Chapter 139 Ryuen: Everything is Under My Control! A VIP from Class B is Out
8:50 AM.
When Hikigaya Hachiman pushed open the door to the Dragon Group's discussion room, he was already prepared to be the first one to arrive again. To his surprise, there were already three people in the room.
All the representatives from Class C were present.
Ryuen Kakeru sat in the head seat of the round table—not in a standard sitting posture, but leaning entirely back against the chair with his legs sprawled arrogantly across the table.
Kaneda Satoru sat beside him. Seeing Hachiman enter, he offered a somewhat awkward smile.
Shiina Hiyori sat by the window. Her long silver hair shimmered softly in the morning light, but she didn't have a book with her today and looked slightly weary. However, when she saw Hachiman enter, she gently waved her left hand.
"Morning, Hikigaya-kun."
"Morning," Hachiman replied casually.
His gaze then landed on Ryuen.
This posture... He remembered the last time he saw someone sitting like this, it was Koenji Rokusuke in the training room, leaning back on a sofa with an "I am number one in the world" attitude.
And now, Ryuen was striking the same pose.
Hachiman withdrew his gaze and walked into the room, his mind racing. There was only one reason Ryuen would act this smug after pulling an all-nighter: he believed he had seized the initiative of the exam. In other words, Class C believed they had "deduced" the pattern of the VIPs.
Hachiman offered a silent second of pity for the upcoming tragedy awaiting Class C.
Because there was no pattern. Deducing a "pattern" was merely a self-important illusion; it would only lead to mistake after mistake.
"Yo, Hikigaya." Unaware of Hachiman's pity, Ryuen raised an eyebrow and spoke with clear mockery as he saw him enter. "You're here quite early today. Sleep well last night?"
Hachiman walked in ahead of Ichinose and Kanzaki, found a seat at the round table, and replied flatly, "It was alright."
Ryuen snorted, his eyes scanning Hachiman's face. "Alright? You look plenty energetic to me. After flirting with Ichinose in the cafeteria this morning, how could you not be?"
Ichinose happened to walk in at that moment. Hearing this, her face instantly turned red. "Ryuen-kun, y-you shouldn't talk nonsense! We were just having a normal breakfast!"
"Normal breakfast?" Ryuen swung his legs on the table. "My people saw it with their own eyes. You two were sitting together, and she even shared the fried noodles from her plate with you—you call that normal?"
Ichinose's face grew even redder. She opened her mouth to explain but realized anything she said would sound like an excuse. She chose to remain silent.
"You had people monitoring me?" Hachiman asked, looking at Ryuen.
"I wouldn't call it monitoring," Ryuen waved it off. "Just happened to pass the cafeteria and took a glance. Why, feeling guilty?"
Hachiman didn't take the bait; he simply took a sip of the mineral water he brought in.
Ichinose sat down beside him, her head lowered, the tips of her ears still flushed. Kanzaki's face didn't show much emotion. As a Class B student, while Ryuen might have seen it once, Kanzaki had actually seen Ichinose and Hikigaya share food several times. Their rapport was indeed excessively intimate, reaching a level even some couples couldn't achieve. While some classmates wondered if they were dating, Kanzaki felt it wasn't that kind of relationship. It was more like a perfect mutual understanding.
Just then, footsteps echoed at the door.
Class A had arrived.
Hashimoto Masayoshi entered first. He wore the practiced, socially adept smile that was neither too warm nor too cold. However, the moment he stepped in, his pace faltered slightly.
He had caught the last few words of Ryuen's sentence—"flirting."
Hashimoto's gaze quickly swept the room. Ryuen was still leaning back with a "spectator" expression. Hachiman sat there expressionless. Ichinose had her head down with red ears.
Oh.
Hashimoto's heart skipped a beat.
He remembered very clearly that when the Little Princess, Sakayanagi, left yesterday, she had told Hikigaya Hachiman to "go on a date with me at noon."
As a member of the Sakayanagi faction, he knew her personality well; for her to say such a thing meant something significant.
And the result? This morning, Hikigaya Hachiman was already "flirting" with Ichinose Honami?
Wouldn't that mean the Little Princess is being chea—
Hashimoto calculated rapidly. Should he tell Sakayanagi? If he did, would he seem like a busybody? If he didn't, what if she found out later?
As he was thinking, the light tap of a cane sounded behind him.
Sakayanagi Arisu had arrived.
She was wearing her black beret today, silver strands of hair peeking from beneath the brim. Her white dress made her look delicate and cute, and she held her cane with an elegant, composed stride.
But Hachiman noticed faint dark circles under her eyes.
Hashimoto quickly stepped aside, glancing between Sakayanagi and Hachiman before lowering his head, pretending he noticed nothing.
Sakayanagi entered the room, her gaze sweeping across the group before landing on Hachiman. Her lips curled into a sweet smile.
"Good morning, Hikigaya-kun," her voice was melodic. "You seem to be in high spirits today."
Hachiman nodded. "Morning."
Sakayanagi didn't sit down immediately. Instead, she stood next to Hachiman, tilted her head slightly, and let her gaze drift between him and Ichinose.
"I thought I heard Ryuen-kun mentioning something about 'flirting' as I came in?" she said softly, her tone playful. "It seems Hikigaya-kun is quite popular with the girls. Breakfast with Ichinose-san in the morning, and at noon, with me..."
She paused deliberately, her smile deepening.
Then, she added two words.
"A date."
Coming from her, those two words were ten times more lethal than Ryuen's "flirting."
Ichinose's head dropped even lower.
Even the bystander Kanzaki Ryuji let out a light cough. He was already regretting suggesting to Hachiman this morning that he should try marrying into the Sakayanagi family—he had forgotten that Sakayanagi's personality was quite difficult to handle.
Standing behind Sakayanagi, Hashimoto kept his smile but sighed inwardly. It seemed the Little Princess had heard everything.
Hachiman's expression finally shifted.
"Sakayanagi, to be precise, even if we meet at noon, it doesn't count as a date," Hachiman explained. "It's just a normal meeting to discuss the exam."
"Oh?" Sakayanagi blinked, her eyes bright. "Just to discuss the exam?"
"Yes," Hachiman nodded.
"Then why do you think I insisted on meeting you privately?" Sakayanagi pressed further, her tone filled with innocent curiosity. "Is it not possible to discuss it here?"
Hachiman remained silent for two seconds.
He realized that Sakayanagi was intentionally teasing him. Or rather, he, Hikigaya Hachiman, was actually being toyed with by Sakayanagi Arisu in this very room.
He took a deep breath, preparing to speak, when more footsteps sounded at the door.
Class D had arrived.
Hirata Yosuke led the way with a gentle smile. Kushida Kikyo followed behind him, looking as sweet and cute as ever, waving to everyone.
"Good morning, everyone—"
"Morning."
Most people responded to her.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka entered last, expressionless. He scanned the room before finding a seat in the corner.
Seeing the room was full, Hirata bowed slightly. "Sorry, we're late."
"You're not late," Ryuen sneered. "You're just in time for the show to start."
Hirata blinked, confused. "The show?"
Ryuen didn't answer, merely shaking his legs on the table.
Hirata looked at Hachiman and then at Sakayanagi with confusion, but ultimately asked nothing, leading Kushida and Ayanokouji to the Class D seats. Once seated, Kushida's eyes darted between Hachiman and Sakayanagi, then to the downcast Ichinose, silently labeling the scene in her mind.
Suddenly, Ryuen stood up.
The movement was abrupt, his chair screeching harshly against the floor. Every eye turned toward him.
Ignoring the stares, Ryuen turned his head to look at Shiina Hiyori by the window.
Hiyori met his gaze, startled for a moment, then gave a slight nod. She stood up.
"Everyone," Hiyori's voice was gentle and clear, but her face held a bit more glow than usual. "Before today's discussion begins, there is something we would like to tell you."
Sakayanagi's eyebrows twitched slightly.
Katsuragi Kohei looked up at Hiyori, his eyes filled with a trace of wariness. Hirata Yosuke blinked, appearing perplexed.
Hiyori took a deep breath and continued, "Last night, Class C worked through the night and deduced the pattern of the VIPs."
The room fell instantly silent. Not just a normal silence, but a dead hush where even the sound of breathing became audible.
Katsuragi's brow furrowed tightly. He instinctively looked at Sakayanagi, only to find her expression unchanged.
Hashimoto's mouth twitched as he thought: Class C figured out the pattern? What about Class A? We also stayed up all night and found a pattern—does that mean Class A's advantage is gone?
With four classes in the exam and three knowing the pattern, the exam was becoming a farce. They could only harvest Class D first and then compromise with each other.
Hirata looked shocked, his mouth hanging open, unsure of what to say. Kushida maintained her sweet smile, but her eyes flickered. Ayanokouji turned his gaze toward Hiyori, looking pensive.
Perhaps sensing Ayanokouji's gaze, Hiyori turned her body slightly, putting her back to him.
Ichinose looked up at Hiyori with a complex emotion in her eyes. Being a highly restrained person, she suppressed the urge to show any pity.
Hachiman said nothing and remained expressionless.
Sakayanagi Arisu gave a cute smile and said to Hiyori, "Is that so? That's quite good."
Hiyori looked at her, a flash of surprise in her eyes. She expected Sakayanagi to press for details, question her, or show tension—but Sakayanagi did nothing. She simply gave a casual "That's quite good."
This made Hiyori feel uneasy.
Could there be a mistake? Is Class A not feeling any pressure from us finding the pattern? Do they not see Class C as a threat?
Ryuen sat back down, legs still on the table, a triumphant smirk on his face. "What's the matter, Sakayanagi? Aren't you going to ask what pattern we found?"
Sakayanagi shook her head. "No need to ask."
Ryuen raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Because..." Sakayanagi paused, her smile deepening as she looked at Ryuen. "Our Class A also deduced the pattern last night."
Now, the room truly erupted.
First, Hachiman's expression changed; he seemed genuinely surprised.
"You only deduced it in the middle of the night? You didn't have it yesterday morning!? You only got it last night!" A look of being deceived flashed across Hachiman's face.
"Yes, so you were indeed misled. We hadn't mastered the pattern yesterday. But unfortunately, Classes A and B are now on equal footing. You've lost your head start," Sakayanagi said, meeting Hachiman's eyes.
Hachiman went silent.
But Sakayanagi continued, "Hikigaya-kun, you look quite well today. Unlike me; I'm still a bit sleepy."
Hachiman's gaze stayed on her face for a second. There were indeed faint dark circles. Usually full of energy, Sakayanagi did look somewhat exhausted now.
"Didn't sleep well?" he asked.
Sakayanagi sighed softly. "Very poorly. I usually sleep at 9:30, but last night I stayed up until 3:00 to deduce the pattern. Honestly, it's all Hikigaya-kun's fault."
Hachiman: "..."
How is this my fault?
However, he noticed that while she said this, her lips were smiling and her eyes sparkled with a light he didn't quite understand. It was the light of... confidence.
In other words, this "pattern" was likely deduced by Sakayanagi herself, which is why she was so full of confidence, believing the credit was all hers.
"..."
Hachiman quickly looked down, gripping his mineral water and taking another sip to hide his reaction.
He silently told himself: Hikigaya Hachiman, this is the real test of your acting skills. You absolutely cannot laugh. Absolutely not.
But the corner of his mouth still twitched uncontrollably.
Sakayanagi noticed.
"Hikigaya-kun?" She tilted her head slightly. "What are you thinking about?"
"Thinking about being deceived," Hachiman said with a sigh. "And how this exam likely won't end normally."
The speaker was intentional, and the listener was attentive.
Sakayanagi assumed Hachiman's emotional shift was due to discovering Class A had only found the pattern last night. He had miscalculated, thinking Class A had it all along and was just waiting, and now that Class A had the pattern, his lead was gone.
It was a rare sight to see him take a loss.
Thus, Sakayanagi was in a good mood. Even her slight irritation from hearing about him sharing food with Ichinose dissipated.
On Ryuen's side, he believed that since Class A found the pattern, Class B knew it, and Class C had caught up, Classes A and B could no longer meet at noon to discuss cooperation and treat C and D like prey.
Therefore, Class B might not get any benefits.
Furthermore, since the Class C VIP list only had 2 names, it suggested Classes A and B had many more. Even if everyone knew the pattern and the VIPs were out in the open, because A and B had so many VIPs, they would have to make compromises.
This way, Class B would not only fail to get benefits but might even lose some points.
Thinking of this, the pride on Ryuen's face grew thicker.
Finally, he could make Hikigaya Hachiman take a hit.
No matter if you used Class B's "blank paper" plan or had the students use spare phones, so what? Now everyone was back at the same starting line—no, Class B was at a disadvantage.
This time, it was a grand victory for Class C.
Ryuen was in a fantastic mood.
Consequently, a jubilant Ryuen leaned back, legs still on the table, looking as if the entire room belonged to him. He slowly pulled his phone from his pocket, tapped the screen a few times, and a smile of certain victory curled on his lips.
"This time, it's my turn to take control," he declared.
Just as he spoke, the ship's broadcast system chimed—
"Notice to all students. The special exam for the Rat Group has concluded early. Rat Group members are no longer required to participate in subsequent group discussions. Final exam results will be announced simultaneously on the fourth night at 11:00 PM. Repeating—"
The broadcast echoed through the room, and all eyes fixed on Ryuen.
Ryuen put his phone away, looked across the table, and finally locked onto Hachiman's face, his smile deepening.
"The VIP of the Rat Group belongs to your Class B, doesn't it?"
Kanzaki Ryuji's expression tightened instantly, a flash of panic appearing in his eyes. He instinctively tried to hide it, but the change was too obvious to escape anyone in the room.
Ryuen sneered, pointing at Kanzaki.
"You don't even have info on the VIPs, stop faking it. You have zero acting skills."
Kanzaki's mouth twitched, and he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. He truly didn't know—only Hachiman and Ichinose knew the Class B VIP list. As an ordinary student using a spare phone, he hadn't received any notifications.
Ichinose Honami sat beside Hachiman, her eyes flickering slightly. She instinctively looked at Hachiman with a hint of worry.
She knew.
Class B's five VIPs were: Hikigaya Hachiman (Dragon), Amikura Asako (Ox), Watanabe Norihito (Sheep), Ando Sayo (Rat), and Himeno Yuki (Snake).
The Sheep Group had ended early yesterday.
Now, the Rat Group... the VIP was indeed from Class B. If Ando-san's name was written down, Class B would lose 100 points. However, Ichinose's acting was naturally much better; her face remained composed and gentle.
Compared to Ichinose, Hachiman was obviously even calmer. He simply looked at Ryuen and spoke in a flat tone, "So, whose name did you submit?"
Ryuen raised an eyebrow, leaning forward and bracing his hands on the table in a posture of total victory.
"You seem pretty nervous," he said with obvious pride. "The person I arranged wrote down—Minami Kozue."
Minami Kozue.
A Class B student and a member of the Rat Group.
But after hearing it, Hachiman shook his head quickly.
"Then you made a mistake," Hachiman said with a look of regret. "The VIP of the Rat Group is a boy."
This caused Ryuen's brow to furrow slightly, but it soon smoothed out. He stared at Hachiman with suspicion and a hint of mockery.
"You think I'll believe you?" Ryuen said. "You're just trying to mislead me!"
Hachiman didn't respond.
Ryuen snorted and leaned back, crossing his arms. "Stop trying to bluff me. The pattern our Class C worked all night to deduce won't be wrong."
He paused, glancing at the others before settling on Sakayanagi Arisu.
"Sakayanagi, didn't your Class A stay up all night too? You should know if I'm right or not."
Sakayanagi Arisu sat by the window, her expression calm. Since the Rat Group VIP had nothing to do with Class A, this was just Class C hurting another class. However, a subtle emotion flashed in her purple-blue eyes.
So Ryuen thinks the Rat Group VIP is from Class B?
She didn't answer immediately, picking up the black tea brewed by Kamuro and taking a light sip.
Her mind began to race.
Because the pattern Class C deduced was completely different from the one Class A had found.
Class A had used their own four VIPs as samples and verified it against yesterday's Sheep Group VIP, Matsushita Chiaki, to obtain a pattern. The result Class A deduced was that the Rat Group VIP was Class D's Hondou Ryotaro—a boy with such low presence that he barely caught anyone's attention.
In other words, according to Class A's pattern, the Rat Group VIP was from Class D, not Class B, and certainly not Minami Kozue.
So Ryuen had guessed wrong.
Not only that.
Sakayanagi set down her teacup and looked at Hachiman.
Hachiman had just said, "The VIP of the Rat Group is a boy." That was clearly the wrong answer too.
So, is Hikigaya-kun intentionally baiting Ryuen?
Sakayanagi calculated quickly.
If Ryuen guessed wrong, Class C would lose 50 points. Even if Class D ended up with the bonus, it would still be a loss for Class C. Meanwhile, Class A still had three VIPs who hadn't been guessed. If Ryuen was baited into guessing them incorrectly, Class A would get free points.
With that thought, she looked up at Ryuen with an elegant smile.
"Since Ryuen-kun is so confident, I won't say much more," Sakayanagi said. "However, since you've already targeted Class B, why not take a guess at our Class A as well?"
Ryuen raised an eyebrow and turned to her. "What? You want to be guessed too?"
"I just feel that since Class C has made a move, you might as well be more thorough," Sakayanagi said, gently swirling her tea. "Regardless of the result, we'll know soon enough. Besides, I think Class C's pattern is incorrect."
Ryuen stared at her for a few seconds before suddenly laughing.
"Don't worry, Sakayanagi." Ryuen leaned back again, legs returning to the table. "It'll be Class A's turn soon."
"Sakayanagi—" Katsuragi noticed her obvious provocation and spoke up with concern.
"Don't worry." Sakayanagi smiled and didn't follow up.
Since she was certain Class C's pattern was wrong, Class C was essentially handing out points to other classes. If they were giving away points, why not give them to Class A?
Ryuen continued to use his phone, seemingly issuing instructions to other students in his class.
Since Sakayanagi was practically begging for Class A to be attacked, he would oblige.
Very soon.
The broadcast for another group ending the exam early rang out.
"Notice to all students. The special exam for the Pig Group has concluded early. Pig Group members are no longer required to participate in subsequent group discussions. Final exam results will be announced simultaneously on the fourth night at 11:00 PM. Repeating—"
Hearing that the Pig Group had ended early, the expressions of Katsuragi and Hashimoto changed instantly.
Because the VIP of the Pig Group really was... from their Class A.
Could it be that Ryuen truly mastered the pattern? Had he deduced the list of Class A's remaining three VIPs!?
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