"Give me the money first."
Hikigaya Hachiman placed his phone on the table with a measured movement, his face blank but his eyes sharp. Trust was a rare commodity in this environment, and he wasn't about to give it away freely.
He could trust people like Ichinose, Horikita Suzune, or even Katsuragi—at least, to an extent. They weren't angels, but they weren't snakes either. He hadn't asked them for a contract because he didn't need one. Their reputations spoke enough.
But Ryuuen?
Ryuuen was a gangster, through and through. Every word that came out of his mouth smelled of manipulation. Hikigaya didn't even try to hide the disdain he felt. Trusting someone like Ryuuen without collateral would be a one-way ticket to disaster.
Even Sakayanagi, despite her refined mannerisms and cold smile, wasn't much better. She had ousted Katsuragi without a moment's hesitation, sacrificing her class's stability to secure power. That kind of person couldn't be trusted either, no matter how pleasant the words were.
"Take it," Ryuuen said at last.
A ping sounded. An extra 40,000 points had been transferred to Hikigaya's account.
He tilted the phone toward Ryuuen, showing the transaction. As he did, he noticed a girl with short hair and glasses from Class A peeking from nearby. Without hesitation, he raised his hand to block her view.
"Tsk." The girl clicked her tongue, annoyed that her snooping was interrupted.
Ryuuen's eyes narrowed as he checked the screen. It clearly showed that Hikigaya had not been selected for preferential treatment. But his suspicion didn't waver.
"Show me all your text messages from Class B," Ryuuen demanded, leaning forward.
"You'll have to ask Kanzaki and the others about that," Hikigaya said smoothly, slipping the phone back into his pocket with satisfaction. "I can only represent myself."
He could practically hear Ryuuen's frustration bubbling under the surface. It was almost amusing.
Kanzaki cut in, his sharp gaze focused on Hikigaya. "If you're done, then stop talking. There's no need to say anything unnecessary."
Hikigaya shrugged, resting his arms behind his head lazily. "Yes, yes."
But Kanzaki's words weren't solely for him—they were also a veiled dismissal of Ryuuen's presence. The implication was clear: Class B would not dance to Ryuuen's tune.
Ryuuen heard it too. He turned from Hikigaya and addressed the group at large with a mocking grin.
"What about the rest of you?" he said, eyes glittering with mischief. "Instead of hiding like cowards and letting the preferential recipient gain 500,000 points in secret, why not imitate this guy and show me your phones?"
He paced slowly, theatrically, as if he were hosting a game show.
"I'll make it worth your while," he continued. "The first one to show me their phone gets 100,000 points. Second place gets 80,000, third gets 60,000, and so on."
The bait was dropped.
Now the question was: who would bite?
This was a psychological test. A conflict between greed and loyalty. Would they risk betrayal for a guaranteed reward, or cling to the chance at a bigger prize by maintaining silence?
In truth, the only losers would be the class hiding the preferential treatment. Everyone else stood to gain—either points or insight.
"Then why did I only get forty thousand?" Hikigaya asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Because you're the stupidest one here," Ryuuen retorted without missing a beat.
Hikigaya didn't even blink. He just stared back with a neutral face, letting the insult roll off. Ryuuen might be bluffing, but his frustration was real. Despite paying out 40,000 points, he had no valuable information in return.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Long Group remained silent.
Class A, ever the disciplined machine, showed no interest. Class D, too, stood still, their intentions unclear. But Hikigaya knew some of them might sneak behind closed doors later to strike private deals with Ryuuen.
"It seems Class A has decided to act like complete cowards," Ryuuen said mockingly, stepping away from his table and approaching the students of Class D. His smirk widened.
"What about Class D?" he said. "If you're willing to show me your ringtone screen, I'll give you fifteen yen—no problem."
"So rude as always," Horikita Suzune shot back, eyes narrowing. "Maybe you should return to elementary school and relearn basic social etiquette."
"Don't worry about me," Ryuuen chuckled. "One hundred and fifty thousand is a lot of money. Lingyin—aren't you even a little tempted?"
"Ridiculous." Horikita's voice dripped with scorn. "You think Class D would do something that benefits Class C? Don't lump me in with that idiot over there."
Ouch.
That idiot was clearly meant to be him, Hikigaya thought bitterly. This woman never pulled punches.
He glared at her briefly—only to be met with her usual cold, indifferent gaze.
Nope. Definitely not someone to provoke further.
"Well," said Hirata, trying to ease the rising tension, "Ryuuen-san, I don't think anyone here will agree to your offer. Perhaps we can find a more constructive approach."
Kushida Kikyo chimed in as well, her usual sweet smile in place. "Yes, Ryuuen-san. Please don't underestimate us just because we're from Class D. We won't do anything that puts our class at a disadvantage."
Despite their polite words, the atmosphere remained tense.
Hikigaya watched Kushida carefully. For someone who had dealt with his antics so many times, she still didn't seem annoyed. On the contrary, whenever their eyes met, she blushed slightly and quickly looked away.
She was persistent—like a piece of gum stuck to your shoe. Impossible to shake off.
As the discussions dragged on, Ryuuen tried to push harder, but no one gave in. Time ticked by.
Eventually, the first discussion period ended. Hikigaya stood up and made his way toward the exit.
"Hikigaya."
He turned as someone tapped his shoulder. It was Asako Okakura, the girl with the high ponytail from Class B.
"Kanzaki asked me to come ask you—what was that stunt earlier supposed to mean?"
"Stunt?" Hikigaya repeated blankly. "Oh, that. It didn't mean anything special. I just figured Ryuuen wouldn't believe me even if I showed him my phone. So I took the chance to earn some personal points."
"And why didn't Kanzaki ask himself?"
"Who knows?" Hikigaya shrugged. "He's probably got his reasons. Being the second-in-command must come with its own set of headaches."
Okakura tilted her head thoughtfully, then smiled. "Makes sense."
She hesitated before speaking again. "Hey, Hikigaya… why don't you come eat with us? We were going to talk about the exam too."
It was probably just a polite invitation, Hikigaya thought. If he accepted and then bailed, he'd feel guilty. Better to decline up front.
"I have something else to do," he said. "Thanks though."
She didn't push further.
Top Floor Café
Later, in the quiet café on the top floor of the cruise ship, Hikigaya sat alone in the Class B exclusive area, his fingers hesitating over his phone. He stared at Ichinose's contact info.
She was probably busy, discussing strategies or partying with the others.
Still… this wasn't a matter he could afford to delay.
He began typing:
[Hikigaya Hachiman: I have something to report. Do you have time now?]
Her reply came quickly, as always.
[Ichinose Honami: We're classmates, Hikigaya. No need to be so formal. Can't you tell me over the phone?]
[Hikigaya Hachiman: It's a little important. I think it's better to talk in person.]
This time, the response took longer.
[Ichinose Honami: Got it. Where are you? I'll come right away.]
Within ten minutes, she arrived, bright as always.
"Yahoo, Hikigaya~!" she chirped, sliding into the seat across from him. "Didn't know you hung out here. You always on the top floor?"
"Something like that," Hikigaya replied, eyeing the coffee in front of him. "Want something to drink?"
"Black tea, please."
When the order arrived, Ichinose leaned in slightly. "So, what did you want to talk about?"
"I think I figured out who the preferential recipient is in the Dragon Group," Hikigaya said.
Ichinose's eyes widened, and she shot up from her seat in panic. "You… what?!"
Realizing her reaction was too loud, she quickly sat back down, lowering her voice.
"Isn't that group made up of people like Ryuuen, Katsuragi, and Horikita? It shouldn't be that easy to guess, right?"
"I'm not saying I'm 100% sure. Maybe 70%."
"Still, that's pretty bold. What makes you so confident?"
"Experience."
Ichinose blinked. "Huh?"
"Have you ever played Werewolf?" Hikigaya asked. "It's a game where you find out who's pretending. Words don't matter. Logic is shaky. What matters is confidence. Real people talk differently than fakes. They either act guilty or overly accommodating."
He explained further. Ryuuen was too aggressive—too eager to deal. Katsuragi probably didn't know who the recipient was. But Horikita?
"She slipped," Hikigaya said. "Her responses were evasive. She tried to shift the topic to Class A. That's a classic deflection. If you ask me, she knows exactly who the preferential treatment student is."
"And that person is?"
"Kushida Kikyo."
Ichinose stared at him.
Hikigaya rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly. "Yeah, I know how it sounds. But think about it—her speech patterns, her tone. She didn't act like herself."
Ichinose took a deep breath, clearly stunned. Then, slowly, she nodded.
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