"Ryūen, what are you doing?"
Ibuki Mio frowned, quickly stepping forward to support Ryūen Kakeru.
Due to the commotion, other students nearby turned their attention to Ryūen, making the situation quite embarrassing.
"Damn it."
Ryūen muttered, preparing to kick the chair, but considering the crowd, he stopped himself, not wanting to risk losing points for damaging public property. He hurriedly left with Ibuki.
"What a mess. The great Ryūen can't even walk straight? Maybe he needs to go back to kindergarten," Horikita Suzune remarked as Ryūen walked away, not bothering to respond this time.
'Finally over? Can I leave now?' Saiki Kusuo thought.
"Since that troublemaker's gone, let's continue our discussion," someone said.
'...'
At 1 PM, Saiki arrived at the meeting room door.
'I know who the privileged student is, but I'll act clueless. Best to keep a low profile. I can probably coast through this exam.'
As he opened the door, a familiar face greeted him.
"Saiki!"
Ichinose Honami approached, warmly welcoming him. Saiki instantly knew his plan was ruined.
"Your class scored 300 points last time! Amazing! Congratulations!" Ichinose said, her smile radiant.
'This is bad...'
Though her words were sincere, Saiki became the room's center of attention the moment she called his name.
[Saiki? Who's that? There's someone named Saiki Kusuo on the list...]
[Ichinose was in B-class... Now she's a C-class beauty. She seems close to this Saiki guy.]
[He looks so ordinary. How's he so familiar with Ichinose? Annoying.]
'Already a target before it's even started?' Saiki sighed. He'd seen the group list yesterday but didn't bother memorizing names beyond those he knew.
"Saiki, you're here too. I had three unagi bento boxes for lunch and am stuffed. I was supposed to diet, but I failed," Sotomura Hideo said, patting his belly.
'Can you speak normally?' Saiki thought, exasperated.
[Gross.]
[Avoid this guy at all costs.]
[Is he a fat otaku?]
Instantly, Sotomura became the group's lowest-ranked member in others' eyes.
'If I engage with him, I'll be seen as his friend. My image will hit rock bottom. But I can't refuse now. Better to sit with him than next to Ichinose and become a target.'
Saiki nodded and sat beside Sotomura. Ichinose promptly sat next to him.
'Huh?'
Saiki hadn't expected this. Now, from any angle, he was in a dire situation.
[Ichinose sat next to Saiki! I wanted that spot! She's one of the top three beauties in the grade! So jealous!]
'I don't want to be here either.'
[He's so close to that otaku? He can't be much better!]
'I'm definitely not an otaku. Definitely.'
[What a nuisance. Annoying to look at.]
'Ugh...'
Saiki was at a loss for words, undeniably the room's most watched person. Even acquaintances were reacting.
[He was a leader but switched identities. He tricked me!]
This thought came from Ibuki Mio.
Soon, the remaining students entered, with Karuizawa Kei last. Her arrival shifted some attention.
[Is that Karuizawa Kei?]
Saiki heard a slightly hostile thought from a D-class girl sitting next to Ibuki. He recalled her name: Manabe Shiho.
[Karuizawa Kei, the one who argued with Rika?]
[Not sure if it's her. If it is, we'll teach her a lesson!]
Two other D-class girls, Yabu Nanami and Yamashita Saki, were equally wary of Karuizawa.
Ibuki's thoughts were different.
[Karuizawa looks so put-together... but she rarely changes clothes. Isn't that sloppy for a girl?]
Ibuki's expression turned disdainful.
During the island exam, Ibuki stole Karuizawa's underwear to cause chaos in Saiki's class. Karuizawa seemed oblivious.
Confused, Ibuki stole more, nearly taking all of Karuizawa's underwear, yet Karuizawa never reacted.
Ibuki concluded Karuizawa never changed her underwear, hence the lack of notice.
'This misunderstanding will probably never clear up...' Saiki thought, pretending to ignore it.
He'd used telekinesis to return the underwear each time Ibuki stole it, maintaining a facade.
"Let's begin the first group discussion," the broadcast announced.
No teachers, organizers, or rules—students were in charge. Yet no one spoke, an awkward silence filling the room.
To Saiki, it was different.
[I don't want to speak first.]
[They're all enemies.]
[Wish someone would reveal themselves as the privileged student.]
No one wanted to start.
For Saiki, the exam was meaningless since he knew the privileged student's identity.
If it were another class, fine, but since it was Karuizawa, his classmate, he couldn't end the exam early.
With no end in sight, he'd have to attend these meetings for three days.
'Such a hassle.'
[This won't do!]
Ichinose stood up.
"Hi everyone! I know most names, but the school suggested introductions. Some might be meeting for the first time."
Ichinose took on a host-like role.
"Do we really need introductions? The school wasn't serious. Let those who want to introduce themselves do it," Machida Kōji from A-class said, his tone arrogant. He was among those most critical of Saiki earlier.
"If you prefer, I won't force you, Machida-kun. But there might be microphones. Skipping introductions could cost points. That'd be your responsibility!" Ichinose smiled.
"Ugh..." The A-class students seemed to comply.
[Follow Katsuragi's orders: stay silent, don't share info. Introductions should be fine.]
'Their tactic: stay silent, avoid point deductions.' Saiki used telepathy to learn A-class's strategy.
"I'm Ichinose Honami. Nice to meet you!" Ichinose introduced herself energetically, likely captivating anyone watching.
[Such a beauty.]
[She could be an idol! Like a character from anime!]
[Damn, should've chosen that seat.]
Next was Saiki.
"I'm Saiki Kusuo. Nice to meet you."
[Ichinose's so pretty.]
[Can I exchange contacts with her during this exam?]
[Want to sit next to her.]
'Hey, my introduction was completely ignored!'
[Saiki's introduction was even more awkward than when I enrolled.]
This thought came from Ayanokōji Kiyotaka.
'You're the last person to say that!'
Everyone introduced themselves. After, Ichinose continued:
"School's instructions are done. Now, how should we proceed? If anyone dislikes me as host, speak up. I'm ready to step down."
[She's just pretty. What's with the act?]
[Hosting's annoying. Let her do it.]
[Too lazy to participate.]
Unlike the boys, Manabe and others were slightly annoyed but didn't voice it.
"I have a question. Assuming none of us are privileged students, do you think aiming for a collective pass—Result One—is best?"
Ichinose clearly wanted a harmonious outcome.
"Of course."
"We're a team. A win-win is better."
"I'm bad at math. I'd prefer Result One."
Many agreed.
But Saiki knew it was impossible.
[Win-win? Impossible. This affects class points. Knowing the privileged student's identity could widen our class's lead.]
Saiki followed the voice: Morishige Takurō from A-class.
Ayanokōji also knew this.
[A win-win's unlikely. For class points, anyone might betray. But Ichinose's move is smart. If someone takes it as a casual question, they're not the privileged student. She's checking unity and forcing the privileged student to lie, possibly revealing themselves.]