Chapter 14: The Mirror of Hypocrisy
Everyone's attention shifted toward me.
I looked at Ayame.
"Mei wouldn't do this," she said immediately.
Her denial was expected.
People rarely see others for who they are. They see the version they've constructed in their minds.
"No," I replied calmly. "The version of Mei you created in your head wouldn't do this."
The room fell silent.
Shuto stepped forward.
"Why are you doing this?" he asked. "Like you said before, Mei... we're all family."
Mei laughed.
A family of lies.
That was what her expression seemed to say.
"You all cry and mourn Daiko as if every person in this room doesn't share some kind of blame for what happened."
"What are you talking about?" Shuto snapped. "It was Haruto's fault—"
"Shut it."
Her voice cut through the room like a blade.
"From start to finish, Daiko was stubborn. But even so, he was admirable. He did everything in his power to protect Hiro."
She paused.
"And in the end, he raised his hand anyway."
The room remained silent.
"That's how I knew he was pathetic."
Several students flinched.
"If you have a goal, then pursue it until the very end."
Her eyes shifted toward Shuto.
"Then there's you."
Shuto froze.
"You betrayed your best friend."
His expression tightened.
"After everything you've been through together, you abandoned him. And when he got expelled, all you could do was cry."
Nobody interrupted.
The reason was simple.
Part of what she was saying was true.
"We could have saved those five students," Mei continued. "If all of you combined your private points, we could've paid the five million."
Haruto finally spoke.
"That's impossible."
"Why?"
Haruto hesitated.
"Because we'd still be short."
Mei slammed her fist against the wall.
The impact echoed throughout the room.
"DO YOU KNOW WHY?!"
Several students instinctively stepped back.
"Because some of you idiots spent your private points on games, entertainment, and useless garbage."
Silence.
No counterargument emerged.
There wasn't one.
Everyone knew she was right.
She took a deep breath before continuing.
"Look at every other class."
Her gaze swept across the room.
"The new Class 1-C is chaotic. During the Survival Gauntlet they literally kidnapped me and a girl from Class B for ransom."
A few students looked embarrassed.
"And yet somehow they still come together when survival demands it."
She shook her head.
"Not friendship. Not loyalty."
"Fear."
"Survival."
"Basic human instinct."
"And even that unites them better than this class."
I quietly listened.
For the most part, I agreed.
Then she turned toward another topic.
"Class 1-B is perfect."
Several students looked surprised.
"A meritocracy mixed with dictatorship."
"Kaito rules them."
"They obey."
"Everyone understands their role."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Class 1-A is an oligarchy."
"The student government controls everything."
"And despite that, they continue winning."
Then she looked around the room.
At all of us.
"Meanwhile this class..."
Her voice lowered.
"We're nothing more than a fractured society."
No one spoke.
No one could.
Then she looked at Haruto.
"Haruto failed."
His expression didn't change.
"When we needed leadership, he froze."
"When we needed direction, he gave us nothing."
"The second he refused to vote for anyone, all of you should've turned on him."
I finally interrupted.
"Tell me something."
Mei looked at me.
"Do you know how class points are generated?"
She frowned.
"Through merit. Academics. Athletics. Skills."
"Correct."
I folded my arms.
"Then take a guess."
The room watched silently.
"Who generated the most class points for our class?"
Nobody answered.
"It was Haruto."
Several eyes widened.
"And Daiko."
The confusion intensified.
Ayame was the first to object.
"But Daiko's grades were terrible."
"Grades aren't everything."
I looked around the room.
"Three months ago the school released student evaluations."
Most students barely remembered them.
"Daiko received an evaluation equivalent to a Class B student."
That got everyone's attention.
"Most of us were evaluated as Class C."
Nobody spoke.
"The reason was obvious."
I remembered the Sports Festival.
Daiko's performance.
His physical capabilities.
The school's assessment system.
"His physical ability was exceptional."
"He could enter flow state almost on command."
"The school recognized that value."
I looked at the students.
"Without realizing it, Daiko was one of our greatest assets."
The realization slowly spread across the room.
"And now he's gone."
Silence followed.
A costly silence.
Then Mei smiled.
"There it is."
Her eyes settled on me.
"I was saving the best for last."
I wasn't surprised.
"Me?"
"Yes."
She laughed.
"You're the most guilty person here."
Several students turned toward me.
I remained silent.
"I saw what you did during the Survival Gauntlet."
Her voice became colder.
"You're not normal."
Nobody spoke.
"You have ability."
"Talent."
"Potential."
"And yet you sit back and watch."
Her eyes narrowed.
"You could've led this class."
"Instead of Haruto."
"Instead of anyone."
"So tell me."
"What are you afraid of?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
The answer came naturally.
Mei laughed.
A genuine laugh.
"You can keep lying to yourself."
Then she pointed directly at me.
"But in my eyes..."
"You're the most guilty person here."
I didn't respond.
There was no point.
The timer caught everyone's attention.
Less than ten minutes remained.
Shuto clenched his fists.
"We'll deal with Mei later."
He looked toward Hiro and Haruto.
"We need to decide."
The room became quiet.
Everyone already knew the answer.
I looked at the class.
"Then let's finish this."
My voice echoed throughout the room.
"All in favor of expelling Hiro."
One by one, hands rose.
Nearly every hand.
Only Shuto remained seated.
The AI camera beeped.
A moment later, Mr. Unagi's voice emerged from the speaker.
"Hiro Toshiba is hereby expelled from the National Institute for Future Leaders."
"Effective immediately."
The decision had been made.
Shuto's shoulders trembled.
Hiro simply smiled.
It was a weak smile.
But a genuine one.
"Don't worry about it."
He patted Shuto's shoulder.
"This was my fault too."
"It wasn't."
Shuto's voice cracked.
Hiro shook his head.
"It doesn't matter anymore."
He looked at him.
"Just keep going."
A brief pause followed.
"Survive."
"For me."
"And for Daiko."
The security guards entered shortly afterward.
They escorted Hiro out.
Nobody tried to stop them.
Nobody could.
Eventually the doors opened.
The game was over.
Yet as we stepped into the hallway, nobody felt relieved.
We had survived.
But survival came with a price.
And judging from the direction this exam was heading...
The price was only getting higher.