Horikita Suzune's Despair

Horikita Suzune felt quite proud, believing she had found the correct answer.

Unfortunately, there was another clever person in the Ryuuen group.

Katsuragi, who had always maintained a quiet demeanor, had been observing the conversation between Horikita Suzune and Ryuuen. Something was off; Ryuuen seemed utterly unconcerned whether his scheme would succeed.

This was a flaw—a deliberate flaw Ryuuen exposed. He wanted to use this exam to temper Horikita Suzune's somewhat arrogant tendencies.

That's right.

Horikita Suzune was a bit arrogant, or perhaps conceited. Her academic performance was exceptional, her physical abilities were good, and she had achieved a relatively good result in the Uninhabited Island exam.

That's why she harbored the illusion that she could obtain a massive amount of Points in the Benefactor Exam and thus escape Ryuuen's clutches.

What Ryuuen wanted to do was set her up for a complete failure. A temporary victory wouldn't bring about transformation; the lessons learned from failure are far more memorable.

In this Benefactor Exam, Ryuuen intended for Class D to earn nothing and lose 150 class Points, effectively spitting out all the class Points they had earned in the Uninhabited Island exam.

However, Katsuragi hadn't fully seen through Ryuuen. He had indeed spotted Ryuuen's flaw earlier than Horikita Suzune. In terms of benefits, he was on Horikita Suzune's side, so Katsuragi decided to warn Horikita Suzune at that moment.

"I never would have guessed Suzuki Eijun is a cat person," Katsuragi spoke. Ryuuen was surprised but quickly understood his reasoning.

"Ah, haha, I've liked cats since I was little," Suzuki Eijun explained, scratching his head.

"Is that so? Then what breed is the cat on Suzuki's phone wallpaper? I don't know much about cats myself, but the one on your wallpaper looks quite cute." Katsuragi's words became more numerous and aggressive. It seemed even a turtle would bite when its interests were threatened.

"Um, it's just a very common, ordinary cat," Suzuki Eijun said, unsure of the cat's breed on the wallpaper.

Idiot, Ryuuen cursed inwardly.

Katsuragi's opening line was digging a pit for Suzuki Eijun. He didn't ask Suzuki Eijun why he changed to this kitten wallpaper but stated with certainty that he liked cats.

If Suzuki Eijun had denied liking cats and simply said he liked the wallpaper, Katsuragi wouldn't have pressed for the cat's breed. But Suzuki Eijun said he had liked cats since he was little. Katsuragi dug a pit for him, and he jumped into it headfirst.

Horikita Suzune glanced at Katsuragi in surprise. This quiet person wouldn't say so much for no reason. At the same time, she also sensed that something was off with Suzuki Eijun.

"This isn't your phone," Horikita Suzune concluded.

The situation flipped again, but the group members' attention wasn't on the culprit, Ryuuen. Their more pressing concern was whose phone Suzuki Eijun was holding and to whom the phone with the kitten wallpaper belonged.

Only five minutes remained until the exam ended.

Time was ticking away. Ryuuen could see the anxiety on Horikita Suzune's and Katsuragi's faces. He gloated as he ordered all of Class C's phones to be placed in front of Horikita Suzune, including the one with the kitten wallpaper. "The answer is right in front of you."

Ryuuen was also digging a pit.

Ryuuen had previously told all group members that the Benefactor was in Class C. Among the Class C members present, besides Ryuuen and Suzuki Eijun, there was only one other person: a girl named Kinoshita Minori.

The phone with the kitten wallpaper most likely belonged to Kinoshita Minori. However, Horikita Suzune couldn't make that judgment because she couldn't be sure if Ryuuen was lying to her. Once bitten, twice shy. Horikita Suzune evaded, looking at Katsuragi. "Who do you think the Benefactor is?"

Ryuuen's lips curved into a smile. She's made some progress. The best course of action at this moment was to pass the buck. When one couldn't judge right from wrong and couldn't bear the risk, then transfer that risk to someone else.

The answer was clear. If Katsuragi made the judgment, he could only choose Kinoshita Minori. Whether Katsuragi or Horikita Suzune made this judgment, if they were right, everyone would be happy. If they were wrong, they would only face the resentment and disappointment of their classmates.

Horikita Suzune gave Katsuragi the opportunity to identify the Benefactor. Katsuragi naturally saw through Horikita Suzune's intention. "Since this was your suggestion, Horikita, it's better if you make the judgment yourself."

"Tsk, now he's playing the turtle again," Horikita Suzune gritted her teeth. This was the first time Ryuuen had seen such an expression on her face.

Katsuragi's face twitched. It was one thing for Ryuuen to call him "turtle," but now Horikita Suzune was calling him that too.

"Only two minutes left until the exam ends," Ryuuen reminded Horikita Suzune.

"I know," Horikita Suzune's voice sounded angry and anxious.

Time was tight. However, Ryuuen had actually given Horikita Suzune only one choice: she could only guess that the Benefactor was Kinoshita Minori. Unless Horikita Suzune crossed the line at this moment and went through the phone's personal privacy to determine the true Benefactor.

If Horikita Suzune did that, even if the Ryuuen group members achieved Result 1, they wouldn't feel grateful to Horikita Suzune. Instead, they would be more wary and disgusted by her, as no one would thank a snooper.

Just then, Horikita Suzune's phone rang. Someone had sent an anonymous message:

"Horikita, Ryuuen from Class C deleted all the Benefactor messages sent by the school. Also, based on my deduction, the Benefactor in your Ryuuen group is Kanzaki Ryuuji from Class B."

This message was undoubtedly a bolt from the blue, but also Horikita Suzune's lifeline. Horikita Suzune didn't know who the anonymous sender was. With time pressing, Horikita Suzune had no time to think and instinctively assumed the anonymous person was Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.

"You in Class C deleted all the Benefactor messages!" Horikita Suzune demanded of Ryuuen.

"You found out? That's a bit unexpected," Ryuuen said, stroking his chin with a feigned troubled expression.

"The Benefactor is Kanzaki Ryuuji!" Horikita Suzune stated with certainty.

At the same time, people from Class A and Class D picked up their phones and typed in Kanzaki Ryuuji's name.

Ryuuen played with his phone. "Suzune, didn't you doubt the authenticity of the message?"

"You tricked me!" Horikita Suzune realized belatedly. Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had no reason to send her an anonymous message. Even if he did, he wouldn't send it two minutes before the exam ended. This was completely unlike Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's style; he always made thorough preparations.

Kanzaki Ryuuji was a fake Benefactor.

But there was no room for maneuver now because the exam had ended.

Horikita Suzune looked dejected and clearly devastated. Throughout this exam, she had been played by Ryuuen. From beginning to end, she never touched the correct answer.

Ryuuen walked over to Horikita Suzune and patted her shoulder. "Sometimes the answer isn't that important, and the process isn't important either. What we pursue has always been the result."

"You never intended for me to win," Horikita Suzune looked up at Ryuuen.

Ryuuen snapped his fingers. "You finally grasped the crux of the matter, huh? If I don't want you to win, you won't. Even if you had guessed the Benefactor correctly, I would have deliberately given the wrong answer to force Result 2. It's a shame you couldn't even guess the Benefactor."

"Why! What's in it for you? You gain nothing by achieving Result 2," Horikita Suzune still didn't understand Ryuuen's motive.

"Sometimes, seeing others lose brings more joy to the mind and body than what one gains oneself," Ryuuen said, patting Horikita Suzune's head.

"Besides, I don't lose out either, do I? Didn't the little chef have to work for me for another semester? You're not going to break the contract, are you?"

Horikita Suzune slapped Ryuuen's hand away. The Class A and Class D students looked bitter; they were the worst off in this exam.

The Benefactor Exam ended, with results that surprised everyone.