Eavesdropping / The Breakthrough...

Like Ryuen Kakeru, he also made a judgment in an instant that this matter must have been planned by Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

However, it was indeed not appropriate for him to directly intervene until more information was disclosed.

We can only trust Ryuen Kakeru's performance for now.

Chapter 212: Eavesdropping

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka quickly learned from Katsuragi Kohei's communications that the plan had been initially successful. After informing him to continue closely monitoring Ryuen Kakeru's every move, he ended the communication with slight satisfaction.

Unlike the previous two operations targeting Shiina Hiyori Group and Karuizawa Kei's group respectively, which both ended in failure, the current plan targeting Ryuen Kakeru is progressing relatively smoothly.

While considering the possible counterattacks from Ryuen Kakeru and even Kitagawa Ryo, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka concealed himself, continuing to use the dense foliage to hide, and silently followed behind Karuizawa Kei's group.

The reason he wasn't present for the event this morning is because there were more important things he needed to confirm.

In his move yesterday, Karuizawa Kei, in order to protect herself, chose to use the [Reinforcement] card on Amasawa Ichika's team, thus merging the scores of the two teams and making them one team.

Thanks to Hirata Yosuke's keen observation, the fact that Amasawa Ichika's group most likely possessed the special card [Chosen One] was thus exposed to Class 1-A.

However, a problem now facing Ayanokoji Kiyotaka is whether Amasawa Ichika or another member of their group Sakura Airi, possesses the [Chosen One]. This is crucial for Class A to make a key decision about whose team to focus on in the upcoming exams.

If it were the first half of the Uninhabited Island Special Exam, this problem wouldn't be difficult to solve. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka only needed to follow one of them and observe the changes in the group ranking and specific scores after the other person won the task and received the bonus points.

However, starting from the eighth day of the Uninhabited Island Special Exam, which marked the beginning of the second half, all the tasks on the island became group-based. The [Chosen One] card automatically activated after the group scored, making it impossible to judge the scores as it had been before, based on individual scores.

Therefore, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka could only resort to the least efficient method, hoping to extract the information and intelligence he wanted from the conversation between the three people.

Maintaining a safe distance from being discovered, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka began to listen intently to the girls' conversation.

Since they had already used the [Reinforcement] card yesterday, Karuizawa Kei, Sakura Airi, and Amasawa Ichika, who were practically a team, naturally camped together last night.

Two groups from different classes were grouped together. The school seemed to have anticipated this possibility and had already written all the necessary procedures. All the points their group earned would be equally distributed into the total score of both classes, which seemed fair enough. Karuizawa Kei and the others quickly accepted this genuine hidden setting.

Moreover, their group's scores really couldn't have a significant impact on the class rankings, since the difference between Class B was currently in first place, and Class D, which had just barely climbed to third place, wasn't even that many thousand points.

The three of them were all among the best in terms of physical strength for girls. Even Sakura Airi, who was being taken care of by Amasawa Ichika, had received physical training and was a professional singing and dancing idol. In addition, they were not moving very fast. The group chatted and laughed, looking like friends going on a picnic in the countryside, and were very relaxed.

Karuizawa Kei and Sakura Airi were already good friends who had known each other for a long time, and with Amasawa Ichika occasionally chiming in, the atmosphere among the three of them seemed quite harmonious.

"Speaking of which, I had no idea that Ichika was so amazing. In yesterday's [Group Dodgeball] challenge, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she could take on ten opponents at once."

Karuizawa Kei blinked and spoke up. She was quite curious about Amasawa Ichika, who had unleashed her full power yesterday to help her defeat three groups in Class A. Although the two of them belonged to Kitagawa Ryo's drama club, she really didn't know that the petite-looking Amasawa Ichika possessed physical qualities that even she and Horikita Suzune couldn't match.

"Of course, otherwise Ryo wouldn't have sent me and Airi to rescue Megumi."

Amasawa Ichika, with a lollipop she'd redeemed with points in her mouth, deftly twirled it with her tongue as she confidently answered:

"Actually, Ayanokoji didn't really intend to eliminate Megumi there at first. After all, Megumi had the [Reinforcement] card. In a crisis, she could just choose any group in her class to join and have another classmate in that group eliminate her instead."

At this point, Amasawa Ichika paused, then nodded and added:

"He just wanted to force Hui to reveal her [Reinforcement] card there, because the effectiveness of such a card is maximized if it's saved until the very end of the final exam."

"Really."

Sakura Airi was standing to the side, nodded in agreement.

"After all, until the very last moment before the exam ends, no one knows what their group's ranking will be."

"I remember... Hashimoto Masayoshi's group from Class 1-A once surged into the top five in the rankings a few days before the exams, but their rankings have been dropping these past two days, and they're now almost twentieth."

"Yes, so once the scores and rankings for each group are determined, the [Reinforcement] cards can find the best targets to use."

Karuizawa Kei initially echoed this sentiment, but then immediately smiled and patted Amasawa Ichika and Sakura Airi on the shoulders:

"But I'm confident that the group I chose in advance will also get a good result."

"Um."

"Certainly."

Faced with Karuizawa Kei's trust, Sakura Airi and Amasawa Ichika both responded with smiles.

"It's a pity I didn't run into Liang all day yesterday, otherwise I would have liked to ask him how he knew I was being ganged up on in the [team dodgeball] project."

"We didn't know either. We just received a message from Liang at that time, which told us Hui's location and basic information, so we rushed over."

Faced with Karuizawa Kei's question, Sakura Airi shook her head:

"Ryo probably has his own intelligence agents, just like Ayanokoji from Class A was able to know Megumi's whereabouts."

I think so too.

Karuizawa Kei nodded and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear:

"Actually, when we were surrounded by Class A yesterday, I sensed that others were watching us. That must have been Liang's informant."

"Perhaps, but I'd guess it's Ryuen from Class C."

Amasawa Ichika crossed her arms behind her head and answered casually:

"Or maybe it's that one from Class A?"

Chapter 213: The Breakthrough Point

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka keenly caught the mention of "Class A" in Amasawa Ichika's words. He knew from the beginning of the school year that Class 1-A had spies planted by Kitagawa Ryo in advance, and even investigated Kushida Kikyo, whom he considered the most suspicious, but in the end he did not get a definite result.

Based on Amasawa Ichika's words, this guy from Class A is clearly a collaborator of Class 1-D, just like Ryuen Kakeru from Class C, and is very likely the spy who has been lurking in the class all along.

To Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's disappointment, the three of them only touched on this topic briefly before returning to chatting with great interest about things between girls that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka considered utterly pointless.

By the time Karuizawa Kei and Sakura Airi South China Sea a break to drink some water, they had been chatting about all sorts of things, from which restaurant on the third floor of the Keyaki Mall had the best dishes to the interesting topics they had encountered so far in their Uninhabited Island Exam. Nearly half an hour had passed.

The three of them didn't seem to be in a hurry to find a nearby topic to participate in. Instead, they strolled around quite leisurely, as if they were looking for a topic they liked, or one that offered a chance to upgrade a regular card.

While looking at the electronic map and the distribution of topics on his watch, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka calmly made the above deduction.

After all, two of the three members of this group are holders of special cards. This means that if they complete a task that rewards them with an opportunity to upgrade a regular card, Kitagawa Ryo will have a two-thirds chance of getting that upgrade.

Of the four special card holders on the Uninhabited Island, Ryuen Kakeru has already partially withdrawn under his scheme, Shiina Hiyori is now acting with Kitagawa Ryo's group. Even considering this aspect, the best option right now is to keep an eye on Karuizawa Kei, the most threatening trio.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka hid behind a tree, his gaze subtly sweeping over the three of them, while information about each of them surfaced in his mind.

Karuizawa Kei, the class representative of Class 1-B, enjoys unparalleled popularity and prestige within the class, as evidenced by the incident a few days ago where she plotted against the other side, causing almost the entire Class B student to rush to the scene and confront Class A. However, she is also an old acquaintance of Kitagawa Ryo before entering the school, and the two have a very close relationship. There is even a mysterious organization within the grade that hopes the two will be together.

Amasawa Ichika, an outstanding graduate of the fifth class of the White Room, is said to have slightly worse grades than Yagami Takuya of the same class. However, whenever Ayanokoji Kiyotaka thinks that Yagami Takuya had been plotting against him shortly after entering the school, he even feels that Amasawa Ichika is more outstanding in terms of actual performance, although he has not yet figured out why the other party suddenly switched sides.

Sakura Airi, a former professional idol who was very popular among the boys in Class D and even the entire grade, would probably have a status in the school's popular circle no less than that of Kushida Kikyo and Ichinose Honami if she weren't so unsociable. What caught Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's attention the most was a piece of information he had received from the Student Council vice president Miyabi Nagumo Masaru: Nagumo had once taken advantage of a certain incident to demand ten million Private Points as compensation from the school, and the school had agreed to it.

That alone was enough for Ayanokoji Kiyotaka to take her seriously.

Frankly speaking, in Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's eyes, although Karuizawa Kei's group only had three people, their combat strength was basically no less than that of a full-strength elite group in Class A. If they encountered a suitable challenge, even Katsuragi Kohei's group might not be able to win easily.

Without exaggeration, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who also came from the White Room, didn't think that Katsuragi Kohei's group had any advantage over Amasawa Ichika, just like when they were defeated by one person in the [team dodgeball] project.

However, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had no doubt that he would win against this group.

If Amasawa Ichika's combat power is five, then he is one hundred.

Perhaps Kitagawa Ryo could learn about the course content and even tactics inside the White Room by relying on the other party's leaks, but the reverse is also true; Ayanokoji Kiyotaka also knows everything about the education that Amasawa Ichika has received so far.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka quietly went into hiding.

He was waiting for the moment when the other party would participate in the project and reveal a weakness.

Ishizaki Daichi Kitagawa Ryo shared the information about Ryuen Kakeru that Ishizaki Daichi had just given him with the others in their group, and he shook his head helplessly:

"Although the current situation is still unclear, the fact that Ryuen has been taken away by the school indicates that he is indeed involved in a significant matter."

"Let's take it one step at a time. The main problem is that this kind of thing can't be solved with a [Resurrection card]. After all, before we went to the island to take the exam, the school said that students who intentionally hurt others might even be expelled."

As if feeling it wasn't safe enough, Kitagawa Ryo added vaguely:

"If all else fails, I'll contact that guy from Class A again tonight; he should know the specifics better than we do."

Hearing Kitagawa Ryo speak like that, Ichinose Honami nodded in agreement:

"How about this, I'll ask my friends in Class A first, since Ishizaki's explanation was too brief. We don't even know who the injured student in Class A is."

"Is it convenient? Would the students in Class A really say that?"

Horikita Suzune, standing to the side, frowned slightly.

"It's incredibly unconvincing for the completely unsocial individual number one to say that."

Sakayanagi Arisu chuckled and made a light, teasing remark.

"The completely unsocial number two is just a case of the pot calling the kettle black."

Horikita Suzune also responded quite decisively.

Kitagawa Ryo watched the two bicker with a smile, but then he saw Ichinose Honami's call connect and gestured for them to be quiet.

After a brief but warm phone call, Ichinose Honami said goodbye with a big smile.

"There's no need to investigate at all."

Ichinose Honami briefly organized the information she had just obtained and slowly began to speak:

"Right now, everyone in Class A is indignant about how Ryuen Kakeru from Class C Malice pushed their classmate Hashimoto Masayoshi off the cliff."

"Hashimoto Masayoshi?"

Upon hearing the name, Kitagawa Ryo paused slightly, then immediately smiled.

"I see."

"In that case, wouldn't we have found a breakthrough?"

Chapter 214: We're waiting for you, guys.

Thanks to the numerous simulations conducted previously, especially Karuizawa Kei's second simulation, the name Hashimoto Masayoshi was not unfamiliar to Kitagawa Ryo.

In the timeline where Sakayanagi Arisu is assigned to Class D Class A, he is a capable assistant to Sakayanagi Arisu, repeatedly helping Sakayanagi Arisu in the struggle for Class A Leader against Katsuragi Kohei. He is a student who seems frivolous but is actually very thoughtful.

However, in a conversation between Sakayanagi Arisu and Kitagawa Ryo, the latter pointed out incisively that Hashimoto Masayoshi himself was not actually a fan of hers.

Compared to Kamuro Masumi, Sakayanagi Arisu personally approached and won over, Hashimoto Masayoshi was far too calculating and cunning. His so-called 'loyalty' to Sakayanagi Arisu was just like the frivolous 'princess' he spoke of—a mere gamble.

If we were to define him, Hashimoto Masayoshi could be considered a sophisticated egoist. All his thoughts and actions are driven by his own interests, and he adheres to a principle similar to that of a cunning rabbit with multiple burrows.

Whether in the simulation or in the present reality, he seems to have contacted Kanzaki Ryuji from Class B and even Ryuen Kakeru from Class C, as if he had paved the way for his future.

Yes, in his eyes, even the so-called Class A title is something that can be discarded, because being Class A now does not mean that he will still be Class A upon graduation.

Kitagawa Ryo quickly reviewed information about Hashimoto Masayoshi in his mind, and he could now roughly guess why the other party would team up with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka to stage such a grand drama.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had been in the same class as him for more than a semester, and with his keen eye, he could naturally see through Hashimoto Masayoshi nature, making negotiations much easier.

However, the Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was able to use Hashimoto Masayoshi means that they also have a chance to use him back, since Hashimoto Masayoshi is ultimately an egoist.

After mentally conceiving a preliminary plan for the follow-up, Kitagawa Ryo didn't make a fuss. He simply nodded and then asked Ichinose Honami:

Any further news about Class A?

"... Well, because Katsuragi others were spreading rumors around the camp about Ryuen pushing Hashimoto off the cliff, many Class A students were quite resentful and said things like they wanted all the Class C students eliminated and Ryuen expelled from school."

"See, that's how you build up a sense of collective honor."

Sakayanagi Arisu raised her pretty eyebrows beside her:

"Team unity always requires a common enemy; it's just that this time, it was Class C who ran into Class A's line of fire."

"However, I don't think Ryuen would do such a thing."

Even Ibuki Mio, who usually doesn't like Ryuen Kakeru, unusually stood up and said something. Seeing everyone's eyes turn to her, she calmly crossed her arms and added:

"He's not stupid enough to get caught red-handed after doing something like this."

"That's true."

Horikita Suzune nodded in agreement. Class D and Class C had already established a semi-cooperative relationship, and they had just had lunch with Ryuen Kakeru that morning. If the other side really intended to attack the students of Class A, they would have mentioned it as well. After all, they hadn't even hidden important information such as 'BB bombs,' which could be related to the final project.

"My current worry is that Hashimoto will insist that Ryuen pushed him after he wakes up."

Shiina Hiyori frowned slightly. Although she didn't particularly like Ryuen Kakeru either, Class 1-C couldn't do without him, so she voiced her concerns.

"There's no need to worry about that."