Before the Zodiac Exam, these were the class rankings:
Class A - 1331 cp
Class B - 1232 cp
Class C - 617 cp
Class D - 316 cp
The new class rankings after the special exam were the following:
Class A - 1181 cp (- 150 cp)
Class B - 1232 cp (+ 0 cp)
Class C - 867 cp (+ 250 cp)
Class D - 216 cp (- 100 cp)
Which meant that Arisu's Class B took back their original Class A spot.
The gap between Class D and the other classes grew even bigger as Class C got closer to Class B
But the class rankings weren't really my concern.
Kushida did what I told her to do. She told everyone in Class D that I admitted to being the traitor, although she was the traitor.
She was obviously confused as to why I would go to such lengths.
Kushida is a useful pawn. However, I can't use her if she doesn't trust me. I'll make her slowly but surely trust me. Then, I'll dispose of her when she least expects it.
It was already the day after the class meeting. Today would've been the third day of the exam, but the exam had already ended, which is also why we were given a few extra days of free time on the cruise ship. The school told us that we would be back in Tokyo in three days' time.
I went to sleep last night after leaving the main deck. When I woke up, my roommates were still asleep, it seemed like they didn't bother to wake me up last night.
When I turned on my phone, I saw that I had received a lot of messages. Many didn't want to believe that I was the traitor, and asked me for confirmation.
Horikita
10:32 PM
[Are you really the traitor?]
[I don't believe it]
6:43 AM
[So Kushida told you guys, huh?]
[Seems like word got out]
[Yes, I am the traitor]
I left Horikita alone and opened the Ayanokouji Group group chat.
Ayanokouji Group
10:12 PM
[Kiyopon... is it true?]
[Are you really the traitor?](Haruka)
[There's no way]
[Right?](Airi)
[He's not responding]
[...](Akito)
[Maybe he's sleeping?](Ken)
[Maybe he's ignoring our messages :( ](Haruka)
[Let's wait until he responds](Airi)
[Airi's right](Akito)
[Yeah, let's do that](Ken)
[Okay...](Haruka)
6:45 AM
[What Kushida said was true]
[I am the traitor]
I decided to head out before my roommates woke up.
I went to a café to get myself a cup of coffee. There were a few people there that all noticed me. I sensed nothing unusual from their looks so I'm guessing the word hasn't spread outside of Class D yet, although that will inevitably happen this morning when everyone wakes up. For now, I suppose I'll enjoy the remaining moments of my somewhat peaceful life in Class D.
I sat down at a table and drank my coffee while fiddling with my phone. It wasn't long until I sensed some people approaching me.
"Oh hey, Ayanokouji-kun! You're up early."
Ichinose approached me with her friend Amikura. Judging by her greeting, I confirmed my theory that word hasn't spread yet.
"Hello, Ichinose. Hello, Amikura."
"Hey hey, Ayanokouji-kun! What's a handsome guy like you doing alone?"
"I just wanted a cup of coffee, I guess. My roommates haven't woken up yet."
"I see. Say, Ayanokouji-kun, what happened yesterday night after I hung up the call?" Ichinose asked.
"It's hard to explain."
"Did you guys figure out who the traitor was?"
"More or less. I can't tell you who it is though."
"Huh, why?"
"I don't think I should be the one to tell you. I'm sure you will know who it is as soon as everyone wakes up."
"I don't really get it, but sure."
"How did your class react to the results?"
"Well, they're disappointed for sure. But we're still in a good spot. Even though we got demoted to Class B, we have a solid amount of class points," she said.
"Yeah! We'll just make sure to do our best in the next special exams," Amikura agreed.
"I see, that's good for you guys."
"What about you, Ayanokouji-kun?"
"Well, as expected my classmates turned their backs on the traitor."
"Really? I guess, that's expected. Whoever betrays their class deserves whatever comes their way I suppose," Amikura said.
I looked at my phone and it was a little past 7 AM, which was the time when my roommates generally woke up these past days.
"Sorry, I need to go. See you guys later, Ichinose, Amikura."
"Oh, okay then. See you, Ayanokouji-kun!"
"Bye bye!"
I left them and head somewhere where I was sure there would be no one.
The library.
Every time I went to the cruise ship library, there was nobody except Hiyori.
When I arrived, there was nobody, like I expected. Hiyori wasn't there either, so I was alone. The librarian greeted me.
"Hello there, is your girlfriend not with you today?"
"My girlfriend?" I was evidently confused.
"Is the silver-haired girl that was with you yesterday not your girlfriend?"
"Oh, no, she's not."
"I see. I apologize for jumping to conclusions. I suppose you guys must be good friends then. Anyways, sorry for bothering you. Enjoy your time."
Friends, huh?
I decided to sit at a small table close to the mystery section. I put my bag on the table and took out the book I had borrowed from Hiyori. Cat of Many Tails by Ellery Queen.
An hour or two had passed when I checked the time on my phone. I had finished the book I borrowed from Hiyori.
I had also received replies from Horikita and the Ayanokouji Group.
Horikita was still a bit doubtful. She said that although she doesn't fully believe I'm the traitor, she will stop contacting me and stop asking me for advice.
Thank goodness.
As for the Ayanokouji Group, they were shocked, to say the least. They understood that I must've had my reasons. Although they said they didn't want to hate me, they decided to keep their distance from me, or else it could raise suspicions within the class, which was understandable.
I responded to neither parties.
Meanwhile, I also got kicked out of the Class D group chat.
I'm sure the word spread around the cruise ship. Not only that, the word spread on the school's online forum.
'Ayanokouji is the traitor' is what everyone will think.
And that's exactly what I want them to think.
"Kiyotaka-kun?"
Hiyori made her appearance in the library.
"Hey, Hiyori."
She sat down across me and took out the book I had let her borrow.
"Say, Kiyotaka-kun, are the rumors true?"
"What rumors?"
"Don't play dumb," she chuckled, "Did you really betray your class?"
"Oh, that. The news spread, huh?"
"Why did you help our class?"
"I have my reasons. I don't really want to talk about this though."
"Can I ask just one more question?"
"Hm? Sure."
"Do your classmates hate you?"
"Yeah, but what they think of me doesn't bother me."
"I see, well I won't bother you with this anymore. Let's talk about something else. Are you done with my book?
"Yeah, I finished it right before you came here. It was a great book."
"Great! Do you want to borrow another one?" she said as she took out the other books from her bag.
"Sure, if you don't mind."
I decided to borrow The Best Mysteries of Isaac Asimov.
"Good choice," she happily said.
"What about you? How far are you into that book?"
"I'm about halfway through. I still can't thank you enough for buying and letting me borrow this first edition book, Kiyotaka-kun."
"No need to thank me. Say, Hiyori, do you know where Ryuuen is?"
"Ryuuen... I'm not sure, if I were to guess, he's probably at the café right about now, provoking students from other classes."
He's definitely confused about the so-called news.
"Yeah, that was my guess too, I would like to go see him. I'll be going now, it was nice talking to you, Hiyori."
"Should I come with you?"
"I don't think you should. If people from my class see you with me, the class traitor, who knows how they'll see you and what they'll do to you."
"I see... thanks for thinking about me, Kiyotaka-kun. I'll still be in the library for a bit. See you!"
With that, I said goodbye to the librarian and head to the café.
********
I feel like I'm getting even more glances than on the first day of high school.
No doubt about it. The news have spread. Some students from other classes were whispering about me. I could hear them thanks to my extraordinary hearing abilities.
"Is that Ayanokouji-kun?"
"He's the traitor?"
"I knew he was scary..."
"A demon..."
Meanwhile, the Class D students that were all sitting together stared at me. They weren't holding back in insulting me.
"You bastard!" Ike screamed.
"Traitor!" Shinohara said.
"You should've died in the White Room!" Yamauchi cried out.
Human behavior sure is extraordinarily fascinating.
Sitting at one table, I saw Arisu, Hashimoto and Kamuro. Arisu was looking at me, trying her best to hold in her laugh.
"Oi."
I heard a voice behind me, and turned around to see the person I was looking for.
"Ryuuen."
Ryuuen showed up with Albert, Ishizaki and Ibuki.
"What's the meaning of this?"
Everyone's eyes were on us.
"What do you mean, Ryuuen? I guess word about my betrayal spread out quicker than we expected."
How will you respond, Ryuuen?
Indeed, Ryuuen was in a tough spot.
Will he deny that I was the traitor and let everyone know that I didn't work with him? In that case, will he tell everyone the real traitor?
Or will he play along and act as if I did indeed work with him? Will he pretend that we're allies in the eyes of the public?
Or will he simply leave without saying a word? Even if he does so, that would still make people think I worked with him.
There were so many people in the café, everyone was silent. Even if he whispered in my ear, the people close to us would still hear his words.
It's your move, Ryuuen.
"Tch..." he let out his frustration.
For an outsider, it certainly would seem like he was frustrated that news about a traitor broke out. However, Ryuuen realized that he was stuck and had to decide quickly on his move.
"There are some people in Class D that are still unconvinced of my betrayal, why don't you confirm it to them to erase their doubts?" I said while looking at Horikita who was sitting at a table in the corner.
It doesn't matter what needs to be sacrificed.
"Kukuku... you sure are interesting, Ayanokouji..." he said while thinking about his next words, "If that's what you want to do..."
Ryuuen was careful to pick his words carefully. His words had double meaning. For the people sitting, it would seem like he was talking about the fact that I wanted him to confirm my betrayal. But he's indirectly talking about the fact that I wanted to trap him in this situation.
"Indeed. Ayanokouji betrayed you defects. This is a reality check for you pieces of trash. Even the so-called Masterpiece of the White Room can't fix your useless class, kukuku. My dead grandma has more potential than you lot."
So that's your move, huh, Ryuuen.
"You heard him," I said while looking at my classmates. I saw Kushida giving me a curious look.
"You bastard!"
"Jerk!"
"How could you do this?!"
Go on, hate me, despise me all you want.
"Ayanokouji, come with me, let's discuss things."
"Huh? Sure."
I followed Ryuuen and his group. I felt everyone's stares burning holes through my back. It seemed like everything was going to plan.
********
I followed him into his room. As soon as he locked the door, he faced himself towards me. Initially, I thought he would launch himself at me.
"Kukukuku..." he was simply laughing his head off.
"You never fail to surprise me, Ayanokouji. It seems like you saw through Kikyou's betrayal. Not only that, you trapped me into making everyone think you and I worked together."
Indeed, even if he denied the fact that there was a traitor, people would still have trouble believing him after what happened last night.
"What are you trying to achieve with this? That's what I can't figure out," he asked me.
"Who knows."
"Don't give me that crap," he said as he grabbed me by the neck.
"If you want an answer, you'll have to wait and see," I slapped his hand away.
"Tch. You really know how to piss me off."
"Are we done here?"
"If you're not going to talk, I'll make you talk."
Ryuuen ran towards me and threw a strong punch, that I dodged at the last second.
"Kuku... I'll let you off the hook just this time, you bastard. I don't know what the fuck you're up to, but it'll probably be interesting to see kukuku."
"Seriously Ryuuen, you're letting him go after all this?" Ibuki raised her voice.
Ibuki wasn't a fan of Ryuuen's decision of letting me go. Ishizaki and Albert, though, were impressed by my dodge. Albert even gave me a discreet nod.
With that, I left Ryuuen's room.
I would say it's almost scary how everything is going exactly according to my plan. However, I unfortunately cannot feel fear, much like Ryuuen.
I will leave Class D when the perfect opportunity arrives. And when it arrives, I might give them a little farewell gift.
It's like a wise man once said.
There's a fine line between genius and insanity.
I have erased this line.
********
Author's Notes
Hey!
That's the end of Chapter 5! Hope you liked it!
What's Kiyotaka up to? Why did he suddenly decide to turn his back on Class D?
Here are my plans for the future of this fan fiction (important!):
After this, there will be Chapter 6 and 7, which will be covering the Sports Festival and the Paper Shuffle Exam respectively.
I intend to skip the Mixed Training Camp Exam, as I don't really don't know what to write about it and honestly I haven't properly read through that exam so I don't even understand the rules. Therefore, in this timeline, the Mixed Training Camp Exam didn't happen. I hope you understand.
Chapter 8 will therefore cover The Class Poll. Chapter 9 will cover the Event Selection Exam.
Chapter 10 will mark the beginning of the second year and the first second-year special exam and will probably be the last chapter of this fan fic. I might also write a sequel but with university around the corner, who knows.
There will only be one short story before Chapter 6.
That's all. See you soon!