[The first group discussion begins now.]
Some of us instinctively glanced towards the loudspeaker inside the room.
"Alright, attention everyone! As the school has instructed us, I think we ought to introduce ourselves to each other. Well, even if we weren't told to do so, I would've suggested this, regardless. Since we'll have two group discussions every day, it would be great if I can learn everyone's names," said Ichinose.
She acted in an instant. It was the type of move that Ichinose Honami would do like it was natural for her. And since Ichinose was surrounded by enemies, volunteering to lead the group should've been drastically more difficult. However, it didn't seem that way to her at all.
The fact she was the first one to act-- In terms of initiative and decisiveness, it seems like Ichinose Honami outclasses Hirata and Kikyou, the two social elites of Class B.
"I agree. I want to know everyone, as well," replied Hirata.
"I'm the same! If possible, let's all get along," followed Kikyou.
Speaking just a split second after Ichinose had finished her proposal was expected for both of them. However, while I wasn't too bothered by Ryuuen's grin, Katsuragi and his classmates were being strangely quiet.
"Then, I'll go first. I'm Ichinose Honami, from Class C. Nice to meet you, everyone," she said.
"I'm Kanzaki Ryuuji, from Class C."
"My name is Tsube Hitomi, also from Class C!"
The three Class C students were warmly received by Hirata and Kikyou.
"Nice to meet you." Hirata stood up and took his turn. "I'm Hirata Yousuke, from Class B. I hope we can all get along."
"I'm Kushida Kikyou, from Class B. I'm pleased to be with everyone here and I'm looking forward to working with you all." Kikyou, much like Ichinose, introduced herself perfectly.
I nudged Horikita's side with my elbow, telling her to go next. She stood up with little hesitation and introduced herself.
"Horikita Suzune. Class B." And then she sat.
Oi, oi, can you get more mechanical than that?
Here, let me show you how it's done.
"I'm Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, from Class B." And then I sat.
I take it back. We're made from the same junk shop. I'm sorry, Horikita.
Well at least, it wasn't a disaster like my first self-introduction back in April.
After Class C reciprocated our welcome, it was finally Class A and D's turn. We looked at them with different expressions-- mostly curious. But it didn't seem like they had any intention of joining in.
"You guys done playing house?" asked Ryuuen. "No? Alright then. Hey, you two, introduce yourselves."
Suzuki and Sonoda stood up with stiff postures.
"I'm Suzuki Hidetoshi, from Class D."
"I'm Sonoda Masashi, from Class D."
They immediately sat afterward. I didn't know if they were embarrassed or scared.
"Nice to meet you, Sonoda-kun, Suzuki-kun." Ichinose acknowledged their introductions with a smile.
"Please look after me during this exam." Kikyou did the same.
"Ryuuen-kun, would you like to introduce yourself?" asked Ichinose.
"Kuku. These two are nobodies, so I let them play along with you guys. But what about me? I'm sure my name's known to all of the people in this room. No introductions needed." Ryuuen smilingly adjusted his legs and leaned back a bit.
"Well, I can't force anyone to do something they don't wanna do." Ichinose remained unperturbed.
She then turned towards Katsuragi and his class.
"Following Ryuuen-kun's reasoning, someone as excellent as you should be known by everyone, too. But would it bother you to introduce yourself, Katsuragi-kun?" she asked.
"It's more likely for the purpose of formality, but I guess there's no harm in following along. It's the school's instruction, after all," he replied.
The Class A students proceeded to introduce themselves. Theirs were a hundred times better than my monotonous blabber, but at least I pulled through.
Ichinose was ultimately chosen to lead the discussion forward.
"Great! Then, as we proceed with the discussions, I have one question. Do all of you think that our group should pursue Outcome #1?" she asked.
"In my opinion, that would be for the best. Our class points may not move, but everyone gets a share of the reward," replied Hirata.
His answer was great from a neutral standpoint. After all, we had four members.
"Keh, sounds like bullshit to me." Before anyone else could agree, Ryuuen jumped in with a snicker. "Firstly, no one from Class D is the VIP, so I want to find out his or her identity and get Outcome #3. Let's not beat around the bush here and make friends, Ichinose."
"I see. Outcome #3 would definitely benefit the class of the one who turns traitor. In the end, we're still competing here. However, do you have the means to find the VIP, Ryuuen-kun? If your plan was to betray the group, then wouldn't convincing the VIP to get Outcome #1 be a better strategy? Once they reveal themselves, their name is at your mercy." Ichinose responded calmly.
"Kukuku. Resorting to such boring methods in this exam might put me to sleep. If I wanted to find the VIP, I wanted them to know that I was coming. Seeing them struggle to hide might bring me some prime entertainment," chuckled Ryuuen. "But man, you're really a conniving woman, Ichinose. You pose to be an ally of justice, but you're just as much of a sly snake as me."
The deceptive strategy that Ichinose pointed out is rooted in her own proposal of getting Outcome #1. If Ichinose gains the VIP's trust, she could very well become the traitor herself.
"Watch your mouth, Ryuuen," warned Kanzaki.
"It's fine, Kanzaki-kun. What he said isn't without basis." Ichinose faced Ryuuen without trouble. "You can certainly think of it that way, and I won't lie about not wanting Outcome #3. However, I was speaking from your perspective, Ryuuen-kun. Knowing you, I was quite inclined to think you'd go for that strategy."
She's right. Given the innate abilities of the students in this room, everyone should've considered that strategy from the start.
"Well, I don't really care. I'll find the VIP regardless. We can talk if you want. The liar will expose themselves sooner or later," he replied, narrowing his eyes.
"This is absurd. You might just be saying all those things to distract us from the truth. For all we know, the VIP might be hiding behind your back... Or maybe you're the VIP, Ryuuen-kun?" Horikita finally joined the fray.
"Ohoho? Interesting, Suzune. Really interesting. I never expected anyone to believe me, anyway. Then how about it? Why don't you put my name in right now?" Amused, Ryuuen turned to provoke her.
"Do you think anyone would do something that stupid?"
"Hm? Weren't you suspicious of me? I might be the VIP, you know?"
Their conversation started degrading. Horikita sighed vexingly seeing Ryuuen's attempts to mess with her.
"You're wasting your breath on Ryuuen, Horikita. To be honest, I'm more suspicious of Katsuragi and his group." Kanzaki put a brief stop to their verbal bout.
"You can talk amongst yourselves. We, of Class A, aren't interested in having a dialogue." Katsuragi answered without delay.
All of us immediately caught on to what he was trying to say.
"Isn't that a bit unfair, Katsuragi-kun? All of us are contributing in our own ways. If Class A stays silent..." Ichinose tried to reason with him, but Katsuragi already anticipated her response-- like he was waiting for her to say that.
Katsuragi baited her by answering the way he did.
"That's no problem. As I've said, we're not interested in having a dialogue. It's disgraceful for us to selfishly soak up information while saying nothing. To that, our group of four will move away from your area. That way, we won't be able to hear anything and vice versa," replied Katsuragi.
"Isn't that contradictory, Katsuragi-kun?" asked Horikita.
As expected, Horikita caught on to that detail.
"That's right. You participated during the self-introduction as the school 'instructed'. However, instead of being an upright student who follows the instructions regardless of the teachers' absence, you were worried about the actual opposite, right?" mused Ichinose.
"Cameras have been set up to monitor our presence. However, this exam will test our thinking. If the school really wanted to evaluate our abilities, just seeing us inside the room wouldn't be enough," added Horikita.
In other words, hidden microphones. Katsuragi was weary of this from the start, and of course, so were Ichinose and Horikita.
"If you don't participate in the discussion, which was the main instruction for all of us, then the school might reprimand you for it." Ichinose used her words as a battering ram to siege Katsuragi's defense.
Horikita flawlessly kept up with all the arguments so far. Seeing my lack of participation, Hirata and Kikyou must've gotten the message already-- that I've let Horikita take the spotlight this time.
"I see. This is why you're in the lower classes, and I'm not." Katsuragi sighed in disappointment.
Horikita reflexively opened her mouth, but she stopped before any sound came out. She started thinking about what she missed.
"Ayanokouji, you've been quiet, as well," he said.
And just like that, I'm right in front of Katsuragi's crosshairs. Ryuuen's smile widened in contrast to his narrowed eyes while waiting for my response.
"I don't really have anything to add just yet," I replied.
"You do." I played dumb, but Katsuragi brushed it off without a problem. "Ichinose and Horikita may have a point, but they're not seeing the bigger picture. I expect you to know where I'm getting at."
Mentioning it was unnecessary in my position, though. But since I was compelled to say it, then I guess have no choice.
"Even if microphones were installed somewhere in this room, the school wouldn't be so petty as to punish the lack of participation as long as we're inside," I replied with a shrug.
I purposely made my answer incomplete. I won't let Katsuragi make me do the work for him.
"In other words, the school should already count silence as a viable method to tackle this exam. As the representative of Class A, I've concluded that it's the most fitting strategy for us." Even on a two-on-one, Katsuragi had successfully fended off their attacks.
Ichinose must've felt it, too-- that in front of her was the toughest gate of a closed castle. Well, even if she did, there's no way Ichinose would give up just like that, same with Horikita.
"I see... I assume that'd be the case for every Class A subgroup in every group?" she asked.
"Of course," answered Katsuragi.
Since Kikyou is the VIP, this works for us. However, from the perspective of someone who wants to find the VIP, not having access to what one class had to say makes things a lot more difficult.
"Hahaha! I see, I see! You're going to turtle again, aren't ya, Katsuragi? Does it really feel that nice-- putting yourself inside a cocoon every time?" asked Ryuuen.
"Hmph, you don't have to mind us. We've shared enough information about ourselves and what we want to do. Cheap provocations won't work on us, Ryuuen."
"Oh, my bad. I didn't really intend to provoke you. It's just that your plan is so stupid that I can't help but crack up," he snickered.
He immediately saw the major flaw in Katsuragi's plan, but I found it strange. Someone like Katsuragi should've put everything into account. By doing this, he would allow us to strike back with a deadly onslaught...
After pondering for a second, I finally figured it out.
I see... So that's his true plan. If he manages to make his move, we won't get anything out of this exam. I can't let that happen.
"Well, we can't really force Katsuragi-kun to speak." Ichinose shook her head with a beck.
Everyone inside this room already knew about the obvious clues; like how there was an equal number of VIPs from each class, and how the Dragon Group was deliberately composed to pit the class representatives against each other. There was no need to discuss any of that.
"So, Ichinose? What's your plan now? If you want to find the VIP for this group, I'm willing to participate. Well, to kill time, of course." Ryuuen scoffed with a shrug.
"Will Katsuragi-kun and the rest really not participate? I think finding the VIP would be really hard if we can't talk with the people from Class A," said Kikyou, slyly trying to fend off their eyes from her.
"I agree. In fact, their actions would naturally make us think that the VIP is from their class," followed Kanzaki.
We started having a real discussion about the test as time went on. Of course, Class A didn't participate until the very end. We were cut short, though. An hour passed by without me noticing.
Katsuragi and his classmates immediately went out of the room as soon as they were allowed to.
"And there they go. This is trickier than I expected." Ichinose sighed with a bitter smile.
"Heh. I'm sure we'll find something interesting in no time. Just hope that once everything gets laid out, your class is prepared to at least retaliate, Ichinose." Ryuuen and his entourage stood up and got ready to leave.
"Thanks for the warning, Ryuuen-kun, but you don't have to worry about us," Ichinose replied with a smile. She wasn't the least bit shaken by any of his words.
Ichinose's bright temperament was entirely different, if not the exact opposite of Horikita's cold demeanor, but they're both extremely tenacious and unmoving in the face of the enemy.
When our group finally dispersed, Hirata turned to us with a curious look.
"I was really impressed with Horikita-san earlier. Was this your idea, Ayanokouji-kun?" he asked.
"More or less. Horikita and I aren't good at socializing, but she shines in arguments and debates." I glanced towards Horikita before continuing. "To be honest, you've exceeded my expectations."
"It was a natural result. I was just applying what I've learned so far. In fact, I think I'm still a bit lacking."
Horikita responded while exuding coolness. The fact that her cool image wasn't intentional made it even more amazing. Her arrogant responses were now mixed with humble reflections.
"You were so great, Horikita-san. You went toe-to-toe with Katsuragi-kun and the others," said Kikyou.
"I'm sure Ayanokouji-kun could do it if he tried." Horikita deflected her compliment while giving me a side-eye.
It was understandable. There's no way she could take a straight compliment from Kikyou.
"Nah, I might piss my pants off due to nervousness," I replied.
Horikita rolled her eyes in response.
We've got six hours before the next discussion. The first one wasn't so bad, but I doubt things would go our way until the end.
That said, things are bound to get interesting.