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

Ichinose offered no further explanation.

She simply bent down, reached into the basket, and picked out a brand-new basketball at random.

Then, without any leverage and relying solely on a one-handed grip.

Her five fingers suddenly exerted force onto the surface of the basketball.

"Creak—"

A teeth-grinding sound of compression rang out.

The next second.

"BANG!!!"

A deafening explosion.

Under the horrified gazes of everyone present, the basketball was actually crushed to pieces by her single hand!

Fragments scattered in all directions, and the intense gust of air even ruffled the bangs of the girls in the front row.

"What the hell?!"

Unlike the students from Class B who were already in the know and could barely maintain their composure.

Sudo and the rest of Class D let out a cry of shock, looking as if they had seen a ghost, all turning their eyes in unison toward Hirata Yosuke, who had been distributing the reports earlier.

"How is this possible?"

"Crushing a basketball with one hand? This must be a magic trick, right? There must be something wrong with that ball!"

Facing the skepticism, Hirata Yosuke shook his head, his tone serious:

"It's real. I checked it myself."

"Furthermore... I was pulled into the Black Sphere exam venue yesterday. The photos in the reports you're looking at were taken by Ayanokoji-kun and me while risking our lives."

"This is also why we decided not to hide it from everyone and chose to make the information public."

Given the credibility Hirata Yosuke had built up over time, no one spoke out in opposition for a moment.

Besides, the visual impact was simply too great for anyone to remain calm.

Ichinose Honami nodded:

"If you don't believe it, everyone is welcome to test the quality of the other basketballs here yourselves."

At this moment.

Horikita Suzune, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, suddenly stepped forward.

She didn't go to pick up a new basketball; instead, she reached down to pick up a piece of the shredded basketball skin from the floor and carefully felt the cross-section.

A moment later, she looked up, her voice cold and resolute:

"No need to test it."

"To crush a regulation-quality basketball with bare hands requires an instantaneous compressive force of over 500 to 1000 kilograms."

"And that's just accounting for the air pressure. The hardest part to overcome is the nylon winding layer inside the basketball; this material is extremely tough and designed to prevent the ball from deforming."

Horikita Suzune tossed the fragment aside, her gaze complex as she looked at the black material on Ichinose's wrist:

"The grip strength of an average adult male is usually around 40-50 kilograms. Even for a top-tier strongman or the person with the world's strongest grip, their power is only about 1/4 to 1/6 of what is required to crush a basketball."

"Humans... shouldn't be capable of such a thing," Sudo agreed.

As an athlete, faced with a display of power that could at least shatter bricks, he felt a sense of intimidation.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he looked at Ichinose, his expression changing instantly.

It was a mix of awe for the unknown and a yearning for superhuman strength.

If he could wear this suit to play basketball, he'd be a shoo-in for the national team.

Of course, provided it was allowed in a game.

Seeing that the shock-and-awe effect had been achieved, Ichinose took the opportunity to cast the final bait:

"The special exams are dangerous, but in exchange, they also offer a chance for growth."

"This combat suit is just the cheapest item available for exchange, yet its effects are already this astonishing... Those who have the ability and possess strong mental fortitude should try participating. Even if you don't want to participate, you should still have a proper understanding of it."

"So you won't be caught off guard if you're randomly pulled into an exam, or worse, lose your life for nothing."

--End of Chapter--

Note 1: Magic Glove: A glove-like item. When worn, it allows the user to interact with objects from several meters away. Somewhat similar to the Unseen Hand of the Sloth Sin Archbishop.

Note 2: Magic Butt: When the user slaps the buttocks of the model, the target person feels the pain of being physically struck, while the actual area of impact suffers no physical damage. The intensity and point of impact can be controlled by adjusting the angle of the model.

py: <Honkai: Star Rail, My Abstract Ability Refreshes Weekly>

A friend's book, it's almost finished, feel free to read.

Chapter 33: Why Is It That Only Humans Can't Be Eaten?

Watching the situation firmly under Ichinose Honami's control, Su Wei stood at the edge of the crowd and nodded to himself.

It was not just an acknowledgment of Ichinose's leadership, but also of... Kushida Kikyo.

They didn't approach him first, despite him being the one who had redeemed the combat suit, but chose Ichinose instead.

While it was possible that Su Wei usually appeared unapproachable, leading them to fear a cold reception, one had to admit that in the volatile environment of Class D, knowing how to leverage information gaps to quietly elevate one's status, rather than choosing the shortsighted path of concealment, was already quite clever.

His expectations for Kushida were indeed not high.

Considering that her pair of massive treasure chests had already ensured she had suffered enough hardship in advance, allowing her to enjoy a few privileges and comforts for the time being was harmless.

Just then.

Within the crowd, a trembling hand was raised.

"Um... Ichinose-san."

Urged on by the girls around her, Karuizawa Kei bit her lip, her voice trembling, yet she asked the question that the vast majority of those present were most desperate to know:

"If, and I mean if."

"If we neither want to participate in this dangerous exam nor want to live in constant fear of being randomly dragged into a test site..."

"Are we only left with the choice of dropping out?"

As soon as these words were spoken, many people's eyes lit up.

Although the combat suit Ichinose displayed was indeed strong—strong enough to make her look like a superhero—that required risking one's life!

People are always afraid of death.

Anyway, even if one managed to reach Class A and graduate from this school, it only guaranteed job placement.

To gamble away one's life for a vague and ethereal future—no matter how one looked at it, it wasn't worth it.

If we can't afford to offend them, can't we at least hide?

I'm not playing with you guys anymore; I'm leaving, okay?

Isn't it better to go home and inherit the family business or find a normal high school to fall in love?

Facing the hopeful gazes of the crowd, Ichinose Honami could not hide the bitterness on her face.

She shook her head and sighed:

"I'm sorry... I asked Hoshinomiya-sensei about this a long time ago."

"The answer I received was... before the arrival of the Black Sphere, one could indeed choose to drop out voluntarily. But now, the rules have changed."

Ichinose paused, and under the gradually stiffening gazes of the crowd, she spoke with some difficulty:

"Yesterday, because Amikura-san and Hirata-kun were dragged into the exam, I went to see the teacher again..."

"She said that the school has updated the rules."

"Previously, students would be expelled for failing tests, but now... all students who would have been expelled, including those who attempt to leak information about the Black Sphere to outsiders after the next exam begins, will be arranged into subsequent Black Sphere exams as 'consumables'... left to fend for themselves."

A deathly silence began to spread.

A few seconds later, panic erupted like a tidal wave.

"What?!!"

"This is too extreme!"

"This is illegal detention! I'm calling the police! I'm getting a lawyer!"

Seeing that the situation was about to spiral out of control, Kushida Kikyo, who had been acting as background scenery, stepped forward.

She took a step forward and said loudly with her highly infectious voice:

"Everyone! Please calm down!"

"Since we cannot resist, we must pull ourselves together and face reality!"

"Of course, the Black Sphere exams are indeed cruel, but I believe the school cannot possibly offer no opportunities at all!"

Kushida Kikyo scanned the crowd, her eyes bright with a sense of determination, and beyond that determination, a gentle tolerance.

"Perhaps the school is already formulating new assessment standards, such as performing exceptionally well in future exams to earn an exemption, or even the qualification for early graduation..."

"After all, the school is here to cultivate talent, not to kill us all, right?"

Although these words were entirely self-indulgent and lacked any basis, in such a moment of extreme panic, the more people fear death, the more cowardly they become; and the more cowardly they are, the more they need a reason to convince themselves to keep living.

When a reason appeared, even if they didn't fully believe it in their hearts, they would instinctively choose to grasp at this straw.

The commotion gradually subsided.

Su Wei looked at Kushida Kikyo with some surprise.

He wasn't sure if Kushida had been provoked by Ichinose earlier, but this current look of a compassionate saint... she was certainly playing the part well.

It is just a question of how long this mask can be maintained.

If her true nature were discovered and she were besieged by the very people she had been pacifying, would she break down in a fit of rage right then and there?

To be honest, Su Wei was looking forward to it.

But he had no intention of being the one to expose her.

After all, secrets like these cannot be kept forever; there was no need to go out of his way to play the villain.

However, the proposal from Kushida Kikyo was somewhat constructive and worth considering.

Beyond just barging in, they really ought to give the others some sense of participation.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, standing not far away, was just as surprised as Su Wei.

But it was not because he had sensed Kushida's true nature—truth be told, her daily facade was quite excellent.

Ayanokoji was simply astonished that, surrounded by the "hopeless cases" of Class D, Kushida Kikyo could still possess such a broad perspective.

Is it because she expanded her horizons by selling information to the upperclassmen before?

Ayanokoji mused, seemingly enlightened.

Simultaneously.

On the other side of the crowd.

Koenji Rokusuke, having learned from his family that they could not use their connections to pull him out for the time being—and that they were even tight-lipped about the reason—finally lowered his phone with a grim expression.

"If I had known it would come to this, I should have let them break my legs rather than come here... This is truly disgraceful."

He sighed, and just as he went to fix his hair, his gaze caught the screen of Sudo Ken's phone nearby.