The exam ended at 9:00, with thirty minutes to send a betrayal text. After 9:30, however, only Result One or Result Two could be achieved.
Katsuragi stared at Hikigaya's phone for a moment before raising a question. "Even if you show me the text, how can I trust this is your phone?"
"You don't have to trust me," Hikigaya replied, unbothered. "After 9:30, there are no penalties for wrong answers, but if you get them all right, you can achieve Result One. Every class can earn personal points, so as long as 'you' don't betray anyone, everything will be fine. That's why I told you to inform them after 9:30."
"... That's true."
Katsuragi understood the underlying message. If Hikigaya had revealed his identity directly to the team members, there was no guarantee anyone would believe him completely, but someone might take a risk.
However, if the message came from a third party from the same class, like Katsuragi, even if it was wrong, the responsibility would fall on the messenger. Katsuragi wasn't afraid to bear responsibility, but he certainly wasn't going to take such a risk for the class.
It was a proposal carefully crafted with the personalities involved in mind.
"Ugh..." Katsuragi folded his arms and closed his eyes, clearly still deliberating.
Hikigaya didn't rush him, calmly sipping his coffee. He was certain Katsuragi would compromise. After all, this proposal offered Class B every advantage with no downside.
Especially since Class B had four people in the Chicken Group compared to Class A and Class C. That alone was worth 500,000 points. Refusing was simply illogical.
After a long pause, Katsuragi opened his eyes. "Hikigaya, can I take another look at the text?"
"Hm? Sure."
Though it seemed odd, Hikigaya didn't think much of it and unlocked his phone to show Katsuragi again.
Katsuragi stared at the screen, and after a moment, a small smile appeared on his face.
"... What are you smiling about?" Hikigaya asked, puzzled.
"I just confirmed something," Katsuragi said, his tone firm. "This phone is definitely yours, Hikigaya. There's no doubt about it."
"Of course it is. I've said that from the beginning."
"No, I can say with one hundred percent certainty now. You can't bluff your way out of this."
Katsuragi pointed to Hikigaya's phone. "Take a look for yourself. It's a fact you can't deny."
"What are you talking about... Oh, I see."
Hikigaya turned over his phone, noticing an incoming call. It was Hashimoto.
"My bad, Hikigaya."
At that moment, Hashimoto emerged from the corner with a smug grin.
"... Seriously." Hikigaya sighed, irritation creeping into his voice. "Hashimoto, when did you start working for Katsuragi? Are you trying to compete with Yahiko to become the top lapdog?"
"Hey, hey, don't make it sound so bad."
Perhaps due to uncovering the VIP and feeling victorious over Hikigaya, Hashimoto's mood was noticeably light.
"I've always been loyal to the princess. And now that the faction disputes in our class have settled, I need to contribute in any way I can. So, sorry about this."
Just like Hashimoto said, now that Katsuragi wasn't contesting leadership, there was no more internal conflict. Besides, falling into Class B's reality had likely heightened his sense of urgency.
"Hikigaya, you came here with good intentions for this conversation," Katsuragi said seriously. "But from my standpoint, I'll do whatever it takes for my class. Even if you criticize me, I don't mind. I won't care about other people's judgment."
"No, this is an exam. What you're saying is perfectly reasonable," Hikigaya replied, shaking his head.
It wasn't mere politeness; he genuinely believed it.
That being said, these two weren't bad at strategizing. It likely wasn't a pre-planned move, but rather something they'd improvised.
Unfortunately for them, their struggle was pointless.
"I'm glad you understand."
"Oh, I understand... but only to a certain extent."
"...?" A sense of unease suddenly crept up on Katsuragi.
Hikigaya shifted his gaze to Hashimoto. "Do you remember what I asked you earlier? Why I wanted you to bring Katsuragi instead of Kamuro?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hashimoto looked puzzled. "Didn't you say you didn't want to bother Kamuro?"
"Right, but do you know what kind of 'bother' I meant?"
"What was it?"
Hikigaya smirked slightly and spoke six words.
"Tiger Group. Kamuro Masumi."
"Huh?"
Before Hashimoto could voice his confusion, Hikigaya continued.
"Mouse Group. Yamamura Miki."
"Ah..."
Katsuragi's eyes widened slightly, but Hikigaya didn't stop.
"Pig Group. Sato Takeshi."
"..."
Three names from three groups. Silence immediately fell over the room.
Seeing the looks on their faces, Hikigaya couldn't help but chuckle. "Even if you don't know all of your class's VIPs, you must be aware of at least one or two, right? Did you really think I'd come to negotiate without any leverage? I feel like I've been underestimated."
"Regrettably, Hikigaya," Katsuragi shook his head slightly, "you should know my current position in the class. If you're trying to probe me with this, I have to say you're wasting your efforts."
"Ah, is that so? Well, forget it then."
Hikigaya made a move to stand up, but Hashimoto immediately pushed him back into his seat.
"Wait! Let's keep talking!"
"What's left to talk about? You don't trust me, right?"
"No, no! I've always believed you!"
Hashimoto thumped his chest, swearing his trust again and again.
In truth, they had no choice but to believe him now. If Hikigaya had only revealed one VIP, it could have been a guess, but naming three correctly left no room for doubt.
Without question, Hikigaya had already figured out the pattern in this exam.
Katsuragi sighed quietly, realizing the tides had turned, but something still felt off.
"Hikigaya, if you already know the names of the VIPs, why go through all this trouble?" Katsuragi asked, perplexed. "If it's personal points you're after, you could just have someone from your class send the betrayal text. Why go after Result One in your own group?"
From Katsuragi's perspective, if someone from his class had figured out the pattern and demanded points in exchange, he'd likely agree.
"The reason is simple. I don't think Class D deserves to win. That's all," Hikigaya replied flatly.
"... What?"
Katsuragi was stunned, though Hashimoto seemed to accept it more quickly.
"That's probably true," Hashimoto said. "Hikigaya's got a difficult personality. He wouldn't care about something like class unity. And he's not exactly close with anyone in his class. I've heard girls from his class gossip about him plenty."
"Hey."
That last comment was unnecessary!
Katsuragi remained silent for a while before finally speaking again. "Hikigaya, am I right in understanding that as long as we agree to your terms, you won't reveal the names of our three VIPs to anyone?"
"Correct."
"And how can we trust your word?"
"You have no other choice but to trust me," Hikigaya said, his face expressionless. "Don't forget, I hold all the cards now. Your little tricks were decent, but not enough."
As he spoke, he held up his phone.
"The SIM cards and devices are locked. Removing or swapping them will make the phones unusable. In other words, as long as I can make a call, it proves this phone hasn't been switched. You did well to consider that."
Ryuen had thought of that too, but Hikigaya had managed to exploit a time gap.
However, this time it was different.
"Unfortunately for you, you missed one thing. The SIM card lock can be removed."
"... What?"
Katsuragi and Hashimoto exchanged glances, then gasped.
"Looks like you've figured it out," Hikigaya said with a smirk. "Since we're on the ship and the phones are essential for the exam, if one breaks, you can't continue. That's why the school prepared a contingency plan. If you request it from the homeroom teacher and pay some points, they can unlock the SIM card immediately."
"You thought of everything..." Katsuragi's voice was dry.
"It's not much, just simple strategy."
Hikigaya finished the rest of his coffee and stood up.
"Now you understand. You'll never be able to confirm that I'm the VIP. The only option left is to cooperate with me to achieve Result One."
Given Katsuragi's cautious nature and his behavior on the uninhabited island, Hikigaya was confident he wouldn't take any reckless actions unless he had concrete evidence.
There was no need to worry about betrayal.
"Well, that's all. I'll be going now. You two enjoy yourselves."
With that, Hikigaya left the lounge.