"Wait, wait, wait, is this for real? We actually got one hundred and seventy-five points? How did that happen?"
"Idiot, Class A scored even higher!"
"Why, though?"
Not only was Class D in an uproar, but even Class A, the top scorer, had many students who were equally bewildered.
"I knew we'd get a lot of points, but this number is just insane" muttered Masayoshi Hashimoto, clicking his tongue.
It seemed that this round was Kaoru Mitoma victory and his little princess was really going to have to face the music.
However, he didn't see any problem with it.
Kaoru Mitoma was quite capable. As long as he could lead Class A to graduate smoothly and give them a good high school life, it didn't really matter who led the class.
Yes, from the very first day, Hashimoto had noticed that Katsuragi and Kaoru Mitoma had an unusual relationship, with the former seemingly subordinate to the latter, reporting key decisions to Kaoru Mitoma.
Thus, the astute Hashimoto made the most correct choice immediately.
Sorry, Princess, but i also had high hopes for Kaoru Mitoma.
Clearly, Hashimoto saw the rivalry between Kaoru Mitoma and Arisu Sakayanagi as a clash between two big shots from the same faction and it was a rather ambiguous competition at that.
Being the tactful person he was, he didn't want to interfere too much.
"Hey, hey, hey, what's going on, Katsuragi?" Totsuka Yahiko voiced the confusion of many Class A students.
Katsuragi replied in a low voice "It's too crowded here. Let's talk about it once we're back on the cruise ship."
The students from Sakayanagi faction instinctively looked to Hashimoto and Masumi Kamuro, who, as Sakayanagi confidants, should know something, right?
Unfortunately, they didn't see the reaction they were hoping for.
Reluctantly, they followed Katsuragi to the pier, preparing to return to the cruise ship.
Meanwhile, Ryuuen was still reeling from the exam results.
Damn it, why were they all so in sync?
The ones who withdrew from the exam were all the leaders of their respective classes!
Even if they thought their leaders were exposed to Class C, attacking Class C would still cost them fifty points!
Did none of them launch an attack?
No, that doesn't explain why Class A points were so high—it's like they were cheating!
To achieve this result, it seems Class A has secured all the base points, along with exam points and additional points from the leader... but even that doesn't fully explain Class A total points.
Unless they managed to gain at least two hundred bonus points from the lower-ranked classes!
At this moment, Ryuuen expression turned extremely grim.
His plan had almost completely failed, resulting in a situation where he inflicted a thousand losses on the enemy but suffered eight hundred himself.
More importantly, he couldn't understand it.
If it were just Class A, that would be one thing, but not only Class B, even the so-called "defective" Class D had points—and they even secured second place?
Anyone unaware of the situation might think Class C was the real gathering place for failures, which was quite frustrating.
"Your plan really didn't work" Ibuki Mio said indifferently.
"Don't be so hasty. It's precisely because of this outcome that the days ahead will become more interesting" Ryuuen replied. "An opponent without value wouldn't be worthy of our three years here."
Ibuki snorted coldly, thinking he was just putting on a tough front, pretending not to care.
"The only reason I follow your orders is because you bring benefits to the class. If there's no gain from now on, I won't hesitate to overthrow your rule."
"Heh, before that happens, I'll enjoy these days to the fullest. Now, get back to the ship."
With that, Ryuuen walked toward Class D.
Like most students, Class D was currently caught in a mix of confusion and joy.
"Great! From now on, we'll have over twenty thousand personal points coming in!" Ike Kanji beamed with a smile.
Originally, Class D had eighty-seven points, but with the addition of one hundred and seventy-five points, their class points would now total two hundred and sixty-two.
Doing the math, twenty-six thousand personal points would be enough to free Class D from their vegetable-based meal plan.
"Hey, hey, explain it quickly, Hirata!"
Facing the enthusiasm of his classmates, Hirata Yosuke smiled.
Although their attack on Class A had failed, the result was still much better than expected, which was a pleasant surprise.
"I'll tell you right away. It's too hot here, let's find a cooler spot."
He didn't notice the strange glint in Ayanokoji Kiyotaka eyes.
The latter cultivated thinking ability and instinctive reactions made him realize he had stepped into a trap carefully prepared by the hunter.
If Kaoru Mitoma act of pretending to clock in was the outermost layer of disguise, only capable of luring a confused Horikita Suzune, then his accidental encounter with him and Kamuro Masumi conversation on the road was the second layer—specifically tailored for him.
Had he been careless after all?
Ayanokoji eyes flickered.
Although he had considered that Kaoru Mitoma might have further traps, how did the other party know he would definitely appear nearby?
Because Ibuki Mio stealing the key card and Horikita Suzune pursuit were all his arrangements.
There was no reason for Kaoru Mitoma to have anticipated and ambushed him in advance.
Even if Kaoru Mitoma had guessed these moves through Ryuuen, Ayanokoji still couldn't figure out how the other party knew his exact location and ensured he would overhear the conversation.
This guy is terrifying....
Ayanokoji showed a hint of seriousness, but then it occurred to him that Class A failure to attack Class D also exposed the fact that they had planted a spy in Class D.
"Hey, Class D guys, did you let Horikita return to the ship?"
At this moment, Ryuuen Kakeru also walked up to Class D, his carefree demeanor making people want to punch him on sight.
"What's it to you?" Sudo Ken blatantly showed his hostility. "We kindly took you in, only to find out you were a spy. Shameless!"
"This is your mistake. If you hadn't taken in Ibuki, none of this would have happened" Ryuuen replied indifferently.
"Damn you, you bastard!"
Hirata Yosuke quickly held Sudo back and turned to Ryuuen.
"Horikita-san returned to the ship to rest because she had a fever. Is there something you need?"
Hearing this, Ryuuen frowned and then cut straight to the point.
"I'll just ask directly—whose names did you write down?"
Hirata looked at him in surprise, then instinctively glanced toward Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Class B, feeling a bit hesitant.
But since the exam was over now, telling him wouldn't hurt.
"Ibuki Mio from Class C and Kamuro Masumi from Class A."
Ryuuen fell silent.
Although he had mentally prepared himself, hearing Ibuki name still made him wonder where things had gone wrong.
The most reasonable explanation was that someone had seen the scene where they switched leaders.
"Why did you write Kamuro name?"
This was the part he couldn't figure out. Could it be that he had guessed wrong?
Hirata wore an awkward expression. He couldn't exactly say it was related to Class C, could he?
"Because it was decided after a group discussion. Someone witnessed Mitoma-kun and Kamuro-san appearing outside and Mitoma-kun was preparing to return to the cruise ship at the time" Ichinose Honami voice suddenly rang out among them.
Ayanokoji remained silent.
He had been part of the process, but the final decision had been made by Ichinose and Hirata.
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