Chapter 141: Asuka Shiraishi's Action, Kei's Calm (2-in-1 5k) (Patreon)

In the small room set aside for the exam gathering.

Hikaru Naruse picked up the pages of exam rules and tapped the tabletop twice with a finger.

"Feel free to speak your minds, everyone. Let's hear what you think."

The other three members of Class A were still chewing over the rules. Once they'd digested them, Ryoko Nishikawa was the first to speak.

"Both [Result One] and [Result Two] are good news for us, of course."

Her voice was clear and crisp, quite different from Asuka Shiraishi's. Shiraishi sounded soft and soothing; Nishikawa sounded bright and lilting.

"But frankly, the school has to keep its rules fair, so every group must pick its [VIP] the same way. Otherwise there's no guaranteeing fairness."

"Exactly." Kohei Katsuragi nodded.

"If we follow that line of thought, and the selection pattern really is uniform, another situation opens up. Once someone learns who their own group's [VIP] is, they can work backward from that identity to deduce the rule…"

"They might even be able to guess the [VIPs] of the other groups. There are twelve groups, and every group has members from each class. As long as information gets passed along, someone will push for [Result 3], since that's where the payoff is biggest."

"That's right."

As a member of Class A, Ryoko Nishikawa was well rounded, and she looked at problems from many angles.

Hikaru Naruse nodded slightly as she finished, a smile of appreciation on his lips.

"So that's exactly the point I raised earlier. The decisive clash happens right here. Every group has members from all four classes, so whether you trust and cooperate, or fight with information, concealment and deception, that's the core of winning or losing."

"Of the four exam results, only [Result 3] truly shows who wins."

The exam had four possible results in total, and the school's design was clearly well thought out, with every loophole plugged.

First came [Result One].

Everyone in a group except the [VIP]—who can't answer—takes part. If all the remaining members correctly guess the [VIP]'s identity, the school pays every group member Private Points: 500,000 Private Points to each answerer, and double for the [VIP], who receives 1,000,000.

Everyone had just shared their thoughts on this one, and Hikaru Naruse in particular flatly rejected the approach.

The reason was simple. For this result to happen, the [VIP] and everyone else in the group would all have to agree to cooperate and split the points.

But the odds of that were far too low. Even binding everyone with a contract wouldn't necessarily maximize the payout.

Revealing your [VIP] identity is, in essence, "giving away intel." Other classes could use the [VIP]'s information and details to deduce who the [VIPs] of other groups are.

A contract couldn't stop that, and it wouldn't be logical to try. After all, a contract only takes effect when both sides consent.

Next was [Result Two].

This result suited a [VIP] working alone far better. They could keep their information secret and pocket 500,000 Private Points all to themselves.

The condition: if everyone in the group other than the [VIP] either doesn't answer or answers wrong, the school pays the [VIP] 500,000 Private Points on its own. To keep things perfectly confidential, the payout might even be split across multiple deposits at different times, protecting the [VIP]'s safety.

"Keeping your identity hidden until the exam ends is very hard for a [VIP]."

"The [VIP] is surely picked by some objective, fair method, not by individual ability, and that's exactly what makes the exam so unpredictable."

"So this result carries plenty of risk in itself."

Then came [Result 3] and [Result Four].

These two were the focus of everyone's discussion, because the battle over class rankings isn't about who has more Private Points. It's about the total class evaluation points.

"[Result 3]… If someone other than the group's [VIP] reports the answer to the school before the exam ends, and gets it right…"

"The answerer's class receives 50 class evaluation points, and the answerer personally receives 500,000 Private Points."

"At the same time, as the answerer's class gains points, the class of the student whose [VIP] status was exposed loses 50 class evaluation points."

That back-and-forth made a 100-point swing. And the three classes trailing behind weren't separated by much.

If a winner-takes-all outcome truly happened, it could easily shake the final class rankings. When the second semester began in September, there might be a major reshuffle.

"What's more, the school wrote the rules to rule out same-class answers. If someone in the same class as the [VIP] answers first, the answer is invalid."

"Meaning… defense is useless. If you want points, you have to guess the [VIPs] of other classes." Ryoko Nishikawa's reasoning was clear.

"Yes."

Hikaru Naruse snapped his fingers and moved on to the last one, [Result Four].

It wasn't much different from [Result 3]. It worked more like a supplementary clause to it. The school didn't want students guessing wildly, so it had added this restriction.

"If someone other than the [VIP] reports an answer to the school before the exam ends, and gets it wrong…"

"The group's real [VIP] receives 500,000 Private Points, and the [VIP]'s class gains 50 class evaluation points."

"Conversely, the person who guessed wrong pays the price: their own class loses 50 class evaluation points."

The four results all affected one another. They forced everyone to think through, from the very start, how to decide in a way that maximized their gains. After all, if you wanted to persuade people from other classes, you had to show enough sincerity.

"Once a [VIP]'s identity leaks, all sorts of possibilities open up."

"Answering first is risky too, but if you really do have another class's [VIP] information, then not answering first means losing the initiative."

"That's the crux of this exam."

When Hikaru Naruse finished his analysis, Kohei Katsuragi swept his eyes over the three people there and spoke slowly.

"Our Dragon Group has fourteen people. Working out which one is the [VIP] won't be easy, and if we judge rashly, the error rate will be high."

"There's another thing."

At this point Koharu Yano, sitting to the side, couldn't hold back.

"We can't be sure the Dragon Group's [VIP] is even someone from our Class A."

"Right. We have to factor that in as well."

Kohei Katsuragi mulled it over for a moment, then gave his view.

"Releasing [VIP] information is dangerous. Someone could exploit it."

"Then how about this: we set up a small group first, with only the Class A members of the Dragon Group," Hikaru Naruse suggested. "Just the four of us. We don't say any information in the big Class A chat. If somebody sees a phone, at most one piece of information leaks."

"Right, that's important."

If everyone in Class A talked in the big chat, there'd be many more ways for information to leak.

As for the more extreme case of a lost phone, they set that aside for now. They could report it to the school at once and have the phone's signal handled immediately.

"Katsuragi-san, please post a reminder in the chat for everyone, too."

"Mm, I'll send it now." Kohei Katsuragi was the creator of the Class A group chat, so he wrote up a group announcement right there.

By the time that was done, the twenty-minute discussion period was nearly over.

"Time's about up."

Sae Chabashira gave Hikaru Naruse another look, then spoke calmly.

"A reminder: the [VIP] information will not be released until eight o'clock tomorrow."

"Don't worry, Chabashira-sensei. We know what to do."

"Then you're dismissed."

This small meeting had only served to go over the exam rules. From tomorrow, the large discussions would begin, with everyone in each group taking part.

Kohei Katsuragi checked his watch and said goodbye to Hikaru Naruse, and Koharu Yano took her leave as well.

Only Ryoko Nishikawa stayed. She followed right behind Hikaru Naruse out of the room, then stood on tiptoe and patted his shoulder, smiling.

"Naruse-san, are you free later?"

"What's up?"

Hikaru Naruse looked back. Nishikawa was standing right behind him, so he caught the scent of her perfume, a hint of lavender.

"Would you do us the honor? Asuka wants to treat you to something, and have a chat while we're at it."

"Shiraishi-san?"

"Mm-hm. Are you in a hurry, Naruse-san?" Ryoko Nishikawa smiled meaningfully. "If you've got plans, we won't push."

"I'm free. When and where should we meet?"

"I'll send it to you now."

"Sounds good."

---

Nine o'clock that evening, a café aboard the cruise ship.

Because the Special Exam had been announced that day, and judging from the rules it was clearly no easy contest, most of the students weren't in the mood to enjoy the ship's amenities. The whole ship had a slightly edgy air.

Only a few scattered people remained in the dining area, and it was quiet.

Hikaru Naruse sat across from the two girls, regarding the pair who'd come to meet him with a mild expression.

A soft smile hadn't left Asuka Shiraishi's face. Her golden hair was silky and her features delicate, giving her an air of elegance and mystery. Ryoko Nishikawa was just as pretty, her lips curved slightly up, her skin fair, and the two braids hanging over her chest added a lively touch.

Without a doubt, they were two genuine beauties, a pleasure just to look at.

Then Asuka Shiraishi spoke first.

"Naruse-san, this exam looks like it's going to be a bit of a headache."

"It's fine."

Hikaru Naruse smiled and asked lightly, "Are you having a hard time, Shiraishi-san?"

"I am, really. My head's never been very sharp," Asuka Shiraishi said, deliberately.

"I don't believe that for a second. Which group are you in, Shiraishi-san?"

"The Tiger Group."

"The Tiger Group, huh…"

Hikaru Naruse thought back. In the original novel, the Tiger Group's [VIP] was apparently someone from Class C.

As he pondered, the girl across from him spoke up on her own.

"Naruse-san, do you want to know why I asked you out today?"

Asuka Shiraishi suddenly leaned her body forward, bringing herself a little closer to Hikaru Naruse.

"I'm all ears."

"I actually already have an idea, and I'd like to hear your opinion."

"Go on."

Hikaru Naruse's interest was piqued. Asuka Shiraishi herself had ties to the White Room, so there was no need to ask about her ability.

"Naruse-san, if Class A wants the greatest possible gain, what result should we aim for in the end?" Asuka Shiraishi asked.

"Easy. Guess every [VIP] and answer early."

"But there's a problem in the middle. If each class's [VIPs] are distributed evenly, then our class has three."

Asuka Shiraishi said it with a beaming smile, as though she already had a detailed plan in mind.

"Even if we figure out who those three are, nobody in our class can answer. Answers from classmates don't count."

"So?"

Hikaru Naruse could tell where Asuka Shiraishi was headed, so he pressed her further.

"Which do you think is better: finding partners to push every group toward [Result 3], or pushing the groups holding our class's three [VIPs] toward [Result One]?"

If the goal was maximum gain, Naruse felt the second option was the better fit.

"If it were up to me, the second option would definitely fit better. But the difficulty of pulling it off is too high."

Asuka Shiraishi ran through a quick analysis. Winner-takes-all was certainly the optimal solution, but you couldn't treat everyone in the other classes like fools, since students of the same class could trade intelligence.

Carrying out that plan carried a greater risk of exposure. The moment one group showed initial agreement on [Result One], classmates in the other groups would learn of it very quickly. It couldn't be hidden.

There was only one way to coordinate everyone: catch them all off guard, and make the result happen before they could link up and collude.

"So my answer is to push all the groups toward [Result 3]."

Hikaru Naruse thought it over, then said slowly.

"Then we'd need to pick the right ally and bring about [Result 3] by exchanging contracts."

"Yes."

"Wait. Shiraishi-san, your proposal is a good one, but its precondition is that we know the pattern the school uses to pick [VIPs], right?" Hikaru Naruse asked, deliberately. "Are you confident you can crack that?"

"I'm not confident at all."

Asuka Shiraishi smiled gently, then abruptly steered the conversation back to where it began.

"Like I said just now, my head isn't very sharp. Finding the pattern and confirming the list… I'm sure Naruse-san can handle that."

Asuka Shiraishi raised a little fist, seeming to have great faith in Hikaru Naruse.

"You have that much faith in me?"

"I do."

"I have a lot of faith in you too, Naruse-san." Ryoko Nishikawa, who'd been listening quietly all this time, chimed in at last.

"Then I'm honored."

"I'll back you up from behind, Naruse-san," Asuka Shiraishi said, her tone still gentle.

"And if Class A wins big, I'll put your name in the ledger of merit."

"I'm looking forward to it."

Hikaru Naruse thought for a moment, then steered the conversation in another direction himself.

"Shiraishi-san, is that mission of yours still going?"

He meant Asuka Shiraishi's purpose in coming to this school: keeping watch on Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

"It's still going, of course. We're not on the deserted island anymore, after all."

Asuka Shiraishi didn't hide it, and Ryoko Nishikawa showed no surprise at all.

"Then tomorrow, when you go do your work, I'll come along."

Hikaru Naruse smiled faintly.

"Don't tell me you're planning to pick Class D as your partner?" Asuka Shiraishi asked on instinct.

"Wrong. If I'm picking a partner, I'd choose Class B."

Hikaru Naruse had already settled on his approach. He had no intention of burning four whole days on this exam.

If he hadn't known the original story, fine. But knowing it and still waiting obediently until the last day of the exam would make that knowledge pointless.

"Class B?"

"Right. Don't you think Class B makes the best shield?"

The gap between Class A and Class B was currently more than 1,000 points, and of the two classes behind, Class C and Class D, the one they could most easily catch up to was Class B.

Besides, Honami Ichinose had a firmer hold on the rest of Class B. Answering had to be done group by group, so they'd need to control at least three people.

Class D had too many uncontrollable factors, and Class C was out of consideration entirely.

"True."

Asuka Shiraishi thought it over. "Then why are you going to see Ayanokoji-san tomorrow?"

"It's a secret."

"Not even a tiny hint?" Asuka Shiraishi held up a fair little hand and made a tiny pinching gesture, the kind that would lose you the market in a certain country.

"Not a chance."

"Stingy~"

Just then, Ryoko Nishikawa, sitting beside Asuka Shiraishi, spoke up.

"Naruse-san, I'll back you up with everything I've got this time, too. If we win big, you'll put my name in the ledger of merit as well, right?"

"Of course."

Asuka Shiraishi turned her head to glance at Ryoko Nishikawa. When their eyes met, she hesitated, but said nothing.

A moment later, the girl's gaze settled on Hikaru Naruse again.

"So please think hard, Naruse-san, and figure out how the [VIPs] are chosen."

"I'll do my best."

---

The next day, August 11th, around eight in the morning.

On the other side of the cruise ship's second floor, in front of the big room where the Rabbit Group was to meet and discuss, Kei Karuizawa stood quietly at the door with her phone in her hand.

She looked at her text message again. It hadn't actually arrived at eight sharp, but five minutes early.

[Congratulations. You have been selected as the Rabbit Group's [VIP]. Please act according to the exam rules.]

Being chosen as the [VIP] should have been something to celebrate, since it meant the initiative was in her own hands. If she played it right, Kei Karuizawa could win herself plenty of gain.

But the girl she was now had no intention of serving her class at all. The first person who came to mind was Hikaru Naruse.

Of course, there was still the group discussion in front of her to get through. If she wanted to talk to her boyfriend, it would have to wait a little.

"Just an hour of discussion… I can get through that easily."

Kei Karuizawa resolved to keep up her "tough gyaru" persona. Once the Rabbit Group's discussion ended today, the first thing she'd do was contact her boyfriend.

If Hikaru-kun learned this, he'd definitely be happy.

Kei Karuizawa closed the message and slipped her phone back into her pocket.

Then she took a deep breath.

She pushed open the door and strode in with her head held high.

"I'm Kei Karuizawa from first-year Class D. I'm not late, am I?"