The last day of the special exam arrived quietly, without fanfare. Despite the weight of what had transpired these past few days—the betrayals, the scheming, the quiet acts of violence hidden from the school's watchful eyes—the cruise ship remained peaceful. The gentle sway of the ocean almost made one forget the undercurrents of tension among the students.
Ichika once again suggested that the group spend their final morning playing cards. The atmosphere in the group room was oddly light-hearted, though the students knew their decisions from this point forward would determine whether their class rose or fell.
For Karuizawa, the change was visible. Since Kiyotaka had sent those incriminating photos to Manabe, she had been left alone. Manabe and her friends no longer dared to provoke her. She acted as if nothing had ever happened, chatting and laughing in her usual tone, though Kiyotaka could see the faint cracks behind her mask.
Yukimura, however, seemed unable to shake off his doubts. "Is it really fine to end the exam like this?" he asked during one of their breaks. His brows furrowed as he looked at Ichinose. "You've been leading this group from the start. Isn't there something more decisive we should be doing?"
Ichinose smiled lightly, brushing off his concerns with characteristic warmth. "If you want to win, Yukimura-kun, you should rely on yourself instead of depending on me. That's what this test is really about, right?"
Her words silenced him, though not completely. Yukimura turned his gaze toward Kiyotaka, as if looking for confirmation or guidance, but Kiyotaka gave him nothing. He simply leaned back, letting the current carry the conversation where it would.
Later that afternoon, Kiyotaka arranged to meet Suzune on deck. She stood by the railing, the sea breeze tugging at her hair. She looked far more composed than she had at the beginning of the exam, her eyes sharp with confidence.
"This exam will end in our favor," she declared firmly.
"You sound confident," Kiyotaka replied.
"I am. We've come too far to stumble now." She crossed her arms. "And with Hirata's support secured, our class unity has improved. If we continue building alliances, Class A won't remain untouchable forever."
"That's true." Kiyotaka paused, his gaze drifting over the waves. "I also want to introduce someone else to you. Someone who'll prove useful in the long run."
Her brows knit together in irritation. "Another one of your secret pawns? You keep things hidden until the last moment, Ayanokoji. It's infuriating."
"Call it insurance."
She exhaled sharply but relented. "Fine. Show me then."
The final group meeting was scheduled for the evening. Kiyotaka arrived thirty minutes early, preferring to observe the battlefield before others took their seats. To his surprise, Ichinose was already there, curled up on the floor and fast asleep.
Her phone rested beside her hand. A temptation flickered in Kiyotaka's mind. If he took the device, even briefly, he could learn much. But in the end, he stepped away. Risking unnecessary attention wasn't worth it.
After a few minutes, Ichinose stirred. She blinked groggily, then noticed Kiyotaka sitting quietly nearby.
"Oh, Ayanokoji-kun. You're early too." She yawned softly, then walked over and sat next to him.
"Couldn't sleep?" he asked.
"I guess not. It's the last day, so my nerves are restless." She leaned back, gazing up at the ceiling. "What do you think, Ayanokoji-kun? Can we really ascend to Class A?"
"Anything's possible," he replied evenly. "Graduating as Class A requires resources most classes don't have. Twenty million points to transfer—it isn't realistic."
She chuckled softly. "True. But still… we have to try. You've seen my phone before, haven't you? When you peeked at it."
Kiyotaka stayed silent, but she continued, smiling faintly. "Don't worry. I won't hold it against you. You saw the balance. You know I have a lot of points."
"I don't plan to tell anyone," Kiyotaka said simply. "And I won't pry into the details."
Her smile lingered, but there was a trace of tension behind it. Clearly, she carried secrets she couldn't share, even with him.
Soon, the other group members began arriving. Hamaguchi, ever the confident one, broke the silence once everyone was seated.
"Since this is our last chance, why don't we settle it once and for all? Let's show our phones. If we aim for the first outcome, where the VIP is revealed by group consensus, then no one can betray anyone."
He held up his phone, displaying the school's mail.
The group exchanged wary glances. Some hesitated, but others followed suit, displaying their phones one by one. Even Kiyotaka calmly held up a device.
Of course, the phone he revealed wasn't his own.
Yukimura frowned deeply. "This feels wrong. We're putting too much trust in each other. If someone lies—"
"Then we'll know," Hamaguchi interjected. "There's no other way."
Yukimura hesitated longer, clearly torn. Under pressure from the group, however, he finally relented. "Fine. But no betrayal. Everyone shows their phones. Even the Class A students."
They nodded.
With visible reluctance, Yukimura pulled out his phone. His expression hardened as he displayed the message. "The truth is… I'm the VIP."
A ripple of surprise passed through the group. The mail on his phone looked authentic.
For a moment, it seemed Yukimura's admission sealed the result. But Kiyotaka, watching silently, knew otherwise. He had planted the seeds of misdirection days earlier. Victory for Class D was within reach—
Until Yukimura's phone rang.
The sharp tone broke the tense silence.
Yukimura blinked, confused, before accepting the call. The name displayed was unmistakable: Ichinose.
Her calm voice filled the room as she stepped forward. "That phone isn't yours, Yukimura-kun. It belongs to Ayanokoji-kun."
The room froze.
Ichinose explained, her tone gentle yet unwavering. "Phone numbers are locked to specific devices. They can't be swapped. I called just now to prove it."
Gasps of realization spread. Yukimura's face drained of color as he processed her words.
"It's true, then…" Hamaguchi muttered.
Ichinose turned toward Kiyotaka, her eyes sharp yet kind. "You're the real VIP, aren't you?"
Kiyotaka didn't answer. He didn't need to. The silence was damning enough.
The meeting ended moments later as the time limit expired. Ichinose confirmed the outcome to the others, while Yukimura's expression darkened.
In front of everyone, he muttered bitterly. "I shouldn't have followed your plan, Ayanokoji. Soshi asked me to help you, but it turned out like this…" He glanced at Ichinose with resentment burning in his eyes.
The group dispersed.
After the others left, Kiyotaka prepared to return to his cabin. But Ichinose stopped him.
"Ayanokoji-kun. One more thing."
He turned to face her.
"That plan—you weren't the one who came up with it, were you?"
"It was Suzune's idea," he replied smoothly.
"Maybe so." Ichinose smiled faintly. "But still… it was well executed. A success, in my eyes."
Kiyotaka's eyes narrowed. "A success? You saw through it. That makes it a failure."
"Not exactly. I only knew because I checked with Hoshinomiya-sensei. SIM cards can be unlocked if you have enough points. That's how you managed to transfer your number, isn't it?"
She was sharper than most. Kiyotaka stayed silent, but his lack of denial was as good as confirmation.
"The real VIP was Karuizawa-san, wasn't she?" Ichinose asked gently.
Kiyotaka inclined his head slightly. "Correct. She swapped her phone with me. Then I tricked Yukimura into thinking he had my device."
"And if the VIP wasn't from your class?" she pressed.
"I would've done the same thing," Kiyotaka answered without hesitation.
Ichinose sighed, half-amused. "You really are something. I suspected Karuizawa, since she was acting strangely. But I wasn't certain. That's why I couldn't risk sending a betrayal message. In the end, the one who betrayed us was Morishige from Class A. Not surprising—he isn't part of Katsuragi's faction."
Her tone softened. "Even so, Ayanokoji-kun… you're impressive. Very impressive."
Kiyotaka looked away, uninterested in her praise. "I was just following Suzune's instructions."
Before either of them could say more, both of their phones buzzed simultaneously. Not one, but four messages each, flooding their screens.
Ichinose's eyes widened in shock as she read them. "What… what is this…?"
The test had officially ended. But the aftermath was only beginning.