(Naoki perspective)Chapter 30: The Hierarchy Breaks
The room was quiet by the time all sixteen representatives took their seats.
Sixteen chairs.
Sixteen tablets.
Sixteen people pretending they understood the game.
I glanced around without moving my head. Kaito sat exactly where I expected. Satoshi looked unusually relaxed. Then there was Kengo Takamine.
Interesting.
I had expected him to remain buried beneath his own despair. Instead, he had crawled back out of it.
Perhaps he had finally decided to struggle again.
The principal entered wearing his usual smile.
It wasn't genuine.
It never was.
"Now," Toshiro Sobu said, "let's begin."
The game started.
Immediately, whispers spread throughout the room.
Kengo looked directly at me.
"Tell me something, Naoki. Do you have a Scale Breaker?"
I rested my chin on my hand.
"Let's say I do. What if it's Minor Expulsion? Or perhaps I never received one at all."
I watched his pupils.
"I already understand your objective, Kengo. You don't necessarily want your class to win. You simply want Class 1-A to lose."
He didn't deny it.
"Of course. This is the first time we've ever met face to face. I left Class A before you came back from Barcelona."
I smiled.
"You don't even know me, yet you've already decided I'm your greatest enemy."
"You're obviously the biggest threat."
He selected me on his tablet.
Predictable.
I, meanwhile, selected nobody.
As the round ended, I intentionally dropped my pen.
The sound echoed softly across the floor.
When I bent beneath the table to retrieve it, I looked forward.
Four senior representatives were already staring at me.
One of them subtly pointed a ruler toward my position before quickly lowering it.
...
How crude.
I picked up my pen and returned to my seat as though nothing had happened.
Round One ended.
Kengo failed to steal anything.
Naturally.
I hadn't possessed a Scale Breaker to begin with.
Round Two unfolded much the same.
Arguments.
Bluffs.
Empty deductions.
Again, I selected nobody.
Satoshi finally spoke.
"What the hell is your game, Naoki? You haven't picked anyone."
I simply smiled.
Silence often forces people to reveal more than words ever could.
Round Three.
A cold droplet landed on my wrist.
Sweat.
From above.
Interesting.
I didn't look upward.
Instead, I continued observing everyone else.
One junior calmly reached into a small bag of Skittles.
An unusual snack to bring into an exam like this.
He searched through the bag before deliberately choosing a red one.
More importantly...
He waited until another representative noticed before eating it.
That wasn't random.
That was communication.
Kengo interrupted my thoughts.
"You've been awfully quiet. Are you scared of losing?"
I looked at him.
"Losing?"
I laughed quietly.
"As if I'd ever lose to a failure like you."
He frowned.
Good.
Keep talking.
While everyone focused on our exchange, Satoshi subtly adjusted a tiny mirror beneath the table.
The reflection bounced toward the large mirror mounted in the corner of the room.
Another trick.
Round Four began.
The same junior reached into his bag again.
This time...
Green.
Immediately afterward, I noticed several sophomores and juniors display nearly identical microexpressions.
Confirmation.
Everything was beginning to connect.
I stood.
"...How long do you intend to keep relying on childish tricks?"
The room fell silent.
I looked toward Kaito first.
"An hour ago, the blueprint for the ventilation system disappeared before mysteriously returning."
His expression stiffened.
"You had Ryohei memorize the entire ventilation layout before giving it back."
Silence.
"A few moments ago, sweat dripped onto my wrist."
I slowly pointed upward.
"Which means..."
Everyone followed my finger.
"...Ryohei is currently hiding inside the ventilation shaft above us."
Every face turned upward.
Exactly where I expected...
Ryohei froze.
Kaito clenched his fist.
Exposed.
I shifted my attention toward Satoshi.
"You brought a mirror to reflect information through the larger mirrors in this room."
His eyes widened.
Then I faced the senior representatives.
"The four of you used that ruler beneath the table to quietly identify potential Scale Breaker holders."
Nobody spoke.
Finally...
I looked around the room.
"And the upperclassmen have been cooperating with one another from the very beginning."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
No longer confident.
Only nervous.
"When we entered this room, eight representatives possessed bags of Skittles."
I smiled.
"Red represents Minor Expulsion."
The junior holding the candy stiffened.
"Green represents the 1,500 Class Points."
Another reaction.
"Blue..."
"One Million Private Points."
"And yellow..."
"Class Exemption."
The room became completely silent.
One minute.
That was all it had taken.
Every method they'd prepared had collapsed.
One junior finally spoke.
"Even if you figured it out... you still can't stop us."
I looked directly at him.
"You assume I'll pursue the 1,500 Class Points."
He remained silent.
"If everyone attempts to steal those points, I'll simply acquire Class Exemption."
I paused.
"Or perhaps I'll steal Minor Expulsion and bluff instead."
Nobody knew what to do anymore.
Their entire strategy relied on secrecy.
Without secrecy...
It ceased to exist.
For the first time all game...
I selected someone.
Round Four ended.
Round Five.
Kengo stared at me.
"Do you have a Scale Breaker?"
"...Yes."
I answered without hesitation.
"I possess the 1,500 Class Points."
"You could be bluffing."
"Then prove me wrong."
Exactly as expected...
He selected me.
Nobody else did.
Everyone feared it was a trap.
They were correct.
The results appeared moments later.
Kaito...
Minor Expulsion.
He laughed loudly.
"Remember Asuka? She transferred into my class."
His grin widened.
"She's our weakest student."
"So she's expelled."
Class 4-B received One Million Private Points.
Class 2-B obtained Class Exemption.
Finally...
The final result appeared.
Class 1-C — 1,500 Class Points.
Kengo stared at the screen in disbelief.
"...We made it."
I looked at him.
"Congratulations."
I allowed myself a faint smile.
"Or should I say..."
"...Welcome to Class 1-B."
He left without another word.
Kaito watched him disappear before turning toward me.
"This was your plan from the beginning."
I didn't answer.
"You realize what you've done."
"The hierarchy is broken."
"Class 1-C isn't ready to become Class 1-B."
I stood.
"We'll see."
Whether they were ready...
Was no longer relevant.
The board had changed.
And every piece upon it would now be forced to adapt.
Including them.