Class C?

"What about you, Karuizawa-san?"

"Honestly, I just want the test to be over and have fun with my friends." She shrugged, conforming to her usual easy-going attitude. "I'm fine with everything, really. If we decide to follow Class A's plan, then I'm with them, I guess."

Karuizawa was quite adept at lying and hiding her worries, which might have been one of the reasons that their false relationship hadn't been revealed yet. Her behavior didn't differ from her usual conduct, and even Kouenji might have run into difficulties narrowing the designated VIP down to her.

If he wasn't serious, at least.

"I see. Himeno-san, Beppu-kun, your thoughts?"

"We leave everything to you, Class Rep."

This was an expected response.

"What do you think, Ayanokouji-kun?"

"Well... I'm with you, but we are outvoted."

Being against Ichinose's proposal wouldn't benefit me. In the worst case, it might even hinder me from achieving my current goals. It wasn't like Ichinose to agree to these terms without questioning Class A's strategy, either. She was superior to Katsuragi, even without my help, and must have realized the hidden pitfall behind Machida's kind words.

"It's decided then."

Kito raised his eyes for the first time during this group gathering and peered at Ichinose. Machida smiled in response to his victory and was about to clap his hands when Ichinose cut through his premature celebration.

"Wait a moment, Machida-kun. Katsuragi-kun's strategy isn't bad, but wouldn't you say that only a Class A student could propose such a strategy? There may be downsides we haven't seen just yet."

"Nani?! Did we walk into their trap-card by any chance?"

The Professor jumped back, knocking over his chair.

"It's true that we might earn many points by not holding any discussions, but wouldn't that be unfair to the lower-ranking classes? After all, we have no information on how many special tests we will have to go through before graduation. If Class A always proposes a defensive strategy like this one, then their class position will never change if they are careful enough. I won't waste a precious opportunity like this."

"We agree with our Class Rep."

Himeno's lazy voice floated through the room.

"Me too. I trust her."

Ichinose and her companions smiled, while a few others wore expressions of doubt. Kamuro, in particular, seemed caught up in disbelief after my statement. Kito was expressionless, therefore harder to read than average, but his eyes darted to me for a split second before they returned to their usual resting posture. Machida was the least surprised of them, which confirmed my assumption about their internal differences.

Why would Chiaki's boyfriend trust another class?

Class B would think that I depended on them, since we have been close friends since April, while my own classmates would believe that this was one of Chiaki's strategies. Even if they wouldn't pick up on this, I could inform them about a nonexistent directive by our leader due to my unique position.

Nishino and the others were surprised as well.

None of them had been on the island to know about our previous alliance, and Ryuuen wouldn't inform them about certain things as long as he deemed it unnecessary. He might not leave the groups unsupervised, but he only relied on a few people, neither of which were part of this group.

Even if they were around, they would have assumed that we might form another alliance, which was rather difficult to accomplish after our first collaboration had almost failed. Our class points back then were nearly non-existent, not even remotely comparable to now. The only way we could team up with them again was a fifty-fifty split, and that would only be possible if Kanzaki was fine with such an arrangement.

Convincing Ichinose wouldn't be a problem, but he was a different caliber altogether. We might have been friends for quite a while already, but he would be much more concerned about potential traps the second time around. If it weren't for 'Chiaki' and her foul play on the island, I could have made a fifty-fifty split happen, but Class B's guard dog would block any attempt at cooperation between our classes as long as my girlfriend hovered over Class D.

"I understand what you are trying to say, but if we follow along with your proposal, there will only be one achievable outcome. Only if everyone answers correctly will we gain those points. Otherwise, only the traitor will. Are you perhaps planning to discover the VIP through discussion and betray us? You don't sound very trustworthy to me."

"She is to me, which is why I told her that I'm the VIP before our group gathered." My fingers brushed along my chin as I glanced over to Ichinose. "If she wanted to betray us, she would have done so by now."

"Ayanokouji-dono?!"

"Huh?! Are you crazy?"

Karuizawa's false desperation was remarkable. She was quick on the uptake, similar to Kikyou, and her acting wasn't much worse. She wouldn't be able to have as wide a range as my queen, but she was capable in her own sphere of influence.

Everyone was surprised by my sudden revelation.

Kamuro picked up on my lie almost immediately, while Kito and the others were confused. Their glances swayed towards Ichinose, who was about to open her mouth to support me. My lovely naïve idiot wouldn't be able to live with the fact that all those people thought of me as a liar in case she were to refute my claims.

A loud sneeze reverberated through the room.

"Ah, sorry about that!"

Himeno shook her hands with an apologetic expression.

Her backup arrived, huh?

Then it's your turn, Machida.

"How do we even know that he is truly the Rabbit groups VIP? For all we know, this might be a ploy the two of you had decided upon beforehand. If it's really you, then show us your phone."

Thanks to Kikyou's vast information network, I knew that he was one of the guys who talked too much and thought too little when he was caught by surprise. My sudden statement rendered him unable to wait for Ichinose's confirmation, which would never appear after she had been brought back to her senses by Himeno.

Nishino and Manabe agreed with him and commanded me to reveal the message, disregarding my prior statement. Both Kamuro and Kito didn't consider my claims to be truthful but kept quiet to see how things would play out. My classmates deemed this to be one of Chiaki's ideas, while neither Ichinose nor Himeno and Beppu called me out on the lie, as they assumed the same.

"Why would I show you my phone? You aren't trustworthy in my eyes, compared to Class B, with whom we had worked together during the previous test on the island. Class C is even worse in that regard."

"The hell is that supposed to mean?"

Was she unaware of what happened?

Or just quick to anger like Ibuki?

"Weren't Class C the ones who sent spies to the camps of both of our classes? You may not have been aware of this, but I don't believe that Ayanokouji-kun's thoughts are unfair or unmerited considering what Ryuuen-kun did."

Ichinose's voice was stern and drew a clear line.

Manabe opened and closed her mouth like a fish without water.

Neither she nor the others could say anything against this rational line of reasoning, even if they hadn't been informed about the extent of Ryuuen's plans before. With this statement in mind, they would have understood why Shiina, Ibuki and Yamada had still been on the island without them.

"This might all be true, but we can't simply take your word for it, so our decision won't change. We'll be keeping to ourselves from now on. If you want to talk among each other, leave us out of it."

The three Class A students took their chairs and broke the circle, giving us the clear sign that they were done talking with us. They moved further away, towards the back of the room, and occupied themselves by whispering to each other.

"I wanted to avoid excluding anyone, but there's nothing we can do if Class A doesn't wish to take part in the discussion." A faint smile surfaced on her delicate face. "If you reconsider, you may join us anytime."

She sat back down and turned to the rest of our group.

"So, what are we doing about that guy? We can't just take his word for it. For all we know, he might have lied to help another one of his classmates, or Class B. We still can't rule out that you are all working together."

"There is not much we can do about this right now. Ayanokouji-kun said that he wouldn't show any proof of his VIP status since he couldn't trust strangers. The only thing I can tell you is that we haven't discussed this beforehand. I was just as surprised as you were when he revealed this information."

My lovely idiot wasn't lying, but used very loose wording.

She already lamented her involuntary response to my lie since she would have deceived everyone for me if Himeno hadn't interfered with a timely sneeze. I deranged everything she might have planned with a single sentence that played with her affection towards me. Ichinose realized this and would push the blame onto Chiaki, who was aware of her feelings for me and wanted to torture her this way.

If she told the truth now, she would declare me a liar.

Once again she placed my well-being over the rest of the group, which was yet another decision that Ichinose Honami wouldn't be happy with. This guilt would accumulate and weigh her down until she eventually crumbled under the pressure. It wouldn't take long until she notified her classmates about the deal with Kouenji and the stolen points.

I was counting on this process.

Just as I was expecting Class B's leniency.

"Well, if I may..." The Professor raised his hand, and kept silent until Ichinose gave him the go-ahead to speak. He stood and bowed in gratitude before he sat down again. "The chance that Ayanokouji-dono is the VIP should be high."

This sudden comment baffled everyone, even the Class A students who had withdrawn from our discussion just a few moments prior. Ichinose and her comrades glanced at both of us, suspecting that this was an obvious play, while Nishino became even more annoyed that we kept this supposed lie afloat.

"Yeah? And how's that?"

"You may not know this, or rather, you won't, but only three people in Class D know about all the VIPs aside from the VIP in question themselves. Ayanokouji-dono isn't one of them, however. Why would he reveal himself if it was uncertain whether the VIP is in our class? If the person was part of either Class A, B or C, they would know that he was just spouting nonsense, which would turn into an advantage for that class."

"True, but this could still be a trap by his girlfriend."

"Yes, it might. I'm merely saying that from my, a Class D student's, point of view. Him being the VIP has a rather high chance of being correct due to the aforementioned reasons. Whether you believe me shall be up to you."

The conversation died down after the Professor made his case.

Everyone evaluated what was said for themselves and established an assumption that suited their current narrative. Aside from Karuizawa and I, nobody could know for certain that I was lying. My bishop would assume that I acted on Chiaki's orders, which was why she would comply without complaints.

"Hey, you. You're Karuizawa, right?"

Recognition flashed in Manabe's eyes as she glanced at her.

"What?"

She looked up from her phone's screen with an annoyed frown, which emphasized her previous story that she just wanted this meeting to be over so she could meet up with her friends. Or rather, it might not have been a story in her case, since she disliked such gatherings a lot, at least if none of her female friends were here to keep her company.

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

This was the first time I heard of an altercation between Karuizawa and some girl from Class C, which meant that Kikyou hadn't been aware of such an incident. Maybe she hadn't been around during that time, because of my activities, or she had ignored everything she heard about this afterwards, since a public quarrel everyone would have heard about might not have caught her interest.

"Huh? What are you talking about? Who's Rika?"

"A girl from our class who wears glasses. She has her hair up in a bun, like a dango. Remember her?"

What's a dango?

"I don't know her."

Karuizawa looked back at her phone.

Manabe might not have picked up on this short-lived hesitation, but my classmate remembered something after she had described the girl's features. It must have been a rather benign argument, if she didn't even know Rika's name since she hadn't reacted upon hearing it. My classmate kept acting as if nothing happened to affirm the standpoint that this incident had nothing to do with her.

"That's weird though, don't you think? I'm sure that Rika told us that she was bullied by a girl in Class D named Karuizawa. She said that you pushed her aside while she was waiting in line at the cafe."

"Do you have some kind of problem with me?" Karuizawa's frown deepened as she expressed blatant disinterest in Manabe before her fingers passed over the keyboard. "I have like no idea what you are even talking about."

"I don't have a problem. Just checking if it's true. If it is, I'd like you to apologize to her. Rika is the sort of girl who bottles everything up, so it's up to me and my friends to help her deal with situations like this."

Wait, are we the bad guys?

My new, soon to be favorite bishop seemed to have run into trouble with this Class C girl and her friends took her to task after all this time. This was good news for me as well, since I might be able to put my plans for her into practice sooner than expected. The initial timetable for Karuizawa involved talking to her one-on-one at school.

Like Kikyou, I wanted to get to know her a little before I broke her down into spare parts, which I could then mold into whatever I needed. She, just like my queen, had her own strengths and weaknesses and had to be used accordingly.

Their argument with her wasn't too bad, all things considered.

"Then you won't mind if we check with Rika, will you?" Manabe, fed up by her contemptuous attitude, pulled out her phone, ready to take a picture. "If it wasn't you, there shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Karuizawa looked up for a moment, before her hand flashed towards Manabe's phone. The latter hadn't expected such a move, and was too slow to react in time. My classmate slapped the device out of her hand and focused back on her own before it even had enough time to crash into the ground.

"What the hell?!"

Manabe's angered voice travelled through the room as her phone struck the ground with a dull sound. It wasn't loud, so nothing should have broken, but it kept spinning and bouncing around for a short while due to the force the fearsome gyaru had put into her slapping motion.

"That's what I should say to you, no? Don't just take pictures of me without permission, you got that? I already told you that you had the wrong person. Now, grab your phone and leave me alone."

Her lazy complaint was impressive.

She supported her head with her left fist without a care in the world about what might have happened to Manabe's phone while everyone else just watched this scene unfold in front of them with widened eyes. Ichinose had difficulties in determining which party was at fault for this argument, but didn't arrive at a satisfying conclusion.

Our classes had spent some time together, so she must have seen firsthand how headstrong and mean Karuizawa could be if she was in a bad mood. It was conceivable that she had pushed this Rika, but she also didn't know Manabe very well, which was why she hesitated with her intervention.

This could have been a ploy by Ryuuen, after all.

"What will you do if my phone is broken?"

"I don't know? Ask the school for a new one."

"I have some really precious photos stored on that phone!"

Nishino took a short glimpse at the two as Manabe picked up the device and checked if everything was still in working condition. She must have concluded that this situation was too bothersome for her when Yajima joined her friend in glaring at Karuizawa, and closed her eyes before leaning back against the chair.

Kikyou's notes had described her as similar to Ibuki, and the comparison seemed fair. The only advantage, or disadvantage, she held over the latter was that she wasn't as aggressive with her tongue clicking.

So far, at least.

Morofuji Rika had good friends who looked out for her. From the information I had, she seemed to be rather timid, similar to Sakura. Very few girls in our class would have cared for her like this, so I believed that Manabe had the honest intention of supporting her classmate when she confronted Karuizawa.

"Just let me take a picture."

Both spurred each other on with their behavior.

They were understandably frustrated with each other, but neither of them backed down. The irritated girl pointed her camera at Karuizawa yet again. This time, she had learned from her previous mistake and walked out of reach. Karuizawa, who was unable to retaliate for this reason, resorted to something else.

Or rather, to someone else.

"No, I don't want you to! Please say something to her, okay?" She turned to Machida with a pair of puppy eyes. "I won't forgive you if you take my picture without permission. This isn't right! What do you think, Machida-kun?"

Why hadn't she asked me for help?

Two possibilities came to mind:

One, she could have assumed that I wouldn't do anything, since she considered me to be quite tame compared to her. She must have remembered how I tried to reason with her during our meeting with Mashima-sensei and concluded that I wouldn't help her the way she wanted to be helped, which was why she opted for Machida.

Or she was scared that she might pull me into this mess, which would lead Chiaki to investigate this whole affair. If she figured out that Karuizawa had indeed pushed Morofuji, then she might get mad for 'endangering' me, as she was still worried that Ryuuen might hurt me after the still unexplained accident on the island.

"I agree with her, Manabe." Her new knight in shining armor campaigned for her, just like she had assumed. "Karuizawa told you that she doesn't want her picture taken, so please accept her privacy and stop it."

My bishop's parasitic behavior forced her to move hosts, as the previous one wasn't useful in this situation. She didn't hesitate for a second before latching onto someone who looked reliable, despite having a loving boyfriend like Hirata. Machida didn't mind clashing with Manabe for her sake, and that was all she needed for the moment.

She wanted to be protected.

That was all Karuizawa asked for.

There was no reason to go as far as I went with Kikyou, if that was the case. This poor, damaged girl only needed to see that I was reliable and she would latch onto me like a leech. She could suck as much of my black blood as she wanted, as long as she complied with certain boundaries that she couldn't pass over.

"Machida-kun, this has nothing to do with you."

"From what I heard just now, you are in the wrong, Manabe. Karuizawa mentioned that she didn't know what you were talking about, but you still tried to take a picture of her. I think it's best to confirm with your friend if the story is true."

Manabe was furious, but not smart enough to dismantle the boy's flawed reasoning. Ryuuen or even Ibuki would have been able to trample over him with brute force, or they would have ignored his flowery speech altogether. Yet, there was nothing she could do but bite her lip and sit back down in frustration.

Karuizawa had a good eye for people.

She assessed that Machida would be the best candidate for the current objective, which was getting rid of Manabe, and used him to her advantage by utilizing nothing but her natural looks. She was aware of what she did, but couldn't care less about who she needed to control as long as she was protected.

"Thank you, Machida-kun!"

The gyaru looked up at him, her eyes full of gratitude.

Her skills reminded me of Kikyou's, but their usage differed.

"All I did was the right thing."

Katsuragi's footsoldier blushed as Karuizawa moved her chair over to him. Both of his classmates saw through this cheap, almost pitiful trick to ensnare him in her grasp, but neither of them notified him of her ulterior motives. Kamuro and Kito leaned back into their chairs and observed the students in silence.

The rest of our discussion period soon passed.

Class A kept true to their word and chose not to talk with us even once, while everyone else spun around in circles, wondering whether I told them the truth about my VIP status. Ichinose brought the session to a close after the hour passed, whereupon everyone began to stand up and leave.

Karuizawa accidentally stepped onto Manabe's foot on her way out. She apologized with her usual half-hearted attitude and walked off with her phone in hand. Machida noted that she had expressed remorse for her mistake, while the Class C girl's furious shouts reverberated through the room.

Due to this, the area was rather loud.

"Karuizawa is the real VIP."

These five words slipped my mouth as I brushed past Ichinose.

Her beautiful, glimmering sapphire orbs widened for a second before she managed to calm down. She peered deep into my eyes with a quizzical look, unsure whether I was telling the truth. A bright smile surfaced on her face a moment later when she realized that I seemed to feel horrible about what 'Chiaki' made me do.

It wasn't a lie when I said that I trusted her.

At least enough to let her in on the key that could end this exam, not only for our group, but this whole year. She couldn't be certain about my honesty, of course, but her heart would assure her that my words had been truthful.

This sounded stupid, but it actually worked.

Apparently...

I left the room and walked over to a nearby cafe until a feminine hand crashed into the metallic wall beside me, obstructing my way. My body stopped by sheer instinct before my eyes darted towards the girl who had cornered me.

"What's up, Himeno?"

Our position was rather unique.

It was known as 'kabedon' among experts.

Only that it was the wrong way around.

So a 'reverse kabedon' then?

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

She seemed rather serious, and I suspected that this had something to do with my stunt during our discussion period. All three of them must have noticed that I had baited Ichinose into lying for me. She and Beppu might have had faith in our friendship, but Himeno was similar to Kanzaki in that regard.

"You are not the VIP, correct?"

"No, I'm not."

Her ametrine eyes peered deep into mine, reflecting the faint, golden luster of my own two orbs as she inched closer towards my face. She didn't move her hand, nor did she grant me any room to maneuver myself out of this situation. If she had done this without being angered by my actions, then I might have enjoyed this even more.

"Did Matsushita force you to do this?"

"Of course not. Chiaki would never pressure me to do something against my will. She might seem scary since you don't know her very well, but she is very affectionate and gentle. She is my first-ever girlfriend and I love her deeply. If that wasn't the case, I would have broken up with her a long time ago, don't you think?"

I scratched my chin, surprised by her question.

A frown appeared on her slender face.

"We are your friends, Ayanokouji-kun. You can rely on us."

"Yes, I know. Thank you, Himeno."

"Alright then." She moved her hand away and regarded me with a faint smile. "Sorry for this. I guess I wanted to try this someday. It's just weird since I should have been on the receiving end, I think."

"Maybe I'll pay you back someday."

Himeno's pleasant laugh still rang in my ears, even after she had walked off.

On my way to the cafe, I received another message from Kikyou, which informed me that she was meeting up with Sakura and Sudou now. I wished her a good time, but all I received was the picture of a middle-finger in response to my boundless kindness.

She seemed displeased with my choice of company.

Just like this morning, I ordered for two, while I waited around for my guest. This wouldn't turn out to be a long talk, but I was a little hungry since I only had a light breakfast. My guest ambled into the establishment a few moments later and glanced around with a curious expression. It almost felt like he had never been here before and was evaluating this new location.

His eyes sparkled as he spotted me.

"Ayanokouji-dono! No — SAMA!"

The boy sat down and pushed up his glasses.

"Yo, Professor. Could you stop calling me that, though?"

"Of course, of course."

A whisper escaped his lips as he glanced around.

"Don't worry, no one followed us."

The Professor, also known as Sotomura Hideo, wasn't difficult to deal with. He was rather easy to influence, in fact. I never needed to threaten, hurt or damage him otherwise. All he wanted was to be part of something special, like the characters in one of his favorite novels, manga, anime and the games he played.

"A sidekick of one such as you shan't be worried about pursuers."

"You did good today, Professor."

"Class Rep, why'd you summon us all here?"

Yui-chan was the first to pose this question, whereupon the others soon followed. The number of inquiries increased while I waited for all my classmates to arrive in the karaoke room I had rented for the next hour.

I couldn't stomach the lies I told myself anymore.

A scorching hot stinging sensation ravaged my heart whenever one of my friends came up to me and expressed their trust in my arrangements. Every single day, they put their faith in me and the decisions I made, assuming that I acted for the good of our class and each individual that was part of it.

This scathing, unbearable pain wouldn't subside.

To mend this misery, I had to be honest to myself and everyone around me. There were still certain events I would keep to myself, as they didn't concern our class, but I was convinced that this meeting was the correct conclusion. It didn't matter how this conference turned out, as long as I put my thoughts into words.

I, Ichinose Honami, am a liar and a thief.

My classmates, who were like a second family to me, deserved better than the secrets of a criminal. They had a right to know the truth about the actions I had taken on the island, in order to save the one person I cherished more than anyone. Kanzaki-kun, Mako-chan and the others that depended on me should know about this despicable version of their leader.

"Everyone is here, Ichinose."

Kanzaki-kun closed the door that was labeled '55' and walked up to me.

This was quite a large number, even on this enormous cruise ship, but I figured that the first digit represented our current deck while the second one displayed the karaoke room we occupied. From now on, I wouldn't lie to my friends anymore, and it seemed like someone wanted to tell me that everything would be alright.

"Thank you for coming, everyone."

The chatter stopped as my voice echoed through the area.

Until now, I had never faced problems when I spoke in front of people. Even back in middle school, I didn't mind the gazes of the whole student body as I delivered my speech for being elected as the student council president. None of these occurrences could compare with the current situation, however.

It was much worse than the first time.

My knees were on the verge of giving in.

Deep, heavy breaths escaped my dry, cracking lips as it got harder to swallow the vast amounts of saliva that my body produced due to my nervousness. The bones forming my rib-cage seemed to fracture under the insane pressure my drumming heart exerted on them while the encroaching feeling of dread coursed through my veins like blood.

Why hadn't I asked them to save Ayanokouji-kun?

How could I face them from today onwards?

Who would still trust me after this?

What if they hated me now?

A dark, opaque veil of toxic thoughts enraptured my mind, pulled it into its vicious cold grasp as fear slithered along my frame like a man-sized black serpent that entangled me whole. The weight of my guilt drove me deeper into the ground as I struggled to stand without faltering. This invisible force made me want to kneel, to apologize — to beg them for forgiveness.

I must have been quite horrible at hiding my concerns.

Or maybe my classmates just knew me well enough to realize that I wanted to inform them about something significant, which was why their expressions grew worried, even though they had been gleaming in silent anticipation before.

"There is something I have to confess to all of you."

After the first discussion period ended, I reevaluated my decision.

My feelings for Ayanokouji-kun were still too fresh and Matsushita-san could outplay me and my plans with his presence alone. If Himeno-san hadn't obstructed me with her sneeze, I wouldn't have been prepared to call him a liar in front of everyone, just as Class D's leader must have assumed.

He was dazed and blinded by love, just like me.

Otherwise, he might not have followed her directions.

This problem of mine needed to be dealt with, and I couldn't lead or deceive my class with good intentions in mind while I struggled with these conflicting emotions. I had to take a step back this time, work through my problems, and return to my position next to Kanzaki-kun, if they still trusted me with such an important role after my proclamation.

Mako-chan didn't ease the mood with a funny insert.

No teasing remark like, 'Oh, we know that you love Ayanokouji-kun. There is no need to be all serious about this', slipped her lips, which would have been followed by giggles, smiles and my embarrassed sobs, because they all recognized that a burden weighed on my chest.

Kanzaki-kun had figured this out during the conclusion of the first exam.

He was the only one who had known about Matsushita-san's plans during this time and must have presumed that I saved Ayanokouji-kun by paying someone to help him. The tears and cries of guilt that followed the next morning would have confirmed his assumption that I had used our pool of private points for him.

Yet, he had chosen to stay quiet.

His silence protected the class and my reputation.

"Back on the island, I made a deal with Kouenji-kun from Class D." I clenched my fists and drilled my thumb deeper into my index finger. "You might think that this is alright, that I must have done this for Class B's sake, but that is not the truth. He made sure that Ayanokouji-kun wasn't hurt or poisoned by his girlfriend for a payment of one million private points."

An eerie silence descended over the room.

Usually, I was adept at reading my surroundings and the mood of the people I conversed with, but right now, there was nothing but a blinding white void. My head burned like a candlestick and I couldn't think of anything as multiple piercing stabs ripped my heart into small pieces. These anxieties sapped the energy out of my body, rendering me unable to think.

"You used our points to help a student from another class?"

Kanzaki-kun's voice was gentle and comforting.

"Yes, I betrayed your trust."

My legs gave in before I slumped to the ground.

Long buried, uncomfortable memories of my dark past slipped into my mind. Back then, I had also fallen to my knees and prostrated on the cold, hard floor, begging for forgiveness after my misdemeanor.

But my pleas hadn't been granted.

"I'm sorry that I stole our balance to help Ayanokouji-kun." Teardrops ran over my forehead, slid along my hair and soaked the carpet, coloring it in a darker shade of blue. "I'm sorry for keeping this a secret from all of you." My voice quivered as I forced my head deeper into the rug. "I will also transfer all the points in my possession to someone trustworthy, like Kanzaki-kun. Furthermore, I promise that I will answer for the financial damages I have caused until my debt is repaid in full."

Just please don't —

"What are you talking about, Class Rep?"

"You helped the person you love. Isn't that fine?"

"He's our friend too, you know?"

"Yeah, we'll get those points back somehow."

"We would have agreed to the purchase, so don't worry."

Unable to believe their kind words, I began to cry with even more fervor. I deserved neither their mercy nor the trust or understanding they met me with, because I had once again stolen for the person I loved most. This turned me into a repeated offender who hadn't earned their friendship or this kind of consoling support.

My actions shouldn't be forgiven.

Why would they absolve me?

Weren't they angry?

Disappointed by my actions?

Why did no one scream at me?

"Is that why you were crying back then, Honami-chan?" Mako-chan's voice stood out from the rest. Her feet came to a halt next to my head before a dull pain coursed through my frame. "Are you stupid? Get up."

"But... I don't deserve..."

The next minutes were nothing but a blurry mess.

Somehow, I stood and was seated on one of the couches.

I couldn't remember how long I cried or how I got here, but my classmates kept trying to cheer me up the whole time. They embraced me, rubbed my head and told me that everything was fine. Their behavior was quite frustrating because their sympathies and kind gestures weren't warranted after my betrayal.

"In summary, we are one million points short, yes?"

Kanzaki-kun interlaced his arms and leaned against the backrest.

He must have worried about what this deficiency meant for our plans going forward. We had decided that Class B would pool a certain amount of private points into the bank to form a safety net in case one of us was in danger of being expelled. My actions had jeopardized this insurance we wanted to establish.

Or so it seemed.

"We are not. Matsushita-san returned the one million points after I paid Kouenji-kun. I assume that she wanted to use this as a bargaining chip, but we are talking about someone who poisoned Chihiro-chan to cost us points, so I'm sure that she has a few more tricks up her sleeve. Besides that, we — ouch, Mako-chan!"

My friends were equally baffled.

Their eyes opened wide as she kept hitting my head, but none of them moved to stop her. Faint smiles surfaced on their previously concerned faces as they began to laugh and giggle. Instead of hurting me, she was baffled by my unnatural behavior and took it upon herself to beat some sense into me.

In her own gentle way.

"Honami-chan you dolt! Standing there in front of us all serious and kowtowing while we didn't even lose a single point. Are you looking down on us? I was worried for your innocence for a second and you are fussing over this?!"

"Mako-chaaan! Stop hitting meee!"

Our stoic classmate in the Dragon group shook his head in an exasperated manner. He kept observing the situation, similar to my classmates, until Mako-chan stopped her attack. My teary blue orbs darted towards him for support before he slapped me as well.

"You could've pre-pended your confession with that."

"No, because I didn't know that she would do this when I made the deal. I was ready to repay the one million points, of course, but this would have taken time, even if I put all my savings into our pool. My actions might have risked one of us and I felt horrible about not asking you for support. Ayanokouji-kun's situation scared me and I couldn't think straight."

The depressed mood vanished and was replaced by our usual class climate, thanks to the conduct of certain individuals. My friends might have forgiven me without a second thought, but I still believed that I deserved punishment for my sins. I would take everything head on from this day forward, together with my classmates, and vowed to myself that I wouldn't hide anything important from my companions — my family ever again.

Speaking of which...

"There is something else we need to talk about..."

"Wait, is it really your innocence?!"

Mako-chan jumped back in shock.

If the matter at hand wasn't this important, I would have asked her what she meant by this, since she had stated her apprehension about my 'innocence' twice after I told them about my thievery. It shouldn't have had anything to do with the missing points or that I deceived them, but I couldn't comprehend what else she might hint at.

"Karuizawa-san is the VIP in the Rabbit group."

Everyone looked at me in shock.

This wasn't a weird reaction, since we hadn't shared our own VIPs with each other. Our comrades were free to choose whether they would tell anyone about their status or keep it to themselves. Aside from Karuizawa-san, I only knew the Ox groups VIP, since Chihiro-chan had shared her message with me in confidence.

Not even Kanzaki-kun knew about this.

He was also the first one to collect his thoughts.

"How did you learn this?"

"Ayanokouji-kun told me about their VIP."

"What? Why would he give us their VIP just like that?" Kanzaki-kun's yellow eyes widened. "Could he have caught wind of the deal with Kouenji? Or was this another ploy by Matsushita? We trust him and she knows this as well, so maybe she tried to set us on the wrong track. But this wouldn't make any sense..."

"He knew that I did something, so I'm sure he is trying to compensate me for the points I have supposedly lost to protect him. It should be difficult to stand up against Matsushita-san, so this must have been his way of helping us in return. I can't be sure, but maybe he is trying to get us the other VIPs as well."

"So he might be on our side."

"Yes. From now on I'd like to discuss everything without making exceptions for incidents concerning Ayanokouji-kun. Past events have proven that I'm unable to let go of my feelings, even if they are detrimental to our class. I am aware of this and I'll try my best to adjust as soon as possible, but I will need some time for that. Meanwhile, I'd like to leave everything concerning him and this exam to Kanzaki-kun and the rest of you."

"Ichinose-san, what did he do with his hands?"

Kanzaki-kun was about to open his mouth when a female voice pre-empted his own. Similar to everyone else, I turned to the girl with a confused gaze. Her curious violet orbs contained genuine interest as she peered into my own. I didn't understand her strange question, so I decided to dig deeper.

"With his hands?"

"Yes, when he told you about Karuizawa-san."

"They were in his pockets. Why?"

[10:19:12 PM][Fufufu] Thank you very much, Masumi-san.

I threw my phone on the nightstand and shut my eyes.

Thanks to 'her royal majesty' or whatever Hashimoto would have called this crazy girl, I was unable to savour the sweet dream I had drifted into before she woke me. It had been a pleasant one that took place in a two-storied thrift store, which differed from the usual department store that was filled with rows upon rows of beer.

What a shame...

But was it even possible to solve this exam alone?

Maybe the teachers just pitied her circumstances?

We were unlucky that she hadn't been allowed to join the cruise because of her illness, or we might not have lost with such an insane point discrepancy since she seemed to be aware of a certain person no one but her paid much attention to.

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.

Without her warning, I would have disregarded this individual as someone physically capable, but this conclusion seemed to be far from the truth, according to the bits and pieces she had shared with me. Usually, she informed me about some of her thoughts and the predicted capabilities of our opponent, but not this time.

A monster.

Those were the mystifying words she had labeled him with, while her voice quivered in pure excitement. The two of them must have known each other from before, and if he was even half as creepy as she was, then I wanted to stay clear of him.

But that wasn't possible.

Sakayanagi's orders were specific.

Observe, but don't engage.

This strange command alone demonstrated how terrifying this person must be, as she had paired me up with Hashimoto or Kito whenever I had to look into Ryuuen and his delinquents, since they could fight in case something unforeseen happened. Before Ayanokouji, she had never told me to stay clear of anyone with such a serious tone of voice.

Nothing I had learned warranted this level of caution.

He seemed like a normal, rather handsome student with an outstanding physique, and I assumed that this had been the reason that Matsushita Chiaki, Class D's supposed leader, was his girlfriend, as he had proven to be average in every other department from overall intelligence to social abilities.

If Sakayanagi hadn't mentioned how dangerous this boy was, I would have fallen into his trap, just like everyone else. She also mentioned that I couldn't tell anyone about him, or she would expel me for disobeying a direct order, which was also a first in our 'partnership', if one could label it like that.

I shook my head and snuggled deeper into my pillow.

Time passed, and my consciousness began to drift away.

It warped my thoughts out of shape as a drowsy feeling overcame me. The opinions and conclusions I had drawn dissipated deep into the vast expanse of my mind. Images appeared and vanished, twisted and changed until I found myself in another store — right in front of the canned beer.

My fingers reached out for the enticing goods before they disappeared in my blazer pocket. I kept looking around the store, biding my time until a line of people had formed along the cash register. None of them turned around or glanced at me as I walked past them with the beer hidden inside my clothing.

The entrance was pushed open by my palm when a cold hand grabbed me from behind. A blaring alarm resounded through the store as I had walked into the anti-theft device, that had been hidden behind a thin barrier, of sorts. Vibrations ran along the walls, warping the massive stone structure as if it was made of wet cardboard.

Once... twice... thrice...

"This damn crazy woman. Can't she just let me sleep?"

I stretch my arm towards my phone, which kept vibrating along the wooden bedside table until it plunged to the ground, which woke about half my room. One of the girls switched on the light, whereupon a groan slipped my dry lips. Instead of being bothered by my device, however, my roommate seemed to have been concerned with her own.

"Kamuro-san, this..."

Her voice ceased as she stared at her phone in disbelief.

Cold air surged into my pajama as I sat and picked up my own device from the carpet. The other girls also peered at their displays as this sudden commotion managed to alert all four of us. Similar to their reactions, my jaw dropped upon unlocking my phone and reading through the messages we had received.

Who in the world was this guy?