As the night gets darker, the temperature on Deck begins to drop significantly.
Ichinose Honami subconsciously crossed his arms and shrank slightly.
"It seems to be getting a little cold."
"It's almost time for us to go back."
Kazehara Tetsu stood up straight and glanced at the watch on his wrist, "You have to get up early tomorrow. If you miss the exam notice because you snooze, it will be more of a loss than gain."
"Yeah, that's true."
Ichinose Honami nodded and straightened the skirt that was messed up by the wind.
The two walked side by side towards the entrance of Ship Cabin.
The lights in the corridor were still bright, making the shadows of the two people long.
The next morning, at eight o'clock sharp.
The vibration of the notification sound broke the silence inside Guest Room.
"Buzz..."
Kazehara Tetsu sat up from the bed and picked up the mobile phone on the bedside table.
The screen lights up, and the email Email from school lies quietly in the notification bar.
He clicked on Email.
Although it is a pity that you were not selected as "Favored One" for This Exam.
A short and cold line of text.
Kazehara Tetsu turned off the screen as usual.
This result was within his expectation.
He is very clear about the underlying logic and staffing of This Exam. In this so-called Rabbit Group, the real "Favored One"... that is, the target that everyone is looking for is the Karuizawa Kei of Class D.
The late afternoon sun shines into the corridor through the portholes on the side of Cruise Ship.
The air conditioner was turned on full blast, giving it an artificial coolness.
The corridors were crowded with students looking for their assigned rooms.
Kazehara Tetsu appeared on the second floor at the last minute.
He walked slowly through the crowd and came to Room Door with the sign "Rabbit" on it. He raised his hand and pushed open the door.
The air in the room seemed to freeze at this moment.
Thirteen pairs of eyes turned to the door almost at the same time.
Class A's Takemoto Shigeru and Machida Koji sit in the inner position.
Class B's Ichinose Honami is sitting facing the door.
Several girls from Class C occupy the area on the left.
The members of Class D appear to be the loosest, leaning against the corners.
Kazehara Tetsu was the last one to arrive.
He didn't say anything sorry, he just walked straight to the area where Class A was and sat down on the empty seat specially reserved by Takemoto Shigeru.
Almost the second after he sat down, the ship's PA sounded a prompt.
"Then let's start Group Discussion from First Round."
As the radio sounded, the room fell into an indescribable dead silence.
No one spoke first, everyone was looking at each other with their peripheral vision, guessing who was the "Favored One" who held the privilege.
"That..."
Just when this suffocating deadlock was about to continue, a voice broke the silence.
Ichinose Honami was the first to stand up.
"Although everyone knows which class each other is in, some students may be meeting each other for the first time. If you don't mind, should we introduce ourselves first?"
However, no one responded.
Compared to Original Work, Machida Koji didn't say anything because of the presence of Kazehara Tetsu.
Other people also obviously think that the self-introduction in this kind of intrigue examination is purely Waste of Time.
If anyone else had received this obvious cold treatment, they would have shut up out of shame and anger.
But Ichinose Honami was only slightly startled, and then naturally took over the topic without any discouragement on his face.
"It seems that everyone is very cautious. It's no wonder. After all, this is an exam that tests psychological game."
She didn't force anyone, but just changed the subject.
"In this case, I will directly express my opinion. Everyone has read the rules of This Exam. I think... we can definitely fight for 'Result One'."
"As long as we work together in this Small Group to find Favored One, and everyone submits the correct answer at the end, then no matter which class Favored One belongs to, all of us can get a lot of Personal Points."
"This not only avoids the deduction of Class Points, but is also a 'win-win' situation that is most beneficial to everyone."
This is a proposal full of idealism, and it is also the strategy that best fits her "good person" persona.
"What do you think?"
Ichinose Honami stands at the center of everyone's attention.
"I think, rather than being suspicious of each other and leading to no one getting Points in the end, or only a very few people making a profit, it would be better for all of us to get these 500,000 Personal Points points together. This is not harmful to anyone, is it?"
The students of Class D were the first to make a move.
Yukimura Teruhiko pushed up the glasses on the bridge of his nose.
"Indeed... if you only pursue 'Result One', it is indeed the lowest-risk choice for the current Class D."
Although Yukimura Teruhiko's voice is a bit stiff, the logic is very clear.
Now Class D Class Points has returned to zero. It can be said that "people who are barefoot are not afraid of wearing shoes".
If non-Favored One answers incorrectly, although the rules say that Class Points will be deducted, for Class D who already has zero points, this has no deterrent effect at all.
On the contrary, if all members reach an agreement, everyone can get a considerable amount of Personal Points, which is undoubtedly a huge temptation for them who are financially strapped.
"Since there is no loss and you can still get Points, I have no reason to object."
Sotohara Hideo also echoed from the side. Although his eyes were a little wandering and he seemed to be uncomfortable with this kind of situation, his greed for cheap still prevailed.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was still sitting in the corner expressionless, as if all the noise around him had nothing to do with him, he was just quietly observing the direction of the situation.
Over there at Class C, the atmosphere seemed a little subtle.
Manabe Shiho's eyes glanced back and forth between Class A and Class B.
"Tch, that sounds nice. Who knows if it's your Class B's trick? What if Favored One is with you Class B, or you want to trick us into saying Favored One, and then find a way to monopolize Points?"
"Don't worry about this!"
Ichinose Honami responded immediately, with a sincere tone, "If we reach an agreement, I will take the lead in disclosing all information."
"We agree too."
Yabu Nanami pulled Manabe Shiho's sleeve and whispered, "Anyway, if the stalemate continues, there is a high probability that you won't get Points. Why not give it a try. Five hundred thousand points is not bad."
Manabe Shiho listened to his companion's persuasion, although there was still a bit of doubt and displeasure on his face, but he finally curled his lips and said, "Okay, okay, as long as you don't treat us like fools."
In this subtle consensus that gradually formed, Class C and Ibuki Mio seemed out of place.
She crossed her arms and pressed her back against the back of the chair.
She did not participate in the discussion and did not even look at Ichinose Honami.
Those eyes were staring in the direction of Class A.
The boy who was looking at his phone carelessly at this moment.
Kazehara Tetsu.