The Choice of Spy

Class B.

"So, Teacher, are we supposed to create the Secret Key right here and now?" Ichinose asked.

Hoshinomiya nodded and said:

"That's right. Not only that, but we also have to choose a spy."

"Wait? Isn't the identity of the spy supposed to be strictly confidential?" Kanzaki Ryuji asked, looking puzzled.

If he remembered correctly, the rules explicitly stated that the spy's identity was kept absolutely secret, meaning even the members of the class wouldn't know who the spy was.

"Yes, that's true, but let's decide on the Secret Key first before we worry about the spy," Hoshinomiya said.

"Deciding on a Secret Key..." Ichinose pondered for a moment before saying: "Since it requires a majority vote, we can just come up with a few options, write them on the blackboard, and then hold a vote."

Hoshinomiya stepped back toward the door and said: "That works too. As long as more than half the class agrees, it'll be fine."

Seeing Hoshinomiya's attitude, Ichinose understood immediately. This was a case of letting the students make their own choices, and Hoshinomiya's step back was her way of signaling that she wouldn't interfere.

"In that case..." Ichinose stood up and looked at everyone: "Everyone, suggest Secret Keys that meet the requirements. I'll write them on the blackboard, and then we'll hold a vote!"

"Agreed!"

"That works, let's just listen to Ichinose!"

"I agree as well."

The members of Class B voiced their approval one after another.

Amikura Mako pondered for a moment and said: "I watched a movie recently called Reunion Under the Cherry Blossom Tree. Why don't we start by writing that down?"

"Sure." Ichinose nodded and picked up a piece of chalk to write it on the board.

"Then I'll pick a number! 54188! It's absolutely perfect!"

Ichinose nodded and wrote it down.

"Ryuen is a big idiot! Let's just go with that one!" Nakanishi Jiro said, crossing his arms with a satisfied look on his face.

"This..." Ichinose paused with the chalk, seemingly considering the feasibility of that phrase.

Is this phrase a bit too insulting?

Horikita Etsuka clearly noticed Ichinose's hesitation and said:

"Actually, this is fine. After all, if the other side really managed to dig up this information, they wouldn't immediately be convinced it's the real Secret Key, right? They'd likely have a lot of doubts instead."

"Good brother, Etsuka, you really get me!" Nakanishi Jiro patted his chest, a display of brotherhood that was quite moving.

Hearing Etsuka's explanation, Ichinose finally nodded and wrote that name down as well.

Watching everyone suggest various Secret Keys, Horikita Etsuka had a flash of inspiration, recalling a TV show he had seen in his previous life, and said: "Mysterious Square Root of Three, let's write that one down too."

"Mysterious Square Root of Three?" Ichinose muttered to herself as she wrote down the numerical version.

Kanzaki Ryuji looked at this unique Secret Key and was instantly pleased.

"Mysterious Square Root of Three—this is a truly excellent choice for a Secret Key."

First, it satisfies the requirement for coherence.

Second, this kind of phrase has no specific meaning and sounds vague and confusing.

Third, if another class tries to investigate the Secret Key, even if they succeed, they will be left guessing between the words "square root of three" and the number "square root of three."

As a result, many Secret Keys appeared, but after the final screening, only [Ryuen is a big idiot], [Mysterious ∫3], and [Unity] remained for the final selection.

Although [Ryuen is a big idiot] was very popular, the number of serious students in the class outweighed the pranksters, so after much consideration, [Mysterious ∫3] was officially chosen as the Secret Key for Class B!

This made Nakanishi Jiro shake his head and sigh: "Seriously, it only lost by a few votes. It's a shame to lose such a good Secret Key."

"Hoshinomiya-sensei, we've made our choice," Ichinose said.

Hoshinomiya had only been gone for a moment, but she now carried a faint scent of alcohol. She looked at the final Secret Key on the blackboard and said, a bit dazed:

"Hmm~ Mysterious ∫3, that's certainly creative."

Ichinose said with a hint of worry: "It contains symbols; I wonder if that's allowed?"

Hoshinomiya smiled and took out her phone: "Don't worry about that. If it weren't allowed, I wouldn't have been able to submit it in the first place."

She tapped on her phone and then displayed the screen showing a successful submission: "There! Submission successful. You all better keep that Secret Key safe!"

Hearing that the submission was successful, Ichinose finally breathed a sigh of relief. If it hadn't gone through, she probably would have had to use [Ryuen is a big idiot], given that it had only lost by a few votes.

"Alright, now everyone, please take out your Student Terminal and open the Anonymous Chat System!" Hoshinomiya reminded them.

"Anonymous Chat System?" Etsuka opened his Student Terminal and saw a prompt indicating it was loading.

After waiting for about two or three seconds, the system indicated that it had loaded successfully.

He noticed that a new gray chat bubble had appeared on the original interface.

"Is this the Anonymous Chat System?" Etsuka clicked on it, filled with curiosity.

[Please enter the name of the spy for this class!]

A large data entry box appeared directly on the screen.

"Hmm?" At the same moment, Ichinose and the others all looked up at Hoshinomiya, waiting for her explanation.

Hoshinomiya said, "This is the time for the class to choose a spy. Based on the names entered by everyone, an anonymous big data tally will be conducted. Whoever receives the most votes will become the spy for this class."

"Really? Then I'm going to start!" Nakanishi Jiro looked left and right, preparing to enter a name.

"Everyone, wait a moment!" Kanzaki Ryuji stood up, interrupting those who were about to enter their names.

"I think it would be better if we discussed this first. Although the rules state that the spy's identity is absolutely confidential, it also mentions later that it is the school that keeps it confidential.

Given the current situation, it seems we can choose for ourselves. Since that's the case, why don't we choose someone we trust to be the spy?"

"That's true." Kurakara nodded, expressing her full agreement.

"Then, Kanzaki, who do you suggest we choose?" Nakanishi Jiro asked, scratching the back of his head.

Horikita Etsuka stretched his back.

"Kanzaki, what you said is indeed correct, but have you thought about one problem?"

"What problem?" Kanzaki asked, somewhat puzzled.

"What you said is a fact, but the spy aspect is relative. If we use the method of everyone voting to choose a spy, while the spy may have ability, the risk of exposure also increases significantly. You have to know that the rules clearly state that if one can provide information about the spy, they will be rewarded with 500,000 private points."

"And it's not that I don't trust everyone; on the contrary, I believe that even with anonymous voting, everyone will be able to vote for the right candidate."

These words not only reminded Kanzaki but also made everyone feel it was reasonable, as most of the class members were rational.

"Hmm... Horikita-kun is also absolutely correct." Kobashi Yume nodded thoughtfully.

"So that's what you think, Horikita." Kanzaki Ryuji nodded. "I was too impatient. You are right, Horikita."

Kanzaki was not angry that Horikita Etsuka had refuted his point of view; instead, he generously acknowledged the other's perspective.

"Since that's the case, let's all start voting." Ichinose also said at the appropriate time.

Everyone began to operate their phones, selecting the person they felt was suitable.

And Horikita Etsuka also entered five characters into his Student Terminal.

Ichinose Honami.

For no other reason than Ichinose's terrifying affinity, Horikita Etsuka felt she was the perfect candidate.

As for who would eventually become the spy? It would likely be a popular character from Class B, right?

Ichinose, Kanzaki Ryuji...

Wait!

I seem to have forgotten about myself.

Just then, an email popped up.

Etsuka opened it and raised an eyebrow.

You have been selected as the spy by the anonymous vote of Class B.

If you can't find the book title, you can try searching for the author; perhaps it just changed its name!

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