Classroom of the Elite: Standing Firm in Class A — Chapter 110

Chapter 110: Zodiac Group Discussion

The night grew deeper, and the temperature out on the open deck began to drop significantly. A biting sea breeze swept across the luxury cruise liner.

Ichinose Honami subconsciously wrapped her arms around her shoulders, her slender frame shivering slightly in the chill.

“It seems to have gotten a bit cold.”

“We should probably head back soon as well.”

Kaedehara Tetsu straightened his posture, casually glancing at the watch on his wrist. “We have to wake up early tomorrow. If we miss the exam notification because we overslept, it wouldn’t be worth the trouble.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

Honami nodded, her hands reaching down to smooth out her skirt, which had been ruffled by the ocean wind.

The two walked side by side toward the entrance of the cabin.

The lights in the long corridor remained bright, casting their elongated shadows against the carpeted floor.

The next morning, at exactly eight o’clock.

The sharp vibration of a notification tone pierced the quiet morning silence of the guest room.

Buzz…

Tetsu sat up from the mattress, reaching out to pick up the smartphone resting on the bedside table.

The screen lit up the darkened room. An email from the school administration lay quietly in the notification bar, waiting to be opened.

He tapped the screen.

“Although it is regrettable, you have not been selected as the VIP for this exam.”

A short, cold line of text.

Tetsu turned off the screen, his expression entirely unchanged.

This result fell perfectly within his expectations.

He possessed absolute clarity regarding the underlying logic and the specific personnel allocation of this Zodiac exam. In this so-called Rabbit Group, the true VIP… the singular target every student desperately wanted to uncover, was none other than Karuizawa Kei from Class D.

The one o’clock afternoon sunlight spilled into the wide corridor through the circular portholes on the side of the cruise ship.

The central air conditioning operated at full blast, filling the enclosed space with a biting, artificial chill.

The hallway was crowded with students moving back and forth, searching the doors for their respective assigned rooms.

Tetsu appeared on the second floor at the very last minute.

He walked through the anxious crowd with an unhurried, measured pace, eventually arriving in front of a heavy door marked with a rabbit insignia. He raised a hand and pushed the door open.

The air inside the room seemed to freeze in that exact instant.

Thirteen pairs of eyes snapped toward the entrance almost simultaneously.

Takemoto Shigeru and Machida Koji from Class A occupied the inner seats, projecting a quiet confidence.

Honami from Class B sat directly facing the door, her posture perfectly straight.

Several girls from Class C had claimed the seating area on the left side of the room.

The members of Class D appeared the most scattered, leaning against the far corners with guarded expressions.

Tetsu was the absolute last person to arrive.

He offered no words of apology for his timing. He simply walked straight toward the area claimed by Class A, sitting down in the empty seat Takemoto had specifically reserved for him.

Almost the second he settled into the chair, the ship’s internal broadcast system emitted a sharp electronic chime.

“And now, let’s begin the first round of the group discussion.”

As the automated voice faded from the speakers, the room plunged into a deathly, suffocating silence.

No one dared to speak first. Every student eyed the others through their peripheral vision, silently calculating, guessing who might be the VIP holding the ultimate privilege in their hands.

Just as this heavy stalemate threatened to stretch on indefinitely, a voice broke the quiet.

Honami stood up from her chair.

“Although everyone knows which class each other is from, some classmates might be meeting for the very first time. If you don’t mind, shall we start with some simple self-introductions?”

No response came.

Compared to how things might have played out otherwise, the sheer weight of Tetsu’s presence in the room kept Machida entirely silent.

The others clearly shared the same sentiment. Engaging in friendly self-introductions during such a treacherous, high-stakes psychological exam felt like a complete waste of breath.

If this obvious cold reception had been directed at anyone else, they likely would have shut their mouth out of sheer shame and anger.

But Honami was only slightly taken aback. She naturally continued the conversation, showing absolutely no hint of discouragement on her flawless face.

“It seems everyone is very cautious. That’s completely understandable. After all, this is an exam that tests our psychological maneuvering.”

She didn’t try to force the issue, smoothly shifting her approach instead.

“Since that’s the case, I will just state my opinion directly. Everyone has read the rules of this exam, and I think… we can fully strive for Outcome 1.”

She looked around the room, meeting the guarded gazes of her peers.

“As long as we work together in this Rabbit Group, find the VIP together, and everyone submits the correct answer at the end, then regardless of which class the VIP belongs to, all of us can obtain a large amount of Personal Points.”

She offered a warm, reassuring smile.

“This will not only avoid any deduction of Class Points, but it is also the most favorable win-win situation for everyone involved.”

It was a proposal overflowing with idealism, a strategy perfectly tailored to fit her benevolent persona.

“What does everyone think?”

Honami stood firmly at the center of the room’s attention.

“I think, rather than suspecting each other and ending up with zero points for anyone, or having only a very few people profit, it would be far better if we all work together to secure these 500,000 Personal Points. There is no downside to this for anyone, is there?”

The students from Class D were the first to show a reaction.

Yukimura Teruhiko pushed up the glasses resting on the bridge of his nose.

“Indeed… if we are only aiming for Outcome 1, for the current Class D, it is undoubtedly the choice with the lowest risk.”

Although Yukimura’s voice carried a stiff, academic tone, his underlying logic was crystal clear.

The current Class Points for Class D had already hit absolute zero. They quite literally had nothing left to lose.

If a student who wasn’t the VIP answered incorrectly, the rules dictated a severe penalty to their class. But for a class already sitting at zero, that threat held zero deterrent effect.

On the contrary, if everyone reached a consensus and each person walked away with a massive influx of Personal Points, it represented an irresistible temptation for a class suffering from severe financial ruin.

“Since there is no loss and we can still get paid, I have no reason to object.”

Sotomura Hideo chimed in from the side. His eyes darted around the room nervously, clearly uncomfortable in the tense social setting, but his sheer greed and desire to take advantage of the situation easily won out.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka remained seated in the far corner, his face entirely expressionless. He looked as though the clamor and negotiations happening mere feet away had absolutely nothing to do with him, quietly observing the shifting tides of the room.

Over on the side occupied by Class C, the atmosphere turned noticeably subtle.

Manabe Shiho narrowed her eyes, her gaze sweeping suspiciously between the students of Class A and Class B.

“Tch, that sounds real nice. But who knows if this is just some trick from your Class B? What if the VIP is hiding in your class, or you just want to trick us into revealing the target so you can find a way to hog all the points for yourselves?”

“Please rest assured about that!”

Honami responded instantly, her tone ringing with absolute sincerity. “If we reach an agreement, I will take the lead in disclosing all of our information.”

“We agree too.”

Yabu Nanami tugged gently on Manabe’s sleeve, lowering her voice to a harsh whisper. “Anyway, if we keep stalling like this, it’s highly likely we won’t get any points at all. We might as well try. Getting 500,000 points wouldn’t be bad.”

Listening to her companion’s quiet persuasion, Manabe still wore a deep scowl of suspicion and annoyance. Eventually, she clicked her tongue and curled her lips into a sneer. “Fine, fine. Just don’t treat us like fools.”

Amidst this fragile, subtly forming consensus, Ibuki Mio from Class C seemed entirely out of place.

She sat with her arms tightly crossed over her chest, her back pressed hard against the rigid chair.

She did not participate in the ongoing discussion. She did not even spare a single glance toward Honami.

Instead, her sharp, hostile eyes were locked fixedly in the direction of Class A.

Specifically, at the boy who was currently staring down at his smartphone with an air of complete, arrogant nonchalance.

Kaedehara Tetsu.