Kikyo Kushida walked back to the bed and picked up her terminal again.
The interface of the anonymous account was still open.
Did the confrontation fail?
No, this proved precisely that her disguise was still effective.
And the opponent's powerlessness would only make her even more unscrupulous.
Her fingers tapped rapidly on the screen. New, more vicious, and more inflammatory messages were brewing.
In the corridor outside the cabin, Suzune Horikita frowned deeply.
"She won't admit it."
Yosuke Hirata looked exhausted.
"Maybe... it really isn't her?"
"Impossible. She is the only one capable of doing something like this," Horikita said.
"But we have no evidence, and it's even more impossible to directly force her to hand over the terminal for inspection..."
Hirata shook his head.
"Besides, how exactly did she get this kind of anonymous account?"
Doubts lingered in his heart.
"In this school, anything can be bought with points."
As Horikita spoke, she glanced at Subaru beside her.
Previously, during the exam, Subaru had spent points to even purchase Kikyo Kushida's GPS route.
In this school, as long as one had sufficient points, anything could be bought.
However, a private account should cost a considerable amount of points—points that Kikyo Kushida shouldn't have.
No matter how sparingly she spent afterwards, it was an undoubted fact that there had been no point income for the class recently.
"Kushida shouldn't have that many points."
"Nagumo likely provided the support," Subaru yawned and replied.
"Nagumo..."
Hirata furrowed his brows.
The events occurring now were completely beyond his understanding.
He shook his head.
"So now, how should we deal with Kushida?"
"We don't have any evidence right now."
Horikita's sigh sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet corridor.
She looked at Subaru, her gaze complex. It held an urgency to seek a solution, but also a trace of imperceptible discomfort with, and dependence on, Subaru's inhuman calmness.
Horikita's pride would absolutely not allow her to depend on anyone.
But she was also clear that Subaru's ability was far beyond what others could compare to.
It was as if everything that happened was within his expectations.
If she needed to lead the class forward, she would definitely need Subaru's power.
"Subaru," she asked directly, omitting pleasantries. "Since you seem to have... anticipated all of this, and are even happy to see it happen, then do you have any suggestions for the current situation? Are we really just supposed to watch her continue to use these underhanded means to tear the class apart bit by bit?"
Yosuke Hirata also raised his head, his bloodshot eyes looking towards Subaru.
His inner idealism and desire to solve problems were teetering on the verge of collapse before the sense of powerlessness in reality. At this moment, he also hoped to receive even a shred of guidance from this classmate who always performed astonishing feats.
Since Subaru could lead them to victory in the Uninhabited Island Exam, he definitely had such ability.
Hirata was unwilling, and dared not, think about one thing—
That the class reaching this step today was entirely caused by Subaru's own hands.
Subaru stopped walking, turned around, and leaned his back against the cold cabin wall. His gaze swept between Horikita and Hirata.
The light and shadow cast by the overhead lights in the corridor made his expression appear even more elusive.
"Suggestions?"
He repeated the word, his tone flat.
"What kind of suggestions do you want? To find evidence, expose her, and get her expelled? Or to find a way to quell the rumors and repair class relationships?"
"I... I don't know."
Hirata lowered his head painfully.
"I don't want to see anyone expelled, but we can't let her hurt everyone like this... Repair relationships... Is that still possible now?"
He felt unprecedentedly lost. Horikita's rational analysis and Subaru's detached attitude both made him feel as if his persistent adherence all along was a joke.
Suzune Horikita pursed her lips, forcing herself to think more coldly.
"In terms of efficiency, if we can find conclusive evidence, getting her expelled is the most once-and-for-all solution. It can thoroughly eliminate this unstable factor. But this is very difficult. Miyabi Nagumo might have provided her with shelter and technical support. Moreover, I believe Kushida's ability is very important to our class. If we want to continue moving forward, we also need her power."
She glanced at Subaru.
"And you don't seem to wish for her to be expelled either."
"Just like you said, she is still useful," Subaru admitted simply. "Her hatred, her actions, the chaos she triggers... these are all precious observation materials."
"Even if this plunges the class into crisis, it doesn't matter?" Hirata asked in confusion.
"Crisis itself is also an interesting thing."
Subaru's answer remained calm to the point of near cruelty.
"Only a pressure test can reveal their limits and resilience. Besides..."
He paused, a glint of dark light flashing in his eyes.
"Do you really think that without Kikyo Kushida, the class would be impregnable? The reason those rumors can take effect is precisely because everyone has weaknesses in their hearts that can be touched, and because suspicion and estrangement already existed between one another, isn't it? Kushida only lit the fuse; the dynamite was buried by you yourselves."
These words were like a cold scalpel, slicing open the abscess beneath the class's superficial harmony.
Suzune Horikita was speechless because she knew this was the fact.
Yosuke Hirata trembled all over, his face pale—Subaru's words directly shook the foundation of his belief in class unity.
"So... you mean we don't need to do anything?" Hirata's voice was somewhat dry.
"No."
Subaru shook his head. "You can do two things."
"First, give up unrealistic fantasies. Accept the reality that cracks already exist within the class and may continue to widen. Shift your energy from 'how to make Kushida admit it' or 'how to fix everything' to 'how to control the damage' and 'how to maintain the class's basic operation and competitiveness despite the existence of cracks.' Compared to Hirata, Horikita is more suitable for this job."
Suzune Horikita's body stiffened slightly. Although Subaru's words were harsh, they hit the mark.
She was indeed better at analyzing pros and cons and formulating strategies, rather than pursuing emotional harmony like Hirata.
"Second," Subaru's gaze turned to Yosuke Hirata. "If you really want to 'do something' instead of engaging in empty talk of sympathy or ideals, then go face the thing you fear most."
"The thing I fear... most?" Hirata repeated blankly.
"The division of the class, the pain of classmates, the collapse of trust... The roots of these things that cause you fear and pain often lie not outside, but inside. Within everyone's—including your own—weakness, concealment, and avoidance."
Subaru's tone had no fluctuation, yet every word struck the heart.
"If the situation becomes even worse, what will you do?"
"I..." His voice trembled.
"I'm not forcing you," Subaru's tone remained flat. "Hirata, in my eyes, you have no color."
"No color?"
Yosuke Hirata had always been somewhat unable to understand what Subaru meant by 'color'.
He only knew that Subaru often mentioned this word.
But Hirata was not clear on exactly what it meant.
"You are just living while wearing a skin, Hirata. That is all. You, who are colorless, simply cannot completely extinguish this fire."
He no longer looked at Hirata, who had fallen into a fierce internal struggle, and his gaze landed back on the thoughtful Suzune Horikita.
"As for evidence, or specific methods to stop her..."
The corners of Subaru's mouth seemed to move, forming an extremely faint, nearly non-existent arc.
"When the fire burns to a degree that certain people cannot endure, someone will naturally... go to extinguish it, or, be swallowed by it."
His pointed words made Horikita's heart shudder.
She immediately thought of the other students in the class.
When their endurance reached its limit, what would happen? Fierce resistance? A breakdown leading to expulsion? Or... a more terrifying chain reaction?
"You mean, wait for... the internal conflict to explode?" Horikita hesitated.
"I'm just stating possible future developments. Regardless of what happens, it should be quite interesting."
"Then, if I implore you to help..."
"I refuse," Subaru said immediately.
The intervention he provided was already enough.
How it would develop afterwards, would it be different from what he had seen before?
He didn't know.
But perhaps it would become interesting.
"But why did you choose to help during the time on the uninhabited island previously?"
"Because I felt it was interesting, so I did it," Subaru said slowly.
Suzune Horikita did not reply.
She just looked at the classmate in front of her. Even though they had spent a semester together, Horikita still somewhat couldn't understand his thoughts.
Judging from Subaru's words, he seemed somewhat similar to Rokusuke Koenji.
Both acted solely based on their own interests...
However.
Any action of Rokusuke Koenji had nothing to do with the class.
But Subaru was completely different.
Every move he made would change the situation of the entire class, and even the trends of the entire grade.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going first."
After leaving these words, Subaru left directly, leaving only the two people, Suzune Horikita and Yosuke Hirata, looking at each other in dismay.
In a short while, Subaru returned to his own cabin.
Feeling the slight swaying of the cabin, Subaru couldn't help but recall everything from the past.
He used to get seasick too, right?
But unknowingly, that sensation was gone.
Compared to the pain he had once experienced, things like seasickness didn't matter anymore.
Kikyo Kushida's situation, where everyone pushed against the falling wall, was something he had also experienced.
That was when Rem died, and everyone suspected him.
Speaking of which, in that world, there seemed to be a city almost covered by water.
It seemed to be called Watergate City?
As the Purge King, Subaru hadn't done anything to that city.
After all, that place was very close to Kararagi.
And his subordinate, Halibel, came from that place.
Halibel was indeed a good subordinate, powerful and incredibly loyal to him.
But ultimately, he also had no color.
Just then, a light knock on the door interrupted Subaru's thoughts.
"Come in."
The door was slowly pushed open, and a slender figure appeared in the doorway.
Her silver-white long hair glowed with a soft luster under the dim cabin lights. Her exquisite face was as impeccable as a doll's, and her purple eyes carried a sharpness and curiosity inconsistent with her appearance.
Leaning on a slender cane, she walked in with light and steady steps.
Arisu Sakayanagi.
The behind-the-scenes leader of Class B. Even though she was absent from the Uninhabited Island Exam due to illness, her presence never vanished from this chaotic chessboard.
"Good evening, Natsuki-kun. I hope I didn't disturb your precious... rest time?"
Arisu Sakayanagi's voice was crisp and melodious, carrying a calmness like a noble and a trace of imperceptible desire for exploration.
Her gaze swept over the simple guest cabin, finally settling on Subaru's face, which was calm and unsurprised.
"Arisu Sakayanagi."
Subaru spoke her name. No surprise could be heard in his tone; he simply turned from the window to face this uninvited guest.
"It is truly surprising that you, the leader of Class B, would visit in person."
"I am nothing more than an ordinary student with poor health."
Sakayanagi smiled lightly and sat elegantly on the chair opposite Subaru, leaning her cane against her leg.
"Compared to an ordinary student like me, Natsuki Subaru-kun is the truly surprising existence. One exam stirred the landscape of the entire first year, and even forced the school to urgently intervene for an investigation... Truly a magnificent performance."
She used the word "performance," yet there was no mockery in her eyes, only pure observation and analysis.
"A performance requires an audience. It seems Sakayanagi-san saw clearly enough even without being at the scene."
Subaru sat down by the bed, separated from her by a distance neither too far nor too close, and looked back at her with calm eyes.
"Through Hashimoto-kun's eyes, I could barely catch a glimpse."
Sakayanagi frankly admitted her eyes in Class B.
"However, seeing it with one's own eyes is always more shocking. Especially... the result. Class A: zero points. Class B: zero points. Class C... or rather the former Class C, withdrew with zero points. Only the class you are in returned with a full load. This isn't just a victory, Natsuki Subaru-kun. This is a... crushing 'cleanup'."
She bit the word 'cleanup' very lightly, but it carried a certain deep meaning.
"Cleanup?"
Subaru tilted his head slightly, seeming to take an interest in this word.
"After all, thanks to Natsuki-kun, that guy Katsuragi is basically out of the game now," Sakayanagi said with a smile.
After the Uninhabited Island Exam, Kohei Katsuragi's influence had been greatly discounted.
Even though Katsuragi basically didn't have time to take any action, he had already been kicked out of the game.
Kohei Katsuragi himself was actually quite bewildered.
Why did Kakeru Ryuen, whom he had clearly reached a cooperation with, suddenly withdraw?
____
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