The luxurious cruise ship sailed steadily across the sea. The deck gradually filled with students, most wearing relaxed expressions after surviving seven days in the wilderness. They gathered in small groups, animatedly discussing the recently concluded exam.
By a relatively secluded section of the ship's railing, Horikita Suzune found Ayanokoji Kiyotaka leaning against it. The sea breeze ruffled her long black hair.
"The results... are pretty much as expected." Horikita moved to stand beside him, shoulder to shoulder, both gazing toward the gradually shrinking outline of the deserted island in the distance. "Though it's only a tie for last place, 150 points means we haven't fallen behind. Your plan succeeded."
Ayanokoji didn't turn. His eyes remained fixed on the horizon where sea met sky. "Yes. I utilized information asymmetry and the 'neglect' caused by Class A."
Horikita was silent for a moment, organizing her thoughts.
Time returned to the fifth day of the exam.
After Class D's camp had descended into chaos—divided and suspicious following the underwear theft—Ayanokoji hadn't rushed to act. He waited for the right moment.
That evening, while patrolling the camp's edge alone, an unexpected figure found him.
Kouenji Rokusuke.
The eccentric man slipped a small cloth bag into Ayanokoji's hand. "This was found by Sakamoto boy in a rock crevice during his patrol." His golden hair shimmered in the setting sun. "He seems to think this item might be related to the current 'farce,' and 'accidentally' let me, who was also 'accidentally' passing by, see it. What an interesting coincidence, wouldn't you say?"
Ayanokoji opened the bag. Inside lay Karuizawa Kei's missing clothes.
Though Kouenji spoke in his usual roundabout manner, the meaning was clear. And Kouenji seemed to hold Sakamoto in high regard—calling him an "interesting boy."
Ayanokoji didn't question how Sakamoto had found the items, or why he'd chosen this method of return. He immediately sought out Hirata Yousuke, returned the clothes, and asked him—as Karuizawa's boyfriend—to quietly give them back and comfort her.
Hirata, though puzzled, accepted the arrangement. He trusted Ayanokoji on some subtle level, and more urgently, wanted the matter resolved.
The return of the stolen goods temporarily quelled the girls' greatest source of anger. But the rift dividing the camp was already beyond repair.
And Ayanokoji, through this, confirmed one thing: it was time to take the initiative.
That night, he slipped away from camp and went alone to Class B's encampment.
Ryuuen Kakeru seemed unsurprised by his sudden visit.
He regarded Ayanokoji with undisguised contempt. To Ryuuen, Class D was merely a junkyard, its members the worst kind of pawns.
Ayanokoji went straight to the point: Ibuki Mio was a spy sent by Ryuuen.
Ryuuen admitted it openly. So what? Fighting was forbidden on this island. At worst, he'd call her back. He clearly thought Ayanokoji had come to protest or negotiate the spy's withdrawal, and his tone dripped with mockery. He recalled Ayanokoji's "reckless" scramble for corn during their confrontation—further proof, in Ryuuen's mind, that Ayanokoji was just a hotheaded kid with a bit of cleverness but no patience.
But what Ayanokoji said next defied expectation.
He didn't ask Ryuuen to withdraw Ibuki. On the contrary—he wanted her to stay in Class D.
Ryuuen's interest flickered.
Ayanokoji proposed a deal. He could provide Class B with information about Class A—and about his own class. He had scouted Class A's camp; Shiina Hiyori from Class B could confirm this. If Ryuuen doubted him, he could ask her.
In exchange, Ayanokoji wanted information about other classes—Class C, for instance.
He deliberately projected eagerness to find allies against the powerful Class A. He hinted that, despite having some influence in Class D, he was ultimately insignificant and needed external support.
He made Ryuuen feel like a self-important pawn worth exploiting.
The offer worked. Information on Class A was precisely what Ryuuen craved. Exchanging some vague, potentially false intel on Class C seemed a profitable deal. More importantly, cultivating an "insider" within Class D would make handling that seemingly weakest class easier in the future—far better than Kushida, whose agenda was limited to expelling others.
Ryuuen accepted.
Ayanokoji then shared conversations he'd overheard upon first arriving on the island, along with some of his conjectures. But regarding Class D's leader, he claimed ignorance—the leader was predetermined, and he didn't know who. The spy Ryuuen had planted could continue investigating.
As Ryuuen listened, pieces seemed to click into place. He grew increasingly convinced that while Ayanokoji had some value, his vision was limited—easily manipulated.
The deal was struck. Ryuuen shared vague intel about Class C and instructed Ibuki to continue her undercover work.
After leaving Class B's camp, Ayanokoji returned to Class D.
Deliberately, he exposed his key card near Ibuki Mio.
The leader of Class D was Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
When they first arrived on the island, Hirata had deferred the choice of leader to Horikita, and Horikita had decided to let Ayanokoji take the role. Their class leader was indeed predetermined—known only to a select few.
But now, Ayanokoji had deliberately exposed that fact to Class B.
The news reached Ryuuen through Ibuki quickly. It further convinced him that Ayanokoji was an easily manipulated fool—coming to negotiate while being the leader himself? What a clumsy tactic. Truly Class D.
The real plan had begun quietly on the morning of the final day.
Ayanokoji, citing sudden physical discomfort, applied to his homeroom teacher, Chabashira Sae, to withdraw from the exam early. According to the rules, mid-exam withdrawal would deduct 30 private points from the class, but it also allowed for a change in leadership.
Chabashira-sensei approved the application.
After Ayanokoji's "withdrawal," Horikita Suzune naturally became the leader of Class D.
All of this unfolded without Ryuuen's knowledge. Relying on the "outdated" information relayed by Ibuki, he would firmly believe Ayanokoji was still Class D's leader. In the final guessing phase, he would inevitably guess incorrectly—costing Class B 50 points.
At the same time, Ryuuen's obsession with Sakamoto, combined with Ayanokoji's deliberate misdirection, would lead him to guess Sakamoto as Class A's leader as well. Another incorrect guess. Another 50-point deduction.
And while Ayanokoji himself didn't know who Class A's true leader was, he was certain it wasn't Sakamoto.
With these calculations, Class B's net profit would likely become zero—or even negative.
As for Class D, though the leadership change cost them 30 points, their initial accumulation ensured they could at least keep pace with the other classes. Ayanokoji's goal hadn't been first place—it was securing a result that wasn't last, narrowing the gap with Classes B and C despite Class A's overwhelming advantage.
Horikita withdrew her gaze from the sea and studied Ayanokoji's calm profile. "So, in the end, all three classes coincidentally had 150 points... Is this really just coincidence? Or did your calculations even roughly estimate whether Ryuuen's guess for Class C's leader would be correct—and the stronghold profits they might secure?"
Ayanokoji was silent for a moment. "Statistically, such a possibility exists. But such precise parity... is more like an accident." He paused. "However, if someone existed who could control more global variables and intentionally brought about this result, it's not entirely impossible."
He didn't say the name, but Horikita knew exactly who he meant.
She brought the conversation back to reality, her tone growing serious. "In any case, our class's internal problems remain unresolved. What should we do about 'her' next? We can't keep a ticking time bomb around forever."
Ayanokoji didn't answer immediately. His gaze seemed to pierce through the bustling crowd on the deck, reaching further into the distance.
He couldn't treat all his classmates as mere tools. In this exam, he had turned Ryuuen and Class D's chaos into pieces on a chessboard. But thinking in reverse—what about himself? In this game, had he also become a pawn in someone else's hands long ago?
A long-unfelt emotion, one he rarely acknowledged, quietly began to sprout.
Fighting spirit.
At the same time, on the bow deck of the cruise ship's highest level.
Sakamoto stood alone, facing the wind. The setting sun cast a long shadow of his tall figure across the deck. No one else was here—only the howling sea breeze. He spread his arms slightly in a natural, relaxed posture, feeling the changes in wind speed, humidity, and heading. A silent dialogue with the vast ocean.
Like a famous scene from a certain film.
Just then, an abrupt but not unwelcome phone ringtone broke the tranquility.
Sakamoto calmly retrieved his phone from the inside pocket of his uniform. He didn't answer immediately. Instead, with a nimble flick of his wrist, the phone—as if endowed with life—elegantly spun once around his index finger, tracing a silver arc before settling steadily into his palm.
He raised it to his ear.
From the other end of the line, a light, youthful female voice came through. "Sakamoto-kun, it's me. Sakayanagi."
"Sakayanagi-san." His tone was calm.
"First, I must apologize to you. Due to my physical condition, I was unable to participate in this exam, which resulted in a 30-point deduction from our class's basic score. A preventable loss. I am truly sorry."
"It's alright. Sakayanagi-san's health is more important."
A soft laugh. "Hehe. However, it was truly an astonishing performance. I have a general understanding of the exam process. Under your leadership, Class A was practically a maritime utopia. Not only did you achieve complete self-sufficiency, but you also nearly monopolized all strongholds... It can be said that you left Class A with virtually no weaknesses in this exam."
Sakamoto pushed up his glasses. The setting sun gilded their rims. He responded calmly, without modesty or pride. "The efforts of the students were the foundation."
A moment of silence on the other end, as if she were carefully choosing her words.
Then Sakayanagi Arisu's voice returned. "Sakamoto-kun, I have a question I've always wanted to ask you."
"These things you've displayed—knowledge and abilities far beyond ordinary people..."
"Are they a 'genius' bestowed by nature..."
"Or do they originate from a certain... 'special place'?"
The sea breeze brushed past Sakamoto's temples, ruffling his meticulously styled hair. Phone pressed to his ear, his gaze behind those glasses fixed on the infinitely stretching horizon.
He did not answer immediately.
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