Suspicion at Ryuen

On another deck of the cruise ship, night had completely shrouded the sea. The pitch-black water churned, and waves gently slapped against the hull, emitting a dull thud that intertwined with the howling sea breeze, creating an oppressive atmosphere. Kakeru Ryuen stood with all the members of his group from Class C, huddled in a corner of the deck. His expression was grim, his eyes filled with malice and resentment, and the intense pressure radiating from him left the surrounding Class C members afraid to speak.

With his hands in his pockets, he stared fixedly at the dark sea. The crushing defeat in the Uninhabited Island Exam had not been part of his expectations; the plan had only half-succeeded, securing the contract for the fixed personal points from Class A, but the subsequent attempt to guess the VIP had fallen through at the last moment. "During the last Uninhabited Island Exam, we were played for fools and ended up with the lowest class points. Now, in this VIP Exam, we're being led around by the nose by Class A's turtle tactics, unable to find a single clue!"

The Class C members around him lowered their heads, not daring to meet Kakeru Ryuen's gaze, their expressions filled with fear. Shiho Manabe stood at the front, her brows slightly furrowed, and she said cautiously, "Ryuen-kun, we want to find the VIP too, but Class A refuses to communicate, and we can't make any progress with Class B or Class D. It's very difficult for us to obtain useful information, and... we aren't even sure which class the VIP is in, or even if they are within Class C itself."

"Within?" Kakeru Ryuen sneered, his gaze sweeping sharply over every member of Class C present, his eyes full of suspicion. "You've reminded me of something. The VIP could be in any class, or they could be hiding right among us, taking our Class C points while secretly helping other classes and watching us make fools of ourselves!" His tone grew colder, and the pressure he exerted intensified. "Since we can't find clues from the other classes, we'll start by investigating our own people! I want to see exactly who dares to pull strings right under my nose!"

Hearing this, the Class C members present showed expressions of shock. Some looked hesitant, others panicked; clearly, they had not expected Kakeru Ryuen to suddenly propose an internal investigation. "Ryuen-kun, this... this isn't right, is it?" one member asked cautiously. "We are all from Class C; we should trust each other. Besides, won't investigating our own people affect our internal unity?"

"Trust?" Kakeru Ryuen scoffed, his tone filled with disdain. "In this exam, there is no such thing as trust! There is only profit, only winning and losing! If the VIP is truly among us and we don't find them, Class C will only lose even worse, and then everyone will have to bear the consequences!" His gaze swept over the crowd again, his tone hard and unquestionable. "I have decided. Now, everyone will reveal the text messages they received from the school, as well as their chat logs with other members, and submit them for my inspection! If anyone dares to hide anything or lie, don't blame me for what happens!"

This was indeed a quick and effective way to identify the VIP within the class. The school's emails could not be tampered with, and since the entire Class C group was present, there was no opportunity to delete them on the spot.

As soon as Kakeru Ryuen finished speaking, the deck fell into silence once again. Everyone in Class C looked troubled, clearly unwilling to disclose their private information. After all, those messages and chat logs might contain their personal thoughts or private exchanges with other members. Making them public not only involved privacy but could also expose their true feelings or even give Kakeru Ryuen leverage over them. The sea breeze continued to howl, and the sound of the waves grew duller, as if reflecting the anxiety and resistance in everyone's hearts. Kakeru Ryuen's gaze swept over each member like a cold blade, and the pressure around him grew stronger. No one dared to speak up in opposition, yet no one was willing to take out their terminal.

Watching the group stand in a stalemate, the malice in Kakeru Ryuen's eyes intensified. He stepped forward and kicked the metal railing beside him, producing a loud "clang" that shattered the silence of the deck and made everyone present shudder. "What? Are you all deaf?" His voice rose sharply, carrying undisguised fury. "I will say this one last time: everyone, take out your student terminals immediately, open all school messages and group chat logs, and hand them to me for inspection! Anyone who dares to delay or refuse, don't blame me for what happens!"

This threat hit every member like a heavy hammer. Most of Class C hadn't contributed during the Uninhabited Island Exam and had essentially been on a vacation. Since most of them had done nothing, they were still receiving the personal points derived from the 150 class points Class C ultimately earned. Although Kakeru Ryuen had withheld 100 points from everyone, claiming they were for class use, this passive way of receiving points left them with no real ground to resist.

A few timid members had already begun to hesitate, taking out their terminals with trembling fingers, clearly intending to compromise; they would rather sacrifice their privacy than become Kakeru Ryuen's target.

Just then, a cold and firm voice came from the crowd, breaking the oppressive stalemate with undisguised defiance: "I refuse."

Everyone looked up to see Mio Ibuki stepping out from the crowd. She stood with her arms crossed, her expression cold, her brows tightly furrowed, and her eyes filled with disdain and stubbornness. She looked straight at Kakeru Ryuen without a hint of fear, not even flinching in the face of the fury that seemed ready to consume everyone. As one of the tougher members of Class C, Mio Ibuki had always been straightforward and fierce, and she disliked being forced into anything. Kakeru Ryuen's approach of indiscriminately forcing everyone to reveal their privacy did not have her consent.

"Mio Ibuki, what did you say?" Kakeru Ryuen's voice was bone-chilling, his gaze locked onto her, his rage on the verge of erupting. "Do you dare say that again?"

Mio Ibuki did not retreat; instead, she took a step forward, her tone becoming even firmer. "I said, I refuse. Ryuen-kun, by what right do you force us to disclose our private information? Those messages contain exam notifications from the school, as well as our personal thoughts and private exchanges. This is our privacy, and you have no right to demand we make it public."

She paused, her tone laced with sarcasm, and continued, "Besides, you keep talking about investigating the VIP, but have you considered that the VIP's core task is to hide themselves? By doing this, you will only expose Class C's internal situation, allowing Class A, Class B, and Class D to take advantage of us. In the end, we will only lose even worse. Is this your so-called 'for the sake of Class C'?"

Mio Ibuki's words voiced the inner thoughts of many members. The crowd, previously frozen in place, began to show signs of agreement. Some nodded quietly, their resistance becoming firmer. "Ibuki-san is right! Our privacy cannot be made public!" "That's right, Ryuen-kun, this is too unreasonable. If people from other classes see our chat logs, we're finished!" "We can look for clues together, but revealing our private information is absolutely out of the question!"

Hearing the chorus of agreement, Mio Ibuki felt even more emboldened. She continued to look directly at Kakeru Ryuen, her tone unwavering. "Ryuen-kun, I know you are unwilling to accept the failure of the Uninhabited Island Exam and are desperate to find the VIP to wash away your shame, but you cannot use such extreme methods to sacrifice all of our privacy and destroy the unity of the class. If you insist on forcing us, then I can only refuse. At worst, you can just submit my name as the VIP; I'll accept it. That's better than letting everyone be dragged down by you!"