Not Found (Sakayanagi IF Route)

The information Ichinose gave him was just as Oreki had expected.

Class B's leader was Kanzaki Ryuji.

He was Ichinose Honami's trusted right-hand man.

Given this man's reputation, it was obvious he couldn't have become the leader through popularity alone.

So how had he become the leader?

A smokescreen.

If you asked who was the most popular person in Class B, there was no doubt...

Fatty Honami.

That was, their own classmate Ichinose Honami.

And she wasn't just popular among the boys. The girls liked her just as much.

She was practically charisma incarnate.

With just a little information about Class B, people would be very likely to assume that Ichinose Honami was its leader in this round of guessing.

But it was exactly the opposite.

In truth, Class B's leader was Kanzaki Ryuji.

That sharp-eyed man who didn't smile much.

This tactic could certainly take people by surprise.

But it also required quite a bit.

At the very least, the class needed someone whom most of its students trusted.

And then, they needed unity.

Oreki began making plans.

Now he knew the leaders of Classes B and D.

Only Class C remained.

Hmm... Class C was the hardest one to guess.

To unite the class in a short time, Ryuen had resorted to ruling through fear.

Under his violence...

As long as the orders weren't too unreasonable, the students in Class C would probably follow them obediently.

Like picking some inconspicuous person to be the leader.

If it was Shiina Hiyori...

No, it was rude of him to only think of her now.

Oreki thought.

He had meant to explain things to her, but Sakayanagi's situation had delayed him.

Besides, if he asked Shiina Hiyori who Class C's leader was now, she wouldn't tell him.

Oreki and Shiina weren't close enough for that.

Not close enough for Shiina Hiyori to betray her class.

In short, he couldn't get anywhere by relying on Shiina Hiyori.

Then...

He'd just have to make his own guess.

The seconds ticked by.

The front door opened, and their homeroom teacher came in with a form.

"Time's up. Oreki, come fill this out."

"Yes."

Just as he'd said.

Being a leader wasn't so simple after all.

Oreki went up to the podium.

The form listed four classes.

There was a blank space beside each one.

There was no need for Mashima-sensei to explain what to write.

Oreki quickly took a pen and filled them in one by one.

Class A: Houtarou Oreki

Class B: Kanzaki Ryuji

Class C:

Class D: Hirata Yosuke

Only one of the four blanks remained.

They might have been making guesses, but it wasn't as easy as it sounded.

This was the hardest kind of problem.

There were too many possibilities, and the smarter you were, the more possibilities you considered.

"Are you going to leave it blank?"

"No. I've got someone in mind."

In the end, he wrote down...

The name of the man who was least likely to be the leader.

"Okay, then. Let's begin the weekly test."

Mashima Tomoya quickly turned on the computer.

So it was an online meeting.

Students from the other three classes gradually appeared on the screen.

"Teachers, please hold your answers up to the camera."

The acting chairman's voice came through the speakers.

Mashima Tomoya revealed the answers Oreki had written.

"Let's see. Class A got all four right. Class B got three right and one wrong. Class C got three right and one wrong. Class D got two right and two wrong. Class A's leader, please prepare to draw."

With that, the acting chairman muted his microphone.

Most of the students below the podium were impressed with Oreki.

If they hadn't been able to argue against him before, now...

"That's incredible..."

"He not only guessed there'd be a round like this, he even figured out the other classes' leaders."

"Is that guy even human?"

Oreki breathed a sigh of relief.

Good thing he'd bet on the right answer.

As expected, Class C's leader was Ryuen Kakeru himself.

Why?

Of course, to fool Classes A and B.

Class D would choose Ryuen Kakeru without hesitation because they wouldn't overthink it.

But Classes A and B were different.

Ryuen Kakeru hadn't even been among their options at first.

Ichinose Honami getting it wrong was a perfect example.

As for Oreki...

He hadn't considered Ryuen Kakeru at first either.

But after thinking about the personality of someone like a tyrant...

Oreki had decided to write down Ryuen Kakeru's name.

"All right, write your name down."

Mashima Tomoya looked at Oreki with satisfaction.

Just as expected of a genius.

He'd quickly understood Mashima's hint and even guessed the other classes' leaders correctly.

There was no question about his ability to gather information.

He was sharp, too.

Oreki nodded, then deliberately let the pen in his hand fall to the floor.

"Sorry."

He crouched down.

The instant he touched the pen, another identical one appeared from his right sleeve.

It slid down along the underside of his arm and into his palm.

Meanwhile, he had quickly pushed the original pen back up his sleeve.

A neat little switch.

Oreki casually picked up the swapped pen and wrote his name.

"All right, wait here a moment."

"Yes."

Mashima Tomoya left with the box.

That meant most of the task was complete.

All that remained was to wait.

Unlike Oreki, the students in Classes C and D looked utterly disbelieving.

If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes...

They would have suspected Oreki of cheating.

Still, it wasn't completely hopeless.

They thought the weekly test would be decided mainly by grades, not by guessing the leaders.

But that wasn't quite right.

It was true that the test was based on grades.

But grades weren't the only factor.

The score was the average for each group. In other words, if you were matched with a useless teammate...

The outcome was obvious.

The school was testing the students' overall abilities.

Being good at studying wasn't enough.

That was why the drawing system had so many loopholes.

Those who knew how to use the rules to their advantage would seize the opportunity.

As for those who blindly followed the rules...

They could fend for themselves.

After Mashima Tomoya returned to the classroom...

The acting chairman's voice came through the speakers again.

"Very well. Based on the results just now... Class A's Houtarou Oreki."

"Here."

"You may choose first, or designate someone else to choose first."

"Then I'll designate Class B to choose first."

"All right. Mashima-sensei?"

Mashima Tomoya nodded and left.

He carried the box over to Class B.

On the screen, Class B's leader, Kanzaki Ryuji, approached Mashima Tomoya.

He put his right hand inside.

After rummaging around for a while, he finally withdrew it.

When he opened his hand...

It held the name Houtarou Oreki.

"The groups are decided. Classes A and B will be one group, and Classes C and D will be the other."

At the news, Hashimoto Masayoshi, seated below, snapped his fingers.

He hadn't expected...

Things to go so smoothly.

None of the backup measures Oreki had prepared were needed.

There were two possible outcomes.

Either Class A had the most correct answers, or Class B did.

Hashimoto Masayoshi had suggested that Oreki have Class B deliberately get one answer wrong.

But the risk was too high.

If Class A didn't have the most correct answers, the whole plan would fall apart.

The rest was simple.

Use a pen that wouldn't dry too quickly to write the names.

That was why Class B had been able to draw Class A's name with certainty.

It was also why Kanzaki Ryuji still refused to unclench his right hand.

Because...

There was a very obvious black mark on his right thumb.