The Queen's Trap and the Manipulator's Counterattack

The night wind was cool.

It blew against Kushida Kikyo's face, but it could not cool her overheated mind.

Natsume Yu did not speak immediately.

He merely listened in silence, his fingertips unconsciously tapping against the wall in a steady rhythm: tap, tap.

Each tap struck Kushida Kikyo's heart.

Pressure.

An unprecedented pressure radiated from this man.

He clearly had done nothing, and even his expression had barely changed, yet the air around them had grown so heavy that it was hard to breathe.

Sakayanagi Arisu.

For Natsume Yu, that name also meant trouble.

A genuine opponent on an intellectual level.

He knew the plot, but he was not an omniscient god.

Plans like Sakayanagi's, constructed on the spot from available information, were the greatest uncertainty for a "prophet" like him.

After a long while, the tapping stopped.

Natsume Yu suddenly let out a low laugh.

"Heh..."

The laugh was soft, yet it made Kushida Kikyo tremble all over.

"Kushida."

Natsume Yu turned his head. Under the moonlight, his eyes were astonishingly bright.

"You did very well."

He looked at the girl whose cheeks were flushed from running and whose breathing was unsteady, his tone carrying undisguised praise.

"This is your value."

"Without you, I'd still be blind, waiting for that woman Sakayanagi to checkmate me."

Relief.

Yes, relief.

For the first time, he clearly realized just how correct his decision to keep the Kushida Kikyo card in his hand had been.

Information was always the most important bargaining chip at the gaming table.

Kushida Kikyo froze.

She had not expected to receive such praise.

But then, she saw the smile on Natsume Yu's face grow increasingly amused and... excited.

It was the expression of a chess player who had found the perfect opponent, of a hunter who had discovered the ideal prey.

"A trap?"

Natsume Yu repeated the word, the curve of his lips widening.

"No, that isn't a trap."

"It's the most magnificent stage she built for me with her own hands!"

He took out his phone, his fingers flying rapidly across the screen.

A new instruction was sent to Ayanokoji's phone through an encrypted channel.

"First, contact Ichinose Honami from Class B. Tell her that Class A intends to exploit loopholes in the rules and attack Class C's weak points. Make her think there's an opportunity for her to profit while the others fight."

"Second, find a way to approach Ryuen Kakeru from Class C. In an 'accidental' manner, let him learn that Class A seems to be studying the psychological weakness of a student in Class D and is preparing an attack outside the exam."

"Remember, mix truth with lies. The more absurd it sounds, the more likely it is that a suspicious bastard like him will take the bait."

Kushida Kikyo listened to those instructions, her mind going blank.

W-what was he doing?

Wasn't this the same as handing information to Class B and Class C for free?

Natsume Yu ignored her shock. His fingers did not stop moving.

He switched to another anonymous social media account and found a quiet book club.

There, he found the girl named Shiina Hiyori.

Posing as a fellow literature enthusiast, he sent her a private message.

"I've been reading Crime and Punishment lately, and a rather interesting paradox occurred to me. If the motive behind a supposedly perfect plan is seen through from the very beginning, would all the executor's efforts ultimately become a wedding dress made for someone else?"

Sent.

Only after finishing all of that did Natsume Yu put away his phone and look at the still-dazed Kushida Kikyo.

"Now comes the final step."

His voice was calm, yet it carried a power that seemed to control everything.

"I'm going to make Ayanokoji play a complete and utter fool in front of Sakayanagi."

"He'll deliberately gather incorrect exam ranges. He'll deliberately discuss battle plans full of holes in public. He'll lay Class D's 'true intentions' out clearly before Sakayanagi."

"I want her to believe she's already won."

"I want her to think she has every person in Class D wrapped around her finger."

Class A's dormitory.

Sakayanagi Arisu held a cup of black tea as she sat elegantly in her chair.

Before her stood a Class A student, respectfully reporting the latest developments.

"...According to our observers, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka from Class D spent all afternoon in the library looking through the exam ranges from last year and the year before. He seems to be trying to find a pattern."

"Also, he had an argument with Sudo Ken from his class. It was about the candidates for the final presentation. From the sound of it, they seem to be planning to have Horikita Suzune handle all the presentation duties alone."

As she listened to her subordinate's report, a victorious smile curled Sakayanagi Arisu's lips.

Foolish.

Utterly foolish.

Did they think they could guess the special rules for this exam by relying on old exam questions?

Did they think placing all their bets on Horikita Suzune alone would allow them to handle every challenge at the presentation?

Class D truly was nothing more than a rabble.

That Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was nothing but an ordinary mediocrity as well.

Everything was under control.

"Very good."

She gently set down her teacup, producing a crisp sound.

"Continue monitoring them. Do not alert them."

"Let them remain in the dream they've woven for themselves a little longer."

She had no idea that everything she saw and heard was only what Natsume Yu wanted her to see and hear.

She believed herself to be a chess player, yet she had long since become a chess piece whose every move had been precisely calculated.

The night grew deeper.

Kushida Kikyo stood beside Natsume Yu, her body trembling slightly from both the cold and excitement.

In those few short minutes just now,

she had personally witnessed how this man had built an even larger, more intricate, and more terrifying countermeasure network against Sakayanagi Arisu's plan.

Contacting Class B was meant to muddy the waters, turning Ichinose into a smokescreen to confuse Sakayanagi.

Approaching Class C was meant to awaken Ryuen's savagery, turning him into a vicious dog that would tear into Class A.

Hinting at Shiina Hiyori was meant to bury a seed beside that vicious dog Ryuen, one that could explode at any moment.

And having Ayanokoji deliberately show weakness was meant to numb Sakayanagi herself, so that at the height of her triumph, she would receive the deadliest blow!

One link after another.

Every step was precise to the extreme.

This man...

He was not dealing with a crisis.

He was enjoying this game!

Kushida Kikyo felt as though even her breathing had stopped.

She looked at the man's back before her, her heart pounding wildly beyond her control.

It was not fear.

It was a trembling admiration.

For the first time, she understood so deeply just how mad, yet how correct, her choice to become his "accomplice" had been.

All the pieces were in place.

The fates of Classes A, B, C, and D would collide most violently at tomorrow's final presentation.

Natsume Yu turned around and looked out at the pitch-black sea beyond the window, the sea breeze stirring the ends of his hair.

Without turning back, he said to Kushida Kikyo behind him in an offhand tone:

"Tomorrow, I'll let you see with your own eyes what true 'domination' is."

At his words, Kushida Kikyo's body shuddered violently.