From the second conversation earlier today until now, Kure Ragna had received three text messages.
The first was from Manabe Shiho, informing him that he had set up a meeting with a girl named Ichida and wanted to discuss something with him tomorrow afternoon. Nothing unusual there.
The problem lay in the other two messages.
The second was an official announcement from the school, notifying all first-year students on the cruise ship that the "Monkey Group" exam from the Twelve Branches test had concluded.
The third message, however, was from his dormitory roommate, Hirata. The urgency in the text was obvious—he wanted Kure to return immediately. The tone made it seem as if the sky was about to fall.
The fact that the second and third messages arrived within half a minute of each other was more than just a coincidence.
"Guess I'll head back and see what's going on."
Letting out a sigh, Kure glanced up at the peaceful night sky before turning back toward the cabin. He hadn't returned to his dormitory since the uninhabited island exam ended, making this his first visit in a while.
When he stepped inside, tension hung thick in the air, clashing with the spaciousness of the dormitory. Compared to the chairman's exclusive bedroom, this place was far less luxurious, but tonight, it felt even more suffocating.
Kouenji was on the floor, casually doing push-ups while drenched in sweat, yet his face remained as relaxed as ever. Hirata stood nearby, rubbing his forehead, frustration evident in his posture.
Yukimura, on the other hand, clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles had turned white, his expression contorted with anger.
As for the other deadbeat roommate? He was already sprawled on his bed, fast asleep, completely detached from the tension in the room.
Leaning against the doorframe, Kure crossed his arms, blocking the only entrance and exit. "What is this, a dormitory drama special? If you're thinking of throwing hands, let me remind you—no matter how many of you gang up, even ten Yukimuras wouldn't be able to take down Kouenji."
"I don't want to fight!" Yukimura snapped, his voice laced with irritation. "But do you even know what this guy did?! He—"
Before he could finish, he was overtaken by a violent coughing fit, the anger practically choking him.
Kure turned his gaze to Kouenji, who was still effortlessly maintaining his push-up routine.
"Well~" Kouenji smirked, adjusting his form slightly. "Hirata-boy over there can explain. Talking nonsense during exercise is a big taboo, you see."
Hirata sighed heavily. "Kouenji sent the list of preferential candidates for the Monkey Group straight to the school's mailbox."
"Oh."
Hirata blinked, momentarily caught off guard by Kure's flat response. He had expected something closer to shock or outrage.
But, honestly, this was Kouenji. If he had obediently waited until the designated fourth night to send the answer, that would've been the real surprise.
If that were the case, Kure might've started wondering if the real Kouenji had been swapped out back on the island.
"So, that means you figured out the selection criteria for all the preferential candidates?" Kure asked, looking down at him.
Still maintaining his push-up form, Kouenji raised his other hand, making a playful scissor gesture. "Naturally. I've seen through the unspoken rules of this exam. If you're interested, I can name every single one of them."
"Then tell us already!" Yukimura demanded, still seething.
Kouenji finally stopped his push-ups, stretching leisurely before shaking his head with a smug grin. "No, no, no~ Yukimura-boy, I wasn't offering this information to you. I only share knowledge with those I deem worthy. Unfortunately, you don't qualify."
"You...!"
Yukimura's face turned an even deeper shade of red, the veins on his neck bulging as he clenched his fists tighter.
Fearing he might actually burst a blood vessel, Hirata quickly stepped in to calm him down.
"What about you, Kure?" Kouenji flicked his golden hair back, meeting his gaze with a confident smirk. "Would you like me to share my method with you? That said, I assume you already know who the preferential candidate in your group is."
"Yeah, I do," Kure replied lazily. "So keep it to yourself. I was enjoying the whole deduction process—don't spoil the game for me."
"Hah, fair enough~" Kouenji chuckled, unfazed by the rejection. Shrugging, he casually strolled toward the door.
Kure stepped aside, letting him pass without hesitation.
Yukimura gawked in disbelief. "You're just letting him leave?!"
"And?" Kure gave him a questioning look. "What did you want me to do? Stop him so you can take a swing? I already told you, you can't beat him."
"But—! You can't just let him go after what he did!"
Kure exhaled in exasperation. "Look, I've been saying it from the start—this test's preferential candidates weren't chosen randomly. The grouping was based on the Twelve Branches, but the way they were arranged was suspicious. Normally, the order should be Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, followed by Dragon. But there's a nearly three-hour gap between our Rabbit Group and the Dragon Group. That's not a coincidence—that's the school's design."
Hirata nodded thoughtfully, taking out his phone. After a moment, he showed Kure a note: Dragon Group - Kushida. Horse Group - Minami.
It seemed he had reached the same conclusion after hearing Kouenji's earlier claim. A single case could be dismissed as a random guess, and two might be coincidence—but three? That was evidence.
With the preferential identities of Kushida and Minami revealed, along with the Rabbit Group's own candidate, the pattern was becoming clearer.
"So? Does this help confirm anything?" Hirata asked.
Kure's lips twitched slightly. "Yeah… but I have something to take care of with Kei, so... I'm out."
With that, he turned and disappeared out the door.
However, as he made his way to the girls' dormitory, he found himself unable to shake a nagging thought.
In the order of the Twelve Branches, the Dragon should indeed come after the Rabbit. If he lined up the Romanized names—Karuizawa Kei and Kushida Kikyou—
Kei… Kikyou…
The fourth branch, Rabbit. The fifth branch, Dragon…
Wait.
A strange realization flashed through Kure's mind.
No. No, no, no. I can't keep thinking about this. I'll lose my mind.
He sighed, lightly smacking his forehead twice to clear his thoughts before pulling out his phone. Distracting himself, he continued toward the girls' dormitory, trying to shake the unsettling possibility gnawing at the edge of his mind.
--------------------------------------
Support me at patreon.com/Arthorain and read upto 100 Advanced Chapters and Exclusive R-18 Content!