The Special Exam Ends

Meanwhile, in Dorm 528.

Etsuka, Ichinose, Kanzaki, and the others sat drinking juice.

Kanzaki was the first to speak.

"Horikita, why did you call us here?"

Ichinose blinked, just as puzzled.

"I'm going to summarize what we know." As Etsuka spoke, he took a notebook and pen from the desk and began jotting down some notes.

"The information that's come to light about Class A includes Secret Keys like [Justice] and [Order]. We can't be completely certain, but [Justice] is much more likely than [Order]."

"That's true." Ichinose nodded thoughtfully.

"After all, Classmate Sakayanagi admitted it herself. There's a chance she was trying to mislead us, but [Justice] is very likely to be the Secret Key."

"Next is Class C..." Horikita Etsuka wrote "Class C" on the draft paper.

"Wait, our enemy is Class A, right? Why are we talking about Class C?" Kanzaki continued, looking puzzled. "Besides, we've never had any contact with Class C. We don't have any information about them."

Ichinose looked equally confused, but she didn't ask. She thought for a moment, and a glimmer of surprise immediately flashed in her eyes.

Horikita Etsuka turned to meet Ichinose's gaze and smiled.

"That's right, Ichinose. Just like you guessed, I spent the time I was missing during art class in Class C."

Kanzaki's expression grew complicated. He asked uncertainly, "Horikita, you used class time to approach Class C. Don't tell me you also found out their Secret Key?"

"No, I didn't." Horikita Etsuka shook his head honestly.

"Phew. I see." Kanzaki nodded, relieved.

After all, if Etsuka had managed to find out Class C's Secret Key while visiting them, that would have been downright absurd.

He hadn't just made small talk during class time in Classes A and D; he'd also used going to the bathroom as an excuse to gather information during gym class in Classes C and D.

He was a master of time management. If he'd actually obtained Class C's Secret Key, he would have carried the whole team on his own.

Just as Kanzaki was about to ask whether he'd learned anything else in Class C, Etsuka spoke up.

"But... I did find out Class C's Secret Key after class, and I'm 80% certain it's correct."

Etsuka's words stopped Kanzaki in his tracks. He stared at Etsuka strangely, as if he were looking at a monster.

Etsuka modestly waved his hand.

"Don't look at me like that, Kanzaki. I just got lucky."

Ichinose tilted her head, her eyes bright with surprise. "Horikita, you really are modest, giving all the credit to luck."

She was surprised that Etsuka knew Class C's Secret Key, but nowhere near as surprised as Kanzaki. Somehow, it didn't seem that strange to her that Etsuka had found it out.

"It was mostly a coincidence. I got leverage over someone in Class C, which let me make sure the Secret Key was accurate."

Etsuka said nothing about Karuizawa being bullied, and simply glossed over the matter. No one would want more people to know about it, after all.

"So... what's Class C's Secret Key?" Kanzaki asked curiously.

Etsuka took his ballpoint pen and wrote two words beside "Class C" on the draft paper: [Conquest].

"[Conquest]? That does sound like Ryuen," Ichinose said with a nod.

Kanzaki rubbed his chin and nodded.

"It sounds pretty childish, but it's very likely to be accurate."

"Right. After I found out the Secret Key, I made small talk with a few people in Class C. The general idea was [Conquest]."

As for why he hadn't questioned half the class to verify the Secret Key:

First, that could put them on guard. Ryuen might realize Etsuka already knew the Secret Key, then have everyone settle on a different one to throw him off—or he might use the rules to reveal the key outright and end the exam.

Second, it would be exhausting. Getting information out of people who were on their guard was difficult.

Only people who naturally came across as friendly could pull it off, like Ichinose and Kushida.

Otherwise, someone like his older sister Suzune, who always wore a stern expression, would have no chance of getting anything out of them. She might even make them more wary.

"So, Horikita, did you call us here to tell us Class C's Secret Key?" Ichinose asked.

Etsuka raised his brows and turned to her. "Of course not. I wanted to discuss whether we should withdraw now."

"Withdraw?" Both Kanzaki and Ichinose furrowed their brows in thought.

They were both smart, and quick to catch on.

They now had a good chance of knowing Class C's Secret Key. The rules had been clear: once the spy submitted an answer for a Secret Key, their class's exam would end immediately and summer vacation would begin.

There were several benefits to doing so.

First, they could secure 100 Class Points.

Second, if they went straight into summer vacation, Class A would have very little opportunity to approach Class B. They would have to find a way to contact Class B themselves, and if they approached them with some personal agenda, anyone would be suspicious.

That would make it almost impossible for the Secret Key to leak.

There were downsides, too.

First, the Secret Key might be wrong, costing them 100 Class Points, though that was unlikely.

Second, they wouldn't be able to earn any more Class Points.

So whether they looked at the benefits or the drawbacks, there was one common factor: everyone's contact with the people in Class B would decrease, reducing the risk of their Secret Key being exposed.

After all, as long as no one learned a class's Secret Key, that class would earn 100 Class Points.

So even if Manabe's Secret Key was wrong, as long as they protected their own class's Secret Key, their Class Points wouldn't change.

From that perspective, submitting the answer now was practically the best decision.

Etsuka watched the two think, twirling his ballpoint pen between his fingers. "So, what do you think?"

"Horikita, I think submitting now would be good. It's the safer choice, and the extra time would let us hold class activities and reward everyone for all their hard work lately."

Ichinose was completely in favor. She didn't see much risk, and they would still receive a substantial reward, so it was the perfect choice.

Etsuka nodded, then looked at Kanzaki.

Kanzaki Ryuji simply said, "It's up to you, Horikita. I'll go with your decision. You've done the most work, after all."

"Okay." Seeing that neither of them objected, Etsuka took out his Student Terminal in front of them, opened the anonymous system, and prepared to submit the final answer.

[Please enter each class's Secret Key]

Class A:

Class C:

Class D:

Ignoring the other classes, he entered [Conquest] in the Class C field.

Almost at the same moment, all three of their terminals chimed with a new message.

To all students and teachers:

[The Class B spy has submitted an answer for a Secret Key. The exam will now end, and summer vacation will begin. We wish everyone a happy summer vacation.]

In a dorm room, Sakayanagi sat quietly at her desk, reading a book. When the notification chimed, she opened her Student Terminal and carefully read every word.

[Hm? Did Class B submit Justice as the Secret Key?]

Sakayanagi shook her head. She thought of Etsuka's unpredictable ways, and her brows knitted slightly.

[Not being able to control things really is frustrating.]

Then, without any change in expression, she put down her Student Terminal and continued reading, as if nothing had happened.

Dunhuang KTV.

Ryuen sat with one leg crossed over the other, looking at his Student Terminal with a slight frown.

"So Class A's Secret Key got out? Interesting..."

He scrolled down the screen and frowned slightly at the Secret Key Manabe had sent him.

Manabe Shiho: "Class D's Secret Key is [Ryuen Big Bastard]."

"What a joke. Those idiots in Class D think they can anger me with this?" Ryuen muttered to himself.

"[Ryuen Big Bastard]. Now that's interesting..."

As he thought this, he opened the anonymous system and posted a message.

Number 429: "You Class D losers still haven't figured out our Secret Key? I'm about to submit it."

Then Ryuen tossed his Student Terminal onto the other end of the sofa.

He clasped his hands behind his head and lay back on the sofa.

"Now let's see how those Class D clowns react."

Sorry, everyone! Could you send the author a few free likes? I want to experience what it feels like to earn five yuan in a day. (◦˙▽˙◦)

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