Counter-attack Begins

As soon as Mio Ibuki finished speaking, the atmosphere plummeted to freezing. Everyone held their breath, eyes locked onto Kakeru Ryuen, terrified that he might resort to extreme measures in a fit of rage. They all knew that Kakeru Ryuen despised having his authority challenged and could not tolerate open defiance; Mio Ibuki's blunt refusal was undoubtedly adding fuel to the fire.

Kakeru Ryuen's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot, and the oppressive aura radiating from him was nearly suffocating. He stared fixedly at Mio Ibuki, the fury in his eyes like a volcano on the verge of eruption. His hands were clenched into tight fists, his knuckles turning white, and his aura grew increasingly violent. The group members present were so terrified that their bodies went rigid; they lowered their heads, not daring to look at him or even breathe loudly.

If the standoff between the two were allowed to continue, it would only cause the internal conflicts within Class C to erupt completely. By then, not only would they fail to identify the VIP, but Class C would also descend into even greater chaos. Hiyori Shiina wanted to step forward and persuade Mio Ibuki to compromise, but she could not find a suitable way to do so. While contemplating the feasibility, she could only pray silently in her heart, hoping that Kakeru Ryuen would calm down.

Just when everyone thought Kakeru Ryuen would explode in rage, lash out at Mio Ibuki, or even declare her the VIP and submit her name, he suddenly began to laugh. The smile was cold and eerie, tinged with a sense of playfulness and calculation, a stark contrast to his previous fury that sent shivers down everyone's spines. Everyone present was left bewildered by this sudden shift.

"Defying me?" Kakeru Ryuen sneered, his tone dripping with disdain. He walked forward slowly, circled around Mio Ibuki, and looked her up and down. The rage in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a hint of certainty and calculation. "Mio Ibuki, do you really think I would label you as the VIP just because you defied me? That I would lay a hand on you?"

He paused, deliberately waiting a few seconds. Watching the confusion and wariness on Mio Ibuki's face, the smile at the corners of his mouth grew colder as he spoke slowly: "You're too naive. To be honest, you don't even need to be checked. I can tell you clearly: you are definitely not the VIP."

This statement left everyone present stunned, including Mio Ibuki herself. The resistance and wariness on her face gradually turned into confusion. She furrowed her brows, looking at Kakeru Ryuen with bewilderment, her tone tinged with surprise: "What do you mean? On what grounds are you certain I'm not the VIP? Just because I defied you?"

It wasn't just Mio Ibuki; the other Class C members were also filled with confusion. They all lifted their heads to look at Kakeru Ryuen, unable to understand why he would suddenly say such a thing. Only moments ago, he had been burning with rage over her defiance, yet now he was suddenly exonerating her and even declaring she wasn't the VIP. It was far too abnormal, making it impossible to guess Kakeru Ryuen's true intentions.

Kakeru Ryuen let out a cold laugh, his tone filled with mockery and certainty, and explained slowly: "On what grounds? On the grounds of your temperament."

He stopped walking, stood in front of Mio Ibuki, looked directly into her eyes, and continued: "Think about it. The core task of the VIP is to hide their identity and not be discovered by anyone. Therefore, they must be cautious, learn to disguise themselves, follow everyone's wishes, and avoid any out-of-place behavior. They certainly wouldn't defy others easily, for fear of arousing suspicion."

"And you," Kakeru Ryuen's tone grew heavier, laced with disdain, "dared to openly defy me just now, dared to refuse my demands, and dared to say what no one else dared to say. This proves that you have nothing to hide and are definitely not the VIP. If you were truly the VIP, you would only blindly obey me, pretend to compromise, and not dare to resist in the slightest for fear that I would suspect you and expose your identity. After all, everyone here is a classmate from Class C, and I am the only one doing the checking; a real VIP wouldn't be overly afraid of their own classmates."

"So," Kakeru Ryuen shrugged, his tone filled with smugness, "you don't need to be checked at all. I trust you; you are not the VIP."

This speech, which appeared to be a compliment to Mio Ibuki's straightforwardness, was actually a tactical counter-maneuver by Kakeru Ryuen. He knew very well that given Mio Ibuki's personality, forcing her would only make her resist more, potentially even inciting other members to join in the boycott, which would cause his plan to fail completely. By turning the tables this way, he not only cleverly defused his own rage and silenced Mio Ibuki, preventing her from further defiance, but he also refocused everyone's attention back onto the other members.

After all, with Mio Ibuki excluded, the other members no longer had an excuse to resist—if they refused to disclose their information now, they would be suspected by Kakeru Ryuen of being the VIP, since "only those with something to hide would refuse to disclose their information." Kakeru Ryuen's move both stabilized Mio Ibuki and placed lethal pressure on the other members. Any subsequent resistance would be seen as mere copycat behavior, especially since the leader of the resistance had already been neutralized by him. It was a move that served two purposes at once.

Mio Ibuki was stunned. She had not expected Kakeru Ryuen to use such a method to exclude her. She looked at Kakeru Ryuen's smile, and a subtle, unidentifiable emotion stirred in her heart.

With her lingering resentment and confusion intertwined, Mio Ibuki opened her mouth, wanting to retort and expose Kakeru Ryuen's scheme, but the words died in her throat. Kakeru Ryuen's logic seemed unassailable; if she continued to resist, it would only make it look like she had something to hide and give Kakeru Ryuen the leverage he needed, which would be counterproductive. Helpless, Mio Ibuki could only snort coldly, cross her arms, and turn away, though she could not hide the resentment and disdain in her eyes.

Watching Mio Ibuki's compromise, Kakeru Ryuen curled his lips into a smug smile, a flash of calculation in his eyes. He then turned his gaze back to the other Class C members, his tone turning hard again, carrying an unquestionable threat: "Alright, Mio Ibuki doesn't need to be checked. As for the rest of you, everyone must disclose their text messages and chat logs—not a single one missing! No one is allowed to make excuses, and no one is allowed to resist!"

"Ryuen-kun, that's not fair!" a small-statured member couldn't help but speak up, his tone filled with dissatisfaction and resentment. "Why doesn't Ibuki-san have to be checked, but we do? Why the double standard? You're clearly favoring Ibuki-san!"

"Not fair?" Kakeru Ryuen sneered, his tone filled with disdain. He stepped forward, grabbed the member by the collar, and yanked him close, the rage in his eyes reigniting. "In my book, there is no such thing as fairness! I said she doesn't need to be checked, so she doesn't! I said you must be checked, so you will! This is my order, and it is for the good of Class C!"

His tone grew colder, and the oppressive aura intensified: "What? Do you want to defy me too? Could it be that you have something to hide and are afraid to disclose your information? Or are you the VIP hiding among us, afraid that your identity will be exposed, so you're making excuses to resist me?"

Faced with Kakeru Ryuen's questioning, the member's face turned pale, and he trembled all over. He quickly lowered his head, not daring to meet Kakeru Ryuen's gaze, his tone filled with fear: "I... I don't. I'm willing to disclose. I just thought it was unfair, I didn't mean anything else, please don't suspect me..."

"Good." Kakeru Ryuen snorted coldly and abruptly let go. The member stumbled back a few steps, nearly falling, his face as pale as paper, and he dared not speak again. Kakeru Ryuen straightened his collar and scanned the crowd again, his tone remaining firm: "Now, everyone take out your terminals, open all text messages and chat logs, and hand them to Hiyori Shiina. She will perform the preliminary check, and then I will review them! I will supervise personally; if I find even a hint of suspicion, tell me immediately!"

"Understood, Ryuen-kun." Hiyori Shiina then walked in front of the group, extended her hand, and said with a serious expression: "Everyone, take out your terminals, open the relevant content, and hand them to me one by one for inspection. You only need to show the text message content; you can stay with me while I look at your messages."

Seeing Kakeru Ryuen's dark expression and feeling the intense pressure radiating from him, the other Class C members no longer dared to resist. They took out their student terminals, opened their text messages and chat logs with hesitation, and handed them to Hiyori Shiina one by one. They didn't know why Ryuen had mentioned chat logs and text messages, but Hiyori Shiina had specified only text messages. Generally, everyone used chat apps, as text messages weren't suitable for sending stickers or file links. Text messages were mainly for receiving school notifications.

Because the checks were performed in the presence of the owners, the resistance nearly vanished, and the process was carried out.

Mio Ibuki strongly suspected that Kakeru Ryuen and Hiyori Shiina had colluded to play the roles of the bad cop and the good cop, and that she had simply been an unexpected variable.