Chapter 117: Ryuen Isn't the Monster, You Are
In the meeting room, Classes B and C sat, awaiting the exam results.
Ding-dong!
A message drew everyone's attention, halting their chatter as they checked their phones.
"Rabbit Group exam concluded."
As expected, someone betrayed. Achieving Outcome 1 was unlikely. With Hamaguchi Tetsuya exposed as the VIP student, results would be finalized within thirty minutes.
This was anticipated. For the Rabbit Group, it was a huge win for Classes B and C. But with twelve groups in the exam, their expressions remained serious until others concluded.
More messages arrived, signaling other groups' exams ending.
Thirty minutes later, a few more messages came, but only a handful. Some groups achieved Outcome 1, though pitifully few.
Hikigaya stood to leave.
Ichinose: "Not staying for the results?"
Hikigaya: "We lost. To Ryuen."
Hamaguchi was stunned. Results weren't out, how did he know?
It wasn't hard for Hikigaya. Only two groups achieved Outcome 1; others ended early. Classes B and C's collaboration involved four VIP students. Even if successful, other groups ending early meant someone was scheming. Except for Koenji Rokusuke's Monkey Group, Ryuen likely exposed the others. Katsuragi's silence tactic had no impact.
Classes B and C's strategy fell short. Ryuen, with one class, beat two, even pushing Class A into a crushing defeat, a testament to his leadership.
As Hikigaya stood, Karuizawa and Yukimura followed. Staying was pointless.
Sotomura, no longer chatting with Class B, scurried after them. After a quick goodbye, Hikigaya's group left.
Before reaching his room, Horikita and Kushida found them. Sotomura had left, leaving Hikigaya, Karuizawa, Yukimura, Kushida, and Horikita staring at each other.
Hikigaya: "How'd it go on your end?"
Horikita, spirit broken, lowered her head silently and shook it.
Kushida, seemingly unaffected, glanced at the unfamiliar Horikita before fixing her gaze on Hikigaya. "We failed. Despite the double safeguard hiding my identity, the plan for Outcome 4 failed. Our group's exam is over."
Karuizawa, relieved, said, "So the final VIP student wasn't exposed. No big issue, right? We didn't gain points, but they might guess our VIP student wrong in the end, no?"
Hikigaya wanted to agree, but it was unrealistic. He'd underestimated Ryuen, or rather, Ryuen had grown since the island exam, becoming different.
Victory didn't favor the stagnant, and Ryuen was the madman who'd change for it.
If he couldn't guess the final VIP student, he wouldn't have ended the exam early. Hoping he'd lose his mind was foolish.
Hikigaya had lost this time.
Horikita, head still bowed, finally spoke. "I… I shouldn't have arrogantly revealed that information. I didn't expect…"
Hikigaya: "It's fine. Even if Ryuen's class gains a few hundred points, it won't affect our class's standing, at least not this time."
Kushida, Horikita, and Yukimura froze. Was this confidence or arrogance from the boy before them?
The 200-point gap between Classes C and D was significant but not insurmountable. In an exam with a 600-point ceiling, 200 points seemed less daunting, potentially allowing a class to overtake another in one fell swoop.
Karuizawa Kei understood exactly what Hikigaya Hachiman meant, a secret shared only between them, a powerful tool to secure Class C's position.
The group didn't continue discussing in the hallway, opting instead to head to a nearby room to await the exam results.
…
On Ryuen Kakeru's side, Manabe Shiho, her two companions, and the coerced Rika stood before him, recounting the events of that day.
Though they embellished the story, Ryuen saw through it instantly. He knew his class well enough to discern the truth and understood their personalities.
Even hearing that Manabe's leverage was in Hikigaya's hands, he remained calm. Perhaps having faced such situations often, he had no reason to panic.
However…
"You disobeyed my initial advice. I'm no longer the tyrant who could intimidate you, but you still went against me."
Manabe lowered her head. "Ryuen… we really didn't expect…"
Ryuen: "You still don't grasp the issue. Why did I target Class A? Simple, to avoid him and use Class A as a stepping stone to pressure Class C. That was our chance to beat him."
"Your actions were pointless, just digging your own graves. Honestly, I don't want to waste time on people facing expulsion, even if they're from our class."
Hearing this, Yamashita, Yabu, and Rika lost all hope, the last spark fading from their eyes.
Manabe: "Is there really no way? Even someone as strong as you can't help, Ryuen?"
With Ryuen as their last hope, if even he couldn't help, Manabe had no reason to fear or respect him anymore.
Ryuen shook his head, shattering their final illusions.
Why couldn't he? Ryuen knew better than anyone.
Which leader wouldn't want to save their class's members? Who'd want their class to lose hundreds of points for nothing?
But he couldn't.
The so-called rumors were just that, rumors.
He could never call Hikigaya a friend, nor would Hikigaya call him one. Their past interactions stemmed from Ryuen's arrogance and self-satisfaction, believing they were equals. After learning the truth, the former tyrant lost his old mindset. Friends? Far from it.
More importantly, he'd once seen Hikigaya as the weaker party. Bowing to him now would forfeit his right to challenge him in the future, trapping him in endless self-doubt, an unacceptable outcome for Ryuen.
He could admit Hikigaya was better, but never that he would never surpass him.
This time, he had done it.
Using Class A as a breakthrough, Ryuen's Class D outscored Hikigaya's Class C, a mark of growth.
Manabe's group dimmed completely. That Ryuen didn't blame them for submitting the Rabbit Group's VIP student early was surprising, but they couldn't muster joy.
[Horikita's Class…]
[Kushida Kikyo, skeptical of the outcome: "This is the first time I've seen him lose. Ryuen actually won."]
[Her words sparked discussion.]
[Shinohara Satsuki: "Doesn't this prove he's just human? Not the invincible god we imagined."]
[Ike Kanji chimed in: "Yeah, no one wins forever."]
[Karuizawa: "No, that's not right. This isn't Hikigaya's defeat. The point gap between Classes C and D isn't that big. If anyone lost, it's Katsuragi's Class A."]
[Karuizawa's face flushed, her movements fidgety, but she continued: "Besides, he put so much effort into helping me. He's just one person, he can't multitask perfectly. This exam was too rushed."]
[Everyone noticed Karuizawa defending the boy in the video, siding with him unconsciously. Though they saw it, no one spoke up.]
[Sakura Airi felt the same. She often thought the video's boy was kind, but he carried too much. He was still human, unable to handle every issue perfectly.]
[She was upset when Karuizawa stole Hikigaya's first kiss, even furious. But seeing him save Karuizawa without hesitation reminded her of how he'd saved her weaker self.]
[So, in the end, Sakura sided with him, even if it was just the video's boy, her belief was in real life.]
Hikigaya, Kushida, Yukimura, Horikita, and Karuizawa gathered in Horikita's room.
True to form, Horikita's room was pristine, like a hotel, clean, spotless, no clutter. The only highlight was a family photo by her bed, featuring her and her brother, Horikita Manabu.
But that wasn't the focus. A message soon arrived, making everyone's hearts race despite their earlier calm.
Rat Group: Betrayer answered incorrectly, Outcome 4.
Ox Group: Betrayer answered correctly, Outcome 3.
Tiger Group: All members answered correctly, Outcome 1.
Rabbit Group: Betrayer answered incorrectly, Outcome 4.
Dragon Group: Betrayer answered correctly, Outcome 3.
Snake Group: VIP student's identity hidden, Outcome 2.
Horse Group: Betrayer answered correctly, Outcome 3.
Sheep Group: Betrayer answered incorrectly, Outcome 4.
Monkey Group: Betrayer answered correctly, Outcome 3.
Rooster Group: Betrayer answered correctly, Outcome 3.
Dog Group: Betrayer answered correctly, Outcome 3.
Pig Group: VIP student's identity hidden, Outcome 2.
From these results, class and individual points were calculated.
Except for Koenji Rokusuke in the Monkey Group, who exposed the VIP student on day one and answered correctly, all Outcome 3s were from Ryuen's Class D.
Class A's silence tactic, aiming to hide identities, only succeeded in the Pig Group.
Since Classes B and C didn't expose other groups, the final class points were clear:
Class A: -100 class points, 500,000 individual points.
Class B: +50 class points, 1,000,000 individual points.
Class C: +100 class points, 1,000,000 individual points.
Class D: +250 class points, 3,500,000 individual points.
A resounding victory for Class D.
Seeing this, everyone in the room felt suffocated.
All their efforts, undone by one exam, easily overtaken.
It was a relentless blow to Horikita's class.
But then…
"Class D students Manabe Shiho, Yamashita Saki, Yabu Nanami, and Morofuji Rika have severely violated school rules. 2,000,000 class points deducted, effective immediately. Expulsion ordered."
This message was broadcast to the entire grade simultaneously.
Before anyone could react, the latest grade rankings brought another shake-up:
Class A: 940cp → 840cp
Class B: 800cp → 850cp
Class C: 420cp → 520cp
Class D: 210cp → 460cp → 260cp
Class B, led by Ichinose, overtook Class A as the top first-year class, while Katsuragi's Class A fell to Class B.
A single cruise vacation had caused so much upheaval. For former Class A students, it was an indelible nightmare.
They never imagined their unshakable dominance since enrollment would collapse in one holiday, like a dream.
If they could, they'd wish it wasn't real.
But in this cutthroat school, survival of the fittest ruled. Reality was brutal.
Manabe's group, just negotiating with Ryuen, received their expulsion notices.
It came so swiftly they couldn't process it.
Their fate was sealed, pleading now was too late.
Though unaccepting, it was real.
Manabe turned to Ryuen, her expression unchanged. "You're no longer my leader, but you're still Class D's. Don't touch Karuizawa."
Ryuen sneered. He already knew. Looking at Manabe, he felt a pang of regret. Had she realized sooner, she might've avoided this.
But people don't learn from words, only consequences teach.
In the room, Karuizawa and Hikigaya exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly.
Horikita: "What's going on?"
Hikigaya: "You look like a curious kid."
Horikita glared, her face stern. She refused to believe this was coincidence. Answers lay with the boy before her.
Yukimura: "Hikigaya-kun, what's happening? Stop stalling."
Kushida, less eager but curious, nodded after Yukimura, signaling her interest.
Hikigaya scratched his head. This wasn't easy to explain, so…
"You remember that viral photo on the school's platform?"
Kushida: "Of course, it's still trending."
The others nodded.
Hikigaya: "It's related to that day. I can't share specifics, but it's similar to Ishizaki's situation."
Horikita and Kushida realized why he'd said they'd understand when the time was right.
He hadn't lied, they had their answer. But his casual explanation made it clear it wasn't simple.
With expulsion as the outcome, how could it be?
Since he didn't want to elaborate, they let it go.
Yukimura: "No wonder you were so calm. It was all under your control."
Horikita, head lowered in thought: "You held Class D's leverage, collaborated with Class B, and minimized our losses. That was your plan."
Kushida gave Hikigaya an appreciative look, saying nothing.
Karuizawa raised a critical question. "How did Ryuen know the other classes' VIP students?"
"Probably figured out the pattern. The exam wasn't hard. It used Japanese pronunciation, assigning VIP students by zodiac order based on the fifty sounds."
Under their shocked gazes, Hikigaya didn't notice, continuing, "For example, the Rabbit is fourth in the zodiac. In the Rabbit Group, the fourth surname by fifty sounds is Karuizawa, so she's the VIP student. Same for you, Kushida, in the Dragon Group."
"The rule explanation by group was to prevent people from spotting this pattern."
Hikigaya spoke casually, but the four others were stunned.
Horikita: "You… what?"
Kushida: "When did you figure it out?"
Hikigaya: "When you told me you were a VIP student."
Kushida Kikyo: "Then you could've figured out the other VIP students, right?"
Hikigaya Hachiman shook his head. "That takes courage, which I don't have. One wrong guess, and the class would fall behind. This approach only works for the lowest-ranking class and someone like Ryuen."
Yukimura Keisei: "So, just from two VIP students, you deduced the pattern? Hikigaya… what kind of monster are you?"
Hikigaya: "Hey, that's no way to talk about someone."
Horikita Suzune: "The question is, how did Ryuen figure it out?"
Hikigaya: "As a leader, even if he's not a tyrant anymore, he still has influence in his class. Getting all their VIP student info isn't hard. That alone isn't enough, though. By getting a bit of Class A's VIP student info through Sakayanagi's faction, he could confirm it with two classes' data. And he's got the guts for it."
Karuizawa Kei: "I think compared to Ryuen, you're the real monster."
Yukimura nodded, while Horikita and Kushida were speechless.
How could this guy deduce all that from just two VIP students? It was… unbelievable.
(End of this chapter)