The final day of the exam had arrived.
Early in the morning, after roll call, the students of Class B worked together to clean up the camp. Kaneda joined in with a smile, assisting everyone.
Hikigaya discreetly hid an empty MAX Coffee can in his backpack, waiting for the exam to conclude.
However, something puzzled him—why was Kaneda still here? Logically, since he had already completed his job as a spy, he should have disappeared by now. But then again, Hikigaya figured it wasn't worth worrying about.
As noon approached, Hoshinomiya Chie, one of the teachers, gathered everyone and cheerfully announced,
"Alright, everyone! The exam is officially over!"
She then walked up to Ichinose with a clipboard in hand and smiled.
"Write down the names of the leaders from the other classes. If you don't know them, you can skip it!"
Ichinose took the clipboard and glanced at the contents. It listed Class A, C, and D with Class B marked by a red line. The rules were simple:
Correctly identifying the leaders of other classes would deduct 50 points from their total and invalidate any points they earned from occupying strongholds.
However, an incorrect guess would cost their own class 50 points.
Ichinose hesitated.
"No one in our class can write them down," she admitted with a sheepish smile.
"Yeah, the penalty for getting it wrong is too high. There's no need to take unnecessary risks," Kanzaki added, chuckling.
The rest of the class agreed.
"We have more than 200 points left," Ichinose reassured them. "That's good enough."
With that, she returned the clipboard to Hoshinomiya without writing anything down. The students of Class B exchanged smiles, proud of their efforts over the past seven days.
A Shift in Atmosphere
"Alright, let's all gather at the beach!" Hoshinomiya announced, waving her arms enthusiastically.
As Class B started moving, Hikigaya stole a glance at Kaneda, who was still following them. The slight smirk on Kaneda's face didn't sit well with him.
Soon, the group arrived at the shoreline. The blue sea stretched before them, the golden sand warm beneath their feet.
Classes A and D had already arrived ahead of them, likely because they had set up camp in wooden cabins rather than tents.
Suddenly, the bushes nearby rustled.
A man with unkempt hair and a rough beard stepped out. His shoulder-length burgundy hair and snake-like sharp eyes gave off an unsettling aura.
Hikigaya instinctively tensed.
"Ryuuen!"
The exclamation came from Class A's camp. Hikigaya turned his head and spotted the speaker—a bald man with a rough face.
That guy looks way too old to be a high school student. He looks like he's in his thirties.
Hikigaya glanced back at Ryuuen Sho, the delinquent leader of Class C. His presence immediately changed the mood.
Hikigaya frowned. Why weren't they fighting yet? He shifted his gaze toward Class D, searching for Suzune Horikita.
She was nowhere to be seen.
So, she must have gone through with her plan.
That meant she didn't betray his trust.
Hikigaya sighed in relief. He would have to reward her later.
The Betrayal
"Why are you here?" Katsuragi from Class A asked, his face serious.
Ryuuen smirked. "Oh, you'll find out soon enough. Sit tight, Katsuragi. You're about to witness something interesting. Class C is about to claim victory in this exam."
Katsuragi narrowed his eyes but remained silent.
Meanwhile, back in Class B's camp, Kaneda suddenly let out a strange chuckle.
"Hmm... hum hum hum…"
"Kaneda?" One of his classmates looked at him in concern. "Are you okay?"
Kaneda adjusted his glasses and sneered, his voice dripping with contempt.
"You idiots… haven't you figured it out yet?"
Everyone in Class B froze.
"What do you mean?" Watanabe asked, frowning.
Kaneda's smirk widened.
"I told Ryuuen who our class leader was last night. And you fools never suspected a thing. Pathetic."
The camp fell silent.
"What?" One of the girls erupted in anger. "How could you do this?! We trusted you! We even looked out for you! Don't you feel ashamed, Kaneda?!"
"Shame?" Kaneda laughed coldly. "This school is built on strength. Only the strong survive. The only ones to blame are you idiots for being naive enough to trust me."
Hikigaya silently observed the scene, feeling a sense of unease.
His own efforts had been nothing more than a gamble. He had no idea whether his actions had influenced the outcome or if Ichinose had hidden cards of her own.
"Well, you don't have to worry too much," Kaneda said mockingly. "Even if you lose those points, Class B will still have over 100 left. At least you won't be at the bottom with Class D, right?"
Shibata clenched his fists. "You… you're disgusting, Kaneda!"
Before anyone else could react, Ichinose stepped forward.
"Kaneda," she said calmly. "I'm confident in Class B's security. You never actually saw who had the key, did you?"
Kaneda hesitated, his smirk faltering for a moment.
Before he could respond, Ryuuen called out in a cold voice.
"Kaneda. Get over here."
Kaneda glanced at him, then smirked at Class B one last time before walking toward Ryuuen.
Ryuuen's expression remained unreadable, but Hikigaya could sense his displeasure.
The Results
A teacher with a loudspeaker stepped forward.
"Now, I will announce the final rankings of the special exam."
The moment of truth had arrived.
"The last place… is Class C, with zero points."
Ryuuen's eyes widened in disbelief.
"WHAT?!"
Kaneda, still holding his stomach from Ryuuen's earlier kick, panicked.
"No… that's impossible! We should have gotten at least one correct guess!"
Before he could say anything else, Ryuuen mercilessly kicked him in the stomach, sending him tumbling to the ground.
"Don't embarrass me," Ryuuen spat coldly.
The teachers immediately intervened.
"Ryuuen! What do you think you're doing?!" one of them scolded.
But Kaneda quickly forced a weak smile and stumbled to his feet.
"I… I just slipped," he said, unwilling to admit what had happened.
Hikigaya shook his head. This guy really was a fool.
Meanwhile, the announcements continued.
"Third place, Class A, with 120 points."
Katsuragi stiffened.
"What?!"
This score was far lower than he had anticipated. Clearly, at least two other classes had correctly guessed Class A's leader.
Class A instantly descended into chaos. Some students turned on Katsuragi, grabbing his collar and demanding an explanation.
"Enough," their teacher, Mashima, ordered. With that, the students immediately fell silent, as if nothing had happened.
Hikigaya watched the scene unfold. The power struggle in Class A was clear—Sakayanagi had likely orchestrated this to weaken Katsuragi's influence.
"Next," Mashima continued, "Second place: Class D, with 222 points. First place: Class B, with 303 points!"
Cheers erupted from both Class B and Class D.
Hikigaya smirked.
His gamble had paid off.
As he boarded the cruise ship, he felt a sense of satisfaction.
He was the shadow, working behind the scenes.
And for now, that was enough.
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