The Fake Intelligence Ryuuen Received

Ryuuen flipped the page to the top when he saw the report.

He stared at those few lines for two seconds, the corners of his mouth slowly curling up.

But the smile never reached his eyes.

The wind was a little strong on the rooftop of the Class C dormitory building.

Ishizaki finished recounting what he had just learned, looking rather pleased with himself.

"That was roughly it," he said. "Horikita is still leading Class D from the front for now. Sudo will be put at the forefront this time, Hirata will be responsible for keeping everyone steady, and Gu Heng mainly handles the class's rules and group assignments."

"That guy talks tough, but when it comes to how they fight on the front lines during the exam, he might not be the one calling the shots himself."

Ryuuen leaned against the railing and lightly flicked the sheet of paper with his fingertips.

"You believed it?"

The smug look on Ishizaki's face froze.

"What Sudo said sounded pretty convincing."

"Repeat his exact words."

Ryuuen did not raise his voice. Yet Ishizaki immediately repeated what the two scouts had brought back.

When he reached the part where Sudo said that "Gu Heng mainly handled the group assignments," Ryuuen suddenly raised a hand and cut him off.

"Stop."

Ishizaki immediately fell silent.

"Sudo would say that?" Ryuuen tapped that line with the edge of the paper.

Ishizaki hesitated for half a beat.

"...He wouldn't?"

"It's not that he wouldn't. It's that it shouldn't have been that neat." Ryuuen chuckled. "If you had really gotten him talking, the first thing he should've done was curse Horikita, and the second was brag about himself."

"And now, he cursed Horikita and bragged about himself just fine, yet Gu Heng's role was explained perfectly." Ryuuen laughed, but there was no easing in his eyes. "It's like someone didn't change his temper, only drew a path for that temper to follow."

Ishizaki lowered his head and read the paper again. The smugness finally vanished from his face.

"What about Hirata?" he hurriedly added. "What we got out of Hirata was pretty much the same."

"One mouth might happen to say the same thing by chance. But if two mouths describe everyone's positions the same way, then someone set the boundaries beforehand."

Ryuuen did not make a judgment based on "pretty much" alone.

"When were they questioned?"

Ishizaki gave him the times. One had been outside the gymnasium, the other before PE class. Less than one class period had passed between them.

"Did they meet?"

"No. One questioned Hirata, the other questioned Sudo, and they reported back separately too."

"Were the exact words the same?"

"No." Ishizaki answered more cautiously this time. "Hirata said the formal positions hadn't been decided. Sudo cursed Horikita and said that when it came to the front lines, it would depend on who could actually make a move. But both of them put Gu Heng in charge of the class's internal plans and group assignments."

Only then did Ryuuen tap the paper.

The two scouts had not copied each other's accounts, nor had Hirata and Sudo used the same script. Their wording retained their individual personalities, yet the structure landed in the same place. That seemed far more like someone had drawn the limits of what could be said beforehand than a mechanical repetition.

"So Gu Heng deliberately fed us this?" Ishizaki finally caught on.

"Yeah." Ryuuen grinned. "And it wasn't a bad feed, either."

"Wasn't bad?" Ishizaki could not help himself. "Didn't we see through it?"

"Did you believe it at first glance?"

"...Yeah."

"Then that's enough."

"If you make a mistake at first glance, every step after that saves him effort."

Ishizaki's expression darkened.

"Then what he's really hiding..."

"You're asking too soon." Ryuuen pressed the edge of the paper against his words. "First, see where he wants us to strike. He knew you wouldn't come back empty-handed, so he gave you something you could report."

Ryuuen recalled the last time he had met Gu Heng outside the Class D classroom. Gu Heng had not stubbornly claimed that an anonymous account with no source came from him, nor had he pretended to see through everything just to show off.

Back then, Gu Heng had held to the boundaries of evidence.

Now, he was using those same boundaries in reverse: revealing only the real preparations and division of labor, while withholding the formal positions. Letting Class C know they had uncovered something, but not giving them an answer they could act on directly.

"This guy doesn't want me to believe he's hiding in the back," Ryuuen said. "He just wants me to test this direction first."

"What do we do now?" Ishizaki asked. "Should I keep a closer watch on him?"

"Watch him," Ryuuen said. "But don't rush into crashing straight into Gu Heng."

"Why?" Ishizaki frowned. "Haven't we confirmed there's something suspicious about him?"

"Confirming there's a problem and making a move now are two different things." Ryuuen looked down at the dormitory lights gradually brightening below. "Flip your cards too early, and you might scare them into retreating."

"I haven't seen enough yet."

As Ryuuen said that, the faint smile at his lips instead faded.

Albert suddenly spoke.

"Watch who?"

The two words were quiet, yet they landed precisely where Ishizaki had not expected.

Ryuuen glanced sideways at him, the corner of his mouth lifting.

"Obviously, Gu Heng isn't the first one we watch."

"If he's willing to put out fake intelligence first, he won't hand you the real leverage so quickly."

"Knock on the pillars around him first."

"Sudo, Hirata, Horikita."

"Hirata especially."

Ishizaki froze.

"Hirata?"

"Didn't you say he's responsible for keeping people steady?" Ryuuen said. "Then start with the one who keeps them steady."

"If you provoke Sudo, who will stop him?"

"Hirata."

"If you provoke Horikita, who will come out to smooth things over?"

"...Hirata too."

"And if you provoke Hirata?"

This time, Ishizaki did not answer immediately.

A few seconds passed before he said quietly, "Class D will panic first."

"Once they panic, they'll look back at someone."

"Go provoke him and see whether Class D falls into disarray."

Ishizaki instinctively clenched the paper in his hand.

"How do I provoke him?"

"No fabricating anything, no getting physical, and don't be stupid enough to ask him outright whether he's Gu Heng's lynchpin." Ryuuen said, "In public, give Sudo and Horikita two opposing questions at the same time. See which side Hirata tries to suppress first. Then see whether Gu Heng steps out himself, or waits until Hirata has finished settling things before he moves."

"Just watch the order?"

"The order, the timing, and who changes their story for whom," Ryuuen said. "If Class D really divided up their work according to this paper, then conflict will expose the order in which they call on people. Fake intelligence can hide positions, but it can't hide who they turn to first."

This was not about crushing Hirata immediately. It was about using a low-cost clash to verify Class D's support structure. If nothing came of it, Class C would lose only two probing remarks. If it did, they could decide where to apply pressure next time.

"Got it." Ishizaki nodded. "I'll watch him more closely from now on."

"Don't watch him too stupidly." Ryuuen looked at him. "What I want right now isn't to scare them off immediately."

"Try once more and see which of those pillars makes a sound first."

"And if he really is that valuable?" Ishizaki could not help asking. "What will you do?"

The smile on Ryuuen's face slowly deepened.

"Keep testing until he exposes where it hurts the most."

"Then decide whether to break him now, or fatten him up a little before breaking him."

Ishizaki's back went rigid, and he did not ask any further questions.

"That's enough." Ryuuen tossed the paper back into his arms. "Keep watching."

"Don't rush to give me an answer."

"Don't touch the brain yet."

"Touch what he's leaning on."

Ishizaki and Albert both answered in acknowledgment.

Ishizaki recorded the two accounts separately again, no longer combining them into a single statement that "Class D all said the same thing." What Ryuuen wanted to see was precisely the difference between the two sources. Whoever polished them into the same version again would erase the most useful traces.

Ryuuen said nothing more, merely raising his eyes toward the distant school building.

"Don't break too quickly." Ryuuen gave a low laugh. "Otherwise, it'll be too boring."

The rooftop fell silent again.

Only the wind remained.

At the same time, another account containing only a few lines was being delivered to Class A's after-school study room.