Shibata's sudden kneeling not only made Kanzaki feel as if he had swallowed a fly, but also pushed his anger towards Shibata to its peak.
It wasn't that he didn't know what Shibata was doing behind the scenes, but what did that have to do with him? The reason he helped Ichinose was because Ichinose completely trusted him and could act according to his plans. For someone who loved to strategize, such a leader was the perfect partner.
This was the key to Kanzaki's unwavering support for Ichinose. Compared to Ichinose, he certainly knew that Shibata's overall ability even surpassed Ichinose's. If Shibata were willing to trust him like Ichinose, there was no doubt that his cooperation with Shibata would further elevate Class B's overall strength by a notch.
However, Shibata himself was a comprehensive talent, possessing the ability to lead everyone, capable of strategizing on his own, and even in terms of brute force, Shibata was one of the best in Class B.
Such a person simply didn't need Kanzaki's assistance, and naturally wouldn't listen to him. This was the key reason why Kanzaki had been trying to suppress Shibata from beginning to end.
Class B did not need a leader with his own will.
Or rather... Kanzaki did not need a leader with his own will.
He hoped to use his abilities to lead Class B to Class A, but he also knew perfectly well that he lacked the charisma of a leader and the ability to unite everyone. That's why he collaborated with Ichinose, pushing Ichinose forward as the leader, while he, as the shadow second-in-command, propelled Class B's development from behind Ichinose. This was what Kanzaki wanted.
And it was something Shibata would never be able to give him.
Kanzaki originally thought that no matter how much Shibata wanted to overthrow Ichinose, he could only do so by borrowing a knife to kill, but he never expected Shibata to jump out on his own this time.
Shibata, being questioned in public, also wore a bitter expression.
If others couldn't detect it, could he not?
The matter of his cooperation with Horikita had probably long been detected by Amane. Both Albert's attack and Amane's deliberate stalling were warnings to him.
Warning about what?
Warning him that cooperating with Horikita was useless, because Class D's decision-making power was entirely in Amane's hands.
He had gone to find Hoshinomiya-sensei more than ten hours ago. To allow Amane to smoothly check the key card holder's name and then escape, Shibata deliberately found a place to sleep until dawn before calling Hoshinomiya-sensei.
Otherwise, how could it have taken more than ten hours?
According to his estimation, with Amane's abilities, she should have already escaped. Even if he only found Hoshinomiya-sensei in the morning, it wouldn't matter; he could just lie to Ichinose and get away with it.
But he never expected that Amane would actually wait in the same spot for ten hours.
So, the problem arises: he, who was actually allied with Amane, called Hoshinomiya-sensei, disrupting Class D's plan. Although Amane was manipulating things, it was indeed disrupted.
Facing Ichinose, if Amane had already escaped, then even if he called for help late, the primary responsibility would not lie with Shibata; it would be Ichinose's. Shibata would at most be criticized a couple of times and then be fine.
But now, he called Hoshinomiya-sensei, disrupting Amane's plan. This, in turn, allowed Ichinose's plan to be perfectly realized. With Hoshinomiya-sensei present, Amane couldn't use violence, and the final outcome would likely be a hasty retreat.
And Ichinose, who led Class B to defeat Amane and reclaim some face for Class B, would reach the pinnacle of her prestige, likely making it difficult to shake for years to come.
At the same time, in a situation of victory, Shibata's problems would also be amplified. Even if Ichinose didn't pursue it, he would be branded as unreliable.
Even if Ichinose were to resign as leader in the future, Kanzaki would most likely take over, and it certainly wouldn't have anything to do with Shibata.
Shibata completely failed to grasp the psychological games and calculations being played by those involved in the confrontation. It was an act to help Amane, yet Amane would rather choose to be at a disadvantage than let Shibata be caught between two fires.
Such a heavy warning forced Shibata to act, to do something, anything. Class B had to fail this exam, otherwise, he would absolutely have no chance of defeating Ichinose in the future.
So, when Amane continued to propose that someone kneel to retrieve the key card, Shibata knelt down without hesitation.
Since Amane wanted to solidify the outcome that he didn't help Class D, then he would deliver the answer to Amane's ear. Amane would have to know who the Class B key card holder was, even if she didn't want to.
Moreover, Shibata had found Amane's weakness: Amane would definitely not expose Shibata in public.
How difficult is it to turn an insider in another class? Especially someone who has a say in that other class, it's even harder to turn them.
If Amane exposed Shibata in public, it would undoubtedly be a declaration to everyone that Class D would betray insiders at any time. This way, Class D would never be able to find cooperative partners again.
Shibata, having taken advantage of this point, knelt and slowly approached Amane.
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