Night Flower
Written: 3/4/2023
Here is chapter 11 for the readers. As for results I may change it up slightly, as I do want to make it interesting. I don't want to exactly just copy what the Light Novel did, and actually make it a bit more interesting. Therefore, I apologize if the loophole is not what you were expecting, it's rather something I wanted explore a bit on.
Once again, this is my fanfiction, so I'm supposed to entertain you with my ideas. Once again, I will take an suggestions, whether you write and review or message me, I will read it, even if I don't answer.
Anyways, here's chapter 11, perhaps the final part of the zodiac exam.
Chapter 11: Zodiac Exam Part 2
Third Person POV:
"There is much joy in vengeance than love, and we humans already knew that" ~ M.F. Moonzajer
The second day of the exams has gone rather mundane. Once again, it was mostly Class A and the odd boy from Class C who refused to cooperate.
This meant that nothing was really happening. Munfurawa's group hadn't really gotten much done.
Those from Class A and from Class C really didn't want to cooperate with the class of "defects," according to them.
Munfurawa merely sighed, as he already thought of a plan to get them against their minds. Munfurawa pondered, as he began to think about a strategy. While they had taken a break, he had taken the same path for a lunch break to check something.
He had noticed that the boy and Class A were clearly cooperating. Munfurawa sighed, assuming Katsuragi and Ryūen were still cooperating behind the scenes. In particular, how those four would be in the same area discussing stuff.
Munfurawa knew that it was their way of cooperating. No doubt were they planning on guessing the VIP. They had told each other they weren't, and thus presumed it was someone from Class B or D. For their credit, not even Albert Yamada or Kyogo Komiya seemed involved, which interested Munfurawa. Was even Class C witnessing a split?
This all made sense since Sakayanagi was once again not participating in the exams due to health conditions.
Munfurawa sighed, as he began his plan.
And it involved a certain member of his class. He had quite the choices. They were all girls, which would make it perhaps easier for them.
His most useful and handy one at the moment was Sana Azuma. However, he still had a small grudge against Nene Mori, for her comment about him back on the island, after the underwear incident.
Munfurawa smirked, knowing exactly what he wanted to do. He would get vengeance on both whom hurt and jeopardized his benefits.
Munfurawa wasn't a sinister person, but if someone got in his way in climbing the mountain, then he would gladly push them all down just so he could continue.
Right now, Nene Mori, and Class A in Munfurawa's group were going to receive some punishment from him.
While Sana Azuma would be his most reliable source, he felt Nene Mori would be more helpful, or willing to since she "owes" him, at least she'll probably feel.
Therefore, once the second day ended, he was met with Ayanokouji yet again.
Somewhat curious as to why the Horikita was late, Ayanokouji and Munfurawa had both decided to wait by the door.
There was not much commotion it seemed, yet the amount of time they took was somewhat staggering. Therefore, they spend the time just chatting, and discussing possible ideas with the exam they were given.
Apparently, Ayanokouji was focusing more on Outcome 1, which made sense, however, they had the opportunity for an Outcome 4. Apparently, Kei Karuizawa was the VIP in his group.
As for Munfurawa he sighed, "I found Class A and a member of Class C working to discover the VIP."
That made Ayanokouji look interested, "So if cooperation to outcome 1 isn't possible, what will you do?"
Munfurawa sighed, "I already have a plan, however it is somewhat frustrating, that they still choose to work together."
"Class A and C?"
Munfurawa nodded, "Since Sakayanagi isn't present in the exam, it falls to Katsuragi, who seems intent on working with Ryūen for reasons even I am unaware of…"
Ayanokouji hummed a noise, and before they could continue, Ryūen had come out.
He immediately sneered in humour, "Well, isn't someone waiting for their girlfriend."
Munfurawa did not react, and instead asked, "Haven't had your fantasy yet?"
Ryūen sighed, "I will, and it'll be satisfying."
Munfurawa decided to ignore that, "What took you so long, then?"
Ryūen chuckled, "Those defects from Class D held us back, disagreeing with stuff. This exam reeks…" He mumbled as the rest of his group followed him.
He stared at Mio Ibuki, who seemed surprisingly nervous when she noticed Munfurawa. He didn't notice that, as he kept glaring at her, observing her, and she was falling for his trance.
"Ibuki." Ryūen's voice snapped her out, "If you like him so much be his pet."
Ibuki got flustered, before she walked off, stomping her feet. Munfurawa looked on in confusion, though that reactions did remind him of Horikita.
Speaking of Horikita, she finally came out, alongside Kushida, and Hirata.
"How'd it go?" Munfurawa asked, and Hirata sighed.
"Terrible."
Horikita then added, "They were so uncooperative, with it…"
Munfurawa noticed Katsuragi following off, with some of the girls waving towards Munfurawa.
Kushida then smiled, "Hey Ayanokouji, Munfurawa, what are you both doing here?"
Munfurawa replied, "We're just wanting to know how the meeting went. There are a lot of prominent names."
Hirata rubbed the back of his head, "It's not that bad, class C seems apathetic, Class A isn't talking at all, so it's really just Class B and D working together."
Horikita nodded in response, seeming to agree with everything he said.
Munfurawa pondered, "It does seem to be like that for my group as well. Class A and a member of Class C are working together to avoid cooperating, meaning I will not be able to achieve Outcome 1…"
Horikita looked at him intrigued, "Well, what are you going to do now?"
Munfurawa smirked, "I don't know, how about you give me an idea, leader."
Horikita glared at him in response, grabbing something from her pocket.
"You actually have a compass?" Munfurawa asked, and Horikita nodded.
"When I'm in the same room as that pervert I need something to protect me." Horikita answered, and Munfurawa sighed, getting the idea.
"Very well." Was all Munfurawa said.
Eventually, Hirata and Kushida had left, leaving Ayanokouji, Horikita, and Munfurawa to themselves.
"Munfurawa here did say he had an idea." Ayanokouji mentioned, making Horikita look at Munfurawa.
"Why am I not surprised, you are yet again planning something hectic, huh?"
Munfurawa nodded, "Of course, when some individuals get in the way for my benefits, then I will not hesitate to make them pay."
Horikita sighed, "It seems Class A's tactic is to just remain silent."
Ayanokouji chided in, "It seems so, and perhaps Class C is pulling some strings as well."
"That is what I have gathered," Horikita replied, "how are things going with your groups?"
Munfurawa replied, "I already told you, and I do intend on making them guess the wrong VIP as a result."
Ayanokouji nodded, "It appears my group will go that route as well."
Horikita sighed, "Very well."
Munfurawa then spotted Nene Mori heading out the hall, presumably to her own dorm.
"I'm going to head out now, I need to do something." Munfurawa briefly stated as he left the two.
Eventually, he had spotted Nene Mori, and she saw him running towards her.
"Uhh, Munfurawa, what is it?" She asked, somewhat nervous.
Munfurawa looked at her, knowing exactly what he was planning to do.
"Do you feel guilty about what you said to me back at the island?" He started, noticing Mori flinch somewhat.
"Y-yeah I do, I'm sorry." She mumbled full of shame.
Munfurawa gave a small smile, "It's okay Mori, after all, I think I have a way for you to repay for that."
Mori looked up a bit confused, "A way to repay…?"
Munfurawa nodded, "Yes, I know a way you can repay. If you truly are sorry for what you said, that is…"
Mori exclaimed, "Of course! I shouldn't have assumed bad things about you!"
"It's too late to take those words back, but you can perform an action to repay for what you said, is that fine with you?"
Mori nodded, "Of course."
Munfurawa responded, "Alright, we need a private place to go, your room is fine, but I don't want others eavesdropping."
Mori's eyes widened, realizing she was taking a boy in her room, "Uhhh, sure yea it's fine."
"Munfurawa sighed, "Great, let's go."
While Munfurawa was discussing plans with a member of his group, Ayanokouji had also left Horikita, to check on Kei Karuizawa.
Once again, the three girls had tried to initiate an altercation with her. Horikita decided to rest due to the "amount of brain power it took to deal with them."
As Ayanokouji pondered, he had decided to perform a similar strategy as Munfurawa had done before. Use an anonymous email, manipulating and coercing her into inciting more revenge on Karuizawa.
How he had gotten Manabe's email, he had openly spotted it, and decided to act accordingly. Ever since that initial altercation, Karuizwawa had acted strange. Rather than this lively and arrogance, to a more shy and submissive individual.
It was a noticeable behavioural change, especially when she's in the same group as him.
It was somewhat brutal, Ayanokouji thought, but it would ultimately benefit him in the end. Perhaps Karuizawa would fall into his grasp, and be a great tool for him, who knows?
Eventually it managed to work. Ayanokouji had stayed around the area where they last had an altercation with Karuizawa, his phone out as he let the voices around him dictate what he was waiting for.
It seemed that tonight, Karuizawa would be in for a night.
Eventually, he noticed someone come out, clearly Rika, Manabe, Namai Yabu, and Saki Yamashita, all came out of a room.
That was strange, Ayanokouji thought, it was almost like they were planning something.
Ayanokouji sighed, and merely followed the group down, clearly knowing what they were planning to do.
As Ayanokouji pondered on what exactly caused this strife to occur, he felt somewhat sinister behind this. Pushing a friend does not result in an altercation this brutal.
He didn't understand, but that didn't mean he was still going to try and benefit from this.
As he watched, he spotted Karuizawa getting a late meal, which clearly was something she was a fan of.
Eventually, one of the girls tapped the back of her shoulders.
Karuizawa flinched, turning around before she looked terrified, seeing the four girls in front of her. Ayanokouji could see that her breathing was ragged from here, as she was lured.
Ayanokouji continued to follow them. While, he didn't care if Karuizawa would be injured or the likes. He was just hear for the potential to blackmail these four aggressors.
Eventually, they had made their way back to the ship's lowest level, which was exactly where he had told Manabe to go. Additionally telling them some information regarding Karuizawa, he had given them the opportunity.
In addition to photos of their previous altercation, he would eventually get some videos of them again.
Eventually, at the ship's lowest level, they began their assault.
Not even warning, Manabe had slapped Karuizawa.
The girl looked terrified, with Rika mumbling and nervous. It was clear she had no intentions to hurt Karuizawa, but her friends were influencing her into doing it.
Probably going to pin her into a victim of bullying if she didn't participate. That was how it worked, if you didn't participate, then you would be experimented on.
"Come on, Rika, try it out, it's fun." Manabe started, as she slapped Karuizawa, the sound echoing in the room. Even then, there was no one to hear due to their location.
Rika stuttered, "I-I don't know…"
"Come on Rika, we're doing this for you, you are my friend, right?" Manabe reiterated and asked. That sentence, Ayanokouji thought had a deeper meaning. It was showing Manabe had a us vs her outlook. If you did not do what she wanted, then you must be siding with Karuizawa.
So, with a hesitant look, Rika participated in the fighting.
"Come on! That's not how you slap!" Manabe replied, slapping the downed girl as to show Rika.
"That's how you do it, now try again." Manabe soothed Rika, who kept trying until she got it.
It was clear, that at this point, they were just using Karuizawa as their punching bag. They had already done what they wanted, but wanted to continue. While Manabe had shown Rika to properly slap, the others began to resort to more violent methods.
Karuizawa reeled back in pain, her head hanging low, as her resolve died. She was left to just endure it all.
As Rika participated with the fighting, which was more of torture, she curved her lips upwards, slowly enjoying it.
The others continued their assault, as Karuizawa began to plead with them to stop. She was trying to control her sobs already, but by the time they started punching, kicking and attacking her underneath her skin, she had cried out for help.
Ayanokouji decided that was enough, and pocketed his phone, closing the door, rendering Karuizawa's screams for help futile.
He had waited until he spotted the four girls going on.
"That anonymous message user did not show up after all…" Yamashita commented, and the four girls shrugged.
"Perhaps they'll come down later and finish her, I don't care." Manabe replied, as she led the others out, who were content with their actions. Rika however, still showed a bit of remorse, but considering she participated, there was no room for remorse.
Once the four left, and around five minutes passed, Ayanokouji went back down, and confronted the fallen Karuizawa.
"Have you calmed down?" Was all he asked, and the girl looked up frightened.
She attempts to scurry away, but Ayanokouji sighed, walking towards her.
Karuizawa was trying to keep her distance, clearly, "Stop… stay away from me… I want Hirata…"
"I'm not those girls nor Hirata, and he is busy at the moment." Ayanokouji responded, but Karuizawa shook her head.
"No, they need to pay, for what they have done, you can do that, right Ayanokouji-kun?" She asked, and he sighed.
Shaking his head, he looked out, "No, it will cause even more tensions, considering what they did to you, they have gotten what they wanted, I presume, there is no point exacerbating it. You saw with Sudo's incident, right? It will only complicate matters, something you don't wat, right?"
Karuizawa mumbled, "Fine, but don't tell anyone about this, please…"
Ayanokouji pondered, "And why is that? Are you just trying to keep the status quo?"
"W-what do you mean?" She asked.
Ayanokouji then pins her to the wall, getting close to her, as he whispered in her ear, "Do you really want this to be the status quo? Where you are routinely bullied, beaten up, and tormented?"
Karuizawa mumbled, clearly still panicking from what happened to her. "N…No… I don't get bullied…"
Ayanokouji sighed, "Not even in your youth? I know you are a victim of previous incidents of bullying."
That seemed to have gotten Karuizawa somewhat riled up, "How did you know, did Hirata tell you?"
Ayanokouji shook his head, "however I get my information is irrelevant at the moment, regardless I am no use of you in this situation, after all. I've just hear after this altercation, isn't that right?"
Karuizawa remained silent.
"I mean I can let you go now, and you can function on your own. Good luck getting tortured by those girls. But the way I see it, I have information you don't want getting out, isn't that right?" He asked, and Karuizawa's eyes widened in fear, which was exactly what Ayanokouji wanted.
"Perfect, in no time she'll be my most loyal tool." Ayanokouji thought, as he watched Karuizawa get increasingly desperate.
"W-What are you implying…" She asked, clearly frightened by what was happening.
"It's simple, I'll expose your secrets, if you don't do what I say." Ayanokouji bluntly revealed, and Karuizawa began to struggle, but Ayanokouji get her pinned.
"W-what are you after, what do you want, are you after my body…" Karuizawa asked, closing her eyes in fear.
Ayanokouji pondered, "Hmmm, I wouldn't exactly say that." He started, before he started running his fingers across her exposed thighs. "But if you insist, then perhaps…"
Karuizawa shrieked, which was heard by no one, trying to escape.
"I don't think you have a choice with running away, Karuizawa. I've seen your secrets. So don't think you can run away from this, or else I will expose you." Ayanokouji reiterated, and Karuizawa stops once he reiterated that poing.
"You were tormented, dragged by your hair, slapped numerous times, kicked you torso, and jabbing you, with the intention of putting you in this position. This was how you ended up like this." Ayanokouji explained.
"Now face me." Ayanokouji ordered, and Karuizawa hesitantly did so.
He hummed, eager to see what he could get away with.
"She'll be the perfect tool for me…"
"T-This isn't the first time…" She finally started.
"Hmm?" He asked.
"This isn't the first time I've fallen to this, to force, or violence…" She reiterated.
"I see." Was all Ayanokouji replied with, as Karuizawa started to smile forcefully.
"No matter, what I did, I could never handle it. I tried to just walk off like everything was fine, like I could move on…" She then lifted her skirt slightly, showing some scars on her pelvic areas.
Ayanokouji looked on, deciding to observe, as she begun to talk. Just how he wanted.
"Well, what happened?" He asked.
Karuizawa chuckled, "What do you think? Judging from what just happened. Let's just say the bullying I got wasn't your typical bullying."
Ayanokouji slightly raised his eyebrow at that, "Hmm?"
Karuizawa mumbled, "These are marks not from simply bullying, but rather those full of hatred…"
"I see…" Was all Ayanokouji commented, before he spotted her looking down, at her shirt, as if she was observing something beneath it.
Deciding to grab her uniform, he lifts it up, and even thought Karuizawa tries to keep it down, Ayanokouji spots it for a brief moment.
"Show me that scar." He ordered, and Karuizawa had no choice but to obey.
The scar was on the left side of her abdomen, and even he was surprised with what he saw.
"That scar was from no typical bullying, nor the result of fight. That is a blade mark, a cut from a blade. Most definitely gotten slashed by some aggressor who maybe took it too far…" Ayanokouji thought, before he pulled her uniform down to cover it.
Ayanokouji then spots her eyes, the darkness and pain that she must be reliving. He sighed, clearly understanding her past. She stared back, and her eyes widened when she saw the darkness in his eyes.
He then thought of another interesting individual, who's past he desperately wanted to uncover. Munfurawa, and the unique and mystery he was. While for now he did not get his past, he did get someone's. And that was vital for his own benefit.
For now, however, his current tool was clearly still suffering from her past of bullying and trauma. He had just discovered the core that showcased everything to Ayanokouji. For now, if he wanted his loyal tool to be of incredible use, he needed to get on her good side, and release her from the pain and suffering that was her past.
"You don't have to rely on others." Ayanokouji started, and Karuizawa looked at him in confusion.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"Stick with me, and I will protect you. I am more reliable than they are." Ayanokouji boasted.
"And what is your proof? Where were you when they attacked me?" Karuizawa asked.
Ayanokouji took out his phone, showing the photos of the previous encounter, and then a video of them around 30 minutes ago.
"H-How…" She asked.
Ayanokouji shrugged, "Probably a matter of good timing, but now that you see what I am capable of, I will need your help."
Karuizawa looked on, listening to Ayanokouji speak, "I cant stop them with this recording, but I will need your help with unifying Class D, controlling the girls so that we can overtake Class A."
"You are on the throne of Class D, leading the girls."
She then looked down, "How would I help? I'm just this weak girl…"
Ayanokouji looked on, "Your not weak, you have a surprising amount of influence, like when you had all the girls beside you when you lost your underwear. For now, I need you to control the girls, and guide our group to victory, that's what I will need from you."
Karuizawa sighed, looking down, before nodding. "Very well, I'll help, if you protect me…"
Ayanokouji nodded, "I've already taken control over that." He stated, walking away.
"And I've already taken control over you." Was all he thought as he left to his dorm.
Munfurawa himself was having a good time with Nene Mori. She was clearly still guilty about what she had said to Munfurawa.
This made it much easier for him to enact his plan.
It was clear to him, that Class A and C, at least a member of Class C was working within his group. Therefore, there was no doubt they were trying to find the VIP. It was a shame Munfurawa couldn't change it, but what he could do instead, was maybe produce more than one messages.
He looked at his message from the authorities of this school, confirming he was a VIP. He then copied that message, and through changing his anonymous email account to match that of the announcement, sent that message to Nene Mori.
The plan would be simple. They would all have a message that "confirmed" they were the VIP. However, it would only be Munfurawa.
As a result, he had sent it to the group chat, using their emails to send them the message. Meaning all four of them had messages that could trick them into thinking they were the VIPs.
Munfurawa sighed in relief, knowing that the risk of being found out was much lower.
This wasn't it however, they now needed someone to trick Kyogo Komiya, and that was where Nene Mori came in.
The idea was to simply get her to accidentally reveal she was the VIP using her phone.
Munfurawa had hoped that they could take care of this before the third day, so he could get the final day off.
As a result, he had Azuma call for a surprise meeting just around 18:00, which was before the timing availability. He had also told Azuma to use the following quotes.
The plan was during this time when everyone was somewhat tired, Mori would accidentally reveal the message Munfurawa had copied to trick them into thinking Mori was the VIP.
To Munfurawa' surprise most of them came, albeit relatively upset.
"We haven't gotten anything done! I understand the lack of cooperation, but at this rate, we need to finish this!" Azuma expressed, and most looked at her in confusion.
"Can't we just finish this all tomorrow?" Yamada asked, with a neutral voice.
Azuma sighed, "No, I've been getting very nervous. If we don't get anything done, we won't get any marks…"
Azuma had used her cute act to get some in the group to fall for her demand.
They already had Class B with them, and most of Class C. It was down to Kyogo Komiya, and the rest of Class A. Miki Yamamura was the first to sigh and decide to cooperate, with Masayoshi Hasmimoto following, finally by Hayato Kito.
Azuma then smiled, "Thank you so much, I promise that we can go once the clock hits nine, I just want to get progress done, is all."
They all nodded.
Azuma then stated on more demand, "Everyone will take their phones out, and place it on the table in front of everyone." Everyone seemed somewhat shocked about that, but they let her continue, "No one can touch these phones until the time is over, that way there can be no betrayal. Once we are allowed to go, then we can take our phones, is that fine for everyone?"
They all nodded, and Azuma continued, "We will do the same thing tomorrow, and when 9:30 comes, the VIP can show themselves, is that fine?" She asked
"But how would we know the VIP's identity?" Hashimoto asked, "How could they prove they actually are.
Mori then answered, which was perfect, "We all received a mail from the school notifying everyone whether they were a VIP or not, remember?" She then began to look through her phone, before realizing.
That sparked some interest within Komiya, who was now eyeing her like a hawk.
"He's falling right into the trap, perfect…" Munfurawa thought.
"I see, fine then." Was all Hashimoto said before responded with before he put his phone in the middle. The rest following.
Since Mori was sitting right next to Komiya, something Munfurawa had told her to do, before she turned her phone, with the "message" telling her she was the VIP so that Komiya could only see for a bit. This was fine considering Komiya was eying Mori with suspicion, and with the overall environment during evening, he was quick to make assumptions. Anyone would be.
And so, Mori yelped before she checked her phone, taking it off, before putting it down. Munfurawa looked at the face of Komiya, and smirked in his mind when he noticed said boy decided to lazily get through the exam, indicating he was planning to end it tonight.
Munfurawa then looked down, answering the questions, as he just watched the time go by. By the time 21:00 came around, everyone was allowed to go, with the notable exception being that person from Class C and the rest of Class A.
However, it seemed that only two people from Class A had remained, both the boys. Munfurawa chuckled, no matter, this only meant for points for them.
It was there fault for getting in his way of getting 1,000,000 private points.
He texted to his group a good job, before noticed Ayanokouji hanging around the halls.
"Oh hey, where's ice girl?" Munfurawa asked, and Ayanokouji shrugged.
"I think she went to bed." He stated, point to her closed room.
"I see, how's your exam going?" Munfurawa then asked.
"A bit of troubles, but I think it'll benefit us." Ayanokouji stated with no care, as if he was hiding something. Something Munfurawa knew he had planned. He could see through his eyes that he had done something relatively dramatic.
Whatever it might be, it didn't seem to impact him, so he was fine.
"I see, well that's good." Munfurawa nodded.
"What about you? Any update with your group?" Ayanokouji asked.
Munfurawa sighed, "The lack of cooperation is really making it difficult to get those bonus points, so outcome 3 or 4 seems likely for our group."
Ayanokouji looked on, before he looked up, "I see, well we'll see what happens."
"Indeed, we'll see if my plan works." Was all Munfurawa stated, before he left, leaving Ayanokouji to think on his own, about the plan Munfurawa had in store. It wasn't that he didn't know, Munfurawa had been open about it, but how he would execute it was his guess.
Little did Ayanokouji know, that Munfurawa had already put his plan into execution. As of now, he was just waiting for the results of his plan.
It wasn't until around midnight when he got a notification on his message account:
Alert: Due to members of your group prematurely guessing incorrectly, the identity of the VIP before it is revealed, your group, the snake group, has rescinded out of the special exam.
Results for Snake Group:
Outcome: 4, Traitors' assessment is wrong.
Class Points:
- Class A: -100 (two traitors)
- Class B: 0
- Class C: -50 (one traitor)
- Class D: 150 (three traitors guessed incorrectly)
Private Points:
- Class A: 0
o Miki Yamamura: 0
o Masayoshi Hashimoto: 0
o Hayato Kito: 0
- Class B: 0
o Chihiro Shiranami: 0
o Yuki Himeno: 0
o Miki Yamamura: 0
o Kozue Minamikata: 0
- Class C: 0
o Albert Yamada: 0
o Takeko Nishino: 0
o Kyogo Komiya: 0
- Class D: 500,000
o Nene Mori: 0
o Vikku Munfurawa: 500,000
o Mei-Yu Wang: 0
o Sana Azuma: 0
That is all for your group's exam, you are allowed to enjoy the rest of the cruise. Enjoy!
Munfurawa gave a small victorious expression as he looked at the results. While he had failed to gain the first outcome, and not get the bonus of up to a million private points, at least he benefitted from the cost of class points for almost all of them.
It wasn't what he had hoped for, but it could had gone much worse.
And so, he was left to relax for an extra day, now that his group had prematurely finished the exam.
The next day, he noticed the glum looks of his groups from Class A and Kyogo Komiya, whom looked beaten up, probably due to being the one to cost them those class points.
Munfurawa had seen the reaction in the group chat, with all of the girls proud of Munfurawa's idea. He quickly texted back that it was an idea Horikita had given him since he was the VIP.
It was clearly quite the situation he had gotten himself into. But again it seemed that the girls believed it, with the exception of Azuma, who had decided not to text back yet.
Making his way to get his usual breakfast at the café with Horikita and Ayanokouji he began to tell them the news.
"So, my group prematurely finished their exam." He started, which got their attention.
"What?" Horikita asked, as she stared at him.
Munfurawa took a sip of his tea, before he explained, "Someone in our group got the wrong VIP, and ended it."
"So your group got outcome 4?" Ayanokouji asked, and Munfurawa nodded.
"Yes, I got 500,00 private points, not what I was hoping for, but seeing their faces as they suffer was good enough." Munfurawa explained, which caught the mild shock of Horikita.
"Well, it seems you get an extra day to hang around, huh?" She asked, and Munfurawa nodded.
"Indeed, I guess I'll see if there's anyone else, or I may stay and sleep."
"Pfft, lazy…" Horikita mumbled, before she left to meet her group.
"Keep it chilly ice girl." Munfurawa said as he waved a goodbye Horikita.
Ayanokouji looked at Munfurawa in intrigue. Yesterday he had been told he had a plan, and now this happened, it was clear to him that something unusual happened with the outcome.
"So how much points did you get?" He asked.
"Around 500,000 private points." Munfurawa stated.
"I meant class points." He reiterated.
Munfurawa pondered, "150, there were three traitors in our group. Two from Class A, and one from Class C."
Ayanokouji looked impressed. Munfurawa had just managed to stack the outcomes to gain extra weekly points for the class. Even then it was clear he was looking for just himself. He prioritized the million private points, only going for this outcome when it became impossible.
Likewise, he had utilized the outcome to make them suffer as a result of getting in the way of his goals. It was commendable, and Ayanokouji found himself intrigued yet again by Munfurawa.
"Well, I have to go to my group, have fun for the rest of the day." Ayankouji mentioned, and Munfurawa nodded. Once they had waved a goodbye, they had split off. Ayanokouji to his group, while Munfurawa had went back to his room.
He was intending on enjoying the rest of his day.
He decided to spend his time with Azuma, who was in a good mood considering what had happened in their group. He had also noticed Albert Yamada standing around, staring at Munfurawa, but they both knew that any altercation would not go unnoticed. Therefore, they left each other alone, while Azuma led Munfurawa to a more spacey room.
"Is there something you need, Azuma?" Munfurawa asked, and she nodded.
Before Munfurawa could ask what she wanted, he raised his arms to block a kick Azuma had tried to surprise him with.
"That was faster." Munfurawa commented, and Azuma smirked, retracting her leg as she leapt towards Munfurawa, trying to land a right hook to get past his arms.
Munfurawa jumped back, as they stared each other down.
"So this is what you wanted to do?" Munfurawa asked at last, and Azuma nodded.
"It's been a while since we sparred." Azuma mentioned offhandedly.
Munfurawa looked on, before she once again closed the distance, launching a kick towards him. He blocked the first, with the second grazing him in the side, as he hadn't expected Azuma to strike him twice.
He used his elbow to push it into her ribs, which made her stop her advance, backing up.
He took this opportunity to thrust his feet forward, which managed to strike her, but she recovered. She once again charged him, thrusting her legs outward to strike his neck, which he once again blocked it with his hands.
She had retracted her leg a bit slower this time, and Munfurawa took the opportunity. Revolving around her leg, he kneed her hip, before pushing her away right for him to strike her with a back kick.
She fell to the ground once again, holding her chest which he had struck. She got up and once again charged to Munfurawa, who kicked her to the side, making her fall yet again.
Munfurawa sighed, "It's been around, you're getting better at taking my kicks, and catching me off guard."
Azuma smiled as she coughed. Munfurawa sighed as he apologized for going a bit too far.
She seemed rather upbeat about it regardless, as if she was a masochist. Oh well, Munfurawa thought, it was a nice workout he needed, after a bit away from his usual schedule. That was the only downside with the cruise, was his lack of schedule here, as it had been interrupted by this cruise.
At least, when he went back to his dorm, he could go back to his club daily.
Sighing, he put Azuma to rest before he went his own way. He would probably either sleep or read. Well, he was until he spotted Kamuro. She spotted him back, and he sighed, knowing he would have to talk with another person.
One episode of talking to a girl later, and he was still talking to Kamuro, who was playing cards with the others. She had also wanted Munfurawa to play chess with her. Munfurawa hadn't even know what chess was, and it consisted of Kamura teaching him.
As the day went by for Munfurawa, he did find himself wanting to know how the rest did. Obviously, this was the downside with finishing early, is that you could never compare yourself to others. Perhaps that's also a bad thing to do and has its flaws, but it is reassuring when one can push through expectations.
As Munfurawa went to rest, he checked his phone as saw it was only 14:30. He sighed going to get some lunch, joined by Kamuro and Azuma, the latter who was not going to give up food, which made Munfurawa laugh internally.
The three talked and got to know each other, with Munfurawa learning more, in particular that Sakayanagi was deemed unfit to write the exam. Kamuro made sure to check up on her from time to time, but since she had her own thing, she couldn't check much.
After words, they began to talk about literature, which Azuma found little interest in, then martial arts, which Kamuro was bored of.
"He's really good." Azuma commented, and Kamuro looked at Munfurawa.
"Really?" She asked, before retracting it, remembering him and Manabu Horikita fighting briefly. "Never mind, I actually saw him fight at one point."
Azuma looked at him with interest and anger, "And I didn't get to see?!"
Kamuro chuckled, "it was against Manabu Horikita."
Azuma's eyes widened in realization, "But he's like amazing at martial arts as well."
Munfurawa nodded, "I know, and we briefly fought, but that's it. Nothing too major."
Kamura looked on, "But it was impressive how he could handle himself."
Azuma looked at Munfurawa as if he was a shining star, "I know…"
Kamuro looked at the two, before chuckling silently.
The three continued to hang out even after lunch, as Munfurawa somewhat desired to sleep. He was a bit annoyed, but he digressed and kept going. Eventually, Kamuro had to go, citing the need to check on Sakayanagi, leaving Azuma and Munfurawa to themselves.
The two remained quiet, as they enjoyed the cruise and the oceanic atmosphere. To Munfurawa, it reminded him of home, which in turn brought back some memories, good and terrible.
He sighed, focusing on the positive aspects of the island he had once called home, before he and Azuma delved into another conversation about martial arts.
"This girl really is passionate about the sport…" Was all Munfurawa could say, as she dragged him for another sparring match. Munfurawa could only wonder how this girl could continue going even after being brought down ruthlessly by him not even a couple hours prior.
Once that has gone by, he noticed Ayanokouji and Horikita sat down in the café yet again. He made his way over, and greeted them.
It was currently almost 22:30, and thus the three began to discuss how they felt they did and the likes. Except for Munfurawa of course since he already knew how he and his group performed. With the going on, Munfurawa watched as Ayanokouji looked at his phone, and texting, as if he was focusing on someone.
Oh well, at least Horikita wasn't being whiny about her group. Rather she seemed very relieved now that she didn't need to worry about her group.
"I am confident that the VIP wasn't discovered in our group, what about you guys?" Horikita asked the two.
Ayanokouji then mummered, "I think a traitor is among our groups, but other than that, I'll have to see what happens.
Munfurawa sighed, "I already told you, the traitors guessed wrong."
Horikita seemed like she wanted to ask something about Munfurawa, but before she could, their phones ringed, indicating the results were out. They looked on for their results.
"Outcome 4." Ayanokouji was the first to say his results, "Class A was the traitor, so we gained 50 class points."
"Same here, Ayanokouji, outcome 4." Munfurawa responded, before the two looked at Horikita.
She sighed, "Outcome 1, it seems no one made an assumption of our VIP."
"Well that means you all got private points." Munfurawa stated, and Horikita nodded,
"I didn't, that's frustrating." Ayanokouji mumbled, and Munfurawa was somewhat shocked.
They decided to wait half an hour more, when the results would be shown officially to everyone.
The three sighed, waiting in anticipating, as they continued to talk regardless.
"It does seem we will get at least the next day off for relaxing, well, an extra day for Munfurawa, what did you do?" Horikita asked Munfurawa.
"Hmm, well I was dragged by someone from my martial arts club for a spar, then I talked to Kamuro, before eating lunch with the both of them. Then I was dragged for another sparing match." Munfurawa explained, and Horikita raised an eyebrow.
"Were they both girls?" She asked.
Munfurawa nodded, "Yeah, Kamuro you both met that time with the fight incident with Sudo, remember?"
Horikita then nodded, but felt herself getting a bit angry, "So someone's now hanging out with girls, careful or I might have to put you on the same boat as Ryūen."
Munfurawa sighed, "Whatever ice girl, you sounded unusually mad there, perhaps you should stay chill after all."
Horikita mumbled something before their phones all messaged simultaneously.
"Congratulations to our first years for completing the Zodiac Exam! This was a three day venture to observe one's thinking and critical abilities among others. As a result here are the results based on the records for each zodiac group.
Class A: 904 (-250)
Class B: 763 (-50)
Class C: 742 (+250)
Class D: 492 (+150)
The three of the them looked at the results, somewhat shocked at what they had seen.
In particular, the performance of Class C, tying with Class D to achieve the most class points. As for private points…
Class A: +2,000,000
Class B: +2,500,000
Class C: 5,000,000
Class D: 3,500,000
Class C got the most in terms of private points, which was unfortunate.
"At least we got second…" Munfurawa thought, but it wasn't a victory he wanted. He wanted the top spot, and he was sure Ayanokouji did as well.
It wasn't until Horikita noticed the snake group's mark, did she get confused.
"Wait a second, how did Class D get 150 points there?" She asked.
Munfurawa shrugged, "Oh, I got outcome 4, which means the traitor guess wrong."
Horikita sighed, "But how did that much points get lost and gained?"
"It's very simple, there were more than one traitor in our group. We found two from Class A, and one from Class C. They all got it wrong thanks to a bit of tactical playing, and we gained extra class points as a result." Munfurawa explained.
Ayanokouji looked at Munfurawa again, as he thought about it. It was a good plan if one wanted to reach the class ranks, but on a personal level, option one was the best. Even then, Ayanokouji understood where Munfurawa was coming from. Even if he had the chance to gain a million private points, the people in his group wouldn't let him.
Therefore, he decided to attack them head on, by hurting them to the potential he could. If there was a way to make an individual lose private points, no doubt Munfurawa would have gone for it.
However, because it wasn't the best, Munfurawa chose this instead, finding a loophole that didn't explain how many traitors there could have been.
All in all, it was a smart plan.
"So how exactly did you push them into the wrong person?" Ayanokouji asked.
Munfurawa put a hand on his chin, "The four of us had a groupchat, and I agreed to send them a copied version of the message which told us whether we were a VIP or not. I sent them all the email, making them "VIPs." One of them left the email open for someone from a class to take, and it worked better than expected."
"How so?" Ayanokouji asked.
"It was simple, I noticed early on how they both were working together to be as uncooperative as possible. So it made me realize that if one were to find the VIP somehow, then they would all pull the strings and submit the result. So they all posted the wrong VIP because it was a decoy, yet again. As for the extra credits, apparently it was possible to have more than one traitor." Munfurawa explained.
"Interesting…" Horikita mumbled, before turning to Ayanokouji.
"What about you?" She asked.
The boy shrugged, "We just swapped phones and managed to fool the rest of the group. Despite agreeing to not turn a traitor, it didn't live up to the expectations."
"Karuizawa was the VIP, so she contributed right?"
Ayanokouji nodded, "Indeed, everyone thought Horikita here was the one coming up with the plan. Ever since the deserted island exam, even though you were the leader, you managed to convince the class that Horikita was the one who actually was leading."
"So how did Karuizawa agree to this? She definitely is somewhat arrogant…" Munfurawa asked.
Ayanokouji was once again interested in Munfurawa's suspicions. "I did convince her to act to this, and she was resisting, but she eventually caved."
Munfurawa had a bad feeling about that, and looked around noticing Horikita had gone to sleep, presumably because it was midnight now.
"There is another thing that I question, why didn't they just call the phone to verify the identity?" He asked.
Ayanokouji nodded, "I used some private points to unlock my SIM and exchange it."
"So you posed as the VIP, and did this circle of exchanging contacts, making it difficult to discover the identity of the phone." Munfurawa concluded, to which Ayanokouji nodded.
"It does bother me how many in Class C were able to find the VIP." Ayanokouji mentioned, and even Munfurawa himself was stumped.
"Indeed, at least my plan allowed us to gain the same amount as them." He reiterated. "However I do feel there must've been a pattern when selected VIPs, that Class C figured out."
Ayanokouji nodded, "It seems that way…"
Eventually, the two called it a night, and decided to get some rest, knowing that tomorrow they could have at least a brief moment to relax.
A.N / So that is chapter 11 and the final part of the Zodiac Exam. I am noticing it is taking not that much time to finish these, but since every chapter is around 7.5k words, perhaps it makes sense. I do plan on the next couple of chapters to be calmer and less fast paced. I just wanted to get these arcs out the way.
The next major arc from what I remember is the Sport's Festival, and we do have some interested factors to take into account.
Anyways I'll leave that to the reader to guess, next chapter will probably be more for interacting with others. See you.