Inside the room.
Ryuen stood where he was, staring at the door for a few seconds.
Then, he turned around and walked to the window, pulling out his terminal to send a message to certain people.
Moonlight spilled in, casting interlaced shadows of light and dark across his face. He stood there, seemingly waiting for something.
Until—
A knock sounded on the door.
It wasn't Kushida's tentative, cautious knocking. Instead, it was three crisp, decisive raps.
Ryuen did not turn around.
"Come in."
The door was pushed open.
Ibuki was the first to enter. Dressed in casual clothes, her short hair was tied back into a small ponytail, revealing the clean, sharp lines of her face. She didn't speak immediately upon entering; instead, she quickly scanned the room, as if confirming something.
Ishizaki followed close behind. He looked a bit more steady than he had before summer vacation, but that impatience was still written on his face. As soon as he entered, he looked around, muttering, "Boss! What happened? Calling us here so late—"
Before he could finish, he was patted on the shoulder by the person behind him.
Albert walked in silently. Standing a head taller than Ishizaki, with a burly physique, his expression remained characteristically wooden. He wore his sunglasses even inside the dormitory. He closed the door and stood by it, resembling a guardian deity.
The three of them had arrived.
But Ryuen still didn't turn around. With his back to them, he gazed out the window, seemingly still waiting for something.
"Boss?" Ishizaki couldn't help but speak up again. "What exactly is wrong? Did that guy Subaru do something again—"
"Wait."
Ryuen finally turned around.
His gaze passed over Ibuki, over Ishizaki, and over Albert, landing silently in the direction of the doorway.
"There is still someone who hasn't arrived."
Ibuki frowned slightly. "Someone else? Aren't the four of us all—"
Before her voice could fade, the sound of soft footsteps came from outside the door. The steps were light, steady, unhurried, and carried a unique rhythm.
Then, a knock sounded.
Two taps.
Two gentle taps.
The corner of Ryuen's mouth moved slightly.
"Come in."
The door opened.
A figure appeared in the doorway. Silver-white long hair glowed with a soft luster under the hallway lights, and those eyes were clear and quiet. She wore a simple beige cardigan over a white shirt, paired with her familiar grey tights. She looked clean and neat, yet carried a unique scholarly air mixed with a touch of languor.
Hiyori Shiina.
She bowed slightly, a faint smile on her face.
"Apologies for the wait."
Hiyori's voice also carried a sense of languor.
The room fell silent for an instant.
Ibuki's eyes widened slightly. Ishizaki opened his mouth as if to say something, but didn't know what to say. Even Albert, who had been silent, twitched his brow slightly.
"Shiina...?" Ibuki's voice held obvious surprise. "Why are you—"
"I asked her to come."
Ryuen's voice came from by the window. He walked back to the desk, sat down in the chair, and raised a hand to gesture. "Sit, everyone."
The group looked at each other for a few seconds before finding places to sit. Ibuki sat on the edge of the bed, Ishizaki pulled over a chair, and Albert remained standing by the door—his bulk was too large for the ordinary chairs.
Hiyori walked in last, gently closing the door. She didn't sit down immediately. Instead, she examined the room's layout first—the books on the desk, the corners of the room, and the orientation of the window. Only then did she sit in a chair by the window, her posture composed, as if all of this were perfectly natural.
"Shiina, you..." Ibuki couldn't help but ask, "Why are you here?"
Hiyori curved her eyes slightly. "Ryuen-kun invited me to discuss some matters, so I came. After all, I am also a member of Class D."
She paused, looking at Ryuen. "Besides, the upcoming Sports Festival concerns the fate of our entire class. At a time like this, no one should stay on the sidelines, right?"
Ryuen didn't answer. He simply looked at the few people before him.
Ibuki. Ishizaki. Albert. Hiyori.
This was everyone he could trust right now. Or rather, this was everyone he could currently use.
"Ryuen-kun, you called me over because Kushida-san came by again, right?" Hiyori said with a smile.
"Kushida? That guy came here?"
"That's right." Ryuen nodded.
Ishizaki, standing to the side, said with a face full of shock, "Boss Ryuen, why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't tell anyone. I intended to tell you all face-to-face."
Ryuen's gaze shifted to Hiyori. "So, how did Shiina—"
"I smelled a faint scent of perfume at the door. To my knowledge, only Kushida-san from Class C uses that particular perfume."
"Now that you mention it, there is a smell... but that doesn't prove it was Kushida, does it?"
"Kushida-san seems to dislike being the same as others, so the perfume she uses is distinct from everyone else's. However, I am just guessing. Whether I am correct or not, Ryuen-kun will give us the answer, right?"
Hiyori looked at Ryuen with a smile.
The latter nodded. Hiyori possessed the most brilliant mind in all of Class D.
"Correct. Kikyo Kushida was just here," he stated.
Ishizaki immediately widened his eyes. "That traitor from Class C?! What did she come here for?!"
"To deliver intelligence." Ryuen's voice remained calm. "Class C's participant list for the Sports Festival."
He pulled his terminal from his pocket, brought up the list, and handed it to them.
The group leaned in to look. On the list, Class C's event allocation was clear at a glance. And they saw Subaru's name, prominently listed as the fourth leg of the relay race.
"This..." Ishizaki scratched his head. "Is this reliable? can we trust that woman's words?"
Ibuki frowned, staying silent. Albert stared silently at the list, his gaze deep.
The room was quiet for a few seconds. Then, Ibuki spoke.
"I think there's a problem."
She looked up at Ryuen. "We all know Kushida's current situation in Class C. She's been exposed publicly, isolated, and branded a traitor—her reputation is completely ruined. Under these circumstances, how could the people in Class C possibly let her access such core information?"
She paused. "Also, what does she want by sending us this list? To kill with a borrowed knife? To have us deal with Subaru for her? This is too obvious. Maybe this list is a smokescreen Class C released on purpose, just waiting for us to jump in."
Ishizaki nodded frantically beside her. "Right, right, right! Ibuki is right! That woman definitely has no good intentions! Maybe she's already been bought by Subaru and came here specifically to pit us!"
Ryuen didn't speak. He just looked at Hiyori.
Hiyori sat quietly, her fingers resting lightly on her knees. Her gaze fell on the list, as if looking at something very interesting.
"Shiina."
Ryuen spoke. "What do you think?"
Hiyori looked up, her eyes curving slightly. "Ibuki-san's concerns make a lot of sense. She said, "Kushida-san's current situation is indeed very delicate. People who are isolated by their class often do... unpredictable things."
Ibuki nodded slightly, thinking she had received support.
"However—" Hiyori shifted the conversation.
Ibuki's brows furrowed again.
"Precisely because her situation is delicate, this list is actually more likely to be genuine."
"What do you mean?" Ishizaki looked bewildered.
Hiyori didn't answer directly but asked a question instead. "Ishizaki-kun, if you were the person in charge of Class C, would you give false intelligence to a person who is isolated by the class and could turn traitor at any moment?"
Ishizaki froze for a moment. "I... of course I wouldn't."
"Why?"
Ishizaki scratched his head. "Because if she really passed the false intelligence out and the other side believed it, wouldn't that be helping the enemy? Besides, if she was discovered giving false intelligence, her situation in the class would be even more..."
He stopped abruptly mid-sentence.
Hiyori curved her eyes. "Correct. Precisely because Kushida-san's position is awkward, if she spreads false intelligence and gets exposed, her foothold in Class C would vanish completely. She cannot afford another failure."
She paused.
"Furthermore, have you considered the timeliness of this intelligence?" She reached out and pointed at the list. "The list hasn't been submitted to the school yet. This means Class C still has room to make adjustments."
"If I were the person in charge of Class C and I wanted to use Kushida-san to spread false intelligence, what would I do?" She asked and answered herself. "I would give her a list that looks authentic but has discrepancies in key positions. For example, changing Subaru-kun's leg from the fourth to the second, or placing a strong athlete in the wrong position."
"That way, if the opponent believes it and arranges their formation according to this false list, they will be caught off guard during the actual competition."
"But—" She paused again. "On this list, Subaru-kun's position is the final leg. This is the most critical leg of the relay race. If he is truly arranged in this position, then this news is of extremely high value to us. If Class C wanted to mislead us with false intelligence, would they tell us such critical information so accurately?"
Ibuki fell silent. She had to admit that Hiyori's analysis made a lot of sense.
"But what if..." Ishizaki was still unwilling to give up. "What if they are doing reverse psychology? Deliberately telling us the truth to make us think it's fake, so we don't adjust our formation—and then they actually take advantage of us?"
Hiyori smiled gently. "Ishizaki-kun's idea is called 'double bluff' in game theory."
"However, this strategy has a prerequisite—the executor must have sufficiently strong psychological quality and adaptability to adjust at any moment based on the opponent's reaction. Kushida-san is currently in a state of high isolation; any slight disturbance will arouse suspicion. Would the people of Class C dare to let her execute such a complex task?"
She shook her head. "I don't think so."
The room quieted down.
Ibuki stared at the list, brows locked tight. Ishizaki scratched his head, looking conflicted. Albert remained silent, but his gaze lingered on Hiyori for a long time.
Ryuen remained sitting in his chair, not speaking. But the corner of his mouth moved slightly. It was an extremely shallow arc.
"Shiina." He finally spoke. "You think this list is real?"
Hiyori nodded. "The probability is high. Of course, I don't rule out that Class C has an even more brilliant strategist. But..."
She paused.
"If this list is fake, then the person who designed this false intelligence must understand us extremely well—especially Ryuen-kun and Kushida-san's relationship, Ibuki-san's personality, Ishizaki-kun's way of thinking, and even understand..."
She looked at Ryuen.
"Understand that you would ask me this question."
At the same time, Hiyori's expression became very serious. "And if Subaru-kun participated in this list arrangement, I believe he would disdain doing such a thing."
Ryuen was silent for a few seconds. Then he laughed.
It was a very faint smile, completely different from his previous tyrannical, flamboyant grin.
"Interesting."
He stood up and walked to the window. Moonlight fell upon him.
"Then we prepare as if it is real."
"Ibuki, you are responsible for adjusting the relay race formation. Since Subaru is the fourth leg, we must widen the gap as much as possible in the first three legs to maximize the pressure on the fourth leg."
Ibuki nodded.
"Ishizaki, you are responsible for watching those key figures in Class C. Sudo, Hirata, Horikita—report any unusual movements immediately."
Ishizaki nodded vigorously.
"Albert, you are responsible for..."
Ryuen paused.
"You are responsible for watching Kikyo Kushida."
Albert nodded silently.
Finally, Ryuen looked at Hiyori.
"Shiina."
"Mn?"
"You are responsible for—observing."
Hiyori tilted her head slightly. "Observing what?"
"Observing everything."
Ryuen's gaze was deep. "Observe Subaru's reaction, observe Class C's movements, observe every detail of this game. If this list is real, what will Subaru do after he knows the list has leaked? Will he adjust? Will he ignore it? Or will he..."
He paused.
"Wait to watch our performance."
Hiyori was silent for a few seconds. Then she nodded. "I understand."
She stood up and straightened the hem of her clothes. "Then I will go back first. I have to wake up early tomorrow."
She walked to the door. When her hand was on the handle, she paused for an instant.
"Ryuen-kun."
"Hm?"
"Do you hate Subaru-kun?"
Ryuen didn't answer. He just looked at the bright moon outside the window.
It was a long time before he spoke.
"Hate."
"But hate is not everything."
Hiyori didn't ask again. She opened the door and walked out.
The door closed behind her.
The room fell into silence once again.
Ibuki, Ishizaki, and Albert all looked at Ryuen's back.
That once tyrannical and unbridled King seemed like a different person at this moment.
____
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