Chapter 81 - Handing over the mobile phones

After the briefing on the preferential treatment special test, each class began to take active steps. Some were discussing how to protect their class's preferential treatment student, while others focused on how to identify preferential treatment students from other classes.

Even more ambitiously, a very few students were already thinking that if they became the preferential treatment student, they should secretly betray their classmates to aim for Outcome 2, where they alone could take home five hundred thousand personal points. Wouldn't that be delightful?

In such a scenario, the five hundred thousand points would go directly into their pocket. If the class were informed, there's a chance those points might be confiscated.

Of course, a few students thinking this way was bolstered by the confidence provided by the school's additional clarifications.

This special test would only announce the outcomes, class points, and ranking changes. It would not disclose the names of preferential treatment students or the payout results. The school even supported payment methods like installments and anonymous transfers.

Essentially, the school would keep your secret if you became the preferential treatment student. Just focus on hiding well, and when you receive the five hundred thousand points, the school could pay you in installments or through an anonymous transfer, giving those students peace of mind.

On the day the test officially began, Class C students had already gathered in a coffee shop on the cruise ship early in the morning, all sleepy and yawning, urgently requesting the waitstaff to serve coffee faster because they were so tired.

"Hey, why did Yukio-san demand we come here at 7:30? I'm so freaking tired! I almost couldn't get up!"

"Didn't he explain in the class chat room? He's planning our strategy for this preferential treatment special test. That's why he wanted us all to come early."

"It's okay, it's okay. With Yukio-kun's strategy for this special test, we'll definitely get through it. Just endure a bit longer, and we can go back to sleep after the meeting."

While everyone was yawning, a few of the girls seemed quite energetic, glowing with health, obviously having woken up before dawn to put on makeup, while the boys were genuinely plain, some even sporting bedhead, highlighting a stark difference.

A few minutes later, Yukio arrived, and no one dared to complain. Once everyone's coffee had arrived and they had a chance to chat and sip, and as it was almost 8 a.m., Yukio made his arrangements: "It's almost time. Hand over your phones."

This statement left all Class C students somewhat dazed and confused, too shocked to react immediately: "Our, our phones? Hand them over?"

"Wait, Yukio-san, this, isn't this a bit inconvenient?"

The boys expressed their concerns rather tactfully, not too assertively, while the girls remained silent but visibly hesitant.

A girl named Nishino, known for her exceptional athletic ability in Class C, expressed her concerns: "Yukio, I've always respected you because you have the strength to lead us all to benefit time and again. But my phone contains a lot of personal privacy, and I don't want to hand it over to you."

Her statement was straightforward but resonated with many, as phones, integral to modern life, contain countless personal secrets. How could one easily hand them over?

Nishino wasn't challenging Yukio's authority within the class; she was merely asserting her rights to protect her personal privacy.

Yukio had a bit of an impression of Nishino as a somewhat independent girl who didn't quite fit in with the other girls in Class C, but she was relatively close to the boys in the class, making her somewhat familiar: "What are you all afraid of?"

"Do I need to look at your privacy? What could possibly be in the girls' phones that I don't know, or in the boys' phones that I'm not aware of? Ishizaki, with all those videos in your phone, have I ever said anything?"

Ishizaki instantly blushed, standing up and flustered: "No, no! Yukio-san! I, I, it's not like that!"

His reaction brought embarrassment to Ishizaki and laughter from the boys in the class: "Ishizaki! I'm coming to your dorm tonight, let's share the good stuff!"

"Yeah, don't be scared, Ishizaki. It's just a few films. Tonight, I'll show you my collection, absolute classics!"

"Alright, enough," Yukio interrupted the boys' teasing by tapping his index and middle finger on the table: "Hand over the phones. I won't look at your privacy, just the school's message about the preferential treatment student. I'll delete it after I see it.

"Each one of you, except for Ryuuen, could have your preferential treatment status exposed by other classes. Instead of giving other classes points, it's safer for me to delete it all, so even you won't know if you're the preferential treatment student."

Understanding Yukio's strategy for this special test, the students of Class C fell silent. So that was the plan: deleting the message would be the best defense, making it impossible for anyone to discern if they were the preferential treatment student...

After all, if the person themselves didn't know, how could others figure it out? It really would be just a wild guess, and with the high chance of guessing wrong, who would dare take that risk?

With Yukio's authority in Class C and the effectiveness of his strategy, Nishino was the first to step up and hand over her phone to Yukio: "Here, don't think I'm singling you out, I just really don't like others looking through my phone. But Yukio, I trust you."

Seeing Nishino, the girl who initially resisted, handing over her phone, the rest of Class C students had no reason to hesitate. They lined up, almost extending out of the coffee shop door.

Yukio couldn't stand the chaos and asked Ishizaki and Albert to help collect the phones. They gathered all the phones on a large dining table, avoiding disrupting the coffee shop's business.

Then, right at 8 a.m., a series of message notification sounds went off. While the rest of Class C drank their coffee, Yukio was busy checking the messages, deleting each one after reading.

"What are you doing?" Just as Yukio was rapidly going through the class's messages, unexpected visitors entered the coffee shop: Horikita from Class D, along with Ayanokoji. 

It seemed the two had planned to discuss the special test here early on but hadn't expected the entire Class C to be present, nearly filling the place.

Upon seeing the large table in front of Yukio filled with phones, Horikita immediately questioned: "The class instructors should have explained, right?"

"The school strictly prohibits forcibly taking someone's phone to check for the preferential treatment student! Yukio, if you release the contract extorting our Class D now, I won't report this to the school."

"Otherwise, you can await expulsion."

She had finally caught him! At this moment, Horikita's mood was almost jubilant. Having been outmaneuvered by Yukio twice before, she finally saw an opportunity to turn the tables. How could she not be delighted?

With Horikita's righteous declaration, the attention of the entire Class C turned to her.

Slowly, Ishizaki, Albert, Ibuki, Nishino, and others stood up, silently surrounding Horikita and Ayanokoji, their gazes colder than the last, making one's skin crawl with unease.

***

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