On the ship.
At 9:35 PM, after Houtarou and the others simultaneously submitted their groups' VIP information (except for the VIPs themselves), the exam was officially declared over.
The class representatives who had met in the private room yesterday afternoon were now gathered there again — all eight of them present.
This was because Houtarou's agreement with them wasn't yet complete.
They were waiting for their points to be credited so they could complete the final step: collecting half of their classmates' earned points to transfer to him.
"Don't all look so gloomy." Houtarou said, noting that besides himself and the cheerful Suzune, the other class representatives appeared downcast.
Kōhei remained calm, satisfied with Class A's exam results.
Their Class Points had increased by 471, widening the gap with lower-ranked classes, despite signing an agreement to pay Class D 800,000 points monthly until graduation.
Each student would now receive 250,000 points. Though Arisu wasn't present, she had contributed by helping deduce the VIP patterns, which enabled Houtarou to obtain information about VIPs from other classes.
This proved she was supporting Class A. While faction rivalry would harm the class, Arisu's ideas were too radical and unreliable.
Kōhei considered this outcome ideal.
Class B and C representatives wore terrible expressions, which was understandable. Houtarou had scored big, and Suzune remained relaxed since she would share in the profits.
Kikyō, exposed as a spy and excluded, maintained a false smile while inwardly seething. She realized Houtarou had suspected her based on parallels with Chie and Sae's relationship.
He saw Suzune as similar to Sae, and Kikyō as similar to Chie. It was irritating — though admittedly, Sae and Suzune did share some traits.
After noticing Chie's unhealthy obsession with Sae, Houtarou suspected Kikyō might have similar tendencies. When he discovered she had blocked his GPS tracking, he immediately had others monitor her location.
It infuriated her that he drew these conclusions simply because he thought she resembled that teacher. What connection did that woman have to her anyway?
Kikyō's mood soured further — she had no desire to become that kind of adult.
"Phew… Everyone followed the requirements." Yōsuke said cheerfully. Everyone receiving points was his ideal scenario.
There was just one small complication — since the Monkey Group exam ended early, the other three Class D students from that were demanding to be included in the money distribution.
The Monkey Group students wanted to pool everyone's points together, arguing they deserved a share even though half would go to Houtarou. They felt it was unfair to be excluded from the distribution.
Their alternative proposal was to split Rokusuke's 50 Class Points from the Monkey Group — 25 for him and 25 for them — since they claimed he had denied them the chance to earn money.
He would need to negotiate with these students after the transfers were complete, likely keeping him up until midnight.
"Of course we're not happy!" Kakeru said, clutching his new silver school-issued phone — obtained from Tomonari after borrowing 500,000 points from Houtarou with an IOU, "You took all the points this time."
"I also think it's a bit excessive." Ryūji added.
His state had improved since yesterday, when frustration from the island exam and Kakeru's mental harassment had nearly caused him to break down. When the private room's speaker had announced the Ox Group exam's end, it had shocked him back to his senses.
Fearing he might have caused Class Point deductions, he had considered withdrawing from school. Fortunately, the announcement proved to be a bluff.
As a result, Class B's Ox Group's VIP information remained secure. Not only were points preserved, but the Ox Group students could still participate in the money-sharing plan — a small consolation.
Still, having to gather half of all students' points to give to Houtarou felt like robbery.
"It's not excessive — you just didn't properly analyze the exam." Houtarou said, "This includes Ryūen as well. I was following the correct solution."
Huh?
Kakeru, already bitter about his debt and exposed Class D spy, bristled. What was this guy suggesting? Could there be another solution to the exam?
"Think carefully about the essence of this exam." Houtarou said, "Four exam results. Answer early or wait. If you wait, everyone gets reward points — the best plan. Answering early means deducting points from each other. But consider this — what's the current point difference between our classes?"
"..."
Kōhei hadn't considered the true solution. He watched his classmate quietly, remembering how Houtarou's unconventional thinking had shown itself when he sold him the Student Council position.
What was the correct solution this time?
Houtarou continued, "Early VIP identification gives the class 50 Class Points — but what does that really mean? For 40 students, that's only 200,000 per month, just 2.4 million per year. But Result 1, with 13 students per group, yields 700,000 points (12x50+100). This was clearly a rare opportunity for everyone to build savings. Were you all brain-dead to focus on Class Points instead?"
"But..." Honami said, "If our Class B had identified Class A's VIP, we could have closed the 100 Class Point gap."
Currently, Class A has 1,801 points while Class B has 970 points. The gap is substantial.
For Class B students aspiring to reach Class A, it's understandably demoralizing. Their desire to close this distance makes perfect sense.
However.
"That would be meaningless." Houtarou said, "Do you think class competition is just about becoming Class A? I don't think so."
"So you're saying points are supreme?" Honami asked immediately.
"Of course points are supreme." He said, "School points cover expenses, and there's something only third-year students know — at graduation, the school exchanges students' points for cash at a set ratio. Essentially, only Class A students from this school can receive this cash redemption and secure their bright future.
But what about the other students? What do they gain from three years here? True, they'll need to graduate from other schools eventually. Yet they'll have spent three years here experiencing various special exams — experiences that will help them face diverse situations in society later.
Moreover, if they can accumulate points to exchange for cash during this period, wouldn't that benefit their future work, education, and life? So why forfeit the opportunity to receive 250,000 points freely?"
Uh.
"..."
This revelation struck them all. In other words, studying at this school meant they should also be building their financial future.
Thus, everyone gained a new understanding of this guy.
Beep!
『500,000 Points have been credited to your account!』
『Sender - XF10001』
『500,000 Points have been credited to your account!』
『Sender - XF10001』
『500,000 Points have been credited to your account!』
『Sender - XF10001』
At this moment, everyone in the private room noticed their accounts receiving deposits—the school's transfers. Students who hadn't disabled their transfer notifications heard voice announcements on their phones.
This confirmed that the school had approved their answers.
『1,000,000 Points have been credited to your account!』
『Sender - XF10001』
While everyone else received 500,000, one conspicuous 1,000,000 stood out.
That was Kikyō.
"Umm..." Noticing everyone looking at her, she quickly said, "I'm the VIP."
Regular group members received 500k, while VIPs got 1000k. VIPs were indeed special.
Kakeru: "..."
Damn.
⍟⍟⍟
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