279 The Betrayer Appears
For Obami Rin, who holds the second-highest number of votes, getting second place would mean a loss in chips, so his goal must be to fight for first place.
For everyone else, coming in second either means a small gain or a small loss—so participating in this gamble holds no real meaning.
Since everyone is aiming for first place, it also means that the person who puts their coins into the tax box first is likely to end up at the bottom.
Those who are generous may end up with nothing? What a perversely designed set of rules.
The other four people's eyes flickered, each with different thoughts in mind, calculating something unknowable.
"Well then, let's go into the other room according to the order of our standing positions. Now it's free discussion time—two minutes limit. Please begin!"
The five looked at each other. No one broke the silence.
"Ahem." Hachiman Hikigaya gave a light cough.
Come to think of it, among these five, he probably had the most interaction with everyone else.
To avoid a total party wipeout, Hikigaya decided to speak up.
Even if his words might mean little to these cunning players.
"I have a proposal—how about everyone puts 5 coins into the tax box every round?"
Think about it. Five coins per round, five people—25 coins. Doubled makes 50 coins, split among everyone means 10 coins each. If we stick with it for three rounds, each person's coins would exceed 40.
"This number is really cutting it close. If someone manipulates things halfway through, it could result in a total loss for everyone. I think we all understand that."
Obami Rin was the first to agree: "Of course, I will definitely put all five coins into the tax box and only start scheming once I've secured the passing line."
"That's great to hear."
But is that really the case?
Hikigaya had already gone through everyone's psychological states in his mind.
First, there's Juraku-senpai.
She will definitely aim to win alone to avoid splitting the first-place chips with others, as that would mean a loss for her.
Therefore, she is the most likely person to become the "betrayer."
Next is Obami Rin.
His words are somewhat credible.
As long as he can split the first-place chips, that counts as a win for him.
Therefore, he'll likely ensure he reaches the 40-coin passing line.
Miroslava's desire to win is no less than Juraku's. She also has a high probability of being a betrayer.
As for Manyuda Kaede, at least from his current behavior, Hikigaya couldn't feel any strong will to win.
People like that are the hardest to predict—divine or demonic in a single thought.
He might sacrifice everything for the group by putting all his coins into the public pool, or he might drag everyone down by putting all his coins into personal property.
Let's do a simple calculation.
If someone puts all their coins into private property—the most extreme case—four people, five rounds, five coins each, all-in.
Each ends up with 40 coins, tying for second place, and together they split 37 vote chips. Meanwhile, the betrayer gets 950 chips alone.
"Time's up! Now, will the first player, Sachiko Juraku, enter the special room."
Obami Rin, hands in his pockets, holding five coins, walked in with a breezy smile on his face.
Inside, two election committee members in yellow uniforms were already waiting.
On their left and right sides were boxes labeled "Tax" and "Private Property." Obami Rin appeared thoughtful, but in the end, he put all five coins into the tax box.
He murmured, "You must ensure you're not eliminated first in this gamble. Any psychological games or calculations before that are meaningless."
"This is a game of trust and betrayal.
The game designer clearly wants to see a scenario where the five people destroy each other out of suspicion.
If I had put money into personal property from the start, the final outcome would be disastrous."
Obami Rin rested his hands behind his head and walked out of the room looking relaxed: "Man, this is such a headache…"
"How was it, Rin?!" Obami Ibara asked excitedly.
"Relax~" Obami Rin gave an "OK" hand gesture, which earned a desk-slap of disapproval from Runa: "Hey, you two over there! Don't make meaningless gestures during the game. It may be considered secret communication and lead to disqualification."
Next were Manyuda Kaede and Hikigaya.
Both soon exited the special room.
Then it was Sachiko Juraku's turn.
After entering, she didn't immediately decide where to place the coins.
Instead, she turned to the two election committee members.
"Do you have paper and a pen?"
"Huh? Paper and pen? Yes, yes, of course, Lady Juraku."
That committee member, clearly a fangirl of Sachiko Juraku, excitedly pulled out a blank sheet from a cabinet and handed it over.
After writing a string of words, Juraku pressed the paper onto the table using her coins and turned to leave.
The committee member couldn't help but remind her: "Miss Juraku, you haven't placed your coins yet."
"The rules don't say the coins must be placed into the box personally, do they?" Juraku turned around with a meaningful smile.
When she came out, Hikigaya gave her a few surprised glances.
"She stayed in there around 20 seconds longer than the rest. Did she do something in there?"
"What's the matter, Hikigaya-kun? Why are you looking at me like that?" Juraku Sachiko crossed her arms and stood there with an unreadable expression.
"Just curious what you were doing in there, taking 20 more seconds than the rest of us."
Juraku Sachiko flicked her hair: "Obviously thinking, what else~"
Soon, the last player, Miroslava Honebami, also walked out of the special room.
Only, no one noticed the subtle change in the way she looked at Juraku Sachiko.
Clap!
Yomozuki Runa clapped her hands together forcefully: "Alright! All players have deposited their coins. The election committee members are now organizing the private property box. We will soon announce the number of coins in the tax box!"
About ten seconds later, one of the election committee members jogged out, carrying the box marked "Tax" and placed it on the table.
Yomozuki Runa struggled to lift it up and dumped its contents in front of everyone—
Clang~ Clang~
Yomi spread her arms and shouted loudly: "This is everything—20 coins in total!"
"Multiply these coins by 2, then divide equally—each person gets 8 coins!"
20 coins—
Hikigaya's eyes narrowed.
The situation he least wanted to see had happened.
In just the first round, the betrayer had already shown their fangs, trying to doom them all.
The most urgent task now was to find out who the betrayer—whose number is still unknown—was.
"Then let's probe a little."
He looked around at everyone: "So, it looks like someone didn't put in a single coin, huh~"
280 The Seed of Suspicion
Hikigaya's voice reached everyone, but no one answered.
Hikigaya Hachiman let out a light sigh.
No matter the reason why someone hadn't deposited all the coins into the tax box, the seed of suspicion had already been planted.
Everyone had stepped into the trap of betrayal laid by Yomozuki Runa.
This game was a test of mutual trust. Even though he and Juraku-senpai were now in a close relationship, she wouldn't hold back when it came to designing a gamble.
"If only it was Yumeko..."
Yomozuki Runa leaned on one hand, watching the varied expressions of the group with a gossip-eating smile, and said cheerfully: "The result has already occurred and can't be changed, so let's look ahead~ The discussion for the second round of the game begins now!"
"Yare yare, I really didn't expect it to end up like this." Obami Rin spread his hands in helplessness. "Putting coins into the private savings box would indeed give you a head start over the others, but if the others also choose not to pay taxes to avoid falling behind, then everyone loses. Such a simple logic... and yet someone still did that in the very first round."
"If you want to compete, at least wait until we've reached the 40-coin passing line~"
Honebami Miroslava tugged on her black gloves and stared intently at Juraku Sachiko with a burning gaze, her voice cold: "Shall we begin the interrogation? Though torture is the domain of the Mushibami family, I'm fairly good at moonlighting as an inquisitor.
We only have two minutes, but it should be enough for me to force out the truth.
Don't you agree, Juraku Sachiko?"
"Heh. Big boobs, small brain," Juraku glanced at her, unimpressed. "How do we know you're not the traitor?"
Obami Rin tried to ease the tension: "Well... let's not do any guilt-by-force interrogation. If we try to extract answers through violence, the dealer will probably shut us down."
"Actually, regarding the traitor, I already have a theory." "Manyuda Kaede. It's you, isn't it?"
Obami Rin immediately pointed the spear at Manyuda Kaede: "However, I won't rush to vote you out just yet. I'll wait until the fourth round, when the coins in your hand are enough to reach the passing line, and then we'll vote to exile you."
"If we vote out the traitor right away, we'll be left with four players trying to reach forty coins in five rounds — a total dead end. I'm not going to make that kind of move."
"So from now on... Manyuda-kun, I'll be keeping a close eye on your every move."
"Meaningless," Manyuda replied plainly. "Do as you like. I'm just here to make up the numbers."
The spear of argument had been raised, and the flames of conflict burned in everyone's hearts.
Yomozuki Runa nodded with satisfaction — Yes, this is how it should be. This is the true nature of gambling!
In this world, there shouldn't be such a thing as absolute trust at a gambling table.
Even your closest companions in everyday life might betray you in a gamble!
That's the essence of this game. There is a traitor — someone who didn't pay the agreed tax, who lied and acted like nothing happened.
To the honest players, the traitor's presence was a provocation.
They paid their taxes properly — is that kind of betrayal really going to be allowed? If this continues, they'll lose everything.
They can't believe it, can't accept it, can't forgive it.
That sense of unfairness — that's the very soul of the Public Proprety Game!
When people feel they're being treated unfairly, they even begin to doubt those closest to them.
In the face of unfairness, can you still trust each other?
Just like Japan — we pay our taxes diligently, and yet the pressure on our shoulders only gets heavier. It's because of the presence of traitors!
Therefore... I, Yomozuki Runa, will fulfill President Momobami's will and turn Hyakkaou Academy into a complete microcosm of Japan!!
This is a trial — a test for the elite students of Hyakkaou, and also a prototype of a new team-based gambling format.
If it works well enough, it might even be implemented long-term.
Because this kind of gamble allows no cheating — it is a game that purely tests human nature!
But...
As Yomozuki Runa grinned inwardly, she snuck a glance at Hikigaya Hachiman.
From the moment the result was revealed, he had been deep in thought.
What was he thinking about? The seed of suspicion had been planted, and now all four players harbored their own secrets.
Under such circumstances, it was nearly impossible to gain any useful information.
After all, Hikigaya himself couldn't completely clear himself of betrayal in the eyes of others.
Hikigaya fell into deep thought.
Manyuda Kaede's reaction didn't seem like that of a traitor.
In the past, he aspired to become the Minister of Finance.
Even if that dream had crumbled, his instincts would not allow someone to exist who would cheat on taxes in a game like this.
Judging from his actions, expressions, and recent words — he wouldn't tolerate such a person.
Manyuda Kaede — excluded.
Obami Rin — actively seeking the traitor.
While it's possible he's faking it, from the language alone, the more suspicious parties are Juraku-senpai and Honebami.
There may not be just one traitor. Two could have colluded.
It might not have been a single person who put five coins in the private box, but several who each withheld a few coins.
Yet from the tone of their speech, it seems they're all convinced there's only one traitor, who put all five coins into the private box.
But... could Juraku Sachiko and Honebami Miroslava really be working together?
Hikigaya was deeply puzzled.
Are all girls like this? Swearing to eat each other whole before a gamble, only to instantly form a Traitor Alliance once the game begins?
If more than one person betrayed the group, those two are the only possible pair.
During discussion, they couldn't have used secret codes he couldn't understand.
So, they must have left some message in that special room to coordinate.
Looking at the order in which people entered, the possibility that Manyuda and Obami formed the traitor team is zero.
With that, Hikigaya's thoughts became clearer:
If there's only one traitor: Juraku > Honebami > Obami. If there are two traitors: it must be Juraku and Honebami. And it was Juraku who proposed the plan, with Honebami carrying it out.
Just one final test is needed for confirmation.
"Now that we've basically figured out the factions, the next step is to determine how to gain the greatest benefit from this gamble. My goal is first place."
"Everyone! The discussion time is almost up! We're about to enter the thrilling second round of the game! Please wrap up your discussions!"
Yomozuki Runa raised both hands above her head and clapped loudly.
The sharp sound brought Hikigaya back to reality.
That sound struck him like lightning — and he suddenly thought of the winning strategy.
As the saying goes... a single hand can't clap.
Hikigaya Hachiman immediately said, "Everyone, I have an idea."
"Hmm?"
His voice drew the attention of the four others.
"I have an idea," Hikigaya repeated, stepping up to the platform. He borrowed pen and paper from Yomozuki Runa, and using his body to block the view, he wrote down numbers.
After writing, he carried the slips of paper to the others.
"I've written down a number from 1 to 5 on each of these slips. Everyone, take one at random and pay that amount in tax."
"Oh? That's interesting." Obami Rin was the first to take a slip and saw the number.
He became Hikigaya's mouthpiece: "If everyone pays the number on the slip, and the traitor pays nothing, then it'll be easy to spot them by comparing the missing amount."
But he left one thing unsaid in his mind:
Even though a traitor might still pay one or two coins to reduce suspicion, it's still better than a full-blown betrayal.
"Nice proposal. Although I still think Manyuda is the traitor, it's worth trying." He smiled cheerfully. "Don't worry — I'll definitely pay the amount on my slip."
"That's ideal."
Hikigaya nodded, but there was no joy in his eyes.
This method couldn't fundamentally solve the problem.
Everyone here was a top-tier player.
There's no way they couldn't see through it.
If someone paid just one coin less, they could shift suspicion away while still benefiting themselves.
The result would likely be... even fewer coins in the tax box than the previous round.
But Hikigaya never intended to solve the problem with this idea — it was just bait.
Soon, the five players entered the special room in order.
The tax box filled with coins was brought out again by the election committee and placed before everyone.
"Everyone, it's time for the thrilling unboxing! Let me hear how many coins are inside!"
Yomozuki Runa shook the box dramatically and covered her mouth in feigned shock: "The sound is so soft — seems like there are even fewer coins than last round."
Then, dropping the act, she dumped the contents.
"The total tax paid by the five players is... 14 coins!"
"Now for distribution: multiplied by 2 and rounded up, each person receives six coins."
"Huh?"
Obami Rin cried out exaggeratedly and looked at Hikigaya: "Hikigaya-kun, what's going on here?"
"This is quite shocking. Now, please reveal your slips of paper."
Hikigaya Hachiman, hands in his pockets, scanned the group.
Each person's slip had a large number "5" written on it.
"In other words, the total should have been 25 coins — and yet we're 11 coins short in just one round."