Chapter 33 - Preparation

---Notice---

So far a upload schedule isnt set in stone but right now I'm thinking Tuesdays, Thursday, and Sundays. we will see. It depends on how busy I am in the following weeks, but I think this should work for a bit; I need that extra time in between days because while this is fanfic, the arc I'll be writing is original, so it will take some time.

Have you still not given me your power stone? Powerstones are greatly appreciated, and so are reviews I would really appreciate more reviews.

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"The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that's the essence of inhumanity." ~George Bernard Shaw

"Finally, we're all here," Ryuen said, staring down the Class as we both stood on the stage of the auditorium where this meeting had been planned, waiting for everyone to arrive. "Now that we're all here, stop talking and listen up, all of you."

The empty auditorium we had taken control of quickly went silent as everyone sat down while Ryuen spoke on stage.

"Good, it seems I don't have to beat anyone today. Well, I'll take it everyone here heard the announcement of the next special exam. Who plans on participating in the next special exam?" Ryuen asked.

Quickly, every member of Class C's hands went up.

"You see, that's why you're all idiots," Ryuen quickly said, gazing down at all the students with their hands up. "I guess not all of you, but those of you stupid enough to think you can contribute to the class."

I couldn't help but agree with Ryuen. Many of those in the class really were delusional if they thought they were capable enough to be of any help in this exam.

"What Ryuen is trying to say is that it is most advantageous to limit our Low Rollers to as few as possible and have only those confident or skilled partake in riskier games because a loss in a gamble will mean a loss of class points. The rest of the Low Rollers should just aim for ties," I explained.

Ibuki quickly spoke up, "Alright, but how will you decide which 20 students will be Low Rollers?"

"Obviously, deciding all by ourselves will be difficult, so I say Ryuen and I pick five students together to be Low Rollers, and you can consider those students leaders in a way who will decide who will partake in the low-stake gambles."

Kaneda was next to speak, "I see, that sounds fair. But what about the High Rollers? Will you and Ryuen just claim those spots?"

"Yes, I think that's the obvious choice. Although if someone wishes to argue for the position, I'd be willing to listen."

As expected, when directly asked if they opposed anything, everyone remained silent.

"So, Ryuen, who would you like to elect to be Low Rollers?"

"Well, I think they performed well during the last special exam, so I say Ibuki and Kaneda are obvious choices," Ryuen responded.

"I agree. I think that Ibuki and Kaneda are great choices. I'm confident in their abilities to earn us class points. As for the other two, I think Manabe, Tokito, and if she is okay with it, Shiina would make great choices," I said, looking at Shiina, who smiled and nodded.

"Alright, all five of you will make and lead a group of three students and coach them to achieve optimal performance in this exam. Simple enough, right?" Ryuen asked, receiving nods from all the students whose names were mentioned. This saved us from picking out from the garbage of the class and leaving that to our elected "generals."

"It's obvious that Yagami and I will both take Class C's High Roller spots. If you have a problem with that, I would tell you to let me know, but truth be told, I really don't care. This is the way things will be, so don't bother complaining," Ryuen said, looking over the quiet class.

Soon, Ishizaki spoke up to ask a question, "Uh, it may be early, but… do you two know which High Rollers you'll be challenging? I'm curious, and it's 50 class points we're talking about. I'm sure everyone wants to know to tune in."

Ryuen smiled at the question, taking a second to think. "I'm undecided still. What about you, Yagami?"

"Well, I don't think I'll have much of a choice. Did you watch the broadcast of the deserted island exam results?" I asked, addressing Ryuen and the class, who nodded their heads.

"Well, as you saw, Katsuragi basically publicly challenged me before this exam, and I accepted. I would seem like a coward if I ran now. I'm sure Katsuragi will challenge me to a high-stake game, so I'll likely end up playing Class A," I explained.

Yabu questioned, "Class A? Aren't you a bit worried, though? It could be risky, especially because it's one of the leaders of Class A, Katsuragi. Aren't you scared to lose?" she asked, honestly concerned.

"Well, Katsuragi is capable, but I'm confident I'll win against him. You should just make sure to tune in and root for me," I responded with a smile. "Although…" I said, looking in Ryuen's direction, "I hope you don't mind if I take some risks to achieve the optimal scenario for us."

"I don't care what you do, just try not to lose," Ryuen responded.

"Of course. Then I'll take it we are done here?" I asked.

"Basically. Ah, right; for tonight's dinner, you should get the location in the class group chat. Show up; we will be celebrating our win and our promotion to Class B," Ryuen said.

"I see. Then I'll be there," I responded, exiting the auditorium after some socialization.

Quickly, I returned to my room and got into the shower, finally enjoying being off the island.

During my time in the shower, I couldn't help but wonder, knowing I would likely compete against them, who would the second High Roller of Class A be? It was a given Katsuragi would be one, but the other one was a mystery. I'm sure at this point Katsuragi has come to suspect those in the Sakayanagi faction betrayed him, so he likely will be careful picking his High Roller.

I've heard Totsuka is loyal to the Katsuragi faction, and there are others, of course. But honestly, having seen all first-year student evaluations and being able to evaluate him myself, I can say Totsuka is an idiot. There's no difference between making him a High Roller and making a member of the Sakayanagi faction one and hoping for the best.

It'll be hard finding someone trustworthy enough to make a High Roller but capable enough not to get completely demolished against the likes of those like Ichinose, Ryuen, and Horikita.

Although, I suppose, given the right situation, even a complete idiot can flip the odds of their success in their favor.

Getting out of the shower, I changed into my regular school clothes before picking up my phone and entering my contact list to dial Kei.

The phone barely got a chance to ring before she answered, "Light? Is that you? I didn't want to bother you after the exam. I thought you might be tired like everyone else. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Kei. Thank you for worrying, though. I just got out of the shower and thought I should call you," I responded.

"I wanted to talk to you too. Sadly, I was stuck in a dumb meeting with the rest of the class," Kei said in a tired voice.

"A meeting?" I asked, playing dumb.

"Yeah, you know that new upcoming special exam? We've been tight on private points but finally just acquired some class points during the last special exam, so everyone is worried about losing them now with this new exam," Kei explained.

"I see. Are you worried?"

Kei sighed before responding, "I guess not having any money sucks, but that's not what really bothers me most."

"I see. My class also briefly discussed the special exam, but as you can imagine, decisions are made pretty quickly in Class C. So, Ryuen and I were quickly declared High Rollers. I'm sure the information will be passed on to the teachers soon."

"I see… it must be hard having all that pressure on you. But if it's you, Light, I'm sure you can handle it. In the end, the High Rollers for Class D were decided to be Horikita and Kushida."

"Kushida?" I asked, slightly curious. "I'm somewhat surprised. I expected it to be Horikita and Hirata or even Yukimura."

"Well, it was originally between Kushida and Hirata, but since this is an exam about taking gambles, Hirata and the class thought Kushida was a better fit given math is her expertise, and it may play a part in the exam. As for Yukimura, he's smart, but honestly, he's just a bookworm. Nothing special, in my opinion. Although I don't really bother talking to him, I do get an air of superiority from him, so I can't say I really like him."

The explanation Kei gave fits my opinion of Yukimura so far. But still, the best place to see someone's skills is in practice. I guess it can't help if Kushida has a more ingrained presence in her class and qualifications to take the role of High Roller.

It wasn't a bad strategy, though. Having your High Roller be someone skilled in math at least assured you someone with good cost-benefit analysis skills is at the front of the riskier games of the class.

"I see. Well, I wish your class luck during this exam. You know, Kei, if you need points, you can just let me know."

"No! I don't want you to get in trouble with your class. And it's really okay. I have enough, plus most of the stuff on the cruise ship is completely free, so I'm fine. Don't worry."

"Alright, let me know if you need anything, though, alright?"

"Mhmm," Kei hummed before mumbling into the phone, "Hey Light, are you free tonight? I was thinking we could do something before the special exam starts."

"I would love to, but sadly, I promised to celebrate Class C's victory in the special exam and class promotion with my classmates tonight."

"Oh, I see…"

"How about after that? It will be late, but I have nothing to do after the celebration."

"Yes! After it is, then," Kei said, obviously excited.

"Alright then, I'll let you know the time later," I responded.

Soon thereafter, Kei and I said our goodbyes.

She was a helpful spy in Class D and had a lot of influence in the class. Sure, our relationship drew some unwanted attention to her from her class, but that much is to be expected, and it kept her happy. If I want control of the school, I must first gain control of the school year. If only I could have loyal followers like Kei in every class, but sadly, she is one of a kind in that regard, which is why I didn't mind our relationship even if it came with its downsides, both personally and publicly.

"Poor girl. I almost feel bad for her," Ryuk said jokingly after the call.

"Why would you say that?"

"Well, you humans date people you love. Whether that's due to their traits or some other factor doesn't really matter. But that's beside the point. What I'm trying to say is while that girl may be in love with you, you aren't with her."

"That's one way to see it, I assume. But Ryuk, does it really matter? The end result in terms of Karuizawa is the same. No matter what, she will be in love and feel like she is loved, just like any other girl in a relationship. I'm not robbing her of anything."

"Hehehe, tell me, Light, have you really ever cared for anyone in your life?"

"Of course. My family. They're good people. I'd go far for them," I respond after a moment's thought.

"I see. I was never really sure. It's hard to tell with you. But I'm curious: if you met someone who embodied the traits of your family that you love, could you care for them too?"

"That's a complex question to answer… I'll say it simply: I don't outright reject the idea, but no, I don't think I would."

"I see. I guess I'll leave it at that. I'll have to admit you're quite difficult to understand, Light. But then again, that's what makes you interesting."

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Give me your opinions on everything so far. I hope you enjoyed it.

I will ask who do you think should be the second high roller of Class A? It's hard to say since Sakayanagi isn't around and each class only really has 2 genius usually (except class c always felt bad Ryuen had to carry those guys alone, lmao), but I was thinking Ai Morishita, the weird character you saw earlier in the island exam with Kamuro.