The café was unusually quiet that night. Most of the students were already retreating to their cabins, exhausted from the relentless tension of the exam. But four figures had gathered at a corner table: Kiyotaka, Karuizawa, Hirata, and Suzune.
Sudō, tagging along like an uninvited shadow, slouched in the chair beside Suzune, earning an exasperated sigh from her.
"Why is he here?" she muttered under her breath.
"I said I'd come, so I came," Sudō replied stubbornly.
Ignoring the distraction, Hirata steered the conversation to the topic at hand. "Earlier today, at almost the same time, four mails were sent announcing the end of the test for Rat, Horse, Rooster, and Pig groups."
"That's right," Kiyotaka replied casually, though his mind was already processing the pattern.
"Minami from Horse group was discovered," Hirata continued, "and Yamauchi… he hesitated too long. The time ran out before he could press the send button. If only he had been quicker…"
"It wouldn't have mattered," Karuizawa interjected. She leaned on her elbow, her voice tinged with annoyance. "None of the girls in our class sent any mails. Not a single one of us."
Hirata frowned. "Then who did it?"
"The four mails came simultaneously," Suzune said sharply. "That alone makes it obvious. They were coordinated. It has to be the work of a single class."
The table fell silent. The implications were clear—only a highly organized faction could have pulled such a feat.
Kiyotaka leaned back, expression unreadable. He already had a guess, but speaking it aloud now would be premature.
The air shifted suddenly. A new presence entered the café, heavy and oppressive. Ryūen approached with his usual swagger, hands in his pockets, eyes gleaming with mischief.
"Well, well. Look who's having a little strategy meeting without me."
Suzune's eyes narrowed. "What do you want, Ryūen?"
"Nothing much. Just thought I'd drop by." He leaned against their table, grinning. "Or maybe I wanted to see the look on your face, Horikita, when I tell you something you won't like."
Sudō immediately bristled. "Back off, Ryūen!"
"Sit down, idiot," Suzune snapped at Sudō. Her glare silenced him before he could make a scene.
Ryūen chuckled, clearly amused. "Relax. I'm not here to start a fight. I just thought you'd like to know… I figured out the identity of the Dragon group's VIP."
Hirata blinked. "That's impossible. The test ended with no traitors. There's no way you could know."
"Oh, but I do." Ryūen's grin widened. "It was Kushida. And I knew it since the second day."
Suzune's composure faltered for the first time, her voice unsteady. "That's… ridiculous. If you knew, you would've betrayed her. You would've taken the points."
"Would I?" He tilted his head mockingly. "Or maybe I just enjoyed watching you strut around thinking you had everything under control. You're so desperate to win, Horikita, you didn't even realize you were dancing on my palm."
Suzune's fists clenched under the table. Hirata's brows furrowed in disbelief.
"But… how?" Hirata asked. "How could you possibly figure it out?"
Ryūen shrugged lazily. "Let's just say it involves Horikita. That's all you need to know."
Suzune bit her lip, furious yet unable to deny his words outright.
At precisely 11:00 PM, the chime of incoming messages filled the café. Everyone except Ryūen instinctively checked their phones.
On-screen, the results of the special exam were displayed:
Outcome #1 (Group answered correctly): Dragon
Outcome #2 (VIP not identified): Tiger, Snake, Sheep, Dog
Outcome #3 (Traitor answered correctly): Rat, Horse, Monkey, Rooster, Pig, Cow
Outcome #4 (Traitor answered incorrectly): Rabbit
The class point and private point adjustments followed:
Class A: -200 CL; +2,000,000 PR
Class B: -50 CL; +2,000,000 PR
Class C: +200 CL; +5,500,000 PR
Class D: +100 CL; +3,000,000 PR
Gasps erupted around the table.
"Class C… they came out on top," Hirata whispered.
Ryūen's grin stretched ear to ear. He placed his phone on the table, the screen flashing with a list. "The identities of the VIPs from three of Class A's groups. That's what I focused on. Once I understood the root of this exam, I stopped caring about anything else."
He leaned closer to Suzune, lowering his voice just enough to make it sting. "And now, Horikita… you're next on my list."
Kiyotaka watched him silently. He noticed the detail others overlooked: if not for Kōenji's absurd betrayal in the Monkey group, Class C would have swept the exam entirely. His foolish act had diverted points to Class D, creating ripples that affected every class.
Ryūen straightened, pocketing his phone with satisfaction. "This is just the beginning. Next semester… I'll crush you all. I'm looking forward to it."
With that, he walked out of the café, his laughter echoing behind him.
The table fell silent in his absence.
"How did he do it?" Hirata murmured, still shaken. "How could Ryūen and the Dragon group achieve that result?"
Kiyotaka's voice was calm, detached. "He could've simply declared that Kushida was the VIP before the test ended. If the others believed him, that was enough. What I'm curious about is how he earned their trust. That's the real question."
Suzune scowled. "Even so, there's no guarantee he can repeat that feat. Don't forget—your group actually won. We secured points."
"Perhaps," Kiyotaka admitted. But his mind was elsewhere.
Ryūen's boldness wasn't recklessness. It was calculation. And calculation could be repeated, refined, perfected.
Hirata sighed heavily. "I only hope our unity holds after this. With Ryūen aiming directly at us…"
Kiyotaka said nothing.
Because deep inside, beyond the mask of indifference he always wore, something stirred. A flicker of excitement, raw and unfamiliar. The first steps toward despair, yes—but also the thrill of true challenge.
Result
Class A:1124-->924
Class B: 803-->753
Class C: 492-->692
Class D: 337-->437