Meanwhile, at the school's KTV, Yamauchi Haruki rushed into a private room.
It was where he'd agreed to meet Sakayanagi Arisu.
"What's wrong, Yamauchi? We just met yesterday. Can't you wait?"
Arisu smiled, noticing Haruki's panicked expression. Something must have happened in Class B.
"It's bad, Arisu... Your plan... it didn't work!"
Haruki stammered, barely getting the words out.
"Why?"
Arisu asked, confused.
"I... the students in class found out about your plan..."
Haruki couldn't bring himself to admit his slip-up.
Arisu bit her lip. She knew Haruki's betrayal would be exposed eventually, but not on the first day.
*What happened? Where did it go wrong?*
Arisu's brow furrowed.
Originally, she'd planned to have Haruki manipulate the class vote, then deliberately leak the information, ruining his reputation and getting him expelled.
But someone had figured it out ahead of time.
She glanced at Haruki. Though unreliable, his expulsion was at stake. He shouldn't have blabbed.
But Arisu couldn't have guessed that Haruki *had* blabbed—thanks to Kusuo's telepathy.
"Who found out first?"
Arisu asked sharply.
"It was..."
Haruki hesitated.
*I can't let Arisu know I told them... She'll hate me...*
"It was Saiki. I don't know how he figured it out..."
"Saiki?"
Arisu fell into thought. How had Kusuo known?
Recalling recent events, she sensed something odd.
Her plan involved Haruki approaching Kushida, using her connections to put Kusuo in danger.
But Kushida, the social butterfly, had clashed with Haruki. It didn't add up.
Unless... Kusuo had seen through it all already? Had he done something to Kushida beforehand?
Arisu's mind raced with possibilities.
"Arisu... about the praise points... Will Class A still vote for me?"
Haruki asked, worried.
His plan to smear Kusuo had failed. Now he'd rely on Class A's votes to survive.
*Does he really think he's useful to me? Honestly, I've wanted him expelled from the start. Kusuo just sped things up. But I'll play along for now.*
"Of course! I promised to protect you, didn't I?"
Arisu smiled.
"If you don't trust me, we shouldn't meet like this anymore..."
"I trust you! I trust you!"
Haruki nodded frantically, afraid of upsetting her.
"I'll figure out the rest. You can go."
"Okay, okay!"
Haruki nodded, forcing a smile, then left.
---
That night, Kusuo returned to his dorm, ready to rest.
"Tsukishiro's acting strange. Someone must've done something."
"At least it's not aimed at me."
"Today felt so long... Like several chapters' worth of events."
As Kusuo muttered, a knock came at the door.
*Sigh... Who is it now?*
He knew it was Ibuki Mio and Shiina Hiyori, so he opened the door.
*Another excuse to see Kusuo!*
Hiyori beamed, smiling at him. She'd come with Mio to help Ryūen, but also to see Kusuo.
She didn't know why, but she wanted to see him.
Mio, on the other hand, felt differently.
*Ugh... Him again... I can't forget what happened that night...*
Mio glared at Kusuo, her fear mixing with anger.
Only Kusuo could make Ryūen back down.
*We actually need his help...*
"Is it about Ryūen's expulsion?"
Kusuo guessed, but still asked.
"Can we talk about the exam, Kusuo?"
Hiyori asked, smiling.
"Come in."
Kusuo nodded, letting them in. He even poured them juice, a first for Mio.
"Go ahead."
He sat down.
"Kusuo, you and Ryūen had a misunderstanding, right? But he's crucial to Class D. Without him, we'll fall behind..."
Hiyori sat on his bed, serious.
*Ryūen caused me trouble... But we're even now.*
Kusuo thought.
Their first meeting ended with Ryūen petrified and his head used as a soccer ball.
Later, to prevent future trouble, Kusuo implanted terrifying memories in Ryūen's mind.
Too terrifying, it seemed.
Now Ryūen was gaunt, sleepless, and had PTSD from Kusuo's nightmares.
As Kusuo thought, Hiyori continued:
"If we save Ryūen, Class D could threaten you again. But we can also hold off other classes, giving you room to grow. And we can offer you a lot of personal points."
Hiyori turned to Mio, referring to Ryūen's points.
She planned to trade some points for Class B's praise votes, ensuring Ryūen's safety.
*Damn... Begging the enemy for help...*
Mio was furious but had no choice.
It was the only way to save Ryūen.
Kusuo considered them even, but he wouldn't get involved.
"Sorry, I don't..."
But just as Kusuo was about to refuse, a knock on the door interrupted him.
Mio tensed up, immediately looking at Kusuo.
"Who would visit you at this hour?"
"I'm not sure."
Kusuo shook his head. In reality, he already knew the identity of the third visitor.
Honami Ichinose.
Even through the door, Kusuo could hear her thoughts.
*"If it's Kusuo... maybe he can help..."*
*"I don't want anyone in our class to drop out... I need to save 20 million... I'm about 4 million short."*
*"If there's no other way, I'll have to accept Nagumo's condition..."*
*Nagumo's condition?*
Kusuo remembered hearing something from Nagumo yesterday.
Nagumo still wanted to control Honami and planned to use this opportunity to turn her into his puppet.
Nagumo was one of the people Kusuo disliked the most at school, as his actions had caused Kusuo a lot of trouble.
Besides, Kusuo and Honami were on good terms, so he couldn't let Nagumo's plan succeed.
Hearing her thoughts, Kusuo had an idea. He opened the door, and Honami stood before him.
"Kusuo, sorry to disturb you so late... Huh? Mio? Hiyori?"
Honami looked confused seeing two other girls in Kusuo's room.
"What do you need, Honami?"
Kusuo asked immediately.
"I... I..."
Honami hesitated, aware of the others present. After a moment, she explained her purpose.
"C Class is like this, and you're still being so kind?"
Mio shook her head, not understanding Honami's reasoning.
Meanwhile, Hiyori seemed to have an idea.
"Honami, our classes could make a deal."
"What?"
Honami looked puzzled.
"We can provide enough personal points, and you can vote in favor of Ryūen."
Hiyori explained the deal and their class's situation.
*Perfect, killing two birds with one stone.*
Kusuo listened silently and nodded.
Everything was going as he expected.
Honami needed points, and Hiyori needed votes—a perfect match.
Kusuo knew Hiyori would figure this out, saving him trouble and stopping Nagumo's twisted plan.
*"Both classes can get what they need."*
Hiyori thought,
*"Kusuo arranged for us to meet... Did he predict we'd both come to him today? No wonder he beat Ryūen."*
*No, it was just a coincidence.*
Kusuo thought.
"I agree."
Honami nodded firmly after hearing Hiyori.
This was an opportunity she couldn't miss.
"I've decided. If Mio and Hiyori are willing, let's cooperate!"
"Really?"
Mio frowned, unsure.
"I've confirmed both of your intentions."
"You're such an idiot, Honami."
"Huh?"
"Despite the rumors, you saved points for your classmates, but now you're giving them all away."
Mio didn't understand C Class's kindness.
"I can save points again. In a year, I could save nearly 20 million. Besides, Mio, you're transferring 5 million points to save Ryūen, aren't you?"
"I can't argue with that."
Mio shook her head.
"Can you transfer the points soon?"
Honami asked eagerly.
"Sure."
Mio glanced at Hiyori, nodded seriously, and stood up.
"Wait here, I'll be right back."
She left and returned in fifteen minutes.
She immediately showed her phone to Honami.
The screen displayed over 5 million points.
"Let's make the deal."