"Ryo, you're here early. I assume you've already gotten the exam rules from the earlier students, right?"
Around 8:30 PM, Kitagawa Ryo was leaning back in a chair, pondering the many possibilities after finishing a strategic discussion with Ryuuen Kakeru. Looking up, he happened to lock eyes with Ichinose Honami, who was approaching from the other end of the hallway. Behind her were Kanzaki Ryuji and another girl—presumably the other two members from B-Class in this group.
"More or less. The school's rules sound rather complicated this time, so it helps to get the explanation firsthand."
Kitagawa nodded amicably and shifted over to make room for Ichinose.
"These two must be in the 8:40 group as well?"
"Yeah. You've met Kanzaki-kun before, right? This is Yuki. She looks cold, but she's really nice."
Ichinose casually sat down next to Kitagawa and smiled as she introduced them.
"Himeno Yuki."
Kanzaki, having met Kitagawa before, simply nodded. Ever since the deserted island exam, he had suspected that Kitagawa was behind B-Class's leak of their leader's identity, so his demeanor was much colder than before. The girl who introduced herself as Himeno Yuki was even more indifferent—or rather, she seemed completely uninterested in everything, giving a brief and flat introduction.
"Who are the C-Class members in this group?"
"Me, Ryuuen, Hiyori, and Kaneda."
Since this was information everyone would know eventually, Kitagawa answered readily. Judging by the time, the others should be arriving soon.
"...C-Class has a strong lineup."
Ichinose seemed stunned by the roster and only spoke after a short pause.
"I wonder if A and D have similarly strong members."
Kitagawa understood what she meant. From the B and C-Class lineup in this group, it was clearly an elite team. If the school followed this logic, then the A and D-Class members should also be among their leaders.
"Ichinose-san, Kitagawa-san, you two are early."
As if on cue, Hirata Yosuke's cheerful voice rang out. Unlike B-Class, it seemed he had arrived alone.
Noticing their curious looks, Hirata explained,
"Our other two members are Karuizawa-san and Horikita-san. But since Horikita isn't feeling well, and I can't exactly go into the girls' room, I asked Karuizawa to check on her. Wouldn't be good if we missed the meeting."
The explanation was fair, but Kitagawa couldn't help cringing internally at the thought of Karuizawa Kei confronting Horikita Suzune.
"We were just talking about the group composition. Seeing you here, Hirata-kun, I'm more convinced the members were chosen deliberately by the school."
Ichinose chatted casually with Hirata.
"If that's the case, then I suppose Katsuragi-kun will also be in this group."
"Is that so? In that case, I'll be relying on all of you."
Hirata nodded. For D-Class, which was already on the weaker side, this lineup spelled pressure. Whether it was Kitagawa, Ichinose, or even the now-fallen Katsuragi Kouhei, they were all formidable opponents.
While they were talking, Karuizawa Kei and Horikita Suzune finally arrived. It was already 8:30 PM. Both seemed to have bathed. Karuizawa didn't have her usual high ponytail, and Horikita hadn't braided her hair either. They appeared with their hair down, approaching the meeting room on the second floor.
"Kitagawa... Ryo."
The moment Horikita spotted Kitagawa sitting there calmly, her pale face flushed. After the island exam, her body hadn't recovered and she had fallen ill for three days. Though slightly better now, whenever she thought about the island incident, she would spiral into self-blame and doubt.
Since childhood, Horikita had chased after her brother Horikita Manabu's example. She believed everything could go according to plan as long as she tried hard enough. Friends and partners weren't necessary.
Then came Kitagawa Ryo.
The friction between ideal and reality began. The so-called genius Horikita Suzune no longer felt special. She was just a helpless child who could do nothing.
"Feeling better, Suzune?"
Kitagawa looked at her not with mockery, but genuine concern. But that pitying gaze only made it worse for Horikita.
"Thanks to you, not really."
She replied coldly. During those three days of feverish dreams, Kitagawa appeared again and again in her mind. In many dreams, she defeated him. What did that mean? That she could only win against Kitagawa in her dreams?
"I lost the last exam, but this time I'll win it back."
Kitagawa had been worried she was too shaken, but seeing her try to sound tough in such a weak state, he rolled his eyes and lay back again.
"Good luck with that."
Unlike Horikita's aggressive stance, Karuizawa wanted to say something to Kitagawa. But with so many people around, she was too shy to be too friendly. After all, she wasn't Ichinose Honami, the queen of social grace. Even the recent visit to the pool with Kitagawa had attracted attention in D-Class. Best to keep some distance for now.
Still, an idea popped into her mind. Karuizawa bent down and asked:
"Ichinose-san, Horikita-san still isn't feeling well. Can she sit here?"
Ichinose, of course, didn't mind and happily stood up to offer her seat.
"I'm not that fragile."
But Horikita stubbornly refused. Maybe it was pride, maybe it was because Kitagawa was sitting beside that seat.
"Alright, alright. I'll get up. That way you can have more space."
Kitagawa chuckled and stood.
"If you're sick, rest. If you have to drop out due to health, D-Class might suffer too."
His reasoning worked. Horikita sat down in the seat. Karuizawa stood beside her in a caring pose, and Kitagawa stood by the wall nearby. Ichinose naturally returned to B-Class's side. Karuizawa quietly praised herself for the maneuver.
With the distance between them now shortened, Karuizawa was about to lean closer to catch a whiff of the cologne she gave Kitagawa when he suddenly walked away.
"Ryo, take this."
It was Shiina Hiyori, who had arrived with Ryuuen and Kaneda Satoru. She was holding two ice cream cones, staring at the top three scoops nervously.
"Coming."
Kitagawa hadn't noticed Karuizawa's subtle move at all. He stepped forward and took one cone from Hiyori. Ryuuen and Kaneda were already eating, and simply nodded with full mouths.
When it came to ice cream, Kitagawa was the type to just bite straight in—a chill-inducing move. Shiina, on the other hand, daintily licked her cone, looking just like a kitten sipping water.
Intrigued by this unfamiliar sight, Kitagawa watched her eat with interest after finishing his own. Every time she tried to take a tiny bite, she furrowed her brows slightly—it was oddly cute.
By 8:40 PM, Katsuragi Kohei finally arrived with A-Class. With time up, there was no more small talk. The four classes simply greeted each other and entered their respective meeting rooms. Kitagawa caught sight of Kamuro Masumi among them.
"Ryo..."
Just as he exchanged glances with Kamuro, Shiina tugged at his sleeve. He looked down to see her holding up the last third of her cone with a troubled face.
"I can't finish it."
She couldn't bring it into the meeting room, and it felt like a waste to toss it. Kitagawa had no choice but to take it and gulp it down in a few bites, wincing at the cold.
Inside the meeting room stood Chabashira Sae, D-Class's homeroom teacher. Once all four classes had assembled, she began her explanation:
"This exam is divided into twelve groups based on the Chinese zodiac. Your group is the Dragon Group."
Dragon, huh...
-------------------------------------
The content of the rule explanation was no different from what they had heard earlier, and was frankly a bit boring. Apart from the time it took to memorize the full list of members in the Dragon Group, Kitagawa Ryo nearly dozed off. After enduring twenty minutes, the four members of C-Class finally exited the meeting room.
Right outside, they ran into A-Class students who had also just finished their session. Katsuragi Kohei immediately stepped in front of Kitagawa.
"Kitagawa, during the uninhabited island special exam, you betrayed three classes, didn't you?"
"Betrayed?"
Kitagawa hadn't expected Katsuragi to still be hung up on the previous exam results, especially with the second special exam already underway. With a sigh, he replied casually:
"Contracts are signed by both sides. I didn't force anyone to sign."
"But after signing the contract, you leaked A-Class's leader information to other classes. Isn't that betrayal?"
Katsuragi's tall figure added a sense of intimidation to his words, which now carried a sharp and accusing tone.
"But there was no clause in the contract prohibiting disclosure of the A-Class leader's identity, was there? Shouldn't the blame lie with A-Class for failing to protect that information?"
Kitagawa raised his brows, feigning surprise.
"Oh, come to think of it, A-Class's leader was Totsuka Yahiko, right? What was his strength exactly?"
"Hmm... does always following you around count?"
"You—!"
In just a few words, the topic shifted to A-Class's defeat being due to Katsuragi's nepotism. Feeling the subtle gazes from the three classmates behind him, Katsuragi realized that since the island exam ended, his reputation in A-Class had plummeted. If someone used Kitagawa's words to kick him while he was down...
"Then how do you explain the issue with the medicine?"
"Medicine? What medicine?"
Kitagawa pretended to be puzzled but then smiled:
"Ah, now that you mention it, I do remember something. I heard A-Class traded 200 points worth of supplies with D-Class for 10 points worth of medicine, right?"
"Have you considered that after this exam, other classes might refuse to cooperate with C-Class ever again? 'Those who gain the Way have many helpers, those who lose it are isolated.' A class like yours will suffer eventually."
Seeing that Kitagawa wouldn't admit to anything, Katsuragi said in a low voice.
"But I agree more with another saying: 'In the face of profit, there are no eternal enemies, and no eternal friends.' Didn't A-Class also agree to the contract with C-Class out of greed?"
Kitagawa looked at Katsuragi disdainfully.
"And besides, the question you should be thinking about now is whether A-Class will drop after this exam."
"Tsk, an A-Class demoted before the first semester ends. Katsuragi, your name will go down in history."
This time, Katsuragi didn't get angry. Instead, he looked Kitagawa in the eye and said slowly:
"Then let's see. The gap between A-Class and C-Class isn't something cheap tricks can bridge."
After that cutting remark, Katsuragi turned and left. Kamuro Masumi, who was behind him, exchanged a glance with Kitagawa, who responded with a knowing nod.
"Now all that's left is to wait for the email at 8 AM tomorrow."
After A-Class left, Kitagawa stretched and yawned lazily.
"Ryo, what's C-Class's strategy this time?"
Shiina Hiyori, unusually, asked about the exam strategy. Normally, she never questioned these things and simply followed the plan Kitagawa and Ryuuen had arranged. Since she wasn't the combative type, Kitagawa had never sought her opinion.
"What do you think, Hiyori?"
Surprised to hear her speak up, Kitagawa returned the question.
"Hmm..."
Shiina thought for a moment, then smiled softly and replied in her usual gentle tone:
"I want the A-Class with Sakayanagi in it to lose."
"Oh, in that case..."
Kitagawa was about to respond, but Shiina continued, as if they were casually discussing a novel:
"It'd be nice if the B-Class with Ichinose lost too."
"As for D-Class, since they get points from B-Class every month to pay for our contract anyway..."
"Even if their class points drop to zero, it doesn't matter, right?"
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