Late at night, in a familiar coffee shop on the third floor of the cruise ship, a quiet corner booth near the wall.
"Wha—?! Why is Kushida-san here?!"
Kei Karuizawa's startled voice broke the silence of the empty shop. Her eyes widened in shock as she pointed at Kushida Kikyo, who was already seated on the sofa. Her words tumbled out in disbelief.
Beside her, Kure Ragna sighed as she clung to his arm, shaking him insistently.
"I told you, I had plans to meet Kikyo," he said, rubbing his temple. "That's why I told you to head back to the dorm, take a shower, and get some rest. So why did you insist on coming along?"
"Of course, I followed!"
Kei pouted, crossing her arms. "I'm your girlfriend. If you sneak off this late at night, who knows what kind of sketchy woman you might be meeting? What if you get tricked?"
"Sketchy..."
Kure Ragna resisted the urge to facepalm. The very person she was suspicious of was sitting right in front of her.
Kushida Kikyo, however, didn't show any signs of irritation. Though she was likely cursing Kei's ancestors in her head, she maintained her usual sweet, angelic demeanor. Her large eyes shimmered as if on the verge of tears.
"That's too cruel, Karuizawa-san," she said, voice trembling. "Are you calling me a 'sketchy woman'? But I arranged this meeting with Kure Ragna first. And if we're being honest, wasn't your relationship with him originally just a fake one? You said there wouldn't be any romantic feelings involved. Logically, shouldn't you stay out of his personal life? So why are you interfering with our date now?"
"Uh..."
Kei faltered. She wasn't great at arguing—she could barely hold her own against Ibuki, let alone Kushida.
With a victorious glint in her eye, Kushida turned to Kure Ragna, her fingers delicately wiping away nonexistent tears.
"Kure Ragna-kun, you promised me this was just a fake relationship. But now... it feels real."
This girl...
Kure Ragna clicked his tongue subtly. He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice so that only she could hear.
"Believe it or not, if you keep this up, I won't let you leave your room until summer vacation ends."
His words weren't bluntly vulgar, but the implication was clear.
"Really?"
A flicker of excitement danced in Kushida's eyes, her voice filled with anticipation.
In truth, she had been suffering. The first half of summer vacation had been exhausting—survival exams on uninhabited islands, grueling special tests, endless studying. Even their rare breaks had been overshadowed by strategizing. For someone like her, who was used to indulging in leisure at least twice a week, this felt like pure abstinence.
Once we get back, I'm going to make up for lost time...
As the two exchanged hushed words, Kei's expression morphed through a range of emotions—confusion, contemplation, realization—until finally, she froze, her face burning red.
"Y-You... you... you...!"
"Alright, sit down."
Kure Ragna casually patted her head, interrupting whatever spell she was about to cast. He gestured toward the time on his phone.
"Look, it's almost time. The results are about to be announced."
Kei blinked, her train of thought derailed. She leaned in to check the screen.
"Oh... you're right."
The school had scheduled the results for 11:00 PM sharp.
The three of them settled in, waiting. As time ticked closer, Kei's gaze remained fixed on Kure Ragna's phone, leaning so close that their shoulders nearly touched. Noticing this, Kushida frowned. Unwilling to be outdone, she abandoned her own phone and mirrored Kei's position on Kure Ragna's other side, leaning in as well.
Hum—
The moment the virtual clock struck 23:00:00, Kure Ragna's phone vibrated. A text message popped up on the screen with pinpoint precision.
He tapped it open, revealing a neatly arranged list:
Results by Group:
Rat: The traitor answered correctly. (Third result)
Ox: The traitor answered incorrectly. (Fourth result)
Tiger: Successfully hid the VIP's identity. (Second result)
Rabbit: The traitor answered incorrectly. (Fourth result)
Dragon: The traitor answered incorrectly. (Fourth result)
Snake: Successfully hid the VIP's identity. (Second result)
Horse: Successfully hid the VIP's identity. (Second result)
Sheep: Successfully hid the VIP's identity. (Second result)
Monkey: The traitor answered correctly. (Third result)
Rooster: The traitor answered correctly. (Third result)
Dog: Successfully hid the VIP's identity. (Second result)
Pig: The traitor answered correctly. (Third result)
Beneath the group results, another section summarized the impact on class points and individual rankings:
Class Points and Personal Rewards:
Class A: -200 CL, +150 million PR
Class B: +150 CL, +450 million PR
Class C: No change in CL, +200 million PR
Class D: +50 CL, +450 million PR
Kei stared at the message, processing the numbers. After a moment, she hesitantly spoke.
"Wait... are we... first place?"
"Seems like it," Kushida added, her tone carrying an undeniable satisfaction.
The data was clear—while Class B and Class D had gained the same individual points, Class B had received triple the class points. And in this school, class points were the real currency of power.
Tonight, Ryuen Kakeru was probably suffering from insomnia.
After all...
People often believed they had found the second layer of truth and stopped searching, convinced they were right. But they rarely considered the possibility of a third layer.
And the third truth?
Kure Ragna had never swapped Kushida Kikyo's SIM card with Horikita Suzune's. Instead, he had simply rerouted their phone calls.
That was why, no matter how many times Ryuen checked, Kushida always appeared to be the VIP. Yet, when he called, it was Horikita who answered.
A simple trick—one that didn't even cost any points.
Kure Ragna smirked... but then, suddenly, his expression stiffened.
"Wait... something's wrong."
He abruptly set his phone down, pressing his fingers against his forehead as if piecing together a horrifying realization.
Both girls blinked, startled by his sudden change in demeanor.
Kure Ragna's gaze darted around, his lips parting slightly as he whispered.
"If I'm not mistaken... we might be on our way to becoming Class A."
"...Huh?!" x2
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