Chapter 234 Exposing Identities, Shiina Hiyori's Turn
'Shiina knows I'm a spy?!
Does she also know that I've been intentionally hiding my identity from her all this time?!'
Ibuki Mio's mind was instantly flooded with these thoughts, leaving room for nothing else. Although she appeared to be a loner who didn't fit in, only Ibuki knew that she was merely pretending not to care. No one can truly live a life completely detached from social bonds.
Especially when the other person was Shiina Hiyori—the girl who had proactively talked to her on the first day and kindly asked about her injuries. In Ibuki's heart, Hiyori had long since become a rare and precious friend. Even though she had been acting a part at first, she would never have allowed Ryuen to lay a finger on Hiyori. If Ryuen had actually used violence against her that day, Ibuki would have turned on him on the spot; even if she couldn't win, she would have landed a punch on him and never followed his orders again.
But now, her status as a spy was exposed. Class D would likely no longer tolerate her or Hiyori. In a way, she had dragged her friend down and caused her to be kicked out of the camp.
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The other members of Class D—Hirata Yosuke, Sudo Ken, Shinohara Satsuki, and the rest—had also been listening for quite a while. However, they weren't focused on the expressions of the two Class C "spies." Almost in unison, they turned to look at Horikita Suzune with looks of utter shock.
"Horikita-san, you're amazing! Not only did you smoke out the spy, but you analyzed so much key information!"
"Horikita, I really have to see you in a new light today!"
"Too powerful, Horikita-san! It looks like you've performed a great service for the class again!"
They say that if you don't see someone for three days, you should look at them with new eyes, but Horikita's growth speed was as if she had been using high-grade fertilizer. She hadn't just identified the spy; she found the hidden transceiver, knew there was a digital camera in the bag without even looking, deduced the information sharing between Class A and Class C, and even realized Ryuen was hiding in the woods.
"This was just simple deduction. Is there a need for such a fuss?" Horikita replied nonchalantly. In truth, she was in a very good mood. Being surrounded by praise and admired by her classmates would make anyone happy. Even someone as cold as her found the feeling quite pleasant.
However, these seemingly flawless deductions weren't entirely her own. Some of the key information had been secretly whispered to her by Shimizu Akira. Without that groundwork, she wouldn't have reached these conclusions so smoothly.
Yet, Horikita had to admit she had performed exceptionally well today. The reason was likely the inexplicable wave of annoyance she felt the moment she saw Ibuki Mio—she simply wanted to find the girl's flaws and catch her red-handed. Driven by that emotion, she had monitored Ibuki's every move, piecing together clues until the conclusion became undeniable.
She turned her gaze back to Ibuki and asked, "Neither of you is the actual leader, right? If I'm not mistaken, the real leader is Ryuen Kakeru, the one holding the other transceiver."
As she spoke, she reaffirmed her initial suspicion. Shimizu had explained the situation clearly, and she was never the type of "good person" to trust others blindly. However, because Hirata and Kushida were the ones leading the class, she couldn't just kick people out based on a whim—she needed evidence. That was why she had asked Hirata to play along with her performance today.
Initially, Hirata had refused. But Horikita had simply said: "Your 'nice guy' heart will cost Class D 100 Special Points. Class A and C are sharing intel, and the class atmosphere we finally improved will be destroyed." Hearing that, Hirata immediately agreed. Sometimes, she couldn't tell if Hirata was truly a saint or just playing a role, but his sense of responsibility for Class D was beyond reproach.
Watching Ibuki's reaction, Horikita expected a fierce rebuttal or a frustrated outburst. Instead, Ibuki ignored her entirely, turning toward Shiina Hiyori with a face full of apology, her lips trembling as if she wanted to say something.
'Wait? She's apologizing to her friend for messing up?'
Horikita felt a slight sense of respect for Ibuki; she clearly valued her friendships. On the first day, Ibuki had protected Hiyori from Ryuen—that hadn't looked like an act.
"Ibuki-san, you don't need to look at me like you've done something wrong. Actually, on the way here, I had a faint feeling you were a spy—otherwise, why would I have chosen Class D? I don't blame you. You did it for Class C, didn't you?" Hiyori stepped out from the crowd and spoke softly.
"Shiina!" Ibuki gasped. The weight in her chest lifted instantly. Hiyori didn't blame her. If Hiyori had been angry on top of Horikita's pressure, she wouldn't have known what to do. It made sense; Hiyori was much smarter than her and read so many mystery novels—how could she not have guessed Ryuen's intent?
"However, Horikita-san, your deduction was flawless. It was truly brilliant," Hiyori added, turning to look at Horikita with genuine admiration.
"Shiina-san, was it? So you're admitting it? Admitting my deductions were correct? That Ryuen is the leader and there's a camera in the luggage—all of it?" Horikita ignored the praise, focused on pinning down the confirmation.
"...Yes, it's true," Hiyori replied after a brief pause, admitting it with surprising bluntness.
"What? She just admitted it?!"
"Wait, that's too straightforward! No cover-up at all?"
"So Ryuen really is the leader of Class C?"
"Shiina-san, did you forget you're in Class C?! How can you just say it!"
The Class D students were stunned again. Horikita's points had been deductions, but Hiyori's immediate admission was beyond anyone's expectations.
"Shiina! You..." Ibuki blinked, confused. She didn't blame Hiyori, but she couldn't understand why she would give away the secret so easily.
Hiyori ignored the murmurs and locked eyes with Horikita. "So, if I'm not mistaken, the leader of Year 1 Class D is you, Horikita-san. Correct?"
"How could it be..."
"Right, right, it's her!"
"No, it's Wang Mei-yu!"
The Class D group was thrown into chaos by the sudden counter-question. Some reflexively agreed, while others rushed to deny it, creating a mess of conflicting statements.
Hiyori watched them calmly. "Everyone, your stories are contradictory. It seems you didn't coordinate your cover story beforehand." She paused, taking in the panicked expressions. "Logically, if Horikita-san really wasn't the leader, there would be no need to deny it so frantically. After all, even if Class C targets the wrong person, Class D only loses 50 Special Points."
Horikita frowned. Hiyori was nothing like Ibuki. She was meticulous and relentless—a much more difficult opponent than anticipated. She had chosen the perfect moment to ask the question in front of everyone. Class D's lack of a unified front had essentially confirmed the answer.
'When did Class C get someone like this?' Aside from Ryuen, someone else actually had this kind of mind. By comparison, Ibuki really was... a bit dim. She wondered why Ryuen sent Ibuki as a spy—had Class C run out of capable people?
Before Horikita could think of her next move, Hiyori bowed her head in apology. "I'm sorry! Truly! As a 'detective,' I shouldn't have used such a method. But Class D's vigilance was too high; I couldn't find any other opening. I could only observe the groups going to check in:
Horikita-san stands in the middle, and classmates instinctively shield you. Also, we share a tent; you are in the outermost spot and leave every eight hours, at least three times. All signs pointed to you as the prime suspect. To be honest, I don't have ironclad physical evidence. I mainly did this to help Ibuki win back some face, because your deduction really was too impressive."
"You—" Horikita raised an eyebrow. This girl's personality was different from the "reserved" type she expected. She was almost an airhead in her bluntness—openly stating she was "winning back face for a friend" was unexpected. But Hiyori had also noticed so many details; her observational skills were equal to Horikita's.
"You're right. The leader of Class D is me," Horikita admitted. There was no point in lying anymore. Hiyori's logic was sound and the class's reaction had already given it away. Since Hiyori confirmed Ryuen, Horikita felt no need to hide. Whether Hiyori was being truthful or if she truly believed it was a separate matter.
The exam had veered off course. She hadn't expected Ryuen to be the leader, nor for her own identity to be exposed so easily. It was a complete mutual exposure of identities.
The Class D students behind her erupted.
"What do we do? Class C knows our leader!"
"Horikita! We just said you were great, why did you just self-destruct?!"
"We can't stop them from leaving! The rules say restraining other classes is a violation!"
The whispers were filled with anxiety. Now that both leaders were known, they couldn't legally hold the girls, but they couldn't let them take the information back to Ryuen. They were stuck.
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