Even if today was a rest day, rules were still rules. Since this was entirely different from just having lunch together, we couldn't hang around for too long.
I checked the clock on my phone and saw that it was already 12:49 PM. Hashimoto immediately opened the discussion as soon as we reached the main deck's stern.
"How's the exam going for you?"
"I'm not enjoying it more than you. That's for sure."
After all, Hashimoto was also a member of the Monkey Group. Because of Kouenji's actions, their group basically got exempted after the first day.
"Ahaha! I gotta thank the traitor for that. I can't believe someone was ballsy enough to submit a name after two group discussions."
"Was the traitor not from your class?" I asked.
"What do you think?"
"Well, the name of the traitor isn't that relevant, to begin with, so I guess it doesn't really matter." I shrugged with a sigh.
For a brief moment, the two of us just silently watched the bright blue ocean surrounding the ship.
"Since this was your idea, I'm assuming you want to exchange some information," I said.
"Yeah. Contacting Sakayanagi is forbidden, so the school temporarily blocked her number. Of course, Mashima-sensei already explained the situation to her. Meanwhile, I can't really think of any winning strategy for this exam. Things are getting pretty tight for Class A."
Hashimoto and I talked with our gazes fixated forward. I could catch a glimpse of his small grin in my peripheral vision.
"Sakayanagi can't help you, huh? Does that mean you're working with Katsuragi for now?"
"Haha, not necessarily. His defensive strategy is good, but if the enemy gets a hold of the pieces, everything will break apart for us. The Sakayanagi Faction is letting him do what he wants, but we're also trying to find ways to win this thing," he replied.
"I heard he's working with Ryuuen. Or is that you and your faction?"
"Nah. Katsuragi has his hawk eyes on us. Because of the nature of this exam, we can't really make contact with Ryuuen or his associates."
"It's about the island exam, isn't it?"
"Yeah. Katsuragi is an extremely smart guy, so I already expected him to figure out my betrayal. But since I was working on my own, the Sakayanagi Faction didn't know what was going on. Katsuragi managed to make most of our classmates suspect me, even my allies," he sighed. "I don't know if you've figured it out already, but Katsuragi and Ryuuen are working together again. If I try to make contact with Ryuuen, Katsuragi will know, and that would strengthen his claims of my betrayal."
"I'm surprised he managed to convince the class."
"Class D will give us VIP names in exchange for private points. I'll use my own and my willing allies' private points to make the deal. That should be enough to secure our lead." Hashimoto tried to impersonate Katsuragi's voice and tone. "That's what he told everyone. Of course, all of us agreed. They're the ones spending their own money, not us."
Hashimoto's tone exuded style and confidence. A normal person wouldn't be able to know if he's lying or not in a casual situation like this.
"So you really can't scheme with Ryuuen this time, huh?"
"Unfortunately." Hashimoto's smile didn't match up with his reply.
I wonder if he's still planning to make contact with him regardless.
"If you get caught, Sakayanagi could just pin everything on you."
If Hashimoto associates himself with Ryuuen again and succeeds, the Sakayanagi Faction, and Class A by extension, wins. However, if Hashimoto gets caught and his betrayal gets proven to the class, only he would lose. After all, if Sakayanagi uses him as a scapegoat, it would be a low-risk-high-return deal for the Sakayanagi Faction as a whole. The plan was risky for him alone.
"She wouldn't do that, even with her nature. Objectively, leaving me to die also means making an enemy out of me. If I was a simple grunt, then I guess it's the best course of action, but I'm quite high up the ladder, you know? If I manage to convince Katsuragi about taking me in, he'd have an enormous advantage. I'm an extremely loyal subject, too." Hashimoto openly bragged about his position. He casually mentions his loyalty as he talks about changing sides.
Sigh, he's just messing with me at this point.
"However," he continued. "I'm really not planning on doing anything with Ryuuen this time. I can't afford to act on my own in such a dire situation."
Judging by his serious expression, it didn't look like Hashimoto was lying.
So he's not working with Ryuuen, after all? Well, it's not like he needed to convince me. I already knew that.
"I see. So now, your plan is to work with me instead."
"That's right! It's great that you're quick on the uptake."
"Are you planning to tell me about the VIPs from your class then?"
"Hahaha, that's a funny joke." Hashimoto chuckled blithely, but the look in his eyes changed. "Negotiation in this exam is pointless, Ayanokouji. You know that."
"Of course. Even the alliance between Class B and C is half-baked at best. The risk of revealing anything is too high."
"But Katsuragi said something interesting. I'm sure you've heard about it already."
"Hmm... I don't think so."
"Ryuuen-- He figured out the VIPs' identities."
"Oh, that."
"So you've heard about it, after all! Man, give me back my excitement. I thought I was revealing something shocking..." Hashimoto sighed with a vexed expression.
"That's just how it is. Horikita and the rest of the Dragon Group dismissed it as a bluff. What he said never really stuck in our minds since none of us took him seriously."
"Hmm... Well, I guess that's fair."
"I'm sure Katsuragi wouldn't just take Ryuuen's deal without having something significant in return, right?"
"Of course. He's banking on the fact that only Ryuuen could figure out the identity of the VIPs. So in exchange for an inflated amount of private points, Ryuuen will refrain from targeting Class A's VIPs."
According to the details that Hashimoto gave me, Ryuuen would be taking 200,000 private points on top of the half-million reward.
"So far, Ryuuen had only given us one VIP name, which Katsuragi plans to submit tomorrow. I'd love to share who it is, but Katsuragi doesn't trust me."
So Katsuragi kept the name for himself, huh?
"Don't worry, I wasn't that hopeful, to begin with. Regardless, if Ryuuen decides to stop there, he'd be taking 200,000 private points in exchange for not targeting three Class A VIPs. Isn't that too one-sided?"
If Ryuuen betrays Katsuragi and targets them anyway, he'd earn 1.5 million private points and 150 class points. The rewards are too big to be wasted.
"Exactly... I've thought of some possibilities for this." Hashimoto raised his hand showing four fingers. "One; Katsuragi put something else on the table that he didn't mention to us-- something that made Ryuuen agree to this absurd deal. Two; Ryuuen doesn't know all of the VIPs, and he was just lucky to find the one that he gave us. Katsuragi knew this and took the money deal. Three; Ryuuen will keep his word because he just feels like it, which is very unlikely from a logical standpoint but isn't an impossibility given his personality. Or four; Katsuragi might just be dumb and Ryuuen never planned on sparing Class A, in the first place."
"Wouldn't the fourth possibility be bad for you guys?"
"It's disappointing more than anything else, to be honest. If that really was the case, then I guess we overestimated Katsuragi." Hashimoto shook his head dismissively. "That said, I feel like there's a fifth possibility that no one is seeing."
"And that is?"
"Well, I hope I knew. If I could contact Sakayanagi, I'm sure she'd know the answer."
"You have a lot of confidence in her."
"Haha... It's Sakayanagi, after all..." Hashimoto's eyes narrowed inscrutably. "To be honest, I can't really find the right words to describe her. That brain of hers... I don't think anyone in this school could even compare... Not even the likes of Katsuragi, Ichinose, or Ryuuen..."
Hashimoto turned to me with an enigmatic smile.
"Not even you."
He stared at me for a little bit before letting out a chuckle.
"Ahaha, I'm just kidding. There's no way I can compare her with anyone just yet. After all, I don't really know what you guys are truly capable of."
"It seems like your evaluation of Sakayanagi is very high," I replied with a piqued tone.
"Hey, hey, don't hold it against me now, Ayanokouji. I'm not just talking about placing high on the written exam, you know?" Hashimoto smirked, amused by my reply. "That said, of course, I'd put our princess on a pedestal. Abilities aside, she's a lot more fun to work with than boring guys like Katsuragi."
Sakayanagi Arisu. She's a mysterious student who knows about my past. Hashimoto's opinion aside, even the chairman, who knew about the White Room, seemed to feel like she can fare against someone like me. If that's true, then she might just be able to--
"Alright! It seems like I've blabbered for too long." Hashimoto stretched his arms with a simper. "Now then, why don't I ask you some questions?"
On the surface, I've certainly gained some useful information. He gave me a bunch of details regarding Class A's course of action, and he also talked about Sakayanagi, whom I'm fairly interested in. Benefits aside, it's only natural for me to fulfill my end of the bargain.
"Sure."
"Firstly, I've already accepted that none of us will be able to find the other VIPs-- not with limited clues and limited access to the other groups' discussions. That's why I went so far as to reveal Class A's plan. It wouldn't be too hard for you to give me something of equal value, right?"
In other words, our plan.
"Class B's plan isn't much of a secret, though. I don't mind telling you what it is, but only Horikita knows about the details."
"Don't worry about it. Katsuragi had already told us. Horikita plans to find the VIPs no matter what, right?"
"Yeah. She hasn't updated me on her progress yet, and the same goes with Kikyou and Hirata. Meanwhile, I stopped trying to find the VIPs after the first day. I've left everything to Horikita and the others."
"Horikita and the others, huh? Is that so...?" Hashimoto squinted his eyes with a grin. "Alright, I believe you."
Hashimoto didn't have to worry. Explicitly speaking, I haven't told him a single lie.
"That said, she was fixated on the fact that a pattern exists," I continued.
"Yes, all of us believe that as well. The instructions tell us that the VIPs' assignment wasn't done randomly. Of course, the teachers have told us the same thing. From what it looks like, the VIP should be qualified in something so that the role is given to him or her."
"You're talking about the school's message, right?"
"Yep. That was an obvious clue, alongside the fact that we were briefed in order. All of that must lead to something."
"That's pretty impressive, Hashimoto. You've basically laid out what Horikita has been thinking about in the past two days. Since you're on the same track, you might've been able to figure out the VIPs should the test last a little longer."
"I appreciate the compliment, but I'm nothing compared to some people." Hashimoto chuckled before eyeing me down with a sharp look. "I hate to say it, but we've reached a dead end. Using those vital clues is actually doing the opposite. The more we look into it, the muddier everything gets. Nothing adds up."
"I see... Then it's safe to assume that Horikita would be in the same state..." I stared at Hashimoto before telling him the advantage that Horikita has. "Well, not really... Horikita might just break out of that rut."
Hashimoto's donned an expression of amusement and interest.
"Do tell me more," he said.
"Unlike Class A, Horikita knows the name of a fourth VIP," I replied.
As of last night, Ichinose and Class C would be in the same playing field given that we've surrendered Karuizawa's identity, but Hashimoto didn't need to know that.
He received my answer without much of a reaction.
"Sigh... I guess that makes sense. Ahh, that's quite unfortunate for us, then," he shrugged. "But you know, as much as I don't doubt Horikita's abilities, do you think she can figure everything out before the end of the exam? If Ryuuen told him the truth, then Katsuragi would also be holding the same card. If he wants to win everything, he'll have to race with Horikita."
"Frankly, I have no idea. As a classmate, all I can do is believe in her."
"So you, the mastermind behind Katsuragi and Ryuuen's defeats, wouldn't give her a helping hand?" Hashimoto raised an eyebrow, observing my response.
"I'm just a bit cunning. These types of exams are Horikita's specialty."
"Really now? Well, it's not like I don't get where you're coming from. This school has a way to make the students dance around in the dark. If we had Sakayanagi's help, this exam would've been over ages ago."
"It seems like we've gotten lucky then-- for someone like Sakayanagi to be absent during the first two special exams."
"Haha, who knows?" Hashimoto shook his head in response.
*Honk*
The two of us stopped leaning our bodies against the railings. As the cruise's loud horn reverberated throughout the entire ship, Hashimoto and I finally decided to call it quits.
"Should we wrap it right here? Or do you want to share more?"
"I'm good. I wanted to lie down for a bit, anyway."
"Alright. It's been a nice talk, Ayanokouji."
Hashimoto happily gave his farewell.
I got back to my room without much incident. Utilizing my knowledge of the ship's interior, I managed to avoid contact with anyone I know.
At the end of the day, my conversation with Hashimoto didn't amount to much. Even if he knew about the VIPs from Class A, sharing their names is impossible, especially since we're almost equal in class points. After the island exam, it's obvious that Hashimoto and the rest of the Sakayanagi Faction weren't willing to sacrifice Class their position and status as Class A just for a chance to topple Katsuragi's leadership.
On the surface, Hashimoto might've gained something from the information I gave him, but other than alerting Katsuragi, it's not like there's anything they can do. Similarly, the information that he gave me wasn't all that helpful. Well, I'm sure Horikita could do something with it, but that would only give her more things to think about.
And for me, apart from the information about Sakayanagi, everything was fundamentally... useless.