Let’s rewind the clock a little—to a time before the [Finding the VIP] event began.
"...What is it, Ibuki?"
After Ryuuen finished showering in his room while Albert was tidying up his beard, the door opened and Ibuki entered.
"You seem pretty relaxed, Ryuuen. And because of that, did we lose completely?"
"Seems so. But I could tell, roughly speaking, what their strategy was."
"Hah...?"
"The reason our score dropped to zero is simple: we failed to identify the leader of Class D."
Back then, Ryuuen had been thrown off by exhaustion and by the reversal of his confidence in victory. But once he returned to the ship and reviewed not only his own score but also those of the other classes—and recalled Horikita’s absence—he quickly pieced together the trick they had fallen for.
"So Mastermind X isn’t just some ordinary guy."
Ryuuen chuckled softly to himself. This outcome could only have come about if the opponents had noticed their tactic in advance and prepared a countermeasure.
"Ibuki, when you went undercover in Class D, did anyone act suspiciously?"
"How many times do I have to say it? No one did!"
"What about Ayanokouji or Baek Ian? Any odd behavior?"
"I’m not too sure about Ayanokouji... but Baek Ian? No, not him."
"...Really? I see it a bit differently. If my hunch is correct, then compared to a goldfish turd like Ayanokouji, Baek Ian is somewhat closer to Mastermind X."
Ayanokouji had been seen hanging around Suzune frequently since the term started, but that wasn’t the case for Baek Ian. He had unexpectedly inserted himself into the Sudo brawl—and there were even rumors that he had casually subdued that hulking Sudo in his class.
He was the one who, out of the cameras’ sight, swiftly overpowered Ishizaki and left him in shreds, even going so far as to issue orders to him through a terminal to ensure not even a voice clue remained. He was clearly confident in his own brute strength, and more importantly, unless he shared a warped mindset similar to Ryuuen’s, he wouldn’t have risked such a bold move.
And typically, individuals with such a broken way of thinking tend to exhibit some kind of twisted quirk—just as he did...
However—
"No, that can’t be. He’s just a good-natured guy, that’s all."
Ibuki dismissed the idea more forcefully than Ryuuen had expected. Of course, there was little reason to take her word seriously, yet on the other hand, would a man who suddenly revealed himself leave such obvious traces? That question lingered.
If he had subdued the rampaging Sudo, why hadn’t he simply let Suzune take the fall from the background? And why step into the limelight at all?
Come to think of it, he’d also made an appearance during the reconnaissance on the island exam. If he planned to hide behind Suzune as a shield, he wouldn’t have chosen such a conspicuous method—unless he was simply a guy who happened to be good at fighting.
"...I feel like I’m on the verge of a breakthrough, but it’s just out of reach."
There wasn’t enough evidence to reach a definitive conclusion. If there were…
"Then break Suzune once."
He would have to gauge their reactions as they emerged.
At that moment, the announcement for the next special exam blared over the speakers, and a related email arrived on his terminal.
"What now...?"
"...Well, for now, let’s turn the island exam’s shame around."
Depending on the instructions, he might even end up breaking Suzune or eliminating two suspects.
"All right. It’s hunting time..."
Ryuuen muttered this as his eyes narrowed.
Time shifted back to the present—in the Rabbit Group’s meeting room.
"I’m the VIP."
At my bombshell declaration, silence fell over the room. The first to pick up on it was Ichinose, who smiled faintly and asked,
"What do you mean by that, Ian?"
"Who knows?"
"Wait a minute! Ian... are you really the VIP? Then why did you hide that from us?"
Clearly startled, Yukimura glared at me and demanded an explanation. From that exchange, Ichinose seemed to glean a few extra clues, and as she retrieved a card she had dropped, she smiled at me.
"Is it really okay to reveal something so casually when even your own classmates didn’t know?"
"Isn’t it for you to decide?"
At that, Machida—who had been eavesdropping—snickered.
"...So it was a fake. You’re lying, hoping someone will make the wrong call, aren’t you?"
Nice—a little bait worked.
"What’s your evidence for calling it a lie? You’re talking as if you know the VIP’s identity, Machida. Could it be that there’s a VIP in Class A?"
My words drew a momentary look of surprise from Machida, but he quickly laughed them off. Meanwhile, Kamuro, who had been standing nearby, averted her eyes slightly.
"Look at that…" (I thought: could this be the big catch?)
"W-What kind of nonsense are you spouting? If anything, it’s your Class D that’s suspicious—hiding the VIP at this very moment!"
"No, I’m saying I’m the VIP. You didn’t hit the mark, so why are you getting all flustered?"
As I replied breezily, Machida seemed to fumble for words, his response hovering uselessly in the air.
Watching him get more flustered than expected was rather amusing. I had once thought of him as cool and composed, but in the end, if he was merely a pawn under Katsuragi or the young lady’s thumb, then that was likely the best he could do. Most of the others, not being in the inner circle, were probably no different.
In that sense, Kamuro—the girl who always clung to the young lady—remained remarkably calm. Not that it mattered much given her initial reaction.
"I can’t be completely sure, so for now..."
The moment that thought crossed my mind, the bell rang, signaling the end of the discussion.
"I’m out."
I left the room faster than anyone else.
I was having too much fun for anyone to stop me.
"Hey, Ian! Are you really the VIP?"
Soon enough, Yukimura’s voice rang out from an alley as he chased after me.
Glancing around, I shook my head and held out my terminal to him.
"No, I’m not the VIP."
"W-What...? Then why did you do that...!"
"Why ask the obvious? It was clearly a setup to find the VIP."
"F-Finding the VIP? If your words cause the other classes to act rashly...!"
"Isn’t that a benefit? We get to watch the other classes lose without suffering any damage ourselves."
"W-What if there really is a VIP hiding in Class A? What if Classes B or C end up granting points to someone by mistake...!"
"That’s beside the point. In this VIP hunt, what matters isn’t how many points you score—it’s about minimizing your losses. That’s key."
Yukimura frowned at my words.
But the moment the rules were laid out, I had already made up my mind.
The exams arranged by the school were, by definition, fair and equitable—a fact confirmed by both Chabashira-sensei and later Hoshinomiya-sensei.
Hoshinomiya-sensei had declared during the exam briefing that she wouldn’t take questions, but that also meant questions were welcome afterward. From her, I had received confirmation that the exam rules—and the chances for point gains or losses—applied equally to every class.
Ayanokouji, who had visited Chabashira-sensei seeking the same clarification, said he got the identical answer.
In other words, in this exam the VIPs were evenly distributed among all classes.
So what stance should we take? Simple:
Protect our points.
Katsuragi’s directive to maintain the status quo in Class A was a decent plan—it could definitely neutralize the risk of point deductions for our class. In principle, his strategy aligned with my own thinking, but it was too passive.
"Simply sitting out the discussion is dangerously passive."
Even within the same framework, choosing between an active or passive approach can vastly change the ceiling of what you might gain. Katsuragi and I both aimed to safeguard our minimum, but our strategies for maximizing our advantage diverged.
"If there’s a VIP in our class, all the better."
If I could stir things up enough to confuse the opposition, I wouldn’t just protect the VIP—I might even score some points for us.
"Judging by their reactions, Yukimura isn’t the VIP."
Neither was the doctor, and Karuizawa’s reaction was equally muted.
One reason behind my declaration was to identify the VIP on our side, yet the only one who responded oddly was from Class A—and among them, Kamuro looked the most dubious.
"If this is merely a hunt for liars, then it’s clear I have the upper hand."
Reading people and deducing their thoughts was my forte. No matter how much one might try to maintain a poker face, even a high schooler has their limits.
"Well, except maybe for Ayanokouji."
That was a strategy only I could pull off—relying on my confidence in interpreting people’s subtle reactions.
Impressive, isn’t it?
Hahaha!
Of course, it remains my secret that later—when I saw that crazy blond kid confidently submit his exam answer right before my eyes—I thought, "This guy really is the real deal."
The next day, during discussion time.
"VIP, taking the stage!"
Deliberately arriving last and right on cue for the meeting, I swung the door open with my arms outstretched and announced accordingly.
"Haah..."
The Machida group averted their eyes at the sight of me.
"Ahaha, Ian, you’re much more entertaining than I expected!"
Ichinose, on the other hand, regarded me with unexpected warmth.
Karuizawa and Yukimura both looked puzzled by my antics, Shiina maintained a bemused yet accepting expression, and Ibuki simply stared at me in disbelief.
"Not much response, huh?"
Sitting in front of Shiina and next to Karuizawa, I looked over at Ichinose and said,
"Well... everyone was shocked at first, but thinking it through calmly, the odds of me being the VIP are pretty low."
"So you mean you think I’m lying, Ichinose?"
"Yep!"
Her bright expression left me with nothing to retort.
"But I still can’t figure out what you were trying to achieve with that stunt~."
"Intentions aside, I am the VIP. I just don’t excel at lying."
"Ahaha, isn’t that already a lie?"
Sharp as ever.
"Hmm... why stir up all this trouble, Ian? To break the silence of Class A?"
"Who knows? I’m not entirely sure."
"Then... Ian? If you really are the VIP, would you show us your phone?"
"My phone?"
"Yes. The message on your terminal shows your identity—by the way, I can show mine. I’m not the VIP."
So that’s your play, huh?
"We can do that too."
"Me as well."
Class B, as if prearranged, echoed that and held up the emails on their phones.
Wow—Ichinose came in with a much stronger countermeasure than I expected.
Clearly, she wasn’t a fan of Class A’s silent strategy either. She must have been preparing a counter just from day one, waiting for the perfect moment.
Thanks to my sudden appearance, however, she had managed to cast a net wide enough to start narrowing down the true VIP.
Interesting, Ichinose—you really do have what it takes to lead Class B in a pinch.
After revising my assessment of her with a casual tone, I remarked,
"Unfortunately, I deleted the email. There was no rule against it, was there?"
"Heh... even saying that at this timing..."
"Doesn’t matter~. I am the VIP, remember? Which means if everyone but me checks their emails and proves their innocence, then my statement automatically stands as truth, right?"
"That’s true, isn’t it?"
Ichinose nodded and shifted her gaze toward Class C.
"What about you all? Can you go along with my plan? If Ian really is the VIP, showing your emails shouldn’t be too hard—especially for Class C, who aren’t involved in this at all."
"...I don’t really fancy being toyed with by some frivolous guy."
"That’s harsh, Ibuki."
"Ugh...! Shut up! Fine, I’ll show mine!"
Ibuki, exasperated by my words, started fiddling with her terminal. Manabe, looking flustered, called out to her,
"W-Wait...! Ibuki, if you act on your own...!"
"Hah! Ryuuen again? This has nothing to do with me."
With that, Ibuki held out her phone.
Yep. Ibuki clearly wasn’t the VIP either.
"Then I guess I should submit mine as well?"
"Shiina?!"
"Ryuuen hasn’t made any outstanding comments about this exam—so it’s of little consequence, isn’t it?"
Shiina offered me a small smile and held out her terminal.
That confirmed—at least in Class C—there was no VIP. Not that I had ever truly expected one in Class C.
"...If those two are showing theirs, then it means..."
Manabe and the others displayed their phones too, proving outright that Classes B and C were in the clear.
Next, Class D.
Since they also had no VIP, everyone in Class D showed their terminal. Naturally, they were all innocent.
That left only Class A—and me, the one who claimed to have deleted my email.
"Well, Class A?"
I asked if they were willing to display their terminals.
"...Do what you want; we won’t play along."
"Really? That’s odd. If there’s no VIP in Class A, then my claim confirms I’m the VIP. And if you can’t show your terminal, can I assume there is a VIP in Class A?"
As Ichinose smiled and calmly issued her threat, Machida’s earlier confidence waned as he replied,
"...There’s no way to be sure. We’re just staying silent. Can you really be certain that your class has a VIP based on that alone?"
Manabe’s words made Ichinose chuckle lightly, and then she fell silent.
Sorry, but this is exactly the situation I was maneuvering toward—I had no intention of backing down now.
"I can be certain."
"Hah...?"
"If I’m the VIP, then our group’s exam ends right here."
"...What nonsense are you spouting now?"
"Think it over, Machida. Since everyone except me has just confirmed their terminals, the suspects have been narrowed down to either me or you lot. Let’s say there’s no VIP on your side and you all share that information. After this discussion, you’d be convinced I’m the VIP—and then you’d feel compelled to report me. In that case, our group’s exam would be over."
With that, I rose from my seat and advanced toward them.
"But if, after the exam ends, our group remains intact..."
I glanced briefly at Kamuro. She avoided meeting my eyes, instead fixating on something else.
"Then it’ll be clear that there is a VIP in Class A."
"...What nonsense. There’s also the possibility that you tampered with the emails!"
"Tampering with the school’s emails is out of the question—it would break the rules. And even if you swapped terminals, verifying the details is simple. You just call. The phone number can’t be changed, can it?"
"Tch...!?"
"Oh? You caught on, Ian?"
Ichinose looked at me with a trace of surprise.
Of course I did. The moment I received this exam, I couldn’t figure out how to pinpoint the VIP—but I was certain that deceiving the opposition would be a breeze. Once you check the email as Ichinose mentioned, it would clearly reveal who was and who wasn’t the VIP.
And what if you swapped terminals? If our class had a VIP, I would have used that trick to force someone else into making a false accusation. Unfortunately, no VIP existed, so that tactic was off the table.
Still, fortune had it that we could confirm the presence of a VIP in Class A rather than in Classes B or C. The thing I dreaded most was someone hastily accusing me after I declared myself VIP…
But Class C avoided that foolish outcome thanks to Ryuuen, and Class B did so thanks to cautious Ichinose.
And with Ichinose executing the very plan I had envisioned, cornering Class A became all the more straightforward.
"After getting in touch with Ryuuen, Ayanokouji predicted that there might be a hidden rule concerning VIPs in this exam. But I’m the type who prefers playing with the rules rather than hunting for them."
Had I wanted to discover this rule, I’d have had everyone hand over their phones like Ryuuen did, or gathered intelligence from the other classes—but that was simply beyond me, at least for now.
So, for now, let’s just have fun with this group.
"Y-you claimed to be the VIP, and now...!"
"What’s this? You acted like you didn’t believe me, but now when things turn against you, you suddenly come at me?"
"T-that’s...!"
"If you’re so certain, then you can submit your terminal too—and report me if you want to."
"Wait, Ian?!"
Karuizawa, who had been near Machida, hurried over, flustered by the aggressive way I pressed them—a side of me rarely seen. But I merely fixed them with a steady glare.
"Now, just because of the situation, you plan to keep quiet and then report me later...!"
"Can you really, really report me, Machida?"
As I said that, I thrust my terminal right in front of his eyes.
"But I’m not the VIP, you know?"
Now then, let’s bring this to an end.
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