"The exam for the Tiger Group has concluded. Students belonging to the Tiger Group no longer need to participate in the exam and are asked not to disturb other students taking the exam during the free activity period."
"The exam for the Monkey Group has concluded. Students belonging to the Monkey Group..."
After the group discussion ended, the school suddenly sent two notifications to all students, instantly causing the members of the Snake Group, who were about to leave the room, to stop in their tracks.
They looked at their phones in shock.
"The exam ended on the first day? Is that for real?"
Kaoru Mitoma heard someone mutter this and beside him, Hashimoto also put on a surprised expression, speculating.
"Maybe they acted impulsively and hastily initiated a betrayal?"
Outcome One and Outcome Two could only be achieved on the night the exam ended, while Outcome Three and Outcome Four, which involved betrayal, only required sending the answers to the school during the exam.
Therefore, faced with the results of the two groups, although the exact situation was unclear for now, it was either a hasty betrayal or a confident attack.
From the perspective of those outside Class A, due to the lack of information, others could only think this way.
"The two messages were sent only a few minutes apart, as if it was a coordinated action" Hiyori Shiina habitually fell into deep thought, her gaze wandering around the room.
"This doesn't really explain anything. It's just the exams of other groups, so it's none of our business," Haruka Hasebe yawned. "If you all want to keep talking, go ahead. I'm heading back."
"Me too!" Mei Yu Wang quickly followed Haruka Hasebe.
It seemed Class D wasn't particularly interested.
"Then I'll take my leave as well," Hiyori Shiina paused for a moment.
She had initially wanted to invite Kaoru Mitoma to the library tomorrow, but after reconsidering, it seemed a bit inappropriate.
She gave him a slight nod and prepared to leave the room.
"See you tomorrow, Shiina-san" Kaoru Mitoma said. "Next time you find a good book, remember to let me know."
Hiyori Shiina was momentarily stunned.
She glanced at Honami Ichinose a few times.
Wouldn't saying this so openly will make Ichinose angry?
"Sure, I'll let you know."
Perhaps recalling the events of the day, Hiyori Shiina's cheeks flushed slightly.
She stood still, afraid he might try to touch her again, but after taking a few steps, she felt her pace was too fast and unconsciously slowed down.
Her slender silhouette flowed gracefully under the light of the corridor, casting a delicate shadow on the wall.
Masayoshi Hashimoto thought that would be the end of it for today, but no one expected the school's notification to sound again.
"The exam for the Ox Group has concluded. Students belonging to the Ox Group..."
Wait, wasn't it supposed to be two groups per day?
Why did the Ox Group's exam end as well?
No matter how skilled Masayoshi Hashimoto was at controlling his expressions, he couldn't help but look at Kaoru Mitoma this time.
Kaoru Mitoma was also deep in thought.
The VIP of the Ox group was Yume Kobashi from Class B.
He had reviewed the list of members and excluding students from Class B and Class A, the rest shouldn't have the ability to identify the VIP.
The only person worth paying attention to was Chiaki Matsushita from Class D.
Hmm, she harbored a wish that was completely different from ordinary people.
Assuming that the VIP of the Ox group wasn't accidentally discovered by someone, it suggested that Arisu Sakayanagi had already taken action.
However, judging by the confused look on Masayoshi Hashimoto, it seemed she was acting alone?
No, perhaps it was Ryuen.
"Only one day has passed and three groups have already concluded their exams. If it just so happens that the VIPs are from the same class, then someone has already taken them all down," Honami Ichinose observed Kaoru Mitoma's expression.
"So, Mitoma-kun, who do you think did it?"
She knew who the VIPs in her class were.
As the most approachable leader in Class B, Honami Ichinose might have gathered information on all the VIPs in her class and it was highly likely that the VIPs had approached her themselves.
After all, the VIPs themselves were under a lot of pressure.
One wrong move and they could be exposed to other classes, leading to the termination of their exam.
The Ox and Monkey groups that concluded their exams tonight were both VIPs from Class B, which meant they only had the Dog group left.
"It's not such a coincidence. If someone could discover the VIPs of an entire class, it means they've already found the correct pattern."
Hearing Kaoru Mitoma's response, Masayoshi Hashimoto's eyes widened.
Wasn't this a blatant hint?
"That makes sense. If I had discovered the correct pattern, I would have ended all the group exams," Honami Ichinose smiled, also hinting at Kaoru Mitoma.
This was a normal competition and she wouldn't mind such tactics.
However, she also noticed Masayoshi Hashimoto's reaction earlier.
Faced with the notifications from the Tiger and Monkey groups, Masayoshi Hashimoto had only feigned surprise for a while.
But upon seeing the message from the Ox group, he instantly became unsettled, clearly encountering an unexpected situation.
Besides Class A, was there someone else who knew the answers to the exam?
Honami Ichinose immediately suspected Ryuen from Class C.
She was well aware of the situations in Class D and Class C.
Class D wasn't that capable, so it had to be Ryuen.
Then, she recalled Hiyori Shiina's words.
Class C could accept Result One in the Snake group, which was somewhat suspicious.
Lacking crucial information, Honami Ichinose couldn't quite figure out what Kakeru Ryuen was thinking.
"Let me ask directly, Mitoma-kun, you're not the VIP are you?"
"No."
"I'm not either," Honami Ichinose added. "Moreover, I can guarantee that Yuki-chan and Nakai-kun are not VIPs either."
Masayoshi Hashimoto looked at Kaoru Mitoma, then at Honami Ichinose.
Why had they suddenly jumped into a confession session? Should he confess too?
Kaoru Mitoma and Honami Ichinose exchanged glances, then instinctively looked away.
"It seems there won't be a notification for a fourth group. Let's head back, Hashimoto, Yamamura..."
Halfway through his sentence, Kaoru Mitoma suddenly realized that Miki Yamamura had disappeared at some point.
That girl presence was way too faint!
****
The faint moonlight floated on the sea surface and the cool air streamed down from the starry night sky.
The brightly lit deck was eerily silent, with only the occasional sound of the sea breeze whispering like the murmurs of night spirits.
At this moment, Kaoru Mitoma saw the girl emerge from the shadows.
Her white short-sleeved shirt clung to her chest, outlining a slightly ethereal curve under the moonlight.
As she approached, Kaoru Mitoma could clearly see her blushing face.
"Why are you dressed like this?"
"I have no choice. I need to sleep at night, and wearing my uniform to bed would wrinkle it. I don't have any casual clothes with me, so I had to wear this," Honami Ichinose replied, standing shyly in front of him.
The reason the two of them had met here in the middle of the night was due to their earlier unspoken agreement.
"Don't you have long pants?" Kaoru Mitoma found himself unable to look away.
Whether it was her upper body or her legs, his girlfriend's figure was simply too good.
"Aren't shorts usually only worn indoors?"
It couldn't be that her pants weren't dry—the cruise ship's rooms had dryers.
Honami Ichinose didn't respond.
She couldn't possibly tell Kaoru Mitoma that this was a little trick she had learned from a manga, could she?
A girl dressed in a thin short-sleeved shirt, with her fair legs exposed, inevitably exuded a mix of innocence and seduction, making one's heart race.
"Tonight, only the Monkey, Tiger, and Ox groups finished their exams," Honami Ichinose said with a serious expression.
"Why did you attack my class?"
As a leader, she naturally didn't mind fair competition between Class A and Class B.
But now, as his girlfriend, she also had the right to vent her dissatisfaction, didn't she?
"It wasn't just my idea. The entire Class A knew the answers to the exam," Kaoru Mitoma took the opportunity to step closer to her, taking her soft hand in his.
He could smell a faint citrus-like scent emanating from her.
Honami Ichinose looked at him in confusion.
What did he mean by the entire Class A knowing?
After Kaoru Mitoma's explanation, Honami Ichinose gradually understood the whole situation.
"You have a bet with Sakayanagi-san? If you win, you'll become her master?"
"If she wins, I'll become her slave," Kaoru Mitoma added the remaining part of the agreement, as he didn't mind either outcome.
Honami Ichinose fell silent.
She could sense the implicit meaning behind Kaoru Mitoma's words—she had a perverted boyfriend.
Wait, on second thought, if Kaoru Mitoma weren't a bit of a pervert, she probably wouldn't have become his girlfriend in the first place.
"Sakayanagi-san must have colluded with Class C. I think she used the surface-level group cooperation to reveal Class A's 'privileged student' to Ryuen under the guise of Result One. As long as Ryuen isn't stupid, deducing the exam answers would be simple," Kaoru Mitoma pondered.
"Since she didn't directly tell Ryuen and getting the Rat, Rooster and Pig groups to achieve Result One was everyone's idea, it's hard to criticize her on this point."
Even Hashimoto was surprised, which suggests that Arisu Sakayanagi was probably acting alone.
"But why didn't she end the exam for Class C right away? Doing so could have dealt a blow to you," Honami Ichinose wondered.
Since the attack was initiated by another class, Arisu Sakayanagi could have guided the class's public opinion and then shifted all the blame onto the Katsuragi faction.
By not ending the exam early, she gave the other classes an opportunity, causing Class A to lose a significant amount of class points.
Such a narrative would clearly direct the blame towards Katsuragi.
While the Katsuragi faction suffered a crushing defeat, Arisu Sakayanagi managed to preserve Class A VIPs, which would suddenly reverse the situation.
"Her intention was probably—" Kaoru Mitoma imitated the tone of a certain loli.
"Fufufu, now it's your turn, Mitoma-kun~"
As if she had seen something disgusting, Honami Ichinose instinctively took half a step back.
------------------------------
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