The first light of dawn broke as the night passed.
The sun slowly climbed into the deep blue sky.
Beneath the azure sky stretched a vast, endless sea.
Seagulls spread their wings and soared freely, their crisp cries ringing out now and then.
The sea breeze blew.
At eight in the morning, Yi Chen was already sitting at the desk, reading a manga.
"Bzz~"
Yi Chen's phone vibrated.
Yi Chen slowly picked it up.
"It's finally started?"
Yi Chen glanced at the message and saw that he wasn't the VIP.
"That's strange. If I'm not the VIP..."
"Then what did it mean that the First Wall opened?"
After thinking it over, Yi Chen decided he should first find the people from yesterday's group.
"If... if..."
Yi Chen hoped.
Yi Chen went to find Ken Sudō first.
He went to Ken Sudō's room.
"Knock, knock."
Ken Sudō opened the door and looked at Yi Chen, both nervous and excited.
Ken Sudō quickly pulled Yi Chen into the room.
Excitedly, he told Yi Chen that he was the VIP.
Yi Chen was surprised for a moment, then understood.
"What did it mean when the first door opened?"
Ken Sudō, who hadn't originally been the VIP, had been changed into one.
Yi Chen smiled without saying a word.
After thinking it over, he told Ken Sudō:
"From now on, you're not the VIP. I am."
Ken Sudō asked in confusion:
"What's going on, Brother Yi Chen? Are you a VIP too?"
Yi Chen replied calmly:
"No."
"There's only one VIP in each group."
Ken Sudō suddenly understood.
"Ah, I guess you're right."
Yi Chen said:
"What we talked about yesterday was probably just a joke."
"Think about it. If every person in every group got 500,000 points..."
"Wouldn't that mean the original class standings wouldn't change?"
Ken Sudō said nervously:
"Oh, oh, oh, I get it. So that's how it is."
"I understand what you mean."
Yi Chen said:
"Exactly. It wouldn't matter if Class A's standing stayed the same."
"But we're Class D, with Class C and Class B above us."
"What we suggested yesterday couldn't possibly happen."
Ken Sudō said:
"Don't worry, Yi Chen. I understand. But we can't switch who the VIP is."
Yi Chen said:
"That's simple. Right now, are you and I the only ones who know?"
Ken Sudō said:
"Yeah. You came to find me as soon as the message arrived."
Yi Chen said:
"Then that's all we need. The two of us just have to act like I'm the VIP in front of everyone else."
Ken Sudō didn't quite understand, but he still agreed.
Yi Chen said:
"Now we should go share this information with the class."
Yi Chen took out his phone and said to Ken Sudō:
"Use my phone for now. I'll take yours and show everyone in class that I'm the VIP."
Ken Sudō scratched his head.
"Brother Yi Chen, are you doing this because of Kushida, like last time?"
Yi Chen said:
"Yeah, just in case."
Ken Sudō asked:
"Did something happen between you two? Why are you so sure she's a traitor?"
"She helped me out last time, too."
Yi Chen asked:
"Do you trust me?"
Ken Sudō said:
"Don't worry. I trust you more than Kushida. I just don't know why."
"Kushida's usually pretty nice to everyone."
"Did you see her betray us?"
Yi Chen replied calmly:
"Not exactly. You can figure it out from your own exam result."
"Only you and I know that you're the VIP."
"If you keep your mouth shut and I don't say anything, do you think anyone will figure it out?"
Ken Sudō looked at Yi Chen's expressionless face.
"Fine. I'll see what this is all about."
Soon, everyone arrived at the Class D Conference Hall.
It was much like a classroom.
On the cruise ship, each class still had its own conference hall.
Most of the students had arrived at the Class D Conference Hall.
Everyone began sharing information.
There were VIPs from Class D in both the Mars Group and the Saturn Group.
Mars: Karuizawa
Saturn: Yi Chen
Using Ken Sudō's phone, Yi Chen showed everyone the email. They learned that Yi Chen was the VIP.
Kushida quietly took note of this information.
Afterward, everyone began discussing in class what they should do next.
Yi Chen took Ken Sudō and Airi with him.
It was better for everyone in one group to stay together.
Sato said softly:
"So Yi Chen is the VIP. Our class is safe now."
Airi said:
"Sato, you should stop talking. Be careful someone hears you. That could make things difficult for Yi Chen."
Sato stuck her tongue out at Airi.
"Bleh~"
"I get it. Why are you so concerned about Yi Chen, Airi?"
Airi blushed.
Yi Chen made a shushing gesture to Sato.
"Sato, you look really pretty today."
Sato's face turned red at his words.
The three of them ate breakfast together and chatted about the exam.
Then they went back to take care of their own things.
Ken Sudō swallowed nervously and thought:
"I'm not the VIP. Brother Yi Chen is."
"Man, this is the first time I've done something this thrilling. I'm so excited."
"If there really is someone who betrays the class, like Yi Chen said, I'll teach him a lesson."
"The stars of this Special Exam are me, the great Ken Sudō, and my good buddy Yi Chen."
"Yi Chen doesn't like being in the spotlight, so that means I'll be..."
Ken Sudō started imagining everyone looking at him with admiration and praising him one by one.
He grinned foolishly.
Soon, it was one in the afternoon, and Yi Chen and the others arrived at the Saturn Group Discussion Room on the sixth floor of the cruise ship.
Yi Chen looked at the people in the room.
The room was spacious, with a huge round table in the center.
There were fourteen seats.
The room felt more like a large living room.
There was also a sofa, a TV, a water dispenser, and a refrigerator.
Yi Chen and the others went over to the round table.
Yi Chen recognized a few familiar faces.
Tangben Yishan greeted Yi Chen warmly.
Albert and Kanzaki looked at Yi Chen and the others impassively.
Then everyone in the room turned to look at the four of them.
Yi Chen nodded to them, his expression unchanged.
Then the four of them took their seats.
Once everyone was seated, nobody said anything for a while.
Tangben Yishan was the first to break the awkward silence.
"Hello, everyone. I'm sure many of us here don't know one another."
"Why don't we introduce ourselves first?"
The people from Class C looked helplessly at Tangben Yishan.
Ken Sudō eagerly stood up and introduced himself.
The atmosphere grew awkward.
The room fell silent.
Tangben Yishan went ahead and introduced everyone from his class.
Though he was frustrated, there wasn't much he could do about his classmates.
Ken Sudō introduced Yi Chen and the others as well.
The students from Classes A and B looked at the two of them with helpless expressions.
Ken Sudō and Tangben Yishan put on another double act.
The students from Classes A and B reluctantly began introducing themselves, too.
The seven seats on the left were occupied by:
Class A: Hashimoto Masayoshi
Class A: Kamuro Masumi
Class A: Yamamura Miki
Class B: Kanzaki Ryuji
Class B: Himeno Yuki
Class B: Beppu Ryota
Class C: Tangben Yishan
The other three people on the right, besides Yi Chen and his three companions, were:
Class C: Shiina Hiyori
Class C: Albert
Class C: Nishino Takeko
The atmosphere among everyone was cold.
After introducing themselves, they all began sizing up the students from the other classes.
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