Chapter 126: Hikigaya Hachiman is Lying!
Hachiman was indeed deep in thought.
Ayanokouji's performance just now hadn't been particularly prominent. In fact, he had barely said a word from beginning to end, remaining silent for the majority of the time.
But it was precisely because of this that he warranted caution.
If it were an idiot like Yamauchi or a brainless guy like Ike, silence would just be silence. But Ayanokouji was different. His silence was merely a means of observation.
Hachiman withdrew his gaze and leaned against the window, his mind rapidly sorting through the current situation.
In the original story's VIP exam, Ayanokouji and Karuizawa were in the same group—the Rabbit Group. Manabe Shiho was also in that group, so Ayanokouji could directly manipulate things, using Manabe and her cronies to pressure Karuizawa, only to appear as a hero and take her under his wing.
But what about now?
Ayanokouji had been assigned to the Dragon Group. His group members included Sakayanagi, Ryuen, and Hachiman himself—a den of monsters. Forget about manipulating things; after the previous uninhabited island exam, Ayanokouji had already become a target of suspicion.
Meanwhile, Karuizawa was in the Rabbit Group.
Her group included Horikita, Manabe Shiho, Yukimura, and those "gal" types from Class C.
Ayanokouji wasn't there.
He had no way to personally enter the fray. At most, he could remote-control Yukimura, or perhaps try to contact Manabe and the others himself. Therefore, if one wanted to protect Karuizawa, the person to watch was Manabe Shiho.
Furthermore, the fundamental tone of this exam had already been set. Even Ayanokouji couldn't easily interfere with other classes to guess their VIPs.
After all.
Every member of Class B was using a spare phone; no one knew if they were the VIP. This meant that the Class B students in other groups were in a state of genuine ignorance during discussions.
"I don't know, the school didn't notify me."
"I'm probably not the VIP... maybe?"
"Even if you ask me, I don't know the answer, and even if I did, I couldn't tell you, right?"
This kind of reaction didn't even require acting; it was the honest truth.
Consequently, the discussions in those groups would likely devolve into a pure guessing game—a group of people sitting around several bewildered Class B students, racking their brains to analyze who the VIP might be.
What could they possibly analyze?
They could analyze nothing.
Because the Class B students didn't even know themselves.
Thinking of this, the corner of Hachiman's mouth twitched slightly.
In this way, what Ayanokouji could achieve in this exam was actually very limited.
However, Hachiman didn't believe Ayanokouji would just do nothing. Although there wasn't much room for Class D to intervene in the exam itself, Ayanokouji could shift his objective from "the exam" to something else.
For example: recruiting "tools."
If Ayanokouji could lead Class D, he could carry out Hachiman's current arrangements. But he didn't have control over Class D, so he couldn't do it; even if he had the ideas, he lacked the means to execute them.
"Hikigaya-kun?"
Just then, Ichinose's voice came from behind him.
Hachiman snapped out of it and turned to look at her.
Ichinose was standing a few steps away, a look of concern on her face. "You've been standing there for a long time. What are you thinking about?"
Hachiman shook his head. "Nothing."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the empty corridor once more.
"I was just thinking that some people might be more anxious than we imagined."
.
.
.
At dusk, the setting sun dyed the sea a warm orange, the waves shimmering like a layer of crushed gold.
Hachiman leaned against the deck railing, holding a cup of coffee that was already half-cold, his eyes fixed on the distant horizon. The sea breeze blew against him, carrying a salty moisture and making his hair slightly messy.
Faint footsteps approached from behind.
"You're here?" Hachiman turned around to face the newcomer.
Horikita Suzune stood a few steps away. A few strands of her long black hair fluttered in the sea breeze, but her burgundy eyes looked exceptionally bright under the sunset. Much like Arisu Sakayanagi, despite wearing the same school uniform as the other girls, she remained remarkably eye-catching.
She was holding her phone, her face wearing its usual cold expression.
"Yes." She nodded, walking to Hachiman's side. Her gaze swept over the coffee cup in his hand. "Why did you call me out here?"
Hachiman didn't answer directly. Instead, he picked up a prepared drink from a nearby table and handed it to her.
"I ordered this for you."
Horikita took it and looked down—it was a cup of milk tea. Condensation clung to the side of the cup; it was clearly iced.
She was silent for two seconds before saying softly, "This kind of drink is too sweet and heavy."
Hachiman raised an eyebrow. "You don't like it?"
"It's not that I don't like it," Horikita shook her head. "I just prefer fruit tea or something similar—something more refreshing."
Hachiman glanced at her and reached out to take the milk tea back. "Then I'll get you a fruit tea next time."
Horikita was slightly stunned, seemingly not expecting this reaction. She opened her mouth to say "There's no need," but the words died in her throat. She simply gave a soft "Mm."
The two stood side-by-side at the railing, the sea breeze passing between them.
After a moment, Hachiman asked, "How was the morning meeting for the Rabbit Group?"
Horikita's expression turned serious.
"Not great," she said. "The atmosphere was very subtle."
"In what way?"
Horikita was silent for a few seconds, seemingly organizing her thoughts.
"Because there were no representative figures from the classes there," she said slowly. "In the Rabbit Group, Class A consists of a few ordinary students. Class B has Kobashi Yume and her group. Class C has Manabe Shiho's gang. Class D has me, Karuizawa, Yukimura, and Sotomura."
She paused and continued, "Kobashi and the others tried to ease the tension. They were actively looking for topics to help everyone get to know each other. But Class A wasn't very cooperative. Those Class A students barely spoke the whole time; they were just observing."
Hachiman nodded without speaking.
"As for Class C..." Horikita's brow furrowed slightly as she reached this part. "Manabe Shiho and her group were constantly whispering to each other, glancing over at Karuizawa from time to time. Although they didn't do anything out of line, those looks... they were very uncomfortable."
Although Horikita Suzune didn't understand social "atmosphere," her intuition was very sharp. Just like in the original story, she had sensed that Kushida's active approach wasn't out of a desire for friendship.
Hachiman's eyes shifted slightly.
"And Karuizawa?" Hachiman inquired.
"She seemed quite normal," Horikita said. "She spoke when she needed to and cooperated where necessary; she didn't show any abnormalities. But I noticed she barely looked toward Class C the whole time, as if she were deliberately avoiding them."
Hachiman was silent for a few seconds.
Horikita looked at him and suddenly asked, "Do you know something?"
Hachiman didn't answer directly. Instead, he pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped the screen a few times.
"Hold on," he said.
Horikita watched him send a message and caught a glimpse of the recipient's name—Kushida Kikyo.
"Are you messaging Kushida?" she asked.
"Yeah." Hachiman nodded, his fingers continuing to tap. "Asking her for a favor."
Horikita didn't ask further, simply standing quietly to the side.
A moment later, Hachiman put away his phone and turned to her.
"All set."
Horikita hesitated, but couldn't help asking, "What did you ask her to help with?"
Hachiman glanced at her, his tone calm. "I asked her to get onto Manabe Shiho's friends list."
Horikita blanked for a second, then realized. "Friends list... you mean, adding her as a friend?"
"Yeah." Hachiman nodded. "Friends can check each other's GPS locations."
Horikita's brow furrowed, then smoothed out as a look of realization flashed in her eyes.
"I see," she said softly. "So that's why Kushida seemed so busy before? She's often helping you pinpoint other students' locations to track their routes."
Hachiman didn't deny it.
Horikita was silent for a few seconds and didn't pry further. She knew Hachiman had his own plans, and knowing too much might be inconvenient. Furthermore, becoming as socially adept as Kushida to obtain someone's GPS location was a task she found difficult, yet it was effortless for Kushida.
Specialization was key.
But just then, Hachiman spoke.
"Horikita-san."
Horikita looked at him.
Hachiman turned around, leaning against the railing, his gaze falling on her.
"When your brother came by, he told me something."
Horikita's body stiffened slightly.
Hachiman ignored her reaction and continued, "He said that next time we review an exam, I should let you do it yourself. Let you think first, review first, rather than just blindly following my arrangements."
Horikita remained silent.
"So, I have a question for you." Hachiman looked at her, his tone carrying a hint of a test. "If I hadn't made any arrangements for this exam and you had to handle it entirely on your own, what would you do?"
Horikita was stunned, clearly not expecting this question.
But she quickly recovered, lowered her head, and began to think seriously.
The sea breeze passed between them, carrying the specific chill of the evening. Horikita ignored it completely. After a long while, she looked up and spoke slowly.
"First..." she said, "I would find a way to confirm the identity of Class D's VIP."
Hachiman nodded, not interrupting her.
"But that's difficult," Horikita continued. "Class A has already released news that they want to buy VIP information. Given the personalities of the Class D students, if they knew they were chosen, they definitely wouldn't say so voluntarily—they'd rather hide it and wait for an opportunity to sell it. Or wait for the exam to end to get the point reward for free."
Hachiman gave an "Mm" to signal her to continue.
"So, the path of honesty won't work." Horikita's gaze became serious. "But just because I can't be 'honest' doesn't mean I can do nothing."
She paused, her tone gaining a hint of certainty.
"I noticed a rule—Outcome 4."
Hachiman's eyebrows twitched.
Horikita continued, "Outcome 4: An incorrect early guess. The class of the VIP receives 50 Class Points, the class that guessed incorrectly loses 50 Class Points, and the VIP personally receives 1 million Private Points."
As she spoke, she looked at Hachiman, a light in her eyes.
"If the Class D students don't trust me and won't tell me the true identity of the VIP, then I won't try to guess the real one.
I'll guess the fake one."
Hachiman didn't speak, just watched her quietly.
Horikita's voice became even more certain. "I can arrange for a few people willing to cooperate with me. I'll have them deliberately guess the wrong VIP for other classes in their respective groups. That way, the class of that VIP gets 50 points for free—and we, Class D, can collect benefits from those classes.
For example, if Class A has many VIPs, they need someone to guess incorrectly to protect their VIPs from being correctly guessed early. We can help them guess wrong and then collect payment."
She paused, her tone cool and analytical.
"This way, even if I don't have Class D's VIP information, I can still earn points and favors from other classes."
Hachiman listened and remained silent for a few seconds.
Then, he nodded slightly.
"This plan isn't bad," Hachiman evaluated.
The corner of Horikita's mouth moved slightly, as if she felt relieved. But Hachiman's next words made her expression freeze.
Hachiman said, "Have you considered one point? This exam makes no mention of a 'zero-point guarantee.'"
Horikita blanked, not immediately reacting.
Hachiman continued, "Meaning, if a class's evaluation points are deducted below zero, it's a true negative. It's not 'cannot be deducted further'; it becomes a 'debt to the school.'"
Horikita's face changed slightly. As a student of Class D, she began to understand.
Hachiman looked at her, his tone softening slightly.
"In your plan just now, you arrange for Class D students to deliberately guess wrong in other groups. One wrong guess is -50 points."
He paused, his voice lowering.
"If they guess wrong multiple times, what will happen to Class D's score? And then, if a VIP who was unwilling to share information is accidentally guessed by another class... what happens to Class D then?"
Horikita fell silent.
She quickly calculated in her head. Class D's current evaluation points were 130. One wrong guess is -50, two is -100, three is -150—
Three times would put Class D into negative points.
And if a Class D VIP was guessed by another class before that, that's another -100 points.
According to her plan, to earn benefits from other classes, she certainly wouldn't arrange for just one person to guess wrong. If she arranged for several simultaneously, Class D could lose hundreds of points.
Then they'd be in debt by two hundred? Or even three hundred?
Even the 20,000 Private Point safety net from the island exam wouldn't be enough to pay that back. Even if they received Private Point compensation from other classes, those classes certainly wouldn't pay a 1:1 ratio—a class might be willing to pay you Private Points for the favor, but Class D's Class Points are deducted 1:1, making it a losing trade.
Thinking of this, Horikita opened her mouth to speak, only to find she had nothing to say.
As a Class D student, she naturally knew that ordinary Class D students... would only choose what was beneficial to themselves.
The reason the island exam went so smoothly was because of "common prosperity" for the whole class.
But under this arrangement, if the class went into negative points and the Private Points gained weren't enough...
An image appeared in Horikita's mind.
Yamauchi standing on the podium, shouting angrily: "By what right did Horikita-san lose so many of our class's points on her own authority?
Also, these are Private Points obtained by sacrificing our class points! How can she take them?
No way, no way!
Since it harmed the class, it doesn't fit the 'distribution according to labor'!
Also, she has to be responsible for the points we lost!"
Horikita sighed softly.
She finally understood why Hachiman had asked that question.
"And regarding this exam, if we go for Outcome 1, everyone gets 500,000 Private Points. A class has at least 3 students in a group, some have 4, so this can bring 1.5 to 2 million to the class. Although given Class D's mindset, whoever makes money will be envied, guessing wrong deliberately to get points from other classes would only net 1 to 2 million at most. It's not worth it."
"So..." She looked up at Hachiman. "That plan won't work."
Hachiman shook his head. "It's not that it won't work; it's that it's risky."
He paused, his tone somewhat comforting. "However, the fact that you thought of using Outcome 4 to make money means your line of thinking is correct. It's just that Class D's situation is too unique; the difficulty of implementing that plan is too high."
Horikita was silent for a few seconds and nodded slightly.
"I understand."
She looked up, her gaze fixed on Hachiman, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
"Then... if it were you, what would you do?"
Hachiman glanced at her, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"Are you testing me?"
Horikita shook her head. "No, I just want to know where the gap is between my thinking and yours."
Hachiman was silent for two seconds before speaking slowly.
"If it were me, I would do one thing first."
Horikita listened quietly.
"I would find a way to make it so that the Class D students don't know if they are the VIP or not."
Horikita was stunned, then realized. "Like Class B?"
"Correct." Hachiman nodded. "But Class B can do it because they have Ichinose and me—we have enough prestige to make everyone cooperate. Class D can't do that."
He paused and continued, "So, the next best thing—make the VIPs afraid to expose themselves and make the non-VIPs afraid to guess randomly."
Horikita frowned. "How?"
Hachiman explained, "It's simple. Release information: whoever takes it upon themselves to answer will bear full responsibility. If they guess right, the points go to the class and they get half; if they guess wrong, they must personally compensate for the entire loss of points. Then tell the class that Class B intends to go for Outcome 1 and that Hirata will definitely support it. So, you understand."
Horikita was silent.
She knew exactly what that meant.
In that Class D group, no one would dare to take on that kind of responsibility. Yamauchi wouldn't dare, Ike wouldn't dare, Sudo wouldn't dare—no one would.
In that case, no one would dare to answer without permission. But if they stayed quiet, they'd have a chance to share the money.
Who wouldn't do that?
"And then?" Horikita followed up.
Hachiman continued, "Then, wait."
"?"
"Wait for the VIPs to come to you on their own," Hachiman said. "They know who they are, but they're afraid to expose themselves and afraid to answer. They can only hide until the fourth night. But once their VIP identity is discovered, Class D loses points and the VIP loses their 1 million, so they definitely don't want to take the fall. They'll have to find someone to talk to—or rather, someone to take the blame if things go south. Of course, that's a bit of a dark way to think about it."
"..." Horikita remained silent.
She didn't think Hachiman's explanation was actually that dark, because the desire to avoid responsibility was definitely prevalent in Class D.
"I know what I need to do," Horikita Suzune said. "When I go back later, I'll explain this in the class group—going for Outcome 1, and the full responsibility for any point deductions."
"Thanks." Hachiman expressed his feelings honestly.
"Eh?" Horikita was a bit startled.
They were just discussing Hachiman testing her on how to handle the exam. How did it turn into his thanks?
"Thank you for believing in me. Also, please mention in Class D later that there is no 'zero-point guarantee' for this exam."
In other words, the idiots in Class D might not think about the point deduction aspect and might actually be bribed by other classes.
"In this exam, Classes A and B have a large number of VIPs," Hachiman continued to explain. "But in this exam, I want to cut off Class A's position. So, I can't let them have any chance to protect their points."
I see.
"Understood," Horikita said. "And I understand now."
Hachiman looked at her. "Understand what?"
Horikita's gaze landed on him, her tone serious.
"You asked me earlier what I would do if I handled it myself. I gave a plan, you pointed out the problems, and then you gave your plan."
She paused and continued.
"You weren't testing me; you were teaching me."
Hachiman didn't deny it.
Horikita looked at him, complex emotions flashing in her eyes. There was gratitude, admiration, and something else that was hard to define.
"Thank you," she said softly.
She realized that these two words were no longer as awkward to say as before; they had almost become easy to voice.
Hachiman shook his head. "No need for thanks. Your brother asked me to teach you more; I'm just doing as I was told."
Horikita was silent for a few seconds, then gave a light laugh.
The smile was faint, but under the glow of the setting sun, it appeared exceptionally soft.
"Regardless, thank you anyway."
Hachiman looked at her and said nothing more.
The two stood side-by-side at the railing, looking at the distant sea.
The sun gradually sank below the horizon, dyeing the sky a brilliant orange-red. The sea breeze continued to blow, carrying the evening's chill.
Horikita suddenly felt that whenever she was with Hachiman, she could always learn many things.
It wasn't a forced, "stuffing" kind of teaching, but a type of... guidance.
Letting her think for herself, discover for herself, and understand for herself.
Just like her brother said.
She let out a soft breath, a hard-to-describe sense of stability welling up in her heart.
The exam had only just begun.
But at the very least, she knew which way to go.
However, after a while, Horikita suddenly spoke up.
"But—" Horikita thought of something, "in that case, is there no way to get extra points in this exam?"
"Mm."
Horikita Suzune's current assets were only 3 million points, which was still a drop in the bucket compared to 20 million.
She wanted to gather 20 million points and was looking forward to this exam, but... according to Hachiman's arrangement, there didn't seem to be any opportunity to harvest points in this exam.
However.
"Don't worry about that," Hachiman said. "Because the moment you received the message from the school and immediately reported it to me, you had actually already finished the exam."
"..." Horikita.
After 8:00 AM, upon receiving the school's message about whether she was chosen as a VIP, the first thing she did was send that message to Hikigaya Hachiman.
[I have been chosen as the VIP for Class D.]
If she manipulated things recklessly, Class D would lose points and be held accountable, so Class D students shouldn't move.
But since Hachiman knew she was the VIP for Class D, and Class B was planning to gain points in this exam, then...
If that was the case, she understood the meaning behind Hachiman's words.
It meant he would guess her as the VIP.
However, the problem they just discussed was right in front of them. Once a VIP's identity is guessed by another class, Class D loses points. And if they lose points, those students in Class D will explode.
They might even demand accountability.
"If I guess the Class D VIP identity correctly, Class D will lose points and be blamed. But, if Class D can also gain points in this exam, it will cancel out," Hachiman said.
The five VIPs of Class B:
Hikigaya Hachiman in the Dragon Group. Amikura Mako in the Ox Group. Watanabe Norihito in the Sheep Group. Ando Sayo in the Rat Group. And the last VIP, Himeno Yuki, in the Snake Group.
"Do you know which group Koenji Rokusuke from your class is in?" Hachiman inquired.
"Koenji... Monkey Group. Shinohara Satsuki is in the same group," Horikita answered immediately.
"Then it's fine," Hachiman said.
The Monkey Group was not on Class B's VIP list.
While Horikita was trying to understand what Hachiman meant by "then it's fine," her gaze suddenly sharpened.
"Over there." She turned her head slightly and lowered her voice. "Someone is watching us."
Hachiman followed her gaze—behind a few lounge chairs not far away, two figures were faintly visible. One was crouched behind a chair, showing only half a head; her violet-blue hair wasn't very noticeable in the twilight. The other stood next to her with arms crossed, wearing an expression that said "I'm just passing by."
It was Morishita Ai and Kamuro Masumi from Class A.
Seeing who it was, Hachiman withdrew his gaze and said, "Don't worry about it."
Horikita glanced at him. "You don't seem surprised at all."
"Class A students have been hanging around outside the restaurant since this morning," Hachiman said. "Hashimoto was leading them in the morning. They've just changed groups."
He paused, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness. "This kind of situation will only increase in the future."
Horikita looked at him, complex emotions flashing in her eyes.
"You've accepted it quite quickly."
Hachiman shrugged. "I'm used to it."
Used to it?
Horikita repeated the word silently in her heart.
Being monitored, being followed, being targeted—you can get used to that?
She felt his mental fortitude might be a bit too strong. However, when she first faced Kushida's active friendliness and approaches, she had also chosen to ignore them.
So, did these two Class A students give him the same troublesome but inescapable feeling?
.
.
.
Not far away, Morishita Ai was crouched behind the lounge chair, only half her face visible, her eyes staring intently at the two figures at the edge of the deck.
"They're still talking," she whispered. "They've been talking for so long. What on earth are they saying?"
Kamuro Masumi stood beside her, arms crossed, a look of helplessness on her face.
"Aren't you tired of crouching there? No one will notice you if you just stand up and look."
"No way, no way!" Morishita Ai waved her hand frantically. "It'll be terrible if we're discovered!"
Kamuro rolled her eyes. "You think we haven't been discovered yet?"
Morishita Ai blanked for a second and peeked out again—Hachiman's gaze was directed right at them. Although they were far away and she couldn't see his expression, the direction was unmistakable...
She quickly pulled her head back. "Is he looking at us?"
"Yes," Kamuro said expressionlessly. "He's been looking this way since you started crouching there."
Morishita Ai: "..."
And so, without hesitation.
Morishita Ai was silent for two seconds, then slowly stood up, brushed off the non-existent dust on her skirt, and tried her best to look like she had "just happened to stand up to stretch."
Seeing her like this, Kamuro couldn't help but sigh.
"Forget it, let it be," she said. "We've been discovered anyway."
A look of embarrassment appeared on Morishita Ai's face, but it was quickly replaced by curiosity. She looked at the two figures at the edge of the deck again, her gaze landing on the girl with black hair and red eyes.
"By the way, who is that girl?" she asked. "Is she from Class D? I don't think I've seen her much."
Kamuro followed her gaze.
Horikita Suzune.
Long black hair, red eyes, a cold expression. Standing next to Hachiman, the distance between them was neither too close nor too far, but they seemed very familiar with each other. The way they conversed made one feel like looking at a painting—there was an unexpected rapport and harmony.
"That's Horikita Suzune from Class D," Kamuro said.
Morishita Ai blinked. "Horikita? That surname..."
She paused, suddenly remembering something, her eyes widening slightly. "Could she have some connection to the Student Council President?"
Kamuro's heart skipped a beat, but she maintained a calm expression.
"I don't know," she said. "If you don't mind, you can try to contact her yourself."
'If you don't mind?'
Morishita Ai glanced at her, sensing there was more to Kamuro's words.
But Kamuro didn't continue that topic, turning her gaze back to the deck.
Morishita Ai didn't press further. After all, if it was as she suspected, bumping into her would be no different than a suicide mission. Although everyone said the Student Council President was very fair, she didn't want to test it. She could only look at the black-haired girl thoughtfully.
"Say..." Morishita Ai suddenly spoke up, "is it possible that Horikita Suzune is a VIP?"
Kamuro was stunned and turned to look at her. "What do you mean?"
"Look," Morishita Ai began to analyze seriously, "Class B people are all using spare phones now, so no one knows their VIP status. But Hikigaya Hachiman knows. If he came to find the Class D VIP to discuss something..."
Kamuro fell silent.
She looked at Morishita Ai, complex emotions in her eyes.
Then she spoke slowly.
"Morishita-san."
"Mm?"
"If there were a VIP who ran out to the deck so boldly to meet with a representative of another class without hiding herself at all—do you think she would be a VIP? Furthermore, Hikigaya Hachiman isn't using a spare phone, so he can receive messages from others."
Morishita Ai blanked for a second, then realized.
"Oh... right." She gave a sheepish laugh. "I guess there really aren't any VIPs that stupid."
Kamuro didn't respond.
She added silently in her heart: And that woman is Horikita Manabu's sister. No matter how stupid she is, she can't be that stupid.
But she didn't say it aloud.
This information couldn't be shared with Morishita Ai.
It wasn't a lack of trust, but... with things like this, the fewer people who knew, the better. Sakayanagi hadn't said it publicly, which meant she also didn't want too many people to know. If her loose tongue caused trouble for Class A...
Kamuro shook her head, tossing the thought aside.
Morishita Ai didn't notice her abnormality and just kept watching the deck.
"Kamuro-san," she suddenly said.
"Mm?"
"Are there any new instructions from Sakayanagi-san?"
Kamuro was silent for two seconds and shook her head.
"No. Sakayanagi just told us to observe first and not act rashly."
A look of worry appeared on Morishita Ai's face.
"But..." she whispered, "Class B really is all using spare phones. In this morning's discussion, those Class B students didn't know anything; we couldn't get any information at all. If this continues, does our Class A really have any hope?"
Kamuro looked at her and didn't speak.
Morishita Ai continued, "If the Class B people themselves don't even know who the VIP is, we'll never be able to guess their class's VIP. If we can't guess, we won't get points. If we don't get points, we..."
She didn't finish, but the meaning was clear.
Kamuro was silent for a few seconds before speaking slowly.
"Morishita-san, have you considered one thing?"
Morishita Ai looked at her.
"If no one can guess Class B's VIP, what does that mean?"
Morishita Ai blanked. "It means... we don't get points?"
"More than that," Kamuro said. "It means Class B won't have points deducted either."
She paused and continued, "Whether they have five VIPs, four, or three—as long as no one guesses correctly, their points won't be deducted. Our goal shouldn't necessarily be 'must get points from Class B,' but rather protecting our own points."
Morishita Ai blinked, seemingly understanding something.
"You mean... as long as no one answers early, our Class A won't have points deducted?"
"Correct." Kamuro nodded. "And we can also get some points from Outcome 4—if someone else guesses incorrectly."
If they governed by doing nothing, as long as Class B didn't get points and Class A didn't lose points, then by the end of the exam, Class A would still be Class A.
Kamuro's thinking was correct to some extent.
But.
Morishita Ai was silent for a few seconds, then let out a soft sigh.
"Kamuro-san, you really don't have any great ambitions."
Kamuro glanced at her. "And you do?"
Morishita Ai was choked up and laughed sheepishly. "I don't have any better ideas either..."
She paused, suddenly remembering something. "Oh right, I asked Shiraishi-san. She said this exam might become very intense and told us to be prepared."
Kamuro's brow furrowed. "Shiraishi? How does she know?"
"I don't know." Morishita Ai shook her head. "She said it was just a feeling. But her feelings have always been quite accurate. Back during the island exam, she said..."
"I know," Kamuro interrupted. "She poured cold water on everyone when they thought we were going to win."
Morishita Ai nodded. "Yes, that time."
Kamuro was silent for a few seconds and sighed softly.
"So, is Shiraishi-san going to become like a fortune teller in our class from now on?"
Morishita Ai couldn't help but laugh. "Fortune teller? That's going a bit far."
She paused, her tone gaining a hint of seriousness. "I think she might be the third leader with a big-picture view, after Katsuragi-san and Sakayanagi-san."
Kamuro looked at her, doubt in her eyes.
"When did you start trusting her so much?"
Morishita Ai blinked, the corner of her mouth curving slightly.
"It's my sixth sense."
Kamuro: "..."
She looked at Morishita Ai, not knowing what to say for a moment.
'Sixth sense? You have a sixth sense too?'
Kamuro took a deep breath and was about to say something when a voice suddenly entered her mind clearly.
'Kamuro really has it rough, being sent out to work by Sakayanagi again. But there's no point in her monitoring me; I'm not going to leak any of Class B's VIP list!'
Kamuro's body stiffened slightly.
She subconsciously looked up toward the edge of the deck.
Hachiman was still standing by the railing, talking to Horikita, everything appearing normal.
But his inner thoughts...
A faint, complex emotion welled up in Kamuro's heart.
'So he does notice me.'
But he was right; there really was no point in her monitoring him. How could he possibly leak Class B's VIP list easily?
But...
Thinking this, Kamuro withdrew her gaze and let out a soft breath.
Forget it. At least one thing was confirmed—Hikigaya Hachiman was indeed guarding against Class A very strictly. If they really wanted more useful intelligence, Sakayanagi would have to try her best during the Dragon Group's discussion sessions.
Kamuro thought this way.
"Morishita-san," she said.
"Mm?"
"Let's go back."
Morishita Ai blanked. "Now? But we haven't..."
"There's nothing left to see." Kamuro interrupted her, turning to walk toward the cabin. "There won't be any useful information from Hikigaya Hachiman's side for now."
Morishita Ai looked at her hurried back and quickly followed.
"Eh? Wait for me!"
The two figures soon disappeared around the corner of the corridor.
On the deck, Hachiman's gaze returned from that direction, a faint, almost imperceptible curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Horikita noticed the change in his expression and glanced in the direction he had been looking—it was already empty.
"What is it?" she asked.
Hachiman shook his head. He paused, withdrew his gaze, and looked at the distant sea again.
"Nothing.
I just feel that some people are quite easy to fool. Or rather, when facing a 'bad man,' girls are quite easy to fool. Especially girls who haven't left school yet."
"..." Horikita was speechless.
She wanted to ask: So are you a bad man? Do you want to be a bad man?
But even with her lack of emotional intelligence, she knew some things were better left unsaid.
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