[Player 4 has finished speaking.]
[Player 3, please begin speaking.]
"Oh? Is it my turn already?"
There was a noticeable pause before Player 3 finally began speaking, their tone relaxed and unhurried, as if they were completely detached from the situation.
"To be honest, the role I was assigned this time doesn't suit me at all. Someone as beautiful as I am... how could I be nothing more than a plain Villager?"
The moment this line came out, nearly everyone immediately guessed who the player was.
Although the school had modified every participant's voice to prevent identification, habitual speech patterns and long-developed verbal quirks were not so easily erased.
This Werewolf Game differed significantly from the standard format. Each player essentially had two identities: their real-world identity and their in-game role.
Both identities were equally critical. Just imagine: if Kitagawa Ryo accidentally revealed which player number he was, both the Good and Werewolf factions might instantly team up to vote him out.
So everyone had been carefully hiding their real identities—Player 4 earlier had done so flawlessly. But Player 3? They seemed utterly unconcerned.
[Kouenji Rokusuke]
The image of the eccentric blond-haired boy, one of the most peculiar figures in the entire first-year, popped into everyone's minds. His flamboyant personality was well-known, but few expected he'd bring that same uniqueness into a game as strategic as Werewolf.
"What a pity!"
Even after being outed, Kouenji Rokusuke sighed dramatically:
"Had I been assigned a special role, the Good faction would have marched to an effortless victory."
"Looking back, perhaps it was simply because I'm too powerful."
"However!"
"Even a Villager as beautiful as I should contribute something."
"Let me share a few tips, shall I?"
Realizing he was running out of time, Kouenji finally toned things down a bit:
"First, the Cupid player will definitely try to pass information or protective behavior to the lovers they selected. After all, Cupid's chance of winning depends heavily on their success."
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Compared to Kouenji Rokusuke's earlier over-the-top performance, his sudden shift to seriousness caught Class D off guard. A girl whispered softly:
"Eh? Why is that?"
"Actually, it's pretty simple."
From the front row, Hirata Yosuke began explaining:
"If the couple chosen by Cupid are both Good, then Cupid joins the Good faction. If they get exposed, the Werewolves can kill two Good players in one go."
"If the couple are both Werewolves, then Cupid joins the Wolf faction. If exposed, the Good faction can eliminate two wolves at once."
"As for a Human-Wolf pair—a cross-faction couple—Cupid joins the Third Party faction. Of course they'll want to protect their lovers."
This earned him a wave of admiration—comments like "Hirata-kun is amazing" rippled through the crowd. But Hirata just smiled modestly. He knew his limits. From the safety of the audience, it was easy to make logical deductions. If he were actually playing, he might be completely overwhelmed.
"Kouenji exposed himself too early. Now Class D's advantage of having one extra player is pretty much gone."
Yukimura Teruhiko adjusted his glasses as he offered his critique.
"Let's trust in Class D."
Hirata smiled reassuringly.
He turned back to the screen: Horikita Suzune, Karuizawa Kei, Kouenji Rokusuke...
And Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
[Ayanokouji Kiyotaka]
Hirata repeated the name in his mind. After learning that Ayanokouji had quietly joined the game, many Class D students had become anxious. After all, Ayanokouji had always kept a low profile—no one really knew whether he was good at this kind of game.
But Hirata had a feeling. Maybe he would be the one to decide the outcome.
Meanwhile, Kouenji's speech continued:
"Second, the Seer should feel free to reveal themselves... if you understand what I mean."
"However—make sure your words are convincing."
His voice dropped, sounding both like a warning and a threat:
"Because who knows? Maybe the Thief chose the Werewolf role and buried the Seer."
"Hahahahahaha—"
His cheerful laugh was abruptly cut off as his mic was forcefully muted at the end of his speaking time.
[Player 3 has finished speaking.]
[Player 1, please begin speaking.]
"Whew, my turn."
"First off, like Players 3 and 4, I'm not the Seer. I drew a solo Good card."
Compared to Kouenji's chaotic theatrics, Player 1's calm tone and clarity quickly won over the audience.
"With only two people having spoken so far, let me just share my impressions."
"Player 4 didn't say much since they went first, which is understandable. But they highlighted the importance of identifying the Third Party faction, which I think is a solid Good-aligned move. The way they spoke with such hatred toward the lovers really makes them seem like not a lover themselves."
"But then again, maybe 4 said that to throw us off. I won't rule them out just yet."
"After all, Good players can be lovers too."
"As for Player 3, even though his speech was kind of chaotic, he still analyzed things from a Good perspective."
"I hadn't even considered the idea that the Thief could bury the Seer. That's a rare scenario, but 3 bringing it up is actually quite insightful."
"Compared to 4, I don't think 3 is a lover. Lovers usually try to stay under the radar. 3 was way too flashy."
"Alright, running low on time, so I'll end with this:
If the Seer ends up being chosen as a lover and checks their partner as Good, they should hold off on revealing themselves—don't risk a double death."
[Player 1 has finished speaking.]
[Player 12, please begin speaking.]
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Horikita Suzune lightly tapped her fingers on the table, mentally replaying the speeches of Players 4, 3, and 1.
Her number was 11.
To be honest, Horikita had never played Werewolf before. For the past ten-plus years, she'd lived by the principle that friends were unnecessary. No friends meant no social life, and naturally, she had never participated in such highly social games.
For her, that time would be better spent reading more books or studying harder.
So while she had bravely accepted the invitation letter last night, it wasn't until the early hours of this morning that she finally crammed the Werewolf rules.
That's why, during the Sheriff election this round, the "newbie" Horikita chose not to participate.
She summarized the game in her mind as a simple "find the liar" contest.
Good players rarely lie, since lying could mislead their teammates.
Werewolves, however, must lie—otherwise, they'd be exposed.
So, the simplest way to identify a wolf was to look for inconsistencies in their speech and behavior. If any were found, there was a high chance they were a werewolf.
What left the deepest impression on Horikita from Player 4's speech was their emotion.
In theory, a logic-based game like Werewolf should minimize emotional influence. Otherwise, things could spiral into chaotic exchanges like: "If I'm the wolf, then xxx" or "Vote xx, if they're not a wolf I'll xxx" or "Why don't you guys believe me?!"
But people are emotional creatures.
Even Horikita, when she first heard Player 4's voice, instinctively felt they couldn't be a lover. The emotional intensity in their tone felt too real, creating a strong first impression.
As for Player 3—
She immediately recognized the voice as Kouenji Rokusuke. Horikita wasn't surprised he joined the game, but self-revealing his identity on the first turn... well, that was very him.
She rubbed her forehead with her right hand and turned her attention to Player 1's icon.
If we go by pure logic: Player 4 opened with talk about the Third Party and boldly stated they wanted the lovers voted out first. Most would assume 4 wasn't one of the lovers.
But Player 1 deliberately suggested that 4 might be pretending.
Almost like a subtle jab.
Horikita replayed Player 1's speech in her mind and came up with three possibilities:
1. Player 1 was just overly cautious and genuinely suspicious of Player 4.
2. Players 1 and 4 were lovers. 1 thought 4's behavior was too extreme, so they tried to throw shade to avoid drawing future attention.
3. Player 1 was a lover and wanted to redirect suspicion by framing 4 as a possible lover.
[So which one is it?]
As Horikita sank into deep thought, Player 12 finally began to speak.
-------------------------------------
[There's one more possibility.]
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka silently took note of Player 1.
Aside from the three most obvious reasons Player 1 might point fingers at 4, there was a fourth theory:
[Player 1 is Cupid.]
[They're deliberately manipulating discussion around 4 to protect the couple they chose.]
After all, only Players 3 and 4 had spoken before Player 1. And with Kouenji Rokusuke (Player 3) practically having revealed himself, he wasn't someone you could easily drag into suspicion. If Player 1 suspected Kouenji was one of the lovers, he would no doubt retaliate with chaos.
Thus, Player 1 openly treated Kouenji as a Good role—an indirect peace offering.
Player 1 seemed familiar with Kouenji's temperament and strength. That strongly implied they were likely from Class D...
Or perhaps someone from Class C who had been watching Class D closely.
Horikita Suzune? Karuizawa Kei? Kitagawa Ryo? Or Ryuuen Kakeru?
Ayanokouji glanced at his number.
6.
Perfect. He still had five more speeches to analyze.
-------------------------------------
Ryuuen Kakeru was one of the few people on the field who instantly understood the hidden meaning behind Kouenji Rokusuke's words.
Though Kouenji maintained his usual arrogant and lofty demeanor, there was no denying that he just might actually be what he claimed to be: a Good role.
"Cupid will protect the lovers."
"Seer, don't be afraid to reveal yourself."
These were the two key clues he had offered in his speech.
The first was subtle in its implication: anyone who publicly claims to be Cupid may not actually be Cupid. It's highly likely they are a lover trying to mask their true identity.
Cupid would naturally want to protect the lovers. In this setup, if either lover dies, the other follows. Should both die, Cupid is left with almost no chance of winning. That's why Cupid almost always dies after the lovers do, not before. So when someone claims to be Cupid, it's often one of the lovers themselves using it as cover.
Since the real Cupid and the lovers understand this dynamic, no one would challenge the false Cupid. The actual Cupid can just blend in as a normal Villager, since after selecting the lovers, their role is functionally identical to that of a Villager.
The second clue was more direct: the Seer should boldly reveal themselves and lead the Good side.
This makes perfect sense given the nature of this setup. It's difficult for Werewolves to pretend to be the Seer because they don't know if any of their teammates have been chosen as lovers and defected to the Third Party.
If no one on the wolf team is a lover, then a Werewolf might risk a fake Seer claim to bait out the real one. In a one-for-one trade, the wolves would still retain two members.
But if one of them has become a lover, this strategy is a death sentence.
Even if the fake Seer successfully gets the real one voted out on Day One, they themselves won't survive into Day Two.
That would leave the wolf team with just a defector and one wolf.
In that situation, the defector might even sell out the remaining wolf to gain total control over the knife.
Eventually, Werewolves might blindly target their own lover.
Wolves in a mixed couple often secretly wish for the rest of the team to die off, so they can prioritize survival with their lover.
Therefore, all things considered, the Seer revealing themselves carries little risk and is the most effective way to guide the Good faction. Even if it costs them their life, the trade is worth it.
[Player 12, please begin speaking.]
Ryuuen Kakeru unmuted his mic. He took a deep breath, his voice calm and brimming with confidence:
"I am the Seer. Last night, I investigated Player 11. Player 11 is on the Good side."
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Currently revealed information:
Player 3: Kouenji Rokusuke
Player 5: Shiina Hiyori - Werewolf
Player 6: Ayanokouji Kiyotaka
Player 8: Sakayanagi Arisu - Hunter, in a lover pair with Player 4
Player 9: Ichinose Honami
Player 11: Horikita Suzune - Good faction (specific role unknown)
Player 12: Ryuuen Kakeru - Seer
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