Chapter 132: Katsuragi, Exactly How Many Steps Ahead Have You Calculated?
The next day, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves into the camp, with mottled light and shadow dancing on the ground. Katsuragi Keima woke up early and walked briskly toward Chabashira Sae's tent. His pace was significantly faster than usual.
"Sensei." He called out from outside the tent.
Chabashira Sae lifted the door curtain and stepped out, holding a power bank. Looking at Keima's expectant expression, she couldn't help but sigh.
"Here, take it."
Katsuragi Keima took the power bank and carefully checked the battery indicator light. Full bars. His lips curled up slightly.
"Thank you, Sensei." He turned and walked quickly back to the camp, settled down under the large tree, pulled out his game console, and skillfully connected it to the power bank.
The screen lit up, and the battery icon in the top right corner changed from red to green. The save file was intact; no progress was lost. He breathed a sigh of relief, fingers resting on the buttons, preparing to continue tackling the level he had been stuck on yesterday—
"Katsuragi." Horikita Suzune's voice came from the side, carrying a hint of urgency. This was rare; she was usually the type of person who wouldn't bat an eye even if the sky fell.
Katsuragi Keima didn't look up, his fingers already dancing across the buttons. "What happened?"
Horikita Suzune walked up to him, her brow furrowed. "Class C has made a move."
"Did they withdraw from the exam as a group?" Katsuragi Keima's tone was as flat as if he were remarking on the nice weather, and his fingers didn't even pause.
Horikita Suzune was stunned. She looked at Keima's perpetually calm profile, momentarily unsure of what to say. She had intended to deliver this news as a piece of critical intelligence, only to find he already knew? No, that wasn't right—he had guessed it.
"You've already heard?" she asked, her voice tinged with surprise.
Keima's eyes remained fixed on the screen. "No. I guessed."
Horikita Suzune fell silent. Early this morning, she had dispatched several students to gather intelligence on the other classes. Although Katsuragi Keima held absolute command over this exam, he found most things troublesome and left the majority of the handling to her. Just a moment ago, those students had returned with news—all students of Class C had withdrawn from the exam this morning, leaving the beach completely deserted.
The tents were dismantled, the supplies were moved away, and the beach chairs and parasols were gone. Only a few extinguished campfires and scattered footprints remained as evidence that people had once been there.
When Horikita Suzune first heard the news, her first reaction was disbelief. No matter how much Class C slacked off, they wouldn't go as far as having the entire class withdraw, right? But the scouting students swore that there was truly no one on the beach, and even Ryuen Kakeru was nowhere to be found.
Her second reaction was—what about Ibuki Mio? If Class C truly withdrew in its entirety, wasn't Ibuki Mio effectively abandoned? Her staying in Class D would serve no purpose anymore, would it? Could she even return to Class C? Would Ryuen still want her? These questions swirled in her head, leaving her completely unable to focus on anything else. She had decided to tell Keima the news immediately, only to find the other party seemed to have predicted things would turn out this way.
"..." Horikita Suzune sat down beside him, a hint of helplessness in her voice. "When did you guess it?"
Katsuragi Keima's fingers danced on the buttons as the character on the screen traversed a maze. "When I saw them buying all those entertainment supplies."
Horikita was stunned. "That early?"
"Mhm," Katsuragi Keima said. "Spending 285 points on various entertainment facilities and only leaving 15 points. No normal person would do that. Unless—" He paused. "Unless he never planned on relying on supplies to last until the end."
Horikita's frown deepened. "You mean he planned to withdraw from the start? What would be the purpose of that?"
The Sensei had mentioned before that while this was a special exam, if one spent all the exam points, it could also be treated as a leisurely vacation. Did Class C simply not treat it as an exam at all and only as a holiday? That didn't fit Ryuen Kakeru's style at all. While they enjoyed the present, the points each student would obtain afterward would decrease. Most importantly, the gap between them and the leading classes would widen. Ryuen Kakeru would absolutely not allow such a thing to happen.
Katsuragi Keima didn't answer directly. He pushed up his glasses as a new female NPC popped up on the screen. "It's not withdrawing; it's pretending to withdraw."
Horikita stared at him. "Pretending?"
"Mhm. The students of Class C withdraw and stay on the cruise ship, but Ryuen Kakeru won't leave."
Horikita fell silent, digesting this information. If the Class C students were gone, the beach would indeed be empty. Scouts seeing an empty camp would naturally assume the whole
class had withdrawn. But what if Ryuen Kakeru stayed on the island alone? He wouldn't need a tent or supplies; hiding alone in the jungle, no one would find him. She hadn't considered this possibility at all.
"You mean... Ryuen Kakeru is staying on the island by himself?"
Katsuragi Keima nodded. "He spent so many points on entertainment to make everyone think Class C was slacking. Now that everyone has 'withdrawn,' everyone will lower their guard. They'll think Class C is finished and doesn't need to be defended against—and the mole he planted in other classes will be even less suspected." He looked up at Horikita Suzune. "But in reality, Ryuen Kakeru is still here. He's in the shadows while we are in the light. He's observing, gathering intel, and waiting for the final day."
Horikita's breathing quickened slightly. "Then Ibuki Mio..."
"She knows," Katsuragi Keima said. "It's part of the plan. She's responsible for gathering intel in Class D while Ryuen observes secretly on the island. Together, they will find the true leader of Class D."
Horikita fell silent. She looked toward the campfire. Ibuki Mio was sitting there, a grilled fish in her hand, but she wasn't eating. She was staring blankly at the flames, her expression as cold as usual. But looking closely, her brow was slightly furrowed as if she were troubled.
"..."
"She knows her position," Katsuragi Keima interrupted her, "but she might also be hesitating."
"Hesitating about what?"
Katsuragi Keima didn't answer. He just looked in Ibuki Mio's direction with a calm gaze. Horikita Suzune followed his look. Ibuki Mio still had that cold demeanor, no different from the day she arrived. But Horikita felt that the way she looked at people had changed. It wasn't that wary, ready-to-counterattack look, but something... she couldn't quite describe.
"What do you plan to do?" she asked.
Katsuragi Keima retracted his gaze and continued his game. "Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"Mhm. If she wants to pass intel, let her. If she wants to observe, let her. If Ryuen Kakeru wants to hide on the island, let him."
Horikita stared at him. "You aren't worried?"
"Worried about what?"
"Worried that on the final day, they'll guess our leader."
The corner of Katsuragi Keima's mouth lifted slightly. "What if they do?"
Horikita was stunned.
"The leader card is on Elsie. Everyone has seen it, but no one believes it. Ryuen won't believe it, Katsuragi won't believe it, and Ichinose won't believe it either. They will all go looking for the 'real leader'." He paused. "On the final day, who will Ryuen guess?"
Horikita thought for a moment. "He might guess you. Or me. Or Kushida."
"Correct. But he won't guess Elsie," Katsuragi Keima said. "So, no matter how much intel he gathers, he won't get it right."
Horikita fell silent. She had to admit that while the plan was risky, it was effective. "Then what about Ibuki Mio?" she asked again. "If she finds out the truth..."
"She won't find out." Katsuragi Keima said. "The leader card is on Elsie; that is a fact. There's no need to hide it or fake it. She passes on exactly what she sees."
Horikita looked at him. "You're doing this on purpose."
Katsuragi Keima didn't answer. He just continued playing. The character on the screen was talking to another character, and an option popped up in the dialogue box. He pressed a key without hesitation, and the character's affection level rose.
Horikita looked at his profile.
'This person, exactly how many steps ahead has he calculated?'
"By the way," Katsuragi Keima suddenly spoke, "the power bank issue is solved."
Horikita froze. "What?"
"The power bank." Katsuragi Keima pointed to the game console currently charging. "Chabashira-sensei helped charge it. It's at full bars, enough for a day's use."
Horikita took a deep breath, trying hard not to roll her eyes. "Can't you show a little more concern for the exam?"
Katsuragi Keima looked at her. "The exam?"
"Yes. Class C, Class A, Class B—they're all finding ways to win. Can't you..."
"I've already thought about the exam," he interrupted.
Horikita was stunned. "You have?"
"Mhm," Katsuragi Keima said. "Class C will pretend to withdraw, with Ryuen Kakeru staying alone on the island. Class A will use Katsuragi Kohei as bait to protect the real leader. Class B will focus entirely on saving points, with Ichinose putting all her energy into occupying spots." He paused. "The final day will be the true decisive battle."
Horikita fell silent. She found she could no longer keep up with his train of thought.
"Furthermore, we have already identified Class C's leader," Katsuragi Keima stated.
"What?" Horikita didn't react immediately. What did he mean, they already knew Class C's leader? Wait...
"If my deduction is correct, it's Ryuen. Because besides the mole, he's the only one left on the island."
"Wait, wait. Even if you deduce Class C has a student remaining on the island, why are you so sure it's Ryuen? It could be anyone else, couldn't it?"
"Because Ryuen wouldn't trust anyone else," Katsuragi Keima said slowly. "He is an arrogant man; at a time like this, he will only trust himself."
"You speak as if you know Ryuen very well. Have you had much contact with him?"
"I don't need much contact. Witnessing what a person has done and how they act is enough to deduce their personality."
Keima's words left Horikita in deep thought.
'This guy... his insight and reasoning abilities have reached the level of a monster.'
"So, we don't have to do anything?"
"Continue with the usual things," Katsuragi Keima said. "Occupying spots, daily life, same as before. On the final day, the leaders of each class can be deduced one by one. Class C is likely Ryuen, while Class A can exclude Katsuragi Kohei. And since Class A is split into two factions, the leader can't be from the Sakayanagi faction, so it must be someone from the Katsuragi faction. Given his cautious nature, it should be someone close to him. As for Class B, I haven't gotten any intel yet, but..." Keima's peripheral vision shifted toward Ibuki Mio.
"Ryuen will surely have sent a mole to their class as well. They should be using communication devices to exchange info, and I'll have a chance to use those devices to get their intel."
"..." Horikita looked at him, not knowing what to say. This person, who played games all day, could think of so much. She suddenly felt her previous worries were redundant. For this exam, she truly could trust him unconditionally.
"Then I'll go make arrangements." She stood up.
"Mhm."
Horikita walked a few steps and stopped as if she had thought of something. "Katsuragi."
"Mhm?"
"Are you... really doing this just for the games?"
Katsuragi Keima looked up at her. "What?"
Horikita waited a few seconds, then shook her head.
"Never mind, I won't ask." She turned and left.
Katsuragi Keima watched her back and pushed up his glasses. Then he went back to his game. On the screen, his character had just cleared a level. He nodded in satisfaction, saved the game, and started on the next one.
By the campfire, Ibuki Mio was still lost in thought. According to the plan previously agreed upon with Ryuen Kakeru, Class C had ostensibly withdrawn from the exam. Looking at the Class D students just now, they likely already knew the news. This should also clear Ibuki's suspicion of being a mole. Katsuragi Keima would probably be conflicted, too.
However... how was she supposed to contact Ryuen Kakeru? Her walkie-talkie had been discovered by Katsuragi Keima. And right now, she hadn't managed to dig out the true leader at all.
Still... she only knew that these few days in Class D had been the most relaxed she had been since entering this school. No need to guard against anyone, no need to calculate against anyone. Eat when she wanted, sleep when she wanted. She had never had this feeling before.
"Mio-chan!" Elsie came skipping toward Ibuki Mio like a rabbit.
"What is it?"
"What are you thinking about? It couldn't be..."
"No! I'm not thinking about anything!" Ibuki Mio knew what the other was going to say and quickly told her to be quiet.
Read ahead by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting