Chapter 142: Ally Plan, Surprised Ayanokoji (Two-in-One 5k) (Patreon)

August 11th, around 8 a.m.

Hikaru Naruse reached the door of the Dragon Group's main conference room and pushed it open. One sweep of the place told him it was several times larger than the room where the four of Class A had held their meeting.

There were no beds this time, but the room had two connected areas linked by a small door.

The open outer area held a dozen or so chairs, clearly meant for sitting and talking, each spaced well apart from the next.

Even with all fourteen members of the group seated, it wouldn't feel crowded.

Off to one side stood a few comfortable sofas and a coffee table, like a carefully furnished upscale lounge. The school had certainly prepared plenty for the exam.

The Dragon Group had fourteen members in total.

Naruse had joined up with the other three from Class A before coming in together, and they took the seats on the right side of the room.

Kohei Katsuragi folded his arms and chose a chair. Naruse sat beside him, and the two girls, Ryoko Nishikawa and Koharu Yano, sat behind Naruse.

Anyone paying close attention would have noticed that Naruse had deliberately picked a seat with a table right in front of it. It had something to do with what he was about to do.

On the first-year Class B side, Honami Ichinose wasn't in this group, so the one leading the pack was Ryuji Kanzaki. He came in with two girls, Sayo Ando and Hitomi Tsunobe.

Once he'd confirmed where Class A was sitting, Kanzaki took the matching spot on the left side, and the three of them sat down together on a sofa.

The next group to arrive was Class D, also three people this time. Yosuke Hirata, the nice guy, wore a smile on his face. Behind him came first-year little angel Kikyo Kushida, and last of all, a cold-faced Suzune Horikita.

The moment she walked in, Horikita locked onto Naruse's position. When she saw the "certain look" he was deliberately sending her way, she gave the boy a resigned nod of greeting.

With the three classes all present, there were still three minutes left before eight.

The last to arrive, right on the dot, was Class C's little group. Oddly enough, every other class had a mix of boys and girls, but Class C, led by Kakeru Ryuen, was four boys.

Ryuen walked in with his hands in his pockets, swept the room with his gaze, and led the three behind him inside.

He picked out a single armchair at the far edge at a glance, claimed it, and propped one leg over the other on purpose, sizing everyone up with an "I'm the best in the world" look.

Eight o'clock came quickly, and the first to speak up was Class D's Yosuke Hirata.

Thanks to his nice-guy personality and good reputation, he actually knew quite a few students from other classes, so he wasn't the least bit nervous.

In front of everyone, Hirata spoke slowly.

"Good morning, everyone. I'm sure you all already understand the rules of this exam."

Hirata kept his tone as gentle as he could, trying to project goodwill.

"I think that if we want the best outcome, we can work together to bring about [Result One]. That way everyone gets 500,000 points, and the [VIP] would get 1,000,000."

"I know some people might be unhappy that the [VIP] gets more, but we can simply write that into the contract."

"I've already done the math. There are fourteen of us in this group, so as long as it's divided fairly in the end, everyone gets at least 500,000 points."

"That's a huge amount of points. For all of us, this should be an easy conclusion to reach, right?"

Hirata didn't yet know who the Dragon Group's [VIP] was, because Kikyo Kushida hadn't shared that information with anyone.

After hearing his speech, none of the other three classes rushed to take a stance.

Naruse glanced at the two Class D members beside Hirata. Kushida wore a smile, but she seemed indifferent to the proposal.

As for Horikita, Naruse knew her goal was surely class evaluation points. She wouldn't agree to a proposal like this.

Hirata had only said it to get today's discussion started.

The "nice guy" did care about the class's overall interests, but when it came to moving up in class, he honestly didn't care that much. Hirata had understood the true nature of Class D long ago.

Keeping up the appearance of harmony was what he most wanted to do right now.

After a few more seconds, Ryuen, who plainly held Hirata's proposal in contempt, spoke up bluntly.

"Hey, Hirata-san. Did you not learn arithmetic in elementary school?"

"However you look at it, class evaluation points are obviously worth more, aren't they?"

Ryuen's crossed leg swayed slightly under the lights, his whole posture insufferably arrogant.

"Guess the [VIP]'s identity correctly and the class evaluation points will raise everyone's Private Points. What's a measly 500,000 compared to that?"

When he finished, the others from Class C laughed along with him.

Hirata, facing Ryuen's mockery, didn't get angry. He just smiled calmly.

"Ryuen-san has a point. But right now we have no leads at all. Wouldn't guessing the [VIP] be too difficult?"

"The proposal I just made is simply a safe plan."

"If anyone has a better plan, now is the time to bring it up."

Hearing Hirata's call, Class B's Kanzaki glanced over at Class A. He'd meant to see what Naruse would say, but what he saw there made him jump.

Naruse had already dragged the table near him up in front of himself, and was pulling several decks of playing cards out of his pocket.

"?"

*

That boy who always drew everyone's eyes briskly unwrapped a deck right in front of the whole room and began cutting and shuffling with practiced ease.

"No need to look so tense, everyone. I brought four decks. If you want one, come and grab it."

He tossed the red Joker off to the side and kept on shuffling.

"Class A's strategy has already been settled. We don't plan to take part in your discussion, so you can act like we're not here."

"Since the rules say we have to stay in this room for an hour, we might as well find a way to kill the time."

"Isn't that right, Katsuragi-san?"

"Yes."

The perpetually serious bald man sat beside Naruse and began watching intently as Naruse dealt the cards, looking quite interested.

The conference room fell silent for a good few seconds.

Even Hirata could barely keep his composure. He'd always thought Class A was the strongest class, one that would surely act aggressively in an exam like this. He never expected Naruse to lead his group in a game of cards.

And judging by how Naruse had pulled out one of the two Jokers, he clearly meant to play Old Maid.

It was a very classic party game.

You keep one Joker in the deck and deal out all the cards evenly among the players. Everyone sets aside any pairs in their hand, then takes turns drawing one card from the next player's hand.

If you draw a card that makes a pair, you lay it down. Whoever is left holding the Joker at the end loses.

The rules are simple, and you can come up with all sorts of penalties, which makes it perfect for killing a dull hour.

Katsuragi's agreement rested on his having already accepted Naruse's plan, because he believed Naruse could surely deduce the pattern behind how the [VIP]s were chosen.

In that case, they simply shouldn't reveal any information about their own class.

After this first hour of discussion ended, the three [VIP]s chosen from Class A would message their information privately to Naruse. The entire class had approved this strategy.

"For our penalty, let's go with sticking paper slips on our faces."

Naruse smiled as he pulled a notebook and a roll of tape out of his pocket.

"No problem," Katsuragi said steadily.

"I'm in too," Nishikawa said, stroking her braid. She looked like she'd gotten serious about it.

"Mm... Then let's do it."

Yano had other friends in Class A, but this was her first time playing with Naruse, and she was a little thrilled.

The other three classes, seeing the four from Class A really start a game of Old Maid, were all left a bit speechless.

Kanzaki rubbed his chin and glanced at the other two classes.

"Looks like nobody plans to discuss anything for this hour."

"Class A has made its stance clear, which means they won't cooperate on any group effort. There's no point in continuing the discussion."

"Kanzaki-san... what do we do now?" Ando asked, looking at Naruse over there with mixed feelings.

"Let's play too. We've got nothing else to do anyway."

Kanzaki walked over, got a deck from Naruse, and came back to the Class B side.

Ando and Tsunobe exchanged a look, and both gave a small nod.

The three Class B students also formed a little circle and began their own Old Maid time.

*

Over on the Class D side, Hirata saw that no one planned to cooperate and let out a helpless sigh.

He'd intended to ask Naruse for a deck and play with his two classmates, but he soon realized the two girls reacted very differently.

Horikita pulled out her phone alone and put on her earphones, radiating a keep-your-distance attitude.

Kushida was even more outrageous.

Right in front of everyone, she dragged a chair over beside Naruse and, without the slightest reservation, pressed her shoulder against his.

"?"

"Kushida-san?" Nishikawa asked, puzzled.

"I'll just watch you play, if that's okay?" Kushida said with a radiant smile and a gentle voice.

"No objection," Katsuragi said. He seemed to have caught on to something. He glanced at the calm-faced Naruse and didn't stop it.

Naruse's attitude was even simpler. He didn't care about this sort of thing at all.

Though no one knew about the intimate relationship between the two of them, the rumors about Hikaru Naruse had long since spawned all sorts of versions. Acting a bit close with Kushida made no difference.

Hirata had no way around it, so he came over and stood beside Katsuragi, watching everyone play Old Maid.

As for Class C, Ryuen never moved from his armchair from start to finish.

When the other three Class C boys asked if he wanted to play cards, he first looked at Naruse, then leaned back into the sofa and closed his eyes.

"You guys go ahead."

"Understood, Ryuen-san. We won't disturb you."

Takumi Oda glanced at Hidetoshi Suzuki and Masashi Sonoda beside him, then went to ask Naruse for a deck.

They didn't play Old Maid. They played the far more "manly" Texas Hold'em.

And so, amid the shuffling of cards and the occasional burst of laughter, the hour passed quickly.

When everyone broke up, Naruse looked at Nishikawa, whose face was plastered with several white paper slips, and couldn't help laughing.

"Nishikawa-san, looks like your skill and your luck are both pretty average. You've got some practicing to do~"

"Hmph. I'll win it back next time. Just you wait. I'll get Asuka to train with me."

"I'll be waiting."

He hadn't had much contact with Nishikawa before, but after the exam started, Naruse suddenly noticed that the two of them had gotten a lot closer.

What's going on here? I don't think I did anything unnecessary...

He couldn't work it out, but Naruse soon met up with Asuka Shiraishi, and the blonde girl volunteered an explanation.

"Judging by what we've observed on the ship these past few days, Ayanokoji-san will most likely be out on the deck getting some fresh air about now."

"Then I'll go alone. You two can watch from a distance."

"Mm."

*

When Naruse stepped out onto the deck, the sea wind hit him in the face, carrying a trace of tropical humidity.

There weren't many people on the deck, just a few scattered here and there taking photos or chatting by the railing. One boy stood at the farthest end of the deck, his back ramrod straight, like a lonely statue.

It was Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

When Naruse had come to within about two meters, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka turned around on his own.

"Naruse-san, did you need something from me?"

His voice had little warmth, but Naruse could sense that the other boy seemed a bit curious.

That matched what he knew of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. Ayanokoji had gone through the White Room's training, but that didn't mean he was truly an emotionless robot.

Naruse studied his expression, then smiled slowly.

"Of course I'm here with good news."

"Ayanokoji-san, do you remember what we talked about on the deserted island?"

"I remember."

"Good. That's all I need."

Naruse thought for a moment and went on.

"Last time, I only told you a little of what I know. You can think of it as a stake, a sign of how sincere I am about working with you."

"Working with you... is there something you want?"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka knew Naruse was a very special student. They'd never actually crossed swords, but his instincts told him the other's overall strength might not be inferior to his own.

"I'm just an ordinary student, so naturally there are plenty of things I want. And working with Ayanokoji-san could make my future life a lot easier."

"I'm only an ordinary student too," Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said flatly.

"Hardly."

Naruse smiled faintly and said unhurriedly,

"Since I know about the White Room, I know plenty of other things too."

"For instance, during this deserted island exam you did a lot of things that didn't fit your usual pattern of behavior, didn't you?"

"..."

"For instance, you moved Nanami Yabu's walkie-talkie."

"When did you find out?" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka asked.

"Just think of it as my intelligence network. You didn't tell anyone in Class D about it, but I know anyway."

Naruse held up a finger and raised the stakes further.

"I know one more thing."

"What is it?"

"The reason you acted of your own accord this time was Ms. Chabashira, and she lied to you."

If the last revelation could still be explained away as coincidence, this line left Ayanokoji Kiyotaka thoroughly stunned.

That day, at the meeting in the theater, apart from himself and Sae Chabashira, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had made a point of checking the surroundings. No one could have slipped past his eyes.

And Naruse had just said it so easily, which meant he truly had a terrifying intelligence network.

"You've said all this. What kind of cooperation do you actually want?"

"Simple. I think you're a man worth investing in. If you can climb to the top, maybe you can help me accomplish a few things."

Naruse smiled. The thinking in his head was actually quite simple.

In the original novel, Atsuomi Ayanokoji had raised Ayanokoji Kiyotaka from childhood as a ruthless political machine. It wasn't only for his own future in politics. It was also to find a suitable heir for his own faction.

If Ayanokoji Kiyotaka really did walk that road as planned, he'd inevitably come into contact with a great many high-ranking figures.

If Naruse built a partnership with him in advance, then once Ayanokoji Kiyotaka reached that point, he could ask for a favor to open a few doors for himself. Say, arranging a plural marriage or something. How convenient would that be?

Naruse himself certainly had no interest in being some political machine. If someone else would do that for him, wasn't that killing two birds with one stone?

"You want to invest in me?" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka countered.

"That's right."

Naruse's tone grew a little more serious.

"Right now, you can't stand against [that man] yet, but I can become your ally."

"And what I need is... an exchange of benefits. That should be fair, shouldn't it?"

Hearing Naruse deliberately say "that man," Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's expression changed, and he stayed silent for a good while before speaking.

"It seems you really do know a lot."

"Yeah. What do you think?" Naruse mused.

"Tell me. What do you want?" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka asked calmly.

"What I want is..."