Betrayal of Class D

After finishing their meal, the three of them walked out of the cafeteria together. On the tree-lined path leading to the school building, Wu Qiao made an excuse to head off first, leaving Ichinose Honami and Ayanokoji Kiyoha walking side by side behind him.

Watching Wu Qiao's retreating figure, the smile on Ichinose Honami's face gradually faded, and her brows knitted together unconsciously. The more she thought about it, the more wrong it felt; it was as if an invisible hand were gently gripping her heart.

She could force an explanation for Wu Qiao knowing the core rules regarding private and class points by assuming he was exceptionally capable and perhaps possessed an unknown source of information.

However, the two "chance encounters" today—which she had initiated by taking advantage of her simulator's foresight—now made her feel as though she had voluntarily jumped into a trap he had meticulously laid.

The scene in the cafeteria just now was particularly jarring. Wu Qiao had seemingly "shirked his responsibility" by asking her to look after Ayanokoji, but upon closer reflection, wasn't that a brilliant probe and layout?

This isn't right... Ichinose murmured to herself, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing against the hem of her skirt.

In the original records of her [Life Simulator], it should have been Ayanokoji Kiyoha who devised the strategies and manipulated everything from behind the scenes, while Wu Qiao was at most just the executor.

Yet, all the signs today indicated that the seemingly lazy Wu Qiao, who only wanted to eat a hamburger steak in the cafeteria, was the one truly controlling the rhythm.

An absurd yet logical conjecture began to form in her mind: Could it be that Ayanokoji Kiyoha was merely a front? A shield Wu Qiao pushed forward specifically so he wouldn't appear to be a master of both pen and sword?

Ichinose Honami felt a deep sense of distress. In the later stages of the simulation, although Wu Qiao had displayed a terrifying "tyrant" side, he had clearly appeared quite simple and even a bit bookish during his early school life.

Moreover, according to the simulation clues, Wu Qiao never shied away when someone truly needed him to step up.

If she looked at it this way, his seemingly casual dismissal in the cafeteria might not have been out of laziness at all, but rather an extremely slick way of forcibly binding her, the core of Class B, to the "mastermind" of Class D, thereby subtly closing the distance between Class B and Class D—or rather, Wu Qiao himself.

It seemed she needed to re-evaluate this classmate of hers from Class D.

Ichinose Honami took a deep breath and glanced sideways at Ayanokoji Kiyoha, who remained expressionless beside her, seemingly indifferent to everything around her. The ominous premonition in her heart grew even stronger.

This seemingly simple opening appeared to be racing toward a completely unpredictable direction.

Wu Qiao quickened his pace to break away from Ichinose Honami and Ayanokoji Kiyoha. He wasn't just trying to shake off these two sources of trouble; he truly had important business to attend to.

The waters of Advanced Nurturing High School were far deeper than they appeared on the surface. According to the absurd trajectory of the original story, Class D's class points would drop to zero next month due to various violations, setting a shameful record since the school's founding.

Wu Qiao had no intention of starving along with Class D. He planned to use this absolute information gap to strike a deal with Hoshinomiya Chie, that "frenemy" of Chabashira Sae who shared a delicate relationship with her.

He would use Class D's impending crushing defeat as a bargaining chip to exchange for a large sum of private points.

To this end, he had even hidden a voice recorder in his sleeve, fully prepared for every eventuality.

However, on the path to the faculty office, a beautiful figure with a blonde ponytail suddenly flashed out from a corner, precisely blocking his way.

Wu Qiao paused, staring in utter bewilderment at the girl before him, whose breathing was slightly rapid as she gripped his hand tightly to prevent him from moving forward.

Karuizawa Kei? Shouldn't this Class D gal be busy forming cliques with the other girls or racking her brain to find a protector like Hirata Yosuke? How did she have time to intercept him halfway?

Before Wu Qiao could clear his thoughts, Karuizawa Kei suddenly looked up. Those eyes, which usually carried a hint of frivolity and arrogance, were now filled with a chilling coldness that made his heart skip a beat.

"Classmate Wu Qiao," her voice was very low, yet every word was like ice, "you're planning to betray Class D, aren't you?"

Wu Qiao was stunned. His brain raced, but he put on a look of confusion. "I don't understand what you're talking about, Karuizawa-san."

"Don't play dumb!" Karuizawa Kei was furious, staring fixedly into his eyes. "You want to let Class D's points drop to zero so you can extort a huge amount of private points from Hoshinomiya Chie-sensei, right?"

Wu Qiao's heart skipped a beat. How was this possible? He had only calculated this in his own mind; he hadn't even written a draft. How did Karuizawa Kei know?

Ever since Karuizawa Kei obtained that bizarre [Daily Intelligence System], she could refresh secret information about the people around her every morning. Today's intelligence clearly read: [At 12:30, Wu Qiao intends to use the tragedy of Class D's class points hitting zero next month to extort private points from Hoshinomiya Chie.]

To gain a firm foothold in this school, Karuizawa Kei had been lying in wait here early. She knew her own situation too well, so she had to be faster and more ruthless than anyone else.

Someone like Wu Qiao, who clearly held leverage, was best captured early and turned into her own pawn.

Watching the girl's look of apparent certainty, Wu Qiao spread his hands innocently. "Karuizawa-san, have you been reading too many novels? What are you talking about?"

"I know that you know a lot, and I know you look down on those people in Class D." Karuizawa Kei stepped forward, almost pressing against Wu Qiao, her tone carrying a mix of threat and solicitation. "Help me, and I'll help you. Otherwise, I'll tell Chabashira-sensei and the others about your conspiracy."

Wu Qiao looked at her display of bravado and sighed inwardly. It seemed playing dumb wouldn't work anymore. How did this girl know so much?

The plot was collapsing quite severely, but then again, when he considered that even Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had been gender-bent into Ayanokoji Kiyoha, what was impossible in this world?

Since his trump card had been partially exposed, there was no need to be timid anymore.

In a flash, Wu Qiao's gaze suddenly darkened. He stepped forward abruptly, his previously lazy aura instantly becoming extremely oppressive.

Before Karuizawa Kei could react, he grabbed her wrist and slammed her hard against the cold wall.

"You!" Karuizawa Kei gasped, instinctively trying to struggle, but the girl's strength was simply no match for Wu Qiao.

Wu Qiao leaned in, bracing one hand against the wall beside Karuizawa Kei's ear, trapping her completely in the narrow space between him and the wall. He leaned close to her ear, his warm breath spraying against her sensitive neck, while his other hand moved slowly downward, finally stopping precisely at her abdomen, just below her left breast.

Through the thin fabric of her uniform, Wu Qiao's fingers tapped lightly on that spot, his voice low and dangerous: "Here, right?"

Karuizawa Kei's pupils contracted violently, and it felt as if the blood in her entire body had frozen at that moment.

"Guess how much I know?" Wu Qiao's voice was like a devil's whisper, carrying a suffocating sense of control. "You think you can threaten me with that little bit of intelligence you have? Then do you know how much leverage I have on you? Or even... on the others in the class?"

Karuizawa Kei's expression turned incredibly rigid. Although Wu Qiao's hand hadn't touched that ugly scar precisely, the feeling of being completely seen through caused her strong facade to collapse instantly.

That was the nightmare left behind by the bullying she had suffered in middle school, an absolute forbidden zone she had desperately tried to hide. Yet, this seemingly ordinary boy before her had pointed out that location with ease.

The hunter had become the prey waiting to be slaughtered in an instant. Karuizawa Kei's lips trembled slightly, the coldness in her eyes replaced by immense terror. She bit her lower lip hard, unable to say a single word.