Mio Ibuki sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the closed door with her brows locked tight.
Daichi Ishizaki scratched his head, his face a mask of conflict.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know where to start.
Albert remained standing by the door, like a statue. His sunglasses concealed his eyes, making it impossible to read his thoughts. If the lights were turned off, he would likely vanish completely into the darkness.
Silence.
A long, drawn-out silence.
The occasional chirp of insects drifted in from outside the window, adding a touch of chill to this early autumn night.
Finally, Ishizaki couldn't hold it back anymore.
He shot up with a whoosh, paced back and forth twice, and then abruptly spun around to face Kakeru Ryuen's back.
"Boss!"
His voice carried an uncontrollable anxiety.
"You just believe her like that? That Shiina?"
Ryuen did not turn around.
Ishizaki grew frantic. He walked quickly to Ryuen's side, trying to see his expression.
"Boss, I know Shiina is in our class, and I know she usually looks pretty smart—but this is huge! This is the Sports Festival! This is about dealing with Subaru!"
He paused, lowering his voice slightly.
"Besides, isn't she... pretty close with that Subaru guy? Back during summer vacation, lots of people saw them in the library, on the tree-lined paths, sitting on benches chatting away, laughing and talking. It looked like..."
He didn't finish the sentence, but the meaning was clear enough.
Ibuki stood up as well.
She walked to the window, standing on the other side of Ryuen, her gaze falling on the bright moon outside.
"Ishizaki is right."
She spoke, her voice much calmer than Ishizaki's, yet carrying obvious doubt. "Hiyori Shiina... which side is she actually on?"
Ryuen still did not speak.
Ibuki continued.
"During summer vacation, she and Subaru were very close. The two of them were constantly together. I even saw them going to get their fortunes told together previously."
She turned her head, looking at Ryuen's profile.
"Ryuen, that doesn't look like a normal 'classmate relationship.' At the very least, it's not the kind of relationship where they can just turn hostile at the drop of a hat. If we really come into direct conflict with Subaru, will she stand on our side without hesitation?"
Ishizaki nodded frantically beside her.
"Right, right, right! Ibuki is right! What if she's a mole sent by Subaru? What if she helps us on the surface but secretly tells Subaru all our plans?"
The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed, his face scrunching up into a ball.
"Then aren't we completely finished?!"
Albert remained silent. But his gaze, through his sunglasses, fell upon Ryuen.
The room fell into silence once again.
Finally, Ryuen moved.
He slowly turned around. The moonlight shone from behind him, casting his face into shadow.
He looked at the three people before him—Ibuki's suspicion, Ishizaki's anxiety, Albert's silence.
Then, he spoke.
"Everything you guys said, I've thought about."
His voice was very calm, completely different from his previous flamboyant and violent tone.
"I know she was close to Subaru during the summer vacation. I also know she might have feelings for Subaru."
He paused.
"But—"
He looked toward the closed door.
"Have you ever considered why she appeared here?"
Ibuki furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"
Ryuen walked back to the desk and sat in the chair. He raised his hand, signaling them to sit as well.
Ibuki and Ishizaki exchanged a glance, then returned to their respective seats. Albert remained standing but took two steps forward, moving closer to them.
"Tonight, I called her here."
Ryuen spoke.
"It wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision; it was planned long ago."
He looked at Ibuki.
"Do you know why?"
Ibuki shook her head.
"Because we need someone who can see through Subaru."
Ryuen's voice was low and distinct.
"What kind of person is Subaru? He isn't an ordinary opponent. He isn't me, he isn't Suzune Horikita, he isn't Arisu Sakayanagi... he is a different kind of thing. His way of thinking, his logic of action, his 'color' theory—who among us truly understands these things?"
He scanned the room.
"Ibuki, do you understand?"
Ibuki was silent.
"Ishizaki, do you understand?"
Ishizaki scratched his head.
"Albert, do you understand?"
Albert shook his head slightly.
"None of us understand."
Ryuen leaned back against the chair.
"But Hiyori Shiina, she might understand."
"She spent so much time with Subaru during summer vacation. She was observing him, studying him, trying to understand him. This isn't betrayal, this is—"
He paused.
"This is the resource we need most."
Ishizaki opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but didn't know what to say.
Ibuki frowned, seemingly deep in thought. "But what if..."
She spoke, a trace of uncertainty in her voice. "What if after understanding Subaru, she gets convinced by him instead? What if she goes over to his side?"
Ryuen was silent for a few seconds.
Then he smiled.
It was a very faint smile, so faint it was barely visible.
"Then let her go."
"What?"
Ishizaki's eyes went wide.
"Let her go."
Ryuen repeated. "If she really chooses Subaru, that means in her eyes, Subaru has more value than us. Then we accept it."
Ishizaki gaped, unable to speak for a long time.
Ibuki stared at Ryuen, her eyes complex. "Ryuen, you..."
"But before that—"
Ryuen interrupted her.
"Before that, she is one of us."
"You all heard her analysis just now. The authenticity of that list, Kikyo Kushida's situation, the strategies Class C might adopt—every word she said made sense."
He looked at the door.
"If she really wanted to harm us, she didn't need to say all that. She could have just casually agreed with a few things and then let us jump into a pit."
"But she didn't."
"She stated her judgment clearly and plainly."
Ibuki fell silent.
She had to admit Ryuen was right. Hiyori Shiina's performance just now really didn't seem like that of a mole. Her analysis was too detailed, too reasonable; she was completely helping them.
If she were a mole, what she should have done was—
"What if she's a double agent?"
Ishizaki suddenly blurted out.
Ibuki looked at him.
Ishizaki scratched his head, struggling to organize his words.
"Like... like analyzing for us on the surface, but actually guiding us in the wrong direction? Didn't she just talk about that double bluff thing? What if she herself is a 'double bluff'?"
Ibuki's brows furrowed even tighter.
This possibility indeed existed.
She looked at Ryuen.
Ryuen didn't answer immediately.
He remained silent for a few seconds, then spoke.
"Ishizaki, where do you think there was a problem with her analysis just now?"
Ishizaki froze for a moment. "Huh? Where was the problem?"
"Exactly those things she said." Ryuen's voice was calm. "The analysis regarding the list's authenticity, regarding Kushida's situation, regarding Class C's possible strategies—which part do you think has a problem?"
Ishizaki opened his mouth, thought for a long time, and finally shook his head.
"I... I don't know. It all sounded pretty reasonable."
"Then if she were guiding us in the wrong direction, what should she have said?"
Ishizaki was stunned again.
Ibuki looked thoughtful.
Ryuen continued.
"If she were a mole, if she wanted us to lose, what should she do?"
"She should tell us that this list is fake and tell us not to believe it. Then we would prepare according to the 'real' one—result: we ignore the actual real list, treat the fake list as real, and end up losing miserably."
"But she didn't. She told us that this list is highly likely to be genuine. But at the same time, she also reminded us not to rule out that Class C has an even more brilliant strategist."
"She laid out all the possibilities, laid out the basis for judgment, and finally let us decide for ourselves."
Ryuen looked at Ishizaki.
"Is this something a mole would do?"
Ishizaki scratched his head and stopped talking, his small brain about to stop turning.
Ibuki was silent for a few seconds, then spoke.
"Then what about that question she asked at the end?"
"What question?"
"She asked Ryuen if he hated Subaru."
Ibuki's gaze was fixed tight on Ryuen.
"You answered 'Hate, but hate is not everything.' After hearing that answer, she didn't ask anything else and left directly. Why did she ask that?"
Ryuen was silent for a few seconds.
Then he spoke.
"She was confirming."
"Confirming what?"
"Confirming my current state."
Ryuen's voice was low.
"She wanted to know if I am still that tyrant driven only by hatred. Or if I have changed."
"If I said 'I don't hate him,' she would think I was lying. If I said 'I hate him to death,' she would think I'm still the same old way and will eventually lead everyone to their deaths."
"But what I said was, 'Hate, but hate is not everything.'"
He paused.
"This answer told her two things."
"First, I do hate Subaru. On this point, she doesn't need to worry that I will betray the class."
"Second, I don't only have hate. I also have reason, I have plans, and I have other driving forces."
"Only a 'me' like this is worth trusting."
Ibuki fell silent.
She had to admit Ryuen made sense.
Ishizaki scratched his head on the side, looking confused: "So... Shiina is reliable?"
Ryuen said with a serious expression:
"Whether she is reliable or not isn't something that can be explained in one sentence."
Ryuen's brain was thinking.
If it were Subaru, what would happen?
What Subaru valued most was that so-called "color," the essential nature of people.
Although Hiyori Shiina was unwilling to participate in class struggles, once something happened, she would contribute to the class without hesitation. Ryuen was clear on this.
If Hiyori Shiina chose to betray Class D—
Then perhaps, Subaru wouldn't be walking so close to her.
This was Ryuen's judgment.
Hiyori Shiina would definitely fight for the class, perhaps even becoming enemies with Subaru.
Really, since when do I use that guy's way of thinking to think?
Ryuen did not choose to voice his thoughts.
After all, he believed it was useless to say it; these simple-minded guys wouldn't understand.
Only he, who had truly witnessed Subaru's terror, could understand.
He turned his head, looking at them.
"Currently, she is our ace. Whether we trust her or not, we can only do this. After all, if Hiyori Shiina betrays us, do any of you have the ability to stop her?"
Ibuki nodded.
Ishizaki also nodded, seeming to understand yet not understand.
Albert remained silent.
"So what do we do now?" Ibuki asked.
"Stick to the plan."
Ryuen stood up.
"Ibuki is responsible for adjusting the relay race formation. Ishizaki is responsible for man-marking. Albert is responsible for watching Kushida."
"As for Shiina..."
He paused.
"Let her continue to observe."
"She is reliable. Her observation results will help us."
Ishizaki suddenly spoke up.
"Boss."
"Hm?"
"That... is Subaru really that scary?"
Ishizaki had fought Subaru previously on the Uninhabited Island. At that time, several of them were easily taken down by Subaru and had to withdraw from the exam, so he wasn't clear on what happened afterward.
He recognized Subaru's strength.
But Ishizaki hadn't imagined that Subaru had actually destroyed Ryuen's spirit back then.
It wasn't until Subaru personally sought him out later that Ryuen pulled himself together.
Ryuen didn't answer immediately. It was a long time before he spoke.
"Scary."
"But what's more scary is..."
He paused.
"You don't know exactly how scary he is."
For the first time, Ryuen expressed his fear of Subaru without concealment.
"It's like standing on the edge of an abyss. You think you've seen clearly how deep the abyss is, but the abyss is also watching you. And you never know when it will drag you down."
Ishizaki swallowed hard.
Ibuki's face also went somewhat pale.
Even Albert's fingers curled slightly.
None of them had expected Ryuen to say such words.
Ryuen turned around, looking at them.
"However—"
His voice suddenly became firm.
"Precisely because it's scary, we must face it even more. Because if we flee, then we are truly finished. Living in fear for a lifetime, never able to raise our heads, never daring to look straight into that person's eyes—that isn't living, that is being a walking corpse."
A manic smile suddenly appeared on Ryuen's face.
"Therefore, I must defeat him even more. I will destroy him completely."
The King who was once violently unbridled stood under the moonlight at this moment like a blade that had just been quenched in fire.
It was no longer that previous kind of flamboyant, insufferably arrogant sharpness.
But a deeper, more introverted, and also more dangerous—
Keenness.
"Alright."
Ryuen retracted his gaze.
"Everyone go back and rest. There are still many things to do tomorrow."
*
Meanwhile, inside Suzune Horikita's room.
A knock sounded on the door.
"Natsuki, you're here."
____
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