Day three of the VIP test—rest day.
At noon, the leaders of each class sat in the ocean-view restaurant on the cruise ship. After a day and a half, they had all convinced their classmates to sign the contract.
Anyone who broke the contract would voluntarily drop out.
Not long after, Mashima-sensei arrived, having received the email. Along with him were the homeroom teachers of the other three classes.
The four teachers looked at the contract Haruno handed over, their expressions turning strange as they saw the long list of student names and fingerprints.
As witnesses, they had no reason to speak at this moment. With their confirmation, the contract immediately took effect.
This meant that the final outcome of the twelve groups in the VIP test was set as [Outcome One]. Every student would receive 500,000 private points, while the VIPs would get 1,000,000 private points.
But in exchange… there would be no changes to class points, and class rankings would remain the same.
—
"Hey, what the hell did you call me out here for?"
On the deck, Ibuki glared at the guy with dead-fish eyes standing across from her.
"I just wanted to ask you about something."
Hikigaya, leaning against the railing, turned around and took a bite of his curry bread.
"Wait a minute, how do you even have my contact info?"
A little while ago, Ibuki had received an email from Hikigaya. Following the location in the message, she had come to meet him.
"Looks like you don't have many friends in your class, huh?"
Hikigaya didn't actually have Ibuki's contact info at first. Since she was a loner in Class C with almost no friends, it had taken him quite a bit of effort to get it.
"Did Shiina tell you?"
"Huh? You figured that out?"
Hikigaya was slightly surprised.
"Are you looking at me like I'm an idiot? You bastard!"
Ibuki glared at him angrily. "I have no contact with most of the people in my class. The only ones who have my info are Ryuen, Ishizaki, and… Shiina."
"I see."
Hikigaya had indeed gotten Ibuki's contact info from Hiyori. It had taken a lot of questioning from Hiyori before she finally gave it to him.
"I called you out because I want to ask you about someone."
Hikigaya got straight to the point.
"Huh? Why should I answer your questions?"
"Manabe Shiho. You know her, right?"
"Manabe? That arrogant idiot? Of course, I do. She struts around like she owns the place. If any girl upsets her, she gangs up with others to push them out… Wait, why am I even telling you this?"
The moment Ibuki heard Manabe's name, she looked irritated—or rather, outright hostile.
"So she's got a bad reputation in your class? The type who bullies and excludes others?"
"Hey, are you even listening to me?"
Ibuki's eyes widened in frustration. "She's just a coward who acts tough, always using the excuse of 'standing up for others' to bully people!"
"So, Ibuki, are you afraid of her?"
Hikigaya seemed to be thinking.
"Huh? Are you kidding me? You think I'd be scared of Manabe?!"
Ibuki huffed. "I even took down that Horikita from your class. Someone like Manabe? I could Take down her with one punch!"
"Take down?"
Ibuki froze for a second, realizing she had said the wrong thing. She quickly corrected herself. "I mean, I'm strong! Even you wouldn't stand a chance against me! Got it? It's just a figure of speech!"
"Do you know Rika?"
"Nope!"
Ibuki answered without hesitation. "But I think she hangs out a lot with Yamashita and Yabu Nanami. She looks pretty timid, though. Sometimes, she even stutters when she talks."
"Alright, thanks. I think I've got a pretty good picture now."
Combining what he had just learned from Ibuki with the information he had previously gotten from Sakura, Hikigaya now had a clearer understanding of Manabe.
"You're welc—wait a second! You never took me seriously from the start, did you?!"
Ibuki suddenly realized what was going on and glared at Hikigaya angrily.
"Have you eaten lunch yet? I've got an extra curry bread."
Hikigaya casually held out another piece of bread. Still fuming, Ibuki snatched it without thinking, ripped open the package, and wolfed it down in a few quick bites. Hikigaya could only stare in surprise.
"What are you looking at? Never seen someone eat—mmph!"
Ibuki suddenly started pounding on her chest, her face turning red.
"Hey, you okay?!"
Hikigaya was startled by her reaction.
"Water… water…"
Ibuki pointed at the water bottle in his hand. Realizing what was happening, Hikigaya quickly twisted off the cap and handed it to her.
After downing nearly the whole bottle, Ibuki finally caught her breath. She leaned against the railing, looking completely drained.
"This is all your fault! That bread you gave me!"
The pain of nearly choking brought tears to her eyes. Just as she was about to wipe them, Hikigaya handed her a tissue. She shot him a glare before grabbing it and turning away to wipe the corners of her eyes.
"Hey… back on the deserted island… did you do that on purpose?"
Suddenly, Ibuki asked.
"Do what on purpose?"
"On the sixth day, did you already figure out that Ryuen was going to transfer the leader's keycard to me? Is that why you said what you did to me?"
"Oh, that? I was just talking randomly."
"Not a chance! You did it on purpose!"
Ibuki suddenly turned around and stared straight into Hikigaya's eyes. "My gut feeling never lies. You definitely meant for me to hear that!"
"Is 'gut feeling' even a real thing?"
Hikigaya couldn't help but comment.
"Doesn't matter! If I say it's real, then it's real!"
Ibuki declared confidently.
Hikigaya was silent for a moment, then nodded.
Ibuki couldn't hide the excitement and smugness on her face.
"Instead of letting you walk away empty-handed, I'd rather let you earn a few more points. After all, your money is my money too."
Seeing this, Hikigaya could only respond honestly. "You're not gonna get hurt if I say it like that, right?"
Ibuki: "…"
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