chap 7

Introduction

When I entered the classroom, Ichinose greeted me with a

cheerful wave.

— I didn't think you'd beat Horikita so easily. It seems the

situation played out perfectly for you.

— It was just luck. A fortunate turn of events.

After glancing around the room, I took a seat.

— We have about four minutes left until the break ends.

Do you mind if we chat for a bit?

— Of course. I wanted to talk to you too, Ayanokoji-kun.

She didn't seem the least bit worried about the upcoming

battle. It was another example of how one could remain

calm regardless of who their opponent was.

— First of all, I should apologize for deceiving you. I said I

wouldn't participate in the exam, but I ended up joining

anyway.

— It's not a big deal. Our classes are rivals, so it's not

necessary to be completely honest about everything.

Ichinose easily forgave my lie.

— Thank you for understanding.

— But can I ask you something? Ayanokoji-kun, how are

you feeling right now?

— Honestly, I'm still figuring out how to approach such a

strong opponent. I had a brief conversation with Horikita

on my way here. She looked completely exhausted.

— As I said, everything just came together perfectly. I'm

not sure I can repeat that success.

— You, Ayanokoji-kun, don't seem worried or nervous at

all.

— You don't seem too concerned either.

— Actually, I'm very nervous. But talking to you, Ayanokojikun, calms me down.

Anyone who heard her statement would immediately

understand that Ichinose was being sincere. Even the

examiner, who was sitting nearby with a stoic expression,

raised an eyebrow disapprovingly.

— You know, I don't feel like I'm about to engage in a

battle right now. On the contrary, it feels like you're

supporting me. Isn't that strange?

Ichinose admitted that my presence helped her manage

her stress. However, we had only three minutes left, so we

needed to use this time wisely.

— These are just my thoughts, but it seems like you,

Ichinose, aren't really considering the possibility of losing

to anyone.

— I'm not sure… But I have complete confidence in

myself.

— Still, there's an element in this exam that could make

you doubt your superiority and turn the situation around in

an instant.

Ichinose immediately understood what I was referring to.

— You're right. The existence of the "traitor" complicates

everything.

The "traitor" is a role that can be used only once during

the exam. It was introduced to balance the game. On the

one hand, the traitor might want to lie to stay in the room

and secure bonuses for themselves or their class. But that

doesn't mean the traitor is easy to eliminate. If the role is

given to a skilled liar with nerves of steel, it would be

difficult for the representative to draw conclusions based

on their conversation.

If you nominate a traitor who falsely claims not to be one,

the traitor will be expelled from school. In other words, that

student will leave their class. No leader would want this

outcome.

The traitor's only goal is to pretend and contribute to the

opposing representative's victory. But at the same time,

the representative of the same class as the traitor would,

of course, want to eliminate them.

This is why Ichinose, with her sharp intuition, could

nominate the traitor within just a few rounds, even if she

didn't want to expel anyone from school. She couldn't be

sure everything would go as she wanted. Even if she was

99% confident, that 1% could change everything.

— Since we're both facing a tough fight, I have a mutually

beneficial proposal.

— A proposal?

— It's about the traitors. We're running out of time, so I'll

be brief. Traitors are the only ones at risk of being expelled

during this exam. On the other hand, if they successfully

fulfill their roles, they'll be rewarded.

— You're right.

— From this perspective, it's clear that traitors are under

tremendous pressure. Even if they confess their role, it

doesn't guarantee them a personal victory in the

discussion room. Achieving a traitor's victory is extremely

difficult, and the payoff is far less than the harm caused to

their class's representative. Honestly, I think they're

useless.

— I think you make a good point. The presence of a traitor

in the room can mislead us and also backfire on the

traitors themselves.

— But we both agree that a traitor is a powerful but

dangerous weapon. I hope you share this opinion. If so, I

propose we agree on this upfront before the discussion

begins. How about we share the names of the traitors we

selected and then remove them from the room? I'd like to

get rid of all the traitors in the first round.

— That's an interesting proposal, but… We need to

consider the feelings of the traitors themselves. Ayanokojikun, can I decline this proposal? Traitors can be too

valuable.

For Ichinose, the traitor was another way to secure victory.

It wasn't surprising that she wanted to keep the traitor until

the last moment.

— Besides, are we even allowed to share information

about the traitors?

— Of course, there shouldn't be any issues. If we show

each other our tablet screens, we're not breaking any

rules, right?

I addressed the examiner sitting in the corner of the room.

— Ahem, I think it's not against the rules, but…

It seemed the examiner didn't expect anyone to resort to

this method, so he spoke with hesitation.

— Please clarify this. The rules probably don't prohibit it.

When I made this request, the examiner immediately

began checking the details through the device in his ear.

— Mutually agreeing to remove the traitors? I never

thought you'd propose something like this, Ayanokoji-kun.

Ichinose would benefit from removing the opposing traitor

without any trouble.

— I'm acting out of one desire. I don't want anyone from

my class or yours to be expelled from school.

— If there are no traitors, then we won't have to worry

about that…

What would Ichinose say?

A 30-second countdown to the start of the first discussion

began.

— What if we add a condition to satisfy the traitors'

desires? Could we agree not to nominate them and

instead leave them until the end? I'm sure that would earn

both of our classes 50 class points, so everyone would

benefit.

Ichinose believed the ideal option would be to keep the

traitors in the room so that they could ultimately contribute

50 class points each. She was absolutely confident in her

abilities, so it wasn't surprising that she wanted to turn her

main weakness—the traitor—into a personal advantage.

— The discussion begins now.

The examiner made the announcement, but I continued

speaking.

— Fine, you don't have to touch the traitor I designate.

However, I don't want the other students to know about

our agreement. According to the rules, the traitor can only

be removed through a one-on-one dialogue, so if I

deliberately avoid nominating the traitor, the discussion

participants might suspect something. That's why I don't

want to leave the traitor.

— So, you still want to nominate them?

— That's why I plan to call out the traitor for a dialogue

around the middle of the discussion.

I tried to convey to Ichinose that privacy and victory in the

exam should take precedence over the class points the

traitor could earn, so I continued:

— We have different goals, but we'll act in our mutual

interest. Does that work for you?

— Yes, I agree. But if that's the case, why did you even

propose this to me? You could have kept it all a secret.

Ichinose was curious about why I wanted to know the

exact identity of the traitor.

— Unlike your class, where strong bonds of friendship

exist, Horikita's class is a bit different. I'm sure you

wouldn't do this, but if someone like Koenji became the

traitor, he could easily betray us. Additionally, a one-onone conversation with Koenji could bring many problems.

On the other hand, students like Ike and Hondo might be

tempted to betray and get into trouble. If any of this

happens in the middle of a serious discussion, it could be

difficult for me.

I explained to Ichinose that I wanted to dismantle the

traitor system to protect my classmates.

Ichinose nodded in agreement, as if accepting these

conditions.

— I trust you to keep your promise and not use this

information against me, right?

— Of course. For greater transparency, I suggest we show

each other our tablet screens during the nomination.

— That's fine with me. Let's go ahead and designate the

traitors.

I took my tablet, stood up, and approached Ichinose.

Showing her the screen, I said:

— Since we've reached an agreement, you can choose

the student you want to designate as the traitor yourself.

That way, you'll feel more at ease.

— It should be like that. I think I want to designate Makochan for this role.

Following her request, I selected Amikura as the traitor

right before her eyes.

— Now you can be 100% sure.

Ichinose showed me her tablet screen. I told her the name

of the discussion participant I wanted to designate as the

traitor, and Ichinose selected them immediately.

We were entering the discussion knowing the identities of

two traitors.

However, before taking

my seat, I picked up my chair and placed it directly in front

of Ichinose so that neither she nor I could see the monitor

behind my back.

— Please return your chair to its original position. This is

interfering with the exam.

— You may consider it whatever you like, but whether it's

interfering or not is something only the other

representative can decide. As you may have heard, I'm

planning to eliminate the traitor system, so I'm not even

going to watch the discussion. I decided this would be my

proof of sincerity. Does this bother you, Ichinose?

— No, not at all. I won't watch the discussion either. We'll

be on equal footing.

The representatives, who were supposed to watch the

monitors, now sat directly facing each other.

From the examiner's point of view, this probably looked

insane.

The discussion began, but Ichinose and I didn't even think

about watching it.

— You, as the class leader, can take your time selecting

the right traitor for a dialogue, Ichinose.

— And you, Ayanokoji-kun?

— I think I'll talk to the real traitor during the third round.

In the first and second rounds, I'll talk to innocent

students. As long as I don't nominate them, I won't be

penalized for making the wrong choice.

— Then, to be fair, I'll share all the information I get from

the traitor until the end.

— I trust you without that.

— But I still should.

After five minutes of discussion, Ichinose and I showed

each other our tablet screens and pressed "skip."

For the dialogue, I selected the innocent Okiyu*, and we

left the room and went to different rooms.

(Note by Ponatsenko: Refers to Kyosuke Okitani, a

student from Horikita's class)

The male examiner, whom I had seen for the first time

today, escorted me to the designated room. Inside, there

were only two chairs facing each other. In every other way,

the room resembled a typical classroom.

Okiyu, whom I had chosen for the dialogue, arrived shortly

after. There was nothing special about our conversation,

as I didn't suspect him of being the traitor.

Naturally, since he knew his true role, he confessed that

he wasn't the traitor. I could only agree with him.

— Ichinose-san and Ayanokoji-kun didn't find the traitors,

so they both remain in the room.

When Ichinose and I returned to the room, this

announcement was made.

The students participating in the discussion, as well as the

other representatives sitting in the waiting room, probably

didn't expect this at all. But they had no way of knowing

what exactly was happening now.

— Oh, here's the message… It came straight to my tablet.

With these words, Ichinose showed me a message stating

that Mitarai was an ordinary student. She received this

message due to the special skill of the traitor. I, in turn,

also showed Ichinose the screen of my tablet.

The second round of discussion went the same as the

first. We selected students unrelated to the traitor and

talked to them. Because of our confidence in who the real

traitor was, there were no difficulties again.

I returned to the room.

— Welcome back, Ayanokoji-kun. The announcement just

played.

Ichinose, who had apparently finished her conversation

before me, was already in the room.

— It seems that the announcements are made depending

on when both representatives finish their conversations.

Then Ichinose and I exchanged information from the

traitors again and moved on to the third round of

discussion.

Although I could only hear the conversation, the

discussion seemed to be gaining momentum. It seemed

that the presence of a traitor in the room was making the

students of Class B uneasy.

At the end of the round, Ichinose and I stood up from our

seats.

— I'll take care of the traitor.

If I finish this round and nominate the traitor, I can finally

move on to more important things. But before that, I

needed to make sure of something.

For the third time, I entered the room for a dialogue with a

potential traitor. Maezono, whom I had called for the

conversation, was already waiting for me there.

— Now it's my turn, it seems?

— Exactly. I'm currently confused because I don't know

who was chosen as the traitor.

Maezono sat down on the chair prepared for her with a bit

of nervousness.

— You probably have a lot of questions, but right now, we

need to focus on the dialogue.

— You're right, but… As participants, we can't even

imagine what's going on with you. Everyone is on edge…

So don't jump to conclusions about who the traitor is,

okay?

The traitor didn't know whether they were helping or

hindering their class representative. But they knew that if

they lied and were caught, they would have to leave the

school.

— Of course. I don't suspect you of anything specific. I

have no idea who the traitor is, so I decided to call all my

classmates one by one. By the way, Hondo, whom I just

talked to, mentioned that you were acting a bit strange.

— Huh? Hondo-kun? He must have imagined it… He

hasn't been himself since morning, you know…

— Still. Do you have any idea why he might say that?

— Hmm… Maybe… No, sorry, nothing comes to mind.

— I see. Well, I should probably interview the rest of our

classmates to get the full picture.

— O-okay, do that. Just remember, even if you don't find

the traitor, you'll still earn class points. So maybe it's for

the best.

— I understand. In that case, let's take care of the

formality. The dialogue can't end until you admit whether

or not you're the traitor. You're not the traitor, right?

I repeated these words for the third time. The exact quote,

word for word.

— You know, if I were the traitor and lied, what would

happen to you, Ayanokoji-kun? Wouldn't you lose?

— No, nothing like that. In fact, the traitor's lie would

actually help me in some way.

— Help you…?

— Yes, but it's better not to talk too much about it. The

rules of the dialogue prohibit delving into the exam rules.

— I see…

— Anyway, you can answer however you think is best.

As if to confirm my words, an announcement came

through the speakers:

— Maezono-san, please make your confession.

— Hmm? I'm not the traitor. So, Ayanokoji-kun, do your

best as the representative, okay?

With that, our dialogue came to an end.

Maezono sighed and stood up from her seat. At that

moment, the examiner moved to escort her back to the

discussion room.

I looked at the now-empty chair and said:

— I'm convinced that Maezono is the traitor.

That's what I said.

For a moment, the room fell silent.

— Huh...?

Maezono, who had been about to leave the room,

suddenly turned around with absolute bewilderment on her

face.

— What... What did you say?

— Didn't you hear me? I said you're the "traitor."

— Wait, wait... You just had a completely different opinion!

I wasn't acting suspicious at all! And those words you said

about how if someone gets assigned as the "traitor," they

could be expelled... You weren't serious, were you?

It wasn't surprising that she was so upset. If the traitor lies

about their role in the dialogue but is still nominated, they

face expulsion. In a normal situation, no one would lie, as

they would want to protect their classmates from an

unjustified nomination by the representative. But the traitor

is promised a good reward for winning, which motivates

them to lie. In other words, it all depends on the sincerity

of the traitor themselves.

— You don't need to worry anymore. Consider yourself

already expelled.

With these words, I felt an incredible surge of emotion.

— Wh-what!? This is nonsense! You said it would be

better if the traitor lied! That was your quote! You said you

hadn't decided yet!

— Participants in the discussion are given the right to

confess whether or not they are the traitor. After that, the

representative decides whether to trust them or not. Those

are the rules of the dialogue.

What I said before Maezono's confession didn't matter at

all.

— Ah...?! What?! What...?! R-right... Then I'll confess! I'll

confess!

— It's too late now. Examiner, please remove her from the

room.

I immediately addressed the examiner standing by the

door, but his response was completely unexpected:

— Are you... Are you really sure? You know that if you

continue like this, your classmate will be expelled, right?

This exam was designed to minimize expulsions as much

as possible...!

The examiner seemed to have let slip something he

shouldn't have. He immediately covered his mouth, like a

child who accidentally used a bad word in front of their

parents. The examiner glanced at the camera hanging in

the corner and bowed his head slightly, as if apologizing

for his mistake.

Judging by his panic, he hadn't expected anyone to

voluntarily take such a drastic step. Moreover, his words

hinted that this special exam had certain circumstances

that were carefully hidden from both the students and the

representatives. This special exam was strange not only

because it divided students from the same class into two

groups but also because it seemed to have been

deliberately made easier to minimize the number of

expulsions. However, this issue would have to be set

aside for now. There were more pressing matters.

— Let's start over. For example, from the moment of

Maezono-san's confession.

Surprisingly, the examiner decided to give Maezono a

second chance.

— Maezono-san, please return to your seat. As the

examiner, I can give you another opportunity if I deem it

necessary. Try to explain yourself from the beginning.

Although Maezono was filled with rage, she did return to

her seat. Her eyes burned with hatred, as if she was ready

to kill me on the spot. It was strange because she should

only be angry at herself. Her shortsightedness had

backfired on her. If someone like Sakayanagi or Ryuuen

had been in her place, they would have certainly

confessed right away.

— Actually, I didn't expel you without reason. I had

previously asked for a message to be relayed to all my

classmates that I would be participating in the special

exam as the "general," but I insisted that this information

shouldn't be leaked to anyone outside our group. Yet

somehow, this supposedly secret information ended up

reaching Ichinose's class. How do you think that

happened?

— I... I...

— Because someone leaked this secret information. And

that someone was you, wasn't it?

Maezono could no longer lie. After all, it wouldn't benefit

her in any way.

— Yes... I leaked it... But I didn't think it would end up in

Ichinose-san's class, I swear!

— And to whom did you pass this information?

— Tsk...

— Or would you rather I name them myself?

Maezono realized that I knew everything about her

betrayal, so she finally lost her composure and began

shouting.

— Maybe so! What are you even trying to achieve?!

— It's not a "maybe," it's exactly that. Hashimoto, the one

you're supposedly dating. But you should have known that

you both still belong to different classes, so information

shouldn't leak from one class to another, even if your

beloved asked you for it.

— I get it! I didn't even say anything useful. I don't know

why Masayoshi decided to spill everything to everyone!

From Hashimoto's perspective, he could only watch to see

if Horikita's class would win or lose the exam. Of course,

he would prefer a loss because, in a favorable scenario,

Horikita's class would become another obstacle in his

pursuit of reaching Class A. Moreover, this would

significantly reduce the chances of me transferring to

Ryuuen's class along with him.

It's highly likely that Hashimoto intentionally passed this

information to Ichinose's class so they could prepare for

my participation in the exam.

— It's not up to you to decide whether that information

was useful or not. I gave Horikita clear instructions to

convey to all of you that this information was crucial and

should not reach other classes.

— I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I won't do it again! I messed up this

one time; it happens to everyone, right?!

— You're saying it was just one time? You gathered our

classmates behind my back and tried to extract

information about me to pass on to Hashimoto, didn't you?

— Wh-what...?

Even though this happened at the beginning of the year,

Maezono couldn't forget it.

— But... How did you find out...?

— That doesn't matter right now.

— Okay, okay! I'll never do anything like that again,

agreed?!

— So, if Hashimoto asks you again to betray the class for

the sake of your relationship, you'll refuse him

immediately, right?

— Exactly! I won't tell him anything anymore!

— I'm sorry, but I find it hard to believe your words.

That's what I told her.

Maezono should learn a life lesson from this incident.

Surely, from now on, she'll be more cautious about such

matters.

— I'm telling you! I won't do it again! You have to forgive

me!

— Well. Further discussion is just a waste of time.

Deciding to end the conversation, I looked directly at the

camera.

— I'm not changing my decision. Is there any point in

continuing the dialogue? The traitor is Maezono.

I reiterated that I wasn't going to change my mind.

— Nonsense! This can't be! What right do you have to do

something so cowardly?!

— Maezono-san, please leave the room.

The school, which had already given Maezono another

chance to convince me, now finally reminded her of the

rules. But as expected, Maezono didn't intend to move.

— Since Ayanokoji-kun correctly nominated Maezono-san

as the "traitor," despite her denial, Maezono-san will be

expelled from the discussion room and the school.

The announcement of Maezono's expulsion echoed in the

room.

— I don't like this! I'm not going anywhere! Cancel this!

— Now, all you can hope for is that Hashimoto also leaves

the school after this exam, so you can continue your

relationship.

Honestly, I don't think their relationship has any future.

Whether Hashimoto leaves the school or not, he likely

doesn't have any romantic interest in Maezono. She was

only useful to him for getting fresh information. Now that

Maezono has become useless in that sense, Hashimoto

will probably lose interest in her entirely.

Useless people are of no value to anyone.

— CANCEL IT! CANCEL IT NOW!

Many people might question whether expelling Maezono

from school was truly necessary. Severing her ties with

Hashimoto wouldn't have been so difficult. The information

leak also wouldn't be considered a sufficient offense for

expulsion. But her expulsion was convenient for me. She

was just a tool that happened to be in the right place at the

right time. That's all.

— I'll never forgive you!!!

Leaving Maezono in the room, I decided to return to the

main classroom to finish another matter. Maezono tried to

follow me, but the examiner standing by the door stopped

her just in time.

Ichinose must have already learned the outcome of our

dialogue from the announcement. I confirmed this the

moment I looked into her eyes. The gentle expression she

usually wore when looking at me was now gone.

— Ayanokoji-kun... But why... why was Maezono-san

expelled from school?!

As expected, she was aware of what had happened, but

she couldn't even imagine why it occurred.

— She didn't confess to being the traitor. I decided to

nominate her. As a result, she'll leave the school.

— But... you knew she was the traitor! Why did you do

that...?

— From the very beginning, I suggested we eliminate the

traitor system to ensure Maezono's expulsion from the

school. That's all.

If we hadn't joined forces, Ichinose probably wouldn't have

chosen Maezono as the traitor. That's why I suggested

playing with open cards. Moreover, I let her choose the

traitor herself. Naturally, she could only do the same. After

all, Ichinose always acts justly.

— We both carried out what we planned. You'll receive 50

class points for the surviving traitor. So, what's the

problem? Our competition won't be affected by this.

Although I lied about my true intentions, I haven't

damaged Ichinose's class situation. On the contrary,

things are in her favor right now. Any other leader would

be happy that the opposing class lost a student. But not

Ichinose. I'm sure she'll regret for a long time that,

unknowingly, she contributed to Maezono's expulsion.

Even though she gained class points in return, the traitor

incident was just the first part of my plan. It was time to

use my winning strategy.

— Thank you for cooperating, Ichinose. Thanks to you, we

got rid of a defective piece.

"It's inhumane." Ichinose wanted to say these words, but

her genuine feelings for me prevented her from speaking.

After the traitor's expulsion, a new interval began, after

which the second discussion would start. This meant I still

had some time, so I decided to talk to Ichinose.

— Maybe we can chat a bit while we still have time?

All of Ichinose's thoughts were undoubtedly occupied with

Maezono, but right now, she had no choice but to continue

the conversation. I don't think her heart will break from just

one expulsion. After all, Ichinose had become a formidable

opponent. With enough determination, she could easily

win this exam.

It's easy to imagine how closely she observed and

analyzed the participants' behavior through the monitor.

She could read even the slightest changes in the

expressions of her acquaintances. Of course, if she stops

doing that, she'll lose. That's why Horikita considered

Ichinose's insight unbeatable.

A similar battle would undoubtedly occur between

Sakayanagi and Ryuuen. However, they know that the

competition in this exam isn't just about correctly

nominating honor students and role holders. There's also

a possibility that your opponent will make multiple

mistakes, leading to their self-destruction.

"Can I confidently nominate this student?"

"Does this student seem suspicious, or am I just imagining

it?"

Such thoughts can confuse a representative, and the more

options they have, the higher the chance they'll make a

mistake. Influence could be exerted on students

unaccustomed to making decisions on their own through

suggestive remarks. But that's unlikely to apply to people

like Ryuuen, Sakayanagi, and Ichinose. They are much

more cautious and attentive, so they can notice the traps

set by their interlocutors.

So how do you confuse a class leader? How do you strip

them of their ability to make accurate nominations? If a

leader's mind is filled with thoughts of the special exam,

those thoughts must be replaced with something else. It

has to be something subtle, unexpected. Anyone would

protect their head in a frontal collision, but preparing for a

blow to the legs is sometimes impossible.

— Do you remember... last year there was an incident at

school? Some dirty rumors spread about the leader of one

of the classes.

— You're talking about me, right?

Ichinose, who still couldn't process what had happened,

responded in an empty, emotionless tone.

— One of the reasons for that incident was that

Sakayanagi learned your secrets. But did she really share

them with the whole school?

— What are you... implying?

— The accusations were placed in mailboxes in the

dormitory. Was it really Sakayanagi who did that

personally?

— ...

Ichinose fell silent, probably trying to recall the events of

those days.

— Rumors spread. Terrible, unpleasant rumors. About

how you were once involved in compensated dating,

violence, and theft. Would Sakayanagi have spread such

rumors so easily? Yes, they were just rumors, many of

which turned out to be false. That's why you were able to

recover after those events.

Ichinose lowered her gaze, but I continued:

— But what if it was me behind all of it? For instance, to

give you a little shake-up. What if I was the one who

placed those letters in the mailboxes to ignite the rumors?

Even after my explanations, Ichinose still didn't fully

understand. It wasn't surprising. After all, other students

still believe that Sakayanagi was to blame for those

rumors. However, spreading rumors isn't Sakayan

agi's style. Could she have been the one to spread them?

— You can think it's just a bad joke, but can you really

deny this possibility?

I crossed my legs and asked Ichinose, who was still trying

to maintain her strong defense, this question.

Over the past few months, Ichinose's mental state had

changed significantly. This created a kind of freedom,

allowing her to move toward development and becoming a

strong leader. But one of the roots of this change was

closely connected to me.

But what if the person she thought of as her support

turned out to be far more selfish than she could have

imagined? What if she learned that the person in front of

her had just lied to her and ruthlessly expelled her

classmate from school?

— But, Ayanokoji-kun... What's the point for you in all of

this...?

— It's not like that. Sakayanagi wanted to keep this

information secret until the right time, but I beat her to it.

And then, I extended a helping hand to you, gaining your

trust. Any way you look at it, there are many advantages to

this.

— I... can't believe it...

— I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. After the exam,

you can ask Sakayanagi about it. I don't think she'll lie.

All that remained was to add the final touch to my

confession.

— All my actions toward you, Ichinose, had a hidden

meaning. A meaning of my personal gain. I just used you.

The same applies to the promise I made a year ago.

Ichinose no longer knew what she could trust. Even the

words she heard from me yesterday on the bench could

have been lies. I really did make that promise, but

Ichinose no longer had any reason to trust it.

The first discussion was over. The second was about to

begin.

— Representatives, please select the new group.

After the quiet announcement, I immediately chose the

most suitable group. Ichinose also moved her fingers

across the screen, but her gaze was utterly empty. She

couldn't help it. The special exam had already taken a

back seat in her mind. The abyss of darkness I had

plunged her into was too deep. Even Maezono's expulsion

didn't trouble her as much anymore. You could say she

had already gotten over it.

The person in front of her had never been her friend.

Never understood her. The more she thought about it, the

more she sank into despair.

I picked up the chair and returned it to its original place.

The light and energy in Ichinose's eyes, once focused on

the empty monitor, were gone. It seemed as though even

while watching the discussion participants, she was still

hearing my words.

She lost the line between reality and lies. Ichinose kept

thinking about it. Even if she didn't want to. Because even

if a person wants to, it's not easy to get a persistent

thought out of their head.

In fact, thinking about the exam could help her cope with

the shock, but Ichinose's mind seemed to have been

completely engulfed in darkness. Her vision was fine.

There was no doubt she could hear everything clearly. But

the information wasn't reaching her brain.

A harsh mechanism of the human body. Increased heart

rate, elevated blood pressure, narrowing of peripheral

blood vessels. Pupils dilate, narrowing the field of vision.

But most importantly, the activity of the prefrontal cortex,

which controls rational functions, decreases. It will be very

difficult for her to deal with this. And very easy for me.

All I had to do was observe the discussion and identify the

"honor students." The opponent no longer had the trump

card of a "traitor." Even if it takes a little time, the result

won't change.

— Since Ayanokoji-kun correctly nominated the "honor

student," Ichinose-san loses 3 life points. As a result, her

total life points are reduced to zero. Ichinose-san, please

leave the room.

Horikita's class won a major victory without encountering

any difficulties.