Mio Ibuki had barely finished speaking when the atmosphere plunged to freezing. Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on Ryuen Kakeru, afraid that in his rage he might do something extreme. They all knew that Ryuen Kakeru hated anyone challenging his authority and couldn't tolerate open defiance. Mio Ibuki's blunt refusal had only added fuel to the fire.
Ryuen Kakeru's face darkened like the bottom of a pot. The pressure radiating from him was nearly suffocating as he glared at Mio Ibuki, fury burning in his eyes like a volcano ready to erupt. His hands clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white, and his presence grew more violent by the second. The group members around them tensed in fear and lowered their heads, not daring to look at him or even breathe too loudly.
If the two of them were allowed to remain locked in this standoff, the conflict within Class C would only explode. Then they wouldn't find the VIP, and Class C would be thrown into even greater chaos. Hiyori Shiina wanted to step in and persuade Mio Ibuki to compromise a little, but she couldn't find the right approach. As she considered what might work, all she could do was silently pray that Ryuen Kakeru would calm down.
Just as everyone thought Ryuen Kakeru would fly into a rage, attack Mio Ibuki, or even submit her as the VIP, he suddenly began to laugh. The smile was cold and unsettling, tinged with amusement and calculation—a stark contrast to his earlier fury. It sent a chill through everyone, and his sudden change left them at a loss.
"Defying me?" Ryuen Kakeru scoffed, his voice full of disdain. He slowly walked over and circled Mio Ibuki, sizing her up. The anger in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by certainty and calculation. "Mio Ibuki, do you think I'd really mark you as the VIP just because you defied me? Or lay a hand on you?"
He paused deliberately for a few seconds, watching the confusion and wariness on Mio Ibuki's face. The smile at the corner of his mouth turned even colder as he spoke. "You're too naive. Honestly, there's no need to check you at all. I can tell you with certainty that you're not the VIP."
His words left everyone present stunned, including Mio Ibuki herself. The resistance and wariness on her face gave way to confusion. Her brows knitted as she looked at Ryuen Kakeru, surprised. "What do you mean? How can you be so sure I'm not the VIP? Because I defied you?"
Mio Ibuki wasn't the only one confused. The other Class C members looked up at Ryuen Kakeru, unable to understand why he would suddenly say such a thing. He had been furious over Mio Ibuki's defiance just moments ago, but now he was defending her and even declaring that she wasn't the VIP. It was so out of character that no one could guess what he was thinking.
Ryuen Kakeru gave a cold laugh, his tone dripping with scorn and certainty. "How can I be sure? Your little temper gives it away."
He stopped in front of Mio Ibuki and looked her straight in the eye. "Think about it. The VIP's main task is to hide their identity and make sure nobody discovers it. So they have to be careful, learn to disguise themselves, and go along with what everyone wants. They can't afford to do anything out of line, much less defy someone openly, for fear of arousing suspicion."
"But you," Ryuen Kakeru continued, his voice growing harsher and more disdainful, "dared to defy me in public, refused my demand, and said what everyone else was afraid to say. That proves you have nothing to hide and no reason to conceal anything. You can't possibly be the VIP. If you really were, you'd simply go along with me or pretend to give in. You wouldn't dare resist, afraid I'd get suspicious and expose you. After all, everyone here is in Class C, and I'm the only one doing the checking. The real VIP wouldn't be too afraid of their own classmates."
"So," Ryuen Kakeru said with a shrug, looking pleased with himself, "there's no need to check you. I believe you're not the VIP."
It sounded like praise for Mio Ibuki's outspokenness, but in truth, it was Ryuen Kakeru turning the tables. He knew that forcing her would only make her resist harder, perhaps even prompting the other group members to push back as well. If that happened, his plan would fall apart. By turning the tables instead, he'd not only deftly quelled his own fury and silenced Mio Ibuki, preventing her from resisting any further, but also redirected everyone's attention to the other group members.
With Mio Ibuki excluded, the other group members had no excuse to resist. If they refused to reveal their information, Ryuen Kakeru could suspect them of being the VIP: after all, "only people with something to hide would be afraid to show their information." That move had both reassured Mio Ibuki and put crushing pressure on everyone else. Any further resistance would now look like they were simply following her example, since she had been the first to defy him. It was a stroke of genius.
Mio Ibuki was stunned. She hadn't expected Ryuen Kakeru to use this tactic to rule her out. As she looked at his smile, an emotion she couldn't quite identify stirred within her.
Frustration and confusion mingled inside Mio Ibuki. She opened her mouth, wanting to argue and expose Ryuen Kakeru's scheme, but swallowed her words. His reasoning seemed airtight. If she continued to resist, she'd only look as though she had something to hide, giving Ryuen Kakeru something to use against her. It would do more harm than good. With no choice, Mio Ibuki snorted, crossed her arms, and turned away without another word, though the frustration and disdain in her eyes remained.
Seeing Mio Ibuki give in, Ryuen Kakeru smiled triumphantly, calculation flashing in his eyes. Then he turned his attention to the other Class C members, his tone once again hard and threatening. "All right. Mio Ibuki doesn't need to be checked. The rest of you will show me all your text messages and chat logs. Every last one of you! No excuses, and no defiance!"
"Ryuen, that's not fair!" A short, thin group member couldn't help speaking up, his voice filled with frustration and resentment. "Why doesn't Ibuki have to be checked when the rest of us do? Why are you treating us differently? You're obviously showing favoritism toward Ibuki!"
"Not fair?" Ryuen Kakeru scoffed, his voice full of disdain. He stepped forward, grabbed the group member by the collar, and yanked him up close. Fury flared in his eyes again. "There's no such thing as fair with me! If I say she doesn't have to be checked, then she doesn't. If I say the rest of you do, then you do! It's an order—and it's for the good of Class C!"
His voice grew colder, and the pressure he exerted intensified. "What? You want to defy me too? Is it because you have something to hide and don't dare show your information? Or are you the VIP hiding among us, looking for an excuse to resist because you're afraid your identity will be exposed?"
Under Ryuen Kakeru's questioning glare, the group member turned deathly pale and began to tremble. He quickly lowered his head, unable to meet Ryuen Kakeru's eyes. "I... I don't. I'll show you. I just thought it wasn't fair, that's all. I didn't mean anything else. Please don't suspect me..."
"Good." Ryuen Kakeru gave a cold snort and abruptly let go. The group member staggered backward, nearly falling. His face was as white as paper, and he didn't dare say another word. Ryuen Kakeru straightened his collar and swept his gaze over everyone again, his tone still firm. "Now, take out your terminals and open all your text messages and chat logs. Hand them to Hiyori Shiina for an initial check, then she'll pass them to me for review! I'll be supervising personally. If I spot anything suspicious, tell me immediately!"
"Yes, Ryuen," Hiyori Shiina replied. She stepped in front of everyone, held out her hand, and spoke with a serious expression. "Everyone, take out your terminals, open the relevant content, and hand them to me one by one. I only need to see your text messages. You can stay with me while I look through them."
Seeing the grim look on Ryuen Kakeru's face and feeling the intense pressure he gave off, the other Class C members no longer dared to resist. They took out their Student Terminals and, after hesitating, opened their text messages and chat logs before handing them to Hiyori Shiina one by one. For some reason, Ryuen had asked for both chat logs and text messages, but Hiyori Shiina only asked for the text messages. Most people used messaging apps, after all, since text messages weren't suitable for sending things like stickers and file links. They were mainly used to receive notices from the school.
Since she was only checking the text messages in front of their owners, almost all resistance disappeared, and the process went ahead.
Mio Ibuki strongly suspected that Ryuen Kakeru and Hiyori Shiina had coordinated this beforehand, planning for one to play the bad cop and the other the good cop. She was just an unexpected complication.
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