Chapter 142 Hesitation Leads to Defeat!
The second day of the exam. The group gathered as usual. With the return of Tokito Hiroya, the atmosphere of the Tiger Group became quiet once again.
If possible, Hikigaya hoped it would stay this quiet until the end of the exam.
Tokito Hiroya kept staring at him with eyes full of hostility.
'How scary~'
Hikigaya leisurely scrolled through his phone, treating the other party as if they were thin air.
"You!"
Several times, Tokito Hiroya angrily wanted to rush over and pick a fight with him. But once he thought of Hikigaya's combat prowess, added to the fact that there was a Kamuro Masumi who was also quite skilled, his gaze instantly became "clear."
'No, compared to competing with this dead-fish eyes guy, I have more important things to do...'
Tokito Hiroya was ambitious; he wanted to establish personal prestige in Class C by finding the VIP, so that he could challenge Ryuen Kakeru's dominant position in the future.
"Hey, VIP of the Tiger Group, listen up.
As long as you are willing to proactively admit it to me and provide valid proof. I can immediately transfer 1 million points to you!!"
Tokito Hiroya addressed everyone present. His strategy wasn't particularly sophisticated—it was simple, clear-cut bribery.
"1 million points!"
"Real or fake?"
"Isn't that too much? It's double the school's reward!"
Quite a few people showed signs of being tempted. Especially the few from Class D; each one of them looked excited. This was no surprise; Class D had continuously received "zero eggs" or extremely low scores in the first semester, so the personal points they could receive each month were far too few.
"It's true. No matter what method you use, as long as you can help me find the VIP or provide a key clue, I'll transfer the money on the spot!" Tokito Hiroya patted his chest and vowed with the promise of heavy rewards.
The corner of Hikigaya's mouth twitched. He tried his best to hold back from laughing out loud.
'Tokito Hiroya actually plans to team up with the "Gods" of Class D to find the VIP? Are you sure you're serious?'
"I think Hikigaya is the VIP!"
"Look at that belly full of bad water; he looks the part."
"He purposely pointed out Kamuro yesterday, clearly to provide cover for himself!"
This was a "pure Artificial Intelligence" analysis from Class D.
"Hmm! That makes sense!" Tokito Hiroya nodded, his eyes once again fixed firmly on Hikigaya, trying to find the answer on his face.
"I also think it's Hikigaya."
Yahiko proposed his viewpoint: "I don't think this guy would meddle in other people's business for no reason. There is only one possibility for why he's participating in the VIP discussion: Hikigaya himself is the VIP, and he intentionally pointed out Kamuro to mislead everyone."
Yahiko's analysis was also logical and evidence-based; several people from Class A followed suit and expressed their agreement.
"The reasoning is insufficient. If Hikigaya-kun were the VIP, he could have remained silent the entire time. As the saying goes, 'the more you speak, the more mistakes you make.' If you don't speak, you won't leak information."
Himeno Yuki proposed a different thought.
"Tch~ Is there a possibility that this guy just wants to show off? Intentionally flaunting his deceptive methods in front of us just to play all our classes for fools!" Tokito Hiroya made a malicious conjecture about Hikigaya.
"Yeah, are you guys only realizing this now?" Hikigaya didn't bother to explain or object.
Simultaneously, he added a sentence: "Have you all forgotten that there is an important rule in this exam? In the same group, as long as one person submits a guess, regardless of whether the result is right or wrong, the exam for that group will be declared over. There is only one chance to submit an early answer; which of you is going first?"
The moment Hikigaya said this, he immediately threw the pressure onto everyone present. Everyone's expressions shifted, and a sense of urgency appeared in their eyes. Although everyone currently suspected Hikigaya was the VIP, they still lacked hard evidence. If they guessed wrong, they wouldn't just fail to get the 500,000 personal points; they would also cause their own class to lose 50 points! Both the risk and the reward were high-stakes.
"What? Are you afraid of being blamed by your classmates if you guess wrong? Don't worry, the name of the person who submits the answer is confidential. Even if you guess wrong, no one will blame you... But if you happen to guess right, the harvest will be huge!"
Hikigaya further stimulated everyone's emotions through his words. Sure enough, people on the scene began to take out their phones and start editing messages.
"Hey! Okidani, don't try to get ahead!" Sotomura Hideo was also anxious, quickly taking out his phone to try and submit an answer.
"Damn Class D, don't you dare act recklessly on your own!" Tokito Hiroya's face instantly changed. As long as one person showed the intention to submit an early answer, it would trigger a chain reaction. In the end, it would come down to hand speed.
Ding! Everyone's phones received a text message from the school.
[In your Tiger Group, someone has submitted an answer, triggering the quick-response mechanism. It is now announced that all members of the Tiger Group have ended the exam early!]
"Which bastard sent it first?"
"Was there any careful consideration?"
"Tch! By the time you finished considering, the exam would be over!"
"Damn it! We all fell for it!! That guy Hikigaya stimulated us on purpose!!!"
Yahiko realized it too late, his IQ suddenly coming online.
This couldn't even be called an underhanded plot; it was a transparent "Open Scheme." Even if there were smart people in the Tiger Group who could see through Hikigaya's plan, they couldn't stop "pig teammates" from submitting answers on their own. After all, if they guessed right, they'd get 500,000. If they guessed wrong, they could later lie and say they didn't submit an answer. Since it was anonymous anyway, they didn't have to bear responsibility for the failure.
"Hikigaya, you guy are too sneaky, aren't you?"
Himeno Yuki held up her phone screen, which showed a completed message: The Tiger Group VIP is Kamuro Masumi.
Kamuro Masumi felt a shock in her heart—someone really had guessed her!
"What a pity. Hesitation leads to defeat." Hikigaya noticed carefully that her message failed to send. This meant that before Himeno Yuki could send her answer, someone else had already successfully submitted a guess.
The Tiger Group exam ended. The group was disbanded; from now on, they didn't need to attend the daily meetings, and everyone was free to do as they pleased.
"Kamuro, want to go to the deck together to look at the sea and zone out?" Hikigaya was in an excellent mood and proactively issued an invitation.
"Eh... that sounds pretty good."
'Wait, really?'
He thought girls wouldn't like that.
"However, for the sake of your personal reputation, we should probably avoid meeting for the time being."
Kamuro Masumi's expression was somewhat helpless.
This time, Hikigaya had hidden her identity as the VIP for her sake, which carried a serious suspicion of betraying his class. If they were seen together right after the exam ended, it would be "ironclad proof" of collaborating with the enemy and selling out his class.
Hikigaya's eyes moved, and he guessed her concern. He said, "Do you think I care about what the people in my class think of me?"
"I care!" Kamuro Masumi watched him with a serious gaze: "Hikigaya, I don't want you to carry an undeserved bad reputation for my sake."
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