Chapter 16: You Reap What You Sow
I was exhausted.
We all were.
The special exam had dragged on for hours, and most of us hadn't gotten any real sleep. My body wanted a bed. My mind wanted a fight.
Unfortunately, all I got was another game.
The ranked freshmen were escorted through the halls and led into a large room.
The moment I stepped inside, I recognized it.
A courtroom.
Not some cheap imitation either.
The place looked almost identical to a real courtroom.
Rows of seats.
The judge's stand.
The witness stand.
Everything.
I shoved my hands into my pockets.
"Isn't this the room non-ranked students use for those courtroom roleplay scenarios?" I asked.
Nobody answered.
A projector flickered to life.
Words appeared on the screen.
Game 3: The Dealer's Prosecution.
I leaned back against a desk and started reading.
The more I read, the more amused I became.
So that was the catch.
The dealers from Game 2 weren't getting away for free.
Now they would be judged.
A trial.
Four separate court cases.
One for each grade.
Prosecutors.
Lawyers.
Judges.
Jurors.
The whole thing was ridiculous.
And yet somehow perfect for this school.
The NIFL loved forcing people to justify their decisions.
The projector continued explaining the rules.
If a dealer was found guilty, they could receive a financial penalty or be expelled.
If they were found not guilty, they could betray their class and transfer while stealing three hundred and fifty class points.
I couldn't help laughing.
"Now that's interesting."
Betrayal rewarded.
The school never disappointed.
Suddenly every phone in the room buzzed.
I pulled mine out.
A grin immediately spread across my face.
Judge.
Of course.
I almost felt sorry for everyone else.
Almost.
Across the room I noticed Haruto looking down at his own assignment.
Juror.
Figures.
Then something else caught my attention.
Mei.
The girl looked terrified.
Not nervous.
Terrified.
Her hands trembled.
Her eyes kept shifting around the room.
I immediately understood.
Dealer.
There was no other explanation.
Another notification arrived.
This one revealed all sixteen dealers.
I skimmed through the list.
There it was.
Mei Lin.
Bingo.
Before I could say anything, someone approached me.
Kei.
His expression was as unreadable as always.
"Kaito. I have a favor to ask."
I raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"Make me the prosecutor."
That was it?
I yawned.
"Yeah. Whatever."
I rubbed the back of my neck.
"We're all tired. Let's just get this over with."
Besides, I was curious.
Kei wanted something.
That alone made it worth allowing.
I officially assigned him the role.
Then the courtroom doors suddenly burst open.
Ayame.
She was breathing heavily.
Looked like she'd run across half the campus.
"Kaito. Kei. I need to talk to both of you."
Annoying.
Still, curiosity won.
The three of us stepped outside.
The second the door closed, she spoke.
"Please. Spare Mei."
I stared at her.
Then laughed.
"I'm not even from your class."
She flinched.
"Why should I care?"
I crossed my arms.
"If I remember correctly, you got a blessing card. This doesn't even concern you anymore."
"Mei is my best friend."
Kei answered before I could.
"She betrayed our class."
Ayame's eyes watered.
"I know."
Her voice shook.
"But we can fix it."
Pathetic.
That's all I could think.
Absolutely pathetic.
I looked at Kei.
"What exactly did she do?"
"She ensured Hiro was expelled."
I blinked.
"Seriously?"
"She also received support from the Phantom Bishop."
Ayame immediately objected.
"We don't know that."
"Oh, the Phantom Bishop?"
I shrugged.
"I made three hundred and sixty thousand private points off them."
Both of them stared at me.
That reaction was priceless.
Ayame wiped her eyes.
"Whether she's involved or not, she's still family."
Family.
That word again.
People loved throwing it around.
Usually right before they betrayed each other.
"I'm not changing my decision because you're crying."
Her shoulders lowered.
"Just... think about it."
Before anyone could say anything else, a security guard approached.
"You're not supposed to be here."
Ayame looked defeated.
She turned around and left.
The moment she disappeared down the hallway, I looked at Kei.
"Remember during the Survival Gauntlet?"
He nodded.
"When we rescued Mei."
"Yeah."
I smirked.
"Back then she looked completely helpless."
I glanced toward the courtroom.
"Now you're telling me she's the one tearing your class apart."
"She's an uncontrollable variable."
I laughed.
"If a vine starts choking the garden..."
I cracked my knuckles.
"You cut it."
Simple.
Kei didn't respond.
We returned inside.
I assigned Hina as the defense lawyer.
Honestly, she was the obvious choice.
Then I walked to the judge's seat and dropped into it.
Not bad.
Comfortable.
I picked up the small hammer.
The entire courtroom quieted.
I grinned.
"Order in the court."
The trials began.
One by one, dealers were brought forward.
One by one, Hina defended them.
And honestly?
She was good.
Very good.
The first two dealers were declared not guilty.
Neither chose to betray their class.
Then came Asuka.
The dealer from the new Class 1-C.
The jury found her not guilty.
Everything seemed normal.
Until she smiled.
"I'll transfer."
The room froze.
And just like that, she stole three hundred and fifty class points from her class and transferred to mine.
I stared at her.
Then immediately calculated the consequences.
Class 1-C dropped to three hundred ninety-nine points.
A voice suddenly shouted from the audience.
Jun Arata.
"WAIT!"
Everyone turned.
"If they have three hundred ninety-nine points..."
His eyes widened.
"And we have five hundred and one—"
I immediately understood.
"So that's it."
Jun jumped to his feet.
"WE DID IT!"
He turned toward his classmates.
"WE'RE BACK TO CLASS 1-C!"
Silence.
Nobody reacted.
Nobody smiled.
Nobody celebrated.
They just sat there.
Broken.
The excitement slowly left Jun's face.
He sat back down.
Awkward.
Very awkward.
I rubbed my forehead.
"Oh great."
I pointed at Asuka.
"Now she's in my class."
I looked over her records.
Her grades were awful.
"She's going to ruin the balance."
I shrugged.
"Whatever."
A grin spread across my face.
"I'll expel her later if I get the chance."
Then came the final trial.
Mei Lin.
The atmosphere immediately changed.
She stepped forward.
The room grew quieter.
More tense.
More interesting.
I leaned back in my chair.
Finally.
The main event.
Just then my phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
I opened it.
One message.
This is the Phantom Bishop.
My grin widened.
Ensure Mei Lin is expelled immediately.
Now that...
That was interesting.
I looked up.
Then toward Kei.
Then toward Mei.
The room suddenly felt much less boring.
Kei stood.
For the first time all night, I noticed hesitation.
Only a little.
But it was there.
Then his expression returned to normal.
"This dealer is guilty."
The room listened.
"And I recommend expulsion."
I smirked.
This was about to get good.
Very good.