"To be honest, I don't have much to offer. Under the Black Sphere's rules, real-world money is worthless. As for Private Points, I only have about 120,000 in my account. That's obviously not enough to equal the 'winner's privilege' of avoiding punishment."
"What I can promise is that after the game ends, I'll share everything Class B currently knows about the Black Sphere Exam—the rules, the monsters' weaknesses, and the hidden mechanics—without holding anything back or dressing it up."
Hearing that, Ayanokoji glanced at him in silence.
There was no denying it: Kanzaki Ryuji was a clever man.
He knew how to read the situation and how to make use of an information gap.
But in this unregulated black-box environment, no one could truly trust anyone.
Just as he'd expected, Machida Koji immediately gave a scoff.
"So, after all that, you're just offering to share information."
"Anyone can make empty promises like that. All it takes is moving your lips, right? Heh."
"Of course."
Kanzaki answered the challenge with ease. "That's exactly why I'm making the offer. Anyone can say it."
"I'm one of Class B's leaders, more or less. I'm sure you all know the principle Ichinose came up with for our class: 'Never abandon a classmate, and never betray one another.'"
"If I go back on my promise and word gets out, I won't have a place in Class B anymore."
"My reputation is my guarantee."
"Pretty words."
Kaneda Satoru scoffed, tearing the offer apart without mercy. "What if you're the self-sacrificing type? The kind who'd willingly ruin his own reputation for the sake of the class winning? Then we'd just be getting played for nothing."
Machida Koji chimed in. "Exactly. Tangible benefits would be more realistic."
"Then I'm out of ideas~"
Kanzaki spread his hands helplessly. "Besides sharing information, all I can offer is my Private Points. If we split them up, everyone might only get forty or fifty thousand."
At that, he suddenly turned, fixing his gaze on Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who had remained silent the whole time.
"Ayanokoji, what do you think?"
"If you don't have any ideas, I'll have to hear what Machida and Kaneda are willing to offer."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka raised an eyebrow.
He realized that the Wolf Card, which signified victory, had quietly returned to him.
After a brief moment's thought, he quickly came to a conclusion.
The information he currently had really wasn't enough to entice this group.
If he didn't want to force his way to victory by taking on three people at once and exposing his abilities, then accepting Kanzaki's offer and minimizing his losses was the best option.
"Class D has the fewest points, and I don't have any valuable information to offer."
Ayanokoji spoke calmly. "But I think that apart from me, none of you really have anything that could make a decisive difference, either."
"In that case, we might as well choose to trust Kanzaki—and Ichinose, who's backing him."
Seeing Ayanokoji take his side, Kanzaki Ryuji pressed his advantage.
"Since Ayanokoji is willing to trust me, I'll show my sincerity in advance."
"I don't know if you're aware, but Intruders pulled into the exam by the Black Sphere have their lives bound to it, and only get one extra chance."
"Those selected to take the test can earn a chance to fight back by taking part in the Black Sphere Trial, while also choosing one person from their class to take the test."
Machida Koji pursed his lips, clearly unimpressed by the information.
"Don't try to sell us something we can find out just by giving it a try. Right now, only Classes B and D have those black Combat Suits. Who's to say you aren't working together to target Classes A and C?"
Ayanokoji listened, pondering to himself.
Looks like Class A has tried it, too. So who in Class A has extra privileges? Sakayanagi Arisu?
Kanzaki Ryuji was about to argue his case again.
Kaneda Satoru suddenly pushed up his glasses and picked up the thread with a sinister smile.
"Even if they are targeting us, there's nothing we can do about it, is there?"
"After all, if we end up on the losing side and want to survive the Black Sphere Trial tonight, we'll still have to rely on those 'Qualified Ones' with their high-level equipment."
Machida Koji fell silent.
It was true. With such an overwhelming gap in strength, making enemies of the veteran players in advance would be foolish.
Seeing that the time was right, Kaneda Satoru revealed his true intentions.
"I'll drop out of the competition."
"But I want your 120,000 points. Consider it the interest Class B's Ichinose owes us."
Kanzaki Ryuji didn't hesitate. He immediately turned to Ayanokoji and Machida.
Machida Koji sighed, seemingly resigned. "Fine. Give me forty thousand, just to make it worth my while."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka didn't make any unnecessary moves, simply going along with it. "Give me forty thousand, too."
"Deal."
Kanzaki Ryuji smiled and nodded.
"Then, during tonight's Main Match, if you're in danger, Class B will prioritize covering you."
The Wolf and Sheep Game, which should have ended in bloodshed, had been defused just like that.
Everyone seemed to be getting along harmoniously, as if they'd perfectly upheld Ichinose's policy of peace.
But to Su Wei, watching from an all-seeing vantage point, the whole thing was rather dull.
He seemed to remember that the Wolf and Sheep Game had a way to exploit a bug. Weren't these rules being followed to the letter? Where was the mind game he wanted to see?
Maybe...
It was because he hadn't copied the original story exactly and had left out a few factors?
In that case, no worries.
To keep the story from ending on a disappointing note, he decided to get Ayanokoji, who'd had his fill of slacking off, to make a little move.
Of course, Su Wei wasn't going to directly change the rules of the game, much less take away their right to make a deal. He wasn't that underhanded.
He simply planned to add one sentence before the game ended.
And so.
As the thirty-minute countdown neared zero,
everyone tacitly avoided each other's eyes, leaving the Wolf Card with Kanzaki Ryuji.
As blue light began to rise beneath the feet of Ayanokoji and the other two, everyone except Kanzaki Ryuji,
an icy-blue screen appeared, accompanied by a cold notification.
[Test concluded.] [Congratulations to Kanzaki Ryuji for surviving as the 'Wolf.'] [As the winner, you may choose one of the following rewards:] [1. Five personal S Points.] [2. The privilege of exempting one classmate from being forcibly summoned as an 'Intruder' twice.] [3. Unlock partial information about the hidden monsters in tonight's Main Match, along with a 'privileged spot' allowing you, as the winner, to enter the Main Match and earn points.] [So, will you choose to cling to life, or— [Do you want to know the meaning of life, to truly... live?]
"!!!"
At the final sentence,
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who had lowered his eyes and calmly accepted the teleportation, suddenly looked up.
Beneath the stillness in his narrow eyes, a ripple appeared—something like surprise.
So I've been played...
Before you continue