"A troublemaker?"
Kamuro's expression was a bit odd. The so-called "troublemaker" Hikigaya was referring to—Yukinoshita Haruno—was actually incredibly popular, not just in their class, but across the entire grade. She had a way of dealing with people that made her easy to get along with. Almost everyone who interacted with her couldn't help but find her likable, as if basking in a warm spring breeze.
But Haruno wasn't the typical gentle and cheerful girl like Ichinose. Her style was completely different. She rarely showed what could be called "kindness." Instead, most people saw her as energetic, even mischievous. She had a way of closing the distance between herself and strangers in just a few words, blending in with any group effortlessly.
Sometimes, she did come off as a bit overbearing, even unreasonable. But strangely enough, instead of resenting her for it, many people found her authenticity refreshing.
Because of that, Haruno wasn't just popular—she had a strong presence in the class.
At the beginning of the school year, there were only two main factions: Sakayanagi's and Katsuragi's. Both sides wanted to recruit Haruno, but she made it clear that she wasn't interested in their power struggle and chose to remain neutral.
At first, this seemed like the best possible outcome for both factions. But soon, they realized something was off.
Originally, students who didn't want to take sides had no choice but to pick one faction or the other. But with Haruno openly declaring neutrality, she created a third option.
If the class had started out as a two-way battle between Sakayanagi and Katsuragi, it had now become a three-way standoff.
At first, only a handful of students joined Haruno in remaining neutral. But after Katsuragi's crushing defeat in the special test on the uninhabited island, many students who had lost faith in him didn't switch to supporting Sakayanagi. Instead, they gravitated toward Haruno.
Little by little, both Sakayanagi and Katsuragi realized that Haruno's growing influence was no longer something they could ignore.
With only 40 students in the class, having three major factions meant that both Sakayanagi and Katsuragi's support bases had shrunk significantly.
In the current test, Kamuro's group consisted of four students from Class B, including herself. Out of those four, three were part of the neutral faction. And since the test required classmates to work together, the fact that the neutral students had said nothing about the "preferred" student so far was concerning.
Of course, part of this had to do with Kamuro's personality. But she also had a sharp intuition, and she could sense the growing tension in the class—like the calm before a storm.
Hikigaya wasn't aware of all the problems Kamuro was dealing with, but the fact that she suddenly took the initiative to ask about Haruno meant one thing—Haruno was making her move.
The discussion wrapped up in about an hour, with no real progress, just like before. As Hikigaya was about to leave, a girl suddenly called out to him from behind.
"You're Hikigaya from Class D, right?"
A lazy-sounding voice. Hikigaya turned around and saw a student from Class B. If he remembered correctly, her name was Morishita Ai?
"Is there something you need?"
He quickly ran through his memory for any relevant information. As far as he knew, this was their first time speaking.
The girl's voice had a relaxed, almost floating quality to it.
"It's like this—Yukinoshita-san asked me to pass on a message. She wants to meet you at 10 PM in Room 211 on the second floor."
With that, Morishita Ai turned and left, looking like she really was just here to deliver a message.
Hikigaya glanced at the time—9 PM. Perfect. He could take a shower before heading over.
The cruise ship rooms had showers, but with four people sharing a room, Hikigaya preferred going to the ship's public bath. He wasn't the only one who thought this way.
Since the group discussion had just ended, the bathhouse was empty.
Hikigaya soaked in the hot water, a warm towel covering his face. The steam relaxed his body, while his mind raced through everything that had happened from the start of the exam to the recent group discussion. He focused on how each group member had acted. Right now, he thought the most likely VIP in Group Tiger was someone from Class A or Class B.
"Too bad there's not enough useful information."
Hikigaya let out a sigh. It wasn't just that everyone had their own agenda—they were also being extra cautious around him. Whether it was Shiranami Chihiro from Class A or Kamuro from Class B, not to mention the people from Class C, they were all treating him like a big bad wolf, making sure not to let anything slip.
"Looks like Pochi Boy is having a hard time with this exam?"
A voice suddenly came from across the bath. Hikigaya was surprised to see a blond-haired guy sitting there.
"Koenji? When did you get here?"
Even with a towel over his face, Hikigaya should have noticed someone entering the bath.
"Haha, I was here first. Pochi Boy, you're actually the second one."
Koenji leaned back against the edge of the bath like a king.
"What do you think about this exam, Koenji?"
After thinking for a moment, Hikigaya asked. He was curious about Koenji's opinion—there was a chance he could get some useful info.
"Easy job!"
Koenji's tone was as arrogant as ever, but Hikigaya didn't take it lightly.
"So, you already know who the VIP is in your group?"
"Of course. This little trick the school came up with is easy to figure out if you just think a bit."
Koenji sounded completely confident, which took Hikigaya by surprise.
If Koenji wasn't lying, that meant he had already identified the VIP or at least had a solid guess.
"You're talking about factors outside of the group discussion?"
"Looks like you and I are thinking the same thing."
Koenji's voice stayed calm. "Too bad the students in my group are so clueless. Even without these extra factors, it's obvious who the hidden target is. This game is way too boring."
Hikigaya was slightly taken aback. Did this mean Koenji had already figured out who the VIP was in his group?
Just as Hikigaya was about to ask more, Koenji stood up and disappeared. A guy who comes and goes like the wind.
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