The subsequent contract signing process needs no further mention.
With the exception of Rokusuke Kōenji, everyone in Class D signed the contract. The terms were simple: each person would pay Kakeru Ryūen the equivalent of 100 Class Points in Private Points (10,000 points) every month in exchange for the key card information and photos in his possession.
After a good while, Ryūen put away the debt contracts, worth tens of millions of points, and looked at the ice-cold Horikita before him, teasing with a smile, "Don't look so grim, Suzune."
Having dealt with that "gloomy-minded" woman, Shiina, for so long, he now found even an iceberg like Horikita to be quite charming—almost refreshingly simple and cute.
Horikita crossed her arms, giving him a cold stare. "The contract is signed. I won't see you out. Also, could you please refrain from casually using my first name?"
"Well, I don't particularly dislike women like you, Kanō." Ryūen grinned, turned, and waved his hand, leaving the Class D campsite like a victorious rooster.
"Ryūen, wait for us!" Tokitō and Nishino hurriedly followed him.
After watching the three depart, Sae Chabashira, who had acted as a witness in the Class D camp, casually lit a cigarette and cast a meaningful glance at Yamauchi before turning to leave.
She had just heard the gist of what had happened and didn't plan to comment on it. After all, no one knew better than her what fate awaited those who were worthless—or even a net negative—in this school where ability was everything.
After Chabashira left, the students of Class D could no longer hold back and began to blame Yamauchi. Suzune Horikita also looked at him, her words as merciless as ever: "Pardon me for being blunt, but what's inside your head? Coal?"
Yamauchi, feeling defiant, retorted, "In the end, who would've thought he'd have a phone? He already took out the key card; we just needed to find an excuse to sneak a peek, right? Don't tell me none of you thought of that!"
"Did it never occur to you to wonder why he dared to be so blatant? Did you really think that Ryūen would let you take such an easy advantage...?" Horikita pressed her forehead, feeling weary. She said no more and returned to the well to pick up her nutrient meal again.
She had been feeling weak these past two days and didn't have much energy to lecture him. Ultimately, for Yamauchi to play such petty tricks with Ryūen, he probably hadn't even considered the possibility of retaliation. Wasting any more words on such a person was pointless.
Suzune Horikita might have given up on lecturing him, but that didn't mean the rest of Class D would. A clamor of discussion arose, filled with sarcastic accusations, but Yamauchi's skin was exceptionally thick. He rebuffed them all with the excuse, "I was doing it for Class D's sake." In the end, it was Hirata who stepped up to smooth things over.
Just as the Class D students were arguing endlessly over the matter.
By the well, Ayanokōji spoke in a calm tone, "He's not entirely wrong, you know."
"Are you trying to say I was wrong to blame him?" Horikita said coldly.
"No," Ayanokōji said while eating his nutrient meal, casually reminding her, "Don't you find it strange? A smartphone costs 6 points. There are no charging facilities or signal towers on the island. Under these circumstances, what did Ryūen plan to do with it?"
"Take pictures..." Horikita frowned. "No, that's not right. Yamauchi acted on a whim. Ryūen couldn't have known beforehand."
Ayanokōji's expression was placid. "A camera costs 3 points. If it were for communication, a pair of walkie-talkies also costs only 3 points. It's not a very good value..."
Suzune Horikita shook her head, speaking with some fatigue, "There are too few clues. There's no point in wild speculation."
"Mm," Ayanokōji noticed her weariness and nodded, saying no more.
...
Meanwhile, Ryūen led his people out of the Class D camp, took out his phone to check the progress of the video transfer, and confirmed it was complete. He began scrolling through the footage as he walked.
Before long, Ryūen found the footage of Class D's check-in captured by the camera—
In the video, the students of Class D formed a circle, surrounding Suzune Horikita, who held the green key card. As the girl reached out and tapped the card on the reader, a crisp beep sounded in the video—check-in successful!
"Heh, so the leader is Suzune, is it?" Ryūen sneered.
"This is really... impossible to defend against," Nishino Takeko couldn't help but remark. Who would have thought the camera on the check-in machine was placed by a student? As a result, no one even thought to be cautious of it.
Ryūen ignored her comment and turned his gaze to Tokitō beside him, sneering, "You've seemed like you've had something to say for a while now. Ask whatever questions you have. I'll only answer this once. You won't get a chance this good again."
"..." Tokitō was silent for a moment, then asked after some thought, "By selling off Class Points for Private Points, Ryūen, have you given up on aiming for Class A?"
"You thought for so long and only came up with such a boring question," Ryūen said, his interest waning, his tone cold. "Three years is a long time. Only the one left standing at the end will be the final victor."
Tokitō frowned. "That's no reason to squander the provisional points everyone saved up. If our leader's identity is guessed, we'll get a 50-point deduction. What do you take everyone's efforts for?"
"Mm," Ryūen paused his steps and said, as if nonchalantly, "So, I also transferred 200 of the provisional points the school gave us to Class B. They can use our points to exchange for supplies directly. The condition is 800,000 points a month."
Tokitō's pupils contracted. "!!!"
Nishino was equally shocked. "You earned that much?"
From what they had seen so far, Ryūen had already secured a profit equivalent to 300 points. If he went to Classes A and B now and sold the info multiple times, wouldn't that mean...
"Do you understand now?" Ryūen sneered. "In this special exam, the school dangled a huge prize in front of every class, but very few can actually take a bite. Only by doing this can one become the sole winner without any risk."
Having said this much, Ryūen fell silent.
He actually planned to triple-dip, but these two weren't yet worthy of hearing about it.
With that in mind, Ryūen led the two to the outskirts of the stream base. Gazing at the campfire in Class B's camp from a distance, he took out the last pinhole camera from his pocket, turned to the two beside him, and said calmly, "I need to plant a spy in Class B. Who's going?"
Tokitō stepped forward. "I'll do it."
Ryūen ignored him, his gaze settling on Nishino. He was now certain that Tokitō's pig-headed brain, unable to think flexibly, was absolutely useless for important tasks.
Fortunately, Nishino didn't intend to back down either. After a moment of thought, she asked with some hesitation, "How am I supposed to infiltrate them?"
Ryūen cracked his knuckles. "Simple. You just have to take a beating in a bit."
"???" Three question marks appeared above Nishino's head.
"!!!" Tokitō took a sharp step back.
...
——————————————
The next day, early morning.
"Hiyori Shiina" emerged from the tent, stretched, and comforted in a gentle voice in her mind, "Hiyori, be good~ Sleep a little longer."
"Mm..." Hiyori replied obediently, murmuring softly, "So~ even Mr. Ghost makes miscalculations sometimes..."
Squeezing more than twenty people into one tent was, in the end, asking too much. There wasn't even enough space to turn over while sleeping at night. If she couldn't swap bodies with Symon, she really didn't know how she would have gotten through it.
"Well, I've been reflecting on that problem myself."
Symon said casually. After a moment without a response from the girl, he confirmed she had fallen asleep. Only then did he stretch his shoulders slightly, lightly moving his somewhat stiff body.
Not long after, Kazuma Sakagami arrived outside the camp holding a small notebook. He blew the whistle hanging around his neck and announced in a loud voice, "You have five minutes. Roll call will begin in five minutes."
As he finished speaking, a chorus of groans filled the camp.
A while later, the members of Class C emerged from the tent, each looking exhausted. Kazuma Sakagami began calling out the names:
"Ryūen." — "Here."
"Shiina." — "Here."
...
"Nishino." — "..."
Kazuma Sakagami looked up, puzzled. "Nishino?"
Ryūen, leaning against the side of the tent, raised his hand and said calmly, "No need to call her. I sent her over to Class B. Everyone else is here."
Sakagami paused upon hearing this, then nodded. "Then, according to the rules, with one person absent from this roll call, 5 provisional points will be deducted."
Ryūen looked at "Hiyori" with some confusion. "Our class still has points?"
Symon pressed his forehead. "We have 50 left... no, 45 now."
Ryūen was silent for a moment, realizing he had inadvertently screwed her over. He stood up. "I'll go sell them."
"..." Symon couldn't bear to watch.
You've got money on the brain, haven't you!!!
_____
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