Chuckling at Katsuragi-kun, who had clearly changed his expression and took the bait, Ryuuen-kun glanced at my face and then looked at Class D, declaring, "Kukuku... You're curious, aren't you? Then I'll tell you. To put it bluntly, I think the culprit is someone from Class D."
Seriously? How did he figure that out?
"Why is our name suddenly being brought up?"
"Right. Don't you think your story is a bit far-fetched, Ryuuen-kun?"
No student here would stay silent after being suddenly accused of being a criminal. Following Suzune-chan, Yosuke-kun also protested.
"I calculated the points of each class, and the numbers just don't add up. The points needed for everyone to get through this exam are roughly 120. There might be some minor errors, but for Class B to reach 140 points, they would have to guess either Class A or D's leader."
Ryuuen-kun's gaze shifted toward Class B, who had been quietly observing the situation. The fact that he nonchalantly revealed that Class C had guessed Class B's leader showed how serious he was.
"I heard from Kaneda. The Class A key card was found at your base camp. But do you really think it just flew there overnight?"
"There's no other explanation. Besides, how could anyone steal it when they didn't even know that Totsuka was the leader?"
That's right. If Ryuuen-kun's story about "the key card being stolen" was true, it raised the question of who stole it and how.
Plundering is an act that leads to immediate disqualification once it is discovered. There are hardly any students who would take such a gamble. Aside from me, Ayanokoji-kun, and Ryuuen-kun, that is.
"That's impossible. If my memory is correct, it was raining that day, but the wind wasn't that strong. Even if the key card fell in the forest, there's no way it would fly all the way to Class B's base camp."
"So you're saying it was stolen?"
I interjected to break the long silence, as it was becoming strange for me to stay quiet.
"Yeah, that's right. And if the thief put it at Class B's base camp, the plan would be complete. And somehow, Class D knew who the Class A leader was at that time. There's only one person who could have been outside at that hour, right? The gigolo over there who was falsely accused of being an underwear thief and was surviving alone."
"That..."
...I'm in trouble. A normal person would think Totsuka-kun was just making a desperate lie, but given the situation and the results, he deduced that I was the one who stole it.
Everyone's attention was on me. If you think about it calmly, it's a baseless accusation, but Ryuuen-kun had the confidence and persuasiveness to push it through.
However, a student's voice broke the uncomfortable atmosphere.
"This is not a discussion, Ryuuen-kun. I thought you were going to show us some kind of brilliant deduction, but what you're saying is nothing more than a baseless accusation."
It was Arisu-chan who said that. She glanced at me, then sighed in exasperation and continued.
"To begin with, no one in Class A, including myself, believes Totsuka-kun's story. If it was really stolen or extorted, he should have remembered the culprit's characteristics, but he was just in a state of confusion and refused to talk about it at all. Why should we believe such a story?"
"I understand you want to protect him, but coming from you, it makes things even more suspicious."
Even with Ryuuen-kun's provocative words, Arisu-chan didn't flinch and shot back.
"Protect him? I just want to end this foolish conversation as soon as possible. You said earlier that Tsugumi-kun, who was free to move around, was the culprit, but couldn't the same be said about you?"
The fact that Ryuuen-kun had been lying low for a whole week was known to all the students. Given his past actions, he would be the one to be suspected under the same conditions.
"Kukuku... You're right. I have nothing to say to that."
In the end, Ryuuen-kun was defeated, but there was no cloud on his expression. He gave off an air of being genuinely entertained.
Since Ryuuen-kun surprisingly backed down, I turned to Katsuragi-kun to provide a little more explanation.
"Ah... Just so you know, the reason I knew who the Class A leader was is because someone saw you guys come out of the cave, which was a bonus spot, on the first day. The way you two looked, I just thought Totsuka-kun was probably the leader."
"...I see. I'm sorry for doubting you."
I was vague about how they looked, but it seemed to have gotten through to Katsuragi-kun.
"Don't worry about it. I should have told you from the beginning... Oh, it's been an hour already. I guess we'll break up for today."
When I looked at the time, it was 2:05. We had gone over the designated time by about five minutes. I really wanted to talk more, but there was nothing I could do. I have to thank Arisu-chan for this.
At my words, everyone began to disperse.
"────And that's how it went. There were some irregular events, but we somehow got through it."
The time was 3 PM. An hour had passed since the discussion ended, and I was with Kiyotaka-kun and Suzune-chan.
When I explained the situation to Kiyotaka-kun, who wasn't there, he put his hand on his chin with a bitter expression.
"...Ryuuen is a troublesome one after all."
"Right. Even if his argument was just a baseless accusation, the fact that he was able to make it so convincing will be a threat in this exam."
Suzune-chan said that, but I'm sure that's not the reason for Kiyotaka-kun's bitter expression.
"That's part of it, of course. But that's not what I'm getting at."
"...? What do you mean?"
Kiyotaka-kun continued to explain to Suzune-chan, who seemed to be a little slow on the uptake.
"The terrifying thing about Ryuuen is his way of thinking. A normal person would only think that Totsuka was making a desperate excuse, but Ryuuen isn't like that. He considered the possibility that what Totsuka said was true and narrowed down the culprit to someone in Class D, and then to Tsugumi."
"That... is something we already knew, isn't it? Honestly, he's abnormal."
"Yeah. But Ryuuen doesn't think his 'abnormal way of thinking' is exclusive to him. Of course, Tsugumi's heavy defeat was a factor, but he doesn't doubt that others can stand on the same ground as him. That type of tyrant is not only good at offense but also at defense."
That's right. No one would normally think of attacking Totsuka-kun and stealing his key card, let alone actually do it.
However, in the last exam, I cultivated his cautiousness, which makes him doubt the normal and not underestimate his opponent.
"...You're right. So, is Ryuuen-kun the biggest threat in this exam after all?"
"Probably. Ryuuen is the type of person who would even force everyone in his class to check their phones."
In this exam, if you can perfectly grasp who the VIPs are in your class, it would be a huge advantage. You can find a pattern from it and even negotiate with other classes.
"How was your group, Kiyotaka-kun? Was Ichinose-san the one who held it all together?"
"Yeah. What I'm concerned about is the system in Class A. I thought they would choose to avoid risk like last time, but it seems that most of the students supported Sakayanagi's aggressive approach."
"He's already changing things around. He's amazing."
It seems that because of Totsuka-kun's failure on the deserted island exam and the subsequent atmosphere and results, there were almost no voices supporting Katsuragi-kun. And come to think of it, during the discussion earlier, I revealed that Totsuka-kun got carried away, so he was found out to be the leader. Well, it's the truth, so I guess it can't be helped.
And yet, when it's just the two of us, Arisu-chan hasn't changed since we were in elementary school... When did she become such a terrifying woman?
"So, is Class D the only one that isn't united...?"
"I don't think so. Despite the factor of Ibuki, the support for the two of you who won against Ryuuen is overwhelming. In the end, the 150 points we were supposed to pay to Class C also disappeared."
"...You're carefree, aren't you? No one even questioned why we didn't have to pay."
"That's why they're so easy to manipulate. Some of the concerns would be... Kushida and Karuizawa."
Huh? I get Kushida-san, but why Karuizawa-san?
I wasn't the only one who thought that; Suzune-chan also looked confused.
"...Right. I guess Tsugumi isn't interested in the class as a whole like Hirata is. Do you know what kind of situation Karuizawa is in right now?"
"What kind of situation... She's acting normal as usual, isn't she? Oh, wait, you wouldn't bring it up if she was."
Sighing, Ayanokoji-kun prefaced his words with, "This is something I heard from Hirata."
"It seems that the hatred that has been building up for Karuizawa is starting to surface due to the conflict she had with you guys during the deserted island exam. I don't know if that stress is the cause, but she was almost about to cause a problem with a Class C student earlier."
"Oh wow..."
I knew it would happen eventually, but I didn't expect it to happen now.
I thought the underwear thief incident would get her sympathy from the girls and that there would be no ill will left... But it seems Suzune-chan and I were more popular than I thought.
Well... Suzune-chan is cute after all. She gets pouty when I pat her head, but she looks lonely when I take my hand away, and she gets embarrassed when I point out that she made an effort to get all dolled up when we go out.
"...That's a problem. It's fine for now because she's in a stress-free environment, but if that's gone, it's only a matter of time before she explodes."
Yeah, yeah. You're properly thinking about the whole class. I can feel your growth, Suzune-chan.
"Honestly, regarding Karuizawa, you're better suited to handle it than I am. I'll report the situation to you constantly, so please do something."
"That's so half-hearted..."
But I was relieved that he was able to relax. Kiyotaka-kun was a little on edge during the deserted island exam.
"Well, whatever. ...Okay! I have some things I need to do. Good luck, you two!"
With that, I patted their shoulders and left. Well... I guess I have to meet with her once.
"Big brother..."
"Don't be silly, Ayanokoji-kun. He's more of a father figure."
"...Don't you start joking around, too."
============
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