The Mastermind Behind the Scenes, Starting with *The Fruit of Grisaia*

Ichinose had already retorted first:

"What if we encounter multiple Evil Spirits? Don't forget that the Black Sphere's hint mentioned hidden monsters."

"Ryuen, I know you want to earn points for the class, but please don't be too impatient for now. I don't believe that class ranking is more important than everyone's lives at a time like this."

As soon as these words were spoken, Kamuro and Shiranami, who had already disagreed, nodded like pounding garlic.

Katsuragi and Sakayanagi, after weighing the pros and cons, also tacitly accepted this "sticking together" strategy.

After all, compared to those few points, staying alive was the prerequisite for everything.

Seeing that the general trend was set, Ryuen Kakeru did not deliberately play the contrarian.

He was in no rush.

Anyway, there were plenty of people more anxious than him.

For instance...

Su Wei's gaze drifted past the crowd and landed on the black-haired girl who was bowing her head in deep thought.

She pressed her lips tightly together, head lowered, her nails digging deep into her palms.

Is she afraid?

Of course she is afraid.

That suffocating feeling of near-death from just a moment ago was something she never wanted to experience a second time in her life.

But...

If it were my brother, he certainly wouldn't shrink back like this, would he?

Horikita Manabu was a man who had stood tall in this cruel school for three years and sat firmly on the throne of the Student Council President.

If she retreated just like this, without even this bit of resolve...

That would mean she would lose the qualification to chase after her brother forever!

I cannot retreat!

I must earn points! I must prove my worth!

As if having made a certain resolution, Horikita's eyes became resolute.

And while everyone was reorganizing their formation, preparing to continue the advance.

Su Wei quietly activated his Teigu.

Although it was suspicious of being a cheat, one had to consider that not only could he brain-control the GANTZ, but he also carried a few Trap and Quick-Play cards on him.

[Magic Cylinder], [Water Barrier], [Called by the Grave]...

Turn it on? It was never turned off to begin with!

Besides, he didn't intend to snatch these low-level mobs from this group of novices this time.

He was purely watching them perform, and by the way...

"Might as well use it if I have it."

One item per day; Su Wei believed that one still needed to give enough respect to their golden finger!

It just so happened that [Spectator] possessed the ability to foresee the future.

When he encountered that "three-in-one Parasite BOSS" he had specifically prepared for this exam later, he could use it to test if he could cosplay a Bankai.

The subsequent advance went exceptionally smoothly.

Having grasped the rule of "if you can't see it, it's fine," this group of elite students quickly demonstrated a high level of adaptability.

Using bait tactics to flank and land headshots, they fought steadily and successfully eliminated three more Evil Spirits.

Ryuen, Katsuragi, and Sakayanagi each claimed a kill.

Following this trend, if nothing unexpected happened, with twenty Evil Spirits to go around, everyone would likely be able to get two kills each.

"That's great..."

Ichinose Honami wiped the sweat from her forehead, her heart slightly at ease:

"It seems that this time, there's a chance for an ending where no one gets hurt!"

However, while Ichinose thought this way, someone else did not feel the same.

At the end of the line.

Horikita Suzune hesitated for a long time before finally speeding up and pacing over to Su Wei.

She glanced at Sakayanagi and Kamuro, who were chatting and laughing with Ichinose up ahead, and lowered her voice:

"Aren't you on very good terms with those two women from Class A?"

"Do you want to... cooperate with me and look out for each other?"

Su Wei turned his head and looked at her, somewhat surprised.

The long-haired girl kept her face cold, but the way her hands gripped the gun handle betrayed her inner turmoil.

To be fair.

In terms of sheer capacity, she was indeed incomparable to Yukinoshita, and he decided to show some respect.

Su Wei withdrew his gaze:

"Why do you think I would leave the team to take such a risk?"

"Furthermore, even if I were to leave, why would I need to cooperate with you? Why not choose a veteran, like Ichinose or Sakayanagi?"

She clearly hadn't expected Su Wei to be so blunt.

But she quickly gathered her thoughts and analyzed:

"In this exam, aside from that hidden monster, there are only twenty Evil Spirits in total."

"Divided up, that's barely two kills per person."

"In other words, if we can't find the hidden monster, excluding Class A, which already has a numerical advantage, the final rankings will likely be decided by those last few Evil Spirits."

"Class A is already firmly in first place; they only need to guard against challenges from Class B and Class C, so there is no fundamental conflict of interest with our Class D."

The logic was clear, and the interests were well-defined.

If she had just said that from the start, it would have been over; she didn't even have the right attitude for someone asking for a favor.

Su Wei didn't answer immediately, instead turning his head to look at Sakayanagi Arisu.

With the help of Spectator, he could see her desperate need for points to cure her chronic illness.

Though, anyone with a brain could have guessed that.

"Well, Horikita from our class wants to pull us into a solo operation. I don't mind, but what are your thoughts?"

Sakayanagi Arisu stopped in her tracks:

"Let's wait a little longer."

"Sixteen Evil Spirits is still too many for this old school building."

"When the time actually comes to settle the rankings, factions will form automatically without us needing to team up."

As she spoke, Sakayanagi smiled:

"Don't you agree, Ryuen Kakeru?"

Ryuen Kakeru walked ahead, showing no intention of acknowledging Sakayanagi Arisu.

After all, he never intended to rely on hunting Evil Spirits to climb the rankings.

Not to mention Class A's advantage, the sheer number of Evil Spirits and the difficulty of hunting them meant the point value couldn't possibly be that high.

If one really wanted to widen the gap, it had to be done through that hidden monster.

He also knew that it would be difficult for him and Shiina Hiyori to take down the boss alone.

That was precisely why he had let Shiina Hiyori choose that unused Y-GUN.

Like Sakayanagi Arisu, he believed in the potential of the Y-GUN.

Along the way, the group relied on tactics to successfully add another kill to everyone's tally.

As the kill count increased, the initial fear gradually gave way to adaptation.

When they found another lone Evil Spirit, the group exchanged glances, reaching a silent understanding.

"Wait a second."

Ryuen Kakeru stopped and looked at the Y-GUNs in the hands of Shiina Hiyori and Kamuro Masumi.

"We need to test the effectiveness of that thing."

Watching the red dot on the screen draw closer, Ryuen Kakeru took the strangely shaped capture gun from Shiina Hiyori, weighed it in his hand, and said coldly:

"When it comes over, don't fire yet."

"Wait until I shoot, then decide whether to follow up based on the situation."

Neither Katsuragi nor Sakayanagi had any objections to this act of risking oneself to gather intelligence.

After all, someone had to be the guinea pig.

And so.

When an Evil Spirit with strange, spiraling indentations all over its body came wobbling around the corner of the staircase.

It walked straight up to Horikita Suzune.

Its twisted face was almost pressed against Horikita's nose, tilting its head as it muttered incessantly:

"Can you see me... can you see me..."

Horikita Suzune looked like she had just swallowed something bitter.

Why is it always me?!

Even with mental preparation, the nauseating stench still made her stomach churn.

While the Evil Spirit was still fixated on locking eyes with them, Ryuen Kakeru decisively pulled the trigger.

Accompanied by a burst of gas, the Laser Rope shot out.

Driven by thrusters, the three energy ropes shimmering with a ghostly blue light instantly coiled and tightened before the Evil Spirit could even react.

"Gaa... ah... gu-gu-ga-ga!"

The Evil Spirit's twisted limbs struggled desperately, its fingernails gouging dents into the wall, but the light ropes remained unmoved. Instead, they tightened further, sinking into its translucent spirit body and emitting a sizzling white smoke.

"No need for charging, no delay, and it can even directly bind spirit bodies..."

Witnessing the entire process, Katsuragi Kohei stroked his chin.

"A weapon specialized for support, then..."

"Hoo..."

Seeing the monster unable to move while so close, Horikita Suzune finally dared to let out a breath.

She forcefully suppressed the instinctive trembling of her body to maintain a calm exterior.

During a previous battle, someone had accidentally made a sound that drew the Evil Spirit's gaze.

When that unlucky soul instinctively reached out to block, they discovered that the mechanics of these Evil Spirits were extremely double-standard.

They could easily touch or even tear apart human flesh, yet humans were completely unable to touch or counterattack them, forced to rely solely on the weapons provided by the Black Sphere.

"Since the rope from the Black Gun can affect spirit bodies..."

Katsuragi Kohei cast his gaze toward Su Wei.