Kushida Kikyo's Reward Hug

In a quiet corner of the second-floor deck, a man and a woman were gazing at each other at close range.

Because her question was easily brushed off, Kushida Kikyo was actually quite unhappy. After receiving the text messages yesterday announcing the end of the exams for the eight groups, she began to suspect Hashiba Hikaru.

Based on the abilities the boy demonstrated in the first semester, this guy is very likely the mastermind behind it all, aiming to reap the lion's share of the rewards in the exams.

Thinking about it this way, it seems a bit hasty to take the initiative to cooperate with him and announce the list of Dragon Group's VIP. If he really guessed correctly, then the names of the other two VIP in Class C, besides Kushida, may have already been sent out. Although the specific results are not clear yet, if they answer correctly, Class C will lose 100 points in Class Evaluation Points.

Class C is not in a good position right now. If they lose this point, they might be overtaken by Class D.

"Do you think I'd believe your story?" Kushida coldly looked at the boy's face. "I'm here to exchange information, not to try and extract it from you."

"But I really don't know. I can't just come up with some random answer and tell you," Hashiba Hikaru smiled unmoved, and continued, "If it's about exchanging information, I can actually provide Kushida with another piece of information."

What is it?

"It's about a loophole in the rules of this Special Exam. I wonder if Kushida would like to know?"

Actually, Hashiba Hikaru ran into Chie Hoshinomiya on the deck this morning. The two chatted briefly, and the ever-proactive boy certainly wouldn't let this opportunity slip by, so he made a little attempt to probe the young female teacher.

The result of the trial was that the rules announced by the school had a lot of room for maneuver. The most ingenious point was that, of the remaining four groups, apart from the Dragon Group which had already signed the contract, the VIP in the other three groups were all members of Class A. Therefore, even if this information was provided to members of other classes, they would have no use for it.

This is the benefit of exploiting information asymmetry.

It seems like they're helping the other side, but they're leaving absolutely no room for maneuver. As long as the final contract serves as a backup plan to control the situation, the outcome is completely predetermined.

"Is that so?" Kushida blinked his big eyes, looking somewhat surprised.

"Of course, you could even say that both the regular school rules and the rules for Special Exam have some loopholes, but it all depends on whether everyone can find them."

Hashiba Hikaru replied casually, as if it were nothing, "So Kushida, do you agree to this information exchange?"

"Okay, I agree to this exchange. I can tell you who answered the questions for the Monkey Group, but you need to explain your understanding of the rules."

Kushida Kikyo doesn't know if any of her classmates VIP are still taking the exam. After all, normal interpersonal relationships won't come into play at this time, and no one has shared their phone information.

However, if she could find loopholes in the rules, she could use her connections to contact her classmates to explain her plans and further enhance her status in the class.

This is the result she wants to achieve; even if she doesn't win in the end, her reputation will definitely be significantly enhanced.

"Then we don't need to sign a contract, since we're already so familiar with each other." Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly, her face showing complete trust in the other party.

"Hmph, I'm not going to break the contract anyway."

Kushida Kikyo rolled her eyes at him, annoyed. She had had a lot of private contact with Hashiba Hikaru during this semester, so she had a general understanding of the boy's personality. Although he was the kind of person who wouldn't do anything without a profit, he had basically kept his promises when he was with her and had never gone back on his word.

"Let me go first, but we need to lower our voices so that others don't hear us."

Hashiba Hikaru looked around. Although the place was secluded, it was really questionable how well it was soundproofed.

However, just as expected, the exam was already nearing its end. Even if someone overheard it, it wouldn't matter, as they wouldn't be able to retaliate. After all, the school's text messages couldn't be copied or altered, leaving no room for manipulation.

"Yes, I understand."

Kushida nodded slightly, then moved closer to the boy, leaving very little space between them. If Hashiba Hikaru simply reached out, she could easily pull him into her arms.

"?" Hashiba Hikaru subconsciously moved back a little. "That's too close, Kushida."

"Let's leave it at that. It's not like this is the first time we've done this." Kushida Kikyo smiled slightly. "Or is it that Classmate Hashiba is worried something might happen?"

"... I just feel a bit hot like this, but since you've said so, let's leave it at that for now."

Ignoring the sly look on the other person's face, Hashiba Hikaru lowered her voice and began to explain the loophole in the rules she had discovered.

"It's actually about the use of mobile phones. The rules clearly state that text messages cannot be copied or tampered with, so the confirmation text message sent to the VIP must be linked to the student's mobile phone number."

"But what if we have to replace it? The rules only say that you can't force someone to use another person's phone, but if it's a voluntary replacement, then there's no problem with that."

"But if someone else makes a call right there, they can expose it, right?" Kushida raised her chin, looking at Hashiba Hikaru's confident expression, and began to follow her train of thought. "Besides, it's always a little uncomfortable to use someone else's phone, and someone observant might notice."

"That's right, so this is just the first step," Hashiba Hikaru pointed to the SIM card slot next to the phone and said calmly, "To prevent people from operating the phone, the school has locked the SIM card and the phone together. Once someone changes the SIM card, both phones will become unusable."

"Then... what loophole did Classmate Hashiba discover?" Kushida, somewhat puzzled. Wasn't this a complete blockade?

"I would like to ask Kushida to think about what the highest rank is in this school?" Hashiba Hikaru smiled mysteriously.

"You mean... the S System?"

Kushida wasn't slow-witted, so she quickly figured it out. After all, even buying points was allowed, so unlocking the phone and SIM card was definitely achievable by paying points.

If this scheme is implemented, the VIP can better disguise themselves and even have a companion impersonate them, since text messages can be easily copied, but the VIP will remain unchanged no matter what.

As long as it serves to confuse others, this tactic can be effective.

"How about it? This information is quite useful, isn't it?"

After saying that, Hashiba Hikaru looked at Kushida's delicate face and asked softly.

"That's true, but I'd like to know when Classmate Hashiba discovered this?"

"So it's today, Kushida? What do you want to say?"

"Let's assume you're telling the truth."

Kushida Kikyo gave him a deep look, and her opinion of the boy was revised once again. Such keen insight was probably the key to his ability to lead Class A to first place.

"Why do you say that? I would never lie to Kushida."

Hashiba Hikaru can now lie calmly to Kushida without any guilt, because he knows that Kushida is the same kind of person, so he doesn't feel any psychological burden at all.

"Tch, you can only say things like that to Honami. She'll believe whatever you say anyway."

Kushida Kikyo sneered, her tone laced with sarcasm.

After spending so much time with him, the short-haired girl no longer wears a mask in front of Hashiba Hikaru. Her gentle, angelic tone works, as does her genuinely cold demeanor.

"Haha, well then, let's leave it at that. Anyway, I've already given out the information, now it's Kushida's turn." Hashiba Hikaru laughed nonchalantly, completely unconcerned about the other person's tone.

Just like the trust that Kushida Kikyo had in him, the boy was not worried that she would renege on her promise. After all, the most important key to their cooperation lay with Horikita Suzune, and she would never break off relations over something so trivial.

"The answerer from the Monkey Group is Koenji Rokusuke from our class." Without hesitation, the girl immediately revealed the information she knew. This matter had not been kept secret within Class C, so quite a few people knew about it.

"Koenji?"

Hashiba Hikaru paused, and the image of a tall, blond man instantly flashed into his mind. He remembered that the man had tried to recruit him when the hidden rules were sold at the beginning of the semester.

At the time, the boy only knew this guy as an arrogant spoiled brat; he never imagined he was a traitor to the Monkey Group.

The key question here is whether he guessed the VIP's name or just answered randomly.

To find out the answer, we'll have to wait for the results to be announced after the exam.

[Another member from Class C? Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was there too last time. This class is really complicated.]

Hashiba Hikaru Hajime's thoughts were somewhat complicated, and seeing his expression, Kushida Kikyo began to summarize their private conversation.

"That concludes our intelligence exchange. I'll be leaving now."

"Please take care, Kushida."

However, after he said those words, he saw that the girl stopped in her tracks and just turned her head to look at him coldly.

Hashiba Hikaru actually understood the other person's implication, but he pretended not to understand and asked in return, "Is there anything else, Kushida?"

"..."

After a moment of silence, Kushida Kikyo's face softened into a gentle smile as she said to Hashiba Hikaru, "Classmate Hashiba, could you take me back to my room? I have something I'd like to tell you."

"Is that so? Of course!"

After noticing the look in her eyes, Hashiba Hikaru guessed that she actually had something to say to him, but he deliberately didn't speak up, waiting for her to give in.

This is the core principle for getting along with Kushida Kikyo: never let her take advantage of you, and never give up the initiative.

[That's so easy to understand, Kushida.]

Chapter 203 Kushida Kikyo's Embrace (Reward)

Kushida Kikyo's room wasn't far away. As the social butterfly of Class C, she could talk to both boys and girls, so the four-person dormitory was quite harmonious thanks to the girls' initiative.

While she was on her way, she had already texted her roommates, saying that she was going to meet someone in the dorm later and asked if they could help her out.

This is the key to Kushida's consistent approach to cultivating relationships: if you want others to act in accordance with your ideas, regular networking is essential. Unless you are the ruler, this is the most appropriate method.

As they strolled down the corridor, Hashiba Hikaru and Kushida Kikyo kept a considerable distance between themselves, as other people might pass by in the corridor and it was best not to reveal their private relationship.

After walking for a while, the two arrived at the girl's room on the Cruise Ship. As they went inside, three figures emerged from a corner in the distance; they were the girl's three roommates.

After they saw Hashiba Hikaru follow Kushida Kikyo into the room, everyone's expression turned somewhat strange.

"Hey, did you guys see that?"

As a close friend of Kushida Wang Meiyu sensed that she was getting gossip.

"Of course, we're not blind yet."

The girl who answered was named Inogashira Kokoro, also a member of Kushida's clique. She naturally saw the tall and imposing figure, and since Inogashira had even voted for him, she recognized him immediately.

"It's actually Classmate Hashiba?"

The last girl, named Sato Maya, had a look of shock on her face, because she never expected that the two of them would be in contact in private.

"Why would Classmate Hashiba come to Kushida's room? What's their relationship?!"

Wang Meiyu became more and more excited as she thought about it. After all, she rarely saw Kushida being so close to any boy, let alone a student from another class.

"Ugh, I'm so bothered by this..."

"But I heard that Classmate Hashiba is dating Ichinose?"

"That's a rumor. I know Ando from Class A, and she said they're not dating yet, they're just friends."

"Oh, so you mean..." Wang Meiyu showed an eager expression. She wanted to eavesdrop and see what those two were doing inside, and why Kushida had specifically asked everyone to make room for them.

"Shall we go take a look?"

"Let's forget about it. I feel like this isn't a good idea, and if Kushida finds out, she'll be angry."

"So what should we do?"

Inogashira hesitated, after all, this was a bit too much. Although they had a good relationship, prying into secrets was a taboo thing in social relationships.

"How about we wait here and then go over and talk to them when they come out?"

"Can."

The suggestion was unanimously approved by the three of them. After all, it didn't violate the promise between Yue and Kushida Kikyo. Their exams were already over, so now they were very curious about the relationship between Hashiba Hikaru and Kushida.

"Hehehe, I'm really looking forward to it."

Hashiba Hikaru was unaware that three people were watching the girl's room from outside. After entering, he quickly went to the balcony.

"Classmate Hashiba, Hashima-kun, here's your favorite soda."

Kushida Kikyo walked up behind him and handed the boy a bottle of peach-flavored soda.

"Oh, thank you."

"Hehehe, this flavor is really good, I like drinking it now too."

The two stood side by side on the balcony of the room. As a room on this Luxury Cruise Ship, the soundproofing here was much better than on the deck, which is why Kushida brought the other person back so that they could have more private conversations.

"So, Kushida, can you tell me what you wanted to talk to me about now?" Hashiba Hikaru took a sip of her drink, a contented expression on her face.

"It's about Horikita, of course."

When the name was mentioned, the girl's tone became noticeably lower, and she gazed at the distant sea, her voice filled with complex emotions.

"What's wrong with Horikita- san? Didn't she give you the right to speak in the group discussion? I noticed she was very quiet during our Dragon Group's discussions."

"That's right. This idea came from Hirata. He suggested that I speak first, and then Horikita observe the students in other classes to find out information about the VIP."

"So, isn't this a great division of labor?"

"That's not what I care about, of course. What I care about is Horikita's attitude..."

Kushida turned his head, stared into Hashiba Hikaru's eyes, and asked, "Her attitude changed somewhat after the Uninhabited Island Exam. I'd like to know if this has anything to do with you?"

"Change?"

Hashiba Hikaru was genuinely unaware of this. The only conversation they had during that time was when she handed over the herbs. As for what Horikita did after the Uninhabited Island Exam, she had absolutely no idea.

"Yes, after that woman finished her Uninhabited Island Exam, she actually started actively communicating with other people."

Kushida felt a surge of anger when she thought about it, "She used to look down on everyone, but her attitude changed after the VIP Exam started."