Luxury Cruise Ship.
Horikita Suzune was searching for that man, panting.
She had figured out why Class D had won.
"Giving up is the same as winning." Ayanokōji had been right.
"Finally found you..." Ayanokōji leaned against the railing, enjoying the sea breeze.
Horikita realized he had been waiting here for her.
Perhaps the seven days on the Deserted Island had truly changed her. She was no longer as naive as before and had grown to some extent.
Horikita was now beginning to understand some of the deeper meaning behind Ayanokōji's actions.
Ayanokōji glanced at her. "Horikita. Have you recovered from your cold?"
"Yes. Thanks to you, I withdrew from the exam early and slept well on the cruise ship last night!"
Horikita still sounded somewhat resentful. She clearly hadn't gotten over Ayanokōji knocking her out.
"The School Administration provided excellent medical care, too. I woke up this morning fully recovered."
"Good. As long as you're feeling all right."
Horikita came closer. "I understand what you were trying to do now. When you said I could win by giving up, you meant replacing Class D's original leader, right?"
Ayanokōji turned and started walking, apparently intending to move elsewhere. Horikita followed without hesitation.
As he walked, he said, "You can't replace the leader without a valid reason. That means you can replace them if you have one. This rule is the get-out-of-jail-free card for this exam."
"Once you understand that, the leader of a class can stay completely safe."
Horikita frowned. "No wonder Ryuen showed me his Keycard so openly. Class C must have figured it out, too, right?"
"...Shiina was the new leader of Class C!"
Ayanokōji nodded. "That's right. Ryuen is no longer the leader."
"Do you remember when we went to scout out Class C's Base Camp?"
"Of