As one of the most popular students in the first year, Honami Ichinose's personality played a significant role, aside from her good looks.
Not only did the students of Class B trust their leader, but students from other classes were also happy to spend time with her.
After all, no one would refuse a friend with such a good personality.
Some people referred to Kikyo Kushida and Honami Ichinose as the "angels" of the first year, with Honami Ichinose being the archangel and Kikyo Kushida the lesser angel.
The reason for this was precisely because of Honami Ichinose's usual demeanor.
People could see the spark of sincerity and kindness in her.
Therefore, Honami Ichinose was now leveraging this.
She wanted to achieve Outcome One within the group.
"Although I'd also like to agree with this suggestion, expecting the VIP to step forward on their own is clearly unrealistic," Hiyori Shiina said rationally.
"I can't deny that Ichinose-san, you have enough credibility to be trusted. But that doesn't mean everyone here can fully trust you."
Since the school guaranteed the anonymity of this exam and wouldn't reveal the names of the VIP or the correct answerer, even if someone betrayed the group, no one would know who the betrayer was.
In this situation, whether it was staking personal credibility or signing a contract, both came with significant risks, especially for the lower-ranked classes.
If they launched an attack, Class C and Class D might be able to surpass the upper-ranked classes in one fell swoop, with Class B being the first to bear the brunt.
"So we can take this opportunity to discuss together and get to know each other!" Honami Ichinose's face lit up with a smile.
As her gaze briefly caught Kaoru Mitoma, the tips of her ears turned slightly red, as if trying to hide something and her eyelashes fluttered.
"Are you suggesting we build trust through conversation?" Hiyori Shiina asked, puzzled.
"If we become friends, wouldn't that help lower our guard a bit?" Honami Ichinose's eyes began to wander.
"For example, getting to know each other better..."
Not only was Hiyori Shiina confused, but even the students from Class B were staring at her in bewilderment.
Kaoru Mitoma felt a sense of foreboding and then he heard Honami Ichinose's voice again.
"Although everyone has introduced themselves, it's only left a superficial impression. I think if we can break down the barriers and dispel suspicions, wouldn't that help us trust each other more?"
Faced with Honami Ichinose's proposal, the group exchanged glances and the atmosphere grew somewhat silent.
At that moment, Haruka Hasebe suddenly spoke up.
"Sorry, I don't mean to offend, but isn't it a bit absurd to think we can trust each other in just two or three days?"
To this, Honami Ichinose smiled gently.
"Hasebe-san, didn't you just agree that Outcome One would be the best result? In other words, as long as everyone who isn't the VIP Student can guarantee that, achieving this wouldn't be difficult at all."
Haruka Hasebe thought for a moment and realized she couldn't refute her.
"Since everyone can trust me and Class B, and with the class that has the VIP Student, that leaves only two classes with any suspicion of betrayal" Honami Ichinose said calmly.
"Before the exam ends, we can take our time to understand each other and decide in the final discussion whether to aim for Outcome One."
Instead of forcing an immediate decision, she gave everyone, whether they were the Privileged Student or not, ample time to think.
"So, what do you think, Mitoma-kun?"
At that moment, the girl playfully winked at Kaoru Mitoma.
Indeed, if she could also secure Class A's cooperation, achieving Outcome One in the Snake Group was a realistic possibility.
"I respect everyone's choice," Kaoru Mitoma didn't reject her words, which in a way was tacit approval of her suggestion.
Today's target wasn't the Snake Group; tomorrow it would likely be the Horse Group and the Sheep Group, or perhaps two unlucky groups chosen at random.
He was quite curious whether his girlfriend could succeed.
"If everyone can trust Mitoma-kun, then that's two classes agreeing not to betray. Does anyone have any other questions?" Honami Ichinose played a small trick.
"With the Privileged Student's class, that leaves only one more class."
Classes D and C began to exchange glances.
Komiya whispered "No, this is too fast. We need to go back and discuss this first."
Did that mean they needed to report to Ryuen and follow his instructions before proceeding?
Given Ryuen's style, he probably already knew who the VIP Student in their class was.
With this, there's one more person who might be able to crack the answer.
Could this end up turning into a race to answer first?
However, it's still within the acceptable range of the plan.
Kaoru Mitoma never expected to secure all the rewards with a hundred percent certainty.
As long as Class A believes that Kohei Katsuragi is a competent leader, more aligned with the interests of Class A than Arisu Sakayanagi, that's enough.
Now, even Masayoshi Hashimoto has wavered, let alone the other members of the Sakayanagi faction.
Speaking of which, what if most of the students in Class A are more radical than them and demand that the exam for the nine groups be concluded on the very first day?
Kaoru Mitoma didn't dwell on it further.
That's a problem for Arisu Sakayanagi to solve and has little to do with him.
"It's fine to discuss, but please carefully consider my suggestion. I think it's a good idea," Honami Ichinose said with a smile.
See, apart from competition, this school definitely has situations where cooperation leads to mutual benefit.
Threats, framing, sabotage, spreading rumors, betrayal…
It's supposed to be a wonderful high school life, and it shouldn't be tainted by such dark undertones.
Even if everyone is an opponent, at least we should face graduation with a smile in the end.
Honami Ichinose believes there are definitely people who think this way, and she's confident she can change some people's minds.
So, in the following moments, she actively steered the conversation, allowing the members of the Snake Group to gradually engage in the discussion.
With someone who's a social powerhouse here, the atmosphere never turned cold.
Moreover, Honami Ichinose seemed to have set aside the issue of the VIP student and was simply talking about everyday topics.
They even started making plans to play poker or truth or dare together in the evening, since it's quite boring here.
Unconsciously, the first group discussion came to a smooth conclusion.
Since there were no strict rules, everyone basically left when it was time.
Kaoru Mitoma was about to head back as well, but Hiyori Shiina suddenly called out to him.
"Hey, Mitoma-kun, are you going to the ship's library today?"
The girl stood gracefully beside him, holding a novel in her arms.
Due to their height difference, she slightly tilted her head up, revealing her fair and delicate neck.
Her eyes sparkled with a clear, deer-like glow, devoid of any shyness or reservation.
She extended the invitation naturally, as if the two of them were so familiar that there was no need for embarrassment.
If he remembered correctly, Hiyori Shiina had seen him do something strange to Masumi Kamuro.
Normally, wouldn't a girl avoid him after that?
Noticing their interaction, Honami Ichinose pressed her hand on the chair with an expressionless face, her fingertips exerting a slight force.
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