"Kneel down and beg me!"
Ryuen's taunt wasn't just an insult—it was a direct counterattack against Haruno.
If they wanted to achieve outcome one, every class had to work together, no exceptions. Ryuen had spotted this weakness and struck without hesitation.
Surprisingly, Haruno still didn't look at Ryuen, nor did she bother responding to him. Instead, she turned her gaze toward Class D.
"Hirata, and Horikita, what do you think about this proposal?"
Hirata and Horikita exchanged glances before Horikita stepped forward.
"This proposal is certainly tempting, but the risk is also extremely high. If anyone betrays us, it would be like handing over our class points for nothing. I have a hard time believing how Yukinoshita-san plans to guarantee that won't happen. And… there are still other problems that need to be solved first."
Everyone had already done the calculations for this special exam. The ideal outcome for any class was to keep their own VIP hidden while identifying the VIPs of other classes. If done perfectly, they could earn 6 million private points and 600 class points—but that was nearly impossible.
So in reality, the safest strategy was to secure the 1.5 million private points and 150 class points from protecting their own VIP. Then, on top of that, they could try to uncover the VIPs of other classes. At least, that was Class D's plan.
This was also the most common "solution" for this exam—prioritizing class points.
But Haruno offered a different approach: abandoning class points and focusing purely on private points. Instead of competing, they could just exploit the school system. If everyone got 500,000 private points, plus the VIP's 1 million private points, a single class could earn 21.5 million private points. That was an insane amount of money.
However, as Horikita pointed out, achieving outcome one for all twelve groups required all four classes to cooperate—there couldn't be a single traitor.
If even one person betrayed them, the entire plan would collapse, and any class could become a target with no way to fight back. Worse, it could completely change the class rankings.
In reality, the biggest winner of this proposal would be Class D, the lowest-ranked class. Meanwhile, the higher-ranked A and B classes would benefit the least while taking on the most risk.
Horikita's point was clear—if Haruno could guarantee there would be no betrayals, then this wild but interesting plan was worth considering.
Haruno seemed to have expected this and answered calmly.
"You're right. Making sure there are no betrayals is the key to this plan."
Then, she finally turned to look at Ryuen.
"Class C, what's your decision? Do you accept or reject?"
"Hahahahaha!"
Ryuen clutched his face and laughed loudly.
"Yukinoshita, are you an idiot? I already told you—get on your knees and beg me. Maybe then, if I'm feeling generous, I'll consider your request."
"Idiot."
Haruno shot back without hesitation.
For a brief moment, the room fell silent.
Then, a certain deadfish-eyed guy let out a snicker.
That snicker was like a switch—more people started laughing, until even Horikita had to cover her mouth. Even Ibuki and Ishizaki, standing behind Ryuen, were struggling to hold back their laughter.
Ryuen was the only one frozen in place, looking like a complete clown.
Bang!
Ryuen's expression twisted in anger as he kicked the conference table, making a loud noise.
It looked like he was about to snap and teach this woman a lesson. Just as he was about to lash out, Haruno suddenly spoke.
"Yamada Albert."
Ryuen's movements paused for a split second, but he still charged forward.
However, someone was even faster.
Hikigaya had expected this. He knew Haruno's nasty personality all too well, so he had been on guard. He stepped in front of her just as Kanzaki, Hirata, and the others quickly moved to stand by his side, forming a standoff against Ryuen.
Then, Haruno spoke again.
"Tokito Hiroya. Kinoshita Minori."
The moment those names left her lips, Ryuen's face darkened.
Nobody else understood what was happening, but some had already figured it out.
Horikita and Katsuragi's expressions shifted as they stared at Haruno in shock.
"I know that getting all four classes to work together is difficult," Haruno continued with a smirk. "So… three classes will do. It's a shame that the big cake will have to shrink into a cupcake, but a small snack is still better than nothing. These three Class C students—consider them my opening gift for this alliance. What do you all think?"
Everyone immediately understood the threat in her words.
If Ryuen refused to cooperate, then fine. Instead of four classes splitting the school's 80 million private points, the remaining three classes could just divide up Class C instead.
And finally, the others realized where Haruno's confidence came from—she had already figured out the identities of Class C's VIPs.
At that moment, even Ryuen was forced to ask himself—how did she know?
Did Class C have a traitor?
No. That was impossible. The VIPs' identities were top secret.
If there was one person who definitely knew the identities of Class C's VIPs, it was Ryuen himself.
That left only two possibilities—either Haruno was bluffing, or there was some hidden pattern behind how the VIPs were chosen.
"What a joke, Yukinoshita! Do you really think making up a few names will fool me?!"
Ryuen sneered. Was he just putting on a brave front, or was he actually right?
Haruno waved her phone slightly and chuckled.
"Oh? Then how about we check right now?"
Ryuen's face stiffened, and he instantly fell silent. But the fire burning in his eyes was enough to show his rage.
His reaction was also proof that the list Haruno just mentioned was real.
At that moment, Katsuragi's expression darkened.
"Yukinoshita, if you really have the correct information about Class C's VIP, do you understand what you're doing right now?"
There was a hint of anger in his voice.
If Class C's VIP information was correct, that meant they had a chance to earn 150 class points. On top of that, if they managed to hide their VIP, they could get even more bonus points—enough to climb back to Class A.
And yet, instead of keeping this advantage, Haruno was sharing it with everyone.
"So what? Are you saying you won't cooperate, Katsuragi?"
Haruno glanced at him lazily.
"I'm only thinking about what's best for the class! Everything I do is for everyone!"
Katsuragi didn't fall for her tricks. Instead, he used the excuse of protecting the class to accuse Haruno of harming their interests.
No one expected that before any deal was even made, Class B would end up fighting among themselves first.
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