Soon after the brief but unpleasant meeting ended, Saiki Kusuo and the others left the room, leaving Mashima Tomonari alone inside, sighing.
This was the first time he had felt utterly helpless toward certain students.
After leaving, Saiki Kusuo planned to return to his room to rest, but upon seeing his classmates gathering, he had no choice but to follow them.
The others exchanged information about the exam, but students like Kushida Kikyo and Horikita Suzune, whose meeting times were later, hadn't yet attended their group sessions. They could only learn the specific rules of the exam from others.
'Kushida and Horikita have the same meeting time and location. They'll be in the same group.'
Saiki Kusuo glanced in their direction with the corner of his eye. Horikita Suzune sat alone, listening seriously to the others' conversations, while Kushida Kikyo looked curious, asking for more details about the exam.
Just then, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka approached Saiki Kusuo and asked softly:
"Saiki, what are your thoughts on this exam?"
"Karuizawa..."
Saiki Kusuo almost blurted out that Karuizawa Kei was the Privileged Student, but he quickly remembered that the Privileged Student's identity hadn't been announced yet. Even Ayanokoji Kiyotaka couldn't possibly know it at this point.
"Karuizawa?"
"No, I mean the primary task of this exam is to find out the identity of the Privileged Student. After that, we'll decide how to proceed based on the situation..."
Saiki Kusuo quickly deflected with some vague remarks.
"We'll have to wait until 8 AM tomorrow when the Privileged Student's identity is confirmed."
"Hmm."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka nodded. For now, he couldn't gather any meaningful information.
"If there's nothing else, I'll head back to my room."
...
The next morning at 8 AM, Saiki Kusuo was having breakfast at the café, surrounded by other students. Just then, his phone vibrated.
"As per the school's arrangement, you have not been selected as the Privileged Student. Please proceed as a group member and challenge the exam. The exam will begin at 1 PM today. This exam will run for three days starting today. Members of the Rabbit Group, please gather in the Rabbit Room on the second floor."
'Yare yare, has the Privileged Student's identity been confirmed?'
Saiki Kusuo thought to himself, while also hearing the thoughts of those around him.
[Damn it, I'm not the Privileged Student!]
[If only I were the Privileged Student! What a shame!]
[Am I the Privileged Student?]
Saiki Kusuo heard a familiar voice nearby—it seemed to be Kushida Kikyo's.
'Kushida was chosen as the Privileged Student? But she's in a different group, so it doesn't concern me.'
Saiki Kusuo finished his coffee and prepared to return to his room to rest.
But just then, he caught another familiar voice. As he was about to leave, the owner of the voice appeared in front of him.
Horikita Suzune, with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka by her side.
"Saiki, are you leaving because you saw me coming?"
Horikita Suzune's sharp gaze fell on Saiki Kusuo.
"I just finished eating."
"But you don't have any plans now, right? Let's talk about the exam."
Horikita Suzune's tone left no room for refusal.
[As expected, Saiki is here.]
'Did she come looking for me on purpose?'
Saiki Kusuo felt a bit helpless. At this point, he had no choice but to stay.
"Ayanokoji, you're in the same group as Saiki, right?"
Horikita Suzune ordered a coffee and sat down next to Saiki Kusuo.
"Yes."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka also sat down on the other side and nodded slowly.
"Here's our group's list."
Horikita Suzune placed her phone in front of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Saiki Kusuo, showing the list for their group—the Dragon Group.
Saiki Kusuo glanced at it. Horikita Suzune and Kushida Kikyo were in the same group, as was Hirata Yosuke. However, the members from other classes were somewhat special.
Ryuen Kakeru from Class C, Kanzaki Ryuji from Class B, and Katsuragi Kohei from Class A—their names were also on the list.
Ryuen Kakeru and Katsuragi Kohei were the leaders of their respective classes, while Kanzaki Ryuji served as Ichinose Honami's right-hand man in Class B. Essentially, the Dragon Group consisted of individuals who held leadership positions in their classes.
"I feel like the grouping must follow some pattern, maybe based on academic ability or overall evaluation."
Horikita Suzune said to the two of them.
"So, I think the Privileged Student's identity isn't random but follows some rule. By the way, I'm not the Privileged Student."
'There is indeed a pattern, but if I told you it's based on the order of names, you'd probably be disappointed...'
Saiki Kusuo thought to himself.
[We need to find a way for the Class D members in each group to score high. That way, our class points will increase further.]
Horikita Suzune thought to herself. She wasn't just concerned about her own group but the entire class.
[We're just one step away from Class A... With a little more effort, we can rise to Class A!]
As she thought this, Horikita Suzune's expression grew more serious.
'Although we've reached Class B, the gap to Class A is still significant.'
On the other hand, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's expression remained unchanged.
[I'm sure Horikita is thinking about moving the class up to Class A.]
'You really understand her well.'
[But for this class to rise from Class D to Class B in just four months is far beyond my expectations. This class lacks cohesion, and the leader's personality is also lacking. It still needs refinement. According to my calculations, the earliest we could have reached Class C was next semester, but now we're already in Class B. It goes to show how exceptional Saiki's abilities are.]
'Why am I suddenly being dragged into this? I just want to peacefully get through these three years of high school.'
Saiki Kusuo thought to himself.
"Who do you think is the most concerning on this list?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka continued to ask.
"Ryuen."
Without hesitation, Horikita Suzune immediately answered.
"Not Katsuragi?"
"He's undoubtedly one of the most outstanding, but Ryuen is the one to be more wary of."
Horikita Suzune continued.
[Ryuen has significant flaws, but in many ways, his way of thinking is similar to mine. He might be useful in the future. With a bit of polishing, he could become a decent tool.]
'You even want to use someone like that? And in your eyes, everyone is basically a tool. Are you some kind of school laborer?'
Saiki Kusuo complained internally.
"Yo, Suzune, you're here early!"
Just then, a familiar, laid-back voice came from the other side. Ryuen Kakeru, with his jacket slung over his shoulders, appeared before them.
Standing next to Ryuen was—
Ibuki Mio.
"Didn't I tell you not to call me by my first name, Ryuen? And you, Ibuki, since you've been exposed for pretending to be obedient, you're now openly following Ryuen around. No need to keep up the act, huh?"
Horikita Suzune's gaze fell on Ibuki Mio's face, her tone full of provocation.
Although there hadn't been any major conflict at the time, the fact that Ibuki Mio was a spy for Class D had quickly become known to the rest of Horikita Suzune's class.
Ibuki Mio's face was filled with annoyance, but she wasn't planning to retort at the moment.
[Was it Horikita who deliberately fed me false information?]
Ibuki Mio was curious.
Although Saiki Kusuo was the first leader of their class, no matter how she observed him, he seemed like an ordinary person with no remarkable talents—no threat to her.
"Having breakfast with your lackeys again?"
Ryuen Kakeru smiled, his gaze sweeping over Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Saiki Kusuo.
'Hey, hey, don't drag me into this. In a way, I'm the one being followed, right?'
Saiki Kusuo just wanted to leave this place quickly and not waste his precious rest time.
"I assume the school's emails have arrived. So, did any of you become the Privileged Student?"
Ryuen Kakeru asked with a smile.
"Why would I tell you? If I asked you, would you tell me?"
"Maybe?"
As Ryuen Kakeru spoke, he sat down on a nearby chair, making it clear to Saiki Kusuo that this conversation would likely drag on.
However, what slightly caught Saiki Kusuo's attention was the thought he heard from Ryuen Kakeru.
[The Privileged Student in our group is Kushida. Horikita Suzune would never expect that I already know this.]
Ryuen Kakeru's lips curled into a slight smile.
'Yare yare, it's only been a few minutes since the Privileged Student's identity was announced, and Ryuen already knows who it is in his group. There's only one possibility—did Kushida leak the information again?'
Saiki Kusuo thought to himself but didn't say it out loud.
"How did you pull it off during the deserted island exam?"
Ryuen Kakeru narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze fixed on Horikita Suzune's face.
"No matter what you ask, I won't answer."
Horikita Suzune ignored Ryuen Kakeru and continued drinking her coffee.
"From Ibuki's report, you're not the type to come up with such a strategy."
Ryuen Kakeru continued in an aggressive tone.
[Horikita Suzune does have considerable talent within her class, but someone like her wouldn't be able to devise such a scheme. Deliberately letting Ibuki infiltrate the class while feeding her false information—that's not Horikita Suzune's style. If anything, it's closer to my style.]
[There must be another person in Class B pulling the strings.]
[Perhaps that person is the mastermind behind the previous recording incident.]
'As long as you don't suspect me, it's all good.'
Saiki Kusuo responded internally.
"I'm not foolish enough to be seen through by someone like that."
Horikita Suzune glanced at Ibuki Mio but quickly shifted her attention back to her coffee, as if the other girl were insignificant.
[This arrogant jerk, I'm going to beat her up!]
Ibuki Mio's angry thoughts were so loud that even Saiki Kusuo found them noisy.
"No, there's definitely someone else in your class controlling everything. I believe that. The original leader was Saiki Kusuo—you're Shiina's friend, right? I remember you."
Ryuen Kakeru turned his gaze to Saiki Kusuo's face, scrutinizing him carefully. However, he couldn't glean any useful information from Saiki Kusuo's expressionless face.
"Since the leadership was transferred to you, the person behind all this must have some connection with you."
Ryuen Kakeru's gaze shifted to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's face, but he couldn't detect any emotional changes there either.
Ibuki Mio, meanwhile, stared intently at Saiki Kusuo and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
[Two expressionless faces.]
"The two most likely candidates are sitting right next to me, aren't they?"
Horikita Suzune continued, emphasizing the presence of the other two. In this situation, this method actually served to mask the truth.
[These two are unlikely candidates. If it were really one of them, they wouldn't be following Horikita Suzune around like lackeys.]
'Although I've temporarily avoided suspicion, it still feels oddly unsatisfying.'
Saiki Kusuo's eyebrows twitched slightly.
"Then let's settle this in the exam."
Ryuen Kakeru leaned on the back of his chair, preparing to stand up and declare his departure with a smug expression—
But just then, Saiki Kusuo secretly used his telekinesis to tilt the chair forward slightly. As Ryuen Kakeru stood up, he lost his balance and fell to the ground.
'Yare yare, I feel a bit better now.'