"Hikigaya Hachiman: 10 votes…"
I stared blankly at the sheet of paper announcing the results of today's vote. It seemed that all the students in the group had written my name this time without hesitation.
Had everyone started to think that I was the VIP?
I got up from my chair, scratching the back of my head. I needed to stop this now. Perhaps it was time to negotiate.
I passed through the doors and left the meeting room, where the atmosphere was noisy with groups of students gathering after the meeting time had ended for all the groups.
I left alone, dragging my feet away from everyone's attention. Perhaps if I wanted to find him, I should start searching now.
"Hikigaya-kun…"
A voice called out to me from behind, so I turned around and found a group of girls standing there, with Matsushita in front of them.
"Uh, what is it…?" I asked, stuffing my hands deep into my pockets.
"I just wanted to ask you something," Matsushita said, tilting her head slightly to the side.
She wanted to ask me?
About what?
I wasn't good at explaining things either.
I glanced at the group of girls behind her. I thought they were from the same class, yet their gazes were like daggers pointed directly at me.
If I refused now and ignored her, I would be the villain in this story.
I sighed deeply and turned my head to the other side. There was no other choice.
"Fine…"
I muttered reluctantly, nodding toward the front, where an exit led to a corridor at the edge of the ship.
Without waiting for her answer, I started walking away. If she refused, then I would refuse too.
"Ah, I'll be back soon…"
Matsushita said, waving to her friends before quickly moving to follow me.
We didn't speak at all as we walked in complete silence until we had gone far enough that there was no one around us anymore, leaving only the sound of the waves breaking against the ship as it sailed.
"So, what is it…?" I asked, leaning against the ship's railing. Its coldness began to seep through my skin as if it were piercing it.
"Oh, I wanted to ask you. We're still aiming for the first-place result, right…?"
I gave her a sideways glance as she looked straight ahead. As I expected, she really did care about what was happening around her. She observed everything carefully despite pretending not to care.
I knew she wouldn't leave anything behind.
"Yeah, nothing has changed…"
We had already decided on the goal we would pursue. We were simply at the implementation stage now.
"Really…? But I don't understand why you're drawing everyone's attention toward yourself, as if you want them to guess incorrectly. Is that your goal?"
Matsushita's eyes were overflowing with curiosity, as if she wanted to satisfy it by any means necessary.
"Ah, about that…"
I raised my index finger and scratched my cheek. I didn't know how I was going to explain this. Ten members of the group had already started suspecting that I was the VIP, so after all this, the first option seemed to be leading us toward making them guess incorrectly.
"Well…"
I clasped my hands together along with my thoughts, trying to explain this.
We had already come this far. There was no point in saying something stupid now.
"I think you know that the VIPs were distributed equally among the four classes…"
Matsushita nodded, as if she understood exactly what I meant.
"This shows that the school wanted to put us on equal footing in that regard. Because under normal circumstances, the VIP would be the one determining the result the group would get…"
If we assumed that the students hadn't solved the test and discovered the system used to select the VIPs, this was what would happen.
"Hmm… What do you mean?"
"The VIP can hide themselves throughout the entire exam, share the information with the people around them, or even share it with the entire group. That means they would control the result of the exam."
We could say that the first step would determine how the group's exam proceeded.
"Then why are you diverting attention away from Yukinoshita-san, as if you're trying to mislead them?" Matsushita asked, as though this was the only part she still didn't understand and it was continuing to bother her.
"Controlling the majority vote," I said, turning around to look at the vending machine behind us.
It wouldn't hurt to get a drink before dinner, I suppose.
"The majority…"
Matsushita muttered, as if she was beginning to understand what was happening.
"Yeah. It's what they call herd mentality. You can make them think it's me, then throw some suspicion toward Kanzaki, and afterward give them certainty that it's me…"
I moved my eyes between the rows of drinks without much luck.
I couldn't find my favorite drink.
Damn it.
Isn't this supposed to be a luxury ship? They should at least have everything.
"By doing that, you can control the progress of the exam until the very last moment before revealing that it's Yukinoshita-san, right…?" Matsushita asked, stroking her chin as if she were carefully thinking about what I had said.
"Yeah…"
I stood up and brushed the dust off my knees.
"All that remains is convincing the other groups…"
Just as I expected, she really understood the game.
"Of course…"
"Who should we start with?"
"The hardest one…"
I looked around. Could I leave now?
I think we were finished.
"You mean Ryuuen-kun's class, right? That's difficult, isn't it…?" Matsushita said, taking a step backward.
"Hmm… Yeah, pretty much."
I didn't know why she said that, but her opinion of Ryuuen seemed rather strange.
The conversation stopped for a moment, bringing an end to any further questions from her. So I started wondering whether I should leave now or not.
"Hikigaya-kun, you really…"
Matsushita muttered as if she were talking to herself.
"Are you trying to stay out of sight and remain in the background or something?" Matsushita asked with a teasing smile.
"No. I'm always working hard in my own way… I don't slack off like you do."
I raised my hand to say goodbye before turning around and walking away.
Perhaps this was really over.
Now I had to find him…
Should I search everywhere randomly?
No, that would be stupid.
If you want to find someone, you have to think the way they think.
That makes sense. Yeah.
So, how would he think?
"Hahahaha! I'll crush all of you! This is my overwhelming victory! Just wait!"
No, that doesn't help. I just sound like a weirdo.
Okay, where would a delinquent go while dragging his entourage around with him all the time?
A yakiniku restaurant…
My eyes widened as I raised an eyebrow.
That seemed logical.
Yeah, very logical.
But is there one on board the ship?