"Huh?"
Upon hearing Saiki Kusuo's words, Karuizawa Kei froze, seemingly struggling to comprehend what he had just said.
"If anything unexpected happens later, just contact me directly. But don't go causing more trouble on your own."
Saiki paused briefly before continuing,
"As for Manabu and her group, I'll handle it. They shouldn't bother you anymore after this."
Saiki knew that with Manabu's malicious personality, she would likely find another way to retaliate against Karuizawa in an even more terrifying manner.
However, Ayanokōji Kiyotaka had seemingly recorded their attempt to bully Karuizawa, which might be enough to stop Manabu and her group.
"Also, about that girl named Rika, I suggest you apologize to her. I can help you get her contact information."
"But..."
"If it's too difficult, just send her an apology text."
Saiki said.
For Saiki, these two matters were separate. Even if it was to protect herself, Karuizawa shouldn't have bullied someone else.
Karuizawa tried to say something, but after a long pause, she merely bit her lip and nodded.
"Alright then, I'll be heading back now. Thanks for your hospitality today."
Saiki said to Karuizawa before preparing to leave.
But just as he turned, Karuizawa called out to him again:
"Oh, Saiki... um... I'm the privileged student in this group..."
"I know. Let's discuss the exam strategy later tonight."
...
Back in the dorm, Saiki found Ayanokōji again and informed him that Karuizawa was the privileged student.
"I see, Karuizawa's the privileged one?"
Ayanokōji wasn't particularly surprised.
"Now that you know who the privileged student is, the next move is up to you."
Saiki said.
Almost simultaneously, Saiki heard Ayanokōji's thoughts.
Given the situation, Chabashira-sensei's words are becoming less credible. We'll have to take a more conservative approach. Let's put in some effort for this exam.
Since Karuizawa is the leader, our goal is to mislead others—especially Class A—into guessing wrong.
The best way to confirm the privileged student is to directly check phone information. This is the best method to mislead them. Although SIM cards are tied to each phone, they can be unbound by spending points. By swapping SIM cards and phones with others, we can create a double misdirection—and the first misdirection must be discovered by others. This way, they'll struggle to uncover the second layer and fully believe what they see.
He's fast...
Saiki couldn't help but think. Within seconds of revealing the privileged student's identity, Ayanokōji had already devised a strategy for passing the exam.
"I've roughly come up with a plan. Tomorrow is the last day of this special exam, and the results will be announced afterward."
"Oh, and one more thing, Ayanokōji. You recorded Manabu and Karuizawa earlier, right?"
"Yeah."
"Send me a copy."
"Understood."
Ayanokōji nodded.
Looks like Saiki's planning something.
Ayanokōji thought as he sent the recording to Saiki.
...
That evening, Saiki used the method he'd seen in Ayanokōji's thoughts earlier. Through an anonymous account, he messaged Manabu, using the recording as leverage to threaten her into stopping any further bullying of Karuizawa.
In this school, once bullying is exposed, the consequences for the bullies are severe.
Karuizawa, however, refused to report it, as doing so would expose everything she'd endured, destroying the image she'd carefully built over the semester.
So Saiki directly threatened Manabu with the recording.
Since Saiki appeared at the end of the video, Manabu wouldn't suspect he was the one who recorded it.
"Who are you?!"
Manabu sent a flurry of questions, but Saiki didn't respond. Using his telepathic abilities, he saw Manabu holding her phone, looking terrified.
Hmm, seems like it worked.
Saiki thought, but his actions weren't over yet.
Later that night, after Manabu had fallen asleep, Saiki flooded her mind with negative examples of bullying.
Just as he had done with Sudō Ken before.
This should settle it once and for all.
With everything resolved, Saiki could finally rest.
....
The next day marked the final meeting of the special exam.
Once this meeting ended, the exam results would be decided, though they wouldn't be announced until later that evening.
Saiki arrived early at the meeting room. This would be the last exam of the school trip, and afterward, he could finally enjoy a free summer vacation.
Others gradually entered the meeting room, including Karuizawa.
"Morning, Saiki!"
Karuizawa greeted him with a bright smile, waving before sitting next to him, appearing unusually friendly.
Could she not sit right next to me?
Saiki sighed internally, knowing her actions would draw unnecessary attention to him.
What's going on? That troublemaker Karuizawa... actually greeted Saiki?
Both Yukimura Teruhiko and Sotomura Hideo were stunned by the scene.
Has Saiki completely controlled Karuizawa already?
Meanwhile, Ayanokōji observed Saiki from a distance.
If it were me, I'd need to create an even more critical situation to ensure Karuizawa's complete obedience. But Saiki's already achieved it. Impressive.
What's going on here...
Saiki sighed internally.
Just then, Manabu and her group entered the meeting room.
Please, no more arguments from them...
Everyone thought this unanimously as they entered.
Manabu and her group walked directly toward Karuizawa, causing her heart to race. She instinctively leaned slightly toward Saiki, her eyes flashing with fear.
But then Karuizawa noticed the dark circles under Manabu's eyes and her pale face.
"Um, Karuizawa... I was out of line earlier... I'm really sorry..."
Manabu and her group bowed apologetically to Karuizawa, their tone sincere, even humble.
"Huh?"
Karuizawa froze, completely unprepared for Manabu's sincere apology.
"I... I was also in the wrong... I texted your friend Rika yesterday..."
Karuizawa replied.
"I... I understand. Let's just put this behind us..."
Manabu's eyes flickered with a hint of fear.
"Yeah... let's move on..."
After speaking with Karuizawa, Manabu returned to her seat, looking distracted.
Manabu... after what she did yesterday, she's apologizing today? What's going on?! Could it be...
Karuizawa turned to Saiki, recalling what he'd said to her yesterday.
Could it be... Saiki did something?
"Alright, let's begin today's meeting."
"Yeah."
The group began their final discussion about the exam.
This was the last meeting, and it would determine their group's result.
The exam proceeded as Ayanokōji had predicted. The group decided to reveal their phone information to confirm the privileged student's identity. Ayanokōji had swapped phones with Yukimura in advance, leading others to initially believe Yukimura was the privileged student.
However, this trap was quickly uncovered by Ichinose Honami.
She saw through the phone-swapping scheme and exposed it publicly.
Just as Ayanokōji had planned, this made others believe he was the true privileged student.
But Saiki knew Ichinose had seen through not only the first layer but also the second—the SIM card swap.
Yet, Ichinose didn't reveal this, choosing instead to play along with Ayanokōji and Saiki.
If they revealed the privileged student's name at the end of the exam, everyone would earn a significant number of points.
But if a traitor emerged, the outcome would be entirely different.
Though Ichinose had earlier expressed hope for a win-win situation, Saiki noticed her intentions had shifted. She now aimed to strike against Class A.
This surprised Saiki somewhat. Though he'd known Ichinose for a while, he hadn't expected her abilities to be this impressive.
"Let's all avoid betraying each other, okay?"
As Ichinose finished speaking, the school broadcast sounded, signaling the end of the discussion. Everyone began to leave.
Though everyone claimed they wouldn't betray anyone, Saiki clearly heard the thoughts of a Class A male student who planned to send the privileged student's name to the school.
He had no idea it was a trap.
Soon, only Ichinose and Saiki remained in the meeting room.
Saiki wanted to leave quickly, but Ichinose called out to him.
"Saiki, your plan was very successful. I know phone SIM cards are locked to devices, but they can be unlocked, right? I confirmed with Hoshinomiya-sensei, and she said paying points can immediately lift the lock."
Ichinose directly addressed what she'd seen through but hadn't revealed earlier.
"People often mistake the answer after a false one as the truth. By showing Yukimura's phone info—which wasn't the privileged student—the moment that lie is exposed, Ayanokōji's identity as the privileged student will subtly emerge. Actually, your privileged student is Karuizawa, right?"
"Sorry, I'm not sure what you're talking about."
Saiki merely shrugged, feigning ignorance.
"Ayanokōji and Horikita devised this strategy, but I wasn't involved, so I'm not clear on the details."
"Really? Karuizawa's attitude toward you today is very different from before. I don't believe you had no part in it."
"That's just how it is."
Saiki replied.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going."
"Huh?"
Saiki's nonchalance surprised Ichinose, who had expected him to question why she hadn't exposed the truth.
In reality, Saiki simply didn't care. He hadn't been deeply involved in this exam. After confirming the privileged student's identity, the strategy had been entirely Ayanokōji's doing.
Still, Saiki knew Ichinose likely wouldn't fully believe his denial.
Oh well, it shouldn't cause too much trouble for now.
Saiki thought.
"Um... even though we're friends, I need to say this: We're in Class B, and you're in Class C. We're no longer allies like before—we're rivals now."