Chapter 143 Sakayanagi: No, Wait, Masumi-san, I've Been Tricked by a Man!
The atmosphere in the Class A rest area was heavier than ever before.
Forty students were either sitting or standing, yet no one spoke. The sunlight outside was still bright, spilling onto the floor in patches of light, but it could not penetrate the stagnant air inside this room.
Seven groups had already finished.
Monkey, Sheep, Rat, Pig, Rooster, Snake, Rabbit—only five of the twelve groups were still ongoing.
As for Class A's VIPs, two remained unexposed. Those two were currently holding their heads in their hands, enduring immense pressure.
Katsuragi Kohei sat on the sofa by the window, a notebook in his hand, his pen gliding quickly across the paper. He was calculating the potential score changes brought about by each group ending early, but halfway through every calculation, the tip of his pen would stop.
Because there were no results.
The school would not announce any results of the "quick-answers" before the exam ended. They could only wait—wait until 11:00 PM tomorrow night before everything would be revealed.
"I still can't calculate it." Katsuragi put down his pen and looked up, his gaze landing on Sakayanagi Arisu. His eyes held a rare confusion and a faint, hidden unease.
"Sakayanagi." He spoke, his voice carrying a hint of hesitation, "The pattern we derived... is it really correct?"
Clearly, the current Katsuragi was not confident.
"Katsuragi-kun." Sakayanagi looked toward him, her tone as calm and unhurried as ever. "The pattern used by Class C is wrong—of that, I am certain."
But Katsuragi remained silent for a few seconds before choosing to press further.
"Then, regarding the Rooster and Snake groups we attacked earlier... Ryuen's behavior was far too strange."
He paused, seemingly weighing his words. "Ryuen's reaction made it seem as if the VIP of the Rooster group was a student from his own Class C. If the VIP of the Rooster group was a Class C student, Ryuen would know without needing a pattern. In that case, the mockery and shock he displayed at the time... might have been real, rather than an act."
Sakayanagi's fingers paused slightly.
This was a question she was, in fact, also considering.
According to the pattern derived by Class A, the VIP of the Rooster group was a Class B student, and the VIP of the Snake group was also a Class B student. If the pattern was correct, then from these two attacks, Class A should have been able to take points from Class B.
That would be a wonderful situation: Class A +200 points, Class B -200 points.
But that was contingent on the pattern she derived being correct.
However, just as Katsuragi said, Ryuen's performance made it look very much like the Rooster group's VIP truly belonged to Class C, not Class B.
If that was true, it meant the pattern Sakayanagi derived was wrong.
But.
"Perhaps it was just Ryuen's acting," Sakayanagi said softly, her eyes flickering slightly as she shook her head. "After all, he is indeed very skilled in that regard."
Kamuro Masumi, standing behind Sakayanagi, took a step forward upon hearing this.
"I think Sakayanagi is right." Kamuro remembered her previous experience of looking for Hachiman and discovering she had been tricked by Ryuen's acting again. She added with a certain tone, "Before the exam started, Ryuen and Ibuki had another falling out on the deck. Many people saw it at the time; Ryuen was verbally abusing her quite harshly, and they almost came to blows."
She paused, a flash of complex emotion in her eyes. She felt she was too naive and had almost been tricked again.
"However, that was just an act. Ibuki is Ryuen's die-hard loyalist; it's impossible for her to truly turn against him. Their falling out was for the other classes to see—especially our class. So, it's not impossible for him to continue acting now. Especially since, according to what you said, the pattern Class C derived is wrong, he might be intentionally muddying the waters and shaking your confidence just to buy time to continue deriving the correct pattern."
After Kamuro finished, she looked at Sakayanagi as if seeking approval.
This explanation sounded logical. For Kamuro's intellect to reach this level of reasoning was already quite impressive.
It seemed Kamuro had made progress.
Because of these words, some Class A students clenched their fists, cursing Class C's cunning under their breath. But Katsuragi's brow furrowed even tighter.
He stared at the string of numbers in his notebook, his mind racing. If Ryuen was acting, it meant Class C's pattern was wrong, and Ryuen wanted to seize time to derive the correct one. But since Class C was wrong, was Class A's pattern really right?
Calculating the scores according to Class A's pattern:
Yahiko from the Sheep group answered correctly, gaining 50 points; today Sakayanagi attacked the Rooster and Snake groups correctly, gaining another 200 points. However, because the Monkey and Pig groups were guessed, 200 points would be deducted. Calculated this way, Class A would still have a net gain of 50 points.
It wasn't many points, but at least it was positive.
But Katsuragi suddenly felt uneasy.
That feeling was very similar to the last few days of the deserted island exam.
Opening the champagne at halftime.
Back then, he was also very confident, which then transformed into an anxious wait for the teacher to announce the final results. The current situation was so similar that a vague premonition surged in Katsuragi's heart.
And the result back then?
Class A was saddled with a debt of over fifty million.
Katsuragi took a deep breath, looked up, and scanned the people in the room. Finally, his gaze landed on a quiet girl in the corner with long golden hair and a beauty mark under her eye.
"Shiraishi," he spoke.
Shiraishi Asuka was leaning against the wall, a book in her hand, but she hadn't turned a page in a long time. Hearing Katsuragi call her name, she looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in her clear eyes.
"Katsuragi-kun?" she tilted her head slightly.
Katsuragi looked at her with a serious tone. "Your sixth sense has always been very accurate. Right now... what is your feeling?"
Shiraishi Asuka was silent for a few seconds before closing her book.
Actually, she was a bit surprised. Was Katsuragi... actually believing in her metaphysics?
However, since she was asked, she thought about it seriously.
"I'm thinking about one thing," Shiraishi Asuka said softly. "Ayanokouji from Class D... what is he doing?"
Katsuragi was slightly taken aback.
Class D? Why ask about Class D now? Was Shiraishi that focused on Ayanokouji from Class D?
It seemed to have been the case before as well.
Shiraishi Asuka continued, "Ayanokouji is the only person in Class D capable of participating in this exam. But from start to finish, he hasn't made a single move. Is that normal?"
Katsuragi thought for a moment and spoke slowly, "He shouldn't be able to get the VIP list for Class D. That group of people in Class D won't proactively report to him. Moreover, Hirata is currently restricting him—this is what I observed in the Dragon Group. So, he can't do much."
In other words, from the very beginning, in an exam that required the trust and reliance of classmates, Ayanokouji couldn't get the "votes"; he didn't even have the admission ticket to enter the field.
"But now, he has samples," Shiraishi Asuka interrupted him. "Morishige Takuro from the Monkey group, Matsushita Chiaki from the Sheep group, Nishikawa Ryoko from the Pig group—these three names are no longer a secret. Not to mention Koenji is also from Class D; he can get them if he wants. Then he too can derive the pattern."
She paused, her gaze meeting Katsuragi's.
"But why hasn't he done so? I think that is actually the area we need to pay attention to."
These words made everyone fall silent again.
True.
Ayanokouji had shown the posture of a dark horse during the deserted island exam, but why was he completely inactive in this exam?
Did Ayanokouji see through something about this exam and therefore choose to remain still? Or did he feel it was useless to act and thus used those "off-board" moves, targeting the girls of Class C? Cultivating spies to secretly attack Class C?
They couldn't figure it out.
It was impossible to understand.
And at this moment, one person was falling into total confusion. She had violet-blue hair and currently possessed a dazed look in her eyes.
Morishita Ai was curled up on the corner sofa. Listening to these conversations, the expression on her face became more and more confused. She looked at Katsuragi, then at Sakayanagi, and finally couldn't help but raise her hand.
"That... can I ask a question?"
Sakayanagi looked at her. "Speak."
Morishita Ai took a deep breath and spoke with a hint of doubt.
"You all keep talking about the pattern, the pattern... but what I want to ask is—" she paused, her tone holding a trace of hesitation, "is there really a pattern?"
The room fell silent for a moment.
This was a question no one had ever considered.
Sakayanagi's brow twitched slightly. "What do you mean?"
Being looked at by her, Morishita Ai was a bit nervous, but she braced herself and continued.
"It's just... it feels a bit strange." She scratched her head, trying to organize her words. "According to what you said, near the end of the group discussions this morning, Hikigaya-kun arranged for the Class B students to end the Rabbit group exam early. Right? And the students in the Rabbit group confirmed it was Beppu Ryota from Class B who took out his phone to answer."
Katsuragi nodded. "The broadcast indeed announced the early end of the Rabbit group. Hearing the broadcast, I also pressed Hikigaya, and Hikigaya admitted it. Since Classes A and C had made their moves, he naturally had to follow suit. He didn't want to keep taking hits."
"But—" Morishita Ai tilted her head, confusion in her eyes. "Since it was Hikigaya wanting to counter us, our class didn't have a VIP in the Rabbit group. So, did he attack the Rabbit group because the Rabbit group's VIP was from Class C?"
This question made Katsuragi, Hashimoto, and Sakayanagi fall silent at the same time.
Because—
When Class A ended the Rooster group exam early, Ryuen's reaction was intense; however, when the Rabbit group exam ended, Ryuen was indifferent.
Even if Ryuen's intense attitude in the Rooster group was an act, he wouldn't go so far as to not act at all when the Rabbit group ended.
Therefore, one could only say—
"The VIP of the Rabbit group is a student from Class D," Shiraishi Asuka's voice came out of nowhere.
"Mm-hmm, if that's the case, then Sakayanagi-san, in the pattern you derived, was the VIP of the Rabbit group also from Class D?" Morishita Ai pressed.
Everyone's gaze turned to Sakayanagi.
Sakayanagi fell silent.
According to her pattern, the VIP of the Rabbit group was Manabe Shiho from Class C.
But analyzing it like Morishita Ai just did, the VIP of the Rabbit group was very likely a Class D student.
After all, being guessed results in a 100-point deduction, and Ryuen certainly did not have the temperament to watch himself lose points without reacting. Ryuen's acting was indeed good, but he didn't have the temperament to be indifferent to a 100-point deduction.
Therefore, the VIP of the Rabbit group was Class D.
If this point was true, then Sakayanagi's pattern was wrong.
Sakayanagi could confirm that Class C's pattern was wrong—this could be confirmed from observation and Hikigaya-kun's inner voice.
But she had absolutely no idea that Class A's pattern was also wrong!
She had actually used a pattern she believed to be correct to attack the Rooster and Snake groups. Not only that, this pattern also relied on the case of the Sheep group that ended early last night—and the VIP of the Sheep group was Matsushita Chiaki from Class D.
Therefore, if there was a mistake, it actually started from there.
Thus, Totsuka Yahiko from the Sheep group answering early would result in a 50-point deduction.
The Snake group she arranged to attack today was also wrong. And if the Rooster group's VIP was from Class C, then the Rooster group was also wrong. So, Ryuen's behavior might not have been acting, but the truth.
That would be -50 points times two.
Add to that the Monkey group being guessed for -100 points, and the Pig group being guessed by Class C for -100 points.
Then the current score for Class A was—
-50 x 3 - 100 - 100 = -350 points.
Sakayanagi's breath hitched slightly.
Thinking of this, and feeling the weight of that terrifying number, Sakayanagi suddenly felt a bit cold.
Not a physical cold, but a chill rising from the bottom of her heart.
She looked up, her gaze falling once again on the sea outside the window. The sunlight was still bright, the waves still shimmering, but what she saw in her eyes was a landscape of gray.
"Sakayanagi?" Kamuro Masumi's voice came from beside her.
Kamuro noticed that Sakayanagi was not in a normal state.
"Wrong, all of it was wrong," Sakayanagi said with a sigh. "This exam ends here for now."
She turned to the people of Class A.
"I will take responsibility for the failure of this exam." Sakayanagi's voice was still calm, but it carried a hint of exhaustion she couldn't hide.
"I will give up my status as class representative. I entrust the subsequent exams to you, Katsuragi-kun."
After speaking, she gripped her cane and turned to leave.
"Eh?" Katsuragi hadn't fully reacted yet, and the surrounding Class A students were also bewildered.
But Sakayanagi had already walked out of the rest area.
Kamuro Masumi was stunned and hurriedly followed. The two were silent all the way until they returned to Sakayanagi's room.
Although Sakayanagi had just boarded the ship, the school had still assigned her a single room. As her "puppy," Kamuro naturally moved in with her.
After the door closed, Sakayanagi stood with her back to Kamuro, motionless.
Kamuro felt as if Sakayanagi had something to say.
Sure enough, Sakayanagi did not look back; she only spoke softly, as if talking to herself or asking Kamuro.
"Masumi-san."
"Hmm?"
"Tell me, if a person reveals information to you from start to finish and tells you the correct things... then is his inner voice trustworthy?"
Kamuro was a bit confused.
"Isn't that naturally trustworthy?" Kamuro said. "Because Hikigaya hasn't lied to us, right? Although he is a 'traveler,' the information he gives should be correct, otherwise how could we have tried to eavesdrop?"
"But..." Sakayanagi gripped her cane and slowly turned around. "What if this was done so that at the right moment, he could pass along a false inner voice? ...In that case, can his inner voice still be trusted?"
Kamuro was stunned.
She opened her mouth to say something, but found she didn't know what to say.
Sakayanagi did not wait for her answer. She looked at Kamuro, her violet-blue eyes currently holding an unreadable emotion.
"You said that during the island exam, Hikigaya-kun once let you hear his inner voice. Right?"
Kamuro nodded. "Yes."
"That inner voice... do you think it was real?" Sakayanagi asked.
Kamuro was taken aback; clearly, she hadn't expected this question.
She thought about it and answered seriously, "It should have been real. Back then, he had no idea I could hear it, so everything he thought was his true feelings."
Sakayanagi was silent for a few seconds.
Yes, back then he didn't know.
But what about now?
Now, does he know that someone can hear his inner voice?
A more terrifying thought suddenly flashed through Sakayanagi's mind—what if he knows? If he knew from the very beginning that someone could hear his inner voice, were those "inner voices" still real?
She remembered that in the Dragon Group discussion room, every time she looked at him, she could always hear his inner voice ringing. Those inner voices contained complaints, analyses, evaluations of her, and even times when he praised her for being cute.
What if all of those were fake?
What if he was just using her, using the fact that she could hear his inner voice to feed her false information?
Sakayanagi's breath hitched slightly.
She remembered the inner voice of Hachiman she heard in the discussion room yesterday—"Does Sakayanagi's side actually have the pattern? True, the person who answered was Katsuragi's subordinate, Totsuka Yahiko, and Sakayanagi wouldn't completely trust him..."
At that time, she thought her acting was good and had made Hikigaya believe Class A possessed the pattern.
But what if that wasn't his true thought, but something he intentionally let her hear?
What if he knew from the very beginning she could hear his inner voice and had been feeding her false information since the start?
Sakayanagi's fingers trembled slightly.
She suddenly realized she might have made a fatal mistake.
A mistake made from the very first day.
"Sakayanagi, what exactly is going on?" Kamuro finally couldn't help but ask.
Sakayanagi didn't answer. She only looked up at the light on the ceiling.
After a long while, she finally spoke softly.
"Kamuro."
"Hmm?"
"We... no, I was tricked." Sakayanagi's voice was very soft, but it carried a hint of unprecedented emotion.
"I was tricked by a bad man."
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