-228- No more secrets

No one should have noticed, right?

The atmosphere between Hori and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had subtly changed.

It wasn't tense or oppressive, just eerily quiet.

The reason was simple.

"Have you already identified all the VIPs in Class D?"

Hori was genuinely surprised by this.

Even he had only confirmed two VIPs.

One was Kushida Kikyou.

Through Hirata Yousuke, Hori had learned that this girl was the VIP of the Dragon Group.

The other was Karuizawa Kei.

This was something Hori had noticed through direct observation.

As for the remaining person, Hori had no clue.

The VIP of the Horse Group that Ayanokouji Kiyotaka mentioned, a person named Setsuya Minami, was just an ordinary student in Class D.

Hori didn't know that this person was the VIP of the Horse Group.

However, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had managed to confirm it in less than half a day, even identifying the other two VIPs in Class D. This surprised Hori a bit.

If it were Kushida Kikyou and Karuizawa Kei, Hori could understand.

Kushida Kikyou likely shared her identity to prevent it from becoming a weapon to disrupt her social relationships.

If it was known that Kushida Kikyou had hidden her VIP status and didn't share it with the class, those she considered "friends" would likely become distrustful.

Kushida Kikyou wouldn't let that happen.

So, it seemed natural for her to reveal her identity to the class.

And if Hori could learn about this from Hirata Yousuke, others could too.

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka probably learned that Kushida Kikyou was the Dragon Group's VIP this way.

As for Karuizawa Kei, if Hori could identify her as a VIP, it wasn't surprising that Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, being in the same Rabbit Group, could figure it out too.

But the Horse Group's VIP was a bit more subtle.

"I remember you don't seem to have any interactions with Setsuya Minami, right?" Hori glanced at Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and said, "How did you confirm that this person is the last VIP in Class D?"

This was what puzzled Hori.

Hori had no contact with this person, so he didn't know they were the last VIP in Class D.

Just like with Karuizawa Kei, Hori had not been interested in her before and hadn't noticed her abnormalities until today.

So logically, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka should be the same.

How did Ayanokouji Kiyotaka confirm their identity then?

Hori was interested in this.

Whether it was because he felt there was no need to hide it or because he couldn't hide it, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka answered with a calm expression.

"Because I thought the VIPs in our class would likely avoid contacting Hirata, so I found various excuses to stay with Hirata all day today."

I see.

That made sense.

Hirata Yousuke was the acknowledged leader of Class D.

Faced with Class A's ultimate defensive strategy, any student in the class, feeling helpless, would want to consult Hirata Yousuke to see if he had any ideas to break through.

Like Yukimura Teruhiko, who, after Hori's non-cooperation, could only go to Hirata Yousuke for advice.

If someone wanted to identify the VIPs but was stymied by Class A's defense, they would naturally go to Hirata Yousuke first for consultation.

"In fact, besides you, Sakura, Horikita, Kouenji, Karuizawa, and Setsuya, everyone else in the class approached Hirata after today's first discussion meeting."

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka explained this.

"Those who consulted Hirata were undoubtedly trying to identify the VIPs."

So, what about those who didn't approach Hirata Yousuke?

It's simple.

They likely had no need to find the VIPs or had no reason to do so.

If someone is a VIP, they wouldn't need to consult Hirata Yousuke to find out who the VIPs are.

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka used this line of thinking, relying on Hirata Yousuke's reputation to identify the VIPs in Class D.

By process of elimination, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka pinpointed Setsuya Minami as the final VIP.

"You, Sakura, Horikita, and Kouenji wouldn't consult Hirata even if you weren't VIPs. But Karuizawa and Setsuya are different. One spends points extravagantly and would want to find the VIPs to increase their points. The other, like other classmates, trusts Hirata but didn't consult him or even send an email. This is peculiar."

Based on this, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka identified the VIPs in Class D.

They were Kushida Kikyou, Karuizawa Kei, and Setsuya Minami.

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka must have interacted with Setsuya Minami to confirm his suspicions.

After interacting, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka used his skills to verify the identity.

This was indeed impressive, befitting someone from the White Room.

However, this wasn't the main point Ayanokouji Kiyotaka wanted to discuss.

The reason he shared his findings with Hori was this.

"The VIPs for this special exam were selected according to a certain method. This means these VIPs share certain conditions, connections, or common traits that led to their selection."

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka spoke in a tone that no one else could hear.

"If we can find this condition, connection, or common trait from the confirmed VIPs, we can use it to identify students in other groups who meet these criteria."

And these students would undoubtedly be the VIPs.

Therefore...

"You need to confirm the identities of several VIPs to find this clue."

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka finally looked at Hori.

"If my calculations are correct, three VIPs should be enough for you to deduce the VIPs in other groups, right?"

Hence, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka revealed all his findings.

He was correct.

Hori needed to confirm the identities of three VIPs to find the clue.

Previously, Hori only knew that Kushida Kikyou was a VIP.

At the one o'clock discussion meeting, he identified Karuizawa Kei, making two.

But two VIPs were not enough to connect to all the other group's VIPs.

At least three VIPs were needed for Hori to be confident in making the connections.

This is why Hori said he needed to check if the other groups' VIPs were the ones he guessed.

Only if his guesses were correct could he confirm that his method of identifying VIPs was accurate.

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka provided the final piece of the puzzle.

The identities of three VIPs were now sufficient.

All the lines in Hori's mind connected.

From this point on, there were no more secrets in this special exam for Hori.