Sakayanagi said casually, "You don't need to stare at me like that. I just want to end this game early. So this round, I won't use a Dodge or a Slash. Do whatever you like."
With that, Sakayanagi looked utterly unconcerned and actually closed her eyes to rest.
Tennoji Kaede mulled it over.
Was Sakayanagi putting on an act? Not necessarily.
If she really was the Traitor, then I knew the identities of all five players. This game really could end quickly.
Hamaguchi: "It's really hard to say how the distances will work out. Classmate Sakayanagi, is this your strategy? But we still have to keep playing. Sorry, Kushida, I'm using a Slash on you!"
Kushida: "Aww, but I really am a Loyalist! Fine, I won't Dodge."
The life-point card in front of Kushida changed to show 3.
Hamaguchi: "It's awkward when you don't Dodge. Does anyone else have anything to say? If not, shall I end my turn?"
Nobody responded.
"End Turn."
Kei: "My turn. I'm using a Slash on the Lord." She was in seat two, and her distance to the Lord was 2 this turn, so she could use a Slash.
Hamaguchi frowned. Was Karuizawa openly declaring herself a Rebel?
He indicated that he wouldn't use his only Dodge. The Lord's health dropped to 4.
It was now seat three, Kushida's turn. Her distance was an awkward 0, while the distances to seats two and four were both 2. She couldn't Slash anyone, so she had to pass.
It was seat four, Tennoji Kaede's turn.
"I'm using a Slash on Classmate Sakayanagi. Then I'll end my turn."
Sakayanagi indicated that she wouldn't Dodge. Her health dropped to 3.
When her turn came, the distances were exactly the same as Kushida's: 0 to one side and 2 to the other. Naturally, she couldn't Slash anyone, so she called pass.
Judging by this alone, it really was hard to tell whether Sakayanagi was lying about being the Traitor. After all, she couldn't Slash anyone this round anyway.
The situation in Room B sped up all of a sudden, with Kei and Sakayanagi openly declaring their identities.
End of Round Two (Starting point—Round One—Round Two; the distance cap was 0—2. I won't display it like this from now on; just doing it once for the word count~):
1 Hamaguchi Tetsuya (Lord): HP 5-4-2; distance 1-2-1
2 Karuizawa Kei (??): HP 4-4-3; distance 1-2-1
3 Kushida Kikyo (??): HP 4-3-3; distance 1-0-2
4 Tennoji Kaede (??): HP 4-4-4; distance 1-2-2
5 Sakayanagi Arisu (Traitor): HP 4-3-2; distance 1-0-1
In Round Two, Hamaguchi and Kei Slashed each other once. Sakayanagi stayed out of it again, while Kaede Slashed Sakayanagi once more. She didn't Dodge.
The battle changed rapidly. The problem was Kushida this round: in Round Two, her distance was sufficient, and she actually Slashed the Lord, dropping Hamaguchi's health straight to 2!
In First Year Class D, the Lord in Room B, Hamaguchi, had lost health rapidly after just two rounds, dropping to 2. This caught the attention of most of the class.
Kanji Ike: "Huh! Isn't Little Kikyo a Loyalist? Why is she attacking the Lord?"
Matsushita Chiaki: "Ike, why don't you check the identity of Karuizawa, who's in Room B with Kushida...?"
"Oh, right. Sorry, I was watching another group's livestream..." Ike's exclamation was loud. "Karuizawa's a Rebel?"
"I get it! If Karuizawa wins by taking the kill as a Rebel, then with Kushida's loser points, our Class D can get 20+5 Class Points. On the other hand, if Kushida's Loyalist team wins, we only get 10+5!"
After thinking it over, Ike asked in confusion, "But among the players from AC Class, there's still one Rebel and one Traitor, right? If the other Rebel gets the kill, won't we lose out on 5 points...?"
Matsushita Chiaki didn't answer. That was indeed something she found strange, too.
The situation in Room B was bizarre. Sakayanagi from Class A claimed to be the Traitor, but didn't act even when she had a chance to fight back.
Meanwhile, Tennoji from Class C was fixated on attacking Sakayanagi. Wouldn't that leave the two players from Class D to ignore their identities and just team up against the Lord?
Wouldn't that be the best-case scenario? But it didn't make sense. Everyone knew Class D had the numerical advantage; it wouldn't be strange if they focused their attacks and took someone out right at the start.
Could it be... that Tennoji Kaede was the real Traitor from Class D?
Matsushita Chiaki was deeply curious.
[Detected an unsatisfactory score of 50 in the Black House for 'Matsushita Chiaki'] ['Matsushita Chiaki's Causal Mark has been issued] ['Cause': Matsushita Chiaki thinks you're playing this game in a very strange way. She's quite interested in your thoughts, and is even analyzing your personality] ['Effect': Charisma +5, Cunning +5, Ability to Disguise Your Personality +5, Patience +5]
Hm? I can get a new 'Effect' this way, too?
Tennoji Kaede had assumed that when other people saw how badly he was throwing the game, the people from Class D would be thrilled, while those from Classes A and B would think he was stupid.
How could someone be this interested in him?
There hadn't been a peep from Sakayanagi's Causal Mark. Clearly, she really was coasting—the kind where she hadn't even used her brain.
But this Chiaka Shunkō from Class D... was kind of interesting. A female Ayanokoji?
Room B, Round Five:
Kaede: "Sorry, Classmate Sakayanagi. I'm taking your fourth health point, too. Are you really not going to Dodge?"
The distances had been awkward for one round, but Tennoji Kaede still took Sakayanagi's fourth health point with a Slash before the end of Round Six. When his only chance was to Slash Kushida in seat three beside him, he called pass.
Sakayanagi: "...Thank you. But it looks like I'll revive next round, so try a little harder, Classmate."
The other four in Room B: "..." So you really are the Traitor?
The most miserable person in Room B right now was naturally the Lord, Hamaguchi, who had only 1 health point left and no Dodge. No matter what he said, the two girls from Class D Slashed him whenever their distance allowed.
This felt completely different from playing in Class D...
Wasn't this a five-player game? How had it turned into a three-player game where two people ganged up on one?
Where the hell was my Loyalist?
Little Traitor, aren't you going to reveal yourself?
Oh, the classmate who might be the Little Traitor, Sakayanagi, was just an emotionless pass-calling robot.
In the end, during Round Six, Rebel Karuizawa Kei got a good distance and took out the Lord with one Slash.
The game ended before Sakayanagi Arisu, the Traitor, even had the chance to fake her death and revive. She seemed quite satisfied with that, anyway.
After all, the public objective for Class A really was just to make sure the Traitor didn't win, and Traitor Sakayanagi was happy to see that happen.
The Room B match ended. After the judge ruled on the results, the fastest game in Room B ended as follows:
1 (Class B): Hamaguchi Tetsuya (Lord) lost +5 Class Points +500,000 PR
2 (Class D): Karuizawa Kei (Rebel) won +20 Class Points +2 million PR
3 (Class D): Kushida Kikyo (Loyalist) lost +5 Class Points +500,000 PR
4 (Class C): Tennoji Kaede (Rebel) won +15 Class Points +1.5 million PR
5 (Class A): Sakayanagi Arisu (Traitor) lost +5 Class Points +500,000 PR
The five players from Room B left the exam room, while the other groups hadn't finished their exams yet.
On the way back to their respective classes, in a corridor, Kushida Kikyo discreetly winked at Tennoji Kaede and gave him a sweet smile—the kind few people had seen from her lately.
Kaede nodded calmly, signaling that the plan had gone smoothly.
In the few minutes after the groups were assigned and before the Tian Shu Sha Exam began.
Kushida Kikyo immediately received an anonymous email.
"70: Use the prearranged signals to help a certain class earn the greatest number of points possible."
The message sent from the anonymous email address contained plenty of coded language.
But Kushida Kikyo understood what it meant:
If she ended up in the same group as Kaede from Class C or Hiyori, she was to use the prearranged gestures to signal her identity. That would create a three-against-one-against-one situation in the five-player game and, depending on how things unfolded, help Class D earn as many points as possible!
But why was Tennoji Kaede going to so much trouble to help Class D?
Kushida Kikyo said she didn't want to know and couldn't be bothered to ask.
Anyway, she believed that at this point, he wouldn't go to such lengths just to set her and Class D up.
In any case, the most important thing was that Kushida Kikyo wanted to believe what Kaede had told her!
Before you continue