Classroom Of The Elite 2nd Year - Full Volume
Chapter 3
Ichinose meets Katsuragi to try to change his opinion, but this time it seems like Katsuragi has done the right thing. There are only four possible outcomes for this exam. Students may choose to complete the exam through one of these results. Uninterested in the competition between classes, Katsuragi seemed to only focus on leading Class A through this exam.
"Speaking more is pointless, Ichinose. You should know that I didn't change my decision"
"Splitting the mountain without moving a bit, huh?" Ichinose commented while smiling bitterly. After seeing no sign of him giving up, it seemed like he understood Katsuragi would not accept our opinion. I had expected results like this from the beginning.
"Are you still trying?"
"Of course, that's the whole point of this test" Ichinose and Katsuragi. The two powerful elites rejected each other directly.
"I'm sorry, but I can already see the results of this exam. As long as we from Class A refuse to cooperate, your actions will be very limited. There's no chance you'll win"
That's right, even though the three classes were perfectly united, this exam was not an easy thing to complete. Once the identity of the "target" is revealed, one will definitely become a traitor. As long as the traitor stands to gain something by himself, cooperation will be difficult to maintain until the end. If the results are not evenly divided, there is no point in cooperating.
"Say something to me. If you were the leader of Class A, wouldn't you have used the same strategy as me?"
"I wonder, I still haven't seen anything from Class A's point of view. If you were in such a hunted position, shouldn't you already have a lot of experience to hunt? From the start it was difficult "As if hearing some nonsense, Katsuragi closed her eyes and crossed her arms and finally saw Ichinose's eyes once again.
"It's just my personal image, but I think if we were in the same position, you'd also have an inevitable conversation and choose the same strategy that I did. If I wanted to protect my class, I wouldn't mind receiving criticism from the other classes" Katsuragi said assuming that Ichinose had the same confidence as him and Ichinose only smiled gently in response to her assessment of him.
"I'm sorry for taking your time, I think I understand now. Your feelings and way of thinking"
"Good to hear. Excuse me" Ichinose did not move an inch as he looked at Katsuragi.
"This test, it's so easy when playing a survival game, huh, I shouldn't have to do anything unnecessary," Basically, just a class that desperately needs points that has to quickly find the clue, huh, but there is a big risk there. Releasing "targets" can also cause problems for the class.
"Although that's the case, Kanzaki-kun and the others haven't come out yet" Even though Katsuragi and Class A went first, the others besides them haven't shown themselves yet. 1 Hour is the minimum amount of time needed to discuss, but discussions outside of that are not prohibited.
"Are you going to wait for Kanzaki?" I asked Ichinose.
"Ayanokouji-kun is also waiting for Horikita-san, right? I want to hear what they're saying too, let's wait together"
He could talk to Kanzaki whenever he wanted, but my chances of talking to Horikita were limited. Ever since Katsuragi rejected her, she might also want to hear the opinions of other classes as well. But from the start, I didn't think there was a way to break through Katsuragi's strategy and from then on, we waited for about 30 minutes and the door to the dragon group room finally opened. The ones who came out were Class C students except for Ryuuen, there were also Kushida and Hirata.
"Hmm? Ayanokouji-kun, what are you doing here? Are you waiting for Horikita-san?"
After seeing me, Kushida approached me in a strange way. Memories of what happened to him yesterday appeared in my mind and my body immediately stiffened. But it seems Kushida is still the same as usual and has not shown any signs of change. It's a little unfortunate.
"Hi, Kushida-san"
"Uwaa, Ichinose-san, Hi, This is very shocking and a foreign combination" It seems that Kushida did not know that we were acquaintances and could not hide her surprise.
"I was waiting for Horikita-san and Kanzaki-kun but are they still talking inside?"
"The two of them are still talking to Ryuuen-kun. Looks like you can enter" Kushida pointed towards the door as if inviting us in.
"No problem, no problem. I can wait. Are they still in the middle of the discussion?"
"Is that not a problem? The exam limit is only 1 hour, anything beyond that you are free to enter and exit as you like, besides, you don't know if they are still talking about the exam or not" And with a slightly pushy attitude, Kushida opened the door and forced us in. Because I was forced to come in and
without any reason to refuse, I entered together with Ichinose. My eyes met Hirata for a moment.
And in the room, three people sat slightly apart from each other. It's almost like a three-state situation. But it was not the tense atmosphere I felt but something more relaxed. The moment we intruders set foot in the room, their gazes immediately turned towards us. Horikita and Kanzaki did not show much change in their expressions, but Ryuuen seemed to have found something funny as she laughed. Then he raised his hand and called out to Ichinose.
"Yo, did you come all the way here to do some reconnaissance? Don't be shy, sit down”
"Of course it's an interesting combination. I can't wait to hear what you've been talking about after the given time.”
"Nails, of course. At first, you must have thought that you would be in the same place as Kanzaki. But in fact, you belong to a different group and a small group with something clearly visible. Or maybe it's the kind of person like you?”
"Come, Ryuuen-kun, the placement is decided by the school, how can you know? We are only fighting based on the information and situation we have provided. The way you say that sounds like the opposite and the school purposely grouped us? "
Ichinose acted as if he had not noticed or noticed something, but Ryuuen was not the type of man to believe in something like that. Laughing, he quickly moved and closed the distance between himself and Ichinose. And it seems like he has not even noticed my presence. Personally, I prefer it this way.
If you haven't noticed, then I'll tell you. In this exam, a group of teachers purposefully disconnect the group, it also means that there's a reason why you're expelled from this group even if you're the leader of class B"
"Hmm, so not a random group but a predetermined one, huh? I know Ryuuen-kun's group is made up of very talented people, but it seems like the other groups were also decided like that. Thanks for the information, but does it matter? Gave me such information?" Ichinose's answer should have been expected, but I didn't get any change in expression on Ryuuen's face. Normally, after hearing facts that should not be known, the,
there will be a surprise, anxiety or doubt. But without losing a single bit, Ichinose thanked him for the information. That's not a natural response. Of course, looking at it from the other party's point of view, Ichinose's reaction must have made it look as if he had known this truth long ago, but had only concealed the fact.
In this matter, did Ichinose see the deliberate grouping by the school authorities as unimportant? What was especially so was 'why', if he was conscious, he would decide to remain silent on the matter. That is the meaning of trying to respect each other.
"But, even so..." And with a vexed face, Ryuuen finally turned to face me.
"Me too, I love chasing girls, but you're even worse than that, aren't you? First Suzune and now Ichinose. You always depend on women" he told me. Of course it wasn't my intention, but now that I think about it, he wasn't wrong either and I can't deny it. Not that Ryuuen was very interested in me, because she did not say anything else after that.
“You came at the right time, Ichinose. I have an interesting proposal I made for you"
"Extension? Anyhow I'll hear you, what's that?"
"It's just nonsense. Take the time to open your ears wide" Having already heard the proposal, Horikita quickly cut as if to prevent it.
"It was a proposal to cooperate and destroy Class A together. But it seems like Suzune and Kanzaki have already rejected me"
"What do you mean?"
"I've told Suzune before, but I already know the identities of all ‘target’ Class C's, you know" And as Katsuragi has Katsuragi's own strategy. Now, it seemed Ryuuen's turn to talk about her own strategy. It looks like we have already progressed beyond the stage we faced in the morning.
"The three classes will combine power and information sharing that includes the identities of all ‘target’ and also disregard the school rules for this exam" So that's what the three-class alliance means.
"That's a pretty bold idea, but how realistic it is is a completely different matter. First, how can we believe that Ryuuen-kun already knows ‘target’ from Class C?"
"You can't trust me and it's only natural, then we don't make a contract on this matter? A promise to share the identity of ‘target’ among us and reduce class A. In that way, putting aside Class A, the three classes would effectively form a siege against him” But this was a strategy that would likely collapse if Class A refused to get involved.
"Even if we write a contract, without knowing who will betray you, it will mean nothing more. It was the end if Class C betrayed us" Horikita's statement as it was a natural follow-up to this kind of proposal. From the information I gathered myself, it seems that Ryuuen has already formed an alliance with Class A for quite some time now.
And during the exam on the island, Ryuuen has shown her inclination to betray. The fact that Katsuragi did not make a single complaint against him showed how well this person did his job. The strategy itself was not a bad thing, but the fact that Ryuuen was the one who proposed it was the case.
"What Horikita-san said makes sense, but if we don't know the identity of ‘target’ like Ryuuen-kun, this is just a meaningless proposal"
"There's no point in playing a stupid game. There's no way you wouldn't analyze the other classes either" Ryuuen replied to Ichinose. The two smiled on their faces, but the atmosphere between them changed slightly like a needle piercing through your skin from the start.
"You overestimate me too much, I'm not doing anything like that. After all, this proposal is very high risk. I'm afraid I can't take it" Ichinose told Ryuuen.
"There's a time for a secret and there's a time to do something"
“That may be your point of view, but now you're gathering information very aggressively. Is your dream not to go up to Class B?"
"Horikita-san from Class D was also against it. From the beginning, it was impossible for this proposal to be accepted"
"How else, Suzune has reason to reject the proposal"
"What does that proposal mean" Horikita asked Ryuuen.
"Don't you understand? For this strategy to work, you must really understand your own class first and for Class D who has absolutely no teamwork, it is an impossible task, right? and it's also impossible for Class A to be split into two groups at the moment" he replied. The atmosphere changed once again and now it felt like an overcast atmosphere had descended upon the room.
"But to me, someone who mastered the class and the very popular Ichinose, this strategy is possible. Right now I am proposing three class alliances, but even if it is only with two classes, it is still possible. Judging from this exam it might be a little slumped, but if it was me, I would definitely be able to do it. If I can do it, A and D can also be humiliated”
To find the "targets" of Class A and Class D by working together as two classes. That was Ryuuen's proposal. The fact that Ryuuen boldly proposed this strategy to Class B to ask for their cooperation in front of Horikita, I, Kushida and Class D alone could not understand and was disturbing.
Even if this strategy isn't perfect, it looks like Ryuuen is able to gain something by knowing the "target" identity of the class and will reach that point just one step further. If so, this will be an important moment for Class D.
"These may be unimportant words, but doesn't that mean your strategy is still imperfect?"
I thought he would only observe here but right now Horikita's attitude seems to have marked him as an enemy. Even if Ichinose decides to ally with Class D instead, we still don't know how far we can trust him. Given this, it would be fatal to let Ichinose form a relationship with Ryuuen here.
"Do you understand the situation now, palyboy?" Ryuuen laughed at me as if trying to surprise me, but I decided not to shut up and answered honestly.
"If Classes B and C form an alliance here, of course Classes A and D will form an alliance as well, won't they? I admit that Class D is fragile at the moment, it is very likely that defeat will come true. I believe it will come together. Same for Class A as well "
"It doesn't mean that I'm in alliance with Ichinose at the moment, unless you can confirm the fact that such an alliance has already been formed, I doubt Katsuragi will cooperate with you" Ryuuen replied to me.
I admit, Katsuragi was a cautious person who would not accept such ambiguous negotiations. However, since he also suffered at Ryuuen's hands, there was still room to argue with him. After what I said, it seems Horikita also realized that this proposal would not work.
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