Master of Deception: The Final Move
I was completely alone in the room where the second Dragon Group meeting would take place. I was lying on the sofa, with my head tilted back and my eyes closed, lost in my thoughts. Phase two of the plan was already underway.
The sound of the door opening abruptly interrupted my concentration.
"Osawa, damn it! What the hell did you do?" Ryuuen burst into the room, visibly upset, followed by the other leaders.
"What did I do?" I replied, not bothering to open my eyes.
"Don't play dumb, bastard. I know you're the one who made six groups finish hours ago," he growled, his frustration evident.
"Well, I guess I'm guilty of the facts," I said with a mocking smile, which only fueled his irritation further.
"And what happened to all that crap yesterday about 'I don't care about the private points' or 'good luck to everyone'? You said that on purpose, didn't you?" Ryuuen spat, his eyes burning with anger.
Indeed, I had.
"How the hell did you do it?" he continued, gritting his teeth.
"There's no way I'm going to tell you, is there?" I replied calmly, not removing the smile from my face. "After all, there are still half of the groups left... Although, maybe not for long."
Katsuragi, who was a bit behind Ryuuen, intervened cautiously:
"What do you mean by that?"
"Instead of explaining it, why don't you just wait and see? It shouldn't be long before you find out," I responded, unperturbed.
As everyone settled into their chairs around the table, I couldn't help but think about how easy this exam had been. Really, much easier than the one on the island.
Flashback
I was at the back of the boat, my favorite spot. Now I had all the information needed to start the search for the VIP, which I was sure existed, especially considering the message that had burned at the school.
The VIP names from my class were as follows:
Tiger Group: Ishikawa Nanako
Monkey Group: Shimizu Yuuto
Ox Group: Kobashi Yume
Now I needed to start piecing things together, but I didn't know where to begin.
I started to think about the relationship between the zodiac groups. I was in the Dragon Group. In the context of Japanese culture, which adopts the Chinese zodiac, the Dragon represents attributes like power, wisdom, and authority. I don't think it's a coincidence that the leaders are in the Dragon Group, but there was something odd: Honami wasn't in this group but was in the Rabbit Group. This was strange, but I still didn't see a clear connection between the other groups and these.
I was lost in a sea of doubts, rhythmically tapping the table with my index finger, a habit I had whenever I thought deeply.
Kayden: —What could be the order or relationship that the VIPs share? —I said softly, thinking again.
Kayden: —Order? —I repeated, as something occurred to me.
I decided to arrange the Chinese zodiac and compare it with the VIPs from my class. However, I didn't come up with anything concrete. I thought about sorting the names of the groups each VIP belonged to alphabetically and comparing the numerical position they were in. For example, if Ishikawa-san was in the position of the zodiac sign she belonged to, there might be a pattern. But it wasn't the case; her name ended up in position 12, and since her group is the Tiger, which is 3, it didn't match.
I resumed tapping the table rhythmically, a gesture indicating that I was deep in thought. The soft sound echoed on the table at a low rhythm. As I watched my finger tapping the surface, I realized something and decided to reorganize the list of names. This time, I would sort them according to their phonetic kana, the Japanese syllabic system using hiragana and katakana.
I started with the Tiger Group. As I wrote down the names, the order began to change. When I reached Ishikawa, her name ended up in position 3, matching her group.
Realizing that this wasn't a coincidence, I continued with the other groups. The Kobashi Group showed a similar pattern: Kobashi-san was in position 2 in the phonetic order, just like the Ox in the Chinese zodiac. I smiled as everything started to fit together.
I had only one group left to review, Shimizu's. Like the other two groups, the pattern repeated: Shimizu ended up in position 7, just like the Monkey in the Chinese zodiac.
I wanted to confirm this coincidence with the other groups. Although it took some time, I completed the review of the remaining nine groups. They all shared this pattern except for two, which was odd.
Those two groups were the Rabbit Group and the Dragon Group, to which I belonged. I realized that they didn't follow the expected pattern due to a crucial detail. When the school selected the VIPs, I was with Kikyou, who showed me the message indicating that she had been chosen as a VIP. However, according to the alphabetical order, she shouldn't have been the VIP; in fact, Kanzaki should have been the chosen one. Additionally, in the Rabbit Group, Honami should have been the VIP, but the reason for this discrepancy might be Honami being in the Rabbit Group instead of mine. Perhaps her absence in my group, which is the leaders' group, and her presence in the other altered the final result.
Although this variable didn't affect my plan much, as I was focused on attacking Classes B and C, and not Class D, despite having an alliance with them. This alliance didn't worry me too much; although Class D might gain points from the other classes, I don't fully trust their performance. That's why I had a plan in mind.
Then, I took out my phone and called Honami, who answered quickly.
—Hello, Kayden.
—Hello, Honami. Are you alone right now?
—Huh? Yes, I'm in my room. The girls just went to the pool.
—I see. Honami, I just discovered 11 of the 12 VIPs.
—Eh!? How did you do that?
—By sorting the names phonetically in kana and comparing them to the zodiac sign order. For example, if your name is in position 7 alphabetically and your group is the Monkey, which is also in 7 according to the zodiac, you would be the VIP.
—I'm speechless. I don't understand how you came to that conclusion so quickly.
—Maybe it was luck, hahaha.
—I don't think it's just luck.
—Well, now that we know almost everyone, we have class points secured.
—You mentioned that you discovered 11 out of 12, but since they all share the same order, why don't you know who the last one is?
—I'll explain that later. It's not so important; it's a simple variable. Now, we need to know how to defend our VIPs.
—I have an idea for that.
—And what did you come up with?
—When we were informed about this exam, the only thing I thought about was how to defend my class VIPs, instead of looking for the others. In the message we received this morning, it said that the message couldn't be altered, and if we did, we would be punished. So, it occurred to me that if we can't change the message, what if we change the phone? I mean, change our SIM cards.
—Wow.
—I went to ask Hoshinomiya-sensei if I could change the SIM cards, and she said they were blocked. At first, I thought I couldn't do anything, but then I remembered what you always say: "There's nothing in this school that can't be bought with points," which Sensei mentioned at the beginning of the year. So I thought, why not pay Sensei to unlock the cards? And guess what, it's entirely possible to pay to unlock them.
—That's impressive.
—Hehe, it's not that big of a deal.
—Honami, what if we add something to your plan?
—What would that be?
—Simple: let's have our VIPs ask their respective groups to achieve 'Result 1.'
—Result 1?
—Yes, because the exposed VIP won't be the real one. By proposing Result 1, it's most likely that everyone will agree, but then they will betray them. And if they don't, our team will still earn a lot of points. It's a win-win.
—I think it's a great plan. Do you want me to contact them?
—Yes, please handle that. It should take place in the second meeting of the day.
—Why not the first?
—I have something planned.
—And what is it?
—Eliminate half of the groups by removing the VIPs from Classes B and C.
—I see. I'm glad you're not eliminating the VIPs from Class D since we're still in alliance.
—That's why I didn't. Well, Honami, I'll leave that task to you. Talk to you later.
—Okay, Kayden. Goodbye.
End of Flashback
And that's how we got here. Ryuuen was right when he said I was lying and wishing them good luck; all of that was part of my plan. My main goal was for the Dragon Group to achieve Result 1. The first reason was to ensure we got private points. The second was to prevent Classes B and C from trying to discover the VIP to gain points, something I wasn't going to allow.
To make sure they wouldn't betray the group, I pressured Horikita-san to the point where she requested a non-betrayal contract. This contract was crucial; if she hadn't requested it, I would have recommended it, leaving no options for Ryuuen and Katsuragi.
Everything I told them about having time to prepare for the other groups and wishing them good luck was also intentional. I wanted them to feel a strong desire to win this exam, even if it was momentary. My intention was to crush them after our meeting. Furthermore, eliminating the 6 groups wasn't the only reason; I also wanted students from Classes C and B to feel significant pressure. This way, when the second meeting and phase two of the plan began, they would quickly accept my class's proposal to reach Result 1 and then betray them. Realizing that their classes might have lost 150 points, they wouldn't hesitate to do everything possible to reduce that amount.
Ryuuen, clearly running out of patience, broke the silence.
— So? How much longer do we have to wait to see what you're plotting? —he said, irritated.
He checked the time, as several minutes had passed since the VIP groups from my class had finished. Messages would start arriving any moment now.
Kayden: — Be patient, Ryuuen, relax. Anyway, we have to stay in this room a little longer.
Ryuuen: — Tsk.
At that moment, our phones started vibrating.
"The test for the Mono Group has ended. Await the results."
"The test for the Tiger Group has ended. Await the results."
"The test for the Cow Group has ended. Await the results."
Horikita: — Can it be, three more? —she said, surprised.
Ryuuen: — Damn, I knew this would happen.
I smiled in satisfaction, but a phone call interrupted my moment of triumph. It was Shimizu from the Mono Group.
Kayden: — Is something wrong, Shimizu?
Shimizu: — Osawa, there's a problem.
Kayden: — What happened?
Shimizu: — It's about Koenjji.
Kayden: — What about him?
Shimizu: — He was the one who betrayed us.
Kayden: — Are you sure? Did he go to the fake one?
Shimizu: — No, that's the problem. He knew I was the VIP. He told me directly when we left the meeting; he said, "I found you out as a liar" and then left. That's why I'm calling you.
Kayden: — I see, Shimizu. Don't worry, that guy is a bit of a wildcard. Don't worry about the result.
Shimizu: — Okay, Osawa.
I hung up the call and looked at the ceiling.
Ryuuen, noticing the change in my demeanor, quickly spoke up.
Ryuuen: — Don't tell me something went wrong.
Kayden: — No, this won't affect the result —I replied, while sending a message to Himeno, who was in the Horse Group. Moments later, the phones vibrated again.
"The test for the Horse Group has ended. Await the results."
Kayden: — As I said, this won't affect the results —I added, while the leaders looked at me. I didn't want to go after Class D, but I wasn't going to give them 50 points either.
The meeting continued with no further interruptions. The conversation was sparse, as no one wanted to talk; after all, there wasn't much more to say. The results were already set in stone. Only one VIP remained, who was from Class D. I didn't care how they handled the situation; I just hoped they could defend themselves.
Now we just had to wait for the results, which would be announced on the fourth day at 11:00 PM.
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Fourth Day 11:00 PM
Group Results
Rat Group Result: 3Traitor Evaluation: Correct
OX Group Result: 4Traitor Evaluation: Incorrect
Tiger Group Result: 4VIP Identity: Incorrect
Rabbit Group Result: 4Traitor Evaluation: Incorrect
Dragon Group Result: 1VIP Identity: Shared
Snake Group Result: 3VIP Identity: Correct
Horse Group Result: 3Traitor Evaluation: Correct
Sheep Group Result: 3VIP Identity: Correct
Monkey Group Result: 3Traitor Evaluation: Correct
Rooster Group Result: 3Traitor Evaluation: Correct
Dog Group Result: 3VIP Identity: Correct
Pig Group Result: 3Traitor Evaluation: Correct
Class A
CP: 1843 ▲ (+400)
PP: ▲ (+6,000,000)
Class B
CP: 799 ▼ (-250)
PP: ▲ (+2,000,000)
Class C
CP: 357 ▼ (-200)
PP: ▲ (+1,500,000)
Class D
CP: 360 ▲ (+50)
PP: ▲ (+3,000,000)