Fortunately, the C Class Dragon Group was about to announce the rules. Ryuen shot them a fierce look, then led several C Class students into the meeting room.
The B Class members of the Dragon Group relaxed. After briefly discussing the situation on the way, they returned to their rooms.
Ever since receiving the text message, Yoshikage Kira had felt that something was off. After the rules were read out, his confusion only deepened. Why had the school chosen such an inefficient way to announce them?
There were a dozen or so people in each group, and a single room could easily accommodate them all. Deliberately separating them by class and explaining the rules in groups of three to five seemed needlessly complicated. Perhaps nobody else would think much of it.
After all, the school could do as it pleased. But perhaps this was the only way they could do it? Or perhaps the test had already begun with the announcement of the rules—a test of how well they could think. Among those grouped with him were Honami Ichinose, Suzune Horikita, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, and Yosuke Hirata, as well as Ryuen Kakeru and Sakayanagi Arisu. They belonged to four different classes, and most were central figures in their respective classes. There was no way a purely random grouping would bring them all together.
Looking at the list, Yoshikage Kira immediately realized the groups hadn't been formed entirely at random. His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly as he mused, The school deliberately gathered each class's key figures in one group. This is probably more than just an ordinary exam. There's likely another purpose behind it—perhaps they want to observe how the leaders of each class handle competition.
It seemed the groups for this exam had been arranged according to each student's overall ability. But what were the exact rules? Too many details remained unknown, and they were desperately short on information. They could only wait for the exam to begin the next day.
The night passed in a flash. At 4:50 p.m. the following day, people began arriving at Room 404.
Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, Suzune Horikita, and Yosuke Hirata were the first to arrive. The three D Class students looked calm and exchanged few words, maintaining a relaxed air without effort. Their resounding victory in the Uninhabited Island Exam had temporarily secured D Class's ranking, but all three knew the VIP Exam was far more unpredictable than the previous tests. One wrong move could lead to a massive deduction in Class Points, wiping out all their earlier efforts.
Honami Ichinose arrived soon after, accompanied by two ordinary B Class students. She looked as gentle as ever, a faint smile playing on her lips. She was gracious and composed, showing no sign of tension. But anyone who knew her well could see a hint of caution in her eyes. Once inside, she quickly glanced over the three people in the room and gave them a slight nod. It seemed casual, but she was already discreetly assessing D Class's condition.
Yoshikage Kira was the last B Class student to arrive. He made no unnecessary movements as he entered, walking straight to the conference table and taking a seat, his back straight and his expression composed. Ever since reviewing the rules the previous night, he had been considering every possibility: the four possible exam results, the pros and cons of betrayal and cooperation, and the VIP's hidden mindset. Countless scenarios had already taken shape in his mind.
With only two minutes left before the discussion began, a swaggering set of footsteps sounded in the hallway.
Ryuen Kakeru pushed the door open with three C Class students in tow. His hands were in his pockets, his posture cocky, and his eyes glinted with impatience and hostility. The crushing defeat in the Uninhabited Island Exam and the humiliation of C Class's Class Points being wiped out had left all his resentment bottled up inside. The moment he stepped into the room, his eyes locked on Ayanokoji, filled with undisguised hostility and provocation, as if they could sear straight through the air.
"Looks like the losers are pretty eager, too." Ryuen sneered, his tone mocking and biting. "Think showing up on time will make up for the disgrace you suffered last time?"
Ayanokoji leaned back in his chair without even lifting his eyelids, his expression utterly calm. Ryuen's deliberate provocation seemed no more than meaningless noise to him. His complete lack of reaction made Ryuen, poised to strike, feel as if he'd punched a pillow. The hostility in Ryuen's heart only grew.
Just as the atmosphere was about to turn completely hostile, the last person arrived.
Sakayanagi Arisu entered slowly, leaning on her small cane. Slender and gentle-looking, she wore a faint, perfectly measured smile that suited an exemplary A Class student. She walked unhurriedly, her gaze passing lightly over everyone facing off in the room. She neither joined the provocation nor tried to ease the tension. She simply took a seat, her fingertips unconsciously resting against the tabletop as she took in everyone's expressions and movements.
The key figures from all four classes were now present.
In an instant, invisible undercurrents filled the small meeting room. There were no heated arguments, but the room was rife with probing, wariness, and calculation. Everyone had their own agenda, and the possibilities of cooperation and betrayal tugged at the air between them.
At five o'clock sharp, the door was gently shut. The lock clicked into place, like a chess piece being set on the board.
The group's thirty-minute discussion officially began.
Honami Ichinose was the first to break the silence. Her tone was gentle and impartial as she offered the safest opening proposal, hoping to guide the discussion: "Now that we've started, why don't we first get on the same page? The VIP is among us, and the last thing we need early in the exam is needless suspicion and infighting. I suggest we each share the details of when we received the school's email and text yesterday, then compare what was similar and what was different. We can trace the clues back to the source. For now, that seems like the safest approach."
The proposal was impeccable: fair, rational, and entirely in line with the best way to identify the VIP. There was not a flaw to be found.
Yosuke Hirata was the first to agree, his tone sincere. "I agree with Ichinose. I received the email on time yesterday. After getting the notice, I went to the meeting room, then stayed in my dorm to rest. I didn't go anywhere, and I didn't receive any other messages from the school."
As D Class's public-facing leader, Hirata was always cheerful. His statement was candid and straightforward, with no deliberate concealment or hidden traps.
The other two ordinary B Class students spoke in turn. Their accounts were much the same: they had received the notice on time, experienced nothing unusual, and gone nowhere out of the ordinary. Their words were simple, with nothing suspicious about them.
When it was C Class's turn, Ryuen Kakeru let out a scoff, his attitude dismissive and arrogant. "Why bother with all these trivial details? Nothing unusual happened on my end. This kind of pointless investigation is a waste of time."
He leaned forward slightly, his sharp gaze sweeping the room. His tone carried an air of forceful intimidation. "Let me make this clear: there's no need to slowly work through this exam or investigate everything one step at a time. There's only one best solution—gamble. No matter who the VIP is, just pick someone at random and submit an answer early. Get it right, and your class gains points. Get it wrong, and you lose some. My C Class already had its points wiped out in the last exam. Losing another fifty points won't matter. I couldn't care less."
His words were blunt and reckless, and the atmosphere in the room immediately grew heavier.
Everyone understood at once that Ryuen's real goal wasn't to win the exam or earn points. It was pure revenge. C Class was already at rock bottom, with nothing left to lose. He could disrupt everyone else's plans without restraint and drag down the other classes at any cost—especially D Class.
Sakayanagi Arisu looked up and spoke in a soft voice with unmistakable force. "Classmate Ryuen, that's far too reckless. The heart of this exam is thought and strategy, not gambling. Your C Class is already at the bottom, so you can afford to throw away points. But the other three classes worked hard for theirs. Your rash actions affect everyone's interests. That's selfish."
"Oh? Is Classmate Sakayanagi lecturing me?" Ryuen's eyes turned cold as he immediately looked at the A Class girl. "A Class is ranked third. You're not doing much better. What gives you the right to lecture me?"
"I'm simply stating the facts." Sakayanagi Arisu's expression didn't change, and her faint smile remained. She spoke calmly and unhurriedly. "Baseless guesses and rash answers will only cause needless losses. They won't help us identify the VIP at all. Instead of acting impulsively, we should investigate rationally. That's the ability this exam is truly meant to test."
The two traded barbs, each refusing to back down, pushing the tension in the room to its peak.
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