87 Chapter 87 – Is this person cheating?
Bonus chapter
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Under the cover of night, the luxurious cruise ship of Advanced Nurturing High School was brightly lit, bustling with first-year students indulging in various entertainments, venting their dissatisfaction with the special examiner test.
Due to Class A's collective silence, reducing participation by a quarter, discussions in the twelve groups were non-existent. The meeting rooms were eerily quiet, resembling a deserted wasteland.
Being energetic freshmen, who would want to suffocate in a meeting room, motionless for an hour? It was pure torture!
Thus, as soon as the designated time arrived, all students were eager to leave and grouped together for fun. The KTV, cinema, restaurants, and cafes were filled with students.
Naturally, KTV was a popular choice for many students, including Kei Karuizawa, who called a few close friends to unleash their vocal talents.
After singing two songs and finishing her juice, Karuizawa mentioned she was going to the restroom and left the private room without drawing attention, then quickly quickened her pace.
As if on autopilot, she looked around cautiously, always on guard to avoid being seen. Even after turning a corner, she paused to ensure no one was following her.
Feeling safe, she headed to the private room number given by Yukio. Approaching, she saw Yukio leaning against the wall, seemingly lost in thought. Karuizawa was about to greet him when he signaled for silence and motioned her to enter first. After ensuring no one had noticed, Yukio also entered the room.
"How is it?" Karuizawa asked anxiously as soon as Yukio entered, unable to contain her concern: "Nobody followed me, right?"
Despite her vigilance and using some online counter-tracking techniques, she couldn't be sure of their effectiveness. Worried about her undercover identity being exposed, she sought reassurance from the reliable Yukio.
Yukio shook his head slightly: "Relax, no one followed you."
Relieved, Karuizawa's mood brightened. She took out her phone, showing the message interface: "See, I didn't lie to you. I am indeed the special examiner from the rabbit group."
"You can check if you want, I don't mind. In fact, I should thank you. That annoying Manabe happened to be in the same group as me. You must have warned her because she didn't dare to retaliate against my provocations. It was so satisfying!"
It was evident that Karuizawa was in high spirits today, her smile hardly fading except for when she feared her undercover status might be compromised.
Her reason for secretly meeting with Yukio was to activate two of D class's undercover agents and inquire if there was any information on D class's third special examiner.
During the day, Kushida Kikyo honestly provided information about two special examiners from Class D: one student surnamed Minami and Kushida herself.
Including the three known special examiners from Class C, a total of five special examiners' information was obtained. Yukio and Ryuuen, together with the list of all twelve groups, tried to fit various rules.
Due to the increase in known factors and the decrease in unknowns, it didn't take much effort for the two to narrow down the range to three potential rules!
This means that the special examiners from all classes and all groups were selected based on one of these rules!
Faced with a classic choice of three, some detectives might opt for deduction, but Yukio chose to use undercover agents.
Slow deduction might take forever to yield the one true result. With three options at hand and not willing to take risks, Yukio knew that finding just one more special examiner from another class would suffice!
Once another examiner's identity is confirmed and applied to the entire group list, the school's puzzle can be fully solved without any need for further discussion, revealing all special examiners' identities.
Therefore, Yukio activated two undercover agents. Sakura was dejected, claiming ignorance about D class's other special examiners, with students deliberately hiding identities, leaving her in the dark.
Surprisingly, when meeting with Karuizawa, he encountered an unexpected boon: Karuizawa herself was a special examiner!
Yukio was confident Karuizawa wouldn't betray him as long as she needed to survive in the school. However, for assurance, he secretly met with her tonight to see the message sent by the school.
With Karuizawa's information, Yukio finally uncovered the unique rule the school used to select special examiners, enabling him to identify all special examiners just from the group list!
Having achieved his goal, Yukio's gaze softened considerably towards Karuizawa: "Well done, you've been a big help this time. Is there anything you want?"
"Huh?" Karuizawa was momentarily taken aback. That's it? No further questions about the other special examiners from D class? Though she only knew her own status.
She had expected Yukio to inquire more. But his lack of questions indicated that knowing she was a special examiner was enough to navigate the entire special examination?!
Realizing this, admiration filled Karuizawa's eyes as she looked at Yukio: "Just by knowing I'm a special examiner, you can find out all the others?"
"Pretty much," Yukio boasted shamelessly, not revealing that he had also obtained information from Kushida.
"You're amazing! Are you cheating or what?!" Karuizawa looked at him as if he were a supernatural being, slightly incredulous at the breadth of his insight – was this perception even possible for a human?
But thinking about it, it seems that during the deserted island special test, Yukio was similarly discreet. On the surface, he opted out, but behind the scenes, he became the only winner of the entire grade.
As these thoughts crossed her mind, Karuizawa's admiration for Yukio grew stronger. She understood that as someone like her, survival depended on aligning with the strong.
And Yukio was probably the strongest person she could lean on, right?
Seeing Karuizawa's excessive praises and changing expressions, Yukio felt overwhelmed and decided to bring up the reward again: "So, is there anything you want? You played a crucial role in solving the special examiner puzzle this time."
"Really? Can I ask for anything?" Karuizawa was pleasantly surprised, not expecting any reward since providing information was part of her duty as an undercover agent.
"Then, can those 500,000 personal points for the special examiner be transferred to me? If you guys from Class C clear out the special examiners, I won't get anything."
Karuizawa tentatively made a request, carefully watching Yukio's reaction, ready to backpedal if he showed the slightest dissatisfaction.
"You know, I'm a girl after all, and there are so many clothes and cosmetics I want to buy. We have to give you 300,000 personal points every month, and I hardly have enough for myself."
She listed various reasons, always mindful of Yukio's expression, as if ready to retract her words at any sign of displeasure.
"It's totally fine, you deserve it," Yukio agreed with a smile. Even if it was part of her duty, outstanding intelligence deserves a reward.
Moreover, 500,000 points were a small price to pay for Class C's upcoming gains. If giving Karuizawa 500,000 points could ensure her loyalty, Yukio felt it was a bargain.
"Yay!" Karuizawa happily jumped, hugging Yukio tightly, allowing him a whiff of her sweet rose scent. He could hear her excitedly planning to buy a dress she had wanted for a long time.
Yukio couldn't help but laugh. Between getting back at those who bullied Karuizawa in middle school and taking care of Manabe, this girl seemed to have regained some resilient vitality, prompting him to pat her back: "You should get down now."
Realizing what she had done, Karuizawa blushed and quickly stepped back: "Sorry, I... I have to go back, or my friends will get suspicious!"
With that, she hurried away, leaving behind a lively and intriguing silhouette.
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