About an hour after the exam ended.
On the rear deck of the cruise ship, far from the cabins and entertainment facilities, only the monotonous sound of waves hitting the hull echoed.
Natsukawa Sosuke leaned against the railing, the sea breeze ruffling his clothes.
Soon, a slightly rushed set of footsteps came from the stairwell.
Kushida had long since lost her usual composed demeanor. Seeing Natsukawa's back, she paused her steps, adjusted her breathing, and forced her usual sweet mask onto her face.
"Sōsuke-kun, is there something urgent you needed to talk about so late? Everyone was just discussing the exam results and feeling uneasy."
Natsukawa Sosuke did not turn around; he just stared at the pitch-black sea.
"How does it feel to cooperate with the clowns from Class C?"
That single sentence instantly tore apart the disguise Kushida Kikyo had just constructed.
The smile on Kushida's face froze for an instant, then quickly returned, though a hint of panic had entered her eyes.
"Eh? What are you talking about, Sōsuke-kun? I don't understand..."
"Are you still playing dumb?"
Natsukawa Sosuke turned around, leaned back against the railing, hands in his pockets, and looked at her with cold eyes.
"Telling Ryuuen Kakeru the preferred student of Dragon Group—which is your own name—and having him arrange a countermeasure against Horikita. That plan certainly sounds good.
"Too bad the executor was too foolish."
Having been directly exposed, Kushida Kikyo knew there was no point in pretending anymore. The sweetness instantly vanished from her face, replaced by shame, anger, and a deep sense of unwillingness at being discovered.
"Since you already know, I have nothing to hide."
Kushida stopped feigning innocence, crossed her arms, and stared coldly at Natsukawa.
"That's right, I contacted Ryuuen. So what? I want Horikita Suzune to lose. I want to see that arrogant look wiped off her face. Is that wrong?"
"You didn't stop me either, did you? Even if some guy who came out of nowhere ruined it in the end."
As she said this, a trace of grievance welled up in Kushida's heart. Her meticulously planned scheme had just gone down the drain.
"Stop you? Why would I stop a clown who is performing."
"Look at the situation now, Kushida."
"What did your proud intelligence and your carefully plotted betrayal ultimately gain you?"
"You...!"
Kushida gritted her teeth. She wanted to refute him but found no grounds to do so.
Just then, both of their phones vibrated simultaneously.
Eleven o'clock sharp.
The school sent the final summary email of the exam results.
Natsukawa Sosuke took out his phone, glanced at the screen, and then showed it to Kushida.
"Take a good look. This is the result of your four days of scheming."
Kushida Kikyo looked at the screen.
[Exam Results Announcement]
[Zi (Rat) Group: Traitor Answered Correctly (Result Three)]
[Chou (Ox) Group: Traitor Answered Incorrectly (Result Four)]
[Yin (Tiger) Group: Traitor Answered Correctly (Result Three)]
[Mao (Rabbit) Group: All Members Answered Correctly (Result One)]
[Chen (Dragon) Group: Traitor Answered Correctly (Result Three)]
[Si (Snake) Group: No Answer Submitted at Exam End (Result Two)]
...Final Class Point Changes:
Class A: +150 points
Class B: +150 points
Class C: -200 points
Class D: -100 points
"Are you surprised?"
Natsukawa Sosuke looked at Kushida's pale face, his tone flat.
"You clearly thought you hid yourself perfectly, so why was your identity exposed?"
"The answer is simple."
Natsukawa pointed to himself.
"Because I was the one who told them. Including the other groups where the betrayal succeeded."
"Consider this 500,000 points a small lesson for you."
"...You... it was you?"
She looked at the man before her in disbelief. Although she had vaguely suspected he might be acting behind the scenes, seeing Natsukawa personally intervene for Horikita, and even causing her to lose because of Horikita... (How could you do this... Is Horikita really that great? What do I lack compared to her!)
Immediately, as if she had realized something, her eyes sharpened.
"Hirata told you, didn't he?!"
"It must have been him! I only told Hirata in the entire class!"
Kushida's voice rose slightly.
"If you only knew because of Hirata, then you're just a despicable person who betrayed the class too! What right do you have to lecture me here?"
(Sure enough, you and I are the same kind of people, scheming individuals who stop at nothing for their own benefit...)
"Hirata?"
Natsukawa's sudden words interrupted Kushida's internal monologue.
"You are welcome to go ask him right now. See if he told me, see if he knows the name of any preferred student outside of Class D."
"In this world, some things don't need to be acquired through such inefficient methods."
Natsukawa took a step forward, closing the distance with Kushida.
"The rule itself will tell you the answer."
"The rule...?" Kushida instinctively stepped back, her back hitting the hard railing.
"Did you look closely at the group list for this exam?"
"You just have to arrange the list of members in each group according to the Gojūon chart order."
"The Zi Group is the first of the Twelve Earthly Branches, so the preferred student is the person ranked first in the Gojūon order in that group."
"The Chou Group is the second, so the preferred student is the person ranked second."
"And so on."
"As long as you grasped this extremely simple pattern, the names of all the preferred students were clearly visible."
"..."
Kushida Kikyo's mouth was wide open, but she couldn't utter a sound.
"I..."
Kushida lowered her head; her previously straight back was now hunched.
A feeling of regret began to spread in her heart.
If she had known Natsukawa saw through everything, she absolutely wouldn't have gone to Ryuuen. Now, not only did she fail to get the 500,000 points, but she had also completely lost face in front of Natsukawa.
"What? Nothing to say?"
But Natsukawa had no intention of letting her off the hook so easily.
"I don't care about selling class information. After all, Class D's fate has nothing to do with me."
"But, Kushida."
Natsukawa's voice suddenly turned cold.
"You seem to have forgotten something far more important."
"That is the 'promise' between us."
Kushida trembled violently, looked up, her eyes evasive.
"I... I didn't forget. I just..."
"Just what? Just thought you could hide it from me and flirt with other men?"
Natsukawa took several photos from his pocket and threw them directly onto Kushida.
The photos fluttered down to the deck.
Kushida lowered her head and, using the light on the deck, clearly saw the contents of the photos.
It was a scene of her meeting Ryuuen in the restaurant on the third day of the exam.
The angle of the photos was extremely tricky.
In one, Ryuuen was leaning close to her, looking as if he were kissing her earlobe. In another, she was smiling and holding Ryuuen's arm, appearing intimate.
"Is this your explanation?"
Natsukawa's voice carried clear disgust.
"Telling me you like me one moment, and then turning around and throwing yourself into another man's arms the next."
"Kushida Kikyo, you truly disgust me."
"No! That's not true!!"
Seeing these photos, Kushida Kikyo's composure completely broke.
Although her heart was dark and her personality twisted, her affection for Natsukawa was genuine.
But now, the person in these pictures looked exactly like a promiscuous woman.
"These photos are fake! It's forced perspective! I never let him touch me!"
Kushida frantically picked up the photos, trying to tear them apart, as if that would erase the reality.
"We were just discussing a transaction! I only wanted to use him! There was absolutely no intimate contact!"
She rushed up to Natsukawa, trying to grab his hand, desperate to explain.
"Sōsuke-kun, listen to me! It's really not what you think! How could I ever be interested in a punk like Ryuuen! My heart only belongs to..."
"Enough."
Natsukawa coldly shook off her hand.
"Do you think I care about the truth?"
That single sentence froze Kushida in place.
Natsukawa looked at her, his eyes devoid of warmth.
"What I care about is that you went to meet him behind my back."
"What I care about is that you, you slut, let me see this disgusting scene and broke the promise we made together!"
"As for whether you, this symbol of promiscuity, actually did anything with him... does it even matter anymore?"
"I really feel like letting everyone admire your promiscuous appearance."
"Don't...!"
Kushida's face instantly turned paper-white.
"Please..."
Tears streamed down her face. This time, it wasn't acting; it was genuine fear.
She was afraid of losing everything, and even more afraid of being completely rejected by Natsukawa.
"I already know I was wrong... I won't dare to do it again... Sōsuke-kun, please forgive me this one time?"
She wept bitterly, begging humbly.
Natsukawa looked at the completely broken girl before him, a dark glint flashing in his eyes.
The time was right.
"Forgiveness?"
Natsukawa sighed, seemingly helpless.
"I want to forgive you too, Kikyo. After all, your personality is genuinely likable."
"But, when you do something wrong, you must be punished. That's the rule."
"If I let you off easily this time, will you just climb into another man's bed next time?"
"No! Absolutely not!" Kushida shook her head desperately.
"Verbal promises are the cheapest."
Natsukawa reached into his pocket and pulled out something he had prepared beforehand.
It was a black leather collar.
It had no superfluous decorations, only a silver metal buckle that gleamed coldly in the moonlight.
Kushida stared at the collar, her breath catching.
"This is..."
"If you can't control yourself, then you need something to restrain you."
Natsukawa held the collar and dangled it in front of Kushida.
"Put it on."
"...Eh?"
Kushida was stunned.
If it were anyone else, she would definitely throw the thing in their face and curse them out.
But now... "You don't want to wear it?"
Natsukawa made a gesture to put the collar away. "Then there's nothing left to discuss. This is where we end things."
"No! I'll wear it! I'll wear it!"
Kushida panicked.
Compared to being abandoned and having her reputation ruined, wearing a collar didn't seem so unacceptable anymore.
She took a step forward, slightly lifted her chin, revealing her slender, pale neck. She closed her eyes, her eyelashes still trembling slightly, and an unnatural blush spread across her cheeks.
Natsukawa Sosuke walked behind her.
The leather collar pressed against her warm skin.
"Click."
The black leather against her snow-white skin created a strong visual contrast, hinting at a sense of immoral beauty.
Natsukawa reached out, hooked the collar, and pulled back slightly.
"Ngh..."
Kushida was forced to lean back, the back of her head resting on Natsukawa's shoulder.
"It truly suits you."
Natsukawa's voice rang in her ear.
"Remember this, Kikyo."
"From the moment you put on this collar, all of you belongs to me."
"You are just my pet now, do you hear me? From now until tomorrow, you must wear it, and you are not allowed to take it off even when sleeping."
"Yes..."