In the corridor on the second floor of the cruise ship, the sound of hurried and chaotic footsteps came from far to near, as if a person was walking fast in front and someone was chasing behind.
In fact, it is true to say so, but the person walking in front is Manabe, and the ones chasing after him are Yabuna Nami and Yamashita Saki, who are in the same class.
"Manabe, wait for us, Manabe—"
"Slow down..."
Manabe Shiho was walking straight ahead at almost full speed, so that the two who followed had to trot to barely keep up.
Hearing the call from her classmate and friend from behind, instead of stopping or slowing down, she accelerated her pace even further.
The three of them maintained this weird state until they got near the fire escape, and Manabe Shiho stopped.
As soon as she stopped, the other two also stopped.
"Why did you come here..."
Yabuna Nanami and Yamashita Saki were taken aback by the familiar location.
This is nothing but the place where Kei Karuizawa and Ewha apologized and reconciled the day before yesterday.
They didn't understand why Manabe Shiho came here all of a sudden, and were about to ask more questions. The next second, the door of the fire escape was pushed open, and a familiar voice sounded.
"How about it, do you know who the favored person is?"
"Ibuki?!"
"You actually..."
Yabuna Nanami and Yamashita Saki were stunned when they saw the people coming out of the fire escape.
It turned out to be Ibuki Mio who left with the three of Class A before. She didn't really leave, but came here after leaving the discussion room, and sent a text message to Manabe who was still in the discussion room, asking her to remember Enter the recipient's name.
That's right, this is a big loophole in the contract, that is, although the signer cannot become a traitor and send an email to the school in the form of submitting the paper in advance, it doesn't mean that they can't tell others the name of the preferential treatment.
This is a risky move with a bit of a slanted edge, and it is an exclusive risky move that can only be used by Class D who has not signed all the names.
In addition, it cannot be used whether it is Class A that has not signed at all, or Class B that has signed all of it.
And the danger of this trick is that if Ichinose had a second thought at the time and felt that he couldn't get enough people to sign anyway, and since it was the result anyway, if he didn't announce the name of the favored person, then Ibuki Mio's plan would directly fall through.
But the problem is that Ichinose actually honestly announced that he is the preferential treatment person, so there is nothing to say.
Betrayed fiercely!
"The favored person is Ichinose herself." Manabe Shiho said flatly.
"Herself?"
Mio Ibuki, who was opening the email software, raised her head and took a look.
"Are you sure you read it correctly?"
"There's nothing wrong with it, it's her." Manabe Shiho frowned, "All of us have seen it, it's her phone, and all the usage records in the phone are also hers."
"is it?"
Mio Ibuki seemed to be a little skeptical, and her eyes swept over Yabuna Nanami and Yamashita Saki one after another.
The two girls were taken aback for a moment, then they nodded quickly when they realized it.
"That's right, that's her, we all saw it."*2
"Yeah, that's fine."
Ibuki Mio didn't even have the enthusiasm to smile, she lowered her head and continued to operate the phone.
But Manabe Shiho wasn't happy about it, and started to yell with his hands on his hips.
"Hey, let me tell you what the hell you mean. You want me to help you and you still ask me. If you don't believe me in the end, then why don't you send me a text message?"
"It's not that I don't believe it, it's just a simple and cautious confirmation."
Ibuki Mio's eyes were focused on the screen, but her hand movements couldn't stop because she was distracted from speaking.
However, just as she was about to hit the send button, a text message fell into view without warning.
[The rabbit group exam is over, and the rabbit group students do not need to take the exam again, but please be careful not to affect the exams of other groups of students].
"This..."
Seeing the question falling from the top of the screen, Mio Ibuki opened her mouth in shock.
How could... no, who should I say? !
On the other side, in the discussion room, Kure Ragna couldn't help laughing while looking at the text message notifying the end of the exam that he received on his phone.
"Stupid, what's the use of running fast, can you have a fast network, technology is the primary productive force."
At the same time, in the discussion room of the Dragon Group, everyone held their mobile phones forward, displaying the text message notifications they had received from the school regarding the preferential treatment candidates.
Among them were notable names such as Ryuuen, Katsuragi, and Kanzaki.
The only ones who didn't reach for their phones were Kushida Kikyo—the supposed privileged person—and two classmates: Hirata Yosuke and Horikita Suzune.
Ryuuen Kakeru smirked as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. Then, with a flourish, he pulled out a thin piece of paper from behind his back and waved it in the air.
"All right, since we've all signed the gentleman's contract, ensuring that no one will reveal any answers outside the school's stipulated time, there's no need for hesitation. Let's get this over with."
Kushida Kikyo flinched slightly, biting her lower lip. A tense silence filled the room as she hesitated before reaching into the pocket of her skirt. Slowly, she pulled out her phone, unlocked it, and turned it toward her two disbelieving classmates. Her gaze was apologetic.
"I'm sorry... but I'm actually the privileged person."
"Kushida-san…"
Hirata Yosuke looked stunned. He had asked her privately before, and she had outright denied it. Yet now, the truth was right in front of him.
Kushida shook her head. "I didn't lie to you just to secure the 50 points for myself," she said. "It's just… you always treat everyone with sincerity, Hirata-san. I wasn't sure if you could deceive people when necessary. So I kept it from you. Horikita-san too… I'm sorry."
"I see…"
Hirata exhaled, processing her words. He forced a small, resigned smile.
At that moment, Ryuuen chuckled, still waving the contract paper in his hand. "Well, that settles it. Now that we know who the privileged person is, there's nothing left to discuss. Meeting's over. Just make sure you all stick to the contract."
"Makes sense."
Katsuragi nodded, arms crossed. He rose from his seat and, along with the rest of Class A, exited the room.
Class C followed. Then Class D.
Soon, only the three members of Class B remained, the air between them heavy with silence.
Then, the door creaked open again.
It was Ryuuen Kakeru. Though he had already left, he returned, phone in hand, seemingly mid-conversation.
He muttered something into the receiver before his sharp gaze landed on Horikita Suzune. A wicked grin spread across his face.
"People tend to stop thinking after reaching what they believe is the truth… Am I right, Suzune?"
"Wha—?"
Before Horikita could react, her phone vibrated in her pocket. Her eyes widened in alarm.
Ryuuen held up his screen, showing the name of the person he had just called.
Kushida Kikyo.
Yet, the ringtone had come from Horikita's pocket.
Her pupils shrank.
Ryuuen's grin widened. "Now, could you explain why when I dialed Kikyo's number, it was your phone that rang?"
"This…"
"There's only one answer." His voice dripped with amusement. "You're the real privileged person of the Dragon Group, Horikita Suzune."
Horikita inhaled sharply, trying to steady herself.
"But what does it matter?" she countered. "The contract has been signed. Even if you expose me now, the outcome won't change."
"No, no." Ryuuen shook his head, clicking his tongue. "I have no intention of exposing you."
He held up the contract, fingers tapping lightly against the paper. "You remember, don't you? This contract—and the pen you signed it with—were both prepared by me."
Horikita frowned. "What are you trying to say?"
Hirata, sensing something was off, grabbed the contract and examined it closely. His face paled.
"The handwriting… it's disappearing!"
The names that had been neatly written across the paper were fading, one by one, starting from the top.
"This is… disappearing ink?!"
Kushida gasped. She had only ever heard of such tricks in novels or movies. She never imagined she'd see it used in reality.
Ryuuen let out a hearty laugh, tossing the paper into the air as he turned on his heel.
By the time the others returned, his name—the first on the list—had vanished without a trace, as if he had never signed it.
Sure enough, within minutes, the school sent out a text message announcing the early conclusion of the Dragon Group exam.
"Well played…" Hirata muttered, staring at the message on his phone, his expression grim.
He turned to his classmates, intending to comfort them, but before he could, he noticed Kushida dialing a number with a bright, cheerful expression.
"Yes, everything went exactly as planned!" she said into the phone, her voice brimming with satisfaction.
Beside her, Horikita Suzune stood frozen, a look of pure disbelief on her face.
What just happened…?
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