Kushida: Want to Know Who the Dragon Group's VIP Is? / Solving the Puzzle: The Pattern Is the Japanese Syllabary!

After the meeting was dismissed, Hashiba Hikaru strolled down the second-floor corridor of the Cruise Ship. He soon spotted a room with the word "[Dragon]" on the door. According to the rules the teacher had explained, each discussion had to last for an hour, so leaving early was not allowed.

Everyone understood the seriousness of this exam, so they were unlikely to do anything too outrageous. Members of the Dragon Group began to slowly gather around the boy, including Hashiba Hikaru's acquaintances.

For example, Hirata Yosuke, Horikita Suzune, and Kushida Kikyo from Class C, Katsuragi from Class B, and Ryuen from Class D, all went in one by one after 1 o'clock.

The room was quite spacious, with a large long table and a large sofa that could seat many people.

After all the students from the four classes had entered, the first to speak was Kushida Kikyo among the first-year students.

"Well, before we start discussing, let's introduce ourselves first. Although everyone has seen the list, there might be people we're meeting for the first time. Introducing ourselves can help us build rapport faster."

I have no objection.

Hashiba Hikaru and Kanzaki sat down on the sofa, while the members of Class B, led by Katsuragi, stood in a corner, seemingly on guard.

Ryuen stood at the front of the long table with three other boys from Class D. Although he was not yet the class leader, the other boys had seen his abilities during the last Uninhabited Island Exam, so it was agreed that Ryuen would make the decisions for this exam.

"I don't think it's necessary. Instead of introducing ourselves, we should choose a host first."

Katsuragi Kohei's gaze swept over everyone in the room, and he calmly said, "After all, when everyone is talking at once during a discussion, it's easy for the transmission of information to become more inefficient."

"Yeah, we're not elementary school students, so let's skip the self-introductions and get straight to the point." Ryuen Kakeru grinned, his gaze fixed on Hashiba Hikaru, who was leaning back on the sofa.

"Hey, Hashiba, are you going to be the host?" Ryuen looked at the boy's face.

"Why?"

"I also agree that Classmate Hashiba should be the host. After all, you are the ace of Class A, and I'm sure everyone here knows your abilities."

Katsuragi Kohei's idea coincided with Ryuen's. Although the previous cooperation on the Uninhabited Island had gone wrong, if they wanted to defeat Class A, which was ranked ahead, they needed to unite everyone they could.

"Would you like to come Classmate Hashiba?" Hirata Yosuke walked over, while Kushida Kikyo and Horikita Suzune glanced at the boy sitting on the sofa, but neither of them spoke.

"If that's the case, then I don't mind." Hashiba Hikaru smiled. Being a host might be a bit tiring, but it suited his needs perfectly, as it allowed him to better observe the members of other classes.

He immediately stood up from the sofa, and after slowly scanning everyone with his gaze, he said, "Then let's start by speaking in order of class."

"To improve efficiency, only one student from each class speaks at a time. Students from other classes can approach them, but only one student can speak at a time. This is a more efficient way."

"Let's start with Kanzaki from Class A. Please share your thoughts."

Hashiba Hikaru turned her head to look at Kanzaki Ryuji. She had chatted with him on her phone that morning. In order to confuse students from other classes, the boy's plan was to temporarily make everyone show their desire for result one during the discussion, since it was just a perfunctory thing.

"OK."

After standing up, Kanzaki Ryuji began to explain the plan he had conspired with Hashiba Hikaru.

"Our Class A's battle plan this time is actually very simple. Everyone has read the rules, so you should understand that outcome one and outcome two are the best options for the class, right?"

"Yes, as long as there are no traitors, the school will pay the price for both outcome one and outcome two." Katsuragi Kohei nodded.

"But in that case, does that mean the VIP of the Dragon Group have to voluntarily release the information? If it's result one." Hirata Yosuke chose Kushida as the spokesperson, while he and Horikita Suzune acted as observers, gathering information from the rear.

"Yes, I doubt anyone would be foolish enough to publicly announce whether they are VIP. If a traitor were to emerge, the consequences could be dire." Ryuen Kakeru looked at Hashiba Hikaru: "Hashiba, is this the plan you devised?"

He simply couldn't believe that the man who commanded Class A would come up with such a simple plan. After all, they had won first place in the previous Special Exam; they wouldn't be willing to take such a risk.

"I believe it's possible if everyone can trust each other."

Faced with everyone's questions, Kanzaki Ryuji slowly explained, "For example, if the answer we finally come up with is result one, then we can have everyone gather all their cell phones before the exam ends, and then each class can send a representative to check the text messages on the phones."

"This is to ensure fairness. After the discussion ends at nine o'clock and the answering time begins, everyone will collect their phones and answer in turn. This way, we can guarantee that the final result will be number one."

"This is our plan," Kanzaki Ryuji said before sitting back down on the sofa.

After hearing the plan, everyone in the room began to consider its feasibility, but soon someone raised a question: it was Katsuragi Kohei.

"I don't think this plan is safe. Even if we collect all the phones, we can't guarantee that everyone will cooperate when it comes to answering the questions."

This usually cautious man offered his opinion. "Personally, I still think outcome two is the safest."

"Really? Then may I ask what Katsuragi's strategy is?" Kushida Kikyo followed behind and asked.

"It's very simple, our solution is... no discussion!"

Katsuragi Kohei believed that this was the safest plan the moment the rules were revealed. As long as there was no discussion, no one would be able to determine who the VIP was after the exam. Whether the answer was wrong or the answer was not given, the VIP would ultimately receive the Private Points.

Although it's only 500,000, it's already a very stable income, and there's no need to worry about someone turning against you at the last minute.

"It seems Katsuragi's idea is for everyone to achieve result two," Ryuen Kakeru said, a hint of mockery in his voice. "Is this plan really feasible? Isn't Katsuragi afraid of disappointing those who trust you?"

"Snort..."

Katsuragi ignored Ryuen's provocation and shut his mouth after finishing his speech.

"So that's how it is. Now it's Class C's turn. What are your thoughts?" Hashiba Hikaru smiled at Kushida Kikyo.

"Well, that's actually quite simple too."

Kushida Kikyo, sensing the boy's gaze, spoke up to express her thoughts.

"Our goal is also outcome one, which is the best solution."

Chapter 184 Kushida: Want to know about the Dragon Group's VIP?

After Kushida voiced his thoughts, Ryuen Kakeru, who was standing next to him, immediately let out a contemptuous sneer.

"Seriously, are Class A and Class C just a bunch of childish brats?"

"Well then, I'd like to ask, now that Kushida from Class C has finished speaking, it's just you from Class D left," Hashiba Hikaru, looking at Ryuen Kakeru, "What are your thoughts?"

"Our class's idea has always been simple: to achieve final victory in this exam!"

The long-haired man didn't care at all about expressing his desire. His gaze swept over the students in each class in the room, and he said loudly, "Instead of letting everyone receive the reward, why can't we choose to keep it all to ourselves?"

"So Ryuen's goal was result three, huh? That's quite a bold idea."

Hashiba Hikaru glanced at Ryuen. As the class currently ranked last, this was indeed the only way for them to climb up.

But can this guy really unite the entire class? Or has he already formed a partnership with Ibuki?

"Heh, I think you think the same way I do, Hashiba." Ryuen Kakeru didn't even look at Katsuragi Kohei and Kushida Kikyo beside him; his eyes seemed to be fixed only on one opponent.

"Didn't we just discuss our class's strategy? Result one is the most suitable solution, and you'll still get the same answer no matter how much you inquire?"

The boy shook his head, then glanced at everyone in the room and calmly asked, "Alright, now that we understand the positions of each class, would you like to continue the second round of discussion?"

"We will not participate in the following discussion, so please exclude Class B." Katsuragi Kohei crossed his arms, adopting a very obvious defensive posture, and stood in the corner of the room with the remaining three Class B students, seemingly having no intention of continuing the conversation.

"What about the other two classes?" Hashiba Hikaru, looking at the students in Class C and Class D.

"We want to continue the discussion!" Kushida Kikyo exchanged glances with Hirata Yosuke and Horikita Suzune. The information about the VIP of Class C has not been made public, so their initial thought was to move towards the desired outcome.

"We also need to participate in the discussion. After all, offense is the best defense." Ryuen Kakeru touched his hair, glanced mockingly at Katsuragi Kohei, and continued, "So, it's going to be an exchange between our three classes."

"Alright, let's start the second round of exchanges with Class A again."

Hashiba Hikaru gestured for Kanzaki Ryuji had just spoken, to continue, and gave him a look.

As a student currently in the top tier of Class A, he was quite quick-witted and soon understood what the boy meant.

The immediate goal is to get by; as for intelligence gathering and observation, that's up to Classmate Hashiba.

"Then I will continue to emphasize the thought process regarding how to achieve outcome one."

Kanzaki Ryuji spoke calmly and unhurriedly, and his subsequent words mainly revolved around how to achieve the first result. As for whether there were any loopholes, that was irrelevant.

Kushida Kikyo, who was chosen as the spokesperson, also strongly agreed with the idea, and her tone and attitude were extremely positive.

As for Ryuen Kakeru at the end, his remarks were basically all meaningless perspectives.

Everyone could see that after stating his class's strategy was to achieve result three, this guy made no attempt to hide anything and continued to participate in the discussion in order to gather intelligence.

The second round of conversation lasted much longer than the first. After the chat ended, the boy checked the time and realized that more than half of the one-hour allotted time had passed.

"Let's take a break then, everyone looks tired."

Hashiba Hikaru signaled to everyone to take a break. After all, with everyone harboring their own ulterior motives, it was impossible to reach any important decisions. Everyone basically knew that they were just killing time.

"Hehe, then I want to sit here."

Just then, Kushida Kikyo suddenly stood up from the stool she was sitting on and walked over to the sofa where Hashiba Hikaru was sitting.

Logically speaking, humans are social animals, so after entering the discussion room, the students from the four classes automatically divided themselves into their own areas.

Class A sat on the sofa in the middle, while Class C and Class D sat on small wooden tables and chairs on either side. Only a few students from Class B were standing, leaning against the corner of the room.

Such a clear-cut distinction actually reflects a lack of trust in other classes.

But after saying that, Kushida Kikyo actually sat down next to Hashiba Hikaru, which surprised the students who were watching.

Hirata Yosuke glanced at Kushida Kikyo's condition; after sitting down, she was almost touching Hashiba Hikaru's shoulder, which was clearly not how the short-haired girl usually behaved.

As a classmate, Hirata actually understood Kushida's principles of conduct. Although she acted like she was on good terms with everyone, it was mostly just talk. He had never seen Kushida be so close to any boy, let alone a student from another class.

Even the aloof black-haired girl was somewhat surprised to see this scene. Although she thought that as long as Kushida Kikyo didn't bother her, it was none of her business who she interacted with.

But the scene before her eyes reminded Horikita Suzune of the moment when the boy fed her herbs on the Uninhabited Island. He had indeed put his arm around her shoulder then, but because she was weak at the time, she didn't react much.

What an embarrassing memory...

Horikita Suzune rubbed her dry eyes and looked away from the man and woman sitting there.

She was actually thinking about how to deal with this exam. If she wanted the class to benefit the most, generally speaking, besides result one, result three would naturally be the most beneficial.

However, guessing wrong could have even more serious consequences, so it is essential to confirm the correct answer with absolute certainty. This is why the school prohibits copying or modifying text messages—to ensure the uniqueness of the means of proof.

When Kushida Kikyo suddenly sit down next to him, Hashiba Hikaru was slightly surprised. Girls usually only approached him in private, so wouldn't it be too conspicuous to do so in front of so many people?

"Kushida...?"

"What's wrong, Classmate Hashiba? Do you think I can't sit here?" The short-haired girl's face showed a playful smile.

"Uh, no, this is a public area after all, and I don't have the right to stop Kushida." Hashiba Hikaru gave her a meaningful look, hoping she would understand her consideration.

"That's good. It's so much more comfortable sitting on the sofa." Kushida Kikyo stretched, seemingly oblivious to the boy's gaze, and simply smiled faintly. "I think we won't have much time to discuss this later, since we haven't reached an answer yet."

"..."

Hashiba Hikaru glanced at the others in the room. Despite the previous two rounds of discussion, their relationships hadn't improved at all, and building trust was out of the question.

Therefore, this first discussion is unlikely to yield any useful conclusions, and the answer is quite predictable.

"There's nothing we can do about it. After all, we're not classmates, so building trust is really difficult."

Hashiba Hikaru chuckled softly, ignoring Kushida Kikyo who was rubbing against her shoulder, and decided to close her eyes and rest for a while.

"Hehehe, that's definitely true."

Although she still wore a gentle smile, Kushida Kikyo had already planned her strategy after the exam began. Her goal was to achieve result one: everyone would receive 500,000 Private Points, while she herself would receive one million.

That's right, the VIP from the Dragon Group was actually Kushida Kikyo, but she didn't tell anyone this information because the girl only ever trusted herself.

Private Points are quite important in this school, Kushida believes it's essential to maintain his status.

After these two rounds of discussions, Kushida Kikyo felt that achieving this result would require multi-party negotiations and communication, and she needed to find suitable allies.

Upon hearing that Class A, led by Hashiba Hikaru, had proposed achieving Result 1, the girl immediately thought of Hashiba Hikaru's abilities.

After all, the two had a private business relationship established before, and using a contract as a constraint could guarantee that the other party would not betray them.

After resting for a while, Hashiba Hikaru opened his eyes again. He looked at his watch and realized there were still a few minutes left before the first discussion. Judging from the looks of it, he figured no one was planning to have another discussion, so he decided to just wait until the time was up and then dismiss everyone.

The boy rubbed his temples, recalling the names of the three VIP from Class A that he had noted down that morning. If possible, it would be best to discover a pattern before the evening's discussion, so that the next step of intelligence gathering could be more targeted.

When the one-hour discussion ended, all the students from all classes began to leave the room one by one. Just as Hashiba Hikaru was about to return to her cabin with Kanzaki Ryuji, she heard a girl's shout behind her.

"Classmate Hashiba, I have something to tell you. Could I take up a little of your rest time?"

"... Can."

The boy pondered for a moment, then gestured for the other students from Class A to leave first, and then he walked over to Kushida Kikyo's side.

The short-haired girl had beautiful features and smiled as she looked at Hashiba Hikaru. When he got closer, she immediately stood on tiptoe and whispered something light and airy in his ear.

"Classmate Hashiba, would you like to know who the Dragon Group's VIP are?"

Chapter 185: Breaking the Problem - The Pattern is the Hiragana and Katakana!

"Classmate Hashiba, would you like to know who the Dragon Group's VIP are?"

Upon hearing these words, a flicker of surprise crossed Hashiba Hikaru's eyes, but he responded calmly, "Is this what Kushida wanted to talk to me about?"

"That's right, but let's find a quiet place." Kushida Kikyo didn't see the expectant look on the other person's face, but she wasn't discouraged.